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Path to Prosperity - B3 Chapter 21
🕑 Added 2024-11-09 11:00:06 +0000 UTCBlue was majestic.
While the Gnoll Warlord was a fierce powerhouse, capable of crushing Evolved Monsters and tearing apart Elite Demons with brute force, the Glacial Roc was an agile and dexterous creature with a majestic gait.
The Glacial Roc resembled a massive eagle with a wingspan of close to eight meters. It had feathers made of ice, but Percy didn’t think the Glacial Roc was heavy. It landed on his arm and felt as light as a feather.
Blue screeched in excitement, looked straight into Percy’s eyes, and grew heavy. It was almost like the ice feathers transformed into heavy ice blocks without warning. All Percy perceived were traces of mana coursing through the Glacial Roc right before its feathers grew heavy.
Percy suffered trying to keep his arm high up, which seemed to amuse Blue. It chirped in excitement, decreased the weight of its feathers, and shot high up into the air.
Everyone’s eyes followed the Glacial Roc as it whirled through the air, and all of it belonged to Blue. Blue circulated mana through its feathers and flapped its wings with more force all of a sudden, releasing a barrage of ice feathers into the sky. The feathers were as fast as icicles created with [Cryomany] and of similar sharpness.
A single barrage is enough to kill six Lesser Demons in one go. Maybe even more if they’re squeezed together.
Percy was interested in the Glacial Roc’s new innate ability, especially after watching the ice feathers regrew at a visible pace.
If Blue had evolved before the encounter with the last Demon horde, it would have killed all Lesser Demons long before the melee started.
He laughed at that thought, attracting Blue’s attention. The Glacial Roc dived to its master and landed before him, chirping happily as if it was a little chick.
“You are amazing,” Percy smiled at Blue and caressed the Glacial Roc. Its feathers were a little rough around the edges, but Blue didn’t seem to bother that. It pressed its head tightly against Percy’s hand and kept chirping until the ground near them tremored. The Gnoll Warlord towered above Percy and Blue, which seemed to annoy the Glacial Roc.
“You are also amazing, Hyean. I woul never forget about you!” Percy praised the Gnoll Warlord, but Blue did not like Percy’s words. It turned around and was about to attack Hyean, who released a hyena-like laughter before disappearing. The barrage of ice feathers flew past him, nearly hitting Imperial Mathis and Melissa Reeze. Fortunately, no damage was done.
Percy stared dagger at Blue, who turned around before disappearing as well.
To think they can summon and de-summon on their own will. Are they still merely Monster Cards? It doesn’t feel like it. Both Hyean and Blue feel more like tamed monsters…or am I just delusional?
***
Once Percy was done showing off his new monsters, the envoy proceeded. They didn’t reach the border until night, but they could see bits and pieces of the Beastlands at the end of the horizon before they set up the tents to sleep in the Kainesh Kingdom one last time.
They weren’t disrupted at night, but it felt like the calm before a storm. That proved to be true when the sounds of battle – war drums, battle horns, and more – resounded through the camp. It was still early morning, and the sun had yet to illuminate all corners of the mortal realm, but Percy was already awake. He didn’t need as much sleep as others and focused on mana training and his workouts instead.
He was drenched in sweat when the others burst out of the tents, their eyes still weary.
“We need to move out soon,” Percy announced calmly, ignoring the war drums.
“Let’s prepare everything neatly to meet the border forces,” Melissa nodded, but Percy intercepted.
“We have to depart now. There is no need to prepare much to face the Beastmen head-on. Wear your best armor, mount your Summoned monsters or horses, and try to look as imposing as possible. I will do the rest.”
The nobles weren’t pleased, but they understood the gravity of the situation. Melissa sighed and complied. She summoned Duke in the strongest form she could endure without collapsing and put on her armor after mounting the Behemoth.
The others followed suit while Percy rushed to his horse. They left behind the coachmen to remove the tents and follow the rest of the envoy with the carriages as soon as possible.
Percy willed the horse to break into a gallop, and they shot forward.
The battle cannot be far away since we heard the war drums. If we’re lucky, they haven’t engaged in close combat yet, either. I heard the war drums only two times. The rhythm is still slow. They have yet to reach the apex of the battle, that much is certain!
He closed his eyes for a moment to forward all information to the Monster Cards and summoned Blue. The Glacial Roc transformed into an azure flash as it shocked high into the sky. Percy’s eyes remained closed as he linked to the bridge, connecting him to Blue to see through his eyes. That was still difficult, but after the last Ego-enhancements it wasn’t as straining.
He saw everything from Blue’s elevated position and smiled when he saw a small border settlement of the Kainesh Kingdom not too far away. It had been difficult to decipher at night but was visible now that the sun was slowly rising.
Percy infused mana into his trusted mount, hoping the horse would accelerate while watching the upcoming battle.
The Kainesh soldiers defended the settlement and didn’t attack anyone beyond the border. Still, they protected the border by releasing elemental projectiles and arrows to the brave Beastmen who crossed the border.
Six Beastmen crossed the border. The rest is staying back for now. Do they want to talk? No. Blue can sense their bloodlust from his position. Can we stop them without killing anyone?
Percy’s mind was filled with questions, but there were no answers. He could only hope for the best, so he sent Blue to shoot forward and stop the fight before it truly started.
The Glacial Roc was a lot faster than the mounts. It reached the border settlement, crossed it silently, and released a barrage of ice feathers at the six Beastmen. The Beastmen sensed the danger from above and slowed down right before the ice feathers whizzed past them. They would have hit the Beastmen if they’d kept going.
The Beastmen looked up and took several seconds to discover the Glacial Roc. Their eyes widened in slight surprise, and they looked at each other before one took a step forward again. Blue conjured a blade of ice via [Cyromancy] and hurled it at the Beastman, who stepped back even before the ice blade was fully manifested. The blade still pierced deep into the ground where the Beastman stood a moment ago, but it was clear the Beastman had expected this scenario.
“Whose summon is this?!” He roared, but the only answer he received was the Glacial Roc’s screech.
Percy snickered through the tension occupying his body. He urged his mount to reach the settlement faster and couldn’t help but feel like an eternity had passed until they arrived at the border settlement.
“You there!” Percy roared at the top of his lungs while throwing an ice-block the size of a marble toward a nearby border guard at the top of the settlement walls.
The guard, a young archer whose full attention lingered on the Beastmen – he was trembling violently, afraid of the battle with the Beastmen – screamed and whirled.
He pulled his bowstring back and was ready to fire a shot, which was impressive. Percy had to give him the benefit of the doubt. The archer might be scared, but he was well-trained and responded instinctively in the best possible way, given the situation.
“Don’t shoot me, or your beloved kingdom will lose their crown prince again,” Percy teased the young man.
The archer stared at him with wide eyes, recognition glimmering in his eyes when he saw vibrant azure eyes in the stranger rider’s face.
“Tell your commander the royal envoy is here and that he should, under NO circumstances, attack the Beastmen,” Percy reconsidered his command for a moment before adding, “Except if I tell him to.”
The archer was stupefied but nodded slowly. He didn’t even wait until Percy retrieved the royal emblem to verify his identity and rushed to the other archers and past them. The remaining archers guarding the settlement walls noticed their comrade and looked over, only to see Percy shooting past the settlement walls, followed by a group of fully-armed men and women riding summoned monsters.
The power emitting from the monster mounts was tremendous, taking the archers by surprise.
“What is going on here?”
It didn’t take long for the Beastmen to notice the commotion and the incoming forces. They expected a full-blown battle and were ready to charge ahead when Percy’s roar resounded.
“Stop right there!!” The Beastmen didn’t stop because he shouted at them, but something in his roar attracted their attention.
“I am the crown prince, and we are the royal envoy,” Percy shouted, slowing his exhausted mount, “We came to negotiate peace with the Beast King!”
