Chapter 13: Invited to Join the Hero Party
The next two days passed in relative quiet. I found myself falling into a routine, as a matter of fact. Wake up, eat, train with Vale, bathe, eat more, than sleep for half the day. I'd get up for a few hours in the evening to eat and talk with the Squad, perhaps read more of the libraries reference books, than sleep some more. I was thinking I was getting lazy. A novel concept to be sure as I had never had the opportunity to be lazy before now.
It was on the third day after the Heroes introduction that I decided to try out the Gigantium spell. I needed to know the true price of casting it and exactly how large Drogin would get. I needed more information before I could use the spell in battle. The last thing I needed to do was to use it inside and have a whole house come down on my head.
"Drogin, lets go." I told the newt. He jumped off the widow ledge where he had been sunning himself and scutter up onto my shoulder.
"Where are you off to?" Asked Honey, passing me by while holding a plate of sandwiches. There must have been nine of them.
"There is a spell I want to try out. You aren't going to eat all those are you?" I asked, eyeing the tower and then the woman's thin waist.
"Of course!" She said cheerfully. Today she was dressed in a simple yellow dress looking all the more like her name sake, her wolf's tail wagging at her back. "Beastmen have crazy active metabolism. Even when being a lazy slouch I burn through the calories." She gave me a sad, appraising look. "Are you sure Demons aren't the same? I don't want to be rude, but you are getting awfully thin Sin. I have only known you a few days, but it really doesn't look healthy. You should eat more."
Surprised, I looked at my own body. I supposed I was thinner than when I had revived here all those weeks ago. "I guess I did loose a couple pounds... I am so used to being this way I hadn't noticed."
"You are used to being skin and bones?"
I shrugged. "I have been eating a lot more than I ever did before coming to Harth, though, so I'm sure its nothing. Probably Vale's fault for running me ragged every morning."
"I highly doubt that." Growled the man in question, where he sat in my usual spot, hands crossed behind his head and eyes closed, looking every bit like he was going for a nap.
"You should probably eat more..." Continued Honey. "Want me to fix you something dear?"
I shook my head. "No that's fine. Thank you though. You guys are welcome to come check out my new spell though. I may need help anyway; this thing may completely drain me of mana."
At that, Vale perked up. "What is this spell supposed to do?"
"Come find out." I spoke.
"I'm in." Sated Dural, pushing his own, now empty, plate aside. "I've got nothing ter' do at the mo'"
"Count me in too." Smiled Zach as he brushes off the crumbs of his own meal. I hadn't seen him in the last couple days. He had locked himself in his room, tinkering and studying. Sandra assured me that his was normal for him.
And so, I left the base with Zach and Dural in tow. A moment later Vale stalked out as well. Apparently, curiosity won over his need to be a dick toward me. I led the procession farther out into the field, not wanting to accidentally break the base.
"Are we going on a nature walk?" Asked Vale.
"No." I said simply. I was too sore from our last training session to bother with banter now. He had managed to nearly take my leg off earlier and I just barely resisted taking his head. "This should be good." I said eyeing the stretch of grass a good distance from the base but not too close to the forest.
"This some kind o' attack spell?" Dural asked, thick arms crossed over a barrel chest.
"No, not really." I said with a shake of my head. "I am not really made for attack magics of this world. This is a tamer spell. The flashiest one I have so far, I'd say."
"Oh?"
"Well, lets see it then." Smiled Zach, looking fascinated. Vale said nothing but stood next to the younger squad member.
I took Drogin off my shoulder and moved a couple yard away from the others. I set the little red newt on the green grass and rejoined the others. "You ready Drogin?" He made a peeping noise that I took for an affirmative.
"Stay back." I told my three spectators as I closed my eyes and held a handout to the small monster in the grass. I concentrated on the shape of the magic circle in my head, hoping I had memorized it well enough. With practice and confidence, I would eventually be able to cast these spells without the need for concentration. For now, it was a little slow. "Gigantium." I intoned in a monotonous voice.
Mana exited my body at an unprecedented rate and made me wobble on my legs a little. Zach reached out and helped me stay on my feet. "Damn," I said, shaking off the sensation. "I know mana doesn't effect my stamina or life force but when it rushes out like that it's a dizzying feeling." I said as we watch a circle form under the little lizard, growing into a massive size, reaching nearly to our feet. That had taken nearly half my unoccupied mana. Probably around eight thousand of my ten thousand reserves.
Drogin made a displeased sound, and his body began to glow red. It looked like Vale was opening his mouth to say some snide comment, probably about me casting a spell just to make my pet sparkle. Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance as at that exact second Drogin exploded in size. One moment he was the size of a kitten and the next he was towering above us.
The men made loud exclamations of fear and surprise but I smiled and laughed. He was glorious! A massive dragon with stunning red scales that faded to an almost orange color on his belly and neck. He had stunning a white boney horn on the tip of his nose, and his head was bigger than the length of my own body. He shook out his massive form before spreading impossibly large wings in a leisurely stretch. The sun shone through the translucent orange membrane beautifully, casting us all in a sunset like glow.
"Drogin you are so handsome!" I exclaimed, hurrying over to my friend so I could smooth my hand over his scales.
"By the names of the gods them selves what have you done girl?" Snapped Dural in a fearful anger.
Zach was giggling on the grass where he had fallen in sheer shock while Vale looked up at my beast with a slack jaw, his massive blade now held loosely in his hands. I smiled at the small group.
"Gigantium. A spell to massively increase the size of ones tame. It is far too mana costly for practical use on any sort of regular period. But I think I can make use of it in a pinch. It takes up nearly half my mana to use, locking up a lot of that mana in limbo until I release the spell."
"This- this is tha' tiny little newt?" Asked the dwarf, pale. He then glared at me. "Warn on old dwarf next time Lass. Dwarves and dragons don' precisely get along all that well, ye'see. Damn, near gave me a heart attack."
I laughed. "Sorry, I didn't know." I eyed Drogin and sighed. "As I thought though, he has gotten too big."
"Too big?" Asked Vale, eyes wide. "He could eat me in two bites..."
"Yes, and if I spent all my time hanging out in open fields that would be fine. But I can't exactly use this spell on him in the middle of a town or down in a cave. He could accidentally hurt people or himself. I still need a more effectively sized tame. I am happy though. It seems to not drain me as bad as I thought. If I got another tame, I could even use the spell twice and be alright."
"I have never heard of a magic that could make a monster grow..."
"Well, now you have." I started scaling up Drogin's back. I settled into the notch at the base of his neck.
"Can he fly now?" Asked Zach.
"No." I said, stroking a scale. "He couldn't when he was small, now that he is many tons heavier, I am sure that is still the case. Even at this size he is still, technically, a newt not a dragon."
"Shame, he would be of great use if he could." Stated Vale, sheathing his sword on his back.
Drogin's now huge head swung around to glare at Vale, growling deep in his chest for good measure. He made for a fearsome figure and I had to admit I was impressed that he did not flinch or seemed even slightly scared despite his initial reaction.
"You probably shouldn't annoy people who could eat you in two bites." I laughed. "Anyone want a ride back to base before I release the spell?"
"I do!" Exclaimed Zach at once. I wasn't surprised.
Vale shook his head and headed back without a word.
"Not me." Said Dural with a head shake of his own, following Vale. I laughed and mentally asked Drogin to make his way to the base. From snout to tail tip he was probably the same size as the place now.
"What is going on here?" Shouted someone near the building. I looked around Drogin's large neck and saw that Rift had returned and had brought guests with him.
"Apparently the demon can turn newts into dragons now." Growled Vale with an eye roll for good measure as he picked up his pace to get to his captain's side. "Or at least make a newt the size of a dragon."
"Maybe I should have become a tamer." Mused Markus. It was he, Kassidy and the priest Roran who had accompanied Rift to the base.
"Your talents did not lead that way Sir Markus." Said Roran, glaring at Drogin. "Also, there is a reason such a line of magic is rarely used anymore. It is inefficient. Summoning provides nearly all the same benefits of Taming with out nearly as many draw backs."
"Yet here I sit on the back of a dragon, and there you stand with a sour look on your face, oh great summoner of heroes." I said, voice dripping with contempt and sarcasm. I slid off Drogin's back once we reached the others, his foot falls causing the ground to shake a little. "Gigantium Rei." I said, a blue magic circle appearing briefly before shattering into shards of light. In and instant I stood before the men and one woman with a small dragon newt in my arms. "What an amazing world we live in."
The priest continued to glare. I paid him no mind. I would put his animosity down to a general hatred of demons.
Rift introduced the heroes to his men, including the people who had come out of the base when the earth began to shake.
"To what do we owe the visit then?" I asked, like I owned the place, which I sort of felt like I did to be honest. "Or are you all making the rounds as the great heroes and their most esteemed kidnapper?"
"Sin, enough." Growled Rift in warning.
"Tch." Was my only response.
"We actually came in search of party members." Explained Kassidy. She made a movement, as if to push a pair of glasses up her nose and then stopped herself. I almost laughed. She must have once worn them but had a spell cast on her to fix her eye sight. Maybe it even was fixed by the summoning itself. "We are heading into a dungeon and need to fill out our numbers first. The Red Ravens are the only Squad near by and therefore have the only people that could provide aid to us."
Hold on. Did she just say a dungeon? For real? That's a thing here! Not sure why I was so surprised at this point. I mean, of course there were dungeons. There are freaking dragons, monsters, animal people and Demon Kings. Really, it would be weird if there were not any dungeons in this world. I wondered how they worked.
"Most of our number are off on missions for the queen at the moment." Explained Rift. "And I must stay here while our numbers are so few. Dural here is not slated for a mission but he has only just returned from his last one. As have Sandra and Zach. Leon is fresh but he is a healer, and as you have two of those already..."
"Yes, anymore healers would be a hinderance than an aid." Agreed Roran. "What of your demon friend then?" He asked, eyeing me with a glint I did not like.
I snorted. "Why in the Hell would I want to go anywhere with you? I have no obligation to this squad, to you, nor even to your queen in all honesty." I snapped angrily, annoyed that this turd was trying to boss me around again. What was his issue? For some one who seemed to detest demons the guy seemed to want me around an awful lot.
"Come now Sin." Said Rift, interrupting a retort that Roran was about to hurl my way. "You haven't even listened to where the heroes are going. I am quite sure you would like to go."
"Eh." I snapped. "Why?"
"They are headed for the Great Forest of Elswell."
"Elswell?" I asked, the name ringing a bell. It had been mentioned in one of the bestiaries I had read over the last couple weeks. I didn't realise it was a dungeon, thinking, instead, that it was an actual forest out there in the world. "Where all those giant monsters live?!" I asked excitedly. I could tell by the smirk on Rift's face that he knew he had me.
"Yes, that's the place. It is a dungeon that opens for about a month every ten years or so. As you said, it is filled with large monsters, none below a B rank. I am sure there are one or two you would like to get your hands on." He turned to Vale next. "And I am sure Vale could also help round out the party. After all, he has no missions lined up."
I wasn't really paying attention at that point as I was day dreaming of all the lovely monsters I was hoping to tame. But a vein twitched on Vale's forehead as he nodded his ascent to his captain. It was a toss up weather he was annoyed about having to accompany me or the hero party. Probably me.
"Vale, was it?" Asked Markus, turning to the swordsmen of the Red Ravens. "I take it you are a warrior class then?"
"I am and adept swordsmen, yes." Replied Vale. "However, I am proficient in just about any weapon."
"He is also proficient at cheap shots." I added. At the look on the man's face I laughed. "It's a compliment. I approve! Not so much when you use those cheap shots on me. Alright! When are we going than?"
"Tomorrow." Said Kassidy. "Within the dungeon there is rumored to be a staff that I need. I don't really much care for what ever else loot we may find but the staff, if it is there, is mine."
I shrugged. "Fine by me. I just want the monsters. Its about time I added more fangs to my line up. Drogin is a lovely companion, but there is only so much a dragon newt can do, and my own claws will only take me so far."
"Good, it is decided than." Smiled Rift. "Would you all like to spend the night here? We have plenty of room, and it would save you the long walk back to the city."
"Thank you." Said Roran. "That would be greatly appreciated."
I managed to hold back my derisive response to that. Great, the ass was going to be under the same roof as me. I hoped Rift put him far away from my room. I followed the group into the base, most of them chatting happily.
"Please do not embarrass the Ravens on this mission." Sighed Vale, as he entered the base behind me. "Let us get through this ordeal with as little fuss as possible."
"Pfft, I never cause a fuss." I said, stroking Drogin's head happily. "Maybe you will be the one to cause a fuss."
"I very much doubt that..." He sighed. "Have you ever been to a dungeon?"
"Not once."
At that he sighed. "Of course not. I suppose you couldn't without a party anyways. Do you know anything about this dungeon?"
"Not a thing."
Now he groaned. "How have you even been surviving up until now?"
"Wit, grit, and this slamming body, obviously." I said dryly.
At that Markus busted out in ruckus laughter. "You tell'em girly."
"I do my best." I said giving him a wave. "I'm going to bed now."
"Already?" Asked Honey, a look of worry on her face. "Wouldn't you like to have something to eat first?"
"Its fine. I just ate before you had your sandwiches. I'm more tired than anything. I'm just going to get a nap."
"You are like a damn cat." Grumbled Vale. "All you do is nap."
I almost gave him the finger as I left for the hallway and my room but managed to stop myself. That would have been a dead giveaway with the far to dangerous heroes in the room. And, damn, I had just agreed to spend an indeterminate amount of time with them too, hadn't I? Ugh. I better find some good monsters during this dungeon raid or I was going to be seriously pissed.