Neuralized...or Not?

Beast capture successful," said Pav as he pressed a few options on a mana screen control panel. The Ravager ship had gravity beamed up a monster and locked it in its holding cells with the imp. A few more button presses made the cells change from a barred structure into a fully sealed box for greater security.

And also to prevent light from entering the cell, because the Nueralizer's poison would break down in the presence of light.

"But you sure we waste Neuralizer on it?" said Pav. "It did not seem that strong. Basic analysis shows the thing is Earthen grade core.

Not useful, no? And Nueralizer was worth more than our entire ship. Pure luck we found it by strong Mind Reaver corpse when we looted the battlefield on that Wild World, Meran, it was called?"

"Fool," said Datu. "That thing is a dragon! I repeat, a dragon! It cast 5th tier magic; it is only hiding its strength. But with the Nueralizer keeping it sedated, we can sell it for a fortune.

A single dragon scale is worth a thousand gold coins. An entire, live dragon? A young one, too?

Utterly priceless. There will be countless Wizards foaming at the mouth to dissect and experiment on this thing. Vampires will want its blood. The Mind Reavers its brain.

No market will be closed to us."

Datu said this more to try and clear the bad taste in his mouth from using the Neuralizer. That was the most valuable thing the Ravager crew had in their possession. A small, octopus-like creature with tentacles that latched inside creatures and put them to sleep, though a proper Mind Reaver could use it for much more.

Neuralizers were one of the common familiars of Mind Reavers, one of the Majoris races with squid-like features that lived on a cold, murky water world.

Reavers were experts at manipulating minds and feasted on brains, and Nueralizers could be considered a channeling agent for their powers akin to staffs for Wizards, helping them sedate their victims or channel their magic which involved moving things with their mind and creating telekinetic barriers.

This particular Neuralizer, Datu had scavenged off a battlefield between Vampires and Mind Reavers, and it had even belonged to a Mind Reaver with a Phantasmal grade core.

Eluf had hounded, no pun intended, Datu to sell it over and over again, but Datu had held out hope it could be saved and used to put down something big to sell for even more.

Speaking of the furred annoyance, Eluf had come out of his quarters at the sudden ship movements and commotion. He gnawed absent-mindedly on a large bone. "Dragon? Dragons are all gone, aren't they?"

"That is what I thought," said Pav. "Everyone knows how dragons and dragon world disappear fifty years ago. One of the biggest pieces of news ever. All of Hyperia made big deal about it. Big races, small races, everyone talked about it for days and days.

I remember on Almaz, my home world, there was big celebration, because some stone dragons guarded precious mines that we now could use.

You sure that is not Wyvern? Seems so weak and tiny. And it is easy to confuse the two.

According to monster manual, young dragon and wyvern look the same. Only that dragon is smart and wyvern is dumb."

"Do not question me, dwarf," said Datu. "How would you explain the fifth-tier magic, then? Hm?

Especially on a lower tier, tenth grade Wild World like Pluton? It is obvious that the dragon casted it. None else could.

And not all dragons left with their kind.

Do you not recall the falling of the last monarch? When one their Monarchs stayed behind with his clan.

He was killed by the Fallen Angels and Demons, but many say that not all his clan dragons were killed.

That they are hiding out in Wild Worlds or among Majoris peoples.

This is one of them, I know it!"

"I don't know. Random baby dragon out in Pluton? Sounds like weird coincidence to me. But eh, whatever. Just providing suggestion," said Pav with a shrug. "You are captain, and I am only simple hired Magiteknik, so eh.

I just follow, I guess."

Datu did not actually know much at all about dragons either, but he could not act like he knew nothing in front of his crew. "I know what I'm doing," he said simply, mostly because he did not actually know too well what he was doing and could add no more to his statement.

Pav shrugged and got back to work, maintaining the ship and tuning its controls to make it cruise in the air right below the clouds at a smooth pace.

"Then can we leave this place? We can sell dragon and make money," said Eluf. "Ice queen shard or whatever is stupid to search for. Don't even exist, probably. Imp tricking us to stay alive.

Also, I hate this place. Nothing to do. No big cities. Only boring farms. If I wanted big farms, I would have stayed in my home world. I want cities and adventure.

Want to make money and spend it on some good food for once. Maybe replace my favorite bone."

"We will not leave this place until the imp reveals the shard's location to us," growled Datu. "That is final. Selling the dragon will ensure we live on riches during the five years until the Finalis arrives, and then the Ice Queen shard ensures we will have a good life afterwards, when the Demons win."

"But dragon will wake up soon," said Eluf. "And it can cast fifth tier magic. Then it blows up ship. Then we all die."

"Foolishness." Datu shook his head and crossed his arms with confidence. "The Mind Reavers are masters of twisting and manipulating the mind, and their Neuralizers are one of their greatest familiars.

There is no escaping a Neuralizer once it is rooted. Everyone knows this. It is part of why the Mind Reavers are so feared.

And that Neuralizer is Phantasmal grade. Even a Sovereign grade being would find it difficult to overpower it.

Its poison is inside the dragon now, its tendrils latched in its insides and keeping it asleep forever.

I may not know too much about dragons, but I doubt that even a dragon can resist a fully rooted Nueralizer."

==

John dreamed that he was swimming through cold and dark waters. Oddly enough, his body was still human. The only catch was that he was glowing. Glowing with a shiny golden light.

But he was the only source of light there, and it was so dark that even with the light coming off of his skin, he could not see anything.

He started to run out of breath, and he tried to swim up, pushing water underneath him, but no matter how fast he swam or how long, he was still there. Alone in the icy, murky depths.

Then, he saw glowing words float in front of him.

>>>

*Essence obtained (+800)*

Essence Level: 850/1000 > 1650/1000

*Origin Obtained: Nueralizer (Phantasmal Grade)*

Stored Origins:

-Mudclaw Crab (Earthen Grade)

-Quill Fern (Earthen Grade)

-Plumed Rabbit (Earthen Grade)

-Verdant Panther (Mystic Grade)

-Nueralizer (Phantasmal Grade)

>>>

That was when the waters around him disappeared, fading away into nothingness before John woke up in a cold, dark cell that reeked of a condensed have-not-showered-for-two-weeks kind of body odor.