The Ballad Of A Semi-Benevolent Dragon

Chapter 24: The Princess Surprises

The world slowly came back into focus, and Antaria realised that she was flat on her back and staring up at the night sky. The familiar face of one of the wolf pups appeared above her, and the canine gave her an affectionate lick before another familiar but less welcome face appeared.

"Congratulations," Doomwing's construct said. "You survived."

"" Antaria stared. "Were you expecting me to die?"

"No. However, there was a non-zero possibility of your body failing to make the necessary adjustments. Depending on exactly how far you fell short, there was a chance that even I would be unable to heal you."

"I don't remember you mentioning that before."

"I would have thought it would be obvious when I said it was potentially fatal. That is, after all, what potentially fatal means."

She hated to admit that he had a point there. "Where is your actual body?"

"Once I was certain you would survive and had not suffered any permanent damage, I departed. I have something I need to bring to my volcano, and I also need to check on the dwarves. It would be aggravating if they somehow managed to get themselves killed after coming all the way here. Their leader is sensible, but dwarves have been known to make foolish decisions when faced with the prospect of great wealth."

"You mean they become gold-crazed bastards who do stupid stuff?" Antaria had heard many stories about just how far dwarves would go for treasure. It was why her kingdom had always kept a wary eye on the independent dwarf companies that occasionally passed through. Their skills were always welcome, but the last thing they needed was for them to raid the treasury, especially since her father had been so determined to spend it on preparing the kingdom for wars it had no reason to fight.

"Yes." The construct chuckled. "I had a friend who was a dwarf I once made the mistake of showing him my hoard. I think he went a little crazy. I had to wipe the memory of it from his mind lest it drive him mad."

"Your hoard is that impressive?" Antaria asked. She had always assumed it would be impressive, but to push a dwarf that far it must be impressive indeed.

"Let me put it this way. If I were to release just the coinage I have accumulated over the years, it would crash what passes for an economy in this Age. The combined treasuries of the kingdoms that Elerion united paled in comparison to the mundane treasures of my hoard, to say nothing of the more esoteric objects whose worth is all but impossible to quantify."

"You know," Antaria said. "I wouldn't mind having a bit of that wealth."

"You rule this area in my name. As such, you will be entitled to a portion of the profits it generates. Consider it incentive to ensure that this area is as productive as possible." The construct motioned for her to stand. "How do you feel?"

"Hmm" Antaria got up and stretched. "I thought my throat would be sore from all the screaming, but it feels fine. In fact I feel better than fine. I feel great."

"I used magic to heal any residual damage you suffered. Otherwise, it would have been days before you could speak again."

"Thanks." Antaria took up a fighting stance and threw a few punches and kicks. She was startled by how much faster and stronger she was, and the wolf pups made sounds of amazement. Curious, she called on her magic, and she received yet another shock. Her reserves of magic had grown several times over, and the channels that carried magic through her body had seemingly disappeared. "Uh I just noticed something weird."

"You no longer have large channels that carry magic through your body."

"Yeah." Antaria made a face. "I'm pretty sure I need those to, you know, not die horribly. What happened to them, and how much longer do I have to live?"

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"Do you feel like you are going to die?" the construct asked.

"No. But that doesn't mean I won't, right?"

The construct chuckled. "You're starting to learn. But, no, you are not in any immediate danger. In fact, the disappearance of the large channels that carry magic through your body is a good thing."

"How?"

"Try to circulate magic through your body and pay close attention to what happens."

Antaria closed her eyes and did as he asked. The result was equal parts bizarre and awe-inspiring. Her magic no longer circulated through her body via large channels. Instead, it was like she had a huge number of smaller channels running through her entire body. Startled, she tried to channel magic into her fist. For a split-second, the countless smaller channels that now ran through her arm combined to form a large channel that poured power into her fist where it was instantly distributed through a host of smaller channels that formed to spread it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"What happened?" Antaria asked. "Because I'm pretty sure my body didn't do that before."

"What happened is that you exceeded my expectations." The construct smiled. It was terrifying. "I had expected that eating the sky whale's heart would lead to an increase in power, strength, and a number of other attributes. However, I expected those increases to be largely quantitative in nature. Instead, you managed to achieve a qualitative change."

"A qualitative change?"

"Yes. Humans do not undergo the same sort of ascension as monsters. However, they are still capable of radically altering the way their body processes magic. Normally, humans possess a magical circulatory system that is composed of a number of large channels that carry magic through the body. Humans typically increase their power by strengthening and broadening these channels while increasing the size of their reserves, which allows their body to handle more magic, which they can use for spells or to reinforce their bodies. You, however, managed to reach the next stage."

"Why haven't I heard of this?" Antaria asked. "If it's such a big deal, surely someone would have written about it."

"I suspect that you may well be the first human in this Age to reach this level and live."

"Oh." Antaria blinked. "Wait that means I'm pretty awesome, right?"

"It means you're not completely hopeless." She pouted, and the construct rolled its eyes. "Yes, I suppose your performance has been impressive. What you have done is to alter your magical circulatory system. Instead of being composed of several major channels that lead to increasing minor channels, you now have a vast number of incredibly malleable smaller channels that can combine or separate as required."

"Right." Antaria nodded. "But what exactly does that mean? I'm not exactly an expert at this, and I'd rather not try anything until I have at least some understanding of what's going on."

"You saw it when you pushed magic into your fist. Your body created a much larger and stronger channel to carry magic to your fist where it was distributed via a series of much smaller channels that formed to distribute it far more efficiently and quickly than you would have been able to before. This means that you can now channel much more magic to your fist in a much shorter time than before while spreading it far more quickly and efficiently. In other words, when you punch something"

"I'll be able to hit it way harder than before!" Antaria's grin would have been terrifying to anyone except Doomwing. Even the wolf pups looked a little alarmed at the maniacal way she stared at her fist before shaking it at the sky. "I am going to punch so much stuff with this"

"As amusing as it would be to see you punch thing into powder, you need to broaden your thinking. Think about how you use magic to run faster."

Antaria's brows furrowed. "I just run magic through my whole body while running." Her eyes widened. "Wait if I can alter the channels that carry magic through my body, I'd be able to selectively increase the size of the channels that carry magic to the parts of my body that are most involved with running. Altering the channels would also let me do that more efficiently and quickly, so I wouldn't have to worry about accidentally injuring myself, provided I could keep up. Assuming I could control it properly, I'd be able to go much faster while still using less magic because I'd be targeting the parts that are most useful for running instead of just enhancing my whole body."

She cackled. "And that goes for any movement. If I could get it right, I'd be able to to to use my body almost like a slingshot, loading up the muscles I need with magic to push them past their limits in just the right sequence while still putting enough magic into them to keep me from injuring myself. If I'm punching, I'd be able to throw a punch with far greater speed and force behind it. I might even be able to move in ways that should normally be impossible by making weaker muscles much stronger than they would normally be."

The construct's eyes gleamed. "I see you're beginning to understand. Of course, training to properly control the myriad channels that now run through your body will not be easy."

Antaria snorted. "It can't hurt any worse than eating that sky whale's heart" She trailed off. "Waitit can't actually hurt worse than that, can it?"

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"Hmm that depends on how quickly you learn. Failure to properly control the channels of magic that run through your body can lead to all sorts of complications. For example, it is now possible for you to dislocate your own arm when you punch or even to blow off your own arm if you can't properly control your magic and the channels that have to carry it."

"Okay. That sounds awful."

"Since your body is not used to having channels that can be controlled to the extent you're now capable of, it will take a substantial amount of exercise and practice before the control you need to develop becomes automatic. You can expect multiple injuries during the learning process. Rest assured, however, that I will make sure that you don't die unless you're stupid enough to overload your entire body to the point that you explode."

"That can happen?"

"I have seen it happen multiple times. It is messy. I would suggest avoiding it."

"I'll do that." Antaria grimaced. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes, actually." The construct's brows furrowed. "It is not unheard of for a human to develop an affinity for an additional form of magic after reaching this stage of their development. It would seem that fortune favours you because you have developed an additional affinity beyond enhancement magic."

"Yes!" Antaria punched the ground and cratered it. "All of that suffering wasn't in vain! Hah! I thought I was going to die while eating that stupid sky whale's heart, but it was worth it! It was all worth it!" She turned to the construct eagerly. "So can I throw lightning now? What about fire? I bet I can throw fireballs at people or maybe I can shoot acid, or what about making ice or water?"

"You can do exactly zero of those things."

Antaria fell to her knees. "Are you serious?" The construct nodded. "Then what kind of affinity do I have?"

"Hmm I suspect that it was influenced by three factors: the sky whale's heart, the sky ship, and your own desire for freedom. Your new affinity is with magic associated with the wind and sky."

"Wait" Antaria gasped. "Does that mean I can fly?"

"In theory, it should eventually be possible for you to learn flight magic."

Antaria couldn't help it. She lunged toward the construct and threw her arms around it. Ignoring the fact that the construct was incredibly tough and kind of jagged, she hugged it as best she could. "That is so fucking awesome!"

"" Doomwing's construct shrugged her off. "I wouldn't put it that way, but having an additional affinity is usually a good thing."

"But what do you mean by eventually?" Antaria asked. "Why can't I learn how to fly right now?"

"Because you would probably kill yourself. As durable as you are, a fall from several thousand feet off the ground would probably still kill you. If not, it would lead to horrific injuries that I would have to fix. You have developed some experience with enhancement magic, but flight-related magic is very different. It demands dedication to master it, and it requires you to understand a number of related principles too. After all, you are not a bird or a dragon. Flight does not come naturally to you, so you lack the instincts required to perform it properly. At the very least, you will have to work on gliding and floating first, and you will have to learn spells and runes that can protect you from killing yourself when you inevitably make a mistake and end up falling out of the sky or hitting the ground."

"But I'll be able to fly?"

"Provided you pay attention, study diligently, and don't kill yourself doing something stupid, then the odds are good that you will one day be able to fly." The construct made a face. "Hmm there is a book I will give you to read during your dreams."

"Oh?"

"It was written by Alenna Skyseeker, an elf from the Third Age. She learned how to fly using only her own magic, and she became good enough to earn my respect. She was not as good as a dragon in the air, but she came the closest of any non-dragon I have ever seen. She wrote a book about it although no one else ever reached the same level as her."

"What happened to her?" Antaria asked. "Did she uh die because of the Third Catastrophe?"

The construct shook its head. "No. Elves live much longer than humans, but they do not live forever. She was born near the start of the Third Age and died long before the Third Catastrophe. She passed away aboard her sky ship surrounded by her friends and family. It was a good death."

"I'd have thought you'd rate a death in battle more highly than a death like that," Antaria said.

The construct stared into the distance, at a time and place she couldn't see. "My dwarf friend died as gloriously as any dragon could hope to die, yet I would have preferred it if he had shared Alenna's fate. It would have grieved me to see his children bury him, yet that would have been far better than watching him cast trinkets into the sea because he could not find the bodies of his family."

"Oh." Antaria bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

"Do not apologise for things that are not your fault that you could not have known about. You asked a question. I am the one who chose to answer it." Doomwing's construct straightened. "To live a long life is to see those you love pass. Such is the way of the world. And that is especially true for dragons like myself who need not fear old age."

"You know," Antaria said. "We put out candles for our dead on the last day of the year to remind them that they haven't been forgotten. We could put some candles out for your friends if you want."

"An interesting custom and one that originates from the First Age," the construct said. "The First Gods believed that all souls belong to an endless cycle of death and rebirth. But how long a soul stays in the darkness before being reborn is never certain. They lit candles to light the way and guide those souls back into the world. Somehow, the custom was never forgotten although people did forget the reasons for it."

"Is that what you believe?" Antaria asked quietly.

"Not exactly." The construct paused. "But you may light candles if you wish." He chuckled mirthlessly. "But you should only light one for my old friends. If you had to light a candle for each friend I've lost, you would never have enough. A single candle will do."

"That's" Antaria wasn't sure what to say to that. "I I will light a candle."

"Enough of that," the construct said. "Your increase in power bodes well for your meeting with the dwarves. Moreover, it will also help with recruitment from your kingdom."

"What do you mean by recruitment?"

"As you have undoubtedly noticed, there is too much work here for you to do alone. You need administrators and other experts. I will begin educating those villagers who show promise, but we will also need to recruit more from your kingdom. I have spoken to your uncle with my magic. There is apparently a major tournament coming up."

"Yes," Antaria said. "They have a tournament during the winter solstice. It's one of the most important occasions since it gives the kingdom's strongest warriors and mages a chance to demonstrate their power. My father would often hire the winners or those who placed well to serve him."

"You will be entering that tournament, and you will crush everyone so thoroughly that none will ever question your power again. You will become a shining star that others wish to follow, be they warriors, bureaucrats, or mere civilians."

"My uncle won't be happy if just steal a bunch of talented people," Antaria pointed out.

"Your kingdom has an abundance of people who might be useful to us who are unable to rise any higher due to the constraints of the kingdom's politics. Your uncle has done well, but even he cannot change so much so quickly. You do not have those constraints. You rule in my name, and my power here is absolute. Win the tournament, recruit whoever you can, and bring them back here."

"Right." Antaria cracked her knuckles. "So I just have to bludgeon my way through the tournament then."

"Remember, winning is not enough. It must be effortless. It must be overwhelming. It must be absolute. As such, you can expect your training to be rigorous."

"Rigorous? I'm not sure I like the sound of that. What about the villagers? You said you'd be training some of them. Will you be training them the way you've been training me? I don't think they'd survive that."

"Of course not. I am not stupid. Your training has been harsh because I expect more of you. That you have not only survived but also exceeded my expectations speaks well of you." Doomwing's construct chuckled. "Your training will only grow more difficult from here. But if you continue to impress me, we will also begin your flight training."

Antaria bared her teeth in almost draconic fashion. A bit of pain in exchange for learning how to fly? "Bring it on."

"Brave words," the construct drawled. "Brave but foolish."