《Useless Dragon》 0: Contestants The gold-lined tome flew open, pages flipping wildly. Every reagent I had gathered levitated, beginning to spin in a large circle. A fossilized dinosaur skull, A preserved knight''s sword, an impressive sapphire, a set of bat wings, and finally an iron heart plated in gold. They took off one by one, wobbling and undilating as the tome set them into motion. Wonder filled my eyes as the objects spun, blending into eachother. My goal of this life was fulfilled to create a better next one, same tide of fulfillment washing over the shores of Me. The five objects lost detail, releasing puffs of silver and azure. The smoke trails converged upon me, wrapping me up like a christmas present. I could feel my grasp on my body slip. And an upwards pull accompany it, no longer knowing something as silly as weight. The sight of the room sunk and faded, every bit of it un-rendering from the outside inwards. The last thing I precieved was the tome closing, drained of power and colour alike. At first, I saw nothing. I lacked limbs, but could feel a gentle bobbing, as if floating on an endless, lightless, yet peaceful sea. I lacked eyes, yet could see lights in the distance as my vision adjusted. They swirled around eachother, colours dancing against the stygian canvas. I lacked a brain, But what I did not lack was a mind. A mind was all I was, full of memories, hope, and will. That same will carried me forward. Brought me more and more speed, only to skid to a stop before the throng of lights. "Who''s this one?" one asked in a hushed tone. "No idea. I was told there was fifty, not fifty-one" said a second, boredly. "They''re... not human" Yet another whispered, keeping a wide berth from me. I was about to speak. To introduce myself. To ask what was going on, when a massive golden head breached the surface from below. "Greetings, contestants!" It asked in a booming, mocking, radiant voice like a desert sun. "I, Mathias the Merciful, have deemed all fifty of you worthy to behold my illustrious creation." An arm the size of a bus rose into existence, as if clipping through a floor. The car-sized hand opened, seconds later spinning an searing white orb into existence. That white was obscured by blinding red, then glowing red, then bright, dulling- no, cooling to brown before a dotted patchwork of blues and greens making shapes. Oceans and islands, I realized, as mountain detail started to show. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it."I have grown bored with my old world, and a seat in the pantheon has opened. Your planet has such interesting specimens. Such tenacity in the face of mana deprival." The being, clearly identifying himself as a god, emitted a laugh like a collapsing wall. "But I''m rambling again, aren''t I. While all fifty of you are special in their own right, only one can fill the prestigious role of my assistant." A worried murmur spread through the crowd, me included, as Mathias boomed on. "I give you fifty days to entertain me and prove your potential." "Ah, so weak without your technology!" He condescended with a sigh, other hand seeming to rummage before drawing out a cloud of smaller, detailed orbs. "I''ll give you each a little cheat. a special Skill of your own, to at least put you on even ground against my library of creations" Mathias gave a long, piercing look over the crowd. For the next few minutes, he pointed. A glowing white skill orb shot towards one of the fifty contestants, announced as they flew. Each skill orb swirled into the sentient ones, every mixture larger. Brighter. Stronger. A cloud of awe descended over the contestants, talking in hushed excitement about their Skills. I strained my ears, blood running colder and colder as I heard snips of conversation. Super luck. Perfect Memory. Master Blacksmith. Astral Summoner. Infinite Inventory. Darkness Manipulation. Axe hero. Predator. Ultimate Regeneration. "Look upon my generosity and be thankful!" The god''s voice boomed with egomania, cut off by a voice smaller but just as full of itself. "Grandmaster Cultivation of the five heavens" Mathias shot the lucky cultivator a dirty look, clearing his throat. "Without further delay, you all possess your Gifts. Now, on to the show!" He splayed his fingers, as if holding something large. The invisible floor began to whirl, comparable to a plug pulled on this dark ocean. Fingers moved to flick glowing orbs through, circling the drain one by one- Until halfway through the back, his gaze settled on me. "You are not part of this challenge." Mathias observed with surprise and scorn. "But it''s not within My jurisdiction to kill you. Instead, I''ll give you a special gift. A balancing act. A way to make it fair to your competitors, Dragon." He spat. An orb of a dull ashy black shot from his finger like a homing missile, striking me dead-center. A wave of weakness swept over me, and I felt myself sink to the looming whirlpool like a sleep I never wanted. 1: Hatch I awoke slowly. Painstakingly. My sluggish eyes adjusted to the light easily, but less so came adjustment to the chill. I felt my back, sides, limbs press to a surface as cold and hard as winter stone, front grinding against itself in a serpentine- I stopped. My memory shot back just a bit farther. The Skills of my other Contestants, the massive glowing figure, the ritual to shed my humanity- And judging by Mathias''s spitting epithet, it worked. My entire form began to fill, with joy. With hope. With confidence. The motions expressed themselves in what would have been a fist pump, limb slamming against the cold stone near my back with a satisfying crack. I was going to overcome all the challenges before me and I knew it. I twisted around to the crack, seeing rock and coral through the tiny hole. The beauty of it gobsmacked me, enough to give me a few seconds of pause And in those few seconds, water gushed in. My satisfaction quenched at the impending drown, as if I was made of living fire rather than meat. I felt desperation, uncoiling myself to escape this stone shell. A larger crack formed, center straining as I uncoiled to my full length in a moment of majesty. Water crashed in around me. In a moment of panic, I tried to suck in air, tried to buy myself some more time, but it was already too late. Water slid right down my throat like acid, causing me to curl, cough, and sputter. My eyes narrowed from discomfort, heart accelerating with fear. When from my sides, pressure equalized. I felt the same water pushed out slits near my neck, sighing in relief. Of course I could breathe under water if my egg hatched there! I closed my eyes and focused. My lungs were running on empty. My desire to breathe flared, unfamiliar muscles flexed, and my new gills bubbled with activity My eyes widened. I was free, and the golden god was not going to deprive me of that. However, I was a biological creature, bound by the same rules as any other. I scanned my environment for feline priorities. threats to avoid, prey to eat, and small holes to avoid the first and catch the second. My eyes, free from any inefficiencies they had in life, took in this waterfall of information. I was in a nest, a hatchery, a nursery of some sort, almost twenty other eggs of jagged grey strewn about the skyblue sand. Several others had the same idea as I, siblings letting me get a good look at what I could be. Each one was long and thin, clearly some form of sea snake. All of them bore horns on their head unlike any snake I knew of, two massive back-mounted fins apiece in clear pastiche of wings, and side-pointing translucent growths on their tails. Even more bafflingly, all of them were coloured every hue of the rainbow, plus one black and one white. Their, no, our underbellies were darker and duller in colour but clearly not suited to camouflage. "Are we poisonous?" I thought, lacking the mouth muscles to speak. I had no other explanation for the bright, varied colour schemes, dedicating that slice of brainpower back to watching and learning. My eight hatchling siblings thrashed, flexed, and undulated; their little brains working overtime to figure out these new pieces of equipment, when I noticed another variance. Red looked more like a ruby with more defined scales, orange and yellow sported a longer, wider set of gills, green and green alone had fangs that poked from their mouth rather than rested in it, blue purple and white had larger and frankly prettier tailgrowths, and the black one finished off the list with larger and sharper-looking horns. Not knowing if it was an early sign of sexual dimorphism on display or something more bizarre. I curled my own tail backwards, seeing a pleasant shade of pink scales surrounding a cyan underbelly. Giggling at what the colours meant, I swished my tail up and down. Aquatic movement was... fickle at the best of times, and I nearly bumped my head into the coral on the ceiling before an epiphany hit. I stretched my back-mounted fins, my aquatic wings, and smoothly flexed my tail up and down. Water slid past the hydrodynamic membranes, muscles in them flexing to stay open against the heavier-than-air tide. While I was flying, my siblings were practicing. Red and green were playfighting, seeming to train lining up for a takedown. One''s enlarged fangs matched the other''s scale armor, offense and defense boosted in equal measure. And while the others were getting their own handle on swimming, the black one with impressive horns posed in the center of the hatchery and made a small but respectable roar. Heads turned. Mine snapped right to their attention, and before I could decide we galumphed as one through the cavemouth and into the open ocean ahead. I could practically hear our collective stomachs growl, desire for food stronger pushing us to hunt as a school of nine. It seemed to outweigh a dragon''s desire for individuality- unless of course that desire simply took longer to kick in. The area outside looked impossibly large, making me feel even smaller. The surface looked passably close, only a few meters up, but what caused my stomach to drop was the view down. very quickly the shelf I floated over gave way to inky depths, rocky spires jutting upwards like elephant hairs. Aquatic beings of all shapes and sizes swam, diversity of tactics likely even more vibrant than diversity of form. In my half-minute of still observation, my school of siblings had swam ahead. I kicked my wings and tail into high gear, pangs of hunger reverberating with every rapid tailstroke and forceful adjustment of my backfins. My squad was still ahead, trailing a large, fat-looking fish as it swam in a lazy circle between the shallows and over the depths. The red one got it''s rear in gear, living up to the stereotype and popping right up infront of the fat fish. It opened it''s jaw impossibly wide to bite, wide enough to fit around my sibling and have enough room to spare. Oddly dull, curved, rodentlike teeth bristled, ready to close down on red scales with a sickening- I was expecting a crunch. Instead, all I received was a scrape, and a roar from my dark-hued leader sibling. While the red one played distraction, the large-tailed trio and miss-or-mister fangs latched onto the fish''s side, while the gilled duo swam ahead, brightly-coloured forms dancing in hypnotic patterns and drawing the fat fish''s attention. It swam towards the blindingly obvious trap. The hangers-on shook, spilling blood into the water that only invigorated the wrecking crew. I felt a spur forward, wings getting a workout as they held steady against the beating of my tail. I retracted one, turning to meet the fish''s trajectory, and opened my mouth for a charging bite. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.My lower row of teeth, smaller but more stable, gouged at the monster''s eye. While the sharps couldn''t find their way past, the damage was already done. Our opponent was down a fin, sporting several new openings along it''s side, and uselessly scraping against my red-armored sibling while they painted the inside of it''s mouth red. Unusually human disgust rose up, before quelled by a wisp of fishblood. Within seconds, My behavior was indistinguishable from my more instinctual kin. Within a minute, the fish ceased to move. And within only a few minutes more, we picked it clean. The nine of us lay on the sand, basking in the rays of the shallows after our display of efficiency and brutality like the cutest type of special forces imaginable. The sun moved across the sky, and we started to move again. The black one lead the way with a subtle roar, seeming to march us into line for easy organization. We returned to the safety of our cave with little fanfare, spreading out to rest and play. And while it might have been my imagination, I noticed some of the eggs looked larger than before. Closer to joining us in the realm of the awake. I might not have been the leader-sibling with majestic horns or a roar to match, but I could at least be proactive damn it. While my siblings swam about in search of enrichment, I swam out. Air cycled through my gills, renewed energy cresting me over the lip of our coral home cave with ease. I pulled in my wings and let myself sink to the shelf, surveying my small hunting ground. Another fat fish passed overhead without a care in the world, thick fins propelling it intermittently. I lacked the toughness to take in a fair fight or the precision to defeat in an unfair one, so observed it descend too close for comfort and root around in the shelf. It''s jaws opened wide, closing a second later to crunch around something small and burrowing. It spat out a burst of sand and swam away, gulping loudly as it went. It all made sense. Those teeth weren''t just for biting, they were for digging. And while I lacked teeth to dig, I had a tail. I sucked in water through my gills, spitting it out my mouth, and jabbed my tail under. With a flap of my wings, I catapulted a quickly-dispersing clump of sand upwards, uprooting a crab at least the width of my body. It struggled and snapped, blocking any potential lunge with a layer of apprehension. I did not want my snout, or worse, my eye on the business end of it''s claws. I had to have more weapons than that... My wings were strong, but likely easy to snip. My attention however turned to my tail, plan formed before the crab fell. I whipped it around like a drunken haymaker, crab''s claw moving to intercept but snapping nothing but water as my spinning strike went wide. I pumped my wings, lining my twisting form up again, and struck true. My tail-crystals cracked crab armor, brilliant blue burst of encouragement all I needed to swing again. The crab''s claw couldn''t block in time, as my built-in blade pierced the crab''s vitals. A voice, cold and calculating resounded through my head and snapped me back to reality. [You have slain: Tunnel bit. Expirience gained.] I was so lost in being a social aquatic predator that I forgot I was an otherworldly contestant. If I didn''t level up as fast as draconically possible, I was going to be toast. Either I was included last-minute, and someone else winning would mean humiliaion, torture, or nonexistance at the hand of the gold bastard, or I was simply part of the world and most likely mean one of them death, enslavement, or processing into crafting material by the hand of one of those absurdly powerful ''Contestants.'' While the possibilities were hard to tell apart, they had the same solution. I, Valerie Flying Drake, was going to become or overcome the heir of the world! By... killing a lot of crabs. Everyone has to start somewhere. I swam to another spot on the shelf and stabbed downwards, wings letting me act like a shovel. A terrible piercing feeling shot through the base of my tail before I could draw it back out. I panicked, hearing one of my thin scales crack, and sweeping my wings down. I flipped forward, almost crying out at the scraping feeling of the crab''s claw on my tail, before feeling a sudden release of pressure. Taking a second to reorient myself, my gaze fell on the crab seconds later, as it fell back to the ground. At least, the right 90% of it did. The crab was down a claw and painting the sea blue. Shaking away my pain I wasted no time and delivered it another spinning strike, tailblade striking it''s entire unguarded side. [You have slain: Tunnel bit. Expirience gained.] While definitely more painful, this kill was faster than the last. I took it''s confirmed-dead form in my mouth and dropped it over the lip of the cave like a mailed letter, barely stopping to do anything more before another delve. Gears turned in my head. I sought a away to reveal crabs without getting stabs. And thinking back to the fat fish''s digging, I concocted a plan. I swam low to the ground, narrowing my eyes, and swam forward as choppily as possible. Sand kicked up under the flap of my wings, disrupting a dozen nest crabs in their sandy shelters. I wasted no time, side-flipping to get one right between the eight legs. It snapped wide, then snapped out of existence with another bit of praise from the System. Only suprred further on, I chased after one that was trying to tunnel away, wings taking me as close as I need for a bite. My teeth closed around the back of it''s shell, out of claw range, to crick-crack-crunch away at the crab. I raised it high in victory, and a different System message played. [You have slain: Tunnel bit. Expirience threshold has been reached] The cold voice congradulated. [Phyllopteryx Hatchling]- So that''s what I was? This world must have had odd species names [Has completed its advancement from level 1 to level 2] My eyes brightened in happiness. Possibly artifically so, but who was I to question it? [Skill point gained] I could tell this was a real boost in power. I gathered up the two more meal-crabs and dropped them in my small pile near the enterance for hatchlings, met with looks of confusion, worry, and awe as I swam back in, curled up in the very center of the nest, and willed my [Character Sheet] into existence. 2: System White lines formed in my vision, impossibly thin and curving at the corners. Blue light opacified into existance within, lighter at the top and darker at the bottom, but what I was most interested in was the white text of condensed information. [Valerie, Phyllopteryx Hatchling (I)] read the first text box. I had no idea what a Phyllopteryx was- loads of fantasy creatures had complex names, but those names were evocative. This seemed like a medicine, as did loads of species invented by creative people. Keeping my name was a nice touch, and the hatchling part was to be expected- I hadn''t been out of my egg for an hour. The (I) left me stumped. Did it mean Immature due to being so new? Immaculate due to taking no damage? Invited to partake in this divine competition? I tried not to let it worry me too much [Level: 2/10] Aw heck. I didn''t know how big of a jump in power existed between levels, but being 20% of the way to the cap and still this weak worried me. "Maybe power exists independantly from levels?" I mused, letting out a few bubbles of air in my attempt at speech. As if on cue, my stats loaded in as a measure of this power. [Strength: 8] [Quickness: 11] [Vitality: 6] [Mind: 15] None of them surprised me. Small size and my siblings'' style of evasive pack hunting required quickness, and our bites were enough to wear down a creature clearly above our individual weight class. I didn''t know how my values stacked up against an adult human, or even against a sibling. The mind stat was probably an artifact of my reincarnation, but I wanted to be able to take a hit or ten. The red sibling''s armor made me green with envy, and my vitality being awful was a slap in the face. But not nearly as much as my title. [Titles: Useless] ...That was just plain rude. I sank in my coiled position, letting out a sigh and stirring up some of the same skyblue sand as I did. [Skills: none] "yeah yeah, rub it in" i responded, swishing my tailblade like an annoyed cat. However, my hopes began to rise. [Skill points: 2] This caught my attention! Maybe I could acquire some skills! As soon as I did, a smaller window slid out from my main one. It sported white lines with curved corners, a gradiented blue background, and several things I obviously knew to be Skills. But what I saw there wasn''t nearly as interesting as what came below, on my main window. [Fundamental Power: 1]. That sounded... important. Words like "Fundamental" don''t get thrown around so easily, when "base" tends to work perfectly well. It gave no indication of what I could use it for, so I turned my attention to the right window. My small but widely-applicable list of skills stared back, four in all. [Skill choices: Swim, Bite, Breath, Scent] These had to do more. I reached out and thought hard about [Bite], new panel unfolding from the top of my set. Words crossed it like a news-ticker, just slow enough to annoy. [Bite: Improves the force and precision of biting with fangs, mandibles or teeth.] My forward-facing weapon... when I acquired the bravery to use it. [Swim: Aids speed and control when moving underwater]. Mobility, cleanly and simply [Breath: Increases oxygen intake and expulsion, allowing increased stamina recovery]. A useful passive at first glance. [Scent: Improves sensitivity of olfactory receptors and clarity of information recieved]. That was unusually niche. It was a widely-available skill, I guessed, seeing as how my species didn''t seem to hunt by smell Looking at the Skills, one stood out. [Breath]. I could inhale more to get a big whiff of air, sustain my muscles for longer with the larger lungful, and even make use of a boost of speed by launching spent air out my gills. The fact that I was a dragon was not lost on me in the least. Dragons loved their breath attacks, and the image of burning a swathe of foes with gouts of flame distracted me from my rigid System windows. "I wonder if I can inhale to suck blood out of a foe or even worse? Or while I''m dreaming, shoot air with so much force it counts as an attack?" I reached my tail out to tap the Skill, when my tail awkwardly slipped mid-tap. Instead of selecting, I scrolled, to see a two new Skills. [Sword proficiency. Slightly improves skill with a sword. Unlocks weapon arts as level progresses] ...I didn''t even have arms. [Frenzy: Temporarily boost strength and speed. Quickly consumes stamina] I knew a combo when I saw it. And while the stamina drain was concerening, fights between beasts of the wild were often decided in seconds, if not before they began. A tide-turner would be crucial, and a way to recover after it even more so. Without further thought, I tapped both with my tail. Both skills turned from white to yellow, and a small button formed on the bottom-right hand corner. [Confirm?] A pulse of acceptance flowed from my chest. Both skill points rolled like coins down a slope, slotting into the skill panel, and spitting out my choices. [Breath (I) Level 1] and [Frenzy (I) Level 1 ] There was that (I) again. My eyes scrolled to my new skills, finding something else in the now-expanded window. [Mutations: Copper Heart (1)] I paused, looking too long at this strange mutation. The rest of my siblings had more obvious physical variances, like tougher scales or more productive gills, but I had... a better heart? Copper wasn''t that strong, but it was better than flesh. I hope. Looking back at my Character Sheet, I saw something change. Formerly white text was red, demanding my attention. [Fundamental power: 1 (!)] I focused my thoughts on it again, news-ticker of an information bar slowly filling again. [Fundamental Skills are slightly more powerful, slightly more efficient, grow more quickly, and grant more interesting evolution options] That was a burst of information. Clearly a Fundamental Skill was a straight upgrade over a standard one, but which did I want? What were these "more interesting options?" My lack of knowledge was frustrating, doubled by it''s apparent permanency. I only had one fundamental power, and I had to make it count. Ultimately, I saved my choice until I had more to use it on. I highly doubted these were my only skills, and if I could get my team to carry me to unlocking one that made my (copper) heart do a backflip, I could render it fundamental with ease. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.Until then, I had to rely on my normal ones. My stomach was growling slightly, but I was not hungry for food as much as I was for power. I swam out, seeing my crimson-hued tank of a sibling rising to join me. I saw no reason to stop them, and took the lead as we swam out in search of prey. They likely could not speak, but hardly needed to. We swam up past the cavemouth and onto the shelf, scanning for prey. Small worms wiggled through the water, cyan streaks on their sides glowing like Halloween sticks. I watched them as if in a trance, not realizing any danger- Until one stuck to me and burrowed in with formerly teeth. A trio of others joined it, much like how my siblings and I took down that very round fish, only further spurring me into action. I inhaled a deep breath and rocketed towards my sibling, dislodging a single leech on the way and knocking them out of their scan. [Skill: Breath has risen to level 2] the system rewarded, my efforts paying off already The red one turned, realized what was going on, and lunged past me, eliminating one with a snap of faintly-glowing fangs. I was almost certian this was the [Bite] skill in action the way it snipped through the leech. I twisted around, putting my other side in range, another suffered the same fate. Not willing to be completely a mere bystander, I awkwardly slashed with my tail, sawing one apart over a few seconds and letting it burst into a cloud of inky liquid. [You have slain: lumen leech] the System noted before I chomped it down. It looked too small to grant me any EXP, but I was safe for now as we shared the leeches in their dying glow. Long, four-winged birds flew dangerously close to the surface, one of them breaking into a swoop. I dove down to avoid being picked up when I saw it dive wide, spearing a long fish with an axe-like mouth. A turtle, larger than us, grazed on plants in the shallows. The red sibling and I looked at eachother as one, indescribable expression spreading on our snouts. With first a nod from me, then from them, we barreled towards the shelled creature. The turtle looked aside, hard head met by one of equal power. I could hear the sharp crack, not questioning who it came from as I made my move. I darted forward, latching onto the back of the turtle''s knee. My mouth was large enough to get a good hold, and after only a pause I shook rapidly. My wings churned the water as I thrashed side to side, strategy cut short as the turtle withdrew it''s leg. My head struck the rim of it''s shell with such force that stars spilled across my vision. Stars that obstructed that same shell from descending, pushing my head into the sand. I could feel my wing trapped, movement cut off from the fight. I struggled, slapping my tail on the ground and failing to straighten my wing. Even my own breath worked against me, sand sucking into my gills. I lacked leverage. Lacked an angle to hit. And lacked patience. Enough to throw me into a [Frenzy] My muscles began to burn, forced past their safe limits. I curled back, hit from my sibling distracting the turtle just long enough to give me a way out. My stamina was half-gone, but my options sure weren''t. I flexed my wing back into place, planting my back half against the sand and pushing upwards with my front. The turtle rose through the water, extending it''s wounded leg for another weapon to use. The leg struck true, delivering it''s impact to my draconic skull and knocking me back a few feet- But that was all I needed. The turtle reached a tipping point, falling onto it''s angular shell before my refocusing eyes. The turtle''s belly was unprotected. And that kill was mine. I pushed towards it, spinning sideways and using the last quarter of my [Frenzy] stamina to slash my tailblade into it''s gullet like a pickaxe. I felt it sink in, sharply wrenched aside to a horrid aquatic roar. [You have slain: Juvenile Komodon. Phyllopteryx Hatchling has risen to level 3. Skill point gained] My crimson ally swam back towards me, scales cracked in several places from the fight. I looked with sympathy, placing a wing on the shell to pry off the leathery underbelly for the meat underneath. We dug in without fanfare, sibling seeming to need it more than me. Turtle meat vanished quickly, swallowed by two growing squiggle dragons. We returned to our home cave to rest for the evening, and I returned to my central spot to rest and look over my Skills. My list of choices had expanded in the recent fight. Swim, Bite, Scent, and Sword proficiency remained of course, but several new ones joined them. Critical Eye for detecting weak points and driving weapons into them, Dash for bursts of movement. Realizing I simply needed a better melee attack, I chose [Bite]. The skillpoint rolled towards the list again, spending itself on power and potential. I felt my heart beat in my jaws, giving it a few test snaps and feeling the recoil of my fangs closing in on water. I looked over my wounds, assessing if I could go for yet another hunt, and expected my state to be worse. Despite my awkward, side-eyed angle, I could only see one wound on me from the leech''s scrape, flesh having closed over already. "Does my species heal super quickly? I''d expect a better vitality..." I thought, realizing this did not extend to my siblings. The red one''s scales were still banged up, replaced nowhere as quickly as mine. I settled in to sleep, practicing with breath. Inhaling and exhaling through my mouth, gills, both at the same time, before trying different tricks. I attempted to pass air in through my mouth and out through my gills, making a constant stream of air. Reversing it took even more tries, punctuated by coughing and sputtering, but everything became just a little smoother once the System acknowledged my attempts. [Skill: Breath has risen to level 3.] The water grew darker, letting us sleep under the cover of the night. I closed my eyes, falling into an efficient sleep for another day full of promise. 3: Hunt We woke up the next morning to the sound of stone cracking. I lazily watched the others rise, play, and in the case of the green-scaled sibling, bring crabs from a small pile to the new hatchling. They were considerably smaller than us, eyes looking more innocent "Did we hatch as small adults?" I thought, seeing the verdant duo loop-de-loop. I had little time to ponder my question as my black-scaled sibling made a hollow roar, catching our attentions like a fishhook. As I recognized that roar as a Skill, something in my mind clicked-- list of available Skills no doubt growing longer. [Nameless Phyllopteryx Hatchling (I) has invited you to join his party. Accept?] [Yes][No] I tapped yes, and felt a sense of connection to my leader and two allies. I looked back to see the source of the connection, observing the armored red and bitey green. They swam towards him, while the others seemed to receive no such invitation. With orange, yellow, blue, purple, and white left behind as nest guards and entertainers for the hatchling, the four of us swam out. I followed my allies and looked back at the nest, seeing the quick swimmers sift through sand for scavenge material while we hunted more important prey. This nameless leader had obviously chosen combat-focused mutations, but what did he see in me? Quick healing only mattered if you survived the hit, and I didn''t convey much intelligence, so I left my guess to be mere initiative. Even if I didn''t have a mutation, my entire mind could comprehend and desire growing in strength. We swam out over the spires, keeping close to one for cover. A crevasse gave me pause, my underwater wingflap stuttering. As soon as it did, a set of long squid-arms shot from the rock. They grasped around the green one, fear gripping me as arms gripped my verdant sibling. Red and black turned as one, red rushing straight ahead while black narrowed his eyes. A set of tentacles intercepted red, large beak slipping out to catch him by the time I recovered my wits and ran forward to [bite] the squid arm. It pulled back, but not fast enough as my teeth sunk in. Inky blood emerged, tentacles whipping about and knocking us away from the crevasse I thought we had repelled it, but the large squid had other ideas. Two large eyes made up the center of the crevasse, pushing themselves out before a cluster of limbs followed. Ten in all, the two longest ones easily capable of grabbing us. One locked onto me, the wounded one missed my green sibling- who saw the chance to return favor and charge for the tentacle about to grab me. They bit down, and in the morning light I thought I saw something inject from my sibling''s fangs into the squid''s vein. The squid advanced upon us, lashing out with it''s arms like stinging whips. I parried one with my tail, getting spun in a double backflip I never wanted. Both arms coiled around both chromatic siblings, And my stomach dropped. I thought we were done for. Until I saw something move Like a black dart, my sharp brother barreled into the squid''s head. His horns glowed purple, dialing up the squid''s pained reaction from serious to near-comical. Wasting no time I activated my [Frenzy], racing towards the squid''s eye and thrashing. [Skill: Bite has risen to level 2] [Your party has slain: Tunnel squid. You have risen to level 4. Skill point gained. Mind +1. Your party leader has risen to level 3. Your allies have risen to levels 4 and 3.] A small burst of power shone from all of us, lighting up the mottled brown squid. First my dark-scaled brother, then the rest of us got under the squid and pushed, gills pumping air into the atmosphere. We swam and struggled, roaring in victory as we placed it onto the shelf. The dark brother swam towards home, leaving me to wait around with red and green. I curled up just beside our prize, ready to pick a new Skill. Another had joined my list, so integral to both my preferences as a sapient being and hunting style as a predator. [Poison synthesis. Turns stamina into poison. Poison works most effectively when injected or swallowed.] I was venomous now, and irrationally happy with that fact. A small celebratory loop later, I tested the Skill. I felt my stamina drain, terrible-tasting orb welling up in my mouth and quickly spat out. A purple ink bled into the water before quickly thinning, diluted to almost nothingness like car exhaust. While I was distracted by my new toy, something in the side of my vision stirred. Whipping my head around, my eyes focused on a shadow move across the water. Four wings and a sharp beak crashed down through the surface tension in a smokebomb of bubbles, and I felt something barrel towards me. A long thick beak grabbed at the squid, ripping off a massive chunk and flying away. My frustration began to boil. I lacked a way to slow that dirty scavenger down, catch up to it, or follow it into the sky. My brother lead a handful of hatchlings back to the torn kill. They were lighter in colour, smaller, and looked more innocent, back-mounted fins comedically small. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.As soon as the leader approached the fallen squid, a look of anger crossed his face. I had no way to communicate the recent happening, backing away in attempt to convey a lack of antagonism. [Leader has disbanded the party.] A snarl sent my green sibling running and my red one into a fighting stance, flaring up their wings. "Was this simply a difference in stat?" I pondered "Or due to having enough armor to tank a horn stab?" The wordless argument was flashy. The duo swam higher and higher, horns and fangs flashing with mana, while the frozen hatchlings watched. I swam in front of the five, catching their attention, and slipped back down. I bit from the torn squid, watching them all as they converged on it, small but sharp sets of teeth starting to work away. To scrape meat from bone. I looked back, saw my green sibling was watching the hatchlings like a hawk. I left for the shallows, stomach growling, intent on practicing against weaker foes. I found one, in the form of a ridged seal of around my size. I hung back to watch, but having nothing to hide behind, could do little to stop it from seeing me. The seal''s ridges bristled as it turned to me, fangs bared in an attempt at intimidation. This hunt just upgraded itself into a brawl. I made the first move, drawing oxygen to my lungs and cautiously swimming in a wide arc. The seal predictably charged, blubbery form slowing it down just enough to predict. I shot out of the way, preserving just enough distance to drag a tailblade across it''s side. What I didn''t expect was the blade to get stuck, and seal to take me with it. I curled around to no avail, and played the strongest card in my hand. [Frenzy]- I tried, realizing it failed. The seal''s blubber had stopped any blood from entering the water, and no blood meant no frenzy. I curled myself forward, lacking the raw strength to make any impact, so settled for downwards. And spread my wings. the sudden slowing strained at my membranes, but the seal''s trajectory changed dramatically. It''s head slammed the ground, getting an eyeful of sand, and my chance made itself clear. Using the same protective blubber as a foothold (or tailhold), I curled forward, biting for the neck. I twisted my form and tucked in my wings to avoid a stray ridge, feeling one dig into my long side. The seal howled in pain, sound assailing my hearing, but I pressed on. I was no dumb animal, far harder to drive away with pain or fear. Instead, my jaw merely clenched in fear. The effect faded, and my mind unlocked. I took my new Skill, and pressed as hard as I could. Bracing for the terrible taste, I let the venom conjure into nothing. It covered the seal''s neck, impossible to compress and spreading fast. My stamina dropped to nothing, my grip slipping. I fell backwards, trying to catch my breath [Skill: Poison synthesis has risen to level 2. You have slain: Crag Seal. Experience gained.] I swam towards it and dug in, filling my stomach with soft meat and discarding useless bone ridges. I curled up beside my grizzly trophy, feeling my meal digest and staring at the sky in preperation for predators. With the meal lighter and my ability to lift heavier, I took the half-seal in my mouth and lifted. My wings pumped. My gills cycled air. My mouth kept it''s grip on the bones, as I carried them back to my home cave. [Skill: Breath has risen to level 4] [Skill: Bite has risen to level 3] I dropped the kill over the rim of the cave, heroically rising over the lip of the cave mouth. Hatchlings swarmed the remainder, and my black-scaled sibling gave me a respectful nod. I practiced more with [Poison Synthesis] that evening, careful to do it outside my home cave. The level up to two earned me more control, giving me some choice over where to conjure the poison. A teardrop''s worth cost me a notable chunk of stamina to create in my mouth, and a bit more to coat over one fang. I was certain my green sibling could deliver it more efficiently. I''d have to watch them and learn. This practice was punctuated by interruptions. The monsters in the area seemed agitated, aggressive. A small octopus, a nest bit, and an shimmering blue otter antagonized me while practicing, the same poison I was practicing making these unprepared creatures barely a problem. Poison synthesis jumped to level 3 from practice, but a much better message greeted me. [You have slain: Slip otter. You have risen to level 5. Skill point gained. Quickness +1] [Valerie, Phyllopteryx Hatchling can now advance to another form. Available Options: Phyllopteryx] I stared agape at the option. The singular option. Knowing I was missing something, I looked at my character sheet again. [Level: 5/10] I knew exactly what to do. Keep fighting, level up, make use of Skill Points, figure out Fundamental Power, and- I yawned, fatigue of level grinding getting to me. Spreading my wings for the last time today, I vaulted over the cave lip and into my much more lively home. 4: topaz Topaz was always both lucky and unlucky at the same time. Her life had seen numerous accidents, but none of them had harmed her in any meaningful way- scrapes and bruises were abundant, but she could only remember breaking a bone once; and that too healed unusually quickly, it''s break clean. So colour no one surprised when a drunk driver on an icy road sent her to an afterlife full of potential. Full of contestants. Full of magic. True to her bizarre fortune, her cheat skill, [Omnimapping] matched that. She had a bird''s eye view of kingdoms, cities, towns, mountains, valleys, rivers, dungeons... but the minute she stepped into battle, it ceased to serve her. So when the enigmatic gold-glowing god spat her out, the first thing she did was activate this skill for a lay of the land. Or at least, what little of it was left. She had began on an island- unable to access civilization, but very difficult for another Contestant to find and eliminate her. Out of equal parts nessecity and desire, Topaz answered the System prompt and chose her Class. A few dozen options stared back quickly narrowed down to two- thief and shaman. Recognizing both the importance of both stealthy combat and nature magic, and being afflicted with a bad case of the fear of missing out, Topaz selected their middle ground. Hunter. The second she did, a gold-speckled wind enveloped her. Enough clothing not to die of embarassment while wearing dissolved, replaced just as quickly by dull brown leather and a mottled green cloak. Tools phased in from nowhere, filling her belt and chances of survival in equal measure. A studry knife with a good angle to lever open monster armor, a pouch full of different kinds of bait, a coil of rope, a bow with a quiver of arrows, and sturdy metal flask for water. Her Skills, while small in number, seemed perfectly-matched to this loadout. [Ambush: Lines up attacks against unaware targets, increasing damage.] [Replenish: Transmutes user''s magic into depleted items, restoring quantity. Mana-intensive] [Beast lore: Understand and cooperate with monsters. Increases chance of pet acquisition, slightly increases pet stats.] [Appraisal: Reveals the stats of a creature or object] The purpose of this Class became clear at the last line. Topaz was truly only half a Contestant alone; she needed to find a good pet. And fast. Methodically, Topaz swept the coast and offered bait to anything she could. Anything landlocked would only be useful as far as it could walk, but an aquatic creature coild explore the vast sea- and if large enough, take her across it. The creatures she found left something to be desired. An amphibious tortoise caught her eye, only proven a bad fit by it''s lack of ability to climb. The strange birds were much too agressive, one of them snapping up the bait in a flash and turning to a gouge in her arm before a reflexive stab with her knife stabbed through it''s thin body. Topaz acquired her first Levelup then, and with it a new Skill point. Thoughts twisted from the recent fight, Topaz chose healing magic, flaring up the cyan flame to life and pressing it to the wound. She had not expected it to drain her mana so fast, but the pain dulled to an acceptable level. After a round-looking fish who wouldn''t give her the time of day after a few cubes of bait and a strange winged serpent that was more interested in carrying the cube back than actually eating it, she was low on options. It was not a total loss, as these attempts had given her two levels in [Beast Lore]. Mostly from learning what not to do, but the few times she got close to acceptance stayed in her memory as behaviors to repeat. This continued for the first day, sparse aquatic beasts oddly reluctant to go near the land while the land beasts were almost humorous in their lack of raw power. Their stats averaged ten The next morning, a long, sharp, red fish greedily swam up to her. It took the bait, then another, then her last, before jumping out and making a happy splash. [You have tamed: Arrow-ana (I) level 4. Do you wish to administer a Name?] "you''ll be Mist!" Topaz exictedly answered. The small red fish glowed, happily snapping it''s jaws under it''s sharp nose. "Fight creatures your own size, and bring back as much meat as you can." Topaz instructed. Mist wasted no time, skewering a few fish and sticking his snout out of the water to recieve praise and the occasional burst of healing All the while, Topaz built a fire. Hung up every fish brought on a thick branch, ready-made hole in most of them thanks to mist''s stabbing charge. Notifications pinged in of this speed predator''s work. [Your pet has slain cephalo-requin. Expirience shared. Topaz, Ranger has risen to level 3. Skill point gained] Topaz''s skill list had tripled in size since pet acquisition. New Skills included [Pet Command] to boost a pet''s stats under direct orders, Generic passives such as [Pet strength boost] and [Pet tracking], but topaz chose one that sat right between her budding magic and her exicting beastmastery. [You have learned: Mind magic (I). Skill points remaining: 0.] [Your pet has slain: Greater nest bit. Mist, Arrow-ana has risen to level 5. Evolution available.] Topaz jumped at the chance. The system produced it''s largest window yet, pixellated sprite of the red stabfish in the center and surrounded by a handful of sharp aquatic beings, all of which choices. From the humble [Greater Arrow-ana], to the logical extension of ranged weaponry, the [Pistol shark]. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.Choice paralysis overtaking her, Topaz reached out her mind to the crimson fish of violence. She felt her mana reserves burn up like cotton, stopping at a sliver of magic left- as a double helix of light purple and silvery gold spiraled out from her hand to her willing ally. "You''re about to evolve" Topaz panted through the mind bridge. "Oh boy! I hope I get to be big and strong!" Mist''s voice raced through, words hitting like his hunting style. "What... do you want to be good at?" Topaz asked. "Power, speed, dura-" "Stabbing!" Mist unhelpfully answered. Topaz studied her options. And after a minute of deliberation, chose one. [Confirm choice?] the System asked, as Mist swam close. "Oh boy what''d I get what''d I get" was the last thing he said before his features vanished, transmuting into a glowing orb. Topaz, initially worried she somehow killed her loyal companion, watched it take detail. A larger, thicker body, sharp snout looking reinforced by metal [Mist, Arrow-ana (I) has evolved into a Joustuna (II)] Topaz marveled at her selection. Evolution was no joke, she decided. "I''m ready to hunt!" Mist sounded older. Still confident, but graduated from a highly violent talking dog to a highly violent teenager. The Joustuna, as the system told her, leaned harder into making highspeed charges and killing anything it could it in a single hit, at the cost of being unable to survive a counterattack from anything that could make one. And of course, mist was happy as a clam with that description. The day rolled past. Levels came quickly for Mist as he turned the waters into his playground of impalement, and slowly for Topaz as she collected a share of the EXP. Yet despite this difference in levels, they earned skill points at a near-identical speed, each collecting 3 more in the day''s trawl. Every skill point accellerated the hunt. Topaz doubled down on support, choosing [Pet speed] for Mist to cover more ground and hit even harder, [Mana gathering] to spread more healing, and [Corpse cleaning] for herself to make better use of Mist''s many kills. She additionally chose some simplistic skills for him- [Night vision], [Breath], and [Pain resistance]. She felt dissapointed there was no passive regeneration skill, nor did Mist seem to qualify for anything more defensive. He already had a purely offensive kit and a grand total of three thoughts a minute, so she tried to pick supportive skills that wouldn''t tax his brain even further. That whole evening, topaz built a basic shelter under a broad-leafed tree, and Mist pushed against his cap of level 9. and topaz feared he had reached his maximum- until the moon peaked over the horizon. [Your pet has slain: Young Water wyvern. Mist, Joustuna has risen to level 10. Evolution available.] Topaz called mist back over, recoiling at the numerous cuts and scratches on his flanks. "You''re getting kind of scratched up" She commented waveringly "Isn''t it cool? lady fish love scars" Mist turned his scale-spares side, posing. "I''ve... cooked up a special evolution for you" Topaz half-lied, quickly scanning the list of options and selecting one before Mist could object. Halfway through asking what it was, he lit up the shallows as evolution reduced him to a glowing orb, larger than before. As the glow subsided, Topaz''s eyes adjusted to the dark. What posed back at her was a fish the size of a small canoe, head seamlessly merged with a forward-facing sword. Plates of shiny chitin, mirroring a set of animal barding, covered his skin, streamlined to facilitate an aquatic charge "What are you going to become next, a chainsaw fish?" Topaz joked to herself through her awe. [Mist, Joustuna (II) has completed his evolution into a Barrongcuda (III)] While the last evolution leaned harder into the gimmick of charging, this one ''only'' supported it. Speed saw only a slight bump, strength and mind more of one, but most of this evolution''s power went straight to defense. The tall blade and increased mass and size would make turning awkward, but those very setbacks would put even more power behind the charging stab or vertical slash. "I''m going to bed for the night. Don''t bite off more than you can chew." Topaz instructed to her newly-evolved Pet. "I will not be defeated." Responded the deeper, ever-eager voice of Mist. Fatigue hung off his voice, as a day of swimming obviously burns energy. The two of them slept. However, Mist awoke faster. Full of energy and confidence, he swam along the shallows, eyes filtering the incoming dawn with growing ease, until something he saw brought him words of celebration "Jackpot." said Mist, deep and loud enough to rouse Topaz from her slumber. Topaz sighed wordlessly before answering "What''d you find...?" Mist could barely keep himself composed. "Nest. Tasty eggs. Big sleeping worms." "Be careful..." Topaz warned "Worms are weak" Sidearmed the sword shark, scraping his blade on the cave ceiling. 5: Swordfish A grinding scrape broke my slumber, half-asleep eyes quickly adjusting to the morning''s light. My darker-scaled brother started to roar, just barely waking the others. What stared back at us blocked most of the light with a glinting body the size of a motorcycle and likely just as heavy. My siblings awoke much more quickly than I, spurred into action with a glow of familiar horns. [Nameless Phyllopteryx (II) has invited you to join his party. Accept?] [Yes][No] Something clicked. I knew something was different about my siblings, but was too wrapped up in practice to see it. In addition to the expanded sizes they sported; The black-scaled one had grown a shining helmet of a skull, The red one looked more ridged in their armor design, much like that seal I hunted earlier, and the tail-crystals on the blue one seemed even more majestic in the light. The green sibling took a different approach, cobra-like hood on their flaring in an attempt to dissuade the swimming predator. I suspected I was the runt of the pack, but this only amplified the difference and made me look smaller by comparison. But as the weapon-fish charged, the roar persisted. I felt my strength grow, felt my muscles firing faster, felt- A sense of dread as a sword skewered my leaderly brother. He tried to dodge, tried to twist out of the way, but the impressive blade pierced his stomach and slashed downwards [Party leader has died. Party has disbanded.] I cursed under my breath more than any hatchling should, watching in horror as the shark inhaled. Both halves of my brother vanished down it''s double-rowed maw, and I noticed it wear a look of pain. "That''s what you get for eating my brother!" I shouted through tears. But the whirlpool towards the shark''s mouth did not let up. It pulled a fearful hatchling closer, accelerating by the second- Until my ruby-coated sibling rammed the monster''s side, glowing a similar colour. Just as abruptly as the inward current started, it stopped. The fish awkwardly turned, broad fins thrashing to keep it''s weapon towards it''s enemy, when my speedy azure sibling acted. They circled the swordfish with skill, latching onto the fin''s base and biting. Blood trickled out, only seeming to embolden my not-yet-evolved siblings. White and purple swam up first and grasped onto the other fin, orange and yellow latched onto the shark''s tail, and green floated to the side of the slashing blade. They opened their mouth, ball of quickly-forming poison poised to shoot into our foe''s mouth- When with a burst of speed, the sharp fish jetted forward in a sharp turn and crunched down on my venomous sibling. Greedily the fish swallowed, gulping down a massive amount of water and dislodging those who hung onto it''s fins with the gill-based exhale. The fish swam to one side and turned, putting all of us on the same side of it, and I saw it wear a look of pain. "Is executing my siblings making you guilty?" I spat, noticing a hatchling vanish down it''s hatch. Something in my chest flared. This was beyond predatory. The intelligence I noticed in the slashing fish''s eyes, the pauses to line up it''s strike, and the taunting expression as it swallowed my hatchling sibling were too much for me to put down to instinct. I couldn''t prove it, but I knew: This flipping fish was trying to inflict psychological warfare on all of us. As my thoughts clutched this action, something in my chest sparked to life. I was too far for from the blood for [Frenzy] to activate, not to mention: activating that skill was a conscious decision, albeit sometimes it was very persuasive. I took a deep [Breath] and rocketed towards the creature''s underside, whiff of my own kin''s blood intoxicating in it''s power. Frenzy was only level 1, but seemed to push itself harder than before. I struck it''s underbelly with my tail, knowing no damage was coming, but repositioning sideways with a wingbeat. The shark summersaulted forwards, missing me by inches with it''s built-in blade and giving me the chance to counter, when I saw a winged blue sea serpent on the end of it''s slashing horn. Instead of fear, my frenzy spiked even higher. I swam in the way of it''s tail, bracing for impact and activating my [Bite]. I could feel power jolt through my fangs, one of them cracking against the shark''s armor, but one slipping through to the articulated joint. I swerved wildly with only one point of contact, thrashing my wings to twist and gouge my one good fang. [Skill: Breath has leveled up to 5. Upgrade availabl-] No time, System! I dismissed, as the fish swam in erratic circles to dislodge me. While it''s movements seemed to grow sluggish, they were still strong, throwing me across the cave and into the rough wall. I blinked away the stars in my vision, seeing the fish finish activating it''s breath white a white crystal-lined tail wriggling out of it''s mouth. Frenzy''s stamina drain was gone, it''s pulsing sensations seeming to linger as the pain of exertion faded into the background. I swam forward, lost weapon undeterred, and conjured up my last trick in the bag: Poison. I felt my mouth fill with the orb of liquid, almost losing some out the sides. The shark gulped in water again, and while I couldn''t stop it''s next meal; "I could sure give it the chef''s special sauce, extra-spicy!" I thought, blowing my poison into the whirlpool it created. My orange sibling vanished into hundred-tooth hell, but the deadly purple liquid vanished even faster- look of green overcoming the armed fish. It''s air of confidence was waning, something inside it close to breaking even as it brought me close to being an only child. When something inside me was growing stronger and stronger. A white flame burned brighter and brighter just under my throat, only contrasted by a dark, visceral flame from below. [Skill: Frenzy has risen to level 2.] I charged the beast straight-on, swerving to the side of it''s predictable blade. A burst of breath took me out of range of it''s whirlpool, but not before leaving a poison blob behind as a false prize. I slammed my head into it''s gills, causing the fish to cough and sputter, and began a lopsided series of [Bites]. Frenzy had grown even stronger, my tooth peircing through it''s tough but unguarded flesh and into the soft inside. I rapidly chomped while it was stunned, boosted breath shooting spent air right into it''s gills The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings."You''re thirsty?" I taunted, beginning to see red with vengeful anger. "Have a drink!" I left frenzy behind to serve stamina, and shot glob after glob poison to it''s desperate lungs. The fish grew weaker and weaker, falling closer to the cave floor in defeat. As it did, I felt my heart slow, shining copper feeling more like heavy lead in my chest. [Skill: Poison synthesis has risen to level 4. You have slain: Barrongcuda. You have gained much Experience] A sense of bittersweet releif filled me with the victory notification. [Phyllopteryx Hatchling has risen to level 8. Strength +1. Five skill points gained.] That sounded like... around two more than I should have earned. I swam back and upwards, taking stock of my remaining family. Purple and yellow remained alive, cowering behind coral with a mere seven hatchlings cowering behind them. Ruined eggs littered the battlefield, a testament to my grim victory. [Gained achievement: Giant slayer (Deal the final blow to a creature two tiers above you). One Fundamental Power gained] So Fundamental power wasn''t as limited as I thought. Physically ready to go but mentally exhausted, I left the cave. I couldn''t protect my siblings yet, and my obsession with curiosity had lead me to a weaker path. If I had evolved with my siblings, more of them would have survived the encounter, grown strong, and protected... There was no use in thinking about alternate timelines. Instead, I sought consolation in my character sheet
Valerie, Phyllopteryx Hatchling (I) Level: 8/10 Titles: Useless
Stats Skills Mutations
Strength: 9 Breath (I) Level 5 [!] Copper Heart (1)
Quickness: 12 Poison synthesis (I) level 4
Vitality: 6. Bite (I) Level 3
Mind: 16 Frenzy (I) Level 2
Fundamental Power: 2 Skill points: 6 Mutagen: 0
I had... grown in the days I spent as a hatchling. The raw numbers barely increased, but my core of skills was solid. Mutagen I had neither the knowledge nor the resources to touch, so my attention turned to the points to spend and upgrades to gain. I read as I swam, glare in my eyes daring anything to challenge me. [Upgrades available Skill: Breath (I)] [Controlled breath (II). Allows greater precision when breathing] [Forceful breath (II). Increases exhalation power] [Gathering breath (II). Increases inhalation power] [Lasting breath (II). Increases breath storage] I looked at my handful options, and chose one that was clear to me. Lasting and controlled breath were hardly needed, and gathering looked useful for bullying small creatures by drawing them into your mouth [Upgrade Breath (I) into Forceful breath (II) for 2 skill points?] The cost was steeper than I wanted, but the effect looked promising. I looked at my Skill list again, seeing several more had joined it. Dash, Headbutt, and Dodge joined the party, but what drew my eye was an old returner. Breath (I) Another instance of it was always welcome, and my options were compounding. I knew I wanted to advance poison synthesis, and use my back-mounted fins for flight, but those seemed out of reach at the moment. "Just two new skills" I thought. "Then I''ll save my other two points for more poison" [Stamina cap] [Scent] Frenzy had much potential, but needed a lot of stamina and needed me to smell blood. Even if those didn''t work, they were still useful for tracking prey and sprinting after it. I saw a small island within sight. Not wanting to approach it off-guard, I made a hasty decision for where to spend my Fundamental Power. [Skill: Forceful breath (II) has become Fundamental skill: Forceful breath (II+)] [Skill: Poison Synthesis (I) has become Fundamental skill: Poison Synthesis (I+)] I drew closer to the island, seeing a human on it. She looked... less than threatening, but the bad feeling in my gut returned. What was my intuition telling me, and could I throw skill points at the problem? As I swam closer curiously, a double helix shot at me- one side lilac in hue, and the other side a shiny off-white. "Good morning, creature." Greeted an unusually sad voice. "I''m Topaz, are you hungry?"