As Hera fell into the water, she could tell the current was strong, but she never expected it to be this powerful. There was no chance for her to move her arms or legs, almost as if she was held on by some invisible force as she kept sinking deeper and deeper. However, just 10 seconds after reaching the ocean, she was spat out inside a well-lit cave. Hera instantly recognized the place as the same cave where they had slept the previous days. But instead of the nest made out of dried seaweed, there was an almost altar-looking structure. In the back of the cave were three curved shelves of different heights.
Hera wasn't the first to arrive in this place, but soon she saw the rest of her party dropping from the ceiling, which looked like it was made out of stone. Yet they passed through it like it was not even there.
"Is everyone ok?" Helena asked, being the last to arrive. She was flying higher than anyone when Luna dropped the spell.
"My eyes are killing me. That light Luna made was way too bright. I dropped the enchantment right away, but I still feel like I was staring at the sun," Shane rubbed her eyes, "Did you see what happened with Luna?"
Helena shook her head, "All I saw were the black dragons turning to dust in the light. I think I saw a small dark spot in the middle of that light, but I'm not sure."
"Where are we, by the way?" Blue looked around, taking one step towards the shelves, when a notification appeared in front of everyone.
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You have completed the dungeon quest.
The Change.
You protected Luna, the last sane Wyvern, from the other creatures who went mad due to The Change. Allowing her to purify the dragons by creating a new moon in the sky. At the cost of her life.
To receive your first-time rewards, step into the designated location.
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"What loca…. Oh, is that it?" Blue pointed to the shelves where Hera could see a glowing square on the floor.
"Do we all have to take turns to get this?" Alex asked.
"I don't know, but why are you looking at that corner? The glowing thing is over there," Bonnie pointed to the edge of the shelves.
"I think everyone has a different place; mine is over here," Hera pointed to a spot closer to the middle.
"Well… we've completed the quest, so let's just get the rewards and leave. We are so close to getting home," Blue walked to her spot, a bit to the left.
Everyone took their positions; Helena was in the center with Blue and Hera by her side. They counted down from 3, and everyone stepped on the glowing spot at the same time.
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Due to the nature of some of the rewards, you will be able to see them. Your rewards will appear on the shelf in front of you. Picking it up will allow you to take the reward or keep it for later.
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"What is this reward?" Hera frowned, thinking about what could require this kind of setup.
"Is this a joke?" Helena frowned. In front of her, there was a bag with 10 kg of fish. Those were already cut and ready to be seasoned and cooked. In front of it, there was a small plaque written '10 X,'"I got 100 kilograms of fish? Seriously?" she huffed.
"That's all?" Shane turned to her.
"No, I also got 250 thousand gold and a mana stone, but it can only store 75 thousand. It's not that big. And the name kind of stings," Helena replied, noticing Hera's confused expression, "It's called Luna's tear."
One by one, they started getting their rewards. They all got the same amount of gold but aside from it, every prize was different. Mylo got a Dragon-themed chess set that, aside from being absolutely gorgeous, would give a buff to the players that lasted a full day. The buff would vary depending on which pieces you were playing as and if you won or lost. It could be an increase in attributes, defenses, offense, or spells. He also got a stone ring that could keep him warm during cold nights but wouldn't be enough to fight back against sub-zero temperatures.
Adriel got a set of black scales, not the odd black ones that stopped you from seeing even the shape of it, but the lustrous black of a dragon before they were affected by the Change, whatever that was. It was enough to make him some shoes or gloves. Maybe a vest, but it would still require some crafting. According to the notification, that particular type of scale could add fear effects to the equipment and increase the power of attacks. He also got a festival lantern that was a consumable light that could also cleanse minor ailments. Shane got a set of playing cards, all Lung Dragon themed, and a set of poker chips. Just like Mylo's, it had a special effect when playing. People could bet a percentage of their attributes, and the winner would get the 'pot' as a buff while the others received a debuff. This could last up to one hour, which could be very useful depending on the situation. She also got a bag with 5 kg of fish, all ready to be cooked like Helena's.
Alex got a couple different stone rings like the ones that Luna made, each that could make her life a tiny bit more comfortable. Be it helping her keep dry in the rain or not having to worry about sunscreen. But the real star of her prizes was a pair of dragon scale gloves. They were red, and the closer they got to the tip of the fingers, the more vibrant the scales became. Those gloves gave her a passive boost to her strength, protected her from elemental attacks, allowed her to channel elemental magic through the gloves to increase the power of spells, which caused the red color to get stronger, and had a skill that could only be used when the wearer was fighting for their life. According to the description, it would deliver a massive blow and increase the wearer's defenses and endurance after it.
Bonnie and Blue got something similar. Both of them received a weapon. Bonnie's was called Dragon Flame, and it was a scimitar. Its blade was a striking crimson red, but the shade would shift in the light, becoming almost pink. The curved blade came out of a delicate flame-like design adorning the hilt. On closer inspection, the entire blade had a very slight dragon-scale pattern that allowed mana to pass through it more easily.
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Dragon Flame - Scimitar
Unique
Level Requirement: 28
Scaling
Agility x 45 Strength x 35 Charisma x 25
Passive Skills
Deadly Prowess:
Attacks with this weapon deal 20% extra damage.
Elemental attacks with this weapon deal an additional 30% damage.
This weapon is 15% more likely to hit a vital spot.
Agility bonus +10
Active Skills
Dragon Fire Strike:
This weapon still remembers the flames that forged it and the tempering it endured.
Triggering this skill, this weapon will heat up, increasing the damage dealt.
Duration 10 minutes
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Increased damage + 30%
Cooldown: 15 minutes.
Forged in Dragon Fire
The flames used to create this weapon still dwell within
For a limited time, this weapon can ignite, replicating the dragon fire where it came from, increasing the damage it deals.
Heats up the blade, adding fire damage to all its attacks.
Duration 1 minute
Added fire damage + 200%
Cooldown: 1 hour
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Blue's reward was a two-handed battle axe. The blade radiated a stunning azure blue hue in a way that made them feel like they would cut themselves just by looking at it. The head of the axe was flat, but there was an intricate carving that showed a pair of dragon heads with mouths open as if the blades were the fire coming from the beasts. But those heads were not like any dragon they saw inside the dungeon. Instead, they had a fin coming from the neck and heading all the way to the bottom of the handle, a darker blue, looking like an old piece of wood hammered by lighting and the elements across the ages and still endured. The entire thing was just engraved in the shaft. The actual shape of it was completely flat, with just a couple of larger spots made out of metal that could be used to grab the weapon itself. When the light hit, they were able to see an intricate pattern that seemed to represent waves on the blades of this battle axe.
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Leviathan's Crest - Two-Handed battle axe
Unique
Level Required: 30
Scaling:
Strength x 50 Endurance x 45 Luck x 40
Passive Skills
Ocean's Might:
50% of the damage dealt with this weapon is water elemental damage.
Attacks with this weapon deal 30% extra damage as water elemental damage.
Water spells channeled through this weapon deal 80% extra damage.
Attacks aimed at a target bigger than the wielder deal an additional 30% extra damage
Strength Bonus + 10
Active skills:
Leviathan's torrent:
The current lives inside this weapon.
Channeling this skill unleashes torrents of water from each of the Leviathan's heads or a tidal wave from one of them.
Mana cost: 2 million.
Draconic Eruption:
Those wounded by the Leviathan feel its wrath even after escaping its grasp.
When an attack deals considerable damage, the weapon can release a powerful wave, damaging surrounding enemies and briefly stunning them.
Mana cost: 500 thousand.
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"Hera… close your mouth. You are drooling," Bonnie chuckled.
"I don't care. Look at those things. If you are not going to use it, I'll buy them from you," Hera's eyes were wide and unblinking. Both of those weapons were leagues beyond the ones she currently had, and if she was going to change some of her court members, there would be no better substitutes.
"Focus on your reward first. Let's see if it's something worth trading," Blue smiled. No one in the party used those kinds of weapons, which meant that Hera was the logical option. The controller didn't have any problem with giving the battle axe to the Empress, but if she could get something out of it, she wouldn't say no.
"Right, I don't know why it is taking so long," Hera looked to the shelves in front of her again when it finally appeared.
"Is that… Orange Caviar?" Alex asked.
"I guess," Hera frowned, staring at the large basketball-sized clump of orange caviar in front of her.
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Dragon Egg
Bound to Hera Kingsley.
Give enough mana to the egg to complete the binding process.
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"Say what now?!" Hera gasped.
"What?" Helena asked.
"It's… a dragon egg."
"Of course it is," Adriel sighed, getting confused looks from the party, "Oh, I'm sorry. Is it bad that I'm a bit upset because the girl with a legacy, two titles, a spirit, some stupid wasp armor, and can become a Naga also got a dragon egg? I'm not saying you don't deserve all that but fuck me. You get a lot of stuff, and Helena gets fish? It does not seem fair."
"I think that's because of a skill I have. Silver Linings. Every time something bad happens, good things are more likely to happen. Those usually come in the shape of better rewards or stupid coincidences," Hera tried to justify herself.
"You don't have to explain, Hera. Luck is part of being an explorer, and I'm pretty sure you have the most luck out of all of us," Helena smiled, "I won't say I'm not a bit salty, but we just came out of the ocean, so that's probably why."
"Going back to another topic, Do you still want to trade?" Blue asked with a smile.
"Even if I wanted to, I can't. It's already bound to me," Hera replied, turning back to the orange caviar ball. She reached out, placing both her hands on the egg, and started to pump mana inside of it. She spent almost all the mana she currently had available, but nothing happened. There was no change in the egg. That being said, they had just fought a dragon, and everyone spent a lot of mana. The Empress stopped and started recharging her mana.
'Mum, do you want me to help? Technically we have the same mana.'
'Do you think that would work?'
'Maybe. I don't see it as being a problem. If you want, I can channel the mana through you. We never use that, but technically I work as a special mana stone too.'
'We might as well try,' Hera nodded and channeled Daskka's mana. It was a bit of a surprise to see that the herald had the same amount of mana as she did, but using it was a bit more awkward than using her own. She used almost all of the mana, but eventually, the egg stopped taking. It glowed slightly and cracked. A pair of light pink eyes appeared from inside before, in a flash, the dragon jumped out of the egg.
It was tall, taller than Hera or even Mylo, and half of its body was still on the ground behind it. At first, Hera thought it was a Lung Dragon, but it had no arms, looking very much like a snake. A snake with a shade of blue that was almost gray with long curly pink horns and a darker blue mane. Coming from its back, there were fins, where the membrane was the same color as its body, while the bones connecting them were pink like the horns. When looking down at its body, Hera realized that this dragon, if it was a dragon, had a pair of fins instead of arms. There were smaller fins across the body, but those two seemed bigger and able to move, almost like a pair of wings. When reaching the tail, the pink took over, forming what almost looked like a flexible reef, and instead of the sharp edges of the front of its body, it was curved and wavy, almost like the foam created by the waves while still containing the pink color.
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Cerulea - Sea Serpent
Bound to Hera Kingsley
Some dragons prefer the ocean to the open skies. After generations of that preference, their bodies change to something more suitable for underwater life.
Cerulea is a mana construct created from one of the many dragons who lived in the Golden Dragon Archipelago a long time ago. She can perform simple tasks and allows her owner to use spells through her as long as they are within a certain distance.
Cerulea can be summoned from a pair of earrings which disappear while the Sea Serpent is out. They will return to her owner when Cerulea is dismissed.
Cerulea can float on land at a speed of 5 km/h or swim at a speed of 80 km/h.
If there is someone riding Cerulea as she dives underwater, she will create an air bubble around them that lasts 1 hour. The air will allow them to breathe. Up to 3 bubbles can be created at once
If Cerulea is destroyed, it takes 24 hours for her to recover.
Cerulea doesn't require mana to maintain its form, but it does require it to float and use any of its abilities.
Stored mana 0 / 4 000 000
Air bubble cost: 1 300 000 mana
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After reading the description, Hera snapped her head towards Blue, "How much do you want for the axe? I'm 90% sure I can have a new titled blade with it!"