Fate: A Dragon's Journey

[A/N: Hey, I'm back... after a long break! I'll probably publish this story on a weekly basis!]

Haruki woke up, refreshed like he was ready to tackle any problem in the world.

[Authority acquired: Recreation Scales]

Recreation Scales

Your scales can duplicate the 'Element' of any attack they receive. The scales gain the traits of that said 'Element' as well as extreme resistance against it.

He only had to concentrate to summon the glossy white scales. Their magnificence was in a class of its own. He sparked a tiny flame and touched the scales. They took on a fiery red color, emitting warmth as if he was sitting near a hearth. He could consciously control the intensity of flames.

"Your scales come from the void," Arch said. "The Void is the absence of everything. It can be filled by any element."

"Does it gain physical attack if I get hit by a weapon?"

Haruki reset the scales back to their original state. He picked up his spear lying by the bedside.

"I can regenerate," he muttered and stabbed his palm. The spear bounced off with a clank, giving zero damage to his new scales. "Pretty high defense. That's an authority for ya."

He placed his hand on the bed and closed his eyes. With max reinforcement, he drove the spear through his hand. The scales broke, but before the spearhead touched his skin, another layer of scales flourished and thwarted the attack. The new scales had a silver gleam as if they were metallic in nature.

"Are they?" he lightly tapped the scales with the spear, receiving a clang in response.

"The scales of a dragon are their best defense mechanism," Arch questioned, pride brimming in her voice. "Do you like it?"

"I have high offensive potential with magecraft spells and my spear. I needed a defensive skill."

"The scales are finite. They are growing from your blood. Your heart can't pump out infinite dragon blood, so tread with caution."

"What about dragon-slaying weapons? Can my scales hold up against them?"

"Unfortunately, no. You're not at the stage where you can overwhelm the dragon slayer trait."

"Well, shit."

He had to find a way to nullify this weakness, or even a weak mage with a dragon-slaying weapon will do irreversible damage.

"I'll need to test the speed of changing the element."

If it was fast enough to switch its element multiple times in a short moment, then he could face off against the Heroic Spirits more comfortably.

"Haruki-sama," Medea's voice echoed as she showed up. Seeing him brought a soft smile to her calm face. "You grew scales."

She had left him for a few hours and he had awoken a new ability in that time. He always managed to amaze her.

Haruki withdrew his scales. "Forget about it. How is Sakura?"

Medea sat down beside him and grinned, revealing everything about the operation. He yanked her hand, nearly crushing her in his arms.

"I knew you'd be successful… Thank you so much."

"I should be thanking you…" Medea patted his back. "You gave me a purpose to live for… I had forgotten what it was like to have a normal life."

"How did Semi do? Did she cooperate with everything?"

"Semiramis did fine, Haruki-sama. There is one small problem with Sakura… I think you should see it yourself."

Haruki had a bad premonition. The 'small' problem in her eyes could be a world-shaking crisis for Sakura. Before Haruki could probe further, another presence materialized in the room.

Semiramis found Medea hugging Haruki and immediately became enraged. "Miss Witch, I sent you here to bring Master back. Why are you HUGGING him instead of telling him about the ley line PROBLEM?"

Haruki never saw Semiramis this angry. She always reacted playfully, seemingly unbothered at times.

"Ley line?" Haruki frowned and finally sensed the change in the surroundings. The magical energy in the air had become scarce. "What happened?"

Medea sighed. "Some magus exhausted the mana in the ley lines. The whole city will suffer as a result."

She pointed toward the flower pot sitting on the window. The red rose had shriveled as though something sucked off all of its vitality. He had never seen this phenomenon in any Nasuverse-related stuff.

"Who is it now?" Haruki rubbed his forehead, trying to guess the culprit's identity. "Angra Mainyu? It has to be him."

"I think so too," Medea said. "What did he need so much magical energy for?"

"Let's hope he didn't do that…" Haruki gripped his spear and walked towards the door. "Semi, bring Artoria and Rin here. Also, send some scouts to the Ryuudou Temple. Medea, take me to Sakura."

Seeing Sakura with his own eyes will put him at ease. Otherwise, these worries tugging at his mind will not go away.

Semiramis embraced him from behind. "My master, you don't have to do everything alone. You have six servants ready to do your bidding."

She originally planned to exclude herself from the six; fearing that would make her a hypocrite, she chose to include herself.

'He may act too mature for his age; he is still a teenage boy in the end.'

She stepped up to help him lest the pressure of the Great War crushed his young shoulders. She finally knew what tickled her master's fancy.

Semiramis' 'concerns' got a chuckle out of Haruki.

"Since when did you become a good woman, Semi?" Haruki gently peeled her fingers off his chest and turned around. "It scares me to be on the receiving end of your worries."

He preferred her seductions over her seemingly genuine care.

'There is no telling what she cooks in her poisonous mind.'

Semiramis puffed up her cheeks. "You're already immune to me, why not trust me? I want to rule the world… Having a man like you by my side will be relieving."

"We'll talk about it later. We have more concerning matters at hand."

"I too would love to chat with you freely." Semiramis winked at Medea. "See you later, Miss Witch."

Medea's lips twitched. Semiramis' immense contribution forced Medea to think twice before hurting Semiramis. Instead of fighting Semiramis, Medea wrapped her arms around Haruki and took him to his desired location.