Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - LOT - [Unedited. For the record, edited posts are posted to RoyalRoad, ones on Patreon remain unedited beyond any immediate changes that need to be made]

[Apologies for the delays, New Years celebrations and recovery hit me hard haha]

An enormous, red leviathan sat on the desert plateau, its body a painting of mesmerizing dark red scales and brutal black spikes. An aura of heat and suppression emanated from the sleeping dragon, small sparks sizzling off the creature’s mouth as it rested.

The beast's large black and red wings rested atop its long, sinuous back that stretched outward, ending in a long, spike covered tail. It had huge, black claws, each one easily as large as Jack was tall. The dragon itself would stand forty feet high if it was awake, still far taller than Jack even resting on the ground in its sleep.

Jack looked up at the massive creature and despaired.

A majestic, Ancient Red Dragon. A beast from legend, powerful and mighty beyond words. Dragons were creatures that were at the very peak of strength in this world, with powerful abilities and an even more powerful physical body. Indestructible killing machine, the number of humans still alive that had killed an Ancient Dragon could be counted on two hands.

How on earth was he supposed to kill this?!

“You have thirty seconds till the Dragon awakens. Use your time wisely.”

The Chief’s voice boomed out as he, invisible, stared at Jack intensely, his eyes filled with a fierce interest. This young warrior before him was incredibly intriguing. He had never seen someone so young and yet already so capable. From his observations, the warrior seemed to have some sort of unique body control Natural Ability, for him to have such a high level of command over his movements.

Just hearing it mentioned would make one think it was a mediocre ability at best. And, it was true, in comparison to Formless Abilities, or other super powerful Natural Abilities, the young warrior before him was rather lacking.

What really shocked the Chief, however, was this applicant’s incredible willpower, and his bearing. For someone so young to be able to handle what he was facing, with such bearing despite his injuries, was already incredible. In his eyes, this warrior had the potential to become one of those legendary Swordmasters that stood shoulder to shoulder alongside the strongest warriors in this world.

Jack stared at the dragon. His Slowed State was active, so he really had 150 seconds of time till the dragon awoke. As he stared at it, he sat down on the ground and began to think.

He needed to figure out a way to kill this.

Should he rush it now, while it was resting?

No, Dragons were legendary beasts. By the time he reached it, it would detect his presence and kill him.

Should he wait, strike as it was just awaking, perhaps take it by surprise?

No, the chances of that working were even more dismal.

Should we try to lure it in and make it lower its guard?

He knew too little about dragons beyond the legends of their ferocious strength, he wouldn’t even know how to begin making it lower its guard. Even then, he would still most likely fail. He wasn’t even sure if he could pierce through the scales of the dragon, let alone get near it.

Seconds ticked by in his Slowed State as Jack’s mind raced furiously, trying to come up with anything. He searched every nook and cranny of his head for some plan, none of them passing.

120 seconds…

90 seconds…

60 seconds…

30 seconds…

Every plan Jack came up with, when followed to its logical conclusion, ended with him dying in one way or another.

Gradually, the Dragon before Jack began to come awake…

..

..

“Oh look, the applicant I was talking about reached the final stage of the Hunter newcomer test. He’s about to start it.” A feminine voice spoke aloud, a mix of surprise and interest coloring her tone.

Within the Branch of the Hunter Association, down one of the long hallways on the second floor was a small meeting room, decorated with various portraits of famous Hunters. A circular wooden table lay at the center of the room, covered in maps that displayed the territory of the Ghalf Kingdom.

Two men and one woman were currently sitting in this room. Both men looked very similar: strong, muscular warriors, wearing a simple white shirt and black pair of pants, each with a spear secured on their back. A black fist punching out several waves of force was painted onto the front of each of their shirt, the insignia of the Impact Clan, one of the 9 Super Clans. Each man had a strong jawline and a small hooked nose, with weathered skin and light brown eyes. They looked to be in their early forties or late thirties. One of them was slightly taller than the other, but they looked identical apart from that, like twins.

The two brothers were currently going over several maps, examining the northern border of the Ghalf Kingdom, where the Duchy of Snow resided.

“Oooh, now he has to face an Ancient Dragon. His technique thus far has been quite impressive for one so young, maybe we should take him back with us.”The sole female martial artist spoke up again, her voice filled with expectation.

The woman was wearing much nicer clothes than the two men, a long white dress with a decorative pattern in the shape of a fist on it. She had a pair of small daggers tucked into two ornate sheaths on either side of her dress, complimenting her style. Her long black hair was tied up in a bun, with a soft nose and hazel colored eyes combining to give her a gentle and beautiful appearance.

Currently, she was staring into a bowl that was on the table, one that was projecting a live image of Jack staring facing the Ancient Red Dragon.

One of the two stocky men, the shorter one, looked up from the map, shaking his head.

“A Dragon? The Hunter Association sure doesn’t hold back on their new members, huh? What do you think little brother. How would you fare against a Dragon?” The shorter martial artist turned to the slightly taller one, tapping him on the shoulder.

“I think we should stay focused on the task at hand. We aren’t going to find the Virtuous Cave by taking in new disciples for the Clan.” The younger, but taller, brother had a deep voice that carried with it a hint of authority.

The shorter warrior held up his hands in surrender, and shrugged, turning back to the maps.

“It’s not like we’re going to find the cave by glossing over old maps anyway.” The female martial artist grumbled, turning her eyes back to focus on the scene projected before her.

..

..

“WHO DARES ATTACK THIS INNOCENT AND LAW ABIDING CIVILIAN?!” The massive shout was imbued with Spirit Energy, giving it an enormously powerful and almost combative echo.

A vest wearing, muscular figure emerged from the smoke and debris as the golden flames dispersed. This figure’s arms and legs were wrapped in golden flames, a murky halo of fire flickering above his head.

A moment of silence reigned briefly.

Then, another voice rang out, at almost the same level.

“The Ghalf Kingdom is ruled by law, and the Duchy of Snow doubly so. Do not think for a moment that this measly display of strength is enough to ignore your crimes, Golden Flame warrior.”

The leader of the Snow Knights stepped forward as he yelled, his voice booming out loudly, also infused with Spirit Energy. An extremely heavy blue aura surrounded him as he spoke, flurries of icy particles rushing about in a chaotic storm. Dozens of pure blue blades of ice floated in the air above him.

The two subordinate Snow Knights, retreated to stand beside the leader of the Snow Knights, their armor shattered and in pieces. Icy blades began to form in the air above them and ice began to automatically repair the damaged armor.

“Hmph.” The red haired warrior looked down from the top of the decimated inn, his hand resting on the enormous greatsword on his back. He glared down at them, and then turned his head back to something behind him for a few moments.

“He is clearly the third party that tracker mentioned with the aura of fire, the one that must have caused the death of the Duke’s fifth son.” The Snow Knight named Sol spoke up, slightly out of breath.

“Yes, it seems the Golden Flame Clan is involved. This situation has become much more complicated. What should we do, Ser Guvas?” The other Snow Knight, Byron, queried.

The commander of the Snow Knights frowned, his eyes cold inside the blue and white helmet he wore.

“Hmph, this is the Impact Clan’s territory. The Golden Flame Clan may be one of the Super Clans, but they have no authority here. Sol, go to the Branch of the Hunter Association, the Impact Clan should have a representative there. Put in a formal request for aid from the Duchy of Snow’s representatives, that should be enough to get whatever forces they have out.” Ser Guvas’s eyes flashed as he continued,

“We alone might not be able to fight the Golden Flame Clan head on and capture one of their men, but the Impact Clan can. For now, I'll delay him.”

..

..

“RRRRrrrrrrrrrr.” A deep, grumbling noise rang out, shaking the air, as the Ancient Red Dragon woke up. The huge beast stretched it’s wings into the sky, shaking them out as it stood on its hind legs, arching its back. Its red scales gleamed in the sunlight, shining fiercely.

*ROAAAAAAAARRRR*

The dragon let loose a heaven shattering roar, as if rousing itself fully. It came crashing down on the wide desert plateau Jack stood upon, setting the ground to tremble slightly.

The aura of the beast was overpowering. Jack hands began to tremble uncontrollably as he looked at it, barely managing to hold on to the golden sword in his hands. He slowly stood up from the ground, his legs shaking even in his Slowed State as he glared at the beast. His left arm ached, the pain and damage from the Scaled Boar’s charge still present, as well as his originally broken shoulder.

He had discovered no solution.

He needed to kill the dragon, according to the Chief, to pass this final test and become an Esteemed Member of the Hunter Association, something that would no doubt be the best way for him to quickly grow stronger.

But as Jack looked up at the massive beast, he knew it was impossible.

Still, he had to try.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he concentrated, drawing upon every last reserve of Spirit he had in his soul.

A blue aura of light burst into existence around the sword in his right hand, rapidly folding in on itself as Jack performed Sunder the Earth technique of the Sundering Sword Style.

As Jack prepared, however, the Dragon finally took notice of him. As its eyes focused on him, Jack felt a jolt of fear slam into his heart, almost ruining his technique.

He grit his teeth and ignored it, his concentration redoubling. His mind raced into overtime as he focused entirely on his Spirit Energy in his Slowed State, making every movement perfect.

As his focus increased to such a degree, he gradually began to forget this was just a test, that none of this was real.

Once… Twice… Three times… Jack folded the energy, his current best attempt.

The Ancient Dragon abruptly jumped into the air, whipping up a huge storm of wind, almost blowing Jack off his feet. As it moved, it flapped its wings twice, just enough to clear the distance between Jack and it. It then began to soar down towards Jack, a massive meteor of spikes, scales, and muscle.

Four times… Five times… Six times…

Jack’s mind, in the face of extreme adrenaline and danger, had gone into a state that was almost senseless. He moved and melded the Spirit Energy as if it was second nature, the previously difficult and hard to control patterns becoming easy.

To completely unleash the powerful Sunder the Earth technique, one needed to fold Spirit Energy around one’s blade thirteen times in a specific pattern.

By the time Jack finished folding the energy a seventh time, the enormous dragon was already less than a dozen meters away from him. As it came into range, it lifted one of its enormous claws, and casually swiped it at Jack.

“Damn.” Jack swore in his head as he saw the incoming claw, a sense of anger and helplessness overwhelming him. Even in the Slowed State, the claw moved extremely quickly. It would reach him in mere moments.

“Speed. I need speed, I need to be faster. I just need to stop this attack and I will be fine.” Jack threw himself into folding the Spirit Energy, trying to desperately finish the technique. If he could just reach thirteen folds, and unleash the Sunder the Earth attack, perhaps it could be enough to stop the dragon.

Eight times… The energy folded in again, the hue of its color darkening.

“Faster…Faster…”

The dragon’s claw was five meters from him.

Nine times…. The energy on his blade began to shiver slightly once it reached the ninth fold, as if it was unstable.

The dragon’s claw was three meters from him.It's massive size dwarfed him, moving forward like an unstoppable meteor.

Ten times… Before Jack could complete the tenth fold, the energy on his blade seemed to shiver uncontrollably. His foot made the tiniest of movements, the wind created by the dragon’s enormous wings causing him to slip slightly.

Jack made a mistake.

“NO!”

The energy on his blade exploded outward unstably, shocking his right hand. The blade was blasted out of his fingers, leaving him defenseless. He felt more than saw his right hand shiver, several of his fingers breaking.

Due to his intense focus and concentration, Jack had completely forgotten that this was a test and not real.

The dragon’s claw was a single meter from him. An enormous, black missile containing an unspeakable amount of force.

“NO I CANNOT DIE HERE! NO! I MUST SAVE LITTLE SEVEN!” Despair filled Jack’s eyes as he looked at the claw, an unreasonable anger exploding forth out of him. A powerful refusal filled his heart, hatred rushing forth as he glared at the incoming claw.

He began leaping to the right to try and dodge the attack. Unfortunately, he was unable to draw upon any Spirit Energy, having used it all in the failed attack.

By the time he even began the movement, the dragon’s claw was a mere foot from his face. His heart pounded, his eyes dilating as he stared at his impending death.

“FASTER. I MUST BE FASTER.” He threw everything into trying to dodge, pulling on his Slowed State to the extreme, trying to make time slow further.

As he did so, as his emotions peaked, despair and anger, fear and regret, his Natural Ability pulled out to an extreme, something strange happened.

The blood within Jack’s body began to gleam.

“ARRRRRGHHHH!” An intense feeling of pain shook Jack just before the claw reached him. This pain originated everywhere in his body, down to his the very core of his being, his soul.

As it wracked him, a flash of light blinded his eyes. The red scar in the shape of a cross on his face lit up for the briefest instant, unleashing a strange, mysterious energy.

The world around him, and the claw rushing towards him, just an inch from his face, abruptly stopped.

Everything became still.

Frozen in time.