Chapter 605: Calm before the Reckoning (conclusion) (1/2)

The Rat King stayed quiet during the meeting, casting his ballot for the majority while considering a proper rebuttal. It was known that Fey was currently in Haven. With the help of a dragon that practiced Spatial magic, the council had been keeping tabs on her. During Alpha team's fight in the Tembai Academy arena, someone had managed to tear off a piece of Fey's robe. They had been using this to monitor her closely ever since.

Gharon the Black closed the meeting, sending everyone back to the original council chambers. The heavily armored dragon stood immediately and faced his fellow members. ”I will bring Ethoryst his payment; with that, we will be able to pinpoint her location once she leaves Haven.”

Nix stared calmly at the walking dead man; he'd already decided that both Gharon and Ethoryst should be killed at once. In exchange for Ethoryst's cooperation, the council was granting him a high-level Spatial scroll. During the closed council discussion, Gharon recommended that they kill the Water Witch that often accompanies Fey.

The Rat King's calm yellow eyes stared at the Gharon the Black. When he left, Nix used [Rat Vanish] and followed him.

Nix hadn't seen much of the Council building; Gharon led him up a winding marble staircase to a well-lit hallway that ended in a small courtyard. A large fountain adorned the middle of the cobblestoned aviary, the sounds of dozens of songbirds chirping and singing was a pleasant accompaniment to the steady falling of water. The Aviary was topped by a clear glass dome that flooded the area with natural sunlight.

The Aviary was built in a circle that was bordered by twelve heavy doors. Each of these doors marked the entrance to a council member's office. As an Adjunct Council member, Nix had never bothered to look into it.

When Gharon the Black traced a symbol on one of the office doors, it opened wide for him. The Rat King was hot on his heels, moving through the open space before the dragon was even inside the room.

Had the Rat King been able to whistle, he would have done so. The office was quite large, with a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked a vast expanse of sky. The walls were covered with bookshelves, some of which looked tattered and worn, while others shined as if recently printed.

Nix has activated his bloodline [Final Form: Dread Beast].

Unlike previous activations when the summoned creature was calm, this time, the yellow eyes were filled with rage. Hundreds of silver strands extended from its heavily armored body; the dragon sensed its presence too late as the barbed tips pierced through the heavy armor, stabbing deep into his limbs.

Gharon the Black has cast [Protection][Evacuation]

[Interupt!] Nix has activated [Burst].

The dragon's human limbs disappeared in a brilliant flash of silver dread flames and air. The dread beast pounced immediately, pinning the bloody torso down with a clawed forefoot that punched into the ribcage of its badly wounded target.

For the first time in his life, Gharon the Black experienced terror. Had he changed forms immediately, he may have been able to escape. The wounds he received had made that impossible. ”Who are you? What do you want?” Blood bubbled out of his mouth when he spoke. His last view of the world was the creature's mouth opening wide.

A shriek of terror and agony was cut short when razor-sharp teeth crunched through Gharon's neck, consuming everything above it. Without pausing, the claw pinning the torso to the ground tore open the chest and exposed the still-beating dragon heart.

The beast feasted on dragon heart, its powerful jaws crunching easily through ribs and spine while it consumed Gharon, the Black's soul.

[You have received the Khalam'Zur token]

[You have gained a Dragon's soul.]

[Your Fire-based abilities have improved.]

After eating, the beast raged for several seconds, tearing the corpse into unrecognizable pieces that bathed the floor and walls in dragon blood. It then proceeded to bathe the room in silver dread flames. When the window exploded outward, the beast finally stopped, its yellow eyes staring at the blue sky. With a single flap of its flaming wings, it exited the office and disappeared from view.

**********

The black sparrow sat comfortably on Maric's shoulder as the Pestilence Mage walked toward the training grounds. He was followed closely by the Dread sisters, who seemed determined to unravel what they considered the 'mysterious first year.'

Lulu pursed her lips slightly while playing with a strand of her bright orange hair. Her voice was pleasantly soothing, like listening to a bard recite verse. ”Perot is still in the Infirmary! I heard it will be weeks before he is fully healed!”

Tifa's black topknot bounced when she nodded in agreement. ”He's a complete ass, but as far as I know, you're the first one to defeat him.”

Maric shrugged slightly. He hadn't realized his pestilence abilities would hit Perot so hard, but it had been the Rat King who disabled the bully so badly. ”Why are you two following me? Don't you have something better to do?”

Lulu shook her head. ”No.”

Tifa shrugged slightly, ”not really.”

Without warning, the black sparrow took flight; keeping low to the ground, it headed directly east.

Lulu broke into a run and began chasing it. ”Pon's leaving!”

”Pon the Magnificent,” Tifa corrected.

Maric stared at the two running females. ”That's not even my bird...” With a heavy sigh, he broke into an awkward run and started following the group.