Chapter 177: A Gamble

Arthur"s mind turned hazy as chaotic mana was unleashed from within his body. The mana was dark purple and it didn"t dissipate but kept surrounding him. 

Despite the overwhelming pressure from the chaotic mana, Arthur tried to store the artifacts before he was about to run away. He stole three artifacts before a roar shook the heavens and earth.

He looked up in surprise as he saw, through the broken ceiling, the dragon descending his way and leaving the Astra-ranker to flee. It was diving straight down as if its life depended on it. 

"What"s going on? Why did it leave the Astra-ranker?" Arthur panicked as he threw the artifacts and tried to teleport away. The mana that was surrounding him, however, prevented him from doing so. "s.h.i.t. s.h.i.t. s.h.i.t. What is this mana?" Arthur tried pushing it away, but it was unceasing and relentless. 

Facing the giant dragon coming his way, Arthur closed his eyes calmly as he circulated his Art. He didn"t want to replicate what he had done in the arena, but he replenished his mana as he tried to control the mana that was wreaking havoc. 

The mana that surrounded him calmed down from boiling until it started traveling like a stream. Arthur, using his Art, realized the reason for this unrestrained mana. 

"The Elusive Dragon."

Arthur peered into his consciousness as a single egg refused to leave it. It had a black scaled exterior that now had a distinctive crack on it. The mana that was circulating him like a stream was being eaten by the egg. 

"Now, what?" Arthur sighed inwardly as he felt the existence of the dragon above him. The events in his consciousness were slowed down so he had a bit of time to decide. He looked at the egg and decided to gamble. 

"I"ll trust you, Elusive Dragon." Arthur opened his eyes as they radiated golden light. The dragon entered the cave and flapped its wings as it started descending. 

Arthur raised his hand without hesitation and pulled at the purple mana. He used his authority over existence to control the mana and feed the egg that was trying to helplessly eat at it. 

The mana turned into a stream as it entered Arthur"s consciousness before entering the egg. The crack widened as new cracks appeared and the egg began shaking. The dragon"s flapped its wings and whirlwinds started dancing around Arthur as he faced the dragon. 

"Come forth, Elusive Dragon." Arthur opened his eyes as the eggsh.e.l.ls fell of the egg and the mana burst, more violent than ever. It spread from Arthur"s body as it protected him from the dragon"s mana. 

Arthur thought he"d have to defend himself against a mana blast or avoid being ripped apart by the monster"s claws. However, the giant dragon didn"t attack and looked at Arthur silently from above. 

Arthur felt something leave his body as the light-purple mana gathered around to resemble a creature. It was an arm"s length and slender in structure. Its body was lined with transcalent scales that were light-purple in color. It had two small wings on its back that seemed too small to lift him. 

Surrounded by mana, the creature opened its eyes thinly and revealed large black irises. Except for the muscled body and dignified features of the giant dragon, the two creatures looked similar. 

"Wait, can it be?" Arthur"s heart shook as he heard the Elusive Dragon issue a low growl that reverberated in the cave. The giant dragon bent over and its nostril approached the Elusive Dragon. 

The Elusive Dragon rubbed its head on the giant dragon"s nostrils affectionately. There was a low hum as the mana intensified between the two, blinding the surrounding. 

"They"re a family?" Arthur squinted his eyes. Despite the events being in his favor, he didn"t know if he should run or not. After all, the two dragons can be family, but that didn"t mean they weren"t monsters. 

[A creature is trying to establish a telepathic connection with you. Allow?] 

It was a message from his legacy that he hadn"t seen before. He remembered how Sier said that he couldn"t read Arthur"s thoughts, so maybe the legacy acted as a mental barrier. 

The only possible creatures right now would be the two dragons in front of him. Since it was a telepathic connection, Arthur didn"t see any harm in it. He allowed it and a voice appeared in his mind. 

"Human…" An old and ancient feminine voice spoke in his mind. Arthur looked at the giant dragon that stood straight and looked at him in the eye. "Thank you for saving my child." 

"So, they are a family," Arthur thought to himself. 

"Yes, we are. Thanks to you, we have been reunited." The dragon answered and Arthur realized that he needed to adjust what was being telepathed and what is not. 

"Well, I didn"t have much of a choice since your child refused to leave me." Arthur felt his body relax since it turned out the Dragon wasn"t hostile toward him. 

"He chose well," Arthur could see the hint of a smile in the dragon"s intelligent eyes. "You are the only person that was able to keep it alive." 

"What do you mean?" Arthur tilted his head in confusion. 

"An egg of a dragon can"t survive without the mana of its parent." The dragon opened its mouth as if it was talking. The young Elusive Dragon stuck to her as it fed on its mother"s mana. "It seems some people tried to feed it something else," There was a slight rage in its voice. "I"m afraid my child would have lost its mind if they succeeded." 

"So, it fed on my mana?" 

"No, your mana is still insufficient to do so. Your closeness with runes, however, allowed it to survive. For that, I thank you." 

Arthur didn"t know what to say and simply nodded. The dragon spread its wings as mana gathered around it. 

"I see that you have already taken a few of my artifacts," The dragon said with a hint of teasing. "You can keep them as a gift." 

"All of them?" Arthur asked with joy as he eyed the artifacts on the ground.

"Haha," The dragon laughed. "No, I"ll need them to fend for what is to come." The dragon looked at the horizon. Following its gaze, Arthur realized that several presences were approaching. 

"That human has already brought its allies. I should have killed it." 

"I agree." Arthur lamented in regret. 

"What"s your name, young one?" 

"Arthur. Yours?" 

"Dragons don"t have names, unless… Can I ask you for a favor, Arthur?" 

"I"m scared of doing favors anymore." 

"Consider it a deal, as it would bring you benefits as well."

"What is it?" 

"Take this child with you. I fear I won"t be able to leave this place easily." 

"With me?" Arthur frowned. "I think you can do a better job of keeping it safe." 

"I"m glad you"re not greedy, Arthur." The dragon"s eyes arched. "However, I can"t say that I"m the best person to raise it. Can you do that on my behalf?" 

"I know nothing about dragons." Arthur shook his head. "I don"t understand how I would be able to help it." 

"Do you know how dragons get stronger?" 

"Runes…" Arthur"s eyes flashed. Did this dragon know of his ability? Or did it think he was simply a runic master?

"I think you have understood my reasons. Runes are scarce after The Split. With you, however, this child has a chance of surviving, if not becoming a king among dragons. In return, it would help you." 

"You mean…" 

"Take this child and raise it. Be one of the lost Dragon Tamers." 

"Are you okay with leaving your child with a human?" Arthur asked. "To have it tamed by a stranger?" He found it odd.

"I"ve seen through your character. A bit of courage, naivety, and greed. However, there"s also goodness in you. You don"t wish to hurt others. I"ll trust you with my child. Now, you need to leave. If I live past today, I"ll make sure to return the favor."

"Okay, I"ll take care of it." 

"Thank you." The dragon issued a low growl as it raised its claw at Arthur. It seems this was a handshake, so Arthur obliged. When he touched the surface of the claw, mana seeped into his body and a tattoo appeared on his arm. 

It resembled the head of a dragon and was purple. Arthur studied it curiously and looked at the dragon for an explanation.

"This is one of our abilities. You"re now recognized by dragons, and can form a bond with our race." With that said, the dragon pushed its child toward Arthur. 

The Elusive Dragon that was in his body until now opened its eyelids and looked at Arthur with big puzzled eyes. Arthur looked at his hand that now had a tattoo on it and then touched the head of the dragon. 

The tattoo turned bright purple color as the dragon now had a similar one on its forehead. Arthur felt a connection, like the one he had with its goblins, form between him and the young dragon. 

"Take it and leave, now. The humans are here." The dragon looked at the outside world with cautious eyes. Arthur nodded and asked the dragon to return to his consciousness and the dragon turned ethereal and entered his body. 

"I fear it"s going to be hard to flee." The dragon sighed and flapped its wings. "I"ll try my best to stall for time." 

The giant dragon then soared into the skies where several powerful presences were gathered. To Arthur"s dismay, there was Grandmaster Venkov, the Astra-ranker, and other awakeners had gathered to take down the dragon. 

Arthur used his teleport rune and appeared away from the battlefield. He used his detection rune and found out that he had been surrounded by the Iliosian troops and runes masters from Runera. An army was a.s.sembled and surrounded the battlefield, cutting all escape routes.