The Emperor Class

Dreu looked up but the dark clouds concealed the mountain peak. He then looked back to see Axichis waddling at his own pace behind the young man. A few hours had passed and the young man felt like he made little progress up the mountain. He saw himself getting no closer to the dark clouds and they were the only feature he could measure his progress with. The rest of the mountain looked far too similar and the distance upon looking downward hadn't widened at all. The young man was growing a little discouraged when Axichis communicated with him.

Why did you accept this task, Dreu? You really want to see your family again?

I haven’t seen them for over three years. I miss them terribly. Maybe you’ll understand when you lose family members.

Axichis began sharing the massacre of his family which he had to witness personally. He explained that, by siding with Xyheia, the Hurricane Ducks antagonized Xemir who was merciless towards all those he viewed as enemies. His mother and ten other siblings were all murdered by forces loyal to Xemir. If it weren’t for his teleportation ability, he would have shared the same fate.

Teleportation ability? Is that how you saved me from Rowan?

Yes, my ability is limited to a single target. I can either teleport someone to my position or vice versa. The cooldown depends on the distance covered by the teleportation.

What other abilities do you have?

Dreu assumed that hurricane ducks, as implied by their name, must have affinity with wind magic. If the two of them were both headed to the peaks, then he would like to know how they could work together and reach the crystal together. Spells sounded useful against any foes they came across.

I have no other abilities.

Dreu stopped in his tracks and stared at the hurricane duck. He thought he misheard his new travel companion but Axichis repeated that he had no other abilities than teleportation. When asked, the duck simply stated that he was a mere duckling when he lost his family. He never got a chance to learn any wind spells from his mother and, despite his best efforts, Axichis could never learn any spells on his own. His inability to contribute to the battlefield was the reason why he stayed far away from Rowan.

Why are you coming with me then? The climb will be perilous as you explained earlier. I don’t even have confidence with the blade in my hand.

I…have to reach the top for my own reasons. The goddess said this is a trial I must overcome, either alone or with one other being.

Looks like we both have something we must fight for.

Dreu studied Axichis when the duck was speaking about his trial. He noticed the lack of confidence from the duck, a trait he shared. The two of them were thrown into a dangerous world without warning, forcing them to learn and adapt on the go. One misstep and both of them would be dead. With Bayard and the others gone, he was alone once more. His inability to open the prompt made the young man wonder if Azorius simply removed his Emperor class for good. Dreu approached his companion and knelt down until he was on eye level with the duck.

I know I’m still weak. However, I’m glad I have someone here with me for my trial ahead. Let’s do our best!

Let’s!

The two companions resumed their climb up the narrow path. There were sections where the path got so narrow Dreu had to shuffle along with his back against the mountain. Dreu made the mistake of staring down and vowed to not do so afterwards. Meanwhile, Axichis had no problems due to his ability to take flight whenever he lost his footing which actually happened a lot. The duck’s flight also saved the young man a few times when the duck pushed the young man against the mountain until Dreu regained his balance. The two made steady progress but the trial was about to get much harder.

I heard something up ahead. Let me scout ahead!

Axichis took flight and went ahead of Dreu. A minute later, he returned with some bad news.

We have some goat creatures up ahead. They don’t look friendly so be ready for combat.

Dreu looked at the narrow path, cursing the unfavorable terrain. During his training with Bayard, the veteran footman never once taught him how to fight on the mountains. They only had time to cover the basics which had kept him alive until this point. The stances he learned weren’t useful when he could barely get a solid footing to brace himself. Axichis had no spells outside of teleportation, making the duck more of a spectator for the upcoming fight. As he inched forward, the young man eventually caught sight of the goat creatures the duck spoke of. The creatures looked like mountain goats but they had strange markings on their faces.

Do you know what those markings are for?

The young man had no intention of charging head first if he could avoid it. Yet, the creatures, following a minute of studying him upon noticing his presence, charged at him with their black horns directed at him. Dreu scrambled to find ledges he could use to get out of the charges. He barely climbed up a few ledges when the goats shook their heads to make contact with the mountainside. The resulting impact almost caused Dreu to lose his hold.

I think the markings represent the magic affinity of the goats.

Before Dreu could ask what the affinity was, he felt stone shards hitting his back. The pain made him lose his hold on the ledges. As his mind processed the idea of falling to his death, the sudden impact with the ground knocked the air out of his lungs. The young man watched the duck flying towards the goats as he tried to recover from the impact.

Be careful, Axichis!

The duck simply ignored him and approached the largest of the goats. Following a bow, the goats calmed down somewhat. When they turned to Dreu, the young man quickly got on one knee to show respect. After that, he watched the goats scaling down the ledges with ease.

How did you know?