Important notice about stats– While values for stats such as strength and vitality are displayed in alphanumeric form, these numeric representations are not linearly correlated with actual performance. For example, 20 strength does not make a player four times stronger than 5 strength, nor is an increase from 20 to 25 strength necessarily the same for two players who experience the same increase. The alphanumeric display is a crude estimate of growth rather than an absolute. Every participant’s development is different. Strength is not quantifiable. Keep this in mind.

Stat growth is a key to progress and survival, but do not blindly rely on stats.

This was what Radais was readying as he walked in an unfamiliar place on a fairway land.

Radais understood where the adventuring book was coming from. To put it simply, this book was making it clear that the stat numbers were attempts to estimate a value for a particular attribute, but by no means were they completely accurate representations since their underlying characteristics were far more complex than a mere number.

Nevertheless, stats could be helpful as a general guideline to gauge strength. The book also did explicitly warn him not to rely on stat growth, though blindly. He wondered what it meant by that.

The sun was mid-sky when Zeinnairth and Larxene returned. To everyone’s surprise, they brought a mammoth. However, the most surprising thing was that they carried it on their shoulders, between the two of them.

“They really did it,” whispered Xion, who was sitting against a tree trunk.

“Have you doubted them?” Radais asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Didn’t you?”

“Mm,” Radais quirked his lips, “maybe a little.”

Zeinnairth and Larxene dropped the mammoth’s lifeless body to the ground. Vandal, who appeared out of nowhere after Radais complained about not having his servant for too long, was startled at the action. Radais clapped the air and approached them, congratulating them.

“And now who is going to peel it?” Radais asked.

“Peel it?” Zeinnairth looked at him strangely.

“Yes, or are you planning to eat it with hair? It sucks!”

“Radais is right,” Larxene said. “We can’t eat it like that.” The woman stared at the gigantic corpse, enough to feed them all. “Maybe with fire, we can peel it and cook it at the same time.”

“Sounds good,” Radais smiled. That meant it would be his job, so he got down to business. He took a deep breath and then opened his mouth, releasing all the air quickly and suddenly. From his jaws, however, not air came out but fire. The flames surrounded the mammoth, and an intense smell of burning hair invaded the place. The only good about becoming human was that his fire was less acidic, still hurts a lot, though.

Radais took a couple of steps back, wrinkling his nose. It was his friends, however, who complained.

“What is that smell?”

“Gross!”

“Someone stop it!”

“It’s the hair,” Vandal said, a look of disgust on his face. “It’s the smell of burning hair. It is what you get by cooking an animal without skinning it.”

“If you knew this would happen, why didn’t you tell us?” Xion asked, holding her nose.

“Because it wouldn’t have been so much fun.” Vandal smirked.

“Now it will be your turn to cut it so that we can eat,” Radais ordered, holding his nose as well.

Vandal sighed and then nodded. He shrugged, grabbed his sword, and went to work on the mammoth’s already cooked body.

A few minutes passed, and when the first chunk hit the ground, Radais lunged at it. It was one of its front legs, and the young manling threw himself on the piece of meat to nibble directly on it.

“Don’t do that!” Vandal said, giving him a minor blow to the head with the handle of his sword. “You have hands now; use them!”

“Don’t give me orders!” Radais replied with his mouth full.

“He’s right,” Xion said, standing up and heading towards him. “We no longer have our powerful jaws; we have to eat carefully... and with our hands.” Xion waved her hands in front of her own eyes.

Radais stared at her for a moment, then sighed, swallowing. “Okay, how do you eat with your hands?”

Vandal took a piece of meat, took it between his hands and began to take small bites while he held it, turning it between his fingers when necessary. Radais watched it and took the huge paw with both hands, one end in each, and then began to take great bites. The other youths followed suit as the human cut more pieces.

After about twenty minutes, the mammoth was wholly cut up, and everyone was eating its pieces. Those who ate the most were Zeinnairth and Radais, eating two legs each and also some pieces of other parts. Xion and Larxene ate part of the ribs while Vandal had to settle for a few pieces that were left. They ended up splitting the head and distributing it among all.

Once they were satisfied, they left the bones, visors, and leather pieces in a hole that Vandal dug in the earth and continued on their way. According to what they knew, they had to find the gem that Dusk and Enurto had hidden in order to be fully dragons again. They weren’t sure where the gem would be, but there was a reason why they had been sent down that route, so younglings decided to follow the path that was only a few meters away.

The path crossed a small forest of low trees. Their cups had leaves of various colours, from green to purple, through gold and white. The sun was shining overhead, and there were hardly any clouds to be seen, so the heat was increasing as the hours passed.

The journey through the forest was uneventful. They weren’t even lost, despite Radais and Zeinnairth climbing trees in the middle of the trail and ending up falling on their heads. Xion had to heal both of them, as they had cut their heads.

“Ouch!” Radais complained when Xion cleaned his wound.

“If you had been more careful, this would not have happened.” The medic told him.

“If I had my full powers, neither would it.”

“But you don’t have them… we don’t,” Xion bit her lower lip lightly. “So you have to be careful.”

“Okay,” Radais finished saying as her friend finished healing him.

“Ready!” she said, smiling.

He turned and smiled back at her, which caused Xion’s heart to race and her face to feel hotter. Xion turned, so Radais wouldn’t see her, but he didn’t even notice.

“Well, let’s move on!” Radais slapped the air, and they all continued walking.

Flying was not an option at the moment because they required too much stamina.

The path wound through the forest and out of it. They all stared at what was spread out in front of their eyes. They could hardly see the other shore because of the magnitude of the swamp. The muddy water, dark and thick, seemed to cover everything for the next few hundred meters. Nevertheless, some plants could be seen growing in the water and appearing on the surface of the water, as well as an old leafless tree whose roots had been partially exposed to the air, while the other half had been under the water.

They all looked at each other. Had they been in their original forms, they would have simply been able to fly across it with their full powers. But that was not the situation they were in. They were half-humans; they couldn’t use their wings; how could they cross the swamp?

“What are we supposed to do?” Radais asked, folding his arms in outrage.

“Cross it; what else can we do?” Larxene said.

“Yes, but how?” Zeinnairth asked. He was as outraged as Radais at not being able to simply fly over it.

“Walking,” Vandal replied as if it were the obvious thing to do. And it really was. Not for the party, of course, who seemed to have no common sense at all.

“We can’t walk through it!” Radais yelled.

“Of course you can,” Vandal contradicted, “follow me.”

The former dragon slayer stepped forward, putting one foot into the swamp. The mud was thick but not enough to impede his movement. The four young men winced at the sound their legs made as they stepped on the soft bottom of the swamp. The movement of the water also caused an intense smell of rot to rise, which caused even more repulsion in the four dragons.

“I’m not going to get in there!” Radais yelled.

“Neither do I!” Zeinnairth and Larxene added.

“We have no other choice,” Xion said, “your parents must have intended for us to cross it. It’s just one more test.”

Radais looked at his friend. The girl looked away slightly. It was harder to hide her feelings in her new form, so she had to be more careful. Radais, however, still had no idea what was going on.

“That’s not fair!”

Vandal looked at him, “Life is not fair.” He said through clenched teeth. He knew very well about those things, and for once, he was a little happy that the four young dragons had to go through these trials and not have so much fun.

“I know!” Zeinnairth yelled then, taking a little jump, “I have an idea!”

They all looked at him. The berserker took another leap, this time higher and in the direction of the human. He fell on Vandal, which caused them both to fall into the water, splashing the others, who threw a “uuugh” of horror from both the dirt in the water and its smell.

“Get off me!” the human yelled, his voice somewhat muffled as he tried to get the young man off of him.

“Take me! So I don’t have to walk in this horrible water.” Zeinnairth told him.

“It’s a good idea,” Radais said.

“I said get off me!” yelled, louder this time, Vandal. He hit the berserker in the stomach and then knocked it off him, causing him to fall completely into the water. When he stood up, all of his clothes were soaked and dirty; he had hair stuck to his face and a horrible smell. “I’m not going to carry you all over the swamp! Besides,” he looked at Zeinnairth, “you’re already dirty and wet, so it doesn’t make sense for me to carry you anymore.”

Zeinnairth stood up and wrinkled his nose. The human was right, for he was not going to admit it. The other three younglings laughed, and Radais said:

“Since you’re dirty, Zeinnairth, take me!”

“No! Why should I do that?” Zeinnairth complained.

“For the same reason that you wanted me to carry you,” Vandal said, crossing his arms.

Zeinnairth sighed in frustration. He crossed his arms and shook his head. “No, I will not carry anyone.”

“Me neither,” Vandal added.

Radais wrinkled his nose, “So how are we going to cross the swamp?”

“Like we said, walking!” Xion said. “Come on, or the sun will go down and crossing it at night will be worse.”

“I agree,” said Larxene, who had not had an opinion up to that point.

Radais sighed. “Okay, let’s go.”

The three of them advanced and into the swamp. The smell was more pungent when they were in the water, but they still advanced. Not seeing the bottom made things more complicated, and even more so the fact that the mud was thick. Their legs seemed heavier than expected, and that caused them to tire more quickly.

They hadn’t even crossed half the swamp when Zeinnairth said, “I’m hungry!”

They all looked at him. Finally, Xion was the one who spoke, “We already ate!”

“What’s more, you ate a mammoth!” Larxene added. “Don’t start complaining now, fatso!”

“I didn’t eat it whole!” Zeinnairth said. “And I’m a big boy. So I need to eat you, stupid green fur female.”

“It's called hair, dipshit!”

“But almost!” Radais laughed. “You hardly left me anything! I should be hungry! In fact, I’m hungry!”

Xion shook his head, “You should have killed two mammoths.”

“They sure would have rotted in this swamp,” Larxene said.

“I don’t think meat will rot from being near a swamp.”

“But the rotten smell sure sticks to it,” Radais said.

“Ah, yes,” Xion nodded, “thank goodness we didn’t bring any food then.”

They continued to advance. The sun continued its transit through the sky. It was already relatively low, near the horizon, when they were about to reach the other side.

“I’m tired; I can’t do it anymore!” yelled Radais.

“Almost there!” Xion told him, giving him a little pat on the arm to encourage him. “Let’s go!”

“Vandal, carry me!” the dragon screamed again.

But Vandal was not near them. The four younglings looked everywhere but did not see him. “Where did he get into?” Xion asked.

“Vandal!” Radais yelled. “Come here!”

But the human was not close. In fact, while the four younglings were talking and arguing, he had gone ahead, so he was already on the other shore, at the end of the swamp. It was Zeinnairth who saw him.

“There he is!” he yelled, pointing at him, “Damn! Come get us!”

“I order you to come!” Radais yelled.

But Vandal didn’t seem to hear them. Due to the distance that separated them, it was reasonable that he could not hear them, but surely he too was not paying attention to them out of simple rebellion. He was ordered not to by Radais parents.

“We’re going to have to keep going alone,” Larxene said, heaving a sigh.

And that they did. They continued advancing, and they managed to reach the other shore when the first stars began to shine in the sky. The party flopped down on the grass, exhausted.

“I could eat another mammoth,” Zeinnairth said.

“Me too,” Radais said.

“So could I,” Xion added, “but I don’t have the strength to go hunting one.”

“Same here,” Larxene sighed.

Despite their hunger, they didn’t move. Finally, after a few minutes, they simply fell prey to sleep in the moonlight.

***

The next day, they woke up incredibly hungry. They were so hungry that they couldn’t resist searching for another mammoth, fighting it to kill it, and then cooking it. For that reason, the five of them started their way through the forest in front of them. Unlike the one they had passed before the swamp, this forest was of tall trees and wide trunks. The sun had just risen over the horizon, but inside the forest, there was still a shadow because of the treetops.

For that reason, it wasn’t difficult for them to find small animals that they could hunt. Small squirrels, a couple of birds, and some medium-sized rodents were their prey. Radais cooked them all with his fire breath, and they ate them.

Just as they had done with the mammoth bones, they buried the bones and other remains and continued on their way.

The forest made them feel like it was night. Although the hours passed, the shadow didn’t open, and the sun still didn’t appear in the sky. Instead, the green, red, and gold cups obscured the entire upper field of vision. Some tree roots were so prominent on land that they protruded from the ground, and on more than one occasion, they nearly tripped.

It was right after Radais grabbed Xion by the arm, preventing her from falling, that they were attacked. Two giant spiders appeared in front of them. One was launched on Zeinnairth and the other on Larxene. Radais used his fire breath to attack them. The spiders fell back, freeing the two.

Larxene got to her feet as fast as she could and took her bow and arrows. As Radais continued to fire at them, Larxene shot several arrows at the spiders. About six stared into the eyes of one of the spiders, which screeched and began to run in circles.

Zeinnairth then used his breath to finish it off, which hit it squarely and destroyed it.

But there was still a spider left, and both Radais and Xion were fighting it. Xion jumped back, dodging one of the spider’s legs. Radais jumped a little away from the spider and took a deep breath. Xion saw what his friend was about to do, so she ran away from the creature as well. Radais’s breath hit the spider, which had been distracted trying to chase Xion.

Quickly, they were safe again.

“Ha! They were nothing against us,” Zeinnairth celebrated.

“Yes, that was good,” Radais said, proud of himself and his companions.

“Everyone is fine?” Xion asked, willing to heal whoever needed it.

“Yes, all OK!” Zeinnairth and Larxene said.

“Let’s keep going!” Radais said then.

But they were in trouble: they could no longer tell where they had come from and where they were going because of the fight. There was no point of reference, and as you looked up, the treetops continued to block the view of the sky.

“It can’t be; the sun has to appear at some point!” shouted Zeinnairth.

“It should, yes,” Radais crossed his arms and looked around, “Where’s Vandal?” he asked, not seeing his servant.

They all looked in all directions, “Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him in a while.” Xion said.

“It’s true,” Larxene said, “since we ate, I haven’t seen him. I thought he was behind me.”

“Me too,” Zeinnairth said.

“I thought he was ahead of us,” said Xion, who had been last in line as they walked.

Radais sighed, “My parents must have transported him back so that we could go through the forest alone.”

“Sounds like something they would do,” Larxene nodded.

“Perhaps it is as punishment for using our powers instead of the weapons we were given,” Xion said.

“I used my gun!” Larxene exclaimed, showing her bow and arrow.

“Yes, but you’re the only one who did.”

Larxene clicked her tongue. Zeinnairth and Radais sighed and refocused on the real problem: finding their way out of that forest.

“I will climb one of the trees,” Radais said then, “so I can see the sky and know where we are. Or at least know where the sun is. Does anyone remember where it was before entering the forest?”

“It came out by the side of the swamp,” Larxene replied.

“Brilliant!”

Radais began to climb one of the trees near him. Its trunk was thick and dark wood, its branches covered with dark green leaves. He began to climb with some difficulty. Having hands instead of claws was annoying. Had he had his claws, he could have climbed that tree in seconds.

When he finally managed to reach the highest branches, he was surprised to see that the final span was so dense that he could barely move. He sat on one of the thickest branches that could support his weight, thinking. He knew it could be dangerous, but he would have to use his breath to push part of the tree away so he could see the sky.

Radais blew out a puff of his breath, which burned the tops of the branches above and, to the young man’s relief, it didn’t spread to the nearby trees. With the path clearer now, he climbed a bit higher. When he got to see the sky, he took a deep breath as a cool gust hit him in the face. He was glad to see that it was still daylight.

He looked up at the sky. There were some clouds, but he could see very well the sun, which was already approaching the horizon marking the early end of the day. The swamp and the sun were to the right of Radais, so he knew that the exit would be to his left.

The young man came down from the tree without losing his bearings and, when his feet touched the ground again, he pointed out to his friends that they should go to the left. Then, after what seemed like hours, the forest began to feel less dense. Little by little, the shadows of the trees grew smaller until they could finally see the sky.

Dusk was already upon them, and the first stars could be seen. They walked through the forest until the sun was completely hidden, and only then did they manage to get out. Before their eyes, however, was neither the gem that would transform them back into dragons nor a peaceful meadow. No, in front of them was the entrance to a cave.

The four of them looked at each other and knew they had no other choice, so they went inside. The first part of the cave looked like a corridor: it was narrow, and darkness began to creep in as they moved away from the entrance. They had to walk one behind the other in order to pass. After walking for a moment, they came to a tunnel opening. The rocky walls opened up, giving way to a somewhat small chamber, where they all managed to narrowly enter. After that, the camera continued in a narrower, downward sloping shape, deeper into the mountain and land.

They had no choice but to go on, of course. They began to descend as slowly as they could so as not to fall. When they finished descending, they saw that a stream passed through that new chamber, although to tell the truth, it looked more like a lake since the water moved very slowly. It was dark and seemed deep, so the party began to walk along the side, trying not to fall.

They hadn’t gotten very far when a sharp sound made them stop. They had to cover their ears, as the sound was so loud that they felt their eardrums were going to rupture.

The sound stopped after at least a minute, leaving them slightly dizzy. “What was that?” Zeinnairth asked.

“I don’t know...” Larxene started to say.

“Mm— I think I know—” Xion whispered, taking a few steps back. Her eyes were fixed on the front.

“Oh no,” Radais said, reaching for the sword he was supposed to have. What was it called again? A katana?

“Shrieker!” Xion yelled then.

Larxene drew her arrows at once. Radais already had the katana in his hands, although he wasn’t quite sure how to use it. The four of them stared as the giant mushrooms moved in front of them. Their long trunks grew to the size of an average adult human, while their purple hats looked like gigantic heads. The party backed off a bit more. Those gigantic mushrooms couldn’t move, but they were poisonous. They were often accompanied by other much more poisonous tentacle mushrooms that could easily attack them.

Larxene started shooting arrows at them. Zeinnairth used his greatsword, and Radais moved the sword between his fingers, ready to launch himself at the creatures and cut them to pieces.

“Watch out!” Xion yelled, watching a tentacle approach Radais.

The young man leapt back, dodging the tentacle, and swung his sword, slicing through it. A new shriek filled the cave, but Zeinnairth blew his breath away again, and the shriek stopped. Larxene fired his arrows again, and two more tentacles came out of the shadows but were quickly cut by Radais’s sword. The younglings repeated those actions: breath, arrows, sword; until they managed to eliminate all the fungi. Then, they moved quickly, moving away from that area for fear that there were more poisonous mushrooms nearby.

They followed the course of the small river until they reached an area where the cave went down again. Apparently, the river was going into the cave because a small waterfall was formed due to the difference in heights.

They continued walking, skirting the small lake that was formed by the waterfall. Once again, however, his path was interrupted by a creature. It jumped from the water, its body was elongated, and in the gloom of the cave, it was a very dark greenish-grey. It had no visible eyes, but it did have a huge mouth full of sharp teeth. It had a crest made up of small fins on its back, and its tail was a continuation of its body that became increasingly thin and ended in an elongated fin. It was about twenty feet tall and had already begun to release its foul grey thick venom.

“An aboleth? Seriously?” Radais complained.

Nobody had time to answer him because the creature attacked them. It pounced on them, its jaws open and its venom on the surface. The four of them jumped, separating immediately so they could dodge it. They couldn’t even touch that poison, or they would be dead.

“What do we do?” shouted Zeinnairth, not knowing exactly where his friends were.

Larxene surprised him by speaking beside him in a low voice, “We have to move forward and get out of his grasp.”

“We have to kill him!” Zeinnairth contradicted her, “How else can we escape?”

Larxene looked at him for a moment and then looked at the creature. She took her bow and arrows and started shooting at it. “Blow it out with your breath,” she told him.

Zeinnairth nodded and did so. Unlike his friends, he didn’t intend to use anything other than his elemental powers. His greatsword was too troublesome to use in a fight. From the other side, he could see Radais’s fiery breath drifting toward the aboleth. Larxene kept firing his arrows, and the animal began to scream in pain. Thanks to the light that the breaths of both dragons generated, they could see how Xion came running and brandishing a sword. The blade dug into the creature’s body, and the young woman immediately jumped to avoid the poison.

The aboleth screamed again in pain and writhed. Its serpentine body rolled against the ground as more arrows plunged into its skin.

“Run!” Xion yelled.

They all did. The creature was still screaming, so it must still be alive, but they couldn’t risk being poisoned to finish it off, so they ran through the cave, moving in the direction of the river.

They didn’t stop running until the cry of the aboleth stopped being heard. They were so deep in the cave that the rock could barely be distinguished from the water by that time. Their senses, which were normally honed, were now reduced by their status as half manlings. What little light there was came from some rocks on the walls and ceiling of the cave, which seemed to glow.

The party stopped and caught their breath.

“An aboleth!” Radais said, laughing. “My parents want to kill us!”

“They’re crazy,” Zeinnairth said, shaking his head. “The demon stronghold was a big hint at that.”

Xion had sat down on the ground and nodded. Larxene heaved a long sigh.

“And now we have to move forward seeing almost nothing,” Radais looked around. “Who knows where the gem may be.”

“We have to keep moving forward,” Larxene said.

Everyone agreed. With what little they could see, they continued walking, more carefully than ever. As they turned around in a kind of corner that the cave made, they saw a source of dim violet light. Everyone blinked, getting used to the light, and when their visions cleared, they could see that the light source was nothing more and nothing less than the gem.

“There it is!” Radais yelled.

Everyone cheered and ran towards the gem. However, getting it was not going to be that easy. Before they could reach it, another creature blocked their way. This time, however, it was not one that they could defeat with simple attacks. It was a drow.

The elf was tall, slim, and athletic. His skin was light grey, while his hair was bright white. His eyes, a red that seemed more profound and more chilling in the light of the gem in that cave, fixed on the four, who fell back. Larxene, Radais, and Xion drew their weapons. Zeinnairth drew back even further.

The drow drew a small sword and, without saying anything, attacked them. Radais and Xion stepped forward with their katana and giant cross. He blocked the attack while she attacked back. The elf moved his body quickly, dodging the medic’s battle cross. Larxene, from behind, shot him two arrows. Once again, the creature dodged them. Zeinnairth stood behind, watching the battle unfold. He couldn’t release his breath from there, or it would hurt his friends as well.

For that reason, the berserker fixed his eyes on the gem. Perhaps while his friends were fighting the drow, he could take the gem and run. Perhaps if only one of them touched it, they would all return to normal and be transported back.

Radais and Xion continued to attack and block the attacks of the dark elf, who moved with impressive grace and was obviously well trained in the use of that sword. Larxene continued to shoot arrows when she could, hoping the elf was distracted enough with her other friends not to dodge them. But, unfortunately, that hadn’t happened yet.

Zeinnairth slipped away, using the strange shadows the gem light cast in the cave, passing behind his friends, glued to the rock wall. The gem was only a few feet away, but the fight was in the middle, and he couldn’t cross.

Larxene saw him and sensed what he was trying to do, so she fired more arrows, moving to make the elf change direction. It worked, so now everyone was on their side to the gem. The elf no longer turned his back on it. Radais and Xion were advancing further, and that gave Zeinnairth room to advance a little further. Larxene stayed behind them, shooting arrows, now distracting, to hide him with her own body.

Zeinnairth ran as soon as he got the chance. He flung his arms forward and took the gem. As he wrapped his body around it, the light dipped slightly, alerting the drow. The creature leapt back and drew another weapon: a small, hand-held crossbow with a dart. He took aim and fired at Zeinnairth.

Xion stepped into the path of the dart with her sword, and it struck the blade, bouncing and falling to the ground. The dark elf grimaced and adjusted another dart, firing again. Xion blocked it again, and this time, one of Larxene’s arrows struck the elf’s body. It hit the shoulder of the arm that held the crossbow, causing him to drop it. Radais then took the opportunity to charge again: he attacked the drow with everything he had.

The elf dodged the first attack and blocked the second, but with a wounded arm, he was unable to continue defending and attacking at the same time. Even less when Radais and Xion assaulted him at the same time.

Their swords dug into the drow’s body. One for his chest and the other for his back. The creature sighed and fell to its knees. He dropped his short sword, and then the four friends gathered in front of the elf.

Radais aimed his sword once more at the drow, but it fell to the ground and did not move again. The four friends sighed in relief.

“Finally!” Radais said cheerfully.

“We have it!” Zeinnairth smiled, showing them the gem, which glittered in his hands.

“Let’s go back to who we were!” Larxene celebrated.

They all touched the gem. The violet light intensified and surrounded them all. Then, in the blink of an eye, the four disappeared in the ball of light.

Raging Dragon Guild.

Lucy sat on one of the stools at Raging Dragon’s guild bar. She thought today would be like any other day. It would consist of Natsumi trying to steal from food from the bar, then failing, Hunter telling his partner, Grey, how much of an idiot he is, them having a so-called ‘epic battle’, Cana asking for some peace and quiet while she drank, then everyone would join in on the fight, and we would all get a talking to from the guild master Drake Dragonnaught.

While Lucy sipped her iced water and the rest of the guild was duking it out, something completely unusual happened. There was a loud rumbling, and everyone went silent. The noise was coming from the dragon’s den. We called the large room at the back of the guildhall the dragon’s den because that's where the dragon slayers resided. Well, not Natsumi; she always hung out in the main room with everyone else.

Lucy found it strange since all the dragon slayers were out on jobs at the moment.

In a flash of light, the den doors bust open.

“I wonder who that was?” Anna said, sitting down beside Lucy. Just as she was about to order a drink when four young teens dropped to the floor. Two boys and two girls.

“Who are the brats?” a member questioned another.

“No idea.” was the response.

“Is his hair black and red? At the same time,” asked someone else.

“That confused you? Not the one with green hair or the short stack girl with blue hair and a really nice bust for her age?” One member asked.

Meanwhile, in the guild masters room, the master was talking to someone when he heard the commotion outside his doors.

“That would be the four recruits I was telling you, Master Drake.” A tall, handsome adult with black hair, red eyes, pale skin, and black fingernails wearing a butler’s outfit, which consists of black trousers, a six-buttoned double-breasted tailcoat, and a grey vest; on is his shirt cuffs, and tie is the unknown crest that resembles a shape of a dragon. He also sports white gloves, a pocket watch, and a chained silver lapel pin bearing the same crest, which is traditionally worn by the house’s head butler.

This is Vandal ordered by Radais parents to help on his journey for the right gem to turn them back into dragons.

Down to the guildhall, the Raging Dragon’s members looked at the teens as they got up, and one of them started shouting towards the sky.

Well done, little ones.” Dusk mentally said proudly. “You have succeeded.”

“That is terrible, mother! Don’t do it again! Change us back now! “Radais yelled.

“But if we don’t do these things, Radais, how will you learn? How will you gain experience?” said his father. “It was necessary. Go find the other 99 pieces and dragons you four will become once more..”

The four younglings complained, but then they flopped down on the ground. They were exhausted and had almost no energy to complain. They just wanted to sleep.

!Ding the curse of no exp has been lifted you may now earn exp again

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Name: Radais

Job: Royal Chaos Reaper

Level: 20

XP/Growth: +40 Per day

351/2,340

Race: Chaos Dragon [Wyrmling]

(Half-Dragon)

Status: Strength: 137 (+12) Intelligence: 90 (12) Vitality: 137 (12) Wisdom: 170 (12) Agility: 144 (12) Magic: 60 (12) Effects: Transformation (Sealed) Stats Points: 10 Traits:

Chaos Wings, Arrogant, Gregarious, Arbitrary, Gluttonous, Prowess, Martial, Cunning Genius, Scarred, Schemer, Strategist, Gallant, Reveler,

Titles: None.

Ability

Effects

Roguish Wisdom [7]

You have watched and learned from the demons' lords for years, [Analysing] and [Explaining] the [Unknown], [Guessing], [Predicting], [Charming] and [Reasoning] the minds of other [Sentient] species. Increase the effect of [Wisdom] on different [Abilities] and [Resistances] to Wisdom-based abilities.

Identify [5]

Tells you the basic [Species] and [Level] of targets. Can appraise targets up to [60] Levels higher than you.

Chaos Scales [4]

Your scales passively absorb [Shadow] and work to it hard. Your scales have reached the point where it can turn even the most fearsome natural weapons. The higher your [Vitality], the tougher your scales. Your scales become highly resistant to [Fire], [Acid], and [Energy].

Darkness Manipulation [1]

You have gained an understanding of the [Darkness Energies] of the world, [Move] and [Shape] the [Darkness] you naturally produce.

Ether Manipulation

You have gained an understanding of the [Magical Energies] of the world, [Move] and [Shape] the [Ether] you naturally produce.

Ether Sense [3]

Using a small wave of [Ether], you can [Sense] the area around you. Distance scales with [Intelligence].

Roar [6]

You have learned to let out a mighty roar from your throat; you will find it easier to intimidate opponents and prey—increased effectiveness against opponents below your level. When combined with fire increases trauma.

Dragon Breath [4]

The racial ability allows expulsions of biologically created [Ethanol], [Ionized Gas], and [Acidic] glands near the stomach. You can ignite this via [Magic]. It can be liquid or gas. Expending Ether, the acidic fire can be enhanced to have Magical properties. You gain Further resistance to [Heat], [Flame], and [Corroisve] attacks and damage.

Beast Knowledge [5]

You have taken the time to read and inspect various beasts and creatures. By [Identifying] with this skill, gain knowledge on how that creature [Grows] and its current state of [Maturity]. Only works on targets below your [Level]. These skills' effects will scale with [Intelligence]. How much is revealed is based on your [Intelligence] and the targets.

Draconic Resistance: Physical [2]

Passively gaining 18% additional armour, shield, and max health from items and effects.

Regeneration [5]

Through combat and your naturally high healing, your [Body] and [Ether] have learned how to speed up your natural [Recovery]. Your wounds will heal faster and cleaner, you are more resistant to [Infection] and [Disease]. Natural [Recovery] is increased by [Vitality].

Demon Parasite [1] Able to summon powerful [AOE] demons from the nine gates of hell. The more [Ether}, the more significant the circle when summoned.

Black-Eyed Brand [2] Temporarily summons the demon [Brand] to decrease [Status Tolerances] for enemies within range and intensify Physical/Magical damage on them. This skill's effects remain for a while, even if their targets go out of range.