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Volume 1 berserk interval chapter 10 - dragons fire
As the light cleared away I looked down at the book in my hands. The outer scales had disappeared, revealing a red coloured book with intricate patterns. On closer inspection, the patterns were remarkably similar to my tattoos.
Opening the book I inspected the first page. There were no words, only intricate patterns. Each page holding a unique blend of crimson lines. As I brought my hand to the page the lines lit up. Placing my hand on the page fiery energy suddenly spread into me, forcing its way up my arm. With only a quarter of my qi left I was defenceless. As my pitiful defence was torn down the energy overwhelmed me. Forcing its way up into my brain.
Pain, indescribable pain. It was like a thousand ants made of fire crawling into my brain, slowly burning away my consciousness. As the last of my consciousness was escaping me the pain was suddenly lifted. Rising from the floor I saw I was no longer in the hotel room. The area around me had turned into a magma ridden cave.
Standing on a flat rock platform all around me was a lake of lava. With the illuminating light from the magma, I could see the rocks walls and ceiling. From this I could see I was in a huge cavern, at least 50 by 50 meters. As the extreme heat and assaulted me I tried to look for an exit.
Suddenly the floor began to violently tremble. As I turned around in panic I saw the magma lake was bubbling. As every second past, the trembling increased. After a minute the entire cavern echoed violently, even the air was quacking. At this, I was beginning to lose hope. As I was awaiting the inevitable suddenly it stopped. One second, two, three.
Suddenly the magma before me began to spew forth. As I watched the lave began to rise up. As it was only in part of the cavern I figured it was something below the lake, though from this I felt even greater fear. If it could move about in a sea of lava what could I do to it. As the lava rose out of the lake it began to gather in the air above.
At first it formed into a ball of magma, before shaping outwards. Four legs ending in claws, two wings with spikes along the spine, a long tail covered with ragged bumps, a long neck with overlapping scales and a majestic head with deep eyes, sharp features and pointed teeth. This was a dragon.
When the body had formed the magma hardened into rock, which then turned into shiny golden scales. As the last of its body transformed a bright light flashed across its eyes. With this it began to move, at first gently, then more violently. It looked like it was testing its bodies limits. After leaving several deep grooves in the cave walls it looked towards me. All of my instincts screamed for me to run, but the domineering pressure of its gaze held me still.
It flew over to me landing on the platform in front of me. Being this close I could feel the power emanating from its body. It was hundreds of times stronger than anything I'd seen so far.
Dragon: ARE YOU THE ONE WHO AWAKENED ME?
Its voice was deep and raspy, while also holding authority and power. In the face of its pressure, I was unable to answer. I stood there terrified, staring at the ultimate being before me.
Dragon: OH I NEED TO SUPPRESS MY POWER, NOW LITTLE LIZARD, DID YOU AWAKEN ME?
Half way through the strength and pressure holding me down disappeared, though I could still feel the immense power emanating from it.
Solomon: this little one is unsure if it was him, I do not now how I got here, nor where this is.
Being as I was only a bug to this dragon I was careful with my words.
Dragon: IS THAT SO, NOW THAT I LOOK AT YOU YOU LOOK MORE HUMAN THAN LIZARD. DID YOU FIND A RED SCALED BOOK?
Solomon: yes, I found such a book. After giving it energy it opened up. later on, When I touched a page of the book it attacked me, sending energy through my body to destroy my mind. after recovering from that I found myself here.
Dragon: HAHA, YOUNGLING THE BOOK DID NOT ATTACK YOU, IT TESTED YOU. THIS MEANS YOU WERE WORTHY TO AWAKEN ME. BUT IT IS ODD TO ME THAT A HUMAN COULD OPEN THE BOOK. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO ONLY ALLOW THOSE OF LIZARD BLOOD ACCESS.
Solomon: actually, great one, I am a salamander. Due to a certain ability of mine, I am no longer human and have become a salamander.
Dragon: THAT EXPLAINS WHY YOU SMELL LIKE A LIZARD, BUT LITTLE ONE THERE IS NO NEED TO CALL ME GREAT ONE. I AM UNABLE TO HURT YOU IN HERE, SO DON'T BOTHER FLATTERING ME. AS THE ONE WHO HAS AWOKEN ME I AM TO EXPLAIN THINGS TO YOU.
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Solomon: okay then, may I ask what your name is?
Pluvia: I AM PLUVIA, ONE OF THE FLYING RAIN DRAGONS.
Solomon: FLYING RAIN DRAGONS? The dragons from I shall seal the heavens?
Pluvia: YOU ARE WELL INFORMED LITTLE ONE, INDEED THAT IS WHERE I ORIGINATE. NOW, I SHALL EXPLAIN WHAT HAS HAPPENED. YOU ARE CURRENTLY INSIDE THE BOOK, DRAGONS FIRE. WHEN YOU SUCCESSFULLY SUPPLIED IT WITH ENERGY AND PAST ITS TEST YOU WERE BROUGHT HERE. THIS IS THE BOOKS TRAINING SPACE, THE FIRES SANCTUM. HAVING BEEN DEEMED WORTH YOU ARE ABLE TO USE THIS EVERYTHING RECORDED IN DRAGONS FIRE, IN ORDER TO HELP YOU WITH THIS I AM HERE TO INSTRUCT YOU. FIRST I WILL SUPPLY YOU WITH THIS.
Pluvia raised a claw towards me. From the tip a small white ball of energy formed, then shot towards me. Feeling no danger from it I let it hit me. As the ball hit my forehead it sunk into my head filling my brain. Suddenly new information overwhelmed me. Two new chunks of information formed, within me. The first was a language. The words looked like the patterns I had seen in the book. From this I recognised the pattern I touched, it meant test. The other information was a technique, the yang absorbing scripture . It allowed me to absorb heat based energy from environments, turning it into qi. With enough skill I could suck all the power out of a volcano.
Pluvia: THE FIRST THING I HAVE GIVEN YOU IS THE SCRIPTURAL LANGUAGE, THIS IS THE COMMON LANGUAGE USED BY CULTIVATORS. THE OTHER IS THE MOST BASIC TECHNIQUE IN HERE. THOUGH YOU CAN USE ANY SKILL IN DRAGONS FIRE, I WOULD RECOMMEND STARTING WITH THIS.
Solomon: thank you for this, but, why would you do this for me?
Pluvia: I HAVE ONE REASON TO HELP YOU, IF YOU TRAIN WITH THIS BOOK EVENTUALLY YOU CAN LET ME ESCAPE FROM HERE.
Solomon: how come your in stuck in here anyway, if you're this strong why don't you just break out?
Pluvia: THE ONE WHO TRAPPED ME IN HERE WOULDN'T LET THAT HAPPEN. ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE PERFECTED THESE TECHNIQUES WILL I BE FREE.
Solomon: i'll do my best then, teacher.
Pluvia: VERY GOOD LITTLE ONE, IN ORDER TO TRAIN YOU ONCE A DAY YOU CAN ENTER THIS SPACE. WHILE IN HERE TIME WILL NOT PASS OUTSIDE. WE'VE ALREADY WASTED 15 MINUTES SO SHALL WE START TRAINING. THIS ROOM IS PERFECT TO ABSORB HEAT.
Solomon: yes teacher, please instruct me.
Pluvia first had me sit with crossed legs, then raise my hands away from me. I then had to raise my hands so my palms faced away from me. From this position I performed the yang absorbing scripture. As soon as I did a wave of energy flowed into my body, entering from my hands and then traveling up my arms. From there it flowed down, gathering by my navel in my dantian
After a few minutes of this a force equal to a 16th of my current energy had gathered in my dantian.
Pluvia: STOP. FROM HERE ANYMORE QI WOULD BE HARD TO ABSORB. TO ABSORB THE QI YOU MUST DOMINATE IT. TRY TO ENCOMPASS IT WITH YOUR QI EVEN THOUGH YOU ONLY HAVE A LITTLE OVER A QUARTER OF YOUR MAX IT SHOULD WORK.
Following teachers instructions, I stopped gathering qi and began absorbing it. As I tried to cover the qi it reacted, banding together and breaking free. Even as I put the entire of my remaining qi into it there was no success.
Pluvia: IF YOU WANT TO ABSORB IT YOU NEED TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE, DON’T TRY TO COVER IT, CRUSH IT WITH YOUR POWER.
Following these instructions I smashed my qi into the gathered qi. As the gathered qi was smashed apart it began to be absorbed. By the time I had finished the whole process ten minutes had passed. Taking a deep breath I restarted the process.
After another three my qi had increased to 125% of what it was.
Pluvia: IM AFRAID WE HAVE RUN OUT OF TIME LITTLE ONE, I WILL SEE YOU TOMMOROW.
Before I could say goodbye I was back in the hotel.
Solomon: (sigh)
The tension fled from my body. though teacher said I was not in danger the pressure of teachers presence was overwhelming. Looking at the clock the time was still the same. Settling down I restarted the yang absorbing scripture. However, because of the lack of heat, the speed was severely reduced. Even after a whole day of this training I only gathered another 16th. Adding all of it together I had added a little over a quarter to my qi.
Standing up I walked over to Alice
Solomon: how did the training go?
Alice: quite well, I've added about 5% to my original. What about you?
Solomon: I've added a little over a quarter to the original. it feels like I'm going a little slow though so the speed will increase the speed in the future
Alice: a..a quarter, and I thought I was good, how stupid.
As she spoke her shoulders drooped and she looked down. Trying to encourage her I patted her head.
Solomon: don’t worry about it, I got a cheat equipment yesterday.
I then went on to tell her about how the book we had bought was some sort of race-sensitive manual. After telling her about Teacher she regained her usual attitude.
Solomon: (grumble)
As we had been training all day I had worked up quite an appetite.
Alice: (short giggle) come on, I'll make some dinner.
Solomon: haha, thanks, I don’t know what id do without you.
Alice then starting to blush rushed into the kitchen.
Solomon: she really is cute when she's embarrassed.
A short while later I was eating Alice's heavenly cooking once again. Shortly after finishing the best pasta I'd ever had Gareth had returned. After eating he told us what he'd learnt today.
Gareth: compared to before I can't find much new information, I did get lucky and hear some things about missions. The first is that to enter as a group we have to go to a teleportation portal. If we do a group mission without being in a guild were penalized. We lose 10% of our rewards and also we will have a few no-guild contestants in the mission with us. As well as this I heard that we also will be targeted after the mission. When we finish the mission we will appear in a marked teleportation portal. People watch over those portals and steal the items and points of those who come out.
Solomon: so we don’t only have to worry about the mission, but also other contestants. And then even after we finish the mission we could be attacked by hunters. I suppose the safest thing would be to instantly return to our origin planes.
Sitting there I had the beginnings of a sinister plan forming in my mind, but for now, it was only a seedling.
Solomon: good work today Gareth, Alice as well. For now ill consider this new info and come up with some countermeasures. Anyway for now we should head back to our rooms for the night.
Gareth: alright leader, I'll excuse myself then. night Alice.
Alice: night.
Saying so he left for his own room.
Turning to my left I threw Alice an inquisitive look.
Solomon: are you going to be alright on your own.
Alice: yes, ill be alright. It was just a mixture of stress and fear that caused last night.
Solomon: alright then night.
Saying so I left, walking next-door into my own room. Though this was my room I had rarely been in here. Though with the sudden waves of fatigue I only just made it to bed before succumbing to sleep.