Ignis furrowed his eyebrows as he read through the information about Lazer. The strange symbol next to his rank and skill left him puzzled, and he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that crept up on him.
He glanced around the room, taking in the sight of the powerful and deadly creatures that surrounded him. The air was tense, and the low growls and snarls of the dinosaurs filled his ears.
His eyes scanned the area, and he couldn't help but notice the intricate designs on the dinosaurs' clothing. Black coats with white shirts and black pants seemed to be the standard attire, except for bosses who wore tuxedos of different colours.
He observed their outfits carefully, noticing the intricate designs and embroidery on their clothes. Some had fine silk scarves around their necks, while others had golden jewellery on their wrists.
Ignis raised an eyebrow in surprise and thought to himself, 'The fuck, when did dinosaurs have this much fashion?'
He then for a moment looked at what he was wearing, a leather pant that was dropped in loot and a boot, and with a bare upper body.
'Well, the trading area's not working, not my fault.'
Counting the number of dinosaurs at each table, Ignis noticed that exactly twenty of them were seated on both sides, not including the bosses. As he turned to his summons, Ignis spoke in a stern voice, "Can you both use mana as you wish?"
The summons met Ignis' gaze, sensing the seriousness in his tone. "No, master. We don't know how to use mana," they replied in unison.
Ignis nodded in understanding before giving further instructions: "Follow me and wait for my cue."
Ignis stepped into the hallway, his eyes fixated on Lazer as he walked straight towards him. The other dinosaurs in the room seemed to fade away from his focus.
Lazer sat straight, towering over Ignis like a giant. As he saw Ignis approaching, he thought to himself, 'He's strong and doesn't seem to fear his situation. And those dinosaurs behind him seem like his summons—what the fuck is that energy? It's not mana; I can't feel any mana from them, nor can I feel any life force.'
Lazer narrowed his eyes, trying to analyse the situation further. 'What is this strange person doing here? Did the locals find out about us? Wait, no, his smell is different. Something is off.'
Meanwhile, Ignis continued to approach Lazer with a calm and confident demeanour, seemingly unfazed by the intimidating aura of the larger dinosaur.
Lazer stood up as Ignis approached, his towering frame seeming to dwarf Ignis in comparison. However, Lazer extended his hand with a friendly dinosaur smile and spoke, "Hello and welcome, my dear visitor. My name is Lazer."
Ignis didn't seem fazed by the size difference and approached with a friendly smile of his own. He extended his own hand and shook Lazer's, saying, "Pardon my sudden intrusion. My name is Daze."
Ignis lied through his teeth with his calm smile.
Lazer gestured towards the empty seats, "Please have a seat." Ignis looked around and noticed that there were no vacant seats. Lazer turned towards his subordinates and called out, "Cark." A dinosaur named Cark stood up and bowed deeply, showing respect to Lazer.
Ignis watched the exchange, keeping a friendly smile on his face, but his mind was racing. 'This bastard! I'll play along with his tricks for now.' He made a grateful gesture towards Lazer and followed Cark to the empty seat.
As Lazer called out, the room suddenly filled with the sound of scurrying footsteps, and a group of maids appeared almost instantly, carrying plates of food. Ignis watched with interest as they placed a single plate in front of each of them.
The aroma of the perfectly cooked steak wafted towards him, making his mouth water. He could almost taste the flavours of the seasonings used to cook it.
Lazer picked up his knife and fork and started cutting into the steak, savouring every bite. Ignis followed suit, slicing off a piece and putting it in his mouth. The tenderness of the meat was enough to make him forget the strange situation he was in for a moment.
The room was silent, and the only sounds that could be heard were the clinking of their knives against the plate and the muffled sound of their chewing.
Lazer took a deep breath and tried to read Ignis's expression as he ate his steak. He took a bite and slowly chewed it, savouring the flavours as they danced on his taste buds. He swallowed and took another bite, enjoying every moment of it. As he ate half of his steak, he looked up at Ignis, trying to gauge his reaction.
"Was it to your taste? My friend," Lazer asked, testing the waters once again. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched for any change in Ignis's demeanour, trying to unravel the mystery that surrounded him.
Ignis casually looked towards Lazer, and with a friendly smile, he said, "Of course, it's better than anything I've had these past few days."
'Oh! So he's been travelling, and he's poor but knows manners.' Lazer thought.
Lazer's eyes scanned the room, taking in every detail, but his attention was focused on Ignis. He had already formed a few assumptions about Ignis based on his clothes and behaviour. "Do you like the room?" he asked, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, and his eyes shifted darted towards the dinosaurs in the room.
Ignis returned Lazer's gaze with a calm expression, his mind racing with thoughts. 'This fucker! He's flexing'.
"Of course," he replied, his tone steady and composed, "I have an appreciation for delicate things."
Lazer chuckled, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Do you?" he asked, his tone playful, but Ignis could sense a hint of malice behind his words.
Ignoring Lazer's taunts, Ignis simply nodded in response.
Lazer's laughter died down, and he leaned closer to Ignis, his eyes boring into his. "I too like delicate things, my friend," he said, his voice dropping to a low whisper, "but I prefer them to be easily replaceable and a bit cheap."
Lazer leaned back in his chair, a confident smirk playing on his lips as he waited for Ignis's response.
BOOOOM!
BOOOOM!
But just as Ignis opened his mouth to speak, a loud explosion shattered the peace, the sound reverberating through the room. The sudden noise startled both men, and Lazer's smirk vanished as he sat up straight in his chair, his eyes darting towards the door. It sounded like the explosion was nearby.
As the explosions echoed through the room, Lazer's face remained stoic as he quickly assessed the situation. He turned to Ignis, his eyes scanning his face for any hint of guilt or involvement. "It looks like you have brought some friends with you, my friend Daze," Lazer said, his tone even and emotionless.
Ignis looked shocked by the sudden turn of events, his eyes darting around the room in confusion. Wasn't he only playing mind games and eating the tasty stake?
Lazer turned towards the second boss in the room, a large, muscular deinobellator with a sinister smirk on his face. He spoke with an air of authority: "Dealous, it's time for you to entertain our friend Daze here."
Dealous's face lit up with a cruel pleasure as he eagerly waited, cracking his knuckles. Meanwhile, Lazer's gaze shifted towards the door, his eyes scanning for any signs of movement or threat. "I'll take care of his friends," he added with a hint of menace, his face devoid of any emotion.
Before Ignis realized which friend he had brought, Lazer left the room, leaving only Ignis and him in the vicinity of the vengeful and homicidal dinosaurs.
Dealous leaned forward in his chair, a wicked grin on his face as he addressed Ignis. "Well, well, well, look who we have here. I was getting bored with that tedious conversation anyway. And now, it's finally time to have some fun," he said, his words laced with malice and bloodlust as he licked his lips.
Ignis calmly surveyed the room, his eyes darting from one dinosaur to another, assessing their size and strength. Bell and Deino, his two trusted summons, stood close to him, ready to fight at his command. With a swift movement, Ignis retrieved his whip from his inventory, the sound of its sharp crackle filling the room.
"Both of you," he said, without turning his back to Dealous, "help each other fight and cover for each other."
Bell and Deino nodded in unison, understanding Ignis's command.
Dealous's voice dripped with disdain as he looked at Bell and Deino, his own kind following human orders. "You are a disgrace to the Dromaeosaurid race," he sneered. "Kill them."
Without hesitation, the dinosaur-human hybrids, who shared the same race as Bell and Deino but had human-like bodies, leapt towards the three.
Ignis had anticipated this and had his whip ready. He cracked it in the air, creating a loud, intimidating sound that made the dinosaurs hesitate for a moment.
Ignis let out a fierce battle cry, "Let's go!!!" and charged towards the enemy with Bell and Deino by his side. Despite being outnumbered, neither of his summons showed any signs of fear or hesitation. They seemed to relish the prospect of a challenging battle and were eager to take on the enemy head-on.