Chapter 46: Jack of Many Trades
Both of them stared at the dragon in disbelief, taking in its human form. For a long moment, no one spoke, until Lydia broke the silence.
"What the—how are you human?"
Her gaze dropped, and only then did she register he was standing there without a stitch of clothing, entirely unbothered by it. Before he could offer any explanation, she yanked off her cloak and tossed it at him, looking away. "Here. Cover up."
Draken caught the cloak and pulled it on, then picked up where he’d left off. "What I left out of the story is that I was the only successful outcome of both experiments — the full human transformation, and the hybrid."
Lydia’s brow creased as she planted her hands on her hips. "Is there anything else you’re conveniently leaving out?"
"Well," Niel cut in, "we did agree everyone gets to keep their secrets. Seems a bit unfair to make him spill his."
She held his gaze a beat longer before letting out a sigh. "Fine. So where do we start?"
Niel’s eyes drifted to Draken’s. "A location, probably," Draken offered, glancing around the cavern. "This works well enough."
Lydia frowned. "You call this workable? It’s a pile of rock and crystal. If I’m going to help plot the end of the world, the least it can do is look the part."
"I can fix that," Niel said, stepping forward, recalling the Earth Manipulation he’d copied earlier. "Both of you, step back."
Lydia and Draken retreated to the cavern’s edge as Niel raised his hands and activated the skill. Stone rose and folded around him, shaping itself into something resembling a castle within the cavern’s vast interior.
A grand hall took form at the center, four smaller chambers branching off it, separated only by thin walls. Four jagged stone thrones stood at the compass points of the hall, each chamber connecting to it through a heavy rock door — solid enough to demand real force to move, though nothing beyond what the three of them could manage.
Earth then closed over the original cave entrance completely, sealing it. Before either of them could ask, a second passage opened from above — a twisting shaft angled carefully enough to keep sunlight from ever reaching the floor below.
The moment it finished, Niel staggered backward, bracing himself against the nearest wall.
"What the—"
Claire: Your mana has dropped below thirty percent.
Niel hadn’t expected that. The structure dwarfed the simple dome he’d seen in the village, but he hadn’t anticipated it draining him this hard — and recalling Omani’s mention that the other adventurer could only manage one dome a day, he found himself instantly wary of this particular skill.
"You good?" Lydia’s brow furrowed.
"Yeah, I’m fine," Niel said, straightening back up and stepping closer. "So. What do you think?"
Draken and Lydia took it in for a moment before she pointed to the fourth throne. "Who’s that one for?"
Niel scoffed. "No one, yet. Possibility of a fourth member, someday."
She held his gaze a moment longer than necessary. "You have someone in mind?"
"Not at all," he answered instantly. "Might never happen. Just covering the possibility."
Silence settled as they all took in the new space. Then Draken stepped forward, walking to the center of the hall before stopping.
"I’ll stay here, guard it, same as always. So — when should I expect you both back? Or do you plan on living here?"
They exchanged glances. An alliance was one thing, but coordinating around three very different sets of priorities was going to be another matter entirely.
"What if we met once every seven days, at midnight — just to trade information and check progress? I could stay here between meetings sometimes," Lydia suggested.
"Not bad. I’m fine with that," Niel added.
"Since I’m already here, works for me either way," Draken said.
A quiet stretch followed. The mission had clearly veered off in a direction none of them had planned for — which raised the question of what, exactly, they’d tell the Church, and whether saying nothing at all would just get another adventurer sent out after them.
They looked between each other, all circling the same problem, until Lydia finally turned to Niel. "You got a solution for this?"
Niel looked away, thinking it over, until Claire’s voice cut in.
Claire: Why not sever one of the dragon’s wings, or the tail, or an arm? You could claim that was all that was left of it.
That’s not bad — but the dragon just walked away from a solar flare. I’m not sure I’ve got anything convincing enough in my arsenal that wouldn’t blow my cover in the process.
Claire: She might. Just a thought.
Niel considered it, then turned to Lydia, who was already watching him.
"What if we take a part of Draken as proof the dragon’s dead — then heal it back after? Only problem is, I don’t have anything that would convince the Church it’s genuine."
"I actually do have something for that," Lydia said. "Though if we’re cutting and healing him, shouldn’t he get a say in it?" Her gaze shifted to Draken, who gave a faint smile as massive wings unfurled from his back, dwarfing his human frame entirely.
"Fine by me," he said.
Niel looked at Lydia, then drew his blade and crossed to Draken without hesitation. "Heal it the second I take it off."
Lydia followed without objection. As Niel severed the left wing, she activated her skill, regenerating it almost instantly, and Draken folded both wings back in. Claire’s voice followed a beat later.
Claire: Divine Healing has fully reset. You have three uses again.
Huh. So watching the skill used again while I still hold a fragment of it just refreshes the count?
Claire: Correct, partner.
Good to know.
They both stared at the severed wing for a moment before Lydia picked it up. "We’ll meet back here in seven days, then." Her gaze shifted to Draken. "I might swing by sooner, too."
Draken nodded, and Lydia glanced up, then frowned. "Wait — how are we getting this thing out through that entrance?"
Niel eyed it too, hand under his chin. "It was built with human size in mind. This wing’s bigger than all three of us combined — didn’t account for that. Guess we cut it down outside?"
As they all stared at the narrow opening, Claire spoke up again.
Claire: Teleportation is still active. Want to use it?
Can it move objects too?
Claire: Certainly.
Niel glanced down at the wing. "I think I’ve got this. Hold onto it," he said to Lydia.
She took hold without question. He looked back at Draken. "Until next time."
He activated Teleportation, and in an instant, both of them — wing included — vanished, reappearing on the outskirts of the village. Lydia blinked, stunned for a moment, then smiled at him.
"You’ve got quite the collection of tricks. Jack of all trades. I’m impressed."
"Glad you think so," Niel replied, glancing down the path ahead. "This whole thing already ran long. Let’s get our report in before they start assuming we’ve vanished too."
Lydia smiled. "Sure."
They headed back toward the city, the midday sun climbing toward its peak.
---
They arrived together at the strange, abandoned hall Lydia led them to — perched at the city’s edge, not far from the village they’d just left.
Inside, cobwebs draped the corners and broken timber littered the floor. Cael sat in the main hall on a worn-down chair, and his head lifted as the door creaked open. For a moment, he simply stared — not just because they’d both made it back alive, but because they’d come back together at all. That struck him as strange, given everything he knew about how Lydia usually operated.
"Made a new friend, Lydia?" he asked, rising from the chair and crossing toward them.
"We just happened to get along. I don’t keep friends," she said flatly, stepping up to him and dropping the wing at his feet. "My payment."
"Of course." Cael produced a sack of gold coins, then paused. "First, though — did he pull his weight out there? Wouldn’t be right to leave him unpaid if he earned it."
Niel noticed Cael hadn’t questioned her at all about the dragon’s death — which told him there was more history between them than he’d assumed. He decided to play it safe. "It’s fine. I barely did anything. She handled most of it."
Cael studied him a moment, then dipped two fingers into the sack and pulled out a single coin. "Still. Effort deserves something." He handed it to Niel, then glanced at Lydia. "Fair?"
She took the sack back, added a couple more coins to Niel’s share without a word, then turned and walked out, leaving the two of them alone.
They both watched her go before Cael’s attention settled back on Niel. "She’s hotheaded, I know. Must’ve been rough working alongside her."
"Not really. If anything, she’s strong. Makes me wonder how much she’s actually holding back," Niel said, angling for whatever Cael might let slip.
Cael went quiet for a moment, eyes drifting back toward the door. "I couldn’t tell you how much she holds back. But I do know — everywhere she’s gone, she’s left with one title. One name everyone ends up agreeing on."
Niel met his gaze. "And what’s that?"
Cael smiled faintly. "They call her the Strongest."