A Chronometric Defect

I've decided to fly back to Achiton since my 'business transaction' in Haitos has concluded. I showed a little too much force, embarrassed myself, and even accidentally killed my intended target. A lot of things went wrong. Still—

The end result?

I raise my clawed hand. A giant circular pattern filled with white sigils appears in midair and floats above my palm's surface. It's an incredibly complex artwork about 13 or 14 meters wide.

This isn't merely an inscription— it's a series of inscriptions wired together. Which makes it an array. Arrays, especially complex ones like this, can contains dozens of varied inscriptions. They all have their own jobs.

The array falls onto me. I vanish. My huge dragon body reappears over a kilometer away.

*psheww*

The results are undeniable; Aitos was a better prize than I'd anticipated. Though, that's only because I had to deviate from my original plans. Perhaps if I hadn't, I'd still be arguing with him over the deaths I caused.

Aitos ended up being a real twad about those people, but he was willing to overlook it because he's far more interested in inscription than people. I had no idea he was such a softy for the common person. It sure never showed when he was around the mayor. No idea why.

*psheww*

Though, I suppose that's yet another reason the city considers him such an asset. He knows when to talk business, when to talk inscription, and when to simply talk loud over everyone else. I think that's an aspect of his arrogance more than any kind of finesse, but as a dragon? His behavior makes me feel like he's one of mine.

Hrah. I gotta cast many more of these. This is... Not good for combat. Too slow.

*psheww*

I mean, ignore the fact that Aitos literally IS a part of me from now on. I think it's kind of funny that a former human had a personality that was already so close to a dragon's. He even said he dismissed dragons as 'mere monsters.' Most I've come into contact with tend to loathe or despise my species. Aitos? He was treating us dragons like we were beneath him.

*psheww*

Am I mad about that? No. I can understand his perspective.

Literally my entire species is filled to the brim with dullards. Why should I get angry when someone criticizing said species hasn't met me? Maybe that's unfair to my species. I haven't met any of my kind either, so I could be wrong.

I enjoy being a dragon regardless, though.

*psheww*

Hrh.

Maybe I can eventually work out these transference principles in spell form. Then I'll have instant-cast transference magic. That's still proving difficult, for some reason. There's an obnoxious delay on creating inscriptions, no matter how I've done the inscribing. Aitos sarcastically remarked that I'm being forced to deal with the same limitations as every other spellcaster.

*psheww*

When I'm 'casting' inscriptions, of course.

I read his memories about my creepy empty black features when he brought it up. We discussed it further, and his explanations helped clear up a few of my doubts. In short? Inscriptions aren't formed inside my body. He suggested my body is probably constructed entirely from perfectly Mana conductive materials, sans my orange scales and glowing red irises. Most parts of my eyeballs are likely perfectly Mana conductive too, despite my red irises.

*psteww*

Whoops.

I fix a deformed sigil, then fill the depleted array with Mana once again.

The result is that I'm forced to cast inscription spells almost exactly like humans cast normal magic. Inscriptions are formed outside my body, which means they're not instant-cast. I can inscribe in midair, while humans can't, but the end result is basically the same. We're using two different fields of study to achieve identical results.

I look up at the giant artwork blazing above me. It's a huge task to get every single sigil correct.

The Mana has filled properly, so I let it fall.

*pshewe*

Eh? The sun moved? It's... Earlier in the morning?

I look at my map.

Ah, hell. I went in the wrong direction.

This is another problem with inscription. Unlike spells, they don't only form or not form. They can miscast, having different results than expected. Sometimes dramatically different. I mean, I think spells can too? Mine simply don't.

I zoom out on Pathfinder.

Wow. I was thrown many, many kilometers off course. I don't know where I am, but the map had to zoom out a heck of a lot to see Achiton. There's actually another entire city between where I am and the Achiton/Haitos pairing.

Why the heck can't my array transfer me that far normally?

I stew for a moment in frustration, as I'm not able to figure out what went wrong. It looks fine in my memory. Was it the fact I changed the sigil after it was partly filled with Mana? Damn, that'll be difficult to test.

I look back at the map.

Achiton and Haitos aren't particularly close. I called them a 'pairing' because they both sit within what looks like a wide valley, surrounded mostly by hills and mountains. Nothing else, not even the many villages and towns between them, are within said valley. It's an interesting layout.

Looking at it from this far away... It's like two large teardrops connected by a long, thin gorge, cutting through a weird squarish mountain in the middle.

That formation doesn't look particularly natural.

...

I shrug. Reh, whatever.

I'm not interested in random landscape architecture. Especially because I'm right above an actual human town right now. This place is big enough to support minor agriculture and some infrastructure, but not nearly big enough to have a stone wall or many guards.

I suppose I'll go down and say hello. Without the roaring this time. Ah, well. Shame they won't get to hear it.

I allow myself to drop and land heavily—

*THUD*

— upon a rocky plot near the main street. Though, I wasn't too high up this time else I'd have caused a lot of damage.

As I stand from bracing my fall, my incredible body and immense wings tower over the smaller huts. It's always nice to make an impressive entrance.

I look around.

Everyone has stopped what they're doing and is currently staring at me. Is it admiration? No, but I still appreciate their attention. One woman drops a bread roll; a huge rat grabs it and runs off.

*tok-tok*

*cheet*

I decide to make a bit of bow, to show my appreciation for their undivided focus.

"Hello! Nice to meet you. My grand self's name, is Pur—"

Bread roll woman absolutely freaking screeches at the top of her lungs.

#SKREEEEEEEEE—#

If I didn't know any better, I'd think the woman is half-harpy.

Her scream is like a panic button; the entire mass of people start swiftly moving like a huge squad of startled ants. They're crisscrossing each other while moving in a coordinated fashion.

*skh*

#—EEEEEEEEEEEEE#

*shf*

*skf*

Okay, this is interesting. I don't think I've ever seen such organized chaos. Bread-roll woman is still staring at me, mouth open, but she's gone silent.

*srh*

*ssh*

*krsh*

*shr*

*ssk*

Wow, she's almost as scary as I am! Erh— well. No.

She finally closes her mouth. All the people stop moving at almost the same time. I look behind myself.

Hrh. Not just the people in the square; they've got me entirely surrounded. I look back at her. It's the whole dang town. I even see some kids in this encirclement. I glance to the side. There's a woman over there, holding a baby.

How the heck did they pull this off so quickly? Is it some kind of magic? Before I learned magic to such a degree, I might've been worried, but I don't think there's anything they can reasonably do to me.

Every single person in town launches the same inscription in unison, forming a massive array.

Annnnd... I'm swiftly proven wrong.

I recognize it as Magic Sealing. It won't do anything to me, though? At least, that's what I thought.

Apparently, there's enough people here to lock down my Mana pool, so they win via raw force. I have infinite Mana regeneration, but not an infinite Mana pool.

Large though it is.

Hrr! I... Didn't know this was possible.

I try to move, but quickly realize my lower body is pinned in place. I feel the pinning force is coming from in front of me, so I look toward where I feel said force most clearly.

Bread roll woman is holding a silver idol shaped like a dragon. I have no idea where she pulled that from; I wasn't watching her. I feel an immense force radiating out of it, the force then firmly holding my lower body in place.

What IS that?

A large man lazily walks out of the encirclement while holding a long parchment. He looks up at me and then down at the parchment several times as he walks. He comes to a stop at a 'safe' distance. There is no safe distance around me, but I suppose he doesn't know:

I'm not a normal dragon.

A smaller man runs up to him.

*ch*

*ch*

*ch*

He looks weirdly unhealthy, but he's covering it up quite well. This smaller man kneels down, unsheaths a blue sword—

*shrrrrk*

— then balances it on his hands by the flat of its blade. He's holding it up to the larger man.

He holds the sword in this deferential pose whilst the large man continues reading his parchment.

It's a blazing neon blue sword, almost like it's the antithesis of my neon orange... Well, formerly neon orange, scales. The large man ignores the small man, evidently too engrossed in his parchment to pay him any attention.

I feel something odd in the array, so I look for the source.

{*smk*}

Ahra. So that's it.

It seems I have several ways to get out of this. I could upgrade my job and get all the extra bonuses, as well as the bonus stats, but I don't want to do that unless necessary. I want to see what's available at the next unlock. I could add my free points to Wis to increase my Mana pool, but... No. That's wasteful. So, my last escape method? Hra. Let's see.

Maybe I'm being a bit arrogant, but the proceedings here are so interesting— and so different from both Achiton and Haitos. I've just now figured out these people aren't under some form of mind control; they're simply well-trained and disciplined. If I'd determined it was mind control? I'd do my damndest to break out.

I'm sure it's not mind-control. This is because what I felt was one of this array's keystones weakening for a moment. I looked for the source, and right there was a kid fidgeting. Then, an adult smacked the kid upside her head. She went back to channeling her Mana— and at that moment the keystone restored itself.

Just that little interruption was almost enough to shatter the whole array. My Mana pool is simply so massive that I can almost overwhelm an entire town's combined Magic Sealing array by myself. Based on their expressions? I think all of them know exactly how close they are to the edge. If they don't, well, they're still right to fear me.

I decide to speak with the large man. He's still ignoring the small man, who's by now struggling to hold up the anti-me sword. What a jerk!

"I don't want to kill you folks; I only flew down here to say hello. Can't we all get along?"

The man looks up from his parchment with an obvious gaze of confusion and suspicion.

"You, dragon. You can talk?"

"Yes, I keep hearing that's unusual."

"Unusual? It's never happened in your species' history. I would know. Are you really a dragon?"

I'm the only one? Ragh, that sucks.

"Before I answer, do you mind explaining what gives you the confidence to make such a bold claim?"

"No, I suppose not. I am this town's dragon hunter; it is my sole duty to know and exploit everything about you and your kind. You are... Unique. In more ways than one, it appears."

He looks back down at his parchment. I respond.

"Then, to answer your question. I am a dragon, but only part-dragon. I hope you'll forgive me for staying silent about the other part."

He speaks, still focused on the parchment.

"It matters not. You are pinned by the Dragonblood Sigil, so I know you're a dragon. I was merely curious if you'd lie in order to extricate yourself from your current situation. Dragons tend to hate those who speak dishonestly. Though, I've no idea how they can tell."

Rah? I thought I knew every sigil. I don't know about this Dragonblood Sigil.

"Oh. How is this 'Dragonblood Sigil' keeping me stuck here?"

"That is not for you to know, dragon."

He points to something on the parchment while turning toward the smaller man. The smaller man looks at me, looks back to the large man, then shakes his head 'no.'

What are they doing?

"Listen, I'm only being polite. You guys must be aware your array is nearly at its limit. Here's what you don't know; I've not yet tried to break the array— or your bodies."

He ignores me initially, his mind still engrossed in the parchment.

...

He eventually gets near the bottom.

Then, he responds.

"Don't bother acting haughty, dragon. You may know how to talk, but I'm no simpleton. I know your Mana and movement is sealed, so, what exactly do you think you're going to do? Roar at me?"

Oh, how'd he know?

"Do you hear the weird sound of my voice?"

He looks up, one eyebrow raised.

"Hmm. Yes? So what?"

"My roar's gonna kill you all. I'm not kidding. Don't make me do that."

He shakes his head.

"At the final moment, it always comes down to you beasts roaring. Perhaps you possess speech and intellect, but somehow you act no differently. You shall die all the same."

He looks back at the parchment.

The smaller man gives up holding the sword. Breathing heavily, he lets it stab into the ground.

*shunk*

*huuh-huuh*

The large man looks at him again, then turns the parchment and points to the bottom. The smaller man looks at it for a moment, looks at me, then looks at the large man and shakes his head 'no.'

Hra... What IS that? It doesn't seem very smart to take this long with a whole dragon caught in your quavering Magic Sealing array.

As if to answer my mental query, the large man speaks up.

"Alright dragon. Since you can talk, I'll give you the honor of stating your name before you die. You aren't on the list of protected dragons."

Oh, so that's what it was. Though, I'm curious. Why are some dragons protected?

"My name— is Pure Evil. I won't ever die, as I am my own protection. Perhaps you haven't noticed my great stature."

*snork*

The large man actually snorts and laughs.

"Haha! Yes, you are by far the biggest dragon I've ever seen, but not nearly the strongest. You may let loose that dainty roar of yours; your oversized form solely means I have more places to stab. May you rest in hell, Pure Evil."

He grabs the neon blue sword and removes it from the dirt, swiftly leveling it at my body.

Arah! Fine, but I'll bite back. I'mma dragon.

I raise my head up high and take in a deep breath. My huge lungs fill with air like a set of powerful bellows. My scaled chest bulges out, my legs still locked in place, my wings and tail frozen behind me.

And I breathe out.