Chapter 5 - Neldor Under Attack (part 1)

Chapter 5

Dragons, are.. well. Dragons. There’s not much normal people can do against one. The weakest of Dragons is already much more powerful than a normal human, and the Azure Ice Dragon was definitely not the weakest of Dragons.

The Dragon let loose another imposing roar as it soared towards the town. The wind nearby swirled as the massive beast moved forward, ferociously charging. The townspeople stood frozen still. Not by choice, but because they physically could not resist the Dragon’s force of will and Aura. The Azure Ice Dragon before them was very strong, at least at the level of a Cultivator that had formed a Gold Core.

“RETREAT!” an enormous yell burst forth from the graybeard Ambassador, his eyes flashing as a powerful Silver aura covered him. “Everyone! Flee now! I will try to hold off the Dragon, get away!” The Ambassador bravely jumped forth, silver energy flashed from his hand and blasted towards the great Dragon. The bolt he shot seemed to be made of pure silver light, and gave off a deadly air.

The Drake ignored the silver flash, and continued towards the town square. The energy shot forth by the Ambassador smashed into the great Drake’s scales and bounced off, not even scratching its hide. The Azure Ice Dragon smashed down into the square, knocking over several buildings, and killing several of the youths and accompanying guardians in the initial impact. Ice flashed forth as it swung its head around, instantly freezing the town’s guards that came to provide succor. The icy breath of the drake was freezing cold; it cracked the cobble stone ground of the square, spreading out in random patterns. Several of the soldiers had only been partially frozen, and feebly moved towards the drake, trying to distract it.

Feng and Dale stood stupidly, staring at the destruction and chaos occurring all around it. Suddenly, Dale’s grandfather stood up and said, “Dale. Take Feng and run to the north of town, and out the north gate. No one here can stop this monster, but I can buy you some time.”

Before Dale could say anything, the old man withdrew a small crossbow from his pack, and dashed forward towards the Dragon. A silver glow slowly covered the elderly man, and suddenly, a brilliant ray of silver shot forth from the crossbow, much purer and more powerful than the one the ambassador had thrown, plunging into the snout of the Azure Ice Dragon.

The Dragon, which had previously been busy blasting the remainder of the town guards, recoiled sharply. Though the bolt had done no real damage to the Drake, it caused a sharp pain and injured the dragon’s pride, annoying it. The Drake glared at the old man, and attempted to freeze him with its icy breath. However, just as it swept upward to do so, the Ambassador jumped forward and slammed his leg against the side of the drake’s head. The full strength of a Silver Metal Core cultivator is not something to laugh at. Even if you are at a higher level, standing still and allowing them to hit you with their full strength is not a viable option.

The Drake took the full force of the impact and its entire multi ton body smashed through several buildings off to the side, leaving a small trail of destruction. The Ambassador promptly chased after it, wanting to press any advantage he could. Dale’s grandfather turned around, “Go! Now! We are merely holding it off, we cannot stop it! The Ambassador has already sent word of Feng to the capital; you can be tested there again and will study in one of their schools. It is no longer safe here!”

Dale nodded, and ran off, with Feng close behind him. They headed towards the north gate, where they encountered a mass exodus of humanity, as everyone in the city had started to flee. An Azure Ice Drake could easily kill everyone in this city; staying here was tangible to committing suicide. Feng stared at Dale for a moment as they ran and said, “Wait! My mother is still in the square! I can’t leave without her!”

Dale paused a moment. If he went back to the square, it was almost certain death. The Dragon in that square was incalculably powerful; there was no way they could stand up to it. Even the Ambassador sent from the capital had no chance. Going back was one of the worst choices he could make, logically.

He said, “Feng, we cannot go back now. Think about it. Everyone that could flee already left the square; we were one of the last pairs to go. I’m sure your mother made it out, and if she did, she is fleeing to the capital with the rest of us. We can meet up with her there, but to return now would mean our deaths.”

“I don’t care! We have to go back!” he said, furiously. A house behind them shifted and fell, rumbling from the force of the impacts caused by the ongoing battle.

Suddenly, several people ran past where Feng and Dale stood, heading inwards towards the area where the Dragon fought. These people were all dressed similarily, and gave off powerful Auras. Several gave off a greyish iron feel, a few gave off a silver colored aura, and one, an old balding man with a square shaped beard, gave off a golden aura. The feeling of strength given off by this group was immense. Dale and Feng gaped as they passed by.

Dale, deciding to seize the moment, said, “Follow them! They must be from the branch school in town; we’ll use them as cover to find your mother!”

Feng nodded furiously and they set off, following quickly in the wake of the cultivators.

Ahead, however, the battle with Dale’s grandfather and the Ambassador was not going well. After the Drake smashed through several buildings and came to a stop, it turned around and starting blasting its icy breath across the town, attempting to freeze the two bugs irritating it. Dale’s grandfather managed to dodge by the merit that he was farther away than the Ambassador, and had more time to react. The Ambassador, however, had already been severely frost burned by the drake’s ice. His left leg and left arm were both partially frozen, and his movement speed was very much inhibited.

The Dragon lunged at the Ambassador, swiping its claws to shred him. However, just as its blow was about to land, a golden blast of energy connected with its claws and slightly deflected his strike. Instead of slicing through the Ambassador, it simply brushed him by, and knocked him through two buildings, back into the main square.

Dale’s grandfather, seeing this, gratefully yelled, “Thank you great elder! Please help us repel this Dragon, or at least buy time for the civilians to escape.”

The golden shrouded man nodded. Behind him, several other cultivators began to arrive, with a veritable ménage of aura enclosing them.

“Dorn, Mikael, distract it to the left and right. I will take its attention, whilst you two attempt to damage its wings. The rest of you are no match for it. Fall back and help the citizens escape. If my guess isn’t wrong, this Dragon appears to be in the late Gem Core stage, we won’t have a chance at killing it. But, we may be able to hold it off for a time.” He said sternly. The two cultivators that gave off a silvery aura immediately strode forward and launched silvery flashes of energy at the dragon, entering into the fray..

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