Chapter 16 The Weird One and His Request

“Rise and shine,” Isabel pulls open the curtain let in the scorching bright sun.

“Isabel, thank you,” Ash monotony.

Ash changed his outfit to a slick black metal that is so slim that it bends without breaking making it more maneuverable. The shoulder guards are curved like a crescent moon making a shoulder bash twice as deadly. His wrist has a black cloth wrapped around it,

“Aren’t you filling the role of death,” Isabel joked on his looks.

“Haha very funny, but that's for my mother to decide.” Ash stretched.

“Hey, Ash why are you wearing that cape, doesn't it get in the way.”

Ash swept his cape back, “This cape has a magic nullification, any ice magic or fire and so on will be blocked without resistance.”

Before he could finish his explanation someone knocks at the door.

“Who is it,” Isabel answers.

“You have a visitor waiting for you downstairs,”

Carla, the receptionist who is Ash’s and Isabel’s guide.

“We will be down right now,” Isabel accepts the visitor's request.

Ash sighs, “Really Isabel, I am too tired to be nice right now, especially because I have a super hyper student who won’t let me sleep in.”

“That’s right and I won’t stop till you teach me that new move,” Isabel pushes Ash out the door.

The two go downstairs to see a lively tavern filled with happy faces.

“Hey, are you Ash,” a skeleton sitting at a table with a mug in his left hand waves at Ash with his right.

“Is it me or is there a skeleton waving at us,” Isabel was confused.

They go to sit down with the skeleton who is too happy to be a skeleton, “I am guessing you are Ash, if so I am so glad you are here, I have a request.”

Ash orders a drink, “Excuse me miss, I will have water please, I think I drank too much last night because I am sitting here with a half-dressed skeleton who is not either a lich or a lord of the undead, so why are you here.”

The waitress serves Ash his water and Isabel a sundae.

“I come from a farm that has been attacked by dragons, my body may have died but not my soul and my soul wants to make sure my family is safe.”

Isabel finally speaks after inhaling the sundae, “I heard about souls not going to the afterlife because of some incomplete promise or revenge which turns the said person into a skeleton or even an undead overlord.”

Ash puts his hand on his chin, “How do you know my name and also how did you get in here.”

The skeleton chugs the mug filled with beer just to see it go through him, “That hit the spot, before I answer all of your questions let me tell you my name, it's Tim a friendly skeleton. Okay, you have my name, how about yours little darling.”

Isabel’s second sundae arrived and she just waved off Tim’s request, “Yeah yeah, it’s Isabel.”

“You still haven’t answered my questions,” Ash grew impatient, the pain from his eyes was getting worse.

“Yes sorry, I found a young boy with his mother walking on a road with more supplies and gold than they can carry. I tried to talk to them first but the mother screamed and put the child behind her but realized I was different from normal skeletons.”

Isabel heard a boy and his mother and thought, “I wonder if it is the mother and child that Ash saved that other day.”

Tim the skeleton put his mug down on the table and with his quench satisfied he answered, “She told me of a man with a blindfold who destroyed a whole bandit camp with fire and water elements. You know a regular person having one of the main elements is rare as it is but two of the main elements are godlike, and so she pointed to the castle she came from and said you dropped her off at. So I went to go find you because surely you can help me. Oh, and how I got in, the guard let me in with no swords or bows pointed at me.”

Ash shrugged before tilling his head to the side, “Look, Tim, wait outside the kingdom, we will meet you at the gates, just try not to talk a lot I have a headache.”

Tim gets up from his chair pushing it in with a boney smile, “Will do hero, I can’t wait to see my family again!”

He left in a hurry, bumping into everyone and everything on his way out.

“That is a lively skeleton don’t you think Ash,” Isabel watches the clumsy skeleton falling over everything.

Ash yawns, “This is going to be a long day.”

#

“Hey Ash where do you think you are going, didn’t we have an agreement with me,” Rin shouts out from atop of a roof.

They keep walking towards the gate of the city, “No thanks, the deal is off, I much rather have you try to kill me than you talking me to death.”

The gate doors open with Ash waving his hand walking out of the city, Rin gives chase unhitching her lasso, twirling it in the air reaching the gate door. She goes outside the city gates seeing Ash still walking with Isabel, “Where do you think you are going!”

Rin throws her lasso catching Ash then dragging him to her. She whispers in Ash’s ear in a sedative tone,

“Come on you know you are loving this,”

Rin tries to make Ash feel embarrassed but fails miserably.

Ash gets up from the ground and unbinds himself from her lasso, “If you think I am going to be squirmy or queasy when I am flirted with, then you need to go find yourself a boy,”

Ash coldly shuts Rin down. He goes to meet up with Tim while Rin stands there in silence, feeling hurt.

“Hey Tim, are you ready to see my glorious moves,” Isabel asks with a carefree attitude.

“I am SO ready to see your amazing moves,” Tim has a fanboy pose basically praising them like gods.

Ash grows a sadistic expression, “Get ready to see beautiful red painted across the fields.”

Isabel loathed Ash’s words, “Maybe we just kill those who don’t surrender, we don’t have to go overboard with taking lives.”

Ash kept up this abnormal behavior, “Sorry Isabel but I am tired of taking the righteous path, it’s more fun being evil don’t cha think.”

Tim interrupts the back and forth between immoral and moral, “Excuse me Ash but please the longer we wait, the more they can be in danger. My farm is down north, it can take a day to reach on foot.”

Ash pushed Tim aside, “Tim, I am still tired so if you don’t want to be on my bad side just stay out of my way.”

While Ash is talking a big purple summoning circle appears on the ground, Vex crawls out of the black pit,

“Hey bud, why don’t you and I have some fun? If there is a dragon still there you can have its bones as a treat.”

Vex rubs his mane against Ash getting soot all over him, “Okay you two get on, it is going to take about ten minutes.”

Isabel hops on watching Ash in the corner of her eye.

“You can’t be serious, how are we going to get there in ten minutes, yes it’s a big lion but no way he can run there in ten minutes, maybe ten hours but totally not minutes.”

Ash gets tired of his talking, “Just get on and you can see for yourself.”

Tim reluctantly gets on, “Alright show me OH MY GOD!”

Vex grows to get to the size of small mountains. Rin sees this monstrous lion near her castle and signals all the soldiers to go on red alert, “EVERYONE PREPARE FOR ATTACK!”

Isabel notices the soldiers charging their spells, “Umm Ash I think we are too close to the kingdom.”

Ash orders Vex, “Go Vex, we need to go now!”

Vex gallops off leaving four house-sized paw prints. 

 

 

Eight minutes pass,

“I can see my farm from here!” Tim points at a farmhouse that is barely holding up next to it is a barn in shambles.

“It looks livable, kind of,” Isabel tried being optimistic.

Vex shrunk, he was now the size of a real lion, “Alright Vex scout the area for dangerous creatures,”

Ash sent Vex away. Isabel talks to Ash in private while Tim takes a look at the fields,

“Hey Ash, maybe let me go talk to them.”

Ash is puzzled, “Why, it’s not like I am a monster like our pal, Tim, here.”

Isabel points out his attire, “If you haven’t noticed, you look like you are taking people to the afterlife.”

Ash looks down at his clothes, seeing the dark palette also having a skeleton beside him.

“I get your point, but Isabel, be careful, desperate people are often the most dangerous,” Ash’s twisted side disappeared and his worrying father's side surfaced.

“Okay Ash I will, and when we get back Then can you teach me that new move.”

Ash wholeheartedly hugged Isabel, “I will teach you my greatest move.”

Isabel’s eyes were wide then closed tightly. They let go of each other, Isabel gets teary making her wipe her eyes,

“Okay I am ready,” Isabel puts on her best smile then goes off to the house.

“Hello, anybody home! I am on an adventure to slay the dragons that attacked.”

A beautiful middle-aged black hair woman with shiny brown eyes comes out of a closet with a baby in her hands and a little girl with two horns sticking out of her blonde head, with a red tail coming out from her bright pink dress.

“Don’t hurt her please, she came to us for help and the blue dragons attacked.”

The little dragonkin shook her head in agreement,

“I don’t mean any harm to any of you, we have a skeleton named Tim who says this is his farm.”

The nice lady whimpered, “Thank you for returning his remains, I don’t have anything to give you in return but I can make it up to you somehow.”

Isabel sees how she interrupted wrong, “I know that you don’t know me but I need you to come outside with me so you can see for yourself.”

Isabel backs out of the house while the mother and the dragon girl warily walk out the front door, both blinded by the bright sun.

“Anastasia is that you?”

The skeleton stands there emotionless, thinking it is some sort of dream. Anastasia comes off freaked out, sees a skeleton and a man in full black hiding his eyes,

“Stella stay inside!”

Isabel tries her best to calm her down but she is too frightened,

“It’s okay, we are not here to cause you any harm.”

The horrified Anastasia pushes Isabel back, making her land on her behind,

“HEY, Tim if you don’t do something then I will use force to make her understand.”

She slams the door and puts her back against the door, Tim goes to the door, knocking on it,

“Honey it's me Tim I come back to make sure I kept my promise.”

It was quiet for a minute before she answered, “What was the promise?”

He put his head against the door, “I will find a way to kill those dragons and bring you a ring that shines brighter than the sun.”

The door cracks open showing her twinkling eye, “Is it really you Tim?”

Lifting up his head the skeleton that had human emotions, “Yes it’s me, I am sorry, I have failed you.”

Anastasia opens the door fully seeing a skeleton standing there defeated and sad. She puts her soft pearly white hand on his chin, “What happened to you.”

Ash stepped in, “His body is dead but his soul remains, this bag of bones sought us out to take care of your dragon problem but I might take back my offer after you being so hostile to my student.”

Tim turns around and pleads, “I know it's wrong of her but she was only frightened of your power.”

right on cue Vex lands next to Ash causing a gust of wind that swayed the house, Ash was unaffected.

Isabel springs up, “It is fine Ash, see no cuts or bruises.”

Anastasia apologized, “I am very sorry, but please if you don’t want to help me, then help her.”

Stella the little dragon girl peeks her head out the door, she waves to Ash,

“Is that you Stella, look how big you have grown,” Ash was ecstatic to see her.

Stella comes out of the doorway then blinks, “Ash is that you.”

Stella’s face brightens up, “It really is you!”

She zooms to him tackling him head-on.

“Look who grew up, last time I saw you was when your horns were just growing in,” the pain Ash felt was overshadowed by the happy surprise.

Stella bounces back on her feet and helps Ash get up, “I am so happy you're here, my people are in trouble, we need to hurry.”

Ash regains his balance, “What happened, why are you by yourself.”

Isabel stands there puzzled from the sudden turn of events, “Do you know her from somewhere.”

He rubs the back of his head, “Yeah her father, the king of the red clan taught me all of their spells in return I become Stella’s godparent just in case something happens to them. They trusted me after helping hide their home but it looks like something else happened.”

Stella grabs the edge of Ash’s cape, “Please Ash my village was attacked by the earth and water clan.”

Anastasia added, “They were chasing Stella but I managed to hide her but my husband here was the decoy and rode away from the house but by the looks of it he didn’t make it.”

Tim looked down at his baby, gently rubbing his cheek, “Looks like you are going to be the man of the house now, make sure you protect your mom.”

Tim speaks to Ash, “It looks like my time has come Ash, thank you for everything you have done here, I just want to ask one more favor, can you stop the dragons from wreaking havoc.”

Ash turned to Stella who was scratching Vex making him roll over on his back, “Don’t worry, I will put my name on it so you can rest easy.”

Tim walks out in the open, raising his head up and waving goodbye. A blue ball separates from his bones making his bones drop to the floor and what is left is a floating spirit ball. The ball ascends into the sky until it is unseeable.

“Vex can you dig a hole please.”

Ash picks up Tim’s bones and lays them neatly in the freshly dug soil, “May your soul live in peace.”

Anastasia had a smile with tears, “Why did you say “Live” in peace instead of rest?”

Vex buried Tim, “I say that because I have been to the underworld and for what he did for his family, he will get to live in a utopia waiting for his family to join him.”

Anastasia could only smile at the situation, “If it is not selfish of me but I would like to know who you are.”

Ash thought about it for a second before answering with certainty, “My name is Ash the God of Gods. If you put all of your faith in me, you will be rewarded with a happy long life for you and your son.” 

#

“GRIM STOP,”

Creed’s voice was muffled by the wind. Grim rotates his upper body, his upper body straight with his bow in hand and a holy arrow is drawn back ready to be released,

“You are just a villain in hero’s clothing!”

He lets go of the arrow just missing Creed’s cheek.

Creed retaliates with a spell, “WIND SLASH LEVEL ONE,”

the slash just passes by Grim’s arm.

“Grim come back, we can talk this out!”

Grim doesn't listen and keeps riding towards Rose.

“Fine Grim you leave me no choice, Holy Strike level two,” a burst of green comes down from the heavens.

It evaporates the big hawk making Grim drop from the sky at high speeds. Grim dives straight down gaining speed.

“Grim what are you doing!” Creed’s voice couldn’t reach him.

“Holy Wings,”

Grim, now flapping his wings, spotted a house on the side of a mountain and flew towards it.

“No you don’t,”

Creed shot four water spears at Grim but he was more mobile with his wings dodging out of the way with ease.

“Take this,”

Grim turned with his back against the wind and facing Creed with three arrows ready to be fired, he released them hitting Creed’s hawk with two and winging Creed in the arm. Grim then resumed flapping towards the house, Creed was in a freefall spinning out of control.

“Hope this works, fire blast level one.”

He used two fire blasts that came out of his hands to balance himself out. Creed nosedives for Grim catching him.

“Get off of me you idiot,”

Grim spins sending Creed off of his back then punches him in the jaw.

Creed activates his mask making it easier to predict Grim’s punches, Creed catches Grim's right hook then swings him by the arm, the two are a few miles in the air.

“We need to stop fighting Grim or else we are going to hit the ground!”

Creed tries to stop him but Grim transforms his bow into a spear then swings at Creed making him let go of Grim’s arm. Grim almost reaches the ground but Creed pulls out his Excalibur and slashes at Grim's holy wings dispersing them. Creed and Grim get in a grabbing match seeing who will be taking the full force of the ground. Creed had the advantage and used it to push Grim to the bottom using him to cushion his fall.

They hit the ground making a noticeable mark on the earth. Grim has bruises and scratches all over his body, he was unable to get up from the sheer force of hitting the ground. Creed struggled to get on his feet, falling over himself,

“Stay down Grim, please we need this to go smoothly.”

Out of the trees, a mysterious voice spoke, “What needs to go smoothly.”

They revealed themselves, Rose leaned against the tree, crossed her legs, and played with the tip of her blade. Rich was beside her holding his Warhammer over his shoulder,

“What brings you two around these parts.”

Grim tries to get words out but it’s all jumbled up from coughing up blood, “R-R-Rose, A-A,”

before Grim can say his name Creed kicked Grim in the now broken leg.

Grim writhing in pain to where Rich stepped in, “Why did you do that to your brother.”

Rose cuts to the chase, “What isn't that the light brothers want with us, hurry up and answer or I will put you in the ground.”

Creed chuckles nervously, “Heh just like Ash.”

Rose's patients ran thin, “Fine not going to talk then DIE!”

She flings a blade at Creed, Creed accepting his fate closed his eyes.

Before the blade could make contact with Creed’s heart, King slammed into the ground from the sky blocking the blade from ending Creed’s life,

“I bet you are glad to see me,”

Creed open’s one eye, he sighs with relief then tips over passing out into the dirt.

“Oh well look it here, if it isn't my little brother’s pathetic fake siblings, what do you want,” Rose made a toothy grin showing her fang.

“I know Ash will be upset with me if I kill you but he will forgive me, he always does.”

Rose pops her neck and knuckles getting ready to fight suddenly huge gusts of wind that pushes trees are created by Daygon landing. Jax, Sarah, Sophia, and Astrid slide down Daygon’s wing, they make a wall around Creed and Grim.

Creed succumbs to exhaustion and passes out.

“That is far enough, are you okay Grim,” Astrid kneeled next to Grim checking to see if he had a pulse.

Grim was murmuring barely audible, “Come closer, there is something I need to tell you.”

Astrid puts her ear close to Grim, “King, a-a-and Cree-Creed are plotting something against Ash.”

Grim couldn’t hold on and pass out. Astrid got pissed off from the deception, she walked with power, shoving King out of the way,

“And who are you,” Rose tensed up feeling her aura overflow.

Astrid announced herself, “I am Astrid the Queen of the Thunderous Kingdom and the one who has Ash’s heart. STEP BACK, I have some shit to work through.”

Jax, King, and Sophia backed off but King tried warning her, “She is not an easy foe, are you sure you want to handle this alone.”

Astrid glared at him, “Neither is Ash but you two want to conspire against him.”

Jax stared King down too, “That is why you wanted me gone, so you can come up with a plan.”

Sophia looked at King with eyes of sadness, “How could you King, I looked up to you.”

She helped Jax pick up Grim and ignored King’s pleading. “I only want to come up with a plan to defuse Ash, he is a walking time bomb, if we don’t do anything to prepare then this whole world will be destroyed.”

Sarah dragged Creed by his arms, “You don’t come up with plans to take out your brother, you come up with plans to help save him. I may not know him as you do but he already helped me see that I was in the wrong. What do you have to say about that?”

Rose makes fists then puts them together, she then pulls her fists apart revealing a red flaming sword, “Alright let’s see if you are worthy enough for my brother, HYEAH.”

Rose speeds past Astrid searing her right arm. She had little time to react to the attack, she just took it head-on, brushed it off without showing weakness, “So you want to play with fire, well then I will play with lightning, FAST AS LIGHTNING LEVEL FIVE!”

Blue static comes off Astrid, she slowly turns to Rose and snaps her fingers, in a flash she comes face to face with Rose before hearing the snap of her fingers.

“I am getting awfully tired of being called unworthy or being judged all the time.”

Rose couldn’t even react to her speed but kept on her poker face, “Wow look at you, no wonder Ash likes you.”

Rose stepped back, “If you really want to prove yourself let me transform to my fully awakened state.”

Astrid had her long sword in hand but slowly eased out of her fighting stance, “Fine if beating you in your full awakened state proves that I am worthy then so be it.”

Jax shouted to everyone, “Quick get on Daygon, we need to leave now!”

The two light brothers were resting on the dragon. Everyone fumbled to the dragon, Sophia was last so she could say,

“Hey Astrid, win okay, for me,”

Astrid nodded but her goals were selfish, “Sorry Sophia but this win is going to be for me and me alone.”

Rose begins to explain her transformation, “This form took me a century to master, every demigod can do it but very few have even experienced it. This transformation awakens the god in the demigods making them completely stronger and better in all aspects.”

The tip of Rose’s hair turned a blood-red making it move like flames. The sky turned a dark red making it rain blood, “I almost forgot to mention, there is a reason Ash knows many moves, it is because his sister is the one who taught him. By the way, do you see these eyes,”

Rose’s eyes are blood red, “Yeah, I am a vampire. Only Rich and Ash know what I am so if you come out alive can you keep this a secret.”

Rose’s clothes color started changing from a black trench coat to a maroon.

A blast of fire unveiled her form to Astrid, “Okay I am finished, let’s see what a full-powered demigod can do.”

Her fire blade turned dark blue then changed forms, from a big flame to a smaller, calmer, sharper fire blade like it was refined. They both advance at the same time, clanging their swords with force, Rose smirks, staring Astrid dead in her eyes.

“Nice blade you got there, I am guessing you got that from Ash.”

Astrid pushes her blade forward, pushing Rose’s blade up, swiftly Astrid sidekicks Rose in the stomach making her stumble two feet back.

“Matter of fact I did get this very blade from him.”

Astrid was in a low guard preparing for any attack.

“I am the one who taught him all he knows, and that blade is lovely, it kind of reminds me of how I made them.”

Rose put her hand on the blade stretching it and forming it into a two-handed greatsword. She pointed the blade forward with the hilt to her shoulder.

Astrid planed in her head, “She got me confused with all her stances, maybe if I take her attacks head-on I can find an opening in her slashes.”

Rose rushed in coming in blade's length she did an overhand swing, Astrid instinctively twisted her blade showing the flat side up, putting her hand on the edge and the handle to stop the force, pairing it but taking a lot of strength to fully stop the strike. Rose came in with a follow-up with a shoulder bash, followed by a spinning left slash connecting with Astrid’s arm cutting it open. Astrid back steps, evading the rest of her advances.

“Oh my bad did that hurt, I hope we can have more fun,” Rose taunts her, egging her on.

Astrid’s mind was racing, “I can’t let her control this fight, I need to take the initiative in this fight.”

Astrid took a deep breath and readied her weapon, she was cautiously stepping in striking distance. The elf goes for an overhand to get Rose to raise her longsword up, she faints the overhand to two quick slashes to the body, followed by a lightning bolt, Rose instinctively deflects with the ground being lifted up by her terraforming magic.

Astrid used the ground that was lifted up to hop off it leaping down at Rose striking with fury and aggression, she did not let up on the attack making Rose lose balance from parring over and over. Astrid made sure she couldn’t swing without taking a few slashes, Rose having a wild smile the whole time she was being backed into a corner.

Suddenly her great sword split into two daggers, Rose caught Astrid’s top slash with a cross block with both daggers, she pushed up sending Astrid’s blade back at her. Rose transforms her right dagger into an arming sword, Rose thrusts stabbing Astrid’s chest region. She falls down to one knee, she holds her chest with her left hand,

“Water ball level one,” a ball of water forms in her hand cooling the burnt flesh.

“You got the spirit but it will get you killed, you already proved yourself to me. It is quite a feat to take on a demigod but a fully awakened one by yourself is another level.”

Astrid blinds herself with anger, “I AM BETTER THAN THIS DAMMIT!”

She forces her body to get up using her long sword as a crunch to lift herself up.

“Stay down, you did more than enough.”

Her words failed at stopping Astrid. She straightened herself, the deranged Astrid zipped to Rose recklessly, Rose parried every attack Astrid threw at her, Astrid threw her weapon to the side and suddenly switched it up with punches and kicks.

Rose canceled her fire blades to move to melee combat. Astrid threw jabs and cross punches while moving forward, The demigod was on the defensive only able to block and deflect punches and kicks while back peddling.

Astrid charged up a haymaker, hitting Rose’s arms, breaking through her guard. Rose flew back hitting a tree, Astrid was huffing before the adrenaline wore off, making it impossible to stand up by herself.

Rose sprung up, on her feet she walked over to Astrid, she tried crawling to her sword but it was too far away.

“You have a lot of fight in you, maybe I shouldn’t kill you. Rich where are you!”

The ground started to rumble, shaking the ground split open releasing Rich from the ground, “I am here Rose what do you need.”

Rose closed her eyes focusing, she turned off her power reverting her hair and clothes back to the normal colors. Rose grunted, finally feeling the pain from the slashes Astrid landed.

“Rich could you be a dear and carry her back to the house so she can recover.”

Rich lumped her over his shoulder and walked back to their cabin house. The group in the sky was quiet, watching the fight end. After a few moments, Jax broke the silence,

“I am going to land near Rich’s house, don't draw your weapons.”

Daygon descends, carefully landing beside the cabin, Jax hopped off first and quickly to explain why they are there before Rose engages.

Jax confronts her with his hands up, “I am not here to fight, just talk.”

Rose applies pressure to her chest, she activates a spell that heals her wounds.

“Then you shouldn’t have come at all.”

Jax said the magic words, “It’s about Ash, he needs your help.”

Rose countered Jax with swift words, “If you knew anything about Ash then you will know he doesn't need help from weaklings like you,” Rose turns back around urbanity.

Jax followed after her but kept his distance making sure he could dodge any incoming attacks. Rich went in first with Astrid strung over his shoulder. Rose waited at the door, sighing at herself, “Well aren’t you coming in or not.”

The two walk inside the small cabin unveiling a massive inside,

“How, how is it so big inside but tiny outside,” Jax was amazed.

Rich gave the explanation with his big manly voice, “It is abyss magic, the spell is always active, it is almost like a barrier to the real house just camouflaged as a tiny cabin.” 

 

Sarah and Sophia used their magic to heal some of their wounds, “Minor healing, restoration.”

Grim’s face changed from excruciating to a relieved look.

“That should do, Sarah, can you check on Jax to see if he needs back up, I will take care of things here,” Sophia took the lead of the situation.

“Got it, I will keep you updated,” Sarah raced off to lend aid to Jax.

King waited for instructions from a distance trying to stay out of Sophia’s warpath.

“KING,”

she shouted at him, making him jump, he rushed to her side, “I need you to adventure out to find Ash and Isabel. If you want to make it up to me then you will not return until you find them.”

King tried reasoning with Sophia but his pleas were in vain, “King I looked up to you as a big brother, but you broke my trust when you schemed with Creed. I hope you can see that we are a big family that needs to stick together, WE are going against gods for crying out loud!”

King can only agree, just realizing the magnitude of his betrayal, “I hear you Sophia but I finally found someone who is more important to me than Ash, if that is what you want then I will return with Ash and Isabel or die trying. Just remember, Ash is dangerous, you haven't seen him as I have seen him.”

King was filled with pride to take on this mission, “Vain come out,”

the ground shake and swayed, then all of sudden it stopped, quiet for a few seconds. A hole burst open and a giant snake flew out landing around King in a circle.

The giant snake nudges King,

“Vain, introduce yourself,” King pats Vain’s nose.

The gigantic snake slithers to Sophia making eye contact with her, showing her color-changing eyes.

“Don’t stare into her eyes for too long, many people get lost in them.”

Vain bows her head, “My name is Vain, it is a pleasure to meet you,”

the soft-spoken female snake spoke to Sophia, who was surprised.

“How can you talk to me? I thought familiars can’t speak.”

Vain explained, “I am not speaking to you with a voice but using telepathy to communicate. All familiars can do this when they are evolved enough to where they have a personality of their own.”

Sophia greeted her like anyone else, “Well Vain it was nice to meet you too, make sure you watch this dummy for me please.”

Vain answers with gratitude, “It will be an honor to take your request.”

King climbed the hulking snake and waved goodbye to Sophia while riding away on Vain.

Sophia stressed out, “What am I going to do, I can’t do this. This is too much, please Ash I can’t do this alone.”