Rebirth of the Prime Dragon Master
Chapter 247 Weak And Helpless Marin

Rocky arrived at the battlefields of northeast military camp, having followed Thor and Sheridan thewhole way. The battlefields were teeming with personnel, from ranks of soldiers to spiritmanipulators. Many of the soldiers and spirit manipulators were gathered around a creature ofimmense size, pointing and whispering.

"Back off and step aside...! What is going on here?!" Sheridan demanded loudly, seeing thecommotion and unhappy at the conduct.

Solders and spirit manipulators looked up to see that it was Sheridan who spoke. All of themstepped aside and cleared the way for him, knowing his temper was infamous throughout the wholenortheast military camp. Sheridan was, after all, the administrator of beast farm. If they irritated him,then the spirit-manipulated beasts, their closest friends, would get in trouble. It was in their bestinterests to respect him and his authority.

Standing behind Sheridan, Rocky cast his eyes on the enormous figure in battlefield. He realizedthat it was none other than Marin’s war dragon named Verdanim. Verdanim was stretched out on itsside. It looked as though it was in serious pain. Its lower abdomen bulged out, distended like a ball,almost as though it'd been pregnant for a few months. But its left rear limb which was badlydeformed was bloody. The limb was black and blue all over. While outwardly, the injury lookedhorrible, the internal injuries were likely much worse than that.

"Sheridan..." Marin choked as she gently patted Verdanim's head from where she was squatted. Shewas desperately trying to soothe her injured dragon. With tears in her eyes, she rose to her feet toimplore Sheridan. "Hurry, please, save Verdanim, I beg you!" she begged.

"Calm down, Marin; don't worry. I'll save it, I promise you," Sheridan replied calmly, patting hershoulder and trying to reassure her. Verdanim had been his gift to Marin, and he had raised thedragon himself. Hence, he understood her feelings about Verdanim in this situation, andsympathized with her.

For Marin, Verdanim was more than just a dragon; it was like a sibling to her. Her sadness and herjoys were things she would share with it. She adored this dragon and prized it above all else, andher heart broke to see it so injured.

Rocky had never seen Marin look so weak and helpless before. Often, she behaved as though shewere a man: strong, impartial, and clear-sighted. She was a fine Commander that looked as steadyas any other. But now, it seemed as though a mere breeze could send Marin down.

For Marin's part, as soon as she'd seen Sheridan approaching, she felt some of her anxiousnessdrain from her body. She was confident that he had every ability to cure her spirit-manipulatedbeast. But then she felt a stare upon her and found Rocky there. She only looked sadly back at himbefore turning her attention back to Sheridan. Her dragon mattered more than anything at thismoment.

Sheridan began his examination of the dragon. But as he did, his frown deepened, as though hewere clearly having some difficulty. Judging by his expression, everyone feared that the injury onVerdanim wasn't quite as simple as it appeared.

"Sheridan, how is Verdanim?" Marin asked anxiously. "Can you cure it..?" She was wringing herhands in worry, seeing the look on his face.

Sheridan sighed as he looked back at Marin, and his hesitation worried her.

"Sheridan...2" After seeing Sheridan's expression, Marin's heart leapt to her throat, her stomach inknots. She had a bad feeling about this.

"I'm afraid Verdanim has suffered a serious internal injury. Its meridians were ruptured, causingintra-abdominal bleeding. A substantial amount of blood is accumulating in its belly, putting astrain on its internal organs. And another thing, it has a fracture on its left leg bone. Even I can'tunderstand how it could've suffered such a serious injury. I am so sorry, Marin, but... I'm not sure I'llbe able to save Verdanim this time," Sheridan told her quietly, apologetically. He knew that thiswould be a serious blow to Marin, but this was something too serious to sugarcoat and she had toknow the truth.

Marin felt her world grow dark, sending her into a spiral of despair. Wracked with misery, she balledher fists and buried her face into her hands. "This is all my fault, I knew it...it's all my fault! If I hadn'ttried to win...if I hadn't tried to win so hard, Verdanim wouldn't have gotten hurt trying to save me! Idid this, this is all my fault..." She broke down.

Having never seen Marin so disconsolate before, the soldiers and spirit manipulators watched on insympathetic awe. They felt a deep sense of pity for her, and knew they too would mourn such a loss.Verdanim was the only war dragon of the northeast military camp, and was their symbol.

"Sheridan, please...please, I beg you, please, can't you save Verdanim?!" Marin begged shrilly, heartin her throat and desperate. She seemed to have lost control of herself as she grasped Sheridan'sgrey hand. It was too difficult for her to accept that her beloved Verdanim was about to die. Shecould not bear to lose her oldest and closest friend.

"It's...not as easy as that, Marin. From the looks of it, it's difficult to replace a way to save Verdanim'slife. Even if I could somehow manage it, it would be crippled. It'd no longer be able to fight for you,and it'd remain in a stable for the rest of its life." Sheridan sighed heavily. Though there was thatslim chance that he could save the war dragon, Verdanim would simply never be the same again,and would never be able to go to war again. And as this was a war beast that was born to fight, itslife would become meaningless otherwise. It could become disconsolate and despondent, as to beconfined to a stable was a fate that some would say was worse than death.

"No! I don't care. It doesn't matter--you must cure Verdanim, you must! You must know what to do,a treatment, a cure, something..." Marin was firm and would not be moved. She couldn't give up.Sheridan could only shake his head even as he heard Marin's voice grow more shrill and pleading.He understood that this was going to break her heart, but there was really no use in trying to cureVerdanim. This was simply how life went.

"Sheridan, please... I will do anything, anything you ask. Please cure Verdanim," Marin begged,inconsolable as tears flowed down her cheeks.

"I would suggest that we don't make Verdanim suffer any further,” Sheridan told her gently, tryingto come to terms with his own grief. He knew that even if he did cure Verdanim, the dragon couldsuffer significant disabilities. Its movement would become slow and difficult due to the seriousinternal injuries and its crippled left limb. It would be a lifetime of suffering until the dragon passedaway. Instead of putting it through so much pain, it might be better to let Verdanim rest, away fromthe misery.

Rocky, watching Marin grow more panicked, knew that she was giving in to her emotions and thather demands wouldn't at all convince or aid Sheridan in determining what was best for Verdanim.He immediately went to her and grasped her hand, willing her to turn her attentions to him instead."Marin, there's no use in blaming yourself. You have to face the truth!”

"You...?! How dare you..." Marin, already heartbroken and in pain, felt rage bubble up to the surfaceat Rocky's impudence, wondering how he felt he had the right to hold her hand right now. Sheforcibly tried to pull her hand away but he refused to let go.

The soldiers and spirit manipulators around them, startled, began to grow uncomfortable. Rockywas displaying a bold show of insubordination. His impertinence could cost him his life.

"Stay out of this, I know Sheridan has a way to cure Verdanim...! Just get out of my way and let mego! You're really pissing me off!" Marin was livid, eyes blazing at Rocky.

"And what would Verdanim think if it saw you hysterical like this?! The dragon got hurt to save you,it put itself through this for your sake; it didn't do this to watch you have a meltdown!" Rockysnarled back angrily, jabbing a finger to Verdanim's direction, as the dragon continued to struggle.Caught off guard, Marin turned her eyes back to her beloved dragon. Verdanim could only lookback at her pitifully, struggling to breathe with sad eyes. The only sound the dragon could makewas a small, pained neigh.

At such a heartbreaking sight, Marin's misery swelled up her throat and tears flowed free onceagain. She hastily wiped them away, unable to bear the thought that people would think she wasfragile.

But her actions did not go unnoticed by Rocky. He was shocked that Marin could cry like this, andhis heart softened. After a moment of careful deliberation, he finally spoke, "Maybe...Maybe I couldreplace a way to cure Verdanim.”

"You...you can cure him?" Marin stared at him, astonished at such a declaration. If not even Sheridancould replace a way to cure Verdanim, how could Rocky possibly manage it? He had only beenSheridan's apprentice for a few months. Could Rocky really do it?