My Dragon King System-Chapter 373: Night At The Fortress

After the gathering of Valaross’s kings and queens concluded and the rulers had returned to their respective castles, a second meeting was convened within Oberon’s own hall.

The core members of Dragonhold gathered around the long table. The room was dimly lit by the glow of enchanted lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

Oberon was standing at the head of the table, and when it looked like everyone had settled, he began;

"I’ve called you here because I need to restructure the team for tomorrow. Our strategy has to change if we’re going to survive this stage."

He turned and began pointing. "Dragon riders. Katherine."

He pointed to Aeris. "The Amazon."

Then to Rin. "Half-demon."

Rin’s eyes narrowed and she muttered under her breath, "I have a name."

Oberon didn’t hear her or didn’t care. He continued pointing, this time at Innis. "And you, Kayden’s lady."

Innis’s eyes shot wide open and her mouth parted in shock as her face flushed a deep red.

Kayden, sitting a few seats down, immediately dropped his face into his palm and let out a long sigh.

A few of the others at the table tried and failed to suppress their reactions. Piers bit his lip hard to keep from himself from grinning out loud as his shoulders shook slightly.

Even Talen, normally composed, had a faint smile on his face as he glanced away.

Innis looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

But Oberon was completely oblivious to all of this. That was all he remembered her as especially from all the time she used to visit and spend in the palace when they were together.

He continued speaking as though nothing had happened. "Every dragon rider is going out there tomorrow."

He also included Talen and Ursula as the only other two going aside from the four dragon riders.

Greyfus then leaned forward and asked, "Your Grace, why did you come to this decision?"

Oberon’s expression became serious again. "Tomorrow isn’t about us engaging directly. It’s mostly about preventing more eliminations on our part and only entering battle when the opportunity presents itself. When two other continents are already fighting each other. We strike while they’re engaged, take down whoever we can, and retreat before they can regroup."

He let that sink in for a moment before continuing.

"We can’t afford to lose six more champions. If we do, we’re out. So we need to be smart. We need to be patient. And we need to let the others weaken themselves first."

He turned to Ursula and asked, "You can cast the supplementary spell Mind Link, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, Your Grace."

"Good," he said. "Once you get out there tomorrow, you will cast the Mind Link spell connecting all six of you for the duration of that battle."

He paused, then continued. "And this is why I say so. With four dragon riders covering the corners of the field, your eyes will reach more areas than anyone else as you’ll be having an aerial view of the entire battlefield."

He gestured with one hand as he spoke. "If you notice a member of Valaross in trouble, you are either to swoop in and assist or inform the others through the Mind Link so they can respond. No one fights alone tomorrow. No one takes unnecessary risks."

He looked at Talen and Ursula. "In addition, the Mind Link will help both Talen and Ursula, who are capable of teleportation, to appear in the right place at the right time. Since you will all share the same mental picture as the others, you can coordinate your movements instantly."

They all nodded in understanding. This wasn’t just a strategy for Dragonhold. He was truly playing for all of Valaross right now.

Then he said one final thing in a much quiet tone. "One more thing. I know we are all fighting as one continent now, but if we make it past this stage, the real problem becomes those who share this fortress with us."

He looked around the table, meeting each person’s eyes in turn. "So I hope I don’t have to tell you to make sure that you are all in full study of the other members of this fortress. Know their abilities. Know their weaknesses. Know how they fight. Because when Stage Two begins, they will be our enemies."

The room fell silent for a moment as the weight of those words settled over them, then they nodded.

Oberon said, "Good. Good."

And with that, the meeting was adjourned.

——

Later that night, everyone was returning to their rooms to have their night’s rest.

Elena walked through a corridor to get to her own room at the end, where the other ladies of Ravens Grave also shared quarters, including Katherine.

That was when she noticed the young lady with pale blonde hair and beautiful pale skin preparing to lay down on a bed alone in one of the smaller side rooms.

This was Lysandra Crowley, Aiden’s half-sister.

Elena stopped and stepped into the doorway. "Hey, Lysandra."

Lysandra turned her head up from where she sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey."

Elena leaned against the doorframe with a gentle smile. "You know, it’s okay to come share the room with us. We always have space for one more."

"Oh?" Lysandra said. She paused, then nodded with a polite smile. "Perhaps some other time. I wouldn’t like to be a bother."

Elena’s smile faltered just a bit, but she nodded. "Alright. Well, the offer’s always open."

She decided to step away instead of speaking any further. It wasn’t the first time she had tried to be friendly with Aiden’s sister, but each time she tried, it led to situations like this.

Polite rejection. A wall she couldn’t quite get past

Lysandra watched Elena leave, then turned back toward the empty room. She lay down on the bed and stared at the wall.

She had been chosen as part of the champions, even though in truth, she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to be here.

Which is exactly why she had remained somewhat distant since arriving this place with the others.

——

From a certain balcony in the fortress, Kayden was currently staring out at the open field beyond the barrier.

He rested one hand on the railing and his expression looked distant.

Then, footsteps approached from behind.

Kayden turned slightly to see who it was, then turned back to the open field when he recognized her.

Innis stepped out onto the balcony and stopped a few paces away from him. She hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"I watched you earlier today," she said. "You did really well."

"Yeah. Thanks," Kayden said. Then he added, "It’s your turn tomorrow. Good luck."

"Thank you..." Innis paused, then admitted, "I’m kind of nervous."

Kayden was silent for a moment, unsure whether or not to respond. Then he sighed and turned to face her. "What’s got you nervous?"

Innis looked down at her hands. "I saw some of the others who fought from other continents, and they are really powerful. I’m not sure how I really measure up..."

She exhaled, then added, "If I didn’t come with Aiden’s family, I might not even have been part of this normally."

She had a sad, concerned look as she stared down at the stone floor.

Kayden looked at her for a moment, his expression softening just a bit. Then he said, "I think you’ll do just fine, Innis. And I know this because you used to be my training partner for a really long time."

She raised her head at him and smiled a bit. "Life felt a lot simpler then."

Kayden nodded. "Yeah."

He turned away to continue looking out at the field.

Innis stared at him for a moment, then took a breath. "Kayden..."

"Yeah?" Kayden said without turning around.

Innis’s face turned red. She glanced sideways and said, "Maybe we could talk after this war event ends?"

Kayden, still staring out at the field, then smiled. "Yeah."

Innis stood there for a second longer, her heart was beating a little faster, then she turned away to leave.

Kayden remained smiling even as she left. He also had his heart beating faster than normal as well.

——

Within an extremely snowy and icy plain, a dimension of endless winter, where the wind howled across the frozen wasteland.

A figure in overall black clothing, covering all the way to the head, was seen walking forward with his staff in his right hand. The snow crunched beneath his boots with each step he took.

On his chest was the same type of glowing green pendant worn by Zephron.

He made his way toward the only building that radiated warmth in this place.

It was the same imposing dark mansion where Lilith and her half-angel son lived.

————

A/N:

I’m unsure how slow or fast this is going but I know I still enjoy writing every scene.

Although I must admit, i’ve exhausted my outline and need to sit and create more. Thank you for continuously reading up until this point.