Karl’s blade twirled, creating a field of fire from [Flaming Body] that acted as a shield as the Ogres launched their first attacks.
Two rapid steps to the side, and Karl used [Shred] to launch an attack at the flank of his closest opponent. The skill only cut a shallow line in the thick hide of the Ogre, but it stretched across its back, which would make every swing ache.
The other Ogre hurled a spear at Karl too fast for him to dodge, but the obsidian head of the weapon slammed into his armour with a clang, while the outer shell of [Flaming Body] was pierced, but under that [Eternal Lightning] was only vibrating, and then the spear was tossed to the ground.
Karl stomped on the spearhead, shattering the fragile stone so it couldn’t be reused, and let a cruel laugh escape the confines of his helmet.
Not because he was feeling enthusiastic. If they kept up those attacks, he was in real trouble, and he knew it. But to taunt the Ogre and make the dimwitted creature do something stupid.
A stone blade came crashing down where Karl had been standing as he charged his target, and the tip of his blade met Ogre flesh, burning and searing it as the Monarch Rank monster’s defensive abilities kept it from being run clean through.
Then Karl kicked at the back of the beast’s legs as hard as he could manage. The unexpected strike caught the Ogre off guard and threw it to the ground, where it rolled backwards across the grass to avoid a follow-up strike.
The remaining Ogre snarled something in their language as it summoned another spear to throw at Karl.
The wounded member went running for the basement, so Karl stopped focusing on it.
If that was where it really wanted to be, it was welcome to try.
But before either of them could make another attack, a deep blue bolt of lightning struck the Monarch Rank Ogre in front of Karl, killing it instantly.
Next to the temple, a pair of Gryphons stepped out of nowhere, their elegant white feathered wings flaring in rage as they threw their heads to the sky.
The final Ogre turned and fled, leaving the cages and closing the portal behind it as it left.
The battle was over, but the look that the two monsters were giving Karl was enough to encourage him not to take even a single step closer.
They were, at the very minimum, strong Overlords. He was reasonably sure that even Thor’s formidable protection would not take one of those lightning bolts.
Fortunately for Karl, he didn’t have to find out.
From the basement steps, a gigantic serpentine form emerged. The hooded head of a Naga was decorated with a veil of shining rocks woven into a black silk veil that nearly blended in with the patterns on Remi’s blue scales.
As she stretched her newly evolved body upright, Karl saw that she now had a nearly humanoid, but serpentine scaled upper body. She kept the head of a snake, but had gained four arms.
Four arms that now all held blades and had enchanted jewellery on their wrists, while her chest was hidden by a golden armour plate covered in black chains.
That was a familiar feeling outfit, Karl decided.
Remi had learned how to use [Bestial Raiment], his armour spell, and she had used it to make her Queenly Attire.
Three smaller Naga Warriors appeared around her, spears in hand. It was an innate skill of the Naga Queens to summon bodyguards, and Remi’s had taken on her coloration, but with all black armour.
[Congratulations, Naga Queen. It has been a long time since an adherent of the old gods has advanced here. I see you brought many friends with you.] The Gryphon’s voice boomed in Karl’s mind.
Remi smiled happily. [Thank you for coming to my assistance, I love this new body, but it took some time to get used to, and we were delayed in coming to help our final pack member.]
The Gryphons gave Karl suspicious looks, then seemed to shrug.
[If you say that a human is trustworthy, we will believe you. The others will be excited to hear that a new Shaman Queen has been born today, and they will be certain to reward you in their own ways.]
The Gryphons looked upward at something that Karl couldn’t see, then spread their wings.
[Your time here is done for today. But we will see you again soon enough.]
Karl wasn’t certain what they meant until the impenetrable white fog began to descend over them.
The beasts were forced into their spaces, and the Bodyguards were dismissed along with Rae’s Golems. It was a shame that they hadn’t gotten a chance to fight. Karl was interested to see how Remi’s bodyguards stacked up against Rae’s Golems.
[I wonder if we’re going skydiving again.] Rae pondered as the world seemed to vanish around them.
[Skydiving sounds fun. What is it?] Cara asked.
The two started on a profound discussion of the benefits of dropping indestructible objects from the sky on your opponents, but the world was already coming back into focus.
Only Karl still had no idea where he was.
They were in a room made of white marble with a well-worn wooden floor, and they were surrounded by clerics. But it wasn’t the capital cathedral, and Karl could have sworn that he could see tails swishing out of many of the robes, and horns on heads.
In a strange unison, the chatter in the room faded, and everyone turned to face Karl, who was covered in black Ogre blood and still holding a massive flaming sword.
“Sorry.” He muttered as he put the blade away, but everyone was still staring at him.
“Sir, do you need assistance? Where are you injured?” One of the clerics stammered.
“Oh, sorry. Thank you for the healing, but I’m not injured. This isn’t my blood. I was trying to return home through an anomaly, and for some reason it brought me here. Wherever here is.”
The clerics were still staring at him, unsure if they were supposed to answer, run away in terror, possibly fight him, or douse him with holy water.
A familiar voice came from Karl’s left.
“Prince Karl of the Golden Dragon Nation?”
Karl turned and nodded. “I am. Might I ask again where I happened to end up?”
The priest smiled, and his eyes went fully bronze, and slotted like a dragon’s eyes.
There were bronze horns on his head, and he was almost guaranteed to be in charge here, with his Overlord Rank power.
“I suppose you don’t recognize me like this, as I have changed appearances since we last met. I am Orthos. Formerly the Town Champion of the Darklight Host in Bunga, and a purebred Bronze Dragon. Welcome to Bruse Temple.”
“Well fancy that. I didn’t think I would be seeing you again this week. I was on my way back to Baberg after a quest sent me east out of Glatt. The last of my beasts reached Royal Rank, and it sent me here.
I am impressed that you could hide your power that well. I could have sworn that I was the stronger of the two of us when we last met.” Karl laughed.
The dragon threw his head back and gave a full throated draconic laugh that shook the walls of the temple.
“You might have been close back then. But that was well over ten thousand years ago. However, a bronze dragon remembers every moment of their life as clearly as if it were yesterday, and I have not forgotten the Beast Master War Champion who accepts duels over his Rank.”
“Wait, so Bunga is somewhere nearby?” Karl asked.
“No, it’s on another continent. I’m not certain how much it has changed, I haven’t been there in thousands of years. Not since the last of the system collapsed, and I moved to the Divine Beast Nation to be with my kinfolk.”
“It seems that we have a lot to talk about. Or at least, I have many questions for you. But first, where is Bruse Temple?”
“In the Flokwar River region of the Divine Beast Nation. I do hope that you weren’t in a hurry to leave, human Beast Master. That could be problematic.”
Well, that did explain the room full of beastkin giving him strange looks.
