Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Geio and the other members of the small council exchanged surprised glances as Rain recounted the unfolding events. Rain, however, had grown weary of witnessing their reactions, so he briskly provided a concise overview of the situation and outlined the challenges they were about to confront. Things were about to get really nasty for the people there.

"Wait, why? Both of our countries are benefitting a lot from this!" Geio said.

"Don't talk as if you guys won't eventually break the truce," Rain frowned. "Anyway, I told you, the king is crazy, and he wants to leave his mark on the world. An ally captured some of your people to create his army, and the guy planned this for decades… you need to act fast. Why the hell am I doing this…"

Geio found himself pondering whether Rain had lost his mind or if it was the king who had gone into madness. However, despite his initial doubts, Geio recognized that Rain had little to gain from lying right now. While Geio had only received a brief summary of the events, he couldn't deny that they were difficult to accept at face value.

"Are you sure about that?" Geio asked while showing in his eyes that he was in complete denial. "Why would you go against your king, and why would they lock your friend?"

"I guess I came to waste my time here… You can just ignore me then," Rain said and then turned around.

"Wait, wait!" Geio said and then stopped to think for a moment. "I heard that you can fly pretty fast. Can you let me see the human army and confirm that? People will believe that it is easier if I were to see it with my own eyes."

"I don't have time, and I already used too much mana coming here. I won't use it anymore," Rain replied.

"We can pay you for that, and we have potions, too," Geio said and then looked at one of the members of the small council, and the guy nodded. "We will depart right now to save time."

Rain was planning to steal potions from Teria, but that will do it. It will help him steal even more, so he just nodded.

Half an hour later, Rain was flying with Geio toward the West. In the end, even Rain was surprised when they found the human army marching even at night, and they were closer than he had predicted… it seemed that they didn't stop to even have a meal.

"Curses… turn around. We have to inform the others and the great council about this," Geio said while biting his fingernails.

"Sorry, but there is no we here," Rain said. "I am returning to my camp."

"We will reward you. Our best messenger can't send messages faster than you can fly," Geio explained. "Besides, even if you don't care about our fate that much, you don't want to see these guys facing the dragons. They truly hate those who use cheap tricks against them. They won't send only the young ones against your people, and they won't stop until all of the humans are killed."

"That is a very convenient thing to say," Rain shrugged.

"Think about it, the fact that we don't use relics against them, why would we do that when we can save a lot of our people and decrease the number of soldiers on the border?" Geio asked. "Because they are prideful, and they hate those who want to look smart in front of them. Seeing body parts of their allies would also enrage them."

Rain reluctantly acknowledged the validity of Geio's words. In the eyes of dragons, beings of immense power and pride, humans were nothing more than minuscule, insignificant creatures akin to ants. Just as humans might dismiss or be irritated by the audacity of an ant, dragons likely felt similarly when confronted with the defiance of humans.

This contrast emphasized the profound power gap between the two species and left Rain with a humbling and annoying realization.

"... I will take ten of your best potions, and I will only deliver the messages for a day," Rain declared. "This isn't up for debate."

"You have my gratitude," Geio said.

Rain didn't want his gratitude, but there was no point in being so edgy. In the end, when they arrived in the city, Geio quickly called the members of the small council and spread the news. It was around midnight, and the human army would arrive around sunrise. Considering their numbers, the city would fall almost instantly, so they had no other choice but to retreat.

As one would expect, a lot of stubborn people voiced their concerns against that; they didn't want to abandon their homes, and they wanted to destroy the dirty invaders. That was right coming from them, but Rain ignored that. Besides, most of the best warriors of the tribe weren't there, so it was too risky to fight.

While some people took their time leaving since they wanted to pack their things, most of them left as soon as they could.

While Geio was talking with small council members about the evacuation plans, Rain received a box filled with potions. As he has asked, he received ten of the best ones and many of the others… It was the first time he felt troubled over receiving a gift, but soon he began to move. That was his chance to unlock the water mage's path.

"I will probably need that as soon as possible…" Rain thought when he began to fly. "While there are plenty of water mages on our side, I guess we can't compare to Seadrei and those who had the coral spear."

Lately, Rain has considered increasing the size of the waterway more than a little bit. That would separate his side of the human country from the other side, and that would make things difficult for them to cross with large numbers of people…