Chapter 329 - Dragonling: Round Two

A/N - I've been editing and revising previous chapters in anticipation of finally publishing the story through Mango Media. I don't have a definitive date for anything at this time, but there will be an e-book release coming in the near future. The main points of the story will remain the same, but my revisions will contain some differences from what you've all read in the past. For instance, Chapter 3 finally got that re-write (lol). I'll let everyone know more when I get the information.

Reivyn walked into the commanding general’s office at the invitation from his aide. He had a stack of reports under his arm, detailing the operation led by Teilon. Reivyn had summarized the reports, but he included copies of everything in case the general wanted to read them or have them available for any reason. Paperwork was annoying, but there was good to be thorough. The paperwork existed for a reason.

“Ahh, Major Reivyn,” The commanding general motioned Reivyn forward with a smile. “Have a seat.” He waited for Reivyn to place the documents down on his desk and pull forward one of the chairs closer for his seat. “I heard that you think you might have figured out the overall purpose for these invasions?”

Reivyn was unsurprised the older man had heard rumors of what Reivyn had said the previous day. He hadn’t been keeping quiet or trying to maintain it as a secret. Such a statement was bound to make its way to the ears of the men and women at the top.

“Sort of,” Reivyn nodded his head. “Like, I don’t know why they’re doing it, but I think I’ve figured out the what. The invaders are siphoning the Providence of the Regions away for some purpose. From what I can gather, they have to be in control of or pose significant risk or pressure on an area to be able to drain the Providence, which is why they’re invading.”

“Providence, huh? The way you speak about it means you’re not talking about some abstract concept of fate, but something concrete?”

“That’s right. I’ve received System notifications specifically talking about Providence before, and I’ve seen this same thing in another Region I deployed to. We can’t feel it up here, but I’m sure you’ve seen reports of others mentioning the ambient Mana being drawn towards the enemy lines?” The general nodded his head. “The same thing happened in Vairo, and the System explicitly called it Providence.”

“So they’re stealing the fortune, or fate, or whatever, of the Regions they’re invading?” The general asked to clarify.

“Yes, but I don’t think it’s permanent,” Reivyn said. “I’ve accidentally absorbed the Providence contained within a Dungeon before, and the System gave it a timer to repair itself, so I assume it’s not a finite resource.”

“That doesn’t make it any better that they’re stealing ours,” the general frowned.

“Oh, no sir, that’s not what I was implying. I was just pointing out that whatever detrimental effects occur due to their actions aren’t likely to last forever.”

“Either way, this is important information to share with the emperor, no, with everyone. I’m sure there are some scholarly works somewhere in the Realm that delve into the topic. I’ll send a message to the emperor immediately.”

“If I may, I would recommend sending a message to the Adventurer’s Guild, too. They have branches everywhere, including in the Upper Regions. We should also probably see if we can find anyone with contacts with any of the hidden Sects of the Upper Regions.”

“Hidden Sects?” The general looked taken aback.

“Oh, I guess not everyone knows about the Sects,” Reivyn chuckled. “It’s not really a secret, but there are enclaves located in pocket dimensions in the Upper Regions where people live. It’s not entirely barren of human civilization like most people believe. I’ve met a couple of Cultivators from one such Sect, though I don’t have a way to contact them.”

“I’m sure someone will if we spread the news through the various empires and Adventurer Guild,” the general commented.

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Is that information included in one of these reports?” The general looked at the stack of documents with interest.

“It’s in the summary on top, sir,” Reivyn nodded his head.

The general picked up the paper in question and quickly read through it. He nodded his head to himself a few times while perusing the report. After reading the paper, he pressed a button on his desk and the front door opened, the Aide stepping inside.

“Corlen, take this report and send the information about Providence to the capital, highest priority.” The Aide quickly accepted the paper held out to him.

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, how about the rest of the report…”

Reivyn spent the rest of the morning going over the details of Teilon’s expedition and his thoughts on moving forward with the Special Unit.

—

Reivyn led his Party through the depths of the Skill Dungeon, taking the lead. Now that he was fully healed, he was going to take a more assertive role in their “fight” against the Dragonling. His Protection Prodigy Skill had most recently broken through the final threshold before Level 100. He was determined to get as much improvement for the Skill as he could. If he could get a Transcendent defensive Skill to go along with his Weapons Master and Magic Prodigy, he would see a qualitative improvement to his combat capabilities.

The robed powerhouse on the invader’s side hadn’t taken their fight seriously, matching Reivyn’s pure swordsmanship with his own and not using any Skills or his much higher Stats right away, but he couldn’t assume that would always be the case. Just based on what he’d seen from previous powerhouses and from their previous encounter, Reivyn knew he wouldn’t be able to defeat the man in a true fight. He might not be able to beat him even with his father assisting. A Transcendent defensive Skill would go a long way to bridge the gap.

Most people focused on their offensive Skills more than their defensive ones, and it made sense to Reivyn. Even he was much further along with his Weapons Master Skill than his Protection Prodigy. There was the difference in one being much more active versus passive, so that was a factor to consider.

That being said, though, with his increasing Skill Level, Reivyn knew there were different things he could actively do instead of just dodging: positioning his body properly to take blows on armor, turning powerful impacts into glancing blows, directing fatal strikes to less debilitating wounds. The active parts of defending involved moving his body, and his ability to control his body as a weapon through his Weapons Master Skill should translate towards helping with that. Add on the incredible gains they could see through sparring with the Dragonling, Reivyn had hopes that he would achieve Transcendence before the deployment was over.

The Party stepped foot into the boss room once more, the Dragonling having reset. Reivyn was in front, fully armored and equipped with a sword and shield. Kimberly and Refix were positioned to either side of him. Serilla wasn’t really a vanguard type despite being a close-quarters combatant, so she was a bit back with Teilon. Ameliyn and Kefira brought up the rear to finish out their formation.

The Dragonling lifted its head at the intrusion of the Party. It quickly scanned each member, dismissing them all to focus on Reivyn like last time.

“You recognize me, Haman,” the Dragonling said. “I can see it in your posture. In your expression.”

Reivyn nodded his head.

“That’s right,” he said. Reivyn wouldn’t miss the chance to converse with the shade if it was willing to speak. It had hinted at possessing unknown knowledge the last time they had delved the Dungeon.

“How many times have we met, then?” The Dragonling queried.

“This is only the second time,” Reivyn answered.

“Such a thing, to have met and have no recollection of it,” the Dragonling mused. “The System is quite distasteful, is it not? Oh, well I suppose to one such as you, it wouldn’t be, then, would it?” The Dragonling said the word “System” with clear disdain.

“One such as I?” Reivyn asked.

“A Haman. Your kind brought the System with you, unsatisfied until you could control everything around you, the very nature of existence itself included. Bending the fabric of reality to your will and whims.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, at all. The System has always existed. It’s been around for millions of years.”

“‘Millions of years…’” The Dragonling’s eyes narrowed. “Are you using me for a history lesson, Haman?”

Reivyn shrugged.

“You offered all on your own. I haven’t asked you anything.”

“Hmm.. You speak true. I have nothing against teaching you more, but you have to earn it!”

With that the Dragonling dashed forward, brandishing its giant sword once more. Reivyn dashed forward to meet the charge. He knew that he couldn’t win in a pure contest of strength, but he could also tell the Dragonling wasn’t putting its all into the swing.

It was a devastating swing, obviously, but not to the point Reivyn couldn’t withstand it. If the Dragonling had wanted to, Reivyn was sure he could have been blasted across the room. He lifted his shield, angling it with the assistance of the knowledge from his Skill to cause the blow to glance across the face of the shield instead of plowing straight into it.

The blow landed, and vibrations rattled through Reivyn, traveling from his arm up to his shoulder before dispersing throughout his body. He had failed to catch the perfect angle, and he was punished for it. It was less than if he had tried to take the strike head on, but still not ideal.

Instead of being knocked back, Reivyn was only slightly jarred. He swung his own sword forward, fully utilizing his True Hit Ability, though the Dragonling easily closed the path toward a strike Reivyn had perceived while simultaneously engaging Kimberly who had rushed up beside him.

Reivyn could practically feel the Dragonling assess each of his Party members and determine their fighting styles and abilities at a glance. It seamlessly moved into a stance like the last time, countering each of their attacks while adopting a similar fighting style to deal with each individual. Seven different styles for seven different attackers all at once, all joined together as one.

If Reivyn wasn’t in the middle of a battle, he would be enthralled by the sight. Maybe when he came back to help the local soldiers improve their Skills with added time to the fight he could find a chance to observe more than participate. He didn’t know if the Dragonling would allow such a thing.

The Dragonling’s attitude was strange to Reivyn. Despite it recognizing Reivyn as having Dragon Essence in his Bloodline - and it’s kind of strange he doesn’t notice anything in either mom or dad - that obviously wasn’t the cause of its sparring-like battle. Everyone who delved the Dungeon encountered a Dragonling that practiced more than fought against them.

It’s almost as if it’s trying to train those delving the Dungeons to defeat it properly, not through brute force, Reivyn thought. He was fully focused on the battle, but surface thoughts could still peek through his subconscious without distracting him. Maybe it has something to do with the Providence of the Dungeon?

The thought was like electricity striking him. It made perfect sense to him. With the discussion of Providence coming up in regards to the invaders, the topic was right there to pick up. The Dragonling had practically stated as much in their first fight that it was seeking an end to its Shade existence. Killing it obviously wouldn’t be enough to end it. It would need the energy of the Dungeon itself to be drained.

There must be some sort of System-imposed gimmick that will allow for a reward of Providence. Stealing the Providence last time was an accident… or was it?

The revelation didn’t change anything about the current fight, though. Reivyn doubled down his efforts to learn as much as he could from the humanoid Dragon creature. The pace of the fight was much too fast to think about, so Reivyn had to feel it with his body as they moved about.

Kimberly was a dancer with her polearm. Refix was a storm of steel and ethereal weapons. Serilla was a stoic blade. Teilon was a shadow snaking about in the background. Ameliyn and Kefira were long-range artillery, blasting the Dragonling over and over while fending off counter-spells.

Reivyn was a tower. A bastion. He could move with fluidity, but he was also a stable rock. Just like how the Dragonling wasn’t moving an inch from the combined efforts of the Party, Reivyn was slowly pulling his movements closer and closer together, avoiding and deflecting attacks with tighter and tighter movements.

He adjusted his stance, his shield, and his posture as blows came in, letting the reverberations of the strikes guide him in refining his Skill. The longer the fight went on, the deeper Reivyn sunk into a trance.

Reivyn started noticing different aspects to the way the Dragonling fought. It was like it treated it’s various body parts as separate units, all working together for a higher purpose.

Just like small-unit tactics, Reivyn realized. The Dragonling itself is the commander, and each of his different body parts are different squads, doing their own thing but supporting each other overall.

The realization made perfect sense to Reivyn. He had Ambidexterity, so he could already use both his arms and hands separately. It wasn’t one of his highest Skills, so it wasn’t perfect, but it was sitting at a decent Level 33, past the first threshold. He had a long way to go to be able to perfectly use his left and right perfectly, independently of each other, but he was already started down that path.

The mental shift in how Reivyn viewed the way the Dragonling fought inspired Reivyn. He dug into his Ambidexterity Skill and started operating his sword and shield more independently of each other, but with the goal of ultimately working toward the same goal. He added more feints and bashes with his shield, and he incorporated more parries to cover for it when it was slightly out of place.

That’s not enough, though.

Reivyn’s entire body was a weapon. Why wasn’t he using his legs for anything other than adjusting his positioning and stance? The Dragonling struck, Reivyn swatted it with his shield, parrying the reciprocal swipe, and then brought his knee up slam into the Dragonling’s unprotected forearm.

The Dragonling’s eyes flashed as it zeroed it’s focus in on Reivyn. There was a palpable shift in the atmosphere. The Dragonling took a step back, roared, and an explosion of Mana pushed everyone back and away except for Reivyn. A barrier sprung up, preventing any Spells from Ameliyn or Kefira from penetrating it.

Reivyn was one-on-one against the Dragonling. The giant lizard dashed forward, it’s entire body a maelstrom of blows. Reivyn danced, weaved, stomped, jumped, bashed, and parried. The Dragonling swiped both arms one after the other, so fast it was almost at the same time, having dropped its greatsword for its natural weapons. It’s tail came slicing through from an unpredictable angle right after, followed by it snapping its jaws forward. The tail slammed into the ground, momentarily supporting its weight, and the claws of its feet rushed in from beneath Reivyn’s normal perception.

If Reivyn didn’t have Divine Sense, he wouldn’t have noticed any of the attacks other than the initial claw swipes.

Reivyn sunk further into his trance, allowing his body to feel the rhythm of the fight. He blocked and parried the claw swipes. His head turned to the side ever so slightly, avoiding the jaws, his body swirled with the motion of his head, turning the piercing strike of the tail into a graze across his armored chest. He dropped to the ground, his shield hand holding him up as he swept his feet under the attack of the Dragonling’s feet. The feet of the Dragonling sailed over Reivyn’s body as he contorted in a way to evade the strikes.

While his body was still spinning, Reivyn’s leg hooked up and clipped the ankle of the Dragonling, knocking it slightly off balance as it put its weight back on its feet. Reivyn completed the twirl, using his momentum to bring his sword whistling around to slice into the side of the Dragonling.

The sword came to a halt against the Dragonling’s scales, unable to slash through the protective barrier, but the location of the strike was just below the ribs of the creature, a killing blow for anything lesser without the hard scales of the Dragonling. The Dragonling stopped and looked down at the sword pressed into his side. Everything came to a halt as the two stood unmoving.

The Dragonling looked up, its maw twitching in what Reivyn perceived as a smirk.

“Good,” it declared. “But the fight isn’t over. Let us resume.”

The barrier came down, and the others rushed forward as the Dragonling summoned the greatsword back into its grasp. It once more launched itself at Reivyn and the others.

The fight looked like it was the same as before. On the surface. But Reivyn felt a fundamental shift in the combat. He could more easily grasp the way not only the Dragonling moved, but also how his Party members moved and fit into the overall flow of the battle. Reivyn’s body was more in tune with the flow of the battle. It was almost like he was dancing to an unheard song.

The fight continued. Everyone’s Stamina eventually started to flag, sweat dripping from everyone’s brows as they panted with exertion. They were able to maintain their intensity far beyond what others could accomplish, and the Dragonling continued to press them.

Eventually, the Dragonling leaped back. Everyone piled into a line behind Reivyn as he raised his shield, bracing for the Dragon Breath attack, but it never came. After standing ready for several seconds, Reivyn finally leaned to the side to peek around his shield at the Dragonling.

“I told you I would be willing to answer some questions,” it said. “Usually, I would summon the last of my Essence to unleash a final attack at this point, but you’ve earned a different ending this time.

“I have a few minutes to spare before I fade away. Come. Ask your questions.”