Chapter 4
Erik was looking over the space available on the top of the plateau, idly running his hand down Helios’ tail. The tiny dragon had climbed up and draped himself over his companions' shoulders before promptly falling asleep. During their adventure last week, he had taken his time and mapped out all the tunnels and rooms. Sure, the cave system had enough space in it for others to live when he eventually found them and brought them back. But it would require him to dig into the rock, potentially creating chances for cave-ins and death. Hence why he was standing outside the cave mouth trying to decide where the best place to try his hand at building. The only resource available to him was rock, and he needed practice if he was going to make anything that was structurally sound.
An idea was forming in his mind, he could source the rock required for his testing from the mountains on either side of the plateau and once he had a better grasp on structural integrity, the cave could be expanded as well. Giving him an incredible amount of material to work with while freeing up space. If he was going to revitalize this species of dragon, he would need much more space for all the Stormborn and maybe even their families.
The easiest way to gather the stone would be to manipulate the earth element rather than cutting blocks out using either water or air element magics. The real question was, how long would his stamina hold out. He was still unsure on how performing magic affected his body. Valora had said that through their bond both he and Helios would effectively share mana and that pool would get larger as Helios grew and Erik became stronger.
It wasn’t just Helios who was growing and changing. Erik absent-mindedly reached a hand to his temple to feel the ebony horns that had been budding from his head. His hair and eyes changing color almost didn’t matter when compared to them. They were growing out and away from his head, which made sleeping on his side all but impossible.
He selected a spot that was a fair distance from both the cave entrance and the stream, before piling stones where he estimated the corners would be. For the first test, he would make a simple rectangle that was slightly longer than wide. Markers set; he made his way over to where he would begin to quarry. Valora had suggested he didn’t use magic for everything and that he could use this as training for his body. He knew that her reasoning was sound, and it would be worth the effort, but that didn’t stop him from lamenting at the monumental task of having to tote every stone personally.
As expected, manipulating the earth element was not as easy for him as fire had been. Affinities played a more important role in calculating the energy cost of different magics than he originally thought. Cutting off a sizeable chunk, he braced himself, and lifted. Grunting with the effort, he waddled back over to the outline he had made, Helios swaying back and forth with each step. As if by magic, the little sleeping dragon never fell from his perch.
Placing the first stone of many, he noticed a flaw in his plan. He hadn’t decided whether the flooring would be stone or the natural carpet of moss and grass. The deciding factor was bugs. He would put down a stone floor as a barrier to nature. He had been living in a cave for the last few days and he desperately wished to rejoin civilization.
It came as a relief when he only had to dig a few inches before reaching solid stone. He set about removing all the loose earth and displaced flora. Not having a better place for it, he set it aside. Maybe he could use it later. All extra material out of the way, he magically smoothed the surface, trying to give himself a level base to start with.
Each time he cut a new stone, he could feel the drain it had on his stamina and their collective mana. He would have to ask Valora later, whether he drew from Helios’ energy or his own and if there was a way to specify. The ability to differentiate could just save their lives one day.
The suns steadily traveled across the sky as Erik labored through his task. He took many breaks throughout due to his pitiful stamina. He was kicking himself for not going to the gym or training is body in other ways while growing up. He had not been a very active as a child, opting for reading or video games instead of sports and other physical activities. The ritual had increased his muscle mass and overall physique, and he was getting stronger daily as his companion grew. However, that did little to mitigate the fatigue that was currently plaguing his body.
He placed block on top of block in a staggered pattern. Not every stone was the same size. On the inside it was smooth, but the outside was rough and uneven. Erik had done this on purpose. It added a level of personal touch that was pleasing to him. After placing a block down, he would adhere it to the previous blocks like they had been one piece of rock. His progress at the end of the day was not as far as he would have hoped to accomplish, but he was dead tired.
Standing up, he stretched, before dragging his arm across his forehead in attempt to keep the perspiration from getting into his eyes. Sounds of splashing could be heard a few feet away, along with tiny chirps and screeches. Helios had woken up a few hours ago and was now playing in the stream. Jumping in and out of the water. He would leap from the bank in a pounce, bringing all four clawed feet and tail down at the same time. Each time producing a mighty screech along with mini tidal waves.
“Are you ready to head back inside for the night?” Erik asked. Helios was not old enough for conversations, but he understood basic intent for the most part. There had been times where he would just stare back, tilting his head from side to side in confusion. He whined slightly, he looked up with pleading eyes. “Heh, alright. Go on.” Erik chuckled, sitting down, letting his feet dangle into the cool water.
Leaning back on his hands, he looked up. The evening sky was awash with color. Like a serene picture painted with giant hands, the swirling reds, yellows, and purple clashed overhead against the light blue sky. Sunlight glinted through the clouds and reflected off the colossal moon that stayed fixed on the horizon day or night. It was breath taking, he wished his parents could have seen. They would have loved this view. A tear rolled down his cheek, he missed his home.
Sensing his companion’s distress, Helios climbed into Erik’s lap, soaking his pants. “Thanks Helios.” Erik whispered, running a hand down the length of his back. They sat like that for a while, until Erik’s stomach grumbled. Keeping the tiny dragon in his arms he stood. Shivering slightly, he needed a way to dry them off. He reached out with his mana towards the air element willing it to circulate around them. Adding a small amount of fire, he heated the air, manipulating both the air and fire elements, he created a vortex of heated air that dried them in seconds. “Magic is so handy.” He mused, thinking on how his life had changed so much within the span of a few days.
Walking inside the cave, they found Valora in her usual spot, protecting the entrance for the series of tunnels and rooms further in. With a quick hello, he sat Helios down in the crook of her arm before setting about cooking himself some dinner. Valora regularly went out for food and saved enough for them as well. Using a similar process to how he dried the two of them earlier he essentially air fried the meat, giving it a nice crispy outside layer. Helios preferred his food uncooked, so he only had to cook enough for himself. He finished the cooking process with a stream of cool air. Walking back over to Valora, he sat down and began eating.
I see your training has been going well. That technique you used to cook the meat is more efficient than your previous attempts.
Erick smiled. “Thanks, I thought of it after I used something similar to dry Helios and I after he was done playing in the water.”
Interesting. Same application, yet different intensities then?
Nodding, he affirmed, “Yes that’s correct.”
He finished his meal before looking up to ask one of the questions that had been on his mind since he had arrived. The timing never seemed to be appropriate, however.
“Valora? Can I ask you what happened to the other dragons? I know you said they died fighting. But, against who and for what?” Erik word vomited everything on his mind.
Humans, young one. They died fighting humans. Around the same time that the Stormborn stopped making the pilgrimage to our mountains, rumors had been spreading. Rumors of Dragon Hoards. Vast amounts of valuable items, that if found, would never be able to be spent in a single lifetime.
“Where did the rumors come from? We have the same stories where I am from as well. I find that both interesting and disturbing.” Erik interrupted.
Disturbing indeed. Such rumors are false, as you might have seen during your time here. We have no use for such items. I know not from where the rumors came. I only know how effective they were. All my kin slaughtered for the possibility of wealth. Their bodies turned into armor and shields that protected the thieves and murderers from our attacks, increased our casualties. We are a withdrawn and reclusive race that prefer solitude. This was our biggest disadvantage. The humans hunted us in packs while we were alone or sleeping in our caves.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
It made perfect sense to him. The humans on Earth were not subtle in the way they let greed dictate their lives. The world ran on money. No, what confused him the most was how there could be the same legend on two entirely different planets. Did the humans on both planets come up with the same story, or was there something larger happening here? A thought occurred to him. “Why did you invite me up? Were you not worried that I was here for your treasure?”
The thought had crossed my mind. However, as I have stated before, it has been many years since the pilgrimages stopped. You being Stormborn and not knowing where you were helped me decide in the end. But most importantly, one must never give up hope. It does not matter what your circumstance, you must keep fighting. I did not give up hoping that a Stormborn would arrive, and here you are. Hundreds of years later than expected, but here, nonetheless.
After their conversation, Erik made his way back outside. He had been going to the edge of the plateau every night to watch the grasslands he had arrived on come to life in the moonlight. It helped him put things into perspective. He was on another planet with no way to get home. He had been changed to something that wasn’t entirely human. And he was surrounded, Valora had not been lying when she had said he was deep in Chaos territory.
Now that he learned a little of the dragon’s back story, he was grateful she had decided to help him. He wouldn’t have survived the night. All manner of creatures both big and small roamed the plains when the suns retreated behind the horizon. The moonlight illuminated a Lovecraftian nightmare. Twisted and malformed beasts like Eldrich horrors, dug their way to the surface each night.
Their limbs, once full of life and vigor, now hung limp and unmoving underneath their bodies. The abominations traversed the land with the help of their new alien extremities that had sprouted from the bellies of some and orifice of others. Most walked on the tentacle like appendages, while the more immense creatures dragged their bodies through the grass in search of sustenance.
The early humans had chosen an apt name for what they had seen. There was no other way to describe what unfolded each night other than complete Chaos. The monsters below would fight for dominance each night, in which the losers were killed and eaten. Unlike what Erik had previously thought, the larger creatures were seldom victorious. They were stronger than the others, yes. However, they lacked the mobility to fight off their coordinated attackers. They put up a valiant fight, killing dozens in the process. Inevitably they succumbed to their wounds. The ones that feasted, in turn became bigger, and tomorrow they would fight off any would-be scavengers.
His thoughts turned to Trevor and the fact his friend would be forced into fighting swarms of Chaos creatures. What did Alice and the Empire expect from him and the others taken from Earth? They had mentioned conscription and fighting, but not a timeframe, and that was concerning. While he was worried about his friend, he would have to think about that later. He had to focus on what he could affect currently, and that was Valora and Helios. His fate was now tied to them, and he would do whatever was needed to secure their futures.
Staring down at the cacophony of violence he pondered what Valora had revealed earlier. In the span of a few years, humanity had gone from a peaceful coexistence to conducting a systematic destruction of nearly every dragon on Terra. He couldn’t be sure, but he hypothesized that the same thing happened on Earth. Fairy tales, folklore, and myths must have come from somewhere or at least based on some semblance of the truth.
The suns had been long gone before Erik decided that it was time for bed. Walking back into the cave, he was about to get into his usual sleeping position of being propped up on Valora when he changed his mind. Heading over to the cave wall, he began carving. All the practice he had been getting with cutting stones all day made this a piece of cake. He carved out a slot that was longer than his body and only went in deep enough for Helios to curl up next to him if he wanted. He made tiny steps for his companion to get in and out without assistance.
Feeling proud of himself he climbed in. It sucked, he hated it. It just wasn’t comfortable. Improvising, he slotted a channel through the center. The plan was to carve out a perfect imprint of his body so that he could sleep on his side. Without forgetting his new horns, he matched the curves of the rock to himself, creating a perfect mold with enough room to wiggle and not get claustrophobic. With the cool rock on his face, he drifted off to sleep.
Waking to a gentle breath on the back of his neck, he labored to escape the confines of his construction. Peering back into where he had left, he found Helios. The tiny dragon had climbed in and behind him sometime during the night and was curled up in the space that had been left for him.
Stretching, he found that he was the sorest he had ever been. Every muscle from his neck to his feet ached as he attempted to move about the cavern for his morning routine. The only solace being that his soreness was only due to his activities yesterday and no longer because of sleeping on the ground next to Valora and Helios. Tonight, he would try using some moss to see if that would help.
A better bed and a bathroom were first on his list of items he wanted. He wasn’t sure how long he would have to wait but he would figure out a way to make them. What he wouldn’t do for a hot shower right about now. He would change his focus. He would still be working on the same building as before, however sore muscles called for a nice long soak. It was time to install a tub. Using the techniques of yesterday, he would construct one. Before he could start with his day however, he first had to take care of all his morning needs.
Hauling the stones today was just as difficult. But somehow the motivation of a nice bath had made them easier to carry. On the stone floor he stacked the bricks in the corner, making sure that they were fully melded together before continuing. He didn’t want a leak due to sloppiness on his part.
Taking fewer breaks today than yesterday he was able to make significant progress. He stopped when had managed to stack the blocks high enough to reach the middle of his thigh. Using the same process that he utilized in cutting the blocks, he started carving.
Making the tub as deep as possible, Erik didn’t stop at floor level but continued into the stone beneath, making it deeper than it looked. He smoothed the corners, rounded out the back, and instead of a flat bottom he made an elevated seat. Testing out his new tub, he noticed that the water would easily be able to cover his shoulders when fully submerged and lying back. Proud of his creation and ready for a soak he headed over to the stream to gather the water.
If making fire was easy and cutting stone and manipulating the earth was difficult, moving water was downright impossible. It had taken Erik over an hour to move enough water to cover him up to his chest. He hadn’t filled the tub to the top but, it would have to be enough. He was exhausted and still needed to heat the water. Pushing his mana into the water he brought with it an aspect of fire, willing it to heat the water.
Slipping into the steaming hot bath, he let out a sigh of relief. “Finally.” He exclaimed. Today’s chores and tasks had solidified something to him. While magic was handy and extraordinary, it wasn’t the solution to all his problems. He couldn’t with his current energy capacity, move the amount of water needed for a bath without feeling like he had run a dozen miles. It could have been due to him being exhausted after moving all the rocks for almost two whole days or it was something else. Whatever it was, he would need a solution and maybe one that wasn’t magical.
Thinking back to Earth and the scientific advances they had made within the last couple hundred years; he was sure they with the help of magic he just might be able to pull some of them off and making his life here that much better.
After soaking till his hands and feet were nothing but prunes, made his way back into the cave. He had left the water and told himself he would empty it tomorrow after recuperating. Valora was in her normal spot, but Helios instead of being where Erik had set him, had climbed up and was resting on her back. A sense of deep satisfaction came to him from his bond.
Noticing his entrance, Valora’s head came up before greeting him. How was today? Learn anything new?
“No, I have a question for you though.” Erik began “Why are different elements more difficult than others? I was trying to move water today and it took everything I had.”
There are six elements, and each element has its opposite. Light has dark, air has earth, and your fire is the opposite to water making it more costly than it would be for others. Using an element that is not your affinity will be more of a burden. You will not be restricted from using the other elements, but they will come with a cost. This situation is normal, Dragon and Stormborn rarely have an elemental affinity to water due to their nature and connection to the storm. Valora stated.
“You said that there are only six elements, so how is it that Dragons and Stormborn have an affinity for lightning as well?” Erik asked a little perplexed.
Lightning is a combination of the air and light elements meaning that every Dragon and Stormborn in fact have three elemental affinities. Manaborn and other humans have affinities as well, but it is quite rare for them to develop more than two affinities and most only have one. She responded.
“Are there other combinations of elements that make something new like lightning?” Erik questioned.
While I am unsure of all the combinations, I have seen others. We are not unique to having an affinity that is a mixture of elements. As for what the affinity is, I know not. She stated with an air of finality, signaling the end of questions for this evening.
Taking the hint, Erik went about getting some dinner for himself and preparing for bed. He would make sure to place down some of the moss from yesterday to see if that would make his sleeping arrangements more amenable. He made sure to place some down for Helios as well. He wasn’t sure whether the tiny dragon would appreciate the added padding or not, but it couldn’t hurt he supposed.
Over the next few days, he continued to cut and stack blocks and instead of taking them as soon as they were cut, he stockpiled a few dozen before taking them over to the building site so he could stack them in bulk. It didn’t help cut down on the overall time he took building, but it helped with his moral getting to see real progress every time he laid bricks.
He stopped cutting blocks when he found something. It was a beautiful green metal with black streaks running through it. He had hit a vein of metal, different than any he had ever seen before. Beyond that, he couldn’t get the metal to separate from itself. As if tied together by an unnatural force, the metal would not come apart with magic. He excavated the metal, cutting the rock away on all sides. Using all his might, he couldn’t move the vein of metal it was just too heavy. It being over four feet in length and a foot in diameter didn’t help either. Just what was this new metal and what would he use it for.