373. Empathy Probably

The [Lesser Wyvern] loomed over me. It was massive, even in the large cave chamber. But compared to the Mistress of Remnants or the Frost Lord, it was relatively small. Perhaps it was an adolescent— or maybe that was simply because it was lower-leveled at Level 125. However, that didn’t matter. Here, in this enclosed space, the Wyvern didn’t have much space to fight.

I leapt forward, flipping over its swiping claws. Daniel moved in front of Edithe and blocked the attack with his Primordial Longsword. He continued parrying its attacks as the redhead blasted the Wyvern with fire and ice. I stood on the ceiling, looking down at the battle while I considered my Skills.

Secondary Skills:

[Available Secondary Skill Points: 30]

[Draconic Fury] - Lvl. 1

[Fragmented Pocket Dimension] - Lvl. 1

[Full Phase] - Lvl. 1

[Greater Teleportation] - Lvl. 1

[Manifestation of the Old Gods] - Lvl. 1

[Truth Divination] - Lvl. 1

[Warped Time] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Passive - Dragon Scales] - Lvl. 1

[Passive - Master of Material Manipulation] - Lvl. 1

[Passive - Weaker Regeneration] - Lvl.1

I had Skills. Plenty of new Skills to try out. I hadn’t distributed most of my secondary Skill Points yet because I hadn’t used most of them just yet. But there were few that piqued my curiosity. One in particular that I wanted to try.

I raised a hand and pointed at the Wyvern.

“Take this— [Truth Divination]!”

There was a flash. A bright light filled the dark cavern. It caused Edithe and Daniel to recoil. Even the Wyvern shielded its eyes with its wings. I waited for something to happen. For the Wyvern to combust— or maybe to disintegrate.

But… it just stared up at me, confused.

“Huh.”

I looked down at my finger. Daniel called up to me.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know—”

And the Wyvern roared. It unleashed a blast of cold air my way, knocking me off my feet. It didn’t hurt as much as I expected it to, even without a flaming armor. My [Passive - Dragon Scales] really did its job well. The frost layered over my arms cracked off as I pounced forward.

I raised a fist, grinning.

“What about this? [Draconic Fury]!”

A red aura overcame me. Like flakes of ember or trails of vapor. I swung down as the image of a fierce claw overlaid with my hands. It was like a Kobold’s claw, except larger. If I had to guess, this was what a Dragon’s claw looked like— or at least an imitation of it. I struck down, tearing through the Wyvern’s hide with ease. It reeled back, stumbling into the rock wall.

“Interesting. This could work well together with [Barrage of Cinders].”

I stared down at these ethereal claws covering my hands. They were a simple buff to my attack— it could be quite useful in helping me whittle down a strong enemy. However, I was hoping it’d have been a single powerful attack like [Demon’s Mark] and the like.

“Whoops.”

I ducked under the chomping bite of the Wyvern, then easily danced around a series of follow-up strikes. I shouted at Edithe and Daniel.

“Hey, it’s your guys’ turn!”

I wanted them to get some experience from this, after all. They both moved forward as I leapt back, landing right next to a cold hard object. I glanced down at the odd sensation and blinked at what I saw. It was the Wyvern’s egg. But it was only the upper half. It was broken. I stared at it as my companions assailed the Wyvern for a moment.

The Wyvern suddenly screeched. It knocked aside both Daniel and Edithe, barreling straight for me. I braced myself, readying the next Skill I wanted to try out.

“[Manifestation of the Old—”

And I paused. Something rolled back against my leg. An unbroken egg came to a halt at my feet. I stared down at it, then I looked up at the angry Wyvern. I narrowed my eyes. Even without words, somehow, I could sense the Wyvern’s feelings and thoughts.

“Wait.”

My voice echoed in the cave chamber. The Wyvern swung down for me with its claws, but I raised a hand. There was a flicker in space. A crack in reality. The air around the Wyvern cracked as it was encased in a fractal dome. The Wyvern struck against the glass-like wall, only for its claws to go sliding off. It backed up, only to find the same translucent dome at its back.

“[Fragmented Pocket Dimension]. I told you to wait.”

I straightened, rolling my eyes. The Wyvern let out a soft growl, and I strode forward.

“Are you going to speak?”

Edithe and Daniel stared at me, puzzled. They exchanged a glance, and the redhead spoke out.

“Salvos, are you saying something?”

“I’m talking to the Wyvern. I think she’s just protecting her nest because we intruded.”

I turned again to the Wyvern, raising a brow.

“Is that right?”

She whimpered, lowering her wings and staying close to the ground. The Wyvern unleashed a frost breath that only filled the room with snow, before lashing out once again— and fell back. There was nothing she could do to break through that. It was my own space, and it wouldn’t be easy to penetrate.

I watched her fall down, lying with her belly exposed in the sleet. And I saw a cut across her stomach. A deep cut. And it wasn’t one that was dealt by either myself or my companions. I frowned and leaned forward.

“Are you injured?”

The Wyvern’s eyes darted over to me. She wheezed out tiny snowflakes and sighed.

“So what if I am, monster?”

“Monster? I am not a monster. I am Salvos.”

I harrumphed, crossing my arms.

“You are the one who killed my leader. You who have doomed my people. You are a monster.”

I was being called a monster by a monster! Seriously? I wanted to argue— then I caught myself. The same feeling from before came to me— like I could understand how she felt. From her perspective, it did kind of make sense that she’d think I was a monster. I was the one responsible for defeating the Frost Lord, after all. Still, I shook my head.

“Even if I’m a monster, I’m not the one who did that to you. What happened?”

I had an inkling of a feeling. This Wyvern was over Level 120. Gold Ranked monsters wouldn’t even be able to touch her. The fact that she was hurt in this cave meant that she had encountered something even higher-leveled than her. And the only possible option was—

“A Demon attacked me.”

The Wyvern finally answered. She shook her head and glanced towards the exit of the cave.

“It came here and killed my children before they were even born. I only managed to save three of my children before I could chase it away.”

“Only three of them?”

I looked back, and sure enough, there were only three Wyvern eggs that remained unshattered. The rest lay in pieces throughout the nest. I pursed my lips. This was one of the last few Wyverns of… wherever they came from. Sharik, or whatever. They hadn’t even come here until they were forced out of their homes. Against their own volition.

I remembered a plea. The Mistress of Remnants begged me to save the last of her people. I didn’t like the Mistress of Remnants— I tried not to think about what she asked of me. But this Wyvern here was innocent. She didn't wildly attack us. All she was doing was protecting her children, like I protected my companions.

But more than that, the same feeling that pushed me to stop made me reconsider. I stepped back and turned to Edithe and Daniel.

“We shouldn’t kill her.”

Edithe blinked, and Daniel stared at me as he spoke.

“Are you serious, Salvos? This is one of the Wyverns that attacked Catark—”

“Actually, we killed all of those Wyverns. This is a different one. She was with the Frost Lord, but not the Mistress of Remnants. And all she wants to do is protect her children. Plus, she can help us. I’m sure she knew where the [Savage Agarat] went, right?”

I looked over at the Wyvern, repeating the question in her tongue. The Wyvern slowly nodded.

“I can tell you where that Demon went.”

“See?”

I grinned at Daniel, and he shifted back.

“Still, this Wyvern was one of the ones who attacked our caravan .”

“And you attacked me when we first met, remember?”

I waved a hand dismissively. I looked at the [Hero], and he hesitated. Edithe stepped forward, speaking up.

“Maybe it’s because I wasn’t there, but I think Salvos is right. We have no reason to kill this Wyvern if it’s not going to harm anyone.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.”

I shrugged. Wyverns had to eat, and that meant she’d be hunting down monsters, animals, and maybe even Humans. Edithe shuffled her feet.

“I think I may know a [Beast Master] who may be able to help with that. And he’ll probably be interested in learning more about Wyverns.”

“Huh. That's good. So, what do you think, Daniel?”

The [Hero] looked between Edithe and I. He raised his hands resignedly.

“You’re both probably right. But if anything goes wrong, we blame Salvos, alright?”

Edithe nodded.

“Deal.”

“Hey, wait what do you mean by that—”

I sputtered. Then they laughed. I protested, smiling as I went with the joke. Then I heard a thud. I glanced back at the Wyvern as she lay sprawled on the ground. Her chest rose with labored breath as her eyes barely hung open.

I ran over to her side, dismissing my little [Fragmented Pocket Dimension].

“What’s wrong?”

The Wyvern gasped and raised her head slightly.

“I can’t…”

And that was when I realized her injuries were even worse than I thought. I quickly produced a healing potion and poured it onto the wound. But the blood didn’t stop pouring; the cut didn’t heal. Daniel and Edithe rushed behind me as I spoke in a reassuring voice.

“You’ll be fine. You’ll be—”

But the Wyvern raised a claw. She pointed past me, towards the cave exit.

“The Demon went east. Away from the mountains. Towards the edge of the plains.”

“What?”

I stared at her. She met my gaze before looking towards her eggs. The Wyvern placed her claw on my chest, and I knew her feelings were true.

“Please, protect them. They are the last children of Sharik. I am sorry. If only that apparition hadn’t showed up. If only—”

Her eyes rolled up. The connection I felt with her vanished. She lay there, dead, no longer breathing. I drew to my feet, looking down at my hand. A shimmer ran through it as the Skill finally ended. And I realized what had happened from the start.

[Truth Divination]. I could sense the truth in her words. More than that, I felt her feelings. Her dying breath— I could understand the emotions whirling inside of her. She didn’t want to leave her children with us, but she had no other choice.

It was like when I left Haec alone. I had to just trust he’d be safe. Like the Wyvern believed that we’d keep her children safe. I closed my eyes and nodded.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find that wild Demon and kill it. I promise.”

I got back up and turned to my companions. A notification resounded in my head— one I didn’t want— and I looked back at Daniel and Edithe who were both a level stronger.

“Come on.”

I ushered them to follow. They exchanged a glance.

“What about the eggs?”

I snapped my fingers as a pair of clones appeared at my side.

“They’ll be fine.”

My clones scooped up the eggs, and I walked out of the former Dungeon. My companions followed as I spoke simply.

“Now let’s get going. We have a wild Demon to hunt down.”