A soft, sweet voice rang out in Rayder's mind:
"Residual bloodfire magical energy detected. Absorb it?"
Without hesitation, Rayder responded,
"System, absorb immediately."
The voice responded instantly,
"Energy absorption in progress..."
Moments later, it chimed again,
"Energy absorption complete. System task progress increased by 1%."
Rayder quickly opened the task panel in his mind. A new icon appeared beside the energy collection task: [2%]. A wave of joy surged through him.
> So I don't need a living dragon to hatch Kidora, he thought. Even the remains will do—as long as they contain magic.
But that moment of excitement quickly faded into concern. If one dragon skeleton yielded only 1% of the necessary energy, he would need to find 100 of them.
And whether the ruins of Valyria even contained that many was a mystery.
Rayder sighed and shook his head.
"I can only take it one step at a time."
He turned to continue his journey. Behind him, the once-majestic dragon skeleton, now drained of all remaining energy, crumbled into dust with a low, echoing crack. Its ancient bones had served their final purpose.
Rayder didn't look back. His heart burned with determination.
He would hatch Kidora.
He would reclaim the sky.
But as he pressed onward, something stirred behind him.
Where the dragon's remains had crumbled, the earth cracked open. From the fissures, twisted abominations began to surface—creatures stitched together by magic and rot. Snakes with tentacles slithering from their scales, insects with gaping mouths larger than their own bodies, blobs of rotting flesh pulsing with misplaced human limbs and organs.
The sight was enough to rob a man of sanity.
The monsters moved slowly at first, crawling and slithering, but their speed increased steadily. Within moments, they had reached the pace of a slow march. And all of them were heading in the direction Rayder had gone.
But Rayder remained unaware of the horror following him.
His eyes were locked forward, his grip tight around his shield and sword. The path ahead led toward a shattered volcanic peak—the rumored lair of the dragon. His steps were resolute. His heart brimmed with hope and dread in equal measure.
He had no idea that a legion of nightmares was silently tracking him.
Above, the sky was a curtain of ash. Thick clouds of soot blotted out the sun, casting the land in a dull, oppressive gray. It was like walking through a forgotten world—lifeless, yet brimming with ancient power.
Rayder paused, peering upward.
No sun. No stars.
Only gloom.
He tried to orient himself, to get a sense of direction—but the volcanic ash smothered every clue the sky might have offered. And worse, he had already changed paths several times to avoid flowing lava.
Now, he wasn't sure where he was.
Rayder stood in a narrow depression, surrounded on all sides by jagged cliffs and rising peaks. His view of the volcanoes was completely blocked.
> I've lost my way...
Yet still, he pressed forward.
The ground underfoot was fractured and unpredictable. Cracks split the terrain like veins, many deep enough to disappear into pitch-black voids. Some hissed with searing gases. Others glowed with molten lava.
And in the deepest shadows of those crevices...
Something watched.
The desolation weighed on Rayder. His mind was heavy. His throat dry.
Then, as he crested a low ridge, a flicker of green broke the monotony.
A forest.
His heart leapt.
> Where there's forest, there's water.
He hurried toward it, sword drawn, shield ready. Every step brought him into a place more alive than anything he had seen in days.
The jungle was dense, shadowy, and hushed. Towering trees stretched to the sky, their leaves forming a canopy that blocked what little light remained. Every movement felt amplified—the creak of bark, the rustle of branches, the snap of twigs underfoot.
Rayder's senses were sharp. He advanced cautiously, alert to every sound.
> The Dragon King's Pressure might keep weaker beasts at bay, he reminded himself, but I can't count on that in here.
He kept his blade at the ready, eyes scanning every dark corner.
Something about this jungle felt... inhabited.
And he was right.
Back at the jungle's edge, the first of the cursed creatures arrived. Their grotesque shapes slithered, crawled, and dragged themselves forward. Their eyes—if they had any—glowed an eerie crimson.
They sniffed the air, sensing the lingering aura of the Dragon King.
And then they screamed.
A chorus of inhuman roars shook the trees. They surged forward.
Rayder's body tensed.
He ducked behind a thick trunk, holding his breath. The creatures were near—too near.
> If not for the Dragon King's Pressure, he thought, they would've found me by now.
But the creatures didn't stop. They kept moving deeper into the forest, as if drawn by instinct.
Rayder exhaled slowly. He knew this reprieve wouldn't last.
He had to find water—and fast.
Keeping low, he followed their path from a safe distance, weaving between trees. Every sense was on high alert.
Then, through the gaps in the foliage, he saw it:
A shimmering lake, its surface crystal clear, surrounded by reeds and soft earth.
Joy surged through him.
He rushed forward, dropped to his knees, and drank deeply from the water's edge. The coolness washed over him, easing the fire in his throat.
Without wasting time, Rayder broke off pieces of bark and large leaves to fashion a makeshift canteen. He filled it quickly, then slung it over his shoulder.
> Time to move.
He wasn't about to stay in one place with those monsters prowling so close. Especially not in a jungle thick enough to hide an ambush at every step.
With shield and sword in hand, water secured, and nerves wound tight, Rayder moved again—deeper into the wild unknown.
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