Zhaire gagged, nearly throwing up the expensive elixir he had just consumed. The taste was vile, tasting both like spoiled meat and metallic. Unfortunately, the taste was the least of its effects. He felt an intense pressure throughout his body, followed by an agony that exceeded anything he had ever felt, even with his Feel No Pain trait active. Both sensations intensified as his internal organs shifted around and expanded. His muscles were stretched to the point where there were numerous pops, like a rubber band pulled too far.
It didn’t get better as he felt something growing near his throat. He felt something explode in his neck, sending blood spraying with each beat of his overworked heart. He struggled for air but only managed to produce wet gurgles. It lasted for what felt like an eternity, and Zhaire was sure he would have suffocated entirely if not for his system-improved physique. Eventually, the wound closed over, encasing his new organ.
His heartbeat kept increasing until it reached a rhythm that should have been impossible. Eventually, it proved to be too much, and he felt his heart spasm and then burst. He was sure his body was dying, unable to survive without a heart. However, he should have died instantly, but he was still self-aware. His blood kept circulating, powered by the mana from his core. His core had also changed, having expanded and started spinning.
Despite his immense agony, Zhaire smiled, or at least tried to. If he could survive his heart being utterly destroyed, what could stop him? Now that he knew he could survive the ordeal, the pain felt less substantial, a minor nuisance that would eventually subside.
He wasn’t sure how long the transformation lasted; it felt like days, but it could have been mere moments, with his awareness of the outside world completely cut off. The moment the changes stopped, he felt himself being submerged. Pain blossomed anew as the healing magic poured into him, knitting his body back together. It would have been excruciating by usual standards, but after what he had just gone through, it was little more than an irritant.
He eventually surfaced and saw the world through new eyes. A myriad of onlookers had gathered around the pool, many of them the priests who had watched over the spring. Caroline glared at him with indignant rage, while Sylvi just looked amused. Imri studied him clinically, trying to discover what Zhaire had gained.
Heritage Rank Up Human E to D Human has improved to Draconic Hybrid
Draconic Hybrid 2F Primary Attributes Strength .55% (+.35%) Agility .35% (+.2%) Constitution .5% (+.25%) Intellignece .1% (+.05%) Willpower .25% (+.15%) Charisma .1% (+.05%) Secondary Attributes HP 1% (+.6%) FP .5% (+.3) MP .2% (+.1%) HP Regen Rate .8% (+.3%) FP Regen Rate .5% (+.3%) MP Regen Rate .2% (+.2%)
Base Strength increased to 152 (+7) Base Agility increased to 130 (+4) Base Constitution increased to 137 (+5) Base Intelligence increased to 90 (+1) Base Willpower increased to 117 (+3) Base Charisma increased to 99 (+1)
New Achievement
Supernatural Being 1: One or more of your primary stats has exceeded the limits of what is naturally possible for your species.
.15% Primary Attribute increase/rank
Primary Attributes Strength 218 (+34) Agility 165 (+15) Constitution 186 (+20) Intelligence 100 (+3) Willpower 146 (+10) Charisma 114 (+3) Secondary Attributes HP 696 (+252) FP 429 (+110) MP 162 (+21) Attack Efficiency 571 (+165)
New Trait Gained Draconic Elemental Affinity, Fire (2F): Gives you an affinity for fire. Increases the rate at which fire-based abilities are learned by 5%. Increases the efficiency of fire-based effects by 5%. Increases resistance to fire by 15%. Grants innate Fire Breath.
New Skills Gained Draconic Form (2F): Improve your physical stats temporarily, allowing you to possess a more significant portion of a Dragon’s physicality. Improves effectiveness of physical attributes by 5%. Enhances other Draconic Heritage abilities by 7.5%. This can be used 1 minute/10 constitution/day. Fire Breath (2F): Produce a gout of flame from your mouth. Base mana efficiency for this effect is based on constitution. Mana cost varies based on the temperature of the fire and the area of effect.
Zhaire grinned as he became aware of his new abilities. It was mind-boggling how much was gained from a heritage tier. He was now even more proud of his Tier Above achievement and was confident that the alpha would have been significantly easier to defeat with his current abilities.
As he had hoped, Zhaire had gained his first mana ability. While he wasn’t going to shift his fighting style completely, it was nice to have more to do with his mana than simply charging items. However, he considered his Draconic Form to be the most significant change. A five percent boost to all his physical attributes was nothing to scoff at and would make him an even more potent melee combatant for one or two fights per day. The fact that it also improved three other abilities was just as significant.
“I don’t know how you're alive, let alone smiling, after that ordeal. Your heart literally exploded, but you're still alive. How does any of that make sense?” Caroline asked.
“I guess I can survive without it for a short time,” Zhaire said nonchalantly.
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“Don’t think you’re invincible; you were at single digits for health. If you hadn’t been immediately dunked into a potent healing natural treasure, you would have died in seconds. I don’t know if I could have even saved you,” Emelia said.
“I got it,” Zhaire said, waving off all their concerns. He noted that Imri and Sylvi hadn’t been among those to lecture him. He suspected they might have done something similar. Imri likely would have taken a small risk if he understood his chances of success. Sylvi would have done the same, though she would only take the risk if required.
Tentatively, Zhaire stepped out of the spring. Despite his improved attributes, he struggled even to walk. His stamina and mana hovered just above zero and likely had been depleted when he passed out.
As he climbed out, he noticed that he again towered over everyone. Even Imri, who had been around his height after his evolution, was now a couple of feet shorter than him. Zhaire guessed he was about two and a half meters tall, making him comparable to some of the smaller Ogrog, though still well shorter than the alpha. His muscles, already well-defined and toned, were now on another level, with veins popping out everywhere. Despite appearing bulky, they were compact and powerful, giving Zhaire a ridiculous strength-to-body weight ratio. Given his new height and bulk, his weight wasn’t anything to scoff at.
His skin had also changed, reverting to its normal pre-integration texture. He was now indistinguishable from an average human, albeit almost 9 feet tall and powerfully built. However, Zhaire could still feel his Draconic abilities working just below the surface of his skin. With a thought, he activated his Draconic Form. Almost instantly, his body transformed. His entire body was covered in the familiar scales, though they now had a tinge of burnished red. He could also tell they were more resilient than they had been. In addition, he now had a powerful tail extending from his back to the ground. He intuitively knew how to use it and benefit from its balance, like it was a limb he had always possessed. He could even feel ridges where wings would eventually form, though he would likely need another heritage rank to gain them.
Zhaire smiled a toothy grin as he felt his teeth grow to fangs. Some of those gathered had instinctively stepped back, subconsciously mistaking him for some kind of monster for a split second. Despite the reaction, Zhaire remained in his Draconic Form, as the attribute effectiveness offset the adverse effects of the evolution by a small degree.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t test his new fire abilities, as his mana was utterly spent. He understood how it would work, but that wasn’t the same as actually getting to burn something. He also felt that, with some work, he could learn a few fire spells. He might ask Avery about it. However, he wouldn’t become a mage; he would need to learn spells that complemented his melee fighting style.
Zhaire was just starting to feel well enough to begin hiking back to Celestia, when he felt something brush against his mind. He steeled his mind for a battle of wills, refusing to let the entity gain control over him.
‘Little one, you would need to train for centuries to have even a chance of resisting me. However, fear not, this is not an attack,’ the being sent telepathically.
Zhaire didn’t know what to make of this, but he instinctively knew the creature wasn’t bluffing. Fortunately, the creature’s mental voice hadn’t seemed hostile. Instead, it seemed to explain things slowly, like a parent talking to a child. Still, Zhaire didn’t relax; if they were as powerful as they suggested, they wouldn’t mind communicating while his guard was up.
‘Yes, yes. Keep your defenses up if it makes you more comfortable; I don’t mind,’ the creature said.
‘Like I would trust someone who invaded my mind and reads my thoughts. This is probably some Azala trick,’ Zhaire thought, assuming the creature would get the message.
‘I’m not digging through your mind like a common parasite. I’m only reading your surface thoughts. If you weren’t a hatchling, it would be easy to direct your thoughts,’ the creature thought slowly, still treating Zhaire like a child.
‘So, if you’re not an Azala, what are you? And how are you doing this?’ Zhaire asked.
‘I’m what your species calls a Dragon, and my name is Corrolth. It should be obvious based on the timing, but I’ll spell it out for you. I have an ability that allows me to communicate telepathically with other dragons. Your evolution apparently qualifies,’ Corrolth sent.
‘Suppose I believe you. Why are you contacting me?’
‘Curiosity, mostly. However, there is a slight chance we might be able to help each other. I’m only awake now because I felt a shift in the ambient mana. I can sense mana flowing from a point near you as if you're standing right next to the planetary core. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that?’
‘I have no clue, but I know someone who might,’ Zhaire admitted.
Zhaire looked at the gathered crowd, many of whom were looking at him with concern. While the conversation had taken only seconds, but from an observer's perspective Zhaire had simply stopped what he was doing and stared off into space. The only reason their wasn’t more concern was likely due to the assumption that he was reviewing one of his system notifications.
“Does anyone know if there is a dragon nearby? It’s currently talking to me telepathically,” Zhaire explained.
‘I’m close, only about sixty miles away, as you humans measure it. However, that’s not important. Ask about the mana,’ Corrolth interjected, their tone tinged with impatience.
Zhaire sighed and relayed everything the dragon had told him. Judging by Imri’s thoughtful expression, he knew exactly what the creature was talking about.
‘Bring him to me!’ the Dragon mentally shouted into Zhaire’s head the moment he recognized Imri knew something. Zhaire immediately felt compelled to do as the Dragon asked. ‘Sorry, I got a bit carried away. I sometimes forget how feeble a tier 2 hatchling can be. Please, bring this Imri person to me.’
Zhaire got the sense that it was trying to be polite. If he refused, it might compel him to do it anyway. Hopefully, Imri wouldn’t be willing to meet with the beast.
‘I am no beast. Hurry up and convince Imri. I mean him no harm and only seek to converse with him,’ the Dragon sent.
‘And I’m not little, but you didn’t hear me complaining,’ Zhaire thought back.
‘You might be big for a human, but that barely registers from my perspective. I certainly wasn’t referring to…’
‘Do you want me to help or not?’ Zhaire cut the Dragon off.
‘Yes, yes. Get on with it,’ they thought impatiently.
It turned out that Zhaire didn’t need to convince Imri; the mage’s curiosity had him ready to seek out the Dragon immediately. However, they did need to persuade Emelia.
“How do you know this isn’t some kind of trap? Maybe the Dragon just wants the world core and will take it the moment you're within striking distance,” Emelia pointed out.
“Then why hasn’t it done so already? If it's so powerful that I stand no chance of even escaping, then I’m not sure what ignoring it accomplishes other than pissing it off,” Imri countered.
They continued arguing for a while, but eventually, Emelia gave in on the condition that she come as well. This started another argument, with Imri being concerned for her and the baby. The entire time this happened, the Dragon was silent, patiently waiting for the outcome. Emelia won this argument easily, making Zhaire wonder if this was what she was after the entire time.