Dragon Heart Chapter 2 (original chapter Chapter 120)
The Next Day
Finding out that I had been asleep for about a day was something of a shock to me. Mostly because I rarely slept that long, save for when I was sick or knocked out. Then again, my body was that of a baby of my new species, so I guess that explained it somewhat…?
The first thing I did was check my Status screen.
Draconic Name: None
Common Name: Taylor Hebert
Species: Greater Dragon
Subspecies: Proto-Dragon
Growth Level (1/5): Hatchling
Level: 1
To Next Level: 35%
STR: 28
DUR: 30
AGI: 27
INT: 27
WIS: 30
LUK: ?
Current Status Effects: None
I blinked owlishly. Had my physical stats really been boosted to an average of thirty across the board? Seriously? I guess that even baby dragons were as strong as hell.
For breakfast, I went and at about half the number of gems that I'd eaten yesterday. It was easier with my strength not limited by that [Newborn] special status. As I ate, I mused that I was taking this whole reincarnation business far better than I should have expected.
'Then again, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it's a duck…or a dragon in this case.' I thought sardonically. Once I was done eating a screen popped up.
Skill [Bite] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!
Huh…so I can level up this skill just by eating? Talk about a convenient loophole. I'd actually better have a look at what my skills do, despite the fact that they were fairly self-explanatory.
[Bite] (Instant) [LV2, 00.23]
The bite of a dragon is rarely something that someone will go through twice. Generally speaking, that is because they either die or run away afterwards.
- Deals non-elemental Piercing damage equal to [STR] minus 15.
[Claw] (Instant) [LV1, 98.99]
The claws of a dragon are uniformly razor-sharp and are as strong as steel, even as babies. It is a foolish adventurer who confronts a dragon without some magical armor to ward them off.
- Each swipe of the user's claws deals [STR] +5 non-elemental Slash damage to enemies.
- Can also act as improvised digging tools.
[Tail Smack] (Instant) [LV1, 00.00]
A dragon's tail is not only a tool to direct them while flying; it is also a useful weapon for dealing with enemies. A modestly large dragon can send armored knights flying with a single swipe of their tail.
- Each strike deals non-elemental Bludgeoning damage equal to the user's STR stat.
[Scaly Skin] (Passive) [LV1, 50.00]
A trait found in lizards, lizardmen, Wyverns, and all species of Dragons. Their scales are as hard as metal and act as a layer of armor to protect them from both the elements and attacks from enemies.
- All locations count as being covered in light armour with a value of 10.
Huh…that was pretty interesting…especially the fact that, for some reason, my [Scaly Skin] skill was halfway to Level 2 without me having done anything about it. I'd have to investigate that later. For now though, I had better have a gander outside to see exactly what the territory my 'mother' had taken in her last hours looked like.
Pattering cautiously out of the cave, I had to blink rapidly to adjust to the difference in light. Once that happened, my eyes widened. Stretching out beneath me was a lush valley full of plants and the sounds of animals. Immediately beneath the cave that I had emerged from was a modestly big ruined city.
'Holy hell.' I though. 'Mom really picked one hell of a place to nest up.'
Peering at where the mouth of the valley was distantly visible, I could just barely see a fortress surrounded by a large curtain wall blocking access in or out of the valley. It looked fairly new when compared to the ruined city beneath me. Was this place quarantined or something?!
Shaking my head, I dismissed the concern for the moment. I couldn't smell anything sickly on the breeze, so until I saw something that screamed 'PLAGUE!' to me, I'd work under the assumption that this was some kind of holy site or forbidden ground that only people of a certain rank were permitted to enter. The defences, from what I could see, were all designed to keep people out rather than keep something in, so that backed up my theory so far.
There was a path, an animal trail really, leading down the mountain from my cave to the base of the city's curtain wall. I noticed that there was a surprisingly large number of breaches in the wall, meaning that someone had likely besieged the city and at the very least had penetrated the outer walls.
I had to wonder if the undead were a thing here.
Later
Inside the Ruined City
I wish I'd never wondered that!
Why you might ask? I'll tell you: because the entire city is swarming with weak-ass skeletons! All I'd done was poke around in a house and they swarmed me like ants!
Being somewhat familiar with swarm tactics, I beat feet out of there. I made it to the rooftops by using my claws as ersatz climbing tools and, fortunately for me, it seemed as if there was no overseeing controller directing them.
[DING!]
As a result of a specific action, you have created the skill [Climbing Talons]!
[Climbing Talons] (Instant) [LV1, 00.00]
When you can't fly, what's a dragon to do? Use your talons as climbing aids, of course! Of course, depending on what you're trying to climb and what your strength is, you may or may not be able to climb it, but that's why you experiment to find out!
- The use of [Claw] adds ½ experience gained by it to this skill and vice versa.
- Hardest Substance you can climb: Limestone
And then there was that. I could apparently create skills with my actions. Useful information, but I could have done with a less dramatic way of finding that out.
Further prodding at the skeletons proved that biting them and slashing them was pointless, whereas using my tail to smack them was very effective. Very soon, I'd taken down like twenty of the things and then…
[DING!]
You have gained a level! LV1-LV2!
You gain +2 STR.
You gain +2 DUR.
You gain +3 AGI.
Skill: [Scaly Skin] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!
Skill: [Tail Smack] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!
You gain Skill: [Draconic Vision]!
[Draconic Vision] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]
Most Greater Dragons have exceptional eyesight and are able to notice the smallest flaw in a diamond at a glance. As this skill becomes higher levelled, the user will be able to perceive the flow of magic.
- 1% chance to spot enemy weakness.
- 10% chance to spot item of value in surroundings.
I shifted as my scales itched and fell off, replacing themselves with new, harder ones to reflect my new level of [Scaly Skin]. Oddly enough, the scales dissolved into dust as they fell from my hide. Odd that.
Flexing one of my claws, I looked around the street I was in, which looked as if it had once been a market of some kind before it had been ransacked. The skeletons were all adults, thank god, but I was certain I'd come across kid skeletons at some time. When a city of this size it put to the sword, no kids dying during its fall is unlikely to say the least.
All of the skeletons that I'd seen so far were covered in the rotting, ragged scraps of what looked like ordinary clothes. Where were the city's soldiers? Up on the wall? Behind the inner city's wall? In the palace atop the central hill? And where were the enemy soldiers? Even if the invading army won and withdrew from the city, there should still be a few forgotten corpses walking around. No army back during the swords and cavalry period was completely meticulous about corpses, even of their own army.
This continued to puzzle me as I wandered through the town bashing skeletons into pieces. The EXP gain from these things was really, really low. After destroying something like a hundred and twenty of the stupid things, I was barely up to 40% of the way to Level 3. On the other hand…
[Tail Smack] has levelled up! LV2-LV3!
[Tail Smack] has levelled up! LV3-LV4!
[Tail Smack] has levelled up! LV4-LV5!
[Scaly Skin] has levelled up! LV2-LV3!
[Scaly Skin] has levelled up! LV3-LV4!
Skill: [Rough Scales] has been derived from the numerous uses of [Scaly Skin] and [Tail Smack] in concurrence!
[Rough Scales] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]
The scales of some dragons can be turned rough and sharp during combat, resulting in increased damage to their melee attacks. At higher levels, the scales can even cause damage to those who attack the dragon.
- Adds +1 to the damage of the [Tail Smack] skill.
- Other applicable skills will be added to this skill when created or learned.
My tail was really kicking ass around here, wasn't it? It had also grown slightly thicker and longer, I think. Weird.
I paused in my wanderings at the gatehouse. One of the gates still hung from its hinges, while the other had been blown to smithereens, with only shredded remnants of wood clinging to the metal hinges on that side. What the heck could have caused that kind of damage? Not even modern weaponry on Earth Bet could cause such damage so precisely!
Slowly, I cautiously pattered up the steps into the gatehouse proper and found the first soldier zombies; they were wearing rotting leather, steel open-face helmets and carried wooden shields and short spears was weapons, some of which were barely there anymore. Still, they were harder to take down; apparently they retained some small amount of their military training and fighting instincts, which I discovered by being shield bashed by the first one I tried to attack head-on.
Being almost thrown out the door by a skeleton is damned embarrassing.
As such, I came up with the novel idea of ambushing the bastards from above, by using [Talon Climbing] to walk across the ceiling before dropping onto isolated skeleton warriors from above with a powerful [Tail Smack]. The best and quickest way to defeat these skeletons, as I had found out, was to destroy their heads. Whatever necromantic force was animating them was evidently concentrated there, wh9ich made destroying that part of them essential.
As such, my skills grew apace.
[Climbing Talons] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!
[Climbing Talons] has levelled up! LV2-LV3!
[Claw] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!
[Tail Smack] has levelled up! LV5-LV6!
[Scaly Skin] has levelled up! LV5-LV6!
[Rough Scales] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!
[Rough Scales] has levelled up! LV2-LV3!
As a result of repeated actions, the skill [Ambush] has been created!
[Ambush] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]
As an apex predator species, the Greater Dragon is known for its cunning and ability to stalk and attack its prey with ease. While in their juvenile and younger states, however, they are forced to rely on very much more sneaky and careful avenues of eliminating predators and hunting prey. Their skills at ambush, when combined with their naturally strong bodies and natural gifts with the elements and magic, frequently lead to a target being taken down so swiftly they fail to realise that they are being attacked at all.
- Adds +1 damage to any attack dealt to an enemy which is unaware of the user's presence.
- Adds a further +1damage to an attack as described above, that also strikes at an enemy's vulnerable points.
This has really been a very productive day.
What is irritating though was that my newly draconic mind has been bugging me to find something for my hoard. Seriously, it's practically whining like a kid begging for candy!
Doing my best to ignore the nagging feeling that I needed a pile of gold coins to sleep on, I continued smashing skeletons. Finally, I came across one that was dressed differently to the civilian and basic soldier skeletons. Clad in rusting chainmail and carrying a sword as large as it was tall, the large skeleton stood out on the parapet, overlooking the area outside the city gates. At a guess, it was the remnant of a gate captain or an officer at least. The better equipment than the run-of-the-mill skeletons proved that much.
I didn't hesitate to retreat at the sight. With it outside, I couldn't use my [Ambush] skill with any degree of certainty and I lacked any ranged skills thanks to the fact my subspecies was [Proto-Dragon]. Discretion was the better part of valor in this case.
An unexpectedly good idea, as I discovered the first thing I could possibly class as 'treasure' in the room that must have been for the commander of the gate guard. It was a large golden helmet mounted on an ordinary metal stand. The helmet was solid gold as well, I could tell that just by looking at it, but I leapt up on the desk and sniffed it, tapped it and thoroughly examined it as well. No doubts about it; it was a veritable uselessly gaudy helmet.
Perfect for being the first piece in my treasure hoard, in other words.
It had to weigh more than I did though, but when I grabbed it in my forepaws, I was able to pick it up easily! And there were no issues about weight overbalancing me with it either! What the heck?!
Deciding that this was an excellent time to retreat back to my cave, I proceeded to head back the way I had come. Unlike in an actual game, it seemed that, thankfully, respawning was not a thing here. I was still careful to make as little noise as possible as I scurried through the streets with my stolen bounty.
By the time I made it back to my cave with the helmet, I was exhausted. Setting my first piece of treasure upright on the floor near the back of the cave, I was surprised when I was once gain confronted with screens popping up in front of me.
You have acquired your first piece of treasure for your hoard! Title: [Beginner Hoarder] acquired!
You have acquired the [Helmet of Goldfine]! As a reward for your first piece of treasure, you receive an automatic level up and a skill related to the type of treasure you acquired!
You have gained a level! LV2-LV3!
You gain +3 STR!
You gain +3 DUR!
You gain +2 AGI!
You gain +2 WIS!
You gain +1 INT!
As a reward, you have received the skill [Skull Bash]!
[Skull Bash] (Instant) [LV1, 00.00]
Dragon bones, even those belonging to Lesser Dragons, put the hardest of metals to shame in terms of solidity and resilience. By using magic to enhance that trait, a dragon can turn a simple headbutt into a powerful strike that can pulverize armour and shatter shields and weapons.
- Requires 20 seconds to prepare.
- Once activated, the head area gains +20 armor, lasting thirty seconds.
- The next time the user makes a headbutt attack, the attack gains +20 Non-Elemental Bludgeoning/Piercing Damage.
- Any armor, shields or weapons struck by this skill has their durability reduced by an additional 5 points, with a 1% chance to have the Durability reduced to zero.
[Helmet of Goldfine]
Treasure – Tier 3 Rarity
A helmet of solid gold gifted to the Goldfine Family in recognition for their contributions to the safety and security of their kingdom.
I blinked at that before the quest from before popped up and updated itself to show that gathering my hoard would usually reward me with EXP, but the first treasures of each Rarity Tier would garner me skills. I would also receive milestone rewards for gathering a certain amount of treasure for my hoard, as well as completing sets.
I tried to grin, but it didn't quite work with the shape of a dragon's jaw, but I made the effort anyway. This was a good reason to gather a hoard aside from the ridiculous draconic compulsion to do so.
But before I worry about that…time to have dinner. Another dollop of gemstones, thank you very much!
Same Time
Lord's Study, Castle Embracer, City of Kalvin, Panadol Province
"My Lord."
Amicus Caine, Head of the Caine Family and sitting Lord of the Panadol Province, looked up from the paperwork before him at the footman who had just entered. "Yes?"
The servant bowed. "My Lord, Captain Bruce requests a meeting. He has information that you requested, so he says."
"Does he indeed? And where is Tibbens? He was on duty to act as a runner today, if memory serves." Caine stated.
"He fell ill, My Lord." The footman bowed again, somewhat nervously. "Ate something that disagreed with him, by all accounts."
"Hm. Very well. Send Captain Bruce in." the noble nodded.
With another bow, the footman left quickly. Within two minutes, Captain Bruce entered the room. The two men were a study in contrasts. Whereas Lord Caine was of average height and build, Captain Bruce was tall and built solidly. Caine wore fine clothing befitting a man of his exalted rank and station, whereas Captain Bruce wore tough leather clothes with metal armor that was plain and unornamented.
"Matthew. Did you come here straight from patrol?" Lord Caine asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Aye Lord, I did." The Captain was in charge of the ordinary soldiers of the Panadol Province, but his position was usually one that would be held by a noble of modest rank rather than a commoner. He had earned his position by saving the life of then-Heir Primus Amicus Caine, and had more than earned it in the decade since.
"I presume that you have a good reason for it, so let me hear it." The noble tilted his head to the side curiously as he spoke.
"The High Bishop of the Inquisition's sent a group of Crusader Knights this way. They'll be here in three days." Bruce said gruffly, reaching into his belt pouch and withdrawing a sheet of parchment, holding oy out to his Lord.
Far more calmly than he would be expected to under the circumstances, Lord Caine took it and quickly read it. It said exactly what Captain Bruce had said, plus exact troop numbers and the identity of the Knight-Captain in charge of the squad.
"Sir Myles of Guin…the infamous Smiter." Caine twisted his mouth into a moue of distaste. "What a troublesome man to have come to my province."
The Divine Church of the True God was the only permissible religion in the entire Divine Empire of Trusk and as such had immense temporal and political power. The Inquisition, headed by a High Bishop, was in charge of stamping out heretics and nonbelievers within the borders of the Empire. Their militant arm was the Knights of the Order of the Just Crusade, or Crusader Knights for short.
Lord Caine had little in the way of fondness for the Church, but was forced to pander to them because of their nigh-untouchable position in the hierarchy of the Empire. Sir Myles 'The Smiter' was a zealot who took any offence directed at him as an attack on Mother Church and reacted accordingly. The number of supposed 'heretics and unbelievers' that he had slain was well into the triple digits, although Caine believed firmly that the number of actual heretics and unbelievers he had come across was less than a hundred.
"I see." He said after a moment. "Kindly spread the word to the Town Guard, the Country Patrol and the Order of the Huntress that we will be receiving less-than-welcome guests in the near future. Subtly, mind."
"Of course." Bruce nodded. "Milord, what is it you imagine that the Crusaders are here for?"
"The Reincarnation Phenomena, I would imagine." Caine replied, sitting back in his seat thoughtfully. "The Arch-Prelate received a Revelation two years ago that various people would be reincarnated on our world from another. All would be powerful; all would bear watching, for one among them slew a God before dying. That, quite naturally, sent the entire Holy Cee into quite the frenzy, as you might imagine."
"A God Slayer…!" the Captain breathed, eyes wide. "I can imagine!"
"Were it possible, they would be pushing His Divine Majesty to declare a Crusade against the reincarnators, but alas, they lack any firm ideas as to where they might be, for the most part. I personally know of three, all outside the Empire. None are human, instead reincarnating as demi-humans and other monstrous races. A Steel Golem, a Flesh Golem and a Shadow Demon. If the Crusaders are indeed here to search for a Reincarnator, then they are sorely out of luck."
"M'lord?" Bruce blinked.
"Panadol is the largest single province in the Empire, Matthew." Caine replied patiently. "Not only that, we were formerly the location of the Imperial Seat, so they cannot risk pushing their limits with me too much, for the Imperial Family would not take well to it. Not only that, we have six mountain ranges in Panadol, Matthew; the Cole, Landsea, Blooming, Bloody, Eden and Moonrise mountain ranges. Searching every nook and cranny of the province for a moving target will take years, if not decades. On top of all of that, there is one location that even the Crusaders will not go to…the old Imperial Seat in the Cole Mountain Range."
The warrior before him nodded his understanding. The first Capital of the Divine Empire, Malvin, had been put to the sword by a rebellion lead by the then-Archbishop in charge of the Inquisition four centuries ago. Unluckily for him, the Imperial Family had escaped and the rebellion had been put down, harshly, with the Church's power waning like it never had before, with the Inquisition's leader permanently demoted to a High Bishop afterwards, preventing them from making doctrinal policies, merely enforcing what was made doctrine by the Council of Archpriests.
In addition to that, the Imperial Family had abandoned the Old Capital, leaving it as a silent monument to the lives lost during the Pyre Rebellion, and forbidding any member of the Clergy from setting foot in the valley in perpetuity.
"Do you think that The Smiter will try to go there?" the Captain asked with a frown.
"No, no." Caine smirked with a wave of his hand. "The Church shuns the site of their greatest disgrace. Archpriest Pyredaemon's rebellion was entirely his own doing, not the unified will of Mother Church, but they feel the shame nonetheless. They made it an excommunication-worthy offence to go to Malvin's Deep."
The first Emperor of the Divine Empire had been named Malvin, and the original Capital had been built in the valley where he had grown up, over the burned-out husk of his village. That had been over six centuries ago.
"So there's no way for the Church to investigate that area?" Bruce blinked.
"If his Divine Majesty and His Holiness both sign off on it, then a limited investigation is possible." Caine replied with a frown. "A limited investigation meaning a single squad of Crusaders and a limited timeframe."
A squad of Crusader Knights was twenty men strong and typically included both mages and warriors wearing enchanted armor that allowed spells to be cast by the one wearing it.
"Well, I had better be warning the city that those idiots care comin'." Captain Bruce said gruffly. "I'll report to you again when everyone's been warned, M'Lord."
"Thank you, Matthew." Lord Caine nodded benignly. "I trust you to ensure the city is prepared for anything that the Crusaders can throw at us."
"Sir!" the Captain saluted sharply enough that would bring a proud tear to the eye of drill sergeants the world over before leaving his Lord alone with his thoughts.
The noble reached over and uncapped the oil lamp sitting at the corner of his desk, releasing the naked flame. He put the letter to flame and dropped it into a metal bin at his side that he kept for such things.
"Reincarnators…why are you coming here…?" he mused aloud.
…this became a lot more involved that I had planned, but damn, my fingers were on fire when I wrote this chapter!
For your information, the isn't set in the World of Destruction that Tales of Berseria and Tales of Zestria are set in, nor is it based on D&D, aside from the idea of Chromatic Dragons. Not their morality though; dragons are like people in this world, each individual and with their own morality. Later. And please don't ask about other stories in the reviews.