I stared at Zinok blankly for a moment, stunned not only at the strange question he had just asked, but the fact that he had just appeared before me. "I'm not much into taking requests from people who abduct and lock me up." I said as I regained my bearing. I didn't know what it was about me that had caught his attention, but I was already wanted by Iustitia's church and allying with a pirate to kill a God seemed like a surefire way to turn the rest of them against me, not something I needed when I was trying to get to Amare's Divine City.
There was the sudden feeling of my entire body being squeezed before the drab stonework was suddenly replaced by open space. I could feel the sunlight hitting my skin and the sand beneath my feet while the sound of waves gently lapped against the beach that I was standing upon. "I didn't think that you would be so inexperienced." Zinok said, his position relative to me the same as it had been before. "Short range teleportation shouldn't be outside the scope of your abilities so I assumed you were used to it."
I could only shake my head in disbelief at his words. Teleportation wasn't easy magic to learn or use, as while the people of this world had yet to figure out, but the constant motion of the planet made locking onto the area you wanted to teleport to extremely difficult without being able to make miniscule adjustments while building the magic formula. "I'm sorry to disappoint you. Perhaps you were mistaken about whatever you thought I was? If so, I'd appreciate it if you could just send me off to Melarc." I said hoping that Zinok would allow me to leave, or better yet, just teleport me nearby to the Divine City Luxuria.
Zinok however only laughed at my words. "Impossible. I'd recognize that energy that takes the form of fire anywhere. You can't fool my eyes, but if you insist on denying it..." He trailed off as red scales covered the entirety of his visible skin as his entire body enlarged and morphed until he was a massive red dragon, his body covering over half the small island he'd brought us to. "So tell me little Voidspawn, do you truly think that I, The Prince of Flame, could mistake your true nature?"
I wasn't sure exactly how he spoke in that form, but I could only blink rapidly as I tried to gather my thoughts. I had thought he was maybe a half-dragon, or perhaps a dragon-like Therian, so him being an actual dragon was quite the shock, especially considering that he was interfering in the affairs of what he called lesser beings, something that he must have been doing for quite some time unless he took over the Skala Pirates only recently.
I tried to keep myself composed as I took a deep breath. "You might not be wrong. However, let alone my race or kind, I am unable to see my Status so even my Skills and Affinities are a mystery to me." I said with as best an apathetic shrug as I could manage at the moment.
"Hmm?" Zinok mused, the massive reptilian eyes focusing on me before his form suddenly shrunk back to that of the red-haired man I'd first seen him as. "If it weren't for the fact that I can tell when someone is trying to deceive me, I'd doubt your excuse very much. Very well. I don't wish to be bothered with teaching you about yourself and without-" He cut himself off and shook his head. "I'll have my sister take you where you want to go, I've still got to deal with those stubborn Adventurers."
Zinok disappeared just as he finished speaking, leaving me alone and more confused than when he had asked if I wanted to kill a God. At first I thought he'd been crazy, but as Red Dragon he could potentially dethrone a God if he desired, I was simply unsure of why he would want to do such a thing. I couldn't be completely sure, and even Kaliel hadn't been able to confirm or deny it, but Gabriel had said that everyone on this planet was some kind of prisoner, however, whether everyone applied to the Mortal Gods or not was something I was still unsure about. If they weren't then they were likely wardens of some kind, and if they were, then there was no point in becoming one if your situation would only barely change.
That said it was unlikely that Zinok was actually aware of that, the sole reason I knew was because of my chance encounter with the aforementioned Archangel. However it wasn't like I could tell him that now anyway so I could only wait for his sister to show up to give me a ride. I had assumed that his sister would be a Red Dragon like him, however when a soft and soothing voice flowed into my ears and I turned to see a woman with long blue hair approaching I could only stare as she approached.
"Synestra Skala." The woman said, holding her hand out. Without thinking much I reached my hand forward and shook her hand. "Vell." I said, coming out of my daze slightly.
Synestra nodded. "A good name. My brother said that you needed a ride to Melarc? I'll help you get there but, how about a little detour first?" Synestra's ocean blue eyes gleamed as she locked her gaze with mine, a grin across her face.
I hesitated for a bit as I looked at Synestra, before finally nodding. She gave off the same aura as Zinok, so I didn't doubt she was also a Dragon. And if she was a Dragon, she was much more powerful than I was, so what were the chances that one of my Skills managed to ensnare her as I had the others?
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