I kept a wary eye on Treia as she walked silently, clearly deep in thought. I’d decided that interrupting her silence wasn’t the best of ideas, and was walking with Mia perched on my shoulders, the two of us trying to improve our communication.
Instead of the two of us sending images to one another, we tried to convey ideas, which, if we could master it, would save a lot of time when it came to communication.
What I mean by “ideas” is that we could guide one another with emotions and actions, instead of using the waste of time known as sharing images. We practiced for a bit, taking turns guiding each other with our emotions, one of us moving with our eyes closed.
“What are you two doing?” Treia asked as I dodged a tree just barely as Mia sent a signal of danger.
“Practicing,” I responded simply.
“That looks like you’re just walking around with your eyes closed,” she retorted.
Getting another danger signal from Mia, I bent down, dodging Treia’s hand as she swiped at me. Cracking open my eyes, I looked at Treia, who was scowling at me. I grinned, standing straight again and adjusting my cloak.
“‘Cause I was,” I said. “Mia and I are practicing our communication. It’s working so far.”
She stared at me before shaking her head. “First I have to deal with my dad, and now I have to deal with an Abyssal. What is my life? Also, how’re we supposed to get you into the city?”
“Good point,” I muttered, letting Mia race ahead with her eyes closed.
As I guided the Dragon, Treia kept speaking under her breath.
“No… possibly… too conspicuous,” she muttered, half her words lost in her thoughts. She then looked at Mia and her face lit up. “I’ve got it! We can disguise you as a Dragonborn!”
“Something tells me that acting as a ‘Dragonborn’ Prince wouldn’t end well for me,” I said, barely sending a signal for Mia to dodge a tree in time.
She shook her head. “I mean as a Dragonborn hybrid, kind of like Miana’s brother.”
I tilted my head. “That could work… but I don’t think a normal pair of Dragon horns curve like mine.” My horns had begun growing back from the top of my head above my ears and were about six inches longs, curving up at the tips. Mia’s, however, started directly above her ears and went back, curving downward slightly. (I’d also noticed my ears had started to become a bit pointed, kind of like an Elf from books. They weren’t long enough to look out of place, but it was still there.)
Treia gave me a wary look. “I mean, since you’re a male, they may disregard it, since male’s horns grow a bit lower than yours. So unless we meet an actual Dragonborn, you should be fine. Now, we need to find some paint for your horns. I just need to sneak into my dad’s estate for that…this way.”
***
Treia wormed her way through the hole in the wall she’d exited from and popped out to the other. Jason patiently waited outside, playing with Mia as they continued their weird communication thing.
Sneaking through the bushes, she looked both ways before walking along the path to the estate, putting on an annoyed scowl as she went along.
Her father’s estate was a bit bigger than she’d like, but she was personally fine with it. Her mother, on the other hand, wasn’t much of a fan of housekeeping. Even though most of the work was done by well treated servants, she still complained about how much work they had to do.
The estate itself was a three story building that was mostly light gray with areas of green from a long past, though there were stripes of gold bordering every floor. If you looked over to the front, you’d see a flag with the Kia insignia, a Forest Dragon, emblazoned on it. The building was actually made from a special wood that hadn’t been properly cared for in years, mostly because no one knew how to. Treia had looked it up and was trying to get her father to listen to her about it before the entire estate crumbled to the ground when it died.
Treia shook her head as she walked into the main hall to a large number of people bustling around, cleaning up.
Right. Another suitor, Treia thought with disdain. I wonder if Jason would pose as one-
She shook her head. “Nope. He’s doing enough already,” she muttered, ignoring the strange looks she got from the servants.
With a sigh, she went up to the second floor, where her room was, and quickly gathered up the paints she’d need, throwing them into her Spatial Bag. As she walked over to her door, she froze as it opened in front of her, Xaila walking in.
Crap, Treia thought, looking nervously out her window.
“Oh, there you are, Treia,” she said, deathly calm. “I was looking for you.”
Treia’s necklace grew warm and she flinched as her sister’s eyes went wide. “Look, I can explain-”
“You left! I knew it!” Xaila hissed. “Dad said not to go! Why would you-”
“It’s none of your business!” Treia snapped, not wanting to deal with her sister at the moment.
“I am your older sister, so it is my business! Why do you never listen?!” Xaila responded, glaring at Treia. “And who in the world protected you from all the new beasts? What if the Abyssal found you.”
Inwardly, Treia cringed at that. “Why does everyone act like this Abyssal is going to kill them all?! All that’s different is a Dungeon Break! I’m fine, we’re all fine! The beasts aren’t even that hard to kill!”
“That’s not the point, Treia! You’re not safe-”
“I’m not going to be safe while stuck at Level 1 for my entire life either! This isn’t your problem. I’m going back and don’t try to stop me.”
Xaila glared at Treia and Treia glared back, neither of them willing to give up. After a few seconds, Xaila looked away. “Why are you going back already though?”
Treia tried not to scowl. “I’m…” She thought carefully. “...trying to hit Tier 1. I got a Unique Class.”
Xaila’s jaw dropped and she sputtered. “You- what- Unique- WHAT?!” Xaila grabbed Treia’s shoulders. “You need to tell Dad, we can’t just not-”
“I will! Geez…” Treia snapped. “Just let me Tier Up first!”
***
“That tickles, you know,” I grumbled as Treia painted my horns ice blue and yellow. “Not a good type of tickle, mind you,” I added as Treia moved the paintbrush back and forth rapidly.
“How can a tickle not be ‘a good type’?” she asked. “Tickles are tickles for a reason. They make you laugh. How can it not be ‘a good type’?”
“If I was tickling your tongue, would that feel good?”
“No, but how do horns relate to your tongue? You touch Mia’s horns all the time and she’s fine with it.”
“How about you touch them then?”
Treia looked at Mia, who stared at her, daring Treia to touch her horns. Treia gulped. “Point taken.”
I reached over and rubbed Mia’s horn and she giggled, pushing her head into my hand. Treia scowled, rubbing my horn with the paintbrush again.
~~~
“Welcome to Mayflower, my home,” Treia said, walking ahead to the city.
Isn’t Mayflower a boat? I thought to myself. Something in American history?
Sensing my confusion, Mia shifted in my arms and patted my forehead as if that’d make me understand. I smiled and patted her head back as I looked over to the city again.
The city was made up of various sizes of buildings, ranging from as small as food stalls to the size of a castle, like the one in the center of the city, though that seemed to be part of a different section. With my Tier 3 sight, I could see people milling around through windows before moving away. The actual inhabitants of the city were bustling around as if preparing for something, opening shop doors and setting up stalls while cleaning up, making the streets sparkle somehow.
“What’s happening? Some sort of festival?” I asked Treia.
She stared at the streets disdainfully. “If you can call some random important person offering to be my husband worth a festival, then yes. Not like it’ll go any different than the last four times I was proposed to.”
I snorted and continued ahead, reaching the gates. Once I reached them, I was stopped by a guard clad in what looked like steel armor.
“Name, Tier, and purpose,” she ordered, looking at me suspiciously.
Smiling, I responded, “Name’s Jason and Mia, we’re Tier 3, and here on a System assigned Quest.”
The woman didn’t budge, though she did start when I said we were Tier 3. “Purpose of Quest?”
Thinking quickly, I responded, “Just visiting a friend.”
The armored woman sighed before waving me past her. “Just don’t draw your weapons unless you’re actually in a life-threatening situation. Otherwise, just punch whoever decides to pick on you.”
“I can’t tell if you’re joking or if that’s a requirement.”
A shadow of a grin appeared on her face before disappearing. “Just go.”
I walked on past her, Mia finally jumping out of my arms to gawk at the city. I grabbed her hand and turned around, realizing Treia was nowhere to be seen. Shrugging, I walked down the street, the locals giving Mia smiles as she jumped around, peeking over stalls curiously and me a strange look as I caught her before she toppled half the stands over in excitement.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“No need to put on a show, you,” I told her, lifting her onto my shoulders.
Instead of listening to me, she instead put her hands on top of my head and lifted herself up as high as she could without falling, pointing at things that interested her. Shaking my head, I followed her pointing.
***
Treia was barely able to slip back into the estate on time, cursing under her breath as she flew into her room to the waiting seamstresses.
It only took twenty minutes before she was outfitted in a semi-good looking dress that tightened around her waist, which wasn’t the most comfortable, but was probably for the best. There were jewels lining her neck, each enhanced to do something different. Due to this, Treia could probably stand in ice-cold temperatures and still feel like she was covered by a warm blanket.
Treia lightly patted her hair and sighed, wondering if Jason was going to be watching the exchange from the streets.
Knowing him, he’ll just appear out of nowhere. Someone is bound to notice him and then someone else is gonna complain. I’m hoping this foreign Prince won’t complain that Jason wasn’t praising him or something.
Treia sighed, preparing herself to reject yet another Prince.
~~~
Treia gave a flat look over to the Princes, who were laughing together like they’d known each other for years.
“What in the actual- how?” Xaila muttered from behind her. “Who is that and why can’t I identify him?”
Treia didn’t answer and instead tried holding back a groan. “Of course that dimwit got himself in trouble,” she whispered under her breath.
***
I tried to move away from the Prince again, mostly because Mia was not liking the attention from the hundreds of people who watched us in awe. She pressed against me, trying to hide under my cloak.
I realized I was too late as I looked ahead and saw Treia walking out a huge estate that, at first glance, looked like it was made of a light gray material, but when I Eyed it, I realized it was made of wood that was going to die soon.
The foreign Prince looked forward as I did, smiling as he saw Treia. “And there she is. Don’t you think she’s beautiful?”
Giving him a reluctant nod, I tried to slip from next to him, and he noticed, frowning at me. “What’s wrong? Don’t think you’re important enough to be in her presence?”
“Something like that,” I responded. “Now, me and my little sister have somewhere to be. It’s urgent business. Sorry, Prince.”
Before he could respond, I slipped into the crowd, happy I wouldn’t have to confront Treia.
***
Treia let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding when Jason left. When the foreign Prince began introducing himself, she lost herself in her thoughts, wondering when she’d be able to go back out to Level again. Preferably with Jason-
Can you stop thinking about Jason, Treia? She thought to herself, only a force of will keeping the scowl off her face. He’s not the only one I can ask to bring me out. Though, he’s the only one I probably won’t have to pay for…
“-Kingdom’s Prince, I propose to you, Princess Treia Kia,” the Prince in front of her finished.
She made a show of thinking before sighing. “I would love to accept your proposal, but, unfortunately, I cannot. I will think over it however. Thank you for your time.”
The Prince in front of her deflated before grinning. “Well, I didn’t really expect you to accept anyways. If you had, we could have avoided this.”
Treia’s eyes widened as the “Prince”’s aura exploded, and he grew in height, launching himself at her, batting away all the ones who went to defend her. He’d grown nearly a foot or so taller, with his skin taking on a red hue and his eyes going pitch black, including the whites of his eyes.
Demon Possessed, Treia thought, shaking as she began to move.
As she scrambled back, only one name came to her mouth.
“JASON!”
And before anyone could let out a breath, the malformed Prince stopped in his tracks, looking confused.
“Who?”
“Me, obviously,” a familiar voice said, clearly tired.
Treia looked over to the direction Jason’s voice came from and her eyes widened as she saw him walking off a rooftop, landing on his feet without stopping his slow walk. Though he didn’t look visibly angry, his aura was radiating with annoyance.
“Why is it,” he started. “That the moment I leave, you get yourself in trouble? If this is going to be a normal thing, I don’t think this will work out.”
Why are you feeding them a delusion?! She mentally hissed at him, noticing the mutters as people began trying to figure out who he was. You know what? To hell with it. If it’ll lose the suitors, then whatever.
“I don’t attempt to!” she snapped back.
The Demon Possessed Prince looked back and forth from Treia and Jason, realization dawning on his contorted face.
“You. It’s your fault! She’s been- ARG!” The Possessed launched himself at Jason, who stood unblinking. “SHE’S MINE!”
Jason’s frown deepened and she could’ve sworn he muttered, “Really? Only Level 35?”
The next moment, the Possessed was on the ground in front of Treia, all his limbs cut off as Jason sheathed his sword, sitting on the large Demon’s chest.
“That was anticlimactic,” he said. “So much so, I’m not even gonna kill you. Our Tree over there can,” Jason continued, tossing Treia’s dagger that she clearly forgot at her.
It bounced on the hard stone beneath her before settling in front of her. He raised a brow as the Possessed skin at the arms began writhing, growing outwards.
“Oh? Super-healing? We can’t have that. I’d hurry up if I were-”
However, Treia was already in action with the dagger above the Demon’s head as it screeched. She then plunged downwards, huffing.
You have killed Demon Possessed - Level 35 | Tier 2!
For killing Demon Spawn, you have gained 50% more experience!
You have Leveled Up (x9)!
+ 36 Strength, Endurance, Vitality, Mana, Intelligence
+ 63 Dexterity
+ 45 Free Stats
New Titles!
Demon Slayer I
You have killed one of the many scourges of the Overworlds. Keep killing them to upgrade this title.
+ 30% Effective All Stats
Two Tiers Ahead!
You have killed a being that was two Tier above you! None will know how you did this.
+ 8% damage to beings for every Level they are above yours
***
WHAT? Why didn’t he kill it?! Systie fumed, clearly not happy with these turn of events.
The Manager looked over to her. “Well, it’s not like he would get Levels for it.”
BUT THE STAT MULTIPLIER! THE TITLE!
The Manager frowned. “Are you okay? Which fragment of yourself did you send here?”
Systie ignored him, muttering under her non-existent breath. The Manager sighed. The System was getting more and more unhinged by the years. He assumed that she probably needed to clear some memory. Maybe he should do that… eventually. When she wasn’t going to kill him for touching her.
***
Sighing, Xaila looked over to this Jason boy suspiciously. She didn’t under stand what her sister could possibly see in him. Yes, he was clearly strong, looking at the dismembered Demon Possessed, but other than that, he was clearly uncultured. And he was a damned Dragonborn, one of the worst races to be in a relationship with.
“Why weren’t you there earlier?” Treia hissed at him. “I’m pretty sure some of that could’ve been avoided.”
Jason raised a brow. “I was wondering where you were. At least at first. I forget you’re a Princess sometimes. Plus, Mia exists. She’s number 1 on my list of priorities. You’re number 4.”
“Who’s 2 and 3?”
“2 is me. 3 is an old friend you probably won’t meet for a while. Also, who’s this girl who looks eerily like you and is glaring at me?”
Treia finally seemed to notice Xaila and turned to her. “Right. This is my sister, Xaila.”
Oh, thanks Treia, Xaila thought. Like I can’t introduce myself to your boyfriend.
“Another Princess? Oh, great heavens,” Jason muttered, shaking his head.
“Actually, I’m not a Princess,” Xaila said. “I’m just her older sister. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
“‘Cause I’m not gonna.”
Treia gave Jason a flat look and he sighed.
“Fine. I’m Jason and this is Miana,” He snapped, waving down to the young girl sitting down on his lap. “Happy, Tree?”
“Don’t call me ‘Tree’ and no, I’m not happy. Tiering Up hurts.”
“No, really? I can’t imagine that it would.”
“Oh, shut up, Tier 3.”
“Make me Tier 1.”
Confused at the exchange, Xaila looked back and forth from Jason to Treia, who kept bickering like they’d been friends for years. The little girl, Mia, nuzzled her face into Jason, clearly content with being on his lap. He absentmindedly rubbed her left horn, which was yellow and occasionally let off a spark of static electricity that he didn’t even flinch from, which she pressed into his hand whenever he stopped rubbing it for too long.
“It’s almost like yesterday when you were only level 13.”
“It was almost yesterday. It’s still today.”
“Pish posh. Details, mi amor. Details.”
“Don’t you call me ‘my love’ in Deity, idiot. I know that language.”
He grinned and patted her head, causing her to scowl at him and shake his hand off.
Xaila had no doubt that, even if those two weren’t in an actual relationship currently, they’d be in one sometime in the future.
***
I sighed as I walked the path to the estate, completely exhausted. Mia was already asleep in my arms, though I kept having to shake her awake since we hadn’t taken a bath in a while now. The last time was…
When was the last time, I thought, shaking my head as I shook Mia awake again, causing her to add yet another bite mark to my arm.
“Are you my Bond, or am I just Dragonsitting you?” I grumbled as Mia glared at me.
I looked back to Treia, who was arguing with her sister ahead. Something I’d realized at some point was that, for some reason, Intelligence increased my perception, so I could hear everything the two of them were saying.
“-Father’s still going to yell at you, you know,” Xaila told her sister.
“Oh, well then. I don’t give a shit,” Treia muttered. “I’m exhausted.”
“Agreed,” I grumbled, though they didn’t hear me.
“Still, you’re going to be forbidden from leaving the castle for a while when Auntie and Uncle hear about this.”
Treia groaned. “Jason, you’ll help me, right?” she called back to me jokingly.
“Hell no. I’m just the guy who kills things and has to Dragonsit. And believe me, it’s not fun in the slightest,” I said back.
“Rude…” She grumbled.
“I can hear you still.”
“I don’t care!”
Eventually, we made it to… the best way I could put it would be estate or manor. It was large, with gold on the borders of each floor. However, the rest of the manor was gray with green splotches. Frowning, I Eyed it and was nearly overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information I got.
“Woah…”
Xaila looked back to me and then to the manor, understanding dawning on her. “Identified it? It’s a lot.”
“The most I can tell is that the thing’s gonna die within the year,” I muttered, rubbing my forehead.
Treia cursed, staring at the manor. “I know, but no one seems to care. I just don’t know how to keep it alive…”
I frowned at the lines and lines of text before stumbling upon a certain line. “Have you tried to plant more trees around it? It says that excess energy that trees generate will help feed it since there’s no leaves.”
Treia’s jaw dropped and she let out a cough that sounded like she was choking on gum. “WHAT? THAT’S IT-?”
“TREIA KIA!” A woman’s voice roared. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”
Treia flinched and she looked over to the entrance to the manor, where a woman was storming over to her, someone who looked exactly like.
“Ah. Mommy problems. Good luck, Tree.”
“You-!”
The woman blurred, even to my eyes and I flinched, taking a few steps back, both Mia and me fully awake. She reappeared in front of Treia, her eyes boring a hole though Treia. Treia looked at me in horror as who I assumed was her mother grabbed her, clearly Identifying her.
“LEVEL 24?! WHY-” she began.
Oh, to hell with it. “Ma’am, that would be my fault. I had no clue she wasn’t supposed to Level. She’d never told me.”
The woman then looked over to me as if she’d just noticed I was there. The anger in her face dissipated and she looked at me in confusion. “Who are you, why can’t I [Identify] you, and why are you with my daughters?”
Shhhiiiit. I forgot about that, I thought, grimacing. “A Passive Skill. It doesn’t let anyone except for people I trust to [Identify] me. Treia can make a claim to that,” I said respectfully. “I am with your daughters because Treia was attacked by a Demon Possessed Prince and I happened to be there at that moment in time. Why they brought me here is a mystery to me.”
The woman gave me a very untrustworthy glare. “You didn’t answer my first question.”
“I’m a wanderer who happened to meet your daughter this morning and helped her Level. I had no clue she couldn’t do that. You can call me Jason and this is my Bond Miana.”
“And your Level?”
“Since that is personal information, I will only tell you I’m Tier 3.”
She nodded. “Good. You didn’t just give away your Level. But, what are you? You’re certainly not a Dragonborn with those horns. They’re clearly painted over.”
Oh, fuck.