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.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

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.