VRITRA
-Prologue-
~The Start of a Journey~
I have zero recollection of any prior events, but a single moment struck my mind in the vague darkness I found myself upon.
Under a starry sky, filled with millions of stars forming different groups as they shined bright under the dark night. A cold breeze with footprints in the deep inched snow as the winter trees rustled their leaves off and gathered snow into their branches. It was a beautiful scenery with a large lake in the center of mountains reaching a freezing point where the only visible water being in the very center of all the ice accumulated.
That is the only fragment of a memory that I can even recall, anything else seemed difficult and unattainable even when hard work and effort was put into the heavy mental work. Not even a reason popped into question as to how I reached this uneventful point in the deepest of the dark with nothing visibly in the spectrum.
Perhaps I don't even have a body at the moment, or I've become delusional to the point of forgetting my whole life in just a few seconds. For all I know, I could have just turned blind without any notice whatsoever.
Not much point thinking about it.
Still this was a lonely encounter nothing but darkness, the complete opposite of that starry sky I keep recalling over and over. No trace of stars or even a sign of light in the distance just pitch black.
> [Commencing System Operations]
Interesting, a pop up screen appeared out of nothingness blue in color completely unrealistic. It was on a loading screen as a circular motion stuck into the bottom of the words moving in circles repeatedly almost hurting my head. Other than that nothing seemed to happen, but at least it brought a bit of light even though its mainly just on my eyes.
Time passed on, and nothing changed from that simple screen which only made me even more frustrated. Simply why pop up from nothing and stay in that same screen for god knows how long time had been passing by.
At least one thing seemed to change from everything around me other than that screen alone. I began to grow, though not in the way I had envisioned primarily. I was growing not into a humanoid shape but something more reptile as a small tale grew from my buttocks and small curved shape claws began to grow from my scaly hands and body.
The scales as well were a part of this distinct anomaly, I imagine that if I had any knowledge of my past life I would know a thing or more of what shape and body I am steadily developing on. Sadly there isn't a pond or a reflective object to give me a clearer image into my overall outlook, though I imagine its much larger than an infant child.
I can at least feel my mouth now, large and tongue would be small but it feels rather long and wavering. No teeth were present which made the feeling of my gums strange and disgusting.
> [System Operations COMPLETE]
About goddamn time, couldn't imagine waiting any longer for it to keep on loading endlessly. All that's left is to see what this so called system want from me, yet I can't imagine this thing having any proper answers to the amount of questions I have accumulated.
I shifted my gaze back to the blue screen waiting for a new change to come from the complete load it had made in months or years now. Now than, what do you have in store for me your ladyship.
> [Species - Dragon]
>
> [Sub-Species - Dragon Egg
>
> [Level - --]
>
> [HP - 1/1]
>
> [MP - --]
>
> [SP - --]
>
> [Titles -
>
> [Skills - --]
>
> [Skill Points - 5]
>
> [Attribute Points - 2]
That is an incredible amount of individuals to be the guardians or parents of a single entity that hasn't yet to be born. Judging by their names alone, I can only infer that the chance of every meeting them could be slight to a small percentage or zero altogether.
Disregarding that, everything else is kept simple and rather laxing. Assuming HP stands for health points, a single digit is not good enough to live by even if I were just an egg at the moment. I'd imagine my egg being rougher than something to be easily torn or shred apart.
> [Unlock Skill -
>
> [Cost - 3 Skill Points]
A skill, though I doubt it serve much purpose in actual combat or in any physical sense. Appraisal, sure doesn't seem bad to know what certain things may end up being if I end up believing them to be another separate object.
I have a total of five skill points which would bring me down to two skill points, the only issue is how will I gain other skills that may serve me more use in the future. Surely some catalog of different skills must pop up at some point to give me a variety of options... right?
.... fine just give it to me.
> [Gained Skill --
>
> [Dragon -- A race of ferocious monsters]
>
> [Dragon Egg -- A dragons offspring]
>
> [Hybrid -- A mix of different races into a single being]
>
> [HP -- Health Points]
>
> [MP -- Mana Points]
>
> [SP -- Stamina Points]
>
> [Celestina --
>
> [Dragon King --
>
> [Devil King --
>
> [Zirael --
Damn! Give me a warning before shoving everything in my face!
Looking at most of the information, I had already expected most health, mana, stamina though being a hybrid worries me to some extent. To find out more about who my supposed parent are I would need to increase the level of appraisal... is this system bullshitting me!?
Considering I can't do much in my current state, I could use my precious time to learn more about the system revolving around me and imagine the sort of world that waits for me just outside of this shell. That is my only option until I unlock skills and finally hatch out of here and venture out into a new world with zero knowledge of my whereabouts. I only wonder, is this the same world from that memory or a entirely different place.
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A group of adventurers roamed a dark cave with two of the men carrying torches lighting down a path in the shallow and damp environment. The group consisted of three men and three women. One women was a cleric another a brawler as the other held a staff signifying her sorceress status. The men consisted of a swordsman, a necromancer and a priest.
"Whats with all the spider threads. Wasn't this supposed to be the location of a mystery grade dragon egg?"
Through each path they'd taken spider threads scattered with little signs of actual spiders or a large sized monster. Though spiders inside these caves usually attack within sight, these kept the group on their guard from their unusual activity. All they did was watch them pass and crawl away, not by the flames emitted from the torch but almost as if ordered instinctively.
However it wasn't just spiders that roamed the pathway not causing much harm upon the adventurers. There were slimes, venom drakes, fire drakes, silver wolves, earth dragon hatchlings, and much more.
"Yes, but recently there has been an increase in the danger of this dungeon. Considering the sighting of a Celestial or Mythical level dragon."
"I would understand sending our group for a celestial, but a mythical grade dragon will leave us without much arsenal."
The group conversed as they moved onward without putting a fight against the monsters that surrounded them keeping a clear eye on them from all angles.
They approached a dark area, which seemed to have a reflected light that aimed at an object in the very center of the dark room they were stepping upon. With closer inspection they recognized the design of the object and prepared there weapons in case of any rising conflict.
A single large egg sat on top of a nest without any existing siblings to stand by it much less any signs of a parent. Everything around was dark and gloomy with no clear vision into what surrounded the egg other than the light of the torch and the entrance they entered from.
"That's our egg, we quickly retrieve it and make a run for it."
The group shook on the spot as the scattering sounds started to rummage their surroundings as every previous monster they passed entered in secrecy surrounding them awaiting a chance to attack. Fighting against them would be easy, though considering the great number of monsters that inhabited the room chances were very low for making it out alive.
Large taratects webbed their way down as their large and many red eyes filled within the crowd of the vast variety of monsters.
It only took seconds until the sorceress released a wide earth spell disfiguring the ground itself trapping several monsters onto the ground and only a few number of them managed to escape the locked prison. Thus started the combat between wild creatures and humans inside of the dungeon.
The swordsman lunged ahead, sword into the air as he let out a battle cry inflicting a deep wound on a trapped monster as small spiders began to crawl up of his legs. Despite their attempts, the swordsman simply shook his leg and awaited a fire spell from the sorceress to burn them alive and prevent their evolution into any higher level taratects.
The priest buffed the group, as the brawler smashed through the monsters bursting each of their abdomens. The wolves ran in circles to prevent their upcoming fates, yet the brawler proved them too slow to escape much more with their decreased speed caused by the altered ground.
The cleric kept a distance while the necromancer cast out a spell that brought the dead monsters to life as allies rather then enemies increasing their numbers and strength and steadily rising more in power.
"The odds are changing."
The trapped taratects hissed as they witnessed the deaths of infant spiders, and with the gathered anger managed to free themselves from the traps heading to the sorceress first. Without being able to act fast, the sorceress was impaled by one of the taratects legs as she witnessed her own blood drenched on the very leg that hung out right on her upper abdomen.
"Crap!"
The swordsman changed directions to the sorceress jumping high onto the air and striking off the taratects head before it even took a bite out of the sorceress body. The rest of the monsters spread each surrounding a different member of the group.
"Cynthia, heal Inya while I run a rampage on these heinous monsters."
The swordsman took out a scroll and released the lock it possessed lighting up words as he widened the page. He stabbed his hand with a dagger and imprinted his blood onto the page.
"This is only temporary."
Suddenly, his inner self vanished without a trace as he stood there without movement but a dark aura looming out of his body gathering the attention of all surrounding monsters. His body tweaked all over, as his bone structure began to alter increasing different and almost inhumane.
Blood streamed down his closed eye lids and ears, as his nails grew darker, larger and sharper with blood flowing right out. His eyes opened not bearing the same marks and colors they had prior, but dark and with a deep red color in the iris.
In just a second his presence disappeared as a single taratect was mysteriously slain further away from the prior position as the swordsman seemingly teleported right behind that very taratect that slid in half as its body was pierced in half in a single swing. All monsters took notice and all marched towards the now possessed swordsman as a different conflict arose.
The cleric ran to the sorceress as the priest followed right behind to help further with her depletion of mana. The necromancer stood wary of their surroundings as he felt oddly strange with the greater number of monsters which seemed to still be increasing despite their decreased amount from the several that were trapped to the ones who were slain.
The brawler gazed at the swordsman worried but shivered as the air around them seemed to change despite there being no source of wind entering or exiting from the spot of the dungeon they loomed upon.
The possessed swordsman gather a wide variety of injuries both severe and life threatening. Despite that his body moved freely without restrains even when a pile of monsters held onto him maintaining him on the spot to inflict wounds one by one that caused nothing to the swordsmans drive.
"HAHAHAHA-"
A sinister laugh escaped his mouth but was instantly ended as a his body was sliced in half with majority of the monsters in that same height reaching the same state the swordsman found himself in. The cleric shrieked as the priest fell to the ground while the brawler and necromancer stared in disbelief.
"Impossible, that was a mythical grade demon possession scroll."
The brawler stepped back covering her mouth while the necromancer sensed his remaining mana through instant meditation.
"I don't even have enough to bring his body to life just temporarily."
"Damn it! I knew something was odd about this dungeon. I've been through here dozens of times many years ago, the sheer increase of monsters alone wouldn't have much meaning if there wasn't a purpose for their rise."
The ground began to shake as rocks from the sides or above began to fall abruptly. There wasn't anything entering from any entrance spots nor was there a monster among the others who possessed any leadership roles among them.
However, the very being that caused the rumbling and instant death of their comrade laid there right in front of them the whole time. A large dark and rocky body lifted itself from the ground as its tail moved having the blood of the swordsman of their group.
It rose higher than the monsters and taller than anything else in the room almost reaching the height of the ceiling that covered any rays of the sun. Its eyes opened red in color, fearsome sending signals of danger to monster or human nearby.
"Listen, I have only a single way to defeat the dragon. Just that I want to make sure, you all are safe away from inflicted harm by the dragon."
The sorceress midway recovery raised herself up to sit ending the clerics further attempt in a full recovery. She further signaled the available exit area forwarding them to run as fast as possible before the dragon starts a all range or direct attack. Though hesitant at first the sorceress confirmation and commitment into her ongoing actions proved them futile of stopping her sacrifice.
They got up, and sprinted away looking back as a dark magic circle envelops around the sorceress. Yet the main things that caught their attention was a glowing red light that flowed through the dragons neck reaching upward towards its mouth as little sparks developed bringing life to a large flame waiting to spark on a path.
Speeding up they grew closer to the exit, but the speed of the dragons flare proved it impossible for a safe exit as their screams echoed while their bodies burned to ashes in the very footstep required to completely leave the zone of impact.
The sorceress didn't look back and continued to enhance and cast her sacrificial spell that only proved it to be a complete forbidden spell.
The dragon moved closer avoiding a step on the dragon egg, eliminating the monsters in its proximity without hesitation or thought of them as allies or followers.
"Magia---"
The spell reached its complete conjuring, stopping time indefinitely creating a large black hole that started to absorb majority of the dungeon tearing the dragon apart limb from limb. The whole structure of the dungeon completely reached its end as a new part of land began to form in the form of mountains and a small pond. The sorceress body withered away growing old first before turning the ash entirely.
Afterwards came a large explosion to the sky that separated the clouds and revealed the clear blue sky to the newfound land that began to grow grass immediately.
The dragon egg remained on the same spot completely unscathed, while most of the monsters that surrounded it perished with nothing to protect it or deal it any harm. The land around safeguarded it, growing a grass made nest making sure to keep it warm under the sunlight which the previous dragon seemed to do with their entire body.
Time would continue for a long time trees growing out extending their branches while creating a trail outside of the growing forest leading to the dragon egg, or for the dragon egg to take once hatched. Years, decades or even centuries passed by while the dragon egg still yet to hatch and not a single soul or entity around to take it away.
Until one day, a group of adventurers appeared with no destination to take stumbling upon a beautiful forest filled with pink roses and cherry blossom trees. A spectre appeared before them, perhaps a dryad considering its connection to the forest. That same being showed them the path that led to the dragon egg, that had the size of a three year old child leaving the group questioning the eggs purpose in the forest.
While trying to question the dryad, that very dryad vanished without a trace leaving them mysteriously outside of the forest alongside the egg before a barrier mysteriously formed around the forest creating a fog keeping any individual away from the undiscovered land.
The group which consisted of a female elf, a swordsman, a priest, a warrior a female archer, and a female researcher decided to take the egg and raise whatever grows out of it despite the dangers that may result from having it. Though they doubted facing any backlash considering the purpose of their party.
And so one day, while traveling through a wagon keeping it warm enough for it to hatch... a crack appeared as a single eye peeked out staring unto the group of adventurers it found itself with.