“And you said I was the sensitive one,” Vermillion sheathed her sword. She was smirking and looked somewhat amused.

Vayyu was dumbfounded. For the first time since he met the beautiful scaled dracconid, she was kind of smiling. Though on the other hand, Vermillion’s reaction empowered Vayyu’s suspicion.

“Your words are indeed rather surprising, but I am not sure how to react if these two really are vasavi,” said the dwarven dracconid as she started to check the remains of the giant golem.

What was the purpose of checking those stones?

“Since they seem to have some sort of will, perhaps it is a good thing to start conversing with them,” Vayyu suggested as he keenly observe the tiny one.

Vermillion continued her thing with the stones. Calmly, with a rather eeriee tone, she spoke, “That’s given. I often do that, especially when I was passionate about burning something, or ‘someone’, to ashes.”

The blue dracconid sighed. It seemed that Vermillion’s tendency of brutality is more suited to the age of Takksa, the former emperor, compared to the age of the docile Drakko. “Can you be more normal? You know, like ‘Hello, my name is Vermillion’.”

It was a close call. Vayyu managed to avoid Aggni who was sent flying right into his left. However, his other eyes was almost stabbed by flying Zhurron. Luckily, he was agile enough to save his sight.

“Stop calling me Vermillion, you impolite jerk,” she growled despite her eyes still fixated on the stones.

“Of course! Ask everything about manners to a dracconid which has been sealed for twenty five years,” Vayyu grumbled as he checked the stones without completely comprehending the meaning of such action. “You smelled like a human anyway.”

“You…”

“Wha’?”

That was rather confusing, and bit suspicious. Vermillion was suddenly startled by Vayyus blabber. It was definitely not something he really thought out. The words were just streaming out from his throat because his nose faintly caught a scent human from her.

Perhaps that was the reason why he called her that way. If Vayyu was not mistaken, unlike dracconids, human tend to view calling someone’s surname is more polite. First names are used for people who are closer.

However, Vayyu realized that might not be the exact case for his reasoning. The name Vermillion actually reminds him more to the physical appearance of the female dracconid.

“Forget it,” Vermillion grumbled and continued checking the stones. She snorted some flames from her nostrils. Vayyu noticed how her scales changed as her emotions did. Sometimes it flickered rather beautifully. He wondered if the scales were truly graceful or it is just him that hasn’t met a single female dracconid for so long.

Or, perhaps he was hallucinating.

But that was not the issue at hand. The real issue was the human scent. It might come from Vermillion’s lover. Youth and forbidden love. Twenty five years asleep, and who would’ve thought such amusing thing still existed?

“Staring at a female, how ‘polite’ of you.” As expected, another cynical remark was said by the tinier dracconid.

Vayyu sighed, he didn’t realize he was obviously staring at her. “I was just wondering, what were you doing with these stones.”

“It seems that you were sleeping far too long.”

Of course. Twenty five years was a time that ‘seemed’ too long for the dwarven dracconid’s brain. Even an ivory snail would knew that was a long time.

“These stones are not from here,” Vermillion said.

The blue scale dracconid looked around, only then he realized the condition around him. The forest there was rather different than before. The trees, other than the one he took shelter in, were also gigantic.

However, their shades still leave some sunlight to touch the ground which in turn helped the growth of grass, weeds, and some moss. The stones in this place were mostly gray in color which were rather contrast to the brownish color of the giant golem’s remains.

Despite her short stature, which is only as tall as Vayyu’s chest, Vermillion’s brain might not be as small as what Vayyu imagined.

However, Vayyu did sense that the golem might not be coming from this Talaari Forest. When he touched the stone, he caught a glimpse of an eerie aura coming from southwest. It was different from the tiny aura he felt earlier, but kind of similar to the on in the west. “So, you know this thing came from southeast?”

“And from where did you deduce that, ex-convict?”

“I was told by the spirits of your misbegotten ancestors.”

Vayyu ducked as he felt two killing intent strike from behind. It was the right call, Aggni and Zhurron flew from the place where they were sticked towards Vayyu’s neck. “I’m serious,” Sarvati grabbed her blades, flames flickered on her scales.

“Serious? I thought your name is Sarvati Ver…”

Vayyu stopped his words. Both of the female’s blades roared in fury. It seemed that joking further would just aggravate her. “I sense it from this rock,” Vayyu quickly answered.

As the flames subsided, Sarvati fell silent. Perhaps she was thinking, if her brains was able to. After a short wile, she spoke, “We received reports about the attacks on the southwestern most border of the empire. There is a post there which the golems that attacked. It was also reported that the prairie there suddenly turned dry and dead. There was also a neverending overcast right there.”

Vayyu nodded in agreement, “Seems like there is an intersection of many cursed energy strings right there.”

“This might be the matter of The Empire alone,” Vermillion said as she crossed her arms and gazed at Vayyu. “You have no obligation to, but I want to check the location.”

The blue scaled dracconid shrugged and grinned. “Oy! Even though I know Namsuh is a vasavi, I don’t know how much have been gathered by Rahnuc. At least I can study it and prepare for any kind of terror that might greet us at far west. Besides, I’ll just do it to mess around with Vaardict and Drakko.”

“Study?” Vermillion mumbled as she drew her sword. Aggni flared with a glorious with flames. Perhaps, the female was getting interested with the true natuure of her blades. However, Vayyu wouldn’t be able to help much. Only those who are acknowledged by the vasavi that can unravel the mystery.

Vermillion seathed her sword once more and began to walk. “Well, then, let’s check out the place.”

“Oy!”

“Anything?”

Vayyu sighed. It was marvellous how the female managed to show her incompetence right after Vayyu began to have some admiration to her capabilities. He pointed to the opposite direction from where the female had began to walk and said, “Southwest is over there.”