The Black Necromancer

"Me? I'm Nedra!" Nedra perked up and replied happily. She was clearly happy to get some attention. Unlike the calm and dignified queen that Leon had envisioned, she was like a happy child. Leon thought it had something to do with how happy she was to have a different form, and the fact that the form she was in was that of a young person. She looked as though she was a young girl in her late teens, around eighteen or nineteen, which was a big lie, considering her true age.

"Oh, hello Nedra." Maple's warm smile widened and she studied Leon and Nedra. At once, she knew that there was no way they could be related. It was just impossible, as there was no resemblance at all between the two of them.

Curtis looked intrigued. "Are you Sir Leon's companion?" He asked, already adding a suffix to Leon's name before Leon knew it.

"Mhm! I've been with him for a while now." Nedra nodded her head and sat back a bit, looking at the boy. Curtis immediately averted his gaze, not wanting to look at her directly. A light red color washed over his cheeks, but he quickly regained his calm.

Silence descended onto the cabin as the various members of Curtis' party laid back to rest from their exhaustion. Only Damon remained at full alert, his eyes covertly studying Leon and Nedra. At one point, his eyes clashed with Nedra's and he felt a chill run down his spine. Nedra's eyes flashed a bright red and she smiled at him, but there was nothing friendly about that smile. Damon felt as if he was staring at death, and quickly averted his gaze.

Nedra simply tilted her head and smiled at Leon, who shook his head at her. The two of them were communicating mentally through their shared bond.

'So, you just have this form?' Leon asked. When silence descended, he had immediately begun questioning Nedra on how she had gotten this human form.

'Yes, I suddenly just got this form. I think it is because of the connection we share through our master and companion bond. So, your human form indirectly gave me one too. Plus, I have TWO human forms!' She replied triumphantly. After she spoke, she shared a mental image of a much more matured figure than her current form. Leon barely held in the need to choke on his saliva when he beheld that figure.

'What is a MILF? This is!' Were the words that crossed his mind when he saw the image. He quickly shook his head to wave away those thoughts as he heard Curtis speak up again.

"Um, Sir Leon." The boy spoke up.

"Hmm?" Leon turned to look at him.

"If I may ask, what is your goal for heading to Fort Bender?" Curtis asked.

"Oh, my goal?" Leon rubbed his chin slightly, "Well, to be honest, I don't really have much of a goal. I heard something of interest and decided to travel in this direction. You can call me a wanderer." He smiled coyly.

To be honest, he did not get Michael's reason for sending him all the way here, and he could only wing it at this point, hoping to subtly fish for information and piece out a plan of action.

Curtis' eyes sparkled. "Are you also interested in Divinity's Bout?" He asked enthusiastically.

"Oh, you also know of it?" Leon was pleasantly surprised at Curtis' reaction.

"Of course, I do! Who doesn't? In fact, I was hoping I could do well enough to catch the attention of a God. It seems I have you to compete against in our rank." Curtis grinned widely.

"Haha, I see. All the best, then." Leon nodded with a smile of his own.

Thirty minutes later, the carriage strode out of the cover of the forest, emerging onto an expansive plain with large fields of wheat on either side of the road. Up ahead in the distance, Leon could see a massive wall that stretched up dozens of meters high into the air. Atop the wall, a number of armed soldiers patrolled, their weapons clear for all to see as a means of deterrence.

"There it is, Fort Bender." Curtis whistled as he looked at the imposing wall that the carriage was approaching. In front of the gate that led into the city was a short line that was comprised of different carriages and wagons of different styles that showcased their vastly different backgrounds.

"Where were all these people when we needed help?" Curtis twisted his lips in a sneer when he saw the large amount of people that had lined up before the city's gates. He found it hard to believe that they had simply all passed before his group was attacked.

"There is no reason to help a potential competitor or enemy." Damon idly remarked from his corner, his arms folded across his chest as he also took in the view.

Whoosh!

A mighty gust of wind blew overhead and the occupants of the carriage turned to look up. Leon's deep eyes sparkled as he beheld a magnificent sight. Two winged creatures flew side by side, with a rider saddled on each of their backsides, controlling them. With one look, Leon quickly referenced what he knew on creatures that resembled these two.

'Four limbs, arms joined with the wings...'

Wyverns!

The two mighty beasts of legend back on Earth were Wyverns! Leon let a silly grin grow across his face as he watched them descend on the other side of the massive wall that surrounded Fort Bender.

"Did you see those? Those were Wyverns!" Even Nedra was surprised and excited to see the fantastic beasts, leaning against the window of the carriage. Curtis and his group members also looked excited as they saw the creatures.

"What kind of Wyverns do you think they were?" Leon asked Corey.

"Hmm, they looked like Wind Wyverns, but I can't be sure. I have not seen them in real life before. The gentle giant shrugged.

"What do you think, Sir Leon?" Curtis turned to Leon.

"Hmm, we'll see." Leon shrugged as well, as he also had no idea what kind of Wyverns those two would be. They would have to wait and hope they could see the creatures when they entered the city.