Scouting the Four Kings
"Alright, so." Munching on a heavenly fruit I'd pulled from my subspace, I crooked a finger at Kar. "The Four Kings—what they are, where they are, what they look like. Spill everything you know."
Kar puffed out his massive chest and lifted his head high, his red scales gleaming in the morning sun.
"Ahem! Since my master has deigned to ask, this humble Kar shall relay all that he knows."
His voice was brimming with exaggerated gravitas.
"First up! The King of Flames, Ignar!"
Kar bellowed in his thick voice.
"A colossal flame lion wreathed in fire from head to tail, its mane a roaring blaze! One roar lays waste to the entire area around it! The legendary ruler of the southern plains!"
"How do I get there?"
"...Pardon?"
"Ignar's Domain. How do I get there?"
"Well... you just head straight south from the World Tree..."
"You been there yourself?"
"...No."
Kar's momentum visibly deflated.
"Next."
"Second is the Abyssal King, Abysal! A gigantic abyssal octopus that dominates a vast territory with its tentacles...!"
"You seen it?"
"...Only heard rumors."
"Next."
"Th-third is Prostia! An ice spirit in the form of a translucent giant dragon...!"
"That one rumors too?"
"...I only know the name."
Kar huddled his enormous body, his tail slinking down meekly. The proud posture from moments ago was gone.
"...Truth is, us wyverns spend our lives avoiding the Four Kings. I've never seen any of them up close..."
I nodded, grabbing another fruit.
"So basically, you know jack squat."
"...I-I'm sorry."
Kar clasped his front paws together and bowed his head low. The mighty wyvern lord looked downright pitiful with his shoulders hunched, but I wasn't disappointed.
Whatever. I can just go check 'em out myself.
"Kar. Let's go see Ignar first. The southern plains, right?"
Kar's body stiffened like a board.
"Y-yes...? R-right now?"
"Yup."
"Ignar is the most brutal of the Four Kings, or so the rumors say! Anything that steps into its territory gets incinerated...!"
"So, which way?"
Kar flapped his mouth a few times before finally spreading his wings.
I hopped onto his back, and we burst through layer after layer of clouds into the open sky.
Nice.
"Kar, floor it."
"M-master... They say the temperature skyrockets near Ignar's Domain. The heat infused with its mana is on a whole other level from normal fire..."
"Mana boost incoming."
"...Pushing more like that makes my stomach churn."
He grumbled but picked up speed anyway. I channeled a bit of mana into the soles of his feet, and his wingbeats grew noticeably stronger.
Wind whipped past my ears, hair streaming back. After a while, as a vast plain came into view on the horizon, a weird sensation made me sit up.
What the—it's hot.
We were high in the sky where it should be cool, but something ominous rose from below. The air shimmered like a mirage, and every gust against my skin was toasty.
"M-master. That plain down there marks the border of Ignar's Domain."
Kar's voice trembled, his wingbeats clearly slowing.
I looked down. It was a plain, sure—but there was no grass. An endless expanse of charred black earth stretched out, dotted with embers still crackling away.
...It's huge.
Heat haze rising to the heavens warped my vision. The air carried the scent of scorched soil and burnt grass, baked hot.
And right in the center—
ROOOOOARRR—!!
A massive roar tore through the sky out of nowhere. Far across the blackened plain, something enormous stirred slowly.
A blazing mane. Paws that scorched the ground with every step, sparks flying. Eyes glowing orange like molten lava.
Whoa. It's big.
Its bulk dwarfed any wyvern. A body as thick as a major World Tree branch lumbered across the plain.
The aura reminded me of when Turaka charged—maybe even denser.
Look at that neck. Thicker than Turaka's, better marbling too.
"K-keeek...!"
Kar thrashed in terror, our altitude plummeting.
"M-master! Ignar has spotted us! We need to—!"
I gripped his horn tight and leaned forward. Beneath the flaming mane, that thick nape glistened in the sunlight.
Gotta bring rock salt and red pepper powder tomorrow.
"Got it. We'll just scout today."
I patted his back lightly.
"Location locked. We can come back properly tomorrow."
Kar's wings faltered for a second, then veered away.
"...Huh?"
"Stomach's still full, and I haven't picked spices yet. Better prep first."
"I-is that so..."
Strength returned to his wings. We fled Ignar's Domain faster than we'd arrived.
"But before we head back."
"...Yes?"
"Let's just pinpoint Abysal and Prostia too."
Kar froze midair.
"...N-now?"
"Might as well while we're out."
***
We banked away from Ignar's Domain and flew for a good while. A massive cavern deep inside the World Tree opened up, its floor a black, still lake stretching into the distance. It swallowed all light, silent and deep.
I sat up on Kar's back and peered at the surface.
"That's Abysal's Domain?"
"Yes. It lurks somewhere below that water... M-master, please don't get too close..."
"I know. Just a look from up here."
I had Kar circle slowly above the lake. The surface was mirror-calm, not a ripple. Nothing seemed there, but a faint, chilling heaviness seeped up from below.
Not as flashy as Ignar, but my gut screamed that something huge and silent lurked beneath, holding its breath.
Yeah, it's down there.
I nodded and patted Kar.
"Location confirmed. Next."
The moment we pulled away from the lake, Kar's wings sped up noticeably.
"Prostia next."
"...Prostia's territory isn't fixed. Rumors say it's somewhere around the World Tree, that's all..."
"Then let's circle the World Tree wide and hunt for cold spots. Ice spirit means it'll be frosty around there."
"W-wide?"
"Yup. We'll loop and check for frost-covered areas."
Kar gritted his teeth and spread his wings. We began a slow circuit around the World Tree's outer edges.
An hour in.
"Master..."
"Yeah."
"No chill yet, but my wings are getting..."
"Mana boost."
"...Thank you."
Another hour.
"Master."
"Yeah."
"Still no chill..."
"One more loop."
"...Yes."
The sun was dipping low.
"Master. Over there."
In the northern depths of the World Tree, a section thick with frost stood out. White crystals piled on branches, ice dust sparkling on leaves.
Definitely cold.
Frost was forming on Kar's wingtips too.
"Prostia's turf?"
"Probably. I've always steered clear of such heavy frost zones..."
I looked down. No blazing presence like Ignar, no spine-tingling aura like Abysal. Just stillness. Cold and quiet.
But for a split second, something translucent flitted between the frosted branches.
I rubbed my eyes and looked again—nothing. Just ice crystals swaying in the breeze.
Eh, it's there somewhere.
I flopped back down.
"Location confirmed. Home time."
Kar's voice shook.
"...For real?"
"Yeah. That's enough for today."
"Thank you...! Thank you, master...!"
Kar banked toward the World Tree's peak, but after a full day of mana-boosted overdrive, his wings wobbled.
Lounging comfy on his back, I opened subspace and pulled out my spice box. Popping the lid, I sniffed the rock salt and red powder next to it—spicy kick.
Ignar's a fire guy, so this'll pair perfect.
Salt plus this would give a salty-spicy vibe. For octopus Abysal, raw with a salty sauce maybe.
No soy sauce in subspace, huh.
I closed the lid and shut my eyes.
***
That night, three of the World Tree's Four Kings sensed the same thing in their domains: an unknown presence that had casually drifted through during the day.
Ignar burned with rage. Anything entering its territory was to be incinerated—that was the law. Yet this aura lingered briefly and vanished unscathed. Humiliating.
Abysal stayed wary. The presence overhead seemed weak, but viewing from below the surface versus above created a subtle discrepancy. Calculations were needed.
Prostia showed no reaction. It had merely brushed past once amid the frosted branches.
As the three Kings braced in their own ways, the intruder slept soundly in its nest, spice box clutched to chest.
Tomorrow, Ignar first.