Humans

"Wood Magic: Goliath's Fist!"

Dorian watched with wide eyes as an enormous fist made out of a type of dark black wood materialized above the Ironhide Wolf, crashing down on it.

BOOM

The wooden fist had appeared out of nowhere, and moved with such speed and strength that it the wolf was unable to avoid it, even if it was a Sky Class beast. The resulting impact caused the fist to explode and splinter, shards of wooden shrapnel bursting outward.

The wolf let out an angry whimper as the fist slammed directly down on its head, crushing it into the ground. The attack took it completely by surprise, when its attention was focused entirely on the Red Salamander in front of it.

The Ironhide Wolf stayed down after the impact, laying on the ground unmoving.

Dorian scampered over to a tree, keeping himself as low to the ground as possible as he watched all of this.

Gradually, the figures of several human men appeared, walking into the forested clearing near the wolf. Three of the men were dressed as warriors, wearing dark leather armor and wielding swords. Another looked like some type of forest ranger, while the last wore a set of fine, grey silk robes.

"Toldro, check its status." William Robel, the man in the silk robes, said, waving his hand at the downed wolf.

The man that looked like a forest ranger quickly moved forward, his steps careful but assured. He knelt down next to the wolf, looking it over.

"It's still alive, and in good condition!"

As Dorian watched this all unfold, he realized something. The men before him weren't speaking in English, yet he could understand him.

'Ausra, how do I know what they're saying?' He mentally queried.

'His Worship, in his unending wisdom, was aware that many people speak different languages in the 30,000 realms. Therefore, He engraved the knowledge of the 6 widespread languages, and the 300 or so lesser languages, into the Soul Spell Matrix of every member of the Flock, including you, Firstborn. Your understanding and ability to speak is innate, should you form a body capable of speech.' Ausra's voice responded, cool and concise.

Dorian smiled internally at the revelation. He'd always wanted to learn a foreign language, back on earth. Now, it seemed that wish had been granted, in a way of its own. He shook the memory of earth from his head after a moment, images of his mother, father, and family popping up. He couldn't afford to think about that right now.

"Excellent!" William said, a huge smile covering his face. They had actually managed to find the Ironhide Wolf they had been looking for, and not only did they manage to capture it, they managed to capture it easily and alive by taking it by surprise.

Ironhide Wolves were basically walking treasures, especially living ones that could be raised. His luck really was turning around, hunting down the rumors for this wolf had turned out to be absolutely worth it.

"Wood Magic: Sealing Bell!" His fingers twisted as he cast another spell, calling a large, three meter tall and 2 meter wide bell into existence. He waved his hand again, calling into existence several moving wooden tentacles.

These tentacles grabbed the downed wolf, tossing it unceremoniously into the large wooden bell. The bell than immediately sealed shut, with only a few holes in the side of it to let in air.

"Sir!" Captain Lancaster spoke up from the side as William secured their prize, stepping forward.

"Should we do anything about the Red Salamander off there to the south?" He queried, vaguely motioning with his hand.

Dorian froze when he heard this, not daring to move. How did they spot him?! He was hiding, and hiding pretty well. The cover of the tree and underbrush meant he was barely visible, if at all!

William glanced over exactly to where Dorian was, staring at his hiding spot for a moment.

"Hmm… It's not even a Sky Class beast. I'll get rid of it." The wizard folded his hands together, preparing to cast another spell.

Dorian didn't stick around, and immediately turned around and fled, running away as fast as he could. He blasted through the forest glade, hurtling past trees, a spark of fear blazing in his heart.

William stared after the fleeing Red Salamander in surprise.

"Did it sense our intent? How very unusual… Whatever." He glanced over at the floating bell with a satisfied look,

"Let's head back to Yor City!"

..

Dorian ran for a solid 30 seconds, reaching the edge of the forested valley. He hid near a set of large boulders at the edge of the treeline, his body heaving. Adrenaline, or the Salamander equivalent, pumped through his vein as he shivered, trying to stay calm.

Magic existed in this world, clearly, he thought, going over the situation. That was the only way he could explain how the wood moved as it did. It wasn't very surprising. The existence of his Soul Spell Matrix, and his Flame Claws Ability were already magical enough.

'Humans, though! Those are the first humans I've met!' As he fully realized this, Dorian shivered slightly, feeling an odd mix of happiness and disappointment.

'Maybe I should have stayed, and tried to communicate?' He thought for a moment, before immediately dismissing the thought.

It wouldn't do to stand out too much right now. That human had easily trounced a Sky Class Ironhide Wolf, something he was unable to do. Staying put would have put him fully in the man's control.

He sighed, stretching his claws.

What he needed to do was to become strong. Strong enough that he could relax and travel in safety, and maybe figure out a way to get back to Earth.

He stayed hidden for a few more minutes, waiting to be sure the humans had left.

After pausing, he came out of his hiding spot, and crept back into the valley. He moved carefully from tree to tree, trying to avoid making any unnecessary noise.

Gradually, he calmed down, feeling like things were back to normal. The sound of wildlife chipping or moving about settled in, making the forest feel similar to a normal one on earth. Ignoring the occasional massive roars of huge beasts in the distance.

Soon, Dorian traversed to the lowest point of the valley, searching for the 'darkest pit.'

After spending 10 minutes traversing the valley with no luck, he walked over to the stream at the center of the forested area, kicking a rock in frustration. He watched the rock sail along, smashing downstream and surprising several groups of fish.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something in the river move too, startled by the movements of the fish.

A familiar shape.

It was another Brown Treasure Clam!

Just to be sure, he checked with Ausra, who confirmed his guess. He stared at it, curious.

'Ausra, this is the second clam I've met now. Aren't they supposed to be rare?' He mentally asked the genie.

The genie was silent for a moment before responding,

'Brown Treasure Clams are drawn to fate, and fated objects. The one you found earlier was most likely drawn by His Worship twisting fate to send you here. This one here probably has some relation to the previous clam.'

Dorian's eyes widened at the response, staring at the clam intensely. It was scuttling along the bottom of the stream, slipping through the crystal clear water.

As he watched it, he considered a possibility he hadn't thought of before.

Maybe the deepest pit in this valley wasn't in the forested area… maybe it was in the stream?

He sauntered forward, stalking the clam as it moved away from the crowd of fish, watching its movements. If it was drawn to fate… then there was a distinct possibility its home where it slept would be near the dead wizard's treasure.

The clam, after being startled by the fish, seemed to be intent on escape and hiding. It moved along the bottom of the stream for several minutes, leading Dorian down a good hundred meters. He followed it patiently, watching its movements.

Just as the stream was entering a bend and turning, all of a sudden, the Brown Treasure Clam vanished, disappearing from his vision.

Dorian pounced forward, his eyes alert as he scanned over the part of the stream the clam vanished at. He waded into the water, looking closely.

Sure enough, after looking around for a few seconds, Dorian saw an opening in the side of the stream wall. The hole was difficult to see, positioned so that you couldn't see it if you were standing on the outside of the stream. It was decently large, about two meters wide and a meter and a half tall.

He crawled up to it, sticking a claw in. He felt rock, and then open space. He looked at it again before shrugging. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Dorian took a huge breath, and then dived under the water, pulling himself through the opening. His vision was excellent, even under water. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darker atmosphere as he took a glance inside.

The hole led to a long slanted cave tunnel that seemed to run at a slightly downward angle. The water level in the cave was steady, not rushing outside or in, but in equilibrium.

Just barely Dorian saw the Brown Treasure clam slipping down the end of the visible path and turning.

He surfaced for a moment and took another large breath, and then dived back down and began swimming, pulling himself quickly through the passageway.

As a Red Salamander, he could hold his breath for at least several minutes if needed. If he didn't find anything in the first minute he would just leave and figure out a separate plan.

Despite being underground, the cave path seemed to be faintly lit from a type of glowing moss or algae on the cave floor. Dorian moved through the tunnel quickly, reaching the end of the path in a few seconds.

As he turned the corner, he saw what looked like a large pool, and a layer of water bordered by air. He smiled when he saw this, paddling up a few feet.

"Woo!" He let out his breath and took another deep breath, looking around at the underground chamber.

It was a long, but cramped cave room. The glowing moss that was present in the water was also present on the roof of the cave, lighting the place up. The ceiling was around a meter high, made of rough grey rock. About two thirds of the room slanted upwards, with no water on it, while the other third was submerged.

In a particular corner of the room, hiding on the slanted portion, Dorian made out the Brown Treasure Clam, burying itself in-between a collection of white rock.

He blinked as he studied the rock, coming to a realization. What he thought was a collection of rocks was actually a haphazardly piled clump of bones. He shuddered briefly, recognizing the vague human shape. He also saw a faded, brown pouch set underneath the bones, covered in grey patches.

This was, most likely, the corpse of the fallen mage from the message in that ring.

*CRACK*

One of the bones fractured as the Brown Treasure Clam shifted, trying to hide beneath it.

Dorian frowned when he saw this and stepped forward, bringing his claws to bear. He drew upon the energy in his soul, activating his Flaming Claws ability as he stepped forward.

First he'd take out the clam, and then he'd go look to see if there really was any treasure left behind.

..

In a world very far from Dorian's current one, a man sat alone in an empty throne-room, perched atop an enormous, glowing green throne. The throne stood easily three meters tall, and floated in the air, set with intricate carvings of wizards casting spells and fighting off fantastic beasts. Various gems were inset all along the side of the throne, giving it a powerful and rich appearance.

The room was empty except for the throne, and a long red carpet leading to it. The bland grey stone that made up the floor and walls contrasted greatly with the powerful, detailed appearance of the throne. A large, glowing yellow sphere lit up the room, floating near the ceiling.

The man sitting atop the throne appeared to be middle-aged, with a head of short, greying hair, and a short, gruff black beard. His violet eyes were gleamed with a strange light, while his strong jaw and small nose gave him a masculine, handsome appearance. A long, red scar ran down the length of his right cheek onto his neck, and a set of muscular shoulders.

He wore a simple, tight white robe, adorned with a black colored insignia of a wizard's spellbook. His height was above average, at 6 foot and 5 inches, giving him a towering appearance even while sitting.

Atop his head rested a slim, simple golden crown.

The man sighed, looking at the empty room. He turned his head back to look across from the throne, towards the only entrance to the room. A huge, five meter tall set of stone doors.

"Enter, Cassiera." His voice was rich and warm, but full of a tingling sense of authority and untold power.

At the sound of his words, the doors immediately opened. A beautiful, blonde haired woman walked down the carpet towards the throne, her green eyes and glimmering lips perfectly accentuating her long, silky blonde hair. She was lean and fit, the curves of her body visible through the tight blue dress she wore.

"Your Majesty." Cassiera's voice was calm as she stopped ten meters from the throne, bowing down. A small, blue ornament in her hair glittered.

"What does the Fate Magic Department's preliminary report state?" The man on the throne waved his hand at her, a bored look on his face.

The Fate Magic Department was one of the 108 Magic Departments in the Borrel Autarchy, the gargantuan organization that controlled more than 10,000 worlds.

Cassiera trembled as she heard him respond to her, a look of adoration in her eyes.

"The disturbances in Fate have appeared in 88 different worlds in total. Of the affected, we have 32 of these worlds under our control. Each disturbance was tumultuous, and while the exact details of what happened are unknown, if left unattended, the fortunes indicate a disaster on the scale of the Yale Demon Invasion will occur."

The man on the throne sat up at this, his eyes widening slightly.

The Yale Demon Invasion had cost the lives of more than 40 billion humans, across more than 500 planets. The unexplained invasion of intelligent and powerful beasts across various World Bridges had come after the Graal Alliance, the powerful alliance of intelligent beasts spanning more than 7,000 worlds, had collapsed roughly 1,000 years ago. The alliance had only managed to reform a hundred years later.

A disaster on this scale would have massive effects, and could change the face of the Autarchy as it stood.

A gleam of interest appeared in the man's eyes.

"Very interesting." He snapped his fingers twice.

Immediately, out of seemingly nowhere, two black masked and robed men appeared.

"Taron, issue a Decree to all 108 Departments, requiring a full scale investigation of the 32 affected worlds under our control. David, meet with the Foreign Ambassador Department and organize overtures to the planets not under our control, informing them of the situation and offering our assistance. Get the information you need from the Fate Department."

The man waved his hands as he ordered two of his most trusted subordinates to take action, a smile appearing on his face. He turned to look back at the blue dressed woman who was staring up at him adoringly.

"Cassiera. Your Fate Department has done well. Inform me if there are any new findings." He gave her a warm nod, dismissing her from the throne-room. She backed away reluctantly, bowing as she left.

Arthur Telmon, the Wizard King of the Borrel Autarchy, and the most powerful human in existence, looked around the now empty throne-room once more, a smile on his face.

"It seems things are about to become a bit more interesting."