As Donvin's shout rang out, his beasts reacted. But it could be seen that dreagles were really not suitable for combat despite their intimidating presence.
The giant hunks flapped their wings without much seriousness, rising to the air and chasing after Repha's group.
Yet Little Blue and the others already profited from a head start. How could the beasts below hope to catch up with them?
Rather it were the smaller beasts, which could carry at most one or two people, who fearlessly gave chase.
Donvin didn't come alone but had more mercenaries with him. Some of them were also mounted on various flying, bird-like beasts, joining the pursuit.
A fierce fight ensued in the air. Repha drew her bow, firing at the mercenaries. Yet even the sharp-eyed wood elf couldn't ensure a hit with every arrow. The billowing wind and the nimbly flying beasts made aiming incredibly difficult.
The party was already impressed that one in three arrows was able to injure its target.
"This is the action I'm longing for!", exclaimed Bloody Edge excitedly. At this moment he regretted not being a bow user, joining the wood elf in shooting down their pursuers.
The rest of the party agreed as well. Copying Liam, they realized that there was no need to be afraid of falling off, moving around on top of Little Blue to watch the fight.
"Haha, take this!", laughed Cyclone happily as one of her attacks slammed against a mercenary's chest. Her, Silent Acacia, and Fortune decided to play a game, competing in who could land more hits on the enemies.
Unfortunately, Silent Acacia quickly discovered that he was at a disadvantage since magical attacks were less affected by the fierce winds.
Fortune, however, was impressed as Cyclone took the lead. She could only secretly hope that the blond woman's seasickness might kick in.
Watching the players' actions one would realize that they weren't under much pressure. The chasing mercenaries turned out not to be much of a threat.
Their aim with the bow was a far cry from Repha's, barely able to land hits on the huge dreagles, much less on the players. The biggest threat were their sweeping attacks as their flying mounts brushed over Little Blue's back, forcing the players to dodge hastily.
Yet these attacks could be spotted from far away, giving the players ample time to prepare.
Additionally, the dreagles would let out loud cries from time to time which had an intimidating effect on the other beasts.
Thus, the group gradually distanced themselves from their pursuers until the mercenaries finally gave up, fear apparent in their eyes.
"Dear viewers, what an action-packed spectacle! Here is what to do if you also want to experience this battle..."
Fortune played the narrator for her future viewers, her voice highly energized.
The other players also discussed the fight excitedly feeling unfulfilled upon its early end.
Meanwhile Repha slowly lowered her bow. She took a deep breath dispersing the murderous air surrounding her. With a few steps she arrived close to Little Blue's head, tending to the poor creature, making sure she was alright.
Afterwards the NPC inquired with Liam about where they should go now. A glance at the updated quest revealed that Seytor was waiting for the party within a camp in Duabalis City.
Getting a destination from Liam, Repha nodded, relaying it to Little Blue.
Acknowledging with a cry the majestic beast flapped her wings drawing a large circle. Since she didn't want to pass above Donvin's domain Little Blue kept her distance from the area.
The players didn't complain though, enjoying the breathtaking view. From high in the sky, they passed above Saltae watching the ocean waves brandish against the insurmountable wall, white foam spreading through the air.
Sunlight fell, creating several gorgeous rainbows, adding a mythical feel to the home of the original nephilim.
Swiping one's eyes towards the horizon one could see the endless expanse of blue dotted with various islands which looked so small from the back of Little Blue.
Far away, only spottable with sharp eagle eyes, one might be able to see a golden shimmer. This was the cloud of magic supporting the flying continent, creating the border of Deavin Ocean, preventing the water from swallowing the land below the continent.
The beings native to the flying continent called this magic 'Grace', with no one knowing where it came from. Some believed that in an ancient time before the gods other mighty magical beings might have created the flying continent, while others thought everything happened naturally during the creation of the world.
The creation of Grace might remain a mystery forever as even the gods didn't or couldn't answer this question.
Soon Little Blue finished her turn, travelling in the direction of Duabalis City. The party's attention left the ocean and instead fell on the land below.
From their current perspective they realized how vast Duabalis City really was. Right now, the game mostly took place in the area around the big cities as traveling deeper into uninhabited places took a long time. On top of that such places had no paths and were crowded with high-level monsters.
The party observed the scenery from high up marvelling upon all the places they had yet to explore.
Some mage towers, both ruined and functional, could be seen scattered throughout Duabalis. Mysterious lands where elemental magic gathered invited one to explore their secrets. A dangerous aura came from a majestic mountain range towards the south.
Intrigued, the players roamed the land with their eyes, eager to go but unfortunately held back by their levels.
Yet the experience left them unsatisfied as Little Blue soon descended, travelling closer to the ground. Passing roads and forests, many travellers looked up at the massive dreagles, some even waving their arms.
Cyclone happily returned the greeting, laughing like a child along the way, infecting everyone with her good mood.
The party enjoyed their flight until Little Blue and her friends landed on a field some distance from Duabalis City's core, next to a temporary camp of tents and carts.
"This was great!", exclaimed Cyclone with a bright smile as she jumped from Little Blue's back. She turned around watching her friends come down one by one.
Everyone showed bright smiles expect for Radiant Shield. The burly tank staggered towards the ground. As soon as he felt the solid floor under his feet he laid down, sprawling his body, his limbs trembling as if he had a seizure.
"Never... again. I, I won't... never..."
Liam stood next to the man with a worried expression. He had a déjà vu, unsure if he should remind Radiant Shield that they had to fly towards Taragal's islands soon.
Before he came to a decision a voice drew the party's attention. Seytor stepped out of one of the tents, welcoming the players with a hearty laugh:
"You made it! Great! Repha, it's nice to see you again."
"So, this was YOUR idea, Seytor. I should've expected it."
"Why so distant? I thought our relationship was better than that."
Repha looked at the dwarf, letting out a low sigh.
"Sure, sure. You helped me after all, so I should be thankful. Tell me what you need."
"It's not only about my needs, Repha. Many people have waited for this day for a long time. You included."
Instantly the wood elf's eyes narrowed dangerously, her voice laden with intimidation:
"Are you finally ready to make a move on Taragal?"
Seytor only nodded as an answer. He turned to the side pointing at his tent with an inviting gesture. Repha didn't hesitate, entering at a brisk pace.
Afterwards Seytor turned to address the players. But before he could say what he wanted to say, his eyes involuntarily fell on Radiant Shield:
"Is your companion alright?"
The question caused some of the friends to snicker, thinking that Radiant Shield was to dramatic, even noticed by the NPC.
"He'll get over it.", answered Silver Blade offhandedly.
"Oh. Anyways. Adventurers, you haven't disappointed me! Freeing Repha from the claws of Donvin was surely no easy task. You deserve a reward!"
Messages rolled before the party's eyes, informing them of a cleared quest.
[
[Evaluation: SS]
[Receive 4200EXP]
[Receive 150 silver]
[Choose between one out of two skillbooks]
[Receive 600 Relationship with 'Black Hand']
[Whatever you think of the Black Hand, freeing Repha was definitely a good deed.]
"What?"
"Skillbooks?"
"The quest is over?"
A heated discussion immediately broke out among the party members. Especially the generous reward of a skillbook drew everyone's attention.
It felt like an eternity ago when the party worked together to get their hands on the skillbook for [Heal]. Back then they didn't think much about it but after more than a month they realized how rare skillbooks truly were.
The sudden reward came out of nowhere. Even Liam couldn't suppress a smile from forming on his lips. He knew about the possibility of being rewarded with a skillbook but had toned down his expectations.
Only after they truly made it through and received an evaluation of SS could he be sure, feeling gratified.