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

by Dhayaa Anbajagane

  “I am honored you remember my name,” he said as his men all charged into the village.

  I thrust my hands forward, and delved into my mind, not for a spell I’d always used, but for something new, something different.

  Something unexpected.

  “Tritus oceanus!” I yelled. A drop of water formed between my palms, and before I could even blink, a huge blast of swirling blue thundered into my enemies, the blast larger than a house. The men were entrapped by the waters, and went flying back, completely taken by the torrent.

  I saw Lazarus and a few others bear the brunt of the attack, and I immediately switched to my second plan.

  I dropped the blast of water and summoned another spell immediately. “Iglacier,” I yelled, and the water before me, the water I was in contact with, instantly froze over. The men within the blast of water all froze up, trapped in the shackles of ice I’d put their bodies in.

  It was around now that I heard the sounds of voices come from behind these men, and they were not voices that were coming closer, but voices that stayed put. I looked at Lazarus, and panicked, realizing the leader of the Black Guardians had turned frozen with a wide smile on his face.

  He had something planned.

  I heard the voices turn louder, their chanting quickly intensify. A mass spell, my eyes widened. I jumped high into the air, onto the pillar of ice I’d made, and rushed ahead. I didn’t even need to take a step forward though before I saw about fifty cloaked mages standing hidden behind a house.

  I surged down onto them, sword in hand.ra

  “Osiris Liora!” they yelled. A gemstone of dark purple glowed between them, and a blast of light instantly shot out from it, spreading out as a sphere. The wall of light surged into me mid jump, slamming hard.

  Pain instantly shot into my body and I immediately dropped down to the floor, partly immobilized. My body lay collapsed, aching in all sorts of ways.

  DING!

  My eyes glanced up at the screen next to me.

  Warning! You have been afflicted with: The Curse of the Phantom. All stats lowered by 60%. Health regeneration lowered by 90%. Mana regeneration stopped. Stamina regeneration stopped.

  My eyes widened. What the hell is this? I asked. What was that spell?

  “Diablo, this isn’t good,” Nyx said. “That lost spell was something that people tried to use against you many millennia ago. Although, it never worked back then. I have no clue what’s going on, but you need to get out of there. Now!”

  I slowly stood up, my body still aching. I heard cracking from above me, and looked up just in time to see my pillar of ice shatter completely, the large chunks dissolving away even before they dropped a few feet in the air.

  Darkness emerged where the ice had stood and Lazarus stepped out from within, a black aura around him, a smile on his face. “The Dearth Stone’s amplifying powers worked much better than I’d expected,” he chuckled. “How do you feel, Diablo?”

  “Better than ever,” I muttered and charged at him. He put his hand in the air. “UHER!” he yelled.

  I froze in shock and in that instant, a dark phoenix surged out from below me, surging into my body. I went flying into the air, my health decreasing by more than half from that attack alone.

  This is what it feels like to be attacked by the Phoenix, I thought.

  My body went flying down onto the village square, rolling a few times and sliding to a stop, right next to the mysterious hole. Blood spilt from my forehead, coating my eyes with its slick texture. Pain was exploding through me, terrible and prolonged. I could see my health inch upwards, but regenerating at a rate that wouldn’t help me at all.

  I heard laughter from above and saw Lazarus jump down from the roof. He smiled as he strode up to me, his mages and knights behind him as he did.

  “How does it feel, Eternal?” he chuckled. “How does it feel to be weak again? To be attacked by the same move you deal onto your foes?”

  He pointed at me and a sharp blast of darkness shot out of his finger, piercing my chest. I gasped, watching as my health went down slowly, the small amount nowhere close to the intense pain I felt. Laughter exploded in my ears, Lazarus’ sadistic chuckles the only thing I could still hear.

  I can’t die, I thought. Not here. Not now.

  “Diablo,” a voice spoke, resonating in my mind, a voice I had not heard before. “Come.”

  I looked down, at the drop beside me, the source of where the voice seemed to be coming from. In a spark of instinct, I rolled over, dropping through the darkness. I heard Lazarus yell above me, but his voice disappeared into the distance. Air rushed past me as I fell down, the drop lasting many a second.

  All of a sudden, a surface emerged, and I fell smack into it, my chest and limbs nearly crushing from the impact. I gasped, unbearable pain now churning through me. Even more blood trickled from my wounds, pooling into the ground beneath me.

  “Help…me…” I croaked.

  A loud hum sounded from all around, piercing my ears. The ground began to vibrate and all of a sudden, runes began to glow right beneath me. The light multiplied quickly, and in seconds, concentric circles of runes glowed bright and strong over the floor. The vibrations within the surface grew, turning from simple tremors to a full-fledged earthquake. Rocks and debris fell from the walls around me, sinking down to the floor.

  “You have done well, Eternal,” the voice said.

  In the blink of an eye, I found myself back on the surface, my body on the dusty floor of Ikarius, hurt and pain still within my bones.

  What just happened, I wondered, and my ears picked up a gentle growling next to me. I turned to my side, and my breath instantly froze in my chest.

  A majestic beast of darkness stood there, its body a pitch-black worthy of hell, its blazing eyes of blood-red, powerful and murderous. It reared up into the air, sending torrents of winds with its wings, and spoke to the sky with a roar worthy of the heavens.

  The Shadow Dragon had awoken.

  ***

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The skies darkened and silence roamed the winds. A chill spread through the air and the very ground trembled in fear, as though death itself had transcended the lands.

  My eyes stayed glued to this beast of brilliance that stood in front of me, my ears still ringing from the monstrous roar it had let out just seconds ago. The men of the Black Guardians stood still, their bodies frozen, unable to contemplate what was going on here. A few of them ran away, and the others stood there shivering, the Shadow Dragon’s mere presence enough to strike fear into their hearts.

  “Acnologia,” Lazarus whispered, standing atop a rooftop, glancing right into the beast’s terrifying eyes.

  The Shadow Dragon let out a thunderous roar once again, its wings sending gusts of wind flying right at the Black Guardians.

  “Men! Fall back!” Lazarus yelled, running back to the outskirts of the village. The men of black clothing followed right behind him, pumping their feet as they rushed out of the streets.

  There were already multiple questions running in my mind. How had the dragon come here? Did this mean our job was over? Were we in a position to win?

  But I knew these were questions that would have to wait. My mind instantly shifted to the other threat left within the village. I picked myself up, heading straight for where the Dark Alliance had entered Ikarius. I heard loud thumping behind me, the ground vibrating with each instance of the sound. I turned around and saw the Shadow Dragon rush through the streets, its body crushing walls and breaking roofs as it charged behind me.

  I let myself smile in amusement, but for only a moment. I could hear the noise of battle come from ahead, the sounds of bows being strung, and swords being struck. I turned into another street and the sight emerged before me. I could see a crowd of knights, all of them trying to make their way through. Krof though, kept them at bay, slices and blasts of wind taking them down and pushing them back.

  Their attention shifted from old man
the moment they heard the thumping behind me. A shadow cast onto my body, and I knew then the Shadow Dragon had made its appearance. The men before me all stopped battling, their weapons still in their hand, arrows frozen against bow-strings.

  Laughter rang through the air, breaking the silence. “I see,” Jelal stood upon the rooftop of the closest house in front, making me wonder if there was something between villainous leaders and standing on rooftops.

  “You actually resurrected the Dragon yourself,” he chuckled. “That poor kobold. It must ache to be killed by someone who was bent on saving him only a few days ago.”

  “He’s alive,” I muttered.

  “What?” his tone changed.

  “The kobold is alive,” I said, and by this time, Krof had made his way to me, his eyes wide in view of the Dragon. But he said nothing, and stayed by my side.

  “You performed a resurrection without a sacrifice?” he asked. “Impossible! Is that even the Shadow Dragon then?”

  The beast let out a roar in reply, causing the Dark Alliance and their forces to step back.

  “It seems he is,” I smiled.

  “Impossible,” Jelal muttered. “That’s impossible.”

  “Face it, Jelal,” I said. “The odds are not in your favor. You’ve lost.”

  “Lost?” he asked, his tone changing. “I will not lose.”

  He shot off the roof, the wooden surface collapsing under the force of his leap, and in a flash he was onto me. I put my hands in the air, and opened my mouth to utter a word, but pain struck my body and I stumbled to the floor.

  “Zoran!” a shield formed in front of me, thicker than before, and Jelal came ramming into it. His body bounced off, leaving a few cracks on the surface. I turned around and saw Krof standing right behind me, a worried look on his face.

  “What is going on here?” he asked.

  “Long story,” I wheezed. “Get that shield down. I need to take him out.”

  “Look at yourself, you’re in no position to fight.”

  A loud bang sounded as Jelal attacked the barrier, ripping more cracks down its sides.

  Nyx, health potions and mana potions, I said. If my regeneration rates are down I’ll just have to compensate.

  “Got it,” he said.

  Specks of glowing light flowed into the air and collected into my hands, forming four vials of blue and red liquid. I quickly uncorked them all and consumed them in a flash.

  “Krof, drop the shield,” I said as Jelal banged onto it once again. I could see Krof shivering a bit, unable to bear the strain he was taking to keep the shield up.

  He gasped as he let his concentration go and the shield immediately dropped down. I shot to Jelal, but my speed was still far too weak to match up to his. He simply ran behind me and summoned a blast of darkness. I went flying through the air and through the walls of one of the houses.

  Bloody curse, I muttered as I got up. I held my hand out and a vial formed in it immediately, courtesy of Nyx. I consumed it in an instant and brought my health back up to full.

  “You’re not going to be able to get rid of the 60% decrease to your stats,” Nyx said. “And it’s too big a drop to keep you competing with the likes of Jelal and the others.”

  I can’t stop here, I said as I walked out of the rubble. What other options do I have?

  When I walked back out I saw Jelal and Krof duking it out, blasts of wind and darkness facing off against each other. The old man was barely managing to keep himself alive, his entire will and concentration going into his attacks.

  “KROF!” I yelled and shot forward, summoning every ounce of my strength. “UHER!” I yelled, sending the dark phoenix Jelal’s way. He braced himself for the attack, throwing up a shield of transparent blue into the air. The attack struck the barrier, shattering it, but that’s all the strength it had, and the dark bird quickly dissipated into the air.

  I’m not strong enough, I muttered.

  Jelal put his hand up and struck a blast of darkness my way once again. I didn’t attempt to dodge and instead shifted my body weight, pulling out Dawnbreaker in a flash. I held the sword in front of me, and bore the brunt of the attack. I still slid across the floor from the impact, but at least I didn’t go flying over it.

  “There’s no use, Eternal,” Jelal said, walking towards me. “You are too weak. The Black Guardian’s curse is not something you can beat with sheer will.”

  “That’s why you joined forces with them,” I muttered. “Because they could cast that mass spell on me.”

  “It was a mutually beneficial partnership,” he smiled. “Of course, they weren’t really that helpful until we gave them the rare Dearth Stone a few hours ago. It is said the stone can amplify certain spells and make them much more effective.”

  “So that’s why that mass spell even worked in the first place.”

  “Indeed. That stone was insanely hard to find. Only a handful of them exist in these lands,” Jelal said. “I’d say though, the results from it were totally worth it, wouldn’t you agree?” he laughed.

  “Damn you,” I grit my teeth.

  All of a sudden, the light from the skies quickly dulled, even more so than before. Everyone on the field immediately turned to the Shadow Dragon. The beast now had a flame of intense black surrounding it, hiding its body from sight. Its eyes shifted colors, turning to a shade of furious silver.

  Those eyes, I froze, recognizing them from the vision I’d had of Dragonfall’s past.

  The Shadow Dragon roared loudly, and a hemisphere of silver light shot out from it. It passed through me and Krof harmlessly, but Jelal was not as lucky. He and his knights were all caught behind the barrier. The hemisphere expanded out till the edge of the village and stayed there, brightening up till it was much more opaque. In a moment, all of Ikarius’ intruders had been forcefully pushed out of the village borders.

  I heard a deep voice spew laughter within my mind. “How amusing,” it said.

  My head shifted, my eyes looking up to the dragon. The beast gazed straight at me, its soul silver eyes in line with mine.

  “Acnologia…” I said, my voice soft.

  “Indeed,” the Dragon said. “Thank you for resurrecting me, Phantom Lord.”

  “How long is this going to keep them out?” I asked.

  “However long it is needed for.”

  DING!

  You have completed the quest: Resurrect Acnologia II. You have now resurrected the Shadow Dragon. Things are only going to get harder from here. But you now have a strong ally at your side. Be prepared. Rewards: 16000000 XP. Rewards: 8000000 Sol.

  DING!

  Congratulations! You have resurrected the Shadow Dragon, Acnologia. The age of the Dragons is upon us! ‘Familiar’ menu has now been unlocked! Fame has been increased by +1000.

  My eyes widened. Familiar?

  DING!

  Congratulations! You have obtained a new Familiar: Acnologia, the Shadow Dragon. Strength of the Dark Arts increased by 30% when familiar is present on the field. Strength of the Light Arts increased by 30% when familiar is present on the field.

  Huh? I blinked.

  “You seem confused, Eternal,” Acnologia said, rumbling with laughter.

  “I…You’re my familiar? How? Why?”

  “It is nothing I was bound by,” he said. “I chose it myself.”

  “What?”

  “The Shadow Dragon,” Krof said, as he looked at the magnificent beast.

  Acnologia returned his gaze, but said nothing.

  “Unfortunately, I have no time to spend with you right now,” the wizard turned to me. “I’m going to look for Freya and Ijyela.”

  “The third house on the second street from the village square,” Nyx said, probably gaining that information from the map we had.

  I relayed the same information to Krof and he nodded, rushing off in a flash.

  “This world seems quite lively,” Acnologia said. “It is amusing.”

  “There are people after yo
u,” I said.

  “I am aware.”

  “I see.”

  “People have always been after me, Eternal. There is always pursuit in the face of strength. This is nothing new.”

  “But this is different,” I said. “They are coming after you to-”

  “To become a Dragonborn,” he said. “At least that’s what one group is doing. The other had some plans to raise another of your kind I believe. I am unsure of how.”

  I stared at him. “How do you know all this?”

  “I am a Dragon,” he laughed, as though that was explanation enough.

  “How did you even resurrect in the first place?” I asked, finally delving into the questions that had occupied my mind since I’d seen him. “Do I have dragon blood in me as well?”

  “It would be amusing if that was the case,” he said. “I was raised because of your Re-animator ability.”

  “What?” I stared.

  “Your will to raise me from the dead, along with my will to return to the living, set off your Re-animator special ability. That was more than enough to bring me back to the land of the living.”

  “But my skill can’t raise someone who’s more than Level 200.”

  “Ah,” he said. “Sometimes, you can cheat systems like these.”

  “Huh?”

  “I kid. The fact that I became your familiar changed my status from ‘undead minion’ to ‘familiar’. And that meant my level cap no longer existed.”

  How strong is he anyway? I used my Analyze skill on him and the numbers automatically entered my mind.

  DING!

  Name

  Acnologia, the Shadow Dragon

  Race

  Ancient Dragon

  Level

  873

  Health

  14560

  Mana

  19500

  Stamina

  12300

  “What,” I gasped.