Dorian looked out over the steep cliff he was on and at the thriving forest below. Thousands of great oak trees spread out, creating a dense, brilliant canopy, like an ocean of leaves rocking gently at sea.
After talking with William, the Wizard he met, for several minutes, they had parted ways. The human had shared a great amount of information about this world, and about those that were chasing them.
He'd also given the Wizard some life advice his Dad and Google had given him, from back on earth, once he learned about the poor guy's situation.
Dorian took everything the Wizard told him with a grain of salt, though, just to be safe. He didn't think the Wizard was lying, but it was better to be cautious.
'Ausra, you said I can merge bloodlines, right?' He queried, asking the calm genie.
'After completing a growth cycle for any creature form and fully growing its bloodline, you can merge that bloodline with any other grown bloodline, or any group of others, to create a hybrid creature. Hybrid creatures may not necessarily be stronger than the base forms. An infinite number of hybrid forms are possible and most of them I have no data on.' Ausra's response in his head was clear.
He nodded, considering his plans.
-Myyr Dragon – Growth Stage: (2/4) Myyr Young Adult-
Growth Progress – 1,302/8,620 –
He was making progress on his Myyr Dragon form again, albeit slowly. He wasn't sure how his progress had increased the amount it did, but guessed it had something to do with the now dead Wizard's last gift to him.
He was a Master Class beast now, and he could feel the strength in his body. However, there were Grandmaster Class beasts in these mountains, and he'd needed to pick his path carefully.
According to William, this entire universe was more complex than he originally thought.
Ausra had made him aware that there were an enormous number of worlds in this universe, and that a multitude of creatures and beasts among them.
He now knew, however, that these worlds were connected by enormous strips of land called 'World Bridges.' These bridges were literally bridges between worlds, but massive in scale, where even the smallest stretched more than 2 dozen miles in width, and hundreds of miles in length.
There were three World Bridges connecting to this world. The best way to escape his pursuers would be to get on one of these World Bridges. Apparently he was being tracked through Fate Magic, some type of mystical art that he didn't quite understand.
Fate Magic operated weirdly on the World Bridges, as did several other types of magic, due to the spatial interference and distorted laws that surrounded World Bridges, allowing them to exist.
If he could make it to one of the World Bridges, his chances of escaping would greatly increase.
The closest World Bridge led to a planet known as Mesor, notably one of the longest World Bridges in the 30,000 worlds. Dorian had automatically stricken that one from the list, because, according to William, the Wizards searching for him had most likely come from that World Bridge, and were concentrated in that area.
Instead, he decided, his eyes turned to the south, it would be better to take the World Bridge found within the Tandor Empire. Specifically, the one located outside the City of a Thousand Colors, Yum City.
The Tandor Empire was far from where he was. Easily a thousand miles. Even for his draconic, Master Class body, that was a journey that would take some time. He couldn't even see the mythical World Bridge that existed, though he was excited to have his first glance at it.
The World Bridge there led to a planet known as Taprisha. It was a planet that acted as a buffer zone between one of the three Vampire Families and the Borrel Autarchy.
It also just so happened that one of the World Bridges that existed on Taprisha went in the direction of the planet that the fallen Wizard Horhavil had said contained the Ember Gorge, and the huge treasure stash he'd found. The Wizard had left a small map of the worlds close to it in that information orb, and Taprisha was one of them, albeit one of the farthest away.
Dorian smiled, his eyes shining. He needed power, right now, strength to stand by upright and proud. And he had a plan to get it.
With that thought resounding in his head, he began to run forward, towards the edge of the cliff that overlooked the forest, roughly two hundred meters below.
With a yell, Dorian threw himself in the air, his emerald wings shining in the mid afternoon light, and began to glide high above the forests below.
..
William rubbed his eyes, moving carefully through the undergrowth. He stepped gingerly, his body still recovering from the shock of the wounds he'd received earlier and then forcibly healed.
A wooden sword floated in the air next to him, the spell Wood Magic: Armory applied. It was a simple, self defense spell designed to deal with anything that would try to attack him.
He had just managed to leave the dangerous mountain region, and entered the forests just to the south of Yor City, making his way back. Once he got a little farther from the mountains, he planned on summoning his flying ark to soar back home.
His mind was aflutter, right now, with a million thoughts.
That dragon had stayed true to its word, letting him go without trying to harm him, or even blackmail him. Such a behavior was so atypical to anything he expected, it was foreign to him.
Something the dragon had told him resounded in his ears.
He'd been answering several of the drake's questions about the world he lived on, Hasnorth. Many of them were simple questions, like what lay in which direction, while others were more complex, asking about the people or beings in power, or the Wizards that were hunting him.
At one point, William had brought up his own family, and his issues with them. He hadn't planned on it, but the conversation had somehow leaned that way.
When the dragon learned of how he was a bastard, and hated his father, and of his victory in proving his strength, it had given him an odd look.
"If you hate them so much… why do you care about proving anything to them?" The young drake's voice had cut to his soul then, its point echoing in his mind.
"Don't depend on others for happiness. Look for it within yourself." He'd been stunned, unable to give a reply. Their conversation had quickly moved on past that, but the words the dragon shared had stuck with him.
In a way, it was true that he hated his father. He'd never met his mother, a maid that had left shortly after giving birth to him. He'd tried searching for her to no avail, even when he hired a Fate Wizard.
There was no one in his family he was particularly close to. Even his grandfather and great-uncle only cared for him because he had clawed his way up to gaining a decent amount of strength as a Sky Class Wizard.
He had a few friends he'd made, some mercenaries and warriors he'd hire and knew on a first name basis. But no lover, no one close.
Wizards had longer lifespans than those that practiced magic, especially depending on the higher Class you reached. But that was no excuse for wasting your life.
"What am I trying to do here..?" He muttered, rubbing his chin. He cast the thought from his mind, however, as he focused, clasping his hands together,
"Wood Magic: Genovah's Flying Ark!"
An instant after he finished speaking, a mysterious cluster of symbols appeared in front of him. A collection of wood burst forth from this cluster, bending and stretching, twisting into the shape of a mid sized ship. It stood around twenty meters long, and a dozen meters wide, built entirely out of a dark brown wood. A large pillar rose from the middle of the boat, an empty mast. A small cabin could be seen on one end of the boat, leading towards the inside.
It was one of his most prized spells, a complex one he'd only managed to learn after reaching the Sky Class.
"Let's get home, for now." He muttered, deciding he'd figure out his thoughts later.
For now, he turned his mind to the other cluster of symbols in his soul.
The inheritance left behind by that awe inspiring Light Wizard.
..
Yor City.
In a large, open courtyard, owned by the Robel Family, a cohort of figures were currently standing around, talking.
Oblong stood in front of the Robel Family Head in the midst of a discussion about the fallen Wood Wizard, giving him a small nod.
"My apologies, Garibold." He said, attempting to make his voice somber. Oblong's eyes were drawn out and exhausted, the stress of the day pulling on him. He barely had enough energy to stay awake, and wanted nothing more than to sleep.
"It's fine." The gaunt, elderly figure of the Family Head shook his head calmly, shrugging,
"It is William's fault that he wasn't capable enough. He had a decent amount of potential, but, as they say, when the blood is spoiled…" He shrugged again.
"Oblong. Enough with the niceties." A plain looking woman waltzed into the courtyard, followed by a few other Fate Wizards. At the end of the group calmly walked a man that made Oblong shiver.
Lord Hadrion. A Lord Class Wizard.
He had long, wild black hair, with a muscular physical appearance. A strong chin and jaw complimented his rough smile, giving him a gruff look. Small black particles of energy seemed to flow around him, following him.
The devastating Aura that powerful beings could emit. Most Lord Class Wizards had the capability to emit an Aura, a physical manifestation of their strength and will. Hadrion practiced a particularly virulent type of Magic, Black Lightning Magic, however, and his Aura was emitted even without him trying.
Thankfully, only a minute portion of it spread, not enough to cause people to suffer. Still, it gave him an incredibly fierce appearance. One he well deserved.
By Lord Hadrion's side was an elderly woman wearing a full, purple dress, with the insignia of the Obsidia River Empire emblazoned on it. One of the nation's Royal Wizards, the sole other one practicing Space Magic.
"Commander Larah. Lord Hadrion." Oblong turned and bowed as he saw the superiors he'd been waiting on.
The Royal Wizard Aymon stepped forward, greeting the duo as well, and then turning to smile and warmly hug the other Royal Wizard.
"Where is Graxital?" Lord Hadrion's voice was rough, and enthralling, full of power.
Oblong gulped as he heard it, but recovered smoothly and responded,
"He is recovering inside. Unleashing his last spell took a lot out of him, and it will take him some days to recover."
Lord Hadrion nodded when he heard this, and then glanced towards Larah at his side.
The Fate Commander stepped forward immediately, taking charge.
"Oblong, begin a Foretelling immediately. We need to pinpoint the location of that dragon before it can move too far, and track it down." Her voice was stern, with no room for argument.
Oblong didn't allow himself to sigh, simply nodding attentively. In front of Lord Hadrion, he could not afford to look bad. The fact that he had spoke to the dragon, as well as stood before it, meant he was the best choice to trace the reverberations in Fate it was emitting. He shuddered anew, however, at the memory of the Aura the beast gave off.
He clasped his hands together, casting a formal spell.
"Fate Magic: Foretelling."
Wizard's that studied Fate Magic had a unique understanding with Fate. After many years of study, especially for those at the Master Class and above, a Wizard could divine certain things even without casting spells.
The formal spell, Foretelling, was the staple of Fate Magic. It was a complex spell that allowed one to use the energy of existence to feel the connections of Fate that existed all around. Countless, invisible threads weaving an enormous Tapestry of Life that connected all living beings.
Making sense of the great Tapestry of Life was difficult even for the best Fate Wizards, but what could be gleaned was almost aways useful.
As Oblong cast his Foretelling, focusing on the small dragon they had seen, his eyes began to glow a faint, white light.
He felt his connection to the world, the wonderful, blissful feeling of gazing upon the limitless Tapestry of Life.
He felt at the strings of Fate connected to him, trying to sense one that contained reverberations in Fate, created by unknown causes.
Just as he was trying to center in on one, however, a blinding flash of light blasted into his eyes, knocking him out of his Foretelling.
"Arrrgh!!" He screamed out loud and fell to the ground, covering his eyes in pain. The rough, stone floor of the courtyard bruised his back and elbows, his innate barrier as a Master Class Wizard unable to absorb self caused impacts.
Everyone in the courtyard froze, staring at the obese Fate Wizard in astonishment.
"My eyes! Arrrgh!" Oblong clutched at his eyes, feeling at them. Two lines of blood dripped down his face, the area around his eyes light red and burnt. He refused to open them, and instead immediately forced himself past his pain, casting another spell.
"Fate Magic: Fate Reversal." He felt a large amount of energy in his body leave him. He would not be able to cast another spell today.
Fate Magic was not renowned for its healing spells. The only spell Oblong knew that could heal him was the spell Fate Reversal, which was similar to some Time Magic spells in that it reversed something that had happened to him.
As the redness around his face began to recede, and his body began to heal, the pain that threatened to send him unconscious faded. The overwhelming tiredness he now felt, however, remained. He also set to trembling, his body in shock.
"What on earth was that?!" Commander Larah's voice broke the frozen silence, staring at Oblong in confusion.
Oblong responded, his voice ragged and harried,
"The dragon appears to have some sort of protection applied to him from scrying Fate. It didn't feel permanent, but I am unable to break through it, at least not right now." His eyes finished healing, fully restored to the condition they had been in before.
"What? We can't afford to wait, we don-" Commander Larah was cut off mid-sentence before she could continue,
"It's fine, Larah." Lord Hadrion's voice was cool, not showing a hint of displeasure.
"Any being that has a soul that twists Fate itself is bound to be unusual. It's aware of us hunting it now. It's only natural that it will prepare safeguards." His eyes flashed as he spoke, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Oblong, you have worked hard. Would you care to become a permanent addition to my team?" The man turned to look at Oblong, the small smile vanishing as his eyes turned completely serious.
Excitement cut through his tired haze like lightning as he sat up, staring at the gruff Wizard.
"It would be my pleasure, Lord Hadrion." Inside, he was yelling victoriously. This was perfect! Every Fate Wizard needed powerful companions to be paired up with. By standing at Lord Hadrion's side, it was almost guaranteed that he would be richly rewarded as time went on, and easily breakthrough to the Grandmaster Class.
"Good. You will rest up here with Graxital. The rest of us will move on for the target immediately. We have only hours, at best, till the teams from the Sundering and Darkness Departments arrive." His voice was powerful and full of authority. He turned to look at Commander Larah, his eyes cold, continuing,
"Larah, cast a Foretelling and see if you can find anything related to the Dragon. Don't Foretell directly about him, go about it in a indirect manner. I doubt it's shielded everything from us."
Larah immediately nodded and set to work, settling in to cast her spell. Oblong retreated back inside the Courtyard the Robel Family had provided to them, falling asleep almost instantly inside a small bedroom.
"Fate Magic: Greater Foretelling." A spell only a Grandmaster Class Fate Wizard could cast. The spell required a huge amount of energy and concentration, something only a powerful Soul could handle. Larah could only cast it once without taking a long time to rest.
It was a more powerful version of a regular Foretelling, but one that was more accurate and targeted.
A tense silence followed as none of those present dared to talk, waiting for Larah to finish her spell. Hadrion watched all of it dispassionately, his appearance unconcerned. A few moments passed.
Larah's eyes glowed as she spoke aloud, looking up from her spell, her voice filled with eagerness.
"I haven't found the disturbance, Lord Hadrion… But I've detected someone that might be able to help us find it, or at least provide a closer link." The plainfaced Fate Wizard turned away from Hadrion to look at the Robel Family Head, an odd look in her glowing eyes.
"It seems your Wood Wizard descendent has managed to survive after all."
.
