Chapter 518: Trial Assistance

Chapter 518: Trial Assistance

What do you think? Dallion asked as looked about the room with his kaleidervisto.

Strictly speaking, the three of them were given their separate rooms, but as tended to be the usual practice, he and Eury had shared one. March hadnt been opposed and since the inn didnt have any other guests, it was the comfortable thing to do.

There didnt seem to be any echoes lingering, but just to be sure, Dallion had a brief chat with the furniture guardians.

Think were being set up? he put the artifact away.

Im not sure. The overseer shouldnt have been there. Eury sounded concerned.

That much was certain. His presence wasnt an accident. Dallion had a suspicion that he was the reason for it. News of him being friends with potential future overseers had probably spread fast in the proper circles. Overseers would certainly be aware; it was also possible that they were aware of his relation to the Nerosal overseer.

Get some sleep. Well be heading out early tomorrow.

To do the task? Dallion asked, referring to the request given to him by Hannah.

That too. Theres something else we need to do before that.

That wasnt much of an explanation. Given that she had been to the city before and Dallion hadnt, he decided to leave it at that for now. Maybe some rest was a good idea. Before that, though, there was something he intended to do as well.

PERSONAL AWAKENING

It was night when Dallion appeared in his realm, although with the intensity the Green Moon was shining, it might as well have been day.

To his relief, the realm seemed intact. The only major difference from last time he had noticed was the new design of Ondas tower. A rather large steampunk nest had been placed on top. At present, the nest was empty, but Dallion had a pretty good idea who it had been built for.

Heya, Dal! an unfamiliar voice said.

Instinctively, Dallion burst into instances, in several of which he had summoned weapons. The person who addressed him was in his late teens, dressed in traveling clothes of green leather. He didnt appear to have any weapons, in fact, the only remarkable things were that he had dark green hair and also that he was an illusion.

Dark, Dallion sighed, letting all but one of his instances fade away. Who gave you that bright idea?

No one did, the dragonlet said defensively, suggesting that it had probably come from Onda. I wanted to be like everyone else. Cool skills, by the way. You really know a lot of stuff!

Thats why its generally not a good idea to reveal your skills to kids, Nil said. They tend to talk a lot.

Dallion knew the risks of inviting Dark in his realm, however, he also knew of the benefits. Level sixty had proven to be a wall he couldnt breach, which was why he might as well try going through with some help. It had been an eternity since he had tried to complete a challenge assisted. Now was his chance to brush up on his skills.

What do you think of the realm? Dallion asked.

Its tiny, but really cool!

Cool, eh? Youve definitely been spending too much time with Onda, Dallion thought. Fancy doing a trial?

A blob of curiosity emerged in the dragonlets forehead.

Itll be tough, but nothing for you to worry about, Dallion began.

Its cool. Onda appeared out of nowhere. I go on trials with him all the time, the hammer guardian boasted. The last ones been really tough.

Having Lux fly him to the center of his current cavern, Dallion split into two dozen instances. Dark did the same.

Dont push yourself, Dallion said with one if his instances. Im not the one youre competing with.

A few seconds later, the shardfly instances were reduced to ten.

The flapping became louder. Eager to test the new creatures out, Dallion did a line attack in the direction of the cave from where the flapping noise was loudest. The thread of destruction flew forward, slicing roots, rock, and part of the cave itself.

No red rectangles emerged. That was goodit meant that the enemies, whatever they were, didnt have the ability to negate his attack. All that was left now was to

A sword of dragonlets emerged from the cave tunnel, followed moments later by more from the next.

Dallion immediately instructed Lux to get him closer to the walls, bursting into another set of instances.

I knew this would happen, Dallion thought bitterly. Since the challenge adjusted to him, it was logical that it would react to Darks presence. Of course, Dallion didnt expect it to be done in such an obvious fashion.

Releasing the whip blade, Dallion played a chord in an attempt to link to the dragonlets. In three of his thirty-six instances, the strands managed to create a connection. Dallion was just about to select an instance to make reality when everything shifted. Suddenly he found himself closer to the center of the chamber.

What the?!

Several dragonlets crashed together in a ball of scales and claws. From the corner of his eyes, Dallion saw Dark defeat two opponents, deducing them to yellow smoke.

What do you think? Dark asked, beaming with pride as he flew towards the next enemy.

Did you just pull me to your instance? Dallion shouted. His attempts to capture several of the dragonlets with music were now gone. Knowing the capability of the creatures, they had probably seen the instance as well, so would be prepared in the future. Dont just fight on your own! This isnt a solo battle!

A bit ironic coming from you, dear boy, Nil said.

Not now, Nil! Dallion hissed as he performed a cross slash with both swords. The attack managed to cut through the thick skin of a nearby creature, though not before it managed to slash his thigh with its wing.

AGGRAVATED WOUND

Your health ha been reduced by 15%

Dallion winced. With Lux around, the damage wasnt an issue, but allowing himself to get hurt was. The lack of coordination had made him lose his concentration even more than expected. Come to think of it, it had been a while since he had fought with someone else. Ever since hed gone solo hunting, he didnt have to coordinate with anyone. Even his guardians followed his instructions to the letter.

Is that the point of the trial, Nil? Dallion flew back to the walls of the cave, trying to limit the points from which he could be attacked. Coordinated fighting?

Its a bit too early to worry about that, dear boy. The goal of this trial is quite obvious: do not get overwhelmed.

That was easier said than done. Two more dragonlets darted in Dallion's direction, each splitting into eight instances. For the moment, the number wasnt alarming, but it was going to go. The more the creatures got comfortable with their surroundings, the more theyd start using their skills.

Another major split took place, pulling Dallion into an instance he didnt want to go. Apparently, his ally had something in mind. Seeing that he wouldnt come to any harm, Dallion let him.

I told you not to pull me to your reality! he shouted.

Predictably, Dark immediately split once more, doing exactly that. Then again.

Dallion felt himself jumping from one spot to another. Tired of the experience, he stopped combat splitting, leaving Dark to have his fun. The only silver lining was that the swarm of yellow dragonlets was just as confused as he was. There was hardly anything more annoying that a well thought out plan getting messed up by someone who had no idea what he was doing. Ten seconds later, it happened again.

This isnt going to work, Dallion thought.