Chapter 279 - Status Report (1/2)

Li took in the status report of what Meld had said. He knew so far about the details of the attack, who did it, when, and approximately where, but not afterwards. At the very least, he knew that Meld would never speak without feeling she was absolutely secure, and so they had reached some form of safe haven after escaping.

Not to mention Li wanted to know of Gronn's fate.

'Dragons?' Li narrowed his eyes, setting his jaw. 'Here I thought they subscribed to a non-interference policy. And from what Cicero told me, his safe point is far from Torr Valeris where the dragons usually flock. They were targeting Gronn, but they did not bother to pursue you?

'No. Gronn does not speak much, but what little of the dragons and their customs I have learned from him, I perceive that they hold themselves with a degree of pride that stopped them from lowering themselves to scouring the ground searching for two lowly mortals.'

'I see. And you two, how did you survive that fall? I can understand perhaps a powerful warrior, but neither of you seem to have the physical durability to endure such a fall.'

'My gift. I may meld into shadows, hence my name. At the very moment of impact, provided I land upon shadows, I can break any fall by sinking into them. Momentum disappears in a most unnatural and sudden way when I enter the shadows, and so any object that I hold when I myself disappear will lose all built up velocity.

In this case, that object was Cicero. Alas, neither of us escaped unharmed, though the elf is doing far better than I. I landed upon thickly forested area, and I could not prevent myself from crashing through treetops.'

'Any severe injuries?' asked Li.

'Several lacerations across my body, the deepest of which were six centimeters in depth, but my suit saved my vitals. A few contusions, a cracked rib, and a shattered elbow. Internal and external bleeding prevented me from maintaining consciousness. Cicero's knowledge of healing magics was insufficient in dealing with my wounds, for my heroic blood rejects such magic. However, Cicero managed to guarantee us to safety.'

'So you two did get to reach the safepoint,' said Li with a nod of relief.

'Yes. And my injuries are nearly healed.'

'Already?' Li raised a brow.

'Many of us heroes are blessed with bodies naturally physically more capable and regenerative than that bestowed upon the normal human. Provided we train our bodies, we can easily exceed regular human limitations. Certainly, we cannot reach the might of warriors or the speed of assassins and rangers without corresponding powers, but we are still quite sturdy. My power, too, grants me an accelerated healing factor in the presence of shadows, though it is not anything close to instantaneous regeneration.'

'I see,' noted Li. 'The safe point, then, tell me how you feel about it. Any irregularities?'

'None. It is a villa on the countryside. Remotely situated from Elven demolitions projects and cities. Far even from the many roads the elves have carved. It would appear Cicero is the only one to have such a villa in this area, and I cannot sense other presences.

The villa itself is thoroughly warded against magical interferences and spying. It is also equipped with technology to prevent scrying from elven technology.'

'Good,' said Li. He took a moment to pause, remembering the arm that Gronn had torn for Li in case he needed to be resurrected. That arm was in safekeeping in the Farmer's Guild, but if needs be, he could have Ivo take it to his totem and channel his resurrective spell there.

'And what of Gronn? Did he perish?'

'No.'

'No?' Li felt mild surprise. From what Meld spoke of the situation, it seemed that Gronn would have went in facing certain death. If Li himself was right in assessing power levels, he figured that Gronn, as a mid-level eighties dragon, would certainly find it difficult to fight against higher dragons that ranged in the nineties.

Not only was there a level gap, but there was also the fact that higher dragons, like higher vampires, had incredible racial powers that came with their higher status that made them far stronger than normal dragons. Dragons had a massively varied range of powers that came with their higher status depending on their theme.