Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend

Raegar stood by a lake while watching the caravan set up a tent while Theodore spoke to the Nytherian guards who were protecting the dungeon's entrance. He was eating some bread as Lycaon approached.

''What are you eating?'' he asked while sniffing the air. ''It smells divine.''

''Camping bread,'' Raegar answered before taking another two out of his magic bag. ''Try it and give some to Nymeria.''

The older man's smile grew wider as he accepted the food. ''Thanks, Raegar. I might have to ask for the recipe if we like it.''

''That's okay, I don't mind sharing,'' he answered before returning to the lake.

Lycaon walked off after saying goodnight and went to his tent. Following that, Raegar started a fire so he could cook some monster meat. While waiting for it, Nymeria appeared with a sweet smile.

''Do you mind if I join you, young one?'' she asked.

Raegar nodded as he offered. ''Would you like some meat? I believe it comes from a Forest Bull I killed a while ago.''

She accepted, and the two started eating before the older woman commented while looking at the night sky. ''What are you striving for in life? Power? Wealth? A title?''

Without turning away from the fire, he spoke. ''I don't have a particular goal in mind, but I want to grow stronger and I'm achieving that while being out here.''

Nymeria nodded with a smile. ''That's understandable, you're still young. There're many years to decide on a goal.''

As their conversation continued, Raegar was surprised to learn that they hailed from the eastern region of the Dawnfire Empire. The revelation caught him off guard, but before he could dwell on it, the older woman regarded him with a concerned expression.

''Be cautious in Greenslade,'' she warned, her voice laced with urgency. ''The monsters there are sudden—always lurking, always ready to strike.''

Raegar nodded before replying. ''Thanks for the warning Nymeria. I'll be wary when inside.''

Following that, the wolf woman made her way back as it got later. Once he grew tired, he crawled into his tent and quickly fell asleep after avoiding sleeping on his left arm because of the pain.

The next morning, Raegar woke up to Theodore's voice. ''Young one. Can you come out here, please?''

Confusion clouded his mind, yet he shook his head, stepped outside rubbing his eyes, and found the leader standing there. The older man smiled before speaking. ''Lycaon tells me you're a Spellblade that uses speed?''

''Yes?'' he answered.

Theodore nodded as his smile grew wider. ''Good, would you be able to enter the dungeon with two of our scouts? You don't have to fight, just explore the surroundings and if you encounter anything, just run.''

Raegar's eyebrow rose before asking. ''You know I'm a Tier One mage that hasn't got out of Vapour yet?''

The older man narrowed his eyes, studying Raegar intently before speaking. ''Yes, you may still be Tier One and have yet to reach the second level, but you're suppressing your aura, something only those a tier above you can do. And you survived Bloodfang Forest... That tells me you're more skilled than you let on.''

Upon hearing the man's words, he chuckled. "Alright, I'll do it."Without further hesitation, Theodore led Raegar to the scouts, a man and a woman, who greeted him with friendly smiles as they waited outside the entrance, which was being protected by a small fort.

That's when he saw the entrance, which was a blue doorway that was glowing. However, Theodore wasted no time and gave the trio their orders. ''Move out, all of you. We need to clear this dungeon before it becomes a threat to the city. Report back on the amounts of monsters and what types.''

The man and woman stepped forward, vanishing into the darkness as Raegar took a steadying breath. With a flick of his wrists, his daggers materialized in his grasp, their edges gleaming with lethal intent.

Steeling himself, he followed them through—only to emerge just behind the pair and appear in a deserted city, which confused him to no end. The moment he took a step forward, a wave of dread crashed over him, cold and suffocating.

Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. ''Get out! Now!'' he barked, his instincts screaming danger.

Barely a heartbeat later, he raised his blades just in time to block a swipe, the force of the impact reverberating through his arms. The woman reacted swiftly, diving aside, but the man wasn't fast enough.

A sickening noise filled the air. His head separated from his body, spinning through the shadows before thudding to the bloodstained ground. When the woman saw this, she screamed. ''Thorne!''

Raegar spun toward the entrance, his sharp eyes narrowing as the portal flickered erratically. A sinking feeling settled in his chest while thinking. 'Fuck It's closing!

Wasting no time, he activated Flash Step, his body blurring as he surged toward the exit. But just as he was about to pass through, the portal pulsed—shifting to a deep, ominous red. He slammed into it with force, pain jolting through his body like a shockwave.

Staggering back, he gritted his teeth and fought as the creatures rushed out of the surrounding streets. They resembled humanoids but weren't and reminded him of Ghouls from a game back on Earth.

Raegar used Lightningfire Blast to clear some space so he could get to the woman who was fighting her way to the man's body. When he got close enough, he asked. ''What's going on with the dungeon?''

The woman looked at him with pure fear in her green eyes as she revealed, ''This is a C-Rank dungeon, but it's overflowing, and the extra mana has raised its rank to B. The entrance won't open unless we reduce the monster numbers.''

He was just about to reply, but a massive snake lunged from the nearby bush and bit her in half, which made him jump back in shock. Raegar quickly cast a dozen Stormfire Bullets that slammed into the monster's torso.

To his shock, his attack left nothing but scorch marks on the creature's scales. It barely even flinched. The beast slowly turned its gaze toward him, its glowing yellow eyes locking onto him like a predator sizing up its next meal.

Now that he had a clear look, he felt his stomach tighten. It was a massive cobra-like monster, its dark green body coiled with terrifying power. Then it hit him—this wasn't just any creature.

This was a high-end Tier Three beast. Raegar gulped, his survival instincts screaming at him. Without hesitation, he spun on his heels and bolted into the forest, his heart pounding like a war drum.

'Oh shit, this is bad!' he thought while fleeing.

Behind him, a sickening gulp echoed through the trees as the snake devoured the woman's body whole before chasing him. Thanks to Flash Step, he got a head start but couldn't use it as it was draining his Aether.

He quickly abandoned it, pushing forward with renewed speed. But just as he gained momentum, a pack of Ghouls lunged at him, their jaws snapping. Raegar reacted instantly and vaulted over one, driving his blade through its skull.

While his other hand unleashed a crackling Lightningfire Blast, incinerating another in a burst of electric flame. The fight was far from over as more Ghouls appeared around him like a swarm.

Raegar moved like a force of nature, evading every vicious strike while countering with slashes and stabs, but couldn't dodge every attack as a claw scrapped across his back, causing him to fly forward.

He landed on his feet with a skid and was getting annoyed by all the monsters that were swarming him and sent a surge of Lightningfire Aether through his daggers, crackling with raw power.

Moments later, he leaped back into the fray and used everything he learned from the training in his younger years. While fighting, he didn't see a creature charging at him from behind just as a claw swept through the air, and Raegar ducked just in time, feeling the rush of wind above him.

Without hesitation, he drove his dagger deep into its heart, the creature's life snuffed out in a single, flawless thrust. Following that, Raegar stood at the heart of the carnage, his daggers slick with the blood of fallen Ghouls as corpses surrounded him.

They were relentless, a sea of twisted, snarling faces closing in from all sides. 'I need to get out of here,' he internally panicked.

His eyes flashed with worry, and with a roar, he cast Lightningfire, scorching the nearest ghouls into ashes. But for every one that fell, two more took their place. He cut through the masses, slashing, stabbing, his movements a blur of steel and fury.

Another Ghoul lunged, but Raegar's blade found its throat before it could even scream. Yet even as they fell, the horde pressed on, growing ever thicker. He continued killing the creatures until his arms grew tired.

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