strictlysupreme Chapter 246: He Who Woke the Volcano
Chapter 246: He Who Woke the Volcano
Chapter 246: He Who Woke the Volcano
“A draconic lair? Is that the den of the Seventh Terror?” Priam asked, tapping his foot on the pristine rock. He didn’t need Esmée’s intel to feel it: his prey awaited below.
“That is right,” the phoenix confirmed, scrutinizing the ground. “It is a well-known ability of dragons.”
“I know what comes after Scales now,” mused Priam.
The bird exhaled a puff of smoke in disagreement. “Your bloodline comes from a wyvern, which is why you gained Breath first and Scales second. However, it is not a universal rule; amphipteres start with Wings, drakes with Scales, and so on.”
“That’s reassuring... and disappointing.” If the Terror possessed three draconic abilities, devouring its heart would significantly enhance Priam’s bloodline.
“Lair allows the creature to alter a space and restrict access to it,” continued the phoenix. “Facing it on its home turf is dangerous, but the risk is often worth it, as that is where it hides its treasures.”
Priam’s eyes sparkled. In most human myths, a dragon’s lair was brimming with the riches of these greedy and hoarding beings. “How do I get in?”
“Assuming you don’t have mythical skills related to spatial displacement or thievery, you have two options. The first is simple: blow the door down by overwhelming its defenses. An A-bomb or ten should do the trick.”
Priam rolled his eyes. “Let’s say I misplaced my bombs. What’s the second option? Knock on the door?”
The phoenix chuckled. “Exactly. As a bearer of the same bloodline, you can challenge it, and its draconic honor will compel it to respond. Of course, it’s not that simple. After all, it’s an ability meant for secluding oneself to meditate—although, if you ask me, most dragons use it to hibernate. Nevertheless, the lair’s master will have to accept your challenge if you can prove to the draconic laws that your request is serious enough to wake it up.”
Priam pinched the bridge of his nose. “How do I prove that?”
“To avoid wasting the lair master’s time, you must prove your motivation. Thus, you’ll have to lay siege to the lair for a duration depending on your difference in Soul Tier and the purity of your respective bloodlines.”
Priam had a bad feeling. “I suppose it would be ridiculous if I could easily force a Tier 9 dragon out of their lair to listen to my challenge. Well, how long will I have to wait?”
“Hard to say without knowing the purity of the Terror’s bloodline,” the phoenix replied, shrugging its wings. “At equal purity, it is a year between two draconic creatures of the same Tier. You may multiply that time by ten for each Tier of difference.”
“You’re shitting me,” grumbled the young man. “The Terror is Tier 1. I’m not waiting ten years!”
“If its bloodline purity is over one percent, you can multiply by ten,” the phoenix pointed out.
It was so ridiculous that Priam burst out laughing before calming down. That was the maximum time, but if the Terror remembered him, it might want to make him pay for his arrogance. “I’ll provoke it to a duel. If it responds immediately, great. Otherwise, we’ll move to plan B.”
“Sounds like a solid idea.”
Priam stared at the ground and the hidden lair below for a moment before coughing. “Is there a specific rite to follow?”
“You need to dance naked with a phoenix feather up your ass.”
Masking a smile, Priam cast a calculating look at the phoenix. “I wonder where I’ll find a phoenix feather...”
The bird quickly backed away. “Stay away from me! Just spill some blood on the door and challenge it.”
“Why is it always blood,” muttered the young warrior, using his skills to make a small cut on the inside of his cheek. He extracted a droplet of blood from the tiny wound, then made it levitate above his hand.
“Couldn’t you just prick your finger like everyone else?” asked the phoenix.
The question reminded Priam of the wildlife documentaries he watched as a child. “On my planet, sharks can sense a drop of blood from nearly a mile away. I’d rather not have an open wound while underwater.”
“...”
“What?”
“I am always surprised to see that you can actually think. You would have made a good phoenix.”
“Shut up,” Priam grinned, letting the drop of blood fall onto the hidden door. In a loud voice, he declared, “It’s time to duel!” and then waited.
And waited.
Thirty seconds later, he groaned. “I guess I can go fuck myself.”
“Not necessarily. Dragons are heavy sleepers because their dreams can enhance their affinity with Concepts; the Terror might be taking a while to wake up.”
Priam raised an eyebrow at his mentor. When the phoenix met his gaze without flinching, the young man realized it wasn’t a joke. “This race is seriously broken...”
“That is actually a good thing for you.”
“Touché. Alright, I’m tired of waiting. If it comes out, it’ll find me easily. Otherwise, I’ll force it out.”
“How?”
Priam shrugged. “I may not have ten A-bombs, but I do have a volcano. Let’s see who wakes up faster, the Terror or Mother Nature.”
Triggering a volcanic eruption was an idea Priam was particularly proud of. Discussing it with the phoenix, the bird had confirmed the feasibility of his plan. According to the bird, there were two main types of eruptions: effusive, with simple lava flows, and explosive, with pyroclastic flows. It got more complicated underwater, but Priam had an idea to correct that and provoke a memorable explosion.
After taking a deep breath of oxygen, Priam closed the portal and shattered the ice shell surrounding him. Pressurized water rushed in with terrifying force, forcing him to briefly merge with his mist to avoid being crushed.
Moving a few meters away from the lair entrance, Priam asked his add-on to find the approximate position of the main volcanic conduit—the path lava took from the earth's depths to the surface. Knowing the crater's location, his system indicated he was about two hundred meters from his target. Perfect.
Using his kinetic mastery, Priam created a sort of ice drill the size of a refrigerator. Hesitating for a moment, the young man decided to go all out and increased its size to that of a pickup truck. Orienting the massive drill horizontally toward the main volcanic conduit, he reviewed his plan. It boiled down to one sentence: create a second conduit through the rock that would channel the pyroclastic explosion directly to the lair of the Seventh Terror.
A volcanic eruption was far more powerful than an A-bomb—sometimes by a factor of ten thousand. The energy would dissipate over a vast area, but even a fraction of it would surely force open the Terror’s lair.
[Note: The explosion may destroy some of the Terror’s possessions.]
The bound weapon effortlessly penetrated the rock, creating a large hole between the tunnel and the chaotic blend of gas and lava.
For a brief moment, the world stood still, as if incredulous. Then the moment passed; the superheated gasses rushed into the breach, and the explosion occurred. A blast of lava, molten rock, and pressurized gas surged through the drilled gallery.
As the incandescent wave rushed, the summoned water vanished, seemingly revoked by its creator. A second after the eruption, the flow reached the tunnel’s end and struck the draconic lair.
The world shook as the equivalent of a thousand A-bombs detonated at the bottom of the underwater chasm, unleashing a pyroclastic hell.
Amidst the volcano, as Priam tried to survive by merging with the flames, a thought disturbed him.
I feel like I forgot something...
...
Shit, Esmée!
Status:
PHYSICAL:
Strength 726 (+1)
Constitution 1 105
Agility 866 (+2)
Vitality 1 058 (+18)
Perception 767
MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 592
Dexterity 658 (+1)
Memory 842
Willpower 1 168 (+5)
Charisma 692
META:
Meta-affinity 805 (+4)
Meta-focus 412 (+3)
Meta-endurance 629 (+5)
Meta-perception 340
Meta-chance 274
Meta-authority 216
Potential: 13 644 (+7)
Tier 0
Sun points: 1 481 401 (+208)
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED
[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 153 days 10 hours 48 minutes 21 seconds.
Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200