TS6 - Chapter 14

"Guard the room," Thorn said, as he stepped into the Great Forge.

As soon as they appeared, Velin stepped forward, placing a hand on Mina's arm.

"I'm really okay," Mina protested, as Thorn put her down. "It's just a bit of backlash. The thread of fate that I was holding snapped. I'll really be fine."

In response, Velin grabbed a long strand of dull gray hair that appeared among Mina's normally vibrant red curls.

"This doesn't look okay to me," she said, as she began to infuse life force into Mina.

"Can you explain what happened?" Thorn asked, his expression grim, wiping the remnants of blood from her nose.

Mina nodded, her expression easing as she regained the life force that had been stripped away.

"I saw everything up until the point the Arbiter appeared," she said. "Everything went exactly as I predicted, but what was supposed to happen was Thorn was supposed to land his strike, and that dragon, Maserek, was supposed to retreat, allowing us to eliminate Moriphon and Quetzalten."

"What happened instead?" Velin asked, her forehead furrowing as she continued to pump more healing energy into Mina.

"Instead, the Arbiter appeared and blocked my strike, before telling the dragon that he wasn't allowed to show up with his real body. Maserek threatened to come find me, and then grabbed Moriphon and Quetzalten before leaving,” Thorn said.

"And you just watched them go?" Velin asked, shooting a glance at Thorn.

With a sigh, Thorn nodded.

"Yes, I didn't know whether the Arbiter would stop me, so I thought it better to just let it be. But what I want to know is why did the Arbiter step in? We already knew the outcome of the fight."

"Just because you knew the outcome of the fight doesn't mean the Arbiter did," Velin said. "You already admitted that your strike would have only wounded Maserek, and the Arbiter probably knew that as well."

"You think the Arbiter was worried that wounding Maserek would manifest his real body on the battlefield?"

"It's a reasonable thought," Velin said, lowering her hands, as the white glow around them faded. "I mean, think about it from his position. Based on what he said, we can assume his goal was simply to keep the dragon from manifesting himself on the battlefield. In which case, him stopping the fight before it even started was the most fair thing. I mean, if you had wounded Maserek, and then the Arbiter had arrived, the dragon could have complained that things were unfair, since you got in an extra hit."

"That makes a frustrating amount of sense," Thorn said, with a sigh. "It'd be really nice to know what parameters the Arbiter operates under."

"Whatever parameters they are," Eve said, materializing next to Thorn. "He clearly likes fluffy animals."

"That's true," Thorn said, smiling. "He gave Akira a snack.”

“If that’s the case, it doesn't seem like he's an enemy," Velin said, helping Mina to her feet.

"No, but I do wish he would have let me try and chop that dragon's head off."

"Thank you," Mina said to Velin. "I feel much better now."

"Good. Well, come on," Thorn said. "We don't want to waste any time. The governor should have succeeded in driving off the dragonkin army, so it's about time we headed for the capital."

Unfortunately, the fight was still ongoing as Thorn and Mina stepped out of the Great Forge. They didn't join the assault on the Dragonkin army, instead opting to watch from the wall as the enemy was driven back. With their leaders gone, the Dragonkin were attempting an orderly retreat, but the forces of the temple drove them hard, causing their morale to fall even further.

It was close to midnight when Governor Orson finally came to find Thorn and Mina, joining them at a table in the large mess hall where the soldiers typically ate. His armor was dented and grimy, and there were more than a few patches of dried blood on his gauntlets and breastplate. Still, he looked quite pleased, if exhausted, and when he sat down, he did so with a happy sigh.

"That may have been the first time we've managed to drive back a Dragonkin force without excessive casualties," he said. "Dragonkin typically never move unless they have absolute advantage, but they sure did underestimate us this time."

"Not us," Temple Head Keeley said, taking a seat next to the governor, "Ascendant Thorn."

"That's true," Governor Orson gave Thorn an appreciative nod. "If it weren't for you and your attendant here, we'd have likely seen the wall breached. Who knows how many casualties we would have had."

"Well, I'm glad I could help," Thorn said.

A few of the mess hall staff put large trays of food on the table, and Thorn pushed one of them toward the governor and Temple Head.

"Take what you want," he said.

There were already a few empty trays stacked next to Thorn, and Governor Orson eyed them as one of the servers picked them up to take them away. Shaking his head, he looked at Thorn.

"I know you're eager to leave and head toward the capital, but unfortunately, I don't think we'll be able to activate the gate until tomorrow afternoon. We have to make sure that there isn't going to be another attack, which means pushing the dragon kin back far enough that they won't be able to turn around and make it back to the city before our defenses recharge. The other ascendants are going to be staying here for a while, though, so we shouldn't have to worry about defense. And since the Arbiter has his eye on the situation, we shouldn't have to worry about any dragons showing up. Our hope is to continue pushing the enemy back for the rest of the night, chasing them completely out of the mountain range. Once we do that, I'll be able to start powering up the gate for transfer."

"When you do go, I'd like to request to come with you," Keely said. "It would be good to report on what's happening to the temple. This sort of movement from the dragon empire is highly unusual, and I would like to be able to make the report in person. Plus, I can show you around the capital, introducing you to everything you need to know."

Sharing a glance with Mina, Thorn nodded.

"We would appreciate that. I'm not sure how long we'll stay there, but it would be good to have someone who knows the ropes. I'm not yet very well versed in how the temple operates."

"That's right," Governor Orson said, grabbing a roll. "According to the rumors, you're relatively new to the temple."

"Not rumors," Thorn replied, "the truth. I was only discovered and recruited a couple of years ago, less than that even. There's been a pretty steep learning curve."

"Well, you seem to have the ‘hitting things really hard’ part down just fine," Keely chuckled, "and that's at least 80% of it."

As they were chatting, the door opened and Ascendant Vor entered with a few of her attendants, waving them to a table. She headed for where Thorn sat, greeting everyone as she sat next to him and started digging in.

"How are things going out there?" Governor Orson asked, pausing between bites.

Ascendant Vor smiled, "Surprisingly well. There's next to no resistance. The Dragonkin are in full rout. I imagine over the next few hours, we'll see them all the way out of the mountain range."

"That's good news. Thank you for your hard work."

"Oh, this is easy," Ascendant Vor said, as she shoved a piece of meat in her mouth. "All of the credit belongs to Ascendant Thorn." She quickly chewed the meat and swallowed it before turning to stare at the titan next door. "Did I hear that dragon say that you're a dragon slayer?" She asked.

"Yes," Thorn admitted, rubbing the back of his head. He wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to tell people or not, and so had never advertised the fact. But now that the cat was out of the bag, he was pretty sure it would be impossible to put it back in. He had already displayed his dragon killer status in Cloud Treader City, and now to have it confirmed by Maserek meant that whatever rumors had already existed would become the ironclad truth, whether he liked it or not.

"How do you even do that?" Ascendant Vor asked. "I thought dragons were immortal."

"Immortal is a relative term," Thorn replied. "The conditions were particularly advantageous, and will probably be impossible to replicate, at least anytime soon."

"Phew. Well, that is quite the achievement, but I can't say that I envy you. As soon as word spreads, you're going to have a lot of trouble."

"But it's not all bad," Keely interjected. "After all, if you're drawing the ire of the Dragonkin, then the temple will undoubtedly give you their full support. After all, dragon killers are incredibly rare, and having one as a member of the temple will be really good for our reputation."

"Are they really that rare?" Thorn asked. "Surely dragons have died before."

"Oh, they have," Governor Orson said, leaning forward. "But I think the last confirmed dragonslayer lived close to ten thousand years ago."

"What about the Lone Wanderer," Ascendant Vor asked. "Hasn't he killed a dragon?"

"Well, yes. Multiple, if reports are to be believed," Governor Orson replied. "But people at his level simply don't count. I'm sure there are aspects who have slain dragons as well, but that's a level of power beyond comprehension."

"What makes dragons so hard to kill?" Mina asked. "I mean, I know that their bodies are tough, and that their mana is strong. But as long as you hit them hard enough, they should die like everybody else, right?"

"No, unfortunately," Keely said, shaking her head. "Dragons are a particularly strange existence. They're not born in the same way that normal beings are born. And while they can have offspring, they never have pure dragon offspring. No, rather, they just sort of appear, I guess, a bit like aspects. They're manifested from some part of the world, but it's always negative. And it's what gives them their twisted personalities. The thing that makes them so hard to kill is that, just like an aspect, their souls are imbued with some sort of principle or constant. And as long as that constant remains, their soul will remain as well. In order to kill them, you have to be able to destroy their soul, which, unless you are at the level of an aspect, is practically impossible. The best you can do is wipe out their body. But given enough time, that'll just reform."

"You know, some people have suggested that you could trap them," Governor Orson said. "But anybody who dabbles in soul research typically ends up suffering a gruesome fate, as the souls of us mortal races simply aren't strong enough."

"Speaking of which, how did you kill that dragon?" Ascendant Vor asked, her eyes shining as she stared up at Thorn.

Not liking the look in her eyes, Mina spoke before Thorn could, her tone chilly.

"He just cut the thing in half," she said, drawing a line across her neck with her thumb. "Simple as that."

"I have an attack that can cut just about anything," Thorn said with a slight smile. "But that was in particular circumstances. I doubt that I'll be able to repeat it in the endless battlefield.”

“Is that where you were going to hit the dragon with when it tried to appear?" Ascendant Vor asked, not at all thrown off by Mina's disgruntled look.

"Something like that," Thorn replied. "Tell me, do you often have to fight against dragons? I thought that the main enemy of the temple was the Council of Gods."

"Oh, it is. The dragons typically don't show up, at least on the surface," Ascendant Vor said, "though in recent years they've been more active.”

“The Dragon Empire is incredibly proud," Governor Orson said after taking a sip of his wine, "but that pride hides an unbelievably treacherous nature. They would much prefer to win their battles without ever having to lift a finger. And so they specialize in fomenting dissent and unrest, converting people to their cult as they try and grow their influence. They're honestly becoming a real problem."

"Then why don't the god beasts and temple of man deal with them?" Mina asked. "I mean, it didn't seem so hard to fight against the dragonkin. And your forces outnumber them, right?"

"It's a matter of quality over quantity," the governor said with a bitter smile. "Though the Dragon Empire only owns a handful of cities, they're in some of the richest regions of the battlefield, as far as resources go. And each one is guarded by five or more dragons. They're not allowed to step foot outside the cities, at least officially. But once war is declared, all bets are off. And when that happens, both the temple of man and the council of gods will be in considerable trouble. The council of gods, of course, has its aspects, who are roughly the same strength, but they're difficult and will only act under particular circumstances because of their natures. On the temple side, we have god hunters, who are a formidable enough force, but unfortunately can't stand against the dragons."

The more the governor spoke, the more depressed he sounded, causing Thorn and Mina to exchange a glance.

"Huh. It sounds like the only reason the dragons haven't conquered everything is the Arbiter," Thorn said.

"Indeed. As much as I hate to admit it, that's the truth. The temple of man seems like it's in a strong position," Governor Orson said quietly. "But the truth is more complicated than that.”

“Are there not people above the 10th stage?” Thorn asked, “I mean, when I saw the elders at the temple of man, it seemed like they were all strong enough to fight a dragon."

"There are stages higher than the 10th level," the governor said, "but they're rare among humans. And besides, most of those who are actually stronger don't bother with the battlefield. They're all in the higher floors of the tower. Most of them think that what the temple does here in the endless battlefield is a waste of time," Keeley admitted.

"Can you blame them?” Ascendant Vor asked. “I mean, we spend all of this time squabbling over resources rather than growing our own personal strength." Lifting her wine glass, she drained it and wiped her lips with her hand as she set her cup on the table. "If I had another way to grow my strength besides divinity, I wouldn't be here either."

Sensing that there was considerably more to this than he understood, Thorn wanted to keep pressing, but the conversation turned as a soldier entered the room to speak with Governor Orson.