The First Archmage

(Gavin)

"Are we going to evacuate everyone here?" Ryan asks. "Can you do that? The teleportation circles we've set up can only transport up to fifteen at a time."

"It'd take more than an hour to transfer everyone here," I shake my head. "And that's not even factoring in they're on several islands. Then there's that I actually have to focus on the Rift while I have it open, which would leave me largely useless in the fight. I'll deal with the Dragons, you guys focus on getting everyone here."

If I don't focus on sustaining the Rift, it can 'snap shut', which just cases a dangerous Rift to form, and could potentially rip open the area around me as a result. Not a good ending.

"Alright," he nods.

Just in case I'm wrong, and the elder Dragon somehow manages to kill me, I need to leave a final set of preparations behind.

"Also," I turn to the Dekami Scholar. "Raise them well."

"Raise who well?" He asks as I focus, three violet and gold spheres of light forming in front of me. "Are those-"

The spheres then fade away, leaving behind three infant versions of me – two male, one female – though without wings, but I can tell immediately that they'll grow them later. Their backs have imprints on them in the form of wings.

"Do you want you need to," I look at Ryan, who's staring at the infants in confusion. "Do you need to be there? Or can you work from this side?"

"I can work from this side," he tells me. "What just-"

"Ask him after everything settles down," I pull off my amulet and place it on him, letting it drop against his chest. "If you don't hear from me, Nies will contact you to let you know what's happened. Also, have this."

I toss Ryan my ring, and he fumbles, catching it.

"See you," I give him the 'peace' sign, the same V that the Phoenix gave me. "I'm heading over, now."

I Teleport to the isles Kade lives on, hovering a hundred feet above it and scanning the horizons. The Dragons aren't too far out, and there is definitely the one I'm destined to fight against there.

Inhaling sharply, I tilt my head back, then let out a massive Dragon's Roar.

Dragon's Roar is Now Level 8!

Dismissing the notification, I soar towards the Dragons, immediately assault them with magic. Many of the weaker ones erupt into showers of blood or disappear into the Void, my Violet Dragon tunnels through a great many. They are so numerous, however, that I know I'll have to work hard to win this fight.

Thankfully, the roar and my immediate assault draws the Dragons' attention towards me, and they focus on fighting me instead of claiming the isles. The leader of the Dragons attempts to attack me numerous times, but I manage to evade it each time.

Whenever I can, I focus on the isles to see how the evacuations are going. Slowly. Each island has a single teleport circle, but they can only move up to fifteen people at a time, and they take time to be able to be used again, and time to activate as well.

They set up the teleport circles everywhere we have a branch location, to move forces in and out as quickly as they can – generally just some stronger people are needed – and while they've improved them over the last year (of their time), they still need massive improvements.

My estimates tell me it will take at least two hours for them to fully-evacuate the isles. A brief telepathic communication alerts Oberon to the issue, and he promises to come out in his full garb, but it'd still take him awhile.

I could Teleport to him and bring him here, only that could cause problems as well.

Every moment I'm not fighting the Dragons, they draw closer to the isles.

And so I fight, slaying Dragon after Dragon. Strangely, I'm not obtaining any Experience for it, which tells me that I definitely don't acquire Experience bonuses – at least, not as much as I used to. And fighting and killing doesn't seem to grant me any as well.

Dammit. I could really use some power boosts right now.

Power boosts.

There's that.

Soaring upwards, I check to make sure the Dragons are following me. At least six hundred remain, and they know that as long as I'm their enemy, they won't reach the isles.

As I soar upwards, I begin chanting.

"Dancing in the morning, dancing in the evening, with a skip and a hop and a brilliant stop, in burn and blaze, in chill and freeze, dance, dance, and do the turnip dance!"

The song is ridiculous, and requires a sort of dance to go with it – which isn't easy to do as I'm soaring upwards – but it's powerful as it, and that's before factoring in that the Spirit's power can affect more due to my high Spirit Pool and massive INT.

The moment I finish the spell, roughly four hundred of the Dragons instantly find themselves turned into dancing turnips. Anything with a lower overall power level – base magic combined with the augmenting from INT – than me was affected, as is the effect of that particular Gift.

Immediately after the Turnip Dance begins, the remaining Dragons looking completely and entirely befuddled at the turn of events, I begin casting spell after spell, ripping through the annoying root thingy that I never really liked the flavor of. Unfortunately, they're resistant to nigh any element, so I'm left with using the Void and other powerful attacks that require a lot of mental energy and stamina, in addition to my quickly-replenishing Resources.

They'll remain turnips once they finish dancing, but they'll have much of their power returned to them at that point, so it's best to wipe them out before they can recover.

The remaining Dragons continue to attack, and I soar down, speeding past them, taking out several more on my way down. There are hundreds of more Dragons flying towards us in the distance, and I need to deal with these guys before they arrive.

The leader Dragon continues to attack me, the only beast that could pose even the slightest threat to me here. Its flames narrowly miss me one time, and result in a burn on my arm. While it heals quickly, that just attests to how powerful the flames are.

To burn me from fifty feet away, with my tough body and high resistances.

As I attack the others, I ignore that one, save for dodging it. It knows I'm only dodging it, and is content to 'indulge' me. If it were to go after the isles, then I'd directly attack it, but I really, really don't want to face it without Oberon here.

Whatever it takes to protect the people from such a horrid threat.

"Why do you seek destruction?" I call out as the fighting begins to die down, only a few Dragons remaining from the first wave. "Answer me, beast!"

"Why do you care for mortals, Celestial?" He responds, glowering at me.

So he can tell what I am?

"If you know what I am," I say. "You know that I used to be a mortal – something that you are, beast. Why do you seek to destroy?"

"Why should I not?" He asks. "Humans are pests, and I will purge all from here. There is nothing you can do to stop me. You're still an infant, little one. Given a few thousand years, you might be able to contest me in power."

I glower at him, and he just chuckles.

"Tell me," he says. "Why do the Dekami and Faeborn here stay idle? Why do they not seek to aid you?"

"Because they follow an ancient code," I respond. "A code that you Dragons do not follow, being the monsters that you are. Begone. I will protect the people of Nierfa Eisnar until my last breath, and if I die, then I will be taking you down with me."

The Dragon chuckles.

"Really?" He asks. "You really think you have a way to kill me? Even the Dekami and Faeborn here, working together, wouldn't manage that. Not even the flames of a Dragon can penetrate my hide! I am simply that old and powerful, and have been to that many places and lived for that long. The universes I have seen… have destroyed… this one is next."

This one? He's not just working on taking over this world, is he? He's planning on taking out my universe? Why hasn't someone like O put an end to him yet? Or is O sticking to his own universe for major interferences.

Stroking my arm – Reij – I furiously think. Oberon's probably going to be here soon. Reij can't take on this Dragon's breath, even if he's been handling the others'. In fact, he's probably full, with how much of their power he's eaten. He'd probably survive, but… I'm giving him to Oberon, and telling him to get the fuck out.

"Oh, look," the Dragon chuckles. "Your reinforcement is here, when mine arrive as well."

"Gavin!" Oberon calls out, and I glance over to see him and hundreds of other Fairies geared up for war flying towards me, their zierna glowing and swirling around them.

Right, I have that.

It enhances my defenses greatly.

"Oberon," I fling my arm out. "Catch!"

He looks startled, but flies forward, catching Reij, who had jumped when I flung my arm out, knowing what I intended.

"Assist the evacuation!" I say. "There's about to be a lot of flames going on!"

"But-"

"Now!" I say. "Mop up what's left after this – you do not want to be in range of what I'm about to do!"

Reij settles into his normal mode on Oberon. I know I'm about to ascend from this plane. Nahor was right. But I'm taking down as many of these Dragons as I can as I go.

Including the big, bad boss of them.

"GO!" I roar, dodging a fiery breath, feeling a slight burn, which fades quickly.

I trigger my zierna, enhancing my defenses to their maximum, then begin weaving in and out of the Dragons, killing them as I go. I'm getting exhausted, but I can do this. There's a third wave coming, but they're far, far out.

When these Dragons here die, as well as their leader, those ones will likely stay behind, not coming back, even if there's no trace of the attacker left. And if they don't…

Well, there's going to be a really, really upset Original Divine Being shortly. They wouldn't survive if they didn't flee.

With my zierna active, the leader Dragon's breath's near-misses don't affect me, giving me much greater room for movement, though I learn quickly that it still results in burns when missing me by five feet.

If the Dragon's honest about being powerful enough that the Dekami and Faeborn can't hurt it, then they're probably contacting their people right now, possibly for extraction or to leave on their own. Or to get reinforcements to help.

Regardless, I can't worry about what their own plans or goals are, or what they're thinking. I can only focus on my own plans.

Once Oberon is out of the potential range, I begin working my magic.

Soul Link Acquired!

Soul Link Level: 10

Ignoring the message that appeared in my vision as I use the Skill for the first time since my Access was restored, I continue to link every Dragon around the leader to me. He just laughs, taunting me, telling me that they would gladly sacrifice themselves, if it meant a powerful pest like me died.

I continue to attack, careful to remove the Soul Link from any Dragon I attack, just in case. A few even attack each other, or the leader Dragon attacking them, in an effort to take me out that way, but I catch it every time and remove the Soul Link, sometimes forcing one between some of the Dragons, instead of with me. It's causing chaos among them as they fight each other and me in the hopes that they manage to kill me, that they manage to catch one I don't sever fast enough.

I'm getting exhausted, but I'm almost ready.

If I can just link one last Dragon and figure out how to sever myself from the link, I can then end the fight by-

Threat Detection Triggers, and I turn to face the leader Dragon, who managed to get closer than I realized, my senses muddled from my exhaustion. I see it just in time to see its maw opened, flames spilling out. It's only a few yards away.

I hastily erect defenses as I create the final Soul Link, but I'm not removing myself from it. I'm dying anyway, and I don't have enough time to sever myself from the Soul Link without ending it or letting them break it.

I'd hoped I had a full minute to do that, but it seems my fate really is carved in diamond.

The flames burn through my defenses and the zierna, incinerating my body, and before my senses are destroyed entirely, my screams dying out, I'm aware that every nearby Dragon is burning.

Including the leader Dragon, connected to me by that final Soul Link. His flames can't burn him, but they can burn me, and damage dealt to one in the Soul Link affects all in exactly the same way if possible, regardless of defenses.

My last thought, before my thoughts fade away and I feel my soul disconnect from my body, is that I at least managed to protect everyone. Nies will be infuriated, and probably take out the other Dragons himself, even if they don't continue their assault and flee.

But I did it. I saved them. And my death will ensure their safety through the deaths of these Dragons and of Nies's own Descending from his grief and rage. If the others don't flee, he will end them.

Everyone is safe.