Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1019 - 1018 - Finding a Place

The pair slept in the loft of the stable with wards protecting them from being found. Lind felt a few probing auras over the course of the day but nothing forced him to rise up from his rest. It had been a long night in many ways but knowing he only had a month to resolve his admittance to the Divine Ruin felt like a weight on his heart.

He was not sure why the Younger Twin said he was too weak but also had to face the trial at the same time.

If it was simply the fact it was a Ruin and the rules that would normally prevent Lind from even entering the Inheritance no longer stopped the trial from summoning him was likely the cause.

So it was a Ruin but no one understood the danger now looming over them.

He stretched and got up but noticed a few bales were missing compared to before. His wards only altered perceptions so whoever came up had been below the Shard Tier for sure.

Of course the chore of feeding animals in the stable likely belonged to a World Realm or lower.

He carefully poked his head out and confirmed the animals had changed. Most were horses of some breed or other but he now saw a few lizards as well. He tried to pin them down but honestly had never seen them before.

They had scales of iridescent violet and green that had 4 limbs with clear signs of a bit and harness around their heads. The long heads had narrow snouts that clearly had sharpened teeth so hay was not their food of choice.

The lack of response from the horses told him they were not it.

He wondered how the Thunderhooves were doing but he had to leave them behind with Teegan. She would care for them per his instruction as he wanted to nurture them after understanding the dark life they had led before he destroyed the slavers.

[Do you understand me?] The pair of lizards' tails twitched as they looked up. Their eyes were obsidian with green vertical irises.

They bowed low to him and he could only smile.

"I will take that as a no." Delenn shot up at his voice but then realized the sun was blazing in to show late afternoon.

"What is going on?" Her hair was slightly disheveled but it was cut short so it was not too bad. The loose hay in it, however, made him giggle.

"I do not recognize the new beasts but they are lizards so I thought they might be talkative." She stretched and got up before glancing down and a wide smile spread on her face.

"Fire dancers!" She hopped down like a child before landing in front of the pair of beasts. Before they could react, she was examining their limbs and scaled feet. He frowned at the name she gave as that did not sound like a race name but a nickname.

"These are bred from salamanders and magma drakes. Beast tamers wanted the immunity from fire that magma drakes had with the limber body of salamanders. They make good mounts but salamanders' elemental nature could work against them. The draconic features stabilized them and gave them resilient hides." He had seen many facets of his Master but she was currently excited like a small child.

"Let me guess, you had some when you were young?" She nodded quickly before freezing.

"Ahem, these are well taken care of. Both are male so they are primarily used to pull a carriage or wagon in extreme environments. Crescent City is near an area of magma rivers between the main trade route and here. These are good choices for merchants that have to traverse it a lot." He nodded but then was confused.

If they had draconic roots, why did he not feel anything? He closed his eyes and realized the salamander blood was stronger in them. The dragon traits did what was desired but their bloodline was outside of his.

"Are they really called fire dancers?" She blushed crimson before shaking her head.

"It refers to when they are young and skip across lava and flames like exquisite dancers. I always liked it. They are officially called Iridescent Draculs." He nearly choked at the name but could only shake his head. Humans were cheeky when they wanted to be.

Still, he was impressed they bred a new race that could be so useful. Salamanders took on the attributes of the elements they lived in and could change as they advanced. Thus their flexibility was not just physical but in cultivation as well!

It was one of the few races that could tap into elements aside from what they had in their beast cores!

By stabilizing their element and giving them some extra strength, it made for an interesting mount. An idea came to him but he pushed it aside as it was not the time.

"We need to find a way out of the city. The Maidens will not let me go. Haro is suppressing the token's tracking functions for the moment but simple eye contact will give us away if they can find us." She nodded at his words.

Crescent City was currently under the jurisdiction of the War Maiden and she would certainly be looking for them.

They both activated the illusion formation plates. Delenn became a slim girl with vibrant green eyes and luxurious sapphire hair. Lind had bright orange hair as his skin became deeply tanned. His eyes were now the color of blood.

They both swapped to robes they had made in Amber Scale City. The only thing they could not hide was Lind's black ring.

The mark of a True Lord could never be hidden but rings were common enough that it should not be an issue. The current gray robes were unmarked as they left the stable for the sunlit afternoon.

Neither were surprised as they saw Maidens actively patrolling the streets and using artifacts to check for formations or other possible ways to identify people.

Lind noticed they all moved like warriors. He was used to a wider swath of lifestyles not just in the Maidens but the people around them. He was reminded of the Fiend War. No one could stand aside and all had to fight.

The tension was not quite the same but the feeling of the city was similar.

The pair made a leisurely way through the markets and avoided several fights that might break their illusions by accident.

It took the better part of the afternoon before the west gate came into view and they had to stop.

Extremely powerful waves of Qi could be felt and Lind frowned at it.

"I will not be able to tear through space, will I?" Delenn shook her head.

"Standard defense for a city of this level. Even if they do not need it, it is tied to the defenses. Only the Gates or teleportation arrays would be exempted." The platoon of Maidens were not alone at the gate.

Men in finely made armor also stood there. He noted the colors on their arms were blue with black. A glance towards the center of the city confirmed it was the colors of the city lord.

"Any ideas?" Lind was a bit out of his element but she only shook her head.

He did not want to risk another night inside the city. The stables were safe for 1 night but he did not doubt they would be searched the coming night.

Annabelle's formations were powerful but he highly suspected the tainted Qi would leave them weaker than ever before.

Further, they were never intended to sneak by such a heavily fortified entrance.

They were both about to think about a new place to hide when Lind narrowed his eyes.

His skin began to bother him but it was not a Fiend or their Qi causing it. He smelled blood.

"We need to get to the side quickly." She did not argue and as soon as they moved a carriage came rambling out of control to the entrance! Even at a distance, all could see crimson dying the carriage like a setting sun.

Both of them strained their auras ever so carefully but only chaos reigned as the horses were frothing at the mouth when they barreled inside the walls!

Lind quickly slipped forward with the crowd and Delenn was hot on his heels. They kept moving until they could swap direction just before getting close to the main entrance.

Bodies were being pulled out but Lind already knew they were dead. No life aside from the horses was on that carriage.

The pair were able to quietly circle the crowd until they just walked out.

They tapped the plates at their belts and seemed to vanish into thin air! They moved like the wind after that and sped away from the city wall. There were a few scouting nests but they were already focused on any further arrivals, not those leaving!

Lind smelled more blood in the air. He knew he should not go near it but there was a difference in the current scent.

Someone was alive!