Author's Preface
The six dragons remaining in the room all headed toward the openings. Ryan and Bubba stood next to the queen and looked out. Dragons were flying around the sky, magic coming from their mouths as they attacked one another. A large horde of green dragons spewed acid onto the streets. As Ryan looked on, he watched dragons of every color fall from the sky after taking serious damage.
High above, a dragon the size of a stadium hovered over everything. He stared down at Alessia, gathered magic in his mouth, and released it. As soon as it happened, Alessia transformed into a massive blue dragon. Her ice breath met the acid breath halfway through the sky. It exploded in a beautiful yet terrifying wave of ice and acid. Any nearby dragon caught in it either turned to ice or was burned by the acid. The explosion didn't differentiate between friend or foe.
Queen Alessia looked back at Alyssara. "Take Kade to the streets. Help where you can, and absolutely do not die."
Ryan watched as the red, white, and two golden dragons transformed and took off into the sky toward the massive green dragon. He watched as they fought through dozens of dragons. Alyssara transformed, bit Ryan's collar, and tossed him onto her back. Bubba hopped into his shadow as she flew toward the streets below. The moment they hit the streets, Alyssara roared and began to spew her ice magic at any dragon who attacked. In an instant, she was in the air fighting as Ryan stood there, unable to move.
"Dumb master... summon Meatloaf."
Ryan shook his head and summoned everyone and their subordinates. He stood with his shadows surrounding him. Then he heard a voice in his mind.
"Our allies won't attack you."
Just then, three red dragons and two blue dragons landed in front of Ryan's shadows. One looked back at him. "Get ready, Mr. Shadow. They are coming."
As Ryan looked up, dozens of green dragons were descending from the sky like missiles. Acid spewed from their mouths as the other dragons met their attacks with their own. Not every attack was countered. Meatloaf's subordinates formed a wall in front of Ryan, their shields raised high as the remaining acid attacks crashed against them. All Ryan heard next were screams as the acid tore through his shadows' shields. One by one, six shadows dissolved into the air, gone... forever.
"Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck." Ryan watched as they disappated.
Ryan called forth his tendrils and swatted at the dragons who came close like flies. Veyra and her men shot arrows at the incoming dragons. A few arrows from Veyra struck, but the rest bounced off the dragons' scales. Eventually, all the dragons landed, encircling Ryan, his shadows, and his dragon allies. Then an all-out brawl took place. Bubba rushed forward with his subordinates, pushing back against the dragons who tried to get close. Meatloaf raised his shield to block any magic attacks aimed at Ryan. The red and blue dragons fell one by one as Ryan stared in shock at the scene.
Bubba and his fellow warriors fought two of the green dragons by themselves. Each swipe of a dragon's tail took out his subordinates one by one. Acid breath from one dragon was aimed at Thimble. Bubba jumped in front of it and swung his warhammer to disperse it. His warhammer melted instantly, and the residual acid carved holes into his arms and abdomen.
Ryan looked on as Meatloaf's shield dissolved and his left leg was shattered instantly by a tail. Veyra stood with blood running down her forehead, the bottom half of her bow melted and her subordinates all gone. Fido and his assassin subordinates didn't fare any better. As they dashed between the legs of the dragons, their daggers and Fido's teeth couldn't penetrate their scales. The dragons all turned their attention toward Fido and his squad. They flapped their wings once as they lifted into the air and green magic gathered in their throats.
Ryan screamed, "FIDO!"
Acid poured down like rain where Fido and his squad stood. All Ryan could do was watch in horror as Fido's men disappeared and Fido himself was left lying on the ground. Pools of acid burned against his fur. As Ryan looked up, one green dragon hovered above him. It smiled, gathered magic, and fired toward Ryan. Ryan dodged to the right, but he wasn't quick enough. Acid caught his bicep and started carving its way through flesh, muscle, and even bone. Ryan screamed.
Queen Alessia and the other four dragons landed. They fought off the remaining green dragons as Alyssara landed next to Ryan. She took one look at his arm. "I'm sorry."
With one bite, she bit Ryan's arm clean off. Ryan screamed in pain. As he started to pass out from the shock, Thimble pulled his hair hard. "Unsummon us, Master, now! Before we all die!"
Ryan snapped his fingers. His summons formed into black smoke and retreated into his shadow as Ryan fell forward into the waiting wing of Alyssara.
A few days later, Ryan awoke to Bubba leaning against a wall while Alyssara had her head resting on the foot of his bed. Ryan groaned and sat up. He reached to poke Bubba, but nothing was there. He looked at his right arm, still full and intact. Then he looked to his left. It was gone.
"Fuck, so it wasn't a dream." Ryan sighed loudly enough to wake Bubba.
"Master, you're alive!"
"I am, but more importantly, so are you. Although, how are you healed?"
"Master has enough mana to heal us inside the shadow realm now, though it is slow." Bubba looked at the scars on his arms and abdomen. "Thimble also helped. She can use her magic there now as well."
Ryan smiled. "That's good. Now, mind telling me how the fuck you keep popping out on your own?"
Bubba stood and flexed his arms. "Bubba got stronger. Now I can come and go as I please."
Ryan opened his system.
[Mana Reserves: 1100(2500)/∞]
[Shadows Available]
[Bubba - Orc King - 10 Star]
[Evolution Available: 3000 Mana Required]
[Subordinates: 4]
[Fido - Shadow Assassin - 7 Star]
[Subordinates: 0]
[Meatloaf - Heavy Knight - 6 Star]
[Subordinates: 2]
[Thimble - Fairy Priest - 6 Star
[Subordinates: 4]
[Veyra - Dark Elf Ranger - 9 Star]
[Subordinates: 1]
[Total Shadows: 16]
"Guess I haven't really checked my system in a while. Ten star? Evolution available? 3000 FUCKING MANA?" Ryan looked at Bubba.
His voice had also woken Alyssara. She yawned and looked at Ryan before leaping onto him and hugging him.
"I am so sorry. I got you into this, and now look at you." She leaned back in the chair she had been sitting in and reached under the bed. She placed a gauntlet at Ryan's feet.
Ryan stared at her, then at the gauntlet. "Holy shit, thank you! That damned dwarf would've killed me if I lost this."
"I sensed the strong enchantment on it. I assumed it was important. I am sorry we couldn't fix your arm."
Ryan reached over and placed his hand on the stump that had formed where his arm once was. "It's okay. It'll serve as a good reminder that I am not the main character."
Alyssara tilted her head. "You are taking this much better than I would've thought you would."
"Yeah, well... this isn't the first war, injury or death I've seen. It's not easy, but sometimes you have to override your feelings to accomplish the mission at hand."
"Such a hardened outlook for someone so young."
"If you only knew the half of it." Ryan thought to himself
"Anyways..." Ryan looked at Bubba. "You're ten stars now! And you can evolve! Do you have any new cool abilities? Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Master hasn't asked. We have all strengthened through each dungeon we fought. Also, that demon we encountered in the mountain. He gave us a large portion of his mana and told us not to speak of it. When that dragon threatened you, all I could think was to protect Master, and I appeared. I am sorry for not speaking of it to you. But that demon is much scarier than you, Master."
Ryan chuckled. "Yeah, it seems we keep running into terrifying things lately." Ryan turned to Alyssara. "So, was that the big brawl for the throne? Is it over now?"
"Far from it. That was the beginning. They were testing our strength and pride."
Ryan sighed. "Yeah, of course it wouldn't end there."
At that moment, the massive door to the room Ryan was in opened. Queen Alessia stepped through. "Good, you're awake. Glad to see you're still alive."
"Barely, although I lost a lot of men." Ryan looked down at his bed as a sad expression overtook his face.
"We all did. I am sure your shadows are like us dragons, willing to die for the ones we serve and care about."
Bubba stood. "Shadows will die for Master!"
Ryan smiled. "I wish you wouldn't say that. I don't want you to die for me. I want you to live beside me."
Ryan snapped his fingers, and Bubba turned to smoke and went back into his shadow. He looked at Alessia. "So, mind telling me how all this started? I think I deserve that much." Ryan tapped his stump.
Tyrus walked in a moment later. He looked at Ryan and nodded as he took a seat. "Seems you are not as weak-willed as I thought."
"You speak as if I could've just grown wings and flown away. I said I would help. I realize now I can't help in terms of strength, but I think I can help in other ways. But to do that, I need all the information I can get, starting with the king going missing."
Queen Alessia smiled and took a seat. "Very well. My husband, King Turux, lost a considerable amount of power almost sixteen years ago. It was sudden, and he wouldn't speak of how he lost it. That was also the moment the prophecy of the Man of Shadows came to him. Since then, we have been in a fight against his brother. Not long before my daughter sought you out, the king disappeared. His brother told the kingdom that my husband had abandoned the dragons. He sowed discord throughout the Dragonlands. We suspect he was kidnapped in his weakened state."
"He was obviously poisoned! It has been almost sixteen years, and he still hasn't recovered." Tyrus clenched his fist and raised his voice.
Alessia sighed. "As Tyrus said, we believe he was poisoned and taken. We believe he is being held captive by Ixur as we speak. We must fight Ixur back, find my husband, and restore the throne."
Ryan sat back and looked at the ceiling. "Sixteen years ago, he lost a considerable amount of power. No way. Gotta be some cosmic coincidence." He looked back at Queen Alessia. "The battle I witnessed played over and over in my dreams the last few days. It looked like an all-out brawl. No tactics, no leadership. Just fighting. I think if you let me help, we can outmaneuver, outsmart, and win. With a little trickery and bait-and-switch tactics, we can force the enemy right where we want them."
Tyrus stood. "Dragons do not fight dishonorably."
Ryan raised his voice. "SO YOU WOULD RATHER DIE? YOU WOULD SEE YOUR FAMILIES DIE? I WILL NOT LOSE ANY MORE OF MY FRIENDS FOR YOUR FOOLISH PRIDE."
Tyrus stood there for a moment before walking out.
Alessia exhaled deeply. "Do not mind him. He is a prideful dragon. I, though, do not wish to see any more death than necessary to end this. Rest. When you are ready, we will hear your thoughts. Ixur took a substantial loss. He will not move again anytime soon."