Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Max’s left sword blocked the claws that came at his face. His right hand gripped the other clawed hand that was trying to win this battle of strength.
“You’re going to have to try harder,” Max said, between blows. “You’re depending too much on me playing fair.”
“Fair?” Rakonath huffed. A second later, flames erupted from his mouth, washing over Max, who ignored them, unable to be hurt by his dragon’s attack.
A stone pillar shot upward from the floor, catching the dragon in the crotch, earning a grunt from his friend.
That was cheap–
It’s a fight! Cheap shots win.
Max smiled as Bob and Rakonath played against each other. He had given over control to his skill, allowing Bob a chance to get some practice in.
[ Mirrored Image ]
A copy of himself formed and attacked the humanoid dragon from behind, a spear thrusting for Rakonath’s back. Silver scales covered flesh, a combination of man and beast, protected by both his natural defensive armor and the crafted ones Max had made.
[ Blink ]
Bob reappeared fifty yards away as the dragon’s head had formed almost instantly, trying to bite into Max’s body.
He’s getting better at that.
I can hear you!
Laughter reverberated inside Max’s mind as Bob unleashed a barrage of ice, wind and electricity at the now charging dragon who took up over half the height in the room. His silver scales glowed, illuminating the arena with the power he had learned to infuse them with.
He did use it!
Bob’s voice sounded almost happy as his skill met the charging dragon head-on.
[ Ultimate Form ]
[ Harden Body ]
[ Bulwark ]
[ Armored Warrior ]
[ Cooldowns Reset ]
[ Ultimate Form ]
The strain on Max’s body was less than it had been a while back; the constant training almost made it possible for him to activate the ability three times in a row. They had tried it once and the way his body had broken and was unable to regenerate through the damage he caused himself kept them from trying again.
Still, the massive claws that came at him were twice as fast and hit twice as hard.
Bob’s attempts at standing against the blows drained some of their mana as Personal Barrier absorbed the damage Rakonath had just done.
[ Evasion ]
A flurry of attacks came and Bob was able to avoid them with the help of the skill, already starting to cast the different spells he had been queuing up.
Rage roared in his dragon's eyes. Max felt a little bit of satisfaction knowing that his dragon had managed to learn a form of Berserker and was making his skill be serious about this fight.
Rakonath breathed fire again, the heat of it noticeably hotter, yet Max’s bond allowed them to shrug it off like a gentle breeze. Jaws snapped at his head, forcing Bob to retreat again.
[ Blink ]
Over and over the two of them danced around the arena floor, like lightning, their movements were bright and impossible to follow.
Max wondered how fights at the higher tiers had to be, knowing there was tremendous power in their domains as well as the stats of the gods.
While thinking those thoughts, Max sensed Bob make a move and felt the teeth on Raknoath’s jaws close around his head and chest. Personal Barrier was draining mana at a massive rate while the dragon tightened his bite.
Part of him wanted to warn his dragon, the other part doing what he could to give no clues as Bob unleashed his plan.
Stone formed around the dragon’s head, hardening in an instant. Metal bands also wrapped themselves around the snout, keeping it from being able to let go of them if Rakonath had wished.
Max’s dragon tried to pull back, sensing that what Bob was doing was not going to be good, yet the stone and metal prevented him from releasing the bite it had on Max’s overgrown body.
You forget, there are many ways to bait a hook.
Bob spoke as he unleashed the final plan, and Max hardened himself for what came next.
[ Mirror Image ]
[ Cooldown Reset ]
[ Mirror Image ]
Two more clones appeared, each of them twenty-four feet tall, dressed in the same armor as Max. As one they grabbed onto the front claws of Rakonath, helping to hold the dragon in place as it tried to fight against Bob’s plan.
[ Phasing ]
Teeth clicked together as Bob snapped the dragon’s jaw shut, the stone and metal tightening as he moved to the dragon’s head.
Rakonath thrashed, unable to free his front legs or his snout, and then stopped.
You win.
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Those words carried the tone of a defeated person who knew what was coming.
Max hovered in the air, still phased, his artifact having transformed into a massive morning star and was currently placed inside the dragon’s skull.
You sure? We can see how this feels.
It’s over. End it.
Bob didn’t argue; the tone that had come across through his mind left no doubt that Max’s skill wasn’t impressed with Rakonath’s attempt at fighting them.
The artifact was stored, and the clones vanished. Stone and metal broke apart, floating through the air to where Max was, joining the weapon a moment later.
Your problem is that you don’t think about what escapes someone–
I do think about that! The problem is we both know there will always be a way for you to win based upon your skills. Not all of us can reset–
And what about when you face one of the other black skills?
The glowering look that was given by the dragon lessened. No longer did tendrils of smoke come from his nostrils and the silver chest that was puffed out began to deflate.
Then I will give everything I have.
Max waited for Bob to speak, knowing what his skill was thinking.
For now, that is not enough. You must grow stronger and you must learn new tactics and abilities. Unlike the rest of the ones here, you grow faster. With each gain that Max acquires, you do as well. This new improvement in your bond has granted you a chance that everyone else can only dream of. Find the best course and try everything. Be like Sog. Unpredictable.
A huff came from Rakonath but the dragon simply nodded, not saying another word.
Max felt the power of the arena wash over him as the light around the edges flared up and then vanished.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting to see a dragon muzzled like a dog,” Sog called out.
Rakonath growled as he turned, still in his dragon form. “Would you like to face me next week?”
The demon held up both arms in surrender, smiling the entire time. “No, I’m good. I’ve experienced the sensation of your teeth on my body more than once. I don’t need a reminder of how it feels.”
A low thrum came from Rakonath as he began to change, quickly returning to his humanoid size.
“So that was one of his new skills?” Cordellia asked. “We’ve been wondering when he might show it. What was it?”
Max smiled, knowing that Rakonath hadn’t shared the second one with him yet, his dragon not wanting to give any possible hints at ways of overcoming it in the arena.
[ Bond ]
*****
You are bonded with Rakonath.
Rank 1 of Bond Unlocked: Rakonath gains 20% of your stats.
Rank 2 of Bond Unlocked: You may now communicate with your thoughts alone.
Rank 3 of Bond Unlocked: You are bound for eternity. All gains are shared between the dragon and the rider. 50% of stats are shared between the rider and the dragon.
Rank 4 (Hidden) of Bond Unlocked: Your dragon may now learn and adapt two skills that you possess as its own.
Know that Wekime is watching.
*****
“Mine is a variant of Max’s Berserker ability,” Rakonath stated. “My physical stats increase drastically, but I suffer on the defensive side. That isn’t as much of an issue due ot the armor that I wear.”
“A dragon with a Berserker buff… what could ever go wrong with that?” Fowl joked, grinning. “Imagine the kind of carnage we would have witnessed in the tower had he been able to do that then.”
And we still won’t discuss the Wekime is watching, will we.
I can always sense his presence, Bob. Just like I have with Max, I know where he is to a degree. Wekime is out there… and occasionally I can feel his gaze upon me.
Let’s discuss that later if we want. For now we’re getting that look from Tanila because we’re not focused on the others.
Rakonath coughed and then glanced at Tanila who was tapping her foot on the stone floor. “I’m sorry, what was the question?”
She rolled her gold eyes once and then shook her head. “I asked if you were going to hint at what the second skill you took was. As you know, there is a betting pool.”
“And that wasn’t my idea,” Sog quickly added. “It was all Batrire’s idea.”
“Bah, who cares who came up with the idea?” their healer said. “We just wana know what it is.”
A grin appeared on Rakonath’s lips and he shook his head. “Not now. Maybe later.”
“Please,” Fowl groaned. “We all know what it’s going to be.”
“Regeneration,” Cordellia, Tanila and Batrire all said at the same time.
***
“You sure you want to do this?” Max asked, studying Batrire’s expression.
“Want to? No… but I need to,” she replied. “I’m right, aren’t I, Jazzjak?”
Their helper grimaced but bobbed his head. “Yes. As we have all witnessed, you are the weakest one in a fight. But as I have mentioned ,healers aren’t necessarily so if they prepare and train for them. Some of the strongest gods out there are healers because they have learned to outlast their opponents and more.”
“But my mana pool… it runs out so quickly,” Batrire stated.
“This isn’t just about mana,” Jazzjak said, pointing to the paper he held in one hand. “I wrote down what I could and I showed you both what you can acquire through the spending of some Divine Points. Right now you need to train as often as possible and learn how to feel the weaves of magic and mana.”
She’s trying to learn something similar to what you can sense. You really think this is going to help?
It’s the only method I know of and she’s a healer. She’ll gain experience practicing in two different things. Remember, we’re not focused on grinding monsters or creatures anymore. Everything now comes from practice and Divine Points. Just because you buy a skill doesn’t mean you have absolute mastery over it. Like Tanila and those runes, or Fowl and his resistances. Each of them has trained for years now on developing and learning that skill.
And yet we’re not improving in any of ours like that.
But we also haven’t purchased a skill that we need yet. Until we do, we’re going to trust what we have and know. The rest will come in time, but for now, we’re focused on preparing your friends and reaching tier six. Everything revolves around that.
“I think they’re talking again,” Jazzjak whispered, winking at Batrire.
“Sorry, Bob and I were discussing a few things and we both feel like this is really the only path.”
Their healer blew a raspberry before summoning her best equipment. “Nothing like spending two million Divine Points to try and learn how to sense something happening around me.”
“It’s called Sensory control,” Jazzjak stated, putting the paper into storage. “You need to learn how to listen to the flow of battle around you. Similar to Max’s Sonar skill, you’re going to learn how to sense, feel, and react to the threads of mana and magic if you manage to develop it.”
“And all I have to do is be hurt in the process,” Batrire said with a grunt. “Seems ironic… the one person here who hates combat, and dislikes hurting people, is about to experience the most pain.”
Max moved to stand before their healer and smiled. “I promise to be as gentle as possible.”
“Bah,” Batrire huffed. “I’m married to Fowl, gentle’s not going to cut it.”
Bob’s laughter seemed louder in his head than usual and Max couldn’t help but join in as he moved away from his friend. “Alright… just remember… you want this.”