"Krito, I'm glad you finally decided to pay me a visit. In town, I heard that you brought some gang of treasure hunters with you who could bring trouble to the city," Alira calmly poured tea into cups when I entered her small house.
"Are you also against us?"
"No, why would I be? I think it's high time to get rid of this monster. With each passing day, the city's inhabitants are getting closer and closer to death."
"What?"
"Sit down, I made tea for you," the healer invited us to a large table in the main room, which served, depending on the circumstances, both for lunch and for treating a large number of patients.
We settled into the available seats, and cautiously, I turned to the hostess.
"So, what were you trying to say?" I asked.
"Only what I see. Since the locals started worshiping that hm... "god," the number of sick people has increased significantly. Chronic diseases, colds, and even digestive disorders have appeared in quantities we've never seen before."
"Do you think he's the cause of all these troubles?"
"Yes, I believe he not only takes their faith and devotion as sacrifices but gradually takes their lives as well. I wouldn't advise you to fight him. While there's still a chance, run away from here and seek help from the king. You won't be able to handle him."
"Madam Alira, you underestimate us," I grinned.
"But you won't stand a chance against the god-killer. All your strength is useless here."
"Interesting that you know this," Aileen raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "and the other inhabitants simply believe he's some god who appeared out of nowhere."
"Well, I love reading various history books, and that's how I found out."
"I can't recall any books about the history of ancient gods, not even in the Empire. There's nothing about them," Aileen walked over to the bookshelves filled with various books that stood in the corner of the room, "a really nice collection you have."
"Be careful, some of them are very old."
"Don't worry," she took out a book and flipped through a few pages, "I know this book. It was released in the Empire twenty years ago, only in two hundred copies. It's a very expensive book on engineering. How did you get it?"
"Well, you know, I have many acquaintances all over the world. Hundreds of traders pass through our port, so I bought it from someone. Can't remember exactly," Alira's voice quivered slightly.
"But we severed all trade relations with Verania after the demon invasion. Such a book can only be obtained through smuggling, and it would cost a pretty penny."
"Well, I wouldn't be so categorical about severing all relations," Alira replied.
Her behavior seemed more and more suspicious to me.
"Let me see," I removed the headscarf from the woman's head and lifted her hair, "just as I thought."
On the girl's temples, there were small, light-blue horns gracefully curving backward.
"Now I understand why you haven't aged a bit during the fifteen years I've been here. Does anyone else know about your... origin?" I inquired.
"Well, you've caught me on this little detail," Alira ran her hand through her hair, and its color changed to light blue. "I think only the owner of the 'Sea Devil' knows about me."
"The old innkeeper? What's he got to do with this?"
"Well, Krito, have you completely forgotten the stories about the adventures of his ancestor that he loves to tell? And why his tavern has such a peculiar name?"
"Oh, yes, something about an epidemic in the village, and tales of a sea devil that he supposedly drove away and cured the disease it had caused. He even shows off the harpoon whenever he gets a chance."
"Well, he did exaggerate a bit. I didn't cause any disease, but I did help cure it. The water in the springs was contaminated, but I didn't know how to sneak onto the island unnoticed. That's when they spotted me. They thought it was my doing, and the bravest of the villagers decided to hunt me down. His harpoon was quite good, but he wasn't the best fisherman. He hit me in the leg; it still hurts sometimes." Alira rolled up her dress hem and showed a small scar on her ankle. "On my true form, the wound has long healed, but on this one, as you can see, not entirely. I explained everything to him, and as the 'Dragon Slayer', he demanded that I protect his city from the disease. So, I played along, the city was saved, and he got the reward, which he used to open this tavern."
"Okay, let's assume all that is true, but why have you been living here all this time?"
"Well, I don't know. It's peaceful and quiet here, unlike Atlantis, where they're always arguing about trifles and love to philosophize on abstract topics. Sometimes it's just delightful to feel smarter than everyone around, hehe," Alira smiled contentedly. "Since then, I've been living here, sometimes disappearing and then reappearing, pretending to be my own daughter or granddaughter, just changing the color of my eyes and hair. It's quite easy for us to do."
"And how long have you been living here?"
"Oh, I suppose it's been about three hundred years. Well, I guess I should introduce myself again," the dragoness rose from the table and made an elegant curtsy, "I am Alganeera, a blue dragon of the thirteenth generation, 560 years old, and still single."
Alira smiled sweetly, which didn't quite match her real age.
"Hmm, I've heard something about a dragoness living somewhere around here," Princess Ragnalia remarked.
"Princess Ragnalia, you could have visited me at least once. After living among humans for a long time, I started missing my kin, so I made this small shelter for travelers. Dragons from different clans fly here about once a month anyway. So, I offered them to stay with me. That's how I made many friends from various clans, including the Empire."
"Hmm, that's where this collection comes from."
"Yes, knowing my preferences, they usually brought me rare books or medicines, and sometimes just left me some money as gratitude. With it, I bought all these healing herbs. Though, red and black dragons still don't like to stay with me much, but it's easier for them to go back home."
"Well, since you're a blue dragon, can you tell us more about what we encountered? You probably know more than what's depicted on that painting?"
"Well, I never thought someone would be able to read it. And Ignis said she wouldn't teach her daughter the secrets of other clans."
"Well, the thing is, I secretly learned the language while watching the dragons in the cave," I confessed guiltily.
"Oh, how naughty," Alira smirked cunningly, "I suppose I should have kept a closer eye on you."
"Huh? You knew all along?"
"Well, I noticed how you descended into the cave at night, so yes, I knew you were learning our language. But I don't think anything bad came out of it."
"Except that now I'm bound by a contract with it, nothing serious," Ragnalia pouted unhappily.
"Alright, about Dagon, I don't want you to fight him," the dragoness's gaze unexpectedly turned very serious.
"Maybe you can start by telling us what your clan knows about him, and then we'll decide? Who is this Dagon, exactly?"
"Alright," the healer leaned back in her chair and began her tale, "he's a creature from another world, not created by dragon gods. He came here through a portal, which the gods used to travel between worlds. They were busy creating a new world and thus kept the portal open in case of failure, so they wouldn't be trapped in this world. And this creature took advantage of the confusion. At first, he hid in the shadows and tried not to catch the gods' attention until they created life in our world. That's when the monster went on a hunt. He needed to replenish his energy, and soon, he found an excellent source - the blue flame of life from the god Sephris. But since he wasn't created by the gods, he couldn't absorb it directly from the god himself."
"But he could suck it out from his victims?"
"Yes, just like Ultras, he found this activity quite entertaining and beneficial. By consuming the souls of living beings, he gained tremendous power, grew significantly in size, and even acquired some of Sephris' abilities."
"Are you saying he became capable of giving life?"
"Almost, but not life created by a god. His power became corrupted, just like he did. He decided to test his abilities and resurrected a couple of animals and people he himself killed. They came back to life, but changed, becoming stronger, dumber, and uglier. That's how the first monsters appeared."
"Wait a minute. Are you suggesting that one creature created all monsters?"
"That's exactly it, or at least their ancestors. He conducted numerous experiments: he turned humans into orcs, fish into merfolk, lizards into basilisks and wyverns, and once, he gathered thirteen of the most venomous snakes and created..."
"The Royal Hydra?"
"Exactly! However, these creations didn't possess their own will and were merely slaves to their master. But that's not all; they had a thirst for killing and consuming creatures of the gods, and with each victim, they would return a part of the power they gained to their master. Thus, in just a few months, Dagon acquired immense power, and the gods could no longer fight him on equal terms. After all, the power of Sephris not only granted him dominion over life but also over death. His blood became such a potent poison that no living being could withstand his attacks. Hence, only the gods could deal with him.
"But for some reason, they didn't decide to attack him all at once?"
"Yes, unfortunately, the monster watched his enemies for a long time, studying their weaknesses and developing to counter them. He discarded unnecessary traits, focusing only on deadly skills against the gods. And the main weakness of the gods was that the monster never left the ocean. Weakened after creating the world, they couldn't stay underwater for an extended period, and a battle with such a monster could last for more than a day. Therefore, the only one who could fight him on equal terms was Sephris."
"Not the most intelligent decision, sending a master of water magic against a powerful water monster."
"Indeed. But it would be challenging to effectively use lightning or fire underwater. So, the gods came up with a plan to lure the monster into a trap. Not far from here, the god Saraz began accumulating tremendous power from beneath the earth's crust to awaken a volcano, and Sephris' task was to lure the monster to the right place. When both opponents were exhausted from a prolonged battle, Saraz awakened the largest volcano in this world, hoping that its flames would destroy the monster. But it wasn't enough. Dagon was recovering faster than his body was being destroyed, and his minions kept giving him their power. So, Sephris decided to seal him within the volcano's crater. Gathering the remnants of his strength, he submerged him at the ocean's depths, using water magic to cool the lava and encase him in stone for many years. The god hoped that years of confinement would weaken him without a constant influx of life energy, but it didn't work. Even after breaking free from his master's influence, the monsters continued to give him a part of their life force. And with consciousness, they began to multiply, filling the dark corners of this world. In the final attack, Sephris was fatally wounded, and he no longer had the strength to resist the ancient monster's destructive poison. He made his way to the cave beneath this island, and that's where he died."
"Hmm... now it's all more or less clear," I exchanged glances with my companions, "but why did he make the people in the city worship him?"
"Very simple. Without the gods' influence, people will gradually offer their souls to their new master. Thus, he will gain much more power than merely devouring them. Though, this will also shorten the lifespan of his followers. But even after death, they will remain his slaves, and he will restore his army to conquer the world.
"Well then, we can't just back down!" Katrina flared up and struck the table. A small teaspoon immediately came to her golden claws.
"Didn't you listen to me? Even the gods couldn't handle him, so what chance do you have against him?"
"But... You don't know what we are capable of. And someone has to deal with him," Katrina hesitated; she wasn't entirely sure if we could defeat him. Meanwhile, the teaspoon dropped from her claws.
"And are you suggesting we just sit and watch him take over your world?" I smirked at the dragoness.
"Of course not! I'm planning to go to Atlas and ask my brethren to gather an army against him. Then we will have a chance to win."
"Hmph, complete nonsense," I shrugged, "I thought dragons were smarter. You already sent one powerful water monster against him, and now you want to gift him a few more victims. You'd only be giving him a free feast."
"But we still have more chances than you."
"You're mistaken; you have no chances at all. Besides, if you attack and lose, he will absorb the life force of all the blue dragons. But if we attack, he will only get the lives of a dozen humans."
"Krito, so you already know how to defeat him?" Katrina squinted suspiciously.
"Um, not yet," I shrugged.
"Krito!" Katrina slammed the table again, and the teaspoon slowly slid from her towards the table's edge.
"Interesting," I picked up the spoon before it fell, "I have something very important to tell you, Kat. Seleria looks much better in a bikini."
"WHAAAAT?!?!" Katrina jumped up from the table, and a weak electric discharge spread through the room.
I barely dodged, and the spoon I threw hit the wall behind me with force, nearly an inch deep into the wood.
"Y-y-y-y-youuu!!!! Found something to talk about!!! We're discussing serious matters here!! And you!! And what do you mean you like Seleria?!"
"I was just thinking about how to defeat this monster," I approached the wall where the simple teaspoon had nearly embedded itself: "We will defeat him with this."