Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"I wasn't expecting your visit, but I suppose that would be too much… I shouldn't tell my daughter not to come to her old home," Seadrei said when the whole group arrived in the throne room.

"I imagined that you would be pretty busy trying to recover from the losses of personnel after this incident," Rain said.

"It is hard to fill in the high positions, but since a lot of people showed their worth, I can fill them in right away," Seadrei said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "The real problem is how we can make the young ones as strong as possible and gain experience as well. Usual battle experience isn't very useful against dragons."

"Dad, we learned a bit a few things that can help you, but it is a rather dangerous knowledge," Seara said.

Spreading the knowledge of their newfound techniques was a bit of a double-edged sword. Rain and his friends understood that sharing their skills with inexperienced individuals could pose a risk. Inexperienced people could easily make mistakes, and the enemies might quickly learn their techniques.

However, they found themselves in a bit of a bind because there were very few humans who were capable of effectively fighting in the ocean.

They were faced with a dilemma. On one hand, they wanted to empower others and strengthen their forces to better defend against the sea dragons. On the other hand, they needed to be cautious about how and to whom they shared their knowledge. They had to strike a balance between building a strong defense and preventing their enemies from gaining an upper hand.

"I was planning to teach everyone how to recover faster using the waters around them, that should help quite a bit," Seadrei said, looking thoughtful again. "The other techniques are truly dangerous, but it isn't like we have many other options."

"I suspect that once I learn the technique of the ice dragons, your fighting power here should increase a lot… if you all manage to learn it," Rain said.

"Are you confident that you can do the same?" Seadrei asked.

"The only problem that I have is time, there is only so much I can do, even while relying on my friends and family," Rain said and then recalled the weapons that Lotto were making. "Your fighting power would increase if you received the weapons that we are making using the Dragons parts… but that could enrage the dragons. I can't see much difference in being hated from being almost killed, though."

"You have a point, I still prefer to use those only on emergencies in order to let everyone improve by themselves," Seadrei said. "We will accept the help. That being said, we need to pay it back."

"We will talk about that when the time comes," Rain said. "Did you learn anything about the movements of the dragons? Kraken dragons keep attacking the southern coast, but nothing else and their numbers are small."

"Seadir is working on that, I can't say for sure when he will get some results," Seadrei said and then he went silent while thinking about something, but then he shook his head, as if he was trying to forget it. "... What are your plans?"

"I will try to contact Isa again," Rain said. "It is hard to imagine that they haven't been attacked during this mess. Still, she already taught me a lot and I am not sure how I can make this exchange of information more equal."

"I would say that some of the weapons that you are making should be good enough for that," Seadrei said.

"Yeah, I suppose… maybe some dragon barbecue will do it as well," Rain said.

The kids seemed quite eager to explore the underwater castle, and it was clear that they were filled with curiosity and excitement. Seeing their enthusiasm, the group decided to extend their stay at the castle for a while longer. Rain had to accompany them and ensure their safety while they satisfied their sense of adventure.

Despite their initial concerns the time spent exploring the castle turned out to be a pleasant way to pass the time. It allowed them to relax and enjoy some moments of calm before they would need to return to their ongoing daily life.

The kids' enthusiasm and the sense of wonder that exploring the underwater castle brought them added a touch of lightheartedness to their otherwise challenging journey.

"Rain, what do you think of the fact that we only dealt with water dragons and their variations until now?" Jori asked when they returned to the port town.

"I didn't give much thought to it, but I don't think that they are the weakest or like we can split them like that given their elements," Rain said. "Their age affects their power quite a bit, after all."

"Makes sense, I was thinking that we would do better if we stayed in the west and Liss and Asche were to come here since they are ranged fighters," Jori explained. "The earth dragons would have to come on foot, after all."
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"Well… this kind of change is quite big," Rain said. "We should wait until things happens there and check their opinion on the matter."

"I guess… we are going to stay in the port town for a while and help with dismantling the dragons," Jori said. "See you later."

"I want to test my spear soon, so call us if something happens," Reca added.

Rain wondered how much bloodthirsty a mother of four could be… he wondered if Reca had to be studied, but he didn't say that out loud. It was a relief to have an ally that never flinched in front of the dragons, though. Even though Reca seemed suicidal with her usual behavior.

After the group split, Rain and his family headed home and felt relieved and tired as well when they returned… it was the usual feeling after spending several days away from home, but unfortunately, the grinding never ends.