Chapter 262: Herald of the Great Serpent

Jacob ran over the giant, white-scaled beast and jumped on top of its thick neck, hugging it as tight as he could.

"I’m so glad you’re okay! I thought we lost you back there."

Sheeby walked off Maria and slapped Jacob with her tail, sending him flying into Lidia. Lidia caught him with ease and set him down gently before walking up to the large dragon. She rubbed its sharp snout gently then scratched the underside of her chin.

"It looks like she’s put on a few tons since we last saw her. How fast do dragons grow anyway?"

Jacob rubbed his head.

"Beats me. We are still new to this whole parenting thing."

Jacob stopped in his tracks as he saw words appear next to Sheeby’s figure.

’That’s right! I can see what kinds of powers Sheeby has now!’

He waited patiently for the words to stop building themselves. Jacob’s body started shaking reading the lines as they appeared.

’You’re kidding me. This is too convenient. What the hell kind of creature have we been raising this whole time?!’

Name: Sheeby the Dragon

Class: Elder Leviathan

Description: Birthed from the wound of a dying deity, this dragon bears the responsibility of protecting its forgotten blood. This dragon in particular has been bestowed a special role by a long lost relative. Though it may seem cute at first, it would be unwise attempting to tame such a creature or keep it as a pet. Though dragons are normally attributed to a specific element, this one appears to be unique.

[Everchanging]: This dragon’s powers are constantly changing, never keeping the power they used to wield. Even the elements it wields appear to be random at any given moment. This dragon gains its new powers with a complete understanding and mastery of how it works every time it changes.

[The Great Serpents Herald]: This creature is destined to call forth the return of The Great Serpent. This creature is immune to corruption of any form. Eating corrupted creatures amplifies its strength for a short while.

[Luminator]: One of the few remaining of a lost clan.

[Voice of Eternity]: And to those burdened by the corruption of Zalo or the Frost Monarch, hear my voice and be granted mercy. Bask in the light, bask in The Great Serpent’s blessing, bask in eternity, for there can be no darkness without light.

[I will bite your eye out if you continue staring at me like that.]: This dragon strangely has a distaste for someone who is staring at them. Who this person could be is a mystery.

Jacob scratched his head reading the last line.

’What the hell is that last line all about?! What did I even do?! And wait, how does she know I’m reading what her powers are? How can she make a line of her own?! Is that even considered a power?!’

Jacob looked away and started pacing around.

’Harald of The Great Serpent. Does Sheeby know anything about where we can find those statues?’

Things started clicking in Jacob’s brain as he continued running through the lines in his flawless memory. He started at the top where it mentioned that Sheeby was granted a special role by a long lost relative.

’Could it be...’

Jacob tried not to believe it, but the evidence was too convincing. Sheeby’s role also proved his intuition further. Sheeby’s long lost relative was none other than the Great Serpent itself. This made sense in Jacob’s head for a few reasons. For one, the role Sheeby was given was to be the Herald of the Great Serpents return, and along with that role, she was blessed with powers that directly align with what everyone had assumed the serpent’s powers were. In addition to that, Sheeby was a dragon, and by extension a reptile. Snakes and dragons were not exactly the same, but they weren’t very different either. Dragons were almost akin to giant flying snakes with legs. With all this evidence in mind, Jacob could easily come to the conclusion that Sheeby was somehow tied to powers that directly opposed Zalo, the same powers they were on a quest to investigate. They had all been granted a major advantage.

Jacob rubbed Sheeby’s back softly.

"You’re even more incredible than we thought. That’s my kid for you."

Jacob watched Lidia continue to rub Sheeby’s chin. There was something else he was trying to connect in his brain that had to do with a power that both Lidia and Sheeby shared. Or perhaps not a power, but the mention of a people.

’Luminator... Queen of Lumos... Are they connected somehow? Who are the Luminator’s and if they really do exist, how is it that Lidia could be the Queen of all of them?’

Jacob scratched his head and walked up to Lidia to discuss everything he learned. He made sure to talk loudly enough so everyone can hear their conversation.

"Hey, Lidia. I have some interesting things to share."

Lidia raised an eyebrow and leaned on Sheeby.

"Sure. What’s it about?"

"Does the name ’Luminator’ sound familiar to you?"

Lidia’s eyes widened.

"How do you know about that name?"

"Well, I don’t really understand it myself, but Sheeby here is actually a Luminator. Or that’s what it says when I read about her powers. She also was able to understand that I was reading her powers and threatened me which was very odd I must say. I saw in your powers that you were named Queen of Lumos. Do you think that your powers are connected somehow?"

Lidia was left speechless, unable to give a response right away. She stared at Sheeby with an unreadable expression.

"What if... Luminator’s aren’t people at all?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Let me explain some things first. I know you can see when you read my powers that there is a mention of Lumos and how I am the Queen of that place. However, what you didn’t experience was after I was done receiving those powers, something whispered into my ear welcoming me home as a Luminator."

Jacob was proud to see his connections were being proven right as Lidia spoke.

"Was there anything else in Sheeby’s power that could explain something about her heritage?"

"Only that Sheeby was a descendant of the Great Serpent. It seems like anyone who is connected with the Great Serpent has been blessed with a power that directly opposes corruption in some way. I also assumed they were related somehow since Sheeby is technically a reptile or at least looks like one."

"If Sheeby’s heritage is only linked to reptiles and she is a Luminator, then wouldn’t that mean the Luminator’s wouldn’t be human?"

Lidia brought up an excellent point, and to Jacob, it made complete sense. The only thing that made him doubt her question was that Lidia was not a reptile herself... unless she was hiding something from the group. Just to be sure, Jacob decided to press her on his suspicion.

"You hiding something crazy from us, right? Like let’s say, maybe your parents were some lizard people or something?"

Suddenly, Sheeby slammed Jacob on the ground with a headbutt, covering his whole body in wretched goo.

"Ow."

Lidia pointed and laughed at him.

"Of course not! But I can’t help but shake the feeling I’m at least close if what I am saying is not true."

"To be fair, we truly don’t have a lot of information yet."

"That is a fair assessment. Maybe the next statue we find will give us a better idea."

Jacob kept the thought in the back of his mind. He wouldn’t doubt it if he discovered there were reptiles fighting against the dark forces of the world with a power of their own, especially after learning that giants were a thing. He slowlt pushed himself up off the ground and walked over to Slimo.

"Well, I think we found an easier way to get to the top. Maybe we don’t even have to reach the top and we can just fly as high as Sheeby can go."

Slimo nodded his head.

"That’s a good idea, but can I offer a quick detour somewhere?"

Jacob tilted his head.

"Sure, but where is it you need to go?"

"Back to the river. I think I’m going to be sick if I don’t get this filth off of me."

"What ever happened to ignoring it and we will be fine?!"

"That was before we dragged through this guy’s innards and attack by things that literally eat dead people for food. Not even to mention I think Sheeby will try and eat me if I keep smelling like this."

Jacob laughed and helped pick Maria up with Sarah.

"Oh, Slimo. You don’t have to worry about that. Sheeby would try to eat you anyway!"

Even though he didn’t want to waste any more time, Jacob desperately agreed with Slimo. He couldn’t take this filth anymore. Everyone climbed on top of Sheeby’s back, preparing for the takeoff. Jacob grabbed hold of some sharp spikes protruding from her head.

"Alright girl, take us back to the river to wash up!"

Sheeby grumbled before bending her knees forward and stretching out her wings. Using one massive flap, she crashed through the skin of the corpse flying at an incredible speed upward.