Chapter 169 Returning To Base
We both sat there for minutes on end as her eyes scanned me for any signs of leading her in a lie. This was her way of protecting herself since a very young age.... It's also what has turned her into one of my most valued companions.
"I'm not Lying to you Shienna, come with me and meet my wife. I'm sure you two would get along great, She is kind hearted and so sweet. She is also able to call upon spirits and can use Necromancy like me. I promise that you will be able to stay summoned for as long as you want, here I'll prove it to you."
I smiled as I pulled out Vex's scale he gave me, it was still about halfway filled with his mana that he filled it with but I filled the rest of it with shadow mana, Using my own mana was the only way to make sure that Shienna's Contract would register that I was calling her to my side. Basically I was using Vex's mana as a battery to fuel my mana's signature. Magical mumbo jumbo magical theory bullshit.... Yada yada.....
Anywho I showed it to Shienna but when I looked up at her she was wide eyed as she stared at the scale, I was a bit taken aback since she never really showed a reaction like this to things. I mean even in the face of some scary stuff that I've summoned in the past and lost control of she didn't even blink before cutting it up into ribbons. But this scale is what makes her wide eyed?
"Shienna? What's up? Is something the matter?"
"Where did you get that scale from? Please tell me that it is not from the dragon that you have under your control in your camp right now... We have gotten reports that you have a dragon working for you but for some reason nobody is able to tell us the color of his scales. Do you know what this color of scale means Necro."
She stood up with haste and stared down at me with intensity while waiting for me to answer. I did know what it meant but after getting to know Vexsus and seeing how he treats his family. I just couldn't see him like that....
"I do. It's the color of destruction. But that's not Vexsus I swear!"
Before I could utter another word she drew us out of the shadow world and she was speed walking towards the base. I quickly looked back to the guys and told them to hussle to keep up and to not forget the test subject. Thankfully the shadow world works on a different timeline and only a few minutes passed in the real world. We had to jog to catch up to Shienna even though she just speed walked... Fucking speed stat am I right?.... But after I caught up to her I tried to grab ahold of her and my hand passed right through her like I was trying to... You guessed it, grab a fucking shadow!
"Goddamit Shienna! Don't you use that skill on me! You can't go and try and kill Vexsus, He isn't like that ok? He isn't Harmful... Well, ok I mean he is, but not to me. I mean for crying out loud I'M HIS SON-IN-LAW!" I had to yell that last part because when I started talking she starting to actually jog away. But when I said that last part she stopped cold in her tracks and the atmosphere dropped dead.
"Uh-oh, um guys, you might want you go way, way around us. Go to the base and get a med bay ready, and prepare the base just in case. I don't think anything bad will happen but it couldn't hurt ya know?"
"YES SIR!"
"Are you sure Necro?" Desmaros was the only one who questioned me as he pulled out his pair of enchanted throwing daggers.
Shienna turned around slowly and her eyes were filled with a fire that burned a blackish color that erased everything around her. Her gaze was piercing straight into me but I didn't back down because this was going to hurt either way, and hell might aswell have some fun with it. I turned to the idiot and pointed my thumb at her.
"Dude, you really wanna stay and tussle with that? I've opened up a couple Tears and even I don't want to be me right now."
"O-Oh, Um.... Got-gotcha.... I'll just uh... Yea." And off he ran after the others.
"Phew, now that the kids are out of the way." I chuckled as I turned around but my breath hitched when right in front of my face was Shienna. She was just staring at me with those black fire eyes that licked against my skin but didn't burn as our noses touched. If she wasn't in her armor I would've kissed her to make it awkward but right now I was to afraid.
"What did you say?" She asked but her voice carried a low almost imperceptiple ethereal pitch that echoed within me that only those with training in soul magic could understand. She was so pissed off that she was actually using soul magic to try and force mine under submission right now. I didn't think her clan knew soul magic.
I grimaced as a deep part of my body ached and vibrated with each of her syllables but I tried my best to withstand it... I was still weak from overestimating the Tear openings and now this? If I lost this who knows what was going to happen.
"I.. Said... I am his... Son-In-Law. Shienna.. Please it hurts." I reached out to try and grab her but she used her shadow body skill again and my hands just passed right through.
"So your wife is the daughter of the dragon of destruction? I'm sorry but I have no choice but to kill her too." She turned around and started to walk away but was soon stopped as shadows slapped themselves around her ankles.
"Haaa, You already know that this will not stop me Necro. I was the one that taught you to use the shadows." She said with a bored tone as she turned back to look at me. "Remember?"
"Yea I did.... But I can't let you go and harm my wife because of some bullshit legend of the past. Vexsus isn't like that old lizard, he loves his family and while he could have easily turned into that monstrosity because of me... He didn't. He found love, he found a family... He is happy! He even gave away his daughter at our wedding and was the one to officiate it! I changed my ways so why is it that because of some bullshit legend he has to die!?"
She looked at me as I had my tantrum and her black fire died and her eyes took on a look of pity and her anger softened as she walked up to me as the shadows loosened around her. She placed her hand on my cheek and stroked it slowly, wiping away tears that I didn't know started to fall.
"My dear Necro, I'm happy someone was able to mend the chasm in your heart... Even if that someone wasn't me... But the evil that the dragon of destruction did was so bad that the very gods themselves cursed it's very bloodline. I don't know how it was able to survive till now but it is only a matter of time until it starts to have more and more violent thoughts, and eventually it will start to act on those violent thoughts... Love, Love can only overcome so much."
She stepped away and turned back to walk again but I still reached out and grabbed her. I still believed that Vexsus could never become that, I had faith that he could overcome that difficult issue when that time comes.
"What if I start preparing him for that day? What if WE start preparing him? There has to be a way right? That man isn't horrible, he's an ass but he isn't the worst, he just does what he thinks is the best for his family and doesn't really care about the consequences very much...."
.... Ok, yea I know I wasn't really building a very solid defense here, but dammit I couldn't let Shienna try and kill him because she would die and then I would have to try and avenge her and then I would die and then Hannah would be sad and My god it would be a whole fucking ordeal! It would just save my time to try and stop it now.
"Shienna listen, just come with me and just talk with him please for me? Just get to know him before you attempt to try and kill him. Let's just focus on what's going on with this damn dungeon and see if there are possibly any other dungeons that are doing the same thing and save the bullshit legends for another time alright?"
I pleaded with her as much as I could as she stood there listening and studying me yet again, after I finished and we stood there for a few seconds she sighed and shook her head before wrestling her arm free from my hand.
"I'll give him one chance ok? For you I'll give him a chance... But if he starts getting violent beyond what I deem is an acceptable limit then I will immediately start my attack got it?"
"Great! Yes. Totally got it! I will let him know as soon as he wakes up!" I chuckled and started to walk away from her but her hand flashed forwards and an icy grip grabbed my arm.
"What do you mean when he wakes up? That seems like an odd thing to say right now Necro, It's almost like you're telling me he is in a coma or something and defenseless right now."
"Ehhhh, well the thing is...." I had her take us to the shadow world to not waste to much time in the real world but also for a nefarious reason as it took me an hour to explain what happened. I gave her a rundown of Vexsus closing a tear.... a very detailed rundown hehehe.... See why I had her take me to the shadow world? It's so I could see her face getting red ahahahaahah, Hey I was the evil bad guy for a bit!
So after that we came back to the real world where I was dumped out unceremoniously onto my ass as Shienna huffed at me and started to jog in the direction of the base. I just laughed it off as I dusted the dirt off my ass and jogged after her. It took us a few hours and I had to expend a bit of my reserves of energy to keep up with her but we reached the base in record time.
"That tent over there with Vannessa standing guard infront is the one with Vexsus in it. If you want to go see him than I could introduce you to his wives at the very least?" I looked over at Shienna but she was just focused in on Vexsus tent and was already over halfway there. "Mother- Shienna! Wait up!"
I rushed again to catch up to her and saw as Vannessa smiled at her but Shienna didn't even stop as she brushed her aside and stepped inside the tent. That wasn't going to be good, Vannessa looked at me for only a second before she drew her weapon and charged into the tent. Sonofa! I ran through the flaps and saw as 4 women stood shoulder to shoulder infront of Vexsus bed with him sleeping peacefully and those women standing guard in front of Shienna who had drawn both of her daggers and both of them were alight with black flames.
"Hey uh Shienna? What's the meaning of this? I thought we agreed that you wouldn't do any bullshit like this?" I was a bit confused and took a step closer to her but she whipped her head towards me.
"Stop! you didn't tell me he had so many spawn! This vile thing created so many monsters. I will be working nonstop for days to destroy this abomination of a bloodline! You there women, if you value your lives then you will get the hell out of my way this instant!"
"Who the fuck do you think you are bitch?! You are talking about OUR husband you washboard cunt! I dare you to try and hurt him or any of our kids and I swear to the gods above that you will not enjoy a quick and painless death." I was stunned and shocked as Kitsoma was the one who yelled out at Shienna like that. I couldn't believe it but I just started to giggle but quickly shut my mouth when all the women in the room turned their gaze to me.
"Ladies, look why don't we all just calm down alright? Shienna here was raised and taught that should the color of a dragon ever be purple, like Vexsus, that it be killed immediately."
That got a collective gasp from his wives when Lulu spoke up. "But why does his scale color have anything to do with if he lives or not?" She turned to Shienna and tilted her head with curiousity but still filled with anger at the woman who wanted to hurt her husband.
"It's because.."
"It's because a dragon with the scales the shade of purple means that that dragon has awakened the bloodline of the Dragon of destruction. The one that was cursed by the gods thousands of years ago for bringing so much calamity to the world that all of the worlds species banded together to fight together to kill it. Upon it's death the gods descended and cursed the bloodline itself so that any spawn that it may have created before would suffer the consequences it's progenitor caused. This dragon here has clearly awakened that same bloodlline, I don't know how it has lived this long without being exterminated but it's luck has run out."
Shienna took a step forward but The women started to charge their magic. If I didn't do something soon to mediate this, This whole base could end up destroyed...
"Ladies, please don't do this. Shienna stop it goddamit. Do you want to go back? I'll unsummon you right now!"
"You cannot. I stopped using your mana along time ago. I am physically here in the flesh to kill this creature..."
"But, that's against your clans rules! You could be killed for this if they found out!" I yelled at her but her focus never wavered from the four women in front of her as she kept studying them and the magic that each one of them was charging up.
"This would be worth my death." Was all she said after a couple of minutes as she finished her analysis and she lunged towards Kitsoma as she analyzed her to be the weakest and within seconds her daggers had implanted themselves within warm flesh as red blood trickled down Kitsoma's neck...
"NOOOO KITSOMA!!!" The other women yelled out as they turned their head but Shienna had attacked much faster than their brains could even react.
But I however was not, I took a step forward but stopped when I saw as a scaled hand covered his precious wifes throat and protected her as he let two daggers covered in searing black flames to dig deep into his flesh. I smiled a big grin but soon that smile died down as the realization of what know has to happen dawned on me.....
"HONEY!!!! YOUR BACK! Lula jumped onto Vexsus back as he looked down at Kitsoma with serious eyes. She was looking back up at him with the same intensity as if they were telepathically saying everything that needed to be said.
He smiled then leaned down and kissed her forehead all with the daggers in his hand. I just realized by now that his hand wasn't covered with his normal armor, but instead it was actual scales themselves. Purple plated scales. It was like the armor was absorbed into his body and turned into scales instead.
Vexsus looked around at his women first with a smile than at me with a wink but finally he looked down at Shienna with a frown as he raised an eyebrow.
"You know I could hear everything while I was in the coma right? That was so annoying by the way, to hear you guys crying is super uncomfortable. But what is very upsetting is to hear about how I am supposed to be the dragon of destruction."
He reached up with his other hand and grabbed the daggers and ripped them out of his hand before throwing them onto the floor, they only disappeared and reappeared in Shienna's hands.
"Oh? nice trick. But I think you and me will sit down now and have a talk." He told Shienna as he walked over and grabbed a couple of chairs and dragged them across the ground noisily before placing them across from eachother and gestured to one while he sat in the other.
"What makes you think I will talk to such a beast like you and not kill you right now? The dragon of destruction needs to be killed! Not spoken to like some aquaintance." Shienna sneered and said.
"Well, you have a point I guess? But the way I see it is you have two choices. 1, you sit down and talk to me and I get to figure out what this legend is and possibly what my future problems might be..."
"And 2 might be?" She asked with a smirk.
Vexsus smirked back but that sent a shiver down my spine since whenever he smirked like that it was because he usually was about to do something he found fun.... and usually his version of fun ended up, bloody...
"Vexsus." I spoke up diverting his attention from Shienna real quick.
"Yea? What's up man? You been treating my little girl good while I was out?"
"Yea, yea man. I had to go take care of something real quick but anyways. This is Shienna, and she is a long time friend of mine... Like since childhood kind of friend."
"Oh, well that doesn't matter right now." He says as he waves his hand back in forth in a nonchalant manner as he turned his head back to Shienna.
"Your second option Shienna is..."
"Only Necro gets to use my name!"
"MOTHERFUCKER DO NOT INTERRUPT ME AGAIN!" Vexsus yelled as he stood up quickly with a rage in his eyes that was being barely contained. His fire was close to rivaling Shienna's in intensity but with more wildness. I saw a small shiver go through Shienna but to her credit she tried to not show that it happened at all. But the pressure he was releasing right now was even putting pressure on me and I was having trouble not falling onto my knees. I looked over at his wives and they were just fine, They were actually smiling and giggling as they watched him get angry at Shienna get pressured and faced with their husbands anger.
"You... AGH... Woooooo. Ahem, ok, sorry about that... I guess some of those dragon of destruction legends might be true. But either way, you just tried to kill my wife. If I was any weaker in control you would have already been eaten. But Since you are friends with my son-in-law I can make an exception. So let's sit down and talk ok?"
He sat down and gestured once again towards the chair and this time without any hint of defiance Shienna sat down quickly and sat down obediently.
"Good, now let's get some refreshments, I have been asleep for a couple days afterall."