We turned and flew further west then, but remained out far from the coast. I didn’t ask as we flew past large schools of fish, giant squids, whales and other things. The horizon stretched out, a clear demarcation between the cobalt expanse of the sky and the shimmering azure of the ocean. The glistening sea below us moved with fluid grace, occasionally erupting with sprays of water as large aquatic creatures came up for breath or leaped in play.
Beliciosia's colossal red wings caught the sun's golden rays, casting large crimson shadows on the sea below. The strong sea breeze carried the tang of salt to our nostrils as we soared, and the distant chorus of migrating birds created a symphony. All the while, the rhythmic motion of her wings beat a deep, resonating pulse that I could feel in my very bones.
I had an idea of what Beliciosia had in mind for prey. She confirmed it a few minutes later when she asked, “Have you ever hunted leviathans?”
I imitated the way she used the magic in the air to push her voice to me, despite the fact that we were flying a couple hundred miles per hour. “I’ve fought one, or something like one, but I’ve never attacked.”
Recalling my previous encounter, I replied, telling her of the fearsome creature I had once faced. The sensation of reliving that battle – the acrid smell of burning sails, the taste of salt-laden air, and the heart-pounding thrill – made me almost nostalgic.
Her initial response was dismissive. “That wasn’t a leviathan. That was a horror possessed giant squid.” She paused for a moment as I felt anger rise up within me. “Still, it was good that you were able to handle such a thing at the age you were then.”
The pause that followed was charged, her intent clear. "Normally, I’d never consider someone of your age for leviathan hunting. It's a task reserved for dragons far older, often done in groups. You need to understand that they are massive brutes beyond even the size of Draconis."
I felt the implied challenge in her words, but for once, I wasn’t going to let my pride push me into stupidity. I recognized a pattern of doing that in the past, but this time I felt like I was being manipulated into it.
Her veiled challenge was not lost on me. My instincts told me she was trying to goad me, to test my mettle. But this wasn't about pride or youthful brashness. There was something deeper at play. "Then why bring me along? Is this dangerous?" I questioned, my tone hinting at my readiness to retreat to familiar grounds if required.
“Dangerous… of course. That is the dragon way. As a species, we vacillate between extreme violence and extreme sloth. Our bonds help us to moderate both impulses, but they are still there.”
“That still isn’t answer.” I was fully prepared to turn back and fly to my lair if need be. If she tried to push the issue, I wasn’t sure if I could outfight her. My class levels would help, but I was still adjusting to this body. I didn’t know how well my dragon disciple skills would translate over. And I couldn’t count on an advantage in DKP to tip the scale in my favor. I couldn’t tell how she was, but definitely older than me, so she could have collected many more DKP. It wasn’t like I could ask what level her bond was at.
What I was confident of thought was my ability to escape. I could survive deep underwater, something that she’d only be able to manage for a limited time and as a red, less than most other types of dragons. Amongst all true dragons, only blues were able to breathe underwater.
She said, “I’m bringing you for two reasons. First, I want to see what you’re capable of. With a wild dragon, their age category is generally sufficient to give me some idea, but with your bond, I don’t know. I know you’ve been bonded for less than two years, but often the early growth is rather explosive.”
“And the other reason?”
She said something, but I couldn’t make out what she said exactly. She looked like she was choking on a cow she’d tried to swallow in one bite.
“I said, because blues are particularly good at this. Don’t expect me to repeat it a third time.”
The wind howled in my ears, making it harder to catch her words, but her hesitation and the begrudging tone were clear as day. The ocean's vast expanse below us became a mere backdrop to the brewing tension between two apex predators. I couldn't help but smirk, "Wait... did a red just admit that a blue might be better at something? This is a day for the records."
She snorted, a plume of fire escaping her nostrils, dissipating in the ocean breeze. "Watch it, whelp. I've acknowledged nothing, except that you might be a tad bit useful. And that's a, maybe. It isn’t like I’m used too much in the way of help, since the only other bonded dragons in the clan are a green and a black."
I rolled my eyes, allowing myself a low chuckle, which ended up sounding like a rumbling growl. I could definitely commiserate with her about the weakness of green and black dragons. "Alright, alright, I'll take the 'maybe.' Maybe if you practice enough you’ll finally recognize the inherent superiority of blues. Trust me, it will set you free."
She glared at me but didn’t say another word, although I was pretty sure that she mumbled something that sounded a lot like ‘dragon whelp’ under her breath.
As we continued flying, the ocean began to churn more violently beneath us. I caught sight of a dark shadowy figure beneath the water, dwarfing even Beliciosia's impressive size. Its massive form was like an ancient behemoth, reminiscent of the leviathans she spoke of. But it was still distant, like a storm on the horizon, promising a powerful encounter.
Beliciosia seemed to notice my distraction. "Eye on the prize, Nico. This is not just a sightseeing trip. This is the test."
Something about the word ‘test’ stuck in my mind. I remembered my last encounter with Edgar and then the way Cassandra questioned me before agreeing to become my minion. That was fine, though. There was no test that a red could ever devise, which a blue couldn’t handle.
I bristled. "I've faced more than my fair share of battles. This won't be any different."
"We’ll just have to see. Talk is cheap. Action is the currency of dragons,” she retorted with a smirk of her own.
I didn’t bother to respond, as it would have only fed into her point. She was right about one thing. Dragons were about action. To prove her point, she dove down till she was flying only a few feet over the surface of the water.
It didn’t matter though, because my senses were screaming danger as a powerful surge from below sent waves crashing upwards. From the frothy waters emerged the leviathan. It was an awe-inducing sight; its gargantuan maw filled with rows of sharp teeth, the six mighty leg-fins propelling it effortlessly through the water, and its tough, snapping turtle-like carapace glistening in the sunlight.
I could only imagine that this was what would have happened if a crocodile, snapping turtle, and snake had all bred together.
I cast Identify reflexively.
Adult Leviathan Danger Level: Catastrophic
HP: 22,300/22,300
That was all the information that I got from the spell before it fell back beneath the dark surface and sent a massive rush of water upward.
Beliciosia growled, "Well are you going to get in there, or do I have to do all the work?”
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I quipped back, the adrenaline pumping through my veins, "Right, never send a red to do a blue’s job.”
We circled overhead, aligning our strategy silently. It was time to face the true challenge of the deep. The leviathan, sensing powerful adversaries, roared, sending tremors through the water and air. This was going to be a battle to remember.
Beliciosia made the first move, diving down once again with her wings tucked in tight, piercing through the sky like a scarlet comet. As she neared the water, she unleashed a torrent of fire, turning the sea's surface into a boiling cauldron. Steam clouded the area as saltwater met the fiery onslaught. The leviathan was close enough to the surface that I saw its body twist and buck as boiling water made its way into every orifice of its body.
I took this as my cue, diving deep into the ocean. The cold embrace of the water surrounded me, but I felt at home, but this was just like a second sky for a blue. The leviathan's eyes, glowing with a bioluminescent light as it struggled to open them after the damage inflicted by the boiling water. I surged forward, pushing with my legs but more willing the water to move me. As I had told Cami more than once, dragons are the masters of this world. All of Ileria bends to our will, to my will.
As I streaked past it, my claws bit into its skin, but that skin was every bit as tough as dragon scales and likely thicker. All I could do was open shallow cuts. They loosed blood into the water, but nothing more. Then I darted between its massive fins, using my agility to my advantage.
The creature retaliated, swinging one of its enormous leg-fins, creating a current that threatened to throw me off course. It was then that I felt a pulse of magic, different from mine, resonating through the water. It was Beliciosia, sending a surge of heated water towards the beast, causing it to recoil and redirecting its attention. She had some time of Fire Column spell, which seemed to be able to work even under water. It was a good thing to know about her capabilities.
Taking the opportunity, I tapped into my Dragon Disciple abilities. The rapid growth I had experienced over the past few weeks had left me feeling a little at odds with my own body, but a dragon disciple was all about controlling their body. I twisted perfectly in the water and executed a tail smash against its underside where it was less armored.
I had no illusions about my ability to cause it serious harm with blunt force, but I did want to anger it and wasn’t yet ready to reveal any of my more powerful attacks. I surged up toward the surface and then as I broke into the air, my wings unfurled and I took off gaining altitude just as the leviathan broke the surface. Its mouth was wide open and waiting for a kiss from Beliciosia.
Great gouts of flame spewed from her mouth in a concentrated stream which shot right down the monster’s throat. Its body thrashed mid-air as its insides were burnt.
The leviathan, wounded but far from defeated, retaliated with a vengeance. It fell back down into the water, but opened its maw wide once again. It let loose a strange sonic attack, but the waves traveled underwater and never came close to touching either of us.
I looked at Beliciosia to see if she knew why it would make such a pointless attack. Her jaw was locked in a grim expression till she noticed my gaze. Then she said, “Now it gets fun, blue. She’s calling for help.”
Sure enough, the leviathan had dove deep, but swarms of sea creatures were headed this way. Sharks, whales, squid, all types of sea life came at its call. Rather than seeing this as a challenge though, I was excited for the opportunity. The leviathan was deep in the water, so I’d have a few seconds to fight these lesser beasts and farm some DKP.
I dove right back down into the thrashing swarm of sea animals and unleashed a flurry of blows. I blew out a breath attack of acid, which I had gained from the black wyrmling. It was diluted by the water, but was still enough to eat away at their eyes, gills, and other tender spots.
This left the creatures open to raking attacks from my claws, a sweep of my tail, and bites that chomped most of them in half with a single attack.
The ocean around me turned into a frenzy, a tempest of movement and fury. Blood and foam swirled together in a macabre dance, illuminating the waters with a lurid red glow. The collective anger of the sea was palpable. Every snap of my jaw, every swipe of my claw, resonated with the raw power that my dragon lineage bestowed upon me.
However, amidst this chaos, a particularly massive squid lunged at me. Its tentacles, lined with razor-sharp suckers, stretched out like harbingers of doom, seeking to ensnare and drag me into the abyss. With a calculated twist, I evaded its initial strike, but could feel the powerful suction, the grip of multiple arms trying to ensnare me.
I would have grinned if I hadn’t been underwater as I activated Shocking Aura. The electrical current pulsed along my body and into the squid shriveling those tentacles and paralyzing it so that the other beasts involved in the feeding frenzy soon scooped it up.
Above, Beliciosia wasn’t idle either. She circled, raining fire onto larger targets like the whales, watching them twist and writhe as the heat boiled them from the outside. The air filled with steam and the sharp smell of burning flesh, melding with the salty tang of the sea. Every now and then, her claws would snatch out a shark from the waters, lifting it skywards, only to release it back, half-charred and lifeless. Still, I only had minimal mental space to spend on watching what she was doing.
I had turned this into my own personal obstacle course. I was trying to execute some of my monk techniques while in dragon form. Rapid Movement was a passive, but I felt it in how I was able to move from target to target. Stunning Fist seemed to work perfectly fine with my claw attacks as did Flurry of Blows.
Even as well as I was adapting to my new size, I still took minor cuts and wounds when a soft spot around my scales was hit. None of them were serious enough for me to bother with healing magic or even Make Me Whole, but they did release some of my blood into the water, which only made it harder on my foes as I triggered, My Body Poisons the World.
Despite our efforts, the swarm seemed never-ending. Every creature we took down was replaced by two more. But it wasn’t just their numbers; the creatures fought with a fervor and ferocity, driven by the leviathan’s call.
As I bit into a massive barracuda, my senses picked up a shift. The leviathan, sensing the plight of its minions, was on the move again, surging upwards with tremendous speed. The water around me rippled with its ascent, pushing me away with a force that felt like a mini-tidal wave.
Before it reached us, Beliciosia and I reacted as though we had practiced this before. Both of us triggered Dragon Fear. The frenzied beasts began to lose their minds as the competing forces pushed their tiny minds to their limits. Then, to really drive the point home, I used my Ventriloquism ability. Nothing about the ability said I couldn’t use it under water, so when they heard the sound of a dragon roaring full bore under the water, the various sea beasts lost it and all swam straight at the leviathan.
Of course, that meant that they took the brunt of the wave of force it sent at us. Many of their small bodies couldn’t even stand the pressure and were literally pulped right before my eyes. The water, which has already been filled with acid and poisonous blood became so filled with blood that it blinded both my eyes and my nose.
Preparing myself, I allowed the current to carry me, spinning and regaining my stance, ready for the looming showdown. As the gargantuan beast emerged, its form was even more terrifying. Large chunks of its skin were burned, and its eyes blazed with bioluminescent rage. But there was also cunning in those eyes, an intelligence that said it was learning, adapting.
Once again, I flew up into the sky and blasted out of the ocean. My wings caught me and carried me up high. The monster burst forth following me.
Beliciosia, sensing its emergence, dove once again, her descent even more rapid than before, a red streak against the azure backdrop. But the leviathan was ready this time. As she unleashed her fiery breath, it countered with a stream of high-pressured water from its maw, clashing mid-air, creating a misty explosion, leaving the two combatants obscured in a foggy haze.
In that instant, I was so tempted to simply let loose with a lightning storm breath. It would have shocked the two of them and caught off guard, they would have both taken a heavy hit. But, this was the problem that I was combatting. Something about the Pact with the gods and horrors made dragons too passive. We didn’t care about one another. No one wanted us to act like old human women and set up a knitting circle, but we should be able to work together for our common interests.
With that in mind, I cast one of my new spells.
Sphere of Controlled Speed.
The spell took control of the area where they both were, but I locked it onto the leviathan. The beast might be physically powerful, but its magic was no match for a dragon, so the spell latched onto it. Now for sixty feet in all directions from its body, a sphere existed where I could control the speed of creatures. As my ally, Beliciosia found herself accelerated whereas the leviathan’s cumbersome movements became even slower.
They seemed to hang there for a second and then the mist broke apart and they were both falling to the sea below. The leviathan’s tail, a massive appendage lined with bony ridges, swung with force aiming to strike Beliciosia. I propelled myself forward to stop the blow. It was simple as it moved so slowly, while the red’s movements were gaining speed as she tried to pull away.
Cone of Absolute Zero.
Another of my new spells blasted out and struck the tail. The flesh began to freeze. I didn’t have to penetrate its armor, the spell’s magic enforced a zone of extreme cold even inside the flesh of its tail. The limb became brittle and as I dove to intercept with outstretched claws; I was able to sheer half of its tail off. Pain radiated through my body from the contact, but it has been so worth the price.
Emerging from the mist, Beliciosia and I locked eyes for a brief moment. A silent understanding passed between us. We were two apex predators, fighting an ancient force of nature. It wasn’t about proving superiority anymore. At least for this limited time we were one, hunting to prove the superiority of dragonkind over all the world.
The leviathan fell downward as Beliciosia pulled up and I flew in a quick circle, gaining some range.
“Clear the area. I have another spell to try.”
Then I spread my wings. I’d been waiting to try this is dragon form.
Malchor’s Wings of Darkness
My spell spread out and created a massive shadow across the surface of the water. Then the spears of darkness fell and ripped up hundreds of creatures before being driven into the leviathan. The damage struck it as the shadow bypassed its armor, but the aging effect causes its flesh to shrivel around the wounds. It was not one which could be killed by such an attack, but it was still weakened.
Beliciosia hadn’t cast nearly as many spells, but she apparently had another specialized attack. I began to believe she had evolved her breath, because time seemed to stand still as she hovered in the air over where the leviathan was sinking. She opened her mouth wide and aimed downward. A ball of light so bright that I couldn’t continue to look at it formed and then erupted in a column of sheer destruction down onto the leviathan.
The attack blasted a hole through the creature’s shell at the toughest spot near its head and blasted deep into the flesh. It cauterized everything instantly, so there wasn’t even any blood.
The creature was still thrashing, but now it was aimless. I followed with my lightning breath into the hole created by Beliciosia’s attack. Its body spasmed, but it still wasn’t quite done. Now it was sinking into the water. I wanted this kill. I wouldn’t let it escape me.
I began to dive straight at it. As I did, I activated Belt of the Mountain, triggering both of its active effects. The stone skin helped to harden my scales so that I could absorb some of the damage of the impact. The Weight of the Mountain effect tripled the mass of my body as I drove down into it.
As I was about to hit it, I doubled my speed with the Sphere of Speed Control and hit it with devastating force. The shock went through my body and even with all my protections I lost twenty percent of my HP in a single instant, but the effect was so much more terrifying upon the leviathan.
I crushed the rest of its shell and drove the shards into its flesh, into its brain. Its body seized one last time and then the notification of its death popped up.
For killing numerous sea creatures, you have gained a total of 22 DKP. Each wave of creatures was counted as a separate encounter for the benefit of your perk.
You have slain a leviathan. You have gained 4,812 XP and 5 DKP.