LRAB Chapter 428: Sudden Capture
Chapter 428: Sudden Capture
Chapter 428: Sudden Capture
Careful! Dallion shouted. I dont want you to kill them.
Like Im the one to blame! Gleam grumbled, directing the whip blade to slam a dragonlet with the blunt side of its fragments.
The fight was going so well that the results were bad. It had been over a minute since the cracklings appeared, and Dallion was yet to render one of them unconscious. Nil had assured him that it was possible, and yet the creatures would always end up bursting in a cloud of smoke.
It was ironic that Dallion often found himself wishing that the cracklings were slightly stronger. Even with him deliberately not being on the offensive, the creatures kept dying. In the past, he had always been concerned that cracklings were too numerous or too smart, or too agile to get hit. Now, he wound that it was far more difficult to defeat one without killing it.
Look at the silver lining, the armadil shield said. Capturing creatures is a must for hunters, anyway.
Not helping, Dallion said through his teeth. Cant you cocoon them?
Sure. As long as Im in an awakened realm.
Normally, Dallion would have come back with a snarky comment on the matter. This time, though, that got him thinking. It was quite true that in the awakened realm, hed have a lot more options. Using the shield, or even his music skills to capture a creature, would be elementary. It was also true that Dallion had a way of moving things from one realm to another. The Moons prevented this, although the Star had managed to find a very specific loophole to use the Vermillion rings to get the Nerosal overseeras well as the entire cityinto its awakened realm. Now that Dallion had become an initiate, maybe he could do the same for a single crackling?
The notion of letting a crackling into his domain didnt fill him with enthusiasm, but if he wasnt willing to constantly venture out of his comfort zone, he was stifling his progress.
Nil, your thoughts on the idea? Dallion asked as he spit into instances in order to get the Vermillion ring from his backpack.
Its reckless, but you knew that already, the echo replied. Aside from that, its a well thought out plan. The crackling would become a bit stronger in your realm as well, but I think well be able to handle him. The trick is getting the timing right. Cracklings can still hurt you in the real world. Even with Lux, healing isnt always easy.
Ill keep that in mind.
Sliding on the ring, Dallion leapt at the nearest dragonlet. Once again, he split into a dozen of instances, each placing a hand on the creatures underbelly. In three of those instances, the action was too forceful, resulting in the avians death. In the majority of the remaining, though, he came into contact without causing any harm.
PERSONAL AWAKENING
The rocky mountain disappeared, along with the forest around it. Instead, Dallion found himself in the sky above a tropical island.
His first thoughts were of confusion. What hed expect was to find himself in his awakening room as usual. The fact that he hadnt sent waves of fear through his very beings. It was only after several seconds that he rememberedGen had remodeled the realm completely. Gone were the rooms, for the most part, replaced by open spaces. Considering that Dallion was in full control of the weather, that was a logical choice. The two nymph towers had become the central point of the realm, rising in both parts of a perfectly shaped bay between Dallions island, and the chain that was Vermillion. Lush beeches extended into lovely meadows, and picturesque forests, to which all remaining linked items were connected: Vihrogons mansion, the bowls garden, Luxs observatory nest Everything had been placed with extreme care and an eye for detail. Even Nils library seemed grand.
You really did a great job, Gen, Dallion thought.
Thanks, the echo replied. Sorry Im not there to greet you. Well wait your battle out in Noxs lair.
CRACKLING PULLED IT
You have successfully brought a DRAGONLET into your realm.
All damage done to your realm will reflect on you in the real world.
So, it was successful! Dallion split into instances, searching for the creature. Instead, a set of rectangles appeared, blocking his view.
You have broken through your forty-first barrier.
You are now Level 41
Choose the trait that you value the most.
This was rather unexpected. The only time that Dallion had leveled up without an actual trial was when he had unsealed his mother. At the time, he had thought that this was an exploitable abuse, until he had learned that only the first instance was worthy of a level up. This had to be similar.
Naturally, he chose to increase his perception. At the moment, that was the trait that suited him best.
Get them, Gleam, he ordered. I have what I want.
The whip blade extended, setting off on its slicing spree. Dallion was quick to join in. Now that there was no danger of anyone getting hurt, the fight was significantly easier. It also helped that the flock was a third of that which had attacked the nearby village.
One after the other, the avians were reduced to puffs of black smoke. Once they were all dealt with, Dallion picked up his backpack and rushed in the direction they had come from. Gleam, of course, was used as a scout to try and pick up the trail.
Initially, signs were easy to find. As Dallion had suspected, the dragonlets had come from another mountain relatively nearby. The upper area of its cliffs had multiple cracked rocks, indicatingaccording to Nils methodthat this was a frequent stop for the creatures to flock before going elsewhere. Unfortunately, there was no indication that the avianthe dragons shadowhad been at the location.
From there, Lux and Gleam had gone through several more of the cluster mountains in the area, and after significant research found one other site that had darkened rocks. Unfortunately, after that the trail ran cold.
Nothing here either, Gleam said. They must have been perched on trees to get here.
Thats unlikely, Dallion said. You didnt find anything of interest?
Other than some village, and a few animal hunters, no. Absolutely nothing.
Alright, get back here.
Dallion didnt like it when Gleam got snarky, but she was right. There didnt seem to be anything significant to go on. It was possible to pass through the village and ask about, but would that be helpful, though?
Gleam, in what state was the village?
Dont you think I would have told you if there was anything up with it? The shardfly snapped. Its perfectly fine. Nothing broken, or rotten, or cracked.
That left Dallion back to square one. He had a general idea from where the avians had come, but little else. If the dragons shadow moved from one place to the other, as it likely did, finding it would be complicated.
Harp, can you make a copy of what Im seeing using water? Dallion asked.
Yes, the nymph replied from his realm.
Perfect! I want you and Onda to recreate this entire area, just make it smaller. Not too small, though. I want it to be able to fool the crackling we have.
There was a moment of silence.
You want to see where itll go? This isnt the real world. It might not react the way you think.
Its worth a try. Please do that for me, and let it go at the spot I pulled it in. Onda can help you.
In his mind, Dallion could imagine the geek nymph getting all nervous. For some reason, even after spending a while in Dallions realm, he still couldnt relax when Harp was close. One of the perils of being an eternal teenager, it seemed.
Give me a while.
The while turned out to be quite short. There was no telling how much time passed in Dallions realm, but in the real world, it was only a few seconds later that Harp let him know that everything was set. Dallion then immediately went into his realm to watch the flight of the dragonlet first hand. Of course, he had Gleam cover him with an illusion, so he appeared to be a crackling as well.
Despite Harps initial reservations, the plan worked out perfectly. Finding itself free, the creature darted through the air towards what was familiar. It flew over several mountains that Dallion already knew were perching spots, over the village, and beyond the visible cluster of mountains.
Thats enough, Dallion said. You can capture it again now.
Why not see where it goes? Onda asked, confused.
Theres no reference for that area. Besides, it doesnt matter. We found something far more interesting.
Like what?
Like why would a starving dragonlet not attack a food-rich village it flew ove