Chapter 1002: Fathers' Concerns
Chapter 1002: Fathers' Concerns
A week had passed since the meeting between Erik, Becker, Van Dyke, and Fischer. During this time, Erik told Mira, Amber, and Emily of his plan to go to Hin.
Of course, the three women told him they were going with him.
They insisted on accompanying him, and despite how much Erik tried to make them desist.
It didn't matter how much Erik emphasized the dangers they would face in Hin, and especially later when they would end into the Mur continent.
Mira, Amber, and Emily remained firm in their decision, stating they would join him
regardless of the risks. In the end, it was he who had to give up.
Since there was nothing Erik could do about it, the man told three of his Chimaeric Demons to accompany them.
They couldn't travel through the skies since the black wyvern, June, would be easily spotted. This meant that the clones would serve as their mounts but that they would travel through land.
During these five months, the Chimaeric Demons had been given many powers, which Erik had to merge one by one into the Chimaeric Demon brain crystal power. Some of those came from his own arsenal.
Among the powers the clones were given, there were Vibration Burst, Mend Wounds, Sword Conjuring, and Replication.
Erik's decision to give them these specific powers was driven by practical considerations. With Mend Wounds, the 75,000 Chimaeric Demons could serve as healers on the battlefield.
An army of 75,000 healers was something no one ever saw. Healers were rare, and the ability to save people on the battlefield was sure to make battles harder for their enemies.
Replication had a straightforward explanation. It offered espionage abilities, allowing the clones to transform into humans and spy their opponents, but also into thaids and animals for gathering intelligence or fighting.
The power would also make it easier to transport goods or to move fast over different terrains.
Erik gave them this ability since, when he got the Chimaeric Demon brain crystal power, they lost all their previous abilities. But with this, they had it again.
However, he ordered the Chimaeric Demons to find shape-shifting brain crystal powers for him, because, despite everything, he still decided it would be better to keep it for himself, too.
It took little for the Chimaeric Demons to find those he needed, which he quickly merged until The got a satisfactory result.
Sword conjuring, instead, while not being a powerful ability, provided a reliable backup weapon in case one of the clones lost theirs. It would also help in espionage missions, since weapon conjuring brain crystal powers were common.
Last, he gave them Vibration Burst. The reason he did this was rather... simple. Erik didn't like it.
While he recognized it was a powerful brain crystal power, as it had once belonged to a notorious and feared blackguard, he preferred long-distance powers.
This, in a sense, was, but it would have been much more effective in midrange.
Since Erik didn't use the power very often, almost never, he decided to give it to the clones, and if some of them liked it, well, it would simply be good.
"I'll tell you this now. Don't rely on the Chimaeric Demons, all right? It will stunt your growth."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Yes."
Erik, June, Amber, Mira, Emily, and the three Chimaeric Demons were at New Alexandria's gate.
A lot of things had been fixed, but there was a lot of stuff to complete. Actually, the citizens were pissed.
After the horde attack and the parasite infection, the city had been rebuilt, but during the rebels' attack, most of the northern part of the city had been destroyed.
Most of the damage was made by the fighters, but also the thaids that rushed in played a part in it.
Three years earlier, if something like that happened, it would have been a huge event. Now, given the blackguards' and the Chimaeric Demons' presence, it was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
However, the situation had clearly been Erik's fault. It was his plan, after all, but no one said anything. For obvious reasons, of course.
Waiting at the gates were not only the three young women, Erik and his clones but also Richard, Caiden, and their wives, Luna and Lucy were there.
Richard and Caiden approached their daughters with ashen looks. They didn't like the fact they were going to go to Hin, and especially they didn't like they were going to Mur.
They didn't mind they were with Erik. Richard owed him his life, and, frankly speaking, he was the best catch in the whole nation. Most likely in the whole world.
Caiden... Well, he accepted Amber's decisions years ago.
As for what the three women thought.
Mira didn't care, since she had a rough life and knew that the best thing to do was to just enjoy those few moments in which they didn't have to risk their lives.
But Amber and Emily gave up on being exclusive and accepted the peculiar situation they were in. They couldn't refuse anyway if they wanted to stay with him, the most powerful individual on the entire planet.
Well, of course, there were also the thaids to consider, so maybe he wasn't the most powerful being on the planet, rather, the most powerful human.
"Emily, sweetie," Richard said. "Are you sure about this? I mean, going on the Mur continent with Erik? It's not exactly a walk in the park."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Dad, I joined a war. I think I can handle myself."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Couldn't you just, I don't know, stay here and help with the rebuilding? I hear they need someone to supervise the paint drying."
Caiden chuckled nervously, because what Emily said was true, even for his daughter. The man still looked at his daughter with pleading eyes, but Amber said nothing. "Are you really sure
about this?"
"I am, dad. I can't let Erik and June go alone."
"They can handle themselves."
Amber nodded. "Dad, I appreciate your concern, but I've made up my mind. I'm going."
At that same moment, Richard threw his hands up in exasperation, a look of resignation on
his face.
"But think about your mother!"
Amber couldn't help but laugh at Richard. Caiden was looking at his friend with an
embarrassed look. Then he turned to his daughter with a concerned look.
"Dad, we'll manage. Besides, we've got the Chimaeric Demons to protect us, and I'm pretty
sure Erik knows a thing or two about surviving in the wild."
"Right..."
"Right? Are you crazy, Caiden?!"
"Just shut up, Richard."
The two fathers looked at each other. They knew their daughters were no longer the little girls
they once were. They showed it with their actions.
"Well, I guess there's no stopping you two," Caiden said.
"There isn't," both the girls said in unison.
Richard and Caiden relented, their shoulders sagging in resignation, but they gave Erik bad
looks.
"What? I tried to stop them! You know it!"
Erik stepped back as the two men's gazes tore through him.
Lucy and Luna approached their daughters. It looked like they already came to terms with
their daughters' decisions, contrary to their fathers.