《A Draconic Rebirth》 A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 1 David gasped as his eyes flicked open, his eyelids were unusually heavy and off? He was curled in a ball inside a small, dark space. He began to thrash and panic as claustrophobia creeped its way into the confines of his brain. His hand lashed forward in his panic and broke the barrier in front of him. A refreshing, but damp, gust of fresh air flowed into the confines of his prison as a prompt flashed in front of his eyes. Data process¡­. Displaying¡­ Error¡­. Error¡­ Alternative Solution Routed. Displaying relevant information only. David Manning - Otherworlder Species: Wyrmling Str: 8 Int: 10 Speed: 8 Toughness: 6 Affinity: N/A Traits: 0/1 The display seemed to hover dimply in front of his eyes. After a moment of fighting with it he focused and willed it away. David¡¯s eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness around him as he pulled himself free of his¡­ egg case? He took a moment to process the damp cave around him. Where was he? No. What was he? What was a Wyrmling? His mind finally processed the display prompt that was in front of him a moment ago. His lips parted as he tried to speak but only a rasping growl escaped his mouth. David took a moment to examine himself and quickly discovered that he was no longer human. No. He wasn¡¯t even human-like. He had claws, scales, and¡­ a tail? David''s mind took a pause to comprehend how to use his own tail. He took a moment to quell his confusion and anger before peering around at what appeared to be other eggs around him. Some were empty, some still full and others clearly appeared to have been broken into with remains of his¡­ siblings inside? David¡¯s eyes grew wide as he noticed the cause of his dead siblings. He jumped to the side just in time as the coiled body of the hidden serpent lunged forward. The creature''s length surged past him and he quickly gauged that it outsized him by two fold easily. Where could he go? No time. Do something David! He quickly shook his muzzle as he bit down on the first hunk of flesh he could find. His extremely sharp teeth tore into the serpents flesh with ease and with a quick jerk he removed a fleshy mouthful of meat. Huh. It tasted¡­ wonderful. As the now enraged serpent whipped around in rage he decided to just swallow. Before he could move again the serpent''s head smashed into his belly, causing David to crash into a broken egg nearby. Shards of the old egg shell embedded themselves in his flesh. Shit. Shit. David gasped in pain as he rolled back to his feet. He couldn¡¯t survive a straight up brawl with this thing. He jumped desperately to the side again as the snake''s opened mouth crashed into the spot he was just in. Thinking quickly he jumped at the back of the snake''s head, he curled his new tail, his claws, and his legs around the snake''s head. His mouth opened wide and he began to bite, and chew. The serpent, which was clearly horned now that David had a better view of it, thrashed wildly. His teeth tore, bit and swallowed for what seemed like eternity. After a few minutes of holding on to dear life and taking chunks of flesh from the beast it just stopped¡­ dead. David¡¯s chest rose rapidly as he fought to catch his breath. His belly ached from being filled with meat. He couldn¡¯t even process what was going on. He had¡­ somehow gotten placed here? He had a life before this. He definitely did. How and why was he here? He growled a bit in frustration till suddenly his prompt shined brightly in front of his eyelids again.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Horned Burrower slain and trait available. Condensed Musculature - Muscles are thicker, condensed and more powerful than your size might appear. You can crush many opponents with your limbs or body. Your strength increases by 1.5 times. Condensed Musculature trait available. Absorb Y/N? Hmm. So this is what the traits mentioned in the sheet is about? He wasn¡¯t sure if this was worth it or if this was even removable? One and a half more strength didn¡¯t seem awful and right now he couldn¡¯t afford to lose any advantage he could gain. Screw it. He focused hard and mentally pressed yes. He gasped as his flesh began to shiver and he felt his muscles grow. He rolled around in pain for a moment before blinking at his display¡­ David Manning - Otherworlder Species: Wyrmling Str: 12 Int: 10 Speed: 8 Toughness: 6 Affinity: N/A Traits: 1/1 Condensed Musculature At least it worked like he imagined. His belly groaned and he gave into his desires as he leaned down and began to consume more of the large serpent. He had a noticeable easier time tearing into the cooling serpent. As he filled his belly a voice echoed through the cavern in a foreign, barking/growling tongue. David jerked around defensively and was surprised that he understood the words. ¡°Well¡­ well¡­ aren¡¯t you the surprising little hunter.¡± The visage of a reptile-like creature stepped its way into the cavern. Beautiful and eerie like wings hung from its back. They reminded David of a butterfly and yet were twisted to fit the leathery scaled hide of the creature before him. It gave off an aura of power and yet there was no hostility in the creature''s gait. Groaning from his throat David responded, surprised that he seemed to be able to bark words back to the creature, ¡±Hel¡­ello¡± ¡°Good. I am Ambass little one. I have been¡­ entrusted to guide you by your mother. Come.¡± Ambass¡¯s wings spread wide and a soft light shimmered off its body as he began to hover off the ground, his wings only periodically flapping. How was he floating like that? How was he¡­ glowing? David clearly had a lot to learn still as he nodded and lumbered after the floating Ambass as he drifted down one of the many paths. They wandered for what seemed like hours before finding their way into a larger opening filled with others. His eyes grew wide as he recognized other creatures like him¡­ all very dragon-like in nature. Was a Wyrmling a type of baby dragon? I believe some people back home used to call dragons wyrms. Hmm. He quickly approached a smaller deep green Wyrmling and barked out at it, ¡°Hel.. lo!¡± The green Wyrmling blinked up at David before yipping and snapping at him, quickly retreating afterwards. The same scene was repeated again and again for the gathering of Wyrmlings. David was baffled as he turned back to see Ambass staring at him with shimmering eyes of amusement. The sharp, thick teeth of Ambass became visible as he did what David assumed was the equivalent of a smile. ¡°You are a clever one aren¡¯t you? Rarity among -our- kind so young.¡± Ambass hissed out in amusement. The shimmering glow of Ambass¡¯s body became more intense as he let out a cry, all of the Wyrmlings stopped and watched him. He let out a deep rumbling roar as small humanoid creatures stepped into the gathering and began to split off. A pair of these creatures approached each Wyrmling and bowed low. David had his own pair approach him and his vision became obscured by the prompt once more. Kobold¡¯s wish to form a bond with you. You will become indebted to Qazayss the Brood Mother. Accept Y/N? David peered around the hall for a long moment watching the others. So these creatures were kobolds? They appeared to be servants of some kind. They have thumbs which would prove useful. Hmm. Indebted to Qazayss though? He turned to Ambass and formed the words slowly. ¡°What are¡­ kobolds?¡± David growled out. He was learning, slowly, how to use his new throat to generate the words that he somehow instinctively knew. Ambass glowed in amusement. ¡°They are whatever you want them to be. A boon to boost your chances of survival. A gift from your mother.¡± As Ambass¡¯s words settled into David¡¯s mind some of the other Wyrmling¡¯s accepted their gifts rather suddenly. More than half decided to consume their poor kobolds on the spot. The remainder dashed off without accepting anything except one, the deep green Wyrmling he tried to speak to before, who dashed off followed by a pair of kobolds. David quickly made a decision of his own. He mentally accepted the prompt still hovering in his vision. Kobold¡¯s are now bonded to you. They will serve you till death. I will survive. I must survive but I will do it without resorting to the methods of some of the other wyrmlings. He turned and headed back down the tunnel he had entered from, this time followed by his new companions. The echo of Ambass¡¯s growling voice echoed in the hall as they left. ¡°I will be most curious to see who will prosper¡­¡± A sinister laugh quickly followed. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 2 David carefully strode back into the chambers he was born in. His eyes quickly settled on the remains of the large serpent from before and he spoke slowly to his companions. ¡°Gather¡­ Food.¡± Nodding his head towards the corpse the pair of kobolds scampered over and began to peel chunks of meat off of it and stuff it inside small bags around their waists. The smaller of the pair, a soft blue kobold, began to gather up sticks and bones nearby. The larger kobold, with a more striking red color, focused on slicing up the remains into easy to transport pieces. Once they were finished they had fashioned together a workable meat transporter they could both lift together. The bones and sticks were weaved together with roots, and some spare string they produced out of their bags. David pointed his claw at the red kobold, ¡°Red¡± and quickly pointed at the blue kobold followed by a simple, ¡°Blue¡±. The kobolds stopped for a moment as they slowly processed what was said and offered a somewhat surprised nod. David was also surprised but mostly thrilled by how intelligent they seemed to be. This was good though he thought. These kobolds were an asset in all manners of ways yet unrealized. David wondered what the cost would be in the end for their service though. What price will this Qazayss expect? Something to think about more later as he shifted his focus back to the task at hand. After they had successfully salvaged what remained of the serpent they made their way down yet another connecting tunnel. David¡¯s hearing was rather acute now thankfully. It was the only reason they were able to avoid the passing of a few massive creatures that were patrolling the depths of the seemingly endless tunnels. They reeked of filth, blood and caused his flesh to tingle in danger. They either didn¡¯t notice the trio or simply weren¡¯t interested in the lack of meat they would provide. David didn¡¯t really wish to find out. After what seemed like days, but David doubted it was more than a few hours, they stumbled upon a damp underground stream. The long expansive cavern containing this barely flowing stream was littered with thick mushrooms, and small patches of dirt. David¡¯s brain tingled with hunger as he picked up the scent and sounds of distant creatures. Some of these distant creatures his senses told him were too much for him and others he could feast upon if given the chance. It was almost terrifying how beastial his nature had become but he wouldn¡¯t let it take control. No. He would remain as human as he could damnit. Without asking, as David was in a daze of his own thoughts, the Kobold pair began to spread out and pick up mushrooms. David could only assume they were safe enough to eat as he decided to test that theory before chomping off a mushroom¡¯s wide dull gray head. He chewed slowly¡­ it was not great but it was also not awful. His sensitive tongue and other senses didn''t seem to be raising any alarms. Good he murmured. This would be a good place to settle down for the night. His eyes, now keenly adjusted to the dark, peered into the blackness looking for a suitable place to sleep. His eyes settled on what appeared to be a hole in the wall. Slowly and carefully he crossed the small stream as he approached the small hole. As he neared he noticed massive claw marks around the hole, if he had to guess something very strong had torn this hole open. Hmm. David considered for a long moment before deciding he could at least take a peak first. He creeped up to the hole¡¯s entrance and peered inside. The darkness of the hole seemed endless and empty until David picked up the sound of something shuffling inside. Just as David decided to back away something massive rushed towards the entrance. Bouncing back David snarled defensively as massive claws burst through the hole. The beast reminded David of a mutant, massive mole. Its huge front claws were clearly powerful but appeared awkward for it to use. This mole-thing swiftly lunged at him, missing and causing a massive wave of dirt and rock to go flying everywhere. Curiously, David¡¯s senses didn¡¯t seem to tingle like before when he encountered those overwhelmingly massive beasts patrolling the tunnels. He decided action was the best choice then. David counterattacked quickly with a powerful bite. His teeth dug into one of the beast¡¯s massive arms as he tried to tear off a chunk of flesh and yet, it failed. His teeth clamped down hard but couldn¡¯t penetrate the hard, front, clawed forearms. He was sent flying as the mole-beast thrashed back. The sharp rocks, and dirt of the cave floor dug into his scaled hide as he landed roughly. Red and Blue both chirped loudly as they ran to his side. He barked them back as he shuffled to his feet. The mole-beast backed up slowly and used its massive forearms to start to block the small tunnel¡¯s entrance. David cursed internally. He couldn¡¯t let the thing seal itself back in or he would miss his chance. He quickly dashed forward and slashed at the beast¡¯s forearms over and over attempting to prompt a response. Red and Blue both began to toss rocks and other debris at the creature too. The creature was clearly lacking intelligence since it took the bait and lunged forward out of the tunnel once more. As it did David dashed to the side and sunk his teeth into a soft part of the creature¡¯s upper arm. Tasting flesh David began to jerk back in an attempt to draw out as much blood as possible. David almost let go of the mole-beast in surprise as he began to pull the massive beast out of its hole. How? David¡¯s mind ran wild. Wait he thought as he began to out pull the creature that outmassed him by easily three times. He had Condensed Musculature and it was making a massive difference. He could feel his muscles pulling on a deeper strength that he couldn¡¯t quite describe. Little by little he pulled the beast further and further out of its home.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Blue and Red weren¡¯t idle. They showed their worth once more as David wrestled with the mole, as they snuck around the back side of it. Blue began to stab the soft rear of the mole with a sharp stone, as Red bit and tore into it with equal vigor using its claws. The fight went quickly after that. The struggle became easier for David and eventually the beast stopped moving altogether. YES! David let off an exhausted roar. His new instincts took over and he began to dig into the flesh of the beast. He couldn¡¯t stop himself as he ate and ate. After consuming more than a quarter of the beast his prompt popped into his eyesight again and caused him to stagger. Crusher Mole slain and trait available.. Born Digger - Your limbs thicken and your claws become harder. Your toughness increases and your ability to crush and bore into stone becomes unparalleled. Your toughness increases on selected limbs. Toughness is increased by 8 divided by the number of limbs, with a minimum of 1 Toughness increased. Born Digger. Absor- Error. Error. Trait slots filled. Absorption aborted. Damnit. David cursed in his mind. He wasn¡¯t even sure he wanted that trait but it still stung not being given the option to refuse or time to think it over. He did learn something at least. Once his trait¡¯s were filled he couldn¡¯t pick up others. Hmm. He wondered if there was a way to free up slots or gain more? His eyes began to get heavy a moment later. Oh. David felt¡­ so tired. His prompt flashed once more. Max flesh consumption reached. Growth imminent. Advised to move to a safe location. The prompt flashed over his weary eyes over and over. Shit. He glanced at the entrance and quickly dashed inside. He rapidly explored the depths of the tunnel. The Crusher Mole had dug itself about twenty feet into the rock surface and then down into the softer dirt below. There it had made two connecting cavities and appeared to be working on more before David had ended its life. The prompt blasted his face again so he moved to the largest of the cavities and laid down. His eyes slammed shut and he instantly faded into a deep slumber¡­ Evolution commencing. Growth is accelerating. Wyrm stage reached¡­ David''s eyes flickered open but something felt off. The hole he was in initially now felt too small and he was cramped. He tried to stand up and his head became embedded in the soil above his head. He had¡­ horns? He could feel the two points on his head now firmly stuck above. He snarled and jerked his head free causing dirt to be sprayed everywhere. His stomach ached and his mouth watered as he peered around. His prompt suddenly materialized in front of his vision. Growth complete. Wyrmling has evolved into Wyrm. David Manning - Otherworlder Species: Wyrm Str: 18 Int: 12 Speed: 10 Toughness: 10 Affinity: N/A Traits: 1/3 Condensed Musculature David''s mind cleared a bit as he looked at the prompt. So he had turned into a Wyrm? His stats have also all increased quite a bit. Ah! He had two more traits opened up as well. So that is how it worked. How many ¡°evolutions¡± would he undergo though? He still wasn''t sure if he could remove old traits. It would be best to assume that he couldn''t go forward, at least till it was proven otherwise. ¡°Blue¡­ Red¡­ where are you?¡± His voice and mind were both clearer and more crisp. His intelligence stat has increased and it seemed to be reflected in his ability to speak, David pondered this for a long moment. He was interrupted as a small chirp echoed in the tunnel and Blue popped its head into David¡¯s area. Suddenly David''s hunger hit him hard. His stomach growled, his mouth watered and his mind grew cloudy. Blue looked awfully good at that moment. Damnit. David shook his head in disgust. No. No. NO. ¡°I will not¡­ give in.¡± David snarled as he resisted his primal urges. As he centered himself he looked at the confused Blue. The poor kobold was busy trying to understand David''s words. ¡°Get me food. Quickly.¡± Blue nodded before it dashed off quickly to only return a moment later with a slab of meat. David quickly consumed the meat, the taste of old mole hitting his taste buds. The meat had clearly aged a while but his body seemed to handle it just fine. As David ate his fill his mind cleared and sharpened. Hmm. David pondered once more. He would have to take into account his hunger and make sure if he ever underwent another transformation he had food nearby to avoid his instincts overwhelming him. He didn''t want to do something he would regret to his poor kobolds. He had two more traits to add to his body now. Each trait seemed to enhance his stats and also have the potential for other benefits. That mole trait gave a boost to digging and gave a very specific toughness benefit as well. As far as David could guess, toughness had to do with one''s body thickness and resistance to damage. At the very least that Mole was extremely resistant but that was all he had to go off of. His Condensed Musculature gave a multiplicative number but it also didn''t give another side bonus like the Mole¡¯s specialization in digging and altered limbs. He would have to be careful in the future about picking new traits. He should aim to find ones that synergize together well. He already had increased strength which had proven its worth so far. Strength alone only worked so much for you so long if you didn''t have the mass to back it up. Perhaps he could go back and ask¡­ David perked his head, ¡°I need to go speak with Ambass again.¡± As he made his decision he began to work his way out of their new home. He didn''t get far before stumbling upon something unexpected. He found a small nest in the other cavity and inside was a small multicolored egg. Red was seated carefully nearby tending to some of the details of the nest. Red noticed David shortly after and chirped happily at him. ¡°You two have a baby?¡± Somewhat shocked, David quickly recovered as Red nodded quickly. This could be great depending on how fast they grew. Nodding his head he rumbled and barked out again. ¡°I am going out. Stay safe, both of you. I''ll be back eventually¡± The pair of kobolds appeared reluctant but after some almost threatening glares David was able to leave without them. He fought to work himself out of his new tunnel home because of his increased size but after struggling was happily greeted with the wet smelling air of the stream cavern. David now had to backtrack and hope he didn''t get lost¡­ A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 3 David¡¯s stride has become longer and his eyes have become sharper. He had at first thought the darkness had washed away colors, like it would in his past life, but now he was certain that was not the case. His scales and flesh were black. He couldn¡¯t be certain of his head but his legs, tail and back were all covered in slick black scales. If his other senses besides his eyes weren¡¯t so acute he would consider himself almost invisible against the blackness of the deep caves. As he began his journey backtracking his steps he scooped up as many mushrooms as he could to fill his belly. He might as well top off his energy reserves whenever he could. It took him a few hours to find the exact tunnel that the trio had used to enter this specific cavern. It was the subtle scent of Blue and Red spread across the walls of the tunnel deeper in that confirmed David¡¯s suspensions. As he traveled deeper into the endless tunnels he caught a few oversized rabbit-lizards. These reptiles had thickly defined hopping legs and large ears developed for hearing. They were odd beasts but he was able to run down one in a dead end and another he snuck up on around a corner. Curiously his prompt had popped up on his first kill confirming the creature''s name as a Monitor Runner. The second kill didn''t produce another prompt but neither seemed to grant a trait. David wondered if they simply didn''t have one? Or perhaps it was pure chance and he had lucked out his first few kills? He would have to keep hunting to find out. David shook his muzzle, to break himself out of his thoughts, as he resumed his journey. He did his best to memorize the way as he used his nose to retrace the trio''s scent slowly back to the place of his ¡°rebirth¡±. The nesting ground appeared to be abandoned and most of the remains of the egg shells and debris were gone. Even what had remained of the serpent were nowhere to be found. David quickly moved on and headed down the tunnel towards the meeting grounds he had been taken to by Ambass. The grounds were empty upon first glance. He could smell the lingering scents of the different Wyrmlings. Oddly, Ambass¡¯s scent was absent. There was something there but it was muted and blocked. As he sniffed about the entire chamber suddenly became bright. So bright his eyes burned from the intensity and he let off a loud yelp. As his eyes adjusted, surprisingly quickly despite the pain, he noticed hazy blue barriers blocking every single exit. David was fascinated and shocked all at once. These appear to be magic? So magic exists in this world after all, or at least something comparable? As he shifted back to focus on the danger at hand a voice boomed from above. ¡°Well¡­ well¡­ well¡­ Here for easy prey? I am under oath to protect those under my watch till they are released and I will enforce that pact by force if I must.¡± Ambass¡¯s sinister hissing voice echoed from above. David quickly pivoted his head to see the brightly glowing creature hovering above. ¡°Wait!¡± David roared as his muscles tensed. ¡°I am here for information! To learn! Not to prey on others!¡± Ambass was dead silent for a long moment. Wisps of energy crackling around his body. Finally after what seemed like an eternity the lights dimmed and he slowly lowered himself to the floor. He very matter of factly stated, ¡°You are not lying.¡± Ambass slowly cocked his head. ¡°You are the little one from many cycles ago. Oh my. You have progressed fast little one¡± David dipped his sleek back head low, ¡°Yes. I have recently changed and need some help.¡± Ambass''s hostility had all but evaporated as he let off another sinister laugh, ¡°Help is not free. Hmm. I will give you a free answer simply because I see a bright future, little¡­ Onyx.¡± Before David could even consider correcting Ambass a prompt flashed in his face. Title obtained: Onyx David pondered for a moment and nodded. It would be best to not give anything away and Onyx was a rather fitting name in the end. ¡°I like that name. Onyx. Thank you.¡± David, now Onyx, dipped his head once more in respect. ¡°Good. Not many live long enough to earn a name. Now¡­ I know you are filled with desire. Ask your question?¡± Ambass pressed.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. David paused for a long moment. What should he ask? How about if he could remove traits? Would Ambass even know what he is talking about? Maybe something broader to make sure he got an answer. . ¡°How can I utilize my ability to absorb other beings'' abilities for my long term benefit?¡± Ambass almost appeared¡­ shocked. His muzzle opened, started to respond then suddenly stopped. After another long pause he resumed, ¡°If I did not witness your birth I would question your age, little Onyx. Are you sure you have not already become a Faerie Dragon?¡± Ambass chuckled in amusement before continuing, ¡°I will give you a proper response. You are a Draconic being. We Dragons are superior and adaptive creatures. There are benefits in snatching up as many abilities as fast as possible, but also benefits in waiting. Yes. They will shape you and mold you.¡± He hissed a long moment seemingly in thought before continuing, ¡°You have grown once already. When you grow again your abilities will play an important role in deciding choices. Yes. Pick wisely now.¡± David¡¯s mind raced and picked at the words. Draconic? Dragon? David almost let out a laugh but suppressed it swiftly. He was a creature of myth and legend in his world. His mind shifted to the next words. Ambass is suggesting that abilities are powerful aids but there is also power in waiting? David had to assume there was synergy in play that would make a difference long term. He would have to be selective with what he acquired. The last statement was unexpected though¡­ David¡¯s growth could be influenced by his abilities? Perhaps he could become like Ambass or an entirely new form if he wished? The information was still too vague. Ambass rumbled as he stared at David lost in thought, ¡°So very odd for one so young.¡± David perked his head as he shifted his focus back to the on going conversation, ¡°Your powers¡­ are those from growth or something you picked up from another?¡± ¡°Oh no no. Only one question. More will cost you. Are you willing to pay the price for that?¡± Ambass¡¯s face was plastered with what David could only guess was a wicked grin. ¡°What is the price?¡± David was barely able to squeeze out. ¡°A favor bound by my power. A gift that even Qazayss could not deny me.¡± His words almost came out like a purr. David peered at the energy still shimmering around Ambass. He had ¡°magic¡± or abilities beyond his understanding. It would be best to not owe more to another unless it was absolutely necessary. He was already forced into a debt to this Qazayss, and his gut was telling him another one this soon wasn¡¯t a good idea. ¡°I will decline for now. Onyx thanks you for the name and question. Can I go¡­?¡± David glanced at the still shimmering barriers blocking his exit. Ambass looked almost disappointed but didn¡¯t let it show for too long, ¡°You may go. If you require more in the future you know the cost. Now leave me.¡± The barriers flowed down like a waterfall run dry and David quickly made his exit after offering a deep bow of respect. As he gained distance from the chamber he suddenly realized how hot his body was, how heavy he was breathing, and how much his muscles were twitching. Adrenaline had been pumping the entire time and his senses had been tingling non stop. Whatever, whoever, Ambass was, it wasn''t a push over that was for certain. David knew he was a dragon though and so was Ambass. Based on how fast he had changed and even how different his body and Ambass¡¯s were then David could assume the possibilities of adaptation and growth were vast. Ambass was quite hostile to even the thought of David being there to prey on the newborns but what about those of his group? He did not wish to hunt them for food or kill them but they could offer some insight into possibilities and things to avoid. David mentally added searching out the other Wyrmlings once he was a bit more confident to his list. For now though he turned back towards his new home. His trip back was familiar now so he moved quickly, diverting only once he had picked up the scent of another Monitor Runner. He should bring back some meat for Blue and Red, and he needed to confirm when possible of how things gave traits. Perhaps it was really by chance? Unlike its previous kin this one was being difficult. David had chased it for a solid ten minutes as he seemed unable to catch it. When he got close it leaped or weaved out of his way. It was only with a lucky swat of his tail he was able to stun the critter long enough to then end it with a firm bite. After starting to carry it back he suddenly realized he had made a mistake. He had been caught up in the chase and wandered too far into the tunnels where he and his kobolds had previously encountered the large unknown predators. They had ignored him before but now with a bloody meal in his mouth and his overall larger size something had changed. He was making his way back when suddenly his senses began to tingle. His nose smelled ozone and his ears heard the crashing and scrapping of something massive barreling towards him. He barely had time to dodge into another tunnel, his meal dropped, as a massive scaled draconic creature slammed into the wall nearby. David''s eyes grew wide as he took in the sheer size of the thing. It was a Dragon but was easily ten times his size. It sported thick legs, massive armor plate looking scales, and a head full of horns. ¡°Wait! Friend! Talk!¡± David stuttered out. The dragon replied instantly. The beast''s massive mouth full of teeth opened wide as a bombardment of incoherent words came out. David was only able to understand one very broken word in the mess of sound, ¡°ME..EAT!¡± Oh Shit. Fuck. David''s eyes grew wide as he began to run. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 4 This mountain of a dragon had every advantage over David except intelligence. David wasn''t sure why this dragon seemed to be more bestial. Perhaps that is why Ambass has been so thrilled with David. Were most of the dragonkind not smart? Did abilities and growth stages influence thinking power? He would need to be careful. He didn''t want to revert himself into a state of stupidity. Unfortunately, David couldn''t afford to ponder on it any longer as the quickly dubbed beast, Mountain, wasn¡¯t giving him long to think. He sidestepped another monstrous claw swipe by the mountainous dragon. The tunnel visibility shook and dirt, rocks and debris began to collapse around both of them. A sharp boulder crashed into David''s shoulder and tore free flesh and scales. Despite the intense pain David was able to work, dig and fight his way through the mounds of dirt. The Mountain on the other hand just brute forced everything aside with laughable ease. David''s extraordinary strength granted by his trait paled in comparison to what the Mountain had. Rushing forward David dashed to the side as the Dragon¡¯s great mass slammed against and destroyed the nearby wall, revealing another adjoining tunnel. Making a quick decision David dashed into the freshly exposed tunnel and sprinted as fast as his four legs would take him. The Mountain followed slowly but steadily after him. As another smaller tunnel appeared on his left David diverted quickly and soon found himself inside a large cavern. As he swiftly made his way across the cavern he foolishly dreamed, but doubted, that the smaller tunnel would stop the pursuit. Unfortunately his fears were confirmed a moment later as the entire wall between the larger tunnel and the cavern exploded towards him. David''s heart dropped as the Mountain of a dragon thundered towards him. Rocks and other debris cascaded down around him causing him to instinctively slow down to dodge them. The distance between him and the Mountain evaporated quickly as a result. As the Mountain neared close once more David prepared to turn and fight. As he bared his teeth and prepared to charge everything suddenly shook. The ground underneath the Mountain cracked, splintered and broke as a field of thick teeth rose up from the earth and struck the side of the Mountain. A second draconic beast had burrowed its way out of the ground and assaulted the Mountain. It was long, worm-like, covered in thick scale plates and its mouth was lined with endless rows of teeth. As David fought to stand and gain some distance he observed no limbs on the great worm beast. David briefly wondered how many of these tunnels he wandered might be a result of it simply traveling about. His legs began to pump as he charged at the two titans fighting, he had to get past them to get away and now was his best chance. BOOM! An explosion of fire and lava engulfed the Mountain as the Worm let loose an enormous wave of hot magma from its massive maw. The air in the cavern thickened as everything was lit a flame. David dodged, weaved and staggered through flailing limbs and fire. He tumbled then collapsed just as he broke through to another tunnel exiting the blazing cavern. His eyesight was dim, and he gasped desperately for air as he had almost suffocated in an instant. As his mind returned his mouth gaped wide in shock as he stared through the tunnel entrance back towards the two behemoths still battling. The Mountain had started responding to the Worm in kind with blinding bolts of flashing lightning. For a long second his mind raced. David wondered if he was not just dreaming? Was he going to die? No. He needed to keep moving. Slowly he pulled himself away from the scene and began to drag himself back towards his awaiting kobolds. Maybe one day he would have a real stake in a battle of that magnitude. If he could survive that long¡­ ¡ª Blue ¡ª Blue and her mate were busy preparing their new home for the master''s return. Master was an unusual one but they both refused to complain. Most kobolds were prepared to face death the moment they were selected. Their lives were bound to dragonkind. The elders spoke of how the first kobolds only broke free from the toils of their weak existence by the enlightenment given to them by the first. Blue wasn''t sure about any of that but she did know that Red, her and her future offspring could only survive with Master''s power to guide and protect them. She chirped happily in thought as she tended the now two eggs that resided inside the nursery. Red had been focused on expanding the tunnels to be bigger for the Master and also began work on a third chamber.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Despite expecting the Master to return soon, it was still sudden and urgent. The barricades they had placed in front of the cave were thrown open as Master easily tossed them aside with his massive bulging physique. His scales and flesh were scared, burnt and covered in gaping wounds. Blue let off an alarm and Red quickly appeared to help guide Master to his chamber. Red took the remains of a large serpent from Masters'' jaws, the kill was extremely fresh as it still twitched. Blue retrieved the mushroom balm they had just finished crafting. Blue had recently advanced as a Caretaker. Her skills now allowed her to cook and prep almost anything she got her hands on. The mushroom healing balm was an accidental but significant achievement. Her Master would now see the fruits of his mercy at play as the duo began to rub the slightly burning balm into his fresh wounds. As Red took over and applied the rest of the balm, Blue retrieved her knife-stone and began to chop up the serpent for Master. ¡ª- David ¡°Onyx¡± ¡ª-- David¡¯s aching and pained body began to relax. His kobolds had acted in an instant once he had shown up. They seemed to have been busy while he was gone as he had easily slipped right into the newly expanded tunnels. His body was already healing after some ointment the pair had made was forcefully worked into his wounds. The stinging only lasted a few minutes before relief followed. He noted an extra egg in the kobold¡¯s nest as Blue brought him chunks of expertly chopped up meat slabs. He was thankful he was able to track down another Horned Burrower before he made his way back. Tracked being a very generous statement since the serpent had in fact tried to hunt him. The battle had been brutal but swift with David¡¯s increased strength that now surpassed even the trait carrying snake. Despite the further injuries he gained they had enough food to hold them over for a bit, with the soon to be extra mouths included. David had time to really think now and he had to really let the events that unfolded take hold. He needed to be careful and slow. More importantly he needed to make a decision about the prompt that was sitting in front of his eyes right now¡­ Affinity Selection Available. Select one permanent affinity. - Fire Affinity - Cold Affinity The pieces were slowly falling into place. Both the Mountain, the Worm and possibly Ambass were using affinity? The permanent text on the prompt is what worried David. He saw molten fire and stone coming from the Worm and near the end Lightning was seen. He wasn''t given the choice to pick lightning, could he earn it later? Did the fire grow into something more down the road? He turned to Blue with a rumble. ¡°Blue¡­ how do kobolds communicate to their Masters?¡± Blue¡¯s eyes clearly registered his words. Blue seemed hesitant but finely spread her lips. ¡°Talk Master tongue.¡± Blue murmured low and in a feminine voice. David was surprised. ¡°Why have you never spoken to me before? Can Red speak too?¡± ¡°Red speak. Kobolds don''t speak unless given permission, Master¡± Blue timidly replied. David almost let out a loud groan. He took a moment to sigh before his focus shifted back to Blue. ¡°You and Red have permission to speak whenever you feel appropriate. I would prefer you communicate with me over never communicating. Understood?¡± David rumbled and chirped out. Blue seemed to be processing his words. Her mind turned over and over. ¡°Blue. Will talk more. Yes.¡± She finally let out. ¡°Good. I have a question. Do you know any other Masters with¡­ powers? Fire? Cold?¡± David cocked his head as he questioned Blue. Blue pondered in thought before nodding. David continued, ¡°Good. Do those with powers ever¡­ change? Does a Master with fire ever stop having fire?¡± He carefully considered his words to the small kobold. Blue considered his words slowly once more, ¡°Masters powers¡­ stay same. Bigger as age. Stronger as age. Same through kobold generations. Yes.¡± David pondered her words. So the text wasn¡¯t lying and it seemed the affinity was a consent after selection. It could adapt, most likely, and maybe that is what we see with the magma the Worm threw around? Or perhaps it is its own unique affinity? Hmm. He let his eyes shift back to the prompt in front of him. He focused and dismissed it forcefully. David made the decision to wait. He had delayed it ever since it first appeared after his thrilling and deadly escape, it could wait longer. Fire and cold seemed very basic. Basic wasn¡¯t bad but the lightning that the Mountain threw seemed far more deadly and rare. He should experiment and see if we can acquire any other affinity options before making his choice. ¡°Thank you Blue. That is all.¡± He rested his head down as the Blue kobold made her exit. He rumbled to himself as he brought up his full prompt and formed a plan for the future. He wanted to survive and more importantly thrive. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Wyrm Str: 18 Int: 12 Speed: 10 Toughness: 10 Affinity: Undecided Traits: 1/3 Condensed Musculature A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 5 One thing his new body and form did well was regenerate. It only took a few sleep cycles before he had mostly returned to full health. David was able to talk to Red and Blue off and on as he rested. He found out that it only took around sixty to seventy ¡°cycles¡± for their eggs to hatch. Once they hatched it would only take, what David can surmise, a few years for the hatchlings to reach maturity. Most kobolds never made it to old age, he wasn¡¯t able to get an exact number but based on Blue¡¯s account of their old elder he had to be in his late twenties or early thirties by David''s years. Apparently the greatest hazard elders faced was upsetting their Masters¡­ which wasn¡¯t a pleasant scene to visualize. Red was focused on expanding their cave home. David was happily informed Red¡¯s class was Warrior. David probed a bit and learned that unlike him most races seemed to develop classes and they never went through growth phases. Red¡¯s class was focused on physicality and as a result he already towered over blue and was able to shovel and dig nonstop. David leant his muscles to the effort for a half a cycle. His claws and strength tore massive chunks of dirt and stone free. By the time the pair was done they had dug out five total chambers, and expanded David''s own for his future growth. Red had shifted his efforts to reinforcing the walls and cleaning up as David decided to venture out once more. David slowly and carefully worked on creating a mental map of the underground stream and the surrounding tunnels. The stream itself continued for another three thousand or so of his paces before disappearing downwards into a large pool of dark water. He happened across a wyrmling that was lurking near the pool digging its sharp teeth into an oddly shaped fish at its feet. David approached slowly and rumbled out the chirping bark of his tongue. ¡°Hello fellow kin¡± He cautiously threw out as his voice echoed through the dark and expansive cavern. The little wyrmling answered by instantly diving into the pool. The wyrmling¡¯s tail and feet were both webbed as it disappeared into the water¡¯s depth with a surprising speed and grace. David stood at the water edge dumb founded before claiming the half eaten fish left behind as his own. He did not receive a prompt for slaying it but the meat was fresh, and quite good. David stared at the pool for a long moment as he considered. The wyrmling had clearly picked up a trait involving water. Dragons were as adaptable as he thought and made a mental note before turning and beginning his trip back up the cavern. He spent the rest of his day slowly mapping out the tunnels that weaved in and out of the massive cavern. He picked up the scent of a whole spectrum of creatures, some that caused his senses to tingle and others that made his mouth water. He tracked down and consumed three more Monitor Runners. He was surprised and thrilled when his prompt pinged him after the third one. Monitor Runner slain and trait available. Coiled Legs - Your legs become reinforced by coiled muscles. They store energy like springs and allow you to leap your full speed stat in a vertical or horizontal distance in a moment''s notice. Your speed while walking is reduced by 3 but increased by 6 when running. Coiled Legs trait available. Absorb Y/N? Fascinating. David was happy for a number of reasons. First, he confirmed that traits appeared based on a chance or another factor he still wasn¡¯t aware of? Second, the Coiled Legs lined up with roughly what he expected to find coming from the Monitor Runner. He could hopefully selectively target and farm traits down the road but of course it was never that easy. Third, he confirmed that traits seemed to follow a pattern. So far he found one trait that was purely focused on increasing one¡¯s stats and two that are a hybrid stat increase alongside what he is going to call an ability. He needed to test if he could pick up a trait after declining it. He also needed to make a decision. Coiled Legs was good upon first glance but if he wanted to be effective he needed to focus on what he already had. Simple math showed the difference in if he took advantage of Condensed Musculature or not. David ran the numbers quietly in his head. If he picked up 6 to 8 strength points his current trait would multiply those by one and a half making him monstrous combined with a potential strength ability that might scale off of strength too. He reluctantly declined Coiled Legs. The prompt closed in front of his eyes and he sighed. He hoped he hadn''t made the wrong decision. ¡ª Red ¡ª Red had excavated their home with Masters aid. It was an honor to work alongside him and Red had not acquired any injuries in the end. Master seemed more restrained than most Masters he had learned about in his teachings. It was a small blessing for himself and his future children. He offered a small prayer of thanks to his Master. After the Master had left to explore, Red used the opportunity to gather mushrooms and bugs. He had discovered little hard shelled critters underneath the rocks near the stream. They were small, crunchy and virtually tasteless but a good supplement of meat if Red could gather enough.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He spent most of the rest of the cycle bringing back mushrooms and pockets full of shell bugs. He was making his way back with the fifth load of the day when his nostrils picked up the strong scent of sulfur. His eyes darted around and he took in the dark silhouette of a Wyrm in the distance. It had to be his Mas- wait. No. Master was far more muscular! No! Red dived out of the way as a ball of yellow and orange flame came rushing at him. It illuminated the cave and blinded Red for a terrifyingly long moment. Red was taught early on that the Masters were their kin¡¯s ultimate guide to become something more in the world but they were also their enemy if it wasn¡¯t -their- Master. The ball of fire crashed against the cavern wall, causing a cascade of sparks and flame to fan out inside the cave. Red let loose a battle cry as he pulled free a large sharpened stone for each of his hands from his pouches. His Warrior class flared alive as his muscles bulged underneath his small red scales. His arm sprung forward as he activated his Throw skill causing the stone in his right hand to fly forward with an intensity that wouldn¡¯t be possible normally. The sharped stone impacted the enemy Wyrm with a satisfying crack as the stone shattered a thick scale in its shoulder and embedded itself surprisingly deep. The enemy let loose a vicious and wounded roar before it leaned back then launched itself forward to cover the entire distance between Red and itself. Red was stunned by the sudden leap and was unable to bring bare his other stone before the Wyrm buried its thick, sharp teeth into his side. Red was treated like a rag doll as he was thrashed around and slammed into the ground over and over. He was thrown aside and rolled before coming to a stop on his back. Red coughed blood as he peered down to see his side torn asunder. As his eye sight grew clouded and dark he swore in his mind¡­ he didn¡¯t even get the chance to see his offspring hatch. ¡ª David ¡°Onyx¡± ¡ª As he entered the central cavern holding the stream he heard the uncanny cry of an injured beast. His head perked and his senses began to tingle heavily as his instincts were telling me to avoid it but¡­ he quickly realized the roar was coming from the direction of his home. He began to bolt as he charged forward with feet thundering heavily against the stone floor. As he dashed across the stream and came upon his home he saw the dark silhouette of a kobold go flying through the air and then shortly thereafter a Wyrm standing menacingly over the bleeding kobold. NO! David¡¯s vision went red with rage as he saw the blood pooling around the kobold¡¯s body. His feet didn¡¯t stop and instead they picked up speed. The other Wyrm leered over the kobold, its mouth wide in what David only registered as a grin. It was so focused on its prey that it didn¡¯t even sense the barreling pitch black form of David coming straight at him. David closed his mouth around the smaller Wyrm¡¯s tail and bit as hard as he could muster. With a snarl and a jerk he picked up and thrashed the Wyrm through the air with impressive strength. He felt his trait¡¯s boon work as his bite grew harder and harder. At the peak of David¡¯s thrashing arc his jaw crushed and tore the tail clean off. The enemy Wyrm flew a few feet before slamming into the ground with a satisfying crunch. David let the tail fall from his mouth as he lumbered towards the other Wyrm. He could see clearly the white and blue hue of its hide now and the look of pure fear in its eyes. As he approached, the Wyrm let loose with his affinity and a respectable blast of fire crashed into the front of David¡¯s chest. His scales and flesh burned as the suddenly bright light blinded his senses for a precious second. He leaped forward, half blinded, and was met with only the ground. He snarled and thrashed around as his senses cleared and saw the enemy Wyrm nowhere in sight. He could only pick up the strong smell of sulfur and blood leading away from his location into one of the distant exit tunnels. As his rage cleared David dashed back to the kobold to find that it was Red. His heart dropped as he could only smell blood and the fading life in the poor kobold¡¯s chest. No¡­ No¡­ NO! David began to plead and panic. He couldn¡¯t lose Red so early on. He needed him. Blue needed him. His eggs needed him! He cradled the small bloody form of the kobold awkwardly in his forelimbs letting loose a cry. His chest ached and his heart pounded hard as he felt so hopeless¡­ His prompt pinged him suddenly. New Affinity Unlocked. Affinity Selection Available. Select one permanent affinity. Fire Affinity Cold Affinity Life Affinity He almost dismissed the prompt before his eyes caught on the new blinking option. Life¡­? What did that mean? His eyes shifted to the fading, twitching kobold and he made his decision in that instant. Affinity Selection Confirmed: Life. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Wyrm Str: 18 Int: 12 Speed: 10 Toughness: 10 Affinity: Life (1/1 Charges) Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost Traits: 1/3 Condensed Musculature As his prompt disappeared, after he confirmed his choice, he felt a warm, comforting sensation tingle in his chest. By instinct or reflex his mouth spread and a soft, warm white fog erupted from his mouth. His burned chest slowly began to heal, granting him instant relief. David was stunned as his mind registered what was happening. He quickly peered down at the kobold and found the fog fusing with its wounds. Red¡¯s wounds slowly pieced themselves together, and his chest began to rise and fall rapidly. Red gasped loudly as his eyes shot open. His little hands groped where his wounds used to be in shock before his eyes went wide staring up at his Master. ¡°Master. Saved.. me.¡± Red murmured out before he began to chant some sort of prayer. David¡¯s heart sang out happily as life returned to the kobold. He had just gained the ability to heal? He resummoned and then glanced at his prompt and saw that the Life affinity had dropped to 0/1 Charges. It appeared he could only use it once before it ran out. He helped Red to his feet before walking over to claim the enemy Wyrm¡¯s tail as his own. He dipped his head to Red as the pair returned to their home as quickly as possible. It was an unusual affinity but he had no regrets¡­ A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 6 David experimented with his affinity over the next few cycles. He could breath the healing fog at will once a day at his current capabilities. His affinity seemed to naturally recharge as he slept and he could exert some limited control over how it dispersed itself. It was powerful though and Red was in awe of him still. Red barely left his side as he thanked and prayed to him. David had to drive him off eventually with threats and get him focused back on helping Blue out. Once he was alone again he took the time to experiment. He captured a Horned Serpent by almost killing it and the fog still hugged and healed its wounds despite his efforts to mentally refuse the healing of the serpent. He ended the serpent by tearing off its head quickly after and brought the meat home to his kobolds. Internally, David struggled with the torture he was dealing to the poor creature. Ultimately though he decided it was a necessary evil to experiment on the poor serpent and he also couldn''t afford to let precious resources go. He established a system with Blue and Red. If one of them was out searching for food nearby the other needed to be there on watch ready to set out an alarm. They both weren''t exactly pleased with their work schedule being slowed. ¡°I will make up the difference by hunting more. Once your offspring are born it will be less noticeable.¡± David reassured the duo. OSHA, CCOHS or any other number of work safety programs didn''t exist in this world. He needed to do his best as their Master to make sure they would survive. The following few cycles David roamed the tunnels and mapped out some of the more significant areas. He had Blue scrape in a map into one of the solid stone surfaces of their home and they would fill in details after he returned each cycle. Ambass¡¯s zone was labeled as Nursery Tunnels. The expanse of tunnels where the Mountain and Worm were spotted was labeled as Titan Expanse. He marked the stream cavern as Sanctuary and they put a small dot near where their lair was located. He made a note of the pool at the end of the cavern and the Wyrmling that resided there. He did his best to explain what a compass was but was met with some confusion. ¡°Comp¡­ ass?¡± Blue stared at him cluelessly. With a heavy sigh David tried again. ¡°It marks directions. Let''s make it simple. Towards the Nursery Tunnel is going to be N. Away from it an S. Then a W towards the pool of water and an E in the opposite direction.¡± As David finished Blue was clearly still confused but did as he asked. She quickly drew a small diagram pointing to each direction and labeled them appropriately. He still needed to explore the East and the South. The white and blue Wyrm that had attacked Red had fled South. David debated if it was wise to follow it but he needed to know more. Information and knowledge were key in this world. The following ¡°morning¡± he informed Red and Blue where he was going. He knew they had food reserves to last at least five cycles and told them to not take any chances. Afterwards he headed out and crossed the stream heading South. His nose picked up something after a few twists and turns. He located an old scent trail of blood and sulfur. He was confident that this was from the injured Wyrm but curiously it seemed to be twisting East bound. He was faced with a decision. He could chase it into its territory or continue exploring South? He debated with the choice for a few minutes but decided to keep his word to the kobolds and kept pressing southwards. He traveled for quite a while through the twisting turns and random expansion of caverns. Just as his thirst began to prick at the back of his throat he stumbled upon a small river. The water was flowing faster than his small stream and there was considerably more water as well. He couldn''t help but feel like he was being watched as he stepped forward and drank some water. The water was quite refreshing and tasted less dirty than his little sad stream. His senses tingled a moment before a ripple in the river became an expanding opened jaw of something monstrous. David instantly leaped back but the moving beast locked its teeth into his side and it began to roll. The skin, meat and scales of his side tore clean off as he was barely able to peel himself away. Shit. David was hurt badly. His mind raced as he took in the large, very crocodile-like creature before him. It didn''t seem to bear any dragon-like traits but he found it ironic how even in another world the crocodile form was persistent. It was slowly walking towards him as it swallowed its mouth full of David meat. It was slow though as it wandered closer snapping its jaws at him. David struck fast with a claw swipe across its nose. His claws buried themselves deep and blood flew. It was a minor wound but gave him hope. He bounded around the crocodile while dodging a rapid snap of its jaw. His own jaw quickly found and tore out a chunk of flesh on its rear leg. It let off a hiss as it lunged sideways. David repeated the narrow attack three more times before the beast started to pull itself backwards into the water. He couldn''t deal with it in the water like that. He stopped for a moment to think just as the beast surged forward out of the water like a bolt of lightning. It clearly has some sort of ability as it clamped down onto David''s rear as he twisted to escape and rolled hard. The beast''s roll was vicious and his poor hide didn''t stand a chance. He staggered as blood pooled underneath him and he considered his options desperately. He noticed that the beast was pressing forward towards him and not retreating despite its own wounds. The crocodile had clearly sensed he had won this one. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. David turned and began to limp away. He gained some distance at first before slowing. His wounds stung bad, a trail of blood following him. The crocodile just happily kept pacing after him, a satisfied rumble escaping its maw. David retreated back into a tunnel and quickly turned the corner out of sight. He grinned internally as his mouth opened wide and out came a soft warm fog that clung to his body eagerly. His wounds healed, his flesh regenerated, and his blood was renewed in an instant. Just as he finished healing the large head of the crocodilian lumbered around the corner and stopped. David let loose a snarl, ¡°You are mine now you bastard!¡± He darted around the gator at that moment, taking it completely by surprise. The crocodile wasn''t completely stupid as it began to walk backwards towards the river but the distance was far greater now. David bounced, weaved and tore flesh off the beast as he harrowed it the entire way back to the river. As the croc turned to quickly dash the last few feet to the water David sunk his teeth into its thick tail and began to drag it back. His muscles ached and cried out as he fought against the beast''s own strength. His teeth tore and bit into the croc as he slowly out strengthened it bit by bit. After getting it half way back to the tunnel the croc turned and tried to lunge at David again. David dashed back, taking a thick chunk of flesh with him. The fight ended shortly after that as the crocodile slowly bled to death from the countless wounds, and continual assault. As the beast let off its death gurgle David let off an adrenaline fueled howl of triumph of his own. His prompt flashed a notification informing him the beast was called a Cave Crocodilian. It really was some sort of crocodile afterall. He happily gorged himself on the croc''s meat. It was different but still fantastic. As he stripped the flesh away and ate more than his belly could handle his prompt pinged him¡­ Cave Crocodilian slain and trait available. Rupturing Jaws - The muscles around the jaw are designed to grasp on firmly so the concentrated muscles of the body can jerk, twist or tear off chunks of flesh. You gain 3 strength using your jaws and 1 everywhere else. You''re able to use a death roll on anything you firmly have your jaws around to momentarily increase your strength output by 1.25 times in sheer force. Rupturing Jaws trait available. Absorb Y/N? David was surprised. He had expected some sort of water trait, or water lunging ability. Perhaps creatures could have more than one trait? Or he was just simply wrong. In hindsight that bite was what almost killed him. Rupturing Jaws did not grant as much strength as he was hoping but the active ability was very, very good. He needed a go to ability and this seemed to fit the bill. He mentally confirmed the selection and was immediately hit by a round of violent pains. He let out a surprised yelp as his body got hot and then all of his muscles became sore. His jaw especially hurt and felt like it was twisted and jerked around by a force beyond his control. After the pains subsided he summoned his prompt with a satisfied grin. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Wyrm Str: 19.5 (22.5 Jaw) Int: 12 Speed: 10 Toughness: 10 Affinity: Life (1/1 Charges) Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost Traits: 2/3 Condensed Musculature Rupturing Jaws - Death Roll Ability He dismissed the prompt and wrapped his jaws around part of the crocodile carcass. To his surprise his jaws were considerably larger and more muscular. He mentally focused and activated Death Roll as he rolled his body around rapidly on instinct alone. The entire mouth full of hide, bone and flesh sheared free from the corpse with ease. David let off a roar as he was satisfied with the synergy he was building. If he was playing a video game back home he would be a damage dealer. He was fragile though but his affinity helped mitigate some of that. He should consider picking up a trait that helped bolster his toughness down the road, if he could find an appropriate one. He decided to finish scouting as much of the river as he could before returning. He trekked West bound towards where the river was flowing for many thousands of paces before he saw something that made his eyes water. He saw the pinprick of light in the far distance. He dashed forward and closed the distance in the blink of an eye. As he stepped across the threshold he was stunned. The light was so very, very bright. It felt almost alien on his skin as his eyes slowly adjusted. The cavern and river rather suddenly curved off a mountain side. The river, turned waterfall, cascaded downwards to a destination below that was obscured by clouds. There were other mountains and snow higher up all around him. It was magnificent and also terrifying. He could not see a way down but at least he knew there was more to the world now. He had another objective to add to his list. After basking in the light for far too long he reluctantly decided to return. When he returned to the croc corpse he found leathery bat winged creatures and another smaller crocodilian chewing on what remained. He roared in frustration and charged but by the time he got to it they had all scattered. He sighed as he stared at the almost completely stripped corpse. He was going to leave it before he remembered his father explaining, in quite literally his past life, how bone marrow could be harvested. There was enough meat, joints, and tissue holding the remains together that David was able to prop it on his back and drag it back to his lair. He hoped Red and Blue would appreciate it and be able to utilize something from it¡­ A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 7 Blue and Red were delighted when he returned. They both expressed surprise at the crocodilian he brought back but were quick to begin processing what was left. David didn''t even need to explain the concept of bone marrow to the pair as they began cracking smaller bones and extracting what they could. Blue had developed some skills dedicated to crafting as she demonstrated by periodically activating them as her little digits worked. After harvesting the marrow from the bones she started making tools out of the remains. Spears, chisels, knives were made and even a large shield was crafted out of the crocodilian head for Red. Red was overjoyed with his new weapons and immediately began practicing as Blue continued her work. David spent the time relaxing as he experimented with his abilities, periodically stopping to watch Blue work. After a few cycles he pulled Blue aside briefly to update the stone map. Indicating that to the South there was a river that he labeled the Nile and then marked the location of the exit outside. Blue was intrigued by the exit but didn''t appear surprised and quickly returned to her work. David ventured out to find Red looking refined as he practiced with his spear and shield. ¡°Red. You seem to have grown stronger since you fought off that Wyrm. Do your skills improve with practice?¡± David probed curiously. His understanding of how their process worked was still a bit murky. ¡°Yes! Defensive Bulwark bigger¡± Red beamed back ¡°Wonderful. Do you want to do a light practice duel?¡± David offered. He was curious if he could help increase Red¡¯s skills. Red seemed reluctant to accept so David insisted. ¡°Red grab your stuff. You have nothing to fear so just try your best, okay?¡± David practically dragged Red out in front of their lair and the duo squared off. The muscular kobold was still dwarfed by the sheer bulk and size of David. It felt almost cruel to match up against him, but it was necessary. ¡ª Red ¡ª Master¡¯s tail slammed against the new skull shield Red¡¯s mate made for him. His very bones rattled by the pure strength of the Wyrm. Master was easily half again bigger than the enemy Wyrm he faced off before. While that enemy was unbelievably quick, and had ranged attacks Master was an entirely different beast. Since his return his Jaws were elongated and his head enlarged. His body had also gotten a bit more muscular as well. Master was no doubt an absolute terror in close combat. Red knew the Master was taking it easy on him but he wanted to make him proud of him. His bone spear thrusted forward again and again. His Defensive Bulwark skill was activated time and again as Master''s tail or claws slashed forward. As he thrusted forward with a feint he felt a change in his body. His eyes lit up as he instinctively knew that he had just learned a new skill. He focused and unleashed Spear Thrust causing his bone spear to strike out with a sudden swiftness that took Master by surprise. Red grinned wide as his spear hit the center of Master¡¯s scaled chest with a firm thud. The point of the spear had been capped but the impact still sent the Master stumbling back a few steps. With a roar, the Master bound forward and barrelled into his chest. Red went flying before he impacted the hard ground and rolled. He used the momentum of his roll and a push from his shield to throw himself back into a prone position on his knees. He quickly bound up from his knees to his feet before activating his Throw skill and sent his spear hurling. The spear was swatted out of the air a moment later and as Master came into range Red dropped to his knees exhaustion. ¡°Red. Surrender¡± He huffed out tiredly. His Master suddenly stopped and dipped his head to him, ¡°Very good. You took me by surprise a few times. Did your skills improve?¡± Red nodded, ¡°Yes. Gain Spear Thrust, Defensive Bulwark stronger.¡± His skill development was accelerated by their little skirmish and he felt proud. He would never compare to the might of his Master but he planned on being able to support him to the best of his abilities, even in death. ¡°Good. We will make this a regular thing. You will train the others when they are born. Now go rest.¡± As Master finished he blew a focused cone of healing fog over Red''s body. His aching muscles, scrapped flesh and bruised body healed quickly. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡ª David ¡°Onyx¡± ¡ª Red had become a rather formidable fighter in such a short time. He wouldn''t stand a chance against a full blown Wyrm but he could probably fend for himself against a Wyrmling or another creature like the Horned Serpent. The more David learned the more he realized that the kobolds and himself operated on completely different ¡°systems¡±. The kobolds gained skills by doing and then could refine those skills by using them. They were extremely flexible and adaptable. In comparison David was the opposite in that he was extremely specialized and inflexible. David had tried to learn skills but nothing had manifested. He could get better at certain things by doing but it didn''t carry the same weight of force, or effectiveness, as skills did. Red and Blue had mentioned their skills changing over time. Blue¡¯s crafting skills had improved and gotten name changes as she worked. David wondered if he could at least mold and improve his abilities? After his fight with Red he was able to project his healing fog forward as a focused cone except it hurt? His abilities when activated usually felt effortless but when he forced the fog forward as a cone it was like he was fighting against something within his own mind. It took a lot more effort than he expected but he was able to do it in the end. Something was definitely there but he wasn''t sure. He shifted his focus back to surviving. He needed to make sure there was adequate food before eggs started hatching. The nest of eggs kept growing and Blue happily informed him that kobolds usually laid a cluster of around five eggs every few months if the environment allowed for it. Every cycle David would spar with Red, practice his affinity, and then go hunting. Red started accompanying him on his hunts and was becoming rather proficient at catching Monitor Runners and what David learned were called Cave Flyers. He still thought they looked too much like bats with those leather wings to just be called Cave Flyers. Unfortunately, he wasn''t able to acquire any traits from them yet. The day the eggs finally began to hatch they had just finished driving off a little Wyrmling that had decided kobolds would make a great snack. David didn''t recognize the scent or appearance of it but he suspected that Ambass had just sent off another wave of freshly hatched offspring into the wilds. He would need to return to speak with Ambass at length soon. David made it explicitly clear that Red and Blue both would be responsible for naming their children. As each egg hatched over the following few cycles they were each named. He let out a sigh as he realized he made a mistake and set a precedence that they planned to follow. The children were named as follows: Blue¡¯Green, Red¡¯Blue, Blue¡¯Yellow, Yellow¡¯Brown, and White¡¯Yellow. Their names flowed better in their barking, chirping and growl-like language than his native tongue on earth. Still, it was going to become a pain to track them after a few waves of eggs. He would have to come up with a better solution soon. The baby kobolds developed quickly and before long they introduced their own brand of chaos to the lair. Unlike children he was familiar with, there seemed to be a strong compulsion to help the group and learn from their parents right away. That was good news though and really just made David happy. His choice to bring them along seemed to be the right one. He calculated that given enough time they could develop a respectable little town and become completely self-sufficient. David''s spar with Red the day after the last egg hatched, confirmed that the time had come to head back to Ambass. He had wanted to stabilize his little lair and Red had held up to David''s onslaught almost to the very end. He had no doubt Red could keep back anything fast enough to catch any of the kobolds while he was gone. At the end of the day his healing fog breath was condensed into a cone once more to heal Red''s training wounds and he was finally rewarded with a warm sense of relief, connection, and a eureka moment. His prompt flashed over his eyes shortly after. Life Affinity expanded. Healing Breath (Focused Cone) learned. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Wyrm Str: 19.5 (22.5 Jaw) Int: 12 Speed: 10 Toughness: 10 Affinity: Life (1/2 Charges) Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost Healing Breath (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Traits: 2/3 Condensed Musculature Rupturing Jaws - Death Roll Ability He let out a surprised laugh filled with wonder and glee! He now felt like he could cast his breath as a focused cone on instinct alone. This was wonderful as he had just confirmed that he could in fact improve and expand his affinity by use. That meant he could continue to expand his strength and power without relying solely on acquiring traits. He wondered what kind of applications he could twist his affinity to? Some ideas that popped into his head were gruesome and extremely immoral. Some ideas were more acceptable and something he bet that no one else in this world had thought of yet. He informed Blue and Red of his choice to head out the following cycle. He told them that this time he might be gone for a while depending on what Ambass demanded of him for answers. They were nervous but ready for it. They even reassured him that they would be okay and he left the next morning. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 8 Titan''s Expanse had changed since he last passed through. He was confident in his mental map and yet there were new tunnels, intersections, and more. He found evidence of scorching everywhere he went. Had the Mountain and the Worm¡¯s fight continued throughout here? The scorch marks appeared old and faded but some of the tunnels looked freshly carved out of the mountain. He had learned to trust his senses and so far they were not tingling as he sniffed and moved cautiously forward. He eventually found his way to what he recognized as old, familiar tunnels and used his previously established mental map to slowly find his way back to his old nursery. It appeared to be thoroughly abandoned by now though. The scavengers had picked the chamber clean of anything edible. Even the old egg shells were nowhere to be found. He took his time as he made his way towards Ambass¡¯s chamber. The tunnels twisted and turned in ways he was unfamiliar with. His keen eyes picked out the marks of teeth and claws indicating how well traveled this new tunnel had become. If he had not known where the general direction of Ambass''s chambers were he could have easily gotten lost. Thankfully David''s sense of direction in his new body was impeccable. After hours of new tunnels he finally found and entered his destination. He rumbled loudly to announce his presence, ¡°Ambass. It is I, Onyx, and I wish to talk. Trade.¡± His voice echoed throughout the chamber and he was almost convinced it was empty before everything became engulfed in light once more. ¡°What a surprise. Yes. How is, not so little, Onyx doing? Hmm. You have gotten bigger still.¡± The glowing Ambass hovered slowly downwards. His voice almost had a whimsical nature to it this time. ¡°I was hoping to ask you a few questions regarding affinity and expanding its usage.¡± David rumbled and chirped towards Ambass. ¡°Oh? You have gained your affinity then? Tell me what it is?¡± Ambass chirped back. ¡°No information is free. You taught me this.¡± David simply shot back. Ambass let off his trademarked sinister laugh, ¡°Very good. Knowing one''s affinity is useful but also not worth much. I will reduce the cost of what you will owe me for the information you desire. Fair trade?¡± David considered it for a long moment. He really did need to learn more. If he was going to share his affinity it might as well be done with effect, no? David nodded before bringing up and dragging his sharp claws across his chest. They dug into him and tore his flesh and scales apart. Ambass gasped in surprise and even took a step back. David maintained eye contact as his healing fog rolled out of his mouth and began to seal his wounds. Ambass¡¯s eyes were wide in shock, confusion and wonder. As the last of David''s self inflicted wounds healed he rumbled, ¡°As you can see. I have an affinity of life¡­¡± Ambass was quiet for a while before suddenly letting off a sinister cackling laugh, ¡°How unexpected. Extremely unexpected. I have met some with your affinity but they have never matched your¡­ physique. Most would assume you would bear a far more brutish affinity. Yes.¡± ¡°Worth enough to answer my question then?¡± David probed as he stepped closer. ¡°Hmm. Yes. I will tell you this then¡­ Affinities are flexible by nature. They are a dragon''s expression of their magic. You can mold and shape it any way you can envision. Some have reigned supreme for centuries for their unique techniques. You must develop your own.¡± Ambass bobbed his head as he finished. David took his own time to process the dragon''s words. So affinity was magic and it was also adaptable. That explained why he was able to change the function and focus it into a cone. He turned to Ambass finally, ¡°I want to understand magic and how it interacts with our kind.¡± Ambass cackled happily, ¡°Further information will cost you now. Will you pay that cost?¡± David let off a sigh, ¡°Tell me what the cost is first?¡± ¡°I have been tasked with this guardianship duty by Qazayss. There is a Wyrm preying on your siblings before they have a chance to receive their boon. Which is unacceptable.¡± Ambass hummed. ¡°You want me to kill this Wyrm?¡± David asked as he sat down on his haunch. ¡°Yes. I need another set of reliable eyes, ears and jaws. I can only cover so many chambers and this Wyrm keeps slipping by me somehow. I have my suspicions but need a reliable assistant to confirm them.¡± Ambass almost seemed sincere as he spoke. David needed more information and Ambass was his best bet. It was risky but everything so far in this world was risky. David finally rumbled in response, ¡°I''ll do it. You better not skip out on information though Ambass. Where do you want me?¡± Ambass cackled a bit, ¡°There are six chambers established for this birthing cycle. You will patrol two, and I will handle the other four. If you find the trouble maker you must not hold back. Qazayss is unforgiving for those that fail to protect her eggs when tasked with it.¡± Ambass''s voice quivered as he spoke the last sentence. Over the next few hours David was shown the two chambers he was responsible for. They were both identical to the one he was birthed in except each housed a cluster of eggs, each swirling with life. The eggs were each unique with a splattering of colors coating their shells in different patterns. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He also got the opportunity to observe Ambass in detail. He was roughly the same size as David but his elegant and enigmatic wings hung from his back proudly. He glowed as well from whatever affinity he had but upon closer inspection he realized that the Faerie Dragon''s flesh itself appeared to be pulling a soft blue light towards it. He wasn''t quite sure what was going on but he knew that size can be deceiving. His senses even now still tingled when he was near Ambass, and David had no doubt he could kill him with little effort. After being shown around David was left alone to complete his new task. David began his watch right away as he found a corner of the first chamber and settled down. His black scales allowed him to blend into the darkness with ease. He slowly began to open his senses and simply listened. Time ticked by slowly and it felt like an eternity before he caught his first perpetrator. As it clumsily entered the chamber his mouth had closed around the creature''s neck in an instant. He crushed it tight right before he activated Death Roll and ended its existence in a split second. His prompt pinged him just as the creature hit the floor. Sabertooth Rat slain. The creature was a massive rodent of some kind. The prompt labeled it as a rat but it didn''t quite look like a rat to David. Its face was twisted and it had huge teeth protruding out of its mouth, which fit the Sabertooth title. Everything else about it except the expected naked tail was off. It was also larger than either Red or Blue. He sunk his teeth back into it and dragged it out of the way and into a corner. He didn''t have time to eat as it was time to go check on the other chamber. Hopefully his kill would be here when he got back. He moved as quietly as he could to the other chamber. A few twists, turns, and switch backs and he finally approached the second chamber he was responsible for. His senses were tingling but as he slowly crept into the chamber everything was dead silent. The large multicolored eggs were all intact and nothing appeared amiss. After spending some time camped in the corner again, like the first chamber, he started to leave when he spotted a blurry shadow of sorts in the corner of his eye. If he hadn¡¯t been intensely watching the entrance he could have easily missed it. He quietly sat still and watched as this thing that was there and not there moved through the room. It moved slowly before it stopped in front of one of the eggs. David acted in an instant as he darted from his corner and closed his massive jaws around the shadowy form. He grasped at only air though as the shadow seemed to shimmer away. David let off a deep rumbling growl as he flipped around to face the enigma. The shadows had faded a bit and David could see the form of a fellow Wyrm masked underneath. It was significantly more scrawny compared to himself but he could see the deadly claws, and oddly protruding thorns over its entire body. David dashed forward and tried to bite at it once more and the shadow covered Wyrm side stepped him and slammed its shoulder against his own. The thick barbs and spikes sticking over the Wyrm¡¯s body dug into his own, causing him to bleed. David didn¡¯t let the Wyrm slip by completely free though as he leaned into the other Wyrm and shouldered into him as hard as he could. There was an audible crack as some spikes were snapped free and the shadow Wyrm was sent tumbling into the wall nearby. David snarled as he stumbled from his own wounds but refused to pry his eyes away from the other Wyrm. Their small trade wasn¡¯t in David¡¯s favor that was certain. His body bled badly and the other Wyrm just seemed a bit jarred and bruised. He bared his teeth at the intruder as he growled softly, ¡°I advise you to leave. These grounds are guarded by someone far more powerful than us both combined.¡± The other Wyrm stopped for a moment before responding, ¡°Best food in room now.¡± The words hissed out of its mouth as it licked its mouth, its eyes not leaving David¡¯s bleeding form. David was surprised to even receive a response to begin with considering how mute his other fellow Wyrms had been in the past. Nevertheless this cannibal would find his end here if it insisted as David rumbled back as loud as he could project his voice, ¡°Last warning Cannibal! Leave or die!¡± The Cannibal responded as he expected and lunged forward on the attack. The two exchanged blow after blow as they weaved in and out of range of each other. For every three or four nips or slashes that striked across David¡¯s body he returned a powerful single one. Unfortunately even when David could land a powerful blow it usually resulted in a spike jetting into his flesh as a result. The Cannibal demonstrated its affinity mastery by calling forth a shadowy fog that clung to its form again as the first had faded over the course of their skirmish. The shadow acted like a second skin that caused enough of David¡¯s bites or slashes to barely miss that the fight was shifted against him, or at the very least that is what the Cannibal thought. As David drew out the fight they both sustained considerable injuries. As David pulled free from the other Wyrm after their fifth bout they both struggled to catch their breath. The Cannibal had a wicked grin plastered across its face as it was convinced of its victory. David couldn¡¯t wait any longer as he released his own affinity. The healing fog engulfed his body and as his wounds rapidly sealed the Cannibal¡¯s eyes went wide. To its credit it understood the situation instantly and began to make a beeline away from David. David couldn¡¯t afford to let it get away after seeing his affinity and began to chase after him, even though his wounds weren¡¯t completely healed yet. The shadow Cannibal was fast, much faster than him. As they twisted and turned through tunnels it began to inch further and further away. Right when David was about to give up the chase the entire tunnel length was engulfed in a blinding light. A blue barrier materialized in front of the Cannibal causing it to slam head first into it with a satisfying crack sound. The glowing Faerie Dragon, Ambass, appeared above the pair with a sinister laugh as he was observing the stunned, shadow-engulfed Wyrm, ¡°My my¡­ you have been busy little Onyx. Does it have a shadow affinity? Heehee. That would explain a lot.¡± Ambass¡¯s body glowed brightly as another barrier slammed in behind David as he closed the distance with the Cannibal. Ambass cackled from above, ¡°Go get your kill Onyx¡± The stunned Cannibal could barely comprehend what was happening as David closed his jaws firmly around the Wyrm¡¯s front leg, he engaged Death Roll and the Wyrm¡¯s leg parted from its body as David rolled with all his might. The Cannibal gasped, thrashed and passed away from blood loss and shock shortly after. As David tossed aside the leg his prompt pinged him¡­ Shadow Wyrm slain¡­ Ambass continued to cackle as he landed next to David, ¡°Go on Onyx. Claim your prize. Perhaps you will find something beneficial to you?¡± He motioned forward toward the dead cannibal with his wing. David reluctantly leaned down to satisfy his nagging, endless hunger. He hated to admit how much he was enjoying the taste as his prompt pinged him again. Shadow Wyrm slain and traits available. Please select at most one. David blinked in surprise. More than one? Huh? A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 9 The prompt displayed two traits he could pick from. It indicated he could only pick one though. Lightweight Reinforcements - Your body becomes lighter as your muscles restructure themselves but doesn¡¯t lose any toughness or strength as a result. The bottom of your feet become padded to such a degree that almost all sound is muted and you can fall from extreme heights without dying. Your speed increases by 4. Lightweight Reinforcements trait available. Absorb Y/N? Thagomizer Defenses - Your body becomes reinforced by and covered up and down by large spikes and horns. These spikes can be used offensively and defensively but are prone to breaking off. They do regenerate overnight. Your toughness increases by 2. Thagomizer Defenses trait available. Absorb Y/N? This was unique. He had never had the choice between two traits? Did it have to do with some special condition? He needed to focus. The Lightweight Reinforcements explained how the Wyrm was so nimble and how he almost got away from him. Everything appeared nice except the fact it seemed to reduce your overall weight. David had established earlier that he needed more mass to take advantage of his strength properly so that one was off the table. What about this Thagomizer Defenses? Upon first read it did seem somewhat underwhelming as a trait but he had first hand experience on how the reality was much different. Everytime he had struck the Cannibal he had ended up worse for wear. So far his affinity made him tougher than expected and combined with the potential to damage opponents while in the defensive meant that he could, in theory, wear down almost anyone else his size or even bigger? He considered the damage he could do with these spikes combined with his strength as well and let off a small chuckle. Lastly, he wondered if his affinity would instantly regenerate the spikes once used up? If he picked it that would have to be another experiment for his list. David struggled with the decision for only a moment before he finally accepted. His updated stats pinged his visual. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Wyrm Str: 19.5 (22.5 Jaw) Int: 12 Speed: 10 Toughness: 12 Affinity: Life (0/2 Charges) Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost Healing Breath (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Traits: 3/3 Condensed Musculature Rupturing Jaws - Death Roll Ability Thagomizer Defenses The pain struck him a moment later as he gasped loudly! Ambass watched with amusement and let off a sinister little laugh. The outside of his body became lined with a variety of spikes, including two more distinctive horns that grew forward on his head. One horn was pointed forward on either side of its mouth. They were not far enough forward to impede his ability to bite but he could twist his head and gore someone if needed. After what was a tortuous few minutes David¡¯s transformation was complete and the pain quickly disappeared. He shivered as he peered over at Ambass with a tired look, ¡°Why were there so many choices?¡± Ambass hissed in glee, ¡°That is why so many become kinslayers. Dragon¡¯s absorb other dragons better than other monsters. You must be careful though. There is a hierarchy to this world that you don¡¯t want to draw the ire of just yet. Come. I have a promise to fulfill.¡± The pair made their way back to Ambass''s central chamber and settled in. Ambass turned to David with a soft chirp of their shared tongue, ¡°You wish to ¡®understand magic and how it interacts with our kind¡¯ yes?¡± David simply nodded in response as he settled down. His new spikes were rather inconvenient as he had to be careful not to stab himself as he shifted his weight into a seated position. His body felt more rigid and firm as the spikes and their bases reinforced his body in key spots. ¡°That is a deep question. I do not have all the answers but I am quite knowledgeable.¡± Ambass nodded at his own self compliment as he continued, ¡°Magic lingers in the air around us and our bodies, as Dragons, are receptive to it. When you sleep your body opens up to it and begins to absorb and rekindle itself. This is why your affinity refreshes every time you sleep. There are numerous affinities and they change based on how the individual draconic being utilizes it. Fire comes naturally to most and is the most seen affinity but even it manifests differently among our kin.¡± ¡°Like the Worm? In the tunnels between here and the stream. It spewed molten magma when I last saw it.¡± David perked his head as he offered the question. ¡°The ¡°Worm¡±? Hah. Geloa would probably find that name a bit too on the nose.¡± Ambass crackled out loud, ¡°That is a good example. Geloa was of fire affinity but through means he wouldn¡¯t and probably couldn¡¯t share it has become a mixture of two affinities.¡± ¡°When you said I could mold my life affinity into anything I could envision you were not exaggerating. Hmm. So Geloa¡¯s affinity became a mixture of fire and¡­ earth? Can someone have more than one affinity¡± David¡¯s mind pondered and began to wander as a variety of ideas popped into his head. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°I simply stated the truth. Ah¡­ Yes and no. Every dragon is set in their affinity except in a rare case¡­¡± Ambass tapped his claw against the ground in thought, ¡°I suppose this warrants the information you speak. Mmm. I am a Faerie Dragon and my branch of dragonkind specializes in raw magic. I have two affinities¡­ one of which is the raw manifestation of magic itself. The other you would have to pay to know.¡± Ambass hissed in a little sinister laughter once more. David¡¯s mind had a AH HAH moment as Ambass finished, ¡°Those barriers¡­ that is magic in its raw state wielded as you wish? Wait. Ambass¡­ you always seem to be pulling in magic at all times? Is that part of being a Faerie Dragon or a trait perhaps?¡± David''s mind raced. Ambass simply laughed once more, ¡°Such a keen mind. You would make a fantastic Faerie Dragon and yet I do not believe you are destined for such a path. What you observe is not natural to a Faerie Dragon but is desired by most.¡± David nodded his head. So it was a trait that Ambass had? Perhaps it allowed him to absorb magic at all times and recharge even when not asleep? Fascinating. ¡°I deeply appreciate the help, Ambass.¡± David finally let out after they talked back and forth for a while longer. Nothing else significant was revealed but Ambass was helpful and most importantly fair to him. Ambass let off a little snerk, ¡°Being fair and dealing in trades is how I have survived this long. Not all of our kind are reasonable or even smart. Prepare for the day that your debt is called by the brood mother and we will see where it takes you, little survivor.¡± Ambass chuckled as he spread his wings, ¡°There is little else I can tell you. You know where to find me but I expect it will be some time before we meet again¡­¡± His eyes gleamed like they knew a secret he wasn¡¯t willing to tell as he began to hover then fly up and away. By the time David had reached the Sanctuary again it had been a few cycles. His guard duty had dragged on for a few cycles and remaining awake the entire time had drained him. After Ambass excused himself David had found a comfortable hole to crawl into and slept. Crossing Titan¡¯s Expanse had also been slow but luckily uneventful. As he approached his lair he was greeted by a heavily armed Red and three much smaller kobolds each carrying a small pointed bone spear held forward in alarm. He rumbled in delight, ¡°I see you have prepared them quickly, Red.¡± Red¡¯s eyes beamed as he lowered his spear, ¡°Master! Forgive Red. Appearance so different. Could not be sure.¡± Red lowered himself into a kneeling position and offered a prayer to his ¡°Master¡±. David sighed internally as the children copied their father but he continued on his way towards his lair. Blue was delighted to have him back around. Two of the little kobolds were running around helping Blue as David had to force himself through the previously expanded tunnel system. His spikes dung into the sides as he forced his way to his expanded chambers. Red and David had oversized his chamber for future growth thankfully and he easily fit inside. After settling in Blue had informed him that they were able to pull in enough nutrients to sustain them and more. Red had become rather proficient in hunting down lizards, serpents, bat things and even some of those rats David had just discovered. He took the next few cycles to relax and focus on his affinity. David began to ask himself the big questions. What was life affinity? He could heal himself, yes but how? He needed to test it out. He needed to start testing and experimenting if he was going to find any answers. He asked Blue¡¯s permission first and White¡¯Yellow quickly joined him. The little kobold wasn¡¯t very large but the cute little guy kept chirping happily to him. ¡°White¡¯Yellow I just need you to stay still and let me use my healing fog on you. Alright?¡± David reassured the little kobold. White¡¯Yellow just rapidly nodded its head in agreement. David had a few theories on how his healing might actually work. The least likely was time itself reversed around the affected areas, and the implications for that would be ridiculous. He focused on the most likely cases which were either the healing magic repaired the damage itself, which might imply some sort of higher system or sentience involved, or that the magic energized the natural healing processes of the living creature and the body itself sealed the wounds. The last two were similar but fundamentally different in how they worked. Only time would tell which was true though. He slowly released his healing fog as a cone and washed it over White¡¯Yellow. David focused hard on restraining the fog¡¯s natural tendency to sink into its target and rejuvenate them. The day had been long so David could feel the fog¡¯s natural pull to refresh and heal the weary muscles of the little kobold and he pushed back hard. The fog clung to the little kobold and lingered as David struggled with his task. He ultimately couldn¡¯t fully restrain the fog but he was able to restrain it enough to only allow the smallest particles of it to seep into the kobold. Gasping and visibility shaking David rumbled, ¡°White¡¯Yellow I need you to start¡­ exercising. Stay in the chamber. Don¡¯t stop¡­¡± It was like fighting a torrent of water from a waterfall as he slowed his breathing. White¡¯Yellow dashed back and forth rapidly and each time the kobold began to slow from fatigue, David let just a bit more of the fog seep into him to replenish him. After a fourth of a cycle the fog had all been used up and David gasped out as he finally released control. ¡°Good job little one.¡± David¡¯s mental exhaustion had peaked as he immediately collapsed into a deep slumber after murmuring his words. David alternated between helping Red hunt and practicing his affinity on the kobolds. As the cycles carried on David was able to more easily restrain and rework his healing fog until finally his prompt pinged him and he felt a massive wave of relief and enlightenment tingle through his body. Life Affinity expanded. Lingering Regeneration learned. Fine Motor Control (Life) unlocked. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Wyrm Str: 19.5 (22.5 Jaw) Int: 12 Speed: 10 Toughness: 12 Affinity: Life (2/3 Charges) - Fine Motor Control Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost Healing Breath (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Lingering Regeneration - 1 Charge Cost Traits: 3/3 Condensed Musculature Rupturing Jaws - Death Roll Ability Thagomizer Defenses Wonderful. David at the very least had finer control of his affinity now and unlocked a new ¡°spell¡± of sorts. It was a step in the right direction. He dismissed the little kobold that was helping him for the day, before making his way outside and gathering Red and his three little warriors. They had just gotten back from a gathering expedition, their bags full of mushrooms and bugs. ¡°Red, I want you and one of the little ones to try something for me.¡± David rumbled as the kobolds circled around him. Red nodded his head and picked out one of the other kobolds, which David believed was Red¡¯Blue. David let off two blasts of Lingering Regeneration, one for each of them. As the fog clung to them effortlessly David couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°Hunt. Train. Don¡¯t stop till the fog disappears. Report back to me after.¡± David quickly dismissed them as he settled onto his haunch to watch. The remaining two kobolds looked up at David expectantly and he quickly dismissed them back to the lair. His eyes turned back as Red and Red¡¯Blue bounded away as ordered. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 10 ¡ª Red ¡ª Master had blessed him, it was the only explanation. His spear thrusts remained precise and firm. His stamina was near bottomless and his muscles only ever hurt for a moment before feeling full and fresh again. His little Red¡¯Blue and him kept moving as they practiced. Red demonstrated Spear Thrust to his son over and over, and then watched Red¡¯Blue tap into the almost endless endurance granted to him to copy his father. After a few hundred sloppy thrusts Red¡¯Blue¡¯s face lit up and his spear struck true! Red was awestruck. It had taken Red¡¯Blue virtually no time to learn the basics and he was certain he had just been granted the Spear Thrust skill. ¡°Master proud!¡± Red cheered as he squared off against Red¡¯Blue and had him repeat his freshly acquired Spear Thrust. ¡ª Onyx ¡ª Red and Red¡¯Blue had been training intensely for almost a fourth of a cycle before his Lingering Regeneration appeared to fade. They had been relentless and both had made real progress during their training. The little kobold appeared to have acquired some skills and Red had refined some of his defensive abilities by taking an endless bombardment of strikes from Red¡¯Blue. The regeneration was more effective than he initially envisioned. It was essentially an endless spring of endurance and stamina for whoever was granted it. David could accelerate a kobold¡¯s training and speed up important tasks he needed done. He doubted it would last quite as long on himself versus the much smaller kobolds but if he could go one hundred percent non stop even for a few minutes then he feared for his enemies. The success of his Lingering Regeneration ability sparked the next step in developing his affinity. During this entire time the kobolds had been one of his biggest assets. While a lot of his siblings were forced to hunt entirely on their own, he could spend precious cycles focusing on his own development. On top of that each kobold was capable of training and expanding their skills into something that threatened the youngest of dragons, and the numerous critters in the caverns. In his past life mankind became the dominant species by working in groups and covering each other''s weaknesses. David doubted that many dragons understood that as deeply as he did. The next few cycles he focused on helping his little clan expand the lair once more, making the tunnels bigger and adding even more chambers to store food reserves. Blue had developed a technique to preserve their meats and mushrooms longer and started creating stockpiles deeper in the ground where it was cooler. David wasn¡¯t quite sure what she was doing but he surmised that it was some kind of skill she had unlocked. After watching her with amazement he decided to inquire about it, ¡°Blue what skill are you using to preserve the food?¡± Blue jumped at the sudden question and sheepishly replied, ¡°Blue has been using a spell.¡± David¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°Since when can you use magic Blue?¡± ¡°Blue¡¯s class has become that of a Shaman now.¡± She gulped a bit. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner? What kind of magic can you use Blue?¡± At this point David had begun to press closer inside the tight confines of the lair. ¡°Please¡­ do not eat Blue. Blue will be more useful now!¡± Blue let out a cry. ¡°Whoa. Blue¡­ why would I eat you? Stop that. I only want what is best for all of us.¡± David was perplexed and confused. ¡°Many Masters consume what is theirs once magic appears.¡± Blue nods a bit, seeming a bit reassured by David¡¯s words as she continued, ¡°Light magic. Blue saw Master and tried.¡± David rumbled in thought as things clicked. He was going to have to keep reinforcing that he wasn¡¯t like other Masters, ¡°Blue. I have no intention of ever eating any of you, ever. Now¡­ light magic? Show me what you casted.¡± Blue nodded her head and quickly brought out a freshly chopped piece of serpent. She murmured, waved her hand, and did a little ritual that David recognized as being unnecessary but did not comment. The important thing was that he saw how she was utilizing her light affinity. It was brilliant actually. She was utilizing her magic by simply blasting the portion of meat with intense light and then quickly wrapped it and stored it inside a cool cellar she had dug out. Blue had accidentally discovered using UV light to sterilize the meat of bacteria while also lightly cooking it. David let off a proud laugh, ¡°Very good Blue! How did you know that would work?¡± Blue simply shrugged and offered a small smile, ¡°Blue was learning. Hit some food with light. Noticed it didn¡¯t spoil as fast. Experiment like Master!¡± David gave her a slow and happy head pat as he rumbled out a happy chuckle, ¡°Brilliant.¡± Later that cycle David snagged Red and informed him that they were going to go hunt another crocodilian from the Nile. He wanted to show Red the way and also get more meat and useful bones for the clan. The trip took them a while and they stumbled upon something surprising but also worrying. The remains of what was once a white and blue Wyrm lay dead in their path. After clearing the area the pair confirmed that this Wyrm was most likely the one that almost claimed Red¡¯s life in the past. Its tail was gone, and had healed before its death. Most of its meaty parts were gone with only strips of colored hide remaining. Curiously Red had found smaller footsteps around it, which David recognized as a Wyrmling. Maybe the Wyrm died by some unknown means or the Wyrmling had gotten the better of it? It was a good lesson to never underestimate anything in this world. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Red protested but David insisted they take the skull. It was smaller than the shieldskull Red was wielding but it would be an adequate armament for one of the smaller kobolds. Red seemed to get over it quickly as David tore the head free from the corpse and handed it over to Red. After that they moved quickly to the Nile. The river was as impressive as David remembered, at least compared to their small pathetic stream. David set up a distance away from the river and Red used himself as bait. A breath of Lingering Regeneration over Red ensured he had the stamina to stay alive as he bounced around the river''s edge inviting an attack. A large crocodilian lunged a few minutes later and Red slipped out of the way while immediately twisting and landing a firm Spear Thrust right into the beast¡¯s left eye. As the croc thrashed and angrily lunged at Red, David came running at it from the side. As he neared he pivoted his body and slammed the entire length of his tail along the creature¡¯s back. His newly formed spikes penetrated deep as they were driven hard by his heavily muscular body. David snarled in pain as many of the spikes lining his tail snapped clean off and sent a stinging sensation up his spine. Despite the unexpected pain he was satisfied with his new weapons and lunged close to finish off the croc. Red with his boundless energy dodged in and out as he left wounds all over the crocodilian''s body. David¡¯s Death Roll ended the fight as he tore half the croc¡¯s belly out and it very rapidly died after. David stepped close to Red and released a healing fog. The fog clinged to the pair and healed the scratches and other small injuries they had. David was also overjoyed when he felt his broken spikes repair and rebuild themselves before his eyes. With a satisfied rumble David ate his fill of the croc before shifting what remained onto his back for the haul back to the lair. He mentioned to Red the exit to outside before they began their trek home. As they were slipping through connecting tunnels David''s stomach began to rumble and he felt exceptionally tired. The realization hit him that he was about to hit another growth phase. Shit. His prompt pinged him a moment later. Max flesh consumption reached. Growth imminent. Advised to move to a safe location. ¡°Red. We need to hurry. I am going to go into¡­ hibernation again.¡± David shook his head roughly and fought the desire to sleep. ¡°Already!? Yes! Hurry!¡± The duo dashed as quickly as possible through the tunnels before swiftly finding the Sanctuary and the lair thereafter. David stumbled through the freshly expanded tunnels of his lair into his chambers. As his eyes fluttered he called out, ¡°Blue! Come here¡­¡± ¡°Yes Master?¡± Blue sheepishly poked her head into his chamber. ¡°Make sure there is food when I awake. Don¡¯t let anyone enter without food.¡± David murmured out before his head thumped down against the ground and his consciousness faded. As he slowly drifted off to sleep his prompt pinged him in the darkness of his slumber. He hadn¡¯t quite fallen asleep completely yet and seemed able to interact with his prompt. Growth nearing completion. Wyrm evolutionary options available. Calculating¡­ Calculating¡­ Qualified for four paths. Please select one. Lesser Dragon - Large, winged, six-limbed dragons. These lesser dragons are commonly called the jack of all trades, master of none. Their wings are firmly secured on their backs by a pair of fifth, and sixth ¡°limbs¡±. These limbs do not offer the same amount of flight speed or maneuverability as other dragonkind but they can be safely tucked away. Many hunters prefer to hunt these dragons exclusively because they lack any one single overwhelming feature to overcome. Lesser Wyvern - Large, winged, four-limbed dragons that are known for their massive wing spans and impressive flight capabilities. They walk forward with their weight mostly on their forelegs, which happen to also be where their massive wings are attached to. This means their wings are not only large but have the full might of the Lesser Wyvern¡¯s arms to propel it through the air. They are clumsy and vulnerable while they are on the ground though, and many hunters will aim to ground or ambush Wyverns in their nests. Lesser Dread Dragon - Lumbering, wingless, four-legged dragons that earn their name from the dread they instill upon others because of their nigh unstoppable march. Their scales harden to form a powerful carapace that increases their toughness. They also are renowned for this massive size and supporting musculature. They lack flight, speed, and are mentally slower than other dragonkind in exchange. Hunters use the dragon¡¯s lack of intelligence to sometimes simply direct these moving mountains towards a new target. Lesser Hydra - Large, wingless, four-legged dragons that are renowned for their multiple sinister heads that spring from their singular body. Lesser Hydra are seen with usually two to three heads and each head seems to have a mind of its own. Lesser Hydra¡¯s offensive capabilities are legendary but in exchange they lack flight. Hunters note that they sometimes have heads that develop rivalries and compete. If David could blink he would. He was surprised there were so many to choose from and he also knew there were a few that weren''t included. He didn¡¯t have a choice of the Worm¡¯s, or Ambass¡¯s forms. How many more was he missing out on? Shifting his mind back to the task at hand David analyzed his choices. It was a lot to process but he knew right away that he would NOT pick the Dread Dragon. Based on what he was reading it was most likely what the Mountain was and while he had no doubt he would be nigh unkillable he also didn¡¯t want to lose himself or his mind in the process. The other three choices weren¡¯t really bad. The Hydra focused more into what his traits were already specialized into, mostly. The standard dragon form is what he envisioned as a dragon back home and the Wyvern also seemed good too. The Hydra sounded amazing and powerful but the wording about having extra heads and maybe extra minds fighting for control of his body was terrifying. Could he handle that? David didn¡¯t know if they would be ¡°him¡± or completely different entities and it was a scary unknown he wanted to avoid. The Wyvern was very tempting but it suffered on the ground. David could see himself being a fast moving brutal Wyvern that used his powerful jaws to dominate the air but the reality is that right now he was all in with his kobolds. His kobolds were comfortable underground and in tunnels. The only choice that made sense was the standard dragon. It didn¡¯t have any obvious downsides and he still got to fly? Who didn¡¯t want to have the ability to fly!? His choice was a bit uninspired but it made the most sense to him. He mentally accepted his choice and then immediately fell into a deep slumber¡­ Choice selected. ¡­ ¡­ Evolution commencing. Growth is accelerating. Lesser Dragon stage reached¡­ A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 11 Growth complete. Wyrm has evolved into Lesser Dragon. David''s eyes slowly opened and he let out a groaning roar. His eyelids were heavy and his stomach was starving. The first thing he noticed is how much larger he was and how he filled the chamber to its entirety. In fact, he was positive that it expanded even more since he started hibernating. His roar immediately attracted a surprised little head of a kobold poking into his chambers followed by a little gasp! David didn¡¯t recognize the color pattern or head shape of the little kobold, which was worrying. Before his hunger started to register the cute little head as food it dipped away and then the most wonderful thing happened. David¡¯s chamber was filled with pills of meat, and other foodstuffs. Filled being a generous term as the kobolds began to literally toss it into the chamber without him even seeing who was doing it. His blurred mind did not complain as he ate his fill and more. As his stomach was about to burst he let out a heavy sigh. David¡¯s voice BOOMED as he spoke, ¡°I believe I am under control now. Blue¡­?¡± Soon a familiar kobold came walking out to greet him. It was Blue except she appeared to be a bit bigger than he remembered and she was followed by a horde of smaller kobolds. He counted at least a dozen before he looked down confused at Blue. ¡°Blue. How long was I out for¡­?¡± David¡¯s head scraped against the top of the massive chamber as he rumbled. ¡°Master. You have been asleep for close to four hundred cycles¡­¡± She smiled warmly up at him. He was stunned and lost in thought as Red, a very muscular and fit Red at that, burst into the camber. He was followed by a small army of bone equipped warriors. ¡°Master! Red is so happy to see you again!¡± Red beamed up at David. He had grown a considerable amount as well and his speech had become more crisp. ¡°It is good to see you both as well. I did not realize I would be out for so long¡­ How many are there now?¡± David eyed the swarm of different sized kobolds that all peered up at him with a gaze of admiration. He spotted a few familiar faces, such as White¡¯Yellow, who stood a head taller than the rest. Two sharp bone shards strapped to either side of his hip. ¡°We number thirty three now. We have lost a few over the cycles but we remained strong for you.¡± Blue nodded with confidence. ¡°Go about your duties. I need some time to adjust and think¡­ Thank you all.¡± David rumbled as he dismissed them. If his math was right then the kobolds had probably lost more than just a ¡°few¡± but they were resilient. David let out a sigh as he finally brought up his prompt. His future growth phases would probably be longer and longer¡­ something more to consider and prepare for then. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Lesser Dragon Str: 25.5 (28.5 Jaw) Int: 14 Speed: 10 (Flight Speed: 12) Toughness: 16 Affinity: Life (5/5 Charges) - Fine Motor Control Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost Healing Breath (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Lingering Regeneration - 1 Charge Cost Traits: 3/6 Condensed Musculature Rupturing Jaws - Death Roll Ability Thagomizer Defenses His sheet had changed in a lot of ways. His strength had climbed even higher, his intelligence and toughness both had increased as well. The intelligence increase explained a lot actually as he was having an easier time now visualizing his past memories and his math was coming quicker. While intelligence didn¡¯t appear to have any physical benefit to him but he was glad it wasn¡¯t neglected either. Moving on he noticed that his affinity capacity had increased. His larger body would be able to naturally hold more magic so that made some sense. Finally he was delighted to see that his traits had doubled in capacity as well. Wonderful. How many more growth phases were there in a dragon''s life? How many traits would he have when he reached his max size? As David glanced over his stats a final time he caught the Flight speed stat and grinned. It was an odd sensation having an extra pair of limbs to move, but he wondered how long he would struggle before mastering them. His head shifted as he eyed his majestic black wings hanging from his back. David definitely wasn¡¯t disappointed in this aspect of his new life. He always wanted to fly! If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. After he finished examining the details of his new changes he then made his way out of the lair. There had been a new ¡°main¡± tunnel connecting his chambers to the exit made and it was very large. David felt like it was a proper dragon lair now as he made his way into the open cavern of the Sanctuary. The kobolds had built up inside the cavern over the last four hundred cycles and it included a new little mushroom garden off to the side and barricades of dirt, bone, rock, and even some pointed wood stakes around the perimeter. Most importantly David was able to finally spread his large wings and examine himself in detail. His forward facing horns and his upper horns had all grown as he did. His body was thick, muscular and most importantly still lined with sharp, deadly spikes. His wings were able to rest against his body safely, the spikes lining that portion of his back were present but blunted. He imagined they would still offer some protection but he happily traded the complete body coverage in exchange for flight. All wasn¡¯t bad though as his wings were covered in small but sharp spikes of their own. As he began to practice spreading and flapping his huge wings his favorite pair of kobolds came up to him. ¡°Master¡± Blue smiled up at him, ¡°We are overjoyed you have returned but we need to bring up something important. We are pushing the limits of what this place can provide us. Wyrms and Wyrmlings have started preying upon us more and more because we are thinning out the critters around here too much.¡± Damn. David had thought this might happen but he didn¡¯t think he would have lost so many cycles so suddenly. He was about to respond when the barricades nearby erupted as large stone spikes impacted against the earth work. David jerked his head instantly and spied a pair of Wyrms rapidly charging towards his lair through the freshly created hole. Both were clearly malnourished but one was larger with dark brown colors with specks of gold. The other was smaller and a soft silver white coloration. The silver one roared as a flurry of stones, and rocks swept forward crashing into a line of armed kobolds rushing to intercept them. The brown one coiled back on its hind-legs and launched itself straight up, twisting mid air to burst forth a freezing wave of cold breath that lightly iced and slowed everything below it. As its trajectory hit its apex and it began to fall back to the ground the Wyrm braced itself. Just as its feet touched the ground the black, large form of a winged David intersected with it. When the Wyrm had initially catapulted itself into the air, David had spread his wings wide and leaped forward. Flying or even gliding was not an easy skill, but David had gathered enough momentum to catch the unaware Wyrm by surprise. His massive jaws locked around the belly of the Wyrm and as he landed he activated his Death Roll. As David finished his full roll the Wyrm was no longer a single entity but a squealing, split in two mass of dying flesh. At the sudden loss of its companion the silver Wyrm gaped its mouth in shock. David used that momentary pause to let loose a coned healing fog that shot over the small line of fallen kobolds. Little gasps filled the ranks as stones, and sharp rocks forced their way free of their bodies and their wounds rapidly healed. The little pack of armed kobolds quickly regained their barring and blocked off the Wyrms exit route using their spears in a small phalanx formation. David strolled forward, the gore of the enemy Wyrm still in his mouth, as he towered over the remaining Wyrm, ¡°You have picked the wrong enemy.¡± The silver Wyrm practically curled into a ball and chirped, ¡°Mercy! Starving¡­ Mercy!¡± David angrily stared down at the Wyrm but slowly calmed himself as the silence stretched on. Could he really blame the Wyrm for doing what it did? David could easily see the creature''s rib cage pushing against its flesh and significant lack of muscle clinging to its body. David let off a big sigh, ¡°Mercy then. Tell anyone else out there that one¡­ Onyx and his kobolds are not prey. Two¡­ we will be moving from this place. Restrain yourselves and we will be gone.¡± The silver¡¯s eyes grew wide and it simply nodded. David motioned for the kobold phalanx to open the way and allow the Wyrm freedom. As it dashed off into the distance David turned to find a fully bone armed, and towering Red with his spear at the ready. ¡°We leave¡­?¡± Red perked his head as he asked. ¡°Yes. Start packing up everything. We will head to the Nile and head down into the valley below.¡± David¡¯s voice boomed. David peered down at the brown-gold Wyrm corpse as he let his thoughts drift. His prompt had appeared after he tore the Wyrm apart and it was called a Cold Wyrm. It would be a waste not to at least see what traits it had. He leaned down and took a few sizable chunks of the meat. He kept eating till his prompt pinged him again. Cold Wyrm slain and trait available. Coiled Legs - Your legs become reinforced by coiled muscles. They store energy like springs and allow you to leap your full speed stat in a vertical or horizontal distance in a moment''s notice. Your speed while walking is reduced by 3 but increased by 6 when running. Coiled Legs trait available. Absorb Y/N? He blinked at the prompt. He was both thrilled and disappointed. He had just checked off one of the many things on his list and confirmed that you can in fact get the chance to pick up a trait again that you refused before. Unfortunately this Wyrm only had the single trait and it was not one he was interested in. Mentally he declined it and then moved on. The kobolds had already started pulling things out of the lair and organizing them. David was surprised when two Crusher Moles emerged from the lair and both were being ridden. Blue happily informed him that two of her beautiful little genius children had been born with animal taming and rancher skills. Most of the tunnel expansion had only happened recently with the aid of the two moles and their little riders. As the kobolds spent the next few cycles packing and organizing everything David practiced his new wings. After sleeping for so long he didn''t feel particularly tired and kept going. Gliding was simple enough but the actual dynamic of flight was a bit harder to grasp. The cavern was large but he had gotten so big that he didn¡¯t have much space to actually fly. By the time the kobolds were ready to move he had experimented enough to keep himself balanced and coordinated while generating lift with his massive wings. The real test would have to wait till they all got outside¡­ A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 12 ¡ª Blue - 370 Cycles Ago ¡ª Blue offered a sad little chirp as she peaked down at her curled up Master. His body was giving off a warm, soft blue glow as he remained curled up in a ball. His body had hardened, with cracks forming periodically as he underwent growth spurts. The Masters were truly majestic and so very alien. Blue¡¯s Elders had prepared her for this but seeing was entirely different than experiencing it first hand. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how long Master was going to continue to grow, but she knew based on her teachings that it got longer and longer. It was her and her offspring¡¯s duty to ensure that Master Onyx remained undisturbed. She offered a sigh as she turned her attention away from her Master. A new batch of eggs had hatched and there had been an inspiring group of geniuses among her babies. A few had already taken to Red¡¯s side and were patrolling for food. She herself had obtained a little follower which she had named Emerald. Emerald was an effort by both Red and Blue to try out new names after Master had rather strongly worded his annoyance at their original naming convention. Blue still giggled about how flustered he became and was almost tempted to keep doing it. Despite how much Master had reassured her, she still wasn¡¯t quite certain if Master would never eat one of them for annoying him. So they all ultimately made an effort to change up their names. Blue was overjoyed the day she walked in on little Emerald expressing an affinity of her own, her little fingers twisting and twirling as solid rock formed into firm balls in her hands. Emerald simply let off a happy little chirp as she giggled in amusement at her own gift at work. ¡ª Red - 337 Cycles Ago ¡ª His muscular frame heaved as he threw White¡¯Yellow over his shoulder and then in another instance did the same to Red¡¯Blue. Both of them had shown themselves to be the top of their class when it came to fighting and they were advancing so incredibly fast. He wished he could show Master but he still slept quietly away, his size continuing to grow more and more. Blue and him had both brought up the need to expand the tunnels and Master¡¯s cave sooner than later. He fought to catch his breath as both of his little kobold warrior children stood back up. White¡¯Yellow had taken up fighting with two shards of bone and Red¡¯Blue adopted a similar style to him, using a skull shield and long bone spear. They spared back and forth for a little while longer before taking some time to rest and recover. The trio took their mid cycle lunch as they watched Blue, Emerald, Blue¡¯Yellow and Yellow¡¯Brown attempt to dig out a sizable garden near the cave entrance. The only thing to garden down in the depths of the underground were Mushrooms, but no one would complain about more food even if it was bland. The warriors had done most of the hunting to date. White¡¯Yellow had in fact become an expert in climbing up and snatching the little flyers up high in the cavern. While both Red and Red¡¯Blue stuck to hunting Horned Burrowers and Monitor Runners. The former being something they both were still careful hunting since one mistake could lead to an injury or loss of limb, and the latter were just difficult to pin down without luck or some surprise on your side. As he enjoyed his lunch he reflected on their life so far and concluded that it was one ultimately of struggle and survival. Despite all of that they had so far prospered. His Elder had planted the seed of paranoia deep into his head and so the day he spotted little Wyrmlings slipping around the edges of the Sanctuaries tunnels he wasn¡¯t completely surprised. These little Masters were not his Master, so despite reservations, he would do whatever he must to drive them back if they pressed. He simply hoped that his Master would wake soon and that his own preparations would be enough to hold the line till then. ¡°Again¡± Red chirped suddenly as they finished their lunch and force them to practice anew. ¡ª Red - 280 Cycles Ago ¡ª A little Wyrmling with dark brown and gold mixed in had attacked the lair while Red was out. His jaws grinded together in frustration as he stood over the chewed up little body of Ruby. Ruby was from the second generation, like Emerald, and while not nearly as gifted it was still his previous little child. Tears clung to his eyes as he snarled, chirped and thrashed in frustration. Blue was at his side the next moment and the pair let off a chorus of sadness. Their children joined them and they all huddled together to chirp, offering their prayers to their Master, and then they grieved with their sorrow. Red had lost many siblings while growing up, in fact, so many that they became almost countless. This was something different though. Losing a brother or sister when you had dozens upon dozens to work alongside didn¡¯t sting as much as losing one of his own children. His anger burned and for a split second he glared at the lair, towards his Master who was still curled up sleeping and growing. He didn¡¯t glare for long before Blue slapped him firmly over his muzzle and hissed at him. ¡°Red my dear. I am just as angry at you. Remember this is our duty and the Master was not the one to end Ruby¡¯s life.¡± She nodded firmly before pressing her long muzzle back up against Red¡¯s own. Red simply dipped his head in shame as more tears welled up. He redirected his anger outwards, and glared towards the deep shadows of the caverns where he knew the little Wyrmlings were lurking. ¡ª Emerald - 223 Cycles ago ¡ª Her body shimmered as her magic flowed through the tips of her claws and she willed the rock, and dirt to roll forward and pile up in front of her. Emerald had a satisfied smile plastered across her little face as she helped her Elders build up the great mounds around their home. The stone, rock and dirt would act as a natural barrier against the constant probing attacks of the different Masters. Emerald wasn¡¯t quite sure why they were called Masters, and how they could possibly be related to her own Master. Elder Blue, her dearest mother, had told her stories of their Master. The massive pile of blue glowing mass that was her Master had not moved her entire life. She was one of the few to actually touch him while he slept. The pure raw mana that radiated from his form was almost intoxicating to her. Mother had scolded her for sapping away some of her Master''s ¡°power¡± but that didn¡¯t stop Emerald from sneaking in periodically to press her cheek close and become energized beyond comprehension. Emerald didn¡¯t think Master minded since he was clearly growing without end and he had so much mana that excess was just leaking off of him. She giggled to herself as she heaved more piles into the makeshift walls. Her siblings, the newest batch to be born, were helping her using their little bone tools. They were still learning and unfortunately it did not seem that any others had manifested an affinity like herself or Elder Blue. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Her little mind wandered as she worked and she didn¡¯t notice the small silver Wyrmling that had peered its way over the barricade. When she did finally notice the Wyrmling¡¯s staring face from the shadows, it seemed memorized by Emerald and her magic at play. She swore she could see a twinkle in its little eyes as it seemed to be registering something. As it finally raised itself up further over the barricade Red¡¯Blue let off an alarmed chirp and charged forward past Emerald and dived towards the silver Wyrmling. Emerald stood there in shock as the little Wyrmling bounded out of Red¡¯Blue¡¯s range and into the deeper darkness of the cave beyond. The little Masters were becoming bolder and more numerous. ¡ª Blue - 142 Cycles ago ¡ª They had thought that the brown gold and silver Wyrmling had moved along as they were now harassed by other Wyrmlings coming from the depths of Master Ambass¡¯s territory. It had been weeks since they last saw them so it came as a sudden shock when both over the course of two days reappeared. They had changed, much as their own Master had, and now both were full blown Wyrms. Blue¡¯s affinity shimmered and beamed forward in a blinding bang as she stunned and drove back the devilish brown and gold speckled Wyrm that now towered over her. Her affinity wasn¡¯t overly useful for combat at the start but with practice she was able to condense it into bright bursts of light that stunned all who weren¡¯t prepared. She had utilized her new tactic twice now and her magic was almost all spent, thankfully her powerful little helper Emerald came to the rescue. A furry of rocks flew forward and impacted the stunned Wyrm, causing it to tumble over itself and then make a hasty retreat. Emerald was progressing at an exceptional rate and Blue was proud of her bright little daughter. The pride she had was quickly overshadowed by the sadness that followed as they recovered yet another victim of the hungry Masters. Blue offered a stone cold expression as she leaned down to scoop up what remained of the now dead Sapphire, another one of her children and now deceased sibling of poor Emerald. Blues eyes drifted back towards the lair, where their Master slept soundly still. She simply offered a sigh. ¡ª Emerald - 87 Cycles ago ¡ª The wall of incoming rocks were sharpened to a deadly point but Emerald was able to counter them in stride. The silver Wyrm had attacked relentlessly with its new found affinity, one that Emerald had no doubt had picked up watching her over the many cycles. It could and would overpower her in no time if she matched it one for one. She shifted the remaining of her mana to wrap her arms in a thick layer of hardened stone and began to strike the remaining stones out of the air, twisting in time to dodge the snarling jaws of the Wyrm. She countered with a stone fist to its snout, which caused the Wyrm to huff and stumble briefly. Her magic was spent except the stone that still clung to her fists and yet more sharpened stones began to hover around the Wyrm. As the next wave of stones came bursting towards her a large bone skull shield hammered in between her and them. Her father, Red, stood with a soft white glow as his defensive abilities kicked in and the stones disintegrated against the bone shield. ¡°Emerald retreat. Red can hold¡± Red hissed as he leaned into the bombardment of stone and stepped closer, and closer to the enemy Wyrm. He lashed forward with a skill, his spear striking true as it dug deep into the silver¡¯s shoulder. It hissed and snapped at Red as a curse could be heard underneath the Wyrm¡¯s breath before it turned and retreated. Emerald blinked in shock, ¡°These Master¡¯s speak¡­?¡± ¡°All Masters speak in time. Ours was just faster than most.¡± Red peered over at Emerald as he caught his breath. He smiled warmly at her, ¡°Do not let them distract you. We only serve one Master.¡± Emerald simply nodded her head as the pair leaned against each other as other kobold warriors finally came running up to back them up. ¡ª Blue - 2 Cycle ago ¡ª Blue¡¯s light was now condensed, focused, and aimed forward like a beam as it sheared the flesh of the large brown Wyrm that had just leaped over their barricades. The beam¡¯s damage was limited, but the bright light also stunned the enemy Master. Red, Red¡¯Blue, White¡¯Yellow and half a dozen younger warrior children of hers all rushed towards the dragon. Their bone weapons scraped and mostly deflected off its thick hide as it thrashed about. Its thick muscular tail sent two unprepared kobolds flying before it slammed against Red¡¯s glowing shield with a resounding thud. Her powerful Red let off a loud chirp and cursed at the dragon as he counterattacked leaving a small puncture hole in its tail. The Wyrm let off a yelp and bound straight up into the air using its powerful hindlegs. It rotated midair and blasted the entire group with its cold breath, causing visible frost to form around the kobold¡¯s scales and weapons. As the Wyrm came crashing back down it quickly lunged forward attempting to snap its jaws around the still semi frozen Red¡¯Blue nearby. Just as its jaws were about to close a sharpened stone half the size of its head slammed home sending the Wyrm flying with scales and blood erupting outwards. Little Emerald came rushing up with her claws and fists encased in solid stone and more stones that started to hover around her. The cold only lasted another moment before all of the kobolds were able to shake it off and then a battle chant that perked the morale of the entire group was heard. Blue caught her breath in that moment and took up the rear prepared to use her affinity again. They all stepped forward with their weapons and were determined to drive this blasted Wyrm off once more. As they neared the injured Wyrm a sudden torrent of stone came rushing towards them. Emerald in a flash stepped forward and countered with her own wave of stone. Shards of stone went flying as each of Emerald¡¯s rocks disintegrated against the opposed rocks in mutual destruction. The silver Wyrm had appeared out of nowhere and appeared determined. Blue waved everyone back at the appearance of the second Wyrm. The two Masters usually avoided each other but clearly something was different now. She stepped forward with a prepared focused beam of her magic, knowing instinctively that this was the last of her magic. ¡°Back! To the lair! We can hold them off there.¡± Red chirped as well as the other kobolds began to retreat. Blue hoped for a moment that the silver Wyrm had simply come by chance, or to seize the opportunity to attack the competing Wyrm. Her hopes were dashed, and her fears realized when a moment later the silver¡¯s stone attack halted and a brown, golden blur came leaping forward. It closed its jaws around her precious little Emerald in the moment Emerald¡¯s focus was still on the silver and the results were horrifying. ¡°No!¡± Red called out nearby as Blue''s favorite little daughter got torn apart before their very eyes. Blue saw Red¡¯s clawed fist dig into his spear as he activated his Spear Throw in a moment of pure rage. The spear flew fast and dug deep into the chest of the brown Wyrm and the impact sent it sprawling onto its back. Blue¡¯s own rage built up and she let loose her final blast of light. The whole cavern lit up and the beam seared the silver¡¯s chest an instant later. It too stumbled back in a heap of surprised pain. ¡°Be gone or we will end you both!¡± Blue let out with a mad chirp. The two wounded Wyrm¡¯s retreated then, running off with the remains of poor Emerald before they could act. Blue began to cry once more. It had been many, many cycles since she had cried from a loss. She felt hopeless, and she wasn¡¯t even sure how much longer they could hold out. Master had grown to an impossible size, and yet he still didn¡¯t wake. Was it time to consider another option? She wouldn¡¯t ever abandon her Master but they were getting overwhelmed. There had to be another choice. She had no doubt those two Masters would return soon and take even more of her children with them. As she cleaned the tears from her muzzle she heard a little excited chirp from behind her as one of her recent borns came rushing out of the lair towards the pair screaming loudly! ¡°Master awake!!!¡± A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 13 The collection of Wyrmlings and Wyrms that had lurked the depths of the caves registered his warning firmly as none were spotted or even scented nearby as they traveled. The group began their trek towards the Nile in earnest. Blue and the smaller Kobolds were in the middle of the pack, David led, Red was in the rear while the rest of the warriors were sprinkled around the group on guard. As the group entered the Nile a few kobolds chirped about being thirsty so David did the bold thing and stepped into the middle of the river. His large size now made the river feel small and the crocodilians gave him a wide berth. As David scared away the crocs the group carefully refreshed themselves in the murky water. ¡°Gather around and stand close.¡± David''s voice boomed as the group finished gathering water. As they obeyed he expelled a massive cloud of healing fog into the middle of the pack. A majority of the kobolds let off sighs of relief as their stamina refilled and the few scratches or sprains they had healed. With a satisfied nod David began leading them towards the exit he had discovered just before his long slumber. The kobold¡¯s chirping became louder in excitement as they neared the bright opening in the distance. Red and David had to drive off a few hungry and large crocodilians as they walked but the group continued on with determination. It was quite evident that the majority of the kobolds had never seen light before and were excited but also quite scared. The river turned into a waterfall as they neared the exit and silence fell over the group in awe. David¡¯s eyes rapidly adjusted but he could tell that most of the kobold¡¯s were in pain. A few of the youngest began to let off cries of terror as David let off a rumbling sigh. He hadn¡¯t thought of the light being an issue before they left, but he also didn¡¯t receive any objections either from Blue. ¡°Blue¡­ can kobolds go out in the light?¡± He cocked his head to find the second tallest kobold among the group. ¡°Yes Master! Just takes time. We need much longer to adjust.¡± Blue was fighting to keep her eyes open against the glare of the distant sun. ¡°Red. Keep the group safe. Everyone take a break and eat. I am going to go scout.¡± David rumbled. Blue and Red both nodded at his words as he turned towards the exit and the waterfall that cascaded downward. David could almost reach out and touch a nearby cloud. In fact after turning back to double check his little clan he decided to take it one step further and leaped. His massive black wings gleamed in the sun as he leaped forward and spread them wide. Air rushed past his body rapidly, and he felt only hints of moisture as he flew through the cloud. His massive heart was pounding as he glided out away from the mountain. Slowly, as he had practiced, he began to flap his wings. He rocked and fought to balance himself in the air but after fighting against the currents around him he was able to keep himself level. He wasn¡¯t graceful but he could do it. His thick muscles made his flaps powerful but he was also way more heavy as a result of those very muscles. He was no fighter plane but he could glide, pick up altitude and perform slow lumbering aerial movements. After experimenting for a while he finally took a moment to glance around. He had flown quite a distance from his little mountain hole. He could see the waterfall in the distance and further up the mountain it was capped by snow. It was absolutely stunning. David pivoted his body and glided down to a parallel mountainside plateau. The plateau was much closer to the ground, barren except some mountain plants, and most importantly oversaw the lush green valley below. His eyes grew wide as he peered down into the valley. The waterfall fell into a massive pool that then flowed into a river that continued down the valley. Once more he was overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of it all. Being restricted to the confines of the mountain had deprived him more than he initially thought. After he was done soaking in the beauty he took note of the sun. Using some old lessons from his old world he surmised his directions. North and South the mountain ranges continue far into the distance. East the river in the valley continued downwards till it disappeared into an endless expanse of forest. West the mountains continued for some time but he believed he saw the glistening reflection of water at the farest points. It could be a large lake, or perhaps a sea of some kind? David decided that he would leave the choice to his clan. They needed an environment they would thrive in and he wasn''t the best one to make that decision. The cold and wind were biting up here and he couldn''t see himself living in the mountain tops without some major adjustments. The depths of the caves had been cool too but they were always consistent. He spread his massive spiked wings and glided down towards the pool at the base of the waterfall. His massive form made a massive thud sound as he displaced rocks and crushed some poor shrubs underneath his clawed feet. He still wasn¡¯t quite used to his size and now that he had more familiar things like plants to compare himself to he was taken aback by it. He was still only a Lesser Dragon, how much bigger was he going to become? He shook his muzzle before he leaned down to gulp up a mouth full of water. He would have to first get everyone down here then they would make a decision. Besides the moving water and plants around there wasn''t anything out of the originary. Recalling his practice in the caves earlier he was able to slowly lift himself up and take off from a standing position. It definitely would benefit him more if he had a running or leaping start in the future. As he fought against gravity itself he finally made his way back up and into the cave. The group of kobolds chirped happily at his return. Blue stepped forward and offered a warm kobold smile. ¡°Master. We are glad you made it back. We are ready when you are¡­ we have also prepared the backpack.¡± Blue chirped happily though became somewhat shy after mentioning the backpack. Before they left Blue had informed David she had a solution to getting everyone out of the cave. He had given his go ahead and now that solution was laid out in front of him. Bone, twisted together ligaments and roots formed the foundation of the saddle that lay in front of him. It wasn''t pretty but it was clearly very practical. The kobolds began to crawl around David and strap in the different segments. Each section hooked underneath a spike or limb and anchored the top section to his back. There were five sections in total. The front four were straps and seats for kobolds and the larger back section appeared to be for baggage and their precious supplies. David had an amusing sensation of feeling like a horse getting fit with a saddle as they finished up. Once they were confident David insisted on taking a test flight. David was glad he had taken the quick test flight in a circle before heading back into the cave. The entire backpack had slid more than he was comfortable with. Blue and some of her helpers had quickly readjusted and added additional tethers to the saddle. A second test flight had confirmed it was now solid enough to use. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. It took three flights in total for David to transport everything down. The first and second flight included a majority of the kobolds, their supplies and the kobold¡¯s tamed moles. The third flight was kept ultra light and included just Blue, a few other kobolds, and all of the clan''s eggs carefully secured and bundled up. By the time David landed for the final time at the base of the waterfall darkness had begun to fall. The kobolds warriors, led by Red, had already spread out and secured the area. Small makeshift tents were constructed and after the eggs were moved safely off his back he called a meeting. ¡°Red. Blue. Let me share what I have found¡­¡± He used his massive claws to draw out a map. Indicating the different directions and speaking briefing on them. After he was finished he peered at the pair, ¡°Well¡­ thoughts? Where would your people flourish?¡± Both seemed to consider his words carefully and both expressed a bit of shyness at speaking up but finally Red spoke, ¡°We need food. Lots of food. Forest most likely.¡± He nodded firmly. ¡°Good. Then shall we head out in the morning?¡± David rumbled. Blue shuffled her feet a bit, ¡°Kobolds do better in darkness. We thought¡­ Maybe we can travel through most of the night with Masters help. Rest during the day?¡± David had not thought about that. Kobolds seemed most comfortable in the darkness of the caves so night might actually be preferred? Hmm. After a moment David nodded his large head, ¡°We will rest a bit longer and then move out. I will refresh the group if needed. We do not push ourselves if we do not have to understand?¡± Blue and Red both happily agreed. After resting till darkness completely fell they packed their small camp and began their trek down the mountain, following the river. David¡¯s eyes were easily adjusted to the darkness but he still felt odd. Being in the caves for so long he had learned to accept his new abilities but now that he was on the surface, walking the same type of areas he did while human it all kind of struck him hard. Why was he here? Where was here? What happened? His memories were still blurry. He knew who he was and he could remember most details except his last few days. He hoped one day answers would come. He flew overwatch over the group as they made their way down. The night was cool, the stars gorgeous, and the triple moons completely mysterious. It had taken David a few hours to get used to the fact there were in fact three moons. He had accepted he was in another world, but this was hard confirmation of that. As he was letting his mind wander he almost missed the dark shapes making their way towards his kobolds. As the alarm bells in his mind went off he began to dive closer to his group. As the shapes closed on his group he could barely make out the shape of what appeared to be¡­ humanoids? Very large humanoids, at least compared to his kobolds. David let off a thundering roar and all of his kobolds instantly perked their heads and responded. Their response was quick and surprisingly orderly. Red and around ten other kobolds meet the now charging figures. The results were¡­ gruesome. David couldn¡¯t watch as many of his poor kobolds were torn apart by the massive beasts. These humanoid beasts had tusks, horns, and had rippling muscles. Red and some of the other older kobolds held their ground at the very least. Red tore two apart with his small spear in a flash. White¡¯Yellow and Red¡¯Blue were working together to down another. David soared over his kobolds lines in a deep sweeping maneuver, releasing a powerful cone of his healing breath. Most of his breath clung to his kobolds and quickly healed many. A few that he swore were dead even stood up ready to fight again. Unfortunately one of the beasts also seemed to benefit from his breath and attacked with renewed energy. His momentum was all burned up by the time he completed his sweep and he landed with a powerful thud. His body shifted quickly as he charged down a nearby beast and quickly shouldered his way through it. The creature was almost entirely naked as it was impaled against the thick spikes along his body. His prompt pinged him a moment later. Orc slain. He almost laughed. David supposed it made sense now. These¡­ things were kind of like orcs of his world¡¯s fantasy fiction just more twisted, ugly, and far more animalistic than he might have envisioned. He didn''t let his thoughts drift for much longer as he surged forward and wrapped his jaws around another orc. He thrashed it around violently and activated his Death Roll just to be certain. As the torn apart orc fell he let loose a roar. The remainder of the orcs appeared to be debating their retreat, at least till his roar was matched by an even more massive humanoid stepping forward. The creature clearly wasn''t an orc. It looked like its flesh was barely hanging onto its body in some places, and in others it was firm and youthful. Its limbs and legs appeared to be malnourished based on how thin they were except it had a massive gut. It was a creature of contradictions and yet it still towered over the orcs and exerted power. It let off a bellowing roar and strained out something unintelligible to David''s ears. The orcs all raised their clubs and other weapons in a responding roar and charged back into the kobolds lines. David had three orcs come straight for him. He pushed his spiked body into the closest orc, impaling it, then he turned and snapped his jaws around another. The third orc slipped around his tail and struck David''s hide with his spear. The spear skipped over a hardened spike before finding purchase in his flesh. The orc was strong as it forced the tip deeper and deeper. David reeled in pain as he hurled the orc in his jaws straight up with all his might. David''s extraordinary muscles showed their worth as the orc sailed straight up and screeched in terror. David thrashed his body around and head butted the spear equipped orc. His large upper horns impaled it through the chest and with a quick flick it was sent flying as well. As David turned to face the orc he had initially shouldered he was glad it had decided to retreat in full force. Despite the many holes leaking blood the orc seemed unphased as it bee lined away from David. A moment later the orc he sent sailing straight up crashed down nearby against a rock with a satisfying and gruesome crunch. The grotesque leader didn''t give David a moment to breathe as he charged at David. They matched up close in height but David had the weight and overall size advantage. David lashed forward with his claws and found surprising resistance in the leader''s flesh. His claws did eventually find a soft spot and red lines of blood were left behind. The leader pulled free a medium size tree tied to its back and slammed it against David''s side. He felt the vibrations rattle his whole body as he was thrown to the side. He could feel the bruises already forming between his meat and his armored scales. David bounced back quickly to create some distance and saw something disheartening. The leader''s wounds were healing at a rapid and steady pace. Shit. David''s mind raced a bit. Did this thing have a life affinity too? Maybe it was a trait? The two paced in a circle facing each other for a time. Neither one was quite willing to charge into the other. David glanced back quickly at his kobolds. He noticed in his peripheral Red was still holding his own, and the two Crusher Moles were being coordinated as a pair to tear apart an Orc. As David shifted his attention back to the leader he decided he needed to act. A powerful beam of pure blinding white light flashed over his shoulder and seared across the enemy beast''s face in an instant! David staggered in shock and as his own eyes readjusted he looked back to see Blue glowing with a wicked grin across her face. ¡°Go Master!¡± Blue chirped. Absolutely beautiful David thought as he charged. The creature''s eyes appeared burned and damaged. Though David could already see the flesh starting to heal as he flew up and locked his jaws around the leader''s head. He twisted and pivoted using his wings as he activated Death Roll. He struggled to maintain his balance as he spun hard in the air and the beast''s head tore clean off with a wet, gurgling popping sound. He was unable to regain his posture fully as he spread his wings and belly flopped against the ground hard. As he grunted in a daze his prompt pinged him. Giant Hill Troll slain. Death Roll ability expanded. Aerial Death Roll learned. Well¡­ would you look at that David thought as he couldn''t help but grin wide at what he had just discovered. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 14 David towered over the three tiny kobold corpses laid down in front of him. They were down to thirty kobolds now. These three warrior kobolds were the only ones that David couldn''t get to in time and it stung at his core. David had ordered their bodies wrapped up, preserved, and for their bodies to be brought with the group. The remainder of the orcs had retreated after their leader had fallen except for three that were captured by Blue. She had quite literally burned their ability to see out with her affinity, and Red subdued them afterwards. They used ropes, and twine they found on the other dead orcs to restrain them. In total they had slain ten orcs and then their leader. The fight would have gone poorly without Red, Blue, the Crusher Moles, and David himself. Their presence had tipped the balance hard in the other direction despite the massive equipment and side difference between the two species. The troll corpse had been dragged nearby and it smelled absolutely foul. David knew he should try and see if he could get a trait. This regeneration might be worth it, but it might not? Either way intel was life or death in this world. Reluctantly he began to tear free large chunks of flesh and consume it. It tasted only slightly better than what it smelled like, which wasn¡¯t saying much. He fought down his urge to throw up and was able to swallow enough that his belly bulged at capacity. His prompt pinged him a moment later. Giant Hill Troll slain and trait available. Accelerated Healing - Your body rapidly regenerates and heals at super natural speeds. Your healing factor increases by a factor based on your toughness. The higher the toughness the faster even minor wounds will heal. For every 5 toughness your natural healing factor increases, reducing healing time by up to a full cycle. The more critical the injury the slower the healing factor increases. Accelerated Healing trait available. Absorb Y/N? David sat on his hunches and pondered for a long moment. David had already found a number of different traits. Some were hybrid abilities that offered attribute increases and abilities. Some were entirely focused on boosting a stat like his Condensed Musculature. This trait was clearly one in the entirely opposite direction. It was an ability that scaled off toughness and it could be very good with the right set up. If he was human it might take on average a week or two for a large scrape to heal on his body without any assistance. In his new dragon body his ability to heal was even higher than that of his old body. His toughness as it currently stood meant he would heal from a deep cut in about a day if he snagged this trait, which compared to his affinity¡¯s capabilities was rather pathetic. The troll seemed to regenerate before his very eyes during their fight, even if it was a bit slow near the end. David¡¯s mind pondered and he began to do some math in his head. His higher intelligence made mathematics easier thankfully, one of the few noticeable effects. On the assumption the troll base healing ability was comparable to his own, and that other creatures functioned similarly to dragonkind then the troll probably had a toughness of around 25. It would explain his extraordinarily tough skin as well. It was a powerful trait but it had a counter he could already see. Ultimately the greater the injury the harder it will be to regenerate it. If he were to face another one in the future then he should aim to break or sever a limb to slow it down. It wouldn¡¯t be able to heal fast enough before the fight would be over. Still though¡­ toughness correlated to a creature''s resilience to an attack, and the higher your toughness the less damage you would receive and with this trait you would regenerate faster too. A very nasty synergy and one he had no doubt other Dragons in this world had utilized. With a sigh he reluctantly declined the prompt. David rumbled over to Blue, ¡°I want you to cut up and preserve as much of the remaining meat as possible. Only eat it in an emergency, I want to conduct some tests later.¡± Blue nodded her head and gave David a rather disgusted look. David rumbled in amusement, at least he didn¡¯t have to worry about them eating what remained. Next David had what remained of the orcs corpses piled nearby and the entire group settled in for the remainder of the night to tend to their wounds. David provided a hefty second blast of his healing fog for his kobolds to help their recovery. He planned to help stand watch during the day so he retired early while giving the watch to Red. When he opened his eyes in the morning he let off a mighty yawn. He noticed a few kobolds curled up nearby him and a large, makeshift tent had been erected around him. He rumbled softly as he made his way out and spotted Red still standing watch nearby. ¡°Anything happen while I rested?¡± David rumbled. ¡°Master! No. All quiet.¡± He answered quickly. Red was squinting his eyes in the morning light. ¡°Go inside and rest. I will watch the camp.¡± David ordered. After Red reluctantly departed David made his rounds. The valley was as beautiful as ever and they had made it most of the way down the mountain before being attacked in the night. David¡¯s eyes surveyed the battlefield and he quietly replayed the battle in his head over and over. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. After satisfying his own internal anxiety to do better next time he stumbled upon the pile of Orcs. His stomach grumbled, hungry again, and his mind peaked with a curiosity. What sort of benefit could he get from an Orc he wondered? His human side was partially disgusted by the idea of eating something that walked on two legs and somewhat resembled a human and yet¡­ his stomach, and his nose were telling him something entirely different. He gave in and filled his stomach. David was almost certain that either Orcs did not have a trait or he had run out of luck when his prompt dinged in his mind as he finished off the last pile of meat. Orc slain and trait available. Strongest Shall Rule - The biggest, baddest, and strongest shall rule. That is the way of nature! If you are the strongest around you exert a dominating aura. This dominating aura can twist many to your command, while at the very least causing those strong of will to be weary and more accommodating of you. If you find another that is stronger than you, you recognize their strength and will feel a strong need to follow or at the very least accommodate their needs till the time comes to overthrow them. Strongest Shall Rule trait available. Absorb Y/N? Huh. David stared at the trait. This is something entirely new as well and ¡°dominating aura¡± sounded fantastic. David decided to categorize this new type of trait as a leadership style trait. David could envision using this trait to draw hordes of orcs to his banner but based on what he had seen of orcs he didn¡¯t think they were good for much besides war. If you were the biggest baddest around then this trait was amazing but if you weren¡¯t it also hampered you. He knew for a fact that both the Worm and the Mountain were more powerful than him. If he had this trait he would feel inclined to accommodate them or out right serve them? What would that look like? Would they simply eat him? Would his own internal logic fail him? David had a very bad feeling about this trait. It felt like it led down a path that would remove some of his own will and choices from the mix as he tried to dominate and then overthrow others. He wasn¡¯t opposed to dominating other creatures but he wanted to be in control and he refused to give that up. He didn¡¯t regret declining. As the day dragged on he used the opportunity to scout around more. He was getting used to his wings and flying in general. He wasn''t fast enough to catch anything else he saw in the air, be it birds or otherwise. As night approached the kobolds began to wake up and David used the opportunity to sneak in a second nap. After waking up a few hours later the makeshift campsite had been disassembled and his little clan were all eagerly standing at attention waiting for him. ¡°Master. We are ready to leave when you are!¡± Blue cheerfully chirped out to him. ¡°Good. What are we going to do with the prisoners?¡± David shifted his eyes to the two remaining orcs, the third having apparently died from its injuries during the day. After a quick consideration he rumbled out again in his dragon speak. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can trust them, Blue. They would probably work for us but we couldn¡¯t truly trust them.¡± David recalled the trait they possessed. If that was their very ¡°essence¡± then he knew he could control them but he didn¡¯t want to have to fear them trying to overthrow him or any of his kobolds in the future. ¡°Red will fix.¡± Red chirped in as his spear flashed before David could respond. The back of each Orc¡¯s head was split open and they collapsed forward in a heap. It wasn¡¯t what he had in mind but he supposed the Geneva Conventions did not exist here did they? Holding back a sigh David simply offered Red a reassuring nod and took to the sky. The rest of the journey was completed with the moons still high in the sky. The moonlight illuminated the forest in front of the group and the rich smell of tree sap, running water, and the fresh air was invigorating. David had mapped out a few potential areas before they finished their trek down and they had settled on a nearby cave. It was small, but at the edge of the mountains and forest line. The water that ran down the valley also formed into a river nearby for water and food. The Crusher Moles and their riders got to work and the results were quite impressive. The very rock itself seemed to crumble as the moles rolled and wiggled their forward limbs against the stone surface. The pair worked on expanding the cave and adding more tunnels as the other kobolds organized their supplies. ¡°Red. Did you recover any of the orcs'' weapons?¡± David asked curiously as he walked up to a nearby tree. ¡°Yes, Master! Here¡­¡± Red dragged out a bundle of weapons. There were a few spears, daggers, a shortsword, and a handful of rough looking axes. They all appeared to be made of iron. ¡°Good. Those are axes and can serve more than one purpose. Grab it and come here.¡± David rumbled and watched as Red picked up one of the heavy axes and wandered over. ¡°I know you know what wood is but trees like this are where we can harvest higher quality material. We can use this to build furniture or fortifications. Let me explain¡­¡± David spent a few hours explaining the basic concept then helped Red fell a few trees. Using just an axe, and a poorly made one at that, to process the tree was difficult work. Red and his endless endurance made quick work of the trees though. Red was able to fell a few on his own and then split the logs in half to create workable boards. David was no carpenter but he had a basic idea of how wood was processed and hoped his little kobolds could handle it from there. By morning the cave had been expanded enough for David to rest inside, and there were enough side chambers for the kobolds to comfortably store their stuff and rest themselves. Red had also made a very rough, but workable barricade using sharpened sticks and boards along the entrance with the help of one of his older offspring, Blue¡¯Green. The barricade wouldn¡¯t stop anyone or anything seriously planning to attack them but at the very least it would delay them enough for everyone to wake up. A few of the warriors had also caught a deer-like creature sleeping nearby in a meadow. They had confirmed there was food around at least and with a heavy, tired rumble David closed his eyes. He was glad that they were able to get settled and would begin to scout their new home tomorrow. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 15 His prompt finally pinged him and David let off a happy laugh. Lingering Regeneration (Focused Cone) learned. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Lesser Dragon Str: 25.5 (28.5 Jaw) Int: 14 Speed: 10 (Flight Speed: 12) Toughness: 16 Affinity: Life (5/5 Charges) - Fine Motor Control Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost Healing Breath (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Lingering Regeneration (Singular Target) - 1 Charge Cost Lingering Regeneration (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Traits: 3/6 Condensed Musculature Rupturing Jaws - Death Roll Ability Thagomizer Defenses Curiously, his life affinity didn¡¯t experience an expansion this time. Perhaps the higher it got the more it required to expand it? He had spent the last few days trying to work his Lingering Regeneration into an area effect like his healing breath. Throughout the night he had cast his Lingering Regeneration on Red, Blue and his newly awakened carpenter Blue¡¯Green. He was able to spread his breath over multiple kobolds at once but it felt like fighting against a flood once again. It was markedly easier though since he already knew how focusing his ability in a cone should feel. Over the next few days David confirmed his suspicion that when a breath was spread over a larger group then the effects would be diminished. His cone of Lingerining Regeneration didn¡¯t last nearly as long compared to when he used it on a single individual. David was thankful that the magic was consistent in how it functioned, that meant he could continue to experiment and make some hypotheses with at least some predictability. The kobolds didn¡¯t stop either as each of them began to tackle their new home construction in earnest. David had made a suggestion that they could use the plentiful amount of wood in the nearby forest in combination with carving out an adequate size chamber to continue farming their mushrooms. The concept of how mushrooms reproduce using spores was a bit lost on the kobolds so David simply sold it as a ¡°magical¡± method that could be replicated using their current stock of mushrooms. While a small subsect of the kobolds worked with their moles to expand the caverns, Blue had taken the opportunity to collect herbs, and grasses in the local area. Blue was already chirping happily as she brewed and experimented using her Shaman class¡¯s alchemist skills. Red, Red¡¯Blue, and White¡¯Yellow had begun taking turns hunting with a small group and training the other kobolds. They had acquired a considerable amount of iron weapons from the orcs, and while most were too big for the little kobolds to use there had been a surprising amount of iron daggers strapped to each orc. These daggers were wicked looking blades that were longer than most would consider appropriate for a dagger. It just happened that these longer daggers were more like normal sized swords for his kobolds. Blue¡¯Green had also blossomed in use of their woodworking skills. The crude and barbaric barricades were slowly replaced by cleaner and more sturdy pieces of lumber and spikes. David had stumbled onto Blue¡¯Green scolding one of the younger kobolds on technique as he was out stretching his wings. He decided to use the opportunity to impart some of his incomplete knowledge on the little kobold. ¡°Blue¡¯Green you have been making good progress.¡± David rumbled as he approached. ¡°Master! Uh¡­ Thank you! Yes! Blue¡¯Green gets happy working wood.¡± Blue¡¯Green bobbed its head rapidly at its words. ¡°Good. I have an idea if you are willing to experiment?¡± David questioned. ¡°Ohh. Parent elders have told of Master knowledge! Yes!¡± Blue¡¯Green chirped happily. ¡°Good. There is a technique you should experiment with¡­¡± David struggled for a moment to try and explain the method in a way the kobold would understand, ¡°Use fire to lightly char the outsides of the barricades then seal it with oils, or plant matter. It will create a barrier that protects the wood from the elements and should resist fire.¡± Green¡¯Blue opened his mouth, but closed it in thought. Before David could say anything else the kobold quickly thanked him then darted off. David let off a chuckle and hoped to see what he could do. David knew that back home ancestral humans used to use fire to char and seal it to create a protective barrier but it could also be used in hardening wooden spears. He hadn¡¯t ever done it himself but he had faith that little Green¡¯Blue would figure it out. If Green¡¯Blue seemed adaptive enough David might be able to explain the concept of making joints and notches to construct housing and buildings, it was a form of carpentry that didn¡¯t require any nails. Though like most of his ideas he had simply read about it in his past life and didn¡¯t know the exact details that mattered. After leaving Green¡¯Blue, David decided it was time to do some scouting as he spread his huge wings wide and took off. The forest was virtually endless as David glided over its massive expanse. The small river near their new lair eventually fused with a larger massive body of moving water that cut straight through the forest. David¡¯s nostrils tingled as his acute senses guided his eyes to a multitude of worrying things. He felt and knew he was being watched. The worrying thing was he was absolutely certain that he wasn¡¯t being watched by just one thing. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. David caught the silhouette of a creature flying in the distance. As he tried to approach it, it turned away from him, and as he moved away it followed. He was absolutely certain that this thing was a Wyvern but it could be a giant bat-like creature instead. It had two massive wings, a thick tail, and a pair of hind legs. David couldn¡¯t get any more details at this distance but he knew for a fact that this creature was fast enough that he couldn¡¯t out run, or chase it down with exposing some of his abilities. The next best decision then was for David to simply ignore it for now. Unfortunately it wasn¡¯t the only thing he caught a glimpse of as he soared over the endless forest tops. There were little figures dashing between trees behind him, and it appeared that each was humanoid shaped with bows or spears of some make. Clearly he and his clan were not alone. David opted to gain some altitude, the distant winged beast effortlessly flew up and maintained height with him. It was a bit eerie and frightening how weak of a flier he was in comparison but there was nothing he could do about it now. The higher he flew the more of the forest he could see and it appeared that in the far distance a multitude of roads cut through the forest. He had been flying east this whole time, and the forest appeared to continue as far as his eyes could see. North was much the same but South the forest ended in the far distance as it budded up against flowing hills. Small huts and buildings were embedded in the hillsides on the outskirts of the forest, and roads seemed to splinter off these clusters of buildings into the forest. David¡¯s eyes followed these small, almost invisible roads as they cut through the forest attempting to trace their destination. Periodically they appeared to split off and stop near massive clusters of huge trees that broke above the average height of the forest¡¯s canopies. David hovered in the air as he watched his distant admirer and made a mental map of the area. His senses were going into overdrive with the new smells, sights, and his draconic desires were becoming rather strong. After calming down his urges he turned back towards his lair and began to fly as fast as he could manage. He turned away from his pursuer and stealthy breathed out a breath of Lingering Regeneration upon himself and then spurred forward. His admirer followed him still but seemed a bit more pressed to keep up with what had to appear like a desperate sprint from David. As David neared the mountains by his lair he kept going forward and instead drove into the mountains, and then downwards to try and lose the creature following him. It had been maintaining its distance so as David dived down, around and then into some rock cover near the base of a nearby mountain it took a few solid minutes before he caught sight of it flying by none the wiser. It was much, much closer now and his senses tingled as he confirmed what he originally thought. The creature was around his size, much thinner, and had distinctive draconic traits. In fact David rather confidently concluded that this thing had to be a Lesser Wyvern. The Wyvern picked up pace as it realized it had lost track of him. David¡¯s trek home was a calculated one but he was able to stay low and dip back around the mountains towards the forest, and then eventually back to his lair home. He was greeted by the happy cheer of his kobolds as he landed with a heavy reverberating thud. David¡¯s voice boomed, ¡°Be vigilant everyone. There are other Masters about and others that walk on two legs further in the forest.¡± David¡¯s warning caused a stir among the gathered kobolds but they quickly began to speed off to spread the word. David retreated into his lair and collapsed down into his cavern with a huff. Blue popped her happy head around the corner and David was quickly served mounds of red meat, fish, and some wild veggies. The latter didn¡¯t taste very good but food was food and he didn¡¯t want to insult Blue¡¯s cooking. As he was eating a thought came to him. ¡°Blue! Please come here for a moment.¡± David rumbled out. Blue poked her head around the corner again, ¡°Yes Master?¡± ¡°Please bring me one of your eggs? I want to try something.¡± David asked softly. Blue didn¡¯t question him and quickly darted off. David had been considering his affinity more. His affinity wasn¡¯t called healing, it was called life. That meant that while the application of it seemed to favor mending the living, he was curious if he could tweak the magic used to heal to accelerate life instead? The more he used his magic to heal the more he was convinced it empowered and accelerated the healing process. What if he could do the same process but remove the limiter that made the magic stop once something was healed? What if he could instead focus that magical energy into development, and accelerated growth of his kobolds? It was a bold and risky idea but the implications would be very rapid growth of his little group. His kobolds had proved to be vital and useful allies so more would not be a bad thing. He was already seeing the fruits of their hard labor as they dug out his lair more, built fortifications, and even fed him. Moments later Blue returned with a large egg and placed it in front of him. She turned to him and stared at him for a long moment. ¡°Master. Please¡­ Don¡¯t damage my baby¡± She winced at the request, clearly half expecting to get punished. David rumbled and let out a sigh, ¡°Blue. Have some faith in me. Watch and see, okay? If you have any issue, speak up and I will stop.¡± Blue simply nodded and David closed his eyes to concentrate. He decided to start with Lingering Regeneration and breathed it upon the egg. He watched the fog cling to the egg. Both Blue and David watched the egg and he noted that the fog wasn¡¯t becoming depleted. He closed his massive eyes and began to focus on his fog. He felt the Lingering Regeneration slowly trickling its power into the egg attempting to refill its stamina. He focused on the principles of healing and twisted the effect of the Lingering Regeneration back to the rapid healing properties of his normal fog but with a twist. His mind tingled and he felt his mental fortitude being pushed to its extreme. He felt like he was fighting against an ocean tidal wave but slowly, utilizing his Fine Motor Control, he was able to use the healing energies to supercharge the egg by bypassing the usual healing¡¯s stopping point. Since the egg itself didn¡¯t need any actual healing the energies instead accelerated the very cells of the egg, and David felt something shift in his magic. As he began to pass out from pure exhaustion he felt a rush of success and a ping of his prompt. Darkness flooded his mind a moment after. Life Affinity expanded. Rapid Growth (Singular Target) learned. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Lesser Dragon Str: 25.5 (28.5 Jaw) Int: 14 Speed: 10 (Flight Speed: 12) Toughness: 16 Affinity: Life (6/6 Charges) - Fine Motor Control Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost Healing Breath (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Lingering Regeneration (Singular Target) - 1 Charge Cost Lingering Regeneration (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Rapid Growth (Singular Target) - 5 Charge Cost Traits: 3/6 Condensed Musculature Rupturing Jaws - Death Roll Ability Thagomizer Defenses A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 16 David¡¯s eyes fluttered open and he let off a gasp of air. He had passed out so suddenly that it took him a moment to recall what happened. His eyes adjusted and they slowly focused in on a small kobold cuddling up against his nose. The shattered shell of a freshly hatched kobold not but a few paces away. David rumbled happily as he realized his experiment was a success. Blue was awestruck in the corner of the cavern, muttering something to herself. ¡°Thirty has now become thirty-one, Blue.¡± David offered a draconic grin towards the blue kobold. Rumbling happily David peaked at his prompt quickly and saw that the Rapid Growth had consumed most of his magic charges for the day. That meant, for the time being at least, he could only cast the growth once per day. ¡°Blue. Come collect your child. How many more eggs do you have?¡± He cocked his head as he aimed the question at Blue, attempting to knock her out of her stunned shock. ¡°A doze- well¡­ eleven now.¡± Blue murmured as she approached and scooped up the little kobold. ¡°You have been laying eggs overtime?¡± David rumbled in thought as he did the math. ¡°No. A few of the first generation are starting to lay eggs. Yellow¡¯Brown and Blue¡¯Yellow have both started.¡± Blue nodded. ¡°Who are they mating with¡­? They aren¡¯t inbreeding are they?¡± David cocked his head to the side. Did kobolds have to worry about inbreeding? That might be an issue if he let it continue. ¡°Noone? Master¡­ Oh.¡± Blue came wandering close and placed her hand on his nose, ¡°Kobolds do not suffer from the same issues other land walkers suffer. Kobold females can make eggs without mate but it is not best.¡± ¡°I see. Do all the females produce only females this way?¡± David remembered lizard species back home that could reproduce asexually. It was basically making small clones of themselves. ¡°Yes! Master understands! Females can make more females. Kobolds expand rapidly.¡± Blue beamed up at David. ¡°What about males? Where do they come into play?¡± David asked curiously. He wondered if like some species back home inbreeding was less of an issue. He knew that some species of insects could subvert most of the negative impact of inbreeding because of how many chromosomes they possessed. Did creatures of this world even have chromosomes? Blue gave David a warm smile, ¡°Forgive me. I forget you don¡¯t know everything Master. Sometimes it seems like you do. Males are important! We do not encourage siblings to mate. Females make females but we need differences to thrive. Tribes will exchange males as a means to spread their strengths. Red is a powerful fighter! Some tribes have a lot of healers, or crafters. Males carry those traits to other groups.¡± She offered a nod once she was done. David rumbled to himself. So it didn¡¯t seem like they were immune to the effects of inbreeding but males were important for bringing in a diversity of skills, and genetics. The kobolds almost felt like a swarm of little hyper intelligence bees or ants. ¡°I see. I want to try and hatch an egg early every day if possible¡­ We will start with the youngest eggs first. Let the oldest finish hatching themselves if possible.¡± David did the math. Three females producing eggs right now will mean that on average he could force hatch about 15 eggs every few months. Both Yellow¡¯Brown and Blue¡¯Yellow came in to see him shortly after and offered their praises and worship. The worship was still uncomfortable but he tolerated it as much as he could before shooing them away. He asked the duo and blue to watch over the freshly hatched kobold for a few days and report if there were any ill effects from his affinity. He reassured them that if there was anything off he would hold off on using it on another egg. A few days later and the little hatchling hadn¡¯t appeared to have any adverse effects. In fact he was progressing quickly as he already wandered the tunnels of their home and found a way to contribute. Finally the trio of females gave their blessing and David resumed his work. Thirty-one kobolds became Thirty-two shortly after and David did not pass out this time. The Rapid Growth used an extraordinary amount of his magical energy but the spell came quickly and easier this time. After learning a new way to twist his affinity, further uses always came naturally like he had carved the process into his very core. He was curious what that meant exactly, and if someone in this world had an explanation? The kobolds were tireless in their work and the tunnels had been expanded into the mountain side deeper and deeper. They had begun pulling free chunks of ores and other deposits from deeper down. David had requested to inspect some of it as they formed a massive pile of the material outside. A heavy chunk of rock was brought to him and embedded inside of it was a yellow looking deposit. David¡¯s mind raced and he almost thought it was gold until he spotted small green coloration throughout the material. His mind clicked with realization. ¡°Blue. I believe these are copper deposits. Have you ever heard of copper in this world?¡± David peered over at Blue. Blue cocked her head as she thought and gazed up at her Master in amazement., ¡°I do. I nor Red ever studied smithing but we used it in the tribe at times. Are you certain? Master your knowledge is always amazing and seemingly random. Truly blessed we are to have you. ¡± David nodded his head in amusement, ¡°Take these ores and grind them up. Then melt them down with a fire. You should be able to pull copper out of it given time. I do not know the entire process but I know copper at least is easy to mold pou-¡± David stopped as Blue gave him a look. He had decided to hold off on his ramblings. He was always a fan of history back home and while he never touched a forge in his life, he was always fascinated by humanities use of copper, tin and then later iron. ¡°Trust me. We can make more tools such as axes with this. Easy to replace too.¡± Blue nodded and got to work. She snatched up some of the younger kobolds to help her with the task. She directed them mostly and watched. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. David questioned her briefly about why she always grabbed the youngest kobolds around and she simply responded that this was the way to learn new skills. The younger they were the more adaptable they could become with some direction. David chuckled and left her to it. Kobolds were impressive creatures and everyone in the colony seemed to become obsessed with one task or another and invested their entire being into it. Blue was clearly right in having younger kobolds with no skills focus on the task in hopes that it would spark the development of a smith skill or something else useful. The forest had been pushed back a bit as trees were taken down, and structural beams were popping up in strategic positions throughout the tunnels. A few massive caverns were the main focus of the structural beams, as lines upon lines of mushroom farms were planted. These mushrooms were the very same ones taken from near the sanctuary and provided key back up nutrients to all of the kobolds. Sawdust, debris, and other material were laid down and carefully extracted mushroom spores were being spread up and down the lines. These massive caverns were perfect for mushrooms as they were dark, damp and cool. David was satisfied with their work and made sure to compliment the little group of kobolds, which earned a happy and cheerful chirping of glee. The following morning as David was waiting for them to bring him another egg a sudden and violent crash rang out as he heard the snapping of logs, and the busting of the lair¡¯s front barricade. The deep grunting snarl of his kind tongue filled the tunnels as something other than him or his kobolds spoke, ¡°One of Qazayss¡¯s brood thinks they can establish their lair here unimpeded? Foolish.¡± David¡¯s massive form pushed forward through the tunnels as fast as he could. His spikes and horns grinded against the stone walls as he rushed forward. As he burst out of the lair he was met with the sight of an unpleasant but familiar sight. It was the Lesser Wyvern from the other day standing before him. The barricades were in ruin and there were a few kobold¡¯s laying nearby unresponsive. Oddly enough, at this range, he could see the Lesser Wyvern giving off a faint shimmering blue glow. It reminded him of something familiar but he didn¡¯t have much time to place it as he needed to act. David bared his teeth as he stood tall, easily outmassing the smaller Wyvern before him, ¡°Is that how you greet a neighbor? You bastard. We could of talke-¡± A hissing, wheezing laugh cut him off as the sinister red eyes of the Lesser Wyvern bored into him, ¡°No. Cailres the Eclipse has commanded your removal.¡± The Wyvern¡¯s mouth opened wide and a blast of putrid gas spewed forth and rushed over David. David let off a gagged cough as the gas flowed into his lung and he felt a violent stabbing pain. Shit. Its affinity is gas? Poison? Something else? As David fought against his burning lungs, and now burning flesh he took a few steps forward towards the Wyvern. It laughed at him as it spread its massive wings and turned to take off. As it heaved itself up something slammed into the side of its head and the Wyvern tumbled violently to the side. As David fought through the wall of burning gas he saw White¡¯Yellow wielding two iron, orc daggers dashing around the fallen Wyvern. His slashes were drawing blood and the Wyvern fought to regain its standing. David struggled to move, and realized that whatever that gas is it must be something corrosive as he felt his very flesh melting. He snarled and let loose a powerful breath of healing fog that washed over his form. The besieged Wyvern happened to glance his way and gave off a startled yelp as David¡¯s wounds healed before his eyes. The lingering gas was pushed away by David¡¯s own fog and his healing energies quickly repaired his lungs and burns. As the Wyvern was distracted for a moment White¡¯Yellow thrusted his blades into and rode them down the length of the dragon¡¯s wing and massive bloody tears of flesh formed. As David began to charge forward at the injured dragon he was suddenly impacted by a powerful biting, slashing gale of wind. David¡¯s side was sliced open like from the blade of a thin, sharp knife. David recovered quickly as he bounded to the side to dodge another and saw his assailant. It was another enemy Wyvern with soft red and black scaled form perched up on the mountain nearby. It hissed and cursed at David as more slashing gales of wind came rushing towards him. ¡°Die you damn black fiend!¡± The Wyvern hissed as he threw more biting slashes towards David. David¡¯s large form wasn¡¯t the best at dodging but he was able to slip away from every other slash. His flesh was gushing blood and he was struggling to take to the air. David cursed to himself. Two of the bastards is too much! No wonder they were so confident he thought. As two more gusts of wind cut up his flesh he cursed, but realized that even if he could get into the air there was no way he could catch that bastard. David let loose another breath of healing fog, his wounds bounding themselves back together as he turned to face the grounded Wyvern. As David turned back to the grounded Wyvern he saw that now other kobolds had joined the assault and were jabbing, stabbing, and attacking the thrashing beast. As his wounds finished sealing and he was about to begin to charge he watched as White¡¯Yellow dipped, dodged and then failed to dodge the thrash of the beast. In the blink of an eye the enemy Wyvern closed its jaws around the lightly armored kobold and tore him in two before David¡¯s eyes. David¡¯s mind reeled in shock! No, dammit he thought! Before he could vocalize his anger another cry went up and Red came hurling out from the depths of the cave, his flesh looked burned from the gasses that had leaked down below. In a flash Red buried his spear into the massive thigh of the Lesser Wyvern causing it to stubble once more to the side. The Wyvern turned and snapped its jaws around Red and tried to repeat the same brutal dissecting it had done on poor White¡¯Yellow. Red¡¯s crocodilian shield held firm as Red chirped out his Defensive Bulwark skill out loud, and his little body began to glow a soft white. As the Wyvern lifted up Red and started to roll its neck to hurl the kobold as far as it could, it was suddenly interrupted by David¡¯s jaws snapping down around one of its wings. David¡¯s Death Roll tore free the membranes and flesh that made up most of the Wyvern¡¯s right wing clean off. Red tumbled to the ground as the Wyvern let off a cry of distress and pain and stared up in amazement at his Master. David was like an unrelenting snake, as he curled his limbs around the Wyvern causing his thick spikes to drive deep into the creature¡¯s flesh. David''s sheer strength was on display as he heaved and forced the Wyvern flat to the ground, letting off a mighty roar David glared down at his enemy. ¡°This is YOUR fault.¡± He snarled out in rage as his jaws locked around the back of the Wyvern¡¯s neck and he tore it out with one clean jerk. The Wyvern died in an instant and the soft blue glow surrounding it immediately stopped too. David was furious and his dragon instincts were fighting for control, clouding his mind as he tore apart his enemy. The second Wyvern leaped free from its perch and began to fly off in a hurry. David snarled out as he let loose a healing fog over Red, and a few other injured kobolds. ¡°I am going to stop that one from getting away! Get the others out of the caves and treat them. I will return¡­¡± David snarled out as he began to pick up speed, spreading his black, spiked wings. ¡°Master! Red goes too!¡± Red bounded forward without waiting for a response and grasped onto a thick pair of spikes protruding off David¡¯s back. The pair slowly picked up speed and they took flight as they chased after the fleeing Wyvern. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 17 ¡ª Red ¡ª Red was grieving from the loss of so many of his children. They say you shouldn¡¯t have favorites but White¡¯Yellow was one of his first. A torrent of emotion welled up in his heart and he let loose a cry while his claws clinged to the back of his Master. He had watched White¡¯Yellow fight so well and yet one mistake had ended him. The most painful thing of all is that Red had watched Master¡¯s fog roll over White¡¯Yellow¡¯s body and it simply ignored it. It was at that instant he knew his precious little warrior offspring was really gone. Master¡¯s scales and body were stained with the blood of the enemy Wyvern as they drove forward towards the fleeing second Wyvern. Master bellowed an endurance fog over the pair as they fought to maintain speed. Masters abilities were amazing and this particular one insured Master could keep driving forward without rest. At first it appeared pointless to try to catch the vastly faster dragon. The Wyvern clearly was built for speed with its massive wings but eventually the Wyvern began to get tired, and Master did not. As the chase dragged on the distance slowly but surely closed. Every time they neared a certain distance the Wyvern would use what little reserves it had regained while gliding to speed forward again. Despite their massive endurance advantage the Wyvern was just too fast. Master growled in frustration and murmured something under his breath but he kept trying. He used another breath to revitalize himself as he fought his way forward at full speed. When finally they neared the Wyvern for the third time Master spoke up. ¡°Red. I have an idea. Climb back to my tail as far as you can go. I am going to throw you. I am almost out of affinity so this is our only chance.¡± Master rumbled out behind him so Red could hear. Red didn¡¯t question it because his heart still burned for revenge. He crawled down the length of Master¡¯s back, using the spikes as handholds before getting a little below the halfway point of the length of Master¡¯s tail. He could climb down no further. ¡°Red ready.¡± Red chirped out against the rushing wind. Master had seemingly heard him as he began to pivot in the sky. Master¡¯s wings twisted and he spun around violently in the air. Red¡¯s poor claws struggled to hold onto his Master and his weapon. As Master reached a point in his spin Red could feel and see the incredible muscularity of his Master bulge up and flex. This tremendous strength, one he had witnessed numerous times first hand tearing apart their enemies, was translated into the end of Master¡¯s tail and he flicked as hard as he could. ¡°Now!¡± Master¡¯s voice roared as his body rotated and trembled in the air from the massive exertion. Red released his grip at that very moment, and he was catapulted forward at speeds his brain had trouble comprehending. The Wyvern got closer and closer as he struggled to correct his orientation in the air. Just as Red was about to impact the fleeing Wyvern it looked back with a startled look on its face! Red braced himself and pointed his spear forward as he rocketed into the vulnerable chest of the Wyvern. His spear buried itself deep into its flesh as the momentum from the hurl translated all of that kinetic energy into his weapon¡¯s tip. The impact caused the air to quickly exit his chest and he gasped out loudly as he was stunned. The Wyvern was equally stunned as the sharp bone spear drove even deeper. Just as Red was able to gasp for a mouthful of air the Wyvern began to fall. Red clung to his spear desperately for a long moment before securing himself against the Wyvern using his claws and teeth. His mouth was clogged full of dragon blood as he pulled free the bone spear and began to repeatedly stab the dragon¡¯s chest wound over and over. The wyvern spasmed from the violent attack and its focus was solely on trying to tear the kobold off its chest. Blood and flesh filled the air as Red¡¯s weapon struck true again and again. Finally the Wyvern was able to hook its claws underneath the strong kobold and pry it off of itself. Red soared up and away from the Wyvern in an instance. The sheer strength of the toss slowed Red¡¯s speed for a moment and he hovered in the air as he watched the Wyvern attempt to twist and turn to regain stability. Red let off a satisfied chirping snicker as he watched the Wyvern¡¯s body crash into a massive tree limb protruding out of the forest below. Just as he was about to accept his own fate he felt a power pair of claws snatch him up. Red simply grinned up at the black scaled beast that caught him. Master was indeed impressive. ¡ª Celastris ¡ª The Black Horror had appeared many days before. The dragon was young, but had an aura of death you could sense just by looking at its horrifying appearance. The forest people regularly meet, fought, slew and died from dragons. They were beasts of enigmatic power in this world and something even her people struggled to understand with their long recorded history. Most dragons were content to leave them alone, a few were even mildly friendly, but the remainder were always blood thirsty and hostile. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The Black Horror was named such because of its pure black appearance. It had crude, evil spikes sticking out of its body and it was lined with impossibly thick muscles. Its passing over the village had been a tense one but eventually it turned itself around and headed back towards the deep mountains. We had recorded it in our ledger and hoped we saw the last of it. Celastris was always fascinated by the great beasts known as dragons. They seemed to come in all shapes and sizes. They were apex predators and the greatest of them nation destroyers. It was natural then that she had become the tribe¡¯s recorder and expert on such beasts. The last fifty thousand days or so had seen her dedicated solely to this. So when the Black Horror returned she was both horrified and secretly excited. The alarms and shouts of her people rang through the forest causing her kind to scatter and yet it called for her to climb. The Elder Tree was like a warm beacon of energy as she bounced upwards, eventually breaching the tops of the tree. Celastris''s eyes went wide and she let off a gasp. The Black Horror was chasing another dragon! It was common knowledge that dragonkind fought among themselves but the Wyvern the Black Horror was chasing was one known to her. The red and black scaled Wyvern was named Red Jasper and it had been around for many many cycles. The Black Horror wasn¡¯t nearly as fast as the Wyvern, its larger and more limbed body wasn¡¯t quite as light and quick as a Wyverns. Yet despite how much faster Red Jasper was it appeared the Black Horror had otherworldly endurance as it slowly caught up between Red Jaspers periods of gliding rest and rapid flapping acceleration. As the chasing pair was right above the Elder Tree the Black Horror did something unusual. It twisted itself and then spun, flinging its tail outwards towards the Wyvern it was chasing. Something little and red flew out straight like one of the people¡¯s arrows and impacted the Wyvern in the chest. Caleastris let out a stunned shock filled scream! The large dragon came tumbling down and she stared up at it still stunned by horror and fascination. The Wyvern was fighting and trying to pull the object in its chest free, while the Black Horror dove after it. The red thing, which now appeared to have limbs, went flailing free and was immediately scooped up by the Black Horror. In the following instance as the Black Horror suddenly corrected its flight and went sailing upwards, Red Jasper crashed against the Elder Tree with a resounding crunch. The mighty Elder Tree was, thankfully, unharmed except a few small branches but the hardened tree didn¡¯t do the Wyvern any favors as it tumbled down towards the forest floor below. Caleastris quickly turned on her branch and ran straight into the Elder Tree. The tree¡¯s bark itself almost shimmered like water as she stepped through it, and then immediately stepped out of the tree again but this time at the base. Her chest hurt and her lungs burned from the sudden depletion of some of her magic but she had no time to waste. The twisted, broken remains of Red Jasper lay before her. Its wings were warped as bones stuck out of them. Its head was a broken mess, as its lower jaw was completely sheared off. Steam and heat was still rising from the freshly killed dragon as Caleastris approached. Others of her people were starting to appear as well, a few of the more martial of her people sporting bows adorned with amber and made from Elder wood. ¡°Calesatris, what did you see above?¡± Icana asked, her supreme bow drawn tight. The amber and elder wood of its construct both shimmering with magic as a magical arrow was lined up towards the remains of the dragon. ¡°Icana, the Black Horror we saw many days ago, took out Red Jasper. It threw something at it¡­ and then it fell.¡± Calesatris motioned to the corpse in front of her. ¡°This new dragon is going to be an issue then. If it upsets the balance we don¡¯t know what might unfold¡­¡± Frowned Icana. ¡°It does seem to fit its name. We should at least¡­ survey it and see?¡± She reluctantly offered. Calesatris would most likely be the one who was sent, if they sent someone, since she was the ¡°expert¡± afterall. Icana offered a slight nod before others showed up and diverted her attention. Calesatris approached the dead Wyvern and freed her amber knife. It glowed brightly with the magic contained within and parted the flesh of the dragon in front of her. Dragon¡¯s were rare beasts to kill and their parts were extremely valuable, it was the obvious choice while the others talked. The fangs, claws, and bones were all set aside and the meat stacked nearby. Others came and joined her, quickly offering their assistance. Icana and the others had approached the Elder Tree, making contact as was custom, and began to converse. When she had finally finished most of the butchering Icana approached with a nod, her meeting finished and her bow was tucked away on her back. ¡°Calesatris. The Elder agreed with your suggestion. You have been selected along with myself as your escort. You are the most knowledgeable about their kind. Well..?¡± Icana offered a warm smile as she finished. Calesatris couldn¡¯t be forced to go but it would not be good for her future to deny an order from the Elders. ¡°Of course, Icana. I would be honored¡­¡± Calesatris offered Icana a knowing smile as she let off a quiet sigh. Over the next few hours the pair received reports of where the Black Horror went after the battle, and after coordinating information about its first sighting they concluded it was near the deep mountains at the edge of the forest. The following day Calesatris and Icana both stepped into the depths of the Elder tree, stepping out a moment later deep in the dark forest. They had both been taken to the extent of their people¡¯s capabilities and now they had to trek the rest of the way on foot. ¡°I hope that we are wrong about this dragon¡­¡± Calesatris¡¯s words didn¡¯t prompt a response from Icana as they became their long trek towards the distant mountain range. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 18 David slumped forward in pure exhaustion as he laid out in the front of his lair. Kobolds were still lined up and groaning after freshly being healed by what remained of David¡¯s affinity. The corrosive breath of the Wyvern had dove into the depths of the cave and almost all of his kobolds who remained hidden were injured. There were a few close to death but David was able to get back to them in time. In the end he only lost two of his precious little kobolds, one of which was White¡¯Yellow. Red¡¯Blue, White¡¯Yellow¡¯s direct kin and the next best fighter besides Red himself, stood vigil over the bodies. Red¡¯Blue had been trapped below when the fighting started and David could tell it was tearing him up. The muscular warrior was holding back a torrent of emotions and David debated about approaching him before he was beaten to it by Blue. Blue offered a warm smile to her child and stepped up to him to offer him some quiet kind words. David would trust Blue with handling her children¡¯s affairs and shifted his eyes back to the corpse of the Wyvern nearby. The kobolds that weren¡¯t currently recovering had already begun to strip the Wyvern apart on his orders. They had been rather bashful at first but David had reassured them that this ¡°Master¡± was not one deserving of their devotion. The bones, scales, claws and teeth were all valuable resources for tool making or experimentation in the future. David was certain that dragon material had to be a higher quality compared to most creatures and the kobold¡¯s seemed to echo his thoughts. He had two matters he needed to attend to though. The Wyvern had to have some traits for him to pick from and he had got an unusual notification after Red had taken out the other Wyvern, and since then Red has been curled up inside the freshly vented caves below. He wasn¡¯t waking and it was worrying even Blue. David called forth the prompt again and offered a sigh as he stared at it, he was uncertain if this was something he needed to ask about or not. Bonded Kobold, Red, has become a Dragonslayer. The essence of his kill has seeped into his core. Evolution commencing. Blue seemed somewhat clueless to what was going on in general so David decided to let it play out. An evolution wasn¡¯t a bad thing, in fact, in the case of himself it was a really positive event. He was under the impression that only dragons changed and evolved like that, could that mean kobolds are actually related to dragonkind? A dragon somewhere at sometime created them or perhaps they have always been alongside dragons from the start? Maybe they are a very rare evolution of dragons? David wondered if there were those with answers out there. Before getting too lost in thought David shifted his focus back to the nicely stacked piles of Wyvern meat in front of him and began to eat. He ate till his stomach almost burst and then an all too familiar prompt pinged him in his head. Corrosive Lesser Wyvern slain and traits available. Please select at most one. Carrion Sensory - Your sense of smell becomes so acute you can pick up smells from ten times your current capacity, especially that of death. Your stomach also becomes further reinforced to eat carrion that would be lethal to most. Your toughness as a result of your reinforced intestines and stomach increases by 2. Carrion Sensory trait available. Absorb Y/N? Lightweight Reinforcements - Your body becomes lighter as your muscles restructure themselves but doesn¡¯t lose any toughness or strength as a result. The bottom of your feet become padded to such a degree that almost all sound is muted and you can fall from extreme heights without dying. Your speed increases by 4. Lightweight Reinforcements trait available. Absorb Y/N? Keen Eyes - Your eyesight becomes so sharp and acute you can spot things from an impossible distance. Your eyesight is tenfold more effective. Your eyes are so acute, and sensitive that your brain adapts, twists, and grows to account for all the new information. Your intelligence increases by 2. Keen Eyes trait available. Absorb Y/N? Magical Pores - You gain the ability to open or close your magical pores at will. The process of opening or closing them takes ten minutes of concentration. While open you regenerate your affinity charges at a ratio correlated to your maximum charges. You completely recover all charges during a full morning cycle, and full night cycle. While your pores are open you are more vulnerable and suffer a -2 toughness. Magical Pores trait available. Absorb Y/N? David took a long moment to process everything. He had four choices this time and three of them were unique ones he had never seen before. A lot was starting to make sense. This Wyvern was clearly set up to scout based on these traits, and it explained how it was able to pick up on David so fast in the area. Both Keen Eyes and Carrion Sensory were extremely good. Keen Eyes seemed like the better choice for the traits passive but Carrion Sensory had the toughness increase that might benefit him more in the long run. He had already decided to hold off on Lightweight Reinforcements, definitely since this was his second time seeing it so it must be rather common.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It was a toss up between the two scouting abilities and then there was the third unique one on offer. He had seen a blue glow on the Wyvern and he just remembered seeing the same glow on Ambass! He had no doubt that this Magical Pores trait was what they shared in common, especially after reading it over. The toughness hit would hurt but the benefits were exciting to David. Ambass, and perhaps all Faerie Dragons, was focused more on using magical affinities so Magical Pores made sense. It also made sense for a Wyvern focused purely on scouting and speed. David lucked out catching it how he did. In an extended battle in the air he wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch him easily and would have been worn away by that relentless corrosive gas that kept recharging. David shivered as he thought about it, what a nasty combination. This just confirmed his worst fear though, that there were clearly smart dragonkin out there that planned out their traits. Was this Wyvern the norm or an abnormality? David really, really wanted one of those scouting traits but he felt in his gut that the Magical Pores was a difficult one to find, and he could see the immediate benefits when it came to his kobolds. He shook his massive head and swore that he would find one of those scout traits again and then accepted Magical Pores in his prompt. He then began to scream out in a violent roar. His body felt like a thousand needles stabbed every part of his exposed flesh and it refused to stop. He thrashed around in pain and before long his body began to give off a soft blue glow. The needle pain was replaced by the burning sensation of hot fire or energy being pulled into his veins. It was bearable but extremely uncomfortable. His poor kobolds looked around in alarm and quickly came running to his aid as his status window appeared before his sight once more. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Lesser Dragon Str: 25.5 (28.5 Jaw) Int: 14 Speed: 10 (Flight Speed: 12) Toughness: 16 (14 w/ Magical Pores active) Affinity: Life (6/6 Charges) - Fine Motor Control Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost Healing Breath (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Lingering Regeneration (Singular Target) - 1 Charge Cost Lingering Regeneration (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Rapid Growth (Singular Target) - 5 Charge Cost Traits: 4/6 Condensed Musculature Rupturing Jaws - Death Roll Ability Thagomizer Defenses Magical Pores - Magical Spores Open/Close He began to give off a warm, soft blue glow that contrasted against the black sheen of his armored body. He let off a relieved huff and turned to his kobolds, calming them down. He could feel the magic seeping into his body at a constant rate and it felt different. His ¡°pores¡± were open by default and he decided to keep it that way as he planned to experiment later. After his meal he attended the funeral held by Blue in the evening. White¡¯Yellow and another smaller kobold¡¯s corpse were laid out for all to see. David was conflicted and grieving about the entire situation. The time they had spent together was short but they all had been like companions, no children, to him. David rumbled and offered a large sigh as he reflected upon his other life. He had lost his sisters in a car accident when he was still a teenager and the grief he felt now was comparable in some ways to that but more muted. Had he become used to loss or perhaps was it this world? He hadn¡¯t really had time to consider it but if he had the choice to return would he? Could he? He wasn¡¯t completely sure. If he was still five years old running around on the playground with his friends the answer would have been a hard no, being a dragon was a fantasy come true. The reality was that being the creature he was meant dealing with terrors, hardships, and loneliness that was hard to describe. He shook his head to break himself out of thought as the ceremony neared its end. He needed to focus on the now and survive. He and now his kobolds were in this together so he had to do the best he could to survive no matter the challenges or losses they may suffer. As he peered over and made eye contact with Blue she motioned to him that it was his time to speak. He stood tall and proud as he opened his large muzzle. His eyes took in the sight of the dozens of kobolds gathered and began, ¡°We were attacked but we fought back and won. Unfortunately, we will always be attacked. We must continue our path forward by preparing to the best of our ability. I cannot do it alone and you cannot either. Our greatest strength is each other and so raise your heads high because we will not falter. Tomorrow is a new day and we will keep pushing till the day comes that I, or any of my kobolds, will not have to fear what may become of their loved ones.¡± As he finished he let off a loud roar and the mass of his kobold¡¯s joined in. The next morning all of his kobolds were energized and seemed to be in overdrive. David attends to the eggs and uses his breath to force one to grow and then hatch. The population now climbs back to 33. His magical pores are still wide open and he can feel the subtle stinging of magic being pulled into his body seconds after expending his charges. He should be topped off by the end of the day and be able to push another egg to hatch then. In a few months the kobold¡¯s numbers will have doubled and whoever challenged them would be in for a surprise. Red was still hibernating, and by midday Blue was already chirping happily as she ran to show David a large chunk of copper they had just melted down from ore. ¡°Good. Now time to make some tools. Have you ever heard of mold casting Blue?¡± David grinned to himself as he recalled watching documentaries on how ancient bronze civilizations created tools and weapons using preformed molds. Blue¡¯s head cocked to the side, ¡°No. I am afraid I have not, Master.¡± David chuckled as he made his way out of the cavern with Blue following behind, ¡°Then let me explain it to you. We will need some kobolds willing to learn first¡­¡± A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 19 ¡ª Calesatris ¡ª Calesatris was tired and the trek had been long. As the bird flew it was only a few days'' walk but the different zigzagging paths and twists meant that the days turned into an almost full week by the time they had the way mapped. Icana, unlike Calesatris, was fit and well adjusted to these sorts of treks. Icana had given her a few looks of pity, but hadn¡¯t rubbed her lack of fitness into her face too much. As they neared a week trekking through the forest their pace had crawled to a standstill as they encountered a kobold. It was a cute little dragonoid-like creature and their kind were commonly in service of dragons. The people were not quite sure of the relationship but it seemed like they were the backbone of many powerful dragon¡¯s reign, while completely absent from the company of some of the most terrifying and powerful dragons in the records. This kobold looked healthy but still quite young. It was preoccupied picking up wild veggies and fruits and stuffing them into its little bag. Icana motioned for them to wait, and using sign language communicated that they would simply follow and watch this kobold in hopes it would lead them back to its own. The singular little kobold soon met up with others and then a half a dozen, guarded by a rather large and moderately armed kobold, headed back towards the towering mountains at the edge of the forest. The armed kobold seemed to have a mix of bone, and iron equipment wrapped around itself. A massive skull was acting as a sort of shield, as it sported a makeshift iron tipped spear in the other hand. It wasn¡¯t the largest kobold they had ever seen but based on how it guarded the group it wasn¡¯t lacking in talent. After a few hours they found themselves at the edge of the forest and peering out they both gasped in surprise. There was a cave a ways off and it was reinforced by wooden walls, and spikes aimed outwards. There were signs of a recent battle and many of the spikes and walls were in a state of damage but it appeared that the kobolds were in the process of repairing it. ¡°Calesatris, they are rather well organized. This cannot be good.¡± Icana frowned from the bush. Calesatris nodded her head and quietly motioned nearby, ¡°You see that? Those are bones. I would wager my life¡¯s work that those are dragon bones of some kind. The reason for the damage perhaps?¡± ¡°That is troubling that they can manage that but also those Wyverns have been an issue for a while. It is good news if they are thinned out.¡± Icana offered. ¡°I suppose it all depends on who or what replaces them¡­¡± Calesatris offered back as she pulled free a book and began to quietly scribble some notes, ¡°Let us sit and wait.¡± The pair nodded in agreement as they blended back into the bush, unseen by all around as Icana used her magic to further divert eyes from their little hiding spot. ¡ª Onyx ¡ª Time passed quickly once you were focused and monsters were not trying to kill you every moment of the day. Over the last week things had moved steadily and they had found a young kobold who was rearing to learn. She was aptly named, Blaze, and was obsessively perplexed and thrilled by fire. Once David and Blue explained the concept she was able to quickly begin experimenting with the hunks of copper ore. David was no expert but he knew that mold casting was a common method of using copper so they let Blaze test that theory to her heart¡¯s content. It only took her a few days to begin producing simple copper tools like an ax and hammer. They were by far the simplest of things to make and quite crude by David¡¯s standards but it was a start. The mushroom farm was thriving and coupled with the incoming food from the forest they were more than self-sufficient. Once this was confirmed David began using his affinity to force hatch eggs twice a day, and combined with a few that were allowed to naturally grow and hatch they had reached the number of 49 kobolds in a flash. In fact David had run out of eggs by the week¡¯s end, meaning David would need to be patient for the females to lay their next batch. While the kobold¡¯s did their jobs with gleeful determination it allowed David to focus his free time on helping Red. His healing breath didn¡¯t seem to do much for him as he was curled up in a ball in the depths of their cave. Blue pointed out that his hardened form and slight blue glow was much the same as David¡¯s own when he underwent his long metamorphosis. It only further reinforced David¡¯s theory about what exactly was happening to Red. ¡°Blue¡­ do kobolds change like dragons? Has it ever been mentioned by your elders?¡± He offered a rumbling chirp. ¡°Master. This is all new to me. I took an oath but¡­ when Red and I served under Qazayss it was all different. Unyielding. The way of life Blue -thought- was supposed to be normal.¡± She signed a bit. David considered her words and rumbled, ¡°I won¡¯t pry out of respect for both of you but I do hope this not quite normal life is better¡­¡± ¡°Oh. Yes it is Master¡± Blue gave a cheerful little smile back, ¡°I believe Red will be okay. This is new but I can feel his life still burning¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. David returned her smile the best his draconic features could emulate, ¡°I agree. He''s grown a lot and I have a feeling he will wake up soon.¡± David wasn¡¯t far off as the following day Blue came running to David with a gasp of glee. David had received a notification a moment before too and they quickly made his way down into the tunnel depths. Once he reached the chamber that Red was slumbering in he was greeted with a surprising sight. Red was standing about twice as tall as he did before. His muscularity was even more developed but he still resembled a kobold just super sized now. Once Red stepped forward to let off a happy greeting David eyes took in the sight of a pair of large, majestic red wings. Blue, now dwarfed by her mate, ran up and hugged him. Her head was planted against his hips as she let off a cheerful and confused little chirp. As Blue dotted over Red, David took a moment to peer back at his prompt and consider its words. Bonded Kobold, Red¡¯s evolution finished. Red has evolved into an Ascended-Kobold. The deeper magic of the kobold¡¯s blood has activated and one trait slot is available. David settled down on his haunch as he thought. Deeper magic of his blood might imply what he suspected after all and kobolds were related to dragonkind in some way. If he had access to traits then¡­ ¡°Blue! Wait!¡± David''s voice boomed as he stopped Blue dead in her tracks as she was about to hand over a large piece of meat from a deer-boar like creature discovered in the forest recently. ¡°What is wrong, Master? I am starving¡­¡± Red¡¯s voice echoed back with a clear crisp nature that he had lacked before. ¡°I understand Red. Trust me here¡­ Blue, do you still have the troll meat I asked you to preserve? If so, go grab it.¡± Blue nodded quickly to David¡¯s question before disappearing. Red approached with a grumpy look on his face. ¡°Red. Did you receive a¡­ prompt or message of some kind?¡± David questioned. ¡°Pro..m..pt? No. No message. I just feel the desire to consume flesh and something more¡­¡± Red answered honestly. ¡°Red. I have an idea and I want you to humor me.¡± David rumbled and motioned to Blue as she entered again carrying a pack of something. ¡°This is from that troll on the mountain. I want you to eat it and tell me everything you feel.¡± Red wrinkled his nose but nodded. He took the preserved meat and began to eat it. He immediately let out a groan, ¡°This tastes¡­. unpleasant Master.¡± Even though he complained he continued to eat. ¡°I am getting full, Master. It is¡­ tingling. I feel a sense of warm. I do not know how to explain it¡­ I feel a sensation that is asking me to accept or reject it? ¡± Red stared out somewhat confused. ¡°Accept it. Embrace it.¡± David commanded him. Red closed his eyes and not even a full minute later his prompt pinged him. Ascended-Kobold, Red¡¯s trait slot is filled. Accelerated Healing obtained. All trait slots filled. David offered a wide grin and then Red began to bend over in pain. His voice was deeper, stronger now as he cried out. Blue let off a gasp and ran forward trying to calm him. ¡°Blue. Careful. It will pass¡­ just give him space!¡± David reached out with a massive claw and held her back. Red struggled for a few minutes, and before long he let off a gasp of relief. ¡°How do you feel, Red?¡± David asked as he let his massive paw blocking Blue¡¯s way fall. She quickly darted to his side. ¡°Very, very good Master¡± Red rumbled as he stood tall and began to feel around his body. ¡°Let''s have a little mock fight then¡­¡± David chuckled as he turned and made his way out of the lair, Red quickly following after him. ¡ª Calesatris ¡ª Their observation had been rather boring as they watched the kobolds work. They seemed to have endless reserves of energy as a few individuals bounded in and out of the tunnels. She had started to doze off before being nudged by Icana as the black dragon they had suspected living here came forcing its way out of the tunnel depths. It was magnificent and Calesatris¡¯s hands darted to her drawing book to attempt to capture some of its beauty. The dragon was wholly unique among the ones she has personally observed. It was an almost pure black, full legged variant. Its body was large, extremely muscular and covered in thick spikes. It also sported a double pair of horns on its head. Icana was tense next to her, her hand on her powerful bow as she was fighting the urge to act. The black dragon moved among the kobolds and his interactions appeared to be¡­ cordial? It was an odd sight and not quite what she would consider the normal expected relationship. Then following behind the great dragon was something surprising. The pair both gasped lightly, ¡°That is¡­ no.¡± Calesatris quickly flipped through her book till she found the older account from her forebears. ¡°That is a Winged Kobold. They are rare, powerful and have only been spotted among some of the great Dragons over the centuries. How?¡± Calesatris eyes sparkled in amazement, and Icana simply gave her a worried look in return. The black dragon and the winged kobold both took to different sides of a dirt arena and stood facing each other. It appeared they were squaring off? The kobold, a magnificent bright red color, was handed a large skull as a shield and a wooden capped spear. The skull shield appeared small for the kobold but it seemed to be comfortable with it. ¡°A duel¡± She murmured to her companion. Kobolds began pouring out of the wood works to watch. Many more kobolds than she first thought in fact, and it appeared that most were still quite young. Fascinating. Very odd too. As the gathering finished settling in the pair squared off and then in a flash the large black dragon bound forward. The kobold dived to the side and instantly raised its shield, as the dragon¡¯s tail came slapping home with a hard thunderous boom. A thick spike protruding out of the tip of the tail had found a weakness in the kobold¡¯s defense and blood now pooled at its feed. Both Calesatris and Icana gasped a bit too loud as the deep cuts on the kobold¡¯s chest and arms began to slowly heal. The wound that would have slowed down even a veteran warrior sealed itself up in no time at all. Their gasp was a mistake and soon they found the menacing gaze of the large black dragon aimed clearly at their hiding space. Icana cursed lightly nearby as she began to weave and reinforce her hiding magic. ¡°Icana. I don¡¯t think it is going to work¡­¡± Calesatris felt a knot of fear build up in her stomach as she stared out at that horrifying dragon, eye to eye. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 20 ¡ª Chapter 20 ¡ª David was overjoyed that he was right. Once Red had consumed enough of the troll¡¯s flesh he had absorbed the trait himself and David had received a prompt confirming as much. He couldn¡¯t help but drag Red out for a quick spar. It took a full ten minutes for David to deactivate his magical pores but their duel started in earnest after that. David had struck first and fast drawing some blood from Red and was startled by how fast his new regeneration kicked in. His defensive skills synergized well with the trait since it didn¡¯t take long for the bleeding to stop. In fact with his Defensive Bulwark skill activated it seemed to speed up his new found healing factor. David was envious of Red¡¯s skills and their flexibility. It was a shame he couldn¡¯t access skills like his kobolds. As he was about to dive back in for a follow up assault his ears caught the startled gasp of something nearby. He paused, shifted and caught the glimpse of something faint inside the bushes nearby. As his eyes adjusted he was certain something was there but also wasn¡¯t there. He felt his mind being prodded at and the urge to look somewhere else tingled into the back of his mind. If it wasn¡¯t for the very audible gasp he had heard he would have easily passed it by. The sensation he was feeling reminded him of the shadow affinity Wyrm he fought in the depths of Ambass¡¯s tunnels over a year ago. ¡°Someone is watching us!¡± David let loose with a roar as he stared forward at the shimmering spot nearby. Red cocked his head and stared forward at where David was focused, he quickly shook his head to free himself of the same effects that initially affected David. A moment later he raised his spear and hurled it forward with an activation of his Spear Throw ability. The spear intersected with the nearby tree and split it in half, even despite its wooden capped top. The top halves of the tree split and fell down and in the same instance the hiding spell was broken. Two extraordinarily tall humanoids sprung up in shock. They were quite unusual looking, they were extremely thin where a majority of their body was long legs and equally as long arms. Their skin appeared more like tree bark than anything David had ever seen in his present and past life. They were clearly intelligent as the taller of the pair drew a long, menacing looking bow from its back and pulled back the string. Whatever it was made of it emanated power and a long blue magical arrow soon appeared as the string was fully drawn back. David¡¯s dragon scenes tingled, and he felt the scales alongside his back rise up on end as the arrow was let loose. David debated to himself for what seemed like eternity if he should move away for the sake of his own survival or do what he knew in his core was important. That eternity was in reality simply a split second before David''s massive forearm stretched out and intercepted the dangerous, radiantly glowing arrow. The impact was sudden, explosive and so very painful. David¡¯s mind and senses became overwhelmed as he couldn¡¯t think of anything but pain, pain and pain. As his large eyes finally focused Red had already taken off, bouncing upwards and then back down using his new wings. There was a large gaping hole in the middle of David¡¯s sizable palm now. Bone and gore could be seen oozing out as sunlight shined through the newly formed hole. His draconic instincts fought to take over as he turned back to the pair of humanoids as another blinding arrow impacted his chest. Scores of scales, and spikes shattered on impact and more blood went flying. David bit back the pain and growled out, ¡°Do not kill. Capture.¡± Despite this new found urges overwhelmingly telling him to kill he knew this was an opportunity for himself and his kobolds. The kobold¡¯s rushed forward like a wave, and as the pair of bark skinned humanoids turned to run they were greeted by the audible thud of Red landing nearby. His impressive size meant that he easily outweighed each one individually, even though he was still a head smaller than the shortest. He rolled to quickly recover his spear before it flashed twice in quick succession. David grinded his teeth in fear for a moment before he realized that Red had used the backside of his recovered spear, and not the now uncapped and deadly front. Both figures collapsed with an audible grunt of pain. ¡ª Calesatris ¡ª Calesatris groaned in pain as she fought to open her eyes. She had the worst nightmare that they were discovered and were fighting for their lives. It was horrible. As she slowly opened her eyes she let off a gasp and realized that her nightmare was reality. Oh no she thought. She quickly looked over and saw an awake Icana staring straight ahead in horror. Calesatris followed her eyes and quickly saw the menacing black dragon towering over the pair. Its horrific chest wound, and the gaping hole in its leg that Icana had inflicted were gone. It had to be some dark magic at work! She slowly glanced over. ¡°Icana¡­ are you okay?¡± Icana slowly looked over and nodded, ¡°I only awoke a few minutes before you and it has just been staring at me.¡± ¡°Has it said anything¡­?¡± She frowned. ¡°Yes but I cannot understand its tongue. You are the expert, right? Do you know its tongue?¡± ¡°I¡­ could try, yes.¡± She gulped heavily as she slowly reached into her side pouch, which prompted the large winged kobold nearby to shift his spear towards her. The dragon, to its credit, seemed to bark and chirp something at the kobold and it relaxed. Her mind picked at a few of the words she was able to recognize, ¡°hold¡± specifically standing out to her. Slowly she pulled out her book and began to flip pages till she got to a specific section on language. Looking up she read slowly up at the dragon. The tongue was rough and involved a lot of various barks, chirps, growls, and snarls. Tone was important and she figured she was butchering it as she finished the sentence. She had attempted to say, ¡°We are peaceful¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. A massive huff escaped the black dragon''s mouth and it rapidly fired some chirp towards the red kobold nearby. Calesatris¡¯s brain took a moment to try and dissect the words. She had never really had the chance to have a full conversation so she was surprised by the pronunciation of some words, and the way it sounded coming from the dragon''s throat versus her people¡¯s own. After a long moment she leaned over, ¡°Icana. I think it is asking us to¡­ prove it?¡± Calesatris blinked a bit in surprise. Icana blinked in surprise next to her then nodded, ¡°Can you tell her¡­ or him I have a gift of peace?¡± As Calesatris nodded and attempted to speak the words slowly, Icana under the watchful eyes of the large red kobold retrieved a vial of healing from her pack. Slowly Icana set it down in front of the great black beast and then slid back away slowly. The dragon leaned forward and its massive nostrils flared wide as it smelled the potion. Suddenly raising itself upright full the black dragon bellowed out a loud roar towards the direction of the cave. As both Calesatris and Icana fought back a panic from the sudden change, an older blue kobold came walking out of the cave system followed by a small horde of tiny little kobold younglings. Once the initial terror subsided, Calesatris bubbled in excitement as the scene before her. The blue kobold and the dragon spoke for a moment before the blue kobold approached. It took a long moment to examine them before bending down to scoop up the vial. Based on what Calesatris had read in her books she surmised that this kobold was female, as most tended to be. She quickly flipped a page of her book and found the words she was looking for as she grunted and chirped it over and over, ¡°heal life¡±. The female kobold popped the cap with a nod of understanding before glowing slightly with the activation of some skill. She then excitedly began to chirp and bounce around before tucking the vial away and dashing back into the cave. The black dragon then let off a chuffing sound that rocked its entire body. ¡°What is it doing, Calesatris?¡± Icana questioned as she side eyed her bow being held captive by a kobold nearby. ¡°I think¡­ it is laughing?¡± Calesatris blinked a bit. A moment later the massive black dragon placed a clawed hand against its own chest and let off a grumbling, roaring sound over and over. Calesatris laughed suddenly then too before turning to a confused Icana, ¡°It says its name is Onyx. Like the stone! I.. uh.. think we are okay now.¡± Just as she finished she turned to see the dragon¡¯s massive mouth open, and a mass of fog came roaring out towards them. Caleastris gasped in terror as she had clearly misunderstood something. ¡ª Onyx ¡ª David internationally scolded himself after his healing fog had finished clinging to and healing the pair of scrapped up humanoid creatures before him. He didn¡¯t quite expect their reaction to be so extreme, but in hindsight he could see how a massive dragon breathing his breath affinity on you would usually be a bad thing. ¡°Calm. Calm. Heal life.¡± David rumbled out, repeating the creature''s rather poorly spoken draconic back at it. After their initial terror they both calmed down and began to speak to each other in their own tongue. David could best describe it as a high pitched endless squeak with highs and lows, it was hard to describe and quite alien to anything he was familiar with back in his other life. ¡°Red. Give them back their stuff. Just be ready. Whatever that bow is, it is dangerous.¡± ¡°Master, are y- Yes master¡± Red almost objected but David gave him a firm look and he dropped it quickly. Red moved quickly and soon both of the tree people, as David has now decided to dub them, were speechless. After a long drawn out pause David rumbled in his tongue. ¡°Trade. We trade?¡± He repeated the words a few times before the smaller of the two nodded once again and the pair spoke. After ample time passed for them to speak, the smaller one, who introduced herself by a name David couldn¡¯t possibly pronounce, they agreed. Things settled down from there in a surprisingly quick amount of time. The swarms of younger kobolds came rushing forward and greeted the newcomers with awe and excitement. It was all of their first time seeing a new face that wasn¡¯t a fellow kobold. Mushrooms, fruits and some meats were produced and a small little circle was established. David quickly had his biases squashed as he saw the pair dive into the meat with equal gusto as his kobolds. David reasoned that just because they looked like tree loving people didn¡¯t mean they held the same beliefs as others he had known. David ordered for some of their copper ores and other collected materials to be brought forward. Blue returned shortly after, still quite excited. ¡°Master! This is a high quality potion. If we could replicate it, it would almost be comparable to your own affinity.¡± Blue chirped and cooed in excitement. ¡°Study it then and we will see what we can learn.¡± David turned back to the pair and spoke slowly, ¡°Teach us how to make heal vials.¡± He repeated his words over and over before the smaller of the two spoke. ¡°No teacher. Must ask¡­ olds?¡± She repeated a few times. Blue had to fight back a slight snarky laugh at the ¡°olds¡± but David kept a straight face and simply nodded. ¡°You owe Onyx for injuries.¡± He rumbled back. The pair blinked after taking a minute to understand his words. They argued back and forth for a few minutes before the smaller one once again nodded. ¡°We insist olds help. Swear. Apology. Forgive.¡± The bark skinned folk repeated a few times as David stared down at them menacingly, finally David nodded his massive head once more. ¡°Success and you will be forgiven.¡± David chirped back a few times. The pair shared a look before smiling up at him and nodding enthusiastically. ¡°Take something.¡± David motioned to the heap of goods laid out in front of the pair. They spoke rapidly to each other in their foreign tongue before the taller one motioned towards the long curved rib bone of the recently slain Wyvern. David murmured to himself as he considered, they were interested in the dragon bone. He figured they might be since it might carry some of their original owner¡¯s affinity, or be used in some concoctions like in fantasies of his childhood? David mused to him, maybe they had their own witches? Finally he dipped his massive muzzle in acknowledgement and the bone, along with some crude refined copper chunks were passed between them. The bark skinned folk produced a few more vials and other trinkets to Blue¡¯s delight, including a crude map, before the evening continued. Eventually after long hours of discussion and inquiries they finally departed, promising to return soon. David was going to ask about the Wyvern that Red had slain but decided against it in the end. He figured its fall had to have caused some damage on its way down, so best not to open a fresh wound in their talks. He would miss the chance to explore what traits it had available though and he let off an internal sigh as a result. Some sacrifices had to be made. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 21 ¡ª Calesatris ¡ª ¡°I have heard stories of some being rather indifferent to us but nothing quite like that. I admit I almost got us both killed.¡± Icana frowned as the pair continued their trek back home. ¡°This Onyx was rather¡­ different than he first appeared. I was certain we were goners but instead he showed us mercy.¡± Calesatris nodded back, her mind split between the conversation and her book as she scribbled in as many details about their encounter as she could remember. ¡°I was certain that I could take it with the Elder Bow but even that failed in the end. Has there ever been a recorded dragon with such an affinity?¡± ¡°None that the People have encountered but we are also not like the Others that spread themselves through every corner of this world without care. Who knows for certain?¡± The pair talked and traveled for many days sharing their insights, and conclusions. They both agreed that this Onyx was a unique dragon in more than just its affinity and that they should capitalize the chance to formalize some kind of agreement while they could. Icana was still somewhat ashamed that she had reacted so violently initially, but Calesatris reassured her that Onyx did not appear to hold it against them. After many days they found themselves deep enough in the forest to feel the warm embrace of the Elder¡¯s influence, and the pair were able to step back into a linked tree straight back to their town¡¯s embrace. ¡ª Red ¡ª The wind rebounded against his large wings as he soared over the canopy of the forest. His body still throbbed and hurt from his transformation. Concepts, ideas, and images bombardment him while he had slept but he always felt a deep unspoken connection with his Master. His mind had expanded as a result too and he now felt like he could speak with his beloved Blue as something nearing an equal now. She seemed overjoyed by it too in their few moments to rest and talk. He dipped and pivoted around in the air back towards their lair. He had followed the pair of bark skinned folk out a fair distance from above till the thick tree tops made following impossible. The air, and the sky felt like his natural home already. His body trembled with its new potential as he felt like he could do almost anything now. It took a while but he eventually found his way back, landing with an unpracticed thud and stumbling a bit. His children were running around working on their different projects as he slowly made his way down into the depths of the cave. He stopped to check on each of his children as they pursued their crafts or worked in the fields. His one massive skull shield now was almost embarrassingly too small for him, and his spear was now destroyed. He had picked up a makeshift one modified from some Orc weapons but he wasn¡¯t satisfied with it. After socializing for a bit he made an effort to go hunt down Blaze. His daughter had already started pursuing her new art with gusto and as Red squeezed himself into her small workshop he was already impressed. ¡°My daughter, how is the process going?¡± Red chirped as he pulled a copper hammer from a nearby shelf on the wall to examine it. His eyes took in the detail of the copper and its construction. ¡°Copper is better than nothing but it is¡­ poor compared to iron.¡± Blaze chirped as she peered up at her father and beamed a small smile, ¡°Master said we have to work with what we can find first.¡± ¡°Master is wise. These tools are better than no tools. Blaze I require a new shield and weapon.¡± Red set the makeshift spear and shield against a nearby wall. ¡°Master beat you to it father. He asked me to work on a new shield for you. The spear on the other hand will take some time. The iron one you have is best for now.¡± Blaze then motioned behind Red, ¡°There is first version father. Blue¡¯Green did most of it! The back is all wooden, and I topped it with copper for reinforcement.¡± Red removed the covering from over the top of the shield to reveal a crude but effective round shield. The insides were solid hardwood, and a copper lining was hammered into place around the outside. It was hefty and considerably more heavy than his bone shield but he had no doubt it would hold up better. The best thing of all is it covered his entire center mass with ease. Red let out an audible grunt of approval before turning to Blaze. ¡°Absolutely beautiful, my girl!¡± Red beamed with delight and Blaze chirped happily at the praise. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. After examining a few more of her developing projects he made his way out to go speak with Master. A short walk and some conversations with his offspring later he stumbled upon Master and Blue staring down a piece of leather. ¡°Master¡­. Blue is everything alright?¡± Red cocked his head to the side as he approached. He towered over Blue but was considerably more towered over by their Master and was amused at the mental image. His Master let off a deep rumbling chirp as he answered, ¡°Everything is alright Red. Ah I see you have your new shield. Good. Blaze works fast.¡± His Master waved him closer, ¡°Come. This was given to us by the bark skinned folk. It is a map.¡± ¡°What does this look like to you Red?¡± Blue chirped softly up to Red. As he peered over her shoulder he took in the sight of a rough piece of leather with black ink painted or stained into the material to reveal a map of sorts. It was crude and basic but curiously it had points of interest marked at a few locations. ¡°Did they say what this is Master? It just has¡­ animals printed in certain spots around the massive forest and mountains?¡± Red wondered if they were animals he could eat or not. ¡°They said it was a hunting map for different prey.¡± His Master rumbled back with a massive dragon grin, ¡°Apparently these are main nesting and breeding grounds for different creatures in the area. They asked us to be mindful about over-hunting but I also think they were trying to make up for their attack.¡± ¡°More food is good!¡± Red cheerfully cried, and Blue gave him a sweet smile in return. ¡°My dear it is more than just food. These are potential growths for Master.¡± Blue held that warm smile as she stared up at Red. ¡°We are going to go hunting¡± His Master bellowed in glee as he slowly stood up. ¡ª David ¡ª Blue and Red had both spurred the clan into motion to build up a proper and permanent saddle for David. The idea was that this saddle would be able to carry enough of their kills back home, and also carry a few kobolds along for support. Their first saddle they made back in the cave was just tied together wood scraps, bone, and ligaments for rope. It was basic and had only survived the first few flights. This new design was now incorporating all the talents of his little kobolds into one. Blue, Blue¡¯Green, and Blaze all stepped up to the challenge. Blue¡¯s alchemy skills had advanced at a rapid pace and she was able to produce some heavy duty adhesive from some of the nearby trees, some various minerals and some applications of her affinity. Blue¡¯Green helped build the foundations of a sturdy frame using his carpentry skills. Blue¡¯s glue, and Blaze''s newly crafted copper nails and bindings helped seal everything together nicely. They also used leather strips and the glue to finalize the saddle and seal the outside from the weather. The whole process took a few days and David had to endure a few too many measuring sessions for his liking but it was his request they were fulfilling afterall. On the day of their little expedition David was faced with a small situation he had to resolve first. David let off a sigh, ¡°I know you both wish to go but I cannot take you both. One of you has to stay and lead the clan.¡± ¡°I agree Master. Red you must stay.¡± Blue smiled warmly up at her mate. ¡°Blue¡­ I am most fit to help Master in battle if something goes wrong!¡± Red objected with a puff of his chest. ¡°Red¡­ Dear¡­ you are staying. That is exactly why you need to stay! You are the strongest, second only to Master.¡± Blue shot back. David watched the exchange with amusement and already had placed bets on who was going to win. They ¡°discussed¡± their points back and forth and in the end the victor was the one who David was certain was going to win from the start. Blue had won the argument but only on the condition that Red¡¯Blue went along as well. ¡°Good. I think that is a fair compromise. If this map is accurate I do not think we will be gone for more than a week. Go fetch Red¡¯Blue and once I am fitted I will be ready.¡± David quickly concluded the meeting. He made his way out of the caves where they were talking and settled down for the fitting. Compared to his first saddle, this one was impressive looking and sturdy. The fitting took almost a half an hour to make sure the straps, fittings, and padding were all centered properly. Food and supplies were loaded on and then last minute checks were completed. Blue and Red¡¯Blue both came out to meet him shortly after, each having their own bundle wrapped around his shoulders. ¡°Are you both ready? Blue do you have the map?¡± David rumbled to the pair. They both nodded, ¡°Yes Master, I have the map. Did you have any idea where we wanted to go first?¡± ¡°I was thinking we should head to the cluster nearby bordering the forest. It seems to have three different markings in that area. We can check each out and decide what we are going to hunt first. How does that sound?¡± Red¡¯Blue simply nodded his little head as Blue beamed a smile at David, ¡°Of course Master! Brilliant as always.¡± David couldn¡¯t help but shake his head, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at Blue¡¯s constant praise. She meant well but sometimes it got a bit overbearing. He quickly motioned for them to approach and climb on. Red¡¯Blue secured his weapon, shield and other gear into the saddle and then assisted his mother in securing her own. They each had their own leather ¡°seatbelt¡± that David had insisted be installed. Each strap was treated and reinforced so they wouldn¡¯t have any trouble keeping the kobolds in place in case he had to make some emergency maneuvers. With confirmation from his new passengers, and a passing word to Red to keep an eye out over everything David took a running start before leaping into the air. The heavy weight of the saddle was noticeable, but his robust and muscular frame didn¡¯t have any difficulty in adjusting. His speed was definitely reduced but if luck and skill was on their side they wouldn¡¯t need speed this time. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 22 The air was refreshing, and David felt at home in the sky once again. His new ¡°backpack¡± was still not perfectly fitted to his frame, and after flying for hours it had begun to rub into the softer spots of his joints. While it did make him uncomfortable the backpack was ultimately a win in David¡¯s book as the whole construction was impressively sturdy. The kobold¡¯s were extremely adaptable to such an extreme degree that he had no doubt they would put humans to shame. He had noticed a downside though the longer he spent with his kobolds. They all became obsessive, and objectively mediocre at most other things. They each became specialists in something, and he hadn''t seen them branch out their talents beyond their speciality except in the case of Blue. He rumbled to amusement to himself as he continued to glide along, lost in thought. The soft tap on the back of his head shook him free from his day dreaming as Blue chirped up. ¡°Master! We are nearing the first location. It appears to be a large roundish creature in the drawing?¡± Blue murmured softly as he handled the delicate map. David let off another chuckle at Blue¡¯s description and nodded his head. ¡°I believe it is near the clearing ahead. It appears to be grassland of some kind¡­¡± David rumbled as the forest began to thin out in front of him and the approaching grasslands stretched for many, many miles. The grass was long and green with life and he could already smell and see large dots of life in the distance. As they neared a massive herd of the deer-boars dashed away from David¡¯s soaring position and then pivoted to dash into the dense tree cover of the forest still nearby. ¡°Oh. Master I have never seen them in such numbers before. Food must be more plentiful out here.¡± Blue chirped happily, and Red¡¯Blue nodded in agreement next to her. ¡°Perhaps but¡­ we won¡¯t be able to catch them at thi- Ah! Look!¡± David stretched out a long clawed hand to point at a lumbering beast in the distance. It was quite massive compared to anything else he had seen so far in this world. It was about the size of an elephant, give or take, but that is where the comparisons stopped. While it shared the same size of an elephant David could best describe it as an extremely hairy, supersized armadillo that had massive bladed ridges running down the length of its long, armored tail. ¡°Master¡­ I am not sure this one is wise.¡± She murmured as they neared closer. As they pressed deeper into the grasslands they realized quickly that there wasn¡¯t just a single one of these creatures, but a whole herd. David quickly found a spot near the large herd and landed with a firm thud. He kept his distance as he watched out for the creatures to react. He was glad he was cautious as the herd reacted immediately and began to form a semicircle, the younger individuals being shifted to the middle of the group. ¡°Master. Not confident.¡± Red¡¯Blue chirped from David¡¯s back. ¡°I agree with you. Their hide looks thick, and they have those bladed parts on their tails and on their head. If there was just one I outmass it enough that we could carefully handle it but I can¡¯t take on a whole group. Blue?¡± David rumbled as he sized up one of the larger individuals facing towards him, making a ruckus. ¡°I could blind one but I am not confident my magic could even burn through that hide.¡± Blue said with a heavy sigh. David let off a rumbling laugh, ¡°Do not worry about it Blue. This is a scouting operation more than anything. Take some notes and we will observe. These creatures will be something we consider in the future.¡± David slowly and carefully created some distance between them. The further he got the more relaxed the herd became, and it did not take too long before their defensive circle dissolved and they took off deeper into the plains. Blue took some notes and David provided some details he noticed. Red¡¯Blue also noted a few potential tactics they could attempt in the future too. All said and done they retreated to the edge of the forest and settled for the night. They dug into their supplies and ate a generous amount of mushrooms and dried meat before the sun disappeared. David curled around the pair of kobolds and they slept. They each took their turn on watch but as expected David¡¯s massive black appearance and smell drove most of anything far, far away. By the time morning came there had been nothing to report. Red¡¯Blue, who happened to have the last watch, ate his breakfast and curled up for a nap in David¡¯s saddle. They made the decision to keep it strapped to his back during the night and while it wasn¡¯t ideal or perfectly comfortable he had come to barely notice it. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. They left the long grassy plains and turned to explore the second point of interest closest to their location. After a short flight David and the pair landed in an open meadow in the middle of the forest. The perspective from the ground was a stark contrast from the view from the sky. David was dwarfed by many, many monstrous trees breaking free from the canopy of the more average sized trees around them. As he settled down in the grass he peered around curiously, and Blue began to double check the map. The silence was almost too eerie as they settled down and let the long minutes pass. Just as David was about to open his muzzle and speak something twirled up one of the nearby trees in a flash. Red¡¯Blue was on alert as his spear went flying as his Spear Throw skill activated. His skill was far less impressive compared to Red¡¯s but still deadly accurate nevertheless. A loud thud echoed out as Red¡¯Blue¡¯s spear cracked against a nearby tree. The spear struck true and the flailing, whirling long length of the pinned creature became easier to see. David rumbled out, ¡°Well done Red¡¯Blue. Your father would be proud.¡± ¡°Your mother is certainly proud.¡± Blue chirped out shortly after as she padded her son¡¯s shoulder. David lumbered forward to inspect the still squirming creature. Reaching out with a massive clawed hand he wrapped the tip of claws around the creature''s head and ended it with an audible pop. As its death throngs ended David took a long moment to examine it in detail. The creature appeared to be a large snake except it had a half dozen small limbs underneath its bulk. Each limb had long fingers, or toes, attached to them and were tipped with long nasty looking hooked claws. It was extremely alien even to David¡¯s recent experiences in this world. Reaching forward he took a bite and was rewarded with a pleasant flavor of rich meat. Arboreal Tree Snapper slain. David enjoyed the flavor, and shared the rest of the snapper with the others. Unfortunately, there was very little meat and it wouldn¡¯t satisfy him. ¡°Do you think we can catch more?¡± David rumbled to the pair as Red¡¯Blue retrieved his spear. ¡°There are more but it would take some time.¡± Red¡¯Blue chirped in response. ¡°Master. Based on what we know¡­ I am not sure we can get you a trait from these creatures within our planned scouting trip.¡± Blue added in. David let off a sigh as he knew she was right. As he was about to respond a new scent hit his nostrils, and his draconic senses caused his skin and scales to rise. He quickly flipped around and let off a snarl as he stared forward at the face of another dragon across the field. It was a deep green Wyrm that was staring forward at him with wide eyes, a tree snapper inside of its jaws. David stood tall to show off his true size, which made the Wyrm appear small. Blue and Red¡¯Blue both let off a little gasp and prepared for the worst. Just as David was about to speak he was surprised by a feminine chirp escaping the green¡¯s lips. ¡°No threat¡­ Sibling¡± The green Wyrm rumbled out as she was clearly prepared to bolt in a moment''s notice. David also spotted a small kobold riding upon her back. David was taken aback a bit at the Wyrm¡¯s words and soon something about her scent clicked in his brain. He was reminded of his initial experiences inside of Ambass''s chamber and OH! The deep green wyrmling that was his ¡°sibling¡± from the chamber. It was the only other one to take a pair of kobolds as companions before running off. Which would explain the kobold he saw now clinging to her. ¡°Sibling. Yes. You were there with me inside the chamber. I believe you¡­ snarled at me when I tried to speak with you.¡± David rumbled back after a moment. The green shifted its stance before rumbling softly again, ¡°Yes¡­ Long time ago. Do not eat.¡± ¡°Calm yourself. I am Onyx. I have no desire to hurt one of my kin.¡± David chirped back before sitting on his haunches and letting his large wings lay flat onto his back. He tried to make himself as unthreatening as possible. David hushed the kobolds on his back as he thought about the possibilities. An ally would go a long way in this world and even if she was just a Wyrm she would eventually become something more. ¡°On¡­yx¡­ Onyx.¡± The green wyrm hissed out before peering back up at David, ¡°Leave. My hunting.¡± David squinted his eyes at the much smaller dragon for a long moment as he pondered her words. Why was she still a Wyrm? Did he really progress fast for his kind? They were both born at the same time and yet she was still just a Wyrm. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. ¡°Yes. I will leave but sibling¡­¡± David snarled and raised himself high, causing the green¡¯s eyes to go wide in panic, ¡°remember this exchange. We will live and so will our kobolds. No fighting. ¡° David then pointed into the distance towards his lair, ¡°Onyx lives in the mountains in this direction. Find me someday and we will exchange goods?¡± ¡°Goods¡­? Yes. Leave.¡± The green looked confused but nodded it''s smaller head as it eyed David cautiously. David sighed a bit but decided it would be best to come back later with a gift. Slowly, and under the watchful eyes of his sister he slowly took off and then soared up and up away. ¡°Master, was that wise? That could be a future enemy?¡± Blue chirped from his back as they soared higher. ¡°Blue, she could also be a future ally. By the time she becomes something more it will be at least another three hundred cycles, or days, no? Most likely more. By then both the clans and my own power will be fleshed out. I do not think we need to fear her for now. We will keep an eye on her.¡± David shot back. Red¡¯Blue gave a little amused huff from the back as Blue nodded, ¡°You are very different, Master.¡± A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 23 David chuckled to himself as they continued their journey and glanced back at the pair of kobolds to make sure they were secure. Blue gave him a chirp and a smile and as David turned back he considered how he trusted her more than he trusted his friends and even some family in his previous life. He still wasn¡¯t quite certain if he should tell her more of his origins. He knew deep down that he would have to reveal his truth to her sometime but the uncertain nature of it all kept him from fully bringing it up. A conversation for another time but one he had to have soon. Their next location involved them heading back towards the plains, and then following the border of the forest towards the outlining mountains. These mountains were connected to his own mountains by hundreds if not thousands of miles of mountains that twisted around the border of the endless forest. It would take two full days for them to arrive at the location so after the first night David took some time to spar with Red¡¯Blue. Their duels lasted a few hours and while he was no Red, he was still quite good. David complimented Red¡¯Blue and laughed at the little grin plastered across his face for the rest of the day. Their second day in the air Blue had brought up her affinity and began probing David for his thoughts. ¡°Blue, you have done more with your affinity than I think most individuals would have thought. Why do you need my input?¡± David rumbled back as they glided through the sky. ¡°Master, I value your input and well¡­ you are filled with the most unusual of ideas!¡± Blue beamed back at David. David responded with a rumbled laugh that shook his entire black, sleek form, ¡°You are allowed to say weird, Blue. Though I appreciate you softening the blow a bit by calling it unusual¡± Blue gasped, ¡°I would never Master! Please accep-¡± ¡°Blue. Stop. I was teasing you.¡± David rumbled as he shook his head and then continued, ¡°You have already figured out your light affinity is more than just a source of light. Blue, what is light?¡± Blue murmured a bit, ¡°It allows you to see. It is what the sun gives us!¡± ¡°Good. I want you to think about it deeper. What happens if there is no sun?¡± David chirped back as he slowly neared their destination. ¡°Can¡¯t see. No cave plants die?¡± ¡°Correct. In many cases the cavern plants would die in time too if there was no sun.¡± David offered back. Blue blinked, then gasped, ¡°Is light¡­ life?¡± Murmured a bit. David grinned wide, ¡°In a lot of ways it is yes. It is important to life. You have already figured out how to condense it into something deadly, there is power there. That power fuels this world in ways that¡­¡± David paused for a long moment to consider how much he should reveal to her, ¡° ¡­ we do not quite understand.¡± Blue squinted at the back of David¡¯s head for a long moment, ¡°Master, I am not sure I understand completely but I know there is truth to your words. Thank you.¡± ¡°Of course Blue. Take your time. I believe strongly that any affinity has uses far outside what most people realize. You just have to open your mind.¡± David rumbled back with a nod and a chuckle. He could think of a few more ways to use her affinity but was curious to see what she discovered. When they finally reached their destination it was a stark contrast to the mountains they were used to. The forest butted up right to the edge of the mountains and there were simply cliffs everywhere. If David didn''t have wings he wasn''t certain he could find a route on foot to the top. As he neared the top of a nearby cliff he spotted a massive shadow nearby that startled him. Peering up he saw an ominous shape lingering in the skies above, and soon he realized it wasn¡¯t just the one. His dragon danger senses weren¡¯t tingling as he settled down on a nearby rock face. He quickly rumbled and pointed out the winged creatures to his companions. Blue and Red¡¯Blue both gasped in excitement and the trio watched curiously. Eventually one swooped down close enough that they could figure out these winged creatures had feathers, and enormous wing spans at that. David wouldn''t quite call them birds but it appeared they had a massive pair of large wings and two smaller pairs of secondary wings sticking from above and below the primary pair along the length of the creature''s body. They cross examined their map and soon realized that these beasts were their target. ¡°So these creatures are what we are after. How are they huntable for the bark skinned folk?¡± David mused to the group. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°They had their affinity sticks they hurt you with?¡± Blue offered. David chuckled a moment, he never got around to discussing what bows were to Blue, ¡°Most likely. They can make versions that don¡¯t use magic and just shoot sharpened sticks.¡± Red¡¯Blue cocked his head at David for a moment, ¡°Do not see how those are effective Master¡± Blue padded Red¡¯Blue shoulder, ¡°Some things are far more dangerous than they first may appear my son¡± Red¡¯Blue nodded his head in through as David spread his wings and leaped up, and then began to climb higher and higher into the sky, ¡°Blue what is your range on your magic?¡± ¡°Few hundred paces Master. We would still need to get fairly close.¡± Blue chirped back as she clung onto the saddle. The bird thing noticed him before long and it rapidly rose higher and higher to maintain its distance. David sighed in frustration as he fought to catch its pace, he had a feeling that these creatures were faster than him. They were clearly lighter as well and were not showing any signs of struggling to keep their distance. ¡°Master, do what you do with father?¡± Red¡¯Blue perked his head. David thought for a long moment before rumbling back, ¡°I threw Red quite a way using my tail and it was a close thing. I am not sure I am comfortable doing that again.¡± Blue huffed a bit as she chirped, ¡°Master, I think I can speak for us both when I say I will do as you command. I also do not wish to be as bold as my dear mate.¡± David let off an amused chuff at Blue¡¯s comment but followed it with a huff of annoyance as he glared up at the creatures, ¡°Let us change our strategy.¡± David pivoted and landed in the nearby forest, wandering into the depths of the brush and trees till most of his form was obscured. ¡°We need to scout.¡± David settled down onto the ground as he glanced back at the pair, ¡°I am too obvious. We need to find out how they live, and where they nest.¡± Blue and Red¡¯Blue nodded and the trio formulated a battle plan. Red¡¯Blue and Blue took turns scouting out the local area. It only took a day before Blue was able to figure out some troubling news. They appeared to live in the deep, deep depths of the mountains and high up. Their massive wing spans allowed them to glide unimaginable distances and Red¡¯Blue wasn¡¯t too confident they could track them back to their nests anytime soon. David considered that like some birds back home they could travel for days or weeks before returning to their home turf. It was on the second day the Ah-hah moment occurred. Red¡¯Blue observed that these creatures seemed to be drawn to nearby rotting, smelly meat and corpses. By sheer luck Red¡¯Blue had stumbled upon one of them swallowing the bones and rotten meat off of a long dead deer-boar. David had laughed, and almost giggled in glee. They were vultures! Well¡­ whatever was this world¡¯s closest thing to vultures. They were long range carrion feeders. After that they quickly came up with a new plan and captured some game of their own, stripped it of most of the meat and enjoyed a nice meal together. Then the bones, and remaining flesh was left near the cliff sides. It didn¡¯t take long for one of the creatures to take notice and after a long wait it came soaring down to attempt to quickly gulf down the remains. It was an odd creature for sure. David took the moment to observe it as its scaled flesh, six wings, and finger-like feet all stood out as being extremely alien to David. The only thing that it did possess that reminded it of a vulture was the naked neck, simply covered in small scales, and the impressive flesh tearing beak on its face. As David admired the oddity Blue and Red¡¯Blue sprung their trap. The bright light of Blue¡¯s blast blinded, and burned the creature to the point it couldn''t fly away as her son struck next. Red¡¯Blue¡¯s spear hurled through the air and swiftly ended its life in a flash. The bird critter smelled foul, but surprisingly it tasted not nearly as bad as it looked. Carrion Prowler slain. The scaled beasts, now known as Carrion Prowlers, carried more meat than David initially thought. Most of the meat was thanks to the thick muscles at the base of each wing, as the body itself was thin and consisted mostly of scales and thin hollow bones. One wasn¡¯t enough though and the trio repeated their hunt over and over. It took a few days and the Prowlers were catching onto their tactics so catching them became more difficult. The latest one that they were able to catch was by sheer luck. Red¡¯Blue¡¯s spear was set loose in frustration and had missed the prowler hovering high above but it passed by close enough to startle it into dashing its brains against a nearby rock face as it tried to suddenly flee in a new direction. David mused to himself about how one mistake could end everything. That was how the world worked sometimes and David wasn¡¯t going to complain when things worked in his favor. As he consumed his fill he felt a sense of fullness that he had been chasing for the last few days and his body began to tingle. Suddenly his prompt flashed in front of him as it had many times before. Carrion Prowler slain and trait available. Carrion Sensory - Your sense of smell becomes so acute you can pick up smells from ten times your current capacity, especially that of death. Your stomach also becomes further reinforced to eat carrion that would be lethal to most. Your toughness as a result of your reinforced intestines and stomach increases by 2. Carrion Sensory trait available. Absorb Y/N? David began to laugh and rumble out loud as he slammed the accept button as fast as he mentally could. He was hoping that this would be the trait he would be offered. It was exactly what he needed, and what he desired second only to the magical pores trait that he was offered from the scout wyvern. David¡¯s laugh soon turned into tortured pain as he thrashed, and slammed into a nearby tree. He felt like needles were tearing through his stomach, and then his nose. The connecting nasal cavities felt like they were being torn apart all the way up to the base of his brain. A painful stabbing sensation to the base of his brain caused him to rock and crash to the floor. As the pain subsided his nostrils flared wide and his brain suddenly lit up with an overload of information that he struggled to comprehend. A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 24 ¡ª Calesatris ¡ª Calesatris let off a groan as she sat back down in her seat alongside Icana. Their return had been a time of celebration and endless questions. It didn¡¯t take long for the shock of what they revealed to shake the community. Celebration turned into doubts, speculation, and most important investigations. Both Icana and Calesatris now were tied up in their 6th council review. They spoke of their actions from the moment they left the city, to the moment they returned. Every word was dissected, every detail pried from their brains, and everything they brought back from their trades confiscated. ¡°Calesatris and Icana we have reviewed your story with the elders. We even came into contact with your Master, Calesatris¡± Dionaea, the council head, pronounced to the pair. Calesatris¡¯s eyes widened in shock and awe. She really missed her master and would have given up anything to have that conversation herself. Calesatris could not help but stand up as she spoke, ¡°What did Master Azollae say?¡± ¡°Please sit Calesatris. I know this is a shock to you but let me finish ¡° Dionaea glared at Calesatris till she sat, clearly annoyed at being interrupted, ¡° Now¡­ Elder Azollae spoke of his experiences. There were only three recorded cases that he could recall. One was a young Wyrmling that was desperate, friendly, and disappeared shortly after a meeting with one of the other people. The second was a great serpent dragon passing through, it was moderately agreeable but accepted a sizable ¡°bribe¡± from us to continue on its way. Both of which are clearly in our records.¡± Calesatris nodded her head eagerly, she had studied each case thoroughly in her youth, but she wasn¡¯t aware of this third case? ¡°Now the third case is one that dates back to the beginning of our history. It is not something we share but it involves a dragon becoming understanding to our cause after transforming from consuming some of the Eldest.¡± Dionaea shared with a frown. Both Calesatris and Icana let off a gasp and looked at eachother. ¡°What does that mean exactly¡­?¡± Icana spoke first. ¡°It is not something we speak of lightly. The eldest of those times were consumed by a dragon that seemed to be adept at penetrating their defenses and fending off the people. It changed the beast in the end. It is a completely unique case within our colony¡¯s memories. Based on what you have provided though, this is not the case with this Onyx.¡± Calesatris nodded and murmured a bit before speaking up, ¡°What happened with this dragon?¡± Dionaea frowned, ¡°We do not know.¡± Icana spoke up then, ¡°So will we be taking up Onyx on its offers of trade and communication?¡± Dionaea squinted at Icana for a long moment before offering a slight nod, ¡°There has been much debate but the Elders and the councils are in agreement finally. We will proceed with caution but Elder Azollae willfully and passionately convinced the rest of the Elders to have Calesatris lead the effort.¡± Calesatris gulped a bit but nodded, ¡°It would be my honor.¡± ¡ª Ambass ¡ª Ambass shook his head as he floated up to the hidden caverns and hiding holes at the top of his nursery lair. The last batch of brood had been sent on their way and he shook his head with a heavy sigh. This would make it his one hundred and forty second batch he had overseen personally. Eventually his bindings with Qazayss would come to an end but till that day came he would continue to labor away at his duties. He hisses and let off a sinister sounding laugh to himself as his body illuminated the darkness of the chamber. He knew deep inside that Qazayss would never let him go. Once she had her talons in someone she never let go. His sinister little laugh echoed throughout the chamber as he humored at the helplessness of his own situation. Ambass hissed once more as he slowly pulled himself out of his own spiral of self doubt. Time was always on his side. A rippling pain struck him suddenly, and his face contorted as he thrashed around in his little hole. He felt the all too familiar pull and emotions of Qazayss materialize in his mind. She was calling him, hurrying him to her lair, and speaking of action. His beautiful wings spazzed as he shook his head to clear his mind. The image, and the intentions behind the message were quite clear. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Oh. The Great Brood Mother wishes to go to war. Lovely¡­¡± He mused to himself as turned to make his slow climb out of the depths of his lair, and headed towards the calling song of the one who had him bound. Ambass let off a crazed little laugh as he was glad at least that this would break away from the monotonous duties of protecting the younglings. He simply hoped that whatever the Brood Mother had in store didn¡¯t result in his death. ¡ª David ¡°Onyx¡± ¡ª As the pain subsided, David¡¯s new enhanced nose started to work overtime. He could smell everything and it was overwhelming. His dragon sense of smell was already extremely acute but now his new trait had turned that up ten fold. He could smell, and almost ¡°feel¡± the direction of where each of their kills happened. The residual blood, even days old, still made his nose tingle. He was even certain of at least four spots in the depths of the forest, miles away, where a relatively fresh kill had happened. David blinked and glanced at his new prompt. David ¡°Onyx¡± Manning - Otherworlder Species: Lesser Dragon Str: 25.5 (28.5 Jaw) Int: 14 Speed: 10 (Flight Speed: 12) Toughness: 18 (16 w/ Magical Pores active) Affinity: Life (6/6 Charges) - Fine Motor Control Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost Healing Breath (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Lingering Regeneration (Singular Target) - 1 Charge Cost Lingering Regeneration (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost Rapid Growth (Singular Target) - 5 Charge Cost Traits: 5/6 Condensed Musculature Rupturing Jaws - Death Roll Ability Thagomizer Defenses Magical Pores - Magical Spores Open/Close Carrion Sensory While it wasn¡¯t a dramatic change to his stats or granted him an active ability like the others it was a powerful utility. It was a toss up between this trait and the eye sight trait but he wasn¡¯t going to complain about his choice. He shook his head clear of the prompt and glanced over at his two kobolds. They were both on edge but they were used to his outbursts by now when gaining a trait and were simply looking at him with worry. ¡°Master, are you alright?¡± Blue approached as he settled back down. ¡°I am just fine, Blue. I believe our mission is a success here. How about we head back soon?¡± David rumbled back softly. He stood back on his four powerful legs as he took some time inhaling and exhaling slowly. His brain continued to explode with sensory overload as he stood there. He was adjusting fast though, but had little doubt that he could navigate just using his nose in the future. On their journey home they were able to capture a few deer-boar and strap them to his back for the clan. Blue and Red¡¯Blue had also been busy throughout the scouting operation and gathered bundles of herbs, grasses, plants, and fruits. Blue was particularly excited about brewing new recipes for the clan. The flight back was an entirely new experience. David could smell and feel the life below him in the forest as he could smell blood, running water, fresh dirt being kicked up into the air, plants being chewed on, and more. The information was a lot but his brain was slowly adapting to it all. He could focus in on a particular scent and pinpoint the rough direction it was coming from and if he continued to sample the air he instinctively could refine the information to something more precise. After practicing for most of the trip David quickly picked up the familiar scent of his kobolds as they neared close to his lair. David was truly impressed by the distance he could smell things. He would need to do some more testing, and while he doubted it was as powerful as having enhanced sight he would be able to pick up on dangers he otherwise wouldn¡¯t be able to ¡°see¡± in the future. He weighed the pros and cons of his choice in his head as they drew closer to their lair. As they got close enough for Blue and Red¡¯Blue to see the mountains they began chirping in excitement, and suddenly something unseen slammed against David¡¯s senses. He let off a violent, and sudden gasp as he began to spasm in the air. He simply started to fall and fall fast. Blue and Red¡¯Blue both acted in an instant as they each pulled on one of the straps wrapped around David¡¯s wings. David shook free from the spasm as quickly as it hit him and he fought to right himself, Blue and Red¡¯Blue both letting off a heavy sigh as David¡¯s wings corrected and they started going back up. ¡°Master! What happened!?¡± Blue yelled out, still in shock. ¡°My mother is calling¡­¡± David rumbled as he stared forward at the prompt now blinking in front of his eyes. Qazayss the Brood Mother¡¯s debt is being called. You must answer. ¡°Qazayss!¡± Gasped Blue as she made a sign and lowered her head. Red¡¯Blue gave his mother an unusual look before glancing at David. ¡°She''s calling me back to where she nests. I can resist it for now but I know that if I push it off it will be back¡­¡± David peered back at the pair. ¡°Once we get back we need to settle things quickly. I am going to have to go alone.¡± David growled in frustration. David really didn¡¯t like the unexpected, but he didn¡¯t regret his choice by taking Red and Blue with him. He just didn¡¯t expect her to call the debt so soon. David cursed to himself as his eyes were drawn to the distant outline of the mountains looming back towards where he was ¡°reborn¡±. Damnit.