Inside the dragon mountains, Arthur was meditating, focused on increasing his power. The number of Dragon Priests kept growing, and all of them were meditating using the Dragon Aspect meditation, making Arthur stronger, and they also.
Wisa and Jane also focused on their training, meditating by the waterfall inside the dragon's valley — near the small cabin they built for themselves, and for Arthur, of course.
But only meditation would not get Arthur to rank four, there were more things to it, more specifically, alchemy!
"Daydream Basil, Imperial Bark, and one Gorgon Gland," said Arthur, putting some ingredients inside a cauldron and boiling it using his fire essence.
Arthur brewed some potions for Jane and Wisa, which would help them reach rank three, which was why they were meditating near the waterfall! As for himself, the potion he needed to craft was way more complex, and that is why he was alone in a room, and there were only him and his alchemy supplies.
No one could go in — Selen was not there to order the dragons, but Arthur already had the same authority as her.
"I need to focus on the fire, it cannot surpass a certain degree!"
The process of crafting a potion was complex, especially for one which would help a rank three mage. Arthur had to ensure the number of ingredients was correct, their order was right, and also not heat the cauldron beyond the capabilities of the ingredients.
Those ingredients were resistant, so Arthur had to use his fire essence to its utmost, making the cave room get hotter and hotter, to the point that even Arthur wanted to leave, having sweat dripping from his forehead.
"I have to keep going," he thought, finding ways not to give up!
Time slowed, and it was finally over after heating the ingredients for a long time. The cauldron now had a purple liquid, which smelled strange, like something Arthur had never smelled before
But how the liquid looked or smelled did not matter. What mattered was the effects it would cause on Arthur's body and how much his power would increase!
"Let me fill up some flasks, hehe," he said aloud, looking like a crazy person, and it was a good thing no one was there with him to see such a thing.
After he filled the flasks with the liquid — around ten flasks of potion — Arthur left the cave room and went to meet up with his wives.
He passed through the beautiful valley, chatted with some dragons along the way, and Garry, Larry, and Terry. When he reached the waterfall where Jane and Wisa were, Arthur saw both of them focused on their meditation and did not want to get in the way, so he decided to look for his spot to meditate and test the potion.
There was a cave behind the waterfall, hidden from sight because of the water, like those places where people stored treasures in movies. That was the place Arthur chose to meditate and test the potion.
After sitting cross-legged on the hard floor, Arthur took out one flask from his magical pouch and looked at it thoughtfully. What if the potion did not work? Arthur was not scared about it being poisonous, as he believed no poison in that world could pass through his dragon resistance, but what if it did not work?
There weren't many types of potions that could help rank three mages, so if that one did not work, Arthur would have to look for other alternatives, which could not be there.
"I hope it does," he thought, drinking the whole potion in one go.
It tasted like shit and sent a burning sensation down his body, first through the throat and then the belly.
"This thing is like magma or something," he cursed, closing his mouth, and hitting teeth against teeth.
But, after all the bad things came the good ones. The potion sent a mysterious power throughout his body, something he had never felt! The fear Arthur had vanished, and it seemed the potion had worked!
"Now it is time for a long meditation…."
~~~~
Tessa and Arthur walked through a tunnel — similar to all the tunnels in that castle — until they reached an open room with a wooden table and some comfy chairs.
Some others with the same blue robe and golden mask were sitting there, waiting for Tessa. She walked up and sat on the middle chair like the group's leader, and then she said, "this is our new member; please welcome him!"
All the people at that table nodded toward Arthur as a sign of respect, and they did not ask who he was or what his name was. Everyone in the Blue Rose Order had the same goal, which was what mattered.
"One of them is not a vampire, and… what is this power?" thought Arthur as he scanned some of the people in that room.
The person beside Tessa was not a vampire, but something Arthur knew very well by that point, a werewolf! Not only that, but it was one with the power of a rank-four mage!
"You are wondering about the person beside me. Well, this is our helper in our plan to stop the Von Stein family from taking control of the continent. We know this is not enough to face the two rank-four mages and presumably the others that will come from the alliances, but there is someone else on our side. You will know it in the future."
Arthur did not say a word as he sat on the chair, facing Tessa, waiting for her to explain more about how that society worked.
"The person beside me is the leader of one of the werewolf families, and this person is willing to help us stop the Von Stein family. But, before you ask, not me or this person will rule over the continent. For this, we need someone stronger and more capable. We have already found this mysterious ruler, so don't worry about it."
"I can see your strength is growing fast, and we still have some time left before our attack, so you better get more powerful by that point, or else you could lose your life in it. We met once every week to discuss our ongoing plan and to help each other in general."
Tessa explained the situation to Arthur, and he understood things entirely. Those werewolves in the dungeon were presumably the army that the rank-four werewolf beside Tessa had, and now it was the army of the Blue Rose Order.
They were planning a sneak attack to take over the Von Stein castle and the rest of the territory afterward. That was a bold move but one Arthur liked.
"An internal conflict is exactly what I need for me to take advantage of and take control over the continent myself!" he thought.
After that, the actual reunion started, and Arthur did not say a word but listened to everything carefully.
They spoke about the date their plan would start — if things went well — and about the strongest vampires in the castle, as these were the ones they should worry about.
There were around 50 rank-three vampires and two rank-four vampires, which was a powerful force!
Their plan would start in around one year, and Arthur had that period to reach rank four, not only as a dragon but also as a vampire.
"Rank four in two of my bodies in one year? I can do it!"
After the meeting was over and all of them returned to their rooms, something strange happened inside the castle. Guards moved from side to side, making it more noisy than usual.
"What is happening?" Arthur asked one of the servants that were passing by in the halls.
"Someone important is visiting us, with not-so-friendly behaviors… I believe it is a rank-four mage too!"
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢