I end up having to leave the Chimera cleanup to the more than capable hands of the Raised Wights and Water Deimos. It's time for Puyo's meal, and she kicks up quite the ruckus if she's not fed on time.
I entrust the Tongue Leech and the two Evil Eyes to the care of Osseous Slime as I prepare some chunks of Digging Sneak. Once Puyo's fed and content, I place her back in her nest, expecting her to doze off like she usually does, but she protests, instead clambering onto my shoulders and wrapping her body around my neck.
After some repositioning, she coos happily. I suppose she's about old enough to start leaving the nest a little, huh? With a little Quetzal scarf around my neck, I head out of the cave.
What I encounter there is a mess. Two Dragons are having a wrestling match, their large bodies and thrashing tails sending the smaller Servants scrambling for safety. One of them is of a thin, almost skeletal, build, with scales a patchwork of dark blues, blacks and sickly green, almost reminiscent of a bruised body.
The other one emanates vigor, with scales of various shades of vibrant yellows and oranges, altogether giving it a golden glimmer. I'm guessing these are the Death and Life Dragons.
"Stop that. At once." I tell them, sternly, via Telepathy. They both give me a disinterested glance, and continue wrestling, the Life Dragon almost knocking down one of the hillies as it's thrown against it by the Death Dragon.
I hurriedly call for Huldr, and hand over Puyo to her. Although she protests, she quiets down once Huldr soothes her. I think you'll be able to handle this better, Shadow...
"Leave it to me."
She activates Royal Presence, immediately getting the attention of the fighting Dragons. They both seem flustered, as the potency of the aura of power we now exude prevent them from moving.
"I thought they seemed hesitant when I named the condition of establishing a Servants Bond with the Dragons that would be staying guard in my Domain, but to think they saddled me with insolent hatchlings is hard to believe." Shadow broadcasts to the two Dragons via Telepathy.
They both seem to want to respond, but the combination of a steely glare from us and the effects of our Skills and Titles leave them trembling in silence. All the other Servants present shiver at the charade of 'barely in check anger'.
Out of the forest thicket, several other Dragons join in, creeping along the floor as they too are suppressed by the Royal Presence. I count thirteen, so all other than the Rumble Dragon who's still guarding the entrance to the Tri-Ant tunnels are present.
Shadow relents the pressure just enough that the Dragons are able to gather into a half circle around us. Once assembled, they all bow their heads, though I get no notification of wanting to establish a Servants Bond.
"So- why the open defiance of your Master?" Shadow asks. Several of them take on a haughty expression, as if we'd just asked a stupid question. The Life Dragon huffs, their voice a sing-song tune in my head, though it holds no joy.
The others nod in agreement. Seems only the Rumble Dragon is of Pseudo-Dragonoid lineage, and these are born Dragons, complete with the 'mightier than thou' attitude. Not that I don't understand why- they are the descendants of the physical embodiments of the fourteen Elements.
"The question then is, what would W- I need to do to convince you?" Oh dear, this is going to get serious. I sense Shadows excitement. She's setting us up on purpose, no doubt to take delight in outdoing the Dragons.
I sense the Dragons talking amongst themselves, no doubt trying to reach an agreement on what challenge to put me through. They seem to reach some agreement, all eyes on me. The Life Dragon announces.
Both Shadow and I take pause before Shadow speaks up. "I've yet to partake in one of those, please explain it to me."
That... seems simple enough, but I'm sure they'll try their best to bend the contest to their favor. "Very well, let's do that then. We should probably move somewhere with more space, though." Shadow agrees for us, and cancels the effect of Royal Presence. The Dragons visibly relax once the effect ends.
The Life Dragon says, and without waiting for a response, all thirteen of them take off towards the grasslands. I turn to Huldr, who's still carrying Puyo, with an apologetic look. "I'll get this over with as soon as possible. Please take care of her until then." She nods, still seeming perturbed by the shift in personality Shadow represents.
Even if the Dragons had a head start on me, I soon catch up to them, and together we land in the middle of an open field. The presence of the Dragons alone have driven away any other Monsters that might have made the place their home, so we don't need to worry about anything getting caught in an eventual crossfire.
The Life Dragon, who seems to have taken on the role as speaker for the group, starts explaining, before stopping to consider something. They tilt their head.
"I know that Spell. Here." Shadow responds as she erects a wall of dark, shiny rock. The Dragons curiously inspect our creation. The Life Dragon shakes their head, rejecting whatever possibility had come to mind.
*Analysis complete: The rock produced by your Spell seems to be Abyssinite, one of the hardest known materials of this World. Usually, only found deep below ground, though earthquakes and volcanic activity sometimes forces a seam to the surface. The hardness of the rock produced by the Rock Formation Spells depend on the Users affinity with the Element and their Magic Attack value, so you producing this kind of rock is well within reason.*
Oh-
The Life Dragon exhales onto the rock wall, and I can sense the flow of Life Element onto the rock. It's quickly absorbed by it, and before long, three pairs of red eyes open upon the middle of the wall. Parts of the wall on either side separate from the main body, taking on the form of arms, as the newly born monster studies itself. It's color has changed from dark and shiny to a dull grey.
*Nurikabe*
*An Eastern Spirit taking the form of a wall with six eyes. A peculiar monster that takes delight in setting itself up in places where it will block the path of humanoids. Its rock hard body is nearly invulnerable to conventional weaponry as well as having a high resistance to Magic. It isn't invincible, however, and if one can somehow locate its weak point and strike it, the Nurikabe will die instantly. The location of this weak point varies between individuals. Despite their impressive defenses, Nurikabe are pacifists, never retaliating to any attack, instead seeming to take joy in the fact that most attacks are for naught.
Nurikabe parts are rarely used, as the lingering energies within them can cause more Eastern Spirits to manifest.*
*Rank: 2 Stars*
The Life Dragon explains. I see... So Monsters born from the Breath of a Life Dragon are powered by some other force?
*The False Entities derive their life from that of the Dragon that created them. Until their HP runs out, or the Dragon dies, they sustain themselves through a bond with the Dragon's Soul.*
Aha.
I look closer at the Nurikabe, which is almost completely unmoving, save for their eyes. Each pair move independently, and are busy studying us. I focus, and I can now see the bands of Life Element that animates it flowing within its body. A gathering of them in the lower left corner of the main body stands out.
"Are you able to tell where its weak point is?" I ask the Life Dragon. They hesitate. They respond, before looking curious.
They ask. "I can sense magic. It's concentrated here." I point to the gathering, and the Nurikabe fidgets in response, seemingly uncomfortable with me pointing out its weak spot.
They broadcast to the others, who arrange themselves in a half-circle around the Nurikabe. It stands proudly, perhaps unaware of the abuse that awaits it.
The Life Dragon moves in front of it before backing up a bit. They then beat their wings to add momentum to their jumping strike, raking their claws against its mid-section and leaving thin, white lines carved into its rocky body.
I take a look at the Nurikabes HP.
HP: 943/1000
"You did 57 damage to it." Shadow informs without thinking. All eyes are on me now.
"What?"
*Shadow seems to have forgotten that one needs a Skill to view the Status of others.*
"Oh-"
The Life Dragon hesitantly asks: I hesitate as well, before responding. "No. I possess the Skill Innate World Knowledge. It allows me to know all that humanoids know of something once I encounter it for the first time. It also lets me view the Status of others."
The Life Dragon glances at the Dark Dragon, seeming to ask them something, they shake their head in response. I nod in response.
The other twelve Dragons perform various attacks on the Nurikabe, none of them managing to do more than two hundred damage to it at the most. The Life Dragon and I take turns healing it between attacks, and finally it is my turn.
"A question, if I am to come at it with my full strength, am I allowed to use Bolstering Spells?" I ask. The Dragons confer between themselves. I choose to ignore the taunting tone at the end of that reply, and apply Empower to myself.
The Nurikabe shivers as I get in front of it. For whatever reason, it didn't even flinch when the Dragons let loose on it, but now it's actively afraid of what's to come. Seems the Dragons have noticed as well, and I can almost sense the hushed telepathy between them.
I take a deep breath, preparing mentally to go all out, without hesitation. I cannot hold back, even if I might hurt myself punching the Nurikabe, too much's at stake. I have to prove myself to the Dragons, otherwise they'll just bring trouble to us all.
I tense my legs, feel the swelling of my muscles as I command them to compress for the upcoming burst of movement. My claws dig into the grassy earth, seeking any sort of traction to aid in propelling me forward.
Energy builds to a point, and I let loose.
I bound forward, the world a blur around me due to the speed, and I extend my fist in front of me. I feel a slight resistance, before I skid to a halt, having gone past the Nurikabe. Did I miss it? No- I was right in front of it-
I turn around, meeting the stunned gaze of the thirteen Dragons present. There's a scattering of rocks where the Nurikabe once stood, a trail of debris having been carried along with the gust of wind I created when moving, stretching from the remains of the Nurikabe to where I'm standing.
"Holy shit."
You can say that again. "I'm... unsure the specific amount I did, but the Nurikabe had a thousand HP." I stutter. The Life Dragon, with their jaws agape, comes back to their senses, and announces: They don't seem to entirely believe their own words.
One contest down, four to go... Hopefully this won't be too difficult...
Seifs POV
I stumble, just barely catching myself before I'd have tumbled down the stone stairs that lead to my current residence. That surge of... anxiety? Dread? I felt something like it just a few hours ago, but this time it's much more intense.
I suspect it's to do with my Task. It connects me to that monster... I can sense their movements, I know their current location, and I'm able to sense their mood. That just then... That determination to utterly obliterate whatever they were facing...
I shudder at the thought of being on the receiving end of that.