“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 confird, scrutinizing the ground. “It is a well-known ability of dragons.”
“I know what cos after Scales now,” mused Priam.
The bird exhaled a puff of smoke in disagreent. “Your bloodline cos 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 ho 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 displacent 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 sa 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 ant for secluding oneself to ditate—although, if you ask , 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 ti, 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 sa Tier. You may multiply that ti by ten for each Tier of difference.”
“You’re shitting ,” 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 ti, but if the Terror rembered him, it might want to make him pay for his arrogance. “I’ll provoke it to a duel. If it responds imdiately, 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 mont 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 ! Just spill so 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 docuntaries 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 ti 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 ntor. When the phoenix t 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 cos out, it’ll find 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.”
Status:
PHYSICAL:
Strength 726 ( 1)
Constitution 1 105
Agility 866 ( 2)
Vitality 1 058 ( 18)
Perception 767
NTAL:
Vivacity (D) 592
Dexterity 658 ( 1)
mory 842
Willpower 1 168 ( 5)
Charisma 692
TA:
ta-affinity 805 ( 4)
ta-focus 412 ( 3)
ta-endurance 629 ( 5)
ta-perception 340
ta-chance 274
ta-authority 216
Potential: 13 644 ( 7)
Tier 0
Sun points: 1 481 401 ( 208)
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRID
[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Ti: 153 days 10 hours 48 minutes 21 seconds.
Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200
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