318 Dunbar Steel (1/2)
Zed's bald head was scratched in several places from being dragged across the rocky ground. ”F*ck off.”
”F*ck off? Well... that's a bit rude.” Nix turned to the trio of Mollie, Lu Ban, and Circa, ”know what happens in Everspire when you get eaten?”
Lu Ban shook his head. ”No idea.”
Circa shrugged. ”Same as any other death?”
Mollie was playing with a strand of her green hair. ”Something bad, I hope... Is your horse going to eat him?”
Nix shook his head. ”She only eats grass.”
[Summons: Fey]
A thin white-haired girl wearing a loose-fitting green robe with the sleeves rolled up appeared in front of them a moment later. Her hair was done up in two long braids on either side of her head, and she held a long white wooden staff.
Mollie gasped in surprise. ”Is this a Spirit Companion?”
Fey's calm light-blue eyes stared at the trio before focusing on Nix, who was holding Zed down. She offered him a smile. 'Hey, Nix.”
Circa's face was slowly turning red while he stared at the teen mage. ”You're very pretty!” he blurted it out all at once, making it sounded like one word.
Fey leaned against her white staff, not bothered by the outburst. ”Thank you. Why aren't you wearing a shirt?”
Circa's handsome face continued to redden. ”I can't afford it yet,” he admitted.
Fey glanced at Nix, who was waiting patiently. ”Can't you make him something, Nix?”
Nix nodded. ”I'm going to take care of these guys, but first I need you to eat this clown.”
Fey studied the grounded warrior, her pretty nose wrinkled in distaste. ”He doesn't look tasty at all.”
A laugh escaped Mollie's lips. ”I agree completely.”
Nix pressed down with his foot, his face expressionless. ”If you're eaten in Everspire, you can't be resurrected; it means you lose the character completely and are forced to make a new one.”
”Bullshit. I'm not an idiot.” Zed tried to push the foot off his chest, but oddly enough, he couldn't even move it.
”Right... I forgot the important part; you only disappear if a dragon eats you.” Nix winked at Fey and gestured for her to move away.
The skinny mage made a distasteful face walking a few meters away from the group. ”This is under protest, Nix!”
Nix smiled apologetically. ”I will make it up to you, Fey.”
Fey flashed him a smile. ”Fine then.” She extended her slim arms outward, they continue their progress, morphing into a broad set of wings. An instant later, her beautiful, silver scaled head pointed at the sky and released silver flames high into the air.
”....” Circa.
”....” Lu Ban.
”....” Mollie.
A loud booming sound caused Nix to turn toward the blacksmith shop, Zane had finally looked up from his forge and was clapping his huge hands together. ”Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.”
Nix cleared his throat, ”we'll just be a moment. I don't want to bother you.”
Zane was smiling widely. He had short brown hair and a weathered face. He was the widest man Nix had ever seen. ”It's no bother, go ahead and eat him.”
Sixty feet of Drakon crouched low to the ground, her silver eyes staring at Zed. ”Let him up, Nix, prey that runs always tastes better.”
Nix nodded. ”Of course.” He removed his foot and stepped away.
Zed stared wide-eyed at the transformed Fey; he didn't make an effort to move. ”W-We have a quest from a Bandit Lord named Vega. For every ten pieces of beginner gear we give him, he trades us a piece of intermediate gear.”
Nix considered the player bandit's words. ”Why would this Vega care about crap gear?”
”He has been trying to unite the other Bandit camps to take over Neva. He wants to turn Neva into a lawless province.” Zane's booming voice answered the question before Zed could speak.
”I see.” Nix suddenly wished he had brought Semmi; she could often see how things connected. ”Does Vega see us as a threat?”
Zane nodded. ”The rift opened by Khione when she was fighting you stayed open. Because of this, many powerful heroes have entered Everspire. Although they come here with only the bare amount of supplies, their existence threatens Vega's plans.”