A soft exhale from Aridan drew Kaiden’s attention away from his Status screen. Aridan’s eyes met his, a look of wariness on his face. “You just selected the class, didn’t you?”

Kaiden simply nodded in reply.

Aridan leaned back slightly, “Well, what’s done is done,” he said, a resigned acceptance in his tone. “I just hope that your class remains undiscovered for as long as possible.”

“There’s something I want to show you soon, but first, let’s check out the skills I’ve received.” Kaiden said, eager to explore the capabilities of his class, Kaiden navigated through his Status and opened the skill screen.

Skills

Name

Rank

Dragon Blood

1

Dragon Scales

1

Elemental Talons

1

Elder Dragon

1

“Only four skills.” Kaiden murmured, his voice tinged with disappointment.

“Every class only provides four skills.” Aridan explained, reassuringly.

He immediately brightened. “Oh, is there a way to get more?” he asked.

“You can hold up to a maximum of twelve skills,” Aridan explained, the flicker of the lamp casting shadows across his face as he spoke.

Kaiden’s brows furrowed in contemplation, “And once I’ve acquired twelve skills, I can’t obtain anymore?”

Aridan nodded, “You have the option to replace the skill if the need arises. Additionally, skills can be merged and evolved, freeing up space and creating more powerful abilities.”

Kaiden nodded, the gears of strategy already turning in his mind. All he needed to do now was see what his abilities did, then he could focus on developing himself.

At least once the class was selected the System provided more information, looked at the skill screen and opened the top skill.

Dragon Blood

Passive

You carry the lifeblood of dragons; improves health regeneration.

Kaiden shared the details of his newfound ability with Aridan.

Aridan gave a nod of approval. “Regeneration is a top-tier ability. The higher-class ones can even regenerate limbs once they’ve reached high enough ranks.” He remarked.

“I just wish the System gave more information.” Kaiden complained.

“Relying heavily on the System for information is no substitute for being able to use them instinctively. Such instincts come with experience and training. While the System is a valuable tool, you shouldn’t let it become you’re crutch.” In a fight you will rarely get a chance to check you Status. Aridan said sagely.

Acknowledging the wisdom in those words, Kaiden sighed. “I guess you’re right.” With that, he turned his attention to his next ability.

Dragon Scales

Active

Strengthen armour and increase its elemental resistance.

Kaiden felt a wave of frustration at the lack of detail yet again but managed to keep it off his face. He had no desire to invite another lecture from Aridan.

“This one seems promising,” Kaiden remarked, sharing the brief description with the elf, keeping his tone neutral.

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“Extremely,” Aridan concurred with a nod, “But mastering it will be quite challenging.”

“Why’s that?” Kaiden asked curious.

Aridan offered a cryptic smile. “You’ll see.”

Kaiden smothered a sigh threatening to escape, he knew that there was no point in asking again. The elf could be insufferable when it came to something like this.

With just two abilities left to explore, Kaiden felt a sense of anticipation building. The skills so far were promising, and he was eager to see what the last two had to offer.

Elemental Talons

Active

Imbue your weapon with the elemental energies of your Dragon Heritage.

Kaiden’s body tensed, a wave of concern washing over him as he contemplated the mechanics of the skill.

“What is it?” Aridan asked, his curiosity piqued.

Kaiden read the skill’s description out loud.

“What’s the matter seems pretty straight forward to me.” Aridan asked.

“What’s my element?” Kaiden asked, puzzled.

“Dragonborn, elements align with the colour of their scales. Red for fire, blue scales have water and frost, green signifies nature, gold denotes light and lastly black embodies dark.” Aridan explained.

Kaiden waved a hand in frustration, “I know all that, but I don’t have any scales. What element is it going to imbue, what if it imbues nothing It’ll be a completely useless skill, I’ll have to get rid of it.”

“Sorry, I should have explained earlier, you can’t get rid of the skills your class came with, you can only remove the other eight.” Aridan stated.

“What.” Kaiden sputtered, the prospect of being saddled with a potentially useless skill sent a wave of anxiety through him.

“I’ve been thinking, what is those black lines that trace around your body.” Aridan mused.

Prompted by his words, Kaiden gaze shifted to his arm, his amber eyes following the trail of unique black markings. They began at the back of his shoulders creeping onto his chest and journeyed down the outside of his arm gracefully tapering off just as they reached his wrist. The patterns snaked down his spine before branching out across his hips and descending the outside of his legs. These markings bore a resemblance to fresh tattoos, that seemed to possess a certain depth.

Aridan had once mentioned that, even with these subtle peculiarities, Kaiden could easily blend in with the humans of this land.

“I believe they are tiny scales.” Aridan proposed.

“Scales? They don’t quite feel like scales,” Kaiden responded, his fingers tracing the unusual markings on his arm. The texture was peculiar – distinctly different from regular skin, yet not quite matching the feel of typical scales. Upon closer inspection, the markings appeared just a tad rougher than the rest of his skin, “And can scales even get that small.”

Aridan nodded. “Indeed, they can, the wings of a butterfly are covered in tiny scales.”

Kaiden cast a sceptical glace at his friend, “That can’t be true.”

Aridan gave him an almost affronted look in return.

“Alright, assuming you’re correct and these are scales, are you suggesting that I have the dark element?” Kaiden asked.

“Correct.” Aridan stated. “however, this is purely speculation at this point. Why not use that sword at your hip and see for yourself.”

With a nod of agreement, Kaiden stepped back and unsheathed the arming sword from his waist. The weapon was unremarkable, with an 80cm blade and complemented by a simple cross guard and a leather-wrapped hilt. Positioning the sword before him, focused on the blade.

“Elemental talons.” He invoked.

Instantly, an ominous surge of dark energy enveloped the blade, confirming Aridan’s hypothesis. Kaiden could already feel the drain on his mana, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep the skill active for long.

“Excellent, that settles that.” Aridan noted with a hint of satisfaction. “But if I may ask, why did you say the ability out loud?” He asked with a smirk on his face.

Kaiden’s focus wavered, causing the dark energy to dissipate from the blade. A flush of embarrassment warmed his neck, as he realized he hadn’t really thought about how the skill was supposed to activate. Too many TV shows had him just assuming he had to say it out loud.

“Next time, try activating it mentally. No need to tell your opponent what you’re going to do.” Aridan suggested, “Now, did you stop the skill, or did it end on its own?”

“It ended on its own.” Kaiden admitted.

Aridan nodded, “You need to maintain focus on the skill, keep it active and telling it what to do.”

Kaiden frowned at the thought of trying to maintain such focus amidst the chaos of combat, “That’s going to be difficult in a fight.” He said voicing his concern.

“Exactly,” Aridan said, “which is why it’s practice is so important.” He paused for a moment, “Shall we move onto your last skill.” He suggested.

Kaiden agreed and reopened his skill screen moving onto his last skill.

Elder Dragon

Active

Take the form of an Elder Dragon

“What the hell is this!” Kaiden burst out, after reading the description of the skill.

“Are you sure your skill says Elder Dragon. Aridan whispered.

“Yes! I wanted to escape anything to do with Dragonborn, now this skill suggests I become the epitome of one.”

“No, Dragonborn are vastly different, Elder Dragons are creatures of immense power, believed to have vanished millennia ago. They’re not just another type of Dragonborn?” Aridan explained.

Kaiden, grappling with the new information, sought clarification, “So Elder Dragons are stronger than Dragonborn.”

Aridan nodded gravely, “If the legends hold any truth, an Elder Dragon could decimate entire armies single-handedly.

Puzzled, Kaiden asked. “Have you seen this skill before? Is it something Dragonborn typically have.”

“I didn’t even know it was possible.” Aridan stated.

“What the hell, why do I have it?” He asked.

“There are tales of Elder Dragons assuming human forms, falling in love with humans, and from such unions, the Dragonborn were said to have emerged. I’d always assumed these were mere bard’s tales, but perhaps there’s a truth to them after all.”

“So, it’s a good skill then.” Kaiden said somewhat mollified.

Aridan scoffed. “Good, a good skill is Shield Bash, or Fleet-Foot. Your skill, Kaiden is the stuff of legends.”

Kaiden’s initial anger gave way to a burgeoning excitement. “Really?”

“Polymorphs skills are typically powerful, but they’re notorious for their mana consumption. I’d be surprised if you could sustain the Elder Dragon form for more than twenty seconds.” Aridan warned.

“Oh,” Kaiden replied disappointed, 20 seconds wasn’t long.

“Don’t worry, as you level and your skills rank up, you’ll be able to maintain the form longer.” Aridan assured. “You’ve acquired a remarkable class, my friend. I hope it allows you to escape the confines of this place and lead the life you’re meant to.”

“You mean, once we both escape this place.”

Aridan offered a grim smile, “I think we both know that the odds of me escaping this place are slim.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Kaiden’s lips. “I mentioned earlier I had something to show you.” He remined Aridan, reaching into his pouch. Drawing out a small, glowing blue-greyish stone, he held it up for Aridan to see.

Aridan’s eyes glistened, “A Null stone. I can’t believe you managed to find one,” he whispered, voice thick with emotion.

Kaiden’s ember eyes glowed with a fiery resolve, “It’s time my friend. Time to break the enchantments keeping you in there and to escape this wretched place.”