CHAPTER 38: DUNGEON DRAGON

In any case, my goal here has already failed.

Without Truston cooperating, Haldon would be back by the time Hadrian achieved a fraction of anything.

He did not trust Truston to keep his word, but with how ignorant Haldon acted, anything that could hurt him could be a temporary win.

In fact, it didn’t need to be a temporary win.

If I could get Truston and Haldon to fight again, exhaust each other’s essence, then I could make my move when their essence potency is reduced.

How had I not thought of this before? Perhaps, the only way to learn somethings is through living them.

His right hand studied the gate. Its lock was heavy.

"It’s augmented." Truston said, "and not just the lock."

Hearing this, Hadrian substituted the force path core of the groper mage to bearded man.

The metal rods did creak and slightly bend but it took all his effort.

Seeing this, he substituted the elemental path core to bearded man, replacing the force path core.

With his hot iron grip, and after a long time, the iron rods turned red and malleable.

Switching back to the force path core, he now bent the metal rods with much more ease. Even though he augmented his skin, he was still burnt.

Truston observed all this with his mouth parted. When you’re so close to obtaining something you’ve been wanting, questions are best asked later.

Of course, while he did all this, the mage vessel he’d walked down here with kept a watch out of the entry to the basement.

Outside and in the metal workshop, his other vessels, the main, Alia and rat vessels kept a look out for Haldon or any other changes.

The magic suppressors were made up of some kind of stone. Peering into them, Hadrian could not see anything.

To be powerful enough to suppress even a rank two mage ....

"Are they?" Hadrian gestured to the suppressors.

Truston’s eyes followed and he shook his head, "they can’t be augmented, or imbued with any type of magic, really. I don’t think so, at least."

Hadrian stress tested them. With his human strength, they were as hard as concrete to a baby.

Even when augmenting himself, it was harder than the metal rods. He did have to reinforce himself with the state of his vessels in that dull white space.

Seeing he could break them, he bought his time and didn’t.

He needed Haldon to be back so that they could fight with Truston once more, exhausting their essences.

Substituting the force path core back to its owner, Bearded man channeled the space path core’s essence, which was in the main Hadrian vessel, flicked his wrist and a skin bag of water appeared in his hand.

After that, a green cloth uniform also flickered into his hand. This uniform was stolen from the schools when he’d visited them for information.

Haldon.

One of his vessels spotted the rank two mage approach the metal workshop.

Seeing this, bearded man resumed crushing the suppressors which he had pretended were taking him all this time.

Under the strain of the force, Truston’s face twisted in pain.

Eventually, like rocks, the broken suppressors’ pieces crumbled to the floor.

Truston twisted and massaged his wrists. Already, Hadrian who was still peering into Truston’s essence sea, saw the essence get wild and chaotic, like a storm at sea.

Truston took a deep breath as his essence once more flew through his channels.

When his lifted face came back down, he locked eyes with Hadrian. He took the skin bag of water and poured it on himself and then put on the uniform, after wiping himself dry with it, that didn’t quite fit.

"It’s better than nothing." Truston said, looking down at himself, no longer sounding like that weak and whimpering fellow he was just a few minutes ago.

"You are quite strange." He said with a half smile. "For freeing me, I’ll.... "

"Haldon is back." Hadrian cut him off.

Truston’s facial muscles twitched.

"How do you know that?"

"Like you said, I’m strange."

Bearded man stood up straight.

"You can face him, can’t you? While me and the rest of my comrades distract the other rank one mages. Otherwise, even if you have the advantage over Haldon, they’ll completely suppress you."

Hadrian looked at Truston’s face as the changes showed him processing this information.

"Yes. That makes sense." He said finally. "Our goal is to escape, though. We’re in magloire mob territory, if they do send out word for back up.... "

"I understand." Bearded man said.

There were six rank one mages in the metal workshop.

Apart from his rat vessels, Hadrian currently had four vessels. His main vessel with the space path core, his Alia vessel with the elemental path core, bearded man with the force path core and the groper mage who would be channeling essence.

Why did he give the force path core to bearded man? Well, he felt the groper mage didn’t deserve it.

Also, bearded man, who did not have to rely on innate magical abilities as a hunter, was a much better fighter than the mage. At least Hadrian imagined him to be, and the force path seemed to fit him well.

Outside, as his rat vessels observed, Hadrian saw Haldon’s facial expression change as he was being told about what the mage and bearded man had done.

Nodding, Haldon walked past the guards with calm unrushed steps entering the workshop.

Inside, Truston, bearded man and the mage vessels made their way up and out the basement.

"What do you think you’re doing?" The guard mages at the basement entry asked as they saw the three people walk up the stairs.

They took guarded poses but from the shaky voice of the mage who’d asked, Hadrian could tell they were afraid, after all, Truston was still a rank two mage.

Truston’s beautiful eyes met theirs with a smile on his face. He shot out blazing flames from his hands to the rank one mages’ faces.

They were force path mage’s, and though they could augment themselves, the flames of a rank two would still burn.

They jumped back and out of the flames path, their faces burnt and furious. Not stupid, however, they made their way bolting in the opposite direction.

Seeing this, Truston controlled the concrete beneath his feet to form small cone shapes and shot them at the running mages.

They were multiple and the mages managed to sense some and dodge them, some still struck, though.

They were not fatal, however. Still, Hadrian imagined they hurt. The temperature in the basement entry hallway had risen and was making even Hadrian feel tired and drowsy.

The Hadrian vessels in there at least.

One of the mages managed to escape. The other wasn’t as lucky. With the heat, his movements got sloppy, and after multiple rock projectiles had struck him, one finally got him in his neck.