Draconic Surprise

"Greetings human." The dragon in front of me said.

Excellent, there are more talking dragons! Since when can dragons talk? Every dragon I have encountered has tried to burn me alive, or in the Dragon God's case, turn me into a stain on the ground with a punch.

"What do you want?" I replied, assuming a fighting stance.

"Why the lack of courtesy? I believe you humans greet each other before interacting." The dragon mocked, circling me while I followed its steps, always keeping it in sight.

"Sorry, but I'm not used to talking dragons." I said, making the dragon tilt its head confused.

"And why is that?" The dragon asked with amusement and curiosity in its voice. Was this conversation just a means of entertainment for it?

"All the dragons I encountered before were nothing but beasts; they burned and devoured everything they came across."

"So you've never really met a dragon." The dragon responded irritated.

"Let's get straight to the point! Why are you here?" I demanded.

"Good question, why am I here? Maybe I am hungry and found an appetizer? Maybe I am bored and I am looking for something to entertain me? Or maybe…" The dragon paused.

"Maybe?" I asked hesitantly, fearing the answer.

"Maybe most of the magic-sensing beings in Midgard and I felt a great power source appear out of nowhere. Perhaps this power source exudes the scent of something ancient and powerful. Perhaps if I devour this power source I will reach a level that no dragon has ever reached."

The dragon said giving me an imitation of a smile as its physiology prevented it from performing such an expression correctly, displaying all of its razor-sharp teeth.

"My scent, what do you mean by that?"

Does this dragon want to devour me? I need more information, let us see if I can make it talk more.

"As I said before, you have the scent of something ancient and powerful, something demonic. Are you one of God's creations? I do not think so, your scent, the scent of the Watchers, and that flower are different, but similar in a way. Both are creations of a higher being, made to destroy the world, but somehow you got that power for yourself." The dragon then stopped in front of me and approached.

"I've fought God's creations, did you know? You humans call them angels or demons, but we dragon's call them puppets. God also created us dragons, but we rebelled against it, as it wanted our total obedience. As if, we, members of the proud dragon race, would ever debase ourselves! The power you possess, I want it! Give it to me!" The dragon demanded.

"Don't think it will be easy. I don't intend to give it up without a fight." I said, placing the Adjudicator's Shield on my back, its enchantment still in effect.

"HAHAHA! I would not expect it to be otherwise, we black dragons are the greatest warriors of our race. I would be disappointed if you surrendered without challenging me!"

With a mighty roar, the black dragon charged towards me.

-XXXXXX-

The Intoner known as Zero had recently attacked Cathedral City. Fortunately, One and her sisters repelled Zero away, but the events were not over, as a fight happened near Cathedral City, a fight between a Black Dragon and a Slayer of Demons.

"RROOOAAARRR!" The Black Dragon roared, charging toward Edric while trying to bite his upper torso to split him in two.

The knight rolled to the right, dodging the bite, then swung his Dragon Bone Smasher towards the dragon's jaw. Upon seeing this, the dragon raised its head, allowing the blow to pass under its chin.

The dragon then raised its right wing and tried to crush Edric, but he rolled backward, the dragon's blow only hitting the earth, and swung at the dragon's wing, but the dragon leaped back with a flap of its wings, avoiding the attack.

"Interesting, this weapon is too big for a normal human to lift. The result of the power you acquired?" The black dragon asked curiously.

"Why don't you come here and find out?" Edric replied.

"HAHAHA, with pleasure!" The dragon ran toward Edric, its head low, aiming at the knight like a bull.

Edric cast Cloak with his Silver Catalyst and the dragon sniffed the air upon seeing that the knight had disappeared, and then swung its tail like a whip, hitting something that flew away and hit the ground, raising a dust cloud.

"How did you find me?" Edric asked surprised, standing up.

"It is impossible not to notice such a unique smell." The dragon replied.

"Good to know, that serves as a lesson for me."

The Black Dragon then took off and glided in the air, an orange light shone in its mouth, and then it spat a fire blast towards Edric, intending on turning him to ash.

Edric, seeing that there was no time to dodge, cast Water Veil, covering himself on water and reducing fire damage. Edric then raised his Dragon Bone Smasher as a shield and used it to protect himself from the flames, letting them envelop him.

Meanwhile, the dragon watched the sea of ​​flames that formed in the clearing.

"Looks like it's over. I expect more from someone with so much power... AAAHHH!" The dragon screamed in pain as a blue bolt that shot out of the flames pierced one of its wings.

Several blue bolts followed right after, piercing the dragon through its chest, and neck, but that was not enough to defeat the flying creature.

Focusing its vision, the dragon saw a figure amid the flames; Edric with his catalyst raised. The dragon could not help but smile; it had been a while since it had a good fight.

Edric removed a Full Moon Grass from his bag, eating it and healing most of his wounds, then stored his Dragon Bone Smasher and removed his Sticky Composite Longbow from his bag.

Edric then took a rotten arrow, a poisoned arrow, from the quiver on his back and aimed at the dragon, releasing the string and hitting the dragon's chest, but it did not seem to bother it.

The dragon roared and launched itself towards Edric, trying to crush him with the weight of its body, but Edric aside, dodging the attack and firing two more arrows when the dragon landed.

The dragon then spun its body with its mouth open, trying to bite Edric, but he rolled away and cast Poison Cloud towards the dragon's head.

"COUGH! COUGH! What sorcery is this?" The dragon demanded while coughing.

"You speak as if I should tell you!" Edric replied.

"My interest in you only increases, human." The dragon flapped its wings, dispelling the poisonous cloud and taking off.

The dragon flew across the clearing, spitting several fireballs toward Edric while he ran away, dodging the attacks and firing arrows in exchange, but a fireball collided with the ground next to Edric.

The blast threw the knight away; the dragon took its chance and flew towards Edric with its mouth open again, ready to devour him.

Edric took three poisoned kunai from his bag and threw them towards the dragon's face, piercing it and disorienting the monster; he then moved away, allowing the dragon to crash into the ground.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Edric fired more poison arrows towards the monster. He then drew his Silver Catalyst and aimed at the dragon, but the creature recovered from its fall and bit his arm.

"AAAHHH!" Edric screamed in pain as the dragon's fangs crushed his arm.

The dragon then lifted the knight off the ground and slammed him repeatedly against the clearing, denting his armor and drawing blood with each hit.

With the catalyst still in hand, Edric conjured Poison Cloud into the dragon's mouth; the beast's eyes widened as tears streamed down them and a green poisonous cloud came out of its nostrils.

Suddenly, the dragon sweated profusely and staggered, then vomited, freeing the knight.

"But... But... what is this?" The dragon asked disoriented.

"Looks like the poison took effect." Edric responded, equipping his Dragon Bone Smasher.

"Poison? HAHAHA! You are full of tricks and fought well, for a human, but I believe it is time to end this." The dragon responded struggling to its feet as flames formed in its mouth.

"I agree." Edric replied, resting the Dragon Bone Smasher on his shoulder and running at full speed towards his enemy. Simultaneously, the dragon opened its mouth, ready to spit a hellfire.

"FIRE!"

However, a rain of arrows interrupted them both. Edric used his Dragon Bone Smasher as a shield, blocking some of the arrows, while the dragon used one of its wings to protect itself.

Looking around, Edric and the dragon saw that the soldiers of Cathedral City surrounded them, as their fight on the city's outskirts was not discreet.

The soldiers wore full plate armor, and held swords, shields, halberds, and spears, with archers ready to shoot further back together with mages casting their spells.

As if that was not enough, a roar echoed in the distance, the dragon Gabriel approached despite the wounds from its previous conflict as its madness forced it to fight no matter what.

"Well, that's an unpleasant surprise." Edric said monotonously, but the black dragon did not share the same sentiment.

"How dare you interrupt a duel between warriors?!? I will devour each one of you, you human pests!" The dragon screamed, staggering from side to side, the poison in its body still kicking in.

"This is not a good time to allow your anger to consume you. We are at a disadvantage and need to escape." Edric replied.

"SILENCE! As if, I would run away from a bunch of pathetic humans! My pride as a dragon, the greatest of all races, would not allow it!" The dragon responded angrily.

"Listen, we're in no condition to fight and one more dragon is coming. Do you think you can win this fight?" Edric asked, making the dragon ponder his words as it looked at the soldiers and Gabriel.

"GGGRRR! I will be a laughingstock for the rest of my life if the other dragons discover what happened here, especially that red dragon! Very well human, what do you suggest?"

Edric looked around as the soldiers surrounded him; a path leading to Cathedral City stood to his right while a forest in the distance stood to his left.

"Perhaps I can create an opening for us to flee towards the forest."

"Hm… I don't like the idea of ​​running away."

"You can stay here and die if you want, but I'm more worried about what might happen to me."

"Well, so put your plan into action."

The knight stored his Dragon Bone Smasher without answering and held his God Talisman. Suddenly, he ran towards the soldiers that blocked the path toward the forest.

"He's approaching! Stop him!" The soldiers screamed, raising their spears, trying to pierce the knight, but he did not stop.

Edric cast Wrath of the Gods, creating a powerful shock wave that sent the soldiers flying away, breaking their formation.

"HAHAHA! I am impressed, human!" The black dragon exclaimed.

Then, with unnecessary cruelty, the dragon killed as many soldiers as possible as they fled, some torn apart and others thrown away when the dragon used its tail as a whip.

There were those unhappy enough to stay in the dragon's path and be trampled as it ran towards the forest.

Edric grabbed the dragon's tail with all his strength as it passed by him and let the creature carry him towards the forest.

"Release me human!"

"I don't like this as much as you do, but now is not the time."

Arrows and spells flew towards Edric and the dragon, the first cast Anti-Magic Field, dissipating the spells midair, but the arrows continued, piercing the dragon and knight, even so, they disappeared into the forest.

-XXXXXX-

I cannot hold on anymore, I am getting sick! I thought as the dragon's tail shook me up and down.

We ran for a few minutes, losing the soldiers, but the dragon I faced in the city still followed us high in the sky.

Suddenly, the black dragon stopped running and fell, sliding thanks to its speed while I flew away due to the sudden stop, passing over its body and landing a few meters ahead.

I stood up with some difficulty and checked my condition burnt and bite marks, cuts, slightly melted dents, and arrows covered my armor. I surely have some broken bones and internal injuries, had better heal it now.

I cast Recovery with my talisman then pulled the arrows out of my armor, mainly on my shoulders and back.

Finally, I removed an Ed's whetstone from my bag, repairing the damage to my armor and equipment. I am unsure how a whetstone can do that, but it is still useful.

"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!" Suddenly, the black dragon coughed, catching my attention.

I held my Dragon Bone Smasher with both hands and approached the creature, stopping in front of its head, ready to deliver the final blow. The dragon's eyes opened and it stared at me, I could not help but notice its condition.

Arrows and wounds covered its body, green goo seeped along with its blood due to the poison, and its eyes were sickly red as blood ran from its mouth.

"Don't worry; I'll get you out of your misery."

The dragon closed its eyes, accepting its fate, but I heard a flap of wings and saw a large shadow passing over me before I could kill it.

Looking up through the dense foliage, I saw the dragon from before, but it still had not noticed me. Searching my surroundings, I spotted a cave on my left and then looked at the dragon.

I will probably regret this. I pointed my catalyst at the dragon and cast Cloak, making it invisible, then ran into the cave and waited for Gabriel to leave.

-XXXXXX-

It has been a few hours and dark clouds formed in the sky, it will rain soon. As if reading my thoughts, a water drop fell from the sky, and then another, and another, and another.

It rained a heavy but pleasant rain, unlike the raging storms of the Shrine of the Storms. It is so strange; I am so used to the depressing surroundings of Boletaria that seeing the rain makes me uncomfortable.

I saw the outline of the invisible dragon in the rain; it rose and came towards the cave. I believe it did not realize its invisibility.

The effect of the spell ended when the dragon entered the cave, revealing its form. It looked better but still gave a sickly appearance.

The dragon passed by my side without looking at me, going deeper into the cave where there was more space, rotated its body, and then returned to the cave entrance, lying down beside me.

"I felt you casting a spell on me. What was that?" The dragon asked.

"I cast Cloak, turning you invisible and hiding you from the approaching dragon." I replied.

"That was more of a Daemon than a dragon. If that thing was once a dragon, then it must have forgotten a long time ago." The dragon replied.

Good, I have one more demon to kill.

"Why did you help me?" The dragon asked again.

"I don't know, maybe I'm not used to killing rational beings, or maybe I prefer to kill you when you're able to defend yourself." I shrugged.

"You are a warrior; you take pleasure in facing strong adversaries, beings that can give you a challenge, like me."

"I won't deny it, I like a good fight." I replied, smiling under my helmet.

The dragon laughed wearily, strangely reminding me of my father.

"Hahaha... I think I am getting old... A human challenging me ... Hahaha..."

"You're not the first dragon I've faced."

"Oh, and who would be the first dragon that had the pleasure?" The dragon asked amused.

"I faced a red dragon, a blue dragon, and the Dragon God."

"Did a dragon call itself God? I have met many proud dragons, but never one so arrogant, including the self-proclaimed strongest dragon in the world, that white-scaled brat; I have never bothered to learn its name. I'd like to face it for the title of strongest, but I'm getting off-topic, where are the dragons you fought now?" The dragon asked curiously.

"They were killed by my hand." I replied and the dragon went silent for a few seconds.

"Tell me, did the red dragon speak to you?"

"No, the dragons I faced didn't seem to be anything more than animals, they acted on instinct. The Dragon God was the only one who should have been able to speak, but it wasn't interested in talking, but rather in crushing me with a punch."

"A punch, it was a dragon with hands?"

"Yes, a mountain-sized dragon with six glowing red eyes, two rows of teeth, humanoid muscular arms and legs, and two gigantic wings protruding from its back."

"I you better stop talking human; I'm getting more excited at the thought of facing such a creature."

"Unfortunately, you missed your chance."

"Sadly. All the dragons in the world would bow to me if I achieved such a feat... What a wonderful dream..." The dragon replied tiredly, it looked like it would sleep soon.

"Here, eat it." I said, handing it something.

"What is this?" The dragon asked, studying the object with one of its eyes.

"A Nobleman's Lotus, it can heal poisoning."

The dragon stared at the red lotus in my hand, opened its mouth and I threw it inside, instantaneously healing the beast.

"Receiving charity…from a human… what have I become?" The dragon then fell asleep.

I watched the rainfall while the dragon slept. I did not feel tired since absorbed so many souls that it became hard to feel sleepy or hungry, and wounds that should kill a normal man are just an inconvenience to me.

I think I stopped being human a long time ago, but I will not let it hinder me, there are still demons to slay and I will find a way home when I am done.

-Cathedral City-

The Intoner known as One laid face down on her bed, suffering from severe back pain due to something unknown crushing her, while her sisters tried to comfort her.

"What is the status of Cathedral City?" One asked seriously, but her pillow muffed her voice.

"Not good, a lot of soldiers and knights died and the city's infrastructure suffered severe damage." Three replied coolly.

"And the unknown knight?" One asked again.

"He escaped. According to the reports, the knight faced a black dragon before your men surrounded him. I asked the survivors of Zero's attack if they knew who that knight was, but their response worried me. No one knew who he was as if he appeared out of nowhere." Four replied worriedly.

"Hm… Let's leave things as they are for now, we need to rebuild our strength and repair the damage done, but I want you to stay alert for any new appearances of Zero or the knight." One answered.

"You can count on me, dear sister." Four replied, smiling happily.

"Do you mind if I do some experiments on him first?" Three asked with disconcerting joy in her voice.

"Three..." One muttered, facing her sister.

Suddenly, Five and Two, who entered the room and almost knocked down the door, interrupted the ongoing conversation.

"Dear Sister One, I prepared your dinner!" Five said carrying a soup bowl filled with a bubbling purple liquid.

One smelled the soup from afar due to her heightened senses, her face contorted and turned green as she held back the urge to vomit.

"Thanks...Five..." One said hesitantly, trying not to throw up.

"And I will give you a back massage to ease your pain!" Two said, running towards One.

The eyes of all the Intoners but Two widened at this information. She was the physically strongest of all the Intoners and known for her lack of delicacy.

"TWO NO!" All the Intoners screamed but it was too late, Two's hands approached One's back and…

CRACK!

"AAAHHH!"

-XXXXXX-

In a forest in the middle of the rain, Intoner Zero carried something in her arms, a white-scaled baby dragon. Lightning fell from the sky, scaring the baby, but Zero held it closer to her chest.

"Don't worry Mikhail, we'll be home soon."

-UNKNOWN LOCATION-

Report Number 1: Today Intoner Zero attacked Cathedral City, everything occurred as it should, but something abnormal happened, a large power spike surged in the city.

I found a knight who identified himself as Edric while investigating the source of the power spike, and this knight faced Zero and her sisters, demonstrating great physical strength and unknown magical power.

Upon further investigation, it was not possible to identify the origin of the knight; he is not from this branch, but his branch of origin remains unknown. We need further investigation to determine whether Edric is a threat to the branch or not.

End of report.

END OF CHAPTER