[My apologies to my faithful readers as I know it's been a long time since I've posted. Thanks for the continued support despite my lack of writing. I know things are difficult around the world and I do hope to post daily chapters if not bi-weekly in the future. Stay safe. Stay healthy. And so without further ado please enjoy this new chapter.]
It had been over a year since I had seen Abernathy. His werewolf blood was rare and his strength was good for someone of his kind. Though how to properly measure it I don't know because truthfully my scale for such is skewed.
As I was capable of growing stronger by eating and learning, everything that was normal to the world was different for me.
Strong people to everybody else were weak in comparison to me. And weak things were just ants below my feet. something to be crushed or fried with a magnifying glass.
But in truth seeing Abernathy in this condition here was unheard of. And honestly I was shocked. Because werewolves in lore and history were capable creatures and very intelligent. And having seen and talked with Abernathy he fit the bill decently. So my question was obvious. Why was he cuffed and barred inside a crate?
I snapped my fingers and the cuffs on his wrists and ankles shivered before becoming mercurial and slithering toward me. The metal gathering around my ankles slowly merging into two small halos that hovered and rotated in place.
Abernathy stared at the metal for a moment before glaring at me.
"Do I know you?" He asked. His face was defensive and his eyes measuring me as though looking for a weakness or even a trait to recognize.
I couldn't help but grin a bit as I reached out a hand to empty air. The air began to vibrate visibly till a popping noise echoed through the hold as one of the bracelets expanded explosively. Those within the cabin soon saw a strange shining halberd with draconic carvings within my palm. Dragons Cry seemed to snuggle affectionately into my outstretched palm as it sat there. It was like a puppy that had been ignored and then suddenly shown affection.
"It has been a while. But I doubt you don't recognize this beauty after your experience on Weremar." I said gently caressing the metal with my thumb which caused the halberd to shiver happily.
Abernathy of course looked shocked at the appearance of the weapon. Not just because of what it was but also how it appeared.
Abernathy naturally knew what this thing before him was. He had seen Fire burst from its maw as it let out a defeaning roar. The sound and power easily doing away with many monsters. This item was the only one of its kind. And only one creature held it in the past. But this figure before him was not that creature. How could it be?
As I held dragons cry I saw the recognition on Abernathy's face. It was a look of fear and awe. His eyes glancing back and forth between me and the weapon.
"I used this on Weremar when you were being chased by wolves. I didn't think it would be so hard to forget the roar it bears and the destruction it leaves in its wake." I said as I let go of dragons cry letting it return to bracelet form.
"But perhaps before you get a grip of who I am and come to understand where you are first. As it's not often a person of your kind can roam about and be known without threat." I said as I turned and strode away.
I believe a confused and enticed audience leads one to accept things faster in a world turned upside down. That was my experience at least.
I strode out of the hold and into the coastal air. The smell of the ocean brine making me breath in deeply as I closed my eyes. Almost savoring the smell of the salty ocean. And when I opened them again I noticed the sky was filled with the orange and red of sunset. The sky darkening slowly as the Sun sunk ever so slowly beyond the horizon.
I heard a choked cough from behind me. By the sounds of it Abernathy had finally made his way onto the deck. But the poor retch sounded like he really couldn't handle any form of water transport.
I turned around to Val and leaned in a little. "Maybe we should get him to solid ground before checking his health. Sounds like the poor Sod doesn't fancy water." I whispered and she visibly winced as another round of coughing and gagging ensued.
"I agree." She said as she and Amanda helped him slowly to the dock and back onto solid soil where the color on his face seemed to return to normal.
That was till he saw all the undead.
He paled visibly and would have retreated if he had strength. But Val and Amanda holding him led to him just giving up on life and passing out from the overload of strange situations.
And so we took him to a house that was barely finished to rest.
It was a small cottage built into the side of a tree. The bark having grown out to form the roof of the house. It floor as well as most of the surfaces was solid wood. It's contour and curves making it seem like the cottage had just grown there naturally.
The bed sad to say was a bit small for Abernathy so his feet ended up sticking over the ends but beggars can't be choosers.
And so I left him in Val and Amanda's capable hands so I could deal with other issues before we moved out.
The town was mostly repaired by nightfall surprisingly. As undead don't get tired and (quite frankly) are stronger than living people. It made things go faster and more easily.
The townhall was the largest building as it boasted three floors built mostly from granite, marble, and multiple types of common wood. Its exterior had been layered with natural barrier magic which had been destroyed by some great force. The reason for my observation being a massive crater sitting in the middle of its formation spell formation on the tree.
Formations are basically written out programs for spells. The stronger the spell, the bigger the program. The more detailed the program is, the more efficient and powerful the spell will become. Dragons cry even has formations within it that make it more powerful with time.
So (in short) to have a barrier spell that covered an entire 3 story building be destroyed made me cautious of the sort of things I would be coming to deal with.
I took a look at the formation and building repairs to figure out what needed to be done. The cracks were being filled with a plaster/cement mix and speed dried by fire magic from a select couple of people. But they weren't fixing the formations in the process. And I hate to admit that it bothered my perfectionist side.
The lines which were supposed to form a perfect circle were now crooked and oddly angled. The core formation in the shape of a star was now shattered and beyond repair. Hell even the main defense line was rubbed off and buried beneath rubble. This formation that was supposed to look like a beautiful galaxy surrounding a single star, now looked like someone had turned it into a Picasso painting.
I just shook my head as I approached. Many of the undead bowed low as I drew close. The work on the side of the building was practically finished. The only thing I wanted to do was fix things to the way they were.
I grabbed a simple chisel with one of my hands as other miscellaneous tools filled the others. brushes, hammers, files, and a trowel. And with these tools I went to work. The worded lines which had been cracked I chiselled off and remade.
The star I forced to merge with the surrounding rock and wood to make a new surface so I could start over as it was a lost cause. And (thanks to a mix of Gluttony and my own studies into engraving, enchanting, and formations) I made the entire formation over again. With a few improvements added in for an extra boost to its defensive nature and durability. Though I had to expand my form to reach a couple places.
"That should do the trick." I said as I picked up what I thought was a large rag from the side to wipe my brow with.
Oddly enough I heard the rag start giggling and wiggling. "Tehehehehe!"
I raised an eyebrow in confusion and turned the rag till it was sitting in my palm.
The rag moved till a small brown haired head stuck out. A child. A little girl with a broom in her hands was giggling as she sat in my palm. Her small figure peeking out at the crowd from between my fingers. Her blue eyes widened with wonder at the view from where I sat.
She began to wave at a couple across the town square. "Mama! Baba!" She called waving about energetically.
I looked among the passing people and saw the couple from earlier. The poorest among the travellers. The wife had been trying to feed the husband something but he had brushed it off as "Not needed" till he was done.
But as soon as they heard their daughters voice crying out, it grabbed their attention instantly. Her hanging out of my hands made her mother's face pale instantly. Seeing her face I slowly moved over to where they were and gently placed their daughter on the ground before them.
"Take care of such a precious child. No amount of time or money can buy these moments back." I said as I turned and shrunk back to a more normal size as her parents pulled the girl in with worried and panicked expressions.
I had long grown used to those expressions and I understood their fears. So I brushed them off as nothing more than that. Fears.
The buildings were almost finished and I was tired. So I retired to a room in the town hall.
It wasn't too cushy or ornate. But it did the job. The bed was comfy enough for me to sleep and the people weren't anywhere near enough for me to worry about.