The Emperor Class

Dreu slowly opened his eyes, aware that he dozed off at some point. He was rubbing his eyes when he sensed someone else nearby. He turned to see Axichis staring back at him. Despite them being together for a while, he still couldn't reliably tell what expression the duck had.

“Do you hate me for lying to you?”

Dreu initially leaned towards saying yes but, after allowing his emotions free, he realized that he didn’t hate the duck or the dragon. They never once wished him ill will. If anything, they saw him as a sign of hope and he let them all down with his immature outburst. Thinking about what he did only made his face feel warm. After he calmed himself down, Dreu found his voice which had become coarse.

“No, I don’t hate you. I hated myself and took it out on all of you. I never felt so powerless in saving my family. Do you forgive me for my outburst?”

“I guess we’re even then,” said the duck. “You should also take this. Ulzrag said that it belonged to your father so it only makes sense you inherit it.”

Axichis presented a spear to Dreu. The young accepted it upon learning it belonged to his father, though he had no recollection of his father wielding it. Rowan did mention his father learning a fighting style passed down by Zhao which meant Ross should have a spear. Dreu’s excitement quickly turned into disappointment when he remembered that Azorius took away his Emperor Class. He no longer had helpful prompts that alerted him of what weapons he got or any other important updates. In addition, he no longer had a teacher like Zhao who could help him master the new weapon. Even with the spear in his hand, Dreu couldn’t sense anything extraordinary about it and questioned if it was indeed powerful.

“What now?” asked Axichis.

“Good question.”

Dreu was stranded in a portal realm with a bloodthirsty demi-god wreaking havoc. He didn’t know how to get back to the demon portal or the real world. His options were very limited so he went with the first decision that came to mind.

“I’ll join the rest of you in slaying Rowan or die trying.”

“I will do my best too!”

“With just your teleportation ability?”

Dreu immediately regretted his comment. He knew how it felt to lack any abilities, especially when he had to resort to being a knight to achieve his dreams of being an adventurer. When he studied Axichis, the duck's expression remained the same. The bird muttered his helplessness, voicing his frustrations on the matter.

“When was the last time you tried to cast spells?” asked Dreu, hoping to change the topic.

“When I was a mere duckling,” replied Axichis.

“Never again after that?”

The duck shook his head. Dreu could see how failures early on had destroyed what little confidence Axichis had. He thought back to when Sela described how magic worked for humans. She also emphasized the importance of having a teacher who could bring the most out of someone with potential. Knowing that it didn’t hurt, he shared the knowledge with the duck.

“I had a friend who was a sorceress. I once asked her about how she mastered her spells. The summary I got was the spellcaster visualizing and willing the spell into reality. I don’t know if that could be of any help. With the battle coming up tomorrow, I know you want to take part in it. Maybe try again?”

After a few more encouragement, Axichis agreed to try once more. The duck stood facing the mountainside away from Dreu. The young man could sense intense concentration as he watched from the side, cheering his companion on. Axichis spread his wings and flapped them once. Dreu waited but nothing happened. He was about to walk up to the duck to offer some words of comfort when Axichis suddenly danced on the spot.

“I did it! I did it!”

When Dreu expressed his skepticism, Axichis pushed the young man until the two of them could both see faint cuts in the rocks. The cuts were too straight to be natural so Dreu immediately congratulated his companion on mastering a new ability. The congratulations from the young man only got the duck more fired up. Axichis returned to practicing his new ability and Dreu left his companion alone to train. He just entered the cave when a growl got his attention.

“You may claim to be a nobody but you achieved what many of us have failed to do.” Jojin pointed to the spear in Dreu’s hands. “We also expect great things from you with that spear.”

“Wait,” said Dreu before Jojin turned around. “I apologize for that outburst there. I…truly wish to fight alongside the rest of you to defeat Rowan.”

“Get in line, young one!” Jojin started heading deeper into the cave. “The rest of us want a crack at him first.”

Dreu smiled as he watched the fire troll head deeper into the cave. He then struggled to keep his eyes open. With Axichis training nearby, the young man found a comfortable hole in the cave and laid down. He held the spear tightly in his hands, knowing that this was the only thing he had from his father.

“Dreu!”

Dreu turned over to get comfortable and covered his ears with his hands.

“Dreu!”

“What?” Dreu sat up to find himself no longer in the cave. “Where and who?”

The young man found himself on the wide open plains that stretched in all directions. In the far distance, he could see a large camp but he couldn't make out anything else. The gentle breeze blew past him as a familiar person stood before him.

“We don’t have much time! You need to know how to wield that spear. Let me show you!”

For the next ten minutes or so, Dreu was drilled in the most grueling training in his life. Then, the person vanished without a trace.

“Thank you so much!”

With the training over, Dreu felt fatigue in both his body and soul. Darkness steadily embraced him and he didn’t resist at all.

I hope I can be of use tomorrow against Rowan.