Chapter 344: Training
With the solemn declaration made by the King of Syan all present nearing that threshold of power turned contemplative. It was a risk, if you rushed your advancement you risked failing to fuse body and soul, that would then in turn forever block any chances of advancing further.
With that in mind neither of our companions were eager to take that next step just yet. Instead they would choose to stay and consolidate their powers.
Both girls had numerous ideas for how they could advance their strength, from the sealed memories that still remained within Violet’s mind, to the frozen tomb that Luna got in the auction back in Sonantis.
Then to practice with their pseudo domains, from learning how to activate and manipulate it.
Then came more mundane items to consider. From the rehabilitation of the freshly freed dragons to the raising of the next generation. To the rebuilding of the city that had been so damaged during the war.
They had plenty to do that would keep them busy for the foreseeable future.
So it was that time swiftly passed.
Violet decided to focus on helping the dragons alongside Rhyana and Vithrax. Together the three dragons spent time talking to and teaching the dragons all they needed to know about being free.
From taking them on hunts into the nearby forest, to teaching them how to think for themselves. It was trying work for the two younger dragons, yet for Vithrax, he seemed to fall in love with the work.
To be able to help his kin once again was something that he cherished, he had been one of the most promising dragons of his generation a long time ago. Now he got to pass on the wisdom he gained from his long life to those trying to adapt to a new state of being.
At the recommendation of both Violet and Rhyana, they also decided to include a select number of volunteers from amongst both the city and from the rescued slaves.
Said rescued slaves had been welcomed into Syan with open arms, they had been swiftly integrated and settled into the city. The younger amongst them who had grown close to the dragons chose to stay with them, to help them however they could and to potentially form a bond with them when the time was right.
As for when the time was right? Well that was up for some debate.
Vithrax seemed to want to make it a rule that no dragon under 10 years of age would be allowed to form a bond, yet when it was pointed out that Violet herself was technically not even one year old he eventually capitulated on that limit.
Instead it was decided that the dragon would need to be tier 3 and the one who wanted to bond with the dragon would need to spend some time living with the dragon.
Be that from sleeping where the dragon slept, to hunting for food with the dragon. In fact it was decided that Vithrax would create a trial of sorts for the dragon and potential companion would have to complete. Only if they were successful would they be allowed to form a true bond.
Whilst that was happening Violet would spend some time each day delving into the memories gifted to her by the ancient dragons of the eastern mountains.
She was cautious at first, not wanting to loose herself in them as she had almost done when she was first gifted them.
Thankfully that turned out to not be a concern.
Violet got to experience what life was like for the ancient dragons, from how they would spend their normal day to day lives. Be that hunting, resting and socialising.
But whilst these memories made up the vast majority of those contained within the gift. It was the select few memories from those ancient and powerful tier 5 dragons that she truly learnt from.
Yes it was interesting to learn how they lived their lives so long ago, yet at her current time Violet needed to better understand domains. So being able to see and feel how these ancient dragons viewed and wielded their various domains was a truly enlightening experience.
These memories were in turn shared. Thanks to both her deepening bond with Luna, Violet was able to directly pass along these gained memories to her companion. As for amongst her other friends, whilst she lacked that intimate bond that she shared with Luna. She was able to link to them through telepathy.
Whilst telepathy was slightly limited in what it could exchange, Violet was still able to express the core concepts that she learnt and pass them along to her friends.
Speaking of her friends. Both Rhyana and Susan were close to level 150, thanks to the ear they had both passed level 140. This was the same for Olivia. So in their spare time the 3 of them, with Vothrax of course, would venture out into the forest to hunt and gain those last few levels.
For whilst they were still some distance away they all had the beginnings of their own pseudo domain.
For Susan hers was of a gentle and continuous rainfall, each droplet providing healing to any allies whilst at the same time providing a debuff to any enemy. Hers was a almost entirely supportive domain, as befit her general nature.
Rhyana seemed to be developing a domain similar to what the shield sovereign had. One not focused on a wide area effect, but one to personally augment herself.
She took the concept of turning into lightning and refined it. She was able to turn her scales themselves into electricity, each one acting as bonus defenses, hardening her natural armour whilst also releasing a powerful electrical shock to any foe that managed to touch her.
Then came Olivia, true to her nature speciality and defensive focus to battle. Her pseudo domain was all about stability and enduring defense.
When she used it nature itself became a part of her. Plants would rapidly grow all around her, each one acting as both a barrier and hindrance to her foes. From root walls blocking incoming attacks, to poisonous flowers releasing their pollen amongst crowds of enemies.
As for Vithrax, well he also knew what his domain was, he simply lacked the levels to be able to develop it. As such he had no need to work on a pseudo domain given that he innately had to knowlage and ability to form a true domain when the time came.
Then came Luna, with no current objective clear for them to undertake she was finally able to begin reading through the frozen tomb she had wanted to read for so long.
To do so she initially wanted to venture out into the forest to find an isolated cave or something. However, when the king heard of her plan he instead offered her the use of an enchanted training room within the castle itself.
It was a simple room, around 10 meters squared with walled carved with runes meant to isolate and strengthen the room, effectively preventing any magical effects caused within the room to escape outside.
It was perfect for her needs and she gladly accepted, soon finding herself within the room and sat on a chair of ice whilst the tomb rested on a table of ice.
She took a deep breath and focused her mana on the lock that sealed the book and it’s incredible chill.
With a snap of breaking ice the lock fell away and the book opened by itself.
A wave of all encompassing cold rushed out from within the book, cold that was dire enough to cause even Luna to shiver. Within moments of the book opening the entire room was encased in a thick layer of ice, ice that seemed resistant to manipulation by Luna.
With shaking hands Luna grasped the book, flinching slightly at the biting cold that permeated through her body at the contact. She looked down at the open page and read the title displayed on its first page.
’The Relam of Ice - understanding the advancements of domains and their evolution into realms’
Luna shivered once more at that title, not out of cold this time but from pure excitement. For whilst she didn’t know a lot about the next step in advancement past tier 5, she did know that the ability gained at tier 6 was called a Realm.
And this book apparently discussed the progression of a domain into a realm. It could potentially be a goldmine of information, on top of a potential source of insight into how to develop her own domain and what kind of specifics she wanted to achieve with it.
So Luna eagerly turned the page and began to earnestly study as she fought off the intense cold that sought to freeze her.
During this time one more important factor came into play, one that could very well be a defining aspect of their future strength. That being the upgrading of their skills thanks to the upgrade tokens they had gained from levels and from the quest.