I Guess I'm a Dragon Now (Part 1)

The Game

With no idea as to what was happening around him, both Ergen and Demon King Asal were standing silently while Echo and Vos continued to speak beside them. After first they'd spoken about some blunder, but now they were simply laughing together and speaking about 'old times'. And while they chatted, he squirmed uncomfortable as he still had no idea where he was or what he was doing there in the first place.

"Umm... would you mind explaining to us why we're here?" Ergen was surprised that Asal seemed to be able to speak while he couldn't even make a sound.

"Ah! Apologies, I completely forgot about you!" Vos let out a loud laugh before leaning down and scuffing up the kid's hair.

"Both of you are here because the wills of four gods have collided." Echo answered. "And now we must discuss how the game will play out from here."

"Game?" Ergen asked, tilting his head to the side at the fact that he was suddenly able to speak his thoughts again.

"The games of both kings and avatars." Vos explained this time. "You see, every time a faction gains either too much power or corruption, a mortal from that world is chosen as a champion in order to raise and army and cleanse the impurity. The aggressor is chosen by one god, and another god protects the source of the corruption to keep things fair."

"That's a minor game compared to the one that you are apart of, Ergen." Ergen suddenly felt Echo's light touch against his front leg as she spoke.

"And what 'game' is that?" Ergen asked, wondering just what his attempts at survival had to do with any game.

"The god's grand game." Echo stated as if he should have known what it was.

"Every millennia, every god will choose a familiar which will become their partners in a large scale game that will determine the next ruler of the gods." Vos explained, and Ergen suddenly felt his stomach drop as he hadn't even realized that he'd been selected to participate in something so grand. "It started out with thousands of gods hatching or birthing their familiars out into one of twenty different worlds full of magic, monsters and constant peril. Then they separate into groups, and once all the members of a single group have fallen save for one, both the god and the familiar will be transferred to the god's home world of Deus to participate in the next events."

"And what happens in Deus?" Ergen asked in concern, wondering just what he was going to have to do simply to survive. "And why do I have to participate in this?!"

"You've earned this much information by defeating the fenrir, which was another god's avatar in the game." Echo explained beneath him. "But neither of us can answer any other questions about the game until you progress further. We are forced not to by the rules of the game, and as to why it was you that was chosen to participate, it was because I found you worthy to be my avatar."

"However, while the game would normally go on without any of the gods interfering, now we have a dilemma." Vos sighed.

"What do you mean? You're the one that asked me to capture him and bring him to my castle, if you don't remember." Asal asked while looking curiously at Vos.

"Of course I remember!" Vos replied angrily before lightly hitting the Demon King upside the head, and by this point, Ergen was certain that the Asal was really just a kid after all. "I had the two of you meet so that we could have this conversation, and so that I could also tell you that both of our games seemed to have merged somehow."

"How have they merged?" Asal asked while rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"The last remaining avatar within our group has been captured and tamed by King Emric, personally." Echo answered. "The celestial griffon know as Chae." 

"A celestial griffon?" Both Ergen and Asal asked at the same time.

"It's a very rare species of griffin that have an extremely high affinity with magic." Echo explained. "Chae was doing quite well in the Land of Legends before Emric captured her, and now she serves him as a mount."

"And now that both the source of corruption and an avatar have joined forces, you want us to join forces as well to put an end to them?" Asal put the pieces together.

"There's no way that I'm doing that." Ergen stated immediately.

"Huh? Why not?!" Asal asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Ergen asked skeptically. "Not only did that griffon survive in the Land of Legends, which I barely escaped from myself, but now it's surrounded by an army! There's no way I'm going to risk myself in fighting something like that!"

"Ergen, the only way that you will ever be truly safe is if you are able to leave this world." Echo commented from the side. "You've been struggling with your survival so far because the world is full of dangers, both natural and man-made. And I can promise you that, if you do not assist the Demon King's army in this war, then you will only live a few years at the most before Emric comes for your head as well. And as he is a former hero, there will be little that you could do to stop him."

"There's no way that I can stop him now!" Ergen shouted replied. "A few years is better than dying like an idiot tomorrow, and unlike both the fenrir and the griffon, I can't even use any magic so I would be at a complete disadvantage!"

"You can use magic, you've just never tried." Echo laughed lightly at him, and Ergen felt his next words stutter in his mind. Could he use magic? He'd always just assumed that his natural abilities were what he had to work with and that was that, but if he could use magic...

"But still, why should I get caught up in the middle of a war? Sure, the humans tried to kill me and even helped in killing my mother, but the only thing these people have done is led me to the dragon-eating fenrir and made me enter a city of frost trolls to rescue an elf. And then, even after all that I've done to help them, they attack me and drag me here!"

"Upon my request." Echo stated, and Ergen was taken aback, feeling slightly hurt as Echo was the closest person to him and he felt as if she had betrayed him. "Listen Ergen, I know that you may resent me for putting you in this game, but this really is your only chance of surviving. If you die here, then you will not go back to your old life and will instead be taken to the underworld where all of the other dead are gathered to be reincarnated."

"So I have to fight and kill people just to stay alive myself?" Ergen asked, completely baffled at the turn of events. Just how many people would he have to kill before he even reached the griffon, if he even reached it at all? And why did he have to participate in a war when he only wanted to live in peace?!

"It's rather simple if you think about it." Asal shrugged from beside Vos. "Either join me and help stop Emric or we're both going to die."

"Yeah... pretty easy for you to say." Ergen sighed, thinking that his own goddess wasn't giving him much of a choice. However, judging his decision on everything that he'd heard that Emrick had done, Ergen figured that he wouldn't have any problems in fighting the man himself. On a moral standpoint, anyway.

"This is the only way for you to secure your life, Ergen." Echo continued.

"Alright! Enough, I get it already!" Ergen yelled moodily before setting his gaze towards Asal. "I'll help you beat the griffon, but you'd better not be expecting me to burn down any villages or kidnap any princesses, alright?!"

"Deal." Asal replied with a wide smile.

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Kaleb/Vexitus here! Sorry for the late chapter guys, but I had a major case of writer's block that I hope cured now. Though on another note, this is my first book on Wattpad to receive over a hundred votes! I'd like to thank everyone for sticking with me this far, and I hope that we all keep on having fun in the future!