NOVEL WEB Chapter Twenty Two - Chatting With An Elder
Before my eyes, the sky converged on itself. The Storm Dragon and all of the accompanying weather it brought started to shrink. Its scales were flowing like water as the Storm Dragon transformed. Its massive teeth lost their points and became shorter. The two curled horns which adorned its massive head lost their hardness, falling back onto the dragon’s neck and becoming a long tangle of hair. Clouds gathered around its lip before turning into a soft, aged beard.
Within moments, the miles-long serpent had landed on the ground. Now it was smaller, I could see its body, a rolling mass of powerful muscle and scales. Like its facial features, the dragon’s body was also shrinking and changing. Its four large legs took on new proportions. From unneeded vestigial limbs, the dragon’s legs first extended. Even shrinking with each moment, it rose easily one hundred and fifty metres into the air, pushing itself onto now-powerful hind legs.
Naea and I watched, mouths agape, as the incredible sight concluded. The scales of the Storm Dragon were various shades of greys, blues, flecks of white and splashes of yellow. All of these features were evident on the stylish business suit which now bedecked a handsome elderly gentleman. If I hadn’t watched the whole thing, I might not even have known he was a dragon.
Until he looked me in the eye.
A shockwave rippled through my soul painfully the moment his two draconic yellow eyes found my own human, half blue, half brown eyes. I was born with a heterochromia which I avoided thinking about when I could. Trying to picture what this impossible being was seeing as they looked at me highlighted my insecurities.
I’m proud of my heritage, but would the dragon see my red hair and think it worth mocking? Would it understand that my clothes weren’t just destroyed by the Dungeon’s various dangers, but inexpensively made to begin with? That seemed like the kind of thing a dragon would notice. The man standing opposite me looked impeccably groomed and his features were cartoonishly handsome.
So? The defiant whisper from within stilled the shockwave, even though the Storm Dragon’s gaze never wavered. A source of inner strength rose to meet the doubts, sweeping them aside like dust. Why would I care what the dragon thought of my clothes? Even after transforming, I could see a cut on the old man’s upper lip. That was probably just for me, but I understood what it meant.
I had hurt the dragon. It was less than a bee sting of damage but I had done it. The look I saw wasn’t the derision of a bully, but the appraisal of an admirer. The ripples within settled as my Dao pool found peace once more. I consciously felt like I had pushed away an outside influence, shaking my head. The man who had been the Storm Dragon smiled wide. When he spoke, his voice was deep and confident. “You’re a special one,” he said.
The ripple returned. This time, for lack of a better explanation, it was rippling inwards rather than out. My soul drank in the complement. Every positive emotion I had felt in my life was second to this moment, even the prize on top of the tower. I still want it. Again, the influence was pushed away and the small font of power within calmed. I narrowed my eyes.
The man’s smile only grew. “Fascinating,” he mumbled, those sharp eyes scanning me once more, “quite the collection of Grace…” He wasn’t talking to me, but I still wasn’t going to interrupt. The situation had become almost casual but was all the more terrifying for it. All the power of the Storm Dragon was collected just metres away.
Suddenly, he clapped. I think even he realised the mistake as he was making it, but I had just enough time to cover Naea’s head with my hands before the world exploded. A dozen bursts of thunder sounded from his palms at once. The old man grimaced but there was nothing he could do except watch as I struggled to remain conscious.
I used a charge of Infusion to enhance my natural recovery and another to heal Naea. Once she recovered from her own stun, she returned the favour. As a pair, we glared at the Storm Dragon. “You said you’d be careful,” Naea scolded. The whiplash of emotions since I awoke continued as the dragon with godlike power held up his hands in surrender.
“Sorry, fledgling. It had been many eras since I last had reason to emerge. I am… rusty.” The old man, hands still raised, crossed his feet and then fell into a seated position on the sand. “Please, young man, join me. There is a trial to complete.” My hesitation vanished at the mention of the trial and my own logical jump to the prize it offered.
“I am honoured to be given an audience.” That was how people in these situations spoke, right? I could hear my own words coming out disjointed and timid. That wouldn’t do. I cleared my throat, sat down opposite the dragon and tried again. “Hello. I hope the trial wasn’t there just so you could kill me.”
My attempt at humour fell flat when the old man’s face darkened. “Not I, young man. Tell me, what do you know of The System?” I hadn’t expected such a question right off the bat, but I was aware this could be part of the trial, so I considered my answer.
“For myself, the System has been nothing but a challenge to be met. I’ve been stuck inside this dungeon for over a week, since all of this began. Other than Naea, you’re the first person I’ve talked to, and even you’re not actually a person. It’s hard to think of the System as a bad thing, though it’s definitely put me through some terrible situations I wouldn’t have been a part of otherwise.” My mind was invaded with the memory of Clive’s café, the massacre I had been forced to commit by Mrs Naebol. “Actually… you’re not the first dragon I’ve met.”
“Hmph,” the Storm Dragon grunted. Small puffs of cloud vapour came from his nostrils, complete with tiny lightning bolts which snapped like firecrackers. “So I see. You smell of Naeboaroseax, and given your title I don’t have to ask what happened to her.” An awkward pause followed. I turned my gaze down. I had killed her. The Storm Dragon knew. “The wily old snake.”
I looked up and saw a twinkle in the old man’s glowing eyes. He didn’t strike me as particularly upset. I didn’t even know what question to ask, scared to be disrespectful. Naea didn’t have such an issue. “Why would a dragon get herself killed, it makes no sense. Aren’t you all immortal unless someone does you in?”
The Storm Dragon placed an elbow on his knee and leant his cheek on his fist. “You’re the dungeon fairy. Connected to the mighty System. You can tell us, why would a being of immense levels choose to enter the cycle at the moment of integration?” I could tell the dragon was using specific words to draw the System’s attention. Naea gasped as the answers flooded her mind. “Well, that is clever.”
The old man nodded at the fairy, who just shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Does anyone want to fill me in?” I asked, trying and failing not to get frustrated. Even though she’s my familiar, Naea looked to the dragon for permission. He nodded. I let the moment wash off me like water from a duck’s back.
“There are thousands of possibilities as to why she might, so I don’t have an actual answer, but death isn’t the end of the road for a being like her. She may have found herself bottlenecked and chosen to return to the wheel, maybe found some way to send her soul into a vessel elsewhere… There really are too many possibilities.”
“Exactly my point.” The man made to clap again, clearly a habit, but Naea shouted and he stopped. Slowly, quietly, he clicked his middle finger and thumb instead. It still sounded like a cannon being fired. Once the echo stopped, he continued. “Naeboaroseax saw an opportunity to ascend in some way, and at the same time, grant you - ha! Grant you! That’s funny. She gave you a large head start to the game.”
“The game? You mean the integration? Why would she do that?” To a creature older as old as the Storm Dragon apparently was, the System was nothing more than a game? That was daunting. And exciting, I decided. Just how strong would I need to be to leave the System itself behind?
“Lots of questions. Isn’t this my trial? Maybe we should go back to fighting…” The old man cackled as he saw true terror cross my features. “Maybe not. I can’t speak to another’s reasons, of course, but I’ll make a guess as a reward. This?” The old man touched his lip, and held up his thumb to show the blood upon it. “This is an impossibility. Even now, my jaw throbs. It’s that damned title from the System.”
Without my prompt, one of my achievements and my title hovered in the air.
Title - Dragon Slayer
Some lives weigh more than others, and few existences rival the dragon.
You’re one of the exceptions.
Effect - Increased resistance against draconic attacks.
Improved effectiveness against draconic enemies.
Achievement Unlocked - Boss Combat (World First)
The lords of the dungeons, even encountering dungeon bosses can be lethal. You fought and survived.
Effect: Increased resilience to level disparity
“She turned you into a god-killer.” The old man sounded impressed, more than anything. “The wording is vague, but the effects are potent. With the right conditions, you could threaten my life easily. Given a few thousand years.” To my ears, those were intoxicating words. I was also smart enough to see the danger there. If I were perceived as a threat, what would the dragon do?
“So… what now?” The question was inadequate yet all I had the right to ask. The Storm Dragon knew me as a slayer of its kind, a potential threat to its life. The unrooted seed of a plot from a rival? The last hope of an old friend? I had no way to know.
“Now,” the Storm Dragon said, a crackle of energy underneath his words, “we see if you’re worthy of the strength my cousin gave to you.” I didn’t see him move, but the old man was standing. He straightened his sharp suit, the sand behind him just now noticing it should have whipped up. Naea sensed something and dove into my arms. I felt her fear, so I protected her instinctively.
A bolt dropped from the heavens and turned the world to white. Another moment later, the bolt shot back into the air. I had stood at some point, and my feet now found solid ground. I had just been teleported. By a lightning bolt. Kind of love it, I admitted to myself. I looked around, and saw a familiar sight.
We were back atop the trial tower. The lump remained, but had closed once more. Standing in front of it was the old man. His business suit had undergone a shift to a more comfortable outfit. A karate gi? I patted my belt with a chuckle. I wish I found more of those karate frogs before doing this. “You got my back?”
“Always,” Naea answered. I believed her. Without another word, I drew the Yo Staff from my inventory. I hadn’t expected the chance to chat with a dragon, but the System was throwing me new experiences day after day. I had already tried this one once before, but hopefully it would go a little different now.
Time for round two.