The Crimson Dragon Chapter 8

Translated by: SaltyTank

Edited by: crimsonwolf8439

==Nothing here this time, enjoy!==

Chapter 8

  As a Level 12 Mage, the Cardinal could not use divine skills which sealed the skies as none were available in the G.o.ddess Anbo's list of skills. There were a bunch of divine skills which could create storms and tornados though. Although the power of these skills were reduced due to the lengthy distance from the sea, it would be sufficient if the dragon could not fly properly, obstructing its escape. Time was ticking away, and the Cardinal decided to give it a go. Ultimately, the G.o.ddess Anbo was an illogical G.o.ddess known for causing storms and tsunamis out of the blue. The Cardinal which she chose would naturally be of similar personalities, hence he was not proficient in tactics and strategies.

   After confirming their course of action, the three sharkmen warriors prepared their nets made out of tendons of beasts or seaweed enhanced with divine skills. Even if the storm failed to stop the dragon from flying, the net could definitely tangle the crimson dragon given that the warriors could get close enough to throw them. The Cardinal could more or less understand the characteristics of a crimson dragon; as the representative of chaos and evil, the crimson dragons were often over confident. They were the type to fight head on no matter how dire the situation was, living up to the name as the most atrocious among the Five Coloured Evil Dragons. This was also the reason why most crimson dragon whelps and toddlers couldn't survive; they fought recklessly without knowing their lack of power and were killed by other magical beasts. In fact, the number of crimson dragons was always very low. The Cardinal prayed in his mind that the one in front of him was also one of the reckless ones.

  The Cardinal started to chant the divine words. In order to summon a thunderstorm inland, he was forced to expend plenty of energy and concentration to communicate with the 'Kingdom of G.o.ds', praying earnestly to the G.o.ddess for her to lend her G.o.dly powers. Areas within a ten-kilometre radius instantly darkened, with the skies covered in stormy clouds and intense wind gusting everywhere. It seemed that the G.o.ddess' reply was way faster than expected.

   Claudius was still eating up on the platform, oblivious to what was happening around him. With a pathetic stat of 11 Wisdom, he simply did not have the ability feel the powers of Anbo, not to mention the approaching squad of sharkmen. At least, it was impossible for Claudius to detect their presence unless they entered a certain range.

"What's wrong with the weather? The mild breeze and warm sun were still present a moment ago, how could a tornado appear all of a sudden……The rapid change of weather is really intriguing."

   The current Claudius had yet to adjust his mindset despite being in a fantasy world, thus he unconsciously gauged the current situation with his knowledge as a human. Even if he constantly reminded himself that this was not Earth, and was instead a part of the D&D universe, his subconsciousness simply couldn't be changed in a short period of time.

  Under the cover of the heavy rain, the sharkmen sneakily approached Claudius. Raindrops as large as duck eggs fell from the sky, and it was no different from a hailstorm. Claudius' scales protected him from the maelstrom of rain, yet he also thought that the impact force was a bit unreal for raindrops.

"The rhythm of rain hitting my scales actually feels quite comfortable, with the power not too strong or too weak. I really hate rain though……"

   Claudius' 'Ring of Blaze' went to work, evaporating the raindrops. .h.i.tting his scales, surrounding the crimson dragon with white steam. Claudius couldn't be injured by simply inhaling the hot steam, but it was irritating for him nonetheless. Crimson dragons preferred steam from magma and red hot sulphur instead of water vapour.

   Losing his appet.i.te due to the steam, Claudius stood up with his muscular hind legs. It was unnatural behaviour for a crimson dragon, but intellectual beings could tell from the s.h.i.+ny crimson scales and the barely noticeable flares that it was undoubtedly one; at least it was what the Cardinal and the sharkmen warriors thought. As a dragon toddler, Claudius' growth was slightly unexpected, but his dragon aura did not surpa.s.s those of the same age. This meant that he could stun a few small-scale herbivores, weak earth spirits or gnolls at best. With his size, Claudius could probably scare off human civilians, but even an average human warrior would not be afraid of him. His pitiful dragon aura was basically non-existent in the eyes of the Level 10 sharkmen warriors and the Level 12 Cardinal. They continued approaching Claudius speedily, and they were about to enter the effective firing range of the nets.

   However, there was a slight error within the Cardinal's calculations. Claudius, unlike other dragons, did not crawl on the land. Even if his neck was rather short, Claudius could still observe further distances than typical crimson dragon toddlers as he was bipedal. With an observation range of a teenage dragon, it was natural that Claudius managed to notice the approaching sharkmen quicker than the Cardinal thought he would.

   The next thing Claudius did completely changed the Cardinal's opinion on crimson dragons. Claudius turned around and fled immediately. He actually ran away!

   Claudius' actions were the complete opposite of an ordinary crimson dragon. The c.o.c.ksure crimson dragons would never escape from a fight. The moment he discovered the five sharkmen drawing near, Claudius spread his wings and prepared to escape. With a leap, Claudius flew while opposing the strong headwind. He had a hard time maintaining his balance in such stormy weather, and was nearly blown back to the ground a few times. It was enough for him escape from the firing range of the nets though. Claudius also had supernatural adaptability, as he began utilizing the strong wind to glide upwards. This was only possible with his knowledge in aerodynamics, with him constantly adjusting the angles of his wings to gain lifting force.

   That being said, the Cardinal didn't stay silent as well. He summoned a streak of lightning from the thunderstorm with divine magic, and the lightning zigzagged through the air towards the rising dragon. Summoned lightning was not something that a dragon toddler could dodge, and Claudius was. .h.i.t. The enormous current penetrated his scales, causing his muscles to convulse and losing control of his body.

"d.a.m.n, screw this!"

   Claudius was powerless in such situation, and could only swear in the dragon language while being tossed through the air by the tempest of wind.

   The lightning bolt managed to inflict severe damage on the dragon, but the unpredictable wind blew the dragon away from the squad. The Cardinal felt that it was ridiculous, but all he could do was to search for the dragon. He believed that a mere dragon toddler could not possible recover from such injury in a short period of time.

   Claudius, who was hurled into the forest by the storm, was in a dire situation. The branches could not inflict harm on his hard scales, but the blunt impact force severely bruised his body. Not only were his muscles torn, his internal organs had also received a great shock, which felt uncomfortable. The only advantage brought by the lightning was paralysis, numbing his senses temporarily, and that included the sense of pain. It was doubtful that Claudius could withstand the surge of pain the moment the effect of paralysis wore off. As shown by the red hot blood dripping from his mouth, Claudius knew he was in a dreadful state.