Chapter 4

Banking slowly to the left, I spiraled downwards, taking a good look at the city from above. Compared to the city back at home, this was very….simple. That was the best word to describe such a place. There weren't large grand buildings like the human city that I had taken a quite a like too.

Instead, the houses and the temple were made out of hardened mud with thick wood sticking out on each side. It reminded me of the African Ziggurats. There wasn’t just one, but many surrounding the pyramid-like temple in an orderly fashion.

The oasis was the center of all the houses present in the vicinity, showing me how important water was. There were even palm trees and wildlife, still brimming with vigor in the secluded area. About the right half of the city was surrounded by tall rocks. It wasn’t as tall as the actual mountain back at home but was an excellent size to be called one.

Quite a lot of Orcs wearing the same warrior-like attire was present everywhere I looked. I had to wonder how these Orcs were surviving out here in the desert without dying, especially because the oasis was bound to dry up one day.

Swooping low, I followed towards where Stryd had pointed. The grand temple was on the north side of the lake as if it was its own backyard. Orcs that saw me swooping down screamed, running around as if their heads were cut off. Quite a few brought up their spears and chucked it towards me in the hopes of putting me down.

Moca fluidly deflected the spears with his spider webs that he conjured out of his hands. He then redirected it back towards them, spearing them in areas that wouldn’t kill them.

“Vile, creatures,” Moca grunted, disliking how they were aiming at me. “To be welcomed in such a way. If a single one harms you, young mistress, I shall personally go down there and wipe out the whole race.”

Styrd squeaked, his eyes becoming wide in fright. I understood perfectly that Moca was going a bit too far, and it actually made me scared as well. I knew that those spears weren’t going to impale me at all.

I coughed once, “No. No. We don’t have to go that far.” I tried to reason with him.

“I can not allow such vermins to harm you, young mistress. You are an existence that is worth more than them.” Moca shot back a spear, pinning the Orc into the ground on his shoulder.

“They don’t understand the word respect by the way that they are attempting to kill you.”

“Well, you got the point, but I think they might be scared.” I quickly replied. There was a high chance that the Orcs thought that I came down to kill them. I was a dragon, for crying out loud, and the ones in the legend that they know weren't friendly.

“Still-”

“Moca, let’s not resort to wiping them out yet. They don’t know the situation.” I sternly replied.

Moca was quiet for a moment, then he nodded without refuting. “Yes, young mistress. I shall abide by your words.”

“Thank you, Moca. I really appreciate that you care for me.”

“We all do, young mistress.” Tart butted in. “We would be in pain if you were harmed, or worse….k-k-killed.” He hiccuped at the last words, slightly shaking at the thought of me dying frightened him.

Moca caught another spear in mid-air, he threw back just as quickly at the Orc who shot at us. All I could hear were screams of pain as we went past them and hovered in front of the doorsteps of the temple.

A mass of Orcs wearing some kind of traditional attire that made them almost naked come out with giant feathered hats that reminded me of a Native American Chieftain hats. I could tell that one of them was possibly the temple's head because of how extravagant his hat was. They were peacock feathers that trailed all the way down to his feet and strange strings of colorful beads.

With a blast of my mighty wings, I beat hard to stay afloat for a couple of seconds. This caused a turbulent wind to push back the Orcs, who quite a lot of them tumbled backward, while only a few handful were able to stand up, and the one with the fancy hat was one of them.

Landing feet first, a gust of sand whooshed outwards, pushing up the sand around me like a mist. Eventually, the sand settled, allowing me to see.

One of the old skinny looking Orc that seemed to be wearing the Native American hat walked over slowly; compared to the other Orcs who had weapons, this Orc didn’t have a single one. I was quite surprised that he had nothing in his hands, but then again, I did think about him being some kind of Orc wizard, so he probably didn’t need a weapon. Everyone became deathly quiet, waiting for what I would do.

“Great Dragon,” The Orc had called out with his best voice he could muster. “My name is Orgo, the Fire Hammer Chieftain. Why have you grace us with your great presence?” He bowed; the other Orcs who had weapons nervously glanced towards me.

“I have come here seeking for a half-elf that had supposedly arrived here with a human girl and a Stargazer.” My dragon voice let out a bit of snake-like hiss, which I didn’t mean to do. It just happened.

“A half-elf?” Orgo tilted his head, then the lightbulb in his mind clicked. “Are you talking about the Zemerick boy and his wife?”

Wife, now hearing it again, was mind-numbing that I didn’t know what to say.

Moca was the first to drop down, while the others followed right after, he could tell that I was annoyed. He straightened up, and using the best butler voice that he had, he spoke. “Is this how you show your hospitality?” He glared. “You shoot arrows and spears at us as if we are some monsters while you're asking the question to the young mistress? If I didn’t know better, I would have killed you all on the spot, if it wasn’t for a young mistress.”

With great displeasure towards Orgo, Moca turned towards me. “I should cut this wretched Orcs for you, young mistress. They are all useless and slow in their own way.”

Orgo was taken aback by Moca’s words. He seemed to be fumbling to say something, but stopped, calming himself down as best as he could not show his fright. “He is meditating in the shrine for the past months.” He quickly stated, trying his best not to offend me.

Moca raised his brow but was still giving off a quiet but intimidating aura.

“I-I'll show you the way.” Orgo quickly turned around, he walked past the Orcs that split apart like water, letting him and us through.

I peeked at Moca, who gave a solid nod of satisfaction and went back to his usual quiet self. It was always the quiet ones that were dangerous and scary. I learned this lesson quite fast after being with Moca.

We trailed behind him, following closely. The orcs were all watching towards us wearily as if I would burst out and kill them all on the spot.

Passing straight through the mud-brick city, we came upon the temple ziggurat. With a loud groan, the wooden doors opened for us to enter. I was amazed at how simple but effective these Orcs were able to build out of mud. Plus, the building's sheer size was big enough for me to enter without any trouble, making it quite fascinating.

The lobby was decorated with luxurious but simple colored rugs that were designed in geometric shapes. For a ruff looking bunch, the thought of making such items actually boggled my mind. I thought they would be living in large tents with the whole place filled with some kind of animal skin, but it wasn’t so.

There was even a vast amount of different pottery and a bit of abstract painting. Their clothes were just a sheet of animal skin, covering up their important parts, while the warriors were more decked out.

We walked up towards the stairs, then we came to the middle of the building, where a single light shone down from the top. Underneath the light was quite an old and wrinkly Orc that looked ready to fall over dead. If I didn’t know better, I hadn’t seen many older orcs when we walked through here, making me wonder if they died young.

Orgo stopped and gave a respectful bow to the elderly, Orc. “Stargazer, I have brought you the dragon that came looking for the half-elf and his wife.”

The old Orc didn’t stir as we waited patiently for him to answer. It took a couple of minutes before the old Orc replied. “So, the dragons who transcend worlds have finally come.” his voice was deep, almost creepy as it held vast knowledge and knowing. “I am glad that you are here, oh, great dragon.”

His voice reverberated against the wall, amplifying the last three words. I shivered, unable to tear my gaze away, I stared.

“My name is Orska. It seems you have come just in time for the half-elf to come out of his meditation. Why don’t you take a seat while we wait as he comes out.” The old orc graciously replied, motioning us to sit down. “Bring our guests some food and water. They must be hungry and thirsty from that long, arduous journey.” He motioned towards Orska.

Orgo nodded, he then clapped, motioning the other nearby servants to come forth. Then he commanded the others. “Move your butt in gear! The Stargazer and his guest are hungry and thirsty!”

The Orcs started to the hustle and bustle around them, coming into life.

Tart sniffed once, coughing as he disliked the numerous smells that congregated around them. “Young mistress, it smells bad in here.” He held his hand up to his nose. “It smells like old socks,” he whined.

Tart was right. It did smell like old socks, and a strong one too. My guess was because these Orcs didn’t have the luxury to shower, making this whole no bath smell pungent. I had to hold in a couple of breaths to take in a short breath, so I didn’t inhale too deeply.

“Why is Phil here in the first place?” I asked this thought was always on my mind throughout the whole journey. From my understanding, he wasn’t the type to do things without reason.

“That, young dragon. Is the answer why you are here.” Orska gave me a warm smile that an Orc could give, but reminded me more of him scowling then smiling. If I didn’t know any better, I thought he would be cursing at me or something, but the tone of his voice told me otherwise. “He came here because of the Titan’s awakening.”

“I’m sorry, come again?” I thought I heard him wrong. There was no way that there was another Legendary Creature alive.

“The Titan has awakened.”

I was shocked when I heard him the second time. Now two out of six Legendary creatures were walking around in the world, still not killed. The worst part of it was that it wasn’t even a thousand years that had passed. The heck is with that?! Don and Ginger were out hunting down the Black Gryphon, but so far, they didn’t have any luck tracking him down.

“I had called upon the aid of the half-elf.”

I looked at him strangely; the thought of Phil helping out didn’t seem like him at all. There definitely must be more to this. “Wait, what can he do? He’s not a Titan slayer.”

“I know who I was specifically looking forward to meeting was you.” Something about the way Orska said that gave me a weird chill. It was as if he was expecting us the whole time. “When I heard that you were asleep, I knew that time was of the essence. I had contacted the half-elf to bring him here in the hopes of drawing you out, and like my vision had stated. You have come.”

“So, you tricked Phil?” I asked, confused.

“No. Phil is here for another reason.”

“And that would be?”

“To learn about his destiny.”

Once again, I felt a shiver going up and down my spine. The way he said destiny made me instantly think about his Demon Lord status that he was meant to be. I didn’t like that at all; his life was always somehow intermingled with mine, making this a very precarious situation.

I let out an inward sigh, knowing full well that the plan to make Phil not into a Demon Lord was failing. Maybe, to meet his destiny was to meet his wife. That could definitely be a different way of thinking, in which case it made my mood sour.

I pushed aside such dreary thoughts and watched the Orcs bring in quite a lot of meat. They were giant boars the size of a horse, plucked roasted chicken that was even bigger than the boars, and many other animal dishes. Not a single dish had a single vegetable on it, making me wonder where they even get all these animals from. The whole dessert was a wasteland, and I haven’t seen a single animal come crawling out of the sand once.

“Blue feathered Bird. The Tri Horned Boar. Even the speckled cat horse! This place is teeming with rare monster ingredients!” Tart looked dazed, his mouth already salivating as he watched them bring out the food.

The smell of meat was gratifying as my stomach grumbled in hunger once again. I realized that I haven’t eaten since breakfast. Reaching over, I picked up the large chicken leg and bit down. All

I could think of was the juiciness of the chicken's flavor that I had never tasted before. It wasn’t as good as Tart’s food that he makes but was pretty decent.

Both Tart and I devoured the food given before us, while Moca took his leisure time eating. Styrd just stood there, watching us eat. I looked over towards him to come over, but he shook his head.

“Come here, Styrd. There is enough for all of us.” I said, checking on the chicken breast.

“I-I-I am not allowed too.” Stryd was ashamed at what he said and seemed to shrink in size.

“What are you talking about,” I asked, he was once again spouting some weird nonsense.

“He is not a full Orc to dine alongside us,” Orska stated. “A halfling isn't given the same privilege as a full Orc.”

I gave Orska a funny look that stated that Orska and his Orc people had a stupid custom. Just when I was going to say that it's full of crap and Styrd could come sit with us to eat, Orska said something first.

“Though, I don’t personally mind if he comes and dines with us.” Orska waved his hand for Styrd to come over. “The mindset of an Orc is usually short-sided, mostly because of the short lifespan from war that they can’t see beyond their own kind.”

Styrd shifted from one leg to the other, unsure if he should come or not. I had to growl at him to come over. He sped up his actions and sat down with a straight back staring at me with slight nervousness.

“When you get as old as me.” Then Orska stopped, looked over towards me, realizing what he said. “If you don’t mind answering how old are you?”

I thought over what he said. I really wasn’t sure how old I was. Let’s see, five years of sleeping, a year or two staying with Phil, and possibly when I awoke sixteen or eighteen years maybe? “Um, I think I’m about 23 or 25?”

Orska raised his eyebrows at my question. “You don’t know your age?”

“Amnesia.” I quickly replied. That was the best excuse I had. It worked every time.

“No, matter. The concept is the same. When you have experienced many things in this world, you start to understand that the Orc society are very selfish creatures.”

Styrd snorted and coughed. He was shocked to hear Orska say something like that without a single care in the world. “E-elder?” He stuttered, gazing at him with a newfound respect.

“What, pup? It’s true.” Orska snorted, waving his hand in front of him. “These days, the younger generation are getting stupider and more selfish as time goes by. Staying in this country is rotting their mind.”

“Then what can we do to make it better?” Styrd asked, hoping that he would know the answer.

A sour expression appeared on Orska's face. He then shook his head. “Things are not going to get better right this moment. Not when the Titan is reborn, again. That is why you are here, young dragon. You will lead this world through the chaos, where the world will be ripped asunder by the creatures of calamity. Destruction shall reign from the legends that live again. Seven stars shall be born anew to rid this world of darkness, and from their destruction herald in a new age.”

His words brought chills to my body. I wasn’t sure how I would lead anyone into the future when I have my own set of problems. Especially if I can’t turn a Demon Lord into a civilized being, in which case that could be a lost cause entirely.

“But beware for the Demon King shall rise. Chaos shall follow behind, creating jealousy and strife, turning family against family, friends against friends, and even loved ones among each other. For the Demon, King will destroy this world.” His voice echoed, giving it a powerful feeling.

I shuddered. Hearing an ominous prophecy wasn’t something I wanted to hear, and I knew instantly that it wasn’t a good sign. There were many Demon Lords both here and on Earth, but I had a feeling that it was going to be from this world. The only one who I knew who was a Demon Lord was Phil.

“So, how were you sure it’s me that would lead them?” I asked. He could’ve just interrupted the way he wanted to make it sound like me.

Orska laughed, “You, the guardian dragon, who holds and grants the power to fight on equal terms with the legendary creatures? Do you think I wouldn’t know?”

I was lost and wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“I am the stargazer, who glimpses through the past, present, and the future. I have seen your power, dragon. Your weapons that you have guarded secretly is the key to all of our salvation, but…” Orska's voice went low. “The power that resides in the weapons also connects with you. If you die, young dragon, the world is doomed.”

I was taken aback by the sudden seriousness of his voice and the hefty responsibility of the legendary weapon itself. “Wait, what do you mean it’s connected to me?”

“Did you not know?” Orska asked, raising up his eyebrow as he leaned forward. He was caught off guard that I didn’t know such important information. Everybody who was eating was silent as they listened closely to what he had to say. “The dragon maiden is the power source for all the legendary weapon’s power. The weapon itself is just a mediator between you and the bestower. That is how the goddess of light had helped control your power, so it doesn’t destroy this world.”

I twitched. Something so powerful was residing in me. It made me feel stupid that I didn’t know much about my body. I knew I was growing stronger and stronger these past years, and my control was becoming sharper. Other than that, I didn’t know, I personally powered all seven weapons.

What was more surprising was that the goddess used the weapons to help cap my powers. Did she worry that I would destroy the world, or was it because the dragon’s power was so uncontrollable that it could do more harm? I wasn’t sure, but that was something that I wouldn’t mind asking.

“I knew our young mistress was powerful.” Tart huffed proudly, sticking up his nose as if he was the strong one.

“She has always been,” Moca replied, he was also pleased.

Both of them were making me very embarrassed. I wasn’t sure if I was even blushing, but that was what it felt like.

Styrd, on the other hand, dropped the fork that he was using and stared at me as if I was some kind of god. Orska, on the other hand, was minding his own business as if the information that he said was not a big deal and continued eating.

A large roasted chicken, the size of Moca himself, was brought before me. I sniffed at it. It definitely had different spices to it, making my stomach grumble. It seemed all I have been doing the past few days was eat and fly, but that didn’t stop me from taking a bite. The delicious taste of spice exploded in my mouth.

I hacked, surprised that there could be something so spicy. It reminded me of the spicy Mexican soups that they have that would literally burn your mouth and leave it puffy for hours. Already, I could feel my lips burning hot, and my tongue tingling. The thought of continually eating this spicy chicken was something that I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue, but I took another bite to make sure that the spice wasn’t the only thing I tasted.

Right after the burning sensation, I tasted a sweet honey-like flavor. It was crisp and delicious, making me think twice about dropping the food and not eating it. Hungrily, I devoured the meat in front of me, leaving only bones.

“Quite, unladylike as always.” A familiar voice spoke out towards me, bringing up my head towards the sound. “I’m glad in that five years you haven’t changed.”

I noticed Phil, he was standing up on the stairs with his brow raised up, looking towards me with a partial smile. His whole attire and demeanor changed from the last time I remembered. He was a lot more confident that the way he held himself made me wonder if he was a prince for a split moment. The kingly air around him didn’t disperse at all and instead amplified his looks.

The clothes he wore were more of light armor with a tuft of fur around the neck. Even still, he would wear clothes that conformed well to his body, showing off his muscles. His hair was quite long, making me want to go over and cut it myself. Honestly, he didn’t look half bad with long hair. He fit in with all the other stereotypical elves without much trouble.

“Phil.” A sweet, bell-like voice spoke out towards him. She stepped out from behind, and I let out a low hiss. “What are you standing there for?” She asked.

“Cathy, meet Berry,” Phil spoke, motioning towards me.

Cathy was a gorgeous red hair beauty. The number of curves she had was quite eye-catching, making me realize that even from far away, one could tell it was her. She had seductive but straightforward clothes that fit perfectly along her hourglass figure. It reminded me of a dress, but it wasn’t. She still had puffy pants that covered up her legs as she wore a sandal. Her red hair was up in a ponytail with small wings for her ears.

Instantly, I could tell that she was a Divine. No human, elves, or any other races could compare to a Divine’s beauty and the tuft of feathers on her ears. Both of them looked like a picturesque painting just standing there side-by-side. If I didn’t know any better, they looked like a couple. The way she snuck her hand around his arm, while Phil didn’t even stop her.

“Berry?” Cathy examined me for a moment, then a glistening smile that would make anyone swoon was shown towards me. “The White Dragon?! I can’t believe this!” She stated excitedly, letting go as she rushed over towards me.

Cathy gazed upwards, taking a closer inspection. She then spun around me to get a good look. “I have never seen a dragon before, but this is amazing!” With an excited reply, her hands reached up towards me to touch my side.

Without realizing it, I snapped towards her and gave her a low, threatening growl. A puff of smoke escaped my nose, smashing into her. “Don’t touch,” I replied in a soft, threatening growl.

Cathy pulled back in surprise, but even still, she wasn’t afraid. Instead, she enjoyed the view without touching and went around me a couple more times. Eventually, she ended up back on Phil’s arm with a happy expression.

I then slowly turned towards Phil, eyeing him with discontent. “Who?”

“She’s the head of the Leaf’s family line.”

I thought it over and realized where I heard that last name.

“Yep,” nodded her head ferociously, almost to the point where I thought her head would fall off.

“I just was appointed the family head two months ago, and Phil here is my bodyguard.” For some reason, Kathy was crushing herself onto Phil like he was glue.

“Wait, so you guys aren’t married?” I asked, confused.

“Married?” Phil asked as if he heard something strange. “Who said that?”

For some reason, when Phil confirmed that he wasn’t, I felt a huge relief. Then it dawned on me that the culprit that possibly started the rumor was Orska himself. When I turned towards him, Orska shrugged his shoulder as if he said nothing wrong.

“Orska.” Phil sighed. “Why did you say that? You know it's not true.”

Orska snorted as if Phil said something absolutely stupid. “It was the fastest way to bring the Dragon Maiden.” He stated it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I don’t think that was necessary.”

“What are you talking about?” Orska was getting a bit annoyed. “These are the people that we are talking about! When I heard that the Dragon Maiden had used up her power for her people, and went into slumber, that same month the Titan had appeared!”

“Yes, but the Titan didn’t move until this past month,” Phil replied, he was getting quite annoyed at what he was saying.

“Exactly, that is why this is imperative that she is here.” Orska started with a harumph.

“But we don’t have a Titan who can wield the Legendary weapon yet.” Phil folded his arm in front of him. “She doesn’t just fork them over as if there is some kind of money exchange, the weapon chooses Orska.”

“Young pup, don’t you think I already know this?” Orska was getting annoyed at Phil’s answer.

“I have taken a glimpse into the future, and all of them don't bode too well with our kind. Without her bringing him here, he would’ve never been allowed here!” He pointed towards Styrd, who was quietly eating.

Everyone turned towards him, making him squeak in fright. He became small as if he was caught red-handed from doing something bad.

“Him?” Phil replied, confused at what Orska was implying. “Wait, you don’t mean?”

“Exactly,” Orska replied with a nod, finally pleased that Phil was getting it.

“Are you sure?” Phil walked over, took a good look at Stryd. “He’s not Orc material. He’s way too small.”

Orska chuckled at Phil’s words. He smirked at what Phil said.

I, on the other hand, followed their conversation to a certain point. There was something important going on here that I wasn’t quite getting.

“Just because he doesn’t fit the typical Orc body type doesn’t mean he can’t pick up an elephant without much trouble. Though, a full-grown adult could pick up a Peacock Raptor without much trouble.” Orska rubbed his chin, thinking about what he had just said. When he placed his hand down, he spoke. “Either way, he is who I was waiting for.”

“Me?” Styrd asked, confused. “Sir, what do you need me for? I’m just a halfie.”

“Halfie, smalfie.” Orska waved his hand in front of him, not caring what Styrd had just said. “He is the one who shall receive it without a doubt.”

“Receive what?” I asked, completely lost. If they didn’t start answering, I might start pulling teeth.

“How do you not know?” Orska asked. A bit taken aback that I wasn’t following what he was talking about.

“You seriously just need to say it. I’m not sure what exactly you’re implying. It could be food or inheritance for all I know.” I shrugged.

“The Legendary Gauntlets Asphalt.” Said Orska. “The Orc’s Hero weapon. I know you have it. Bring it out and give it to my people. That is our rightful legacy.” Orska ordered with pride.

I disliked how he ordered me to take out what was mine. Who the heck was he? With an angry puff of smoke, it smashed against Orska’s body, covering him head to toe. He coughed hard, trying not to inhale too deeply. There was no way I was going to take out something precious with that tone of voice. Nobody tells me what to do in such an arrogant manner.

“What?!” Orska was coughing hard.

“I do not take orders, Orc,” I stressed the last word with a threatening growl. My head bobbed slowly side-to-side, a low growl could be heard in my throat, making my stomach rumble. My eyes glowed dangerously golden. The power around me started to increase as its pressure became heavy.

Stryd started to sweat bullets as he scuttled backward in fear. Moca and Tart also knew that I was furious, they too tried their best to stay still, but they couldn’t stop shaking. Even Cathy paled, her eyes became wide as she gripped Phil’s arm even tighter, which made me angrier when I saw this. Though, it seemed like Phil wasn’t as phased at all and was standing there unmoving.

I spat, “Who do you think you are?!”I roared, causing the whole building to shake horribly.

“Don’t you ever order me around, ORC!” With a slam of my hand, the ground trembled.

Orska pulled in a sharp breath, his eyes turned wide in fear, and he squeaked. He fumbled backward, he trembled horribly.

I knew I was a wee bit angry, but I had a reason. The thought of just handing out the legendary weapons as if they are obliged to get it without my permission. It was mine, and now I know how powered I had EVERY right to give it to whoever I deemed fit.

“Do you think I, a dragon, is a pushover to do with your own whim just because you can see the future?” I casually but powerfully got up and walked towards him. The pressure kept increasing. Orska was having a hard time scuttling away.

“I-I-I-I m-mean no h-h-harm.” Orska stuttered. “It’s j-j-just t-t-the future.”

My head came down, dangerously towards Orska, showing off my sharp teeth. My whole head was bigger than him, making Orska feel small. “The future is not set. That is why it's called the future.” With a blast of smoke, he was covered up in it. I kind of felt a bit bad, I heard that too much smoke could cause lung damage, but I got the feeling that I wouldn’t be doing it too often. It was all just an intimidation act, and I was going to make sure that Orska knew who he was dealing with.

Just because I didn’t know much about this world and being a dragon didn’t mean he could take advantage of me. No way was I going to be a pushover.

“So get that through your small brain Orc, before I make you disappear.” My tongue slithered out like a snake. “Or, I could just forget about your whole race here and now and condemn them to their death.”

Stryd and Orska gasped and stared at me in horror. Orska now knew that I meant it and I actually kind of did. If he kept pushing and ordering me around, I would make sure he would suffer. Even if it meant messing him up psychologically.

“You wouldn’t?!” Orska squeaked. For an old looking Orc, it was kind of funny to see so many expressions on him. I didn’t think that Orc had that many expressions on their faces. So far, I had only seen three: serious, angry, and angrier. I thought Phil was terrible, but the Orcs just topped him.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked, hinting that he should take me seriously. Pushing up, I sat on my hind legs and curled my tail around me. My words were a lot more threatening and heavier when I was in my dragon form, making this conversation a lot easier. “I meant what I said.”

“How could you?!” Orska shouted, appalled. “You’re damning the whole world!” He somehow dared to shout back, but I shut him up with a glare.

“Then, choose your words wisely.”

Orska whimpered, making me feel better. He got the gist of what I was asking for. I didn’t want him to worship me, but I didn’t want to be seen as someone easy to be pushed around to do their own bidding. I don’t know if my weapons could really save the world. So far, it hasn't killed one of the legendary creatures. I think Don and Ginger are having a bit of difficulty out there, so far in five years, they haven’t slay him yet. Which was a bit of a concern, though I had to really wonder if their child will be the real Hero.

Phil clapped, catching all of our attention. A smug smile erupted on his face as he watched everything that had happened before him. It seemed that he was enjoying everything.

“Wonderful,” said Phil. “Very dragon-like.”

“Are you being sarcastic?” I asked with a gruff voice. The way he said it kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

“Absolutely not.” Phil chuckled, “I just thought the way you acted was cute.”

Cute. All of us were looking at Phil as if he was a bit crazy. The word cute wasn’t something you say to an angry-looking dragon. It was just weird in general. I personally believe it should be intimidating or scary, but I sometimes wonder what’s going on in his mind to say something so….different.

Even Kathy was staring at Phil, a bit confused, looking back from him to me.

“If you don’t mind, Berry,” Phil asked nicely with a gentle voice. “Please.”

“What if I don’t want to?” I stated, testing him in what he would say.

“Nothing wrong in checking if Stryd is the Hero, though you don’t have to do it. Seeing the complete genocide of the Orc’s race is a bit interesting.” Phil had a touch of devilish tone as his lips curled up, staring at Orska. His words caused Orska to pale even greater. Then, Orska suddenly seemed to blank out as if he was watching something in the distance, his eyes started to glow white. It wasn’t long until he came back to his senses, and he shook worse than before.

Something was wrong; the way that Orska was holding himself was in complete panic and despair.

“Please!” Orska scrambled over towards me. He was on his knees, begging me. “Please! Don’t condemn our race! I beg of you, dragon maiden!” Tears started to flow out of his eyes. I could tell that he had a flash of the future. He was doing a full out kowtow that made me feel really uncomfortable. “Please!”

There was silence for a moment. Stryd was shocked to see the famous stargazer bowing before me. Someone like Orska never bowed to anyone, but now it was a completely different story.

“Fine.” I quickly stated it was getting uncomfortable fast. Maybe, I cave in too fast. I think I did by how quickly Orska's expression was changing.

Orska completely stopped sobbing, and he looked up with snot covering his face. “Really?”

I sighed. “Stop crying.” Seeing someone so old and crinkly cry made me feel a bit bad.

“Thank you, dragon maiden! Thank you!” He started to kiss my toes as if they were made out of gold. It made me pull back a bit disgusted in what he was doing.

“Stand back, will you?”

“Yes. Yes.” Orska wiped his snot, he got up quickly and moved back. Everyone else did the same, waiting patiently in what I would do.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and searched inside of myself. A swirl of power escaped out of my body, clashing outwards vigorously. Wind started to pick up, causing the leftover plates and food to tumble away. The Orc maids and butlers quickly held onto something so that they wouldn’t get tousled around.

The remaining five weapons swirled outwards from my body, spinning around me like a planet. Opening my eyes, I saw five glowing weapons. Each one powerful in their own way. I didn’t realize until now that my power was feeding personally into the weapons itself, making them glow even brighter.

I always wondered why they were seven legendary weapons, not six. The mystery behind the sword Starlight made me curious about what kind of power it had. Either way, I looked for the weapons I was looking for, the Legendary Katar Asphalt. I found what I was looking for.

Legendary Katar Asphalt

A legendary weapon imbued with the power of Earth. It has the power to create and destroy mountains. Its monstrous strength gives the owner one hundred times their normal strength. It has a natural nullifying ability to counter the Titan’s horrible smell. Hero Bo was the holder of this weapon. The weapon chooses the master to wield its great power. Only the chosen Orc Species will be able to pull out all of its power.

The weapon turned into a ball of light as it sped up in front of Stryd and shimmered into existence. Legendary Katar Asphalt was almost like in a gauntlet form; the cool thing about it that I noticed was that it had retractable blades, making it a great assassination weapon.

Suddenly, another one of the legendary weapons started to glow as it zipped towards Cathy. I was completely shocked. The weapon that danced in front of Cathy was the Legendary Holy Sword Gala.

Legendary Holy Sword Gala

A legendary weapon imbued with holy light. It has been once held by a legendary hero that slew a mighty demon, Leviathan. The weapon chooses the master to wield its great power. It was once held by the Great Hero from the Divine Species, Toekum. For forty days and forty nights, the Hero Toekom and the Leviathan fought till the Hero overcame the monster. Doused in the blood of the first Leviathan, it has the power to confront and slay its descendants. Only the chosen Divine Species will be able to pull out all of its power.

I didn’t even summon Gala. What was going on?

Cathy stared at the weapon that was floating in front of her, confused. Her eyes started to twinkle as if she finally understood what was going on.

“For me?” Cathy asked excitedly.

I barely could say anything except a haphazard cough that was more of a choke. The thought of the legendary weapon coming towards her didn’t make any sense.

Gala was a medieval type sword that had a beautiful sheen to it. Appearing before her, I could tell that it was powerful. Cathy reached over excitedly, her hands wrapped around it. A flash of light erupted outwards, causing her hair to flutter backward.

Phil was pushed back as he raised his hand to cover from the bright sheen of light. We all looked away except for me. I could take the harsh glare without much problem because it was my energy, to begin with.

Just as quickly as the light erupted outwards, it disappeared in a matter of seconds. Cathy had her hands wrapped around the blade with glee. Gala didn’t even shudder out in protest. Instead, it hummed with pleasure.

Damn it! My weapons are traitors! I huffed, wondering why Cathy was in tune with the Gala in the first place. What was the requirement? I really didn’t understand at all.

“The blade has chosen.” Orska started with a sharp gasp, staring at the third Hero born in less than fifty years. “This is a bad omen.”

“You don’t say.” I sarcastically stated without realizing it. Two out of three legendary weapons were given to different people way too early for their time, making me wonder what the hell was happening. Was this even normal? I really didn’t think so.

“Look, Phil!” Cathy excitedly showed off the blade towards him. She was like a child who was given a new toy. “The Legendary sword Gala accepted me!” She proudly stated. “This will definitely rise up the Leaf’s family reputation and name to its former glory!”

“Yes. It would.” Phil nodded in agreement. “It would also shut up the council’s prattle about Divine women being the head.”

“Is there something wrong with having a female head?” I asked.

“Yes,” Phil replied. “Females in the Divine race aren’t seen more than items. Having a female head is considered unorthodox.”

“You serious?” I liked the Divine race less and less.

“Yes.”

I thought over what Phil said, but my attention was quickly diverted over towards Stryd. He yelped out loudly, catching all of our attention.

“Argh!” Stryd fell backward in pain, clutching his hand. The Legendary Katar Asphalt was sparking electricity like an angry eel. We all could smell burnt skin and knew that he was rejected.

“No.” Orska gasped. “This can’t be?!” He rushed over towards Stryd. “How can the legendary weapon reject you?!” With a half a scream and a shout, he angrily stomped his feet.

Then he stared angrily towards Styrd, who shrunk in size as he cowered into a ball.

“You’re a waste!” With a vicious kick, Orska stomped onto Stryd’s back. “You damn halflings aren’t Nothing but useless! How could you fail?!”

Orska cried out in pain as he was being beaten. I was alarmed at Orska’s complete change of demeanor, and I lunged forward, slamming my tail in between the two of them.

“Back off.” A low, threatening growl rumbled in my throat. The Legendary Katar Asphalt disappeared back towards me as I made a shield with my tail around Stryd.

Orska gasped, stumbling backward in fright and knew that he was in deep trouble.