Simple As That

Chapter Ten – Simple As That

Kirk lowered his head and Benign carefully climbed atop him. Height was a bit of a problem to him, but he wanted to trust his new ally.

He noticed his scaly neck and the wings on the small feathers. This was definitely what a hybrid between a fire dragon and a phoenix would look like.

The firewing rose to the skies, and from the height, Benign sighted two small figures trudging down a sand hill. The Firewing instinctively knew those were his targets and moved towards them.

[Legacy System loading...]

[Your profile is being arranged...]

"It is? Aren't I supposed to have two more skills first?"

[Yes. You unlocked a unique Tamer, level one. This skill was bestowed for successfully taming the Firewings.]

[You just unlocked another unique skill, Father, level two. This is for naming the firewing. Survival points have been added to your account for advancing a level.]

[Rewards for completion of mission have been bestowed. Congratulations.]

Benign didn't really understand how all that had happened but he hoped to when his profile would be complete. "I am beginning to see the end of this journey now."

[Again, don't underestimate everything. You only got these skills by accidentally reviving the Firewings. If my memory served me right, which it does, that had been my idea.]

"Oh yeah?" Benign scoffed. "Do you also mean you knew they were Firewings when you told me to burn them? Then you could've told me that and spare me having a heart attack when they started coming!"

[Tension is good for the soul.]

Benign shook his head. "Very funny, Legal. Very funny."

----

Vargel fell on his back when he successfully climbed to the top of the sand hill. His legs had given up and his throat was sour, but he was too tired to get water from his backpack.

"Ston! Argh! We shouldn't have left him behind. What will we tell Lady Lyra?" he complained, rolling to the side.

The other elf stopped trudging and caught his breathe. "You... were the one... who started running first... I only followed you... and... he's not very smart for a protector..."

Ston fell on his knees and hurriedly searched for water from his backpack. Gulping down the water didn't make him feel less heavy for the disappointment.

The creatures were not very known to Norians, but it was believed they breathed fire due to their name, so they were classified to be as terrifying as dragons.

He was strong, but he didn't know how well he'd fare with a dragon-like creature, so he made the smarter choice to escape. That protector should've done the same.

Vargel also felt disappointed at his actions. He stared at the skies, thinking. Those creatures were Firewings from Karnak and were usually friendly and used as transportation by the Karnak forces.

They should've been killed by the Norian forces, after they glitched here. He wondered how they got to such size.

"Hey!!"

A distant voice was calling to him and it sounded similar to the young man that had been with them. "Ston, I think I can hear his voice." Vargel sighed. "His ghost will probably haunt me for what I did."

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

Ston shot his head up, and his eyes widened. He fastened his back behind him. "Vargel, up. A Firewing."

Vargel sprang up from ground so fast. His steel rod had also began glowing. His eyes went up and he backed away. "His ghost is riding a Firewing?"

Ston rolled his eyes and walked towards the creature. "How smart of you, Vargel. Maybe he found a way to tame it like the people of Karnak do. He's a protector of realms, anyway. I didn't really expect him to be killed."

Vargel clicked his tongue and ran after him. The Firewing descended and Benign jumped down from the creature. He rubbed its neck. "That was a good flight. You two—"

He couldn't finish his words when Vargel jumped on him in a hug. Benign froze. Were they that close already? He patted the elf. He had also thought he'd die and not see them in a while.

"Turns out it helped us find the cave." He told Ston that cautiously watched the creature. Benign rubbed the Firewing's neck. "See, it's harmless. Without my instructions, it wouldn't attack you."

"How can you confirm that?" Vargel detached from him and wore his curious face. A book and pen appeared in his hand somehow and he was ready to take notes.

"Firewings are mostly used for transportation and usually by Karnak forces, which fostered familiarity with them by raising them, so how did you achieve that familiarity in such a short time?" Vargel asked in one breath.

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

Should he just tell him about his system? He was only able to work with the Firewings because he tamed them.

He didn't know if there's a rule against it but most MCs in those web novels never say anything about their systems till much later.

"Let's just say you handled it with perks as a protector of realms." Ston 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. He'd need to ask two more to come here to carry the elves. He'd also instruct them to be careful with them. That would work. "I just tell it not to."

Ston raised a brow. "And they'd listen? Simple as that?"

"Simple as that."

Ston shrugged, and got closer to the creature. He reached his hand towards it and the Firewing stayed in place. He lowered his hand. "Let's ride it then."

Vargel looked at his partner in disbelief.

While he needed to know the details on what perks Benign used, his simple minded friend only wanted to know if it's safe or not. He sighed. "Well, of course, ignore any minor risks and go-go. You two are strong anyway."

Few minutes later, two Firewings flew towards them. They were smaller than the one Benign rode and Benign saw the difference between a named creature and an unnamed one.

He understood that by naming the creature Kirk, their connection became stronger and it drew power from him.

"Question is, what power do I have? How big is it? How did I get it?" Benign rubbed his face. The questions without answers kept piling.

One thing sure was that it was his first time here, so the power must've been some perk he got from being a Legal Systemist.