Leveling up the World

Chapter 896: The Dragon Hunt

According to the bestiary that Dallion had obtained years ago, there were a total of seventeen known dragonsdead or alive. Upon hearing that theyd be hunting a nest, his immediate thoughts were that he might set off to exterminate Darks family. Hearing that the location was to the north didnt calm him down much, either. With the world being a globe, there was a chance that the fallen south could end up a lot closer to the imperial capital than one might expect.

Lift the walls, Pierce, Abla said in a loud voice.

Within seconds, the walls that separated the inner sanctum from the uncommon room slid up into the ceiling. The spell integrated within the structure was masterfully crafted, but Dallions thoughts were elsewhere.

Veil, tell Hannah shes in charge, he said through his personal realm.

Your wife wont like that, the overseer replied.

Tell Eury to go to the nearest monastery of the Order and ask for the offer that was promised.

Thats a bit cryptic. Are you in trouble?

I dont know yet, but someone is.

A second layer of walls vanished up into the ceiling, transforming the entire building into one massive chamber. Even so, everyone present knew their place. No one crossed the invisible lines, demoting their status. Occasional shuffling took place as the more senior members moved closer to the center, finding their order within the hierarchy.

You all responded to the call, Abla said, putting an end to any whispers that were still taking place. The veterans will know what this means. To everyone else, the Order of the Twelve Suns has been tasked with a dragon hunt.

Eagerness and pride filled the space, emitted by virtually everyone. The emotions were so strong that Dallion felt as if he were stuck inside a ringing church bell.

The Mage Academy made the discovery a few weeks ago, Abla continued. The inner sanctum was made aware back then, but fighting on the fronts made it impossible for any action to be taken. Now, thanks to Bishop Dallion Elazni, who defeated the Azure forces in the far east, weve been granted a window of opportunity.

Im a bishop now?

Dallion had rarely heard so many lies stacked in one. For starters, he was never informed of the find. The archmage went out of his way to keep it secret. Also, from a military standpoint, Dallion hadnt achieved a victory, but rather avoided a defeat. He had been on the defensive and if it wasnt for the Alliances remaining troops he would have fled back to the imperial capital with nothing. Finally, he couldnt help but notice that there had been no mention of the Alliances destruction.

The information we have is scant, but weve managed hunts with less, Atla added, ending with a laugh.

A few chuckles followed from other members, though a lot less than Dallion thought thered be.

I wont lie to you. The task is massive. The mages say that the nest holds several dozen dragonlets and young dragons, each of them capable of taking down several fourth-gaters. But thats not all. The reason that the entire Order was called upon was because a grand dragon was also spotted.

I dont like the sound of that, Dallion said to himself.

Just like an idiot to go poking for dragons in the middle of a war, Adzorg agreed with a grumble. If I still were archmage, Id have put the nest off limits until the nymphs were defeated.

Clearly, the old mage remained convinced of the emperors infallibility.

The speech went on in a mixture of praise and preparing the participants for the worst. At one point, one of the inner sanctum members made his way to Dallion. The approach was silent and faster than the eye could see. Dallion, though, had become above the average domain ruler.

Wait for the rush, then head for the war room, the person said. He was at least three quarters of a century old, with multiple scars on his face and neck. Even without asking, Dallion could tell that the man was a hunter and one with plenty of experience.

Wheres the war room? Dallion whispered back.

Far end. The marble door.

That sounded disturbing. For the Shimmering Circle to fail, the dragon had to be very powerful.

In short, they find it, we kill it, then bring the prize to the emperor.

Sounds a bit excessive. The emperor must love his trophies.

Half of the people at the table looked away, two let out a mocking laugh.

Oh, the trophy is worth the effort. For the first time since hed met him, Dallion thought he saw the Counts lips twist into a grin. A dragon that big is bound to have a Moonstone.

Moonstone? Dallions heart skipped a beat.

Now, that explained a great many things. Moonstones were a lot rarer than he initially thought. Initially, the mages trial had left him with the impression that they were rare, but findable resources, no different from artifacts. Since then, he had revised his opinion. All the time and money spent on ruin hunting had only earned him one additional Moonstone. Technically, he could obtain another if he destroyed the awakening shrine of his domain, but he didnt consider doing that even as a last resort.

More than one, if were lucky. For there to be a nest, there have to be two of them. Two great dragons. Itll be a difficult kill, so well have to split up. You have the highest magic in the Order, so youll focus on the stronger one. Pierce will deal with the other.

By deal, I assume you mean protect you lot? Dallion clarified.

Whatever works, the Count ignored the question. Whats important is to kill them fast and not let a vortex form. If one does form the man pointed at Dallion youll have to deal with that as well.

Naturally.

From what he could remember, dragons contained so much magic that upon death, part of their energy tore a piece of reality, giving birth to a void copy of the creature complete with skills and memories. If the dragons theyd face were stronger, the hunting party would have to kill them twice: once in their normal form, and once again in whatever form followed.

Theres still some time until the skill leveling is over, so take care of any unfinished business by then. And you. The count gave Dallion a stern look. Gear up.

Sure, Dallion replied. But before that, I have a question. I know Im the newest one here, but are there any songs or records about facing a great dragon?

The silence was absolute. Even the emotions emanating from the people moments ago abruptly stopped.

Not even one?

The Order of the Seven Moons erased all knowledge on the matter. Astra was the one who spoke. We know that thereve been dragon hunts in the past. Thanks to the Academy, we also know that Moonstones are obtained by slaying a great dragon, but other than that she shrugged.

We know that not all past hunts involved mages, so they can be defeated, another hunter added.

Magic only kills if its stronger than the person its facing, Dallion said. For all we know, killing the dragon might turn it into something much stronger.

Which is precisely why the emperor gathered the entire inner sanctum, the Count stressed. All of us are close to a hundred. Well handle the matter. The only question is how many well lose in the process.

Only a hardened hunter could say that. Dallion had suspected something back when access to the skill shrine had been offered. There was no such thing as a free lunch. Back during the War of Inheritance in Wetie province, a similar offer had been made to anyone willing to join the army for one side or another.

Once again, I ended up like my grandfather, Dallion thought. Does anyone know how to fight a great dragon?

No, Harp replied. I didnt face any back in my age, and the Order was thorough in erasing all other knowledge. I might have killed one in the hands of my owners and I wouldnt even know.

That sounded rather excessive. With all information on the matter erased from the world, Dallion was heading into the hunt blind. Protecting Abla, not to mention himself, had become a whole lot more difficult.