Persuasion

Gerald took a deep breath, flexed his muscles, and then shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Mister Phoenix! Please wait! I'm not trying to hurt you!"

The big bird didn't seem to have heard him, or at least it didn't show any reaction. Perhaps it just didn't care. It simply continued to run further while spewing flames everywhere in an attempt to stop the pursuit.

But Gerald rode on an Earth Dragon! The beast was highly resistant to flames due to its sleek scales and thick hide. Even if a few fiery tongues licked its body, it didn't even feel it.

And so the chase continued. Gerald kept shouting, trying to get the Phoenix to listen to him. "I'm not your enemy! Come on, stop running for a moment, I can help you!"

"Lies!" the Phoenix suddenly shouted back and turned, spitting fire out of its beak.

But Gerald was already expecting this. He rapidly tore a scroll and tossed it towards the flames. A powerful gust of wind blew, dispersing the fire and leaving him unharmed.

"Come on, I never attacked you! At least give me a chance to explain my proposal!"

"You were among the ones that attacked me! I saw you!" The Phoenix rebutted, anger clear in its tiny black eyes. The flames on its feathers flared up as it said so, and another gust of flame was sent toward Gerald.

Utilizing the same strategy as before, Gerald dispersed the attack. "I never did you any harm! In fact, I was waiting for the right moment to save you! Come on, you couldn't expect me to go against more than ten people at once?!"

Most of it was untrue. It would be best if the bird died, but since that didn't seem likely anymore, he had to try another strategy. Persuasion.

"Here, look! I even brought something for you to show I'm serious!" At that moment, a flower appeared in his hand.

The Phoenix didn't trust a single word he said, but it couldn't help itself and took a look at what this gift was. And as the flower entered its sight, the fiery beast immediately stopped and froze on the spot, eyes glued on Gerald's hand.

"Ice Phoenix Magma Flower, ever heard of it?" Gerald grinned and stopped his hyperactive mount. He found the flower a long time ago, in a dormant volcano. Who knew he would later find a clue of its use in the Royal Library? Perhaps it was fate.

"You-! Where did you find it?! Give it to me!" The bird exploded with variously aggressive emotions and tried to peck at the flower.

"Hmph!" Gerald's eyebrows furrowed, and he activated the Elemental Avatar, empowering his body with magic. Despite it being quite painful due to the extensive damage his Soul was still under, he forced through and responded with a well-aimed punch.

Pow!

The flower disappeared back into the Ring, and the Phoenix got its head knocked to the side by the powerful strike. At the same time, Gerald was blown away by the recoil and landed gracefully on the ground a few meters away.

"Stop!" he hollered and took the Ice Phoenix Magma Flower back out. "One wrong move and I'm going to destroy it!" he warned. There was no hesitation in his voice and he was 100% serious.

"You-!" The Phoenix flared up and exploded with anger once more, and yet, it did not dare to move. "Miserable thief! Despicable human, you have no idea who you're messing with!" it postured and extended its wings, or tried to, rising high and looking at him from above like some great emperor.

"Your fragile body cannot sustain the power contained inside the flower, don't fool yourself! If you destroy it, you will be turned to ice and ash in seconds! And I'll be just fine here and laugh at your demise!" the Phoenix boasted.

"Then I guess you don't care if I destroy it, right?" Gerald said with an expressionless face and squeezed.

"NOOOOOO!" The Phoenix roared with all its emotions behind it and, took a step forward. It nearly had a heart attack as Gerald was ready to destroy the thorny flower.

But then it noticed a smirk. The despicable human's lips curved upward ever so slightly, and under that stone-cold expression was a look of mockery. The bluff was revealed.

"Hmph! To think you would play such games…"

"But it worked, didn't it?" Gerald grinned.

The Phoenix turned its head away, unwilling to show its expression of shame. "Name your price, human! What is it that you want?"

Mentally rubbing his hands together, Gerald secretly celebrated while still showing no expressions on the surface.

"I need some of your blood," he casually stated, being quite direct and blunt.

The Phoenix narrowed its little bird eyes and turned its head sideways. "My blood? How much is some?"

"A few vials would be enough," Gerald replied and showed an empty glass vial.

The Phoenix was suspicious, "That's it?" Something didn't sit well with it. "What games are you playing, human?"

Gerald shook his head and lifted his hands, trying to do his best to show his sincerity. "No games, I swear. Look, I'll even help you take off that enchanted net," he offered.

"Hmm…" The Phoenix still didn't trust him, and as Gerald took a few steps forward, the bird did the same, only backward.

"Oh, come on. You don't have to be afraid. I'm really not here to hurt you." His voice was calm and soothing, his movements slow and unaggressive. Since the fiery bird didn't want him to approach, he didn't force it. He just stood there and waited for the latter to do the first move.

"I… I'll trust you this once," the Phoenix began. "But if you try anything funny, I'll turn you to ash!"

"Okay, okay," Gerald agreed and tried to calm it down as he took steps closer, even going so far as to make himself appear smaller by lowering his head and appearing as non-threatening as possible.

As they came to an agreement, the oversized red chicken extended its bound wing, as far as it could, and let Gerald approach.

The flames on its body gradually retracted and Gerald could finally do his thing.