Chapter 185: Sharpened Fangs And Inevitable Bites

Chapter 185: Sharpened Fangs And Inevitable Bites

There was a forest outside the Guildhall, the plants that formed it stretching ever upwards. Erik had never seen so much color in one place; golds and blues and greens and browns filled his vision, a scenic view of varied hues painted by a master of the arts. Splashes of color erupted here and there, bursting from the forests boundaries. Each formed in the same manner as the last: in hardly more than a moment and with no visible effort. They just came into being. Impossibly. Beautifully.

There was a dragon outside the Guildhall, the stone that formed it stretching even higher. Erik had never seen something so drab yet deadly; smooth grays molded themselves into spikes and scales and shards and spurs, each large enough to murder a man with sheer size. The gray clashed with the colors of the forest. Splashes of color spilled into drab, deadly stone, slipping through tiny cracks and painting its surface.

Despite that, there was always more gray underneath, just waiting to be found.

The stone dragon let out another roar, the sound like crashing stone and dangerous tremors, and its limbs began pulling free from the roots that tried to bind it. Cracks cascaded down its surface, starting thin and ending thick where the damage pooled at the creatures lower limbs. Roots and leaves and branches and more lashed out at the beast, binding and constricting and breaking and -

I suppose theres no need to ask about what happened to the Nature Core, is there? Kala whispered from beside him, the light sound of her voice just barely audible over the crashing over stone and the cracking of wood. Erik turned slightly, catching sight of her out of the corner of his eye - but only that. The rest of his attention remained on the forest that had sprouted from almost nothing at all, as well as the stone dragon that raged within its depths.

No, he replied. I guess there isnt.

The two of them - and increasingly more, as the bravest or most foolhardy of the Guildhalls occupants made their way to peer between the multitude of gaps between the wall, each new witness drawn by the gasps of the previous - watched the unfolding battle. What had once been the ruins of a grand plaza and the derelict buildings that surrounded it had been transformed into something out of a dream or a nightmare.

A dream, in that most would live their entire lives without ever seeing so much vegetation in one place.

A nightmare, in that the forest itself was alive; formed of monsters in the shape of crops and trees and bushes and vines, each more than enough to entangle those who plumbed the forests depths in search of sustenance.Nêww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com

Even when it was smaller, it took all that I had to hold that thing back. Thought I mightve been able to beat it, even, until I realized that it could take everything I hit it with and just make itself another body again. It washumbling, Kala continued, her voice still low beneath the rumbling of stone and creaking of wood. She shook her head, the motion drawing Eriks eye again. And now, all of this appears in an instantIm not sure I could do much about that either, if I had to. Ascended are a little unfair, arent they?

Outside, the dragon thrashed and writhed, every movement causing the ground beneath Eriks feet to tremble. Giant roots whipped against its armored hide with impunity, lashing out from above while the smaller - though still excessively large - plants below entangled the beasts limbs. Occasionally, the great beast would achieve a small victory; a root would be sliced here, a tree felled there.

Theres less politicking here, less backstabbing and conniving. Its simpler here at the edges, where mana is still working to spread the borders of the World Dungeon, where Cores are more likely to form and be placed in the null-water where they belong - safe from powerful Ascended and politics both. Unfortunately, thats beginning to change, and the little snake you brought is the start of half of that change. The other half, wellwe brought that one with us, too. Comes anywhere humans go, eventually, his father finished, looking more grim than usual.

Isnt it good that we have even a weak Ascended on our side then, to help deal with at least one half of that change? Erik asked. If more violent Ascended start to appear, his presence might count for a lot.

His father eyed him. If more Ascended start to appear in the area, hell do less than you think. Any one of us could kill him in an instant if the future-sight you suspect he has doesnt cause him to hide from us. As he is, Orkens little snake wouldnt stand a chance against some of the Ascended monsters that Ive seen or heard of. A Core or two could change that, maybe. Its hard to tell. But keep in mind, by the time that hes strong enough for thatit wont just be fellow Ascended that he could kill. Make sure you understand that.

His father leaned closer, bulk pressed against the edge of his desk.

A snake is always going to bite. Its in their nature. Just be sure that it wont bite you before you make its fangs too deadly.

Wood creaked and splintered. Stone cracked and shattered. Mouths groaned and mumbled. A snake hissed, tiny head peering through a crack.

Erik turned to Kala, finally turning his gaze away from their scaly protector. The motion was easy; voluntary. With the spores that infested him gone, it couldnt be anything but. That, too, was a point in the snakes favor; the spores absence was yet another sign of well-placed trust, the bite that removed them far from what his father had warned him to be wary of.

The very opposite, in fact.

Unfair as it is, at least half of the unfairness here is on our side, he murmured, feeling surprisingly at ease about the situation. Maybe it was the thought of that same unfairness potentially solving citywide hunger with ease getting to him. That was unfairness that he could get behind.

They just needed to survive the other half of that unfairness: a Skies-damned stone dragon, the giant thing as large as their Little Guardian was small.

Hopefully, they had allied themselves with the stronger serpent, sizes be damned.