Seeing Benjamin’s even smaller form between his claws was all he needed. Assuming the little author was of a similar measure to other deathbounds, he grew back about half his size. Though not to the extent he was comfortable with, this wild chase could safely be put on hold.
He has a real chance at taking on that disgrace of a dragon now. All that remains is to tip the odds even more in his favor. Such a sweet thought left him smiling from frill to frill.
“Are you okay teacher?” his student asked from a place of concern. A silly question to anyone with eyes, but he was in too good a mood to refuse it.
“That and more.”
Setting him down, Kinsoriel turned to the Archangel who still towered over him and lowered his head.
“Thank you for granting me this gift,” he said in his most flattering tone, “great and divine being.”
In a thunderous voice, she responded, “If you are truly thankful, give your praise to Lord Fayten and his limitless benevolence. He is the one who commanded it.” She then pointed a wing hand at the mortal beside him.
He could feel pressure behind his eyes as he suppressed a twitch as best he could. It made it easier to think of this farcical display as a test of faith, to see if he’d follow whatever the heavens told him. He would keep his tongue to himself, but he knew what he really believed.
No god of his would need to be taught. They wouldn’t need to eat, they wouldn’t need bedding to keep from freezing. And, most importantly, they wouldn’t need him to come to their rescue. A god would be beyond him in every way, and the human he traveled with was anything but.
Turning to Benjamin, he forced out his praise. “Thank you for having this Archangel restore my size in part.”
“You're welcome?” He couldn’t help but notice how it was phrased like a question. Perhaps this was just as perplexing to him as it was for the dragon.
Looking back over, the angel had a minor frown but said nothing else. Hopefully, that was enough for her.
“If that is all,” Kinsoriel said to all present, “he and I will be taking our leave now. I have much to prepare.”
Moira looked at Benjamin with pleading eyes, holding all of her hands together. “May I join your travels, Lord Fayten? I could continue the task you have entrusted me with much easier at your side.”
He had to fight to keep his jaw from hanging. Instead of a mighty angel or a noble dragon, her posture and mannerisms resembled that of a young whelp. Everything made less and less sense the longer he was on this insane journey.
The little author chuckled nervously as he looked up at Kinsoriel, a hand at the back of his head. Something idiotic was about to be asked of him. It was a behavior he had observed in other mortals, typically the inexperienced ones who had crossed paths with him. It was usually mercy or an exchange of ‘We didn’t see you, you didn’t see us’. Letting lie-prone creatures go on with info about his whereabouts and habits was never a good idea, so they were all dealt with. What would his student say?
“So, er, Master…” he started while fidgeting around.
“Yes?”
“Could she come with us?”
And there it was. While internally amused that his observation held once more, this was a grating question. Though he was loath to admit it, he wouldn’t be able to deny the angel if it came down to a real confrontation. She could force him to accept her demands or die. He’d rather not be constantly reminded of this freakish experience, but there wasn’t anything he could do to prevent it, not really.
Rather than protest it, he should frame it in his favor. You want to follow ‘Lord Fayten’? Very well, but this ‘Lord Fayten’ answers to him.
“She may come with you,” he emphasized, “so long as she doesn’t impede my goals. She will be your responsibility, got it?”
With a gulp, the little author nodded quickly.
If he viewed it as such, his student would be gaining experience in management from this. Delegation would be important in his servant’s future when he needed someone to manage things beneath him. This was just a stepping stone to that end.
Benjamin turned to the angel and gave her a thumbs up. She trembled in an excited manner that Kinsoriel still found overwhelmingly weird. He’s just a deathbound for Wex’s sake; an unimaginably peculiar one, yes, but the point still stands.
“You can polymorph right?” the man asked the angel. The strange word seemed to hang in the air, catching not only Kinsoriel’s attention but Moira’s as well.
“Polymorph m’lord? I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that.”
Ben widened his eyes for a moment before turning to the side and muttering something just beneath his breath. The urge to force him to say it out in the open was there but subsided when looking at the gigantic being. It may not be a good idea to press him much with her around. That short temper when he had tried before was backed by power he’d rather not see for himself.
“Sorry, I realize that might not be a word you’ve heard before. I just wanted to know if you could make yourself into a bird or the like.”
“Do not be sorry, it is I who is ignorant m’lord. The shame lies at my feet. But yes, I could take any form I wish.”
Seemingly to show this, she wrapped herself up with her wings, shrinking rapidly as she did. Her scales smoothed and stretched out into shiny feathers while this happened. When it looked like she had finished, she was even smaller than the little author. Squinting, Kinsoriel could see she had taken the form of Finch. If it weren’t for the unnatural sheen of her feathers, it would be impossible to tell the difference.
“Is this to your liking m’lord?” bird-Moira chirped in a singsong way.
The mortal nodded his approval before looking back to Kinsoriel. Apparently, Kinsoriel had a sullen look about him he wasn’t aware of. He knew this because his servant felt the need to try and give an explanation.
“We might draw unwanted attention if she’s in her regular form, you know?”
That was a sound line of thinking to him, but it was hard to get rid of his expression entirely. It put a knot in his stomach seeing such a fine creature willingly degrade herself with a lesser body. Less so than when she had chosen a bipedal form, strangely enough. At least she was doing so because she wanted this change, a luxury he wasn’t afforded.
Not wanting to appear bothered by it, Kinsoriel forced a shrug. “Makes sense,” was all he could say without blurting out anything he might regret.
Sickening display aside, he was still focused on his next set of steps. This partial restoration wouldn’t be enough to ensure he would win against Harax. His spellcasting ability would still be inferior to what he was used to. If he were to rush back and challenge the land grabber right now, he could see two ways of fighting. It was either he stood around longer to channel his spells, or he overtaxed himself and hoped to end the fight quickly. Both options carried ugly consequences that he preferred not to dwell on.
Fortunately for him, magic is a smart dragon’s pursuit. If he had a solid problem, he’d use a formless answer. A less stifling environment would be needed if that was to be a swift one. Since his servant seemed to know more about this place than he did, he would ask him.
“You said that unseen creatures slow down the mana in this land, yes?”
“I did. I don’t know much more about them other than they exist though.”
“Would you happen to know where they are less active?”
A twinge of clarity flashed across the human’s face. Without needing to be instructed, Benjamin rifled through his pack and pulled out the map he’d taken. He could be seen tracing a finger along the parchment before stopping on a few particular spots.
“I know you might not like this,” he said with a wary gaze up at the black dragon, “but there are a few cities that have managed to drive the creatures away.”
Kinsoriel held no strong feelings toward that information. Yes, he’d have to make a stop near yet another mortal town. At this point, he half expected it. But dealing with those particulars was less of a hornache than going elsewhere for what he had in mind. And while he was there, he could have his student gather some books for his soon-to-be rebuilt library. Not a bad use of his time if he had to wait a little longer for his vengeance.
“You needn't worry, I’m not opposed to it. We shall go to the nearest one immediately. Point me in its direction, and let’s be off.”
Features furrowed in concentration, the little author stared intently at the map and their current surroundings. After going back and forth enough times to be sure and not enough to be a nuisance, his student pointed his hand to the left.
“That would be Nextrial.”
