“I’m willing to take that risk. I won’t waste precious time searching for suitable Guardian and Overlord beasts to hunt and subdue when there are ways to help Dirk,” Merlin said, pointedly ignoring the storm of thoughts thrashing within his bond.
Their connection flared, bombarding him with complaints and curses, urging him to bind more beasts and prepare for the worst-case scenario.
No. I will die with you if it comes to it.
He responded calmly, placing his life on the line.
Yes, he might die if something happened to Dirk, but it was that very danger that forced the wyvern to push himself further. To survive no matter the cost. If not for his own sake, then for the man who meant more than his own life.
For Merlin meant everything to Dirk as well.
“What do you have to offer?” Merlin clenched his fists, praying the Master Beaster had some sound solutions.
“We do have a few options,” Bert said, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“But?” Merlin motioned for the Beaster to continue.
“But every option carries its own set of dangers,” Bert added. “We can focus on major repairs, stimulate mutations, or push Dirk to evolve.”
That didn’t sound too bad. Certainly not bad enough for a “but.”
“What’s the issue?”
“The issue is that the repairs would only restore Dirk’s body. We cannot repair his beast core just like that. Maybe, if Dirk hadn’t forced the breakthrough, we would have managed, but he’s an Overlord beast now, and his core looks even worse than before. Even if we focus on repairing his body, I cannot promise that he’ll be the same as before. He may never be as strong as all the other Overlord beasts.”
That was not acceptable. Looking at Dirk’s massive, curled-up body and how much it had shrunk over the last ten months, Merlin clenched his fists. The wyvern’s wings were still shredded after all this time, the once majestic pair of leathery wings now miserable as they clung tightly to his thinning body.
Not even the nutrient infusions the wyvern Soulkin was given were enough to stabilize his condition. All they did was prevent certain death. Even then, it required a variety of half a dozen serums that had to be pumped through Dirk’s system by several ether devices. The tubes inserted all across the wyvern’s body existed for a reason. They kept him alive.
My core.
Dirk’s deep, billowing voice reverberated through Merlin’s mind.
“We have to fix his core.” Merlin shook his head, prompting Bert to move on to the other options.
“I have been examining Adam’s Ferronox Mantis for a while now, which made me think about Aureus, Adam’s Earthheart, if you remember, as well as Dirk’s situation. While not exactly the same, my research over the last two years and the past few weeks has led me to believe we can stimulate Dirk and trigger a set of mutations. I have a few ideas, which will require further research once you and your Soulkin come to a decision, but I am fairly sure we can fix Dirk.”
Bert looked deep into Merlin’s eyes, hinting there was more.
“Since you do not wish to induce mutations that only repair the wyvern’s body, but also fix his core, we would have to push the mutations in a certain direction. We may have to awaken a trait, one very closely tied to the Life Aspect. Possibly only life-attuned… if you’re lucky.” He sighed deeply. “If the trait is tied to the Life Aspect, your World will shatter as soon as your soulshare transfers the trait. Your World will not be able to attune to it. Dirk would survive, his core repaired, but–”
“I won’t die,” Merlin cut in sharply, then relented when Bert regarded him intently. “I guess the mutation solution is less dangerous than the evolution.”
The Beaster only nodded.
No. I won’t accept that!
Dirk growled, resisting the thoughts of acceptance forming in Merlin’s mind. He resisted so vehemently that his curled-up body stirred. Blood oozed from his wounds and spread into the liquid in the tank.
“Stop moving!” Merlin yelled, his heart distorting in fear.
Your death is unacceptable. I may die, but you will live!
Dirk thundered in Merlin’s head.
The towering man sighed deeply. “What about the last option? The evolution?”
He had no high hopes. Dirk was a brown wyvern. His racial limit had long since been used up. If not for their bond and all the resources they had pumped into Dirk over those decades, he would have never even reached Late Guardian Rank. That he had advanced to Overlord was mind-boggling, but it did not justify an evolution. After all, evolutions were rarely seen at the higher ranks.
They happened to younger beasts at the lower Ranks more regularly, but evolution strands rarely developed at advanced age, let alone after a beast’s racial potential had been used up for dozens of years.
Yet, something about Bert’s smile sparked hope. It was the kind of smile that inspired it.
“You think it’s possible? Are you serious?!” Merlin’s hair stood on end.
“Yes… and no, if that makes sense to you,” Bert said with a grimace.
It didn’t. Not in the slightest.
“Dirk might die in the process. To be blunt with the two of you, he probably will die.” The Master Beaster spoke calmly as he retrieved a core thrice the size of a regular Overlord’s. It emanated immense power, enough to flood the entire underground laboratory.
“Chloe asked me for a favor. She asked many people for favors over the last few months.”
Merlin could barely hear the Beaster’s voice. His attention lingered on the core and the terrifying pressure it emitted.
“That is…”
“A dragon’s core. Fully intact, yes,” Bert nodded. “I do have a barrel–although small and only the size of a bucket–of blood from the very same dragon as well.”
The Beaster did not hold a young dragon’s core. That was the matured core of a dragon that had reached Peak Overlord Rank. It might as well have been at Monarch Rank.
“How? Where?” Merlin’s eyes grew wide, realization dawning. “Grandmaster Heros? Did he provide the core and blood? How did you do that? Wait, you said Chloe asked for a few favors. Did she do that? But that doesn’t explain how she did it. This is invaluable. Did she empty the family vault?”
“I don’t know what she did, but Heros provided the core and the blood. He also doesn’t want to be involved in this mess and says we will fail.” Bert shrugged. “I, too, believe Dirk’s chances are low. Or… they should be, if the core and a barrel of blood were all we had to work with. Alas, we have a well-preserved dragon heart.”
At this point, the Master Beaster could no longer contain his shit-eating grin.
“Where in the Rulers’ names did you get that from?”
A dragon’s core was somewhat useful. It could be consumed by creatures with a draconic bloodline to strengthen them, though the increase in strength depended heavily on compatibility and bloodline potency. Various restrictions applied, and it was far more likely for a beast with a thinning bloodline to sustain damage from consuming a dragon core. That was how potent they were.
A dragon core was also impossible to turn into serums. It had to remain intact to retain its draconic properties. So while it was incredibly valuable, Grandmaster Heros didn’t truly need it. Even dragon blood was more valuable–or would have been, if most dragons weren’t enormous creatures. The dragon the core once belonged to must have been the size of a skyscraper, carrying tons of dragon blood. Sparing a barrel the size of a bucket was still a generous gift worthy of a heavy favor, yet it paled in comparison to the heart.
“Adam gave me the heart, along with a lot of other resources. You see, that kid doesn’t like freeloading. Like, not at all.” Bert chuckled and shook his head. “As smart as Adam is, he’s a fool at times. He really thinks he’s exploiting me. I don’t think he understands how happy I am. Every Beaster would be overjoyed with a dedicated apprentice like Adam, yet here he is, paying for his own goods for… honestly, I don’t even know how to price some of the ingredients he sold me. They’re that valuable. Such as the dragon heart.”
Adam? Are we thinking about the same Adam? That… makes no sense. He’s working with Basic serums. That kid isn’t even eighteen years old. Where in the Rulers’ Names is he supposed to get a dragon heart from? He–
“Oh… I get it now.” Merlin felt as though he’d been struck by a skytrain, but he nodded slowly. “Ruler Kazriel’s belongings. The storage ring.”
Adam had a dragon heart in there? And if there was a heart… did that mean the rest of the dragon was stored there as well? What else did Adam have hidden in that storage ring?
Merlin swallowed hard. That kid really had far too many treasures on him. One mistake, one wrong word, and half the Bastion would be after him. Be it for the Emperor beast or his wealth.
“Exactly. Adam had a bunch of things stored in there. Unfortunately, the heart isn’t perfectly preserved.” Bert behaved as if it were nothing special, as though it were completely normal for a young man to own a dragon heart and various other priceless treasures. “You might not know this, but it’s impossible to preserve a dragon heart perfectly. Not even the greatest spatial treasures allow for such a feat.
“The dragon heart loses some of its greatest potential with every day that passes after the dragon’s death. Adam panicked a little when he found out about that.” Bert laughed again. “Anyway, that’s also why he was so willing to give me the heart. It’s too potent for him to use. At least, I hope that was his reasoning. If he gave it up for no other reason than to pay for a tuition that doesn’t even exist…”
He shook his head. “Back to the topic. I can concoct a lot of serums using the dragon heart and dragon blood. I’ll use the heart alongside some of the most advanced serums to elevate Dirk’s condition and increase his chances of a successful evolution. We’ll expand his potential and might unlock a few traits, but they should remain in tune with your world’s restrictions. Then, once everything has settled, we’ll jumpstart the evolution using the dragon core and an Apex serum.”
“You can concoct Apex serums?” Merlin raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. “No, forget that. Are you sure it’s fine to use the dragon heart? Adam will need it at some point.”
“We have something much better planned for his Ferronox Mantis. Nox is so desperate he’d just consume the dragon heart outright and die from its potency. A Monarch-ranked dragon heart is definitely not something an Unblemished beast should ever touch.”
Monarch! I want to evolve. Grow strong enough to break the chains!
Dirk was more than ready to evolve. The prospect overwhelmed him, yet it also filled him with boundless joy.
Calm down, Merlin chided his Soulkin, though his thoughts were just as turbulent.
“You said he might die,” Merlin pointed out.
“Evolving is never easy,” Bert replied with a nod.
“Neither is breaking through with a broken core,” Merlin countered, only to be immediately rebuked.
“That’s true. But evolving after a forced breakthrough is not something you should take lightly.” Bert sighed. “Still, don’t worry too much. We won’t rush anything. We’ll move slowly, prepare Dirk thoroughly, and make sure his chances are the best they can possibly be. Even so, you both need to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Dirk might die.”
Merlin shook his head.
“No, he won’t. Dirk will rise and shine. He will evolve and become a dragon himself.” Hope, long absent, returned in a tidal wave, filling both Blessed and Soulkin to the brim.
“I hope you’re right. I sincerely do.” Bert smiled.
Then the planning began.