Charles had no options left—he could only endure, relying on the Constitution he'd improved with systems boosts, together with the protection of False Life. All his tricks, techniques, and strategies were exhausted; now, the only thing left was a pure contest of vitality.
Fortunately, this Earth Dragon was not truly undead or a fiend—it was just a pitiful creature of the elements polluted by demons. Only a small part of its entire body needed to be purified, so completing the process wouldn't take too long.
Buzz——
Just as the sand-crocodile was about to begin a fourth spin—and Charles was nearing his own limit—the milky purifying light faded. The Earth Dragon's twisting body suddenly stopped, landing with its back facing upwards. Its agitated form stilled, then fell completely silent, as if dead—or perhaps merely asleep.
"Puh—ah!"
Realizing he was finally safe, Charles raised his head, shook the sand from his hair, and spat out the gritty earth that had crept into his mouth. His hair, clothes, pants, and shoes were caked with sand—every part of his body felt sore and raw from abrasion.
But now was certainly not the time for a cleanup. Trembling, he crawled upright, pulled out his spellbook from the Bag of Holding, and cast Cure Wounds on himself. The burning pain on his neck and the backs of his hands faded, abraded wounds healing as he breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank the gods, he made it.
He then opened his system panel, only to see the Purification Points had not increased at all, which left him somewhat disappointed.
As expected, only purifying undead, fiends, and similar creatures grants those rewards.
So he thought, but before the disappointment could spread, a gentle female voice sounded in his mind: "Thank you, child."
"Thank you for using that strange power to pull me from that abyss of madness, for keeping me from remaining a crazed monster, lost in endless killing."
Charles's eyes widened. Then, glancing down at the Earth Dragon beneath him, he hesitantly asked, "You are… under me right now?"
This Earth Dragon was actually intelligent—capable of communicating telepathically?
Hiss... Nidalee had never mentioned such a thing.
If that was the case, her real combat strength might be even higher than expected. Charles realized he'd just gotten lucky being able to purified her today.
As he thought about this, feeling grateful, the gentle voice came again: "Yes, it is me, the elemental life before you now, camouflaged as a dragon. The Mountaineer tribe calls me 'Earth Dragon,' though I prefer to be called 'Galleon.'"
Galleon?
Charles turned the name over in his mind; unfortunately, he'd never heard of it. The real fantasy world was so vast, with more in the Elemental Plane of Earth than just a handful of genies—he couldn't possibly know all of them.
"No need for thanks, Madam Galleon," he replied. "Helping others break free of demonic control and preserving peace and order is simply our duty."
He knew creatures of the Elemental Plane of Earth tended to be gentle and straightforward; acting selflessly and expecting nothing in return would win their favor far better.
Different people demand different approaches. For example, with devils, you have to be vigilant and haggle over every detail—or you'll be left with nothing but regrets.
As expected, even though Galleon's voice still sounded tired, she sounded genuinely appreciative: "You truly are a good child. What is your name?"
"Charles," he answered directly.
"Charles then…" The Earth Dragon quietly committed the name to memory. "Very well, I'll remember it. But now, my power is greatly diminished, and I need some time to recover."
"Please forgive me for needing to return to the Elemental Plane of Earth. When I regain my strength, I will bring you a token of my gratitude."
Charles was surprised, but Galleon seemed to allow no room for argument. Her massive body began to dissolve, transforming into dust and vanishing without a trace in moments.
Thankfully, as she disappeared, she softened the ground beneath him with loose sand, letting him land safely without further injury.
Landing, Charles patted the sand from his clothes, slipped off his shoes and emptied them, finally feeling a little better. In the distance, the exhausted Hattie and Nidalee leapt into the pit, slowly making their way toward him. Both girls looked worried, but seeing him safe, they both exhaled with relief.
Charles waved, enduring the soreness and fatigue that wracked his body as he stood upright. The two girls hurried to his side and, one on each side, supported his arms, barely letting him keep his balance.
"Master, what about the Earth Dragon?" Hattie asked quietly. Charles gave a slight nod: "It's already resolved. She regained her mind, then said she needed rest, and vanished underground."
Nidalee's expression shifted. "She?"
Charles looked at her. "Uh, yes, the voice I heard was female—though usually, creatures of the elements shouldn't have gender..."
Nidalee's face grew more subtle: "A woman's voice? She could communicate with you?"
Charles blinked: "Huh? Your father couldn't?"
Nidalee shook her head. "I don't know—I never communicated with her myself. But my father used to describe her moods—agony, rage, calm, happiness—but never said she could talk."
Hearing this, Hattie broke into a smile: "Then your father must not have told you everything. She must've always been able to speak."
"It's not possible that this elemental creature had no gender, then, after being corrupted by demons and going mad, and finally being purified by Master, suddenly her consciousness turned female, right?"
Charles gave Hattie a long look, thinking that the thing she was denying sounded far more likely to be the truth.
But Nidalee seemed to prefer Hattie's explanation: "It's true… but it doesn't really matter. Master, are you able to move?"
Charles lifted his head, glancing toward the up-reaching flames and billowing smoke of Rockseeker Camp, letting out a bitter laugh: "Of course I can move. Let's go—let's head back and get Anno and Theresa out!"
With that, he fought back exhaustion, had Nidalee summon more vines, and climbed out of the pit, sprinting toward the camp as fast as he could manage.
At that moment, in Rockseeker's Outpost, the duel between Ilarode and Theresa continued. Not expecting Theresa's wild combat style, the Archdruid was caught off guard at first. But once he calmed down and grew used to her attacks, he was at least able to defend himself and hold her off without much difficulty.
Unfortunately, just as he was planning a magical counterattack, the Earth Dragon was suddenly lured away. With no need to worry about an enormous elemental beast rampaging and slaughtering ordinary people, Theresa could now focus all her might on Ilarode alone.
The harsh glow of the 5th-level spell "Dawn" continued to shine, guiding bolts rained down, and "Daylight" illuminated every detail, leaving him nowhere to hide. The druid was so overwhelmed that he couldn't raise his head, forced to use spell after spell purely for defense.
He didn't dare retaliate with high-level magic; after unleashing Sunburst earlier and finding Theresa untouched, he had no way of knowing her true capabilities.
Was she blessed with some kind of radiant immunity, or had she used the wizard's 9th-level spell Invulnerability in advance?
He wasn't sure, and didn't want to risk being injured to find out, so he played it safe.
Even so, as battered as he was, in a way his strategy worked.
Though he couldn't defeat Theresa, he'd managed to tie her down and keep her from aiding the battle below.
As long as he continued to hold out, the Alliance of the Mountain Purifiers had already secured victory in this conflict!
That was the little calculation in Ilarode's mind, and he felt quite content. But just then, he suddenly felt the Earth Dragon's connection to his power snap.
His brows knit immediately, his concentration faltered, and he was nearly struck by Theresa's spell.
He hurriedly shapeshifted into a small animal to avoid it, then retreated, his mind on the situation.
So, Galleon had unilaterally broken the pact with the Mountaineer tribe.
Though that meant, by their agreement, he'd receive a considerable compensation, the truth remained that the Mountaineer tribe had just lost a mighty combat legend.
Of course, he had long prepared for this outcome. He'd been ready to lose the Earth Dragon before ever launching this assault.
With that in mind, he turned to survey the distant battlefield, his eyes reflecting satisfaction.
Fortunately, victory was at hand. Now, how much benefit the tribes could reap from it would depend on his skill in negotiation afterward...
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