Alk White's Perspective****
"I can see your azure screen status, with all your levels and whatnot." The gryphon said while waving his cone-shaped, curved nails where my window appears.
"Do you have them too?" I asked.
"Let's see," Diamante ponders to himself while floating, midair, with his body upside down. "Yes, and no."
His straightforward answer made me wonder for more, rather than helping me understand what was happening with everything.
"My colleague handles these sorts of things. Everyone has it, but cannot awaken it." Diamante simply answered.
"Going back to the topic, you are not the hero or anything special," He moves closer to me with his beak nearly pecking my neck. A slight push might impale my upper body, slicing over my head apart from the rest of my anatomy.
"Then why did you call me here? Do you even have any explanations of me getting involved with this Book of Legends?"
The mythical beast stares at me earnestly, as if studying the deepest depth of my soul. He then flaps his wings and reaches for the ceiling, touching a lever of some sort between the statue of spike rocks.
All of a sudden, the ground shakes intensely, nearly falling off my balance if not for my strengthened ability. Looking behind me was the wall gradually moving divergently, opening a keen, unlit path.
"Follow me," Diamante said while landing on his four limbs, urging me to, strictly, follow his behind.
Uncertain of what was happening, I heeded his advice and glued myself near his tail. The space that we are heading into has enough room for us to advance towards the blinding light up ahead.
As we grow nearer to the luminance, a small scale area appears in plain sight. The room, filled with many life forms and a fountain sliding down at the farthest section of the panel, greets our eyes.
Stretching my globes further, I discern a flaxen pot and a plant sprouting inside at the bottom of the waterfall. A variety of plants fences the vase, making it look, protecting it from any intruder stepping foot within its vicinity. Although they seem harmless at first sight, I can feel their killing intention oozing all over their roots and stems, itching to murder anyone near.
"Feeling the cold chills, ey?" The gryphon jested and burst out in laughter, amused by the expression that I am showing.
"Hilarious," I commented whilst sliding down the craggy cliff to get a better look from the isolated plant.
"That's dangerous, goblin," Diamante reacted but did not stop me from marching forward to the plant stand.
It almost feels like destiny had brought me here to this land to meet with this queer yet familiar flower. Even the neighbouring herbs assembled around it did not question my movements and let me through to the floret.
The bud has an invigorating bluish colour, soothing for my eyes. Its white stigma and yellow crown enveloping the centre brings the belle from the plant, luring me into its mesmerising look. Even Diamante pays his respect at the plant, staring at it with a grin curling on his lips.
Out of the blue, the wall around us shakes violently, making the pebbles from the side rollover and vibrate on its own. Because of the abrupt force coming from the outside, the stream from the waterfall gets to a halt. The magical leaves and the spring of life eventually drain into vapour, showing that something must have disrupted the source from the surface. However, nothing comes into mind that can execute this plan and invade the Diamante's territory.
"We better move," Diamante remarks while forcefully drags me over to his back and jaunt towards the exit of his cave.
Upon returning to the monster town, all the buildings, taverns, and entertainment house gets destroyed by a projectile of magic. Scouting the scene, a pile of dead bodies lay flat on the floor, giving off hints of getting slashes by a blade at each of their napes. Among the cadavers that we see, a mixture of human flesh and horses joins in the mountain, lifeless with the rest of them.
"Well, well. If it isn't the Legendary beast, Diamante!" An insolent voice echoes throughout our ears, alerting both of our instincts after recognising its murderous intentions.
Following the origin of the sound, we spot a mount with obsidian wings attached on its side, neighing fiercely at the sight of us two. Riding on the steed is a man wearing heavy plate armour with its bastard sword sheathed on the right side of his hips.
He has a look of an aged man with a crown resting on top of his face, signifying that he is from a royal ranking of the humans. A crest of a fish dangles on the side of his breast, which might show the faction currently assigned within the Kingdom.
"Human, why have you entered my property?" It was the first time that I have heard Diamante growl intensely at the figure, with his eyes narrowed down in a frenzy leer. His claws are ready to attack, together with his tail pointing right at the person with a crooked smile.
"You don't know?" The man sarcastically answered while drawing his blade whilst licking it in a crazed fashion. Smears of blood slide through the tip of the blade down to the guard.
"It's because you are a monster!" He answers his question hysterically and immediately dashes forth in our direction, swinging his sword in a swift line.
Diamante was quick with his movements and manoeuvre both his body and me towards safety. Diamante was light as a feather, dodging the initial and secondary attack of the human with ease. After finally letting himself a quick rest, the man falls to his knees and stumbles on the ridge.
His horse cushions the bloke's fall, allowing the man to resume his stance from where he had first positioned. Regaining his posture, the human stations himself with his army deliberately appearing at his rear.
Some soldiers have their weapons stained with the blood of the monsters in the town. Even the boar and the pigeon had their heads cut off and eventually crash on the floor.
"You," Diamante finally have enough of this ridiculousness and confront him head on in the skyline, against the platoon of flying servicemen.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I told you, didn't I? We are looking for the great scorpion grass. Have you heard about it, Diamante?"
Much to my surprise, the man knows the identity of the ferocious beast. He also has the strength to withstand the attacks of Diamante, together with his forces preparing behind.
I do not doubt that Diamante can win against these numbers all by himself. Heck, I do not even account for an added force to Diamante and help him during this fight. All I can do now is to either run or toss some rocks over the soldiers. However, that would likely kill me if they spot me doing that scheme.
"And what will arise if you obtained such a valuable essence?"
"To rule the land, of course. And to grab hold of other two remnants!"
"You're twisted, human," Diamante utters while charging up a cerulean beam inside his mouth unbeknownst to the army in front of him. I do not know why, but somehow, I can feel the energy coming off from his beak, amplifying it even grander the more he prolongs their conversation.
"And who's that over there?" The man glances to the side, spotting my shivering legs and arms wrap around my body.
"A goblin? Is he your friend?" He quizzes.
"Aye,"
With a single word, Diamante's tale pushes me off inside the tunnel while locking the entrance of the cave. With a sudden thwack of my bottom, I landed at the centre, almost destroying the plant they are fighting for.
"Diamante!" I call out his name, but it felt like the occurrence had already been too late for me to meddle with their affairs. However, an electric surge tingles my head, with a system alerting me for a new message.
[Diamante wants to add you to his party]
[Will you accept?]
[Yes/No]
'Party?' I ask myself, not understanding anything that the windows explained. Having no choice but to adhere, I hurriedly pressed yes, with a confirmation of the azure screen.
[Congratulations! Diamante is now a friend of yours! You can now access the party list!]
After receiving such a notification, the plant beside me wraps its vines on my arms, and eventually envelopes my body. No matter how much I resisted, the scorpion grass continues to tangle me with its leaves and blinds me with a beam coming from the soil.
After a few seconds, my body felt as if it had disappeared into nothingness; into a different dimension or location.
It was just as I had thought. My body slams once again on a rough but solid floor, with the waves crashing over at my flank.
Looking at my side, I notice the plant with its leaves turned into charcoal with its pot dismantled into grains of gravel. Upon rummaging the bed of sands, my hand grapples an item akin to a crest I have seen before.
I hastily pick the object and check it for myself, only to find out a necklace with a gryphon standing in the middle. The image reminds me of Diamante, roaring majestically at his enemies earlier.
"Right! Where is Diamante?!" I spouted out loud while searching my surrounding. Unfortunately, I could only discern the wide beach with its waves ramming the lands, refreshing my limbs from the cool sensation of the tide.