Chapter 25: Sulk

  Days passed with Ark in a mood. He didn't eat, he barely slept. Most of the time he was just brooding, the images of the children's book playing in his mind.

  Thirty-Three and Thirty-Four tried talking to Ark, yet they were rebuffed, both girls unable to break his sulking.

  “Satisfied?” Irelix asked, the woman now in her dragonified human form, complete with white horns, scales, and a white and black armored tail that swished back and forth.

  “No. Not particularly.” Ark said as he lay in the sand of the reality sphere, staring up at the endless orange sky with his spellbook opening and closing.

  “You're the one that begged to fight me.” Irelix said, crossing her legs as she sat on her throne and used her thumb nail to file her talons.

  “Yes…” Ark let out as he sat up, eyeing his spiritual body and his former form. The scars on his hands, the callouses. Yet despite his body resembling his old self, it didn't possess any of the power he once wielded.

  It was just an illusion, a shell. One that reminded him of what he had lost. Irelix didn't seem to have that issue as upon accepting his demand for a duel, she immediately crushed him with a flick of her wrist, emolating him in flames.

  Fortunately, damage wasn't permanent in this realm, but there was a problem that he couldn't harm the dragon.

  “Your species is doomed if all you're going to do is sulk.” Irelix said.

  “Fuck off.” Ark huffed.

  Irelix now stood over him, hands on hips.

  “You're wasting time.” Irelix said, staring down at the man with her golden pupils. “Every second you waste is a second you aren't mastering your mana and core.”

  “....”

  “I'm not sure why you're so surprised. Betrayal lies in the heart of all monkeys. Did you think they'd sing your praises? Glorify you as a hero? What could you have possibly expected?” Irelix said.

  “....”

  Irelix did something that caught Ark off guard, she lay in the sand beside him, turned over to face Ark.

  “Mankind betrayed you. Why bother fighting for it?” Irelix asked, her hand walking across Ark’s chest. “You'd be much better dominating them. Subjugating them to your rule.”

  “....”

  Irelix was now atop Ark, staring at him.

  “And how do you propose I go about doing that?” Ark replied, his face stoic.

  “Give up on the slaves here. You possess enough skill and power to break your shackles. To escape this servitude. Or even better. Kill everyone here and make them your thralls.” Irelix said, staring into Ark's eyes. “You could have yourself a nice little harem and indulge your darkest desires.”

  Returning her gaze, Ark could feel a shift in his body, a compulsory effect that urged him to listen to the dragon's words.

  “Do you think I'm an idiot?” Ark hissed. “Get the fuck off me.”

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Irelix blinked, realizing she'd been caught.

  “Tsk.” Irelix vanished, reappearing on her throne with a bored scowl.

  Ark sat up, glaring at the dragon.

  “Let me be clear lizard. This is my body. My life. I'm not so weak as to be hypnotized by your gaze.” Ark spat.

  “We'll isn't that nice.” Irelix said as Ark climbed to his feet and began walking to the woman. “Your expression is so much better when it's angry. Are you ready to begin practice again and being productive or are you going to go back to crying?”

  [SPELLBOOK LvL 1]

  [SPELL USES]

  T1: 3/3

  [EXP:5/100]

  [SPELL PAGES AVAILABLE: 1]

  [Select your First Spell!]

  [T1 Fire: Grasp Flame: Bind and move targeted flames]

  [T1 Fire: Spark: Light a flashing spark of fire, the more ambient fire mana in the air, the bigger the spark]

  [T1 Fire: Heated Hands: Will fire mana to your hands, coating your palms with scalding energy]

  [T1 Fire/Darkness: Smokebomb: Conjure a cloud of magical darkness]

  [T1 Darkness: Draining Touch: Siphon touched target of Mana]

  [T1 Darkness/Light: Equilibrium: Combine the power of Entropy and Renewal to convert bodily resources into energy: 800 calories for 1 T1 spell slot]

  [T1 Light: Mending Touch: Use Light mana to accelerate healing on touched target]

  [T1 Light/Wind: Blunted Barrier: Combine Light and Wind elements to form a protective barrier to dampen blows]

  Ark opened his spellbook and selected Heated Hands.

  [Spell selected! 26/HRs until Spell can be replaced!]

  [To activate, simply speak the spell aloud.]

  [The more-]

  “Heated hands.” Ark said, ignoring the rest of the screen’s message as his hands immediately sparked with flames and he smacked Irelix in the face.

  The dragon blinked, caught off guard with her head snapped to the left with her pupils wide.

  “Well, about time you took advantage of the resource available.” Irelix hissed, recovering quickly but stopping as her horns were suddenly yanked by Ark with the man nose to nose with her.

  “Don't you ever try to control me like that again.” Ark growled as the reality sphere faded, bringing Ark back to the field where he was in the midst of lunch with bits of jerky in his now tiny hands.

  Ark looked around, noticing that he hadn't seen Knight Bruno. Not during the culling, nor the aftermath. In fact, Manfry had taken over, directing the trainings instead.

  Unlike Bruno, the man made his presence widely known, walking through the crowds of combat slaves, beating them, spitting, generally being an asshole who enjoyed his job.

  He even kicked the food out of a child's hands and stepped on it.

  “You gotta problem with me piss boy?” Manfry called out, noticing Ark looking up at him.

  “N-n-no sir.”

  “Where's your food?” Manfry asked, noticing Ark had nothing in his hands.

  “I… ate it sir.”

  Manfry walked his way through several rows of sitting children, kicking them to the side to stand before Ark.

  “You ate it already?” Manfry crouched down, bringing himself to eye level with Ark.

  “Y-y-yes sir.”

  The blonde man narrowed his eyes. “You must have been real hungry piss boy. Are you saying we don't feed you enough?”

  You barely feed us at all. Ark wanted to yell, but kept his tongue.

  “N-n-no sir!”

  “So you're saying we're feeding you just enough?” Manfry cocked his head to the side, already multiple helpers beside him.

  “Y-yes sir. I'm very thankful.” Ark replied, placating the man.

  “Thankful… he's thankful!” Manfry said, his face contorted into a grin as he and the other helpers laughed.

  Manfry placed a hand on Ark's head, his fingers digging in as he forced Ark to look him in the eye.

  “Good. You should always be thankful. Others should do well to learn from your example.” Manfry said, his gaze sweeping across the other slaves who looked away.

  Satisfied, Manfry walked off, allowing Ark to pull his pieces of jerky from his trousers and finish munching when he was confident the overseer was away.

  Ark clenched his jaw, eyeing Ninety-Nine in the distance.

  Irelix was right about one thing, it was time to be productive. Ark had gotten a taste of this world's history, knowledge that was pivotal to uncovering the current state of the world and now he found himself wanting… no. Needing more.

  Tonight would be the night he got his answers.