Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD and Fate and do not gain profit from this writing.
Chapter 6
Issei let the water fall on his body, enjoying the cool water washing all over his back and neck. This could be the last time he could have a proper shower so he should enjoy it when it lasted.
Earlier Merlin had come to his house, and gifted him a wonderful tool.
'I can't wait to show it to Lancer!'
When the shower was done Issei put on a leather sleeveless shirt, which fit his size nicely. It covered his torso, but didn't hinder the wings in the back. He quickly buttoned the front, and headed out with the last bin of fangs carried by his tail. Outside Merlin had already prepared a table for them with a hearty breakfast for a farewell party.
Lancer had taken a seat. Her clothes emphasized her beauty and elegance without showing her royal status. She slightly bowed her head when she saw him, and Issei too returned her bow with his own. Since Issei's body was long enough he didn't need a chair to be on the same table as Merlin and Lancer.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Merlin picked up a loaf of bread and gave himself a spoon full of scrambled eggs. Issei noticed for the first time Merlin was using a real body, and not just the hologram that he had seen before. Following his example Issei picked the thick waffle with a cube of butter to go along with bacon. Lancer too had herself a dish of fries and steak.
Breakfast was delicious like usual, though the only sound was the clank of utensils and food chewing. The table was quickly cleaned by Issei and Lancer's appetite.
"So, to recap, you two will leave the water of Avalon and then use Dragon Gate to enter the territory of Tannin." Merlin poured himself a glass full of citrus juice.
Since Avalon didn't allow any direct teleportation unless one had the sheathe Issei and Lancer needed to leave the island before teleporting to other places.
"This." Merlin pulled out a thin tablet made of gold from his sleeve, "is a key to Tannin's Land. It will be a catalyst to let you in without wasting time searching for it."
Lancer picked up the gold tablet, examined and put it in her shirt pocket.
"Next you will need this." Merlin pulled another one from his sleeve, this time a piece of paper with a circle on it. Issei recognized what it was at first glance.
"A Devil Summoning Circle."
"Correct. This is made so that you can summon any devil from any house. It should save you the time needed to draw a circle. Remember that if you want to return to Earth the devils will be your fastest option. Now for Lancer, this is what you requested before."
Merlin summoned a big chest, which from the smell contained gold and rare jewels.
"Thank you." Lancer said after checking the content.
Breakfast ended with dessert, and Issei knew it was the time for them to go. He cleared his mouth with a tissue, and lowered his body to let Lancer climb on.
"I see. So this is a saddle."
In the back of the leather short sleeve shirt was indeed the frame of a saddle. Issei knew before Lancer rode him on a boar skin, but it wasn't that comfortable, and slippery sometimes. With this gift from Merlin Issei could have Lancer ride his back comfortably all the time. He was glad that Merlin gave him a gift that would let Lancer sit on him more.
Lancer strapped the gold and jewels chest on his back just behind her seat, and the 2 wooden bins on his sides before mounting him.
"Good bye, Merlin. Thank you for taking care of us."
Merlin waved back to Issei who took off to the misty sky. The dragon sped up, behind him the figure of the mage slowly faded into nothing. The breeze gently caressed Issei's body, and their shadow rode on the lake beneath them.
"Issei, earlier what did you trade one of the dragon fang bins for?" Asked Lancer.
"Oh? I asked Merlin for snacks and canned food." Issei recalled. "I know we're heading toward a land for dragons but it's better to have some normal food. Merlin said that he would deliver it when we arrived at Tannin's land."
From what he understood dragons would eat raw meat all the time and while Issei didn't have a problem with that he didn't want to let Lancer share the same experience.
Speaking of Merlin Issei had to wonder if he would see him in the dream again. For a month on Avalon Merlin had taught Issei how to use his dragon power and Sacred Gear. Thanks to Merlin Issei could use Dragon Gate now, and would activate it once he had found an island to land on.
Fire Breath and Fire Ball were the most basic long range attacks that Issei could use being a dragon. Both Merlin and Ddraig said that he could learn more elemental attacks, but even so it wouldn't be as strong as the fire element due to his nature. If a dragon wanted to get stronger, the only way was to keep fighting again and again.
'Dragons do not rely on techniques in battles, because their scales are harder than any armor, their claws and fangs are sharper than any sword, and their breaths are stronger than any spell.'
It was a brutal simplicity, something that Issei could get behind. What Issei didn't expect was that Boosted Gear worked just as well when used on his dragon body, perhaps even better than before. The resilience of the dragon meant he could spend more time stacking Boost, and not losing his consciousness after the constant usage during battles. He could even choose which part to use Boost on now. If he wanted to increase his eyesight he could use Boost on his eyes, or the durability of his scales, and even the healing factor of his body. Then there was Transfer, an ability that he just unlocked at the very end of the grail war. Issei had also learned a new trick from it which would be immensely helpful to his allies, or Lancer in this case.
During the training he once overheard that both Merlin and Ddraig had mentioned a special mode that would massively skyrocket his combat capability. However this was considered very difficult to achieve on Earth, and only two people out of every Boosted Gear possessors had done it. Merlin claimed that since Issei was in the Reverse Side of the World it should be much easier to get it now, though he didn't have the time to learn it since he already had his hand full with the matter of Lancer.
Thunder boomed in the sky, dragging Issei back to reality. A rain began to fall upon him and Lancer, and the wind blew angrily in the air.
"What…?"
The sky was just normal a few minutes ago, and during their time on a raft to Avalon there was nothing like this. Issei tried to fly faster to get out of the brewing storm, but the further he flew the more lightning strikes flashed up, and the wind became louder and louder.
Lancer held tight onto his back since there was no rein, but even so she didn't so much lose her balance. Seconds later on his left Issei saw a river of cyclones, upon looking closer he could see countless animals, along with warriors with swords, spears, halberds and shields on horses. Leading the group was an armored knight in black, and his horse was all skeleton with ghostly red eyes, running on the sky.
"... A Wild Hunt." Lancer's words were lost among the battlecry of the storm.
[Indeed. How nostalgic to see one here…] Ddraig said.
The eerie golden eyes of the dark knight creeped on them, and Issei felt an itching to join her group. He violently shook his head, Boosted Gear activated on his left arm. The dragon rapidly increased his speed to outrun the pack. However no matter how fast he dashed through the sky he couldn't seem to shake his chasers behind.
"No, you are doing it wrong Issei. We have to stand and fight." He couldn't turn his head back to look at Lancer at this speed, but he could see a bloodred spear on his right. "The Knight of Storm has challenged us to a duel. We must answer her if we want them to stop pursuing us."
'Our enemy is a woman under that dark armor?' Nonetheless Issei nodded to Lancer's proposal. If they had to fight then he would fight.
"This will be a jousting match. We will need to enter a melee range if we are to fight her. I believe that you already know what to do?"
"I have a rough idea about it."
"Listen Issei. Jousting matches require a shield, but since we both don't have one we will aim for the chest. If she pierces me death is certain. What I will attempt to do is to knock the lance off her hand. Fly close, but not too close that she can target your vital points. Your wings will get in the way so you will have to maneuver around it."
"Roger that." Issei could see it. If they were on ground level his wings would crash into the horse and push them away. He imagined the figure of a knight in front of him in the position of a clock, and if he wanted to avoid hurting his wings he would need to fly in number 8 or 9, for example.
Issei waited for 30 seconds to use Boost on himself, then he made a u-turn vertically. Their opponent, the Storm Knight, already had her lance which was filled with red spikes. She pointed the lance at them, thirsted for blood.
The band behind the Storm Knight split into two currents. They began to circle into a huge dome of spectators around the Dragon Knight and the Storm Knight and their battlecry signaled the start of the duel.
Lancer brandished her spear while Issei plunged for their opponent. Thanks to the time they spent on Avalon Issei knew where Lancer would want to aim for, so he charged toward the right side of the Storm Knight. A screeching sound rippled through the air when the two lances slided against one another. The shock vibrated throughout Issei's body, but he kept himself steady.
"Are you alright, Issei!?"
"I'm fine! We will begin the second round now!"
Issei kept flying until he reached the running mobs, then he turned around and headed toward the Storm Knight who also did the same thing. The time lag between the first and second round was not enough for him to get a Boost. They clashed again, and this time blood was spilled from Lancer's arm. Unfortunately her strike only scratched a line on the armor. It was too difficult for Lancer to knock the weapon off her opponent's hand.
"... Lancer, can you target the horse?" Issei began to turn around for round 3 of the duel.
"No… if I do that she will retaliate along with her army. She can just ride on a new mount and chase us to the end of the world." Lancer gritted her teeth. "Don't worry about me. She only broke the scales off my arm."
Turned out Lancer had turned her arms into that of a dragon when the duel started. If she hadn't done that Issei doubted her arm would be intact now. Issei slowed down, they couldn't win if this kept repeating.
"Lancer, is it normal for knights to dodge attacks in jousting?"
"It is difficult to do so. There is almost no room to evade the long lance during the contact. That's why we wear an armor and use a shield to block."
"But this isn't a formal jousting match." Issei hovered. "We are in the sky, and we are unrestrained by the land."
What surprised them was that the Storm Knight had also slowed down. Apparently she was not in a hurry to force them to enter their next round.
"I see." Lancer took a deep breath. "Certainly if you use that movement I can evade the lance while simultaneously targeting her vital point."
"Then let's go!"
10 seconds had passed. The announcement of Boosted Gear started the third round of the duel. Both participants began to dash toward each other. However before they came into contact the dragon rolled his body upside down while simultaneously flying over the top of the Storm Knight.
Their opponent didn't expect this type of maneuver. For centuries knights have always dueled on the ground, and thus the idea of 3D combat never enters their minds. Supernatural as the Storm Knight was she couldn't lead her horse to evade the attack.
Not missing this opportunity the bloodred lance pierced through the dark helmet.
"Did we get her?" Issei slowed down before he crashed into the wall of the running cavalry.
"No… she used her lance to deny my advance and ducked her head just in time."
The helmet was still in the tip of Lancer's lance, but there was no blood. Issei turned around to observe their enemy.
In the middle of the dome, the Storm Knight cast her golden slit-eyes on Issei and Lancer. Her bleached hair fluttered in the wind.
"What…?"
There was no wound on her flawless pale face, indicating that their attack was ineffective, but what shocked Issei was that she had the same appearance as the one riding on his back.
"One more round, Issei. We need to defeat her." Lancer urged him as she tossed away the helmet.
"Ah, right." Issei shook away his surprise and began to fly toward the Storm Knight again. He didn't understand why their enemy shared the same face as Lancer, but he could ask her after finishing this battle.
"... Interesting." The Storm Knight spoke in a low tone. Her voice was no different from a cold, silver bell. She stood still in the air, having no intention of charging toward Issei to continue the jousting match. Instead she brought her lance up. The 13 red spikes on the shaft broke up one by one. The lance then rotated rapidly, sucking the wind around into it.
A chill ran through Issei's body when he got closer.
"Dive! Dive right now Issei!"
The Storm Knight pointed the lance, now more of a gigantic drill, at her opponent. A furious storm of darkness and curses darted toward them. Issei's mind became blank at that moment, his body could only react to the survival instinct to dive into the sea below. The attack passed them and blew away the band of warriors behind uncaringly.
Down below the surface Issei grimaced.
"Are you alright?" Asked Lancer through the water.
"Yeah." He bit his lips. "She only got my tail tip."
[That was an attack on the same level of Lancer's noble phantasm. Don't let it hit you if you want to survive.]
"Noble phantasm!? Damn, we don't have anything to counter it!"
Issei was sure that even after he had trained he would still get killed if he got hit by Lancer's lance back in the war.
"This is not good. Your fire breath cannot compete against that cursed lance and my weapon doesn't have a long range attack, yet. She will always be ready to launch that storm before we can reach her in melee range."
Issei began to swim away, fearing that if he stayed in one place the Storm Knight could blast at them.
"One of us needs to distract her while the other one fights her." Issei proposed. "Since I can fly I will be the bait while you ambush her, Lancer."
Lancer pondered. "That could work, but there are two problems: First I cannot get to her by myself, and secondly if you are seen without me she will immediately know it's a trap."
"Yeah you're right… I got an idea. We will do it this way."
Issei began to explain his plan.
"I see, that is risky but we will be able to beat her. Let's do it."
Up above the Storm Knight still hadn't shot at them so it was their chance for a counter attack. Issei began to swim away from Lancer as far as he could within 5 seconds, then he rose up into the sky again, showing his white belly.
Instantly he was chased by the band of warriors, but Issei kept climbing the sky higher and higher. Because he had to keep this position to hide the fact that Lancer was not riding him on the back it was hard to watch out for the enemy. He could make out the raging sound of a storm however, and he knew that the Storm Knight had decided to shoot him down.
But Lancer was faster.
From below the water she swam back to the surface and released the fangs wooden bin to use it as a platform to jump up to the enemy. The combination of Boost, which was given to her via Transfer, and Mana Burst let Lancer reach the top of the target in the air.
The Storm Knight was still releasing her dark storm, so she couldn't react and defend herself against Lancer's surprised assault from behind. With one mighty overhead slash Lancer sent her opponent deep into the sea with her sword, resulting in a shockwave below.
From the other side freed from the storm Issei descended, he used his fire to quickly burn his chasers to reunite with Lancer, who was fighting the swarm of the monsters and hunters. The loss of their leader didn't stop them from going after the pair of former master and servant. Fortunately Lancer had no problem cutting them down. She nimbly hopped around, using her enemies as platforms to stay in the air. When Issei reached Lancer she casually grabbed his neck and slided down on his back to mount him. The two of them quickly escaped the zone, leaving the howling warriors behind.
It was like what Lancer said, defeating the Storm Knight had allowed them to break through the raining sky. Now the sun had come up again, and shone on their drenched bodies.
'Well mostly Lancer though, since my dragon scales is waterproof.'
"Looks like we have slipped away from the Wild Hunt. Good job Issei."
"Speaking of the Wild Hunt, can you explain what it is, and who is that knight?" Issei asked the big questions.
"The Wild Hunt is a manifestation of spirits in a form of storm, chasing through the land and sea eternally. It is said that if you get caught by them you will join their chase till the end of time." Lancer explained.
"As for the Storm Knight… Since king Arthur Pendragon is also associated with various folklore the belief of humanity must have made her one of the leaders of the Wild Hunt after the fall of Camelot. That's why she is the 'me' in a different world, like how I am different from this world's king Arthur."
"So back then, you already knew she is another 'you'..." Issei nodded. "Now that you mention it her lance does look like yours back in the grail war."
"But it is corrupted. I don't know what has happened to her but from our battle she is more of a killing machine than an actual knight."
"The Reverse Side of the World is more dangerous than I thought… Let's hope that we will not meet her again."
Issei continued to fly until he found a small island, no bigger than his school, and landed on it.
"Let us take a break." Lancer finally dismissed her lance, which seemingly could switch between the sword and lance form.
"Yeah." Issei moved his tail to the front so he could lick the tip. Now that he had the time to examine he found out that he actually lost roughly one third of his tail. The wound had closed but it still hurt. Apparently that storm had more exotic effects than he thought. He was uncertain when his tail would heal back to normal again.
"Will it be alright?" Lancer came to check on his tail.
"Well it shouldn't interfere much as long as I don't use it for a sweep attack."
"We should ask the dragons to see if there is a way to heal your tail." Lancer said. "But we cannot go meet a dragon king in our current state."
Issei noticed that besides her wet attire the sleeves had been ripped off due to the dragonification. Lancer's boots had also been torn apart. The duel had been exhausting for them. They had also lost the fangs bins, both of them. Fortunately the gold and jewel chest was still strapped on his back so they didn't have to find another gift for Tannin.
"Well, looks like you two need some help. Oh and that was a wonderful battle by the way."
Issei turned his head to the source of the voice and saw the figure of Merlin there, holding his staff nonchalantly.
"..."
"Your cold stare hurts me Lancer. Would it be so difficult to give your helper a smile?"
"Hey Merlin, good to see you here." Issei interjected. "Could you please give Lancer a new set of clothes? Thank you for coming here to help us."
"I'm glad that you are safe after that encounter too Issei." Merlin smiled. "But unfortunately I have an important appointment in the next few minutes so I can't hang out with you, now please take these."
Merlin pulled two blocks of stone the size of a soda can and gave them to Issei.
"Goodbye, and don't forget who you are!" The mage disappeared in a whirlwind of flower petals.
Issei had no clue what Merlin meant so he examined the two stones, but he had a good hunch of what they were. The dragon put down the two stones on the ground, and in the next few seconds they grew into two rock houses. Obviously they were the ones that he and Lancer stayed in when they were on Avalon.
"That solves our problem then." Issei said.
"Alright, we will take a short nap. I will call you when I'm done." Lancer headed into her house, muttering something about that jerk not giving them these back then. Issei too came into his sweet home. He could see that the food storage had been restocked so Merlin had done a good job at keeping his promise.
Issei decided to take a warm shower then coiled himself on the mat for a nap in bliss.
When Lancer knocked on the door the sun was still up. It was clear that there was no night on this island.
"Do you want some snacks, Lancer?"
"That will not be necessary." Issei could see that Lancer had changed into a new set of clothes, and her white skin was free of dirt and dust. "The host will provide the guests a meal when we arrive at their territory. It will be rude if we have our fill before."
"Alright then." Issei stepped out of his house, and as if the houses had their own minds they both shrank back into the size of a soda can, which Issei put them in his shirt pocket. Next Lancer pulled out the tablet Merlin gave her before while Issei prepared the Dragon Gate.
The red circle on the ground covered them in light, and the symbols on the gold tablet were added into the Dragon Gate to establish a location. When it disappeared they found themselves in the middle of a formation of rocks at sunset. The gold tablet then melted away into dust, implying that it was a one way ticket.
Immediately they were greeted by two dragons the size of an elephant with green scales.
"Welcome to the Land of Tannin, we will be your escorts to his majesty."
"It looks like you have been informed of our arrival." Lancer said.
"Yes, the white half-demon has told our king of your arrival, and he has sent us here to welcome you."
'That must be Merlin.'
"Alright, let's not make the Dragon King wait shall we?" Lancer climbed on Issei, and the three began to fly.
It took them 30 minutes at roughly the speed of a car to reach a cluster of hills and mountains. Issei followed the two escort dragons to the peak of the highest mountain, and he could see a grand patio decorated by dragon statues and marbles. More than a dozen dragons were sitting on the ground. However what caught his eyes was a huge, likely 15m, purple scales dragon. His eyes were looking at him and Lancer attentively.
"Is that…?"
[Yes, that is Tannin the Blaze Meteor Dragon, one of the Dragons Kings.] Ddraig said.
They landed on a grassy entrance to the patio, with the two escorts announcing their presence before taking them to see Tannin. Issei could feel the eyes of every dragon on him and Lancer when she dismounted him and walked through the patio.
"Greeting Lord Tannin. My name is Lancer and this is my companion Issei Hyodo." Lancer kneeled and Issei quickly followed her. "We have come from a faraway land to visit your kingdom. Please take this as our gratitude."
The chest of gold and jewels was quickly taken down from Issei's back and presented to Tannin, which was taken away by another dragon.
"Be at ease, children of Y Draig Goch. There is no need to follow the formal code of humans in my land. Now I know you come here for a reason, but whatever it is will be told after the welcoming banquet."
Tannin then looked at Issei, staring into his soul.
"It's good to see you too, Ddraig. I'm glad that a Heavenly Dragon is still alive, even if it's only your soul."
[Me too. It's nice to know that you are still alive and well. You even have your own kingdom now.]
"Haha, it's flattered to hear it from you of all dragons Ddraig." Tannin laughed.
Both Issei and Lancer then were guided to their seats, which actually had no chair or cushion so they had to sit on the ground. Fortunately they were close so Issei could let Lancer sit on his tail.
One dragon with blue scales began to distribute a golden apple and a huge barrel of mead for every dragon on the patio. Issei couldn't understand why, but the smell of the apple made him drool, and he fought hard not to lick and wolf it down instantly.
"This is…" Lancer curiously picked up her apple, which was placed on the barrel.
[A dragon apple. It has been centuries since I saw one.] Ddraig explained. [It is a subspecies of the famous apple in every myth, for example the Apples of Idunn. Though it should be extincted on earth now. It is a miracle that Tannin can grow the dragon apples here.]
"Now, let's begin the feast to welcome the descendants of Y Draig Goch!" Tannin loudly shouted.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The dragons responded to him, and they began to devour the apple in one go.
[Go on, eat it.] Ddraig urged.
Issei bit a huge chunk of the juicy apple while Lancer gracefully took a small bite. They were instantly assaulted by the divine flavor that no food had ever given them. It was as if the god of gourmet had resided inside this little apple, and catered to every of their taste.
[It is so good! I can feel the aroma of the dragon apple even here!]
Issei and Lancer quickly ate the whole apple while the other dragons had started to drink and eat their shares, which was made of fresh beef, lamb and goat. A long and large table of food was put in the middle of the patio, and the dragons could grab whatever they wanted.
What Issei feared the most had become the truth: Dragons eat raw meat like no business, and while he had no problem doing the same he doubted Lancer could just follow them. Fortunately there were some dragons who roasted their meat before eating so Issei could copy them. He tore the meat into smaller pieces, and burned them with his fire without actually turning them into charred meat. This was also a trick that Merlin taught him on Avalon. The cooked meat was given to Lancer while Issei ate the raw one.
"Thank you Issei." Lancer sprinkled salt and pepper on the meat which surprised Issei. Now that he had noticed there was a range of seasonings including garlic, onion, leek, salt, pepper, and red pepper. There was even ketchup and soy sauce!
"Are you surprised?" Tannin asked, his hand moved to put mustard on a rib of beef. "It's so old fashioned to eat raw meat now. Only savages do that, right guys?"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The dragons shouted in union then went back to chew on their meat chaotically, but Tannin didn't seem to care.
Issei took a sip from his barrel and assaulted by a furious punch to his throat. The mead here was much stronger than the one he had on Avalon. Still it didn't stop Lancer from draining down her barrel in one go before asking him to get another for her.
The banquet continued for hours until empty barrels of mead and wine along with bones were piled up in the corner. Tannin then told the dragons to go back to their caves while only Issei and Lancer remained on the patio.
"Now, tell me your reason to be here." Tannin said in a deep voice, showing that he wasn't drunk even after drinking over 10 barrels.
Lancer lightly tapped on Issei's back, indicated that it was his time to talk to Tannin.
"Lord Tannin, I have come here to ask for a way to transform into a human." Issei bowed down his head, but still kept his eyes on the purple dragon king.
This was what Lancer had taught him. Dragons are prideful creatures, and if he asked them to turn him back into a human they would see that as an insult to their race, that dragons were inferior to humans. However if he asked for a way to transform into a human then he would still be a dragon, only in the shape of a human.
"That is easy for a high class dragon like you, shapeshifting into a human that is. However I do not permit you to learn the method to do it for free."
Tannin's booming voice made Issei skip a heartbeat.
"You see, mighty as we are dragons have always been hunted by other species with humans being the biggest offenders. Not that we despise them, if a dragon cannot prove its worth then it does not deserve to survive. However it does not mean we should let ourselves die out and fade away like other beings."
They could hear a tiny depression in his voice.
"That is why I have made this land my territory-my Texture, gathered the dragons and let them live here to ensure our survival. Some of them can only survive by eating the dragon apples in this banquet so I have found out a way to grow them here too. Now you know that dragons have a very low birth rate. There are less than a thousand dragons in my land and even after I have lived here for a thousand year I only have 4 children."
[You have been working hard, Tannin.]
"Thank you, Ddraig."
"... Is it that hard for dragons?" Issei whispered to Lancer.
"This is the first time I heard of it, but I don't think it's far-fetched that they have problems with their population since dragons are always rare even in the Age of God." Lancer leaned on him.
"So if you want to accomplish your goal then you must fulfill one condition: You must impregnate my daughter and leave behind your descendant in my land. You can take your time, I will keep my promise even after a few century."
AN: Sorry for the late update, I have been busy reading the story and farming on FGO, and I was distracted by other things. I have also got Summer Lion King so I am a very happy man, it really gives me the motivation to keep writing. Thank you for supporting me.