Divine Beast Ascension

632 Dragon on the Loose

Far from any of the surprise fires, Oli eagerly waited inside the shadows of that dead-end alley.

Fifteen minutes passed by quickly, in reality. But it seemed to take much longer due to Oli’s curious mind attempting to deduce what his mom and the others were planning.

Eventually, Oli’s mind was finally able to discover what came next when his wait came to an end.

Oli reappeared inside the makeshift shelter in his drake form. He questioned whether he needed to keep hiding inside but decided to continue doing so, just to be safe.

*Mom said to throw it on the ground,* Oli mentally surmised. *It looks and feels like a teleporting orb. But I doubt it’s for me. They wouldn’t send me inside just to teleport me back out, would they? No. Otherwise, they would have me crush it in my hand like we were told back during the qualifier.

*So I guess I don’t need to break it on the ground under me… Let’s try there.*

Without reservation, Oli was a bit excited to toss the orb. He threw it onto the floor just outside of the makeshift shelter.

A flurry of spatial essence burst out of the small formation orb. It spread out around the point of impact like a small wave after dropping something in calm water. And the essence quickly gripped the ground, forming some sort of formation that Oli was unfamiliar with.

*... It couldn’t be.* Oli pondered. *A teleportation circle?*

.....

But Oli didn’t need to wait any longer or ask for confirmation. The answer to his unasked question had already arrived.

A large figure suddenly appeared within a burst of purple energy. And a second, somewhat smaller appeared not even a second later.

Instantly, one of those new arrivals glanced at the makeshift shelter with a harsh gaze.

“Calm down, Netra. He’s with us.”

Softening her stare and bowing her head to her master, Netra said, “Oh. I’m sorry for doubting you, sir.”

“No offense taken,” Oli replied while standing up, breaking the crates and tarps concealing him.

“You did well getting us inside, Vero. Now, it’s time to finish this little war,” Vloz chuckled, smiling back at the drake.

Though Oli was in shock to see Vloz appear, it wasn’t too much for Oli to handle.

*They sent Vloz to the furthest city from the capital as a fake out!* Oli quickly deduced to complete the mental puzzle.

At the same time, Netra eyed the drake with a confused expression. She quietly stated, “You feel… familiar.”

“I get that a lot,” Oli said, turning his attention to the leopard. “So, this must mean the army isn’t actually attacking the city, right?”

Vloz replied with a nod, “I’ll explain quickly. You’ll be escorting me and my apprentice while charging on the palace, although we’ll both be invisible.”

Both the leopard and the fox vanished from Oli’s sight that very moment.

Still, Vloz continued his explanation, “All you have to do, Vero, is get us inside the palace. And get me to the ‘almighty’ Rokkal Prodson. Then, this whole farce will be over without breaching a single city wall.”

“Alright,” Oli quickly agreed to the orders. “But if we’re targeted by a perennial, I’ll be leaving them to you, Dean Vloz.”

“Consider it done. After all, someone is waiting for us on the inside.”

With no more questions to ask, Oli noticed the fading teleportation circle. Then, Oli turned his attention to the palace in the distance. He was curious to learn who Vloz was talking about, but Oli knew that would soon be revealed regardless of asking questions.

So, Oli stepped out of the dead-end alley and spread his wings. Oli smiled while whispering, “I hope you two can keep up.”

‘First, Netra, hop into his shadow for now,’ Vloz quickly replied with telepathy.

That mental reply shocked Netra, but she complied all the same.

Once that was settled, Vloz confirmed it with the drake. ‘Alright, let’s get moving.’

As a few stray eyes caught a glimpse of the beast emerging from the alleyway, the drake was already gone. Only a strong, brief gust was left behind as Oli flapped his wings with full force and took to the skies.

Vloz followed along the rooftops, telepathically saying, ‘Breathe some fire, but don’t hit anything.’

ROOOAAR!! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

With multiple barracks suddenly catching fire, more and more people were reappearing on the streets. There were also plenty of people lining the city walls in worry and fear.

When that draconic roar ravaged the skies from the city’s center, every Prodson citizen felt their heart skip a beat. It wasn’t loud enough to physically shake anyone, especially for the guards on the city wall. But it was enough to draw their eyes. And that allowed all the wall guards and hundreds of city fold to witness the appearance of the rumored, draconic beast among Iron’s army.

“DRAGOOON!!”

The same cry rang out and spread across the city faster than any of the house fires.

Thump. Thump, thump, thump...

One after another, guards began to fall to their knees. They were unable to comprehend what was going on.

Outside the city walls, the Iron and Forell forces were gathered. A bestial army was waiting for the order to rampage against the city. Multiple fires were popping up within the city walls, targeting the barracks one after the other.

Now, the draconic beast rumored to be a soul assassin was already inside the city. And every city gate had already been sealed with tar and debris, effectively trapping the citizens within the walls with a dragon on the loose.

‘Ha, ha! Perfect! Keep that up until we reach the palace,’ Vloz telepathically laughed.

ROOOAAR!! Fwoosh, fwoosh!

Oli replied with another resounding roar and more purple flames.

He was more than glad to have Vloz join in for the final charge. And adding Netra to the assault, along with a confirmed ally on the inside of the palace, was like having a second dessert arrive at the table before the first proverbial cake could even be finished.