Chapter 11 "Shield of Rage"
'So this is where the Dragon died huh?' I thought looking over the village. 'Well,maybe not directly in there, but the townflok should know where he died." I thought as I made my way to the gates. The village in question was surrounded by woods and even mountains. I arraived at the morning at the gate, and as I did that, an elderly man wearing simple clothes asked.
"What brings you to a place like this?"
"I'm here as a part of my trail.' I replied "And now I heard that Sword Hero killed a Dragon down south of here. Is that true?"
"Y-yes, that is true." He stuttered, must likely he recognised my uniform. "But why are you here?"
"Something tells me that remains of a Dragon weren't burned down. I'm going to do this." I said indiffrently.
"But- But there's a disease in the town!" He shouted, voice desperate. "You have to go back, make sure you're not infected!"
"I'm not going back." I replied, my voice muffled. "I spend 19 days walking here form the capital. If I were to turn away and return, it'd be a collosal waste of my time."
"F-Fine." He replied after a second of silence."But beware many died because of his rotten flesh. Come, I'll guide somewhat close to the corpse. But I'm not coming closer, and you just follow the smell of rotten flesh." He then started walking south, all while gestruring me to follow with his hand. I moved my muscles to follow him.
After a five minute walk he announced.
"This is as far as I go." The then stopped and streched this hand further. "Go there, and follow the vague smell of rotting flesh." He then turned away and walked quickly the way we came.
I streched my hands over my head, and proceeded on the path. I indeed felt a very vague smell of the rotting flesh that was getting stronger the closer I was getting to the source.
'I wonder how badly the dragon looks.' I thought. 'But it doesn't change anything. Dragons are normally the most powerful creatures in any MMORPG game. And Zombie Dragons are much worse. Combining the brute strength of a normal dragon, with immunity to poison. I too have the immunity to some poisons, an effect of the Blessing of the Outsider, that I call the Mark. I will have to flood him using Devouring Swarm, all while blocking his fire and other attacks with my Shield. Blood Thirsty should strengthen the Mark, right?' I stopped this train of thought and thinked again, all while following the smell of rotting flesh. 'What was that about? About that "And now you seek power to defeat the waves, even though you don't want to admit it" is what Outsider said to me in his' Followers camp. There's also another enigma "Love sometimes burns even brighter than the Hatred". Whose love? Not mine, of this I'm more than aware right now." But my further thoughts were interrupted by a powerful scent assaulting my nostrails. 'I am guessing that I have already arrived.
The Dragon looked like a large dinosaur form my world, but he had two massive bat like wings in his back. His skin had in large part decomposed, leaving gaping holes in his hide. When I walked closer, the blood that was pouring from his many wounds somehow retrned back to his body once again. His wound closed themselves, but not quite fully.
"So that's how you look like you big bastard." I said it aloud while summoning my Shield to my right forearm. I got in my battle stance and shouted "Bring it!"
Dragon just roared in response and swept his tail, aiming at me. I decided to play it safe for now and casted Blink. Time stopped and so has his motion. I released it evading the dragon's attack. He payed no mind that his enemy has just teleported. He just swung his tail once again. This time I casted Devouring Swarm directly in front of him, and blocked the swoop from his tail. The impact alone send me flying away, but Agility passive power triggered so I would land saftely.
'Damn, I knew that the Undead Dragons are powerful, but to this extent!?" I thought panting. The Muscles still ached slightly after the hit. 'I need more power! More power!'
The rats threw themselves at his head, eating away flesh and eyes. He roared, and tried to shake them off but to no awail. Rats kept thier claws in his flesh. I casted Devaouring Swarm yet again, my intention was to flood the Dragon and have him be eaten alive by rats.
But the dragon seemeingly decided that he will not play around. He got up on his all fours and shook his etire body yet again, this time with more force. The rats didn't held on this time, and more than half of them were send flying off the monster.
'Damn, Damn!' I thought looking at that 'I can't fight him close range, I'll burned to crisp. Let's continue summoning more rats.' and as I ended that thought I casted the power yet again. Now, the battlefield was flooding with gasps and shrieks of the rats. They all lounged at the Dragon's form, teeths sinking in deeply this time. Some even managed to tear out the bits of flesh off his body. Dragon was slowly overwhelmed but then he usd the power I feared he'd us.
He breathed fire.
But strangely, he didn't aim it at me. But I played it no mind and Blinked several metersaway. He aimed it upwards, so that the flames would cover his body and burn off the rats. The rats schreeched and most were burned to ashes.
'Getting desperate, huh?' I thought looking at his actions.'It means that my plan worked... Partially.' But then I heard a strange voice in my head.
"Do you seek power?"
"Do I?" I answered aloud while dodging the sweep from the Dragon. "I need it to defeat the Waves and return to my World. At any cost."
"Do you hate everything in this world?" When the voice asked me that question, I immidedly went back to the day I was summoned. Then, I remembered all the unjust treatment I received from that day forward. I pictured an entire kindgdom laughing at my life, the Bitch alongside trash King and Three Bastards were laughing the hardest.
"Yes." I replied and added "I wish this world was just burned to the ground. Swallowed by a Swarm of hungry Rats. The people living here deserve no compassion from me. They just wait for a right time to strike and shame me more."
"Let your Hatred and its Power engulf you." The Voice ended and went silent. A thick mist of darkness engulfed my form and numerous red runes unlike any I've seen before covered my uniform. The Shield's jewel changed it's green color for blood red. I felt an immense level of Rage. Rage aimed at this country's royality, citizens and the other Three Heroes.
New Series Unlocked: 'Curse Series'
New Shield Unlocked: 'Shield of Wrath.'
Shield's Active Effects:
-Changes your "Windblast" Power for "Fireblast"
-Enchances Rats Summoned by "Devouring Swarm"
-Adds New power; extension of "Devouring Swarm", The "Devouring Flame"
Shield's Passive Effects:
-Allows your "Blood Thirsty" Ability to feed off your Hatred
I let out a powerful roar, one rivalling even the Dragon's. My eyes were now glowing immense haze of red. I approached the dragon wielding the Shield of Wrath. The Shield in question was black in color, covered in a weird blood red pattern, which was centered on jewel.
The Dragon was unaffected by my sudden change in behavoir. It just roared and breathed fire, this time aiming at me. I shielded myself fot this blast with the Shield. It didn't even pierce my defences. When dragon noticed that his attack had no effect, he opted to use his tail instead. He swinged his tail at me, which I just effortly bashed with my Shield. The tail was threw back a few meters.
"Burn." I announced after deflecting his attack. His tail suddenly erupted in dark blue flames. He shriekied, presumebly from the pain. I used this opening and casted Devouring Swarm. The rats that I summoned this time were noticebly larger this time, reaching a size of a small dog pup. There were spikes coming out of their spines. The teeth and claws got even larger, claws reaching a size of a male's index finger. The fur stayed black, but some were summoned as Albinos.
"Die." I commanded. The swarm consisting of thirty rats rushed at the Dragon that was busy with the flame. This time, rats succesfully pierced the Dragon's Skin, and went inside him to feast on his internal organs. Dragon roared, suprised at the sudden change in battle.
'Time to end this.' I thought 'I made too much noise already. I thank you Rats for giving me an opening.' As I ended this, I casted the Devouring Flame. A circle consisting of low dark blue flames surrounded the Dragon. The Dragon just looked at it, and then at me. He prepared to attack me himself but...
"BURN!" I yelled before he did that. A circle of flames immidedly raised upwards and swallowed the Dragon in flames of my Rage. Dragon immidedly shriekied, but this time his desperate roar was partially muffled by a creaking of burning meat. He tried to put it out, but to no avail. The flame burned regardless of his efforts. His long neck then shot out of the circle and after a second if fell on the ground liveless.
The Battle was won.
But Shield of Wrath didn't go. I tried to shake it off my hand, but it didn't go. I despreatly thought 'Go away!' but the Shield stayed. I then remembered the words of the Outsider.
"Hatred needs to be under control or it turns into Brutality". I then proceeded to calm my hatred and rage while thinking 'I will have more then enough chances to take my revenge on this country.' The method I chose worked, somehow. I approached the burned reamins of the Dragon carefully, as he might still be alive by a thread. As I got closer, I noticed a gem stone laying in the carcass.
'It must be his Nucleus.' I thought looking at it. I reached out and grabbed it. Now that it was in my hand, it was large enough to fully fit inside my palm. 'I wonder how much power does it contain.' I decided to keep it, and maybe even...
'Now to call the Daud's man in order to ask if he can make a Bone Charm out of these?' I thought looking over the remains yet again. I casted the Summon Assassin. A man wearing s same unifor as me appeared in the place that I aimed.
"Is this because you need my help, or do you need to pass something to Daud?" He asked, his arms crossed on the chest.
"The latter." I replied. "Here. Take this and ask him if he can make a Bone Charm out of this." I handed the Zombie Dragon's Nucleus to him and to further prove my point, I pointed my thumb at the Zombie Dragon's body.
"By the Void..." He muttered under his mask. "So you actually took down a Dragon? I have to say, I am suprised. But I'll ask him about that. I'll just take a couple of bones so he can judge it himself." And as he ended, he approached the carcass and chose two, amybe three bones. As he was prepareing himself to depart he turned to me and said
"You may want to stay away from Capital area for now." He started "The Queen herself posted a bounty after your head. Still attached to your body that is. We are wanted criminals too, but we've always been ones. Stay safe, Terror of Melromarc." He presumably smiled as he ended the sentence and disappeared in a cloud of black mist.
'Terror of Melromarc, huh?' I thought over this nickname 'Well, it's still better than the Criminal Hero of the Shield.' I thought as I sat under a nearby tree, to eat my ration for today and rest my exausted body and spirit for the time being.
'I will have to inform the Villagers that the body of a recently deceased Dragon was actually undead.' I though as I eaten my bread. 'Ah, I do miss the times when I ate my meals with Raphtalia... At least it wasn't this quiet.' I drank some water after I ate a slice of bread.
After a hour has passed, I decided to finally be on the move again. I got up for my sitting position. 'Well, let's go inform the Villagers.' I then made my way to the Village.
"You- You're alive!" The same edlerly man greeted me. " I though you were a goner." He added approaching me.
"I'm not easy to kill, gramps." I replied, my ice-cold voice muffled. "The Dragon turned into an Undead one. I got rid of it, end of story."
"Well, We did hear roars coming form the Dragon's lair, but we thought those were the Victorious ones." He added, scrathing his head.
"Well, not anymore." I then waved my goodbye. "This village has a debt for me. I will come around to collect it... Someday."
"B-But of course!" He replied. "We will pay you then an amount you will want, within reason of course."
"Good" I replied shortly, not even turning around I started to walk away. The objective- prepare for the wave now.
A.N: I don't know if I did alright with this chapter, but I tried my best. I hope you aren't disappointed.