LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 22 – Talons of Terror
While I was walking down the roughly trampled pathway towards the city, I was left with ample time to ponder my thoughts. Going over some of my recent observations, I was still left with some questions:
1) Why was I summoned here?
2) If Absolute Appraisal could reveal everything, what exactly was hiding my information? Was it a god?
3) Were there even gods in this world? If there were, did they interfere with the affairs of mortals?
4) Why is there a smartphone assistance’s voice talking in my head providing helpful information sometimes?
Well, those were some of the recent, more important thoughts at the moment. I’m also sure there were many other abnormalities I was neglecting, such as my ominous “hidden title”, or whatever the heck this “World Serpent” was that I was apparently an apostle of.
Continuing to walk down the pathway in my ripped clothing, I was calmly resting my chin on my hand as I pondered all of the things that had happened to me. I was somehow able to use magic, wield a sword, and everything around me was almost like I was inside a video game. Perhaps, it was more appropriate to say I could think of this world as an RPG?
But how did combat work? Sure, I had a status screen, but what was the raw effect of those numbers in an encounter? Would something with strength 10 be considered average? What about the relativeness of these numbers? If 10 was average, was 100 a professional weight lifter?
Too many questions, and not enough data to draw any conclusion. Maybe there was some way for me to experiment myself to find these answers? Or, better yet, perhaps this information was already well known in this world, and I just had to ask some scholars or heck, even a common towns folk somewhere.
Eventually, as lady luck would have it, my ears picked up the sound of swords and magic clashing up ahead. Unfortunately for me, it looked like there was a fierce battle going on ahead, and I was inadvertently walking towards them on my pathway to the city!
*Sigh*
“Nothing’s every easy, is it?”
I mumbled to myself. Well, guess I better go check what’s happening. If I’m suppose to be a hero, then a hero would probably want to save people in danger... No?
Picking up my pace, I broke into a slow sprint to reach the top of the hill. Once there, my eyes began to take in the scenery of a fierce battle for survival! Up ahead, was roughly a group of 10 people, standing around some carriages transporting cargo and passengers. Civilians were huddling together inside the carts while guards formed a circle around the vulnerable to protect them for their assailant. But what was their attacker? Well, it was a magnificent beast covered in brilliant white and brown plumes, spouting a vicious beak and claws as it soared through the air. While this creature didn’t exist on Earth, it was all too common in many a fantasy setting. Based on my acute observations, the mysterious attacker was none other than the common symbol you often saw on medieval coat of arms:
A Griffin.
Flying through the air at incredible speeds while emitting a piercing shriek at it’s targets below, the griffin appeared to be enthralled with inflicting as much harm as possible to the unfortunate caravan. Assessing the scene, it already appeared there were several casualties amongst the guardsman. Wanting to make a difference, I leapt into action hoping to make some kind of impact on their survival odds.
*SHREEEK!!!*
A hailstorm of razor-sharp feathers launched themselves towards the caravan in a deadly bullet storm from hell!
Shit! I wasn’t going to make it in time!!! Come on Ko! Do that cool looking dash thing again! Focusing, I pictured the same steps from earlier. Rich, oxygen flowing through my veins, pouring into each and every part of my muscles. I imagined taking up the starting pose for sprinting in a race, and then...
“Dash!”
...
Nothing happened? What the heck! I did everything the same as last time, so why didn’t I dash forward at incredible speeds?!?!? I’m not able to do anything at this rate! Fuck!!
Helpless, I could only watch as I saw a few of the guardsmen placed their shields up to protect some of the passengers
But it was in vain.
Sharp, shrapnel like feathers eviscerated most of the guardsman leaving behind what I could only describe as a Swiss cheese’s version of human meat. Four of the guards collapsed into pieces, while most of those behind them managed to survive the attack but were heavily injured, some even had bits of raw bone exposed on their bodies. Fortunately, the civilians appeared to be mostly unharmed thanks to the “Swiss cheese’s” brave sacrifice.
“Damnit!!” I yelled in anger. Why didn’t my magic work?!?!
Angry at myself for not doing better, I finally reached the scene and shouted at the still standing guards.
“Hey, I’m an adventurer and I’m here to help! Do your best to protect the passengers while I deal with the griffin!”
“Where the heck did you come from lad? You look horrible yourself! There’s no way you can kill a griffin single handedly! Are you mad!?!?!”
“No, I’m not mad, but I am crazy!”
Pfft, ya, crazy was right alright. Not only had I jumped into this battle recklessly, but I had no actual idea knowing how powerful a griffin actually was! Come to think of it. If I was level 1, shouldn’t I be fighting goblins or slimes or something? Not GRIFFINS!
...
Well, it’s too late to run away now, I already committed to the looking cool and heroic part for being a hero and all, guess I’ll just have to see this through!
Lifting my head to look towards the sky, the griffin was circling in the air planning it’s next attack. While it had noticed my presence, it didn’t seem too concerned at the extra “prey” entering its crosshairs. Finally, recharged and ready to launch another barrage of feathers, the beast swooped down, descending with the twin suns behind it, making it difficult to see the upcoming attack. Tch, I had to give it some credit. It was pretty smart that way, efficiently utilizing the blinding rays of light to conceal its barrage direction. These were the actions of a skilled predator.
However, I had a plan ready for the pending feather storm. All I needed, was a little luck that my idea would actually work!
*SHREEEK!!!!!*
The signal for the griffin’s attack! Following the deafening screech, hundreds of feathers began to swirl around in a violent tornado. The tips of the quills rotated and aimed themselves towards the remaining guardsman and myself. Then, in a violent outburst, shot forth with great velocity! Now, it was time to activate the spell I had been preparing.
In my head, I envisioned that same, floating barrier spell Inari used to protect me from the flying dagger. I imagined the griffin’s feathers as an army of hundreds of daggers flying straight towards me! Then, I pictured myself, surrounded by a thin, but sturdy barrier made from flexible plastic. While I doubted plastic existed in the world based on their technological progress, the foreign material was perfect for what I wanted to accomplish!
Using both of my hands, I began melding and stretching this imaginary substance, I pictured it materializing several meters in front of me, creating a solid, dome of plastic! Then, I added two additional barriers behind each other to form a multilayered shell of protection. I wouldn’t let a single griffin feather penetrate this object! Finally, with mana gathered and my objective clear, I shouted loud enough to rupture my vocal cords materializing the spell into reality!
“MULTI-BARRIER!”
*Schroon* *Schreen*
An explosion of light erupted from my body as three, translucent barriers of energy encased everyone around me in a protective dome barrier!
*Tehtehtehtehteh* *Crackle* *Tehtehtehtehteh*
Impact! All of the piercing feathers had been intercepted by the barrier spell! In my peripheral vision, I could see what appeared to be “Health bars” for each barrier I produced. Barrier 1 had been completely destroyed by the feather barrage, while barrier 2 was at roughly half health for durability. Suspended in the air above us, was each individual feather, seemingly impaled into nothingness.
*KAW!*
Furious that it’s attack was rendered useless, the griffin continued charging towards us at unimaginable speeds! I was struggling to accurately predict it’s pathway due to it being obscured by a layer of floating feathers and piercing sun rays! However, I didn’t need to concern myself for much longer, because before I could realize it...
*CRASH!*
The griffin had collided into my barriers and was menacingly clawing at them in a deadly frenzy of talons!
Shit! Flashing “Warning!” signs began blinking around barrier 2’s durability! The bar was rapidly decreasing as the griffin continuously smashed it with it’s claws. I had to come up with a solution quickly, or we were all going to be in imminent danger again! I scoured my brain for any thoughts or ideas at salvation.
*Shatter*
Barrier 2 was finally depleted, producing a loud, glass shattering like noise as it exploded into translucent particles of light!
“WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!”
One of the guards beside me screamed out in terror! He had lost all hope and was clutching his face in horror while he shrieked about our impending doom!
I closed my eyes. I wasn’t going to let these people, or myself die at the talons of this griffin. No one else needed to suffer! Concentrating, I tried to imagine the life-force inside the griffin’s body. Inari had told me that each being had unique mana signatures, and that you could identify the flow of energy inside each organism if you focused on the flow of mana.
Tuning out sound, and the world all together, I tried my best to focus only on the magic surrounding us. Everything was jumbled, but eventually, my brain started to make sense of this new source of information. All around me, I felt the presence of humans. Their aura was filled with emotions of fear and terror as their mental state poured out into the world. The images looked hazy, purply, and terrified. Next, my mind noticed an overpowering and oppressive aura radiating red fog above me. Focusing on the feeling, my body began to recognize this entity as the griffin assaulting us! Geez, if this was what the world looked like through magic signatures, it was very foreign and frightening!
Staring into the red, hazy fog, I began to see a solid, spherical core of dense energy. Light bended and twisted as it rotated around the object in question.
“Yesssss! Let usssss, feassst on itssss power!!!!”
What the heck? Why am I hearing a voi—
“Hehehe! Youuuu know who weeeee areeeee Ko!!! Let us feasssst! Let us feassst! Feed ussss, feed us blood! More bloooooood!!!”
I felt sick to my stomach as my mind was filled with words and thoughts I couldn’t comprehend. I looked down towards the shield and sword attached to my left arm. The serpents adorning the metallic disk appeared to be slithering and flicking their tongues my direction, coercing their twisted thoughts into my mind.
“Youuuu’veee already used usssss beforeeee Ko.... Let our fangsssss strike again!!! Use ussss!! USE USSSSS NOW!!!”
My body began to move on its on again, I felt like I had lost all control over my limbs. My right eye socket began burning, almost as if a raging fire had ignited itself inside my iris!!! Then, without realizing it, I began my attack on the griffin.
While the beast was still “mid-slash” with one of it’s talon strikes, I dispelled the final barrier, throwing the creature off balance as it’s claws collided with the now empty air, instead of some magical resistance. The griffin’s body twisted as it violently swung it’s talon into nothing, rotating it around to expose it’s powerful, back wings. Then, without hesitation, I leapt towards the surprised griffin and stabbed the serpent’s blade through the gap between the bird’s left shoulder blade. Flesh and feathers teared and parted as the sickening blade pierced straight into the ribcage housing it’s core of power.
It's heart.
*SHREEEE!*
With one final death bellow, the strength inside the magnificent beast’s body waned as it eventually went limp, collapsing onto the dusty, bloody soil below. I could feel the stares of everyone looking at me in shock and horror, at what they had just witnessed. Next, control gradually started to come back to my body, and the burning sensation behind my eyeball began to ease. Remembering back to my encounter with the bandits, I decided to keep my blade lodged inside the griffin’s corpse so it could devour the heart without horrifying the audience further.
Everyone continued to stare at me in silence, the lack of noise was starting to get uncomfortable. The only sound I could hear, was the noise of wind rustling against the tree canopy as it danced around in the air, oblivious to the deadly ballet from moments ago. Then, to clear the atmosphere of tension, one of the guardsmen finally mustered the courage to speak to me.
“You... You killed it! You actually killed the griffin!!! You’re amazing adventurer!!!! You saved us all!!!”
“Yeah! I can’t believe you did it kid! I’ve never seen a human cast a barrier spell like that, or move as swiftly as you have before! You must be an incredibly powerful and skilled adventurer!! Thank the gods you arrived in time!”
I was at a loss for words! Somehow, I had managed to save most of the people who had come under attack from the wild griffin! While I was exceptionally pleased with the outcome, I was also very concerned about losing control over my body during the encounter. I had the realization that immense power was mine, but held zero control over it. Extrapolating from this, I began thinking... Would I... Would I actually be the destroyer of this world??? Eventually, I managed to articulate some words to respond to the celebrating guardsmen.
“Yes. It was a tough battle, but the beast is dead now. I’m just sorry I couldn’t arrive sooner to save everyone.”
Looking back at me, an older, rougher looking gentlemen in military uniform responded.
“Kid, this is part of the risk the royal guard is prepared for. We all understand that some of us might not survive during our duties and acknowledge this burden. Regardless, I appreciate your help, for I fear none of us would have survived if you didn’t arrive when you did.”
Standing at full attention, the soldier saluted me with pride as he formally introduced himself to me.
“Reginald Smith, Captain of the 3rd Reserve Regiment of the Royal Army of Solara. On behalf of my men, I thank you for your brave action’s adventurer.”
Well, I couldn’t quite say how I was to respond in this situation. I had next to no knowledge about how to interact with military personal properly, so I figured I would try one of those standard lines I heard from many movies back on Earth.
“At ease soldier! I was just heading towards the city and happened to come across your troop in a time of need. Any adventurer would have done the same.”
Reginald lowered his salute the spoke towards me with command.
“Appreciated. But still, to defeat a griffin by yourself, we truly are lucky to have had you intervene.”
Hmmm, based on the captain’s words, it sounded like a griffin is considered to be quite powerful! Come to think of it, I had absolutely no way of knowing the relative strength of monsters in this world. Hopefully my actions didn’t stand out too much. Thinking about the situation, Reginald said this was a reserve unit of the royal army. Based on that information, I assumed that only skilled individuals would be permitted to join its ranks. While there was roughly 10 of them in total, they were all struggling to deal with the griffin before I arrived. Figuring out how I wanted to proceed in the conversation, I responded to the captain.
“Thank you, captain, I appreciate your gratitude. If you don’t mind me asking, what was your unit doing out here?”
“I’m sorry, but that information is classified.”
“It’s alright Reginald, we would have all been dead had this mighty adventurer not assisted your unit. While I am normally one for formalities, there is a time and place for everything.”
Emerging from inside one of the caravans, was a well distinguished gentleman spouting well kept grey hair and accompanying moustache. Resting on his right eye, was a black rimmed monocle, which matched his esteemed suit and attire. One look at this individual was enough to give the impression of elegance and nobility. His shirt was of a similar make to my tattered and ripped clothing, except free of imperfections. There were also excessive, frillier-like designs at the cuffs and seams. The style was very reminiscent to clothing from the late 1700s on Earth.
Then, with a slight bow, along with his right hand crossed over his chest, the man introduced himself.
“The name’s Maximillion Hawthorn, Duke, and head of the Hawthorn estate in the Kingdome of Solara. If I may ask, I would humbly request to learn the name of my house’s benefactor.”
A duke??? While my understanding of royalty and their ranking system was rather limited. I vaguely remember the title of “Duke” being way up there in importance in the social hierarchy! How the heck was I suppose to respond to this?!?? Quick Ko! Think of something fancy and formal to say in this situation!!!
Eventually, I decided on how I would respond to the duke. Bowing, I did my best to mimic a formal introduction.
“Why of course your grace, I am the humble Kotato Yamata, a wandering adventurer seeking to make a name for myself in the kingdom.”
“Splendid! Sir. Kotato, my house is in your debt for your brave actions performed this day. I was returning from my trip to the neighbouring Kingdom of Colosseum and had requested the royal army escort my carriage once I reached the border. We had almost made it to the city when a wild griffin attacked my entourage.”
“I see, I am most pleased I was able to assist you, Duke Hawthorn.”
The duke smiled at me. Hopefully I had managed to do an alright job at respecting his position in the kingdom! Then, he spoke to me with grace and command.
“Now, Sir. Kotato, I would like to make a request to you. I humbly request to hire you as an additional escort so that we may safely reach the City of Solara.”
Escorting them to the city? The prospect wasn’t completely unreasonable. Actually, now that I think about it, I needed to go to the City of Solara anyways. This was more than an ideal opportunity to help me with my quest to speak with the king! If I agreed to help this Duke Hawthorn out, there was a good chance I could gain entry to the royal palace more efficiently! After all, I did only have a simple letter with me, and I couldn’t imagine any ordinary person could just waltz right up into the royal castle or something! So, I figured accepting would be in my best interest, but I also used the opportunity to make my motives clear.
“Of course, your grace, I would be more than happy to offer my services in escorting you to the royal capital. As a matter of fact, I also have some important business in the city where I am tasked with delivering this letter.”
Having said my reply, I reached into my pocket to take out a now, “slightly” crumpled envelope stamped with a red, cat’s paw wax seal. Then, I showed the envelope to the duke.
The man gently took the envelope from my hand and readjusted his monocle as he examined who the letter was addressed to. Then, with a light laugh, he let me know his response.
“Haha, well Sir. Kotato, it does seem fate is a funny thing. If I am to believe this letter, you are to meet directly with the king as a request from one of the Adventurer Guild Heads? Truly, you must be an exceptional individual to receive such an order, and from one of the founding guild members no less! Curious indeed... I would be more than happy to arrange your entry to the palace under my name so you may deliver this letter directly to King Solar yourself.”
While I was happy with the duke’s reply, I was now left with even more questions. Seriously!??! How important WAS that adorable cat maid?!?!? Felice?!?! A founding guild member??!? What kind of influence did they have in this world?!?!?!
My head began to spin at the realization I had apparently been meeting a bunch of very important people in this world! Eventually, I calmed myself and joined Duke Hawthorn in his carriage once the guardsmen had finished making their repairs and calming the horses. Then, after collecting the dead and wounded for makeshift transportation, we resumed our journey towards the city proper.