Author's Note: As always, thanks for the support that everyone has so graciously provided me. And welcome to new readers! In any case, let us resume our story in Life of a Zero Dragon!
P.S. I'm American, but I'll try to post the difference between 'Feet' and Meters next to one another as much as I can.
Life of a Zero Dragon
Chapter 13: The Dangers
Saito stood on all four paws next to Siesta, the Chosen Dragon watching the spectacle occurring before him as both commoner and dragonet observed the futile efforts of the local townspeople attempting to cut into the trunks of the Orangebark trees. He couldn't help but shake his head, such efforts were useless as even if the forest was removed the spawning system for the Ogres would remain intact.
"Not even steel tools are working," Siesta commented.
Saito nodded, he couldn't speak due be being outside and with so many people around. But subtle nods like this would go unnoticed.
'Of course, they won't work, I've mentioned this beforehand. But nobody listens to me, even with Louise explaining it. The townspeople are stubborn.' Saito thought to himself.
"It's clobbering time!"
Without warning, two eight foot tall ogres burst out from the confines of the Orangebark Forest. The rune engraved into Saito's paw glowed brightly, his awareness seemed to extend itself to Louise's position with a strange feeling occurring.
Danger. Help.
The locals fell back, running in fear from the tan-hued Ogre Mauler, and the blue skinned Ogre Magi. The latter which hands were surrounded in a reddish magic that shot forward towards its creep companion, hasting its attack speed.
Saito briefly recalled the Ogre Magi's magical ability, Bloodlust. It could be used to drastically increased attack speed with no consequence to itself.
But he couldn't help the Musketeers that ran forward to meet the Ogres in combat, his master was in danger.
He didn't notice himself calling Louise master again.
The blink spell activated, his body disappearing in a flash of blue light, leaving a relatively safe Siesta who was too far away from the Ogres to be endangered. The Chosen Dragonet reappeared just a little ways from his previous location, immediately taking notice of a ten foot tall armored Ogre sending a chunk of rock at Louise only for it to be destroyed by a powerful crushing blast of water.
If he had lips, he would have bit it by now.
Saito recognized that particular creature anywhere, an Ogre Lord. It's a higher level monster than the others, with power to match. Level and power go hand and hand in the Warcraft universe, frankly any RPG for that matter and Life of a Dragon Sequel was no exception.
He felt his blink ability cooldown click mentally, signaling its readiness for usage. Saito Hiraga, not wasting a single moment, acted with a lack of self-preservation. The runes of his paw glowing brightly as his figure vanished from sight in a blue light before appearing before the massive Ogre Lord's vision, confusing the creature only for the briefest moment on whether it should now target the new being before it.
Our little dragon hero struck first, his jaw clamping down onto the Ogre's forelimb.
"Erisdar!" He heard Louise's voice call out for him, shock evident in her voice at his sudden appearance and defense of her person.
"Focus, Louise!" Another voice, it took Saito a few seconds to tie it to Princess Henrietta. She must have been with Louise during the initial encounter with the Ogre Lord.
Speaking of which, the large-sized creep flung the limb on which Saito held onto with his teeth, specks of blood dripping from the Ogre's injury.
Then a giant wooden club smashed the Chosen Dragon right against his head and chest, stunning him with such a devastating blow. Saito had to recoil, releasing his grip and taking precious time in recovery.
He had forgotten completely about Bash, a common creep passive ability that has a chance of stunning with additional damage.
Once he recovered, he noticed the Ogre Lord reeling back its club at an odd angle.
'Wait, isn't that-'
Hatchling Instinct took over.
His wings lifted him with a heaving push from the ground, allowing his figure to be considered flying in the air by a few precious feet, or three meters. The Ogre Lord's club slammed into the ground, dragging it forward still and breaking apart the earth below before it released a strong line of yellow magical energy mixed with kinetic force.
The shockwave blew Saito out of the air, scrapping his legs as it passed below him. His wings lost control, sending him spiraling and plummeting from the air, crashing back to the ground fifteen feet, four and a half meters, away.
But the Ogre Lord's spell did not end so briefly, it continued its crushing travel line towards Louise and Henrietta's position. The Princess felt herself being pushed out of the way as the pink-haired teenager had moved to save her friend and country's royalty.
"Louise!" Henrietta cried out in alarm, reaching out with an arm fruitlessly as she fell out of the line of fire.
Saito opened an eye, all four legs straining and hurting, only to see the Shockwave hit Louise with full force.
"Louise…" He coughed out.
Blood splattered.
And a torrent of water answered in kind.
Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Valliere opened her eyes slowly, vision but a blur as it strained to clear itself. The seventeen-year old's sight regained itself to reveal that she now lay in a bed within the Tristain Academy of Magic. She groaned, feeling exhaustion aching her body, and briefly wondered what sort of explosive lesson landed herself in the medical room this time. But once Louise's mind cleared up from the drowsiness beset upon her awakening, her body bolted upright from the bed with an alarming cry.
"Princess, Erisdar!" Louise cried out, "They are in danger!"
She flung out of her sheets, only to collapse due to her sleeping legs, Louise hustled back to her feet and was about to leave the room only for the door to open wide before she could grasp the handle.
Princess Henrietta stood right in front of her, her Captain Agnes behind.
Louise then noticed how she stood in front of her princess in nothing but a baby blue gown.
Well, the teenager's face flustered a deep pink.
Nevertheless, she bowed before Henrietta.
"Please forgive me for being so underdressed, your majesty!" Louise said as her cheeks betrayed her embarrassment. Then remembered the primary reason she had bolted out of the bed, "Princess, are you alright?" She asked in concern.
Henrietta kneeled down and enveloped Louise in a surprise hug, the explosive mage blinking a few times at the sudden sign of affection.
"I'm so glad you're again Louise, I thought I almost lost you. But I swore I'll help you in a bind, that includes such injuries… I'm only glad I was there to heal you and you're familiar saved us." Henrietta said, emotion flooding out of her mouth with every word. "Why did you do that, why did you push me out of the way?"
Louise returned the hug, before breaking it and looking at Henrietta's face, "Because I promised I'll be there for you."
Agnes then spoke, "Students are heading this way, your highness." She said.
Henrietta nodded, recovering her emotions and reeling them back into control. Louise doing the same, but not with the same strength as her princess.
"Highness?" Louise asked.
"I'm to take over the crown since my father's passing. Louise, you've been unconscious for three days." The soon-to-be-queen answered her childhood friend.
"Three days?" Louise questioned in shock, "That means I missed the exhibition…" She trailed off in disappointment.
"It's nothing to be disappointed about, Louise, you did something that worth a hundred more than a silly show." Henrietta comforted.
Louise smiled, then took a prideful expression. "You're right! I'll like to see everyone's face knowing that I saved the crown princess of Tristain!"
Henrietta giggled at her reaction, "That's my friend."
"Your highness," Agnes spoke, motioning they're having to leave.
"I must leave now, Louise Francoise, take care of yourself and Erisdar." She turned to leave, but then stopped and turned right around. "I've nearly forgotten," She said pulling out a small brown pouch, "Take this, it appeared after the Ogre's defeat and Erisdar explained what it was after I've healed you as much as I could. I thought it was best you should have it, your familiar is quite intelligent and cares a lot for you."
"As he should," Louise smiled as she took the pouch, feeling an object within it. "Thank you."
With a smile, the Princess of Tristain and her guard left the room.
Louise looked at the brown pouch she held, opening it, she emptied the pouch into her left open palm. A single, bronze-hued ring with small gems embedded along it landed on to her hand.
Something seemed to whisper into her head, telling her the object's name and what it does.
Ring of Protection + 1.
"What is this…" Louise trailed off.
Three days have passed since the encounter with travelers from Gallia, crucial information was picked and sorted from the cooperating civilians. This allowed the Kingdom of Kayla to plan and plot concerning the delicate political atmosphere and staggering military presence surrounding the small nation. Such news gleaned from the now released traders and travelers revealed little of what was the norm for this world's spell casters. But from what the reactions of the civilians when they were let go to freely roam the city of Arcantis, the magical prowess of the Human Kingdom of Kayla differ in many areas, but not all of them.
But while the Kayla Kingdom's King had appreciated the sights and learned much from his visit to Arcantis, he had to return to the capital. His sister still remained in good health, but the clock is ticking as the days pass.
A week before Aylmer and Abigail were transported into what had seemed to be the Warcraft III map. Abigail had made her bi-monthly trip to the Hospital and gotten treatment for her genetic disease. They had been very fortunate it had been so recently.
But time is running out, Aylmer estimated that Abigail had, at least, nine weeks before she started experiencing deadly symptoms.
And six weeks until the first non-lethal symptoms started popping up.
But he had a few ideas that could help slow down, perhaps possibly treat, the disease.
And by any luck, miraculous cure her.
He doubted the last one, how could even magic remove a disease embedded within the DNA of a person?
But right now, he had some pressing matters to attend to, like the burning city of Polarvale and its new demonic residents. Well, actually old residents as they had been there since the early map versions that made Life of a Dragon Sequel.
"Marthan, any news concerning our forces for the battle against the demons within Polarvale?" He asked his advisor. The young King sat on his throne overlooking the Kingdom's Capital, his loyal subjects going about their daily lives while the forces gathered around the pre-built barracks and the newly constructed one.
Pre-built meaning it was there at the start of the game, since it was placed on the map with the World Editor beforehand while newly constructed having been made in-game.
"We have a dozen footmen along with a dozen archers. The knights are taking longer to train, but we do have a paladin ready to serve."
Aylmer nodded, unlike Warcraft III, the Paladins were just units and not heroes in Life of a Dragon. They held the Holy Light spell and the Devotion Aura, both useful as the support for armies.
"Good work, when can we expect the full readiness of our forces?"
The transition into this new world changed the mechanics of Warcraft III somewhat, normally in Life of a Dragon's altered units, it would have taken fifteen seconds to make a single footman.
But now, it took fifteen hours to create six footmen in one go.
Thankfully it was a group of units created, otherwise, he was sure the Kingdom would be screwed.
Since Knights normally took thirty seconds in the map, it now took thirty hours. Really it just converted seconds into hours.
Still, in terms of reality, this was unbelievably fast training time.
"Within six hours your majesty, they will be finished training at sunset."
"We march at that time, we cannot delay fighting these demons," Aylmer said, it not like it mattered what time they fought. Warcraft III only decreased vision at night, which did very little overall in a custom RPG map.
"As you say…" Marthan trailed off.
Current Status:
Chosen Dragon Player 1: Saito Hiraga - Alive - Dragonet (Agility) Level 6
Chosen Dragon Player 2: Alex Storm - Alive - Hatchling (Strength) Level 2
Chosen Dragon Player 3: Asuna Godiva - Alive - Dragonet (Strength) Level 5
Chosen Dragon Player 4: Artos Archway - Alive - Dragonet (Agility) Level 7
Chosen Dragon Player 5: Cora Rune - Alive- Dragonet (Intelligence) Level 7
Dragon Slayer Player 6: Celdrahil - Alive - Slayer Level 7
Dragon Catcher Player 7: Rosina - Alive - Catcher Level 8
The Human Kingdom Player 8: Aylmer and Abigail - Alive - Royalty of Human Kingdom
The Fel Empire Player 9: Grom - Alive - King of Fel Empire
Mercenary Player 10: Elizabeth Loyal - Alive - Sorceress Level 2
Observer Map Maker: Map Maker - Alive - The World Editor