The Upside Down Scale
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Armory of the Forgotten Hero! This week we have the exciting conclusion to the battle with the dragon emperor! And as mentioned before if you'd like news, scene samples, or even a commission, head on over and check out my Pat reon! Now then I think that's about it for announcements and with no guest review questions to answer this week, let's head on to the story!
Cave of the Dragon Emperor
"Everyone get close to me and Naofumi!" Darius shouted while producing as many clawed chains as he could to pull everyone in.
"Ready for the combination," the Shield Hero asked once everyone was close. Sadeena and Izumi, now recovered a bit, were using their magic to hold the water back momentarily but it wouldn't last long.
"Better cramped then drowned," the Armory Hero remarked before the two of them held their hands up, "Combination Skill: Shield Armory Prison!" A collection of both green spectral shields and regular shields formed around everyone before becoming a sphere, compacting them a bit. The water slammed into the formation then, washing it down the tunnel. For better or worse, only Naofumi and Darius knew what was happening outside the orb they'd created as it slammed into the tunnel walls once, twice, then three times before being flung out of the entrance to the cave.
The moment the collection of shields bumped into the shoreline, the duo ended the combination and the two groups collapsed either into the water or on the ground. "Ugh," Rifana spat a bit of water out of her mouth, "I don't know if I prefer bouncing around on land or water."
"Couldn't you guys have used that water breathing ability you used at Cal Mira," Ren asked while breathing heavily. Not all of it was from exhaustion.
"Sure if you don't mind us being spread all up and down the banks," Darius pointed out while helping Rifana and Izumi up, "and it doesn't help you swim anyway."
"Wait, Sir Ren can't swim," Éclair asked while getting him to his feet.
"It's not one of my strong suits," the soaking wet Sword Hero admitted bashfully.
"ATLA!" The voice of Fohl called suddenly as he and Wyndia came rushing over.
"Are you all oky," the dog girl questioned worriedly.
"Other than being jabbed uncomfortably in multiple places," Izumi rubbed her backside to indicate some of said places, "I believe most of us suffered only minor injuries at worse." Something the healthier folks were already moving to address with Naofumi casting healing magic and Sadeena treating any cursed wounds with holy water. It stung a bit but it was better than having a festering purple spot.
"And Gaelion," Wyndia already suspected the answer but asked anyway.
"Still alive," Naofumi stood up and shook some of the water off of him, "but also still possessed by the dragon emperor."
"I was afraid of that," her ears drooped.
"What about Filo and Johann," the cardinal hero questioned calmly, though his concern was obvious to anyone who knew him.
"This way," Wyndia and Fohl led them to a little spot where they were being cared for by Melty.
"Still draining, as expected," Darius examined his Stat menu, "but it's a lot slower than when they were inside that dragon's body."
"It's a good thing you managed to get them both out," the princess sighed in relief, "but we're still racing against time."
"Thankfully, we've got a good day or so yet," Naofumi also checked his Stat screen, "since we've basically been forced into a tactical retreat let's rest up and figure out a plan."
A Few Hours Later: Nighttime
The group was gathered around a big fire, having more or less treated the severity of their injuries. Melty and Atla continued to watch over Filo and Johann while the remainder of the group prepped their weapons, ate, or did whatever it was they needed to do. "So," Rifana decided to ask the main question, "that Gaelion dragon is your adoptive father. How'd that wind up happening?"
"I only remember what he told me," Wyndia pulled her knees to her chest, "when Gaelion found me with my real father, he'd been fatally wounded. He didn't know what else to do so he asked Gaelion to take care of me. For whatever reason he took me in and raised me, fed me, taught me Way of the Dragon Vein. He was very patient, the only time I saw him angry was-."
She stood up suddenly. "That's right, I'd completely forgotten, the upside down scale!"
"That some sort of a weak spot," Fohl tilted his head in wonder.
"There was an upside down scale on Gaelion's chest," the dog girl explained, "I touched it once and it made him cry out in pain. So yes, it'd be his weak spot."
"This is assuming that same rule applies to this dragon," Naofumi pointed out, "I can use my attract ability to coax the dragon emperor into staying on the ground so we can aim for it, but that's again assuming we have that weak spot to aim for."
"The only alternative we really have is me and Atla," Darius reminded, "we both can use Defense Scaling attacks, but it's likely only Atla will be able to strike a blow that'll destroy or mess with the core without killing Gaelion in the process."
"It's a common problem that most dragons suffer from," Wyndia insisted, "Johann is the only dragon I've seen so far who doesn't have an upside down scale and that's probably because he isn't full grown yet."
"Then assuming we do proceed under the assumption that the upside down scale exists, how should we restrain the dragon emperor's movement?" Izumi raised her hand in question.
"I've got a choral spell that will work perfectly," Sadeena answered, "you, Wyndia and Melty should be more than capable of pulling it off since it's a water magic spell."
"Then that's what we'll do," the Shield Hero acknowledged, "Raphtalia; you, Rifana and Éclair work on weakening Gaelion's defenses. Darius, Ren, and Sadeena will aim for any other weakspot you can find. Fohl, you remain on standby with Atla. He'll be wary of her now so we'll only be able to bring her in once he's been worn down."
"But what'll we do if Atla's strike doesn't succeed in freeing Gaelion," Éclair decided to address the minotaur in the room.
"It's alright," Wyndia had a somewhat downcast but still determined look on her face, "if it fails, do what you have to do."
"Are you sure Wyndia," Fohl asked, "this is your dad we're talking about."
"It's the whole reason I came back here," she assured, "not just for Johann and Filo's sake, not just for little Gaelion's sake. I realized I also came here to finally say goodbye to my dad. So if it really comes down to it, I'd much rather you put my father to rest than let him become the monster everyone pretended he was."
"I understand," Darius nodded with a determined expression on his face, "we'll give it our all then." The rest of the two parties were in agreement on this and set out to make the necessary preparations. Izumi, Wyndia, and Melty practiced the choral magic spell Sadeena had mentioned, Atla and Fohl continued to look after Filo and Johann and the rest of the group either rested, scouted the area they'd be using or prepped their weapons. Before long, the first rays of the sun began to peek over the horizon.
"Are you ready," Nafouim asked as he and Darius stepped into the rocky area they'd chosen as the battleground. It was surrounded by rock walls on all sides and had a large slab near the far end. All in all, it would likely serve them well as an ambush spot. The problem would be leading the dragon emperor there.
"I should be asking you that," the Armory Hero commented while resting his replica of the Hunting Sword on his shoulder, "you're the one about to use a cursed series."
"I've got Raph-chan to help mitigate potential effects this time," the cardinal hero indicated said Shikigami sitting on his shoulder, "she can help in a similar way to how Atla is helping Filo and Johann."
"We really should've gone over everything a shikigami can do with Ethnobalt before we left," Darius rubbed his head, "next thing we'll learn is they have a human form and that'll cause all kinds of interesting problems."
"I don't think we'll need to worry about that," Naofumi almost chuckled before raising his weapon, "now, come forth, WRATH SHIELD!" Red energy surrounded the Shield Hero's body before firing up into the air like a beacon, which was exactly the point this time. They'd gone over other methods to lure the dragon emperor to them and found each one to have a hole. He didn't need to come after Johann and Filo since he was draining them from a distance already and Naofumi's 'attract' and 'hate reaction' abilities not only didn't have the range they needed but risked bringing in other nearby monsters.
So they'd decided to use the Wrath Shield since it would give off some of the energy of the dragon emperor fragment Naofumi had in his cardinal weapon. Normally the fragments were irresistible to power hungry dragons. The problem, naturally, was the toll it would take on the Shield Hero. Case in point, Darius had to catch and steady his friend as Raph-chan, still on his shoulder despite his stumbling, applied a healing aura while making a worried noise for her owner.
Naturally this concern for his wellbeing was shared by Raphtalia herself who stood up to break cover. "Stay down!" Naofumi ordered with a cutting motion of his left hand. He then looked back at his partner with a more reassuring expression on his face, "I'm alright." The Katana Hero, though clearly still worried, trusted his judgement and ducked back down.
It was none too soon as the shadow of a giant flying beast passed over them. "Show time," Darius commented while taking a ready stance alongside his friend. Some dust was kicked up as the dragon emperor moved to hover above the ground several feet away from them. That was the cue for the next phase of the plan to begin.
"DRAGON VEIN!" Sadeena, Izumi, Melty, and Wyndia all chanted at the same time. "We call out so that you may hear our wish! As source of thy power I beseech thee, decipher the laws of nature and grant me the power to overcome the obstacles before me!" They timed the spell just as the beast landed, hoping to catch him by surprise.
"Shield Hero," the dragon emperor rumbled, "if you sacrifice yourself to me, know that I will do all in my power to exact revenge on the humans who made you suffer!"
"Is that supposed to be a convincing offer," Darius glanced at his friend.
"Don't make me laugh, most of that problem was taken care of a while ago," Naofumi scoffed at their foe, "NOW!"
"Choral Magic: Boundless Sea!" The quartet summoned a mass of water that quickly surrounded their foe, forming a cube-shaped prison around him. The two parties took this cue and rushed in with Sadeena transforming into her Orca form to lead the charge. She dove into the water and swam up to the trapped dragon with ease before striking the first blow.
"Dragon Fury Dual Blades!" A whirlpool struck the beast's side, his cry of pain muffled by the water, "Orca Strike!" As the second blow landed, the dragon emperor roared, unleashing a powerful burst of mana that caused the prison to spread apart.
"This isn't good," Wyndia collapsed to one knee, "I don't know if the three of us can hold it."
"There's no time for weakness," Melty, who collapsed to both knees with her hands still up, declared, "if he breaks this one, we'll just have to put up another one."
"Well said your highness," Izumi gave a strained smile, being the only one still on both feet, "our friends and family are out there, so give everything you have!" Their continued efforts kept what remained of the barrier up as the group out in the open continued their onslaught with Darius and Rifana attacking next. The Armory Hero used the fishing rod form of the Hunting Tool to swing off of the floating droplets of water with his girlfriend hanging onto his other hand. He tossed her up as soon as they were close, allowing the weasel girl to slam her mace into the dragon's nose before he could try using an attack.
Darius followed through by changing the weapon back to its sword form and cutting into the dragon's neck. Likewise, on the ground, Ren and Éclair battered the dragon's legs with their own attacks. The strategy was simple but effective, use defense rating attacks whenever the beast raised his defense and then switch to strong attacks whenever he lowered it to combat the former attacks. Naturally the dragon emperor wouldn't sit still for such a thing and roared, increasing the output of his mana to shatter the remaining large droplets of water surrounding him.
He swung his massive left claw in an attempt to swat aside both Ren and Sadeena but Naofumi moved in front and intercepted the strike with his Meteor Shield. The duo used this opportunity to strike up the monster's arm and hit him in the head. Darius, Rifana, and Éclair also added their own attacks, stunning the massive reptile momentarily as his head drooped a bit. "Raphtalia now!" The Shield Hero called.
The raccoon girl entered the fray then and leapt upwards with green energy surrounding her weapon. "Ki Blade: Armor Breaker!" She declared while bringing the two-handed strike down on the supposed weak spot centered on the beast's chest. The result, however, was a clanging sound as the strike failed to penetrate the beast's hide due to Raphtalia's still notable inexperience with Hengen Musou. Darius used one of his chains to pull the Katana Hero away from the dragon as the lines on its body began to glow purple again.
Smoke was drawn into the dragon's body from seemingly out of nowhere, enveloping it in a sinister shroud. "Incoming!" The Armory Hero warned, dismissing his current weapon and opening portals with the best shields he had in front of all the grouped fighters, save for Naofumi. It was just in time as multiple black flames shot out of the dragon's body like lasers, striking at everyone present. Even with the protection of the Armory Hero's shields, the group was all knocked off their feet, suffering damage from the cursed flames.
"Shield Hero, Armory Hero!" The dragon emperor began charging up a ball of yellow energy in front of his mouth, "your folly demands a death ripe with suffering!" The energy changed color to black flames as Darius thought quickly.
"Naofumi!" He called from his position on the ground before summoning and throwing a replica of the Vassal Mirror, latching it onto the front of his friend's shield. As before it was none too soon as a beam of black flames was unleashed on the closer of the two cardinal heroes. Thanks to the defense increase from the mirror, the Shield Hero was able to tank the onslaught for the time being as cursed fire beat against the barrier he produced. 'Guess this means it's time for plan C,' Darius thought while concentrating to keep his materialized weapon active.
Plan B had been for him to aim for the weak spot if Raphtalia's attack failed, but that was currently not possible with him helping Naofumi stave off the dragon emperor's attack. Thankfully, Atla and Fohl realized that too and leapt into the action. The blind Hengen Musou user leapt off the nearby cliff with her right hand glowing with a concentrated amount of Ki she'd been charging up, poised to strike. But the dragon emperor had taken a precaution against her this time, a barrier he'd apparently cast earlier that her hand collided with.
"I can't break it!" Atla strained against the invisible wall, "BIG BROTHER!"
"I've got it!" Fohl declared as he landed on the barrier, his arms transforming into large white tiger claws that he used to rip and tear at the barrier. The commotion was enough to alert the dragon emperor who ended his attack against Naofumi.
"No you don't!" Darius made a motion with his right arm and pointed both fingers forward. This signaled the replica mirror to unleash the energy of the attack it had managed to absorb, surprising the dragon as it bombarded his face, causing him to take a couple steps back. At the same time, Fohl's barrage finally shattered the barrier, allowing Atla to fall towards the dragon emperor. He responded by lifting one of his massive wings, knocking her off course.
Naofumi was quick to correct this by summoning an Airstrike Shield for her to leap off of then another for her to dodge a blast of dragon's breath aimed her way. The third and final Airstrike Shield served as a platform that allowed her to be level with the weak spot as her blow struck home. The dragon emperor roared in pain as the energy known as Ki ripped through his body, causing him to come crashing to the ground with a thunderous rumble. Atla fell backwards then, all her energy used up as Naofumi caught her in his arms.
"That was amazing, Atla," he complimented the white tiger girl. She smiled happily while accepting the praise. It was at this moment the armored plates on the dragon emperor's chest opened once again. This time, they were greeted by the sight of little Gaelion who slowly rose out of the opening, propelled by his small wings.
"GAELION!" Wyndia cheered, running onto the battlefield and embracing the dragon pup who chirped happily upon seeing her.
"Thank goodness," Rifana sighed in relief as Darius helped her up to her feet.
"Do not let your guard down yet," Izumi warned as she and Melty also entered the battlefield, "the dragon emperor still lives." Sure enough, the monster stirred, slowly raising himself back up even despite the scales that were beginning to fall off his body. "Wyndia, with Gaelion freed, there's little reason left to hold back."
"I know," the dog girl acknowledged as tears started to flow from her eyes, "please, could the three of you help me?" Izumi nodded as she was joined by Sadeena, now back in her human form, and Melty. Wyndia stepped forward then with little Gaelion dropping down in front of her and holding out his hands. "I'm glad I got to be your daughter….goodbye…..dad."
The wounded dragon could only growl in response, what little reason he had gone as a result of the damage he'd sustained. This meant there was only one thing left to do. "Here me tainted land!" The quartet chanted as blue light radiated from the ground beneath them and a ball of water began to grow in front of little Gaelion, "for our desire and wishes to save the world are akin to a pure stream!"
The dying monster attempted to fire noxious fumes at the group but was blocked by Naofumi moving in front and protecting them with a barrier from his shield. "Washing away all hatred and anger!" Rifana used her earth magic to sink the dragon's back legs, causing him to rear back. "Dragon Vein, we call upon thee to grant us a miracle: Erasing Aqua Vortex!"
The orb of water grew larger and larger, moving in front of the Shield Hero and overtaking the dragon's attack before changing shape, swirling around the beast like a tornado. Sadeena dove into the maelstrom then, tearing through the creature's now unprotected flesh with her harpoon and jumping out the other side. As she landed, the group saw a flash of purple in her hand, the core of the dragon emperor. "Darius!" Naofumi called as what remained of the beast attempted to escape the spell confining it.
"On it," the Armory Hero leapt forth and summoned his favored ax, "Raisetsu Arashi!" The dual element weapon struck the water, causing what remained of it to freeze around the dragon, trapping him.
"Raphtalia!" The Shield Hero called as his companion dashed forward.
"I won't fail this time," the Katana Hero declared as she leapt up once more, light again radiating from her weapon as she drew it, "Instant Blade: Mist!" A flash of green light appeared for an instant as Raphtalia landed on the other side of the dragon emperor and sheathed her sword. As the sun finished rising to signal the start of a new day, the monster disintegrated into purple particles carried away by the wind.
"Is it over," Fohl asked, unsure of whether or not he should relax yet. In answer to his question, several of the particles appeared again, this time being absorbed by Naofumi's shield.
"Wrath will always dwell within your heart," the final words of the dragon emperor intoned.
"Yeah, it's over," the Shield Hero confirmed with a nod. Fohl let out a sigh of relief that was shared by more than a couple members of the party. Soon after, they went to check on Johann and Filo, finding them to be much better now that their levels had been restored. Wyndia also took a moment to offer some flowers and pray for peace for her departed family at a newly erected gravesite.
Fittingly, Ren joined her in that endeavor. This time the dog girl welcomed his efforts, no longer laying the responsibility for the tragedy at his feet. That belonged to another group.
A While Later: Dragon Village
"Oh, Sir heroes, you've returned!" The village chief greeted the two parties, "was your mission successful?" Ren and Wyndia, their hoods up again, didn't answer, instead brushing past him to go wait at the village entrance.
"It's done," Darius commented with a frown, slowing but not stopping his walk so that he could be heard, "but I'm again reminded why I don't fight for this world as a whole." The chief and other villagers looked on in confusion as he and his party walked by, receiving no more word from any of them.
"I hope you prepared a reward while we were gone," Naofumi asked with barely concealed venom.
"Of course," the chief pulled out a sack of coins and handed it to him, "it's not much since we're still recovering from the plague caused by the Sword Hero but-."
"Don't blame Ren for that!" The Shield Hero growled, "that dragon was never a threat to this village, you just wanted his treasure so you manipulated Ren into killing him. You got what you deserved." He and the rest of his party turned away from the stunned villagers in disgust and joined everyone else in exiting the village. Before they got to a good spot for a teleportation, however, the Sword Hero felt there was something that needed to be said.
"Wyndia," he began while pulling his hood back, "I know I have no right to ask this but please….forgive me. I've done something that I can never atone for and-."
"I already knew," the dog girl pulled her own hood down without looking back, "I knew that the villagers had manipulated you to get what they wanted. But even knowing that I still couldn't forgive you…..but now." She turned to him with a smile, "thank you Ren, for saving my life twice at the cave." Ren was surprised at this but eventually gave a smile in return.
The group watched this all unfold from a distance. "Well at least one thing got resolved in all this mess," Darius commented while checking his inventory to make sure the dragon emperor core was still there and not trying anything funny. After all this, neither he nor Naofumi were gonna chance leaving it lying around again.
"I concur," a deep voice answered as Gaelion floated down between him and Naofumi, "I never expected I'd get another chance to watch my daughter grow up."
"That voice," the Shield Hero's eyes widened as he looked at the dragon pup, "how?"
"It seems the little one allowed this body to become a vessel for my spirit, giving me the chance to escape annihiliation," the true Gaelion explained.
"This is going to be awkward to explain," Darius sighed, "we just had a practical funeral for you."
"You needn't worry, Armory Hero," the dragon assured, "I believe it'll be best to keep this a secret. My daughter is trying to overcome my death, after all, so for her sake why don't we keep this between us?"
"I can agree with that," Naofumi nodded. It was then a pair of running feet caught their attention.
"Hey!" Filo and Johann, now looking better than ever, pointed at the dragon pup, "give back the experience points you stole!"
"Oh shit," Darius pulled up his Stat screen, "they didn't return after we destroyed the dragon emperor?"
"Not looking like it," the Shield Hero confirmed with a look at his own Stat screen as their mounts began chasing the dragon pup around them, "good news, their curses are both gone now."
"Guess that's one consolation prize," the Cardinal Hero nodded before Gaelion suddenly increased his size to that of Johann's dragon form beneath Naofumi, surprising him a bit.
"Oh, let me ride too!" Wyndia called while jumping on the dragon's neck. She laughed happily as Gaelion took flight with Naofumi sitting behind her.
"No you don't!" Johann shifted to his dragon from, scooping up Darius to ride on his back, "let's get 'em boss!"
"This is going to be an eventful flight back," Darius remarked with a smile as they took to the air.
"Hey!" Filo yelled once she was hooked up to the carriage and running to catch up with the flying monsters, "I'm the one who gives master rides! Me and nobody else!" Gaelion's response to this was simply to laugh in his odd chirpy voice, soon being joined by Johann.
"Yep," Naofumi laughed, "it's going to be a very eventful flight back."
And so the mounts have returned safely to our heroes, along with an unexpected guest. Might make for some interesting conversations in the future. Speaking of which, feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! And of course, don't forget to visit my Pat reon and see about becoming a patron! Stop in next time as the arc that more than a couple of you have been waiting for begins: the hunt for the Bow Hero! 'Til then.