《Neverland》
1.1
I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock ringing and got to my feet. As always, I went about doing my usual morning routine. Followed by coffee and a heavy breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and fried potatoes. Then, I would pack away my lunch box into the duffle bag, and head out to my car. Work was boring, but it paid well. I could pay for my rent, the groceries, and the other miscellaneous bills that reared its ugly head every month. There was enough still left over to put into savings.
The bright spot of the day was at lunch,where I usually have coffee with a cute girl from the floor down. It was allnormal.
When the day was done, Iwould find myself inside my car and head back home. My life wasutterly uninspired, but I loved it all the same. So, why was it, thatthe lastthing I sawwas my ownfeet at the wrong angle? It was so close. Oh, look! Blood! A lot of it. Actually, there was a lot of blood...
I closed my eyes. And for a long time, I slept. Some rest was neededif I wanted to wake up. I was just so damn tired.
Beat.
It reminded me of something.That sounded a lot like a heartbeat, getting progressively stronger, louder. The pumping beat of my heart sounded like war drums in my ears inside my chest. The rushing of blood felt overwhelming, like a dam about to burst. I screamed and screamed, and it came out wrong. It was a primal thing, mingled with terror and fear and the sheer ferocitynearly overwhelmed my own senses. I nearly scared myself out of my own wits.
I held on to hope, however, for some meaningful design to save me.I knew, in my heart of hearts, that fear ruled me now. No one was going to save me. The world was unfair, but we make it the best we could to save it. Even if everyone else didn''t give a damn, I did. Even if just a little, as despair truly settled in.
Then, I fell.
I felt something hard touch my skin. It felt awkward against myskin, like rough bark or a particularlystrong leather. I felt stone and blood. The smellof blood was especially strong. Overwhelming, even.
Congratulations!
You have become a Level 1 Baby Dragon.
I froze.
When I work with people I either have a problem with or intenselydisagree with, I had to have the patience of a saint to get through the day. It was the simplest things in life that made life a little bit more bearable. That cute girl counted, so did the excellent coffee in the office kitchen. The boss was sometimes a dick, but understandable considering the pressure he was under from the Powers-That-Be. Now, those guys were the real clowns.
Anyway, I had a lot of patience. So, I closed my mind and ignored the screen in the peripheral of my vision.Go away. Go away. Go away.
Something bumped into his side.
Instincts. Overpowering, surging, piercing instincts swelled inside me like a violent tsunami. And I reacted. I had no idea what I bit into. All I tasted was the warmth of the blood and iron and flesh on my tongue. It tastedgood.So, I bit into it some more, eating my fill. Something else scraped and bumped into me, that felt strangely similar to the first one.
It bit into my sides, sharp andstrong. Pain.Something broke my hand. I felt my own blood flowing freely.
I reacted, just like before, and just as viciously. Gone was my overwhelming peaceful, passive nature. Here I was, biting and clawing at something thatdared encroach upon my domain. I roared and bit and ate whatever that tried to hurt me. It was exhausting reacting to the smells and the sounds around me, because most of the time, my eyes were instinctively closed. I didn''t even understand or realized what I was fighting. I justreacted.I was utterly blind. I didn''t think my vision hadn''t even fully developed yet.
The bloody free-for-all lasted hours, and it left my body drained. And when no more enemies came along, I rested among the dead.
Baby Dragon
Level 2!
Level 1 > 2
Strength - 8 - 10
Endurance - 9 - 12
Intelligence - 12 - 15
Willpower - 20 - 25
Vitality - 7 - 12
Skill Achievement Unlocked!
Invulnerability lvl.1 Acquired!
You have bathed in the blood of the immortal Dragons and supped their flesh and drank your fill! You have gained the rare skill Invulnerability. You are immune to lesser form of blunt, and piercing damages.
When I realized what I had done, I was horrified.
The despair and horror clung to the pits of my stomach like tar.
I vomited.
The taste of raw meat and metallic blood in my mouth felt good, despite it all.
I might have started to hyperventilate. I needed calm. I needed to breathe,so I clung to the closest comfort I could find. My tail.
It dawned on me that my arms, the tail... and my little stubby, leathery wings on my back were something I could feel. I had them, now. I could feel every sensation from them, like extra limbs were added to it.
And theproportion and length of my body felt wrong, as well. It was as if I suddenly shrunk down to a very large puppy. The pain of being so tiny and fragile... it chafed something fierce. And everything hurt from the battle, but it was the good kind of pain. I loved the hard-fought victory and dominion over those of lesser beings. It seemed to have engrained into my very existence. It was terrible, but Iconquered.And that felt good.
I curled up into a fetal position, and breathed in, and out. In, and out. I needed some semblance of peace and calm. Despite the taste of blood and guts in my mouth, I felt safe.It still hurts, of course. The pain was there, but it was manageable so I just ignore it.
Information. I needed information. That screen popped up again, like some sort of game. Was I inside a game? Was it all some sick joke? It didn''t feel like it. It felt all too real, like waking up from a nightmare, only to realize everything was so very real.
I took a deep breath and exhaled. Information was needed, and badly. Concentrating on the screen, I focused on the Baby Dragon part. This all seemed to be thought based on will. So, Iwilledthe information to the forefront.
Baby Dragon
They are product of a supernatural and the divine propogation of Mother Earth, and the Gods. The dragons are formed from the promedial ooze from the bosom of the world and the pure, undiluted mana itself. They are given flesh and blood, souls and spirits, and breathed life itself like a carefullly crafted clay doll. Their physical might knows no bounds, and magic itself bends to the will of the dragons. Fortunately for the mortals, their numbers are as legendary as their powers.
There was a lot of things I could think of, at this moment. Aside from the fact that I was apparently a baby dragon, I was stuck without help and helpless to defend myself.
Still, the fact that I was a dragon hadn''t left me quite prepared, or comprehend the nature of my very being. If that wasn''t surreal enough, then I didn''t know what was. Had I died? Was my real body somewhere inside my car, crushed and mutilated? A moment, then. I needed time to think, to get used to his new reality, in this game-like world.
I tried to talk, to make sounds. All that came were scratchy mewls and pitiful growls. I probably looked like a mangey kitten found abandoned off the highway, wet with blood and infected from various wounds that littered my body.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
But right now, all I wanted was to sleep.I needed sleep, to recover, and to heal. So, I slept.
I dreamt of the cloudy, blue skies. The sun shined in a picturesque backdrop of distant puffy clouds. The wind in my face felt good, and my body felt as light as the feather. As I flew higher, and higher, and the flames tracked my flight like a comet, I felt like the gods as they danced upon the cosmic energies of the world.
Then, with a flap of my mighty wings, I tucked them neatly as I fell. And there, in my home in the snow-capped mountains, I found little ants clamoring about like rodents. This angered me. I wanted to burn out their flesh and send their souls below to Mother.
I did just that.The unstoppable might of my jaws and flames was almighty, and I unleashed my power upon the ants thatso foolishlyinfringed upon my territory.The big ones screamed in terror, and the little ones were utterly helpless against my jaws and teeth. And even as they unleashed their pitiful magic and arrows, they allburned.
I woke with a gasp. And promptly threw up. My stomach was empty. The hunger and the lack of water was getting to me. When the stench of smell hit my nostrils, I lifted my head to glance at the direction in confusion.Its smell was stronger and nearly overpowering enough to make me gag. It seemed that I may have off-loaded some of the waste... and slept next to it.
I shuddered.
As depressing as that was, I needed to leave to fill my stomach. Speaking of which, I slowly opened my eyes. I wasn''t blind anymore, but everything was a blur. My vision was slowly coming back to me, and so did the deed of my violence displayed in full. Baby dragons, dozens of them with open throats and bloodied stomachs.
It was a sickening display, and I nearly threw up just at the sight of it all. And yet, I was proud I defended myself from my brothers and sisters. I was a dragon! There were no equals to me! I am all! I am might incarnate! I am-...I groaned and banged my head against the stone. Its instincts werecaving into my personality. It may have saved my life, but it didn''t mean it was welcome to rewrite my own consciousness!
I quickly stumbled away from the vomit and the shit and ate the baby dragon flesh. As I munched on the prime meat, my eyes roamed around my surroundings. It was a vast underground cave, and it was massive. I couldn''t even see the walls hidden beneath the darkness. I needed to explore. There was plenty of food here, but it wasn''t enough. The meat will go bad, soon enough. And as disgusted as I was, I needed to find a better food source. Preferably steak. With fried potatoes. And an ice cold beer.
Shaking my head in a vigorous attempt to clear my thoughts, it only ended up making me dizzy. I fell on my behind when the world spun far too fast. Then, my eyes followed the scaly and clawed limbs. They were... exquisite, though bloody and scratched. A deep, molten red and black scales the color of gems covered me. The scales looked tough, and I curled my claws into tiny little fists. There were five digits, each tipped with sharp ivory-like claws as long assix inches in length. The same was for my clawed feet.
As far as how big I was, if eyeballing it, I was at least half the size of a fully grown brown bear, maybe smaller. Maybe. As far as sizes go, I felt respectable in that department.
If I was a kitten, someone, somewhere, somebody would be squealing in joy at the utter cuteness of this little beast. Sometimes, I wondered whether I should have gotten a pet of some kind. A dog, maybe. Even a cat. Cats are less of a bother to take care of, while dogs needed as much attention as a toddler. Now, I''ma... a dragon, and completely, utterly lost. So I did what I could do best, and followed the dragon''s instinct.
Once my stomach was filled, I drank much of the blood to satiate my thirst. It was disgusting,and yet, so fuckinggood.
Satisfied, I decided quickly to move out. I needed a place to find safety and make a temporary home. No doubt all this dead would attract other predatorsto the area. The fact thatI hadn''t been found yet was a surprising, and fortunate experience to have lived through.
I stumbled a little. And then I fell on my face with a smack. I got up with a grumble and continued my pace. I fell again. It was a sad affair when walking was a chore, and I fell a lotbefore my instincts finally kicked in and helped me learned to walk quicker.
As a previous Homosapien, I only had to worry about two legs to walk on. Now? Well, now I''m aquadruped that looked particularly like a cute chubby little bear cub. Ah, the wonders of trying to run with four limbs without falling flat on my face.
--
Exploring the caverns proved to be something of a dangerous activity.
In the hour since I left my... something, a nest? I found myself in something of a predicament. It was only thanks to quick thinking, and a damn good eyesight, that I had managed to quickly insert myself into a little crevice in the walls to hide behind. I barely squeezed in, before a small party of fleshy monsters roared past me.
These monsters loped, then ran. Their long hind legs and powerful muscles gave them great strength in crossing distance that shouldn''t be possible for a normal human, let alone an animal.The monsters were at least thrice his height, standing at an intimidating six feet tall. Its flesh was a pale red and pink, and it looked like part of its skin was missing to reveal the flesh underneath. Its claws were elongated, skeletal, and thin. In fact, they were long enough to be scraped across the floor, even as they ran.
Even worse? Their snouts were large, filled with a generous amount of sharp little blades called teeth.
Thankfully, they quickly left. And I would have sighed in relief had I not hold my breath. Well, Lady Luck apparently didn''t seem to be on my side today. Because one of the monsters stopped.
It stood stiff, and tall, as it sniffed the air like a dog. Then, it lowered its head to sniff on the ground. I cursed myself for my stupidity. I knew I was bleeding, but I hadn''t realized I was trailing blood! I might as well had held up large neon signs to point where I was. As far as these predators were concerned, Iwas!
I took a closer look at the monster. The eyes were just black eye holes inside a socket of burnt flesh. What luck! It was blind! Okay, think. These monsters must have a great sense of smell, but probably as blind as a bat. Do these things have something akin to echolocation, that should I move, they would be able to detect? Or some kind of super senses?
Ugh. Think.Think!
I saw a rock the size of my palm. There are a lot of things I''m glad for, right now. Yes, I was a creature of dubious nature, but I hadopposable thumbs! Picking up the rock, I slowly weighed it at the palm of my hands... claws? I was just glad I was able to pick it up, lest I drop it and bring that monster to my attention.
Slowly thumbing the rock, I... maybe it was that knowledge in the back of my mind, but instincts guided me to retract my claws just a little to better grab hold of the rock. I looked around, and while the monster was close by, it still hasn''t sniffed me out. Yet.
This monster wasn''t going to leave me alone. It was obviously hunting for something, and while I preferred it to leave it alone, it didn''t take a genius to figure out that it would eatme just as I did of my... kin. Well, that was depressing. I swallowed back the vomit. This was survival, but how far would I go to survive, as I cast away my morality?
I wanted to survive. I wanted to live so much it hurt in the guts of my very being. The dragon''s instincts screamed at me to attack, attack, andattack!No trickery, a predator appeared to challenge my rule, and I cannot accept that. I cannotaccept the outcome of losing. Defeat is death, and death shall not come for me.
I tossed the rock two feet away at the wall, but made sure it made as much noise as possible. I only hoped it was stupid enough for my plan of action to succeed. If not, I was dead anyway. When the rock made contact against the wall, it bounced off the ground and skidded to a stop across the floor.
The monster howled. Itbounded after the rock in large strides and leaped head first. The flesh against the wall, no matter how strong,hadto hurt. It looked dizzied, stumbling away with an unsteady foot.
I didn''t hesitate. I leaped onto its back, and my jaws bit viciously into the neck as my claws dug into the flesh of its shoulders.
The monster bucked and stumbled and howled. It was desperate, and I tasted blood on my tongue. I needed more. I had to havemore. I needed to break its spine to completely sever its connection to stand. It had to be helplhelples, and if I let go, I was a dead baby dragon walking. I doubt there was going to be a third life after this.
Its long claws scratched against my back, digging into my flesh by the inches. It was painful, but I viciously bit deeper. The flesh parted slowly, and the dumb monster continued to try and dislodge me some more.
Invulnerability lvl. 2 Acquired!
As happy as I was about the update, those claws'' scratches had only gotten worse. Yes, his skill had gained a level, as weird as that sounded, but this monster was far stronger than I was. The only reason I even managed to get a drop on it was due to its stupidity.
Invulnerability lvl. 3 Acquired!
Wonderful.
An hour. This... farce, continued for an hour as the monster stumbled and bumbled and desperately tried to kill me as I hung on to its back. I held on all the more, and when my jaws finally found the spine of its neck, my claws dug into its flesh. I found a renewed purpose as violence surged through mine veins. And I clamped down on the spine like a vice.
When it fell, it died slowly, and pitifully. I quickly ended its misery, and then finally, I slumped next to it, flushed with pride and fresh with a victory.
Baby Dragon
Level 3!
Level 2 > 3
Strength - 10 - 15
Endurance - 12 - 19
Intelligence - 15 - 17
Willpower - 25 - 29
Vitality - 12 - 19
Racial Skill Unlocked!
Fire Breath Lvl.1 Acquired!
All those that oppose you shall be burnt away to ashes. Let none oppose your flames, for you are a Dragon!
I slowly crawled back into my little hiding spot, but not before I ate more of the carcass. Then, I fell asleep in my little hole.
1.2
My hunt started slow, even as I slowly shadowed the monsters from a great length of distance. I could still smell them even a mile away, track them and their whereabouts down to their very repugnant bodies. Though, that last part might be mine. I smell like I hadn''t taken a shower in over a year, and the longer I go without dipping into some water, the more disgusted I was of myself. I was caked in old dried blood and other organic matter. It was a wonder I hadn''t gaged on my own stench.The last thing I wanted was to scare away potential monsters with my own smell, lest it became a naturally occurring skill.
Shudders.
A skunk-based dragon. That would just be utterly embarrassing.
Besides which, the monsters I''ve been hunting, have, in turn, been hunting other monsters. I decided to call these guys chupacabras, because... well, I can. Also, I got sick and tired of calling them monsters. Unless I named them Monsters. Boring. I''ll stick with chupacabras.
After that little internal battle of naming stuff, I got to see more of this world than I wanted to as I continued to follow after the chupacabras. The undead being one of them, a variety of other eldritch horrors in their tunnels, tentacled lizards and spiders the sizes of small houses. There were as many types of man-eating monsters in here as there were stars in the sky. Many of which, of course, could swallow me whole. It was quite easy to stay away from them.
And as for the chupacabras? Well, they were pretty much outmatched from the beginning. Except for the undead, most of the other monstershad managed to scare them away. And the best part? I get to enjoy a show from a great distance, thanks to my amazing eyesight. Seriously, dragon vision was amazing. It was like having the zoom function built in my eyes, which left me with plenty of decision to make should a bigger predator attempt to follow me from a distance.
And, if I wanted to get strong enough to survive in this pit I called hell, the perfect opponent would be the undead. They were slow, clumsy, and weak. They were the perfect practice dummies I could flex my muscles on. For this,I had to go deeper into the larger tunnels the undead came from.
Even when the chupacabras killed most of them, and if my gut instinct told me anything, the farther I went in, the more likely I would find something I could snap my jaws around. And I was right. The number of undead here allowed me to play with them to my heart''s content.
When I found my first undead, it was a large seven-foot monster, wearing ancient and broken armor from a bygone era. The fact that the bones were still held together was just as much a surprise as it was when its sword bounced off my head. Thank you invulnerability!
I reacted instantly and bowled the undead over. Its weight was nothing to mine, having lost much of its flesh long ago. And then, my jaws snapped around the cervical vertebra and crushed it instantly. The instant itstopped moving, its rusted iron sword clattering to the ground loud enough to wake the dead.
I stopped, as I stared at the prone undead in surprise. That wasn''t what I expected. Sure, I knew it was weak, yet I just didn''t expect it to fall so easily. It was no wonder why I didn''t get an update upon my kill.
A scratching sound alerted me to another presence. My head snapped up to find four more of those zombies turning around the corner. Their empty, cold gazes held nothing but death as they stumbled toward me.
I inhaled, and I drew up the energies within my body. I had no idea what it was, but if it was anything like magic, well... it was probably magic. And there was a lot of it, of which I somehow naturally produced. It felt... I didn''t know, but I couldsensethe magic within me. If there was a possibility of somehow shaping it, and converting it to something other than fire, the chances of my survival would be greater.
The tiny point of light grew inside my chest, ballooning up slowly. Aside from the impossible act of breathing fire, I can only come to the conclusion that the cause was magic bullshittery.
Then, Iroared.My flames was a scorching beam the size of my mouth... snout? The three of the four undead was instantly ignited. The force of my fire blew them away toward the fourth, setting it on fire instantly. I kept up my skill for the next three seconds, and then another second until I was left gasping for breath. Four seconds seemed to be my limit.
The corpses burnt merrily, even as the flames ate away at the decayed bones.
No update, yet.
Once I caught my breath, I went in deeper. My mana wasn''t particularly large, but I could recover it quickly enough, thanks to my awesome vitality. Or was that intelligence? My ignorance was going to cost me someday. Just not now. But I digress, I needed to hunt. And so, I went on a hunt.
The more undead I found, and the more I killed, I was left reeling with the possibilities of never gaining another level. It was a stupid, irrational thought to have. I knew this, obviously, because going after the weakest challenges wasn''t going to gain me any level either. It was frustrating, and it was making me reckless, once I realized I had killed the hundredth undead with nothing to show for it.
Apingsounded, like a tiny bell. A notification sounded out inside my head, which I quickly popped it back into view.
Increased Attribute!
Strength +1
Increased Attribute!
Endurance +1
I gnashed my teeth in frustration and happiness. So much effort, so many kills, and only two of my attributes increased by only one point each. And while I was happy that I managed to gain something, it was daunting to suddenly realize that this would take more time and patience that I might not have. AndI had a feeling it would only get more difficult the more my gains increases.
If the roaming predators that make their home here were as dangerous as I knew them to be, I didn''t have the luxury of time. So far, luck was on my side. But how long would that last, before it runs out?
I sighed, even as a small horde of undead came upon me with broken spears and dulled swords.
This was never about being violent. It was about learning to defend myself against the bigger monsters that hide in the dark. Or, so I tell myself. Would the wheel of time turn, age after age, as I continued to sink tooth and claw into the flesh of my supposed enemies, real or imagined? The very possibility of falling into atrap that was this system and numbers, as it finally chips away the honest man hidden beneath the scaled skin, only to reveal a more brutal and cruel virtue of my very nature?
Everything''s changed. I had changed. And I had only gotten progressively worse. The nature of the beast, I suppose.
And yet...
Yet...
The possibility of increasing my attributes even by a single point set off a spark inside my chest like a firestorm. Perhaps it was the dragon inside, as it drove me toward my own self-destruction. Or, perhaps it was only mine own humanity, more monstrous than any beast in their honest cruelty, as it wanted something...more.
All these philosophical thoughts running through my head had no answers to provide me with. So, I did what I did best in my newly acquired life: Hunt.
--
Fire BreathLvl.2 Acquired!
I coughed out the last bits of my flames, as I crushed the skull underneath my heel. Whatever magic powering it dispersed, leaving behind just another flaming skeleton. Just, without a head. On a more positive note, I was apparently immune to my own fire. Which was good, but did that mean I was immune to all types of fire? Or, just my own? That didn''t make sense.
Another question I needed an answer to, as I slinked away.
It would take some time to return back home, and on the way, I might have to hunt for a meal. The purging of the undead had left me quite exhausted, even despite the rests in between the long hours of the battles. Which made me think, just why was it the undead, only humans? What about all the beasts that inhabit this place? Surely there should be some sort of undead monster roaming about, no? Even just the one?
Suddenly, I had the urge to get away from this place real fast. The idea of there being only human undead didn''t make any sense, especially when there were no real live humans around, to begin with. Though, plenty of monsters of all sorts for me to find. Which made me think, was it by design? And didn''tthatsend a chill down my spine?
Gambling on my life was a foolish thing to do, and there was no chance I was willing to investigate further into the tunnels where the undead came from. I needed strength, and I was woefully insufficient in dealing with even the weakest monsters without feeling fatigued.
I left quickly.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
My home would take several hours of travel, and the smell of my prey was far closer. And, I was hungry. While it had only been a day since my inception, I wasn''t willing to eat more of the dragon flesh... just yet. I needed something fresher, metier.
It was my fault, I supposed. My stomach had been constantly grumbling for the past several hours, of which I ignored it in favor of many more battles with the undead. The thought of chewing on the bones lasted only about as long as the neurons fired inside my brain, right before I cast it away into nonexistence.
So, it was only acceptable that Ihunt down my meal, though I had to make sure there weren''t any other predators around. I did not like the idea of getting eaten. Thank you.
When I found them, they were fighting another group of monsters bigger, and far stronger than themselves. I had to wonder if they''re just that stupid. How the chupacabras had managed to survive within these hellish halls for so long boggled my mind, but their meat was fresh and fulfilling. That was all I needed, as I waited for the stupid monsters to run away the second more than a few members of their species died.
It felt odd, watching them. And the more I watched the chupacabras, the more the thought of their very nature seemed so alien to the rest of the ecosystem of this little slice of the world I called home. They weren''t intelligent, but they weren''t particularly foolish, either. They recognized the danger, when it occurred, and retreated when feasible. Their numbers didn''t seem to have been reduced from the various conflicts that occurred so constantly. And in fact, more join in on the hunt whenever the other herds of chupacabras come into contact with one another.
Of course, the aftermath was usually a bloody affair.
Once they get to relative safety, they start to fight amongst themselves with the remaining living ones. Usually, only a death or two would occur from this little song and dance.The strongest become the alpha. And the alpha then takes control of the rest of the pack, start rutting with the females, then they continue on their little jaunts. Rinse, and repeat.
Their existence is one with brutality and violence. They were little more than animals, guided by instincts and ferocity.They were also perfect for a meal. I felt like a hunter-gatherer, following after a herd of particularly violent animals. This was socool!
I followed them, as I always have. This time, however, I was closer. Much closer. One of their fights had gone off to a rocky start, and already half a dozen of their numbers had expired. The creature they had been battling was a tribe of centaurs, their crazed blood-red eyes aglow with battle-lust and murder.
They looked human enough, surprisingly enough. They even looked like they would have retained some form of intelligence, at a closer look. I would have even tried to establish some sort of talks with the half-horse, half-men people. Well, I couldn''t exactly speak. But, that was an issue I would have figured out at a much later date. Point was, I would have tried to establish some form of exchange with them, even if I had to play Charades at all.
Of course, it was at that moment, when I witnessed one of the half-men quite literally rip a three hundred pound monster in half with sheer, brutish strength of his arms...
I noped the fuck out of there quite quickly.
That didn''t mean I gave up on my plan. I still needed the nutrients that my body badly needed, seeing as I was a growing boy. There was little chance of me willing to walk away even if an encounter with the centaurs was slightly above the fifty percent. I just hoped... they didn''t come to investigate.
In the time the chupacabras started retreating, I slowly gathered my magic. It was slightly more difficult, seeing as I was clinging to a cliff facedozens of meters above. My attempt at better controlling my flames and magic within me tookcountless attempts and just as many failures. I was proud to say, as I slowly learned to form my flames, I was getting a better handle of it.
The magic coalesced, as I slowly shaped the power and the direction in a more tightly focused beam. My current success now was better than my previous, clumsy attempts. I needed it to be condensed, like a tiny focused jet with the intense concentrated power of a Formula One racing car.
My magic crescendoed, even as I choked it back down, and the black belching smoke poured through the gaps of my teeth like steam. It damnedhurt.To continue holding back so much of the magic that so threatened to escape me, I felt like I was turning into a self-made grenade. Still, it was enough, and I was ready, even as I watched the last of the stragglers escaping.
It was the last, limping one, that I was more interested in. A part of its flesh thighs was missing, and its left leg was clearly broken. It looked no less ferocious as it clung to its survival.
I dived, just as the last one arrived below me.
The chupacabra must have sensed me, and it turned its head toward me in surprise. It was far too late.
Just as I collided into its face, my claws dug deep into the flesh of its skull, as I imitated a face-hugger straight from a horror movie scene. The added weight and the momentum allowed me to knock it to the ground. Its broken leg gave out instantly.
All that concentrated magic I''ve been holding back, I instantly unleashed my fire breath skill at point blank distance. Right at its face. In the mouth.
The flames engulfed the monster quickly, even as it gave off a pained, strangled scream. It wouldn''t have been easy for me to kill this thing if I used only my physical strength. My flames, however, were a potent weapon unto itself. And pouring fire down the throat of a monster, no matter how strong, should kill them quickly, and efficiently. Even if I had tosmell the acrid odor of burnt flesh.
If I were my normal self, I would have thrown up right then and there. But I didn''t. I only reveled in my kill, even as my jaws clamped onto its flesh.
Skill Unlocked!
Mana ControlLvl.1 Acquired!
You have taken your first step into the Enlightenment of Sorcery. By learning to shape and manipulate the mana within yourself, your control over magic becomes effortless.
Fire BreathLvl.3 Acquired!
I grinned happily.
Something bowled me over, and the howling in my earshurt.The claws scraped against my sides, and the force of its strikes sent me skidding across the ground. It was only thanks to my invulnerability skill that the damage wasn''t any worse.
I looked up to find two of the chupacabras, looking upon me with those hungry gazes. The fire from the burning carcass cast a hideous shadow of the pair of monsters.
One of them sniffed its fallen companion, right before it lifted the ankle by its jaws and ripped out a chunk of its burning flesh. Apparently, these things were dumb enough to lick fire, I thought, as I watched the stupid thing spit out the meat in a panic. Then its black empty sockets turned to mine, and I knew what came next.
Was I out of my mind? I must be fucking insane if I decided to take on two of these things, injured as they were. It had only been a day since I took on one of them, and it had taken me hours to ending its existence. Two? And completely aware of me? No way. I didn''t stand a chance.
So why was my chest swelling with fire and magic, the second they appeared? I should run for the holes, to stay in the darkness as I recovered. But, I didn''t. I was too enticed by the challenge of it all, to contend against the strongest opponents that I could find. It hooked into my soul as my claw hooked into the flesh.
My blood boiled and popped and soared as my mind turned red with battle-lust. My heart compounded by the heat of my flames and the fires of my nature, and I sent the monsters my greetings. My cry rumbled like thunder across the darkened caverns and shadows, reverberating my challenge to all that may witness my battle.
The monsters were no less disappointing when they responded in kind.
I grinned. Just as I readied myself, they pounced.
The larger one charged toward me, while the smaller, weaker one went another way. I can only guess that one was tryingto flank me. Stupid as they were, they were like wolves. That had some sort of tactics to get their meal in this infested hell.
I braced for impact, just as the first one smashed into me. The two of our bodies collided, and I hoped my invulnerability skill could keep up to the assault. Its claws and teeth sank into my flesh, even as we tumbled from one end to another. My scales broke and splintered, drawing blood.
I was far from helpless. Mine own claws quickly dug into the eyes. At least, where the eyes should be. All I found were empty holes. But, it was enough, even as its jaws tried to clamor for my neck. I forced its head away from mine, its jaws powerful enough to crunch rocks.
My flames pierced out like a sharp lance, shattering its fangs and pouring into the mouth.Its struggles became frantic, harder to contain, as its claws shattered my ribs and scraped the bones. Well, I think I may have chewed more than I could handle.
A blow like a hammer flung me away from the monster. I tucked my wings and broke my fall, just in time to evade the second monster''s sharp claws. I was bleeding furiously, and the pain was unbearable. If it weren''t for my draconic endurance, I would probably have gone into shock.
I gathered my mana once more, for one more fire breath. To my horror, I was used up. My magic was gone. My well''s been dried up. Empty. An entire day of battling zombies and practicing my magic, and then fighting monsters clearly above my level, had left me quite exhausted.
The fact that I could still stand was a miracle.
When the monster skidded to a stop and rushed toward me once more, I knew there was no chance to win this fight. Not in a straight fight, at least. A quick glance to the other one told me enough to know it wasn''t getting up soon. Most of its face was burnt, and likely dying.
Even as the monster constantly tried to strike me down, I kept a generous distance from it. Evading and dodging its blundering strikes with good timing left me satisfied. It wouldn''t reach me unless I wanted it to. But I was weakening. I was losing whatever lifeblood I had left, and this left me desperate.It was only thanks to my willpower that I was still on my feet.
When the notification sound alerted me, I quickly checked my status.
Baby Dragon
Level 4!
Level 3 > 4
Strength - 16 - 18
Endurance - 20 - 23
Intelligence - 17 - 19
Willpower - 29 - 32
Vitality - 19 - 21
Mana ControlLvl.2 Acquired!
I felt some of my mana return, restored upon a level up. It was just enough for one more fire breath skill. This was good. Real good.
For the moment, I was happy. Content. I was in danger of dying, quite horribly, might I add.But I wanted to be here. There was no other place I wanted to be than right where I was. A grunting, chuffing little growls escaped me. That was my laughter. This was too much. I loved it, every single second of it, even as my injuries worsened.
Round Two, Arsehole. Come get some.
1.3
We cannot weigh time, nor measure or touch it. Keeping track of time in a lightless world such as this, without the sun, or the moon or the stars was... utterly impossible. And even if such things existed here, I wouldn''t have even known where to begin. I''m far more used to the modern technology to rely on than learning such archaic means. Now, here I was, regretting the times I neglected to go camping with my dad. He would know what to do, here. He always knew what to do.
I couldn''t tell anyone how long I''ve been stuck here, in this body of a baby lizard. What I did know, was that I required sleep like any other biologically functioning animal. My educated best guess? Eight, maybe nine hours of sleep every day was required. With time to hunt for the next five, maybe six or seven hours within the tunnels of the undead and the roaming bands of chupacabras, I then come back home to rest. Rinse and repeat the following day.
I must have been here for four days since my... hmm, displacement? Whatever it was.
As a male at the prime of my life, I would have done plenty of things to kill time. I had a proper Wi-Fi, an amazingly built desktop my boy helped set up, and a flat-screen television I hooked up to. My boys come around the weekend, bringing two-fours and a 40 pounder, while I order up some pizzas and sodas to complete the night. Even better, should the video games and the conversations get a little stale, we enjoy a nightly stroll at the city''s downtown Square for a bar-hopping weekend.
Every now and then I''m in this place, of safety and security. The faces of my friends and family appeared in my mind''s eye, laughing and drinking at the local bar as they enjoyed themselves. And I was there, among them. I mingled and flirted or got utterly smashed. Or, all of the above if I was feeling rightly special.
These days? It was all I dreamt about, as I stood looking down upon them.
I was alone and pitiful.
Point was, I was never bored living in the city. Here, however, all I''ve ever done was eat, hunt, and expel waste. All day. Every day. It was a boring, depressing affair, despite the activity that had been constantly pushing my body to its limits. The exhaustion of mind-numbingly killing things was getting to me, despite my draconic nature telling me otherwise.
I needed a change of venue. I needed to get out of my comfort zone. There was no way in hell I was going to become complacent in my surreal situation. Things had to change, but how? I was stuck here, with no way out, and the farther I go, the more dangerous the monsters become. I was alone here, and afraid. My strength was simply insufficient.
I sighed, then grunted in pain when I felt a swell of discomfort on my shoulders. The bloody monster had done me in quite good, and despite my rare skill, it was still strong enough to penetrate my scales. It had been two days since my last bout against those three monsters. It was no surprise I ended up being severely wounded, and I was afraid I might actually die of infection or by some disease. It wasn''t as if I could just stitch up my wound and bandage it.
Thankfully, all I needed was a few days of rest to fully recover. And meat. Lots and lots of meat. What could I say? I healed fast. Guess there was an advantage to this whole dragon thing, after all.
The good news was, I''ve gotten better at ambushing the lone chupacabras that either lost its way or was expelled from its band. Subsequently, it had also gotten much less difficult to kill them. My skills have been going up, though steadily. And sure, I still wouldn''t go head-to-head against these things without some way of cheating. And I certainly wasn''t stupid enough to risk getting hurt like before. But, hey! Meat!
Also, my invulnerability skill just went up. Awesome.
Invulnerability lvl. 4 Acquired!
Honestly, I would rather just have this little skill leveled up to its maximum potential, then nothing could hurt me. The only downside was that, other than this, it was unlikely to get me another level for a long time. Not unless I kept sticking with the chupacabras and the undead.
My theory was sketchy at best, but maybe I could be wrong. It wasn''t as if anyone was here to correct me. But, it was the only thing I got. Perhaps the idea of accumulating more levels was to combat monsters stronger than myself? The chupacabras were stronger than I, yes, but they weren''t much of a challenge if tricks and ambushes get them killed rather handily. Was I supposed to go after the bigger, smarter monsters that inhabit this place?
I sighed.
This place was getting to me, and I have not even been here for long. Still, the challenge was there, so there was that. It would be nice if had something to keep me company. Heck, I''d even let someone capture just to talk to someone. Even if my conversations end up with growls and gruffs. Frankly, this sucked.
Stumbling over to the carcass of my latest kill, I took a few bites of the fleshy meat inside its stomach. The skin was tender and quite nice. Maybe if I added some seasoning here and there, it would have some flavor to this whole thing. The brain was kinda... ugh. But I absolutely love the phallus and the testicles. They tasted like sausages and meatballs- and, I''m just going to go over there to throw up. What was I doing?!
When I spat out the meat, I licked the ground to aggressively rid me of the taste. Now, I''m in a worse mood than I was before. The indignation and outrage flowed out of me like a flood, and I yelled and screamed until my throat turned hoarse and I was left panting.
I needed out. I needed out, now!
I escaped from my own home and ran. And ran, and ran, as I recklessly stumbled off against my own better judgment. I was being an idiot, but I didn''t care. Half my mind was in a rage, while the other was still cautious of my surroundings. I wasn''t stupid enough to throw my life to monsters so recklessly, so I took my usual route toward the undead. And that''s where I went.
The need to smash and break was too strong to ignore. Resistance was never an issue, not this time. My skill would protect me from the worst of the damage, and my flames were just good enough to satiate my hunger for setting things on fire. I had no idea I was a pyromaniac until now. Go figure.
Either way, I wholeheartedly embraced that part of my violent temperament.
It felt damn good when I crushed the first undead I happened upon. Another, and another, until numbers became meaningless and intangible. I was in my element, as I turned bones to dust, and put my enemies to the flames. And, as my rage simmered and boiled within my heart, I hadn''t quite realized I went further than I should have.
My anger dissipated completely when I found my first fresh undead. It was as pale as a corpse and filled with rotting flesh. It walked toward me with a smoother gait, less inclined to stumble about and groan. It was just a quiet, silent thing. I detected some semblance of intelligence hidden beneath those bleeding pair of azure eyes. It took a second to realize it had eyes, and another when I realized it was watching me.
I stepped back.
And another.
I was cautious, but curious.
The minutiae of mana I''ve gathered shaped into a ball of fire within my chest, rather than a lance or a beam. There was less magical energy for me to waste, but what mattered was the kinetic force and the instantaneous explosion upon impact. It was a difficult process to make, but one that I thought was worth every bit of my time and energy I''ve given it. Well, what could I say? I had plenty of downtime during my recovery to explore and experiment with my mana.
Especially when I was rewarded with a notification.
Mana Control Lvl.3 Acquired!
The very naked, and the very bloated undead stepped closer.
When I released my modified skill, the ball of flames sped across the distance in an instant. It ignited instantly upon impact. The undead''s head snapped back from the explosive force. Its flesh was eaten away to the blackened and shattered bones, and it didn''t take time at all for the fires to spread to the rest of its body.
I thought it was over.
I blinked in surprise when the abomination didn''t stop its momentum. Now, it was on fire, and still on its feet. Wonderful.
Then, it ran toward me.
It was only thanks to my superior reflexes that allowed me to evade its sword strike at the last moment. I dodged easily enough, and though surprised, my head snaked its way toward its left leg. My jaws snapped around its ankle in a vice grip. The sheer power of my bite broke its flesh and snapped the bone in two. It wasn''t a surprise to me when the color of its blood was a thick black, congealed and fetid sludge as it poured from its opened wounds. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
I could taste the poison on my tongue, but I held on.
The fact of the matter was, I was just as vicious in my rebuttal. And with a Herculean pull, I tossed it away from me.
The undead flipped end over end dozens of feet away. Its broken bones snapped and its flesh sundered,and then it came to a final stop.
Another undead of its kind stepped over its fallen kin, filled with old meat and rotten blood. Before I knew it, the entire hallway was filled with hundreds of undead with glowing pools of fey eyes. They all stared right back at me.
Oh shit.
This would have been a bad situation, and indeed, I would have high tailed it out of there quick as a mouse. Except, then I felt the earth rumble underneath my feet. And just like that, the walls behind me smashed apart as a truly monstrous, twenty-foot giant stepped forward. Its beady, blue glowing lanterns sought me out immediately.
When my eyes fell to the weapon it carried, it glowed with an inner, molten red-hot light. A magical weapon. A giant, bearded undead carried a magical weapon that could chop me up like so much as tender raw meat. I had every confidence my invulnerability skill would last barely a second before my flesh was rendered apart and my bones smashed to bits.
Startled, I nearly stepped back in fear.
I forced myself to stop, to stay in place, as my shoulders tensed and my tail stiffened up. I shall not turn away like a mewling pup! I have faced bigger things than this. Well... no, I haven''t. But, that''s beside the point! I will not give my life away for anything! What can this foolish rotten flesh bag do against me? Nothing! I shall bring about annihilation! My very flames shall cleanse it to ashes! I am the dragon! Hear me roar!
Also, I seriously needed to have my head examined. This whole new confidence boost thing, even in the face of utter defeat was turning my ego into a supermassive black hole.
Damn it all, I''m so dead.
I glanced behind me and toward walking corpses. I would never survive the small army of undead, no matter how many times I put them on fire. Eventually, I would run out of mana and tire myself out. It was inevitable. But the giant? It was large, yes, and could stomp me out like an insect. But there was an escape route. Sure, I could escape the way I came from once I pass him, but no doubt more undead were waiting for me.
My hope that this was all merely a chance sounded far less likely. This had all the designs of an intelligent creature. If that were the case, that if this was a trap, then I am so fucked.
And then, my body bounded forward, quick as lightning. toward the waiting giant. Its monstrous waraxe cleaved toward me, the air parting its sharp hot blade in a sizzling woosh.
I ducked, and pulled a Matrix straight out of the movie. If I was sharing an out of body experience, I would have ooh''d an awe''d, and also captured it on video. But, that wasn''t the case. As it was, I skidded underneath the blade inches from having my snout severed. It was so close, I could feel the heat on my skin, which should have been impossible. I was immune to fire... wasn''t I?
The weapon may have missed me, but not the wall behind me. Unfortunately, the thick stone didn''t win. It was caved in completely, as thick rocks scattered like shrapnel as if a high-yield explosive device detonated.
Fuuuuck!
The giant lashed out with a kick.
My bones shook from the impact, and my sharp teeth clattered. Just as the impact of its foot could toss me toward the waiting army of undead, which, by-the-way, still hadn''t moved, I would be ripped apart. Quite literally. Instead, at the point of contact, I dug my claws deep into the flesh. Then, before it could do anything, I clambered up its feet and up I went. Before the dead giant could even react, I was suddenly right in front of its face.
All of my mana, every single little bit I could scoop up from within me, condensed it to a tightly controlled pinpoint of light. I had no more than this, but it was enough. It had to be enough.
The color of my flames was a deep orange, almost golden blaze of lance. My flames must burn as hot as 1,200 ¡ãC. That was more than enough to render whatever flesh it met to cinders. Especially when I aimed it right into its mouth.
I jumped to the top of its flaming head, only to use it as a springboard, as I flipped over its head. Its massive gigantic body fell back with a groan.
A glance back at the masses of undead corpses, I took off through the makeshift hole the giant made. The corpses followed after me like a tidal wave, crushing and clawing its own allies in the process.
As I sped through the tunnel, my muscles pumped like a machine, what with the undead giving me the motivation to stay ahead. With their growls and smacking meat, I didn''t have to be a genius or have a special ability tell that they were furious at my escape.
A notification sound pinged in the corner of my mind, but I ignored it easily enough. Right now, surviving was more important than checking my stats. There was plenty of time to do that once I''ve found a safe haven. But the thought of finding a safe place to hide seemed like a distant dream, and with the undead so close behind me.
Something blinded me. When I focused ahead, I found the light! A light, at the end of the tunnel! Laughter bubbled within my throat, as my legs pumped all the harder. I finally found it! I found an escape to all this madness! I laughed, even as the monsters tailed behind me. I laughed, hysterical and joyous bubbled within me like a cancerous tumor.
So close! Closer and closer I came. And then, I reached out to touch the light.
I veered to a stop, confused. There was indeed light, but the light of the moon and the sky. Where was the golden brilliance of the sun? Where was the wind in my face? There was no life here, only a barren land and a... chair. A chair and a nude woman sitting upon it.
A woman of pale ivory sat upon a simple stone chair, bereft of any company. She was the color of moonlight, and eyes as black as the darkest night. Her white hair cascaded down past her slender shoulders like a waterfall, and her beautiful, sharp features were sharp enough to cut.
I froze.
She was the darkest fantasy come to life, a personified dream made truth. Her cold, dark, depthless orbs seeped into my very bones. They chilled my soul. Harken! Harken to her majesty!
"Who... are you?" I asked, but I trembled. The fact that I spoke for the very first time, was beyond impressive. I didn''t realize I could speak. Believe me, I tried. But, apparently, I could. And when I spoke, I now got Her attention.
Its primogenitor eyes, for surely this was no woman, slowly turned its way toward me. I quivered as the fear coiled around my heart.
The Screams of wind deafened my ears, but they were not a part of this world. They were not souls, either. They were like spiritual images of Her servants of the court. He was in a bloody throne room! Their disembodied voices shrieked as they announced Her Majesty.
"The King Shall Awaken; Light Shall Ascend,
Harken To Them, For All Children born be Condemned.
Darkness Consumed, The Thirsty Ones Come,
And I shall Devour The Golden Plum.
I am Depthless Wind In This Soulless Universe, For I Am The Dissolution of All.
Know My Name, For I Am The Divided Divine, The EndlessYid ''N''yothl ''Gnesh!"
Her finger twitched, and I felt a pull from the very depths of my soul being pushed. I was lifted up into the air, even as I flapped my wings to get away. Fruitlessly, might I add. Not that I could fly, anyway. Some dragon I was...
Against my own power, I was guided toward the monster in a woman''s form.
"You Are No Dragon." He mouth didn''t move, but her eyes watched me closely, as her voice thundered in my mind.
"I... yes. I mean. No, I''m not a dragon. I think. I..." I stopped talking. Aside from the fact that I''m talking to a probable goddess, or one who thinks she''s a goddess, she might have a fragile ego I didn''t want to disappoint.
"The Light Of Mortals Are Brief." She drew her lips into a thin line, as if I had somehow disappointed an adult. Wonderful. She can read minds. The woman tilted her head slightly, as if to imitate a human. The Goddess looked... curious, and drew her face closer to mine. Well, I drew closer toward her, but I digress. "A Child Of The Black Beast, The King Of Dreams, The Endless Horror, He Who Devoured The Forgotten God, The Heart of The Abyss. You Are A Dragon. And Not. A Shared Duality of Twined Souls. A Begotten Child."
"What...," I licked my teeth in discomfort, nervousness pervading my every action. I had no idea what any of that meant, but somehow, she seemed to be leading me somewhere with this. And, I would have even asked what she meant. But who cared? I wanted to go back home, back to my life before all this mess started. "Can you send me back? Back to my old life as a human?"
"You Are A Child Of Both Worlds."
"I... what does that mean?" I demanded. Well, I very softly asked. No demands here. Nope. I''m just a good little mortal. Please pat me on the head. Or rub my belly. I''ll even bark. Please don''t turn my existence into atoms. Pretty please, with a cherry on top?
For a moment, the goddess just stared at him, as if bewildered.
"You Are Weak, And You Shall Break," Yid ''N''yothl ''Gnesh lifted her hand and touched my forehead with her forefinger. "I Shall Gift You What You So Find Precious.
Suddenly, the floor broke apart and swallowed me whole. I screamed. It was as if gravity gained sentience and pulled me down into the blackness. And as I fell, I heard her voice one last time, "Your Impatience Is That Of A Mewling Newborn. Find Strength Elsewhere."
When I woke up, I was in a jungle. Also, I was human again.
I turned to my side and promptly threw up, even as I broke down in tears and laughed.
Baby Dragon
Level 5!
Level 4 > 5
Strength - 18 - 19
Endurance - 23 - 26
Intelligence - 19 - 21
Willpower - 32 - 35
Vitality - 21 - 24
Mana ControlLvl.4 Acquired!
Fire BreathLvl.4 Acquired!
Congratulations!
You have reached your evolutionary tree! Your true journey begins now.
"My true journey begins now, my arse! Fuuuck You!"
1.4
When I looked up from my status, I found something else staring at me from above. A man, towering over a vast mountain taller than entire worlds, garbed in a strange misty cloak and star-lit metal. Its head was that of a goat, but its antlers speared into the clouds like swords. And when I looked upon its strange all-seeing gaze, I thought someone must have plucked the stars from the skies to use as a pair of eyes.
It did not look pleased with the sight of me. At all.
"Oh, fuck me," I whispered, horrified, as my mind stopped completely.
Then, it lifted its enormously clawed, gauntletedhand and waved.
I grunted in surprise when I felt invisible hands yank me. The ground shook and the air ignited in the sudden flash of light. The ground swallowed me up.
"No, no! Not again!"
As I fell, tumbling head over heels, and through the fractals of space and helixes, Ifelta sense of vertigoand weightlessness. And when I gained control of my fall, below me was a world that seemingly stretchedfrom one end of the universe to another. A world frothing with white oceans and lightning storms the size of continents raged across its surface. Nothing was left untouched, as the world was consumed in its fire and fury.
And next to this beautiful, gorgeous planet, an angel reached out for the world with her lovely outstretchedarms. A heavenly being with a million silver wings, and a million arms. Her iridescent dress made from nebulas and dying stars, and hair spun from the darkest edges of the cosmic sufferance; her skin was of twilight and eyes of dusk.
She was timeless, endless. To touch upon her presence is to witness the birth of creation. Perhaps I understood, as I witnessed the fathomlessness of the angel''s artistry and beauty. Yet, to understand her was tolose oneselffrom reality and truth. It was madness.
Someone was moaning. He could hear their laughter, the weeping. They were very loud, screechingly loud. My earshurt,but then I realized those voices belonged to me.
I was noticed, as her eyes seared into my own.
Before I could comprehend my sanity, of my mind, of anything, I was flung away.No sound escaped my screamsacross the vast, endless space.
When I woke up, I was falling through the clouds. This time, I really did hear my own screams. But, only for a moment.The air pressure whipped at my face like razor blades, and the lack of oxygen in my lungs escaped me. I was suffocating, and fast. I couldn''t scream even if I wanted to, and only my desperation kept me from losing whatever breath I still had left.
I was falling fast, but I wasn''t blind to the beauty of the world below me. Especially with the morning sun. The soft curvature of this world was barely discernable above the clouded covers, but it was there, even despite my eyes being a blurry mess of delirium. Less than forty thousand feet, maybe more, if that was how far I was up. The fact that I haven''t still died yet of hypothermia, or the lack of air, was astonishing.
When I exited the cloud covers, I was astonished. The lands stretched as far as the eye could be seen, with rolling green hills and endless acres of forests. And there below me, by the rocky jungles was a verdant ocean that would have put most tropical nations to shame.The world seemed untouched by modern technology, and while it was true that such sights can be seen in proper places when skydiving, the closest adventure I''ve ever been on was living vicariously through videos online.
Yet, it dawned on me so suddenly, and so daunting, that I was going to die. And the thought of dying, even as far from the ground as I was, had my heart beating like a gong in an echo chamber. I didn''t want to die, and if I could prevent my own demise, I would have taken it. There was nothing I could do to survive a fall from this height.
Twenty thousand feet.
I didn''t think I was going to die alone, and so far away. How naive I was.
Ten thousand feet.
I thought about my other form, and what the dragon would do. I didn''t think I could even transform, now that I was human. It didn''t come to me as intuitively as my powers did when I was a dragon.I couldtryto transform into a dragon, but my wings were a pair of stubby little things barely worth mentioning. Not to mention the impossibility of flying with such great mass... and such little wings... heh, if only I was bigger. If only I was better, stronger, more evolved.
Evolved.
I quickly brought up my status screen.
Congratulations!
You have reached your evolutionary tree! Your true journey begins now.
A moment of agonizing seconds, before a second popup appeared.
Please Choose Your Evolutionary Draconic Race!
Dragon of Flames and Smoke
Dragon of Winters and Frost
Dragon of Earth and Wood
Dragon of Storms and Skies
Dragon of Darkness and Shadows
Seven thousand feet.
So many options, and so little explanations. But, I already knew exactly what I wanted. Considering my circumstances, it was obvious which option I was going to go with. I willed my mind, forcing it upon myself with all my might and strength. This might end up saving my life, or it had handed me a fool''s hope. I just hoped I was doing the right thing.
Five thousand feet.
Congratulations!
The lands stretchedas far as the eye could see, with the seas to the north and mountainsto the south. Great dark forests covered the lands farther south, shrouded in mystery and forestry.
Three thousand feet.
You have chosen the Dragon of Storms and Skies. Physically prodigious for their gargantuan size, their noble bearing befell the lands in their great shadow and overwhelimg power. The skies are their domain, and storms their dwelling.
Warning: To choose this race, your ability to use the skill Fire Breath shall be displaced with the ability ofLightning Breath skill.Your skill level shall be retained. YourFire Breath skillshall be lost permenantly.
One thousand feet.
I concentrated as much as possible, as I tried to will and shape my body to my other form. For a second, I was stunned. My inability to shift left me disorientated, helpless. Still, there was a reason why I could still choose a racial ability, even now. It wasn''t as if I lost everything. It was there, I just had to... reach it.
Five hundred feet below me, the woods of pine looked like sharpened spear points.
The ground was getting closer, and desperation moved through me. I closed my eyes andscreamed. I didn''t want to die. I couldn''t die, not like this. Never like this.
Congratulations!
You have been gifted with the skillMetamorphoses!
Due to your ties with your mortal soul, you have learned a new ability to shift todragon and human form. The ease with which to utilize your skill, depends upon your ease of practice.
The warmth and comfort flowed through me like magma, coursing through the veins like an unstoppable tied. Ithurt.I burnt and smelt like lightning and ozone. It was agony personified, as azure blue glow thrummed underneath my darkest scales. The color overwhelmed my vision, for just a moment.
I felt my body change, lengthened, as my skin and bones were literally ripped apart and re-shaped.The booming of my roar disrupted the idyllic, almost peaceful scenery of the lands. The birds flapped to the skies in the hundreds, and the woodland creatures launched themselves across the lands with fear.
My back spread open like a stuck pig, and a pair of wings flapped but once. My barely half-transformed state was only enough tokeep me afloat for a few seconds to delay my descent before gravity and momentum pulled me under.
It was too late, by then.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I angled myself enough to minimize the damage to myself as much as I could, as pine trees toppled underneath my weight. I went through a dozen trees before I finally come to a rest in the middle of a small clearing, groaning in pain.
Invulnerabilitylvl. 5 Acquired!
I must have unconsciously shifted back to my human form, bleeding and bruised. Sleep came and went, and I was barely conscious of where I was.
A woman. I kept seeing her in my dreams.She with her thick green hair, braided in leather thongs and sharp ivory fangs dangled from her hair like chimes. Her soft hands covered in bands and beaded cords of bracelets. She wore furred coats of brown and white.
What interested me the most was of her footlong knife-like pair of ears. It defined her sharp, beautiful features. I liked it.
Sometimes, when I opened my eyes from dreaming, I would find a bearded man in similar clothing. His hair was coarse red, thick and braided. And his cheeks were painted in tribal markings. His ears were just as long, perhaps longer.
When I woke up, I knew I was safe for the time being. I was kept warm in furred blankets inside a tent, also covered in furs. The fire was kept merrily going in the middle of the tent. What surprised me was how primitive everything was. The few weapons here were made of stone, like the hand-ax and the spear. The spear was only a shaft of wood, tipped with flint or bone. The same for the bundles of arrows nestled by the bow.
There were a few fishing seine nets to be found, made from spruce root fibers or wild grass. Or both. And on the other side of the tent, bowls of clay pots filled with nuts, berries, seeds, and other plant foodstuffs, separated in each bowl. They weren''t cataloged, unfortunately. No form of writing that I could see.
The tent flapped open, and the girl came inside with a wooden bowl of fish. She stopped in her tracks, her silver eyes gazed upon mine like a trapped deer. A gasp escaped her throat, and she barely held on to her bowl, before she escaped the tent.
My eyes widened. It was the girl in his dreams!
A man came inside, with lines of red ochre painted by his cheeks and chin. It was that same man, with thick braided hair to match his tribal markings. There was a fierceness to his eyes, as he looked upon his guest. Still, there was cautiousness and wariness to him, as well.
Amoment later, I was surprised when the man placed a bowl of roasted cut fish and berries on the floor in front of me. At first, I was confused why he didn''t hand it to me, but it was obvious he was afraid. Of what? Stupid question. They must have seen me transform.
I nodded, and got to my feet. Thankfully, they must have clothed me while I slept. Though, how long ago that was, no clue. What concerned me was the primitive state of these people. They were still using stones for equipment. That was... bad. I think this was the bloody stone age.
"Thank you," I said, as I gathered the bowl to my lap. The man seemed surprised, but it was obvious he had no idea what I said. But my tone and the context was enough to convey enough meaning. The man nodded back with a small smile of his own, and left the tent.
The food was gone in an instant. I scarfed it down with the pleasure of a starved man. It wasn''t enough, but I missed anything that was roasted meat and fruits. Heck, I normally hated fish. But in this instance, I savored it like a fine meal in a five-star restaurant.
I was left alone, and with nothing to do, I decided to see just what kind of place these people lived in. If wheels hadn''t even been invented... well, that was another big problem. Did they even use horses? The first few people I met that didn''t want to kill me, and I can''t even speak their language. And their greatest technological innovation was a fishing net.
If I was going to spend some of my time with these... supposed elves, I might as well do something to improve their lifestyle. Though, I doubt I could do much. I was just a kid way in over my head, and I doubted they would listen to a strange man-thing half their size. They were all so bloody tall! The girl was easily six foot, and the man easily had two feet on her.
When I exited the tent, I was greeted with a small settlement. It was a small sea of tents, covered in thick fur, wood, and plants. Their dwellings were small, barely big enough to housea small family. Fire pits were going strong, to keep the chill from the last remnants of winter.
What interested me were the people. They were all tall, beautiful and graceful. There were hundreds of them, most of them as pale as golden ivory. Some stopped to gawk at me, whether at my brown skin or the color of my violet eyes. Or my short stature, but I tend to not dwell on such shortcomings... I just had to go there, didn''t I?
Someone tugged at my coat, and I turned around. It was the girl, as beautiful as ever. She didn''t look demure,rather she seemed intimidated by my presence.
She spoke, something slow and guttural, but soft and shy. I didn''t understand, and perhaps she might have understood my confusion. The girl kept gesturing somewhere, so I followed. There wasn''t any other choice, and it wasn''t as if I was going to stay here, lost like a little lamb. There were answers that I needed, and even if I had to learn the language, then so be it.
The girl took me to the largest tent in the corner of the camp, toward a cliff face. The site overlooked the ocean, and I could see dark thunderstorms miles away. It wasn''t long before the clouds came this way.
The tent itself was made from bones and fur, supported by wood to serve as the skeleton. It was dome-shaped, like all the rest. And it was beautiful, in a primitive way. Bone wind chimes dangled against the wind, and the smell of woodsmoke reached my nose.
Two people were waiting for me by the entrance. It was that same man, this time covered in bone necklaces and even thicker markings painted in red and black. The other way a woman, smaller, but with similar facial features as the girl next to me. They must be related if they shared the same eyes and hair. Her family, then?
We talked, in front of a small fire and a bowl of fruits and nuts and cooked flesh. As much as our limited communication allowed us, I thought something was given. They knew I was not like them, and their daughter must have seen the beast I must have been before I turned back to human. What was my intention? What could they provide to help me along?
They were afraid of me, that much was obvious, but they were too afraid to turn me away. The fact that they hadn''t killed me outright when they found me, must mean something. Maybe their gods would be displeased, or they thought I was a spirit.
I told them I was a wanderer of sorts, someone who had no home or place to stay. I offered them my services as a hunter and gatherer. The woman lacked the fear her husband cast, but there was a fearlessness in her eyes that her daughter must have inherited. They conversed, politely, under their breaths. Their gruff language and facial expressions conveyed more than I could fathom.
--
It was the turn of thefirst season, the beginning of a new summer, when I became a part of the Cry of The Black Wolf tribe. It didn''t take long when I invented the fucking wheel.
"What are you doing, Valerian?"
Their language was difficult to learn. Perhaps it might have been the increased intelligence, or just the desperation of a lonely man, but I had gotten the hang of it better than I thought I would have. It also helped that I had already begun teaching basicarithmetic to these people. A difficult prospect, with my limited communication skills. Still, it helped.
A few had taken to numbers like fish to a water, but more than most thought it a waste of time. It wasn''t as if such concepts could keep their bellies full. But such things will grow in time, as with every new generation. Which, admittedly, was a problem. These people havelonglives. Ridiculously long.
"Just thinking, Arawen," I said, and manhandled the little cub in my lap. It was a wolf cub, to be precise. It was a tiny thing, with snow-white fur and beautiful grey eyes. The little guy lickedmy fingers, before playfully biting it. Benny was already teething, constantly biting everything it could reach. The wolf would grow up to be something fierce. I knew this because the wolves in this day and age could grow up to be the size of horses. "Just... thinkingis all,"
"Out here?" Arawen tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. She was still basically a pre-teen at her age. And I would die off long before any kind of maturity occurs. She was just a child. The depressing part was, she was only less than two hundred years old. "Has your mind finally gone to commune with the spirits?"
She was joking, of course. At least, I thought she was. Sometimes I couldn''t really tell, with her ironic smile and twinkly eyes. "I should only hope so. I might have to sacrifice away your fishes to the spirits for some good fortune!"
A gasp, followed by a fist to my shoulder. I dramatically feigned hurt, and we laughed.
We spoke of a lot of things as the sun dipped below the horizon. The dark waters of the sea were cast in an orange glow, as the hunters gathered back to the village. The fires will grow strong this night, to keep warm and turn away the predators. Less of that, now that they walled in their camp with proper palisades. After all, there were far more dangers than a pack of wolves.
"Where are you from?" She suddenly asked, her voice seething with curiosity. They didn''t ask, of course. The Cry of The Black Wolf was too content with my teachings than to antagonize my privacy. And, also, they were too afraid should I ever turn on them. They had seen me shift only once, to turn away a fairly large predator. When I turned around, their eyes spoke only of reverence and terror, and they bowed before me like I was some great spirit,as if I were some Beast God. "Will you tell me of your spirit home?"
Heh, Arawen was never shy as people were led to believe. There was bravery in her heart of gold. I hesitated, then, gave ground. "Four hundred of your people live in this camp, yes?"
Arawen hesitantly nodded, as she ran over the numbers in her head. "You lie. We number in four hundred and ten!"
I smirked, then wrote down the number of my nation on the ground. "My people live in a beautiful land with long winters. We don''t worry about hunger or thirst. We are content, but never happy. We always seek the skies,"
She eyed the ground, eyes wide with disbelief. Still, there was her quiet, contemplative mind at work. "How?"
"Do you remember the clans we sometimes trade with?" She nodded. "My people are from all over the lands, brought together with a newer sense of purpose and direction. There were dark times, divided into hatred or anger. Ultimately, as children are born and replaced the old, we became a unified people, guided by laws and camaraderie."
"Can we not do the same, Wise Valerian?" Ah, his nickname. Though, it was better than being called Little Valerian. That soured quickly when one of the fools thought he was easy prey. "We have been raising our first cattle as you''ve taught us! And the wheel and the cart was a wonderful boon to our people!"
I grinned. "If I manage to convince the rest of the elders, we might see something like that in the future."
"Sometimes I wonder if you fill my head with dreams," She said, almost sadly. "But, I wish to realize your dreams one day. I think we will be a stronger people for it."
All I could do was smile. I''ve read enough history books that wars were inevitable. Whether this would break her people, is a chance I was willing to take. "I hope I''ll be there to see it," I lied. I would be lucky to reach my eightieth.
"You will,"Arawen replied firmly. "I found you, alone and injured. It was the will of the spirits that brought you to me. To us. You shall stay with us till the stones turn to dust, and the earth withers under winter come eternity."
I inwardly shivered, but smiled gratefully. "I would never have it any other way."
The reminder that they weren''t human hit me hard. They were a people with few possessions, but the ones they had, they guarded jealously and with the fires of zealotry. TheAraialien elves of the Cry of the Black Wolf were a force to be reckoned with against all those that dared to attack them. The Midnight Bear tribe learned that the hard way, when their corpses were used as fertilizers for their newly constructed farms.
I spent the rest of my night telling stories to children by the fire. The men and women free from chores joined in to listen, their eyes wide with fascination and wonder.
1.5
It was strange. My ability to transform into a human doesn''t necessarily mean I would gain all of a dragon''s strengths and weaknesses. Even a baby dragon of level one, I found, was far stronger than a base human by far. It would be like comparing a fully grown brown bear to a regular, untrained boy with some aptitude for athletic sports. And what I was, was just a teenage boy way in over my head.
I still couldn''t wrap my head around my ability to retain all that mass of a dragon as a human. It just didn''t seem scientifically possible. But, what did I know? All those things I saw, that seared into my brain like a hot poker, wouldn''t ever let me forget. Impossible became possible, and anything can be actualized.
My human body heals just a little bit faster than normal, and I was twice as strong. Enough, at least, to keep up with the younger elves. My senses were far better. The ability to see and sense in the dark, to smell and hear, had increased my sensitivity by two-fold. It was nothing compared to when I was a dragon, but it was still something.
The older, grown men and women could still beat me down, strength wise. I knew this because I decided to challenge them to an arm wrestling competition. They loved it, and the camaraderie between the men became stronger all the more. I still, however, got my ass kicked. I didn''t know what it meant if someone decided to strike me with a fatal wound, but it wasn''t a worry I had to deal with. For now.
I was immune to low-level heat resistance. Fire doesn''t necessarily harm me, but I can still feel the increased temperature on my skin. Normally, I would be concerned, but I''ve switched to an entirely different racial type of dragon, with an affinity for storms and lightning. It seemed incomprehensible to me that I am now an entirely different draconian race. To suddenly switch from one thing to another... Evolution never worked that way. Another impossibility.
I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. It helped clear my thoughts, and focus on what was at hand.
Dragon of Storms and Skies
You have chosen the Dragon of Storms and Skies. Physically prodigious for their gargantuan size, their noble bearing befell the lands in their great shadow and overwhelimg power. The skies are their domain, and storms their dwelling.
The name implied that I was truly a child of the skies, as some of the mythological gods in my world''s ancient history. I was maybe eight foot four, maybe bigger. My width was probably around seven foot two. It was particularly difficult to measure oneself when I had no way to accurately do so, especially with a body I was unfamiliar with. I was clumsy, and it took some getting used to.
Still, my size contradicted the description given. It didn''t make any sense. Was it because I was so very young? Or did I have to increase my level in order to get that big? It was all still so confusing, but it was the only explanation I had. So, I willed my mind into the stats for more information out into the forefront. Anything that might be useful, anything that would give me something to understand just what I was.
I didn''t think it would actually work, which only brought more questions when it did.
Dragon of Storms and Skies
Dragons are ancient beasts more akin to natural disasters. Their will indomindable, and their strength unrivalled. Extremily solitary, they prefer the silence of their respected domain. They do not care for much, neither for material wealth or mortals. Dragons are simply a part of the natural world, and even the minor gods attached to the material world are wary of angering such creatures. Such as it is, to anger the children of The King of Dreams.
The Dragon of Storms that beheld the skies above all mortals, are rivalled only by the very few. Rivals of its kin do not take intrusion to their domain well. That the very earth shall tremble upon their very wrath should they battle. Their clashes shall reverberate across half the realm, sunder reality itself.
Mortals and immortals alike shall find no quarters, no haven, that can stall the songs of the dragons.
Well, that didn''t say much. If anything, it only left me with more questions than answers. I knew this even as that peculiar woman-goddess-thing informed me of my draconic origin. I still remembered the titles of my "father" well, for what else could it be? He was a God, with power and title that went with it. I didn''t understand what that meant, not truly, but he sounded like bad news all around.
So, what could I do? I didn''t know, because the lack of information was concerning. Were there others like me? And if so, were they different?
If so, I was in trouble. I was still weak, and my strength was not enough to fight against most of the monsters that reside in this world. For certainty? I didn''t know. Not without the facts. But, in my guts, I knew this more than anything. Call it instinct. I just needed time, and I was afraid I was going to lose it.
I just needed time.
So, one day, I sat down by the cliffs, overlooking the blue ocean as the sun was rising. I felt the salty ocean breeze, and the quiet still waters. If I tried hard enough, I could hear the distant songs of the whales. And behind me, the verdant grass swayed softly against the breeze. I could hear the heartbeat of Benny, as he sat beside me.
I never meditated before. It was hard to keep still. Even as a human I was restless, and my ability to stand still as a dragon was nearly impossible. The first time I tried to quiet my mind, I failed. To my continued frustration, I had kept failing day after day, despite the hours I have put into meditation. It took doing cardio exercises to physically exhaust my mind and body, in order to stop my wandering mind just to meditate.
"You have been sitting here for a long time," That deep, baritone voice startled me. I knew someone approached me, but the thought hadn''t really registered to my mind until it was too late. "What do you see?"
"Eruyonaon? I didn''t realize...," I sighed, as the man took a seat beside Benny. I could hear the contentful chuffs of Benny, as Eruyonaon''s fingers scratched behind the ears. "How long have you known?"
The chief elder was something of a Wiseman himself. Having lived for seven centuries can do that to anyone, I imagined.
"Long enough, I suppose," Eruyonaon''s hazel eyes looked out toward the ocean, a light smile upon his face. "Still, you haven''t answered my question,"
I huffed. "Just the ocean,"
"Truly?" He seemed surprised. "You must love this spot, then. You have been coming before the sunrise for many weeks. What do you hope to find?"This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Find? Nothing, I suppose," Or everything, I thought bitterly. "Just mostly curiosity, and the silence."
"Ah, I see," It was a long time before the silence was broken. "You miss your family. You miss your home."
I rubbed my eyes in fatigue.
"I miss them, yeah," I said, as I watched the sunrise. "I miss them so much. I miss my school, my friends. Most of all, I miss my family," I chuckled softly in frustration. "And you know what? I miss the internet. The music, the movies, and hotdogs. Oh, and the plumbing...,"
So I talked, and he listened. Eruyonaon probably thought I was talking nonsense, but damned if I didn''t care. I just needed to vent. It''s been so long since I ranted about my nosy sister, or my stupid friends, to someone. And to just... let go. I missed them terribly.
I just needed someone to listen to. And, it helped, and my mind felt lighter.
The next day, I woke up early to sit upon that very same spot. The sun rose, and I closed my eyes to fill my mind with silence. My birthday was in December. The season seemed to last longer, but it was enough to know the truth. The elves, long-lived as they were, was my family.
And then, as I watched the rising sun on the horizon, I got a confirmation that startled me. I had forgotten what I had originally set out to achieve. But I''d done it. I''d done what I thought was impossible, a nonsense theory that just wouldn''t leave my mind. But, it worked. It worked!
Skill Unlocked!
Meditation lvl. 1 Acquired!
You seek peace of mind, to find insight upon oneself, and others. You wish to reach tranquility and equanimity.
The higher and higher I chased it, the more impossible it seemed to achieve, I''ve found. I wasn''t happy, but neither was I content with my newest attribute. This opportunity only gave rise to more possibilities. Was it possible I could acquire more abilities? Yes, it seemed to be more than achievable. But the time required to achieve it was too long.
I didn''t have any cheat codes, not like when I was in the dark world, where there were constant monsters to hunt and kill. Here, most of them were just animals, even the biggest, meanest bunch. Constant violance seemed like the answer to my problems, but one which I thankfully lacked.
Sadly, I was still stuck as a level five.
"Are you ready, Valerian?" Startled, I looked up to find Arawen standing behind me, her hands clasped behind her back shyly. I couldn''t help but return her infectious smile. "The... ah, ambassadors, right? They''re here, and the elders are waiting for you."
The Curious Raven tribe was far larger than the Cry of The Black Wolf tribe, one which they''ve had some semblance of a trade for the past few centuries. Until, of course, the Ravens have heard of the progress we''ve made of our village. No doubt, they''ll wish for our secrets, and no one was willing to share without some price to be had.
I walked with Arawen back to the village. It had been a year since my arrival, and already the tiny village had grown considerably. The earth had been packed and cleared for a proper cobblestone road, and the food was aplenty thanks to raising cattle and farming simple fruits and vegetables. More importantly, the homes had been newly constructed by the shaping of stone and wood.
I had little knowledge of Araialien magic, but from what I''ve seen, they were formidable, if primitive. I tried to learn their magic, of course. Why shouldn''t I? It seemed like a reasonable thing to do, but such magic belonged to the blood of the elves and the raw, untapped lands of the earth. Or, perhaps, I just didn''t have the correct mindset for such magic. I didn''t feel anything for it, but it gnawed at me.
I did sense the reflection of their magic, if distant, however.
If I had to describe it, their magic was a song, filled with tiny whispers and a silent stillness that echoed within the backdrop of this world. It was there, resonating deep into the earth, vibrating, to every plant and dirt and seed, to stone and wood, and to every cry and call of the wildlife. The elves simply answered back.
I... their magic was larger, more worldly than I could ever be. There was a wonder to their perception, of being natural cultivators to nature magic that so easily connect to the fundamental natural order of this world.
Sadly, I didn''t know anything. I was completely useless in trying to figure it out.
My grumpiness was starting to show. As I walked past the people that went about their duties, I indulged in nostalgist recollection of modern technology. I missed plumbing terribly. The elves don''t leave... waste behind. Of any kind. The fuckers. Their bodily system somehow digests everything. Everything. It was no wonder they were so much stronger than the average human. They were more evolved.
The elder Eruyonaon and his wife, Silivlairiel, along with one of the elders of the Cry of The Black Wolf tribe were here, situated along one side of the low table. The most notable one sitting by the chief''s side was a skinny, elderly elf, with a beard that could have swept entire floors. A shaman, mystic, and everything expert on magic. His words held great weight and was a considerably important man to the tribe. He was my teacher, in both the language and the culture. A man with much patience and strength, even if he found me annoying.
On the other side sat the chief of the Curious Ravens, holding a clay cup of tea. The leader among them was a giant of a man, clean shaven, with long white hair and steel-grey eyes.
I sat beside the Wiseman and watched the negotiations take place. My knowledge in such areas was lacking, but the chief invited me to watch and learn. So, I did. The trade talks went for a long time, and breaks were taken quite frequently. There were some hints to merge their clans, but rebuffed every time. It was obvious that such a move would only result in the leadership within the Wolf tribe.
As the talks continued, I checked my stats. I haven''t leveled, but my constant practices helped level my Mana Control quite considerably. I''ve been here for a year, and a skill was gained, which took about just as long. There were no monsters here, unlike the underground world he originated from. There was no vicious killers or demigods roaming about. Only animals and people who were concerned more about their next meal.
It didn''t... suck, per se. It was the most peaceful time of my life. I could just simply relax, and stretch my wings. I practice, of course. Do some training every morning. Stretches, situps, pushups, and anything else I could think of. A few got curious, but ultimately dismissed it as a waste of their time.
Not Arawen, though. She arrived, all childlike smiles and waves of giggles, and decided to do them herself. So, she joined every day. I taught her as much as I could, with what little knowledge I did have.
As the years went by, my abilities stayed much the same. I hadn''t leveling up, but I was improving with what I had. Already, I had several levels in Mana Control, and a single level up in Meditation. The latter helped tremendously with of Mana Control. There was no doubt that they synergized quite well together.
My ability to fight improved. Wrestling and other such martial combat became something of a staple within the elven community, so long as a referee was there to oversee the matches. I lost most of the time against the chief hunter of the tribe, but the exhaustion of the match had me laughing all the time. It was good. It felt good.
I belonged. I wasn''t of their culture, or ethnicity, but they welcomed me, despite my horrifying ability to turn into a fearsome dragon. Their little village improved, slowly, and became something of a town. Their way of life became something of an envy to the other tribes. Many wished to join, for both comfort and safety, and military improvement. Oh, and food.
It was peaceful, in my little bungalow. Until, of course, the chief of the tribe came into my home without so much as a knock. Well, there was a knock. I just didn''t hear. Point was, I froze, when he said to me, "You are alone. A marriage proposal shall come to you. You shall accept. I will not let your life be one of solitude and seclusion for the rest of your life. You need children. So it shall be. So, shall it be done."
I wanted to eat him for his arrogant presumption. That was my dragon side. But a human part of me heartfully agreed. It was an arranged marriage. I hated the very concept of it, but I was socially inept, and living with people thrice my age felt awkward and alienated.
So, I did what I hated most, and said, "Okay."