Chapter 73: His death will be painful
Ren had the knight kept inside the cave. He was stripped of his armour and left with only his normal clothes. All this was done while he was unconscious.
When he finally came awake, he was greeted with the dim interior of the cave. It scented of wood and broken stone. Construction was still happening here, and that was the reason.
His eyes panned around as he tried to figure out where he was and what was happening. He felt a lot of pain around his body, like he had been beaten and dragged around.
"Seems someone has woken up." Aren’s voice cut through the air. It was a steady tone that carried authority without begging for it.
The knight looked up, and only now did he see Ren seated on a wooden stool with Ezra standing right beside him.
The moment he saw two monsters standing there, his instincts kicked in. His hands reached for his side to pull his sword, only to feel that there was nothing there. He looked down fast and saw that he had no sword. In fact, he had no armour on.
He looked up, gritting his teeth. "What did you monsters do?" he barked.
"Easy now. You would not want to cause yourself more pain." Ren said. He leaned in and placed his hands on his thighs, interlocking his fingers and focusing on the knight.
"You are a royal knight, an elite of the kingdom. You should know when to attack and when to be calm.
You are currently deep in the forest and facing two monsters without any weapons." Ren suggested that he use his head and keep calm.
The knight clenched his fist. "What do you want?" he asked.
"Oh, right to the point, I see. That’s good." Ren replied and then got up. He took a few steps forward and stood in front of the knight.
"Why were you and your team sent to the town? What mission were you sent to do?" Ren asked.
The knight paused for an extended moment, then finally opened his mouth. "You really thought that a royal knight would budge to a monster?
Hahahahaha, that has to be the biggest joke that I have ever heard. I would rather plunge a dagger right through my heart before allowing you to hear a single word of information from me." He spoke with the unshakable conviction of a trained soldier.
"Arghhh, I expected that much. You would not speak for sure, someone as trained as you.
Well, it was worth a try. I just wanted to ask, but I’m pretty sure that I know the reason why you are here.
You were sent to come check the dragon that had shown up in the forest, right? Probably kill them as well."
As the knight heard that, there was a streak of shock on his face, but he quickly fought to put it away and focus.
"Ahhh, seems I got you there, haha." Ren said and then squatted in front of him.
"Well, you do not have to search for the dragon anymore. He is right here in front of you." He stretched out his hand for a handshake.
"Hello, I am Ren Crimson, the Dragon that you are looking for. It’s nice to meet you."
As the words rolled off Ren’s tongue and into the ears of the knight, he froze. He looked at Ren right in the eyes, and only now did he notice the features that hinted at Ren being a dragon.
His breathing quickened when he came to the final realization that he was right in front of a dragon.
"Leaving me hanging, I see. Well, that’s cool." Ren said and stood back up. "Your team will surely be out to find you, which means they’ll attack in a few days for sure, maybe sooner. Keep tight and don’t do anything, and you might just get to keep your head in place." He gave a subtle threat to the guard and then turned to leave.
"Ezra, let’s go."
Ezra stared at the knight for a long period. Her eyes told it all. She was unhappy with this. After all, she knew that these knights wanted to harm Ren.
While the two of them walked off, the guard stared with an intent glare in his eyes. He gritted his teeth hard. This was his opportunity. This was his moment to shine and take down the dragon that they had all come for. All he needed to do was act, and act now.
His delusions of grandeur filled him, wanting to be the hero of the story. He struggled to his feet as fast as he could and then pulled his sleeve up to reveal two triangle-like runes on his arms. They seemed to have been seared into his arms.
"Never thought I would have to use this here." He clasped his hands together the same way he held a sword, and the runes ignited with intense burning. A flame sword condensed in his hands. It was no normal flame sword. The flames looked like plasma that could cut through anything.
"I’ll not allow this chance to pass me by, monster."
He planted his foot into the ground and shot forward. The moment he moved, Ren sighed.
He came in with a thrust for Ren, but before the blade could get to Ren, Ezra moved, using her own arms to parry the attack before spinning and using her tail to slam into the knight, hurling him back. He slammed into the ground, rolled, and then came to a stop on one knee.
"Are you hurt, Ezra?" Ren asked.
"No, Master." she replied. The place that the blade had touched was safe because she had used her magic affinity. She had one of the rarest affinities that anyone had here, and that was metal and fire, a dual-affinity mage.
At the moment of impact, she had used her metal magic to form and cover her hands with metal.
"Master, please leave now. This fight will be between me and him. He dared to attack you. His death will be painful."