A Journey That Changed The World.-Chapter 1665: It Knows We’re Coming

Archer was relaxing in the room as Meredith rushed into the room, looking panicked as she revealed. ''Arch! The city lord is a menace! Terrorizing the people and wants to execute a mother and her son over the father's vile words.''

He stood up, eyes narrowed as Malakia appeared, looking angry as she demanded. ''Husband, go deal with that corrupt man! The Homeguard should've arrested him, but their commander has been swayed.''

Anger exploded at the lioness's words as corruption got under his skin, causing him to reply. ''Take me there, ladies.''

Following that, the trio stepped out of the inn, making their way to the square where they saw the citizens gathered, and the City Lord was sitting in the middle. The sight of the man angered Archer further as he clearly thrived off the gold he earned from ripping off the empire and its taxes.

Without waiting, he pushed through the crowd only to be stopped by a dozen Homeguards, pointing their weapons at him. A low, mocking laugh rumbled from Archer's throat as he dismissed his disguise. His body got taller, his short white hair, pointed ears, and his violet dragon eyes blazing.

His aura erupted, a torm of raw power that declared his true nature to all who bore witness. The soldiers' faces drained of color, their knees buckling as they moved to kneel. But his patience was a flame long extinguished. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a flood of mana, sharp as a guillotine's edge.

The air shimmered, and in an instant, the guards were cleaved in half, their bodies collapsing in a grim cascade of severed steel and crimson. The square fell silent, the crowd frozen in awe and terror, as he stood as a storm of vengeance poised to reshape the fate of the city that fell to corruption.

As the City Lord lurched to his feet, Archer's gaze burned with hate. He thrust a hand skyward, his voice low as he cast an old spell he hadn't used in years, its power woven from the cosmos. Mana surged from him in a torrential cascade, igniting the heavens above Orientia with a blinding violet light.

High in the atmosphere, the air trembled as Meteor Swarm took form; countless blazing orbs of fire began to fall to Thrylos, poised to rain destruction. The city fell into a hushed, trembling silence, every eye drawn to the apocalyptic glow that bathed the streets in an otherworldly hue.

Archer's voice thundered across the square, each word laced with authority. ''Kneel before me or I will raze this cesspool of corruption to ash and build a new city on its ashes!'' 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The crowd quivered, the weight of his ultimatum pressing down like the hand of a god. The City Lord staggered, his luxury forgotten, as the people of Orientia faced a choice: submission or annihilation beneath the wrath of a dragon's will, and everyone chose, kneeling.

He didn't dismiss the spell and let the meteor shower fly right above the city before crashing into the sea, creating a massive wave. Archer chuckled at the results and cast Cosmic Shield around Ashkari as the tsunami crashed into it, but the barrier didn't move and absorbed Mother Nature's attack.

When the City Lord saw this, his eyes bulged, but a violet portal opened and the 1st Legion marched out, leading three more armies that would take over Ashkari, put a stop to the corruption, making sure the people thrive. After doing that, he noticed the family that started this while thing.

Archer approached the three who shrank under his gaze as he asked. ''What's the problem? Now I'm here, I'll be the judge of your feud.''

The woman straightened up and began speaking. ''My lord. My husband abandoned our family when my girl was five, he ran off with another woman, and now claims to want my daughter to marry his friend's son, to bring their families together, but he didn't raise her like I did!''

''Okay,'' he answered, looking at the husband while creating a chair from him, Malakia, and Meredith as chaos broke out across the city. ''Tell me, human, is what she says the truth?''

''No, my emperor,'' the man replied, shaking his head. ''She has stopped me from seeing the girl, as her father, I have the right to arrange any marriage for her.''

Archer's eyes narrowed as he nodded before speaking to the couple as a young woman stood nearby. She was pleasant-looking but didn't come close to his harem, which gave him an idea.

***

(Kaelira)

Kaelira blocked an attack from a Forest Wolf that was aimed at Jasmine's throat; they had lost all but one adventurer. She glanced at the Demi-Human and didn't know which one she was. The stranger's big ears moved all the time; they elegantly folded over, catching her attention.

She killed the last troll that slaughtered their group and turned to the Healer. ''Who are you and what Demi-Human race do you belong to?''

''I'm Cera, and I'm a Caracal,'' the young woman answered, a smile crossing her face. ''I come from Northwood. I wanted to grow as an adventurer, but the groups are horrible that I've found.''

Kaelira nodded, taking in the woman who had light brown hair and big orange cat eyes, as she was slender, standing at five feet ten. She returned to reality, speaking. ''You will join us; these two always need healing, and my mana can only last so long.''

When Cera heard this, her eyes lit up as she looked at Jasmine and Khela, who nodded in agreement. The Water Elf couldn't help but smile. ''We needed a dedicated Healer, the last one we had got grabbed by a bunch of Wild Goblins a few months back.''

The four women shivered at this, feeling sorry for the woman who now lived a horrifying life. Just then, several roars echoed in the distance, as the other groups of adventurers were fighting against their own monsters. Jasmine pointed at a nearby road. ''That leads to a farming village, I remember it from the maps.''

Everyone glanced at this and Kaelira spoke. ''Let's get going, I want to compare the difference between a normal settlement and a Draconian one.''

The group trudged toward the village, tasked with finding the missing adventurers, a mission none of them took to heart, as such losses were simply part of their trade, a grim reality people had to accept. After hours of trekking, she spotted a dilapidated village in the distance.

Ramshackle houses, half-collapsed and weathered, dotted the outskirts. The village wall was in even worse shape, a crumbling barrier so frail it seemed a strong gust could topple it. The group slowed as they approached the entance, the crunch of their boots on the dry, cracked earth echoing in the eerie stillness.

A faint chill hung in the air, despite the sun blazing overhead. She squinted at the sagging rooftops, their wooden beams warped and splintered, some draped with tattered cloth that fluttered weakly in the breeze. The place looked abandoned, yet an unsettling feeling prickled at the back of her neck, like they were being watched.

''Stay sharp,'' Kaelira muttered, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade.

The others nodded, their usual chatter replaced by tense silence. They passed through the gap where a gate might have once stood, the wall's crumbling stones barely reaching her waist. Inside, the village was a maze of narrow paths winding between dilapidated structures.

A rusted signpost leaned precariously, its lettering too faded to read. A sudden clatter broke the quiet, a wooden shutter banging against a wall. The group froze as Kaelira's gold eyes darted to the source: a house with a caved-in roof, its door hanging of the hinge. ''Could be the wind,'' Khela whispered, though his grip on his axe said he didn't believe it.

''Or it could be trouble,'' she replied, her voice low.

Kaelira motioned for the group to spread out, keeping to the shadows of the crumbling buildings. As they moved deeper into the village, the air grew heavier, thick with the scent of decay and something sharper, blood, perhaps. The missing adventurers had come this way, and she had a sinking feeling they hadn't left.

A faint scuffing sound came from an alley to her left. She signaled the others to halt, her pulse quickening. Stepping silently, she peered around the corner, her blade now drawn. In the dim light, she caught a glimpse of movement, a figure, hunched and shambling, disappearing behind a pile of debris.

''Whatever's here,'' she whispered to the group. ''It knows we're coming.''

Kaelira led the group deeper into the village, senses sharp as the air grew colder, thicker, as if the village itself were holding its breath. The alleys twisted, flanked by crumbling buildings with hollow windows that seemed to watch their every move. The scent of blood lingered, mingling with the stench of rot that clung to the ramshackle huts.

Every step felt heavier, the silence pressing against her ears, broken only by the occasional creak of decaying wood or the skitter of loose stones.