My night's rest was consistent. No rise or fall punctuated it, while one head was out like a stone the other remained in a shallow, watchful state of sleep. Hana slipped back at some point in the night, to curl up on her ally as best a skull and bone-hands could, while the martial arts cow snored like a wind instrument. Full of energy, full of mana, and empty of wounds, I was ready to go. And right on time too, as a passing dwarven peasant seemed to notice my raised heads. He turned his own, speaking words in that same rough, clipped language, but a clear gesture of his arm made his point clear. Hana poked the bull awake, dodged a lazy horn swipe, and floated after me. We galumphed, levitated, and lumbered in a line, turning past a handful of double-decker buildings. While the ground-floor halves held some sort of purpose reflected on their signage- a saw through a log, a chisel on a stone, a rolled paper over a limb which I guessed was a doctor, the top halves looked similar. But I had little time to speculate as we were lead into one- wide and rocky, marked with a hammer over an ingot.
"Good to see you this morning." Greeted an unusually tired-looking human. His helm was off, and were I at all interested I might have commented on his appearance. "I've collected leads from the dwarves on their trade partners, and calculated likelihood to have a mage willing to teach you mind magic. In addition, I've leveraged my status to alter a regular trade route to make a stop in Omlast, where one remembers a promising apprentice. I'm certain you can work with him to develop your magical potential, so that you can communicate and defend wherever you live."
"This guy did not stop human-splaining" I thought, my own mind already weaving together another connection. I shot it forth like an awkward javelin, blindsiding the armored human. He stopped, looked towards me, and I felt the connection solidify.
[Sounds good with me!] I said through it, waving one of my fins.
"How did you..." His eyes narrowed. "Were you holding out on me?"
[Nope!] I answered, opting for the truthful path. [I bought this out last night]
"Bought? As in, with a Skill point?"
This was too truthful. I was flying too close to the sun, but couldn't figure out how to steer
[Yes, with a Skill Point.] I admitted. [It's already level two]
"Which you acquired from victory, did you not?"
I nodded one head.
"None of the dwarves can improve anywhere near this fast. They have to learn their skills the old-fashioned way, without help from Levels, Skills, or a System. I have reason to believe you're a Contestant, and am willing to overlook any... reasons for competition if you help my people. Kobolds have taken up residence in our mine, and a mage like you will be a force multiplier."
[Deal. I'm ready to go now.]
"You don't want any help from my equipment?" The defender asked with accusation. But I remained calm and patted my flank, hammer wound vanished
[Nope. I brought my own. I'll even go in myself, if your sail-dwarves do one thing first.]
"State your terms, hydra."
[Visit an island around 12 miles east and pick up a friend of mine. Her name's topaz.]
"That's where the trade route is going anyway, and a small diversion is far better than a large one. We'll be leaving at the third hour of daylight. Your deal's good to go."
I slowly, purposefully closed the mental connection, signifying I had no more to say. [Skill: Mind magic has risen to level 3]
With a happy expression on my snouts, I set out. I wasn't just protecting the dwarves, I was hoarding the EXP.
"And besides," I thought, cresting a hill that overlooked the infested mine. "Kobolds like taking orders from dragons"
Something within me jolted. A dragon was likely coordinating these kobolds. A dragon who was larger, stronger, and smarter than I. Pressure within me to evolve crested as a shadow eclipsed my worth. A shadow with a massive wingspan, a sharp tail, and absolutely delicious meat. The door had swapped out it's guard force. Two smaller kobolds sat atop the scaffolding, as a larger one leaned against the earthen wall. A scaled canine, snout long and teeth sharp, sat at her side; and I don't know how I could tell this large kobold was a she. I tried to draw close, navigating to the side of that particular hill and angling a poison shot down, but as I charged up the shot, the lizard-dog barked repeatedly. Kobolds scattered, disrupting my aim to hit only the earthen face. The smaller two ran back inside, while the larger one lined up a javelin. And worse, the canine companion sprinted forward, leaping up the cliffside. It's claws clung into the side of the wall with an orange light, sprint unceasing in intensity as it covered vertical ground. Panic set into my more rational head at the fast-approaching predator, but that rational head brought a solution. A mind bridge formed with ease, this creature barely having the mental complexity to resist or counter, and I sent three forceful words across it.
"No! Bad dog!"
The Skill faded. Mere feet away from me, a look of existential panic clouded the dog's face. It scrabbled for a foothold, knocked off-balance by a blast of wind to the face. I looked downwards, watching it plummet and crack something against the ground below
[Skill: Forceful breath has risen to Level 3]
A javelin embedded itself into the hill beside me, giving me another jolt. Taking a deep breath, I slid forward and off the ledge, fall broken with my sea blubber and my former foe.
[You have slain: Drake hound]
The kobold looked at what I had done, look of horror splattering onto her face. I took no pride in this particular kill, only using it to get under the larger foe's skin. And of course, line up another corrosive shot. It sped across the meters of air between us, wobbling in flight and splattering on the kobold's weapon and armor The kobold tried to throw another javelin rather than risk closing the distance, but it seemed to flex and turn in-flight, flat of the weakened throwing spear smacking my neck with a sting rather than a skewer. Clearly on the offensive now, I put my flippers to the ground and hauled tail. The kobold swiped with a bent knife, curved tip blocked by one head while the other clamped down on it's seasoned stomach. I pulled back and bit down, chunk of flesh bitten cleanly from the kobold's side. It looked at it's wound, looked at it's wounder, and seemingly died from shock.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
[You have slain: Great kobold (II) fighter Level 3. Experience gained.]
"Man..." I thought, chowing down on the fighter. "Was that not enough?"
I let my wounds close with rapid healing, curling up to the side to digest. At least, I would have, if not for the sound of footsteps from the mineshaft. Not wanting to get blindsided again, I burned my candle of resources from both ends. My left head created a stream of water, hydrating the grass ahead into a fine slick, while my right charged up a toxic orb. It reached it's maixmum size with speed, just maintaining the baseball-sized orb making a downward tug on my stanina.
[Skill: Corrosive Poison synthesis has risen to level 3]
My mouth widened. The orb grew in size and power, hissing at the air. Two flanks of Darker-scaled, more diciplined-looking kobolds poured out, until the first slipped forward on the wet grass. He caught himself with his halberd, booted feet lacking the traction of claws, but falling over as the shortsword kobold from behind crashed into him shield-first. The other flank's halberd kobold fared marginally better, sliding forward on the water as if he was skating, until my right head fired. An acidic blast sailed into their ranks, splashing against a greataxe-wielder in the middle. Her words toppled, from battlecry to screams as my chemical nightmare ravaged her systems.
[You have slain: Zyrbold (II) Berserker (II) level 1. More Experience gained. Level has risen to 3. Skill point gained. Vitality and mind have risen by 1]
"An advanced race and an advanced class? And what the heck is a Zyrbold?" I asked myself, other handful of kobolds closing in on my position. I needed a new melee option, and needed it fast. Not wanting to acquaint myself with a new method of attack, I chose to promote a tactic I already had twice.
[Upgrades available for Skill: Bite (I)]
[Shattering bite (II). Increases bite's damage to armor]
[Severing bite (II). Increases bite's ability to disconnect limbs]
[Lacerating bite (II). Increases bite's bleed factor]
[Rapid bite (II). Increases bite's speed]
Lacerating. Lacerating to the finish. I already had a method of armor removal and techincally doubled [Bite] speed, and severing looked too situational. Not to mention, larger wounds were easier to poison. The six of them spread out to surround me. Or in other words, get into range of my new skill. My heads came up to theirs at full height, but I kept them low, stance sprawled out to confound their weapons. Two held polearms, two a sword and round shield, and the last two a pair of axes each. The first of which came rushing at me spearpoint-first, telegraphed attacks awkward to dodge. I threw myself aside, the head of one halberd stabbing wide while the other thread the needle between two heads. Thinking I was safe from it I spat a quickly-made poison blob in reteliation, but this kobold was wise to my ways, flexing her head to the side and slashing downwards at my back in the same movement. My thick hide couldn't stand up to the slash of an unusually well-made polearm. Pain shot spread up my spines like oil across water. I thrashed my heads, knocking the polearm aside and out of it's kobold's hands and out of my back with a painful clatter. The other pulled back, and in a return to old instincts I grabbed the halberd with my mouths and swung it aside. The clumsy strike caught a sword kobold off-guard, axe head chopping into his shoulder. I lashed forward to the other halberdier, latching my heads onto his arms and [Biting] down. Warm liquid dripped into my mouth from at least a dozen punctures, kobold's shrill roar of pain rewarding. My healing sped up, wound on my back closing quickly with the continued serrating I raised my fins, ready to slide them forward-
Until four axes came down on my tail. My mouthes opened up, eyes blurring, as the kobold escaped. I was running out of options, unable to out-fight this problem, so took my last option.
I struck the ground with my flipper, rolling over awkwardly. A kobold tried to block, until his ally pulled him aside. I lay on my front, tailstump painting the ground, and mentally reached out towards the other halberdier.
[I surrender. We need no more blood]
The kobold, upside-down from my perepsective, looked at his ally's and nodded. One of the swordbolds bandaged up her battle sister's arms, while the others debated what to do in a language of chirps and barks. Lacking anything fancier, the five kobolds began to carry me, one headlocking each head while the other three lifted the weight of my torso.
[Our leader will be most pleased. Don't try anything funny]
They carried me, past their wooden barricades in the front to control and funnel groups of attackers. past their living space in the large central room, housing made from the mine's scaffolding. Back to the deepest vein, where an actual dragon perched. My jaw dropped in awe of his power. An aura of might projected outwards, black scales gleaming in the red glow of magical gems along the walls like fairy lights.
"Who did you bring back this time?" A voice boomed, full of self-satisfied contempt, but changed it's tone to one less toxic when I entered the room.
"Oh ho, you've brought back a fine sample indeed." The dragon complimented, running his tongue over his terrifying teeth, but not before shooting a beam of verdant light towards me. The kobolds said a few things in their language while the dragon pondered. "And you say this is the one who killed your berserker? She truly had it coming then. This one doesn't even have a Class"
The leader kobold, normally collected and in control, knelt before the dragon in an obvious display of pleading.
"This one interests me. Her stats are low, but her Skills are many. For bringing her back to me alive, you will suffer no punishment for the lost ally. Resume your duties." He ordered, turning towards me. The kobolds didn't even bother to cage or bind me, but I knew any escape attempt would end quickly.
"What do you want me for?" I asked, trying and failing to mask my fear of being eaten, enslaved, or worse
"At the moment, your potential. We as dragonas are gifted with this quantification of power, this reward for identifying and overcoming the weak."
I could feel a sweatdrop form on my head. No one you wanted to trust had this mindset.
"In any case, you have a System and a Name. And a feminine one at that." The dragon sneered, teeth wide. "I want you to evolve into a factory for my spawn. To carry my kobolds, drakes, and wyverns across corners of the world. my Queen"
I was five levels of not into that. Only eclipsed by the six levels of being not into getting eaten or torched by a power-hungry dragon.
"I accept. Do you have a plan to raise my Levels?"
"I seek to attack Minas Malboor, a human city. I will carry you in my claw, and you will slay as many humans as you can. Fail to reach rank 3, and one of my claws will slip in transit."
"Does it have to be a human?" I tried. "Humans are weak, fleshy little things who hide in tin cans. Wouldn't it be better if we took on another dragon? I've punched above my weight before, and I can do it again"
The great dragon turned it over in his head, adjusting his wings with a woosh.
"There is a thorn in my side, and he will be a fine crucible for my future queen. We will make our departure at nightfall. You will train my skills against my kobolds again, but do not kill any more."
My heart slowed back down to a reasonable pace. I didn't like what he was doing, but I had every chance to get stronger and turn the tables on him.
"Sure, I'll be training all day, as soon as my tail grows back"
"Ah, about that." The dragon interjected, clawing downwards. A flank of a massive creature fell out, cooked to rare perfection.
"Dig in. You'll need it."