I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock ringing and got to my feet. As always, I went about doing my usual morning routine. Followed by coffee and a heavy breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and fried potatoes. Then, I would pack away my lunch box into the duffle bag, and head out to my car. Work was boring, but it paid well. I could pay for my rent, the groceries, and the other miscellaneous bills that reared its ugly head every month. There was enough still left over to put into savings.
The bright spot of the day was at lunch, where I usually have coffee with a cute girl from the floor down. It was all normal.
When the day was done, I would find myself inside my car and head back home. My life was utterly uninspired, but I loved it all the same. So, why was it, that the last thing I saw was my own feet at the wrong angle? It was so close. Oh, look! Blood! A lot of it. Actually, there was a lot of blood...
I closed my eyes. And for a long time, I slept. Some rest was needed if I wanted to wake up. I was just so damn tired.
Beat.
It reminded me of something. That sounded a lot like a heartbeat, getting progressively stronger, louder. The pumping beat of my heart sounded like war drums in my ears inside my chest. The rushing of blood felt overwhelming, like a dam about to burst. I screamed and screamed, and it came out wrong. It was a primal thing, mingled with terror and fear and the sheer ferocity nearly overwhelmed my own senses. I nearly scared myself out of my own wits.
I held on to hope, however, for some meaningful design to save me. I knew, in my heart of hearts, that fear ruled me now. No one was going to save me. The world was unfair, but we make it the best we could to save it. Even if everyone else didn't give a damn, I did. Even if just a little, as despair truly settled in.
Then, I fell.
I felt something hard touch my skin. It felt awkward against my skin, like rough bark or a particularly strong leather. I felt stone and blood. The smell of blood was especially strong. Overwhelming, even.
> Congratulations!
> You have become a Level 1 Baby Dragon.
I froze.
When I work with people I either have a problem with or intensely disagree with, I had to have the patience of a saint to get through the day. It was the simplest things in life that made life a little bit more bearable. That cute girl counted, so did the excellent coffee in the office kitchen. The boss was sometimes a dick, but understandable considering the pressure he was under from the Powers-That-Be. Now, those guys were the real clowns.
Anyway, I had a lot of patience. So, I closed my mind and ignored the screen in the peripheral of my vision. Go away. Go away. Go away.
Something bumped into his side.
Instincts. Overpowering, surging, piercing instincts swelled inside me like a violent tsunami. And I reacted. I had no idea what I bit into. All I tasted was the warmth of the blood and iron and flesh on my tongue. It tasted good. So, I bit into it some more, eating my fill. Something else scraped and bumped into me, that felt strangely similar to the first one.
It bit into my sides, sharp and strong. Pain. Something broke my hand. I felt my own blood flowing freely.
I reacted, just like before, and just as viciously. Gone was my overwhelming peaceful, passive nature. Here I was, biting and clawing at something that dared encroach upon my domain. I roared and bit and ate whatever that tried to hurt me. It was exhausting reacting to the smells and the sounds around me, because most of the time, my eyes were instinctively closed. I didn't even understand or realized what I was fighting. I just reacted. I was utterly blind. I didn't think my vision hadn't even fully developed yet.
The bloody free-for-all lasted hours, and it left my body drained. And when no more enemies came along, I rested among the dead.
> Baby Dragon
> Level 2!
> Level 1 > 2
> Strength - 8 - 10
> Endurance - 9 - 12
> Intelligence - 12 - 15
> Willpower - 20 - 25
> Vitality - 7 - 12
>
>
> Skill Achievement Unlocked!
> Invulnerability lvl.1 Acquired!
> You have bathed in the blood of the immortal Dragons and supped their flesh and drank your fill! You have gained the rare skill Invulnerability. You are immune to lesser form of blunt, and piercing damages.
When I realized what I had done, I was horrified.
The despair and horror clung to the pits of my stomach like tar.
I vomited.
The taste of raw meat and metallic blood in my mouth felt good, despite it all.
I might have started to hyperventilate. I needed calm. I needed to breathe, so I clung to the closest comfort I could find. My tail.
It dawned on me that my arms, the tail... and my little stubby, leathery wings on my back were something I could feel. I had them, now. I could feel every sensation from them, like extra limbs were added to it.
And the proportion and length of my body felt wrong, as well. It was as if I suddenly shrunk down to a very large puppy. The pain of being so tiny and fragile... it chafed something fierce. And everything hurt from the battle, but it was the good kind of pain. I loved the hard-fought victory and dominion over those of lesser beings. It seemed to have engrained into my very existence. It was terrible, but I conquered. And that felt good.
I curled up into a fetal position, and breathed in, and out. In, and out. I needed some semblance of peace and calm. Despite the taste of blood and guts in my mouth, I felt safe. It still hurts, of course. The pain was there, but it was manageable so I just ignore it.
Information. I needed information. That screen popped up again, like some sort of game. Was I inside a game? Was it all some sick joke? It didn't feel like it. It felt all too real, like waking up from a nightmare, only to realize everything was so very real.
I took a deep breath and exhaled. Information was needed, and badly. Concentrating on the screen, I focused on the Baby Dragon part. This all seemed to be thought based on will. So, I willed the information to the forefront.
> Baby Dragon
> They are product of a supernatural and the divine propogation of Mother Earth, and the Gods. The dragons are formed from the promedial ooze from the bosom of the world and the pure, undiluted mana itself. They are given flesh and blood, souls and spirits, and breathed life itself like a carefullly crafted clay doll. Their physical might knows no bounds, and magic itself bends to the will of the dragons. Fortunately for the mortals, their numbers are as legendary as their powers.
There was a lot of things I could think of, at this moment. Aside from the fact that I was apparently a baby dragon, I was stuck without help and helpless to defend myself.
Still, the fact that I was a dragon hadn't left me quite prepared, or comprehend the nature of my very being. If that wasn't surreal enough, then I didn't know what was. Had I died? Was my real body somewhere inside my car, crushed and mutilated? A moment, then. I needed time to think, to get used to his new reality, in this game-like world.
I tried to talk, to make sounds. All that came were scratchy mewls and pitiful growls. I probably looked like a mangey kitten found abandoned off the highway, wet with blood and infected from various wounds that littered my body.
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But right now, all I wanted was to sleep. I needed sleep, to recover, and to heal. So, I slept.
I dreamt of the cloudy, blue skies. The sun shined in a picturesque backdrop of distant puffy clouds. The wind in my face felt good, and my body felt as light as the feather. As I flew higher, and higher, and the flames tracked my flight like a comet, I felt like the gods as they danced upon the cosmic energies of the world.
Then, with a flap of my mighty wings, I tucked them neatly as I fell. And there, in my home in the snow-capped mountains, I found little ants clamoring about like rodents. This angered me. I wanted to burn out their flesh and send their souls below to Mother.
I did just that. The unstoppable might of my jaws and flames was almighty, and I unleashed my power upon the ants that so foolishly infringed upon my territory. The big ones screamed in terror, and the little ones were utterly helpless against my jaws and teeth. And even as they unleashed their pitiful magic and arrows, they all burned.
I woke with a gasp. And promptly threw up. My stomach was empty. The hunger and the lack of water was getting to me. When the stench of smell hit my nostrils, I lifted my head to glance at the direction in confusion. Its smell was stronger and nearly overpowering enough to make me gag. It seemed that I may have off-loaded some of the waste... and slept next to it.
I shuddered.
As depressing as that was, I needed to leave to fill my stomach. Speaking of which, I slowly opened my eyes. I wasn't blind anymore, but everything was a blur. My vision was slowly coming back to me, and so did the deed of my violence displayed in full. Baby dragons, dozens of them with open throats and bloodied stomachs.
It was a sickening display, and I nearly threw up just at the sight of it all. And yet, I was proud I defended myself from my brothers and sisters. I was a dragon! There were no equals to me! I am all! I am might incarnate! I am-... I groaned and banged my head against the stone. Its instincts were caving into my personality. It may have saved my life, but it didn't mean it was welcome to rewrite my own consciousness!
I quickly stumbled away from the vomit and the shit and ate the baby dragon flesh. As I munched on the prime meat, my eyes roamed around my surroundings. It was a vast underground cave, and it was massive. I couldn't even see the walls hidden beneath the darkness. I needed to explore. There was plenty of food here, but it wasn't enough. The meat will go bad, soon enough. And as disgusted as I was, I needed to find a better food source. Preferably steak. With fried potatoes. And an ice cold beer.
Shaking my head in a vigorous attempt to clear my thoughts, it only ended up making me dizzy. I fell on my behind when the world spun far too fast. Then, my eyes followed the scaly and clawed limbs. They were... exquisite, though bloody and scratched. A deep, molten red and black scales the color of gems covered me. The scales looked tough, and I curled my claws into tiny little fists. There were five digits, each tipped with sharp ivory-like claws as long as six inches in length. The same was for my clawed feet.
As far as how big I was, if eyeballing it, I was at least half the size of a fully grown brown bear, maybe smaller. Maybe. As far as sizes go, I felt respectable in that department.
If I was a kitten, someone, somewhere, somebody would be squealing in joy at the utter cuteness of this little beast. Sometimes, I wondered whether I should have gotten a pet of some kind. A dog, maybe. Even a cat. Cats are less of a bother to take care of, while dogs needed as much attention as a toddler. Now, I'm a... a dragon, and completely, utterly lost. So I did what I could do best, and followed the dragon's instinct.
Once my stomach was filled, I drank much of the blood to satiate my thirst. It was disgusting, and yet, so fucking good.
Satisfied, I decided quickly to move out. I needed a place to find safety and make a temporary home. No doubt all this dead would attract other predators to the area. The fact that I hadn't been found yet was a surprising, and fortunate experience to have lived through.
I stumbled a little. And then I fell on my face with a smack. I got up with a grumble and continued my pace. I fell again. It was a sad affair when walking was a chore, and I fell a lot before my instincts finally kicked in and helped me learned to walk quicker.
As a previous Homosapien, I only had to worry about two legs to walk on. Now? Well, now I'm a quadruped that looked particularly like a cute chubby little bear cub. Ah, the wonders of trying to run with four limbs without falling flat on my face.
--
Exploring the caverns proved to be something of a dangerous activity.
In the hour since I left my... something, a nest? I found myself in something of a predicament. It was only thanks to quick thinking, and a damn good eyesight, that I had managed to quickly insert myself into a little crevice in the walls to hide behind. I barely squeezed in, before a small party of fleshy monsters roared past me.
These monsters loped, then ran. Their long hind legs and powerful muscles gave them great strength in crossing distance that shouldn't be possible for a normal human, let alone an animal. The monsters were at least thrice his height, standing at an intimidating six feet tall. Its flesh was a pale red and pink, and it looked like part of its skin was missing to reveal the flesh underneath. Its claws were elongated, skeletal, and thin. In fact, they were long enough to be scraped across the floor, even as they ran.
Even worse? Their snouts were large, filled with a generous amount of sharp little blades called teeth.
Thankfully, they quickly left. And I would have sighed in relief had I not hold my breath. Well, Lady Luck apparently didn't seem to be on my side today. Because one of the monsters stopped.
It stood stiff, and tall, as it sniffed the air like a dog. Then, it lowered its head to sniff on the ground. I cursed myself for my stupidity. I knew I was bleeding, but I hadn't realized I was trailing blood! I might as well had held up large neon signs to point where I was. As far as these predators were concerned, I was!
I took a closer look at the monster. The eyes were just black eye holes inside a socket of burnt flesh. What luck! It was blind! Okay, think. These monsters must have a great sense of smell, but probably as blind as a bat. Do these things have something akin to echolocation, that should I move, they would be able to detect? Or some kind of super senses?
Ugh. Think. Think!
I saw a rock the size of my palm. There are a lot of things I'm glad for, right now. Yes, I was a creature of dubious nature, but I had opposable thumbs! Picking up the rock, I slowly weighed it at the palm of my hands... claws? I was just glad I was able to pick it up, lest I drop it and bring that monster to my attention.
Slowly thumbing the rock, I... maybe it was that knowledge in the back of my mind, but instincts guided me to retract my claws just a little to better grab hold of the rock. I looked around, and while the monster was close by, it still hasn't sniffed me out. Yet.
This monster wasn't going to leave me alone. It was obviously hunting for something, and while I preferred it to leave it alone, it didn't take a genius to figure out that it would eat me just as I did of my... kin. Well, that was depressing. I swallowed back the vomit. This was survival, but how far would I go to survive, as I cast away my morality?
I wanted to survive. I wanted to live so much it hurt in the guts of my very being. The dragon's instincts screamed at me to attack, attack, and attack! No trickery, a predator appeared to challenge my rule, and I cannot accept that. I can not accept the outcome of losing. Defeat is death, and death shall not come for me.
I tossed the rock two feet away at the wall, but made sure it made as much noise as possible. I only hoped it was stupid enough for my plan of action to succeed. If not, I was dead anyway. When the rock made contact against the wall, it bounced off the ground and skidded to a stop across the floor.
The monster howled. It bounded after the rock in large strides and leaped head first. The flesh against the wall, no matter how strong, had to hurt. It looked dizzied, stumbling away with an unsteady foot.
I didn't hesitate. I leaped onto its back, and my jaws bit viciously into the neck as my claws dug into the flesh of its shoulders.
The monster bucked and stumbled and howled. It was desperate, and I tasted blood on my tongue. I needed more. I had to have more. I needed to break its spine to completely sever its connection to stand. It had to be helplhelples, and if I let go, I was a dead baby dragon walking. I doubt there was going to be a third life after this.
Its long claws scratched against my back, digging into my flesh by the inches. It was painful, but I viciously bit deeper. The flesh parted slowly, and the dumb monster continued to try and dislodge me some more.
> Invulnerability lvl. 2 Acquired!
As happy as I was about the update, those claws' scratches had only gotten worse. Yes, his skill had gained a level, as weird as that sounded, but this monster was far stronger than I was. The only reason I even managed to get a drop on it was due to its stupidity.
> Invulnerability lvl. 3 Acquired!
Wonderful.
An hour. This... farce, continued for an hour as the monster stumbled and bumbled and desperately tried to kill me as I hung on to its back. I held on all the more, and when my jaws finally found the spine of its neck, my claws dug into its flesh. I found a renewed purpose as violence surged through mine veins. And I clamped down on the spine like a vice.
When it fell, it died slowly, and pitifully. I quickly ended its misery, and then finally, I slumped next to it, flushed with pride and fresh with a victory.
> Baby Dragon
> Level 3!
> Level 2 > 3
> Strength - 10 - 15
> Endurance - 12 - 19
> Intelligence - 15 - 17
> Willpower - 25 - 29
> Vitality - 12 - 19
> Racial Skill Unlocked!
> Fire Breath Lvl.1 Acquired!
> All those that oppose you shall be burnt away to ashes. Let none oppose your flames, for you are a Dragon!
>
>
I slowly crawled back into my little hiding spot, but not before I ate more of the carcass. Then, I fell asleep in my little hole.