Alexander the Dragon Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - The end of the tutorial

I was looking forward to food after a grueling training session with the Adventurer King. I had never worked so hard before. Not physically, at least. King Jaden was a beast of a man. He glowed brightest in these physical endeavors.

“Prepare to eat, boy, prepare to eat! Tonight’s going to be a horrible and glorious event! A true evening of adventure! So enjoy yourself now and fill up.”

King Jaden laughed. He prepared the campsite with a giant boar that was bigger than the fey steel boar I killed earlier. This one could’ve been close to Level 75. It would’ve ran me over if I’d tried to wrestle it.

Somehow, King Jaden treated the boar as one big piece of meat worthy of being turned on a spit. The flames were certainly more magical now. I noticed a circle of runes around the stones entrapping the flames, containing the heat and directing it upward into the boar. The meat cooked faster than what was normal for a creature of its girth.

“How do you have so much energy?” I muttered, laying flat on my belly with my head on my dirty forepaws. I glowered at the madman.

“You get used to it if you spend more time climbing trees and running up hills. Instead of staying in your stuffy lair reading tomes all day,” King Jaden teased. “I swear you spellcasters can use more exercise.”

“Brutes like you would run rock mages out of business,” I muttered in return. “Why conjure a rock when we can throw your thick skulls at the nearest enemy blockade.”

I didn’t know why I was getting pulled into this ridiculous banter with the King. Once the words were out of my mouth, I felt a spike of nervousness that I offended him.

Instead, King Jaden roared with more laughter as he turned the giant boar over and over. He tossed various oils and spices onto its sizzling flesh, playing the role of campfire cook. Did cooking for his men endeared them to him?

Pinea was sitting off to the side with Rocky in her lap. The little systemless girl was still half asleep, her eyes half open as she half-drooled and half-smiled at her father and brother’s antics.

“We have to be brutes, y’know?” King Jaden said. “Who else is going to hold the line while you prepare some outrageous spell to nuke the other side?”

I wasn’t familiar with the ‘nuke’ term. I sensed what he meant by it, though. I gave my father a more discerning eye, looking past the seemingly cheap leathers he wore.

I saw defining muscles on his body, the proof of him being a man of direct action. I noticed the thin scars he accrued from fighting thousands of battles the past three decades.

Looking back at the tough training session where I learned to abuse Swipe in new ways because of King Jaden, I easily imagined what made him successful as a martial warrior with stellar magical powers.

There were adventurers who were more martial and warrior-focused, masters of physicality, body enhancements, and cultivation of their art, which was short for martial art. To have an art would give you access to a stylized list of techniques that leveraged your combat abilities.

Unlike learning and preparing spells, martial art techniques were instantaneous to use as long as you had the needed training. Better if the art was system-recognized, which gave small but key bonuses, especially if the techniques were of higher quality.

The only downside with arts was how … well … unimpressive they were compared to true magic. You wouldn’t know someone was using an art by just looking at them unless it was a style that stood out. But they hardly did compared to using flashier system skills or having a spellcaster throw down a flame bomb to ignite an entire platoon of enemies.

I didn’t find the appeal of practicing a sword swing ten thousand times compared to studying grimoires, scrolls, and pieces of ancient knowledge. At least the latter would grant me unbelievable power that could rewrite the patterns of magic and demand reality to bend further to my whims.

“It’s not in me to be a warrior,” I said, watching the King’s reaction. He held his true thoughts to himself. “But I appreciate the lessons. It will be good to have contingencies for when my enemies get too close.”

“You’ll need more spells than Lightning Pulse for that. It has you close enough to kiss them.”

“It takes time. The grimoire that taught me Lightning Pulse has two more spells. But they’re harder to study.”

King Jaden shook his head. “I don’t envy you. At least with learning arts, I can test them quickly against monsters and level up. You’ll lose out on levels in your early years with all that spell study.”

“I’ll make up for it later,” I replied, letting the matter drop as I stared at the spinning meat.

My appetite was picking up. The runes on the floor containing the heat did nothing for holding back the succulent smell, which had me raising my head and growling eagerly.

“Hungry, boy?”

“Yes … Father.”

He grinned. It was almost too bright. He was enjoying this. I didn’t mind indulging him, but I also didn’t want to spoil him. He was King first and foremost.

There was some venom in my mind as well: If he was truly my father, I wouldn’t be living alone for most of my life.

I turned my head away, unhappy with my thoughts. I wasn’t being fair to him. He had too many responsibilities and too little time. And dragons were notorious for being creatures of solitude. Although not always.

I highly doubted he would spend longer than a week with me regardless of the Advenire Queen’s anger. That was okay. He had more important things than –

“You do know I love you, right?” the King said suddenly.

I sputtered, struggling to respond.

“I loved you the moment I saw you,” he said with an easy going smile, his eyes on the task of turning the boar over some more. “You were this slimy lizard with baby wings fresh out of the egg when you arrived. About the size of a house cat then. You had this habit of nipping at Gwyneva’s ankles while she tried to shoo you away. She was nearly tempted to stomp on you, but I swept you up into my arms and felt the connection only a father can. This little guy in my arms. He is my son.”

I gawked at him. Still lost for words.

“Then you burped fire into my face,” he finished with a laugh.

Rocky joined in with a shriek of laughter.

I slowly regained my composure, which didn’t amount to much. I didn’t know how to respond to this appropriately. The words that came next wouldn’t happen normally.

“You left me in a cave,” I said.

The King lost his smile. Rocky stopped laughing. Pinea watched with open concern.

“The nights were cold. I was lonely,” I added. “I had nothing but rocks and shadows for too long. Then there were the books. Those raised me when nobody else did.”

King Jaden stared into the fire.

“What is it all for?” I asked. “I’m a weakling to Tiamat and a scourge upon your legacy. Why didn’t you just–”

“You’ll become better than me,” King Jaden said. “You, my eldest, will be the blessing we’ve all waited for.”

Again, I was stunned. I looked at him, searching for a lie. I found a face that meant everything he said. It was filled with conviction.

He would be a fool to believe those words. I could never be better than him. Besides, he had Prince Jasper, a blessed Half Elf who would surely take the crown. My brother was perfect. I was born … wrong.

Why would Father believe in me?

The silence was long with only the crackling flames to fill it.

“Please don’t be mad,” Rocky said in a shaky voice. “Family should be happy.”

For once, King Jaden was startled instead of me. He looked uneasily at his daughter before forcing himself to smile for her.

I spoke ahead of him this time. “Family can be complicated, little sister. But … with time … maybe we can work through things. Together.”

“Gods, you’re so much wiser than a thirteen year old should be,” King Jaden said.

“Good King. Wise Prince,” Pinea declared.

“I’m not a prince,” I said, shaking my head.

The mood dropped as my father struggled to find the words. He didn’t need to say anything. I was illegitimate for the throne.

I supposed I could protest, but I wasn’t in the mood for it. Instead, I wanted to redirect our attention to what mattered most. Resolving the case of the corrupted treant. Which required certain preparations.

“We haven’t seen all of my forms. Nor have I told you about the effects each form has on my stats,” I said, watching everyone perk up with curiosity.

I pulled up my usual Dragon Attributes for a quick comparison:

Attributes:

Vit

End

Might

Grace

Will

Attune

Free

84

50

50

64

81

50

0

I nodded.

“There’s a bonus with the last form, by the way. The one of Heavens and Hells,” I added.

“Gods, that sounds straight out of a classic 90s game. If I see a key shaped sword I will lose it.” The King chuckled.

I figured his statement referenced his old world. I should take the time to learn more about the other world. It had some interesting cultural features that resembled parts of Uroboros somehow. The few accounts I read on the otherworld called it technologically advanced but too different to speculate any deeper.

Putting aside my curiosity, I used my Shift Between skill. The sequence was the same. Magical flames covered my body. I transformed, shrinking from a dragon form into a human form within six seconds. Then the flames disappeared with a puff of smoke and ash to reveal my puny human body sitting in the spot where a mightier dragon body had been. I pulled up my Attributes and read them off, wincing at the lowered points until we reached the actual gains.

Attributes:

Vit

End

Might

Grace

Will

Attune

Free

21

13

13

16

120

75

0

“Son, come on, your health and physical stats are in the expected ranges for a spellcaster at Level 5. Hells, it might be better! And your Willpower and Attunement are out of this world! You have a 50% buff to Willpower and a 100% buff to Attunement! You will also have a way easier time slinging magic around in this form.”

King Jaden was adamant. I was not easily swayed.

“Rocky can sneeze in my direction and I will fall over,” I muttered. “Maybe if I’m very certain of my protection I would take advantage of the obvious buffs. But the weaknesses are too glaring.”

“Fine, fine.” King Jaden’s eyes gleamed with interest. “Onto the edgelord form.”

“What?”

“I should get a katana forged for you. Spellcaster be damn, it’ll work, I swear.”

I didn’t understand the references but I sensed my father was being weird. I huffed at him before initiating my Shift Between skill once again.

This time, the flames that sprouted over me were only a little taller and wider than my human form. My skin burned away into ashy flakes. Scales rapidly grew to replace the lost flesh. My muscles and bones shifted some, growing up and outward a few inches. By far, the greatest changes happened with my head. My hair burned away and my face shifted forward, the jaw bones snapping and crunching, my teeth narrowing to become miniature fangs. I listened to the bones in my skull transmutate and sprout big, devilish horns. From my upper back sprouted new appendages. From my lower back sprouted more appendages. Then my six seconds were up and I was now standing as tall as my father.

“Whoa,” he said.

“Whoa!” Rocky repeated.

“Pretty,” Pinea commented.

I fanned my two sets of wings. On my upper back were my wings of Heavens. They were white, feathery, radiant, and very large. On my lower back were my wings of Hells. They were black, leathery, and nefarious while moderate in size.

My body was covered in glossy dragon-like scales, black in the dark, but colorful under certain angles of light. My head had a reptilian shape. My horns were sprouting out from the sides and curved upward like a devil. I had a tail that was thin, whip-like, and ended with a spade.

Moving on regardless of their reactions, I read aloud my Attributes.

Attributes:

Vit

End

Might

Grace

Will

Attune

Free

42

25

25

80

101

25

0

“Interesting,” King Jaden commented. “This form halves your Vitality, Endurance, Might, and Attunement. Grace and Willpower are improved by a quarter more.”

He grimaced slightly before continuing. “I don’t see the appeal other than having a, uh, resplendent look and some more willful movement.”

I snorted at his attempt to complement my Heavens and Hells form. There was more to it, of course, but I let him struggle on the seemingly pointlessness while I fanned and flapped my two sets of wings.

In this form, I went shirtless, which seemed to be an unconscious decision of my Shift Between skill. It was more convenient for me. I could impress my little sister more easily. She looked at my two sets of wings with her wide brown eyes.

I extended my wings and let her reach out and touch the tips of them. She liked them both, the feathery wings of the Heavens and the leathery wings of the Hells.

Finally, rather than let my father stew away at the strange circumstance that was my Heavens and Hells form, I revealed the truth.

“I have a natural spell that comes with this form.”

“Oh?”

“It is … beyond the scope of power I should have.”

King Jadened’s attention bore into me with the weight of his adventuring experience. I gulped as I said the words that could damn me.

“Tip the Scales. It’s Legendary Quality.”

He gasped. “Holy shit.”

I checked my profile to see that it was there as expected.

Spells:

*Tip the Scales (Legendary), Lightning Pulse (Uncommon)

Spells could be strange at times. Most were difficult to decipher. I knew I would gain my spells from long study. I was set on that. But spells could be gained from unpredictable circumstances as well.

Uroboros was the Realm of Myth and Magic for a reason. It was filled with endless possibilities. Nothing was strictly off the table. I reasoned that my birth, despite all the trouble it brought, had something special going for it.

That was the case with Tip the Scales, which I understood at a fundamental level. It was deeply ingrained to my Heavens and Hells form and could only be used while I was like this. I knew what it could do and the price it expected from me to use it.

King Jaden waited on an explanation.

I took a deep breath before giving it. “I tip the Scales of fate with a sufficient sacrifice of what’s mine. I haven’t used it before. But I sense it takes a good chunk of mana just to start the spell. Less so than what’s expected for … er … a legendary spell. But I wouldn’t really know. I have no reading materials on how demanding legendary magic can be. I just know I can use it once every so often. Maybe once for tonight.”

“Son, I’m a Legendary Type. Your spell is up there in my power range if you can achieve the max.” He sounded breathless. “It’s going to be scaled down to your level, of course. But even then … You shouldn’t have or know anything about legendary. There’s no reading material on it because that’s kept secret among us actual legends.”

He was so amazed he didn’t realize he used the term ‘scaled down’ in describing my Tip the Scales spell. I watched him curiously as he tried to work out how I could have such a powerful spell quality.

For those who were ignorant, it helped to know all the qualities for comparison. Overall, there were eight qualities:

1. Common Quality, which represented Levels 1 to 25.

2. Uncommon Quality, Levels 26 to 50.

3. Great Quality, Levels 51 to 75.

4. Supreme Quality, Levels 76 to 100.

5. Rare Quality, Levels 101 to 125.

6. Epic Quality, Levels 126 to 150.

7. Legendary Quality, Levels 151 to 175. This was my father’s placement.

8. Mythical Quality, Levels 176 to 200. My mother’s. She was likely maxed out.

I was a Rare Quality Type, which was the usual for dragons. I would have no trouble leveling up to 125 as long as I gained sufficient Experience. But Level 125 would be my max level unless I found a way to break that ceiling.

An Otherworlder like my father would’ve had a better start than most humans of Uroboros, but not a Rare Quality start. He would’ve had to break ceilings far more often than me.

Most creatures would have to surpass the special bottle necks every 25 levels from the start, which grew increasingly more difficult. Most creatures couldn’t get above Level 25 and would stay at Common Quality, which would dictate the quality of their skills. Sometimes.

A common skill like Swipe was going to happen for everyone. But having a supreme skill like Shift Between at Level 5 was because I was a Rare Type.

However, having a legendary spell while far beneath that range of power was certainly a rule-breaker. A cheat of sorts.

“It’s your fault,” I said with an indignant sniff.

King Jaden blinked at me. I carried on.

“I’m a strange celestial halfling stuck in a cave with a dangerous cheat spell. All because you shared a bed with the most wicked villainess of Uroboros.” I shook my head at him. “She takes long beauty naps in infernal pits and eats weeping angels as appetizers. That is my mother. I am the result of you two. Have you no shame?”

King Jaden shrugged like a scolded child. “What can I say? I’m trying to fix her.”

“Has there been any success?”

“She’s a long term project. Like. Long, long term.”

“I think the pork is done. That’s a better project. More fitting for your skills.”

***

We finished eating. Pinea prepared to set off with Rocky to find somewhere safe.

While it would be good to have Pinea with us, King Jaden intended to go into the heart of an evil operation of large proportions. Rocky was the human blood of the Adventurer King and would have a bright and important future ahead of her. She needed to stay safe.

Pinea was honored to take care of Rocky for us and wished us the best. Rocky wasn’t happy to be separated from her father and brother, but she put on a surprisingly brave face for a young girl. We watched them go after King Jaden gave them an arcane device that could signal him if they were in great need.

“Ready?” He asked me after cleaning up the campsite and making it look like we hadn’t been there.

I nodded my dragon head, back to being fifteen feet tall on all fours. I spread my original pair of wings and swept my thicker tail from side to side. It was good to be in my more trusted and mightier original form, especially now that I was fed and revitalized from the short rest.

“Yes. Let’s finish this,” I said.

The day had come and gone. Dusk lingered with a gimlet eye of orange light fading behind the dark horizon west. The Charmed Forest took on another atmosphere, less whimsical and sparkly, more wicked and misty.

There was a duality to this place. In the daylight, a traveler could see dreams shaped into reality. They could meet the magical small folk who were whimsical guides accepting trinkets and poems as payment. But at night, the denizens could be crueler, darker, blood thirstier.

King Jaden and I didn’t mind the nightcrawlers much as we walked down a wide enough trail for my bulk. My presence as a dragon warded away the impish tricksters and child-hungry fiends of nighttime fables – dosages of truth to warn human children to be wary of the dark predators that sought their youthful flesh. Those fables were important to read and contained many magical laws most people overlooked.

I was likely of a lower level compared to those rustling in the bushes and skipping along the branches, but I doubted any creature would underestimate my size and magical heritage. As strong as the system laws could be, the natural laws and magical laws were also strong factors.

I was naturally big and could crush an impish heckler. I was magically powerful for being a dragon. The System had plenty to work with even with me being a Halfborn.

Once the sun was fully gone, Will O’ Wisps lit the way with pale blue lights shining on the deep shadows of the Charmed Forest. There weren’t any moons or stars out tonight. Only heavy clouds above. Dark fey crooned, hooted, and sang their haunted songs.

I found myself more curious about the whole trip instead of afraid. I hadn’t seen any signs of corruption since leaving the desecrated field, yet the King was certain we would reach the heart of the problem. His instructions were short: we needed to reach our destination where the local guardians were fortified. I just needed to be prepared for an eventual big fight.

The King stopped suddenly. I halted before bumping into him, my claws digging into the soft and mist-covered earth.

There was a chill in the air.

I didn’t let it get to me. My chest filled with fire. With a mere huff of smoke and embers, I warmed up the air around my face and sent steam trails curling up from my snout.

“You could come out,” the King said. “We’re all friends here. Though, I wished you’d paid us a visit earlier.”

Hearing him call out, I looked around more closely and stayed still. I was rewarded for my patience.

A dozen shimmering forms appeared around us. Some were close to my paws and right up under me.

They were far shorter than my knees, no taller than three feet. Once the shimmers revealed actual features, I had a better grasp of who had us surrounded: sprites.

The militant fey wore armor of hard bark entwined with the leathered skins and bones of their ancient enemies: goblinoids and orcs. Their wings were like dragonflies with gaps in the the back of their armor to extend from. Most of the sprites were armed with crossbows, the bolts darkly painted at the barbed tips. Needle-thin swords hung from their waists.

One sprite seemed to strike a more imposing figure with hawk feathers on top of her open-faced helmet. It was hard to tell if they were male or female. They all looked androgynous upon first glance. The feathered leader had longer braided hair, which was a decent universal tell that she was female.

“Hello, I am Ridge.” She reached behind her and grabbed the handle of a bastard sword. It would’ve been medium size in the hand of a human. When Ridge hefted it up, it was as big as her. She was probably a mighty warrior among the sprites. “What business does a human and a dragon have here?”

“Following up on a curious case the sprites should be handling themselves,” the King said. “There was a corrupted treant that attacked a defenseless dryad. We stopped the treant and followed the scene of destruction to a desecrated field. It used to be a place for Loving Flowers of Purity.” He pointed back the way we came. “Just a few miles back that way.”

Ridge examined us for a long time. Her fellow sprites shifted uneasily while keeping their crossbows aimed at us. Then Ridge lowered her sword.

With a sigh, she said, “That is grave news to hear, adventurer. It is true we should be there to investigate. However, my orders have me staying close to our fort here.”

“If I may,” I interjected carefully. The sprites were more wary of me. After all, they only referred to the King as an adventurer. They didn’t really know our true identities, especially mine.

“The dragon wishes to speak,” Ridge said. “Speak.”

“Regardless of your orders, the Loving Flowers of Purity are an important product of the Charmed Forest. They are a contributing factor to allied good kingdoms holding campaigns against the Corrupted West. The corrupted treant targeted that area on purpose. This could’ve been stopped by you under normal circumstances. Isn’t it strange that the corrupted treant was given free reign to demolish an important product while you are ordered to stay close to your fort? Unable to defend the Charmed Forest properly?”

“Yup, everything he said,” King Jaden approved.

Ridge stared hard up at me as her people shifted uncomfortably even more. A few lowered their crossbows a little but not all the way. They still kept them up in my general vicinity, but at least they weren’t fingering the triggers anymore.

“It is all strange indeed,” Ridge said. “There has been much strangeness the past couple of weeks. Before we can speak further, I must know who you are.”

I was more eager to answer this than I should be. I supposed I could be shameless in my own way. “This is the Adventurer King, Jaden Soulrun. And I am his son, Alexander Soulrun.”

Ridge watched as if trying to discern truth from lies and realized my words were truthful. The sprite leader moved her sword to her back where it magically hovered in place. She performed a small bow. Instantly, her people followed her example, bowing a little before aiming their weapons away.

“It is an honor to have the Adventurer King and his son. Then I can be forthcoming with what I know,” Ridge said.

“Tell us what’s happening?” the King asked.

“Everything is strange at the fort. The soldiers act strange and stiff and unnatural. The Fort Commander acts the strangest, delivering confusing orders and keeping us close to the fort, blocking us from our standard operating procedures. This strangeness was small at first. But it has grown. I do not know who I can trust. I spend more time patrolling outside the walls while following the Fort Commander’s orders by staying close, but I wonder if I should confront the matter. Perhaps I should’ve done so earlier.”

“Oh, yeah, this is serious,” King Jaden said. “I need to get there to confirm. I don’t want to say what it is just yet in case I’m wrong. But if I’m right, prepare to fight for Queen Titania and all the Charmed Forest. Pure Evil is here inside your home.”

Ridge straightened like a proper soldier. Instantly, the sword was back in her hand and raised over her head. “I devote my life to the Fey Queen and all that is family and friends to her court. My devotion is trusted to you, Adventurer King. For this night, I lend you my sword and the swords of my soldiers if you will help us fulfill our duty.”

“Titania is cool with me. I have no problems helping her clean up in her backyard.”

“Then please lead us, Adventurer King.”

Just like that, we now had twelve sprite soldiers joining our party. I blinked in amazement at how fast the Adventurer King’s presence could turn suspicious actors into instant allies.

We moved quicker together. With the aid of the sprites, we were naturally coated under a nigh impenetrable veil of invisibility. I also gave half the sprites a ride on my back. They were small enough to fit. They reciprocated by magically bending branches and tree limbs out of my way. They guided us down a mystical path straight to the fort.

We came to a stop at the edge of the forest. A hundred yards separated us from the fortress walls, which were unlike a human encampment. The walls were made of magical tree growth that sprouted crowns of sharpened thorns and poisonous leaves. Thick and thorny brambles covered the grounds at the base of the forest-like walls. The rest of the grounds between the forest line and the fort walls were covered in high grass and wildflowers.

Ridge explained there were booby traps in those patches of high grass and wildflowers. The only ‘safe’ entrances were heavily watched on the north and south end of the fort. Sprites flew in strict circle patterns in the air. Others stood like statues at the southern gate we were now facing.

King Jaden drew in a deep breath. “Oh, yeah. There it is.”

“What is it, Adventurer King?” Ridge asked, standing beside the crouched man.

While we were under the cloak of invisibility, we could still see each other. We also had sound magic keeping our words contained.

King Jaden spoke freely. “It’s in the air. A dirty, oily, depraved funk. You aren’t experienced enough to know it. But I’ve been around it for a long time. Too long, really. So no matter how well it’s hidden …” He hissed out the next words with bitter emotion: “The smell of corruption makes my soul sour.”

I shivered. His intense hatred for our greatest enemy touched all of us.

It was times like these where the legends of heroes and villains faded to the background. The corruption was here in Queen Titania’s territory. While she wasn’t the friendlies of allies, she was still a force of allied good. Her territory had important products like the Loving Flowers of Purity only found in her lands.

Thus, it was in the Adventurer King’s and everyone else’s best interest to root out this large-scale operation of corruption. This was why Ridge turned over her squad’s allegiance to King Jaden for the night. For the sake of saving everyone’s lives, the rules separating us had to bend or turn liquid.

“Once I start, I will debuff the enemy heavily and reveal their true forms. You will also have a reliable 20% buff to all Attributes. That should help even the odds for you.” King Jaden started forward, leaving behind our bubble of security. “Stay out of the air. I’ll protect you from the backlashes better if you’re grounded. Round up whoever remains on our side and clear out the fort.”

“We must clear out all of the corrupted ones, yes?” Ridge asked with slight hesitation. The gravity of the situation was immense. Her former allies were in that fort.

I answered in the King’s stead with gentle certainty: “All corrupted must die. For there is no bringing them back. The corruption has eaten the core of them and turned them hollow. It will be … a mercy … to kill them.”

Ridge snapped her head around to look at me. She stared deep into my fiery eyes before nodding. Her face became a mask of duty and conviction. Her fellow sprites looked at her and firmed up their resolve.

King Jaden looked back at me and gave me an encouraging nod. I nodded in return and watched him become the greatest living legend.

His cheap leather armor switched out for resplendent silver and gold heavy plate armor with angelic accents. His frosty axe returned to his right hand. His left hand was suddenly occupied by a massive tower shield with the face of a laughing woman. He wore a helmet with a red-crusted crown fashioned to the top. Streaming magic extended from the back of his pauldrons as a mystical cape.

He was transformed from my father to the one known as Adventurer King and World Wonder, Royal Ruler of the Advenire Kingdom. Then he shot up into the air like a siege missile and erupted into a blazing light that turned night into day.

His voice boomed for all to hear, filling me with pride and thrill.

“AT EVERY BORDER!

“AT EVERY GATE AND EVERY FIELD!

“WE WILL FIND YOU AND BURN YOU TO THE ROOT!

“BEGONE FROM THESE GOOD LANDS, YOU CORRUPTED SCUM!”

His voice and presence was like the heroes of ages past. Allies of good couldn’t help but look up to him as he served as the closest representative of the Heavens. Despite all of his issues, I was very proud of him and his accomplishments to protect the people of Uroborus.

Of course, there were those who hated him for what he stood for.

Something horrifying screamed like hundreds of nails scraping down a wall. Flying up from the middle of the fort was a jagged dagger of corruption and darkness, piecing the middle of the light where the Adventurer King hovered. The resulting clash was explosive, ear-shattering, and nearly too destructive.

But true to his words, the Adventurer King’s powers reflected the booming force upward, punching through the heavy clouds and clearing the sky above. It was a marvelous sight. I was almost enraptured by it.

But I had my own duty.

“Onward! Strike into the heart of corruption!” I shouted, finding the same courage I’ve read about for years. Without further hesitation, I lunged forward and took the lead.

For a few seconds.

Then Ridge rushed forward and stabbed her sword into the ground in front of us. She parted the field – which I had forgotten was booby trapped – and laid out a stone road for me to run across. Sprites shot their crossbows from atop my back. The others followed behind my tail with needle-thin swords drawn.

I ran into the nearest corrupted soldiers on the trail leading to the southern gate. They were forced out of their disguises to wear their true malignant and corrupted forms, making them easy to identify.

My forepaws crashed down on them, slamming them into the barren earth. My jaws sought the next one, clamping over their head, tasting the disgusting oil-slick flavor of corruption oozing out of their rotten bodies.

Even with the enemy suffering deliberating debuffs while I enjoyed having a buff, I couldn’t kill the stronger ones right away. Their armor was tough, and the ones in the Level 40s or 50s or higher were too strong for me.

I thrashed them and shook them up anyway. I left them battered and torn before being slain in truth by the sprites behind me.

Ridge helped by taking the front with her sword. She chopped former allies into pieces with heavy swings. She was stronger than her three-foot height would suggest, ignoring some of the natural and magical laws of being a sprite. The system tailored her to be unique: a compact juggernaut.

Her attacks generated so much force she cleaved three corrupted sprites with one swing and sent their body parts and hacked apart armor flying away. She performed the same to the next enemies, and the next after that.

I followed her up with my Swipe skill and landed more grievous injuries with my claws. I managed to get a kill with a more tricky Swipe using my teeth in a quick snapping motion – something I wouldn’t have tried without father’s tutelage.

I took the head of a corrupted sprite clean from its shoulders. The blood mixed with the corruption tasted greasy on my tongue. I spat the awful head away.

The gate stood before us, blocking our way. Far above our heads was a clash between demigods. Each impact was fast and loud, thundering constantly, shaking the air with titanic aftershocks that were mainly sent upward to protect us weaker mortals.

The corrupted sprites that made the mistake of going airborne were annihilated. This protected our desperate party from aerial strikes.

That mattered little if we stayed outside the gate with the door down. It was massive, thick, and made with magic that could outlast an enchanted ram. Since we couldn’t go up and over, the only way in was through.

Ridge planted herself in front of the gate and cocked back her sword. Her magic swirled around her with a dusty brown aura. Pieces of the earth flew up from the ground and combined with her sword. More and more pieces of rock and earth fused with the sword, increasing its frame to something even bigger than what a human could handle. It looked mighty and capable, like a giant’s sword in the hands of a three-foot woman.

I didn’t think it was enough to break down the door, however.

I shook my fellow sprites off my back and used Shift Between. I never knew six seconds could feel like an eternity until I found myself in a vulnerable state in the middle of a battle. I had to trust these miniature strangers to cover me as I shrank, formed new appendages, and gained access to a spell that was only available to one specific form.

I sighed in relief when I exited the magical flames with my wings of Heavens and Hells flapping in the wake. A few of my party members looked  in awe of me before getting snapped at by their colleagues. They continued shooting crossbow bolts at the wall defenders above, covering me and Ridge. By then, Ridge was prepared to swing her giant rock sword.

I pushed my hand forward, gathered up as much mana inside me as quickly as I could, and said the magic words, “Tip the Scales.”

My gathered mana disappeared into the void and time slowed down around me, freezing everything like the perfect illustration. In my mind’s eye, I traveled a great distance to witness a personal space owned by me. My lair. My hoard.

I watched a portion of it disappear, gold coins and shiny gems alike. I held back a cry of horror. I fought through the dragon pain of loss and focused on a new sensation forming in my mind’s eye.

My attention snapped back to my current surroundings. I saw the shape of a balancing scale hovering over Ridge’s head, my intended target.

I ignored the pain in my heart and poured the sacrificed portion of my treasure on the side favoring Ridge. The Scale tipped downward heavily, accepting the payment and promising an outcome of worth.

I knew this to be true just like I understood the capabilities of the spell. I wouldn’t be able to use it again for the rest of the night and some time longer than that. As time resumed its forward progress, I was already thinking of using Shift Between once the cooldown was up.

My logical thoughts in this frantic fight took a pause as I watched the glorious results of my sacrifice. As impressive as Ridge seemed to be, she would’ve struggled to bash through the gate. We would have been deeply accosted by the corrupted attackers on the walls.

Now that she had the Scales tipped in her favor, she swung for a mighty critical hit and blasted through the door. It flew inward in high speed chunks and deadly sprays of splinters, tearing apart the corrupted soldiers gathered on the other side.

Still running strong with the Scales in her favor, Ridge jumped through the shattered frame of the gate. She held her massive stone sword high over her little head. Then she brought down the giant rock sword on the still living corrupted who were too slow to maneuver away.

The sword struck twice.

Firstly, it crushed everything beneath it with its great, booming slam.

Secondly, it exploded.

Flying rock shrapnel turned the nearest enemies into mists of dark blood, flesh giblets, bone shards, and oil drips of corruption. Ridge’s fellow allies remained safe in a cone-shaped area behind her. I had plenty of time to use Shift Between again and resume the fight in my dragon form.

“For Queen Titania and the Fey Court! For the Charmed Forest and all of Uroborus! On me, my soldiers! We will fight until the end!” Ridge shouted, thrusting her sword up. She rose several yards on a platform of rock amid the haze of blood and corruption. She stood out like a beacon to all who needed to hear her.

To my surprise, there were still a good number of allied sprites in the fort. Some were injured. Others had been hiding. Many had already been engaged in fights against their corrupted brethren. They rushed toward us upon hearing Ridge’s voice.

Our allied numbers swelled quickly as we held a breach point inside the southern gate. When our numbers swelled to over sixty, half of us pushed forward to sweep through the fort and gather more capable allies or send the injured to the southern gate.

I was among that forward half, using my bulk to crash through the enemy and lay into them with burps of fire and Swipes of my claws and teeth. I had two charges of Lightning Pulse prepared. I used  them quickly, frying the tougher corrupted that wouldn’t stay down from my physical attacks. I defeated a few enemies on my own with magic and brutality. I played my main role of a giant fiery reptile crashing about.

It was a chaotic, messy, bloody, and horrid process. I carried many wounds. A few of my injuries forced me to limp as my blood mixed with others. I kept going, staying close to Ridge. As long as she fought, I fought, too.

I could feel the taint of corruption trying to turn me. I refused it, leaning on my dragon arrogance and the good blood of my father coursing through my veins.

I felt more alive than ever in the chaos of battle. It was as if something awakened inside of me. Something that was meant to fight, regardless of the battle being big or small. My only complaint was my lack of tools.

If only I had more wizardry under my belt. Ripping apart the enemy with claws and teeth was not as satisfying as electrocuting them with a spell. Nonetheless, I did my part, fighting alongside new friends as my father fought the hardest battle above.

***

Morning arrived.

Our victory was set.

Of the five hundred sprites stationed at this fort, only one hundred twenty-two survived.

King Jaden had won his fight with the corrupted leader before we finished ours. He helped us quarantine the area so no corrupted escaped.

Ridge was able to account for every personnel, alive or dead. When the numbers matched up with prior reports, the Adventurer King returned all power of responsibility and duty to Ridge, which made her acting Fort Commander and person in charge of this section of the Charmed Forest.

King Jaden and I found a clean lot near some stables for us to rest. I had plenty of potions gifted from the sprites running their course through my body, mending my wounds and clearing out the taint of corruption. I was still a carved up mess, but less so compared to before.

I lay on my belly with my head on my forepaws while Father sat back on sacks of food stuff. He was back to wearing his simple leathers while rubbing his left side. With Ridge and the other sprites busy cleaning up the fort and processing the events, I watched my father slouch slightly and look paler and weaker than expected.

“What is wrong, Father?” I asked.

He looked at me silently for a stretch. Then he sighed. “That was an epic agent of corruption.”

“You are a legend. An epic enemy should be far beneath you, yes?”

“Yeah, he should be. I didn’t push too hard. I focused more on wearing him down and providing you, Ridge, and everyone support. But there were some difficulties I’m not too proud of.”

I opened and closed my mouth, hesitant to dig further. My concern for him was sharp. “Is there something wrong?”

He sighed heavily. “I’m … cursed, Alexander. It’s something I got from an enemy out there in the last campaign. It’s a powerful hex of consistent corruption. More powerful and sticky than anything ever seen.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “Surely the heavens have a solution. You bear their godsent Class, World Wonder. That’s supposed to help in these cases.”

“For this once, the heavens don’t have a direct power to repel it. The Scales are tipped against me here.”

“Is there really no solution?”

“That’s the funny part. The solution is the simplest one. But the most cruel.”

I watched him. He smiled impishly at a dark joke he only knew. When the suspense was almost too much for me, he let it out.

“The solution is for me to take three years off. Maybe more.” The King chuckled darkly. “All I need to cure it is to rest. Be home. Live a little. Avoid further fighting, or that will feed it. Then the curse will grow stronger. And so will the debuff against my system and magic.”

I shook my head. I’d never heard of a curse like that. At least there was a simple solution. My initial reaction was to tell him to rest … then I thought about it further.

I realized how horrible the implications were.

The Adventurer King couldn’t rest for three years. He was the pivotal piece to our successes in the western campaigns. Last night was one battle of thousands that ran similarly. An outnumbered group of allies against a horde of corrupted monsters. It would have been impossible to win without him.

The Adventurer King was both the leading fighter and a supportive piece that empowered our allies and weakened our enemies in this forever war against corruption. To have him away from the campaigns for more than a year … for three of them … it would be devastating.

King Jaden laughed. “You see now, boy. I am doomed.”

“No.” I shook my head at him.

“Don’t worry too much about it. For this year, I’ll be here mostly. Catching up on lost time with you. I’ll head back to the kingdom to check up on things there periodically. But I really do want to spend more time with you.”

I had no response to that. I was angry with him. I could tell he was doing this because he had no intention of resting for more than a year.

The next campaign could be his last if he was caught weakened against a legendary enemy. If not the next campaign, it could happen any year down the line as he grew weaker and weaker. As long as he refused to rest, his fate was sealed.

It was not fair. We needed him to lead us. But he needed to rest. It was not fair.

I wanted to argue with him. His life was more important.

But I looked at his face and realized he was bracing himself. He was prepared to take my anger. He didn’t have to. He was the King. He could tell me to shut up. But he was not that type of man.

“I … I leveled up a lot, Father,” I said, changing the subject. It was an olive branch.

He perked up. He was almost too easy. I should indulge him more, honestly.

“How many times?” he asked.

I swallowed as I pulled up the notifications. I could still hardly believe my gains as I said them aloud.

[You’ve defeated Corrupted Monsters - Level 30 to 37! Experience gained!]

[You’ve helped against Corrupted Monsters - Level 30 to 68! Experience gained!]

[You’ve helped the Advenire King in a battle against the Corrupted! Experience gained!]

[You’ve leveled up Dragon Halfborn from Level 5 to 10! Free stats gained!]

[You’ve gained a New Skill: Devour (Common)! Congratulations!]

[You’ve gained recognition for a Spell: Rock Blast. Congratulations!]

After a short pause to let my gains sink in, I furrowed my scaly brow and spoke with the proper indignation. “Am I supposed to be a mindless beast? Why are my new skills so basic? Well, nevermind that. The spell feels unearned. I believe it belongs to Ridge. She used it in an impressive fashion to set our breach point at the gate.”

“Imagine how impressive you’ll be when you use it.” The King chuckled in my direction. “In fact, maybe Tip the Scales isn’t your only cheat. You can just learn spells in the heat of the moment, huh? That doesn’t sound like a studious wizard.”

“Bah! I am a very studious wizard. The most studious in the world, perhaps. I won’t rely on cheaply given powers without thorough learning. You’ll see!”

I was being dramatic of course, but my father seemed to appreciate it. We sniped and bantered with each other until Ridge came around to thank us some more.

I was tempted to shake her loose for the treasure I lost, but I held back. I was more interested in having goodwill with the major fey court and having my name spread in their circles. I sensed a good reputation would pay more dividends than receiving payment upfront.

Besides, despite my issues with my new skill, new spell, and shrunken hoard, I was quite happy. I was seven levels higher than when I woke up yesterday.

It took me ten days to get from Level 1 to Level 3.

Then the corrupted treant happened followed by the appearance of my father. In the past twenty-four hours, I reached Level 10.

I wouldn’t level up this fast again in a long time, if ever, unless there were more corrupted operations in the area. So it was a good feeling to have, knowing I was much stronger now and had new abilities.

But as good as that feeling was, I couldn’t deny the concern I had for my father. He was unwell. He needed to rest for a few years to be cured. But Uroboros couldn’t afford him the time.

If only … I was strong enough to help him on his campaigns. Or smart enough to find a solution to the curse. Or brave enough to take the kingdom and transform it. Nobody should rely on one man constantly.

Why do we rely on him so much in the first place? Aren’t there plans to relieve the burden on the king?

Maybe these thoughts were all wishful thinking on my part. The dreams of a child who pretended to be more mature than he let on.

Or maybe I should buckle down and make the next couple of years count. If I could dream, I could work.

I could get stronger. Get smarter. Get involved regardless of my reputation as the son of Tiamat.

I was capable enough, wasn’t I? I could make a difference if I wanted, right?

“Are you ready to pick up Rocky and Pinea?” Father asked.

I gave him a dragon smile and stood up. Then I dipped to the side and offered him my back. “Let’s go.”

He had a flying ability of his own. But the joy on his face was too precious to deny.

He hopped on. I straightened. I bid Ridge and her people a farewell for now and took off  with a big flap of my wings.

The morning light shone radiantly on us as we swooped through the air. The wind roared around us as I flew faster. My father cheered from my back as if he was my age.

It made me happy to hear him have fun.

There was a lot to do. My ambitions were stroking a fire inside of me. But for now, I wanted to take advantage of having family around for an extended stay.

It was starting to dawn on me that family mattered a lot to me. A lot, a lot. That included my dastardly mother. Even if I hated her most days, I still respected her. And … more.

Family mattered. If my efforts were for them, I would forge a path above the masses and hold strong against the powers that be above. I would change the world to be a better place … and add more treasures for our hoards. Because more treasure and bigger hoards was always a plus.

End of Arc 1: The Tutorial of Alexander the Dragon