Arc | Chapter. 35: Of Dragons (Patreon)

Chapter. 35: Of Dragons

The Grand Duke stared ahead, uncomprehending as the crowd shrieked in a panic. Someone was dying before their eyes after all. And it was none other than Jake the Weapon Master, an S Tier adventurer; one of the strongest ones to boot. It was unbelievable, and Filmas wasn’t the only one.

Soon people began to recognize the man, as others administered first aid by pouring potions on the man. It was a normal thing, even if he was still pierced by the spear at least he would regenerate new blood; though it didn’t matter to Filmas whether Jake died or not. The only thing that mattered was that his request was probably not fulfilled.

Filmas gritted his teeth. Never did he think an S Tier adventurer would fail to kill a C Tier adventurer, but here he was, realizing his money had been lost.

Shaking his head, he turned. As for what could’ve injured Jake that badly, he didn’t care. But that wasn’t the case for the guards; as scouts were sent towards the forest.

And so Filmas, the Grand Duke went back.

As for what would happen next with the Arlow family, he had no idea. However…

His eyes narrowed.

This wouldn’t be the end of it.

* * * * *

I stood there for a few moments, perhaps I had entertained him for too long. And now because of it… I frowned looking at the necklace on the ground, its chain was broken, but my [Appraisal] didn’t say anything out of the ordinary when looking at it.

[ Necklace of Obfuscation. Tier: S ]

So I picked it up, and with the use of [God Step] I vanished from the place before the scouts could arrive. Last thing I wanted was to be seen here.

* * * * *

Edlyn was a scout, she had always struggled for promotions in her work; she dreamt to be a scout in the Imperial Army but unfortunately, in a male dominated field she faced a lot of prejudice, each of her promotions was hard fought. After years of struggling, she finally was nearing the end destination, she just needed two more promotions.

And with this opportunity, she felt that a promotion was due. She had been working diligently as a scout for the guards in Rivas for two years now, and finally, this was the time to prove herself. Of course, there were other scouts too, but she had to outperform them; bring information that others couldn’t and thankfully, she had the skills for that. Not for nothing was she a C Tier Scout of the Forest.

With a smile, she whispered.

“[Tranquil Call].”

An invisible aura swept the vicinity as she entered the forest, and she paused; she was no stranger to the destruction that happened outside of the city. No one was. The adventurers guild had mobilized, the strongest people had moved all to protect the city, but even then there were those civilians that insisted on leaving it and seeing what was happening ⁠— there were those that fled too of course.

But still, she always thought that nothing could threaten the city’s existence itself. Or at least, that’s what Edyln thought, but as she stood there sensing the forest. At least a third of it had died.

The plants had been uprooted, the trees had been split or broken⁠— frozen away. The ground, the sand, the grass⁠— nature itself had been upturned by a battle of epic proportions; one whose scale was masked by a lush green forest. But Edlyn could sense it.

The battle could’ve easily destroyed Rivas. The forest and the mountain behind was proof of things. A piercing hole that went right through it. Meanwhile the forest itself was partly frozen, though it seemed to be rapidly melting.

Still, Edyln knew this was a battle between S Tiers. Not for nothing had Jake the Weapon Master been injured that badly. However, this was the first time she truly understood how powerful they were.

Everyone had heard the rumors since they were kids. The strength of an S Tier was something that would terrify other countries and neighboring kingdoms. But Edyln never understood it until now.

She simply stood there, confused for a moment before finally she sensed something else.

There was someone watching.

Edyln turned in an instant, but all she saw was a shadow as sleepiness took over. She heard quiet steps stand next to her as a man mused to himself.

“So the one of Frost has finally appeared in this world… interesting.”

And finally, she passed out.

* * * * *

A mountain stood past the heavens in the middle of the ocean, a large crack ran through its center that incandescently shone. It was the Maw of Dragons, the biggest mountain in the world of Arlas; known as the peak of the world, the Skull of the Dragon God, amongst others. However, this normally quiet location was echoing with roars.

And it was all because of a single dragon.

His name was Regis’karr, he was the Creator of the First True Flame, the Herald of Crimson, and also the Hermit; one of the Grand Dragon Elders. His wisdom was sought after by all the humans, but here in the Maw of Dragons he was staring at a flaming pit of lava, all while the other Grand Dragon Elders discussed the information he had just delivered.

It was all relating to the figure he had just fought not too long ago. The Heroine of Frost. Arc. A new hero without affiliations, one who they could bring to their side, but more than anything.

“All of her skills are SS Tier!”

“How do we know she wasn’t lying!”

“Regis’karr has [Truth Divination]!”

It was right, Arc was possibly one of the strongest heroes around. While she probably had yet to learn a single SS Tier skill, every single one of her skills were SS Tier. It sounded almost weird to the ear the first time Regis’karr realized it, but SS Tier skills were simply more grandiose. So once she learnt them, she was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Just like how [Quick Step] and [Flicker Step] were in the same Tier, one was clearly better. Same concept applied to Arc’s SS Tier skills.

Still, he never expected the reaction of the elders to be like this. Perhaps he had been involved with the human world for too long, but the news he had brought made every dragon roar to the skies.

A heated debate that Regis’karr had no part in, at least that’s what he thought as he looked at the sparkling stars through the crack in the mountain; until his name was mentioned.

“Yes, Regis’karr should do it!”

He blinked, as he turned to the council of seven dragons. He was the eight Grand Dragon Elder and the weakest of them all. He expected to be blamed over something but instead, it was something much worse.

“Regis’karr has spoken with her once before, he can convince her to join our ranks!”

“Yes, we can even turn her into one of our kin should she accept the blood ceremony.”

There was unanimous agreement as Regis’karr just stared for a moment. He thought that what was happening didn’t concern him, but it seemed that he was wrong; very wrong. For all of the dragons were giving him passing glances. The Dragon of Shadows, Malz, was the first one to regard him.

“Regis’karr, we entrust that you can bring her to our side. Show her why she should slay her kind⁠—”

“There is no ‘kind’.” Faral, the Dragon of Wind replied. “Each and every hero acts for their own selfish desires, there is no kinship. There is nothing to convince her other than to slay those with selfish desires.”

Regis’karr wanted to say that the desire of slaying the heroes was selfish too. But, he kept his mouth shut as this time the Dragon of Frost spoke.

“All we need to do is find her desires and pander to them, and then she will join us. That is how we will convince her.” He turned to Regis’karr. “Understand her and try to help her with what she needs, should she require more help, bring her here.”

“That is servitude!” Malz roared.

At that moment, the dragons began to argue, but it didn’t last long before the Dragon of Frost bellowed.

“Silence!”

A cold gust of wind swept through the cave, chilling everyone down to their spine. Once order was established, the Dragon of Frost once more turned to him.

“Find her desires, help her, if you are unable to bring her here. Once we have done enough for her, she will be indebted to us, and when that happens the heroes can fall.”

At that moment, all of the Grand Elder Dragons nodded, and finally their gazes turned to Regis’karr, the Dragon of Flames, the Creator of the First True Flame and the Herald of Crimson.

“Do you accept your duty?” The Dragon of Frost asked.

And he nodded.

“I shall do my best.”

Just like that, the first meeting in hundreds of years had ended. Some entered slumber, others flew to their hideouts, and Regis’karr stood there. Looking at the stars as everyone departed. Finally, after a few hours, he took flight. All to go back to Draliz.

It was a death sentence, if the heroes decided to dispose of him…

No, if he had Arc’s help and favor, then he’d also be untouchable. And so, resolving himself he flew on through the night, all in the search of the Heroine of Frost.

* * * * *

In just a moment, I arrived back to Ceylon and her father. They seemed surprised but also relieved to see me, even though…

“What happened to you, Arc?!” Ceylon said in a panic.

I followed her gaze only to see the ugly gash on my shoulder. It was throbbing in pain but I could also see it slowly regenerating. Touching my cheek, it seemed to be intact. Still, I never considered myself to be particularly resilient, but I also felt kind of fragile given the effect that attack had had on me.

Well… I shook my head, I knew I wouldn’t be dying even if it hit my heart, but still.

“It’s fine, the guy just had my spear for some reason.” I sighed.

“That guy was the S Tier adventurer, Jake the Weapon Master.” Ceylon’s father said, shaking his head before meeting my gaze. “I think I understand your power now. Thank you for lending your help to Arlow.”

“You’re welcome. Though it might not be over yet,” I said, shaking my head.

“Right, for now we should focus on recovering our wealth,” Ceylon’s father said awkwardly. “That way, it will become hard to touch us again.”

“Is that how it works…?” I asked, confused.

“Well, we also need to retaliate against the Grand Duke and his businesses.” Ceylon sighed. “But one step at a time.”

I thought for a moment, before offering my opinion. “Why not do both? I mean, I could just do it, didn’t he basically send goons to ruin your businesses too?”

“That is a very frowned upon thing to do, but… yes.” A long breath left her. “Also you’re not a goon Arc.”

“No, but I can still make him pay for what he has done to your family.”

Ceylon and Thomas paused, seemingly thinking, before finally Thomas answered for her.

“I think we should think about it for today, for now let’s head to the mansion.”

I nodded, not objecting to things as we decided to deal with things the other day. Simply going back to spend the rest of the day relaxing.

* * * * *

Night soon arrived, and Filmas the Grand Duke was nervous. He was after all, not exactly doing this of his own volition either. And now that the plan failed, he had to report to his patron, but also… boss. It was a man he couldn’t afford to anger, but he still had to meet and tell the truth.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to a dark room, he saw the silhouette of the man, his orange hair against the light as two red eyes stared at him. There were no words from him, and Filmas took a deep breath.

“I have failed to destroy the Arlow family, Jake the Weapon Master failed to kill their benefactor; please forgive me.”

And he bowed. Then, there was silence. One that extended into numerous seconds as it became more and more uncomfortable, before finally, the man let out a chuckle.

“It’s fine, just continue trying to sink them. I think something way more interesting has been found in regards to the Medal of Bravery holder.”

Filmas paused and raised his head only to see the man grinning. It didn’t give him a good feeling, but he had been given a chance to get out, and so he took it.

“Very well, I’ll continue my plans. I’ll take my leave now.”

With those words, he nodded and left the room. All while breathing a sigh of relief.

He couldn’t afford to upset that man, for his wrath could destroy the entire city.

After all, his boss was the Hero of Flames.

* * * * *

That night, I managed to fix the [Necklace of Obfuscation] by cold welding it together. After, Thomas, Ceylon’s father, called me to his studio. He met my gaze, sliding a piece of paper.

“These are all the factories and businesses under the Grand Duke Filmas.”

He took a breath, but before he could continue I nodded.

“Got it, I’ll destroy all of them tomorrow.”