I hear an explosion in the distance. Like the sound of someone setting off fireworks. They have been going off all morning.

“Why did you give your kobold’s mortar technology? What if that leaks to the humans?” The orc was berating the motionless me. I now had the ability to freely roll my eyes. An ability which I used almost every time either of my captors spoke. If I try really hard I can move my fingers ever so slightly. I have gotten my pinky and ring finger to go down. Just one more finger and I can be constantly flipping them off. “Once guns are invented then all of these monstrous powers go away. You’ll be fine, cause your scales can block bullets, but you will be dooming all other monsters. The humans will actually have the power to exterminate monsters. Do you ever think of the consequences of your actions?” I rolled my eyes again. I didn’t give them mortars.

“I command you to answer me.”

I roll my eyes and let my body automatically respond. “I didn’t give them mortars, my L-fuck off.” Insulting them came much easier now, but only when they were forcing me to do things I didn’t want to do. Almost every time I spoke my brainwashed mind tried to call them my lord, something I am adamantly against. The orc turned to the wolf. “Can you please hit him with your magic again?” The wolf shook his head. “Can’t do any magic without my horns. Plus it wouldn’t help. Inspect him. It’s not my magic losing power. It’s him gaining resistance.”

Another explosion is heard outside. This time much closer.

“Can we just order him to kill himself?”

“His resistance peaks when we order him to do things he doesn’t want to do. He could break free.”

“Why did we even get involved here? This has become a shit show.”

“If I had my magic I could make him more compliant.”

“But you don’t have your magic now do you?” The wolf hung it’s head.

Trumpets began to play outside the tent. Loud brass trumpets. “The fuck is that?” The orc sticks his head outside of the tent as an explosion lands in the middle of the camp. It blows the yurt over, allowing me to see the outside world for the first time in a long time. This place really does look like it’s sustaining mortar fire. At the front gate to the camp there are knights in shining armor. The blue plumes on their helmets fluttered in the wind from the explosions. “Now the filthy humans are here! Fucking great.” The orc draws his two handed buster sword and rushes forward. The wolf growls at a target behind me. I wish I could turn my head. The wolf jumps behind me. The sound of sword on teeth is heard. I watch the orc cleave his sword at the front line of troops. It crashes into the first knight and follows through picking up more knights. The edge doesn’t cut through their plate armor, but he sends them off their feet and flying.

“It’s him, cast it on him.” A monotone voice speaks only slightly louder than a normal talking voice.

“But he’s a monster.” A woman’s voice is heard behind me. "You can't make me heal a monster. I'm a priestess." 

“Just cast it on him. I’ll hold off the wolf.” More sword on teeth and claw noises echo behind me as footsteps approach my rear. “Greater spell break!” A white light envelops me.

[Abnormal status cleared]

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I turn my head, my neck popping with each degree it turns, to look into the blue eyes of a blond priestess. “Thank you.” I say. Then get out of the chair. I crack my bones and spin myself around, surveying the battlefield.

The wolf first. I flap my wings in rhythm with the start of my run, gaining extra speed. I grab my exclubmate turned wolf by the tail. “Hey buddy. I heard you don’t have magic anymore.”

He turns away from the red plumed knight to face me. His eyes widen, he lunges for me. I block his bite with my arm. Letting his teeth sink below my scales. Then let go of his tail and grab onto his underbelly. Flapping my wings we take to the skies as quickly as I can fly. At one hundred feet he notices what I’m doing. He frantically lets go of my arm. Trying to twist his body around to get a good biet in on me, but my over the shoulder hold doesn’t let him get a bite angle on me. . He claws at my scales, but my thick hide doesn’t take piercing damage. At two hundred feet he stops. Choosing instead to reason with me. “Heyyyy, no hard feelings right Anon, you understand us, right? Cmon we’re club mates. You just kill a fellow club mate. We’re friends.” This is the point where I, as a main charachter say some cool pun, or denounce his view of the world, but fuck that. I’m just going to kill him. I drop him and watch his body fall to the earth below. What a let down. Without any magic there is no possibility of him surviving a fall like that.

The body hits the ground and I get a UI popup.

Level up! X100

we were on the same evolution step so killing him means all his levels go to me.

I cast a float spell on myself and hang in the air behind the orc. He’s still swinging wildly into the knights. “Air cutter!” The blade of air extends from my hands. From the corner of his eye he spots my attack. He grabs a knight by the head and lifts him up to block my spell. The spell cuts the man in two then dissipates. The orc smiles at me while picking up another guard. “You won’t attack now. You human lover!” I bite my lips. If I attack through the guards then the human’s will be angry at me. As long as the knights are next to him he has a steady supply of hostages.I need to isolate him from the humans. “Move Earth!” I use the dirt to create a separating wall around the orc. He holds his current hostage up at me. I need to get the knight out of his grip. Killing one is an acceptable loss. Eris is right, “Fireball!” A small ball of fire flies from my hand. It collides with the orc’s hostage then explodes. The dirt wall contains the blast, sending a pillar of flame to the skies. When the dust clears, the hostage has been blown in two. The orc stands there with sword at the ready. He drops the remains of his hostage and two hands his large sword. “Get down here and fight me!” He screams. “Aircutter!” He uses his sword to block the blast. The air blade bends around the sword and lays a large slash across his body. Blood begins to pour from the wound.

“Fireball!” I send another fireball at him, he blocks with the broad side of his sword. Another pillar of fire. The blast snaps his sword in two. He picks up the top shard and throws it at me with blinding speed. I bring up my arms to block. The sword sinks into bone. “Eat that you piece of shit!” the orc cries. I take the sword half out of my arm. “Heal.” I cast on myself. It doesn’t completely heal the wound, but it stops the bleeding. This guy is taking too long to die. I point both my bands on him. He can block one spell, but can he block two? What about three? Four, perhaps? “Aircutter! Aircutter! Aircutter! Aircutter! Aircutter!” I send forth a rapid fire assault towards him. He turns to climb the dirt wall around him, but the loose dirt gives way and he’s left treading water while my spells collide into his back. The slice his thick flesh one after another. His body folds in half. I can see his spine has been sliced in two. He’s still screaming. I float above him. He makes eye contact with me. “I surrender.” His body is cut almost in half. Of course he surrenders, but I didn’t float over here to hear his last words. I floated over here to cleanly finish him off. “Air cutter!'' The last airblade strikes his neck, severing his head from his body.

Level up! X100

Max level for your species reached. Major evolution branches unlocked.