- RASOC -
Hielgan continued to leap from one rooftop to the next leaving the guards in his wake as he hastily made his way toward the docks.
Several guards gathered as they made their way to the docks, Hielgan knew this would be troublesome for him so he prayed he would make it there before them.
'If only I could get there first...'
Hielgan recalled his previous encounter with the half-mortal, one that had been identified as a Ticigirian, a descendant of a noble clan of half-mortals that once reigned supreme in Morland.
'How would I convince him that I am on his side?'
This question lingered in his mind as he approached the docks, but he quickly came back to reality when he heard the sound of roaring by the docks.
Unlike the other half-mortals of Morland, the Ticigirian had a unique appearance that distinguished them from other half-mortals. Normally the Ticigirian appeared like normal mortals, but they had varying features like long ears and tails.
In some situations, the Ticigirian could morph parts of their body to that of their primal nature and use these features to aid them.
Hielgan recalled how the Ticigirian had morphed claws to latch onto the wall and then attack him when they fought earlier in the alley.
"Primal Nature, such a powerful ability..." Hielgan muttered. "Though without control, the drawbacks are severe."
His recent tussle with the half-mortal had revealed this to Hielgan, though he seemed proficient with his abilities, Hielgan could tell that the Ticigirian had trouble maintaining control when he exerted himself.
'Learning to transform was no easy feat, I know that well.'
Half-mortals had various unique abilities, most of them derived from their Primal Nature which allowed them to manipulate their forms in various ways.
Out of that same Primal Nature, half-mortals and some mortals could draw forth the ability to control and tame wild beasts, but unlike the magic-related skills of Beast Tamers, the Primal Nature's abilities were fuelled by an individual's metabolism and constitution.
This allowed half-mortals to draw out their full potential at will, allowing the use of skills and abilities without the use of mana. Unfortunately, the prolonged use of the Primal Nature risked the user of losing their sanity and becoming the very beast within themselves.
Another fierce roar pierced the air as Hielgan approached the docks, and in the distance, Hielgan could see strands of wild aura dissipating in the air. This was the Ticigirian's Primal Nature slowly taking over by engulfing his aura, Hielgan remembered how weak the Ticgirian had been when they fought back in the alley.
"So that's why you seemed so exhausted." Hielgan realized. "You have been fighting your Primal Nature this entire time, struggling to maintain control."
This made Hielgan understand why the Ticigirian had attacked the guards so ruthlessly back at the bar, and why he had decided to flee from fighting Hielgan back in the alley.
As a half-mortal from the dragon folk, Hielgan was different from other half-mortals since unlike them, he had no particular features that portrayed his relation to the ancient dragons. The only thing that truly defined them as such was the blood of the dragons flowing in their veins, it's where all their power came from.
'Wait a minute...'
[Boom]
A sudden explosion at the docks interpreted Hiegan's musings, and though he was a few blocks away he could feel the intensity of the heat as though he was standing next to it.
"What was that?" Hielgan exclaimed.
The explosion had happened on one of the docks, fortunately, all the ships that were nearby had merely been pushed away by the blast and did not catch fire.
Hielgan hurried his approach and made it to the docks in time to see several soldiers that had been scattered by the explosion crawling away from the aftermath.
"Help..."
One of the soldiers pleaded as he wiggled away. Hielgan jumped down and carried a few of the soldiers away, from the fires that were now spreading around the docks. After making sure the guards were safe, Hielgan began to look for the Ticigirian.
It did not take Hielgan long to find the Ticigirian, his body had become larger and was now covered in fur, and longer claws protruded from the tips of his fingers.
"So this is it..." Even though his body had taken on the form of his Primal Nature, Hielgan managed to recognize him. "But what happened here?"
The Ticigirian's body was covered in soot and burn marks, a few embers were still alit on the tips of his fur, and he appeared to be in worse shape than the soldiers Hielgan had assisted. However, what was most fascinating about this encounter was the fact that the Ticigirian was still standing on his two feet.
'Or paws...'
The Ticigirian stood in a small crater that had been caused by the sudden explosion, Hielgan could tell this because the ground beneath him had been charred by fire, however, the ships behind the Ticigirian seemed to not have been affected.
'Did he actually withstand that...'
Since Hielgan's race was inherently resistant to fire, he had been exposed to several embers that burned fiercely, so for an individual without any of these benefits, to stand against the elements was a marvel to him.
'His resilience is incredible.'
With fur blackened by burns and seared from the fire, the Ticigirian stood there recovering. Hielgan was impressed by the half mortal's resistance, but he could tell that this boon had been exchanged for something far more significant.
'His sanity.'
Hielgan sighed.
Suddenly, Hielgan felt his ability [Presence Reminder] begin to register individuals within the area. For a second, Hielgan assumed that the guards that were gathering in the city had finally caught up to him, but he felt large amounts of aura emanating from the direction that [Presence Reminder] was showing him, then he quickly turned to check.
A group of magi adorned in dark green robes and steel gauntlets with metal cuffs around their arms and in their hands were wooden staves fashioned with purple crystals.
Immediately after them a stream of guards poured out from the city and began surrounding the docks.
'These are the same guards from earlier, but these mages... who are they?'
As soon as the guards had gathered, Hielgan suddenly noticed heavy breathing behind him, and he knew this was nonother than the Ticigirian. With a rough swing of his arm, the Ticigirian slammed Hielgan away.
'What strength!'
Hielgan quickly recovered, but the Ticigirian roared and charged at the guards.
The guards retaliated with a battle cry of their own and then charged past Hielagn toward the Ticigirian.
The Ticigirian quickly went on all fours and suddenly erupted from his position like a spring, then slamming into the group of guards with extended claws. The guards resounded similar cries of pain as each one was struck down by the Ticigirian.
Memories of his encounter with Saber in Seabed flashed in his mind as the Ticigirian immediately charged toward the mages after striking down the last guard.
'Grrr.'
Hielgan grit his teeth and then inhaled a large ball of air, he could not allow memories of a fallen foe to haunt him any longer.
'I came here not as an enemy, but a friend.'
Hielgan exhaled.
"Hey! Over here!"
Hielgan threw a rock at the Ticigirian who immediately responded, the Ticigirian loosed one of the mages it had been holding in its large paws and rushed toward Hielgan. However, before Hielgan could take a stance against the Ticigirian, a shimmer of gold whizzed past him and flew toward the Ticigirian.
A similar flash of gold struck the Ticigirian's abdomen and colored it like a golden stripe, the Ticigirian fell to the ground and rolled toward Hielgan. And as the Ticigirian lay on its back the golden light that had stuck it dimmed, and revealed a jarring wound on its chest.
"That was close." An individual in stunning golden armor suddenly stood in front of Hielgan and sheathed his sword. "You were right to call me."
Hielgan's mind slowly processed what had occurred in that split second, as he loomed over the Ticigirian he could not move or utter a word before finally understanding that his goal of coming to protect the Ticigirian had been erased in a flash by a single mortal.
"I was supposed to..."
Everything had gone wrong again.