When Elia came to, she had found herself in a bed that was far softer than the one she normally used. As she rose, she also found that her surroundings were different from her own room, making her look around confused before remembering what had happened. 'First we had entered through that strange door he made, then… right, The Dragon's Heart…' Elia thought, looking around as she remembered the reveal Oliver had given her. The inside of a dragon, one who could hold the shape of a human. As she looked around the area, she found her sword resting at the edge of the bed; only arms reach away from her.
"I see you've awakened, Princess." Came a female voice, making Elia turn to find a young woman at the doorway to the room, causing her to pull herself to a sitting position as she looked at the woman confused. The woman only sighed as she walked over to her, her eyes glowing a light green. "It doesn't look like you've suffered anything too major from fainting earlier, though it would be best advised for you to take small steps after learning the truth of the Dragon's Heart."
"Thank you…" Elia responded, pushing herself up off the bed as the woman moved to the desk that sat beside it, looking over the contents at the top of it as Elia looked her over. "I don't think I've met you before on here, have I?"
"Actually you have, though in a different form." The woman spoke, her gaze returning to the princess as she raised her right hand, revealing a red gem on it as her eyes glowed red. "My form and voice may change, but the gem remains so that I can make a physical manifestation from it and any others that are lying around the place."
Elia stared at the gem, noticing a familiar look to it as she went through what could've made it look so similar. Then, her eyes slightly widened at the realization. "You're Ksalso? But I thought you were a male," Elia spoke, making the woman laugh as she lowered her hand. "Is this something you enjoy?"
"When it has the potential to confuse people, then I do enjoy their reactions, but the form and gender I choose are more dependent on what I feel soothes the person I'm with at the time." Ksalso responded, her eyes returning to their green glow. "Though I prefer my actual form that we're in over the smaller forms, given it fits my spirit more than the rest."
"Spirit?" Elia asked, before remembering the story Oliver had told her. "Right, you're a dragon of the spiritual plane, whatever that means."
"It means that while my power is quite large in the physical world depending on the form that Oliver wished for me, it pales in comparison to the power I bare in the Astral plane of this realm." Ksalso spoke, making Elia look at her confused as the woman held out her hand. "Now, while I'm sure this would all be fun to hear, I've been given instructions by Oliver to take you around the areas of this level, which you will be sharing with him, Isao and the behemoth Susanoo."
Elia just stared at the hand, the red gem in it seeming to glow before she sighed and took it, pulling herself up as the woman nodded and turned to the door. "So how big is this place?" Elia asked as she followed Ksalso through the door, the two soon finding themselves in a fairly big room that had two stairways. To their right, she saw the stairs leading down to five different doorways potentially leading to different areas. To Elia's left, however, she found herself looking at the stairways going up to a floor where she could only make out a large black door, the design holding what looked to be a dragons head over two white axes. "I didn't expect it to be as big as this, despite what Oliver claimed."
"As did most people who had met him prior to the war, though he normally brought them here to get a laugh out of their reactions when they tried to find a way out." Ksalso responded as they signaled Elia to follow, the two soon going to the set of stairs leading up. As they made their way to the top, Elia soon found four more doors at the opposite end of the detailed door, which she now noted holding several letters in a language she didn't recognize. "The fortress itself rests around only four sections, which each level consisting of two floors of the fortress, before the major armory that rests at the bottom taking what remains of the space."
"Major armory?" Elia asked as they entered the doorway that was directly across from the black doorway, only seeing Ksalso nod as they walked along the red carpet that took up the hallway's flooring. Along each were different doors that held the same design, with the exception of a few. 'Possibly to show what kind of rooms they are?' Elia thought as she looked to each design.
"The Dragon's heart holds several armories in each floor, and provides it's inhabitants with a means of combat." Ksalso spoke as they soon found themselves at a fourway split, to which Ksalso turned to their left as Elia followed suit, soon finding a shorter hallway that led to another stairway. "However, the major armory contains Olivers strongest weapons and failsafe's, as most of them weren't moved during his change from here to his castle."
"Failsafe's?" Elia asked, looking at Ksalso confused before the woman turned to her with a smile as they stopped at the stairway. "If things went wrong or if something he expected occurred?"
"Both, though they all revolve around the same items." Ksalso responded, the two soon moving down the stairs as they heard the sound of steel clanging from down below them, as if someone was hammering something. Elia listened to it carefully as they reached the bottom of the steps, soon seeing an open room to the right of the stairs with a red glow coming out of it. As if sensing her curiousity, however, Ksalso rushed her to continue following. "That there is the forge, where Wayland works on weapons and equipment for Oliver with what he has here, though the stores have been running short since Oliver hasn't been here as of late."
"Wayland is the smith who forged his blade, then?" Elia asked, making Ksalso laugh as they walked past the area. Elia just looked at her confused before they had reached a new door, this one with a pair of crossed blades under a round shield.
"The story of who forged Erebus, as well as why, all relies on if Oliver tells you that tale," Ksalso responded, making Elia look at the figure confused as they opened the door, walking in as they changed form back to the man she had seen before. Then, as if just noticing the change, Ksalso chuckled as they looked to the end. "I had planned on showing you the training grounds as well as the weapons which are here, but it seems someone has decided to partake in some silent meditation here."
Elia walked in the room, confused by what Ksalso meant before she saw the area itself. The room was massive, more than big enough to carry out a several sparring matches if the choice was given. Around the area, as well, was a vast assortment of weapons set up in bulk, with various assortments of shields held along the walls. As her gaze moved over the center of the area, however, she found Oliver sitting cross-legged near the center of the room, his eyes closed as he held his hands on each of his knees. In front of him was a small orb that was the size of both of his hands, its coloring making seem as if it was dormant in front of him. As they took several steps, Ksalso raised his hand towards Elia as his steps became lighter, letting Elia understand as she softened her movements while pondering what he could be doing. As they came closer, however, Elia noticed a light dark mist seeming to move around Oliver, causing a small radius of the mist to surround him that was so light that it was almost nonexistent.
"What is he doing?" Elia asked, her voice a whisper as she followed Ksalso to the other end of the orb, placing it in between Oliver and their current position. Ksalso only lifted his hand in a hushed tone as he motioned for her to come closer to the orb.
"He is currently processing what to do at the moment, and is meditating on his options while within the Astral Plain," Ksalso spoke, his gaze keeping to the orb in front of Oliver. "Though my own question is why he has that orb in front of him…"
"It's because I'm processing whether or not to use it for training," Oliver responded, opening his eyes as the dark mist slowly rolled into him. His gaze then turned to Elia and Ksalso, his eyes far calmer than Elia had seen it before, and his voice showed the same calm tone. "Ksalso, you may need to make some food for us, I still have to wait for the meat to be marinated."
"Of course, would you like anything in particular?" Ksalso asked, making Oliver shake his head before Ksalso began to fade. "Then I'll come up with something."
"You do that." Oliver responded, his gaze turning to the orb as Ksalso vanished. Then, with a quick heave, he pulled himself up from his position, his eyes clouded in thought as he looked over to Elia. "So then, you seem calm for a person who had recently fainted an hour ago."
"I've had more time to process this place while I've walked around it." Elia responded, looking around the place as she walked past him. "How in the world did you manage something like this?"
"Like I said before, I was given his egg a few years ago, roughly nine to ten to be precise, and this was the end result." Oliver responded, his gaze remaining on Elia as she passed him. "When given a physical form, according to Alegar, an Astral Dragon that hatches will mold in the form it deems fitting for the person who hatches it. In my case, I needed a fortress that could move around the country, one that couldn't be taken out in one fell swoop from my enemies."
"Which leads us to the dragon we're currently in?" Elia asked, only getting a chuckle from Oliver as she looked over to him. "So, mind telling me who this Alegar is? He's sure to be some form of importance in your country"
"Alegar is a man who is far older than anyone I've ever met, and is by far the strongest man I may ever meet." Oliver spoke, his gaze moving to the orb in the center of the room as he walked to it. When he had reached it, he placed his hand upon it, his eyes looking over its surface as Elia watched him. "It was from him that I learned how to use a majority of the abilities I was taught, and it was through his teaching of battle that I became what I was."
"What you were?" Elia asked, making Oliver's gaze move to her as she looked at him. "You mean you aren't as powerful as you were before?"
"No, if anything I'm much stronger than I was before," Oliver responded, removing his hand from the orb as it seemed to hold a dark mist between its surface and his hand. Then, with a quick sigh, he turned his gaze back to Elia with a new determination in them. "However, I find now is the best time to tell you of what your father had told me to do, if he hadn't already."
"He said that I should learn from your example, though I don't see what I can learn outside of how you fight," Elia spoke as she looked in between the orb and Oliver, watching as the dark mist in between the two dissipated. "Or is it something that has to do with your powers?"
"That depends on if you want to sacrifice a completely normal life in order to attain said powers, and if you'll accept the repercussions," Oliver spoke as he kept his gaze, soon shaking his head as he walked over towards one of the rings in the area, Elia soon following in tow. "Your father wished for me to teach you in tactics and strategy on the battlefield, more than likely troop formations and the best ways to deal with being outnumbered at times."
"I'm guessing this is due to the fact that I listen to my troops before entering battle," Elia asked as they exited the area, making Oliver only nod as he stopped at the center of the ring, Elia soon following suit as she looked at the details of the area. The ring itself seemed to be made of sand, which would make fighting on it harder for those who were training in it. "What does he hope for me to learn from you?"
"Outside of understanding the basics of general tactics and how to implement them, you'll be able to see how they can change depending on the surroundings and the current instances," Oliver responded as he turned to her. "I don't know why you'd think otherwise, given that your father has told me of the high praises Derek had given me, as well as the apparent praise given by Oric during my fight against the camp holding Isao and the other slaves."
"Not to mention that Reginhard had spoken highly of you as well," Elia confirmed, making Oliver smirk as he looked over to her. However, his confidence didn't seem to reach her as she looked at him with a glare. "However, Reginhard and Oric both said that you have lost your former vigor in combat due to several failures, despite the victories you did attain. So what I'm wondering is what can I learn from a person whose kept in his own house for a year with little to no interaction of the world around him?"
"By sucking it up and learning how to learn," Oliver confirmed, his smirk still on his face as he turned to the wall, looking over the weapons as he heard Elias fist clench. "With how much you're whining about actually learning tactics, it's no wonder you have so many openings in the fighting style Derek taught you."
"How do you know Instructor Yamada taught me," Elia asked, soon regretting her question as Oliver looked over at her with a smirk. Reginhard had more than likely told him, and he ended up putting two and two together. Not only that, but the fact that he had fought alongside Yamada meant that he probably knew his style almost as well as she did. "More importantly, last I checked you only barely managed to beat me in that sparring match, the end result coming from a do or die move you pulled."
"That's because at the time I only thought it was similar to his style and not the actual thing," Oliver spoke, walking towards one of the weapon racks as he looked over what rested on it. "Tell you what, if I can make four fatal attacks that you can't counter, then you have to at least consider the possibility of me teaching you in tactics, or at least giving you the proper reading materials for it."
"If you want us to have a repeat of two days ago," Elia sighed as she set her blade down, Oliver soon picking up a katana from the rack and tossing it at her. Elia just grabbed it in shock, drawing the blade to find it completely blunt, but made from a black metal. "What kind of weapon is this? More importantly, why are you giving it to me?"
"These weapons are all made of specially treated steel forged by Wayland, the smith of the Dragon's Heart," Oliver spoke as he picked up two black axes from the rack, making Elia look at him confused as he turned over to her, signaling her to follow him into the ring. "These particular sets, however, are made to ensure that the worst thing you'll get from these fights is some very nasty bruises. As to why I'm handing it to you, it's simply because your style best suits that blade over the straight sword you've been using, and you should find it much easier to use your style of combat with it after some practice."
"Speaking of, feel free to get a feel of the weapon before we begin," Oliver spoke as he waved one of the axes to Elia, making her only nod suspiciously as he sat down, setting both axes to his sides. Elia drew the blade and held it in preparation, finding it's feel to be as well as Oliver had spoken. She began to take a few swings with the weapon, the steel whistling as she moved around the ring, Oliver watching with a smirk as he set his head on his right hand. Then, just as she was finishing warming up, she looked back at him, the suspicion in her gaze still remaining as she looked. "Feel free to rest a bit, then we'll actually begin."
"Why are you giving me this preparation?" Elia asked as she sheathed the katana, sitting down in front of Oliver as he straightened himself up. "More importantly, why are you giving me the ability to use my style to its fullest capacity?"
"One, because I find it unfair to be facing a worthy opponent without them having the proper preparations they require," Oliver spoke as he looked up at the roof, his gaze seeming to daze out as a light green glow went through them. "Second, I'll be fighting you with my true style, something that even Derek has only faced once."
"You mean to tell me that you were holding back during our match even then," Elia asked, making Oliver only chuckle as the glow faded from his eyes, looking back at her with a grin.
"Make no mistake, it's not that I was holding back as it was more that I was choosing the best style I could at the time," Oliver spoke as he pulled himself up, his hands picking up the axes almost fluidly as he rose from the ground. "To add to that, I had no intention to actually fight until we actually began, so I didn't really ask what kind of practice weapons you did have."
"But a set of axes, though," Elia asked as she kept her gaze on him, watching as he held the axes out as if measuring them. "Not very practical when facing swords alone."
"Maybe, but it's still the style that I'm best at," Oliver responded as he slid the handles down to the blades as he set the axes through the belt he had on. As his gaze overlooked the area, Elia found it more odd that he accepted the deficits of his weapons while he still decided to use them. What kind of game was he playing at? The two stayed there for a while before Oliver looked over to her, pulling the axes off of his belt. "Alright, that's enough rest, let's begin."
"You're sure you don't want to practice with those," Elia asked, making Oliver smirk as he held both axes in preparation, each movement looking as fluid as his stance was during their first match. "I don't want to end up winning because I had some preparation beforehand."
"We'll see," Oliver responded, his hands tightening on the axes as he looked over to her. "Well then, lets begin."
Elia hadn't made a single step before Oliver had jumped forward, swinging an axe down in an arc. As Elia raised her blade to block them, however, she soon found it stopped, and the other axe lightly tapping her stomach. "What the," Elia asked as Oliver jumped back, a smirk on his face as he prepped his weapons again.
"One," was all Oliver muttered as he saw Elia immediately prepare an attack stance, her blade soon moving straight towards his chest as she jumped forward. However, he soon swung one of his axes into it's path, striking it upward as he spun counter-clockwise and had his other axe at her neck before she had a chance to react, causing her to stop again. "Two."
"How in the world…" Elia muttered as she stepped back, watching Oliver's grin as she prepared her stance. Oliver then spun his axes in his hands as his grin returned to a smirk, causing her to look at him with annoyance. "So you plan to keep me focused on one axe while you attack me with the other?"
"Not really, I was only pointing out the two major flaws you have when facing an opponent, mainly the fact that you focus too much on certain attacks while also having key openings from putting too much force in your strikes," Oliver spoke as he took his stance again, this time his demeanor and voice changing to a more harsh tone that made Elias eyes widen as she gripped her weapon. Out of the times she had been talking to him, even the times he explained things or faced the mercenaries, she didn't ever see or hear his voice or posture like this. "Since you are Derek's student, and since I know this now, I'm going to show you just how terrifying I can be when I'm truly serious."
With that, his movements became even more of a blur than she could realize, her stance immediately going into defensive as she was driven back by his strikes. Even with the katana being more keen to her style, it took every ounce of strength to move the blade to block or deflect any of Oliver's weapons, each strike seeming to immediately move in tow to another. She had taken ten steps back before finally getting a chance to strike down at him, only to find him no longer in front of her.
"This is the part where you surrender," Oliver spoke, his axe tapping onto Elias shoulder as she looked back. Oliver's gaze kept its strength as he lifted his axe, however, as he walked over to the weapon rack, placing the axes in their respective slots as Elia looked at him confused.
"Isn't that only three times," Elia asked as she kept her weapon ready, making Oliver only look at her before nodding down towards her body. Elia then looked down, finding nothing at first, and was wondering what he was nodding towards. Then, however, she noticed it: several black marks scattered around her stomach and chest, none of which she had felt during the confrontation but were each fatal in their own right. "How on earth-"
"There's a difference between losing your former strength and simply refusing to use it," Oliver interrupted as he walked over to the katana's sheath, tossing it over to Elia as she looked back up at him in shock. Elia then released her grip on the blade as she caught the sheath, sliding the katana in as Oliver continued. "It is true that I have not fought with the same strength that I did back before I had come here. It is also true that the reason for this is because I've yet to forgive myself for the losses caused from my actions or from actions my enemies take to indirectly hurt me. Regardless, neither of these can hold me back indefinitely, especially in a training environment."
"However, the matter we fought on was of you considering to learn tactics under me, of which I cannot agree to even if it's the order of a king," Oliver continued as he turned to the orb in the center of the room, his voice and composure slacking as he moved his arms behind his back. "The decision must be yours and yours alone, not the choice of some father who wishes for their children to learn. If you do not wish to learn from me in strategy or tactics, then I will simply give you the books on the matters that I have and provide the proper facilities to train your mind for it. Until you've come to a decision, however, I will simply meditate."
Oliver then began walking back to the orb as Elia watched him, her gaze once again falling to the marks on her clothes as she went through what he had just said. 'The decision is mine…' Elia thought to herself as she walked over to the weapon rack, placing the katana where Oliver had taken it. Among the weapons in the rack, she saw various different kinds of swords, her eyes finally resting on the axes that he had used as another thought came to her mind, along with the earlier conversation before their fight. 'He said that he had only faced Derek with a set of axes once. Just what kind of terrifying fight was that…'
-Twenty minutes ago, Isao-
Isao had been traveling the areas of the Dragon's Heart again today, with Susanoo following behind. No matter how much he looked over it, he found another interesting place the more he looked through it. Today, however, he had decided to venture through the areas run by Wayland, the smith that worked in the Dragon's Heart. Despite this, however, Isao had yet to meet the smith of this place, despite seeing different contraptions and items strewn about and recently used. "This is incredible…" Was all Isao could say as the small behemoth followed behind him, the two looking at several different items similar to the one that Ksalso used when they were with him. The weapons each had different designs and shapes, each with papers under them that seemed to be lists written in another language. "I wonder what all these say…"
"They say the problems in each weapon since we entered this place, and what alterations I need to make to ensure that they can work in this land." Came a deep voice, making Isao and Susanoo turn to find an old man, his face holding a white beard and helmet while his outfit was composed of a white shirt, blue pants and a large black apron. Unlike Ksalso, however, his skin was more tan, and his eyes held a light green gaze that reminded Isao of an old man at the camp who spoke of his grandchildren. "So then, I suppose you're the two that Myrkr brought in."
"Mirkur?" Isao asked, making the old man chuckle as he walked over to one of the weapons, picking it up with the paper as he walked out of the room to the room directly across from it, the boy and his pet immediately in tow. "Who's that? Also, are you Wayland?"
"I guess I am if I'm in here, aren't I," Wayland spoke, chuckling as he looked over to the boy. "As to who Myrkr is, which you sorely mispronounced the name mind you, I guess he was going by Oliver around you lot. Wouldn't be surprised if he was, he always was one for keeping quiet about titles."
"What are you doing with that item," Isao asked as they stopped at the workbench, watching as Wayland looked over the weapon as a set of metal cylinders already sat on the table. Wayland just looked at the boy with a smile, soon looking back at the weapon as he picked up a cylinder.
"I'm seeing what changes I need to make with the design to ensure that these guns don't explode," Wayland responded, soon moving his hands around the weapon as it seemed to come apart instantaneously. "From the experiments I've done with the weapons, it seems that making certain parts of these in a certain width turns the metal more brittle than before, meaning I have to rework most of the weapons in this damn dragon. However, it's also increased the durability of weapons such as swords or axes, meaning that it could be due to the way the metal is forged for each of these weapons, which would also explain the brittleness of certain swords and shields in this place now."
"Sounds rough," Isao spoke, his gaze on the weapon as he looked at the cylinders. "Why not make the stuff thicker and be done with it?"
"Because I also have to take into account that the gunpowder used for the ammunition has increased in its potency in this place," Wayland responded, picking up the cylinder as he poured out a black powder inside of it onto the table, making Isao look at it with interest. "With the way the environment is shaped, it's increased the potency of the powder to the point that this small amount is enough to make an explosion with the range to take out at least two people if they stand side by side. With that in mind, I also have to think of how big the bullets for each weapon need to be now, and how to properly have the weapons go off without injury. Regardless, it's going to take quite some time."
"It sounds like it," Isao spoke, rubbing his head from all the words he couldn't exactly understand. From what he knew of the weapons from seeing Ksalso use them, however, he figured they weren't supposed to function like that at all. "Do you need some help?"
This made Wayland pause in his work, looking over at the boy with a confused look. "Despite you not knowing heads or tails on black powder," Wayland asked as he looked at the boy, only getting a nod in response as the small behemoth moved to one of the corners in the room and curled up to rest. Wayland then laughed as he saw Susanoo, making Isao look over to find the behemoth already closing its eyes. "Well, since you've asked and your friend there is clearly in no rush, I'd be happy if you'd bring me more cylinders like these with the metal caps still on them. I'm going to be needing to work with those a lot."
Holy shit this took ages to write, but I finally finished it. Sorry about it taking so long, I've been busy with college because they handed out Essays by the dozens, making me not pick back up on this until October, and even then I had to wait in long patches to finish other essays. Regardless, the chapter's out now, and from reading it I can really see how my writing has changed from before I stopped momentarily to now.
So hear's my question to the people who have followed this story and have actually read my stuff up to this point: Which part of the chapter do you think I continued writing on?
