Chương 1257: [1174] - Y06.074 - The First Rain of Noonval III

"Reavers? Are they some kind of snack?" Bael asked, dangling over the cliff, a ribbon trying the little one to the Emperor's leg.

"They are from a time most have forgotten," the Emperor admitted.

"They were… strong."

"They were strong?" Bael asked, peeking up towards their great grandfather, whose face reminisced upon the time with a curious fondness.

"If I came across one now, I could kill them as easily as I could kill your typical hill giant, but when I fought them, I was younger. It was long before the time I went mad and slaughtered those fishbastards. I came across a straggler, far from the height of his power, but he was a tough fight. I don't have any scars from that battle, but I remember the feeling. It's a feeling I've long forgotten, since no one is willing to fight nowadays."

"Forgotten? Doesn't Sha-,""Shut up, you brat!" the Emperor snarled, tugging Bael up by the ribbon, swinging the child above, allowing the little one to fly in a circle above his head.

"Those Reavers, they might come back soon, in the next century, a good time for you to fight!" Bael laughed wildly while circling around the Emperor's head, the child's cackle filling the air.

"Although, you might not be able to have much fun, since back then there was no Iyr."

"Is the Iyr really that scary?" Bael asked as the Emperor stopped swinging the little one around, dropping the child beside him, who swayed from side to side.

"I'll die of worry if my Empire falls to you."

"I don't want to rule anyway! Pops won't hand it over to me since I'm too strong for him!" Bael declared, those little eyes brimming with mischief.

"He's not that much of an idiot to hand it to you," the old Emperor replied, grinning wide, revealing just where Bael inherited such troublesomeness.

"I just wanna be a great hero like you!"

"That's why you're my favourite!" The old man roared with laughter, though within his mind, he wondered if he was truly a hero.

"You don't have to worry, you old geezer! I won't let the family break apart!" Bael grinned wide, eyes sparkling with a greater mischief, the kind only the Emperor's family could possess.

"I'll make sure that when I kill pops, the family doesn't fight for the position and cause the empire to break apart!"

"Don't kill him at all, you brat!"

"What? Why not?" Bael gasped, ready to cause greater mischief against the old Emperor.

"Don't kill your own family!"

"Why not? You did!" Bael cackled with delight, eyes narrowing near shut from the force of their troublesomeness.

"I did it because that's the time I grew up in! I-," Bael instantly stopped laughing, seeing upon the old man's expression something the child had never seen before, causing their tiny hairs to stand on end, and even the land around lost its liveliness. Bael grabbed the old Emperor's head, hugging him tight.

"Sorry, gramps! I was only joking!" The pair hugged tight, and though the old Emperor had joked so much about it, he had never once heard Bael make such a joke before. The images flashed through the old man's mind, a time he could never forget, no matter how much he drunk, not when the nightmares plagued him for millennia.

"I won't kill him! I promise! Not unless he tries to kill me!" Bael assured, holding their great grandfather's head close.

"You little brat…" The old Emperor continued to hold his tiny descendant close, feeling how tiny the child was in his arms.

"At least make sure Aina doesn't get the throne!"

"That would be too scary!"

"She'll probably get it."

"Yeah." The pair shuddered, accepting their fate.

"At least I'll be dead before she gets the throne."

"What! Gramps! You'll never die! You're the strongest!" Bael exclaimed, refusing to accept such a possibility.

"I'll burn my Spark so I never have to return to see her reign," the old Emperor joked, though his heart throbbed. It had already settled deep within his heart and it was becoming difficult to deal with it. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"I'll burn my Spark and get you back!"

"That's not how that works."

"There's got to be a magic that can bring your soul back after its destroyed!" Bael said.

"There is no such thing."

"You old geezer!" Bael clenched a fist, ready to punch the old man, but recalled just how much the old man's fist hurt in return and decided to show mercy that day, especially since there were too many statues nearby.

"Besides, I'll go before you get your Spark."

"Hmph! I'll get a Spark soon! Just you wait! I'll steal it from your treasury!"

"Your father is too serious about it, so how will you do it?"

"I'll ask nicely!" The pair fell silent for a long moment before they burst out into laughter, tears flowing down their faces. It was one thing for that stupid guy to hand over something from the treasury, and another for Bael to ask that stupid guy nicely.

"Since Aina's getting the Empire, I'll give you a Spark."

"Huh? You really have a Spark?"

"I can't give you mine, since I promised it to Soza, but I'll give you another I own for your hundredth birthday, or about that time?" The Emperor didn't know if he could survive a whole century. Bael blinked, already imaging the mess that would descend upon the world once a spark was within those tiny hands.

"Although, since Aina is getting the Empire, I might need to hand a second Spark to the Iyr…"

"How many Sparks does the Iyr need anyway! Give one to me! No! Give both to me! I'll surpass even those stinky rats the mortals pray to!"

"They won't need a Spark to handle Aina, but it would make it easier to keep the balance."

"Is the Iyr really that scary?" Bael asked, no humour or trouble within the child's voice.

"How many kingdoms do the short lived peoples have that have lasted two thousand years? Aldland and Aswabayad, no, Aswadasad is it now? How was it that those two, ruled by humans, have lasted this entire time?"

"The Iyr?"

"They've lasted from the beginning of my reign, and they'll live beyond it too. They're the only short lived people who think upon a dragon's scale. Centuries. Millennia. Plus, she's still there, and as long as she lives, the elves won't be able to move. There's no way the Iyr can fall."

"The old lady?" Bael asked.

"She's your aunt! Show some respect!" The Emperor held up a fist, but reached down to ruffle the child's hair, since they weren't even a hundred years old yet.

"That old lady… she's helped me a lot, so make sure you repay my debt!"

"I'm not inheriting your empire, so I won't inherit your debt," Bael replied simply.

"Don't you want to fight someone strong."

"Whose strong in the Iyr?" Bael asked, before quickly narrowing those annoyed eyes, seeing as how the Emperor was about to make a joke.

"Not those mortal Iyrmen! They're just a buncha kids! How many of them even grow up to a hundred anyway?"

"Don't underestimate her. That old lady, she's at least as strong as me."

"Huh? Why didn't you say that? When I go to the Iyr, I'll make sure to beat her up!"

"At least she won't kill you… probably."

"I'll still fight her!"

"Don't trouble her, you brat! Fight someone else!"

"Fine! I'll go fight Stokmar once that old drake wakes up!"

"Stokmar? Lord Stokmar's…" The Emperor thought of the being he hadn't seen in so long, someone who had almost killed him countless times, if not for the fact the old Lord of Earth preferred to sleep and drink.

"If you don't want to die, don't trouble Stokmar." Bael had noted that the old man had referred to Stokmar as Lord Stokmar, and the fact that they were fearless enough to kill Bael...

"That old drake is that strong?"

"Is there a dragon who could beat Stokmar? Stokmar's older than any dragon alive in our Realms. If there's even a handful of earth in existence, Stokmar can't be beaten. If there was no land at all, I could fly, and after a few moons, I might be able to kill the old thing!"

"I didn't realise Stokmar was so…" Bael admitted, having learnt a little about Stokmar, but only in passing, and only that the Lord of Earth had defeated the Emperor countless times, but when he was barely a man, which wasn't that impressive.

"The word strong is too weak for Lord Stokmar."

"I'll beat them up too! Weren't they born of those stinky rats? I'll teach them a lesson by beating the old drake up!"

"Lord Stokmar might have been born from those rats, but they aren't so bad. If you want a good drink, you drink whatever the Lord of Earth is drinking."

"How good?"

"At least as good as Marrakish Sapphire."

"Oh!" Bael replied, brows shooting up in surprise, since wars had been fought over the wine before.

'That good?' It had been the only time Bael had spoken with his great grandfather about the Reavers in such detail, and even then, the conversation had devolved to speaking of greater fights. However, had it imprinted within his heart back then? Within the forest, the crimson ichor fell into the earth, the Reaver feeling the ache of a decent enough fight, especially from a weakling like Nobby.

Lightning flashed, followed an instant by the thunder, the plasma illuminating the Reaver reaching down across the young man's face. It paused for a moment, for the dying young man smiled. As the darkness engulfed his vision, and even as the thunder rumbled loudly across his ears, he couldn't help but think.

'My son's cries are much louder.' The Reaver could see the look of pride upon the cold young man's face, who had died like a warrior. It was a look they were familiar with, for the Reavers knew of pride, that which existed beyond just this world. Mana: 26 -> 22 Spell: Dimension Door The Reaver turned, swinging its blade wildly to the side. Lightning flashed, illuminating the form of the figure in full plate, and thunder rumbled through the air.

A wave of lightning blast through its companion, tearing through the trees, leaving a trail of hundreds of burnt wood.

'Oops,' Bael thought, as lightning continued to crash down as he pelted the Reaver with his fists, the young fellow almost burning part of his Spark in his excitement. Adam had seen it only for a moment as the lightning illuminated the world around him in that instant, and for once, he regretted his ability to see in the dark. He had already planned to make a joke about how he couldn't spoil Merry, but seeing the still form laying behind the Reaver, the half elf's eyes remained glued to the creature before him.

There were no words to describe it. Onward Soar: 1 -> 0 Mana: 22 -> 17 Spell: Searing Smite Attack: Seventh Sky D20 + 10 = 13 (3) Omen: 7, 20 -> 7 20 + 10 = 30 (18) Critical Hit! Seventh Sky: 1 -> 0 Mana: 17 -> 12 Ability: Divine Smite 8D6 + 10D6 + 12D6 + 8 = 105 (25)(30)(42) 105 damage!