A Salamander, but Mighty

POV: Rosalia

The journey to reach Seething Forge was different from what Rosalia expected—different and much faster: she and the false Nightmare Tyrant traveled by night, using the cover of darkness to hide their mode of travel… which was a sort of large dragon with black and yellow scales, but lacking front limbs, which instead functioned as wings.

During the night, Rosalia could barely see anything, and the gusts of cold air hitting her face made her cling tightly to the back of the gigantic black beast she was riding. Occasionally, she wondered how Aradra could see in the darkness and at the altitude they were flying, but she concluded that for a powerful being like a salmadrer who had grown to mimic a dragon’s appearance and size, such a feat was probably trivial.

The two did not speak much as they stopped only when dawn was approaching, meaning it was time to rest. Just brief exchanges about the direction and any adjustments Aradra would need to make the next night to stay on course.

This lasted until they saw Dainberg, the city where the dangerous Seething Forge dungeon was located. They landed when the first lights of dawn colored the ground beneath them, as usual, and, as usual, Rosalia held on tighter to Aradra’s back and closed her eyes, preparing for the impact. While it was never so rough to hurt her, it was still not a delicate landing, as by then Aradra must have weighed more than an elephant.

Aradra’s body shook from the first contact with the ground, the air on Rosalia’s face and hair gradually lessened, and it felt like she had moved from riding a scaly black cloud to the gallop of a hoquin. She dared to open her eyes just in time to see Aradra take her final step, straighten up, and fold her wings, using them as arms to settle comfortably on the ground. In that monstrous form, Aradra could not speak, but Rosalia understood from the way she lay on her belly that it was her invitation to dismount.

For Rosalia, this was the funniest part of the journey: Aradra would extend her neck forward and raise her back slightly, allowing Rosalia to slide down her draconic body and land gracefully in front of her snout. Once she did, the fake Nightmare Tyrant transformed, returning to her near-divine humanoid beauty.

Rosalia stood there, staring at Aradra, her cheeks flushed and lips slightly parted, until the ascended monster spoke with a sigh, running her slender fingers through her long black hair streaked with yellow. “We’ll finish the journey on foot. And maybe we can talk about what the mayor of Seltipont told you.”

Rosalia jolted. “Y-yes!”

The two began walking. Rosalia studied Aradra for a moment, waiting for her to start the conversation, while she tried to better understand the difference between the power Aradra was displaying and the one she had witnessed when Dyenna was around. The two powers were very similar in intensity, yet the way they manifested was profoundly different. When in her sister’s presence, the power she radiated felt like the uncontrollable force of a storm, whose lightning could strike anyone or anything at any moment. Aradra’s power, however, was just as potent, yet it seemed as if the entire storm had been contained inside an indestructible glass jar—a power that was not wild and out of control, but focused with clear intention.

“You said the recovery team found only her alive and that the heart of the ascended monster had been removed but wasn’t anywhere to be found,” Aradra began. Rosalia nodded. “And you can sense the power from my ascended monster state just as you sensed your sister’s.”

“It’s something I can only detect from monsters. Adventurers can reach that level of power, but even then, I wouldn’t feel anything… it’s something in the nature of monsters that’s picked up by my class,” Rosalia explained. “But it doesn’t make sense—Dyenna isn’t a monster.”

“What if she is?”

Rosalia furrowed her brow. “That’s absurd! A person can’t become a monster just like a monster can’t become a person!”

“Then how do you explain that you can sense her power as if she were a monster?” Aradra asked, but didn’t wait for a response before continuing with her own explanations. “I think a deity helped her obtain that power using some method forgotten by mortals, much like Lyndvrath did with me.”

Rosalia pressed her lips together.

“If that’s the case, one could argue that ascended monsters are a sort of hybrid. A monster can become partly human, and a human can become partly monster,” Aradra shrugged. “But that’s just a hypothesis. The facts are that if the story was told to you correctly, it’s likely that Dyenna did everything willingly, with the clear goal of becoming some kind of unstoppable entity.”

“B-but why??” Rosalia couldn’t help but ask, her voice trembling slightly. “After Wilfrod’s death, she became next in line for the throne! And I have no intention of contesting her coronation when it happens!” She lowered her head, muttering, “It doesn’t make sense. She already had all the power one could desire.”

“Evidently, that wasn’t enough.”

Rosalia felt her eyes sting but gathered her courage. “Do you think my sister is still in there? Or is she just Nightmare Tyrant now?”

Aradra shook her head. “The Nightmare Tyrant prophecy is just a story, a bad joke from the gods. We’re the ones who made Nightmare Tyrant real by acting as if it were.” She swayed her tail slightly. “I think Dyenna is exactly who she wanted to be. Maybe you can make her come to her senses if you’re willing to risk being torn apart while trying to talk to her. Maybe her thirst for power has grown so much that it’s all that matters to her now.”

Rosalia sobbed, a few tears slipping down her cheeks before she quickly wiped them away. “What should I do to stop my sister from hurting the people of this world?”

Aradra didn’t answer immediately. Hearing her sob, she decided to stop and close the distance, offering a hug to the poor, tender-hearted girl. “You might not believe me, but I once had a brother…” she said softly. “I can’t tell you what you should do to stop your sister because there’s no easy answer, and none of the possibilities will make you happy.”

“...Okay,” Rosalia whispered in response, curling up in the offered embrace, returning the gesture. She felt protected, safe, even though Aradra’s humanoid form was almost shorter than hers. “I’ll decide when the time comes… for now, we need to figure out how to enter the Seething Forge dungeon and how to get what we need to help your friend.”

Aradra held the embrace for a moment longer (to Rosalia, it almost seemed like she was reluctant to break it) before pulling away, sighing, and resuming her walk toward the city. “I was thinking of registering with the Adventurers’ Guild. If I’m part of the Guild, I can enter the dungeon, right?”

“Y-yes! In theory, yes…”

“But?”

“You’ll definitely attract the attention of the local nobility if you do that. Seething Forge is a high-ranking dungeon, and the nobles treat those kinds of dungeons as their exclusive property.”

Aradra chuckled. “I don’t see the problem! If they want to interfere, let them.”

“What will you do to them if they get in the way?” Rosalia asked, worried. It was clear that Aradra’s ascension had changed her in some way, though not as drastically as her sister had been affected. So, it was reasonable to wonder where the false Nightmare Tyrant’s new boundaries lay. “You’re not planning to…”

“No,” Aradra answered firmly. “I won’t kill them. I’ll incapacitate them and leave them where someone can find them when they don’t return. I’m not a cold-blooded killer.”

“Thank you,” Rosalia said as if Aradra had done her a personal favor by making that decision. “Once we’ve incapacitated them, we’ll need to go to your friend very quickly. The story of a beautiful maiden knocking out some nobles before leaving will likely spread quickly among bards and travelers.”

“...A beautiful maiden?” Aradra asked, turning her gaze toward her and smiling.

“Uhh…” Rosalia lowered her head, embarrassed again.

“You’re a lovely girl too, but don’t tell Velen I said that!” Aradra exclaimed playfully, picking up the pace. “Let’s hurry! We’ve got a mission to complete, and you’ve got levels to gain!”

“Velen?” Rosalia stammered, watching the ascended monster leave her behind. “Wait for me! Don’t run!”