Chapter 53: embers of a dragon


    ming red eyes glistening with gentle hues of hot orange and tempering lc. Nh Immortal is in the arms of a hot strapping young man. His hug is strong enough to make her forget her worries. The shimmering heat settles down as she sees Tyr. Eyes, a fury of the me, she can almost see them ignite. She raises her small delicate hand to his face. His brow softens to a smoulder, his eyes wide and bright as the suns themselves. They bathe in each others warmth.


    Tyr moves her silver hair out of the way of her blushing face. Tyr says, "Mei are you alright?" His voice is soft and warm. Like the embers of dying that you have to snuggle up to on a freezing day.


    Nh Immortal heart racing at the burning thoughts running through her. That deep passionate heat she''s feeling dares to consume her. She bites her lip trying to control her runaway bosom. Nh Immortal says, "Get the fuck off me I''m not that easy!" Rena shakes her head. She was already imagining seeing a budding romance bloom in front of her.


    She is embarrassed for herself. She can feel how red her face must be. At getting so excited just by being in his arms, it''s outrageous, unreasonable and utterly delightful. Especially that subtle heat that envelops her. When He held oh so tight that she just wanted to melt into him. Lucinda and Amalya standing a bit back Tyr just now wanted to do something to them.


    Tyr says, "Don''t get ahead of yourself, I wasn''t even worried. " Nothing could be further from the truth. While technically safe the biobeds still need a few more updates to be perfectly safe. It''s why his reaction was so visceral just now. Seeing her like that on the ground. Reminded of some unpleasant memories from the future. The dangers they have to embark on Tyr stands dusting himself off. Holding out a hand for her to use to get up.


    She allows her face as red as Blood Eye in the night sky. Composing herself Nh Immortal says, "Well in case I''m..." She stumbles her head buzzing with the taste of soot. The dry taste of strong-smelling ash making her dizzy. She doesn''t fall looking at the cave. She can see a spiral dragon on the wall.


    Tyr says, "Don''t push yourself, take a moment." Holding out his hand she brushes him aside. Moving up in the Komodo Dungeon proper. The vast cave appears to have ake ahead. She though is heading towards an outcropping of rocks that look oddly like a doorway. Tyr doesn''t like the look of it. IF it was his old self he would not know about the hidden challenge. All unranked dungeons have hidden challenges that have as many triggers as a beg has to swindle you out of your money.


    Rena, Amalya, Tyr and Lucinda follow the mumbling Nh Immortal. In front of her is the image of a priest dressed in dragon scale robes. Wearing a mask that covers half his face. The mask is shaped into the jaws of a dragon. The man himself is a thin crispy looking fellow. With a heat of danger to him. The Dragon priest speaks incantations, he nces at her nodding.


    [You have learned Omeria - The scared speak of Dragons]


    To her ear its sounds both like anguage and song. The closest thing she canpare the low growls to is the throat singing of the Horse lords on New Karum. At the bringing of each sentence, the word used is older than Omeria. It is to express an idea which intent is then sung. While she can understand it isn''t like normalnguage. Omeria sounds as much as it tastes, the way low growls freeze her teeth like she just ate an iceberg. Only for the next idea to be as hot as chilli. The words or lyrics are expressing to her the fall of Ururia the DragonGod.


    Her death caused him in his madness to cast out her temple from heaven and brought it here to this ce bringing with him all her children. The Dragon Preist leads her to the door. Where she matches his movement runic magic. Draws magic power straight from the environment to empower the door.


    Rena says, "Are you sure we should follow her." She is a little hesitant because Nh Immortal is not responding to any of their calls. Tyr is just following he appears to listen as if he understands the stupid gargling noise Nh Immortal is making.


    Lucinda says, "It doesn''t matter we decide to follow him." Lucinda prods Amalya who is also listening to the mumbo jumbo. She can hear a rhythm in it.


    Amalya says, "huh? Yeah of course we should these are our leaders." Besides she likes that everyone in the guild is a little different besides the fact that almost ny per cent f them are none human. a real oddity. Liguria is a human territory and they are somewhat xenophobic. They had to enlist the help of human yers to get registered besides that walking weed would serve them without a chaperon.


    "Yeah, it''s really weird it seems all their prices are hiked up just for us." Says Medium Bunz to Alexi. He has been modifying the Catamarans rafts. Trying to improve their carry capacity. He has been unable to purchase a series of tools that he needs and now that Medium Bunz has just been given the same treatment they had to contact SKY Ocean Hunter.


    SKY Ocean Hunter and his team are on their fifth creep wave. The grinding is like all MMO''s and they are trying to level up. Unlike most teams who are in the tens. All the teams in Sunken Reef operate at the five-man or three-man team level. This is because the optimal number for Hardcore raids is eight. ording to the forums utilisation of one skill is the only way to reap the rewards. The three-man team are an invention of Tyr who simply said, "Three-man teams make for better fighters." While this is unproven SKY Ocean hunter has no reason to doubt him. So he assigning all the new members to three man''s squads. This puts them at a major disadvantage against other yers.


    SKY Ocean Hunter says, "So what the problem just go to another shop." Swinging his hammer as a rush of cool water explodes at it hits a Crab shaman in the chest. His Monarch CLass allows him to use his hammer as a magic stick.


    Medium Bunz says, "boss...uhm...I don think you understand. It''s all the NPC shops and some yers are using it to try to push out of the market by underbidding us on materials. SKY Ocean Hunter has his hands full on Red Iron Ind. The grind is real and he has also had a few unpleasant attacks from yers. They have managed so far to fend them off.


    Lux says, "Deal with it yourself we are grinding and it would take too long to leave here." Lux wonders how the other yers are keeping up. With their ten-man squads, it should be impossible for them to match levels with them.


    Medium Bunz says, "That''s all I needed to hear. ITs not my guild, after all, have to get my permissions." She has been in many organisations and she knows it''s important to cover her arse especially since she has a mad n.


    The mad rumblings continue as the MAgic is sucked into the rocks. They glow with warm power swallowing the team whole. They appear on a massive volcano looking over an endless sea. At their back, the cold winds blow in front of them the Dragon Preist.


    Can''t make out the sigil, there are many dragon Gods but unlike their heavenly counterparts, each Dragon became a god by killing a god and taking their ce. he hopes too high hell it''s not a dragon priest devout to Bahmut. The Mad DragonGod Bahmut is his enemy in every life going back seven games. Of course, it is supposed to be three years until the cross paths in Odyessy. IT would be a disaster if this crusty old cot was her High priest.


    In Tyrs'' first ever VRMMORPG when he was ten. He was hunted down by a dragon called Bahmut because his old Avatar Fawx had smashed her Egg in front of her so that she could and destroy a fortress that was blocking his way. Since then it appears that the spirit of Bahmut has haunted him in other games and they have shed several times. This is especially appealing to many yers as they hop from game to game some have imagined themselves living in a multiverse. Given how often they used to hop between games. The rumours started to float around that certain powerful NPCs'' can follow you to a new game.


    Nh Immortal and the Dragon Priest start talking to each other. His voice rumbling as he says...


    [Author Note: Vote for the book please thepetition is really good. If we get one hundred power stones this week on . [Ending Sunday fifteenth of August 2021] I will release the Copper Prince One-shot set in the Machine Empire. It''s around ten thousand words so about six and a half chapters of robotic goodness.]