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The appearance of an undead dragon plunged the encampment into a state of turmoil and disorder. The undead dragon’s howl only served to impede the soldiers’ efforts in their preparations. Its appearance already shook the hearts and nerves of many. Along with its cry, some of the soldiers outright lost their wit and consciousness. A good portion of them fainted on the spot.

While the encampment was desperately and hastily rallying a sortie, an Augur and a Fox-kin were dashing through the unrest and confusion, hurrying back to their companions’ side.

“Your orders, milady? What’s next after we regroup with the rest?” Amyra asked.

“We make our way out of this place as soon as we can,” Erin answered without missing a beat.

Amyra’s brows were raised by her surprise. “That’s unexpected of you. I reckoned you would stay and fight.”

“That’s a Dragon. From what I have heard about them, I wouldn’t want to face one in an open field. We are at a huge disadvantage. Its aerial mobility is unparalleled, if the stories are anything to go by. It could just attack from the air, out of our reach.”

“Reasonable but it’s a shame.” Amyra shrugged. “I always wanted to fight a full-fledged dragon. I have only ever fought those quasi-kinds.”

“Incoming!” Erin suddenly shouted and tackled Amyra to the ground. A beam of dark energy ran through the spot where Amyra and Erin had been. A deep, searing hot, and smoking crevice was now formed.

“My thanks, milady,” Amyra panted as she looked at the damage. “Such a destructive attack with such a short conjuration window.”

“Are you hit?” Erin asked, immediately rising to her feet.

“I’m fine. What about you, milady?”

Erin glanced at her shoulder, which was a little bit scalded.

“Milady, you’re hurt!” Amyra exclaimed.

“Just a graze, Amyra. It’s nothing.”

“That’s dark magic, milady. We need to get you treated quickly!”

“Be at ease, Amyra.” Saying so, Erin placed her hand on her wound and reduced the intensity and pain with Spirit Mend. She winced as the grotesque parts of her wound faded. The dark poison in her wound was also dispelled.

“Oh, right. You have Spirit Mend. I have been remiss, milady.”

“It’s alright. Let us keep moving. We will be sitting ducks if we stay—”

A figure landed harshly right in front of the two. The slender individual was fully armoured from head to toe. The armour was unlike the typical kind. Erin could tell the armour was forged by a smith that gave a lot of thought to what the armour might represent. Markings of dragons were engraved all over.

“An Aerysian,” Amyra muttered.

“What kind of armour is that?”

“The ceremonial battle armour of Aerys. Worn only by the Apostles, or so that was the creed.”

The armoured figure had yet to notice the two as its back was turned to them. However, it slowly turned around. Its gaze was glowing faintly yet strikingly through the narrow visor of the helmet.

“Amyra,” the figure growled. It was the voice of a woman who had tens of years infused in it.

“Sorry. I do not know you.”

Then, the figure shifted its gaze to Erin.

Amyra lunged the moment the figure let her gaze stray from the Augur.

A lance appeared in the figure’s hand and she blocked Amyra’s sword.

Erin made her move after seeing the figure was engaged with Amyra. She drew her sword and aimed for the figure’s blind spot. However, a shield appeared in the figure’s free hand and guarded against Erin’s slash.

“As expected,” Erin mused inwardly. The figure was level sixty-five with a small array of Arcane Arts but the few that she had were all above level six.

With a shout of a huff, the armoured figure pushed Erin and Amyra away.

“My quarrel isn’t with you,” the figure said and hopped a long pace away from them with a single leap.

The two were left dumbfounded as they exchanged their baffled gazes.

“What was that about?” Amyra muttered. “An Aerysian that isn’t trying to kill an Aeryon or you, milady.”

“Their quarrel is not with us… but they attack the camp.”

“Their quarrel is with the soldiers then. But why? Aren’t they afraid of the consequences? This is a declaration of war with the kingdom itself.”

“Whatever the reason is, it’s not our problem. We best not get ourselves involved.”

As Erin said those words, the undead dragon fired another dark beam that razed a huge part of the encampment.

“Doesn’t it look like the dragon is simply aiming for the huge tents?”

“Doesn’t matter to us, Amyra. We can worry about that after we get ourselves to safety.”

“Do you think they could be looking for the Kirin?”

“I doubt that. Unless they are trying to kill the Kirin, there’s no reason for them to search in such a manner. Unless, of course, they are trying to kill the subject.”

The pair eventually made it back to their camp without any further incidents. They were greeted by the sight of a carriage.

“Good, you’re both here,” Aedan said as he inspected the carriage. The other girls were also helping Aedan to get the carriage ready.

Lyra was relieved with a huge smile on her face but due to the urgency of the situation, she restrained herself.

“Where did you get this carriage?”

“We stole it,” Aedan answered unabashedly. “Someone just abandoned it when the dragon appeared. And before you ask, yes, I know who that undead dragon is but we will talk about that later.”

Erin and Amyra nodded at Aedan's words and helped to get the carriage ready, such as fixing and lubricating the wheels. Though none of them, beside Aedan and Amyra, knew nothing about maintaining a carriage. It wasn’t difficult to learn or do. Lilian’s Nature Magic also made the process a lot easier.

In no time at all, they finished preparing the large and luxurious carriage. They all got on board just as the undead dragon unleashed another dark breath.

The ground shook to the dragon’s destruction and it also shook some sense into Erin.

“Wait, where are the horses?!” she asked as she looked at the front of the carriage. There were no horses.

“It doesn’t need one,” Aedan said and glanced over to Lilian.

The Dryad extended her hand towards Erin. “The two of us will be driving this carriage with our Spirit Magic.”

“Ah, so that’s how it is.”

The carriage was obviously once the property of some officer with a noble background. It was large enough to accommodate Erin and all of her companions. It was basically a caravan cramped into a single transportation. The carriage spanned over twenty feet long and there were eight wheels.

If it wasn’t for the undead dragon wreaking havoc nearby, they wouldn’t have even fathomed stealing an opulent carriage for themselves.

Lilian and Erin sat on the coachman's seat with their hands held.

“Now, dearie, just imagine this carriage moving,” Lilian said.

The instant those words reached Erin’s mind, the carriage began to move and it practically hurled itself forward.

“Whoa there!” Erin cried out in surprise.

Vines emerged from the seat and wrapped around their waists as the carriage rolled down the slope of the large plain.

“Oh, clever!” Erin praised.

Lilian giggled in delight.

Even though all the soldiers were either scrambling to safety or to their positions in a panic, they still had the senses to get themselves out of the hurling carriage’s way.

The undead dragon unleashed another dark breath. A tremor spread throughout the plain. The carriage shook with the tremor. Had it not been for the vines wrapping around their waists, the two Fae would have already been thrown off the carriage.

Suddenly, a large piece of burning rubble fell right in their path.

Erin thought of making a sharp turn in her mind and the carriage did just that, as impossible as it was to imagine. The carriage veered to the right and looped around the rubble, continuing down the path in a straight line once again.

“Dear me. This is so handy. Why isn’t everyone using this?”

Lilian smiled wryly. “It’s not easy to control it, dear. You’re simply talented and you have a good affinity with the Spirits.”

Erin activated her Spirit Sight and saw millions of Spirits surrounding the carriage. They were the ones who were actually moving this carriage. Erin was just there to tell them what to do. Her affinity made the Spirits compliant with her wishes and commands.

And her affinity with the Spirits wasn’t the only factor. The wood and vines that enveloped the carriage were also a huge factor. They were grown and formed using magic— spells that only a few knew and even fewer who are adept at it.

“Do you see now?”

“Yeah, I do now.”

The fringe of the plain came into sight as they went over a hillock. However, a large tent laid just beside the path near the borders. The tent was still untouched by the destruction.

“Oh, bollocks.” Erin cursed. “Hold on!” she shouted as the carriage neared the borders.

Her premonition came through. The undead dragon found the large tent that was still untouched by its destruction. It wasted no time in laying waste on that tent. This time, it unleashed a large bolt of energy instead of a beam.

The large bolt of dark energy struck the tent. There was a chorus of cries and screams but only for a split second before an ear-splitting explosion drowned out those voices. A wave of shockwaves followed the explosion, hitting the carriage in tandem.

“Don’t fall! Don’t fall! Don’t fall! Don’t fall!” Erin kept repeating these words in her mind as the shockwave tilted the carriage into a precarious angle and position.

Responding to her earnest plea and wish, the carriage miraculously fixed itself upright as if an invisible force had pushed the carriage back into place.

“You’re truly talented, Erin,” Lilian praised.

“I was just desperate,” Erin said, heaving a huge sigh of relief as the carriage continued on into the forest.

“We would have been engulfed in the havoc if it wasn’t for you, dear.”

“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me.”

“Nonsense, Erin. You are deserving of the praise. Such is the life of adventurers. Still, I’m surprised. You didn’t stay and help the soldiers.”

“I spoke with the general. He was not forthcoming with his true intentions, though it was involuntarily.”

“There was a Fae, wasn’t there?”

“You knew.”

“I had my suspicions but I thought I was just being high-strung given our journey so far. So, what’s her name?”

“Elinea. She was a Fox-kin with three tails.”

“Three tails? That’s impressive. What’s she doing out of the forest?”

“She’s the general’s adjutant.”

“A Fae leaving the forest just to join the army of a human kingdom…”

“Is it unheard of?”

“It’s not unheard of but it is rare. It’s rare enough for a Fae to leave the forest. It’s even rarer to find one joining the army of a human kingdom. I have heard of Fae joining the army but they never fully commit themselves to the army. If this Fox-kin is the adjutant of the general, her motives will be… suspicious to say the least.”

Another shockwave ran through the ground. The fading cries and screams of the soldiers could be heard.

“Are we in the clear yet?” Lyra asked from within the carriage.

“Not yet. We can still feel the tremor.”

“Are we followed?”

“No,” Erin’s response came immediately.

Another shockwave echoed into the forest. The cries and screams of the soldiers became louder but the tone was different. They were retaliating. Hundreds of arrows were shot into the air. Erin could hear them clearly. She could also hear their despair clearly when the army realised the futility of their retaliation.

The earth shook once more and then, there was silence.

“They lost,” Lilian muttered.

“They’re soldiers. It is part of their purpose. They live by the blade, they die by the blade.”

“So it is…”

The triumphant deathly howl of the undead dragon reverberated into the forest.

“Let us hope we don’t share the soldiers’ fate,” Lilian said with a smile.