Chapter 88: Reunion – Part 2

Chapter 88: Reunion – Part 2

The Celestial Horns all stand in formation, their bodies completely unmoving as they've realized that they don't need to breathe anymore, their helmets held under their arms as the battle is over, their faces grim as they've come to understand their sad fate. Their Divines are all truly dead, their last bastion of resistance was overwhelmed by monsters, and it’s only through sheer will that they haven't regressed into mere Living Armors without any emotions. They failed their duty, they failed their people, and they can't even find someone to blame for it. The Petrification Calamity was a tragedy, and the real culprit eluded the entire realm, if there even was one.

But while the Horns stand with their heads hung low, Oritiki is the only one who retains some glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Her majestic horns are polished to a smooth sheen, her black cow head looks proud, and her eyes are sharp. Even after Arreira has revealed everything, she's still every bit as determined as she was before.

"Ryders," she coolly greets us with a nod, then she notices my new race and observes me with neutral curiosity.

"Oritiki," I greet back with a smile.

Hana and Ciel greet Paraaone, which he returns, though mutely.

We stop before each other and remain silent for a moment as we search for the right words.

"My condolences," I break the silence with a sober tone.

"We appreciate it," Oritiki responds, and her face melts into a warm smile, then her eyes lose focus as she reminisces. "Though this isn't the first time we've heard that. Arreira also followed it up with such a tempting offer that we eagerly accepted this childish fantasy."

"Yearning is not childish," Ciel immediately chimes in with a very motherly tone and steps forward. "But the important question is: do you regret this time that Arreira gave you?"

Oritiki slowly turns around, taking a brief look at each of her men, then shakes her head gently. "No."

Oritiki and I look at each other expectantly, as if we're trying to read each other's minds, but we don't need to try, we have a very good idea of what the other wants.

I can't look at myself like a common man anymore, my Gift already set me apart, and now the Gods have made fucking sure of that since they even made me into a new race. I can't keep acting as an outsider, trying to not stir the pot; I'm already going to make waves with [Golemancy], my promise to the Goddess of Knowledge made sure of that, and now I'm going to be responsible for part of a nation.

I need to inspire loyalty in others; I need to act in ways that will earn me their respect; I need to take responsibility for the lives of my soon-to-be subjects; I need to guide them forward towards the light that only I can see. That is the only way that nobility can be justified in taking power in this realm, it's their reason for existence: to guide.

But I can't do it all alone. I need more than just my wives, concubines, or companions. I need subordinates, bound through a contract, subjects, bound through duty, servants, bound through oath, and followers, bound through love.

The strong protect the weak, which in turn support the strong. At this moment, I'm-, no, we are stronger than Oritiki and the Celestial Horns combined. We hold real control over their Fate, and what we're about to say will forever change our relationship with the Horns.

I won't use [Godly Language] to manipulate their hearts into accepting this. I'll use plain, clear words so that they know exactly what's expected of them. I can't deny that I want their armor and weapons, but I don't want them to go, and also, they're more valuable as allies than as tools.

Unfortunately, allies are equals, and nobody would say that of our relationship with the Horns. We can't stand on the same level, but we can start there.

I hold my claws in front of me and puff up my chest, then Alissa helps me straighten my posture while Aoi gets my tail under control through [Bind].

I breathe in and let my voice resound so that every Celestial Horn can hear me clearly, "I wasn't born in this realm. I'm from a world populated entirely with humans, where mana doesn't exist. I was never told why I was brought here, and I was given Gifts to fulfill a destiny I know nothing about. The only thing I'm sure of is that the Gods guided me here, both the new and the old, and this meeting between us is entirely within their plans."

I make a dramatic pause to let them absorb my words, and I see Oritiki's face light up.

"We'll destroy this dungeon's core, ending Arreira's existence with it, and also your fake lives. After that, we'll assume the position of Lords and work to accumulate even more power, but we have few that we can truly trust, so this will be a rocky, dangerous path. That's not all, as we don't truly know what Fate the Gods have for me, so we don't know the nature of the dangers that still lie hidden from us.

"We've fought and bled alongside some of you while you've also protected us for a short time. We greatly value your assistance, and also your friendship," -I send a nod towards Oritiki, and Paraaone's face twitches with emotion- "so we don't wish to end things here.

"Do you desire to continue your lives? To live for a while longer in this realm, but without all the illusions and lies this time? We can give you all new lives if you agree to serve us, and while we can't say for sure if they'll compare with your old lives, we can assure you that they'll definitely be eventful.

"Knowing that Fate that lies ahead of us, do you accept this proposal? To serve in exchange for a new life?"

I stare at Oritiki, and she returns the gaze. Hers is intense, trying to gauge my determination, while mine is hopeful, trying to convince her to accept.

A smile slowly breaks into her long snout, then she turns around, and her men start to light up as they see her expression.

"We require some time to discuss this in private," she states, her voice leaving no room to argue.

We nod respectfully, then Paraaone sends us one last smirk before we turn around and graciously leave the room.

The happiness from before fades away as we cross through another [Eternal Gate]. We find ourselves inside a huge, nondescript room. It's made entirely of gray rock and lacks any decorations, giving it the air of a prison.

In the center of this room are the Carrier and the Long Floater. Both of which are manned by only a small number of very confused Chimeras that watch us cautiously when we come in.

Alissa hears a few shouts as observers on the glass dome bridge of the Carrier recognize us after using their scopes.

I pull out three comfortable sofas for us and a few hard chairs for our guests, then we wait while the Chimeras scramble to respond.

They try to activate the ships and their Trinity Cannons, but a [Disruption Field] enveloping both ships makes them stop trying that rather quickly. I'm also thankful that Arreira was polite enough to keep us out of the Field. Just watching all the wild mana makes my insides tingle unpleasantly.

After a few minutes, a group of Chimeras pours out from both the Carrier and the Floater. Alissa focuses her sight and recognizes Nohopu, the squirrel-headed crazy captain; Kurii, his beagle-headed executive officer; Kaiia, the Carrier's fluffy, panda-headed executive officer; Kaata, Hihiriwa's neon-blue gecko-headed wife; and the devil himself. Hihiriwa's gray draconic face is completely neutral, unconcerned with his current situation.

They all come towards us flanked by tall and burly guards, though none of them have weapons, so they're all harmless to us.

They started pretty far away, so a long minute passes as we wait, then I decide to pull out a coffee table, and Alissa starts preparing tea for everyone.

We act indifferently to them until they take their seats. Nohopu and Kurii get friendly nods, especially Kurii since I'm a horn dog in need of a fuck, and every female looks so fuckable, and all I want is my draconic co-...

Alissa chokes the dragon again, and we both sigh in our minds.

I need to get laid.

At least they're fully armored. If the women were naked, this conversation would be very uncomfortable. It's not like I've become an animal incapable of controlling myself, it's just that it's very uncomfortable to do so.

Hihiriwa calmly grabs his cup of tea and sips it silently. He doesn't look angry or defeated, but rather seems as if he was expecting this. His expression is neutral, if a bit lacking in energy, while his draconic eyes look at nobody else but me.

The others have a mix of wary, confused, and slightly frightful looks. Kurii is as cool and collected as always, though.

I slowly sip my tea and let my eyes wander as we wait.

Kaiia awkwardly shifts in his seat, which is a bit too small for the large panda man.

I relax my thick tail on Yunia's lap, and she sends me a subtle glare but starts petting it anyway. The scales prevent me from feeling much, but her touch is good enough for me to find some comfort.

Nohopu starts tapping his foot impatiently.

I look over at Lina on Ciel's lap and feel a little jealous that I can't have my personal lap-loli for comfort. Yunia insisted on this arrangement so that I'd seem more menacing.

Kaata looks around with shifty eyes.

Hana and Aoi grumble impatiently. They really dislike theatrics, preferring a broken arm instead of these mind games.

Hihiriwa finishes his cup and sighs in satisfaction. His gray scales wave as a chill runs down his spine, then he smiles in contentment.

"I have no idea why I did it," he suddenly admits bemusedly and chuckles.

I nearly facepalm in exasperation and simply stare angrily at him. My scales wave along with the desire to strangle him that courses through my body.

He smiles, apparently proud of his stupidity, and explains himself, "I knew that you were special, but Arreira's memory-wipes prevented me from understanding why, so I thought I had to do something to keep you nearby, I just didn't know what."

Yunia takes over for me as I'm too overwhelmed to ask, "So you just... sabotaged the Light gem and hoped for the best?"

"Yes," he confesses eagerly then laughs like a fool. He laughs so hard he holds his own stomach in pain. "I can't believe it almost worked!"

The others look at him either confused or worried. I'm pretty sure that even his wife doesn't know what he did.

We hear the far-off howling of the wind as it stirs up a small storm with its breath, which it politely directs away from us.

Because Pua seems to be a bit slow, I wait an awkwardly long moment to see if it wants to talk, then I give it my gratitude, "We'd like to thank you for pushing me into the portal. If it weren't for you, things would've become... a lot more complicated, I believe. We're also sorry that you were struck by the gem's power as it must've hurt quite a lot."

Pua curls up again, leaving only its cylindrical face visible outside of its fluffy little hill, still facing us. "Oh, it's okay. The gem stung for a while, but I'm better now."

"Still, we owe you a lot. I hope to be able to repay you somehow."

"Hm..." Its interested hum sends out a slight tremor with its intensity. "I'll think about it later," it tiredly responds.

I smile sadly at it. Pua really is a gentle giant. "Unfortunately, we'll be destroying the dungeon's core soon, so this place will decay and stop existing eventually. We'll release you from this dungeon and out into the realm if you promise to not attack humanoid civilization."

"Out? Where's 'out'?" It questions worriedly.

"You're inside a dungeon, and there's a huge realm for you to explore out there. I'm almost certain that the skies are unoccupied by humanoids, so you'll have plenty of space to make your new home."

"Oh... okay."

Ciel lets her motherly instincts take over as she contributes, "If you encounter other humanoids, tell them about us, and say that if they harm you, we'll come and protect you."

"Yeah, you're a good monster, so you can come back to us if you need help," Hana adds cheerfully and shakes her fist in the air.

"Pua's mere presence will cause chaos and panic in the High Forest," Yunia warns her through [Bind].

"It'll also intimidate a lot of people if they know that we're 'friends' with it," Roxanne defends Hana, and Yunia relents.

"I'll... visit," Pua accepts, sounding as if it's unsure about what the word "visit" actually means.

We have a quick discussion inside my mind about how Pua coming to "visit" would go, then I explain things to it, "We'll be ruling over a town called Escanso that's been built in the treetops of a forest with huge trees. If you want to talk to us, come fly near the forest, and we'll try to get in contact with you. It's possible that we'll send the Chimeras along with some ships, so don't attack them on sight."

"Chimeras?" It moans a little sadly.

I nod and speak in a reassuring tone, "They're under our control now, so they shouldn't hurt you, but always be careful since misunderstandings can happen."

"Okay..." Its huge face nods very slowly.

We say our goodbyes to it, then we return to Arreira.

It's time to learn [Equip].

Announcement

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