The Last Legendary System

Vergil fell on his back after climbing to the top of the sand hill. His legs gave way.

His throat burned with thirst, but his hand felt too weak to get the last bottle of water from his backpack.

"Argh!" He suddenly screamed, bruising his throat. "We shouldn’t have left..." he swallowed hard. "... Sir Benign. He was injured. We should’ve slowed down."

He rolled to his side. "What will we tell Lady Lyra? How do I live with myself?"

Stun stopped trudging forward to catch his breath. "You... started running first... I followed you... He never... should’ve left us either."

"Ugh. I knew how self-sacrificial he was, but I can’t believe it." Vergil dragged himself off the ground. "We have to get his body back, right? We can’t leave him there."

Stun lowered himself to the ground with a bottle of water in hand. Gulping down the water didn’t make him feel less heavy for the disappointment.

"Those were firewings, weren’t there."

The creatures were not very known to Norians. It was also believed they breathed fire, so they shared a classification with the dragons of Karnak.

He didn’t know how to fare against dragon-like creatures, so he made the smarter choice to escape. That protector should’ve done the same.

Vergil stared at the skies, thinking. From his research, Firewings were loyal companions used for traveling and war by the Karnak forces.

They should’ve been killed by the Olien forces before they glitched here. If one has survived, that’d be its stroke of luck. But more than ten?

He lowered his head. "We have been unlucky through this journey. Maybe we should get his body and just return home—"

"Hey!!"

A voice called, sounding similar to the Protector’s. Vergil sighed. "Stun, I think I hear his voice. His ghost will haunt me for what I did."

"Hey, you two!!" the voice came again.

Stun shot his head up, and his eyes widened. He fastened his backpack behind him.

"Vergil, up. A Firewing."

Vergil sprang up from the ground fast. His steel rod never glowed beside him. His eyes went up and he backed away.

"His ghost is riding a Firewing?"

Stun rolled his eyes. He watched the creature descend. "He found a way to tame it like the Karnaks do. He’s a Protector. I didn’t really expect him to be killed."

The elf marched towards the creature. He gripped his hand on the weapon. "Sir Benign, are you alright? Is it tamed?"

Vergil walked slowly behind him. "Are you really alive?"

Benign jumped down from the creature. He wore a smile. "Yes, or are there skinwalkers in this place—"

Before he finished his words, Vergil pulled him in a hug. The soldier froze. Were they that close already?

"Oh, thank Goddess!" Vergil shouted. "I really didn’t want to carry a dead body."

Benign patted the elf. It sounded like the worry of carrying a dead body scared him more than the possibility of him being dead. "Yeah... thank you."

He turned to Stun, who still watched from a distance. "They weren’t out to kill us. It helped us find the cave."

Benign rubbed the Firewing’s neck, and the creature rested its head on his palm. "See, it’s harmless. Without my instructions, it wouldn’t attack you."

"How can you confirm that?" Vergil wore his curious face. His book and pen materialized in his hand, ready to take notes.

"Firewings are used by Karnak forces, who fostered familiarity by raising them, so how did you achieve such familiarity in a short time?" Vergil asked in one breath.

"Um..." Benign looked away from him.

He couldn’t mention the Provident Tamer Skill. In those web novels, there was a rule against the protagonists speaking about their systems.

Stun stepped forward. "Let’s say you handled it with a blessing of a Protector." The elf said, noticing Benign’s hesitation. "But we’re not Protectors, so how do we know it wouldn’t attack us?"

Benign turned to the Firewing. Two more would be required for the elves. With the creature’s size, more than one rider would be hard on them. He just needed to instruct them to ride safely. That would work.

"It doesn’t gain from attacking you. So I just tell it not to attack you."

Stun raised a brow. "And it listens? As simple as that?"

"As simple as that," the soldier replied.

Stun moved closer to the creature. He reached his hand towards it, and the Firewing stayed in place. He lowered his hand.

"Okay." He shrugged. "Let’s ride it."

Vergil looked at his partner in disbelief.

While he needed to know the details on the blessing used and how it overwrote the years of familiarity the Karnaks fostered, the simple-minded Stun only wanted to know whether it’s safe or not.

He sighed. "Well, of course, ignore any minor risks. You two have ways to protect yourselves anyway."

Benign turned to him. "Do you think I’ll let you get hurt, Vergil?"

The elf paused, then scratched his neck. "Well," he rubbed his ears. "You... wouldn’t."

"So don’t worry about them. If they do put you in harm’s way, I will pay—"

"It’s alright, it’s alright." Vergil waved his hands. "You don’t have to pay with your life every time."

Benign blinked önce. "Yeah, I wanted to say I’ll pay by punishing one of them so the others learn. They are a pack, so those kinds of punishments work for them."

"I-I see."

A few minutes later, two Firewings descended around them. They were smaller than Kendrick and their feathers a duller red.

Benign hummed. "The name really did a lot of glow-up."

He placed a hand on one of the firewings. Then held out a hand to Vergil. "I’ll help you get on it."

Stun, to avoid being asked to be carried, placed a hand on the creature himself. It made a small sound, and he quickly pulled his hand away. "What is it?"

"Possibly the weapon." Benign looked down at the ready arrow-launcher in Stun’s hand. The elf raised it above him. The arrows folded, retracted into the rod, and the sides of the metal sealed to a close.

The elf jumped over the firewing, balancing easily. "Not bad." A faint smile reached his lips.

Vergil swallowed hard. He gripped Benign’s arm. "I am quite heavy, so let me lift myself."

Benign looked over his slender frame. He said nothing. With a jump, Vergil got on top of it. He looked down at the height he jumped, surprised how easy it was.

"Did you find any other cave apart from the one you dropped me at?"

Vergil pointed at him. "Do you ask me or ’it’?"

"It. Kendrick." Benign watched the creature carrying Vergil. It lowered its head and made a disappointed ’caw’.

He nodded. "I see. Vergil, do you know if there’s been any cave around here apart from this one discovered with ancient relics?"

Vergil stared at the soldier, wondering if he could really communicate with the creatures. He shook his head. "None I know of. These caves belonged to older civilizations. They’d be scattered and probably hidden."

Hidden was the word. Benign gazed at the vast sands. If they were hidden, they would need more than a bird’s-eye view to find it.

The Firewings set out to the first cave, having its riders atop them. They crossed the distance in merely three minutes, and they descended by the mouth of the cave.

Vergil jumped down eagerly. "It’s been only ten years since I came here." He held his notes to his chest. "Why does it feel so different?"

His eyes brightened as he anticipated the new knowledge he’d attain. The cave gave off an ominous aura as he got closer. He tilted his head.

"It feels really different. Do you think some creatures have made it their abode or something?"

A hand rested firmly on his shoulders.

"If there’s any danger, we’ll handle it," Benign stood beside him. "Also, any creature that can make it its abode might be intelligent enough to assist us."

The three of them stood at the mouth of the cave. As it was the only clue they had on the glitches, there was no other choice but to risk it.