Chapter Sixteen: Skylanders

It had already been a week since Shawn started to look for the demon lord, but he hadn't made any progress at all. The Diamond Kingdom itself was huge, so it was possible that one of these creatures had an idea that would give him a clue.

Some creatures told him to stop looking for the demon lord because he would be attacking them after all. They told him that he should be prepared for what could happen instead.

However, those words didn't discourage Shawn; they even fueled his interest in continuing what he was doing. He knew that once the demon lord transformed into a dragon known as Boris, it would become invincible.

Although he wasn't there when the tragedy happened to have killed Ava's parents, Shawn didn't have a plan to witness the same event again. He didn't want to hear the scream of every creature, asking for help, but he could do nothing.

Ava noticed that Shawn disappeared every day without telling her where he was going. She didn't want to act like a mother to him, watching every move he made and every breath he took, but she knew that he was hiding something from her, so she decided to follow him one day.

She already asked her brother about what Shawn was up to recently, but Ash was so stubborn that he wouldn't say anything, even if his sister would beat him up. He made a promise to Shawn that he wouldn't tell anyone about their hunt for the demon lord, especially Ava, because she would surely get worried about them if she found out. Ash wasn't someone who broke his promises.

Shawn, on the other hand, knew that he had been suspicious recently, so he decided to stop looking for a while, to refresh his mind, and to take some quests from the adventurer's guild instead. He was somewhat out of money, though.

Ash decided to stay at home when Shawn told him that he would be taking a quest to earn money, especially because his earnings were all spent while looking for the demon lord.

The two of them usually had to pay for transportation, shelter, and food, and it seemed like they were not really focused on looking. They couldn't teleport, and that was quite inconvenient. Although Ash kept on practicing to control his wind magic, he couldn't make Shawn trust him.

Ash didn't care about the quest anymore; what he wanted to do was fight the demon lord even if his sister wouldn't allow him, as if he were already influenced by Shawn's mindset.

Ash wanted to be strong enough to help Shawn whenever he encountered the demon lord, so he kept on practicing with his friends and sometimes with the old man if he didn't have something else to do.

Sometimes, Ash wondered if he'd be able to master his skill. He gets discouraged and jealous of his friends, who have already advanced and even entered the Land of Dusk Academy. But every time he thinks about Shawn, it reminds him to believe in himself.

"Are you sure you want to take this quest?" Emma asked again. She wasn't convinced that Shawn could do this quest assigned to the Rank M adventurers.

"Yup. Don't worry, I'll make it quick," Shawn replied innocently, as if he didn't know that he was going to go fight a dragon that lives in Skyland.

The other adventurers were staring at them, thinking how Shawn would do it if he looked frail and weak for a rank M quest. Most of them judged him based on what they saw; they even forgot he was the one who saved the kingdom from the orcs, but that was a different story, and he didn't use his physical body.

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried for your safety. You might die if you act impulsively, so please reconsider this. You can ask for help from other rank M adventurers if you want," Emma advised. "A dragon isn't a simple enemy."

"Okay, then just give me another—" Shawn hadn't finished his words when someone leaned on his shoulder. As he looked back, he saw Alice wearing sexy clothes and ponytail hair.

"No need to take another one. Let's defeat the dragon together," Alice suggested as she took the papyrus from Emma. She looked at the drawing and said, "Fifty-fifty, deal?"

Shawn knew that taking a quest like this would increase his rank quickly. Sooner or later, he would surpass the old man and Ava, so he didn't hesitate to accept Alice's offer.

"Come back safely!" Emma reminded them. The worry on her face was gone, knowing that Alice would accompany him. She didn't know when she got so worried like that about Shawn, perhaps because he was so kind to everyone in the guild.

Alice, on the one hand, wanted to measure how much Shawn had grown after weeks that they hadn't met. As far as she could remember, he had always been a strange guy.

The first time they met, they were on a quest together, looking for clover leaves. At that time, Shawn didn't even know how to use a sword, but now it seems like he forgot something.

"Are you sure you won't use any swords?" Alice asked him as they walked together on the path towards Skyland. "Do you have any plans on how to defeat the green dragon?"

Shawn didn't reply to her. The truth was, he didn't really want to defeat the dragon. All he wanted to do was negotiate with him. He had almost communicated with every creature in this world, except for dragons.

Alice was still confused about what was going on inside Shawn's head. He always acted like that, like a complete stranger from another world.

After a few moments of walking, Shawn and Alice reached Skyland, where the green dragon lives. The land was way higher in altitude and much cooler than any other places in the kingdom, which made it a perfect shelter for dragons that lay eggs.

The place was filled with different dragons, from huge to the smallest, from slender to considerable, from long to short, and with different colors.

Shawn and Alice hid behind the fallen tree, looking at the nest where the green dragon lay. It would be difficult to get near him because there were so many dragons around him.

"I think he's the king of the dragons," Shawn said, referring to the Green Dragon. It came to his mind: What would happen to a kingdom without a king? For sure, it would shatter without a ruler.

"How did you know?" Alice asked curiously. She didn't get what Shawn meant by that. "There are some other large dragons around."

"Well, the guild won't let us take him down if he's not important," Shawn replied. He didn't need to be correct with his predictions, though. "The others are not that valuable."

"Let's just stop arguing. So, how do you plan to defeat him?" Alice asked. "I've been waiting for your answer. Don't tell me, you just come here to watch."

What would the adventurer's guild say if they went back without accomplishing anything? Alice wondered. That would be a shame for a rank-M adventurer like her, but it seemed like Shawn's reputation wouldn't be affected because he was strange after all. He could always use his discrepancies as an excuse.

"I ain't going to kill such a beautiful creature. I'm going to try to talk with it. Besides, it doesn't look so ferocious," Shawn replied as if he had already made up his mind.

"Are you out of your mind, Shawn?" Alice asked. She couldn't make sure if Shawn was really aware of what he said—he might be joking around. "Dragons might be beautiful, but they are fierce in nature. You should not joke with them, or you'll die."

"That's also what Emma said to me, but we won't know unless we try. Just stay here if you're afraid," Shawn said. He slowly stood straight and walked towards the dragons.

He no longer wants to be a coward who just hides when it gets dangerous. Shawn wanted to challenge his fears and live his life to the fullest, so that when he died, there would be no regrets.

Unlike before, he is no longer afraid of how something looks. Some creatures may look so creepy, but deep inside they are lonely, and they just want someone who can spend some time with them, someone who understands them, and someone who won't get scared just because of how they look.

As he walked closer, Shawn started to hear the dragon's voice in his head. He could answer them. They were asking him what his intentions were in trespassing on the dragon's territory.

"Stop right there!" The green dragon leaves his nest and flies towards Shawn, ready to burn him alive with his fierce fireballs coming from his belly.

"Don't worry, Mr. Green Dragon, I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to talk," Shawn said calmly, trying to win the dragon's mood.

From the tree above, Ava saw everything Shawn was trying to do. She was amazed at his bravery, but at the same time, she was angry that he acted impulsively without thinking that he could get himself killed.

He was so good at telling her that she wasn't thinking about the people who were so worried about her, but look at him now; he wasn't even thinking about those who were worried about him.

Ava wanted to stop him, but it seemed like their talk was going well, so she decided to remain hidden despite all her jealousy towards Alice. She knew she shouldn't be jealous of her because they had been friends since childhood, but not being invited to take a quest together by the man she loves really hits differently.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked loudly from behind the fallen tree. She slowly stood up, still hesitating whether she would show her face to the dragons. "Can I go there too?"

"Yes, you may," Shawn replied. He was caressing the green dragon's head, whose name was Cyrene. She was actually a girl dragonoid.

Alice slowly walked towards them. Her legs were shaking, though Shawn had already told her she could be near. But it seemed like the dragons didn't like her that much because they were acting weird.

"Don't worry, they are not mad. They just want to play with you!" Shawn informed. "Just walk slowly; don't hurt them."

Eventually, Alice managed to reach Shawn's hand. Seeing how they held each other's hands amidst the dragons, Ava became so jealous that she impulsively jumped from the tree and slapped Shawn without saying anything.

She couldn't believe how filthy they were, holding each other's hands despite being amidst the danger, or perhaps she was just focusing on her own emotions, having forgotten that she was in the land of dragons.

A white dragon didn't hesitate to attack Ava with its long, heavy tail; fortunately, Shawn managed to save her. He was the one who got hit instead. Blood was dripping from his back as the pointed parts of the dragon's tail pierced his flesh.

"What have you done, Ava?" Alice shouted in surprise and disbelief. "Are you alright, Shawn?"

"I'm fine. It's not a deadly wound. Just save Ava first and get out of here," Shawn replied. Although he couldn't stop himself from whimpering, he didn't care if he died here as long as Ava could survive.

Ava was left speechless, as if she had awakened from her dreams of what she had done. The green dragon was about to attack her. Fortunately, Alice used her skills to save her.

"Why did you leave him?" Ava asked, tears slowly forming in her violet eyes. "You should've saved him rather than me! It was all my fault, so why?"

"I just follow what he said. I just want you to know that I and Shawn are just friends, so please, stop making stuff that can destroy our friendship. I'm not that kind of woman, Ava," Alice grabbed the moment to explain.

"Yeah, I know, it's all my fault for acting like that, so please go back and save Shawn. I don't want to see him suffer from the mess I've done!" Ava begged as tears streamed down her face.

It was the first time Alice heard her friend crying and begging for a man to be saved. She realized how much she loved this man, whom she thought was nothing but a complete stranger.

"Okay, just wait here. I'll be back soon!" Alice suddenly disappeared. She hurriedly went back to the spot where Shawn was lying, but he was no longer there, except for the dead white dragon that attacked Ava a while ago.