Dorian looked at the giggling team of female fighters and Wizards.
He then looked down at himself.
He was indeed naked.
Whenever he transformed into a different form, it was a simple fact that his clothes didn't transform with him. His Evolving Soul Spell Matrix was magical, but not that magical.
Despite his present situation, Dorian felt great. His mind, and mood, were incredibly lifted. For the first time since he was on Blizzaria, the darkness in his head had raised itself, a darkness that had been dragging him down constantly.
It seemed to go away after he went with what the voice in his head had wanted him to do.
"Um." Dorian looked at the women. Still naked, of course.
The women looked back.
He blinked.
"DO NOT QUESTION THIS GODLY DRAGON!"
Dorian's voice boomed out, full of authority and grandeur as he did the only thing he could think of, and struck a majestic pose, his hands on his hips. He poured his every inch of willpower into forcing himself to not blush, demanding Fate obey him in this regard.
At the same time, he secretly cast the Fire Magic: Fire Flower Spell. He infused the spell with his Black Flames, giving them greater potency.
WHOOSH
A wreath of dark colored fire burnt into existence, surrounding Dorian in a glorious haze of light. His eyes glowed with mysterious light as he stood looking at the women expectantly, smiling internally. The flames didn't hurt him, but instead clung to him like a layer of clothes, shaped like various flowers.
A few of the flames fell off Dorian as he was distracted, slipping down into the bowels of the damaged ship, through the open deck.
He'd managed to restore his dignity, at least, he thought.
BOOM
Before any of the women were able to respond, all of them staring at his now burning, but still naked, body, an echoing boom rang out.
"Oh no! The ship's magic has failed!"
The deck of the wooden ship was virtually destroyed, as was much of its internal design.
Dorian's Black Flames had incinerated a large portion of the deck, especially the ones he'd cast before, and not bothered to check on.
The last bit of Black Flames he'd just spawned now seemed to have finished the ship off, bring it to a stuttering halt.
"Oh." Dorian looked down at his feet, and then back up at the Warrior Women,
"My bad." He scratched his head.
A second later, the ship fell apart in mid-air.
"EEEK!"
"Everyone grab hold!"
"Luck Magic: Lucky Wind!"
The female mercenary team stayed together as the construct of magic dissipated into debris. Bella cast some sort of spell, creating a comfortable looking yellow breeze that seemed to wrap around everyone, holding them tight in the air.
On the other side of the collapsed ship, the team of transport mercenaries had their own protective spells, and managed to rescue all of their own warriors and Wizards, flying aloft in a much smaller, floating wooden vessel.
None of them bothered to try and rescue Dorian, who promptly fell downwards like a rock.
The Black Flames that covered his body dissipated, revealing him in all of his glory once more. He gave a quick mental glare to both groups.
"I saved both of you, yet you can't even be bothered to save me… shameless."
'Sun Eagle form, go!'
Dorian's body expanded as he once more transformed into his agile Sun Eagle form. The wind whipped around him as he floated in the air, watching the remaining Fast Caravan ships rush in to the rescue…
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
The man known simply as Leader looked up at his subordinate calmly. He was sitting in the same location he had been the last time he'd taken their report, at a large mansion hidden in the woods, in a dining room full of delicacies and tasty food.
"So Hadron was killed, as was Ekens, and several of the Lord Class warriors? The Luck Wizard got away, and sent our forces into disarray?" He repeated what he had just been told, his voice dangerously calm.
"Yes, Leader. A dragon appeared out of nowhere, beyond any reasonable expectations. It was a powerful one, too, that was able to shapeshift and move quickly."
"It launched a surprise attack and heavily damaged our forces."
The speaker was, like most of the men, dressed in a set of black robes, wearing a black mask to hide his features.
The secret organization run by the man known as Leader had hidden identities as a requirement, though most of the Lord Class Wizards and warriors inside it had some degree of fame, and the masks did little to hide that.
He sighed, rubbing his forehead. His forces were stretched all over Paxital, hedging his control in a wide, sweeping net. He maintained his expressionless visage.
"You are dismissed. Tell the remaining team members they are to rest and recover, and then wait for new orders." He waved his hand at the masked figure.
The figure bowed and backed out of the dining room, vanishing.
Leaving the man known as Leader alone.
He sighed for a second time, his face twisting with raw emotion. His hands trembled.
"My plans have hit a serious snag. Controlling Paxital has been smooth running up till now." He muttered, his words a quiet, angry whisper.
He'd been working on this for years. Taking out threats, silencing enemies, cobbling together men and women into a group that held more than 100 Lord Class warriors, and a good dozen or so Lord Class Wizards.
Not expansive, by any means, but a sizable force, formed from his own ambition. An ambition to control an entire world on his own, and not a useless world. But one with connections, one sought after.
Paxital, a world that wasn't controlled by any major power, yet in a pivotal location, was perfect.
And in a single day, he'd already lost 2 of his Lord Class Wizards, including one at the Peak of Lord Class. A situation that had never happened before. His first significant setback in quite a time.
The air around the simple looking huntsman twisted, a bright blue Aura appearing. A Kingly, powerful air. This Aura was unique, one that gave off a feeling of majesty and honor.
A feeling of overwhelming pride.
Small, demonic scales appeared on the face of the huntsman, transforming with his anger. He went from looking like a regular human to like that of an angry and furious demonic being.
"Grrr. No. Stop." The hunter's hands trembled as he grabbed ahold of his chest, forcing himself to calm down.
The feeling of overwhelming pride remained, however, as he regained control.
His eyes flashed.
"If you want something done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself."
He stood up, his eyes slowly turning to the west.
He nodded,
"You have to do it yourself."
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"Oh Naked Godly Dragon-Sama thank you for your rescu-"
"Can you just call me Dorian? Also, what is with this 'Sama' business? That sounds like something from a completely different culture that has nothing to do with yours."
"Of course, Naked Dorian-Sama-"
"Not better."
Dorian struggled to not sigh in frustration.
After he'd saved the women and revealed his Draconic form, the female warriors and Wizards had looked at him with eyes of worship.
They also seemed to look at their leader, Bella, in a similar light, as if crediting her with Dorian's appearance.
"Lady Anabella, your Lucky Chances have proven too powerful."
"You have saved us once again!"
The women gushed over their leader.
They were currently traveling on one of the other wooden vessels in the Fast Caravan. This particular boat was originally chartered by a group of merchants. The merchants had welcome the female mercenaries with open arms, a friendly gesture that warmed Dorian's heart.
Strong, ranked mercenary teams or companies were very common on Paxital, and many of the populated worlds controlled by humans, Dorian learned. For worlds under the control of the Shades or Vampires, or the many Lesser Worlds that held few rare resources, they were a much rarer sight.
According to Bella, the weakest B- team had at least a single Lord Class Wizard in it. Teams below B class held no Lord Class Wizards. The strongest ranked teams, the A+ ranked, contained powerful King Class members.
There were also five legendary S ranked teams, led by the leaders of the Mercenary Alliance, the Five Mercenary Kings.
Dorian had actually run into a mercenary team before, a group of Aethmen traveling and escorting a caravan to Taprisha. That team had been too weak to be notably ranked, however.
They were almost at the end of their destination, the edge of the continent, only a couple hours away.
The transport company had apologized, and, of all things, given them a full refund. One of the reasons the mercenary team running these caravans was famous was because of the protection they offered.
Failing to offer protection, even in cases where it was beyond their control, was a breach of contract set by the transport mercenaries. While it might seem unfair to the transport team, terms like that were a staple for protective mercenary companies, in order to maintain their reputation.
As a result, they received a full refund.
Well, the Women Warriors team did.
Dorian hadn't paid for anything in the first place.
Bella looked at Dorian, her eyes misty.
Dorian looked back, and then glanced to the side, feeling a bit out of place.
The wind whipped past as their vessel sped along, the fading evening light giving the world a calm, peaceful appearance. They drifted through some low hanging clouds, following a meandering path towards new destinations.
Bella waved away her allies, leaving her alone with Dorian, at the prow of the ship.
"Truly, thank you, Dorian. I would like to apologize for failing to see the power you hold. I had eyes, but could not see. We thought we would protect you, yet it was you that protected us." Her voice was full of sincerity.
Dorian shook his head,
"It's fine. They attacked me as well, I was only defending myself." He also would've liked to absorb some growth energy from the foes he'd killed, but unfortunately the ship collapsed and he ran out of time. A waste of several Lord Class Soul Spell Matrixes.
The energy points Dorian absorbed from various creatures or magical artifacts were a staple for his evolution. These points were tied to the life force or latent energy in a creature or artifact.
"Still. You have my eternal gratitude."
They were silent for a moment.
Bella then continued,
"My Women Warriors aren't able to continue to Magmor right now. Several of them have taken serious injuries that will take time to recover from. We are planning on taking a land caravan once we reach the edge of the continent at Tonto City, and lying low for a bit, to avoid our pursuers."
"Oh?" Dorian frowned. He couldn't afford to waste any more time, he needed to reach Magmor as soon as possible. He didn't know how long it would take to find the treasure to resurrect William.
It seemed he would be parting ways with the women, and traveling on his own from here.
"Yes." Bella paused, her mouth twisting slightly, as if making a decision,
"I know you only came with us because I promised to reward you," She began, motioning with her hands,
"However, I really don't have anything else I can give you, to thank you, so I've decided to give you all the info we have about the Ascension Ruins. I know it isn't much, and you might not even decide to go there, but I hope you will accept this." From out of a Spatial Ring, Bella handed Dorian a small sheath of papers, full of copied writing.
Dorian took it, glancing it over briefly. It appeared to be copied from a journal log, describing various events that took place on Magmor. He accepted it, storing it in his own Spatial Ring, one he managed to keep with him through all his transformations due to practice, as well as the Spatial Pouch he'd gained.
"I will humbly accept it and your thanks." He began, his voice full of grandeur. Since he was playing it up as a Dragon, he might as well go all out.
As he responded, however, Dorian's thoughts drifted.
It had happened again.
Something in his journey that once more felt predetermined. Because he'd traveled with Bella, and saved her, he managed to get information on the ruins he was about to journey towards.
Something as coincidental as this couldn't be something left to random chance, even with his soul twisting Fate.
'What is going on? Is the fallen Godking guiding my path? According to the message he told me in the beginning, he is probably already dead, so how could he?'
Dorian didn't know.
He felt, however, that all of his questions would be answered, once he reached the Ascension Ruins.
Bella clapped her hands together, causing the rest of the women to come forward. They were all smiles as they looked at Dorian, the mood on the ship light and free.
"Thank you for your service and gratitude, ladies." Dorian gave them all a warm, winning smile.
"Praise the Dragon!"
"We thank you, Dragon-Sama!"
"Praise Naked-Sama!"
"Praise the Godly Naked Dragon!"
Dorian shook his head, smiling. Even their ridiculous names for him couldn't hamper his good mood.
He smiled widely, an idea coming to the front of his thoughts. Something to do for the next couple hours they had till they reached their destination.
"Now, then, ladies. Allow this Godly Dragon to teach you a special technique!"
"It's called Country Dancing: Three Step Style!"
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"Huff… Huff…" A petite, pretty girl with tufted fox ears wiped a sheen of sweat off her forehead, taking in several deep breaths as she looked around, gathering her bearings.
She was standing at the edge of a World Bridge, one made of brown and black stone, worn and weathered by age, without a trace of vegetation on it. This World Bridge spanned a few thousand meters at its base, one of the smaller World Bridges.
It connected down directly to a large, empty brown landscape, a ten thousand meters wide island made of cracked stone and torn earth.
Beyond that stone, a wide, sweeping ocean of fire and magma spread out. Huge gouts of flame exploded into the air, shooting out in large crescendos of energy and might. Random streams of smoke and steam cascaded up into the sky haphazardly. The air itself vibrated with natural power.
The Exotic World of Magmor.
An enormous wave of magma blasted up into the air, colliding with the edge of the island the World Bridge connected to. Off in the distance, several plateaus and islands could be seen, some placed much higher than the one the World Bridge connected to.
Arial smiled,
"Looks like I made it in one piece."
.
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