— Red —

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.

— Onyx —

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.

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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…