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.

— Red —

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.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

— David “Onyx” —

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.