I Killed the Last Dragon and became the Administrator

Chapter 14 Meat

Ke'an rounds up as many firearms as he can. The simple fact of the matter is that his magic is far too potent his revolver and it may explode in a few shots. The strain he already placed on it in the last fight ruptured the barrel with a hairline crack. The new guns were not designed for use with magic so he imagines they will explode after one shot. Still with the ten guns and his own revolver sixteen shots is better than just six.

Once System is feeling ready they go out into the forest to inspect the carvings on the trees. Even though many people had been out to carve the trees, the lack of skill meant that most of the carvings were wrong and would not work. They walked the forest looking for diagrams with simple mistakes they could fix in short order without having to remake them entirely. They spent the remaining hour cleaning up errors on some of the magic circles before returning to the town.

They arrived at the homes in the orchard in the outskirts. Since they had no idea where the new wraiths would come from they placed a bet that it would be in the same direction as the first two that arrived. Ke'an straps two guns to his back and the others he places around town in locations it will be easy to get to once the fight breaks out. The fields were in shambles and several of the homes were damaged but all of that could be rebuilt or replanted. The real loss were the stravani farmers that gave their lives fighting what they most certainly believed was an unwinnable disaster.

Ke'an places his hand on the hilt of his weapon thinking back on the last few years he spent with System in her Reality Crucible. The weird thing is that all of that was subjective time and in this world it all happened in a single afternoon. Now his body and mind are alien to what he was before. He is in a state that is no longer human but also not quite what System was either. The seemingly endless fighting in the Graveyard may have sharpened his skills but he can see they were a precursor to what he will have to face now. The world itself is changing and will grind itself apart like his former body all to make him better.

Ke'an feels a pang of guilt as he and System ready themselves for the final wave. He looks at System, the former administrator doesn't even look slightly concerned as if she is all but assured of their victory. He he turns away from her looking out into the ever darkening forest trying pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. Still he can't help but try to justify his actions and the deaths that only happened here because of him. Had he not taken the power, System would have died anyway and the world would have ended, so he didn't have a choice in the end.

However, he can't lie to himself; he did not do it for altruistic purposes or even to save the world. He saw an opportunity to take power and not just any old power but that of the last dragon. In the end he took it like the thief he was raised to be. He is wondering if the trade was worth it now that he has the power. Even he is finding it difficult to recognize himself in this new form. Not to mention the guilt he feels in causing genuine harm to the people of Kil'sava. Them praising him as a hero when it is technically all his fault.

Despite his internal conflict Ke'an and System felt far more prepared for this wave than the first. As the last minutes on the timer count down in Ke'an's quest menu he remembers that there were two skills he had not looked at yet. Although even without reading the descriptions he already knows how to utilize the new power. He is getting ready to open the skill menu when System gets his attention as the two wait quietly in the small settlement.

System rolls her shoulders and drops to a fighting stance. "How much time do we have?"

"We are in the final few seconds now." Ke'an responds while opening the quest menu then dismissing it with a thought. "I have Manny and his team set up a little further at several vantage points."

System laughs."That's good, keeps them out of the way and makes them feel like they are helping. I am assuming we are not planning on using them though. If they shoot it would be suicide."