The place we chose for our camp was atop a small hill. With a large canvas tent and a surprising amount of amenities, the sight would have been fairly strange even before the world ended. More than the camping supplies which would have been expected, it would be the large wooden bed or the plush recliner that stood out most. As I settled down to do some literal soul-searching, I let my mind take in everything around me.
With a brush of attention, I extended my senses through the mana at my command. My perception filled as a world teeming with life echoed in feedback to my concentration. Each blade of grass, greedy weed or solid tree in my range held a flickering candle of energy. The night was both quiet and warm. I sat beneath the open sky, the moon above now its traditional size. The wolf was interesting, and its energy could still be felt somewhat. I had suspicions about the creature but nothing which needed proving at the moment. Deciding to ignore the eyes I could feel watching me, I started to pull my attention from the outer to the inner.
There was a quantifiable effect on my surroundings as my Dao slightly altered the world to better suit my view of it. The breeze on my skin was not a random thing, but a caress to soothe me. The silence of the world grew, an unwillingness to interrupt my actions. The wolf, my goals, the safety of my town, all of it was cast thoughts of it from my mind. With my now incredible control of my thoughts and mental state, I slipped into meditation quicker than ever.
I began by following an arbitrary droplet of my mana. I focused, tracing its exact path through my channels and memorising the patterns within my soul. Unlike arteries and veins, the trail inside me was metaphysical. I could feel the magical energy inside me, but the system within was ever changing. As my powers grew and changed, more pathways and connections were required to use my full strength, and the complexity of my inner channels was matched by this.
Ideally, the mental image I had created would be similarly complex.
As the energy within my body moved, the physical effect my Dao was having on the outside world increased. The grass around me flattened, bowing in supplication. Further away, trees began to creak, bending slightly. Any foolish creature which had been chittering in fear or ignoring the sensation on the back of their neck fell into terrified silence. I took a conscious, slow breath before plunging inside of my own soul.
My awareness inverted, and the sense which made it so easy to know everything around me instead blinded me from distractions. Mana plugged my ears and covered my eyes, stifled my sense of smell and deadened my tongue. I stayed with that tiny drop of mana even as it took me deeper and deeper into the core of my magic.
Mentally, I took a step forward and appeared inside of the odd space within my soul.
Surprising even myself, I did not appear on the grassy plains of the world I recognised. Despite being inside the core of my own being, I instantly realised that I had not stepped onto the lands of the Dragon. I barely seemed to have stepped at all as I started tumbling head over heels without anything to grab onto through a void of screaming winds. Reminding myself that I was in control, I simply made a platform and secured it in space.
“I see,” I mumbled, looking around. “I’ve definitely neglected you a little.” Upon my platform stood a humanoid shape. The most fearsome storm I had ever experienced raged around us as we beheld each other, both of us nodding at the same time. Our mirrored actions and intent made sense. Just like the Dragon somewhere below, this being was also just a reflection of me after all.
Perhaps my experience on Cloudslash Peak had shaped my expectations. I faced the Tempest Elemental at the heart of my Dao Font and was reminded of the Golem Prince. Even as I had the thought, the elemental gestured to its head. Well, where one would be. The Tempest Elemental stood at the same height as me, if I had been successfully decapitated by one of the enemies who’d tried it over the last few months. Its shoulders rounded, giving it the appearance of a used eraser with legs. The whole thing being formed of wind and imagination made describing it fully impossible, of course.
I pointed to the middle of its shoulders again and shrugged. “No, I get it, I get it.” The being wanted a crown, or more literally an actualised place of power within my inner world. A simple gesture from the creature conveyed many layers of meaning, given it was a portion of my very soul. The Tempest Elemental required a seat of power from which to govern its realm. I didn’t understand exactly what it meant by that, but I trusted it was the right move, so I set about the task.
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From the most frigid hail and sleet, I created the frame of the tempest throne. The upholstery was stuffed with hurricanes and tornadoes and the entire thing was given power and vibrancy with a mesh of lightning, twisted into filigree for ornamentation. The Tempest Elemental was clearly pleased, rushing to get into its spot. As it shuffled into the impressive seat, a crowl of ice and electricity formed above its head.
“Better?” I asked, receiving a thumbs up which I laughed at. I quite like this weird stormy guy. I also knew already that the process had been important to the process of using the Dao Font to its fullest potential. I would no longer have to submerge the Dragon in the energy of the Tempest, but instead the Elemental would direct that power for me, working in tandem with the Dao Avatar on the large planet below.
The entire undertaking happened quickly as I did not have to manipulate the magic inside me. When brute forcing my way to power or pushing past my limits, I had to shove and claw at my mana and Dao, forcing new understandings or creating entirely new limits for myself. The procedure in this instance was not like that, instead the magic calmly moved and filled the spots which were just waiting for a little attention. I expected my control over Tempest-based skills would be much higher now, if nothing else.
I waved to the seated Elemental, deciding on a name for it. King might work, but I would workshop it with Naea. She’d want to be involved. I turned, looking at the destination below and shooting forward like a powerful comet. At my approach, a voidshaking roar was thrown at me. The force of the shout was such that it slowed my descent to the world from a meteoric crash into a stumbling faceplant.
A throaty chuckle filled the whole world and I turned my eyes to the nearby cave. I hadn’t needed to land anywhere specific - the dragon would never be hard to find on this world. Deciding not to give it the satisfaction, I went for a walk. Every step took me far, much further than my eyes could see. I inspected the world, making sure everything seemed to be natural.
It was a quiet world, aside from the rumbling in the centre. There were no creatures upon the fields or in the seas, but the waters were pristine and the land healthy with flora. I walked the beaches, finding the fjords and islands to my liking. Clouds formed in the sky, less random than before, and the strength of the Font of Tempests was given to the land. “Will you ignore me until you have counted every grain of sand?” A surprisingly average, if androgynous, voice asked.
I dropped into the sand at my feet, looking out at the waves. “I could, if I wanted to. Time doesn’t flow here, if we don’t want it to, after all.” I turned, giving the now humanoid form of the dragon my attention. “But I’ve been sensing some tension. You have something you wanted to say to me?”
In so many ways, the being before me was alien. Scales were suggested at but not confirmed as they moved. Their skin seemed human until the light caught it and a flash of green, purple or red could be seen. Two fierce eyes golden, slit like a snake’s down the middle and a forked tongue which slipped out, slowly tasting the air. Long hair of flames fell to its shoulders. It was naked, but there was no sexuality to the creature. There was, however, a trepidation, shown in the way they fiddled with their hands. Sharp nails clicked together as they seemed to search for words.
The Avatar looked skywards, towards the Tempest Moon. “We follow the footsteps of a destroyer.” Their voice calm, they stepped out into the waves. As the water lapped at their ankles, it returned away from them more powerful, a wave crashing back against the tide. “Why?”
I shrugged. It wasn’t something I knew how to put into words most of the time, but the articulation came naturally within my own soul. Whatever explanation might be lost was found within the deeper connection that ran between myself and the Dao. “The Storm Dragon is a good blueprint, benchmark and ultimate challenge all rolled into one. That kind of power is terrifying, unless you wield similar strength yourself. I’m aiming to be more than an ant crushed under foot.” The dragon nodded, facing the same direction as me.
“We should not be an imitation,” the Dragon whispered. It was the centre of my own pride, and I knew that we both hated the idea of being a copy. “But they are a storm, and we have the ability to be so much more. Tempests are power, the destruction they bring is just a matter of fact. What comes next?” The dragon pointed skywards, to the empty space left above. Two Aspects still to find and use.
“Any suggestions?” I asked, wondering if my subconscious mind had put more thought into the matter than I had. From the wide, predator’s grin which appeared on the Dragon’s face as it turned, they had plenty of ideas.
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From the shadows, a watcher sat completely frozen. Unlike the other beings in the area, she was not paralysed with fear. At least, not only fear. The prevailing emotion was exhilaration and wonder. The world was filled with magic the likes of which she had never seen.
Her stealth felt good enough, but she also knew this wouldn’t have been possible if the man weren’t in a very specific form of distraction. Though his meditation seemed all encompassing, anything might snap him away from his concentration. The wolf was being very, very careful to only look at him from the corner of her eyes. He probably couldn’t sense her gaze, but why take the risk?
What was this man doing? She wondered. Who were they, to survive out here alone?
Could he save the city?
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Name - Grant Kaeron Race - Stormborn (Grade 1) Level - 44
Title - Dragon Slayer
Fortitude - 120 Speed - 95 Mental - 528 Will - 430
Free attribute points: 0