41 Unaccordingly

"Haha, it looks perfect," Cole whispered loud enough for Eliran, who was by his side, to hear him.

"You're an unnecessarily disturbing person, you know that, right?"

"I'll take it as a compliment," Cole flashed a gentle smile once before he began to walk back, more and more people crowding as the sun did through the haare.

Step, step, step.

"--Knights from the capital are said to be coming here today!"

"Hm?" Cole couldn't help but stop himself when he heard that whisper.

'Knights from the capital?'

He raised his right brow, undisturbing his current walking tempo as he kept himself alert for any other words that may slip in a higher tone.

'I cannot do anything out of the place and make myself seem suspicious.'

Stating the obvious mentally, he ignored Eliran's relentless chatters as he brought his index and thumb to his lips, pursing them together and lost in thoughts for his next course of action.

'Casting Fear and Suspicion. The first stage is done, albeit, those knights from Silvindor may prove to be a hassle and pain in the ass towards my plan.'

'Should I retreat first? But I would have to take Eliran with me too. Should I send Kaia back to the village of the Blightbringers and call for another bulked Blightbringer to transport Eliran? That would take too much time, I estimate Kaia would be able to make it in one hour there, but the return trip of the other Blightbringer would take a good three-hour trip.'

"Ahh, this is such a drag."

Cole drooped his shoulders and neck in exasperation.

F-Fwoop, fwoop!

"Ahh, it's already starting!" Someone gasped as they broke into a run.

"Kgh! What are people running for?" Eliran questioned gruffly as someone bumped against me, an expression of worry and fear on the man's face.

"What is– He just ran…"

Eliran attempted to ask what was the reason for the ensuing commotion, albeit, it turned out useless for he was ignored as if he was a small pebble on the street.

Taking that into consideration, Cole, through his sharpened instincts from the years spent in the forest bordering Elyndor, including the fact he was met with life-or-death situations numerously during his travels from the Celestial Eclipse itself till the current moment he's living in, scanned the area and noticed that something was actually wrong.

'I can somehow sense… a deep aura.'

"Fucking hell, is something going wrong?" Cole couldn't help but click his tongue in annoyance as more and more people ran the opposite way from the walls they were all crowded at and gazing as if it was a cultural monument.

"Everyone, evacuate from the area right no– kghuaaa!" 

"Shit."

The ground thrummed with a deep, unsettling vibration, resonating with a slight detached fear in Cole's guts.

"Kiyyagh–!"

The crowd's terrified murmurs morphed into panicked screams as a monstrous shadow stretched across the cobblestones, entering through the city wall gate, or rather, flying over it as it killed off numerous knights guarding it. 

Fwap, fwap, fwap!

Its wings flapped as it landed.

A beast over three meters, wreathed in inky mist and bristling with obsidian spines, emerged into the dissipating Haare, its bestial roar shattering the dawn's already disturbed peace.

"KKRRAAGH!"

'A Dragon? No, it's a Wyvern!'

Cole's initial amusement at his own handiwork evaporated.

Terror and despair painted the faces around him, making their previous expressions seem like a joke compared to the ones they were wearing now. 

'This Wyvern seems to be an advanced– No, it's probably a corrupted one, just like the Gargrim I came across in Elyndor.'

This wasn't the calculated chaos he'd envisioned. 

This was an existential threat, and he had to take measures for his own survival.

His conscience, long-simmering beneath layers of cynicism, erupted. He couldn't let this monstrosity devour Mistveil. 

Or, so it could be said if he was such a noble person.

Instead, he snickered to himself.

"Haha, this is a perfect chance."

A novel scene where a mysterious, kind, benevolent character will risk his own life for the greater good.

"Eliran," he grated, tying his voice with emergency, "get out of here. This is beyond us."

Eliran didn't argue. He knew he was powerless considering his magic was useless in such scenarios, or such he had stated, allowing himself to be on death's brink by Cole's hand itself. 

"Take care of your own ass here, and I'll be waiting in the backlines."

He gave Cole a curt nod and melted into the panicked throng, leaving Cole alone with his burgeoning sense of responsibility.

"Sigh, who are you to tell me to take care of myself." Cole scoffed as he slid his hand under the cloak.

Gripping the self-made hilt of his Feather Blade, a rune-inscribed heirloom that hummed with stored magic on the Wyvern's spine, made Cole steel himself. 

He couldn't fight magic with a feather, but he could buy time. 

Hopefully, time for those Knights of Silvindor to get here.

'Now, let's get the episode of desperation started.'

***

"Shit, it got empty quite fast, huh?" Cole thought to himself as he yelled out right after, "Kaia!"

Instantly, the bird was perched on his shoulder, her talons shaking.

"Let's get to work," Cole smirked, signaling for Kaia to blitz through the space and right into the Wyvern's eyes, which were locked onto Cole.

The Corrupted Wyvern, already fueled by the city's terror, turned out to be formidable since the very beginning, considering he just slightly managed to evade his eye from getting struck by Kaia's talons. 

Instead, It retaliated with blasts of corrosive mist and bone-crunching swipes, pushing Cole back. 

Some of the citizens, warriors, emboldened by Cole's will to stay, joined the fight. 

Mages, drawing on their own magic reserves, unleashed waves of elemental fury.

Ruby, emerald, sapphire, gold– The world in front of Cole became a canvas splotched with wonderful shining colors. Except, they were things that could easily end one's life in an instant.

Swordsmen, spearsmen, archers– All were already laying their assault upon the Wyvern just like the mages.

Cole, though lacking magic, wasn't idle. He danced through the commotion gracefully, his senses feeling more heightened than usual, his Feather Blade a blur, carving a gnash into the Wyvern's reptilian skin.

'Shit, it was too shallo– Kgh!"

Without even being able to end his sentence, he received an attack from the Wyvern's dark appendage, the darkened claws grinding into his skin as he tumbled dozens of meters back.

"Kg-Khac, khac!" His breath choked in his chest from the impact as he attempted to clear his blurred vision.

"W-Wha…"

Instantly, all the mages and warriors surrounding the Corrupted Wyvern were seen dead.

Severed.

Halved into two pieces.

Left disabled and screeching in pain.

'I could've been one of them…' Cole thought for an instant, his warmth draining from his face as he realized the circumstances he was in.

That this wasn't just a normal play that would go to his expectations.

That his life could really be ended with just one breath.