Netherborne [An OP Monster Isekai]

Chapter 14. Arcwing

Alice concluded that she despised flying. Perhaps it was the fault of her carrier, lacking the comforts of traditional travel such as cushions or even a seat, or maybe it was because she was hanging upside down and the forest blurred beneath her. As she violently swayed side to side, her stomach sloshed around like a fish bowl experiencing turbulence. “DARN LIZARD!” she howled over the roaring gale. She swung her body forward. But the wind pushed her back as she tried to grab at the creature’s claw around her ankle. “Ugh!” A stray insect got caught in her throat, causing her to gag and vomit to surge out. “Ah!” She lifted her hands to block the vomit from flying back into her face. For a while, she just dangled there; she felt awful, her ankles burning from pain, her teeth chattering from the freezing wind that felt like frost-covered blades slicing at her exposed cheeks. The noble-style dress did little to protect her from the elements a thousand meters up.

“Mistress!” Terry came into view. Compared to Alice’s deplorable appearance, he looked magnificent. His medium-length brown hair flowed freely in the gale, and he hung with a straight posture befitting a royal guard turned bat. His ordinary brown eyes examined Alice from toe to head; he cupped his mouth and shouted, “Mistress! You look like an abducted princess!”

Alice struggled to hear the idiot over the wind, but she got the general idea from his pointing and shouting. She strained her neck to look at herself; the sophisticated, noble-style, form-fitting dress was midnight black, and small gems intertwined with the fabric, making it look like a moonless night sky. But, alas, despite the dress’s original beauty, the flight had not been kind to a dress typically worn by a high-ranking noble’s mistress to an elusive ball. Moreover, the actual dress portion was in tatters, allowing any daring fellow a full view of her undergarments. She reached an arm up, covered the view with her hand, and glared at the zombie. “Eyes off!”

Terry returned a roughish grin and did a comical salute. “Aye-aye, mistress!” He looked forward and gasped; Alice tried to maneuver her head to follow his gaze.

“Stop wiggling around, human.” The creature’s voice seemed to ignore the wind and tickled her ear from every direction. “We are almost there.”

Alice was almost sure this magnificent creature was a dragon, and the view that revealed itself as they dove beneath the fluffy white clouds only confirmed her suspicion.

The barren, frost-covered forest that lay dormant till winter’s end had vanished, and in its place was an oasis of life. Alice forgot about her indecency and rubbed her eyes, yet the enchanting scene remained. Mythical creatures of various colors flapped their glorious wings and hauled their titanic bodies effortlessly through the air. Some circled the many floating islands that lazily hung in the air with waterfalls of pristine, crystal-clear water gushing down upon the sprawling meadows below. Some floating islands were no bigger than a single plot of land, while others were the size of cities with gargantuan dwellings with unique architectures to accommodate this place’s residents. Dragons.

Alice’s kidnapper slowed to a relaxed glide as it passed by a smaller floating island—a dragon-like creature with magenta scales craned its long neck and eyed Alice with its snake-like eye. Alice struggled to tell the difference between the dragons’ genders, but this magenta dragon had a long, feminine neck and a thinner frame than her kidnapper.

The dragon’s voice was softer, like an immortal flower blooming in late spring. “Xamrus, you have brought back a rather unique catch this time.”

The dragon smiled. “Was this under an Arcwing’s order? You know we don’t allow humans here.”

Alice’s body vibrated down to her bones as Xamrus grumbled, “Hyveth, open the path.”

Hyveth uncoiled her body, and her enormous head approached them. Alice noticed that she lacked claws or any limbs for that matter. She was more snake than what Alice had envisioned a dragon to be; was she perhaps a different species to her kidnapper?

“Xamrus Arcnight, you may be the son of an Elder, but disrespecting an Ancient such as myself is bold, even for you…”

Xamrus flinched under Hyveth’s intense glare. Her sapphire-blue eyes glared at him as one would when scolding an unruly child. Alice held her breath as the tension between these two titanic creatures weighed down on her. The atmosphere was crushing. “Wow! A giant snake!” Terry exclaimed with gusto. Alice bit her tongue in surprise and glared at the imbecile.

Hyveth broke eye contact with her fellow Ancient’s grandson and glared at the human-zombie. “I smell it on you—”

“Yeah, yeah.” Terry waved a hand in front of his nose. “The smell of death, darkness, yadda, yadda, heard it all from big boy over here already.”

Alice just watched the scene in mute horror. Hyveth was so large she could coil around a mountain range and still have length to spare. A family could build a house inside her nostril; hell, even a city could use a single scale from her to construct a ten-meter-high wall.

As the demi-god snake moved closer, a blast of pressurized wind knocked Xamrus back and almost broke Alice’s neck if she didn’t strain her muscles to the limit.

Terry was unfazed. He seemed to relish the experience.

“Oh ho?” Terry opened his arms and beckoned the snake closer. “You dare approach this mighty one?”

Hyveth paused a few meters away. Terry wildly swung his fists, trying to reach just one of her magenta scales. “I can’t beat you if you don’t come closer!” He slapped Xamrus’s claw that held his ankle. “Move closer, you big oaf! I got a snake to catch!”

Hyveth smiled, showing rows of teeth the size of buildings. “Quite the feisty one, aren’t you?” Then Hyveth’s body suddenly evaporated into a purple mist that blanketed the entire island. A gem the size of Alice’s head floated ominously where Hyveth’s head had disappeared and begun to suck up the mist. After a few seconds, a person appeared, floating where the gem had been.

The woman reminded Alice of Hyveth. She was around two meters tall and commanded a presence that Alice hadn’t experienced since hearing the voice of the overlord. Ancient, profound, and dangerous. Her eyes remained a sapphire blue, but they now had an inhumane quality, as if they were literal gems shoved into her eye sockets. Her long, flowing magenta hair cascaded down her shoulders and writhed around as if alive. An ethereal, stunning white dress that stung Alice’s eyes to gaze upon obscured the woman’s naked form; she was an ethereal beauty with dainty arms, long legs, a single golden horn protruding from her forehead, and a wicked smile that curled up into a sneer.

“Xamrus, take the human to the Arcwings; leave this one for me.” Her voice was cold, commanding, and irrefutable. She casually waved her hand through the air, and Alice swore she saw a tear in space follow her every move. It was as if she held a knife that could cut the fabric of reality; stars shone through the gap, and so did their insurmountable presence. With a final flick, a permanent tear formed, and ethereal purple light shone through and formed a hazy rainbow road into the far distance.

“I have created a path. Now fly.”

Xamrus grumbled despite Hyveth’s rage. “When you are done, please bring that one to the grand hall. The Elders will be displeased with me otherwise.”

Hyveth waved him off. “Those old fools can grumble all they want, but I will not tolerate such disrespect from a mere zombie. Whether I return him or not is up to my discretion. Do I make myself clear?”

Xamrus bowed his head to the floating woman. He then released his grip and let Terry fall. Hyveth waved a hand, and Terry found himself suspended a thousand meters in the air.

Xamrus glared at his elder before maneuvering toward the rainbow road that seemed to stretch until the horizon. “I will be on my way then, Hyveth Arcspace.”

The woman nodded, and Xamrus and Alice were gone with a single flap.