Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 904: Gift from Master to True Disciple

CH0904 Gift from Master to True Disciple

***

‘Fine, if not for myself directly, what of another?’ he thought.

His gaze snapped to the still-unconscious AVA.

At this point, Alex suspected his Master was intentionally keeping the anomalous entity unconscious.

Shaking the thought out of his mind, he turned back to his Master as an idea came to him.

“Master, AVA has the potential to solve many of my Rune-Tech’s problems. However, her Hive Mind is severely hampered by her relatively lacking Spiritual power. Can you suggest a solution, Master?” he inquired.

“Her situation is typical for a Broodmother,” Uthvaazgol said without needing to think about it. “Since they can produce offspring at an alarming rate, the Supreme Law of Balance dictates that a limitation be imposed on them. Usually, this limitation comes in the form of Control or Resources.

“Some Brood species find it difficult to find the resources necessary for their incubation and birth, while in others, the Queen or Mother loses control when the number of the race overflows beyond a certain extent depending on the Queen or Mother’s power. Both impose limitations on the spread of the Brood.”

“AVA has both limitations, but I happen to be in a resource-rich environment for her. Her major problem is control,” Alex said.

Uthvaazgol nodded in agreement.

“There are a number of Brood species that have the same major limitation. And each has come up with its own different solution.

“Since AVA can consume a sample and gain the genetic information within, then it might be possible to transfer the method to AVA by having her consume a sample of the right Brood species…” Uthvaazgol muttered to himself.

He looked into the distant space.

Alex couldn’t see it, but Uthvaazgol casually looked through distant locations so far away that Alex wouldn’t be able to wrap his head around it.

Finally, his ‘eyes’ settled on a particular Brood species.

“Hmm… seems good enough,” he muttered. Then he looked at Alex. “I have found a suitable sample.

“Although it is a lowly Class 7, this Brood Queen can create enfeoffment nodes that would extend her Spiritual power and allow her to control more members of her Brood. The only demerit is that she needs time and resources to create each node, and she won’t be able to produce Brood members within that time.”

“That’s actually good.” Alex beamed. “It’s not like AVA has to keep to this Brood Queen’s template. Take what is needed and discard what isn’t—that’s her way of growing.”

“Very well.” Uthvaazgol nodded.

He reached out into the space before him casually, his hand piercing into the fabric of space.

In a distant plane many light-centuries away, a nest of fleshy insectoid beasts roamed the entire plane like a plague, sucking out the remnant lifeforce in the plane.

This Brood had just successfully brought down the plane after centuries of arduous battles against its defenders.

The Brood Queen lay on her ‘throne’ of stomach-churning flesh. While her Brood sacked the plane of whatever value remained, the Brood Queen was already thinking about the future.

However, suddenly, a terrifying claw stretched out from the void.

Skrrr!!!

The Brood Queen screamed, aiming to escape by sacrificing her Brood. If she survived, her species could regrow, but if she died, it would be the end of their species.

Even without the Queen actively sacrificing the Brood, they themselves threw themselves in front of the incoming claw.

“Humph!”

A terrifying draconic snort sounded through the plane.

Suddenly, the Queen and her Brood froze in place.

Then the claw stretched out and casually snatched the Queen away.

The Brood screamed and screeched for a good while, but nothing happened. Their Queen was gone.

Back within Uthvaazgol’s nest, the Ancient Dragon pulled back his hand from the spatial tear, bringing with it a terrifying creature that Alex couldn’t even dare look at.

The creature was gigantic, about seven metres tall, twice as wide and four times as long. However, it looked no different from a worm in Uthvaazgol’s hand—disgusting, yes, but harmless.

“Do you need it alive?” Uthvaazgol inquired.

“No,” Alex shook his head.

“Alright.” Uthvaazgol’s voice sounded.

Crack!

The Ancient Dragon casually finished off the Brood Queen.

Alex’s body shivered instinctively as he watched a high-and-mighty Class 7 being killed so easily.

It was a chilling yet humbling sight.

Alex figured this Brood Queen was likely a paragon of power in her own right. Yet, before a greater being, she was no different from an ant to an ordinary human—insignificant.

With a point of one of Uthvaazgol’s claws, the Brood Queen’s corpse was dissected. Her brain and heart were extracted from her corpse.

Then, the space shrank around the Brood Queen’s heart, brain, and the rest of the corpse, shrinking them into orbs the size of tennis balls.

The orb not only shrank the Brood Queen’s massive size, but it also kept all of her energy and presence contained.

Uthvaazgol waved his claw towards Alex. The orb containing the heart and brain flew towards Alex, while the one containing the rest of the corpse disappeared.

“Feed them to your Nest Queen,” Uthvaazgol said. “Ensure she uses them entirely to grow her Spiritual nature, and not her rank. Getting the needed ability is more important than her power rank right now,” he cautioned.

“Understood, Master.” Alex nodded.

Uthvaazgol pulled back his presence, and AVA woke up, proving Alex right that the Ancient Dragon was the cause of the Nest Queen’s unconsciousness.

After waking, AVA seemingly didn’t dare to look towards Uthvaazgol, keeping her eyes firmly on Alex.

Alex passed the two orbs to her, and AVA consumed them without a moment’s hesitation.

Immediately after, she suddenly felt a sense of vertigo.

Alex waved his hand, and the portal to the Sanctuary space opened. Without needing his prompt, AVA staggered into the portal, and it closed behind her.

“Now, all that’s left to do is wait for her to extract the genetic information she needs,” Alex said.

“Is this all you want?” Uthvaazgol asked.

“For now, yes.” Alex nodded.

“Very well.” Uthvaazgol returned to his lying position.

Master and True Disciple had come to the end of their reunion.

“I will be taking my leave now, Master,” Alex said.

Uthvaazgol nodded, his eyes already closing.

Just as Alex was about to step through the portal out of the Ancient Dragon’s nest, his Master’s voice sounded in his ears.

“If you wish, you may reveal your identity as my True Disciple to the world,” Uthvaazgol said.

Alex turned to the dragon in surprise.

“Not just as Merlin’s True Disciple. If necessary, and you wish, you may reveal that you are my, Ancient Dragon Uthvaazgol’s, True Disciple,” Uthvaazgol spoke again.

If Alex was surprised before, he was stunned now, shocked even.

“Yes, Master!” Alex bowed.

One of Uthvaazgol’s claws waved dismissively, indicating that the youth should take his leave.

After Alex left, Uthvaazgol’s eyes opened. He looked into the distance once more.

“It is a fascinating game you are playing. Was this your intent or the boy’s Providence…” he muttered to himself.

“Well, whatever the case, his Providence is now strong enough to bear association with mine, so no harm will come to him if he reveals his identity,” Uthvaazgol spoke with a locked gaze.

But then, his expression soon eased into a chuckle.

“Then again, I don’t expect him to actually reveal his relationship to a true Ancient Dragon.”

Closing his eyes once more, the dragon snuggled into a comfortable position.

“The next few centuries or so should be interesting…”

***