To build up Tatzel's confidence and test his new power, as well as to get the soul required for Fin's engagement set, Seth and the little pseudo-dragon traveled to the Holy Land on the same day. it' wasn't very far, just a transport gate away.
Since the Guild managed to fortify their territory on the surface of the Holy Land and build their own teleport gate, the two didn't travel to Minas Palan, Evee's Magic Tower in the Holy Land, but directly arrived in the Labyrinth City.
The place had grown quite a lot once the Adventurer Guild managed their own teleport terminal. The Labyrinth City had also gained its own name, Woeburn. Unlike Delta, which had relied on Chrona's connections to the system world, Woeburn flourished through trade using the merchantries associated with the guild.
In the relative short time, the labyrinth city had turned into a sprawling metropolis, showing a vast mix of architecture from Urth and the system worlds. Although incomparable to bigger tree stations like Little Sigma, it was much more lively than Little Epsilon for example.
Woeburn had become the go-to place for promising players who wanted to establish themselves. Many guilds with headquarters in the Tree Stations of Minas Mar also had one here. Although living here was more expensive, many people with potential stayed here to grow and make a name for themselves.
"So you are saying you are going to flatten Kozdam and the Dragonnewts?" Bryce asked aghast. After taking a stroll through the city, Seth and Tatzel visited Bryce at the now central headquarters of the Adventurer Guild on Urth. The blacksmith had just informed him of his intentions.
"Not necessarily. I just need their leaders," the bard said unworried. "Duke Kitty and the dragonnewt chief Pittance? Sorry, my handwriting is terrible," he said, reading off his grocery list. Bryce wasn't initiated, so Seth told him it was about materials, not souls.
"Gato and Pithra. Aren't you a little too casual about this? I know, Minas Mar can take them down, but they are still boss monsters above lv.160 and the lords of a great number of subordinates..." Bryce warned him.
"I know, that's why I want to hunt them. Why did you bring this up?" the blacksmith asked about the sudden change in the conversation.
"Because I feel like you take the lives of your people too lightly. Even Minas Mar will suffer losses with they start a war against-"
"What do you mean " my people" and "war". It's just me and Tatzel going. Like I said, I don't intend to make this tedious. I will just sneak in, kill them, their strongest retainers and whoever stands in my way, and leave again," the blacksmith revealed his plan.
"Aren't you a blacksmith. How are you going to sneak in?" Bryce asked suspiciously. Seth had obviously no intention to reveal the existence of his Helm of Hades. Fortunately, there was a good excuse he could use.
"I have my ways. Remember the invisibility cloaks the Scene used? It's something like that," he said vaguely. Seeing that the blacksmith was serious about and confident in taking down the bosses, even after everything he said, Bryce sighed.
"Do you really need both? " he asked with a complicated expression. Seth wasn't quite sure, but the guild master didn't seem overly happy at Seth's offer of help. The blacksmith was sure these two were an obstacle to the adventurer Guild. Why would Bryce not let him go and kill them?
"Why? Do you need them for something?" Seth asked, confused.
"As you may or may not know, we are trying to keep a balance in the holy land, right? Those two and the maestro are the strongest forces on the surface and are in a balance with us. They are also good bottle caps that keep other losers from the abyss from rising up.
If you kill both of them, their forces will be weakened, allowing for other factions to be driven to the surface. Adventurers here on the surface may suddenly face very different, much more aggressive beasts that were kicked out from the depths. Worst case scenario, we would suddenly have to fight a bunch of abyss factions up here, as well as the remnants of the newts and orcs..." Bryce kept on whining.
"Okay, okay, stop crying. If it's so important to you, I will only take the dragonnewts then. But i will take a few than just the chief then," the blacksmith gave in. The soul of the dragonnewt chief and his subordinates would have to suffice then.
"Do you really-" Bryce tried to argue, but Seth cut him off.
"The dragonnewts are non-negotiable. I'm not here to ask for permission, either. I'm only here to inform you out of courtesy.... and to get a proper map and some info. I even let go of the kitty to indulge you," the bard warned him.
"You know, shouldn't you be a little more proactive as the Adventurer Guild? Wasn't it your duty to give the dungeon god an entertaining show or something? Balance and management don't sound that fun. Embrace the chaos a little. Just take it as me helping you a little with that."
"... Tsk, fine. I will make preparations to react to the chief's "sudden" death and get some people ready for what comes afterward. Are you leaving right away?" Bryce asked with a dark but defeated expression.
"I'm off the moment you give me the location of their chief," the blacksmith said with a bright smile. And that was what happened. Seth said his farewells once Bryce handed him a map. It showed the Holy Land with the locations of dragonnewt dungeons and villages, as well as the known location of Pithra.
"Tatzel, let's show the world your growth," the blacksmith suddenly said, mischievous when he stepped outside on the wide square in front of the guild's main branch. This was not just to show off, but also to boost Tatzel's ego a little.
Technically, Tatzel was his mount and Puffles was his pet, but their roles had been reversed for a while. Seth had been riding the golem griffins and the nightmare centipede because the snakelet was either too young or had other tasks when he needed a mount. Now, Seth finally had the chance to properly ride the pseudo-dragon.
~Is it really okay if I come out in the middle of the city?~ Tatzel asked innocently, still hiding in the pet space.
"That's the fun part. Don't worry, " the bard said with a wide smile.
~Okay, ~ the Imugi said and left the pet space. Tatzel appeared in the size of a bull, the size he usually took. The black dragon, which was technically just an Imugi but very dragon-like, caused a small commotion on the square, but was nothing too unusual, yet.
Then Tatzel grew to the length of an articulated bus, the size he had when he and Puffles fought the necromancer in the skies of Delta. The people in the vicinity jumped at the beast suddenly balloon to a huge size. Some people were screaming and calling out.
~Ignore them,~ Seth whispered to Tatzel ~Give it your all,~ the blacksmith further encouraged him. The pseudo-dragon coiled like a spring and set off with a massive boom, leaving his claw marks in the paving and pushing back the crowd, causing many to tumble and fall.
Seth grabbed onto the small horns, sticking out from Tatzel's fluffy mane, made up of soft proto feathers, to stay on his back. He was still trying to sit securely behind the head when he felt his seat widening.
As Tatzel rose into the sky, his size kept on increasing, from the length of a bus to the length and, most importantly, girth of a train. At this point, the Imugi was no smaller than his birth mother, Python, was before her ascension.
Tatzel released everything, not only reaching his maximum size but also emitting the unique, oppressive aura of a dragon, covering great parts of the city below with his presence. Thousands of people looked to the skies in shock. Now, they heard panicked shouts in the city, as a huge dragon the size of a freight train had appeared in the air above.
Even the blacksmith was taken aback at Tatzel's growth. Tatzel once again outperformed all his expectations, but Seth couldn't help burst out laughing. It didn't matter whether Tatzel had become a legend, this was the feeling of riding a black dragon.