After leaving the temple, Archer smelled the same horrid smell again, so he followed it while eating the hearts he had gathered from the wolves one by one. Only then was his stomach content.
He didn't realize that the more hearts he ate, the worse his bloodlust became. Archer felt that relaxing feeling again as the experience flowed into his body. Shaking his head to get back to the matter at hand.
'Status.'
[Experience: 0200/2000]
[level: 21>23]
[SP: 0>22]
'That's good, I managed to earn even more points.'
He caught up with the fleeing wolves and butchered them, storing all the hearts and bodies in his item box.
Just like that, a week passed, and over that time, Archer killed seventeen more forest wolves and stored eleven bodies. The rest weren't sellable due to the damage, so he left them behind. He got very little sleep during the hunting due to all the nightmares.
Despite the stress weighing on his mind, Archer ignored everything and kept moving forward. His sour mood stemmed from the belief that he could elude the nightmares by remaining vigilant and avoiding sleep.
However, to his dismay, they continued to haunt him even in wakefulness. While walking, he took some meat wraps and ate to distract himself. Archer finished the wraps as he reached down and entered through the eastern gate, ignoring the guards who tried to speak to him.
After entering Oxfair, he headed straight for the old man's stall. He loved the meat wraps and wanted more for his travels. Now Archer was paying attention and got a proper look at it. It's big for a stall, enclosed within three wooden walls, with a massive grill on which the man cooked.
A cotton tarpaulin protected patrons from the sun's rays as they ordered food. The meat was hung on the back wall and frozen by ice magic. When he approached, the old man spotted him and spoke with a big smile.''The small Demi-human returns victorious. That's good.''
Archer looked at him questioningly. ''Boy, you wouldn't be here if you didn't slay the beasts. For weeks, adventurers have tried to hunt the wolves but failed, never to return.''
As he looked at the boy, an even bigger smile appeared on his face. "But here you are."
Shaking his head, the old man then introduced himself. '' By the way, my name is Emmeric.''
''Archer.'' He answered.
He looked at Emmeric and then smiled as he ordered sixty meat wraps. The old man informed him he would have to wait for him to cook the order. As he was waiting, Archer browsed the other food Emmeric sold.
That's when he spotted a massive thigh sitting at the back of the stall. He pointed at it while asking. ''What is that thing?
Emmeric looked over and smiled. ''That's a cooked troll's thigh, boy.''
''How much?'' Archer asked.
The man scratched his beard while thinking before telling him the price. ''Fifty silver. It cost me Forty-five, so I have to earn something from it.''
He took a gold coin from his Item Box and tossed it toward the man as he spoke. "I'm in the mood for more grub.''
Archer gestured toward the sizzling fare Emmeric, the seasoned cook, was preparing – a tempting display of bacon-like meat wrapped in savory goodness. He saw flatbreads and cakes, which caused his stomach to rumble.
Without thinking, Archer bought three dozen each, stowing away his newfound culinary treasures. After they finished the deal, Emmeric explained, "The meat you got is orcish bacon. The other stuff is elvish cakes and dwarven flatbread – recipes I've gotten really good at over the years," he said, a proud glint in his eyes.
Taking the food from Emmeric, who wrapped it for him, Archer stored all the food except for the bread and started eating it. He thought to himself as he swallowed a bite. 'It's delicious, tastes like sweet bread.'
While waiting for the meat wraps to finish cooking, a commotion was heard from the western gate's direction.
Archer and the old man watched this unfold. A group of fifteen men rode up the main road, stopping at the town square. This wasn't far from where he was, the stall owner mumbled something. ''The Followers of the Light!''
He got curious and examined the men. They wore white plate armor covering all their bodies, red capes hanging from their shoulders, and the coat of arms being a phoenix.
The armor had feather decorations all over it, but it looked stylish, and the way the men leaped off the horses suggested it was easy to wear. What looked like the leader walked to the middle of the square and started talking so everyone could hear him.
"We have been tasked by the God of Light Darikha to come to this region and capture a dragon that has infiltrated the Avalon Empire and is wreaking havoc. A nearby village, located twenty miles from here, was completely destroyed by this beast."
The man stopped talking and looked around like he was scanning for something. That's when the stall owner noticed the meat wraps were finished and passed them on to Archer.
He threw them into the Item Box and was leaving when he heard. ''I know you're a white dragon; I've read the books, seen paintings, and your beautiful white scales. I've only read about in the oldest tomes.''
The stall owner suddenly looked straight into Archer's violet eyes. Emmeric's eyes were filled with amazement as he looked at the boy. ''You know, boy, you have the same eyes as the last dragon king.''
''The mighty Dragon King Kyndrah, whose reign was one of peace and prosperity for all the races, now leave before they see you.''
Archer nodded to the old man, who appeared fond of the dragon king. As he walked away from the stall, his senses kicked him, and he jumped to the side. Suddenly, a white beam struck the ground where he stood, narrowly avoiding it.
He spun on his heels and looked at the man holding his hand before him. The other knights ran up to the man, asking questions. ''Deacon, what do you want to do? Kill or capture?''
Before giving his orders, the Deacon stared at Archer and spoke. ''There is no way one of you could have been born, you foul white beast! Your kind will bring Thrylos to ruin!''
The Deacon screamed out in panic. ''KILL HIM FOR THE GOD OF LIGHT!''
All the knights charged forward. Archer stood in the middle of the road with a big smile plastered across his face as he summoned his Cosmic Sword. The black sword appeared in his right hand, shining like a star. He then brought up his left hand while casting Fire Missiles five times.
Five violet-colored missiles appeared around him before he let them loose while laughing with a manic look. They shot forward so fast the knights who saw them couldn't dodge as their bodies were pierced by the missiles, ending their lives where they stood.
Four knights fell to the missiles as the Deacon deflected one into a nearby building. The scene was a nightmare, violet flames burning in the background as the dead bodies of the knights also started to burn.
Archer turned to see Emmeric running up to him, but he held up his hand and told him to run away. ''Old man, it will get much worse; the people will need you. It was nice meeting you.''
Emmeric stared at this strange boy as he thought. 'Change is coming, and this boy will be at the forefront of it.'
Archer used Blink to get close to some confused knights, started striking them, and managed to kill one, but the difference in skill was noticeable. He fought like a frenzied beast, slashing, lunging, and dodging around them as they swung their swords at him.
Realizing that using the sword wasn't working for him, he turned to magic. He stopped dodging as he fired two Eldritch Blasts into two unsuspecting knights, killing them instantly. With seven down and eight to go, Archer went wild, laughing as he started butchering the knights until the Deacon and two others were the only ones left.
He was covered in human blood, basking in it. His violet eyes shone brightly as he shot towards the waiting leader. Taking out a massive sword, the Deacon swung it at Archer, but he dodged by casting Blink to appear behind him.
Aiming his arm at the Deacon's back, he fired two Plasma Shots, but a golden barrier prevented the shots from hitting. Archer stared at the man as he turned around, his arm raised with a smile. ''Light beam!''
A beam as bright as a sun shot towards Archer. He raised his arms and cast a Cosmic Shield, hoping it wouldn't hurt him too much.
***
Archer's status so far.
[Name: Archer]
[Race: White Dragon]
[Age:13]
[Rank: Apprentice]
[Exp: 0200/2000]
[Level: 23]
[HP: 800/800]
[Mana: 2900/2900]
[Magic: Fire- Water- Earth- Wind- Lightning- Space- Darkness- Light]
[Strength: 340]
[Constitution: 330]
[Stamina: 330]
[Charisma: 430]
[Intelligence: 320]
[Status Points: 22]
Spells: Void Blast(2)Cosmic Shield(1)Cosmic Sword(1)Body Enhancement(-)Blink(0)Cleanse(-)Eldritch Blast(1)Plasma Shot(1)Fire Missiles(1)
Skills: Spell Creation(-)Item Box(-)Mana Regeneration(-)Regeneration(2)Dragon Senses(-)Silent Casting(-)