The Day Faydan Pulled A Fast One

TO SAY THE GIRLS WERE SHOCKED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

I don’t blame them, of course. After all, I just told them about my origins from another world, the culinary habits I had to adopt after crossing over, and the powers I acquired in the process.

“Cerys,” Amelia called out her friend, her eyes wide open. “The dragon John ate in the temple, could it possibly be…?”

As we turned to the elf, we were met with a stone-cold expression on her face. Whatever Amelia was alluding to, it couldn’t be good. Cerys had shown particular interest in the dragon’s description, asking me everything down to the smallest details.

“It’s too early to come to conclusions,” Cerys said. “But based on everything John has told us, we can’t ignore the possibility.”

Come on girls, don’t leave me hanging like that.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, my nerves gnawing at me.

“This is only conjecture,” Cerys clarified before continuing, “but there is a strong possibility you ate the Dread Dragon.”

* * *

She proceeded to tell me the story about Nidhogg, the World Tree, and the ancient war against the Demon Lord, Croxas. I have no clue why the part about the dragon seemed to come straight out of Norse mythology, but we’ll leave that for later.

What matters is this: Cerys gave me a detailed description of Nidhogg, based on the old records about the great war… and going off from its appearance, and other bits of circumstantial evidence, there’s a good chance I ate the guy.

You see, back in the day of the war’s final battle, the followers of Croxas used a teleportation spell to evacuate a grievously injured Nidhogg from the field. The allied forces of Order feared the dragon’s eventual return, but the decades of wait turned into centuries, and the beast failed to resurface. In the end, the dragon was assumed to be dead, and its name survived only in the annals of history.

That was until today, for better or worse.

Eating dragon flesh or blood is known to bestow a small degree of power, but only at the level of a moderate boost in mana capacity, or increased longevity. But I, on the other hand, plundered what is perhaps the majority of the dragon’s power in its prime.

Needless to say, this wasn’t normal, and could only be attributed to the runic circles operating inside the temple. Before I left, I did confirm that was their purpose, so there’s no room for question about the matter.

What we do not know is who the hell crafted those runic circles in the first place.

We don’t have any hard evidence in that regard, but if we consider the old story about Nidhogg, the recent sightings of the Cult of Croxas, and the matching timeline of events, then everything points to one hypothesis:

After losing the final battle of the Great War, the Cult of Croxas finished off the Dread Dragon, and put in motion a plan to claim its power. Eating its flesh and blood directly would send most of the dragon’s magic to waste, so they built a mechanism to maximize its bestowal capabilities.

This mechanism was left in operation for millennia. It was a painstakingly slow process, but the Cult’s leadership was made up of immortal demons, so time was a resource they had in abundance.

From the looks of it, the dragon’s conversion ritual was nearly complete.

I’m living proof of it. Whatever the truth may be, I ate the dragon and claimed its magic… and in doing so, chances are I threw one hell of a wrench into the Cult’s plans.

“Man, those demons will be livid,” Xana said, and chuckled.

“They’ll be more than livid,” Cerys replied. “They’ll hunt you, John.”

“Well, no surprise there,” I noted, scratching my head. “I smelled it coming from a mile away, so I escaped without being noticed. I left an alarm spell behind, too.”

As it turns out, being discreet paid off.

“We won’t let them lay their claws on you,” said Amelia, with fervor burning in her voice. “The fact that you entered Krysterios at the time and place you did, and you met us in this forest... it was no coincidence. The hand of Faydan guided you, John.”

Faydan, the Goddess of Fate.

Amelia worships her, but I’ve gotta say, I’m not so sure about her involvement with me. I entered Krysterios after getting shitfaced drunk, so it’s a hard sell to count that as a thread of destiny.

Not that I’d say that to Amelia, of course.

“Cerys, Xana,” she continued, unaware of my skepticism. “I trust you understand the enormity of this event. Of who John is, and what power he wields.”

They nodded, without a shred of doubt.

“We should prioritize protecting John, over healing King Cedric,” Cerys said, sending a chill down my spine. “We ought to leave the forest immediately, and shelter him in Sylphadim. We’ll make a proper plan afterwards.”

“No objections here,” Xana supported her. “The sooner we get back to town, the better,” she continued, shooting a seductive look my way. She’s got nothing but ulterior motives, doesn’t she?

That said, Cerys dropped something huge just now.

“Hold on for a moment,” I asked. “You lost me there. What do you mean about looking after me instead of the King? You came to harvest a magic root, right? We could go get it and head back.”

I feel bad about derailing their mission for my sake, and truth be told, it makes me a bit nervous to become the center of attention all of a sudden. I told them my story to build trust and ask for guidance, not to turn them into my guards.

“That will not do,” Amelia insisted. “The King’s safety is a matter of national security. But yours, on the other hand…”

Her voice trailed off, and Cerys picked up for her.

“If you fall to the wrong hands, John, the world as we know it will end,” she said.

I was struck by a wave of dizziness. What the hell did she mean by that?

“The Demon Lord, Croxas, is sealed behind a divine barrier,” Amelia continued. “It’s said that no monster or demon is capable of breaking it… except for Nidhogg, the Dread Dragon.”

“According to legend, Nidhogg fed on the roots of the World Tree for millennia,” Cerys explained. “This turned the Dread Dragon into a demigod, and with its divinity, its magic would be able to free the Demon Lord from its cage.”

Oh. Yes, I see how that would be a problem.

“We must protect you at all costs,” Amelia insisted. “I know I may be asking a lot, but could you please come with us, John? If you would have it, we shall take you to the capital and safeguard you.”

Hmm… I have no reason to refuse, but something about the wording feels off.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked. “If the idea is to lock me in a safehouse, I’ll refuse.”

Amelia frowned. I don’t blame her for being upset, considering the stakes we’re dealing with, but I won’t accept being locked up.

“We can’t risk you being captured,” she insisted. By the looks of it, I hit the nail.

“I know that,” I replied, “but hiding me under a blanket in some warehouse won’t cut it. The Cult will come after me with everything they’ve got, and I mean no disrespect, but even the Adventurer’s Guild is compromised.”

Even the quest for a root of the Dead Tree was leaked, so how in the world would the girls manage to keep me hidden? Cerys found me out with her bare eyes, and the Cult will definitely have stronger magic to track me.

Amelia paused at my words.

She, too, understands that keeping me under wraps is beyond them. They may be an A-Rank adventuring party, but the Cult of Croxas is a millennia-old organization, with the resources to match.

However...

“What if we hunt them instead?” Xana proposed, munching a strip of dried meat.

We all turned to look at her.

“What?” she asked, tilting her head like we were the ones speaking madness. “They’re gonna find John someday, so let’s train him up and kill them before they do.”

I’ll remember not to piss off the catgirl. That said though, she’s a freaking genius.

“It might work…” Cerys said, pressing her fist to her chin. “It’s the power of the Dread Dragon that we’re talking about. If we give John the proper training, and capitalize on it, we could dismantle the Cult of Croxas before they can strike.”

“You’re mad…” Amelia murmured.

“I’m not,” Cerys replied. “They do not know the power has been stolen. You’ve made sure of this, right, John?”

“That’s right,” I assured. “The alarm I rigged hasn’t triggered. At the very least, they haven’t opened the door to the dragon’s chamber.”

“That’s all we need,” Cerys said with a cold, collected smile that gave me shivers. “The Cult doesn’t know Faydan played them. So we’ll turn the tables, and burn them with the very same power they sought.”

Oh boy. What have I gotten myself into?