“Yes!” Sara shouted. “I leveled off the mission bonus! And four faction tokens, [Quest Master] is applying to all of us! Eve?”
“Four tokens and a minor experience bonus,”Eve said as she let Vip eat straight from her plate.
Trella hadn’t spoken. “I didn’t get faction tokens. I’m three points away from level twenty four. I’m nearly there. Once I’m in the same tier, it won’t be so bad.”
Wren gave Ashi a pat on the back. “I didn’t get any bonus, but I already got everything I needed. I can’t wait to have my armor inspected. I know I didn’t setup the new inscriptions right. I know there’s something wrong with the reflection enchantment. This sort of thing’s never been done. I hate to sound ungrateful, but I really need to head to the academy. If I need more, can we work a deal?”
“All you have to do is ask,” Sara said. “They’re not [Mirror Shields] anymore, so they won’t lower the value of our stock. Though you’ll need to watch out for Ignus. He’s probably planning to have your armor destroyed.”
Wren laughed. “He wants to buy it. He says rogue mages are always a problem. He wanted an oath I wouldn’t give it to Kaden. Sorry, Kaden.”
“No worries there.” Kaden walked with her as she headed for a FarPortal. “You’re welcome at the Holding. It’s not an academy and you don’t have a workshop, but you’re still welcome.”
Wren looked happy. “You know I barely made it there. You know I was forced to take a [Shield] class to survive. I hated it and loved it at the same time. I hated it taking the thing I wanted to do from me. But now, just a tiny amount of adventure feels right. I won’t go into a dungeon, but if you need my help, reach out.”
“Don’t be a stranger.” Kaden waited for her to use the FarPortal. “Trella.” He felt her presence behind him.
“What gave me away?” She asked, putting her arms around him. “Did I make a noise?”
“No.” It was just a feeling in his soul. “I told you not to worry. I said we’d get you to twenty five and beyond. Look how slow it is. I didn’t come close to leveling again.”
“I will be useful.”
“You don’t need to be anything except yourself.” He returned to find Sara deep in discussion with a young man who had to be related to the king. The resemblance was unmistakable. Ashi leaned against Trinity’s back, scratching her scales.
Vip had decided the whole table was her feast and no one was going to tell the small gray dog no. Eve lay head down, snoring quite loudly.
“Kaden?” Sara called. “This is Yituri, Evander’s cousin—second cousin—and Craft Advisor. Yituri is a master [Leatherworker] and will handle transport for evaluation.”
Yituri lacked the commanding presence of Evander. His skin was tan with spots of pure white which could have been scars from leather tanning, and his dirty blond hair hung in ragged curls, but blue eyes with a genuine smile made Kaden want to like Yituri.
Kaden shook the man’s hand, trying not to associate Jagi and Ashi’s siblings. “You’ve got your work cut out for you.”
“I couldn’t be more excited, but there are a few problems and solutions I want to discuss before I do. I can’t undo them, after all.” Yitoru pointed to the rest of the courtyard. “Now, quantity, I’ll give you, is exceeding. Rarity, there’s probably fourteen pieces in the lot that are truly unique, and then the [Burning Dream Queen]. I’d like to show you all.”
Yitoru drew a workbench from storage. Unlike Wren’s it didn’t unfold, and unlike Wren’s it wasn’t light. The small man producing full size furniture made Kaden almost laugh. Next came a leather bound book, a glass artifact case and a few tools. “First off, the Trial participants ignored the hearts of the [Crystal Goblins] in favor of larger chunks. Most of these are broken, but these five are intact and will be the subject of a royal ruling to prevent Crafter infighting. Who collected these?”
He was pointing to a set of daggers. No, teeth.
“That’s me,” Eve said. “I out-plagued a [Plague Ghoul] and healed it to death. Only one of its kind and totally unprepared for me to not only heal it but make myself stronger with its debuff. Also, Skully held it down.”
At his name, the skeleton attempted to stand. It had replaced the lower section of its legs but the feet weren’t right yet. It tripped and landed with a crunch.
“And you took them. And you survived touching them, which is unusal. They’ll be a set of poison based rapiers for [Fencers], a specialization of Swordsman. I’ve seen one in the last century, you’ve got a set.” Yitoru pointed to stacks of reagents. “I’m sorry, none of these are rare. I’m aware loot isn’t always fair.”
Trella didn’t blink. “I got what I needed, thanks. I got everything.”
“Miss Scylla, I’m impressed with your taste in loot. Those [Burrower] mandibles are powerful weapon mould materials and we have enough for a set. The [Psychic Owl] eyes are magnificent, we don’t even know what these silver teeth are, but they are in fact metal, and they are in fact enchanted and I’m shocked your [Artificer] wasn’t fighting for them.”
Sara looked confused. “I don’t think either of those were mine. I’m fairly sure Trinity brought them back from something that attacked the camp. The teeth fell out of a jawbone she was gnawing on.”
“They’re yours as far as we’re concerned,” Trella said. “Trinity doesn’t do loot.”
Yituri turned to Kaden. “The spinnerettes are a crafting tool material. A talented weaver can draw silk from them for centuries if incorporated into a spinning wheel. We only have one Centurion rank weaver and it’s certain he will put claim on it.”
That didn’t bother Kaden much. “And?”
“Well, there’s so much you brought back. Evan has said you’ll find a host for the egg, the dragon scale is yours as well. The [Burning Dream Queen] requires decisions. [Vivomancers] everywhere will pay for the entire corpse. As your Assassin lover can attest, the stinger can form a weapon that enhances poison, not to mention venom sacks will yield new types of poison.”
Sara cleared her throat. “Just a rough guess, how much do you think the Vivomancers would pay?”
“I saw a rainbow frog go for fifty thousand,”
“Sell it,” Trella said. “There’s no way a single dagger is worth that much gold. Not to me.”
Kade’s [Read Emotion] skill activated, telling him how conflicted she was. Trella really had been looking forward to a weapon made to poison.
Sometimes, you had to make decisions. Kaden made one. “Put out word, let it go to auction. Start it at a couple hundred thousand gold. It’s literally the only one of its kind right now. Whether they want to craft with it, study the corpse, display it like a trophy, I don’t care.”
Yituri’s mouth dropped open. “No one is going to pay—”
“Then I keep it. I’m ready to relax. Do you have healing baths? Or regular baths? I haven’t had a bath in so long Trinity keeps sniffing,” Kaden said.
“Of course. Your…pets are somewhat problematic. Your party is welcome to stay in the palace, but you must keep them under control.”
Kaden pulled Vip and Trinity into his soul. Skully rocked back and forth, scanning the room. “You don’t happen to have any empty skulls sitting around, do you?”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“No?” Yituri asked. “Do you need some?”
“It’s better if there aren’t.” Kaden didn’t want to go into details. “Skully needs to spread his seed to more empty skulls so he can infect them with [Plague Crows]. It’s been a few weeks and he’s getting really agitated, but there’s a time and a place and this isn’t it.”
Despite Kaden’s assurances, Yituri seemed less happy by the moment. He placed them on the ground floor closest to the palace kitchen and laundry, which didn’t bother Kaden at all. Skully was happy to stand outside, even when a rainstorm passed over.
It wasn’t bitterly cold in Trunistan, though Kaden wouldn’t call it warm. There were no public baths, but Kaden found the palace baths and scalded himself while the cleaning box rejected his armor four times before finally sterilizing it. Vip swam in circles in the bath and then dashed back and forth shaking water everywhere.
Trinity could swim.
Trinity chose not to.
Afterwards, he dressed and left Trella napping while he found an aviary. Trunistan, as a center of commerce, had public messenger bird colonies, scroll centers, and [Priests of Ethos] ready to negotiate contracts at any moment.
Kaden sent a message to Mr. Dervish. What’s a common beast that’s completely immune to fire?
All the ones the Professor had taught him were monsters who would set fire and then rampage through the flames.
If Kaden was going to use the dragon scale, he expected it to burn him during the process. The key was being immune to fire, not just resistant.
Not thirty minutes later, a bird returned to him. It spoke—and Kaden almost missed what it said because the voice was Profressor Treadles. Or his ghost. The voice was a whisper with rasps. “In Trunistan, find an [Alchemist]. They’ll have common [Match Lizards], cross breeds of [Fire Salamanders]. And eating them won’t give you the talent, no matter what anyone says, though enough mayonaise and mustard makes them delicious.”
Kaden hadn’t forgiven the Professor. His love of destruction and disdain for System Limitations had lead to the disaster that offered Trella the [Slaver] class, but his guidance was probably right.
“Wisp 71, any chance you’re listening?”
A pink orb of light the size of Kaden’s head swelled into existence.
“You smell so much better than my boots,” Kaden said. “I need an [Alchemist] shop.”
Kaden followed the wisp through Trunistan. The crowds were amazing. The guards, amazing. The lack of thieves, surprising. And Trella was going to have to come with him. This was to Alchemy what Dervish’s Summoning Services was for Summoning. The shop alone was larger than all of Verona’s Alchemy shops put together, and their row upon row of reagents and walls of equipment were only the start. In the center of the shop, teams of [Alchemists] brewed for waiting customers in flasks made of pearl and silver light.
“How may I help you?” A young lady asked. “We’re waiting roughly thirty minutes for all potions, longer for tier nine.”
“I’d like a common [Match Lizard], please.” He smiled and waited.
“Brewed into a potion?”
“Just the lizard.”
She blinked as she focused and tilted her head to ensure she was hearing. “And?”
“Just the lizard. There’s no need to box it up. Don’t worry. It’s not like I’m going to eat it to gain a Talent.” Trella often said he needed to be more friendly, so Kaden gave her a smile with teeth.
“How about a mana potion?”
“To wash the lizard down? No. Just the lizard. Though do they do better in pairs? I don’t want him to be lonely. Plus, if it turns out I do need to eat them, having one per slice of bread makes a sandwich more even, don’t you think?”
His shopkeeper grimmaced. “You said you weren’t going to eat them.”
“Probably not going to eat him. I guess I can wrap a slice of bread around him if things go badly. Which I’m sure it won’t. Do you sell salt? Not for the lizard, of course. You know what? I can probably get it someplace else. Bread…”
“Is not an Alchemical ingredient or potion,” the girl said through gritted teeth. “So, you want—”
“Just the lizard. And if you have two, a friend for the first one.”
She stalked away, muttering under her breath and returned a few moments later with a metal cage. “That’s two hundred silver.”
That was highway robbery. Kaden paid anyway, then applied [Soul Binding].
You have bound an Entity (Match Lizard).
You have bound an Entity (Match Lizard).
Your skill with Soul Binding has increased.
That had Kaden paying attention. His binding slots had just increased. Soul Binding had derived from [Binding Mark] and [Beast Taming], and the leveling system was probably use based. The lizards had only a single skill, [Burn] and a talent [Fireproof], which he selected as they climbed up to sit on his shoulder. That should be all it took to allow him to absorb the scale.
Kaden reached into Inventory and pulled out the Dragon Scale. It burst into flame and glowed so bright everyone looked away, causing him to make a fast retreat from the shop. He sprinted through the streets all the way to the palace, where Trella looked up as he burst in. “Is it an emergency?”
“No.” Kaden stepped out into the courtyard, standing clear of the palace structure. He pulled the scale out again. It didn’t burn, and yet it was still hot. This was not the time to back off. Kaden pressed the scale—and skin—up against his hand between the other two. The scale twisted off the skin and seared into his hand with a flash of red.
It glowed even brighter. His armor on his right forearm melted, the wrist gauntlet burned clean off. Even though it couldn’t burn him, the light hurt his eyes, and Kaden couldn’t help falling to his knees as he cradled his right hand. It wasn’t pain as much as power, power that gushed and rushed and now locked into him. He held on against the torrent of power, even as it tore through him, causing his health to drop without even taking damage.
You have received: 1x Dragon Scale (Fire)
Quest Updated: Must Obtain Many (Part 2)! - Obtain six Dragon Scales (3/6) Reward: Beast Form Slot.
You have completed a Quest: Must Obtain Many (Part 1)
Quest Master is active.
You have received 2x: Beast Form Slots
ERROR_SKILL_NOT_ACTIVE.
Activating Skill.
You have learned a new skill: Beast Form
[Beast Form]
You have the soul of a Beast, and now you can take their shape. While in the shape of a Beast, you may use its skills and talents. Your health and mana will average. The resulting Beast’s size will vary based on your level. As this skill levels, you will innately grasp some skills of your selected forms. You must contact a beast to save it as a form.
The sky began to rain, and it hissed and steamed as it struck his hand, where now a bright red scale nestled with the other three. For the first time in forever, Kaden wasn’t just strong. Now, he held the key to power. And a piece of dragon meat, which had warped the stone it sat on.
When his skin stopped smoking, Kaden stepped back in.
“Tell Trinity not to cook so close to the house,” Trella said sleepily. Then she sat up. “What did you do to your arm?”
The skin wasn’t burned. [Fireproof] wouldn’t let it burn, but it was cooked. The tingling in his arm was his only feeling, and Kaden suspected the sheer power had done severe damage. “I did it. Three scales unlocked [Beast Form].”
“Change into a cat,” Trella said. “Wait. Change into Trinity.”
The only problem was, Kaden had no idea how to use the skill. Unlike [Beast Soul], he had no idea how to select a slot or start a transformation. Good thing he knew someone who could. He sent the Falcrow to Kanli the [Druid] with a simple question. “How do I change into a Beast? I’m in Trunistan and just unlocked [Beast Form].”
An answer came back immediately via a bright blue hummingbird. “Don’t attempt this on your own. Every [Druid] ever has gotten stuck in a Beast Form and had to have help changing back. You’re probably going to have a harder time because of your connection to Beasts. Don’t risk it alone.”
Frustration was the binding line of Kaden’s life. He had a skill but didn’t know how to use it. Someone he trusted said it wasn’t even safe to experiment yet. Three steps forward and two back. Kaden repeated Kanli’s message. “You’d keep me safe if I got stuck in a Beast Form, right?”
“It won’t kill you to wait. We can go to a grove straight from here. Not Sara, but everyone else can. What would you tell me if our positions were reversed?”
Kaden thought it over. “Nothing, because you would have already tried it. Nocto Condensate, sound familiar?”
“Different and you know it. I’m five levels below you and a different tier. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure I’m not left behind.” Trella pulled at his uninjured hand. “Rest. You haven’t really rested.”
It was difficult to argue that, though he had to lay on his other side. The injured arm smelled like a freshly roast ham.
“Are those two lizards just going to sit there and stare at us?” Trella stood at the courtyard door. “Yeah, I think they’re just going to stare. Tell me you have a plan to stop them from staring.”
“Only if you have a loaf of bread.” Kaden turned over and blinked.
Darkness hit him.
Exhaustion like a wave.
His dreams were troubled and full of mustard and bread with holes and small lizards with deeply accusing stares who wouldn’t stay put until he threatened them with a butter knife.
“Wake!” Ashi’s command pulled him from sleep. “How did he injure himself so? This wound is terrible. The flesh is filled with illness.”
Kaden sat up. His right arm didn’t tingle, it flat out burned, not fire but pain, and the sweet ham smell had become sickly. “Dragon scale.”
“Evelyn!” Ashi called.
Eve looked him over and gaped. “Why—no, no. For the sake of my own sanity, I know better. [Life Explosion!]”
Chunks of Kaden’s arm exploded, leaving ragged muscles clinging to the bone. The scales remained seared into his hand.
“Could we not have done this outside? Also, a chunk of his arm just barely missed my mouth, and there’s some in your hair. And unless you have a hairy mole on your cheek, I have bad news.” Trella asked.
Eve gritted her teeth and activated [Life Transfusion]. “This isn’t injured, it’s near destroyed. We need to get you to a Temple. And why is there a lizard on your shoulder?”
“I don’t have any bread,” Kaden said. “Also, there’s two.”
“There’s one,” Eve said. “We were going to the Craft Committe to hear the results of their assessment but now we’re going to the Temple to see what they can do for this. At this point, I’m afraid you’ll lose the limb.”