Benign saw the skies darken as awfully familiar birds soared in the skies.
He didn't have weapons or skills to strike them from that far away. Hell Rain would affect his comrades.
He touched the revolver on his waist but remembered he didn't know how many bullets it had left, and there was no opening to check.
It could run out of bullets when he needed it most. There's also a good possibility it couldn't shoot two thousand feet above him and against so many.
Those were the bird-like creatures that he had burnt with Hell Rain at the mass murder like battlefield.
"Um... we should run." Vargel said and started his sprint back to Kiron. The other elf followed.
Benign took steps back, wondering how they survived Hell Rain. That skill had destroyed so many lands and burnt sand to glass. How could they live?
"They were burnt to ashes. What creature survives being burnt to ashes..." his eyes widened on realization. "Fucking phoenixes."
That must be it. Those bird-like creatures must be a variant of phoenixes in this world. Those creatures typically resurrect when burnt, according to novels.
"I should've buried them. This is on you, Lego. Now they are here for revenge." He started a sprint to the opposite direction the elves went.
This happened because of his ignorance of the realms and their species, so he didn't have to bring them into this.
He had revival and regeneration skills, so he might be able to survive. He rolled down the sand hill to save time. The loud screech from the birds jolted him as they signalled they were closing on him particularly.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"
In one swoop, one grabbed him by the bag and flew to the air. The creature flew above the sand hills and covered the ground really fast.
Amidst his confusion, Benign sighted a cave that looked familiar to the ones Vargel had shown him in his scrolls. They hadn't been lost after all... except he'd be dying first.
"Wait, wait! Lego! Why isn't a new mission popping yet?" He might be just a little less resigned to die again if it was a mission. After all, he took the elf-men out of harm's way.
[Are they after your life?]
"What do you mean?" Benign was getting really tired of his system's sarcastic replies. "You should bring—"
Then, he got dropped— many feet from the ground. He had flashes of being dropped out of a plane back in his military days. his breathing seized. Throat fell to his stomach. Numerous curses rang in his head. He was caught by another creature and was gently lowered to the ground. His legs felt weak and he knelt on the ground, breathing heavily, trying not to throw up.
Were these creatures playing with him before swallowing him whole? He felt insulted and forced his body to calm down. He turned behind him.
The cave. They had brought him to the cave?
He turned to the creatures as they descended in front of him. They must be about twenty. That was a unit.
"Um... so you guys… you guys aren't here to k-kill me? Then why did—"
He bit his tongue to avoid speaking too quickly while his body was still tense. He had a deep breath and asked his nerves to relax. The creatures just watched him with strict attention. His expression became straight as he lifted himself off the ground.
"Thank you for the assistance, phoenix unit, but can I ask why you assisted me even after I... you know?"
He knew he had Language Comprehension skill because he hadn't understood the first hostile trying to kill him, but his interactions with the elves had been smooth sailing.
He hoped it worked on animals or whatever these creatures were classified as. Phoenixes? One of them, the very one that swooped him off the ground, lowered its head.
The rest followed suit. Benign marked it as the leader mentally but kept watching them.
[Legacy System... loading...]
"Now? What did it do?"
[Mission: Tame the Firewings Tribe. Rewards: Mind-Link to the Firewings. Hell Rain upgrades to level two.]
Benign's brows raised. Taming the Firewings? So they were actually allies. "Because I resurrected you…? That's right, you helped me because you were grateful."
The leader made a small sound that felt like an agreement to Benign.
[Resurrecting a phoenix means you need their help. They only did as they were biologically meant to do. You are in charge of them now.]
Benign relaxed, folding his arms. The rewards for this mission weren't exactly what he needed, but having a Firewing transportation service would make moving around the desert easier. Also, Hell Rain would come in handy one day.
He walked towards the leader. Typically, in tribes that had leaders, whatever connection made with the leader affected the others. Having no given method of taming, he followed what he read in books, and stretched out his hand.
"I, Benign Cross, ask you, Leader of the Firewings, to be part of my unit." He paused, then continued improvising. "For me to command and for you to obey.... Is that... ? Are you okay with that?"
The leader made a small sound again, and Benign saw a cross mark glow on its head. Soon, the rest of the Firewings had glowing cross marks on their heads. Benign checked for any change in his own body, but there was nothing. It was strange. The leader lowered his head and Benign instinctively patted it like he would a dog.
"I'd like you to deploy your men to scout the surrounding areas for caves like this. Stay with me for mobility and the rest of you will return to us, after thirty minutes. Can you all do that?"
The leader raised its wings and let out a screech. Benign stepped back, wondering if it got angry at being given orders. The other Firewings reacted in similar manner before nineteen flew away to different directions. "I see. You guys might want to be quieter next time." He turned to the direction the elves had dashed off to.
"I guess we'd have to get those two back before exploring the cave." He carried his bag that had fallen off him. "So... Kendrick. Yeah, I'd name you Kendrick. Let's go and get the two you and your unit chased awa—"
The Firewing screeched again, flapping his wings that slowly became bigger on each flap. It rose a foot off the ground and its body expanded and reddened.
Benign studied the strange growth, but didn't have a conclusion for it. "You like the name so much it made you grow a little?"
[New Skill Unlocked.]
"Say what?"