Bab 17: Call of the Void (6)
[Shit! What is a Demon doing here?! I didn't even sense him land!]
Hawke screamed inwardly, his wings slightly trembling.
"Why are you not saying anything? Do the winds obstruct your hearing?"
The Demon asked, his bright red eyes glowing maliciously.
"Then I shall introduce myself again."
"My name is Nicolai Aurelius Vermont, who might you be?"
[Three names? Shit! It's an aristocrat!]
Hawke chewed his lips before responding.
"My name is Hawke Featherblade, I am the Captain of the Sparrow Knights."
Hawke regained his composure and confidently introduced himself.
"Ah, a knight? I see... It is a rare sight to see a Harpy this far north, are you perhaps a part of that tribe that chooses to rebel against my liege?"
Hawke flinched upon hearing the Nicolai's words.
The Demon King is a being that has united all humanoid beings except for humans and put them all under his rule, Harpies included.
But...
For ages, the Harpies of Frostfront have refused to go under his rule.
"Ah... Worry not, my liege has no intention of attacking you."
"He has instead chosen to leave you to the mercy of those humans."
He spoke in a calm and caring tone, but the sharp fangs exposed by his grin suggested otherwise.
"Then... What are you here for?"
[Is he here to claim the corpse created by his master?]
"My how rude, am I not allowed to be here?"
Nicolai responded in a sarcastic tone.
"No, that's not what I..."
"Haha it's a joke! You are so stiff!"
Nicolai slapped his knee and laughed out loud.
"What I'm here for is that."
He gestured toward the mummified corpse of the Wyvern.
[As I thought... he's here for the Wyvern.]
Hawke thought.
"But before I take it... Do you perhaps know what happened to it?"
"HUH?"
Hawke's eyes went wide.
[Did the Demon King not do this?!]
The Demon continued:
"My liege sensed a.... strange power coming from this area and asked me to come investigate."
"It would be helpful if you knew anything at all. I will reward you handsomely for any information you give."
Nicolai said, a pleasant smile adorning his face.
"Sorry, but I don't know anything."
Hawke's reply made Nicolai's eyebrow slightly twitch.
[This fucking bird... Is he hiding something?]
Nicolai mused, narrowing his fiery red eyes at Hawke.
"I see..."
Nicolai elegantly walked toward the mummified remains of the Wyvern offspring.
[Hmm... It is as if my liege himself killed this lowly creature.]
[What is going on? Who could possibly possess that great man's power in a place like this?]
[This shouldn't be possible... my liege has produced hundreds of offspring, but none of them could inherit his power.]
[This bird... he was trying to destroy this corpse when I came was he not?]
[He definitely knows something...]
Nicolai concluded his internal monologue and turned his gaze to Hawke.
"If you are so adamant that you know nothing, then pray tell, why were you trying to destroy this thing's corpse?"
Hawke's lips slightly trembled upon hearing Nicolai's question but he bit them in order to conceal his emotions.
Hawke responded:
"This is my family's nest that has been used to hatch our offspring for generations."
"Though my wife and I cannot bear any children, I come here occasionally to clean it in hopes that we one day do bear offspring. "
"To my surprise I found this dead thing here and the nest destroyed, so I was merely taking out my frustrations on it."
Hawke explained the situation, his heart beat steady and his blue eyes as piercing as ever, not a single flicker to expose him for his lies.
"I see..."
Nicolai took a deep breath.
"I see that you're full of shit!"
*Crackle!*
Nicolai roared, and a bright red flame fumed on his right fist.
"I tried being nice, you fucking woodpecker!"
"Do you know how long I had to fly to this piss ridden part of the continent?! Huh?!"
"I wish to be at the side of my liege! Stop wasting my fucking time and tell me what you know!"
Nicolai spat his poison, the orange hues of his flame enveloped fist illuminating the mountain top.
"Like I said, I don't know anything..."
"YOU BAT-EARED FUCK."
*crackle!*,*Bzzt!*
Hawke spat, Nicolai's insults causing him to lose his patience and composure.
Hawke's bulky fist was crackling with lighting.
"Then die!"
Nicolai launched himself at Hawke.
*BOOM!*, *BOOM!*, *BOOM!*
Lighting and fire imbued fists collided in rapid succession, causing the entire mountain to shake uncontrollably, the deafening sound of their clash spreading throughout the skies and beyond.
[Ugh... This damn bird is actually strong!]
Nicolai cried inwardly, his fists slowly beginning to feel sore from colliding with Hawke's.
But...
[I'm faster!]
*Fwosh!*
Nicolai dodged and slipped under one of Hawke's punches, he took a step forward and clenched his fist on his waist, preparing to unleash an uppercut.
Nicolai unleashed his fist from his waist and launched it toward Hawke's chin.
■■Flame Ascension!■■
Nicolai spat his spell.
*CRACKLE!*, *BOOM!*
Hawke's body became swallowed by a pillar of violent red flames, sending his body soaring high into the air.
The rock from which the pillar of flames rose turned into red hot magma.
"Fucking bird... you should have cooperated."
Nicolai spoke in a victorious tone, assuming that Hawke had already been dealt with.
"Hm? What's that?"
He saw a bright blue light high in the skies.
"Ugh... that damn Demon is strong! I guess it's true that Demon aristocrats are in a league of their own."
Hawke spoke glaring down at what used to be his nest and spitting out the blood that had accumulated in his mouth.
"But..."
Hawke grinned widely.
"I am a Featherblade!"
*ZAP!* *BZZZZZTTT!*
Hawke proudly declared and infused his entire body with lighting, including his wings.
■■ Heaven's Wrath! ■■
*ZAAAP!*
Hawke cast his spell and literally descended upon Nicolai at the speed of lighting.
[!!]
Nicolai glanced over at the Wyvern's corpse and kicked it off the nest, knowing very well that it would be vapourised if it was caught in that attack.
"Damn you!"
Nicolai screamed and braced himself for the attack could no longer avoid.
■■ Hell's Core! ■■
Nicolai cast his spell, bright red flames enveloped his being like a layer of armor.
*BZZZZZTTT!*, *BOOOM!*
Bright and thick streaks of lighting rained upon the mountain and completely vaporized its top part, reducing its once above the clouds height to around the same level as the clouds.
Rocks and boulders were sent flying through the air in all directions, the once pointy mountain top was now flat.
The entirety of its surface completely scorched and molten.
"*huff*, *huff*."
Hawke regulated his breath, his eyes narrowed at the smoke rising from the scorched surface.
"*huff*, *huff*, *huff*... You feathered bastard, how dare you?"
Nicolai raised his body, the fabric on his forearms completely torn, revealing his bruised skin.
Nicolai took off the blazer of his suit and then he removed his tie and unbuttoned his black shirt.
"Heaven's Wrath you say? How presumptuous!"
"Do you think your kind still carries the blood of the Angels?! Ha!"
Nicolai snorted and took a deep breath before continuing.
"It's true that your ancestors descend from Angels but... You're all nothing but worm eating birds now!"
Nicolai spat, his blood-red eyes burning intensely.
[...]
Hawke grit his teeth and spread his large navy blue wings.
[I don't care if I incur the Wrath of the Demon King... I'm going to kill this bastard!]
Hawke felt a surge of uncontrollable rage rise up from his bowels.
Hadiah
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