"He said jump from here right?"
"That he did sister. Did he miscalculate perhaps?"
"Unlikely. If he thinks we can make the jump, we can definitely make it. You know that right, brother?"
"Hmph. You put too much trust on that useless jin."
Hearing the conversation of Daiyu and Heng, Rosseweisse peered over the railing of the veranda they were on. Down below them was a sheer drop that would make anyone dizzy.
"No, no, no. No matter how you look at it Lady Daiyu, that drop is not something we can survive even with magic!", Kyrie denied vehemently from beside Rosseweisse, "That is 600 feet straight down! A human can barely survive 40, 70 if magic is used. No where is there anyone who can survive 600!", her voice really indicated that she was against the idea of jumping down.
However, there was a person-or rather, a couple of people in the group who are either did not hear Kyrie, is immune to such a view or could simply be labelled as someone crazy.
Person number 1;
"Stop being so indecisive Lady Knight! Just jump!"
It was Evaline and just as she had said those words, she ran towards the edge of the veranda and in one fluid motion, leaped off into the sky. Provoking a cry of horror from Kyrie who almost fell into a horrified scream at the top of her lungs if not for the sudden lump that clogged her throat.
Person number 2;
"Just as Lady Evaline says, we must jump!"
This time, it was Rosseweisse who seemed to want to do just as Evaline had. Dragging along an obviously confused and terrified Kyrie who had almost no time to process what was about to happen.
Rosseweisse looked like she had no problem jumping off the veranda which really surprised both Daiyu and Heng.
"AAAAAAAAaaaaaaahhhhh!", the frantic scream of Kyrie echoed as she continued to fall. Her frantic voice going farther and farther as time goes by provoking a slight giggle from Daiyu.
"You sure are ill-mannered dear sister.", Heng mutters while throwing his two passengers(read: baggages) over the railing as well.
"Not as ill-mannered as you dear brother.", Daiyu replied before also jumping over the railing with a smirk, "Are you sure you should have done that?" she asked her callous brother.
"They're members of the Saint's Guard. They should wake up at around 300-feet. Enough time to cast 'Shell' or a wind or water spell to break their fall.", replied Heng as he too also walked over towards the railing and quickly jumps over it.
"You forgot to take into account the fact that they were wearing armor, fool...", Daiyu mutters to herself as she also follows suit.
Not long after, an explosion blows away the top of the tower just as Daiyu had cleared the veranda.
"So destructive, that Feiwu is...", she once again mutters to herself as she turned to look towards the ruined city below.
*****
*BOOM!*, *BOOM!*
*SWOOSH!*, *SWOOSH!*
The roars of explosions and the howling of vicious winds echoed in the air as Ashen and Ferrious the wyvern, furiously trade blows without rest; Ferrious with its blue flames attempt to incinerate Ashen who struck back with waves after waves of sword strikes that seemed to strike through the air and causing waves of vicious winds that easily cut apart the streams of flames.
"You insect-!"
Ferrious angrily unleashes yet another stream of blue flame which Ashen cuts apart with a swing of his sword.
"That sword is only meant for the rightful King of Brittania! You worthless disgusting insect isn't even worthy of setting your eyes upon it!", the dragon angrily declares.
"But I'm the one currently holding it you dumb lizard! I may not be a king but hell am I one hell of a worthy swordsman to easily use it with one arm!", Ashen retorts with a maniacal smile on his face.
His words carried no hint of doubt. Afterall, Ashen knows it himself that he was never a worthy one to assume the role of a King which is one of the reasons why he kept on refusing Guinnevere's attempts on having him assume the throne as her husband; with another reason being he hates being relegated to just sitting on a gilded throne and doing paperwork which he loathes.
Excalibur-as it legend implies, can only be wielded by the rightful King of Brittania-or in the current era, of England.
'Besides, someone whose only worth is to wield weapons of war to destroy another cannot be-under any circumstance, anyone worthy of such a role whose sole purpose is to nurture a nation.'
So Ashen thought which is why he also knows that Excalibur, King Arthur's legendary sword of victory, will never ever allow him to use the full extent of its mythical powers.
As far as Ashen is concerned, the only reason Excalibur even allows him to use itself is because without him, there is no current wielder skilled enough to wield it in the current Chivalric Orders of England to help defend the nation from its current enemies.
'This thing is sharp as hell afterall...'
As if to emphasize his point, Ferrious grabs a large piece of rubble with its claws and throws it at Ashen who then swings Excalibur in one fluid motion and as if cutting through paper, the silvery blade cuts it apart with no resistance.
"GRRRR! BURN TO ASHES!"
"That's like the nth time you've said that!"
Ferrious and Ashen once again comes to blows. Physically and verbally. Cries of insults pierced the air along with the roaring streams of blue flames and the howling blades of winds that cut through them.
'Tsk! I'm running out of places to run on!'
Ashen grumbles while taking a quick glance to his surroundings;
The wide floor that was originally made of adamantite was now reduced to a mere 20 square-feet of chipped chunk of rock causing Ashen to silently curse himself for being too negligent.
'I did not take into account adamantite's heat resistance. I knew it's higher than diamond's but still, I did not expect it to start melting from that flying lizard's flames. I mean, that ain't even a genuine wyvern by my standards!'
This time, Ashen has decided that just attacking from range will only needlessly tire him out and so he rushes forward as soon as he had cut apart Ferrious' initial attack.
'I have to run faster! Fast enough that when I jump off the damned platform, I'll reach that flying lizard in an instant!'
He focuses all his strength in his legs. With each step he took, he could feel the floor crack slightly.
'It can see me regardless of how obscure I am due to the dust clouds so it will no doubt fly to the side to avoid me. So I have to surpass its reaction speed!'
"KNOW YOUR PLACE!!"
Ferrious declares as it flaps its wings even stronger and unleash a howling storm of gales that threatened to easily blow Ashen away. However-
*SPLURT!*
*****
"!"
-Ferrious' makes a face of utter disbelief. Its gaze slowly looked behind it and there, it sees that one of its wings had been cleanly cut off.
"Shit! I missed!", the vexed grumble of Ashen was then heard as he appeared to have gone past Ferrious in what seems to have been, a leaping lunge attack, "I packed too much strength! Damn!"
"You bastard!", as soon as Ferrious had regained its wits, its face contorted into one of extreme hatred and not a moment later, had turned to attack the now falling Ashen.
But for Ashen, that was a mistake.
"No more than a dumb flying lizard.", not the least troubled by the fact that a very angry dragon was now headed his way, Ashen mutters in disappointment.
"I WILL REND THE FLESH FROM YOUR BODY!!"
Ashen simply stared at Ferrious as it roared and after a sigh of exasperation, "Damn...here I thought you were actually a wyvern...", gripping Excalibur tightly, Ashen then closes his eyes and concentrates.
'I only need to swing this sword once. I only need to hit that damned lizard. One swing, one strike, and split that obnoxious lizard into a couple of pieces!'
When Ashen opens his eyes again, his mind only focused on the oncoming gaping maw of Ferrious.; his ears heard not the howl of the passing wind, his eyes did not notice his long ash white hair dancing wildly before them as he fell, nor did he pay any mind to the fact that he was currently falling down.
The only thing in his mind was-
"Die..."
-the picture of Ferrious being split in two as he swung Excalibur down mercilessly.
At least, that was how he imagined it.
*CLANG!*
"Wha-?!"
"Sorry your Majesty, but I'm afraid 'we' need this wyvern alive."
Before Ashen could process what just happened however, he notices a magical barrier form around him and in the next moment, he hits the ground with a thunderous boom.
*****
The sky was still gray and the sounds of fighting still echoed in the air, causing Ashen to realize that the fighting has yet to actually end and that he lay on the ground feeling his body weigh like wet denim.
"You sure are taking your time laying there on the ground so carefreely, Your Majesty."
Hearing the voice from earlier say so, Ashen clicked his tongue in annoyance and quickly sat up using Excalibur as a prop. He notices that he was now on the ground and that the tower he had fell from was now situated somewhere further away from him.
"You didn't even bother walking up to me to check if I died or something.", Ashen grumbled.
"Haha! It is pretty well-known to me and my fellows that you are unlike any combatant we have ever seen in this era. Of course I wouldn't dare risk getting close to you if possible. Especially when you were protected by magic as you fell.", the person, presumably a young man wearing some kind of form-fitting silver and red metal armor, chuckled. Their tone, muffled by their dragon-like full helm.
Ashen looks at the person, 'I thought that asshole did not notice the magic barrier because it only appeared for a split second...damn it.', shrugging in disappointment for his plan to kill the interloper as soon as they came near was immediately found out.
"Well, at least you're one decent asshole. At least, compared to that flying lizard you're sitting on.", he pointed at Ferrious.
"I shall take that as a complement.", Ashen hears the person sigh, "But calling Ferrious a flying lizard is a bit too much is it not? Though he may be young, he IS a proper wyvern you know?", the person noted.
Despite the lighthearted response of the person, Ashen felt no inclination to reconsider his opinion of the said wyvern, "How can an overgrown flying lizard be called a proper wyvern if it cannot even burn me alive? Just so you know, an ACTUAL wyvern would easily burn not only my current clothes-but also my skin. That thing you're sitting on could barely completely burn my clothes!", he retorted.
From what Ashen knew, wyverns were simply another kind of dragon. But their powers were almost identical; one such power is the capability to strengthen their natural abilities-or as Ashen terms it, 'primal powers' on their own such as their flame breath or raw physical strength.
'A real wyvern can actually raze the entirety of current London into a pile of charred ashes if it wanted to. That's a far cry from what that stupid lizard's capable of.', thought Ashen.
The person made a pensive gesture, "Hmm...maybe because Ferrious is still a bit too young? He has only been alive for 100 plus or so years. Maybe that's why-"
*Clang!*
The sound of clashing metal rings in the air while the person was mid-sentence.
"Hmm...you really are not as chivalrous as your social status implies..."
"Tch!"
"Attacking while someone is speaking is not chivalrous at all, Your Majesty."
"Oh please! Talk of chivalry coming from you is so hypocritical, and stop calling me 'Your Majesty'! It's frickin disgusting!"
Realizing that his other plan failed, Ashen once again jumps back and takes a stance.
'I planned to use that one chance to cut that asshole's head clean off, but they easily blocked my surprise attack. As I thought, not some simple Knight or former Knight at all.', Ashen looks at the person's sword closely, 'And that sword is no simple weapon either! To actually block Excalibur-even though I can barely use its full power, is no joke. Even adamantite would be split in half!', he thought to himself.
With nothing else he could think of, Ashen decides to forgo violence for a moment and try to wring out as much relevant information as he can from his carefree opponent. Though he highly doubts he would get anything useful.
"Why are you doing this anyways?"
Yet decides to do so anyways.
"Hrmm...that's a tricky question, Your Majesty. Even if the question is from you, I cannot just answer you outright. We are not so loose as our subordinates and the plan would be greatly affected if you get involved afterall.", the person answered vaguely.
"More like, you shitheads got me involved in the crossfire. You assholes went way too far in going after a simple nitwit of a Saint. If you didn't go after her while I was in Aeternitas, I wouldn't be in this sorry state and wouldn't be returning to England against my will in the first place!", Ashen could not help but complain as he heard the person's answer.
'I lost a friggin arm because of that annoying nitwit!', he thought so in vexation towards his involvement with Rosseweisse.
"Hm? So you did not voluntarily decide to protect the Saintess?"
"Do I look like I'm happy with having to watch over that damned nitwit?!", Ashen angrily retorts.
His response once again causes the person to fall into deep thought for a few moments.
'I can just attack that jackass again but something tells me that I should not for now. That sword of his feels very dangerous even though he has yet to actually brandish it.', Ashen grimaced at his own thoughts.
"Hmm...so you did not really intend to get in our way...", the person mumbled as they looked at Ferrious below them and then towards Ashen, "This is news to me. I better return and seek counsel with my fellows before deciding on the course of action..."
As soon as the person expressed their intention to retreat-
"NOT A CHANCE, YOU VAGRANT!"
-Guinnevere decides to appear from behind the person and Ferrious with her lance poised to launch her lance with another Lightning Meteor spell.
"Idiot! Don't-!", Ashen quickly throws Excalibur at her causing her stance to crumble and cancelling her spell.
"Why did you-?"
"Protect the queen, Oberon!", Ashen quickly shouts a command and in an instant, a robed being with wings resembling a fairy's appeared before Guinnevere and creates a magical barrier and in the next moment, a scorching wave of deep red flames burst forth from the armored person's sword that spread in a circle and engulfing even Ashen.
"You little-!"
Ashen takes a quick glance at his body and was surprised to see his clothes almost completely burnt. His exposed skin visibly emitting steam due to the heat.
'This guy-! Magic almost on the level of Primal Magic?!', he expressed his silent surprise.
"In any case, Ferrious and I must now retreat-", as soon as the person said so, the same purple light-which Ashen saw when he and Rosseweisse was teleported into the tower-appeared below Ferrious and started to grow in intensity, "-till we meet again, Your Majesty. May our next meeting be one where you use your full strength.", the person said with a joyful tone.
"Oh no you don't-!"
"Don't you dare move you idiot!", Ashen quickly stops Guinnevere as he notices that all around them, the same purple lights appeared, "Stay where you are you goddamned woman!"
'You have got to be kidding me. Are you telling me these shitheads are capable of mass teleportation?!', Ashen could not believe what he was seeing.
"As a gift for His Majesty for our acquaintanceship, I shall take back all my forces in London.", the armored person says so gleefully causing Ashen and Guinnevere much confusion, "However-", the person paused and then gestured for Ashen to look behind him, "I do not think that 'he' will just peacefully just up and go with me so do forgive if I leave 'him' behind."
Ashen did not care for the gesture and simply focused on the person's slowly fading form. That is until-
"Ashen!"
The shout of Guinnevere calls out to him urgently and in reflex, he turns his body around and as soon as he saw whatever it was-
"Excalibur!"
-he calls out and Excalibur reappears in his hand in a flash of light before a thunderous roar assailed his ears and a bright and scorching stream of blue flames filled his vision and in the next moment, an explosion ensued which sent Ashen hurtling towards a nearby ruined building.
*CRASH!*
Ashen's body crashed into the ruins so hard that it caused a secondary collapse burying him under pieces of rubble.
"Ashen-!"
Ashen could hear Guinnevere's anxious voice through the rubble.
"I pray we meet again in celebration of the world's salvation!"
He could also hear the person's voice just as the purple light intensified and soon after, the light faded and all that was left was darkness and the rumbling sound of something huge and heavy stomping the ground.
'Fuck! What the hell was that?!'
His internal question was answered by a huge hulking figure that stomped into the ruined street;
With green scales that looked harder than steel, a huge bulky body that easily said that it could run through a building and come out the other end unscathed, and a posture that resembled a human's with its long tail serving as some kind of balancing tool...
Ashen knew that this time, the enemy was nothing to laugh at or even think of with ridicule.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me-"
His voice slightly trembled as he looked upon the terrifying beast that was now marching towards Guinnevere.
"-they have an actual Elder Dragon on their side?!"
And just as he had exclaimed, the Elder Dragon turned its head towards him and roared.