Regin watched intently as Fafnir, The Vicious Dragon of Flame and Destruction assaulted the nearly invisible barrier with his sharp claws and teeth, tearing into it like some kind of wild beast afflicted with gluttony.
Regin asked once more. "Must you be so violent, O red one?" Regin asked in a pleading and tired voice.
Fafnir growled. "No, myself am not violent, but rather quite patient actually. Had myself wished for it, this flimsy block of mana would have decimated long ago. Myself am showing magnanimity and hospitality by letting that bug come to thine and myself. Besides, myself does not wish for mine future home be damaged. For the final time, be quiet and keep watch for any interlopers." Fafnir barked like and angry dog, silencing and ordering Regin, The Ever-Flowing Dragon of Sealed Fate.
"…" Regin only stayed quiet as he ruminated over the previous hour's conversation.
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"That…" Regin gazed at the swirling mass aether swirled I place, suspended and manifested by the fearsome presence in front of him.
A chill ran down Regin's spine as a horrific thought flashed before Regin's panicked mind.
*SPLASH*
「Your attribute 'Prisoner of Fate' has been activated」
「All defensive skills, spells, and rituals have been enhanced greatly」
System messages rang in Regin's ears with an impassive tone.
The well, or more like lake that Regin used as his home erupted from behind him, immediately surrounding him in a thick layer of Conjuration, Imbuement, and Reinforcement—the three basic spells all aspiring magicians learn.
However, this wasn't just any simple casting, no. This was, what a water barrier magician in the level of a saint, as the peak of barriers that a water element user could possibly obtain, maybe even going as far as calling it art or an impossibility itself.
The basics themselves are simple, of course.
One simply needs to conjure water, not with any special properties like healing or curing magical diseases, but just plain, magically produced water. After, that, imbue them with as much mana as you can, then let the water absorb and refine the mana on it's own, almost like a magicborn would. Then, just repeat it as many times as you can. Once you've been satisfied, or if your mana runs out, then you can stop.
Once this all done, the magically-imbued/conjured water can now be used for practical purposes.
Since the mana used from beginning to the end of the process has been primarily from one source, manipulating and casting spells of the water element becomes easier and more efficient. What's more, unlike normal water, magically-conjured water is more versatile and flexible, so precision increases as well. A water element magician who has finished all these steps can now use this water for combat, and since the magically-conjured water is mostly magic, you can even use it to cast spells like Reinforcement, effectively making it a highly-flexible blade that can take any shape that the user desires. Reinforcement can also be used as a medium to cast spells, and in this case, a highly dense barrier entirely made out of imbued magically-conjured water.
Fafnir let out a belly laugh. "HAHAHA, Myself sees that thine antics and odd personality hasn't changed all these lifetimes, O blue one. Do not fret, old friend. As myself stated hast earlier, myself do not seek unnecessary combat with thee, mine only seeks what is rightfully mineself. Though, if thee wishes for combat, then myself would happily oblige. It has been some time since a challenge hast been presented to mineself. HAHAHAHA!!!" Fafnir laughed with rapt excitement. The blood-red dragon felt jolly for the first time in a while.
"…" Regin thought for a second before releasing the hold on his barrier, though not entirely.
Regin had a feeling, a horrifying and accurate feeling.
Clear disappointment could be seen from Fafnir's face. "Myself sees, thou does not seek combat. It would seem that thou hast become tiresome in the few lifetimes we have not conversed in." Fafnir pumped his chest out even more and straightened his sleek back. "Then, once more, Myself seeks thineself's aid in bringing justice to the witch.
「Your attribute 'Deep Thinker' is activating」
Regin thought to himself. Do I want to do this? If I agree with what this maniac says, then who knows what could end up of me? But…
Regin caught up with himself, landing at the unavoidable conclusion. If I don't concede, then this monster will simply kill me on the spot. With this new power of his and the ones he already had, my defeat us but a simple task to him. Then again, this life is nearing the it's end nevertheless. So maybe playing against hard-to-get wouldn't be such a bad idea…
Regin, the blue-blooded dragon began to think even deeper as his attribute heightened his mental acuity and thinking speed to even greater heights. Time itself seemed to slow as Regin began ruminating about his situation more and more, trying to unveil every single dark corner or buried truth in Fafnir's words and actions. Still, there is THAT thing still milling about. With all of my protections and blessings, even I'm not confident that I could simply just walk out of that kind of fight alive. Though, putting my life aside, there is the matter of my corpse. If this monster ever gets a hand of it, then who knows what could happen. Even if old and on the verge of death, this is still one of the most powerful physical forms that any creature could possess by a longshot. With this monster's never-ending desire and gluttony, I don't even have to wonder what kind of horrendous acts he'll do to gain as much power as he could from it. Regin affirmed and cornered himself at the same time, effectively lowering his numerous responses and choices to one. That being:
I have no choice but to side with him. Not a second has passed since Fafnir's proposal.
"O, Scarlet Dragon of the West, I offer my aid and allegiance in this…venture of yours. I will gladly take down the pestering witch with you." Regin exclaimed, trying and succeeding to invoke a sense of allegiance and equal partnership. Though, the latter seems to be a little vaguer than the former.
"Very well!" The blood-red dragon boomed. "Let us slay the witch together—!"
And so ends Regin's reminiscence.
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「Attribute 'Deep Thinker' had been forcibly deactivated」
Regin snapped out of his deep thinking as a small yet terrifying presence began to loom from the ever-present darkness of the labyrinth.
"So thou have come, foul witch." Fafnir mocked with palpable fury, the flames inside of him being lit one by one.
"Yeah, and not for a good reason, you overconfident lizard. Who the hell gave you the rights to tarnish MY home, huh?! Here's the answer, just in case you don't get it: NO.BO.DY. GET THE HELL OUT!!!" The spirit witch glared at the two towering dragons—mostly Fafnir—with unhidden bloodlust.
""—!!!"" The witch's aura made the two mighty dragons, one the most, if not, powerful beings in existence.
That simple gaze made the two of them remember the many times they have been bested in combat; outsmarted, outplayed, and defeated.
The witch eyed the two of them menacingly. "It's time I show you who the real boss is around here."
An insidious smile crept up Fafnir's face.