Chapter 67: Diluted Blood
Tempest and Aris were taken aback by the brashness of Ren’s tone. He did not flinch or even cower at the fact that both of them were speaking to him.
"Do you have no response, or did you believe I would bend over backwards because I am in front of the both of you?
Did you two forget that I am a dragon? My pride does not cower in the face of opponents. I would rather die before allowing someone to destroy what I believe in." Ren let the words roll out without holding back.
Tempest ground his teeth against each other hard. Doing everything that he could to calm himself, he drew a very deep breath.
"You are pushing it to the edge," Tempest said.
"Trust me, I can go further," Ren replied calmly. He had no reason to coddle their nonsense.
Bam! Bam!
Two loud knocks came from the door and broke the tension.
Ren looked at the door. There was no way someone would interrupt them if there was no emergency, so he rose to his feet before anyone else and opened the door.
Only to see Gerald on the floor, bleeding out, while Leon and his party stood there with panic on their faces.
’What’s happening here?’ he thought as he looked at Gerald on the ground and then to Leon.
"What happened?" he asked.
"He was attacked by a royal knight of the Vermilion Kingdom. They came to our town. I’m not sure of the reason, but when a royal knight comes, then it must be for a great reason.
Gerald tried to save someone that got in the way of the knight, and he attacked. Gerald did not stand a chance," Leon spoke as fast as he could.
"Hmmm, do you have no healer?" Ren asked.
The healer stepped forward. "Sir Dragon, I am Mira, the party healer," she said in her usual shy tone and then turned her eyes to Gerald on the ground.
"His wound... his wounds are laced with a corrosive mana. The knight left it in him, and he is dying at a slow and steady pace. Normal healing is not working." She explained.
"We have tried all that we had, pills and spells, but his body rejects them, and it keeps on killing him. I’m sorry to have come barge into your home like this, but... but we could not think of anything else," Leon pleaded.
’Hmm, royal knight, huh? Seems they might be someone powerful, and they have come to this Raven Town. Something tells me I am the target here.’
"I’m not sure I can help as well. No one here really knows how to heal, or I don’t think anyone can," Ren explained.
He watched as dread formed on the faces of Leon and the rest when he said that.
"Luna can help."
Suddenly, Luna stepped forward and spoke. She looked at Ren while everyone looked at her in shock.
"Luna’s eyes can see what is happening inside his body." She said and turned to look at Gerald, her red eyes glowing faintly.
’Her eyes, what exactly are they? She keeps using them to do amazing stuff. I want to ask her, but I don’t want to pry into her secrets.’
Everyone watched her until she finally stopped and then looked at Ren.
"Luna has seen what is happening. Mana is in the blood. Aggressive mana." She said.
"Uhm, so is there a way to help?" Leon asked.
"Luna thinks a stronger blood will chase it away," she stated and then looked at Ren. "Dragon blood will work."
"Except dragon blood is known to carry the same characteristics as a dragon and could kill the man if it entered his bloodstream," Aris, who had been watching with Tempest, spoke.
"Unless you can place a single drop into the very right location where most of the mana is gathered, and it can eat from there while spreading out and losing its potency along the way." She explained it like she had seen it happen before.
Ren listened to her and then turned to look at Luna. "Can you pinpoint the strongest location, Luna?"
She nodded and turned back to Gerald, where she started scanning the body. She took a few minutes before she finally gave an answer.
She walked to the body and pointed at the chest, close to the heart, where a massive gash was left.
"That’s near the heart of that human," Aris stated. "Your blood would kill him before it managed to stop the mana," she stated.
"Seriously? Tch." Ren monitored his skills to see if he could find a way to not have to risk Gerald’s life, but even after a bit of thinking, nothing came. Until finally, he had an idea.
"I’ll dilute my blood then," he stated and then walked to Gerald, and right in front of everyone, he dug his finger into one of the guy’s wounds and drew a lot of blood out with it. Then, at the same time, he bit into his lip and drew blood before allowing a drop of Gerald’s blood to hit his tongue and mix with his own.
He used Fusion. He had no idea if this would work at all, but he was willing to give it a try at least.
[Fusion started]
[Fusion completed]
[Diluted Dragon Blood]
’It worked! Talk about an overpowered skill.’
That blood was now running inside him, so he channeled it, and from his palm, a ball of blood the size of a drop formed. Then he brought it close to the gash. He looked at Leon and the rest.
"I have no idea if he will survive what I’m about to do, but this is the safest method. The blood has been diluted. It might be weak enough or still too strong. There are many ways this could go wrong. Are you okay with that?"
Leon gritted his teeth. He could either refuse and watch him die or agree and stand a chance for it to work.
He nodded, and Ren immediately allowed the drop to fall into the gash.