《Xerazon The Immortal (DROPPED)》 Awakening [Prologue] *Chink* ... *Chink* ... *Chink* "Hey Ron, don''t you think we should be close to that ore vein you were tasked with retrieving from the mages?" (???) "Probably. Only very few are gifted such as them to be able to see through all this useless rock. A very helpful ability if I must say." (Ron) "Too bad those lazy bums are sitting in the carriage waiting for us like some high nobles amongst peasants. Ya think that sending a few [Fireball]s this way would clear some of the rubble?" (???) "No you idiot, we might damage the goods. Anyway, we should get back to work before they get annoyed back there." (Ron) *Chink* *Clank* *Rumble* "What did you do? Sounded like you opened up a cave of some sort." (???) "I''m not too sure Jerry. I think we better check it out. They probably saw through and into the cave. That might be why we couldn''t find anything around here." (Ron) "You got it Ron, just watch out for monsters." (Jerry) "I doubt there are any monsters within a radius of 1000 kilometers of us that could put up much of a fight. We might be mining right now, but those are just tasks the king gave us to get us busy. We''re still rank S adventurers." (Ron) The two men climb through a hole. Both have swords and picks on their waists. Sword to the left, pick to the right. They use the hilt of their swords to break any rock in their way to help them squeeze through. They tread through the cave, which is surprisingly not cold, but instead gives off an eerie feeling that makes them want to leave. However they push on while ignoring their sixth senses. "This is probably going to split into something much bigger Ron. We''re in a mountain after all, and I just have a feeling that we aren''t going to just stroll on in and have a merry time. There might be a monster worthy of us after all a bit deeper in." (Jerry) "I agree. I have this ominous feeling, and I can''t shake it off. Maybe it''s a Hydra?" (Ron) Ron finishes that sentence jokingly to lighten the mood, but that seems to only last an instant. They reach further in until they hear a crack under their feet. ""..."" (Ron & Jerry) ""AAAaaaahhhhhh...."" (Ron & Jerry) Both men fall some 30 meters to the ground. Thankfully they landed on a ledge, and that they were S ranked adventurers. If they weren''t as strong or lucky, they surely would have died or at least taken serious injuries. "Owch.. You ok Ron?" (Jerry) "Yeah, how about you Jerry?" (Ron) "I''m fine, but I think we passed the ore vein, haha..." (Jerry) Ron activates [Candle Light] and a small orb of light appears in his hand. "Well, we should probably get down and explore a bit more. It might be a hidden dungeon. Normal caves shouldn''t go down this far. If it stopped at the ledge we are on it would be alright, but not after continuing another 320 or so meters down." (Ron) Ron says after peering over the ledge, dropping a stone, and finding a void of darkness until a *clack* was many many seconds later. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The two men make their way down slowly, while taking advantages of various ledges scattered across the walls. The hole they fell from illuminates the areas close to them. After adapting their vision to the darkness for so long it becomes easier to see, but they still need [Candle Light] when looking down, as it doesn''t seem to ever end. They continue downwards until they can see the ground 40 meters or so below them. Both of them activate [Descend]. This spell allows the user to slowly descend downwards as if in water. They chose to activate the skill now of all times since they can only hold the spell for around 30 meters of descent. They could easily take the 10 meter fall so it wasn''t a worry to them. The two land, but just as they stand up.. *RuMbLe* "WoOoAh. It''s getting stronger. There just might be a dungeon somewhere along this way!" (Jerry) Both adventurers quicken their pace and head towards where they think the sound is coming from. They are currently in what seems like a gigantic pit. They can''t see any walls around them, despite being adapted to the darkness after reaching so low that there is barely any light. *RUMBLE* *CRASH* ""OOOOWW"" (Ron & Jerry) Both crouch down, covering their ears in agony over the loud sounds. They get up shortly after realizing that the crash was too abnormal to be a simple cave in of some sort. They desperately look around trying to find the source of the sound until landing on what looks like a pitch black sideways tree of some sort. The only reason they were able to see the ''object'' was because of its abnormal darkness. It was a shadow of shadows so to speak. Darker than the darkness around them, and they only realized it now because of their highly tuned senses being focused. Both Ron and Jerry are overcome with fear, along with this immense pressure that they have to fight with all their strength to barely stay awake, let alone move. They move their eyes, following the tail after seeing it move to a giant black figure, maybe 60 meters tall laying down. The length is approximately 140 meters, so the total size when standing up would be somewhere around 100 meters tall and 140 meters long. The man named Jerry wets himself in fear, and unable to withstand the pressure any longer faints, only to have his heart stop and be crushed under the might of whatever creature was exerting such devastating force. Ron did not see his parter die, but since Ron himself was stronger he was able to withstand more pressure than his most... unfortunate friend. *RUMBLE* "Hmmph" (???) Dust flies out of the creature''s nose as it takes what seems like its first real breath in centuries. Ron slowly watches the beast stand up, reaching around 100 meters in height. "I-....it.. can''t.. be..." (Ron) The first and last thing that comes to Ron, right after seeing the bright purple eyes on the creature is: "Xerazon..?" (Ron) *thump* Chapter 1: A Look Around *POV Xerazon* It seems as though I have awoken. Strangely though, I can feel two presences next to me. Oh, looks like now there is only one. I wonder what happened. Anyway, I guess it''s about time to stretch my legs out. Who knows how long I''ve been asleep? I stand up, and open my eyes, only to see a human on the floor of my den, staring at me. There is a corpse of another next to him. That must be the other presence I felt earlier. "I-... it.. can''t.. be..." (???) He''s stricken with fear... I can''t blame him much though. I''ve been asleep for a long time, so there is the chance that there are only legends about me. I''m a bit glad that he knows who I am though. I guess in his case though, it would be a matter of ''what''. "Xerazon?" (???) *thump* Looks as though he''s collapsed and died right there. I wonder why... oh. Xerazon pulls in his pressure, leaving the area like normal. That is... embarrassing. I ruined my chance at learning a bit about this new era. I guess I would have to leave this place one way or another, so I suppose I didn''t lose out on too much information. I should probably turn into my human form to exit. Exiting as a giant dragon the size of a castle wouldn''t be too welcoming now would it? Xerazon suddenly shrinks, his wings disappear and he is now a tall man with a decent muscle mass. Not too much, but it''s also visible. His age seems to be around 25 based off appearances alone. He has pitch black hair and eyes with a purple glow. He has gone from a 100 meter height to a little over 1 and a half meters (5.11 ft). Better. The humans shouldn''t recognize me since it''s been so long considering my surroundings. The den sure has aged. It''s no longer a bright gray of fresh stone, but now a dark gray/black color. This change may be due to the lessening in magic since I went into hibernation alongside age. Nonetheless, I should probably get out of here. Not before I take the cloths off of one of these unfortunate men. Xerazon first walks up to the man that was dead when he first opened his eyes, but after smelling a horrible sweat of excrement, he tries his luck with the other fellow. After stripping the man clean, he is satisfied with his appearance and takes the man''s belt. The sword will also make him seem more regular for lack of a better word. He disregards the pick and makes his way out of the cave with a single jump. He reaches the ledge the men fell on first in an instant without any effort. I''m glad I can control my strength just like I could before the hibernation. I wouldn''t want to accidentally blow up a town. He hops up into the entrance and makes his way out. As Xerazon leaves, he sees two men clothed in robes walk to him. These robes are to his liking as he isn''t much of a warrior type. The two men become weary and wryly conjure up a question to the strange looking man. "Wh- Who are you? Where are Ron and Jerry?" (Unknown Mage #1) "He''s wearing Ron''s clothing... Something is wrong. They were two rank S adventurers." (Unknown Mage #2) "Hmm, something is indeed wrong as you have guessed. I woke up only to find out both were dead. I ended up having to take their clothes and walk out of here, but I like the look of yours better I must say." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "What do you mean you just found them dead?!" (Unknown Mage #1) "I think he plans on robbing us, take a stance. [Greater Fire Pillar]!" (Unknown Mage #2) "[Thorn Trap]!" (Unknown Mage #1) Both mages shoot out spells to kill the man that has hostile intentions. Xerazon looks at them, easily telling that the first mage seems to be the master. [Thorn Trap], huh? That sounds new to me. At least humanity has strode off their path of repetition and might have some new and fun things to offer. Still, with magic like this it won''t even glance me. A bunch of thorns coming from the ground as just small sprouts taking days to grow. Much too slow. Xerazon easily appears behind the two as their spells slowly flow to his initial location. He''s able to perceive the spells as if they were slowed by 10x the normal amount. This is of course due to his level. Before the mages could even see him disappear, they are instantly killed with a quick chop to the back of their necks, breaking their spines instantly. His speed was much too fast for their brains to cope with. "Thank you Mr. Magicians. I''ll be taking this." Xerazon strips the first mage, who had better looking robes and discards his previous set of gear. Putting on the robe and ignoring the staff, he looks past the men only to find a carriage. This must be what they used to travel. Pretty convenient that there is a carriage awaiting me, but I don''t need it. I could easily grow miniature wings and fly wherever I wanted, or just run. I guess I could use one of the horses to travel to town, as it would look extremely unnatural for a lone mage to enter a town or city. He walks up to the carriage, freeing both horses. Hopping on the one closest to him, he looks towards the other as it stares at him back. "Go on, my friend. You are free." "Neigh!" (Horse 2) The horse neighs happily, as if thanking him, and with its binds removed, it runs off. The horse he is riding looks up to him confused, as if wondering why the other horse was let free, but he remained. "Haha, don''t worry my horse friend. I shall free you soon enough, I only need you to get into town. Once I am through with that, you will be free like your brother." "Neigh!" (Horse 1) The horse neighs just as happily as the other, and with a tail wag they both start moving the opposite direction the carriage came to get to civilization. Xerazon being a magical dragon allows him to understand the feelings of animals and magic beasts, and even communicate with magical beasts. Normal animals are different, but he can still get his point across and understand what they are trying to convey. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With a setting sun, and a cliche opening, just how will this dragon''s life be changed? With a new magic discovered, maybe evolution is finally taking the right turn. Chapter 2: My First Partner It''s been a day after Xerazon exited his den, killed the mages and took one of their horses. He can see a city in the distance. It will probably only take him 2 hours to reach it, so he is a bit excited to find out how humans are doing. "Looks like we''re finally getting close, huh?" "Neh!" (Horse) "You think that I''ll have any trouble getting in? I remember humans always having a gateway of some sort." The horse shakes his head, indicating no. Xerazon smiles a bit, as he rarely has people to talk to. I''m glad this horse is so friendly. I rarely get anyone to talk to. I think my last conversation partner was Illia, the Goddess of Spring, a few hundred years before I decided to hibernate. It can get really lonely. Sitting in my den and watching the sun rise then set, and the moons do the same. Sleep was my best friend, haha... I could have turned into a human and made human friends, but everyone I had met was greedy and unworthy of my friendship. The humans used to only have brown and blue eyes, but seeing as how that mage I stole the coat from had a greenish color, I could probably keep my eyes purple. But, I''ll change them to brown for safety. Xerazon''s eyes change their color to a dark brown. "So, Horse, what is your name?" "..." (Horse) "Oh, so you don''t have one?" The horse shakes his head yes, indicating that he does, but he also stares ahead with gloomy and hate filled eyes. Xerazon soon realizes that- "Ah, I see. The humans named you, and you don''t wish to keep that name any longer since you hate them, hmm?" "Neigh." *Nod* (Horse) "Well then, would you like me to name you?" The horse looks towards Xerazon hesitantly, but eventually nods and agrees since this man doesn''t feel greedy or mean like those others. "Well then, I guess that''s settled. However, I must warn you. As you may or may not know, naming animals/beasts or magical beasts gives them power. Depending on the one naming, the receiver will get power depending on the one instilling it. If you accept these terms of the contract that will be made, then this means that you will not be able to be free so long as I want to keep you by my side. You can turn back now and not be named, or you can trust me and accept the name and contract. Which is it?" If this horse trusts me enough, I''ll provide him with something much better than what he is thinking of. The horse thinks while walking. Concentrating on his options. When a beast is named, they get to accept or deny the name. However, once they are named they are more or less a familiar. Every beast knows this since it''s in their nature. If he were to trust Xerazon, or in the horse''s case this suddenly appearing man who is offering him freedom, then that would mean he would be in the palm of his hand. The horse realizes how unnatural it is for a human to understand a beast, and how friendly he has been to him. After all, he''s been conversing with him as if they were the same creature, or spoke the same language. Maybe on the same level, not one better than the other. The horse finally decides after around 2 minutes of thinking. "Neigh!" (Horse) "Very good my friend, now then. Let''s pull over. You''ll be undergoing some... changes." The horse is worried a little about the last part of what this man said. ''Changes''? That word is very confusing. Beasts who are bestowed a name only gain power or lose it depending on the ''contractor''. They shouldn''t change much. He pushes aside those thoughts and pulls over, trusting the man. Someone who promises freedom, and even freed one of his friends can be trusted in his eyes. Being a human is suspicious since they are greedy, but this human seems like something more to the horse. "Alrighty" Xerazon hops off and looks at the horse. Hmm, what kind of name should I give him? He is a black horse, and after I name him he will probably evolve into a pegasus of some sort, graduating from his ''Animal/Beast'' status to ''Magical Beast''. The humans aren''t able to pull this off, but I''m limiting the amount of power I''m going to give this horse. I''ll make him slightly stronger than those two I found dead in my den. If I choose to strengthen him I''ll just pore more power into his name and give him a title. *Animals and Beasts more or less share the name. Think of it as an accent. Some people prefer beast, others animal.* Maybe Coal would be a good name? It''s dark, and powers a fire. Yeah, I like it. This horse also shows promise and a hate for humans. I''m not too fond of them either, but his hate is deep. He probably went through something bad with them. I think it would be best to keep him away from contact with humans. Strolling around town shouldn''t be a problem, but I don''t want any humans provoking him. I should also use illusion magic on him. The only humans to have pegasus are those near the top of the church. Since this horses'' color is black I''ll definitely attract attention from the church, which I don''t want. "Alright then horse, I have a name and I''ll be starting the contract. Are you ready?" "Neigh!" (Horse) The horse seems glad. "By my name, Xerazon, The One True Immortal Dragon, I invoke a Contract of Equality. Shall your name after accepting this contract be known as Coal, unless further change of the contract may occur. By accepting this contract you agree to be treated as an equal to me. Not as a slave, or a pet. You shall be given the power of a divine beast, and may our languages sync so we may communicate. I, as your contractor, shall be viable to bestow a title upon you and increase the amount of power you inherent by my will. Do you agree to these terms to become my partner?" The horse stares blankly. He has never heard of the Contract of Equality. When he was named by the humans, he was tied down. He was named Horse#43 while the other humans in the background laughed at him and whipped him until he agreed. It was a Contract of Ruling. Nothing lengthy was said, only the name, his acceptance, and a burn on his stomach where a rune was engraved. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Basically unless the contractor dies he could not escape, and he had to listen to all commands given. His contractor was the one who Xerazon stole the robes from. The horse was also confused when Xerazon named himself, along with his title. Titles were only given to the strongest beasts. How this horse knew all of this, it was from experience as well as innate knowledge. All animals knew about their evolutions. The syncing languages thing was also confusing, but he ignored it. After a brief period of confusion, the horse realizes that this is not a man, but a dragon. And he was not going to be named to become a slave, but a partner. Something he had not considered. Being a partner to this savior was something the gods must have set up for him, or so he believed. Around 20 seconds of confusion and thinking went by until the horse made his decision. "Neigh!" (Horse) With the shake of his head, a smile appeared on Xerazon''s face. A smile so sincere it seems like after so long he has finally found something he could love. "With your acceptance, may the Contract of Equality be sealed." A bright light appeared. The light surprisingly didn''t blind Coal, but instead gave him a warn feeling of acceptance. He would finally be free from imprisonment and be a partner, not a toy. The rune on his stomach also disappeared. Coal grew around a foot taller, reaching around 2 meters (6.6 ft). Wings sprouted from his back, giving him a wingspan of 3.3 meters (11 ft) and a horn grew on his head. Coal was now a Dark Pegasus. Not evil, just attributed with the Dark element. Only the people of the church considered beings with Dark attributes evil. "What a beauty. I''ve finally found a mortal I could sync with. I''m surprised that after all the time I have lived I never even thought to look towards beasts, haha! Maybe because I am a Magical Beast of sorts as well? Anyways, welcome, Coal! Now, with a proper introduction: I am The One True Immortal Dragon Xerazon. I''ve lived as long as the gods, and in the past feared by many. I tried to refrain from killing gods and humans, but sometimes they were annoying. Especially the humans. I decided to go into a deep hibernation after becoming extremely bored in hopes that things would get better. After I woke up, I ended up killing those four men and meeting you!" Coal was stunned briefly. The One True Immortal Dragon? He knew dragons existed but to think that he had contracted with one was unbelievable. Also, this newfound power that coursing through him was something he knew about, but never thought he would be able to experience. "I... evolved?" (Coal) "Yes, you did evolve, Coal. With the Contract of Equality I can bestow power to you equal to up to 50% of my own. You are currently sitting at a little above 1%. I use my magic power to raise yours. If I give you a title, that 50% can move to a 65% cap. The amount of magic power I give you is the same percentage of how much power you can obtain from me. My magic regenerates, but the contract limits how much power I can give you. If I have a full magic capacity I can only use 50 or 65 percent. Even if I regenerate it, I can''t use any more on you." "Wow... And you can understand me?" (Coal) "Yes, that was in the terms my friend. Language syncing is something only in the Contract of Equality. It grants those contracted the ability to understand one another. When a third party looks, I''m speaking the human language and you are neighing. I of course know many languages, but chose to speak Tromian since you were around humans your whole life. I could change my language, and the third party would understand, but you would still understand it in Tromian. I can understand you in any language I want." "That''s amazing... I''m sorry about being so slow with all this, but it''s all just too amazing." (Coal) "No worries, it''s actually refreshing to know that you aren''t terrified by me being a dragon. I''m sure others wouldn''t handle it as well as you are." "No doubt about that. Well, no use struggling over the past. However, won''t the humans be too worried with a Dark Pegasus walking around with the Dark attribute?" (Coal) "Don''t work about that too much. [Ancient Illusion]" A purple light flows around Coal, and when it''s done he looks at himself with confusion. "What did you do?" (Coal) "I changed your appearance. You''ll look exactly like you did before to others. The only people who can see through the illusion would be me and you, along with someone who has an innate talent to negate illusions and anyone within 75% of my strength, which would include gods, dark gods, some angels, and some demons." "That''s actually amazing, wow." (Coal) "I guess so, but I''m used to it." "Hop on Xerazon, let''s get back on track. We can also talk along the way." (Coal) "Let us." Xerazon hops onto Coal and they head off to the city in front of them. Looks like taking that time off in my secret 2nd den paid off. Coal doesn''t seem to know it, but along with Dark attribute, he has Light attribute. Something that only godlike being such as myself and the gods/angels/dark gods/demons have. This will be interesting indeed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ All suggestions will be looked at. Feel free to put any in the comments. I could use a little help and ideas for development, and thanks for reading! :)