“I’ll go check!” Klaw was bored out of his mind. It was too cold, even for him, to continue training outside. He wished he could know how well that was going. One day, he’d find someone to show him how to really swing a sword. Klaw wasn’t interested in swords. He had his own weapon. But, apparently sword skills could apply to his claws. That was something that interested him.
He scampered towards the door and left the cottage. The cold wind carried thick snow with it. It hit his eyes and he was forced to squint. Shivering, he made his way around the cottage to the chicken coop. He hoped a fox or wolf was getting into them. Then he could test out his new strength for real!
The cottage door was open torn off its hinges. It wasn’t a strong door, but no fox did that. There were noises from within. He crouched, moving slowly like a hunter. Then leaped into the coop with claws drawn.
Five gremlins, each chewing on dead chicken, stopped and stared at him. Klaw did a double-take. Gremlins? Here?
“What are you doing!? Drop those!” The gremlins did, but only to brandish knives. They grinned at him like wolves.
“Oh, look. A skinny little gremlin is trying to tell us what to do!” They moved in on him. Klaw backed up, not out of fear, but from the sheer gall of it. “What should we do with him, boys?” They left the coop, Klaw flexed his claws as the five moved to surround him. Klaw let them.
“We should cut him!” “Stab him!” “EAT HIM!” More gremlins popped out of nowhere. Concealed by the snow. How many were there?
“You don’t remember me, do you?” Klaw spotted a goblin holding a torch casually walking his way. Behind him was the beginnings of fire. He growled. Daggat and Zuss would be ok. Surely. He just had some twerps to take care of.
“I don’t remember a skinny weakling like you! But, that’s all the better cause the bosses told us to kill anyone here.” The gremlin closed the distance and put his face in Klaw’s. The gremlin really DIDN’T remember Klaw. He grinned.
Fast as a cat, Klaw struck. His claws glinted off the distant fire. He raked the gremlin's throat, ripping it out. It fell to the ground gurgling. “NOW DO YOU REMEMBER ME!? Klaw, The STRONGEST gremlin!”
The gremlins descended upon him. He fought like a badger. Cutting and ripping them apart. Each blow of his metallic claws, backed by twelve strength, cut down a gremlin. Limbs were severed, guts were spilled, and throats were slashed.
Klaw cackled. This is why he was increasing his strength! To be a great warrior. These gremlins were like his old self. His weak self. Now they were nothing to him. He winced as a lucky gremlin poked him with its dagger. Focus. He couldn’t get distracted. With a casual flick of his wrist, he severed the attacker's wrist. More and more gremlins were closing in, but there was apprehension clear on their faces.
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Soon, no gremlins approached. They hovered outside of his striking distance. Klaw had seen this before. When the human attacked. It was the same, no gremlin was willing to die first. “Come on! Test your mettle! YOU attacked US! Where’s your courage?”
The gremlins parted. The goblin with the torch had come closer. His free hand was covered in blood. The blood seeped from a deep gash in his palm. It had a strange quality to it. Thicker than normal blood and it had a strange multicolored sheen to its surface. Klaw smelled oil. The gremlin casually painted his blood onto the coop and flicked blood around.
With a touch of the torch, the blood ignited, instantly covering the coop in fire. The goblin’s toothy grin was accented with orange light.
“Step aside, gremlins. I’ll deal with this.” He looked up and down at Klaw. “This twerp gave you trouble? He is thin as a twig. This will be easy.”
Klaw slashed with his claws, then the goblin parried it with the torch. Sparks and burning fuel billowed up. Klaw was forced to backstep or be burned.
“Don’t underestimate me, goblin. I am your end!” The goblin pumped his free hand and more oil-like blood pooled in his palm. He threw it at Klaw, but he rolled away. Klaw then crawled forward like a rat, slashing at the goblin's legs. He managed a small cut before the goblin kicked him.
Klaw rolled back a few steps, then stood. In the roll, Klaw managed to grab something from his pocket. His potion.
Blood rained on him, coating Klaw in a thin layer of flammable liquid. All the goblin had to do was touch him with an exposed flame. It was now or never.
He threw the clay bottle into his mouth, not even bothering to open it, and chewed. He shattered the vial and drank. A hot potion, and probably some clay shards, burned down his throat. Then, he felt the power. The oil erupted on his skin as the scales formed, harmlessly warming him. His claws grew warm, then hot. The good kind of hot.
And then he felt the rage. That burning, all-consuming need to tear everything and everyone apart. The soul of an inferno. Klaw had finished his transformation into his Drakeheart form.
The goblin staggered back, shocked by the change. Gremlins scattered. Klaw roared his challenge and activated burst of strength, to further enhance his power. His foe accepted. He swung at Klaw with his torch as though it were a hammer.
Klaw grabbed it in mid-swing, then growled. Despite the size difference, Klaw was almost twice as strong as the Goblin. Fear crept into the goblin's eyes.
Then he struck. His claws, burning with fire, cut deep into the goblin and ignited his flammable blood.
[You have trained a skill, savagery, to level five. Divine skill available.]
The goblin exploded.
If you were to say one thing about goblins, say they were bad at selecting biotraits. Klaw flew back from the explosion. His heat-resistant scales and improved constitution were the only thing that saved him, the other gremlins died immediately. He skipped across the ground and finally collided with a tree. Ouch.
Klaw was sore. Everything hurt. He must have broken SOMETHING. But… he won. It was a stupid victory, but a victory nonetheless. Besides, he was sure he would have won even if the goblin didn’t stupidly turn his blood into an explosive device. As his transformation faded away, Klaw relaxed. Steam rose from him gently as he cooled. Zuss will be around soon, he was sure.