The Eternal: Dragonborn - A LitRPG Saga (World of Ga'em Book 2)

by Dhayaa Anbajagane

  I nodded. “I’ve never seen someone like him before.

  “This complicates things,” he muttered.

  “Huh?” I asked.

  “That man you saw,” he said. “He’s what the ancient people used to call a…Dragonborn. A man infused with the power of a Dragon.”

  I stared at him, contemplating his words. I faced a Dragonborn? I wondered. “Does this mean this man was a descendent of a dragon?” I asked.

  Krof shook his head. “You don’t have to be a descendent of a dragon to be able to wield its powers.”

  “Ah,” I said. My mind immediately delved to Nazu, wondering if the little one had the potential to strengthen himself as well.

  “I heard the Dark Alliance has been overly active these past few days,” Krof said. “What do you have on them for me?”

  “Perfect timing,” Nyx said and I felt the same. I told Krof all about what we’d done, especially how they’d kidnapped Nazu, hoping he had some useful info for us once we were done.

  “Ah,” he said, his voice dropping. “This is not good.”

  I looked at him, waiting for him to say more.

  “So this kobold is a half-dragon,” he said.

  I nodded.

  “And the Dark Alliance kidnapped him.”

  I nodded once again.

  “Ugh,” he sighed.

  “What does it mean?” I asked.

  “It means they were planning on sacrificing him.”

  “What?” I blinked.

  “As far as the Dragon Clan goes, I’ve learnt far more the Ijyela has. There is one well known way to summon a Dragon. A sacrifice. Spilling dragon blood can cause a dragon to rise from the depths of the world. I don’t know how valid this thought is, but I’ve seen it mentioned more than once, which is enough for me to think there is some truth to it.”

  “That’s why they were taking Nazu to that chamber,” I mumbled.

  “Chamber?” Krof asked, his voice agitated. “What chamber? Was there a symbol inside it?”

  I stared at him. “Yeah,” I said. “How did you know?”

  “Every Dragon had a safe place called a spiritual home. The symbol of each dragon was imbibed in their respective homes. Consequently, I believe these homes were the places where a sacrifice of dragon blood is said to raise or resurrect the dragon it was a home to.”

  “Oh my god.”

  “What was the symbol you saw?” Krof asked.

  I put my finger in the sand, drawing a circle, an inverted triangle and three lines pointing from the center up till the vertices. The exact symbol I’d seen on the ceiling of the ice chamber.

  “Oh dear,” Krof quietened.

  “Ijyela said it was a random Dragon sign,” I said.

  He shook his head. “It’s a sign that’s lost a few strokes. It is not complete.” He put his finger down and made a few more lines, namely two triangles around the circle, one facing up, one facing down, and both intersecting each other at the sides.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “This isn't the sign of any old Dragon,” Krof stood up, a tremble in his voice. “It is the sign of one of the most legendary ones,” he said. “Acnologia, the Shadow Dragon.”

  ***

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “Acnologia,” I whispered.

  “Mmm,” Krof nodded. “The Shadow Dragon from the ancient times. If the Dark Alliance were at a chamber that had this symbol, and they had a kobold of Dragon Blood with them, then it follows that they’re attempting to resurrect the Shadow Dragon.”

  “That doesn’t sound good for us,” Nyx said.

  “Are you sure that’s what the Alliance wants to do?” I asked Krof. “Could they not have another reason for all this?”

  He looked at me. “I’m not sure,” he said a few seconds later. “From what I recall, the Dark Alliance somehow managed to use your power to summon the Dark Lord the last time.”

  “Ah…yeah,” I said, remembering my unfond memories.

  “It is possible they are trying to do something similar with Acnologia,” he said. “They could use the Shadow Dragon’s power to try and bring back the Dark Lord.”

  “That would explain their motivation behind finding such a beast,” I said.

  “It would indeed.”

  “How on earth did they know to search for the kobold though?” I asked. “It seems very coincidental that they just so happened to kidnap someone who also possesses dragon blood. Especially when the someone in question looks quite normal.”

  “I do not know how they knew who to search for,” he said. “It is possible someone from the Alliance stumbled upon the kobold and just happened to realize he had dragon-blood.”

  “I doubt that was the case,” I said. “When Nazu was kidnapped, it was from a deliberate scheme, not some last moment stint. And as far as the dragon-blood thing goes, neither I, Freya or Ijyela were able to discern the young one was half-dragon just from looking at him, so I doubt anyone else could have.”

  “Hmmm. What you say makes sense,” he said. “In that case, I can’t provide any good reason why they’d know of the Kobold and his special abilities.”

  Talking about Nazu spiked my vision back to the man in the white armor. I had to get back to the Ulhur mountains soon. There was no telling what kind of situation Freya and Nazu had gotten into. The thought of that man himself just made me realize I had no clue who he was, or who he sided with.

  “It’d be funny if he’s with the Black Guardians,” I mumbled.

  “What’s that?” Krof asked.

  I shook my head. “I was just talking to myself.”

  DING!

  Congratulations! You have completed the quest: The Purpose of Dragon blood. Krof has answered why the Dark Alliance and the Black Guardians could be after Nazu and his Dragon blood. Reward: Shadow Dragon Mysteries.

  DING!

  You have obtained a new quest: Shadow Dragon Mysteries. It has become clear that the Dark Alliance and the Black Guardians seem to be trying to resurrect Acnologia, the Shadow Dragon. Find out why they are doing this. Reward: Unknown.

  Find out why? I asked. Easier said than done.

  “So, who are these Black Guardians?” Krof asked. “I am quite intrigued about why they are siding with the Dark Alliance.”

  “I am confused by that as well. I don’t see what’s in it for them.”

  “Well, it is possible that there is a beneficial agreement deep within that we’re not aware of. But from the surface it does seem like the partnership doesn’t benefit them. I don’t really know why they’re that interested in raising a Dragon from the dead anyway.”

  “I get that feeling. I’ve questioned their actions many times too.”

  “So who are they?” he asked. “I have never heard of their names until you mentioned them to me.”

  A blast of wind passed by us, not deadly enough to hurt, but definitely strong enough to seem unnatural. “You don’t say, old man,” a voice spoke from the side. We both turned on instinct, just in time to see the darkness fold out, and men emerge from the black.

  Figures of armor and cloaks stepped into the graveyard, surrounding us fast. I could make out about thirty men easily, and with a quick use of my Analyze skill, I could tell they were all around Lv. 200 at least. A glint of light struck my eyes, and I realized it was from the reflections caused by a patch on their attire; an eye shaped metal pin, but an eye that had no pupils.

  The Black Guardians, I confirmed.

  “It’s a little ironic that they should up exactly when you were talking about them,” Nyx said.

  How did they even find us? I asked. It couldn’t have been easy.

  “It doesn’t HAVE to have been easy,” he said. “They could have just used raw manpower to discern your location.”

  A man stepped forward from the circle that had formed around us. He had a hood over his head, but I still recognized him quite easily.

  “Lazarus,” I muttered.

  “Ah, s
o you remember me,” he chuckled. “I’m honored.”

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. “What do you want with me?”

  “You’ve been a prick in our side for way too long, Diablo,” he said. “We let it go in the hope you would cease your annoyance, but that has not happened yet. And so, we’re taking matters into our own hands now. You’re going to have to leave.”

  “Sneaky way of saying you’re here to murder me,” I grinned. “Do you not have the guts to even admit what you’re doing?”

  He smiled. “You are stronger than us, Eternal. But I recommend you do not test our patience.”

  I froze up for a second, taken aback at his sudden aggressiveness, but I snapped out of my daze almost instantly. “What do you want, Lazarus?” I asked. “What is your faction attempting to do, siding with a group like the Dark Alliance?”

  “I feel like I’ve said this to you before, Eternal, but do not judge what an entire group is just based off what your experiences with them have been.”

  “They tried to kill me and summon a man who was known to love death and destruction. Is that something you’re saying I shouldn’t judge?”

  “What is going on now is beyond you, Diablo. Do not try to meddle with it. It will not end well for you.”

  “You know, funnily, I think I was told the exact same thing when Asterion was attempting to raise the Dark Lord,” I chuckled.

  “What is going on anyway?” Krof stood beside me, staring right at Lazarus.

  “I’m surprised you involved yourself in this, Grand Wizard,” he said.

  “Tch,” Krof muttered. “Just answer the question.”

  Lazarus smiled. “Arrogance will get you nowhere,” he said. “I follow Sorcerer Jelal’s doctrine. Never hint at what you’re doing. Especially to a foe.”

  “I see, you’re under orders to shut up,” I said.

  “Something like that. Yes,” he said. “Apologies but I can’t chitchat any longer. There are other orders I am expected to follow.” He snapped his fingers and a multitude of men emerged from the darkness around us, standing much closer than I’d expected. About fifty heavily armed Knights, all within a few yards of me and Krof.

  “They have some stealth skills from the Dark Arts as well,” Nyx said.

  I noticed, I said. They have better control of the Darkness than maybe even some higher-ranking members of the Dark Alliance.

  “Yeah.”

  The men before us stood still for a second, and then they charged, weapons swinging hard, and right at us. Krof waved his hands in the air, and a hemisphere of blue light formed around us, blocking their strikes. Cracks formed on the shield just from the weapons’ impact, but the gaps refilled almost instantly.

  He’s fixing the shield in real time? I looked at Krof, who was staring hard at the, mumbling something in silence.

  DING!

  My Analyze skill summoned a screen into my mind by mistake.

  Name

  Krof

  Race

  Human Sorcerer

  Level

  181

  Health

  820

  Mana

  3200

  Stamina

  360

  Wow he’s a lot stronger than I’d anticipated, I realized.

  “His stats are a lot better considering his level as well,” Nyx said.

  I heard a shatter, and jerked my head up in the air to see that one of the Knights had climbed up to the top of the shield and was now ramming hard into it, sending tiny shards down from the roof. I quickly realized that all the men were slowly crowding around the shield, climbing up its surfaces, like ants on a piece of sugar, and were breaking it down with their weapons.

  It wouldn’t be long before the shield went down. We had to act fast, and luckily for us, I had a solution.

  “Krof,” I said. “Hold that shield up for ten more seconds. Drop it on the countdown.”

  “Understood,” he nodded.

  “Drop it and jump about twenty feet away.”

  “Got it.”

  I put my hands into the air and closed my eyes, focusing hard on the energy within me. I channeled it into my arms, feeling a burning sensation within my fingers as I did.

  “This is the second time in a day you’re casting something of this scale,” Nyx said.

  I can handle it, I thought, and counted down aloud.

  “Two,” I said, just as the men began breaking big chunks off the dome. “One,” I said, and they’d broken through the shield, dropping into the space within it.

  “Now!” I yelled. Krof immediately broke the shield and everyone that had climbed on it fell to the floor in an instant. He used the distraction and jumped away from the attack zone. I pointed my palms at the sky. “Helios Azure!” I yelled.

  A spark of fire flamed between my hands and in less than a blink of an eye, it exploded. Flames surged around us, and a twister of fire surrounded the region, the heat enough to make the air feel like it was melting. Tongues of fire latched onto the warriors within, charring their bodies before they even had the chance to squirm and scream.

  When the attack was done, a pile of men lay on the floor, all of them burnt and dead. I realized immediately however that Lazarus was not here. He’d escaped. Just like he always did.

  Dammit, I cursed.

  I waved my hands through the air and the flames cut off. I saw Krof standing right outside the attack zone, yelling at someone. He had a man in a dark cloak within his grasp, forcing him to stay where he was.

  “Saw this guy trying to run away,” he said as he walked up to me, dragging the cloaked one along with him.

  “That’s convenient,” I grinned. I leaned close to the man, and whispered into his hood, right at his hidden face. “You’re going to tell us everything you know about what the Dark Alliance is doing,” I said.

  “I don’t know anything!” he said. “Please. You have to believe me!”

  I put my finger in the air, and a red flame sparked right over it. “I hope you won’t make me use this,” I said. “You saw what it did to the other men. However, imagine doing that to you, but part by part, charring every limb till you can’t move anymore, till-”

  “I’m sorry!” he wailed. “We were supposed to take that kobold to the chamber in the Ulhur mountains. I heard something about a sacrifice but that’s it. That’s all I know. I promise!”

  “Where is the kobold?”

  “Our men in the Ulhur mountains have him.”

  “Oh?” I said. That was a surprise. I’d expected the man in white armor to have found him, but I guess the Black Guardians had found a way to keep him away from Nazu. And since the Black Guardians had them, that meant the Dark Alliance had them as well.

  “What else?” I asked.

  “That’s all I was told. I swear!”

  “Good,” I pulled him away from Krof and gripped his arm. A flame of blood red spread over him immediately, killing him in an instant. He dropped to the floor, his charred body hissing as it touched the damp soil, sending the scent of burnt meat into the air.

  “Wow,” Krof said, stunned. “That was a little…harsh, even if I do say so myself.”

  I froze for a second, trying to comprehend what I’d just done. I breathed in and turned to the wizard, putting on my best ‘I’m okay’ face. “We can’t have anyone reporting back to the Black Guardians about this,” I said. “We can’t compromise.”

  “That’s…sensible,” he said, a little hesitant.

  My eyes looked at the burnt body on the floor. I hadn’t meant to do that. I would never have meant to. And yet, for some reason, I’d done it. It was almost like I felt an overwhelming desire that compelled me to do so, a desire that wasn’t mine.

  “Zoran, are you okay?” Nyx asked.

  Not really, I said. In that one moment, I felt like I’d turned back into…him.

  “No, you just did what you had to,” he said.

  Maybe that’s how I justified being a monster back t
hen, I said.

  DING!

  Congratulations! You have defeated Knight Squadron (Lv 164)! Reward: Lance of the Human Knight. Reward: Bow of the Human Archer. Reward: 160000 XP.

  DING!

  Congratulations! Your Fire Arts spell ‘Helios Azure: Storm of Fire’ has increased to Level 10. Attack range increased to 25 feet. Spell recovery time reduced to 4 hours.

  DING!

  Congratulations! Your skill ‘Fire Arts’ has advanced to Level 8. Attack damage increased by +15% in the presence of heat. +10% resistance to fire spells.

  “We need to head back to the Ulhur mountains,” Krof said. “If there indeed is a sacrifice, we must prevent it. And fast.”

  I nodded. I put my hands up in the air. “Hiestia,” I said.

  The darkness spread around us and consumed us whole. My vision blackened, until we were back in the familiar world of portals and pathways.

  “What is this?” Krof asked, intrigue in his voice.

  “Shadow Travel,” I said as I walked forward, searching for a way back into the chamber with the Dragon sign. It took me about five minutes but I found a way, a portal made through a lone shadow cast by one of the pillars in the chamber.

  “Come on,” I called out to Krof, and entered the portal in front of me. The darkness around me vanished and a chill hit my spine, both indicators that I was where I needed to be.

  “Fascinating process,” Krof said as he followed in after me. “You must let me study this sometime.”

  “Later,” I mumbled and glanced around, realizing the chamber was as I’d seen it before. The water was untouched, and the creepers grew unhindered. There was absolutely no one other than us in here and I found that very odd.

  Wasn’t the sacrifice supposed to be done in here? I wondered.

  “Maybe they haven’t started it yet,” Nyx said.

  I turned to Krof. “We need to head back up.”