A/N: Thanks for being so patient with me as I write! My spouse and I recently had a miscarriage, and dealing with the loss has been rough on us.
On a happier note, the next chapter is already halfway written, expect another one soon!
Almost two years have passed since the raid on the slavers in Reinford. Te'kal is still an unknown and on the loose. We haven't seen him once; I'm honestly beginning to think he doesn't exist, that he was a fabrication someone made to keep their slavers in line. That or he operates from behind the scenes.
Four more raids have been conducted on auctions in the last couple years. And yet there was still nothing on Te'kal.
For two years, Ezio and the other Agents have been hard at work in Fiore, building their own credibility and continuing to gather information. They've also been in contact with Crime Sorciere, working together with them.
On top of that, the Magic Council was made aware of just how deep the slave industry had infected Fiore. They contacted the Kingdom, and joined forces to investigate and conduct raids of their own. Reports of kidnappings and rumors of auctions have been dwindling exponentially as a result.
All in all, these past two years have seemed to fly by…I've been quite busy, and a lot has happened. Especially where my skills are concerned.
Wandlore, LVL 100/100 (MAX)
Animal Handling, LVL 100/100 (MAX)
Meditation, LVL 100/100 (MAX)
I maxed out these three skills a while ago. All of my minions who are magic users are essentially equipped with staffs and wands on par with the Elder Wand. It took months of grinding to max it out; many prototypes blew up in my face.
I found out something interesting about Meditation. I decided to use it because I was bored one night when I took Ymir and the Night Furys to Earthland for a while.
The first ten levels were just plain old meditation. But gradually, as I unlocked higher levels, the skill gave me new abilities.
Meditation, LVL 100/100 (MAX)
The action or practice of meditating. Helps calm the mind and relax the body. Increases regeneration rates for MP exponentially, while boosting SP and HP regeneration linearly. Has a chance to increase one's capacity for magic and other techniques of a mystic nature. You are able to keep completely still while meditating. Negative status effects begin to lose potency as you meditate.
New abilities for this skill appeared as it leveled up. I now gain a regeneration factor while meditating! It's not exactly useful in the heat of battle; I'd have to find a way to momentarily leave the fight in order to use it.
It's amazing for recovering afterwards, though!
But moving on.
Alchemy, LVL 80/100, 89%
The art and practice of potion creation. Higher levels allow you to create stronger and more diverse potions. Mix ingredients together then add arcane energy to create one. Your skill in alchemy is that of a master.
I gained the Alchemy skill! This one took six more months of study to unlock, and for the last year and a half, I've slowly been working to increase its level! Grinding Alchemy has been slow though.
I don't have access to a lot of useful ingredients; I've mostly used my Cache of Ingredients bag for potion supplies, which generates random rare materials and ingredients every week. Higher tier potions require extremely rare, even legendary, ingredients. I currently don't have access to things like that, unless I draw my own blood or something. That's why it's taking so long to max the skill out.
Fire Magic, LVL 28/100, 74%
The art of conjuring, shaping, and controlling fire through arcane energy. Your Fire Magic is that of an apprentice. Increases effectiveness of fire spells and magic by 28%.
I obtained a book on fire magic a while ago; through it, I learned several basic spells, and practicing those spells unlocked this skill. It'll be invaluable whenever I need to team up with Natsu.
Holy Magic LVL 58/125, 76%
Though I haven't had much time to utilize Holy Magic, I've been practicing with it when I have the time.
The majority of my time, however, has been spent inside the ARK base or the Mount Hakabe lair. After two years, we're nearly done with construction. Using Earthbending, Geomancy and Metallurgy, I've generated and shaped several tons of materials that the craftsmen and I have used for building.
I've also done a lot of work in assisting Kenji with creating tools, armor, weapons, and other such materials for our forces. This included things like saddles and armor for dinosaurs too.
I've been working and building so often that I unlocked four new skills.
Blacksmith, LVL 70/100, 69%
The art of shaping metal into tools, weapons, armor, etc. Your skill in smithing is that of an expert. Increases quality and effectiveness of creations by 70%.
Tailoring, LVL 65/100, 78%
The art of creating fabric and cloth out of a variety of materials and fibers, utilizing it for clothing. Your skill in tailoring is that of an expert. Increases quality and effectiveness of creations by 65%.
Leatherwork, LVL 66/100, 90%
The art of tanning hide, the creation of leather, and crafting with it. Your skill in leatherworking is that of an expert. Increases quality and effectiveness of creations by 66%.
Construction, LVL 96/100, 54%
This skill determines how well you're able to put materials together to form complex architecture and other such structures. Your skill is that of a master. Increases quality and durability of creations by 96%. Due to Arcane Manipulation and the Geomancer Class, you are able to use magic to form complex structures.
That just goes to show how much time I've been putting into building my lairs and equipping my men. Not only did all of the building material come from my magic, every brick, mortar, metal ingot/beam, and piece of timber has been imbued with runic magic and enchantments. Literally. I've been working non-stop. The closest I've ever come to sleeping in the last two years were my meditation sessions.
Once it reached level 90, the Construction skill gained a new aspect; one that allows me to use magic to literally form and construct architecture. It had sped up the building process by quite a lot the last few months.
Emrys and I have also been going at it with enchantments so often, that he actually ended up teaching me some useful techniques for it. The System even gave me another new skill for my efforts.
Enchanting, LVL 85/100, 56%
The art of imbuing materials, beings, and objects with spells and arcane energy. Your skill in enchanting is that of a master. Increases effectiveness of enchantments by 85%.
So yeah, the past couple years have been fairly boring, but full of hard work. It's been one heck of a grind, but it's honestly been really satisfying.
At the present time, we're preparing for the next ARK bosses, or guardians. The Broodmother is next on the list.
A massive spider, one who utilizes hundreds of "miniature" spiders to annihilate enemies while she webs them down. I don't have arachnophobia, but I still wasn't looking forward to this fight.
Several dinosaurs have been tamed by me, Zana, and her Riders at this point. Zana even managed a feat we were beginning to think was impossible. She tamed a Tyrannosaurus Rex. We now have a small T-rex farm, or ranch, in the making.
She accomplished this a year ago, using Ember as her mount. Ember was now almost three times the size of a large horse, and with her help, Zana was able to utilize some narcotics and elixirs made by the Craftsmen and the Mages to tame and eventually train the massive archosaurs.
On top of Ember, Zana, Valdor, the Riders, the Sorcerers, and the Soldiers, we'd have Velociraptors, a few Rexes, and Rock Drakes join us in the fight.
You heard right, Rock Drakes. Giant, draconic, lizard-like dinosaurs that can glide in the air (utilizing the feathers on their limbs) and climb sheer cliffs with their hooked, serrated talons. And turn invisible with color changing scales.
Zana and her team managed to track down a few eggs underground in a highly radio-active cave. They only made it out alive because of the runic enchantments and healing aspects Emrys and I implemented into the armor Kenji and the craftsmen made for them.
We were a strange group, but well organized and well prepared. Everyone's gear was enchanted with my best runes (which I implemented personally), and they've been training for weeks now.
Thorn, Saphira, and Alva were coming too. Aside from the times they would hunt in the ARK, this would be their first major combat experience.
Speaking of those three, they've grown considerably the last couple years. Whereas before they were the size of small dogs, they're now the size of small wolves. Not quite large enough for a human to ride them, but they were growing up quicker than I expected.
Luxion is largely responsible for everyone's seemingly accelerated growth rate (including the animals and dinos we've been breeding). Using the ARK's database on plant and protein matter, his own analysis of potions and alchemy from Earthland, nutrition, along with my own rising knowledge and skill in the subject, we've created a highly efficient diet which everyone follows strictly. And it works.
The key ingredients for most of the meals are the booster herbs from mount Hakobe (which we now have an abundant supply of thanks to my lair establishment) and wyvern's milk. Luckily Ember has matured to the point where we can get most of it from her.
Zana has also raised a few wyverns, but we haven't been able to breed them yet because, aside from Ember, we've only got a lightning wyvern and a poison wyvern. We don't have the same subspecies yet. I'm the only one that has the skill and flight capabilities to steal their eggs, and with everything going on I haven't been able to get more.
As we were preparing for the battle against the Broodmother, I had asked Ymir if she wanted to take part in the fighting.
At first, she was going to do it, but only because she thought she was obligated to do so. After I told her she could choose for herself, she decided she'd rather not fight, but offered to help elsewhere if she was needed.
The progress has been slow, but she's slowly adapting to her new life. I'd honestly prefer to help her obtain a quiet, "normal" life in Earthland, but I haven't exactly gotten around to it yet. She was currently staying in my personal quarters which were just furnished in the main palace that was still under construction.
As for me, I had just finished transporting all our troops to the platform underneath the massive green obelisk.
"Luxion," I said after everyone was in position, "We're ready. Take us to the Broodmother."
The teleport sequence was activated; thirty seconds later, we found ourselves inside a ginormous cave, with a giant spider the size of a building hissing at us.
Ymir stretched as she stirred awake. Her eyes opened slowly, her mind still groggy from sleep. She rose up from her small bed, which looked out of place in the large room where she slept.
Over the course of her life as a slave, warrior, and then consort in Eldia, she was used to fancy bed-chambers. But the room she was in now put Eldia's castles to shame.
From what she could understand, this room is Kilgara's. He never really used it though, which Ymir could understand. Why would a creature like a dragon even need a bedroom?
This room was the only fully complete and furnished room in the entire castle, which was still under construction. Though saying it was fully furnished, by human standards at least, was pushing it. The whole room had a 'natural' cave-like aesthetic, save for the doors, the balcony, and where Ymir's bed and dresser were.
The three smaller black dragons, which Ymir learned were called Night Furys, also stayed here. Of all the people and creatures she met these last two years, she had grown especially close to them.
The others…the scaled people; they all slept in a kind of barracks that was built a while ago.
Ymir slowly slid her legs off the bed, touching her feet to the ground. She looked around as she stood up; the room was empty save for her. Seems Alva, Thorn, and Saphira were out already.
She walked over to the large balcony, gazing out at the horizon. The sun was barely rising, casting a dull yellow glow over the volcano in the distance. Flying creatures, which she had come to understand were called dinosaurs, flew overhead, while larger, land-dwelling reptiles towered over the massive trees in the distance.
It was a breathtaking sight. Yet even so, Ymir felt a little numb to it, despite the wonder she felt in the back of her mind. It's been months, two years in fact, since Kilgara took her in, and she still had dreams about her time under Fitz's rule…or were they nightmares?
The young blonde let out a small sigh, shivering as a breeze blew by.
A green light shined out in the horizon, near the border of the massive forest and the jungle. Ymir watched from afar as Kilgara, along with an army, vanished in a hexagonal sphere in a distant clearing, only visible due to how the castle was partly built into a mountain.
The green, massive floating metal obelisk flared before the miniature army disappeared.
It seems that no matter the world, war and battle followed. Although, Ymir supposed this was a little different. They weren't fighting other people…they were fighting giant animals.
Titans, even…
A knock on the door startled Ymir from her thoughts.
"Come in," She meekly called out in response.
"Hello, M'lady," A young mage came in, holding a tray of food, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Cortana. As he isn't here right now, Luxion asked me to give this to you," She bowed slightly, handing her a bundle of papers and a plate of food.
"Thank you," Ymir bowed her own head as she took the tray of strange, but delicious, smelling meat and vegetables, along with the papers. After all this time, she was getting more comfortable talking with others.
She examined the first paper in the bundle, slowly reading through its contents. Luxion and Kilgara had taken it upon themselves to start giving her an education, and that included how to read and write, and learn the Draconic language. It was a hard one to learn.
It also had felt strange being able to speak without being prompted to, but she was slowly adapting. Slaves in Eldia had their tongues cut out, and while hers regenerated since…since she gained her abilities she was still not permitted to speak unless told to back then.
"Holler if you need anything," Cortana bowed as she turned to leave, "Kenji and the others will be here soon to work on the construction, so we won't be far."
Ymir nodded, not looking up from the papers as she went over to her desk.
Even though it was difficult, Ymir found that she actually enjoyed learning. She learned to write and read her own language near-fluently in about three months (her hand-writing wasn't the neatest, but it was coming along), now she had finished the basics of the Draconic language.
An hour or two later, the blue, hexagonal light appeared in the courtyard, signaling the return of Kilgara and the others.
Ymir perked up a little, heading to the balcony to greet them.
These 'boss fights' with the ARK titans are more tedious than anything else. I almost feel like we wasted time preparing for almost two years.
If you're small and fast enough, then you really don't have to worry; and if you've brought a well trained army, then you're all set!
I sighed as we were teleported away from the eerie, web enclosed cave. It was covered in scorch marks and blood now too.
Achievement Unlocked!
Defeat the Broodmother!
Rewards: 70,000 XP
Element (440 samples)
Spider Flag
200 stat points
We succeeded. While several were injured, no one died. The scalespawns, who served as the vanguard, suffered the most damage, aside from myself. Luckily, their scales and armor served well to protect them.
I gazed at the body of the Broodmother, whose fangs were covered in my blood.
In an attempt to hold the massive beast down, I used Alter Size to make myself big enough to grapple it so the scalespawns could stab its head. It bit into my arm in retaliation, which was still bleeding slightly even now. In my own retaliation I was able to rip off one of its legs, but I was still forced to change back to my regular size. I was pumped full of so much venom that I got a new skill out of it.
Skill gained!
Venom Resistance, LVL 3/100, 67%
Venomous substances are 3% less effective against you.
I had to use some powerful Holy Magic to restore myself from the venom coursing through me at the time. I wasn't able to fully heal myself, but I got the venom out of my system at least.
My strength stat is my highest, yet my spell Graviole did more to hold the massive spider down than me physically grappling with it.
I either need more practice in physical combat, or my magic will just always be more effective due to my affinity. Or the Broodmother was just a beast.
"A job well done, master," Luxion complemented as he finished teleporting us to the ARK base. The courtyard was bustling with both mages and craftsmen as the construction went underway.
"I suppose so," I sighed again, "I was hoping for a more intense fight, if I'm being honest. What's the battle report?"
"No casualties were sustained, though many are injured," Luxion relayed, "All are expected to make a full recovery. A few weapons and armors sustained heavy damage, though most prototypes exceeded our expectations."
"Good–" I nodded, flinching slightly as a strong gust of wind and three black streaks flew past me.
I ignored Thorn and Saphira as they engaged in one of their daily scuffles. I swear, those two fight more often than Natsu and Gray!
I can't deny their growth or progress though…In the recent months, their growth, along with Alva's, sped up exponentially! They also shed like crazy. I find their scales everywhere! (It's been pretty useful for creating armor and gear, not gonna lie.)
Thorn has proven to be the strongest of the three physically, which he was proving now by pinning down an indignant Saphira. However, sparks crackled around Saphira before she growled, shocking Thorn off her with a zzzt!
Saphira was born with a higher MP count than the other two; evidently, this translated into a higher capacity for lightning generation. Currently, she could only generate small sparks, but those sparks were still painful.
Thorn yelped as he jerked back from the shocks, giving Saphira the opportunity to kick him off.
Alva watched them wrestle for a few seconds. She lost interest after a while and spread her large wings, kicking off from the ground and taking to the air. She flew straight overhead, onto the balcony built into the mountain spire of the unfinished castle.
I smiled as I watched her fly away. Of all the crazy scenarios I thought of when I contemplated bringing Ymir Fritz to Earthland, the last thing I expected was for her and Alva, a Night Fury, to essentially become best friends. Ymir was close with all the Night Furys, but she and Alva had grown especially close.
My thoughts were interrupted by a plasma blast whizzing by my head.
"Enough you two!" I roared, "Go on!"
At my roar, Thorn and Saphira's eyes widened, before they took off too, flying to catch up with Alva. Though she had already touched base at the balcony by now.
Alva was the fastest flier out of all three of them. Not to say the other two were slow; far from it, actually! She was just barely quicker than them. I was still the fastest flier of the four of us, but as I grew in size and as they grew older, I wondered if that would change.
I flexed my own wings, leaping into the air with a strong flap! Luxion followed promptly.
By the time I got there, Alva was busy playing with Ymir, licking at her face while Thorn and Saphira were helping themselves to a large salmon they caught earlier that morning.
I smiled slightly at the scene, before sitting down near the balcony's edge, watching the ARK's horizon as my talon glowed white with Holy Magic. I began working on healing my arm; the Broodmother's venom was potent, preventing me from fully healing in the heat of battle. Luxion hovered near me.
"Master, I have a query," He interjected.
"Oh?" I asked as I focused my talon over my wounds, "Go on."
"Why are you content being weak?" His question threw me for a loop.
"Excuse me?" I'm almost offended.
"I will not deny that you have been hard at work, sir," He clarified, "You've been working and building non-stop, and you have maxed out and developed a few new skills. But in the past two years, you have only leveled up forty-one times; most of those levels came from the ARK bosses. You have not raided a dungeon in all that time, nor have you utilized your accumulated Gacha. You've also not utilized your stat points; a large pool of 1,570 remains unused."
I blinked at him.
"Not to mention Ymir," His lens shined a bit, "She has been learning much, but even with all the new education she has, you have not made progress in restoring her. During my time with her, I analyzed her, per your request, and her spirit is still fragmented. It affects her mental state drastically."
I stared at him a second longer, before turning to look at Ymir.
While she was smiling as Alva mewled and "danced" around for her, there was still a lingering…blankness in her eyes.
"If half the stories about Acnologia are true," Luxion continued, "Then you are nowhere near powerful enough to fight him. You nearly lost your arm to a giant spider. Your level may be high, but the Black Apocalypse is likened unto gods. You, while skilled, diverse, and strong in your own right, are nowhere near the strength or might of a god. Ironic, given your lineage."
"And how would you know?" I snarled slightly, though there was no real malice behind it.
"Because you know it, master."
"...Your ability to scan my mind can be annoying," I sighed as I finished healing my arm, "And as much as I want to claw you for calling me weak…you have a point."
After three years, I've grown to be big enough for a human to ride me comfortably; my shoulders were just shy of being taller than a horse. Not to mention the height from my neck and head. I'd say I'm about eight or nine feet tall now. My wingspan is about thirty feet long, while from head to tail I'd say I'm about twelve feet long.
I've grown considerably. And yet…
Wow. Luxion's right. Has my perception of time been so skewed already? My lifespan is long; I'll more than likely live well over a thousand years. With that kind of perspective, two or three years is practically nothing. Have I really grown to be…lax in so short a time?
"Good to see you acknowledge it," Luxion nodded slightly, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're procrastinating, as well as stalling."
"Procrastinating? Stalling?" I raised a scaled brow at him, "What on earth would I be stalling for?"
"Even if you don't admit it, you're waiting for the 'canon characters' to be revived," He clarified, "It's as if you think Earthland's timeline has frozen until Natsu and the others return. You're waiting for them, like a dog waiting for his master to come home."
"Excuse me?" Okay, now I'm offended.
"Your loyalty to them is similar to a dog loyal to his master," Luxion repeated, "While understandable, I consider it prevalent to tell you to 'hop off your ass,' as they say."
…I don't like it, but he's right. I've even acknowledged in the past how I was essentially a shoulder pet my first few months after hatching.
"Status," I growled out.
Name: Kilgara
Age: 3
Race: Arcane Royal Dragon
Rank: Wyrmling
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Level: 452
Class: Warlock LVL 95/100, 66%
HP: 19,620 [Regens 6,540 per minute]
MP: 71,990 [Regens 18,360 per minute]
SP: 26,160 [Regens 6,540 per minute]
STR: 790
END: 654
DEX: 334
INT: 626
WIS: 612
CHA: 234
LUK: 290
Points: 1,570
Well look at that. Defeating the Broodmother nearly maxed out Warlock.
Fifteen-hundred points…
"You still have that blueprint?" I asked as I brought up my racial skill tree.
Light reflected off Luxion's lens as he projected a red hologram of a nearly identical tree, along with diagrams of my predicted life cycle and growth stages. There was even a diagram of my current physiology, including bodily and nervous systems.
"Give it to me straight," I snarled, rising to my feet, "Where am I lacking?"
Luxion's knowledge of biology and anatomy is insane.
He's analyzed several hundred thousand different species of creatures and life forms now, largely due to the knowledge he obtained from the ARK databases. He's also had years now to scan and analyze my own biology and DNA, including dormant genes.
By comparing and contrasting this with the ARK's data on the Dragon Guardian, and looking through my racial skill tree with me, he was able to create a prediction on which of my racial skills will develop as I age.
As such, these were the abilities from my racial tree we purchased. One's we suspect will not develop naturally.
Roar Tier 2
Your roar is really loud. It can scare away creatures of a smaller and similar size as yours, and gives bigger creatures pause. Even intelligent creatures could cower before your fear-inducing roar. This is determined by your CHA stat against theirs. When you roar, your CHA doubles, receding back to normal once you go quiet.
Breath Tier 2
Utilizing your breath attack takes only half as much energy (MP or SP). Your Arcane Breath can now utilize SP as well as MP for fuel.
Elemental Resistance Tier 1
You are able to survive and thrive in environments where your selected element(s) are dominant. For example, choosing heat would allow you to live comfortably in deserts, jungles, or volcanic landscapes. This feature may be purchased multiple times, choosing a new element each time.
Selected Elements: Heat, Cold, Wind, Lightning, Poison
Elemental Resistance Tier 2
Requires Tier 1 for every purchased element. You are completely immune to any kind of damage from your chosen element(s). Negates damage from selected elements by 100%.
Selected Elements: Heat, Cold, Lightning
Crawling Tier 3
You are much more dexterous, agile, and nimble. You're a fast runner, able to far exceed the speed of creatures of a similar size as you that are considered fast. When running, your DEX receives a 30% boost.
You're efficient at climbing and navigating rough terrain with obstacles. As a consequence, while on land, your uncanny agility will make it much easier for you to land and dodge attacks from both bigger and smaller creatures.
This scales with your DEX stat and size.
Swimming Tier 2
You can swim with similar speed and agility as an aquatic creature of a similar size to you. Swimming provides a 20% boost to your DEX.
Lungs Tier 2
You can safely hold your breath for up to [END x 2] minutes while performing a physically demanding activity.
These were among the basic features I decided to obtain. They're mostly traits that help me survive and adapt both environmentally and in combat situations.
The Elemental Resistances were especially expensive, but I feel they'd be worth it in the long run. Because of how I budgeted the points, I couldn't purchase all of the offered resistances.
However, I'm not sure if this trait makes me immune to all types of elemental magic attacks; Dragonslayer magic in particular has shown to be potent against even dragons with certain immunities, so we'll have to test that.
The next tree we purchased from was the Rare Features tree. This is where I picked up a couple more…exotic abilities.
Adrenal Glands
You can make your adrenal glands secrete powerful chemicals into your bloodstream at will that temporarily boost your stats by 40% for [END + STR] seconds. It also suppresses pain; it'll increase ferocity, aggression, and bloodlust. You will feel exhausted after this burst of strength for the same amount of time it was active.
This is a good backup skill to have for dire situations. A forty percent increase is no joke!
This next feature is one that's exclusive to Arcane Dragons.
Arcane Eyes
While these eyes are active, you are able to see raw magic power with the naked eye. You can see both refined and unrefined magic power or mystical energies. This allows you to see how magic/mystical energy flows in a being or object, giving you the ability to physically see and determine how magic is being used, how much is present, what type it is, and where magic is active or inactive.
Magic that requires or originates from eye contact is negated.
This is a skill that requires MP for activation and use. From what I gather, this is essentially an arcane version of a bastard child between the Byakugan and Sharingan eyes.
I have a few ideas for combo attacks and skills that this should help with, but I'll have to test it out at a later date.
The last feature I purchased was this one:
Arcane Diet
You can sustain and re-energize yourself by consuming magical energy, raw or refined. Either eating magical objects, your own magic, and magic given freely or taken forcefully.
You are also able to consume spells; the type of spell and the origin of said spell/magic determine flavor and nutrient value. Your ability to eat hostile magic is determined by the strength of your Arcane Resistance.
If you can't tell, I'm gearing up for the inevitable fight between me and Acnologia with this one. He's able to consume all sorcery freely, a product of his Dragonslayer magic.
This skill lets me eat magic power, but consuming hostile spells is essentially the same as consuming poison; my Arcane Resistance in this case is like my immune system. Once that's maxed out, I'll be able to consume all sorcery freely.
These were all the racial features I decided to purchase. There are other features I'd like, but those are most likely ones I'll grow into given enough time. If I don't, I'll purchase them later.
With that out of the way, I turned to Luxion's blueprint. We've covered my maneuverability in most if not all environments; any more perks or skills related to my physiology will come as I age; and we've completed my adaptability and survivability. My body can thrive in almost every environment.
There was only one class-related skill we felt the need to obtain right now: A fairly nifty one from Geomancer.
Force of Many
You can imbue your body with Force Magic. Whenever you perform an attack while imbued, that attack will hit with the cumulative force of every attack you've performed since activation of this power. For example if you have kicked 9 times, then your next kick will hit with the force of 10 kicks, and so on. Constantly drains MP while active.
Pairing this with my increasing skill in martial arts? With enough MP I could use one punch to eventually shatter a mountain!
Luxion and I came to the conclusion that the other possible class perks I could obtain at a later date, or through other means. Some were also just not necessary right now. The rest of my remaining points were distributed amongst my stats.
Name: Kilgara
Age: 3
Race: Arcane Royal Dragon
Rank: Wyrmling
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Level: 452
Class: Warlock LVL 95/100, 53%
HP: 19,620 - 21,000
MP: 71,990 - 101,200
SP: 26,160 - 28,000
STR: 790
END: 654 - 700
DEX: 334 - 500
INT: 626 - 880
WIS: 612 - 700
CHA: 234 - 530
LUK: 290 - 500
Points: 0
By the time I was done, I had to blink to make sure I was seeing these numbers right.
I didn't put any points into STR. That stat will increase with every level up no matter what. Again, Corded Muscle is so OP!
I chose to increase INT the most because a lot of my abilities are dependent on magic and MP. And I don't regret it! I've hit the triple digits in the thousands! It's so beautiful! I just about have tears in my eyes! I've got over three times the amount of magic Natsu had before they got trapped on Tenrou!
Natsu…
I pulled up my list of Party Members. On this list, a health bar was next to everyone's names. Some were lower than halfway, but they've been like that for a long time. I'm guessing it's because Fairy Sphere froze them in time, so the wounds they sustained fighting Grimoire Heart and Acnologia haven't healed.
But they're all alive. That's what's important.
I looked back over to my stats.
"How about that," I sighed with a grimacing smile, "I can't believe how stupid I've been."
"There is wisdom in saving," Luxion said, "But there come times when it is prevalent to spend in order to gain an increase."
"When did you get philosophical?" I raised a scaled brow at him.
"I don't know what you mean, my dear master," He answered robotically…or was that sarcasm?
"Either way…" I looked over to where Ymir and the Night Fury's were, "I've got five levels before Warlock is maxed out…might as well take a trip to Earthland."
"Dungeon delving?" Luxion inquired.
"Yep," I let out a low growl, giving him a side glance, "You've done a good job attacking my pride; I need to restore it."
"I am merely following your orders, sir," I couldn't help but detect more robotic sarcasm at his comment, "While you are away, I will continue monitoring in the ARK. We are nearly ready to move on to the Dragonite Project."
"Excellent. I look forward to it," I sat up, but before I could go over to Ymir, Luxion stopped me.
"Sir, before you go, you should know," He started, "Our agent in the Magic Council sent word to us just before you left to fight the Broodmother."
"Oh? What'd they report?"
A sharp, beeping whiiiirrr sounded from Luxion's microphone, before a recording of my agent's feminine voice played.
"The council has had several reports come in from various guilds and civilians. Strange occurrences have been sighted at Mount Hakobe. While no one is overly concerned, enough reports have come in that they've decided to send scouts to take a look around the area."
The recording stopped there.
"Well, it was only a matter of time before someone noticed," I sighed. The land around Mount Hakobe hasn't changed too drastically; the constant stormy, red-hued sky was the most noticeable right now, "We'll have to hope that the runes and enchantments we've set up will be enough to keep the lair itself hidden. And I doubt many can traverse the White Silver Labyrinth. How are those drones coming along?"
"They are nearly complete, sir," Luxion replied.
"Send them out as soon as Emrys finishes with the stealth runes," I ordered, "Survey any kind of traveler or adventurer that wanders through the mountain. Tell Agent Lyla to keep up the good work."
"Understood, master," Luxion vanished in a series of mini hexagons, teleporting to Emrys.
"Now then," I walked over to Ymir and the others, "We're, going, out. Come, with?" I asked steadily.
"...O-kay," Ymir answered slowly in Draconic. She's learning quickly now that she's grasped the basics of the language. That, or Luxion's a good teacher.
Regardless, I smiled down at her. My neck extended past her head now; it goes just past my shoulder. Now that I think about it…
I turned to look at the base of my neck, where my back started just before my wings. There was a slight gap in my spines…
I swiftly stuck my nose underneath Ymir's legs, flicking upward.
"Yeep!" Ymir squealed in surprise as she landed on my back, at the base of my neck.
"Hold tight!" I roared out.
I started at a trot, but by the time we reached the balcony, I was full on sprinting before leaping into the air!
Ymir screamed as I angled into a dive; just before we hit the ground, I extended my wings, pulling up sharply.
"Woah!" She cried out, clinging tightly to my neck.
I heard distinct roars behind us. Thorn, Alva, and Saphira were flying after us.
I laughed heartily at Ymir's reaction, the sound deep and reverberating from my throat. I let out an excited roar of my own as I gave a mental command to Luxion.
We were teleported out of the ARK a moment later.
Ymir inhaled sharply as the land around them changed from the temperate climate of the ARK Redwoods into the cool temperature of the massive cave in Mount Hakobe. It was illuminated by the bright crystal ball of light floating in the air.
The central platform that held the ARK Obelisk hovered silently, though Ymir wasn't silent. She was breathing heavily from the sharp rush of adrenaline still coursing through her system.
Kilgara was flapping upward, toward the stone ceiling; Ymir almost thought they were going to crash, but then a tunnel morphed into existence from the stone. Kilgara, followed by Alva, Thorn and Saphira, flew straight through without slowing down.
After a few seconds, Ymir noticed a light at the end of the tunnel. Kilgara's wings folded in as he passed through the exit, bringing them into the frigid environment of Mount Hakobe. The sky was overcast, with red lightning flashing in the distance.
Ymir's body shivered as she clung more tightly to Kilgara's warm scales.
He flapped upward, letting out another roar as he burst through the dry, stormy clouds. Kilgara slowed his pace, gliding through the air with an occasional flap to keep them airborne.
Ymir took in a sharp breath as she was met with sunlight and a red-orange sky. The clouds…she could see the tops of the clouds!
Her mind went blank as she took it all in. A new warmth slowly rose in her chest as she gazed over the horizon. The clouds looked so…fluffy from here.
It looked like you could jump into them, like a bed of gray pillows. All too soon, the blanket of clouds broke up, turning more white in color as the snowy landscape changed into a temperate plain of grass and forest far below them.
The mountains…Ymir had towered over forests, plains, and large hills before, but the sight of such magnificent mountain ranges from so high up…it was breathtaking.
Being this high in the sky with the wind blowing through her hair, the adrenaline fading from her veins, and the awe she felt…
She felt…free. For the first time in her life, she tasted true freedom.
Roars and mewls caught her attention. She looked over to see Alva, Thorn, and Saphira diving and flapping around each other. They looked beyond happy…even though they were reptiles, Ymir could see it in their expressions. It was more than happiness. They were full of joy.
Tears gathered in her eyes as she let out her first genuine laugh in fifteen years.
Ymir Fritz
Race: Human
Age: 25
Level: 196
HP: 21,000
MP: 50 [Fragmented]
SP: 220,000
A warmth radiated in my chest as I heard Ymir laugh. It was the first genuine, hearty laugh I'd heard from her. Ever.
Her MP has gone up again as well, though it's minute.
I used my mind healing spell on her again as I flew with her on my back, and it seems to be working. I've tried using the spell on her when she was sleeping, to see if I could further restore her. It seems that the spell only works to heal her mind when she's going through some kind of strong, positive emotion.
I've suspected this for a while, but I'm pretty sure Ymir has some form of depression. I suspect it's part of the reason her spirit is fragmented; or maybe the depression is a result of the fragmentation?
Regardless, the joy I felt from her as she laughed proved Luxion's words all the more. I've been too neglectful towards her.
But now, as I flew through the air with her, my very first rider, I resolved to do better by her.
I angled my head back a bit and let out an upbeat roar. To my delight, she smiled right back at me.
Hm…maybe getting her stronger will help restore her; it can't hurt to try at least.
I turned my head forward, forcing her into my party the same way I did with Natsu and the others. A notification from the System told me I was successful. I smiled at that.
My grin vanished, however, when I received another notification two seconds later.
Party Members Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia have entered:
[Mythic Dungeon: The Kingdom]
Do you wish to join them?
Y/N
Say WHAT now!?
Natsu heaved and panted as his wide eyes brought the world into focus. He held Lucy tightly in his arms; she too was breathing heavily, as if coming out of shock.
"Natsu…" Lucy was the first to fully come to her senses, "What's…what's going on?"
Natsu's breathing evened out. He blinked as his senses caught up with his mind, "I…don't know."
"Are we…wait!" Lucy suddenly tensed, rising from Natsu's lap, "Acnologia! Weren't we just hit with his attack?"
"AGH!" Natsu jumped to his feet, "You're right! Where is he? I'll kill that bastard myself!"
Natsu's hand lit with flames, but they suddenly went out as he stumbled. Lucy caught his side to help keep him steady.
"Easy now," Lucy chided, "We're still pretty weak and wounded."
She was right. Both Lucy and Natsu were still covered in injuries, and hadn't fully recovered their magic power.
Lucy's eyes widened. Her magic…
"Natsu, my magic is draining!" She panicked.
"So is mine!" Natsu grit his teeth, before a confused look suddenly adorned his face, "Lucy, why's your guild mark glowing?"
Lucy looked at her hand, where a dull pink glow was coming from her mark.
"I'm not sure…" She responded, before looking up and noticing Natsu's shoulder, "Your mark is doing the same thing!"
Sure enough, Natsu's own mark was glowing a dull red color.
"What's going on here?" Natsu demanded before suddenly pointing towards the sky, "And why's the sky black and orange?!"
Lucy looked up, and sure enough, the sky was casting a strange orange hue all around them; while behind that hue the sky was black, as if a sunset had invaded a moonless night. Not only that, everything around them, the rocks, trees, all of it seemed immersed in that same orange hue.
"I don't know…" Lucy took in their surroundings in greater detail. They were somewhere in the forest…weren't they at the beach before? Did Acnologia's attack really send them so far inland?
"Are we…at the base of the Tenrou Tree?" Lucy gestured to the multitude of thick branches, trunks, and vines all around them. Natsu looked around as well.
"Looks like it," He nodded, an idea forming in his head, "Let's climb to higher ground; see if we can find everyone else; I'm not picking up anyone's scent from here."
"Okay…" Lucy took a deep breath, "I'm worried though…at the rate my magic is draining I might pass out soon."
Natsu was about to respond, before they heard a faint cry, slowly getting louder.
"…aaAATSUUU!" Happy suddenly flew out of a thick brush of trees, slamming into Natsu's chest.
"Happy!" Natsu smiled, "You're okay!"
Lucy smiled as well, "Thank goodness," She patted the flying feline's head, "Do you know where the others are?"
"No, I don't," Happy sniffed, "The last thing I remember was being hit by Acnologia…next thing I know, I'm all alone in the woods, the sky is weird, and my magic is slowly draining! I'm freaking out!"
"Calm down, we'll figure this out," Lucy reassured the blue cat, "We just need to get to higher ground so we can find everyone else; that's our priority. After that, we can make a plan!"
"Aye sir!" Happy suddenly perked up, "I'll fly us up!"
Happy grabbed Natsu, who wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist, "Take us up, Happy!" He declared, ignorant to the faint redness adorning Lucy's cheeks.
"Aye, sir!" He took off with the two of them. It wasn't long before they were nearly at the top of the Tenrou Tree.
"There we go," Happy set them down on a large branch, before his wings suddenly disappeared, "Aw crap," He panted, "I'm nearly out of magic."
"That's alright buddy, we'll just climb down," Natsu looked out at the horizon, inhaling deeply.
"Damn it!" Natsu was getting frustrated, "I can't smell anyone!"
"No one?" Lucy said apprehensively, "That's weird…well, at least we have a place to start," She pointed out towards the beach, "That crater is likely where Acnologia slammed into everyone."
"Let's go then," Natsu turned to start making the trek to the beach, "C'mon, Happy!"
When he was met with silence, he turned back around in concern, "Happy? Happy!"
Happy was still and silent, his blue form having adopted the same orange hue permeating the land and sky around them. Natsu couldn't even detect his magic anymore.
""Happy!"" Natsu and Lucy cried out, attempting to pick him up, only to find that they couldn't move him even a millimeter.
"What's going on!?" Natsu shouted to no one in particular.
"His magic…" Lucy thought out loud, "His magic power is used up…Will the same thing happen to us if our power runs out?"
"You tellin' me we'll freeze too?" Natsu panicked. Neither he nor Lucy had much power left…
"We can't even move him," Natsu had tried one more time, "Let's find Gramps, he might know what's going on."
"How?" Lucy asked hopelessly, "We can't search the entire island; we're too low on power. And what if he's frozen too?"
"We can't just sit here and do nothing," Natsu reasoned.
"Yeah, but-" Lucy suddenly stopped, looking over Natsu's shoulder, "Natsu…what's that?"
Natsu turned around, blinking in further confusion at the sight of…a portal? It was a swirling mass of two-dimensional light, a deep red in color.
"Is this a portal?" Lucy asked. Was it there before? How'd they miss it?
Natsu stared at it with a blank expression. A few seconds later, he started walking towards it with a determined look in his eye.
"Wait!" Lucy grabbed his arm, "We don't know what that is! It could be some kind of trap!"
"And maybe we'll get some answers and find out what's going on," Natsu looked back at Lucy, "Our friends might be in trouble. If we stay here, we'll run out of magic and freeze just like Happy; we've got to do something!"
"Yeah, but…" Lucy knew it was illogical. That swirl of red light might not even be a portal. It could be an illusion of some kind, it might not even relate to their situation, and it could be dangerous! But they were running out of magic fast, and they couldn't just let their friends freeze…their options were limited.
"Okay," She steeled her nerves, "Let's do this then."
Natsu nodded, then turned once again, leading the two of them through the portal.
The Archmage overlooked the Kingdom's capital from the walls of the castle.
His two apprentices were walking over to greet him.
"Sir," The Eldest bowed her head, "All of the preparations have been completed."
"And about time too," The Younger said, his arms folded, "If you ask me, it's taken way too long to get the Kingdom ready for dragon attacks."
"Considering the Kingdom's lack of drive to make haste," The Archmage chipped in, still staring off at the horizon, "It's an impressive feat it only took a couple of years."
"Why has the King been so lax on the subject?" The Younger apprentice queried, "He knows how powerful the elves were; and they were all wiped out!"
"There have been no sightings of dragons in hundreds of years," The Archmage answered, "And there have been no confirmed sightings of the creature that attacked the elves since; it's been a hard road convincing the Royal Family, or any of the nobles, to provide funding to fortify the Kingdom's defenses so specifically to a creature whose existence is doubted."
"Fair point," The Eldest cupped her chin, "Do you think all our work has been for nothing then?"
"I hope that is the case," The Archmage nodded.
The Younger apprentice remained silent at that comment. The Archmage sighed; he had a hard time keeping his youngest apprentice busy. More than once, he was caught trying to hunt and track the creature that had killed so many of his friends.
"Let us retur-" The Archmage started, only to be interrupted at the activation of a spell, a spell that sounded an alarm. This particular alarm-spell was designed to alert the castle if draconic magic entered the grounds.
"Quickly!" The Archmage spoke over the alarm, "Get yourselves to your positions! I will alert the King and rouse the Barracks!"
"It's…here!?" The Younger apprentice clenched his fists as the Elder apprentice gasped.
"Go!" The Archmage ordered again, "Do not run off on your own. Stick to the plan, and we'll make it through just fine!"
The Archmage turned towards the courtyard, activating a teleportation circle.
"May the gods help us all."
A/N: I've got a quick question before I go:
My siblings and I have been debating recently: Who would win in a battle, Hiccup and Toothless, or Eragon and Saphira? I've heard good arguments for both recently, and I'm curious to know what you all think.