The Dark Veil skill had proven useful in blending into dark surfaces and shadows, but Edmund knew, it would not protect him from the dragon's fire or allow him to penetrate its tough hide.
He needed a plan, something that would enable him to get close enough to the beast without being incinerated.
Days passed as Edmund pondered his predicament.
He spent hours in his room, sketching out possible strategies and dismissing them one by one. Each evening whenever he returned from the academy, he trained with his Dark Veil skill, mastering the art of invisibility and silent movement.
He practiced blending into the shadows of his room, slipping through the palace undetected, and even eavesdropping on conversations without being noticed.
One afternoon, as he sat on his bed, exhausted from another failed attempt at devising a plan, Sasha entered the room carrying a tray of food. She set it down on his desk and gave him a concerned look.
"You've been on this for days, Your Highness," she said softly. "You need to take a break."
Edmund sighed while picking up a fruit. "I can't, Sasha. I have to figure out how to get that dragon's scale. It's very important."
Sasha sat down beside him with a sympathetic expression. "You cannot continue refusing the entry of the consorts every night. The emperor will start to suspect something."
"I know, I know," Edmund said in frustration. "It's just... this is really difficult. The dragon is impervious to ordinary attacks, and I don't have the strength to face it head-on."
"I also have nothing to protect me from the dragon's fire or allow me to pierce its scales."
"Maybe you don't have to pierce its scales," Sasha suggested. "What if there's another way to extract one?"
Edmund looked at her as a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Sasha leaned forward, her eyes alight with ideas. "Dragons shed their scales occasionally, right? Maybe you don't need to take one by force. If you can find a way to get into the dragon's lair without being detected, you might be able to find a scale that's already been shed."
Edmund was genuinely astonished. "That's... that's brilliant,"
'I had no idea that Dragons shed their scale! If you knew about this before why didn't you say something...' This was what he'd like to say but he was glad that Sasha revealed it.
"But Sasha. But how do I get into the lair without being burnt to a crisp?"
----sss
Sasha thought for a moment, then said, "We need something that can protect you from the dragon's fire. Some ancient relics and potions can grant temporary immunity to flames. Maybe we can find one in the palace storerooms or through an apothecary."
Edmund stood up, feeling renewed. "Let's start with the palace storerooms. If there's a relic or potion that can help, we'll make sure to find it.
The first palace storeroom was a vast space filled with ancient tomes, scrolls, weapons, and even relics. Usually, no one was given access to the storerooms unless they were part of the vampire army or worked directly under the emperor. Being the crown prince made it easy for Edmund to access anywhere except for the sacred garden.
The scent of old paper, leather, and refined gold filled the air as they moved about.
Edmund and Sasha spent hours combing through the shelves, searching for any mention of fire resistance.
After what felt like an eternity, Sasha finally exclaimed, "Your Highness, look at this!"
She held up a dusty old book titled "Arcane Protections: Spells, Potions, and Crafts of the Ancients." Flipping through the pages, she found a section on fire resistance.
"Here," she said, pointing to a passage. "It's a set of instructions that can help with crafting an armor that grants temporary immunity to fire. The ingredients are rare, but not impossible to find. We might be able to get them from the apothecaries and then we'd have to head to the royal blacksmith to do the rest."
Edmund read the passage carefully. "Eliox flower, salamander scales, and phoenix feathers," he muttered. "Can you gather these as quickly as possible?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Sasha answered.
They spent the next few days gathering the ingredients. The Eliox flower was found in a hidden corner of the palace gardens. It had fiery petals that glowed in the moonlight.
The salamander scales were acquired from a traveling merchant vampire, and the phoenix feathers were obtained from a rare bird kept by one of the nobles.
After gathering them, Sasha immediately took the ingredients to the royal blacksmith under Edmund's instructions.
...
-The next morning
"It's ready," Sasha said while holding out a shimmering blueish outfit that looked like a netted vest. "This should grant you immunity to fire but can only take a particular number of fiery blasts. It will come undone after reaching its limits."
Edmund took the armor feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. "Thank you, Sasha."
"Be careful, Edmund," Sasha said with a look of seriousness. "While it might protect you from fire, you still need to be cautious around the dragon."
"I will. Time to head to the academy."
...
At the entrance to the restricted castle, Edmund took a deep breath and checked himself again. He could feel a warm, tingling sensation spread through his body due to the fire-resistant armor underneath his robes.
"Here goes nothing," he muttered, activating his Dark Veil and blending into the shadows.
He moved silently and walked down the stairway till he arrived at the bottom with his senses heightened.
The vast lair soon appeared in sight again. Its high ceilings and walls lined with ancient runes added to the eeriness of the atmosphere.
In the center of this place lay the red-horned dragon. Its massive form curled up and its crimson scales glistened in the dim light.
The shackles around its massive limbs and neck rattled from time to time due to how its gargantuan body shook when it took a breath.
Edmund approached cautiously as his heart pounded. The dragon's breath rumbled softly as he scanned the ground around the beast, searching for any sign of a shed scale.
Minutes felt like hours as he searched. His eyes darted between the dragon and the ground while he cautiously moved about.
Unfortunately, even after scouring the place for over thirty minutes, he still couldn't find a single scale.
The dragon hadn't shed any.
Edmund let out a sigh and turned around to leave. He'd have to come back.
...
Edmund's visits to the red-horned dragon's lair underneath the restricted castle had become routine. Each day, he would descend into the depths to check if it had shed a scale.
He had to be patient. Fighting the dragon was out of the question; it was far too powerful for him to confront directly. Instead, Edmund had to wait for it to shed its scales naturally.
Each visit was a test of his nerves and resolve, as he crept through the darkness, hoping to find the precious scale that would unlock the next stage of his journey.
Days turned into weeks. Each time Edmund returned to the cavern, he felt a growing sense of urgency. He practiced using his Dark Veil skill, honing his ability to blend into the shadows and move silently.
[ Sub Skill Unlocked ]
< Dark Veil: Shadow Speed >
He had subconsciously unlocked a new sub-skill that allowed him to move faster in areas with shadows.
He was able to speed up so long as there was darkness.
The cavern became his training ground, and the dragon his unknowing tutor.
Finally, one day, as he crept through the cavern once more, Edmund noticed a faint glimmer near the dragon's massive form.
His heart leaped with excitement. He moved closer to get a better view. There was no doubt about... It was a freshly shed scale, nearly as large as a human being, lying on the stone floor.
He activated his Dark Veil causing his body to blend seamlessly into the shadows. Moving carefully like a silent gust of wind, he made his way toward the scale, mindful of the torch flames that could betray his presence.
The surroundings were silent except for the dragon's slow, rhythmic breathing.
As he reached the scale, Edmund felt a surge of triumph. He grasped it, feeling the rough, warm surface under his fingers. He began to carefully lift it. The scale happened to be surprisingly heavy.
Just as he was about to retreat, the dragon stirred. Its massive body shifted, and a beam of flame torch fell directly onto the spot where Edmund stood. The Dark Veil flickered, and in that moment, the dragon's eyes snapped open, locking onto him.
"Fuck!" Edmund cursed under his breath.