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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. 

For example, a higher ice dragon would have some extremely powerful ice-based ability unique to it, or perhaps a powerful dragon that had size and durability would have an ability that rendered it immune to magic.

Higher dragon abilities were some of the most powerful racial abilities to exist, many of them making draconic bosses incredibly difficult even among the huge host of creatures in Elden World, and it would be no exaggeration to claim that some higher dragon abilities were on par with lower end Ultima-class spells. 

'My consciousness faded soon after my landing,' said Meld. 'But Cicero did tell me of the details afterwards. The skies brightened immensely, he said, and a surge of power echoed, and with that, Gronn's presence faded. However, he was not killed completely. 

A sliver of his flesh escaped destruction, and it landed on the far-flung edges of the forest we landed upon. From there, it regenerated, and two days after we reached the safe point, Gronn too came to us.'

'I see. That is quite interesting,' said Li. He did not know of any abilities like that for dragons in Elden World. But in a sense, it did make sense that Gronn, or dragons in particular, could have powers far different than what Li was familiar with.

Dragonkin developed and grew by consuming, and what they consumed factored into what they became. It made sense that in world unrestricted by the rigid limitations of code, there would be dragons with abilities and strengths that Li had never seen.

When he thought about it, Tia herself was one such example, growing far differently than what her original genetics might have destined her on account of Li's own presence. 

'And how is he?' asked Li. 'Strong enough to be active once more? If would seem that the dragons are narrowing down on his treachery. It will do good for him to move quickly with the dragon kin he has saved and send them to Riviera. I will send advance message to the guild and the city of their arrival.

I highly doubt that Riviera will deny the aid of dragons to aid their walls.'

'He is thoroughly weakened,' said Meld. 'And it will take years for him to recover fully, he says. But do not worry about the dragon kin – Cicero has seen to their immediate movement to the south.'

'Good,' said Li. 'If they need help crossing the border, then I am willing to send a Justicar or two to aid them.'

'I will forward your generosity to Cicero,' said Meld. 'And I fear it may be needed. The dragons have moved far quicker than Gronn has anticipated, and he worries now that not all his kin will be able to cross the border, especially in his weakened state. 

I know not the might of the wooden knights in your service, but I can only presume they are powerful enough.'

'More than enough,' said Li. 'And now, you two. Now that you have reached your safe point, I am assuming you have made plans to infiltrate the elven capitol?'

'Indeed. I have never been this far into elven land, but now that I am, a matter of infiltration will be nothing to me. I will follow Cicero's shadow into Primus where he is due to attend a meeting of the senate. He will cross paths with one of the senators closest to Lucius, and from there, I will hop shadows until I am deep within the imperator's closest circle, listening into all their secrets.'

'Good,' said Li. He was satisfied with what he had heard so far. Nobody had died just yet, though there were threats looming. It would seem that the dragons of the north were quite a bit more belligerent than even he initially thought them to be.

If Tia wanted to go north, he would not stop her, but he would come with her, and he would be ready. Ready to defend her. Ready to teach these dragons the meaning of true might should they overstep their boundaries.

But that was a matter for another day. For now, there was the journey to the west. 

'Do ensure to keep updating me of the situation, for none of you are close enough to me that I may feel your presences to see that you are alive. Now then, I will break this mind link. Good luck.'

'Same to you,' said Meld. A slight pause. 'The lives of many shall rest upon you upon the westward battlefield. I hope that they may find themselves leaning upon a strong shoulder.'

Li considered the statement. 'A balanced shoulder,' he said before ending the link.