Faking a Wyvern Hatchling – Pushed into Flight Training and a Fatal Plunge. World's Dumbest Snake Death Award!
Merciless wind lashed my face. As the dizzying sensation of freefall electrified my body, that was the thought that hit me.
'Isil, you at least survive.'
If it stuck to me during the fall, Isil could get seriously hurt too. Being lightweight, it should be fine if it detached separately.
Thud, thud.
But who would've thought it'd understand so quickly. Were you always that smart?
Whoosh!
Like a fighter jet cockpit ejecting in an emergency, Isil shot off my body with a whoosh.
'Isil...!'
What was this rush of betrayal? You traitor chimera plant.
Still... live happily without me. You'll do fine.
This place is too harsh. Head a bit further south.
Stay with the triplet siblings for a while, until you've grown more.
Would those words reach Isil? They probably would.
Because Empathy lv2 was still active.
It only worked when Isil's vine touched me... Ah!
'Isil!'
The thing hadn't just fled alone. It had "jumped" off while draping a vine over my body.
And the reason? "Piiiii!"
Ppippi, already quite adept at flying, swooped toward us. I could feel its resolute will to save its baby brother.
But it was only its first flight lesson today. Catching me mid-plunge would be tough.
That's where Isil's bold decision helped. Its long vine looped around Ppippi's neck like a leash.
A powerful tug yanked my plummeting body.
"Saaak!"
For a split second, I thought my spine had shattered. Luckily, Isil's vine had elasticity.
I bounced up like a ball, soaring high.
This time, there was a landing spot. Thunk—I perched right on Ppippi's back.
"Piiiii!"
It let out a proud roar. It had actually started flying with me aboard.
"Kekeke."
"Chwik!"
Kei and Chui joined alongside. A trio of wyvern hatchlings, one snake, and a vine plant—flying together.
- First flight and already this skilled. Wyverns truly are princes of the sky, huh.
Princes of the sky, these guys.
Sure enough, the three managed a clumsy formation flight.
I'd always hated flying. Thanks to my Potential of 20, I could learn flight skills, but I never did.
Born without wings, I couldn't steer anyway, and heights terrified me on instinct.
But now...
'...This is fun!'
I was enjoying soaring through the sky.
Ppippi's back wasn't huge, but plenty big enough for me. Normally, without limbs to grip, it'd be scary, but Isil clung tight to me now.
Its vine around Ppippi's neck felt just like reins. I was a wyvern rider for real.
'Up we go!'
Whether it sensed my slight tug on the reins, or because I'd tamed it and my will connected—Ppippi whooshed upward.
Up on that nest, Wyvern Mom watched with a pleased expression. She probably hadn't predicted this, but seeing her happy didn't feel bad.
The hatchlings were getting seriously comfortable with flight. Big sis Ppippi was bold and aggressive in style, while second-born Kei was the fastest.
'Switch mounts, Isil!'
The moment Isil extended a vine to Kei, I leaped over. A bit risky, but a cool stunt.
This time, I rode Kei for some high-speed flight.
'Add magic to this...'
Beginner Elemental Magic: Fire lv7
I fired off a fireball. You know that thing? If you're in a car going 100 km/h and shoot a BB gun forward at 100 km/h, the BB hits at 200 km/h!
Right? Something like that.
The usually sluggish fireball shot out way faster. Boom!
It smashed into a rock pillar and exploded. Plenty powerful.
'Next, Chui!'
"Chuiiiik!"
I jumped from Kei to the baby bro's back.
The youngest, who'd once been the only one to fly when we all fell from the nest before. Sure enough, Chui's flight was the most technical of the three.
A steep dive followed by a mid-air loop—acrobatic flying, basically.
The kid who whined so much on the ground was fearless in the sky. Best flyer of the bunch.
My mood soared even higher.
'The legend awakens.'
Maybe I'd finally grasped the joy of flight.
We flew for quite a while. And Pellelian and I realized something crucial.
- That's Delphram.
We could probably reach the Delphram dungeon like this.
'That stone tower?'
- My dungeon. That stone tower!
Far off, a zone without rock pillars came into view. But smack in the center stood a strikingly black stone tower. Like a black obelisk.
'Looks totally different from other dungeons.'
- I named it 'Gravekeeper.'
Pellelian wanted to return there upon his death.
'What kind of dungeon is it?'
I was just asking since I hadn't heard details yet.
Pellelian's answer was unexpected.
- ...I don't really know either.
'Pardon?'
- No memory of what's inside.
Pellelian seemed frustrated by that. The soul beside me now wasn't his complete self—just a fragment hidden in the ring.
So he had memories, but some were missing. Must feel like his existence was threatened.
'We'll find out when we go!'
- R-right. Spot on!
We'll know once we enter. No different from before.
'Let's go!'
Saaak! At my command, my wyvern legion (three hatchlings) flew toward the black tower.
Even small and young, being able to fly was convenient. A crawling trek would've taken ages; the distance shrank in moments.
We'd reach Pellelian's dungeon in no time.
- Don't get too close. Stop just ahead and...
Before I could heed Pellelian, a thunderous roar shook heaven and earth.
"GRRROOOOAAAR!"
Pitch-black darkness engulfed us. It was midday, yet felt like deepest night.
The black curtain? Wyvern Mom's wing. She wrapped us in her massive wings for landing.
Rougher than expected—we tumbled across the ground.
Why the sudden move? Looking at Wyvern Mom...
"GRRRAHAHA!"
She was furious. Even without wyvern fear working, her rage prickled.
"Ppiiik!"
Brave Ppippi trembled; the other two had already flopped over, whimpering.
Normally, she'd stop there. But this time, she seemed set on a real scolding.
Her tail whipped sharply. Smack! Smack!
She spanked her kids' butts. Bat time.
The hatchlings wailed from the sting.
I'd never raised kids, but I got the intent.
- Instilling fear as parenting. Teaching them not to approach that stone tower.
Approach the wicked archmage's domain, and big trouble awaits. Very, very scary trouble.
That's why the over-the-top rage and spankings.
Problem was, that wrath turned on me too.
Her tail, bigger than my body, swung in a do-or-die strike.
I acted on instinct.
"Saaa... "
Mouth slightly open, innocent blank face.
The incoming tail twitched to a halt mid-air.
Wyvern Mom stared piercingly.
Don't break character. Maintain maximum innocence.
Finally, a drool droplet fell from my mouth.
She lowered her tail slightly. Then wiped her eye with it.
Shockingly, her eye was misty.
Why the tears all of a sudden? My brilliant brain drew a blank.
- Heartbreaking to leave a helpless child alone in this harsh world, probably.
'No way!'
- With that dopey look, how could a parent not worry?
It was innocent, not dopey!
'How do you read Wyvern Mom so well? Were you a wyvern in your past life? Or a mom?'
- Nonsense.
In the end, she even licked my head clean.
Why do moms lick their young?
- To clean them. Mostly. Or just instinctive affection.
I was spotless, and not even her real kid.
The ringleader me dodging the bat and getting pampered instead? The triplets were pissed.
"Ppikekekeke!"
"Chuaaak!"
They protested roughly, but what could they do? Jealous? Rip off your own wings and legs then.
Before we knew it, we'd drifted far from the nest cluster.
Seemed impossible to reach the tower today. Pellelian was bummed, but unavoidable.
"Gruk."
The hatchlings weren't fully grown, struggling to take off solo from ground.
Wyvern Mom loaded us all at once. They'd bulked up, so couldn't dangle everyone from her feet.
Whoosh, hum—!
Heavy wingbeats. She took off with us aboard.
Limb-less hatchlings flattened against her back. Looked precarious, so I vine-tied them together.
"Gruk."
The peaceful flight turned turbulent right then.
Rumble...
A massive boom ahead.
"Pippi."
"Kee..."
Hatchlings quaked in fear. How could I forget that sound?
Rock pillars collapsing. Nests destroyed by destruction beams. Invasion.
"Keeeek!"
Hanging on her back, forward view blocked. But I knew Wyvern Mom fired a destruction beam.
Head reared back, ray from her maw.
Kwaaaa!
It cleaved clouds. What was the target? Another wyvern? Or...
Peeking out, I saw. She'd intercepted an incoming beam.
Ray clashed with ray mid-air.
Kwakwakwa!
Result: one ray vanished, the other deflected. Hers was the weaker, extinguished.
The foe? None other than Triple-Headed Wyvern Chugota.
Her beam grazed us by. Scorching gust nearly flung the triplets off.
- Another raid?
Chugota had already stolen Wyvern Mom's nest once.
Groups attack over territory usually. No reason to raid immediately after claiming it.
"Saaak!"
But what could we do? It was happening. Chugota led her pack straight to Delphram.
Wyvern Mom beat her wings furiously, accelerating. But conditions were worst possible.
All hatchlings aboard. Her size meant no issue with the load, but speed was hampered.
Especially against that Chugota.
"Grroooo."
"Wooor."
"Droooo!"
Chugota's three heads wailed like hellish shrieks. Twice Wyvern Mom's bulk, yet somehow faster.
'At this rate, the kids are goners.'
Wyvern Mom's fear was surely for her riders.
'Kids. Run.'
I eyed the hatchlings. Our gazes met.
With Mom busy, I had to lead them.
'Three, two, one...'
Released Isil's vines. Terrified faces, but...
'Dive!'
"Saaak!"
Thankfully, they obeyed. Or maybe just slipped.
Over 100kg lighter—huge difference. Wyvern Mom accelerated more.
Screee!
Chugota's "Chu" head barely nipped ahead. Wyvern Mom dodged by a hair.
She glanced worriedly at the kids below, but they flapped downward hard. Hide in pillar shadows, good.
But no time to fret over them now.
Piiiing!
Chugota prepped triple destruction beam again. I knew its power from before.
I looped Isil's vine around Wyvern Mom's neck like reins.
Worked on the kids, maybe...
Yanked hard.
Whether my intent connected, or we synced—I don't know, but we shot upward sharply.
The triple beam fired straight. Air-igniting plasma-level power rocketed past us—toward the rear stone tower.
- No, don't!
Pellelian screamed. If it wrecked the dungeon...
Kwaaaaaang!
But amazingly, it didn't even touch the tower. An invisible wall—barrier or shield—blocked the mighty beam.
- Yes!
'You were scared stiff.'
- Haha! Whew!
Pellelian beamed with pride at his dungeon's defenses.
- I remember now.
'What!'
- Head to the tower! That's why wyverns fear Delphram.
No time for questions. I yanked the vine to signal.
'Mom! That way!'
"Sasaak, saaaak!"
Wyvern Mom clearly feared Pellelian's dungeon too. But with kids fleeing opposite, she decided.
Lure Chugota toward the dungeon.
- There, that's it!
I saw it too. Massive obelisk. From a hole in its wall, a humanoid golem crawled out.
Tiny from afar, but enormous up close. It eyed us.
Hostility radiated. Rock guardian's will: no approach allowed.
- My obelisk's colossal soldier!