Dawn Of The Dark Dynasty & The New Inhabitant

Chapter Eight

Arriving in Maelin Empire

An entire week passed since the group embarked on their journey back to the Maelin Empire. Sadly, it was one long, frustrating week for the Lady General. Shawn had become the annoying brat

"Hey, Dianne, how long till we reach this Maelin Empire of yours?"

The first time he voiced out this question, only a few hours had gone by since they resumed their journey. Obviously, Dianne ignored him.

"Dianne, I'm hungry. What's for dinner?" That same night the boy was at it again. Only to be silenced by her death stare.

"Holy crap! What kind of animals are these? Wait, why did you kill them? Oh god, you're skinning them! No way...! Y-you want us t-to eat these...?"

When she thought his annoyances had ended, the next day they happened to encounter a busyness of two-headed ferrets. They were common creatures around these parts and basically harmless. Actually, she hunted a few to feed and shut up the gluttonous brat. Only she never expected his blunt outburst and repulsion.

Another thing that surprised Dianne was Shawn's constant hunger like a mere mortal. At first, she thought he was fooling around, but his persistent stomach growls told otherwise. In this world, mages could go for days without food and water depending on their strengths. The magical energy all around was more than enough for nourishment. So, this strange aspect about the boy baffled her and also further sparked her interest.

"Dianne, where are we? This unending forest is driving me nuts. Are you sure we're not lost?" Shawn continued to pester, much to the old man's amusement and Dianne's annoyance.

Most of the times, she opted for threats and even whacked him, but all was in vain against the brat. She even began reconsidering her decision of sparing his life. At times when she laid eyes upon his defenseless throat when sleeping, her fingers would itch to conjure a dagger and slit it clean.

Shawn couldn't be blamed however. Traversing across these foreign and bizarre lands was downright mind-blowing. The strange creatures and plants they came across enthralled and appalled him altogether. Well, there were times they had to fend off a few bloodthirsty creatures and flesh-eating plants. Like one time they came across a seemingly harmless stripped raccoon, only for it to transform into a gigantic bloodthirsty canine! Dianne killed it easily nevertheless. But it was then when Shawn realized how perilous this world was. Without Dianne in tow, he would've long been devoured.

Traveling by carriage was starting to get exasperating. It was unlike anything Shawn had imagined. The ride was slow and bumpy, and it didn't help he got back his memories. It made him miss those advanced modes of transport.

On the other hand, Dianne was always left puzzled by Shawn's foreign utterances. Some of his phrases and words never made any sense at all. Whenever she would ask, his vague replies would leave her more baffled. Her only guess was that the boy was mentally ill or he came from a very distant land; possibly those distant Continents. The prospect of the latter intrigued her abundantly. Furthermore, that would explain most of the mysteries surrounding him.

Another thing that was really astounding with the boy was how the Earth Dragon became fond of him. This puzzled Dianne and the old man because Earth Dragons were known to be very proud creatures. After all, although they weren't actual dragons, they still originated from the draconic family.

What Shawn didn't know was that Earth Dragons weren't common mounts as Dianne had put it. Actually, they were rarely used as mounts because of their ferocious nature. Only reason it allowed itself to draw the carriage was because it was familiar with Dianne and the old man. In fact, Dianne was initially worried it would refuse Shawn and actually attack him. But who knew the creature would accept the boy within such a short time. Perhaps it was his magic, which Dianne suspected.