Arthur Leywin POV:
"Are you sure about this?", I asked Caera for the third time. She looked at me with her unwavering gaze and spoke in a serious tone, "Grey, while I might have gotten hurt last time, don't think you can just leave me on this ascent. So... open the portal."
I held my gaze, wanting to see how determined Caera was. Knowing that it's impossible to change her mind once she's set on something, I let out a sigh and gave a nod. Turning around, I took the ascension half of the portal relic in my hand and closed my eyes to visualise the zone that we wanted to go.
Moments later, the portal took shape and the familiar view of the chasm came into our view.
Without waiting any longer, I stepped forward, followed by Caera.
Looking around to see if there's any presence, I turned around to Caera, who realising what I meant, came closer and wrapped her arms around my neck.
"You know, Grey, I don't even feel uncomfortable doing this anymore", Caera said with a half teasing tone, as her face stopped inches away from mine.
Shooting a smirk at the highblood, I replied "Don't know if I can say the same..."
Caera's eyes narrowed at my words, before she tightened her grip around my neck; making me hunch forward.
My face inadvertently brushed Caera's, before she moved hers to the side; which only made my face bury inside her neck.
Caera let out a surprise yelp and jerked back, which made her stumble back and take a few steps. Being locked inside her arms, I followed her movements, as we both fell to the ground.
"You planned this... didn't you?!", I asked Caera with a laughter, while lying on top of her.
"Y-you! Do you think I like to be put down against the ground by a man and have him grab my waist and squeeze me?", Caera yelled in a high-pitched voice as her face turned red.
I was momentarily confused by her words; before I followed her gaze down to see what she had meant.
My hands were grabbing Caera's waist; I realised, I had been squeezing them— real hard. Realising that I had screwed up, I hastily lifted myself off of her and offered my hands for her get up. Caera gave me a piercing look, but took my hand and lifted herself off the ground.
"If you are two done 'fondling' each other, let's get going. Unless you want to fight off another horde of monsters", Regis quipped.
Clearing my throat, I hastily teleported us to the surface. It took us a day and a half to reach the clearing where we had fought the crystal dragon.
The odd-looking portal was still functioning, letting out a shimmering pinkish light from it's surface. Walking towards it, I stopped at an arm's length from it's surface. Caera strolled next to me and her gaze studied the portal's surface nervously.
Her face was stern but determination oozed out of her pores; she was probably thinking about our last visit, I guessed.
"Caera? You ready?", I asked my companion in a calm voice. She jerked a little; breaking out of her thoughts, before she shifted her gaze on me.
"I am. Let's go, Grey", she replied with a confident tone. Nodding at her words, I grabbed her hand, making her turn towards me. "Just a precaution. I'm not sure we both would go to the same zone just using the 'simulets'", I said.
She nodded back at my words, and took a step inside the portal. A blinding pinkish light enveloped our figures, which soon turned white and more intense.
Feeling of discomfort from getting inside the portal slowly dispersed as we felt the surroundings change. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to clearly see where we were.
We were standing on a meadow filled with lush green grass, stretching as far as our eyes can see. The sky was pinkish-white in hue; that radiated an invisible pressure down on the lands. And the wind carried a sense of warmthness that made my body instantly feel relaxed.
'What sort of fantasy land did we step into?!' Regis questioned as he jumped out of my side. I was momentarily speechless— as the serene atmosphere and the warm breeze was too calm for any relictombs that we've delved in.
"This is beautiful", Caera spoke in a soft tone.
Turning towards her, my face contorted. "Caera!" I shouted, looking at her appearance as I lifted and pointed my hand at her head. She was momentarily confused by my actions and her body jerked when she lifted her own hand to touch her head.
Her horns were visible! Something in the zone must be messing with her pendant? I thought.
Caera cursed out loud at that and frowned.
"This is going to be so much fun", Regis mused. Before I could retort, the surroundings changed. The bright sky slowly turned gray as multiple dark spots formed on the distance.
"G-Grey! It's moving!", Caera's nervous shout broke the serene atmosphere; and she took out her crimson blade, getting into a defensive position.
Narrowing my eyes I focused on the black spots that had started moving. They slowly got bigger as seconds passed; it took me a while to realise that they weren't just— black spots on the sky!
'You had to say it, didn't you, Regis', I said looking at the shadow wolf. He just shrugged his shoulders in response.
"Oh my Vritra! D-Dragon-s, more than one!", Caera shouted as her hands holding her blade trembled slightly.
'Regis! I want you to protect Caera! Stay with her', I sent out to Regis through our mental link.
Summoning my blood relic armour, I conjured two aether blades in my hands.
A horde of dragons flew down from the sky and approached our position at a breakneck speed. My mind raced through different possibilities and actions that I could do to escape from this situation.
Should I God-Step till we find a safe place? Will I be able to fight off all these beasts by myself?
Bringing me out of stupor, one of the dragons in the front locked it's eyes on us before letting out a baleful roar as it touched down few metres away from our position.
The ground shook as the shockwaves travelled throughout the open field, making the grass and dirt to fly all over in a haze.
Regis's form expanded as he tapped into his destruction form. Caera conjured up her soul fire on her crimson blade, that made the hairs on my neck stand up. Ignoring that sensation, I got myself ready to God-Step and take on the damned beasts off-guard.
But— all three of us froze at the scene that happened next.
I felt my companion's confusion and amazement, mirroring mine, when the dragon that let out that gut-wrenching roar, walked forward as bright light enveloped it and turned into a— human! But, that's not what made us freeze, no, it was when the dragon took a knee and lowered its head in front of us.
"Welcome to our humble expanse, master!", the dragon spoke in a gruff voice. Followed by the horde behind him, who mirrored his action.
My eyebrows arched in surprise at the dragon's words. M-Master!? I felt Caera's gaze shift to me in confusion, but she kept quite and held her defensive form.
The dragons didn't raise their heads and kept waiting. Not wanting to disrespect these bunch of beasts, I bowed back and spoke in a business-like tone "My name is Grey. And these are my companions, Regis and Caera. We came from the portal behind us. Can you tell us more about where we are? And— who— are you, all?"
Although I was curious to know the reason behind the dragon's words, waiting till we get some answers about this— weird region seemed like a wise choice.
Caera followed my example and gave a shallow bow; her nervous, yet sharp eyes still fixed on the beasts, and her blade ready to cut down if the situation changed.
The dragon— man, in the front finally lifted his head and spoke in a polite tone, "Please, follow us. Our leader awaits your arrival!". His intense blue eyes reflecting the coldness that enveloped him, as he peered at us. He stood ramrod straight with his hands clasped in the front, while the loose gray robes that he wore fluttered in the wind.
Although his words were somewhat suggestive, his tone and face reaction said otherwise. Knowing that we didn't have much of a choice, I glanced back at Caera, before we briefly nodded at each other and started walking towards the dragons.
'Regis, get back inside. And keep an eye out for anything unusual', I ordered my companion.
'Unusual? What's unusual than these dragons can we even see? If I didn't know any better I'd say that these are those damned Asuras!', Regis retorted, his tone carrying slight nervousness.
'But, we both know that's not possible; not here', I replied, in a calm manner that I could muster up.
'Well, you're kind of a dragon. And here you are, stealing from the ancient mages' Regis suddenly said in a mocking tone.
'Ste—?! You know what? Shut up and be ready to attack when I give the signal!', I snapped back. Being in a same place with a group of potential 'Asuras', didn't sit well with me.
'Aye aye, princess!', Regis said, jumping back inside.
Seeing that scene, the dragon's eyes widened in shock, and some kept staring at my sternum with confused and amused expressions.
Ignoring their reactions, I walked next to the one who spoke with me and asked, "How do I call you? And wh—"
"Apologies for the late introduction, master! My name is Lancel Evergreen. And please, let us leave quickly; our leader has been waiting for your arrival for ages! He must be anxious!", the dragon man, Lancel, cut me off and answered in excitement.
Wordlessly nodding back, I waited for the man to show us the direction that we're supposed to go to find his "leader", in this endless meadows. But, he spoke and gestured to us, breaking my confusion "Master Grey, please take a few steps back"
I did as he asked, along with Caera. A few seconds later, all the men transformed into their draconic form. The man who called himself Lancel, spoke after he transformed, "Master Grey, please, let us carry you back to our village. It will take much time to walk there"
"G-Grey? Are you sure?" Caera whispered next to me. Her face laced with confusion and nervousness. Turning my gaze to her, I took her hand in mine and with a gentle squeeze, I reassured her, "Yeah. But it's okay. I'm here"— hoping that she would calm down.
She looked me in the eyes, and our gazes locked for a few moments. Her face softened visibly and she nodded at me before storing her blade back into her dimension ring.
The dragons watched us with patience, before two of them lowered their legs for us to climb up on them.
Taking a glance at Caera, who stood still; her face etched with nervousness as drops of sweat ran down her forehead and cheeks, which glistened against the light, highlighting her features.
Seeing that I was getting distracted, I let out a sigh and spoke to the dragon, "We'll both ride together".
Caera snapped her head towards my direction, and looked at me with a confused gaze; but she soon understood my words and simply gave a nod, when she saw me smile.
Without waiting any further, I moved closer to Caera. Walking behind her, I spoke. "Let me help", to which she turned her head a bit and nodded.
Pulling her close, I wrapped my hands around her waist before teleporting us to the top of the dragon's back.
The dragon below us, jerked in surprise at our sudden actions; while many of the others let out gasps as they looked at us. Ignoring their reaction, I asked Lancel to move. He nodded at my words, before expanding his winds and flung it down, making the wind around him disperse as he started to ascend.
I tried to remove my hands from Caera's waist, but before I could, she grabbed my wrists and tightly wrapped them back around her. "Afraid of flying, Lady Caera?", I asked next to her ear, with a smile forming on my lips.
Her grip tightened and she moved back, burying herself against my chest. I understood her actions, and let her be, to calm herself.
The dragon took off and flew in a direction, while the rest followed us behind.
'You look happy and sad', Regis commented.
'I guess flying on a dragon reminded me of Sylvie', I said in nostalgia, as a sad smile crept on my face.
'Right. That explains why you're sad... But why are you ha—'
'Never mind that. Plus I don't think these are same as the dragons of the Indrath Clan. For one, the Asuras can't enter here. And secondly, something seems— different about these dragons. I can't put a finger on what though' I said, interrupting my companion.
'Whoever these beings are, let's hope they're not assholes like the Asuras. Or we'll have to pull out the destruction rune if we hope to escape this— goddamn fantasy land' Regis said in a pensive tone.
Letting the silence linger, I simply tried to enjoy the flight. My times as a white core mage came to my mind as I felt the cold winds caress my face; the feeling of flying alongside with Sylvie towards the horde of monsters—
My thoughts trailed off when the view in front of us changed. The vast expanse of meadows suddenly started to disperse into— thin air— as a series of mountain chains came into view.
What surprised me the most was the unmistakable use of Aether by these dragons when they somehow— changed the surroundings, as if 'lifting a large curtain', which seemed to be invisible till the Aether was used.
I looked in awe at that scene. Multiple sequences of interconnected mountains spread throughout the land, with lush greenery enveloping them like a blanket.
'That was a neat trick', Regis mused. 'Think it's spatium branch?'
'No, it felt different from when I God-Step. If I have to guess, I think it's some kind of barrier magic, using Aether'
'Could be. The amount of Aether in the air is— nauseating' Regis groused.
'Yeah, no wonder these dragons have evolved to use Aether effectively', I replied, while feeling the large amount of ambient aether swirling around me while trying to be absorbed by my body. It was different and more potent, from the meadows where we entered.
Our mental conversation was broken when I heard Caera gasping and tugging at my arms. Following her gaze, I turned my head to see the view.
There were multiple clusters of large huts placed at the footing of the mountain ranges, spreading across the highlands. The entire settlement of huts were surrounded by wooden fences that seems to mark its boundary.
Small figures moved around the settlement, while some seemed to— fly, across the large garden-like area, outside the fence boundary, that seemed to have some sort of crops growing on them.
'Are those kids?— and women? Don't tell me that all of them are dragons!' Regis asked in disbelief.
Unable to answer my companion, I looked in amusement at that sight, when the dragons started to descend.
I felt Caera loosening her grip around my hands, her body relax and shoulders slump.
"You okay, now?", I spoke next to Caera's ear, making her tilt her head back. She nodded back at my question and straightened her posture.
The group of dragons landed next to the large wooden entrance gate-like structure that was connected with the boundary fence. Lancel lowered his legs and gestured us to climb down. "Master Grey, please, our village does not permit any flight inside the borders. So, we shall go further by walk"
Understanding what he meant, I jumped down from the dragon, followed by Caera. 'What's the plan here?', Regis asked curiously. 'Not sure yet. I'm curious about these dragons and their ancestry. If we play things right, they might even show us the portal and save our time' I replied.
Caera's face had become slightly normal, but it still carried nervousness. I couldn't blame her, I thought. Noticing my gaze on her, she turned towards me and shifted close.
"Grey— do you think— t-these— dragons are—" she whispered in nervousness.
"No— I don't know— yet. Let's find out", I interrupted her hesitant question, knowing what she was gonna ask.
Lancel, and the other dragon's transformed back to their human form, before the former bowed towards us and spoke, "Our clan leader's house is at the deeper part of our village. Please, follow me."
Nodding back, I gestured him to walk, while Caera and I followed the group of dragons.
"Stay close by my side. Don't wield your weapon until it's necessary.", I ordered Caera, to which she simply nodded.
I was conflicted about what the leader must want with us. Especially if they really do belong to the Indrath Clan— my eyes darted to Caera's horn, as worry etched on my face. 'They won't take kindly to the Vritras'
'Hey, I don't think Kezzess is staying in one of these— small huts. Atleast from what that dragon said, their 'clan leader' is here. So...' Regis said in a reassuring tone.
I knew he was right. Besides, it's impossible for the pure blooded dragons to set foot inside the relictombs; if that was the case, then I wouldn't be here now.
Shoving back the unnecessary thoughts to the back of my mind, I walked through the settlement, alongside Caera, who I noticed kept darting her head all-around, looking like a curious child.
Series of circular huts with thatched roofing, were placed in a linear layout; each separated by a small rickety fence that surrounded the individual lodgings and a small square frontal garden.
Narrow walkways made of flat gray stones, separated the typical huts in the sides, to allow for movement around the village.
'These people sure like to stare without any care', Regis said in amusement. I turned my head around to notice that many of the villagers, including women, children and some men had gathered in groups together in the road and were looking at us in wide curiosity.
We kept following Lancel and his group, not wanting to bother with the curious glances of the villagers. But, Regis didn't think the same.
'Oh look! That one's cute! She's totally my type— Look at those— do you think they rival our lady Caera's', Regis asked in genuine curiosity.
Ignoring my companion's words, I kept my gaze straight to the front. 'Art, I get it, you're trying to stay faithful, but come on, you're not gonna regret this one', Regis pushed.
I resisted the urge to turn and look, but curiosity won over me as I cocked my head to the side to look at a woman that Regis was pointing at.
The woman, who looked— certainly beautiful, stood in the front among the group of other villagers. Her silvery hair tousled against the wind, waving like strands of shining stardusts exuding an ethereal quality.
Noticing my gaze on her, she looked back at me with her sharp green eyes, glowing bright as a luscious forest in spring under the noon day sun.
Her plump pink lips softly curved up to turn into an alluring smile. She subtly bit her lower lip as her gaze swept over me.
She had her hands crossed in the front, wearing a white dress that draped her entire body; it was so tight, that it left little to none for any imagination.
"Ahem", I heard Caera's voice bring me out of the trance. Her ruby eyes narrowed and peered at me, while her lips slightly smirked in amusement.
'Very subtle, Art', Regis laughed in my mind and kept sending me titillating thoughts into our mental link.
My face turned red in embarrassment, as Caera kept shooting furtive glances towards me from the corner of her eyes as we walked.
'Look! Lady Caera's getting attention too', Regis said with a grin.
I noticed some of the men from the village looking at Caera with their eyes gleaming. My lips smirked while I looked back at Caera. She avoided their gaze and kept her face impassive, not bothered about any of it.
Lots of murmurs and giggles resounded as we headed towards the deeper-part of the settlement.
The walkway broadened as we strolled past the residential area. Soon, there were series of open-ended stalls made of wood, that seemed empty; probably used as a market area, I thought.
'Art, seems like some are following us. Look', Regis said from the inside. I nodded at his words, knowing that a group of people, both men and women were following behind us.
'Want me to come out? Scare them?', Regis asked.
I thought about it for a while. 'Sure. Why not? They've seen you already— But, don't do anything to start a fight'
Regis jumped out my side in his wolf form. His destruction flames danced at large, making him look like he's on fire. The shadow wolf exuded a subtle pressure that radiate all around us.
Many villager's eyes opened wide at the wolf's entry. As lot of them pointed at the wolf and murmured. And some lowered their heads — and some even kowtowed on the cobblestone floor.
Regis looked at that scene with as much as shock as I was. 'What the fu—' my mental message to Regis was interrupted by a voice. "Master Grey, please enter the door. Our leader is inside"
I heard Lancel's voice calling out to me as he and the other dragons stopped in front of a lonely hut that stood apart and above the others.
Putting my previous thoughts to the back of my mind, I closely looked at the "leaders" hut. It was surprisingly smaller than the others, but it had several large runes etched to it's wall surface. The runes emitted traces of aether that dimly glowed in an amethyst tint.
A torn piece of dirty cloth was hung from the top of the roof, which seemed to contain some sort of insignia, although it was too old, tattered and lost color to identify exactly what it is.
My gaze shifted to the dragon, Lancel, wondering how the heck will this small hut hold three people at a time. The dragons eyes looked at me unwaveringly. Sighing, I nodded at him and glanced back at Caera and Regis, before we entered the hut.
I should've known. While the entire hut was hardly 2 meters in diameter including the thick outer walls; the interior was nothing close to those sorts.
What welcomed us was a bright large hall that was somehow rectangular in shape, with high ceilings that sat on top of multiple bulky circular red columns with flutes etched around them. The volutes on their capital looked like two coiling dragons attached together, while their faces decorated the ends with their maws open wide, giving them a look of minatory.
Gold and silver platings decorated the plain white wall surfaces; while black circular stones shined in juxtaposition at the skirting base. Multiple sets of runes shimmered in low-light that were marked in different parts of the room, for lighting - to a fire place that took the left side of the room. While the right side had a mini-foyer like arrangement next to the 'hut' entrance, with planters arranged in an orderly manner.
Overall, the 'house' seemed lavish, to say the least.
My eyes fell on the old-looking man that stood in the living area, next to the fire place. He had his hands clasped to his front, as he stood straight with a knowing smile. Blond hair tumbled in front of his face, while his beard unkempt, making him look bedraggled.
His sharp feline blue eyes radiated coldness, more colder than the winter nights at the Basilisk Fang Mountains.
Bones jutted out of his exposed neck, showing how scrawny he really was. As the rest of his body was covered in a long crimson robe that touched the floor.
'Art. He's strong!', Regis sent out to me.
Despite his thin and sickly appearance, the old man exuded a pressure akin to the ones that can rival the actual asuras that I had met previously.
My mind whirled with complex thoughts as I tried to figure out what sort of beings these are.
'Did the djinns succeed in making dragons? That's not possible!'
But before I could calm my mind down, the old man fell to the ground and lowered his head before he spoke "Welcome, my lord. Please accept this servant's greetings; for I, Drakos, descendant of Silvairos, servant of the Lord Indrath's, welcomes the mighty dragon descendant of the asuras, to my humble abode"
—
(A/N: Well.... I gotta make this one, and it will make sense to the future storyline of this ff. Plus, it's not like I can just keep writing about Grey and Caera touching each other and kissing, stuff like that all the time, without any other scenes.
Plus they'll get more comfortable and closer every time they delve into the tombs. Soon things will escalate. How much of it will I publish? Idk. I've written a few sex scenes already. Although I'm still not sure if I want to publish those. Anyways...
And, as I've said earlier, this story will diverge from the cannon at multiple points of the storyline. But at the end I will try to take them closer to make the story as close to the original as possible.
Still, the main focus would be about Grey and Caera. I'll make sure to give a proper ending for this ff. Although that wouldn't happen anytime soon cuz I have ideas for atleast 40-50 chapters. It'll increase as more chapters release from the original novel. So, this one's gon be long!
Good day!)