Elemental essence is a very rare magical material. It resembles a gemstone or a colored crystal and originates from the Elemental Planes. Even a shard of it is equivalent to a Rare-quality magic item, let alone a complete elemental essence.
The primary material of the Elemental Orb is fire elemental essence. A single one can greatly increase the power of fire spells. It is hard to imagine what effect gathering the essences of all four elements would produce.
Tim took it very seriously. After a quick wash, he left with his guards, and before departing, he arranged rooms for Anser and the others.
Unfortunately, that half-dragon lingered like a ghost, repeatedly riding a wyvern across the sky above the villa, brazen and overbearing.
Anser decisively led his group away, so as not to implicate Tim's family.
'He must be killed!'
After surveying the surroundings, he led them to hide at the base of the southern city wall, making it look as though they were avoiding battle.
Bluewater City faces the sea to the west. The docks were packed with fish-men, and the defenses there were the tightest. Baron had been patrolling atop the city wall.
By contrast, the southern wall was loosely defended, with no high-level professionals present. That could dull the half-dragon's vigilance and perhaps lure him into flying a bit lower.
Most importantly, this area lay further inland. Even if an aerial battle broke out and someone fell by accident, they would not drop into the bay or among the fish-men.
There were four wyverns in the sky. Two carried half-dragons on their backs. They circled above the bay, flying low, though they rarely descended below two hundred meters, relying mainly on intimidation.
It carried a clear air of flaunting power.
Anser had already detected the information of the half-dragon overhead:
[Wyvern, Large dragon, Challenge Rating 6]
[Half-dragon, Medium dragon, Challenge Rating 5]
'Manageable.'
He sat cross-legged in the corner of the wall, pretending to meditate. Nornoth stood in front of him, occasionally pawing the ground with its hooves. Whenever it saw a wyvern swoop past, it would let out a loud neigh toward it.
"If you've got the guts, come down!"
Although only Anser could understand its words, Bratt and the others could grasp the meaning.
'We may not be able to fly, and we may be smaller, but we won't lose in spirit.'
Anser smiled faintly and silently brought up Nornoth's character sheet. Its experience had reached 715/900.
It had not slain many enemies. More often, it fought in coordination with Anser, earning a bit of experience each time. Accumulated over time, after several major battles, it was now not far from leveling up.
"There are ballistae and cannons on the wall. They don't dare come down," Bratt observed for a moment and guessed.
"Those aren't enough to threaten them. They're still not desperate enough," Anser said lightly.
After a moment's thought, he half-closed his eyes and focused, casting a spell.
"કેબિન"
A hemispherical aura appeared, spreading outward from him and expanding wider and wider. Everything it passed over was covered, and soon it formed a hemisphere with a radius of about 4.5 meters.
The glow gradually faded. The surface shifted in color and texture, becoming strikingly similar to the city wall and the ground—like a small bunker, utterly inconspicuous.
Leomund's Tiny Hut!
Bratt took a few steps forward, then retreated, discovering that when you were inside, the hut was transparent and you could observe what was happening outside.
But from the outside, you couldn't see what was going on inside.
"This spell is good," he said in surprise.
"So amazing…" Giant Tail scratched his head.
"You can go in and out freely. I'll meditate for a while—call me if anything happens." Anser closed his eyes; this time, he was truly meditating.
He had expended some Magic Power last night, and restoring it as much as possible would make him feel safer.
The more at ease things were on his side, the more irritable the half-dragon overhead became.
"Being ignored" was the most maddening thing!
About an hour passed, and Tim hurried over with Baron.
Baron stared at Leomund's Tiny Hut in astonishment, his expression shifting. Of course he had seen this third-circle spell before—a wizard friend had cast it long ago, but it hadn't been this large.
"Isn't this a spell only wizards can learn?"
He still remembered what his wizard friend had said, and that look of a clueless cleaver-swinging barbarian—subtle, yet perfectly timed, making it obvious to him.
It really left a deep impression.
Tim didn't understand much. Though surprised, he didn't find it strange.
"Mr. Anser?"
"I'm here." Anser ended his meditation and walked out of the hut, his condition basically fully restored.
Baron reined in his expression, took out a metal box and a contract, and handed both to Anser. "Mr. Anser, this is the elemental essence and the magic contract you wanted. Take a look."
Anser glanced at the contract. It was very short: one wind elemental essence in exchange for him defending the city for three months, with no penalty clause for breach.
'Three months—dream on.'
He casually tossed the contract to Bratt, opened the metal box, and inside was a pale cyan gemstone. Faint wind eddies coiled around it, and it floated in midair on its own.
After verifying it with the dice, this was indeed a complete wind elemental essence.
'How should I use it?'
He grabbed the Elemental Orb and slowly brought the two together. When the wind elemental essence touched the orb, the mithral sphere trembled violently and blazed with light, instantly sucking the wind elemental essence into its interior.
After a buzzing hum, the orb returned to normal. Inside, two elemental essences floated, spiraling and dancing, yet never touching.
He appraised it again and found that the Elemental Orb had gained an additional property:
Air: Your Fly spell does not require maintaining concentration, and your flying speed increases.
When casting Metamagic spells with the orb, you can use elemental resonance to immediately enter a flying state. For a short time, this requires no Magic Power expenditure and does not provoke opportunity attacks.
'Good!' Anser smiled until his eyes narrowed.
Baron's eyebrows twitched as he looked at the magic contract in Bratt's hand. "This…"
"Wait a moment." Anser activated the Royal Butterfly Cloak and, with a slow beat of its butterfly wings, leisurely flew up toward the sky.
Tim grew anxious. "Don't be reckless!"
"It's fine." Anser waved his hand.
That half-dragon seemed to see his intent. Riding a wyvern, it waited for him high in the air, splitting its jaws into a grin and baring a mouthful of fangs.
From a distance, Anser raised his little finger at him and shouted in Draconic, "You piece of trash. I feel suffocated for you. Come down."
"Ah, you crawling worm who flies slower than a dung beetle! I've put up with you for a long time—"
The half-dragon roared and dove down on his wyvern at great speed, spewing insults as he came.
"You wingless kobold, come on—whoever runs is a dog."
Anser flew straight toward him. Tilting his head back, his head transformed into a dragon's, and with a dragon claw pointing at the half-dragon, he assumed a stance for close-quarters combat.
The wyvern's massive body loomed larger before his eyes. Its long tail swayed behind it, a venomous stinger raised at the tip, glinting coldly in the sunlight.
As the distance closed, the half-dragon's single-edged sword and the wyvern's tail stinger lifted at the same time.
Magic Power surged around Anser. In the next instant, a deep Draconic syllable burst from his throat.
"ડર"
Innate Spellcasting + Metamagic: Quickened Spell, Heighten Spell + Fear!
The wyvern hurriedly pulled up at a steep angle, but unfortunately, this was a Quickened Spell with no warning at all—astonishingly fast.
A conical wave more than ten meters long swept across the sky.
The half-dragon and the wyvern both changed expression at the same time. Their pupils dilated, their eyes filled with terror, as if they had seen something extremely horrifying. Their minds held only one thought: escape this place.
The wyvern abruptly forced another turn, its posture extremely awkward, and at the same time violently shook off the saddle, even flinging the half-dragon away with it.
The half-dragon was terrified. Not a trace of his previous arrogance remained.
"I've put up with you for a long time too!"
Anser folded away his butterfly wings. Elemental resonance allowed him to enter a flying state, and his speed was actually no slower than the wyvern's. The distance closed rapidly.
"Kill the wyvern first."
A flash of silver mist shimmered around him, and his body appeared directly in front of the wyvern. His right claw seized the flesh beneath its lower jaw, hanging from it, saliva splashing all over him.
The Fear spell was still in effect. The wyvern's eyes were full of terror; it thought only of fleeing and did not know to counterattack.
Anser's heart stirred. He gave up casting and used his left claw to clamp onto its nostrils. The pain forced the wyvern to open its mouth in a mournful cry.
At the same time, he lifted his head and opened his mouth, then exhaled forcefully. A scorching draconic fire breath burst from his mouth and poured into the wyvern's gaping jaws, not a drop wasted.
The wyvern's throat immediately turned red and blistering hot. Then holes burst open one after another. The wounds were charred and rotting. Its breathing sounded like a bellows, yet no matter how hard it tried, air would not enter its lungs.
[…Wyvern takes 82 (critical) fire damage. Current Hit Points: 45/127]
It finally broke free of the Fear spell, but its severely wounded body only made it more panic-stricken. It shook its head violently, trying to throw Anser off.
Wary of its tail stinger, Anser let go with the motion. Then, enduring the swelling pain in his throat, he unleashed a cone of cold breath. The conical breath cut across the sky, striking the wyvern again at its far end.
Startled, the wyvern staggered and flailed wildly through the air.
Anser did not pursue. A maddened wyvern could not be caught.
But it did not matter. Its injuries were too severe. The most vulnerable part had been burned away, and its remaining Hit Points were still steadily dropping.
If no one treated it, it would surely die.
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