Major Edit coming up; For tier 0/g-rank level cap will be bumped up to 50!
Check out patreon chapter for advance chapters!
-
The peaks of the Thunderstones crackled with energy as lightning danced along the jagged ridges. Raijin, the thunder dragon, perched atop the highest outcrop, wings spread wide, scales glinting with electric blue streaks. Below, his army spread in disciplined lines across the valleys and passes, muscles tensed, claws scraping stone. The storm seemed to answer to his will, thunder rippling through the air with each heartbeat of the dragon lord.
He scanned the horizon, eyes narrowing. There was a glint of movement. Not the shimmer of the mist, not the flicker of light on rock, but something deliberate: shapes marching across the lower ridges. Artorius' forces.
"Front line," Raijin called, voice a rolling storm, vibrating through the scales of his soldiers. "Get into formation. The scaleless one dares to challenge us. Let us show him why this is the worse mistake he could make."
Beside him, his right-hand dragon, a lean, black-scaled drake with electric filaments crawling along his horns, shifted uneasily. "My lord," he said, voice tight, "the acid dragon, Zalroth, she is not reporting. I am receiving nothing from her."
Raijin's wings twitched. Blue lightning arced over his shoulders, hair-like filaments dancing along his spine. "She delays," he muttered under his breath, teeth flashing. "The accursed backstabber intends to waste our men before she shows herself." His gaze swept over the valley below, scanning for movement. "Tell the squadrons to prepare. We meet them now, and they will fall in the storm."
The cavalry of Artorius moved like shadows over the ridges, wings folded and armor gleaming faintly under the stormlight. The Black dread led them with Ravok at his side behind them, the bulk of the cavalry moved with trained precision, flowing through valleys and passes like water over stone.
The first clash was violent and sudden. Ravok advance cavaliers surged forward, a hundred dragon lances slicing through the mist-choked ridges. Raijin followers met them with calculated precision as shields held against lances, hooves struck against scales, and the first skirmish roared like a waterfall of sound and metal.
Yet the cavalry did not hold. They disengaged with fluid grace, tumbling back through narrow passes, drawing Raijin's soldiers forward. The thunder dragons, arrogant and confident, surged after them, teeth bared, wings beating in unison. Every time they thought to trap the scaleless army, Artorius' forces would pivot, vanish behind rocks, and strike again darting in and out like lightning through fog.
Raijin roared in frustration from his perch. "What trickery is this?" His claws struck the stone, sending arcs of lightning into the air. "This is not their full strength! They are luring us! The scaleless cannot hope to fight the full might of our army. Why do they not commit?"
His right-hand drake hesitated. "My lord, they seem to… provoke the squadrons. They will not give us a decisive target. Something is amiss."
"Of course it is amiss," Raijin snarled, wings flaring, storm energy surging into the valley. "The acid serpent was to be in position. She is absent. Her delay costs lives!" He threw his head back, teeth flashing, and let out a roar that shook the ridge. "Enough! Ready the storm lances. I will crush the scaleless myself if she has failed me!"
The cavalry pressed the harassment relentlessly. Ravok and the Black Dread led swooping strikes, slashing at talons, flanks, and riders before melting back into shadow. Artorius' soldiers darted in and out of gullies and mist-wrapped ridges, leaving the thunder dragons frustrated and off-balance. Every time Raijin's squadrons thought they had cornered them, the scaleless cavalry had already vanished, reappearing elsewhere like ghosts riding the storm.
Raijin's tail lashed across the ridge, sparks leaping where claw met stone. "They are toying with us!" Unknown to him the cavalry, small but deadly, was performing exactly as Artorius intended, drawing Raijin's army into a long, exhausting pursuit, teasing them across ridges and gullies.
Finally, as the sun dipped low behind the jagged peaks, Raijin still did not see the acid dragon's forces anywhere. His storm-dark eyes scanned the horizon, the jagged spires of the Thunderstones illuminated by the last flickers of lightning.
A chill ran down his spine, unnatural even for a thunder dragon attuned to storms. "Where… is she?" he murmured, voice low and deadly. The lightning arcing over his wings flickered in impatience.
One wave of thought, like a bolt of lightning struck him. "Still no word from her?" he turned to his right hand drake.
Raijin's mind raced. Two and two clicked together. He had noticed that the scaleless army was too small, this wasn't their full force. He assumed the rest were behind. What if they were busy with something else, what if they were busy fighting a aforementioned individual that was supposed to show up a long time ago.
A cold dread settled over him, heavier than any storm. His army, confident and disciplined, was playing directly into Artorius' hands. They were being manipulated, every charge, every retreat, every distraction was orchestrated. His claws dug into the rock as a bolt of thunder cracked overhead, almost in sympathy.
"A lure," he said, voice tight. "Of course it is. That scaleless trickster… he has struck at Zalroth. My senses scream it! Enough," he thundered, claws slamming into the stone. Lightning shot into the clouds above, illuminating the jagged peaks like a frozen storm. "The cavalry is no longer to be chased. They are a trap. We will not be baited by shadows while the scaleless plots our downfall elsewhere!"
His right-hand drake tilted his head, uncertainty flickering in his gaze. "And what is your command, my lord?"
"Forward!" he bellowed suddenly, voice carrying over the valley. "Ignore the cavalry! They are a distraction, a petty irritant. The scaleless wretch seeks to kill our ally first. We will follow, full speed ahead, find him and destroy him!"
The soldiers roared, wings beating in unison as they surged forward. Lightning arced across the valley as they took off, scattering rocks and debris. Artorius' cavalry drew back into the dense fog once more, leaving trails of dust and mist in their wake, eyes glinting with amusement.
Coming up to the Black dread, Ravok asked, "What will you have us do? Our foe now most likely knows what's going on."
"Let them flee and run headlong, I just received word that Zalroth forces are being engaged so it's too late. We will stay on their heels and when the final battle begins will crush them from their flank!"
-
The storm had not left the Thunderstones since the fall of Zalroth. For three days, thunder had rolled endlessly across the peaks, neither advancing nor retreating. The rain had stopped long ago now the air itself was a charged sea, humming faintly, every breath tasting of ozone.
At the edge of the blackened valley where Artorius' force had settled in grim silence a scout brought word that Raijin's host was approaching, two hundred fifty thunder-born strong, armored in glinting steel and stormlight, Artorius rose without hesitation.
With a nod of his head, his forces prepared themselves as the thunder host descended from the northern ridges, their arrival marked not by horns but by the hush before lightning strikes. At their head flew Raijin, the Thunder Dragonling, his cobalt scales shimmering with internal light, eyes glowing with molten gold. He landed halfway between the two armies, the shock of his descent throwing arcs across the stone.
He did not roar. He simply stood, tall and poised, a statue contained in flesh. Heading forth to the area between their two forces, Artorius greeted the dragon, "Hail Thunder dragon! I see you caught onto the fact we crushed Zalroth."
Using that chance, he used inspect on him; [Noble Thunder Drakelet — Level 27]
The dragon's gaze was steady, unwavering, "Yes, and I must say it was a smart plan. Holding back and rolling over one army then turning to face the other!"
Artorius smiled faintly. "So how do you want to do this? I outnumber you nearly three to one, and I outgun you with 3 dragon nobles on my side. There is no way you are getting out of this on top!"
"Let's do this the old way. You and I shall settle this alone."
Artorius met his gaze. "What's in it for me? I'm already on the winning side, why risk myself for little to no gains?"
A smile ghosted across the dragonling's maw, not cruel, but respectful. "If you win then my bones are yours, my lands are yours, and my warriors are yours! However if I win, your followers leave these mountains, swearing never to attack it again."
"Good, then we understand each other," Artorius replied as they both shook on it.
The armies stepped back. A ring of stormlight rose between them, a natural barrier formed by the pressure of the duel's energy. Every eye fixed upon the center where man and dragon met. The thunder dragon lowered into a fighting stance, his claws crackling, electricity crawling up his arms like blue veins. Artorius watched as he took a moment to wrap cloth around his fists and made no effort to draw a weapon.
He loosened his shoulders, exhaled once, and prepared himself as he drew out his lance. Already he could tell he had a more in person fighting class, Ouroboros already shared his assumption with him that he most likely had a Pugilist class.
With silent acknowledgement, the began, the first clash was instantaneous, a thunderclap, a blur, and the crash of impact that sent a shockwave across the ridge. Artorius' hand caught Raijin's punch mid-air, lightning exploding around them. Sparks danced across the ground as both were driven back several paces.
"Fast," Artorius noted, not only that he noticed how the lightning rolled off him, something he hadn't been able to do with the Word of Powers he knew. "Is that dragon shout?" he asked.
"Yes," Raijin answered with a grin split into fangs. He inhaled sharply not air but power. A single guttural syllable, spoken not with his voice but his being, erupted within him. The effect was instantaneous. Lightning didn't strike him, it ignited inside him. His muscles tightened, speed doubling, nerves firing like rail-spikes. He moved so fast his afterimages left streaks in the air.
This was the difference between dragon song and shouts application of Word of Powers. Where song was about external control of the Word, shouts were all about internal control of the Word. So far this was the first dragon Artorius met who used dragon shout instead of song!
He reappeared behind Artorius, fist crackling with lightning. The blow connected or would have, if Artorius hadn't anticipated it. He used his mist cloak ability to do his own teleportation as he countered with a knee to the dragonling's ribs. Raijin grunted, caught the leg, and slammed him into the ground hard enough to crater stone.
Artorius rolled away just in time to avoid a second strike that shattered the rock he'd lain on. The storm grew louder. Lightning stitched the clouds overhead. Every movement between them was a dialogue: strike, counter, adapt. The dragonling's pugilist style was raw grace every punch a blend of martial art and natural element. Artorius moved like water in contrast, flowing, redirecting, turning every blow into an opening. Neither gained ground.
"Your body is too slow," Raijin commented as their fists collided again, thunder flaring around their arms. "You rely on borrowed power. Did you just gain a bunch of stats recently?"
Artorius was a bit amazed the dragon could tell he had been leveling up and doing a bunch of trials recently. He was doing a bit of catch up as he got used to the new power his body carried. Still making no comment as he did not want to confirm this to his enemy, he struck the dragon squarely in the jaw when he saw his opening, sending the dragonling skidding back across the wet stone. Sparks flew where his claws dug in.
Raijin grinned. "Good."
The storm answered him. Lightning lanced down from the sky, striking his body, his chest feeding into him. The air screamed. When the glow faded, his body burned with pure current. It looked like this was another of his abilities, so far he now knew of 2!
The dragon moved faster now. Too fast for the eye to follow. His strikes left afterimages of light, flickering silhouettes of where he had been half a heartbeat ago. Artorius barely kept pace. Each parried strike sent tremors through his arms, every near miss lighting the air with the smell of ozone. He could feel the storm's pulse within Raijin, each motion building pressure in his body which he knew would be discharged upon him all at once.
The dragonling caught him with a knee to the chest, sending him skidding backward. Then Raijin blurred, closed the distance instantly, and drove both fists into Artorius' guard. The first hit paralyzed; Artorius felt his body lock for an instant, nerves hijacked by current. The second hit detonated.
A concussive blast threw him twenty feet into the air. He slammed into the cliffside, rubble falling around him. His armor glowed with all the stored power. Raijin exhaled, steam rising from his scales. He did not press not yet. "Yield," he said. "I can feel your heart falter. Your power bends beneath mine."
But Artorius only smiled, blood in his teeth. "Did you notice something? I haven't… used any abilities." His hands clenched around his lance as he powered up a heroic blow, not stopping there he used his one word of power, Flame to further strengthen the power wafting off the lance since he needed to leave something as a trump card.
The thunder dragon's eyes nearly bulged from the power he was building up as Artorius topped it off with all the stored damage he had in his crystal harness. "I hope you can survive this," Artorius grinned as pointed his lance at him and he thrust.
The lance elongated, its shaft telescoping in a blur as its inbuilt magical ability went into effect. The point transformed into a comet of condensed fury, streaking across the field with the shriek of a collapsing star. The valley lit up as though dawn had been reborn, every shadow erased, every ridge bathed in roaring, golden brilliance.
The air shattered. Stone melted beneath the pressure wave. The very thunderclouds fled before this surge of energy. The Thunderstones, the unbreakable peaks of legend, seem to tremble.
Raijin saw the end coming. There was no time to dodge. He crossed his arms, drawing the storm inward with a guttural roar, lightning converging around his frame until it formed a sphere of white-hot shield as he used his last skill.
The barrier was meant to hold, to endure. Thunder condensed into form, a solid cage of light and sound around his body. The spear struck, testing that. For one blinding instant, everything vanished. Flame and lightning screamed together, light devouring light. Then the sound hit an apocalyptic crack that split the sky.
A shockwave rolled across the mountains, cracking stones and making the two armies brace themselves. The explosion could be seen from leagues away, a column of fire stabbing upward like the wrath of gods.
When the haze cleared, a vast crater scarred the battlefield. At its center lay Raijin, his Aegis shattered, his scales blackened and cracked, smoke trailing from his wounds. The armor-like plates of his chest had been blasted open, exposing the flickering glow of the Thunder Core, sputtering erratically.
Artorius stood at the edge of the crater, his harness steaming, his lance still faintly glowing. He could barely feel his arms. His breathing came shallow, every inhale scraping against the burn of his lungs. Yet his stance was steady. "It's over," he said quietly.
Raijin lifted his head. One eye glowed faintly, the other sealed by burned flesh. For a moment, there was silence before he moved. He looked like a drunken sailor tipping from side to side. Looking closely at him, Artorius clearly saw he was unconscious but somehow he kept moving.
Then he saw his lips peeled back in a snarl. Artorius knew then what it was, the dragon's trait, Temper. It let those who had it keep on fighting. What stood before Artorius now was raw wrath made flesh. He vanished in a flash of red lightning.
Artorius barely crossed his arms before the first blow landed, a thunderclap that shattered the ground beneath him. Then another. And another. Each strike a hammer of pure energy. The rhythm was chaotic, unpredictable, like a storm fighting itself. He couldn't counter, only survive, each block sending waves of pain through his bones.
Still, he endured, stepping back, redirecting where he could. Raijin screamed, his voice a roar of fury and agony combined. Artorius met his next strike head-on, sliding backward across steaming stone. He ducked beneath his attack, driving his lance upward, catching the dragonling under the ribs.
Raijin roared in pain and fury, Artorius didn't flinch. He slammed the haft against the dragon's temple, stunning him long enough to leap onto his back. Not letting up he drove his hand into the wound and for the first time used his hand to discharge a heroic blow instead of a weapon.
And it worked, Raijin fell to his knees, trembling. Smoke curled from the vents in his scales, arcs flickering out one by one. He swayed, eyes unfocused, breath ragged. Artorius staggered back, he raised his lance out of habit, ready for one last charge if the dragonling rose again.
But Raijin didn't move. His chest heaved once, twice, then steadied. His eyes cleared, the fury receding, leaving behind exhaustion and bitter acceptance. Slowly, painfully, he bowed his head. "You win," he said, voice hoarse. "You earned it."
"Kelthar," Artorius called from across the battlefield, "come heal this idiot."
Raijin panted in and out, "You are going to let me live?"
Artorius stood there, silent for a long moment, then lowered his weapon. "You fought like a true lord of storms," he said quietly. "Be proud of that. I need more people like you in my army!"
Raijin managed a weak grin. "And where will you lead us, Warleader?"
"Where else but unto glory!" The ground hissed beneath the cooling arcs from his body. He looked to the thunder dragon army, still waiting beyond the ridge, and saw their lord fall but not die. None dared move.
Artorius turned to them, voice carrying clear and strong through the thinning smoke. "He lives," he declared. "Your lord kept his word. The Thunderstones are ours by his honor!"
"Yes, yes, follow him now," the thunder dragon intoned as Kelthar came up and started healing him. There was no roar, no victory cry, only silence. Then, one by one, the thunder-born lowered their heads, acknowledging the truth of it. The storm that had raged for days finally began to fade, clouds breaking apart to reveal the first true sunlight in weeks.
Ouroboros slithered from Artorius' shoulder, flicking his tongue against the air. "A fine display," he murmured.
Artorius let out a tired chuckle. "Thanks. Though our work is not done yet!" He turned to his army, their armor glinting under the newborn light. "Gather up and secure the valley. The Thunderstones are ours."
The soldiers roared, their voices echoing through the scarred mountains like the echo of thunder long after the storm had passed. And as the noise faded, Artorius stood alone for a moment beside his wounded old foe and now new ally, breathing hard, his armor steaming, his lance glowing. The battle was over. But in the quiet that followed, he knew: the war was only beginning.
Artorius was about to enjoy his fruits of victory which was a long well deserved rest when something decided to peer down into the Nest. He really felt as if he was in a petri dish as a tremor ran through the clouds.
The remaining stormlight above shivered, then converged into a single pillar of pale gold radiance. The sky darkened around it, forming a circle like an eye staring down. The wind died first. Then sound. Then sensation.
Artorius stiffened as a great being looked down, but this time the authority felt familiar. It was the Storm Ryu. Looking over at Raijin who was bowing along with basically everyone else it seemed to be that he was a descendant of the Storm Ryu.
The System flared with a message: [New Evolutionary Path Available: Storm Ryu Dragon Lord]
-
A/N: And that ends our obstacles. I wanted to display why taking down noble dragons is hard. It's just not fighting them, you have to deal with their home field advantage like Kelthar or their scheming like Zalroth, and how badass they can be like Raijin!
Also Mc got his first patron!
-
Chapter 25 Recap!
Leveled up Race: True-Blood DragonMen → Lvl. 17!
+1 STR, +1 DEX, +1 CON, +1 PER, +1 CHA