Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Dio - Chapter Forty Eight

"Can you ask the spirits, if it's possible?"

The dwarf rubbed his hands with anticipation.

"I envy your optimism, Sir Gomel." I grinned. Fang tried to look as small, as possible but with his stature, he did way worse than me. He seemed to be quietly mumbling something, maybe he conversed with the spirits. "If someone can do it, it's Fang."

"I'll brace my shield in case something goes wrong," Bastion noted, releasing the wagon we found. "They are pretty big horses, to be fair..."

They sure were. They were Nightmares, straight from the abyss, their large bodies all charcoal black. Their manes emitted an orange glow like they were on fire, or as if magma was about to erupt from their backs. In a way, they looked majestic, but also incredibly scary. They had a long, twisted horn growing from their heads. From the top of their nose, to be exact. In a way though, they were the complete opposite of Unicorns.

"The real issue is that there are five of them." The beastmen finally said something we could hear too. "And the parents won't take it lightly if I approach them with those colts around... You decide, Dio."

"I decide..." I pondered on the options. "What if they attacked us? Can we beat them, or run away? Or could they call in more monsters from the dungeon as reinforcements? I never had to deal with their kind."

"Your guess is as good as mine, Captain." Fang shrugged. I couldn't read much off his face either. He was certainly scared, but I saw some anticipation in his eyes. When he first tamed a wyvern for the New Order, that earned him quite the prestige.

"I trust that you know your limits..." I claimed. "If you think it's possible, go ahead, but let's look for escape routes first."

I wanted to take a look at the main square first. I saw no gates in there and doubted they would be already in ruins. But the chief of staff or not, I've never actually seen one, no matter how much I traveled.

"I don't think these things can fly or climb walls," Gomel told us, pointing at the buildings around us. Ornate balconies lined the square, some of them thirty feet high. "If we were to get inside one of these structures and barricade the doors, they couldn't get to us, for sure."

"No good, I'm not a shaman." Fang shook his head. "The spirits will only aid me if my request can be fulfilled within my body. I need to touch them while my miracle is active, and it will take some time... I can't just sneak up on them either, plus it's five of them."

"What about a shield wall?" I asked next. "If the blacksmith can hold your shield and Bastion has the other, we could safely approach them."

"I'd hate to disappoint you, Sir Goblin, but I'm not sure I could hold my own against a running horse, let alone one of these." The dwarf protested. And he was the one hellbent on taming these monsters.

"There is their ability too... They are called Nightmares for a reason. You'll see all kinds of hallucinations approaching them." The beastmen explained. "Even if you know, what you see is not real, your fear will be."

"And I take it, once we turn and run, they'll trample us..." I concluded, trying to get a better look. "What do they eat? Why are they here?"

"This is just my guess... I think the magicules leaking from the Gate lured them here." Gomel theorized, pointing towards them. "Even if they no longer work, mages claimed they are still active."

"I can't even see the arches..." I admitted, trying to tiptoe. Dwarf or not, I was still the shortest of the bunch, but he smiled.

"I bet you never actually saw one, Sir Dioneras." He hit the nail on its head. "It's a magic circle, runes painted over the stones. No grandiose Gates arching over the square can be found. At first glance, you can't even tell, how they lasted this long, and in perfect condition too."