“A Supreme Crusade is a rare happenstance, declared if, and only if, something or someone manages to threaten all nations at once. Abusing the power to declare these holy wars would be egregious, at best.” “What’s truly despicable is that only SIX crusades have been declared in the last millennium, Lerios! Undead are a serious threat to the Light, it’s IMPERATIVE that we get rid of all of them!” - Arch-bishop Lerios and Grand paladin Arkhom, about holy wars. Nashariel pov The Grandmaster was the highest-ranked scholar in the church, declining his invitation wasn’t an option. As a living secret knowledge being, Nashariel couldn't stop fidgeting outside his office, even with her mother gently stroking her hair. “What do you think he wants from me?” Nashariel whispered to her mother. "I don't know, sweetheart. What are you worried about?" Nashariel nervously swished her tail, adjusting her sitting. The additional limb had been a literal pain in the butt. “If my kind is dangerous… do you think-” “No,” interrupted her father, “we live in Varastill, not in Valkas. We don’t do those kinds of things here…” His eyes were looking somewhere in the past. Valkas was a neighboring country, one founded on righteousness. Their version of the Church didn't exactly value compassion or mercy, aggressively eradicating any kind of dark arts. Or things perceived as such. Nashariel shuddered. After a while, a scholar opened the office’s door. The woman stood on the side, inviting them in with a silent gesture. The woman was clearly in another league compared to Nicholas, as far as ranks went. She had something inhuman about her, but Nashariel couldn’t quite pinpoint it. The group entered. An old, smiling man was waiting for them behind a wooden desk. The office was strangely small, compared to such a vast place. It was decorated with the large painting of a blurred building standing on a green hill and a few walled bookshelves. At some point, leveling and increasing stats affected appearance. The exact nature of these changes depended on the skills someone chose and developed, and the individual's will. The Grandmaster was powerful enough that his eyes were glowing white, ink-black words flowing within them. His skin was tinted slightly yellow as if made of old paper. His simple, elegant brown robes hid everything else, but the pendant with Astill’s holy symbol, an open hand with angel wings on the side, was hanging proudly on his chest. Antoine, the Grandmaster, rose from his chair. "Welcome," His voice sounded like a gentle whisper. “Nashariel, you have grown much since I last saw you.” The girl stood dumbfounded. “Did… did we meet somewhere? Your Holiness.” The last part, she added at the last second. I bet I would’ve remembered meeting with somebody like him! He chuckled, while the rest of the group kneeled. The Grandmaster gestured them to sit in front of him, where some chairs made of solid light were ready to accommodate the group. “The days after you transformed, your family asked for the Church’s aid. I visited you after many others did, but we found nothing wrong within you, so I did some research," the old man grabbed a volume that stood nearby. It looked pretty heavy, but he handled it with ease, flipping through the pages until he stopped on a double-page picture. It showed a titanic Sand dragon, maybe even an evolved one, spewing shards of glass at an army, filled with green gas. There were so many people and they were so small compared to the monster, that Nashariel initially mistook them for insects. The title read “Sarkashan and the origin of ‘Dragon’s Lament.’” Nashariel’s head suddenly started to hurt, badly. She saw through the dragon’s eyes, hearing his thoughts, together with his enemies’ shouts. She felt his agony, deep inside her chest. “You have abused my beloved, killed her in front of my eyes, and now you spit on her mercy by hunting ME?! Greedy mortals, reap what you have sown with your own hands, and may your children weep forevermore!” The dragon opened his gargantuan mouth. He submerged hundreds and hundreds of mortals under toxic glass and cursed sand, forever poisoning the land. This cursed place would never see the green again, and Thal'hanna would be avenged. At last. “Snap out of it!” Shouted the priestess, gripping her shoulder in a steel grip. Nashariel, startled, noticed that she was snarling at the picture, particularly at the soldiers, while blood poured out of her nose. “What… what was that?” The grandmaster hastily closed the book. “Forgive me, I didn’t think it would’ve affected you like that,” he paused until Nashariel could focus again. “As you have unquestionably seen, that was a picture of Sarkashan, the dragon whose wrath scoured the life from what once was the prosperous land of Dragon’s Lament together with his mate, and required a Supreme Crusade to be put down.” Antoine gently put the book back in place. “He was an omnidragon, like you.” Nashariel's eyes bulged so much that they threatened to go out on their own. A flurry of disbelieving thoughts stormed in the dragoness’ mind. She could only stare at the old man. That desert extended for miles. The rest of her team was in a similar state. “Master, an entire desert created through… a battle?” The old man nodded. “Such are the capabilities of truly powerful beings, young Nicholas. Defeating that monster… it was a massacre. Thousands of brave people from all over the continent rallied together to bring him down. Only a few hundred survived; among them, the one who wrote this book.” “If my… if omnidragons can do this, why hide their existence?” “People fear the things they cannot be protected from,” Antoine simply replied, “I’d rather entrust this knowledge only to those who can deal with them. Or who are part of it.” The last part managed to sound both supportive and scolding. Nashariel flinched slightly. “Thanks…” she said, then perked up. “Do you mean that I can read about the- us, me… ugh, that thing?” The Grandmaster nodded, his lips briefly curling upwards. "From now on, you are all allowed to study omnidragons. You are also forbidden to talk about them to anyone," he announced, looking imperiously at the group. They quickly agreed. "Good. Young Nashariel, seeing what happened, I would suggest you read with someone nearby." The dragoness nodded. “Thank you, Grandmaster.” The following week saw Nashariel read tomes related to omnidragons. There weren’t many, but they required all her augmented strength to lift. At every end of the day, Nashariel left the books with the same woman that still refused to utter a sound. If she had something to say, she wrote a note about it. Nashariel still struggled to believe what she was reading, but sometimes her dreams were described in outstandingly precise detail. It was… weird. Most of the volumes talked about famous omnidragons’ lives. The vast majority of them were born from humanoids, much like herself, revealing their true nature at five years of age. Sometimes they were welcomed, others… not so much. Nashariel’s nights became much more intense than before, but she pressed on. Omnidragons' skills didn't differ too much from those of a normal dragon, at least the ones listed here, such as elemental auras or a breath weapon. Many scholars agreed that omnidragons owed their edge in combat to their ability to change elements at a whim, combined with their abnormally powerful skills. Compared to other dragons of a similar age category, theirs were simply more powerful, and their bodies were much larger. One of the books said that no more than a single specimen had ever been spotted at the same time. Nashariel, reading her [Omnidragon prowess], could easily see how over the top her racial skills could become, and even [Dragon’s breath] was much stronger than a skill in the second tier had any right to be since it adapted to all her forms. If all my racial skills will scale to this level… wow. Then, she remembered one of her dreams, the one where she had faced those living balls of fire. She lightly slapped herself a few times. Let's not be too arrogant, okay Nashariel? *Improved learning 2-> 6 * Nicholas came up to her, just as she finished reading. “How are you holding up, Nash? Found anything interesting?” He asked, whispering. Her friend had remained close to her these days, working nearby. She didn’t suffer any more episodes, fortunately. "Yeah but… it's strange," Nashariel replied at the same volume, "They would all make very cool adventures if they didn't talk about me. Well, one of the ‘me-s’ of the past." The scholar blinked a few times. “What do you mean?” “My dreams,” shrugged Nashariel, picking up a book, “are here too. I didn’t dream about all of what I’m reading, but neither are they all written down here.” “Are you sure?” “Yup.” “Did you talk about this with the Grandmaster?” “Nope, I was busy reading.” “Of course you were,” her friend rolled his eyes, “I’m sure he would be interested in hearing this. Anyway, your parents are waiting for you to come out. They are worried, you know?” “About what?” “About these,” he nodded at the book. “They want you to take a break.” “Ffffiiiiine.” “Shall we go, then?” Nashariel followed the scholar. Nick seemed distracted by something. During their walk out of the Bastion, he finally nodded to himself. "Nashariel, I'd like to ask a favor out of you." Dang, he’s serious. “Go on.” "Would you be willing to share your status with me, or with the Grandmaster? I know, it’s pretty rude, but it could help the Church out.” “Sure, why not.” I bet that someone like you and dad could use additional info about unfriendly dragons. “Thank you!” Nicholas cheered. "I'll make an appointment and tell you when His Holiness is available, ok?” Nashariel gave him a thumbs-up. The thought of going into the forest at night crossed the dragoness’ mind, but the image of the jaguars easily killing the monsters she worked hard to fell was seared in Nashariel’s memory. She hadn’t been allowed to take out omnidragon-related books, obviously, but [Improved learning] allowed Nashariel to read at a frightening speed and remember most of it. She had barely restrained herself from buying all the remaining levels, reasoning that, with her habits, it was going to be a matter of weeks at worst. On the other hand, the girl had been allowed to borrow a bestiary about common dragons. It talked about the various strengths and weaknesses of the singular sub-species, plus their usual behavior. She confirmed what her instincts and growth skills had hinted at, namely the link between stats and forms. Simply put, the numbers on the status didn’t change, but their efficacy did. For example, Nashariel’s instinct, during the blood-boar fight, nudged her towards the fire form, to lift the monster’s weight. It wasn’t a gigantic difference, but a noticeable one nonetheless. That particular night, boredom led Nashariel decided to look into her status. Specifically, the tree’s branches. They hadn't changed, save for a miniaturized dragon standing on top of each one. Oh, that’s how I look in my forms. Cool! The other branches had no peculiarities at all, but the girl didn’t fail to notice how they interconnected among each other. Shrugging, Nashariel returned to the plaza. The statue remained the same as before, but another slate appeared near the dragon’s opposite paw. “Quest log?” She read, tilting her head. Quests were often given by powerful individuals, the system itself if a disaster-like thing was about to happen, or if an individual did something truly remarkable. The dragoness read the ones here listed. *Quest: First steps. Objective: Kill twenty creatures above your level. Reward: 100 stat points and 20 skill points. Bonus objective: Be victorious against a powerful enemy. Additional reward: Omnidragon-tier skill. Quest: The Aspects of an omnidragon. Objective: Acquire four skills in each element. Reward: You gain a sense for skills that can be merged. You always know the name of the final skill in advance. This is an update to Omnidragon kin. Bonus objective: Acquire, and bring to level twenty, six skills in each element. Additional reward: Variants will be unlocked, one given for free. You still have to fulfill the requirements to obtain it. Note: Omnidragon skills, and other racial skills in the second tier, count as one skill for each element, but a minimum of one maxed skill per element is required. Quest: Dancing elements. Objective: Obtain two variant evolutions. Reward: Hybrid forms unlocked, one given for free. You might still have to fulfill one or more requirements to obtain it. Bonus objective: Obtain six or more variant evolutions, at least one per element. Acquire an advanced skill from each one of them. Additional reward: Special Omnidragon-tier skill. Good luck, young omnidragon. * Just… wow. I need to start sorting out the stuff I got from my shopping. Seriously, though, I can already unlock variants and hybrids? That’s sick! Give me some time, and I bet that this is going to be a long, long list.

* Name: Nashariel Holyshield

Race: Omnidragon (young)

Age: 13

Current humanoid form: Human dragokin

Current attunement: -

Level: 38

Available stat points: 0

Available skill points: 116

Strength: 230 - 345

Power: 140 - 210

Resilience: 300 - 450

Vitality: 230 - 345

Dexterity: 220 - 330

Awareness: 180 - 270

Essence: 80 - 120

Endurance: 122 - 183

Hp: 3450/3450

Mana: 1200/1200

Stamina: 1830/1830

Skills:

Racial:

Omnidragon kin (minor) Lvl -

Omnidragon prowess Lvl 20-capped

Draconic breath Lvl 2

Draconic fighting style Lvl 3

Air:

Improved flight Lvl 2

Dark:

Stealth Lvl 1

Water:

Venom Lvl 3

Improved swimming Lvl 1

Improved learning Lvl 6

Identify Lvl 2

Earth:

Improved burrow Lvl 1

Fire:

Fury Lvl 3 *

Maybe I invested too much in the water dragon. Nashariel chuckled. As much as her status was clearly a beginner’s one, she looked at it with pride. Although, not having anything attuned to her country’s main element was a sore note. Nashariel decided to look into the shining chamber, despite possibly losing points in the future. Since her skillset was pretty much self-centered, Nashariel searched for something support-y. Suffice to say, this dragon didn’t disappoint. A few skills, in particular, caught her eye. *Synergist Cost: 6 points. Improved medication Cost: 4 points. Improved healing Cost: 5 points. Share vitality Cost: 3 points. Share essence Cost: 3 points. Share endurance Cost: 3 points. * Nashariel couldn’t read the skills’ descriptions or effects before buying them, but her parents’ team talked about many good-to-have abilities. [Synergist] was a skill that made buff skills stronger, when used on others. The dragoness didn’t have much to share as of now, so she went on. For the future list, check. [Improved medication] was the most likely to be a “general” skill. Nashariel knew the very basics of first aid, but she had never studied the argument in-depth. This could remedy that, or help to do so, thanks to [Improved learning]. This is a maybe. [Improved healing], on the other hand, was simple and direct, more than [Improved medication]. It would be restricted to Nashariel’s light-form though, since her only way to heal was her evolved light breath. Well, technically the dark one heals too, but only me. Actually, does this skill affect my health regeneration too? I'm probably buying this anyway, if only for testing's sake. The last three skills clearly belonged to a group, and Nashariel intended to buy them as such since she had enough points to afford them. Still, the group-only efficacy, in one specific form, made Nashariel hesitant. Admittedly, the girl could look for longer, but every skill in existence had pros and cons, and she didn’t need to acquire the perfect one right now. Hold on, I can ask someone who knows much better, tomorrow. Nashariel took note of the skills’ names, then went to sleep. “You might want to buy [Herbalism], [Alchemy], [First aid], and [Medical eye] too, if you wish to better yourself as a healer. [Improved medication] alone isn’t bad per se, but it's vastly insufficient by itself.” Said Lianna, while she and her daughter were having breakfast. Thalom went out early. There were problems at the docks, he said. Nashariel quickly checked her status, searching for the things her mother had mentioned. “Found the last two. I wonder where the others are?” She smacked her face. As expected, [Herbalism] and [Alchemy] were in the Earth room. The priestess tilted her head. “Why the sudden interest in medicine?” Nashariel shrugged. "I felt bad at having nothing aligned to light. Then I got this Quest, and I need just one skill to win the first objective, so…" she trailed off, finishing the last piece of bacon. Blood-bacon? Dark-bacon? Eh. “How did you get a Quest, dear? Did the grandmaster give one to you?” The mother and daughter went out. "My status gave them to me. I was surprised too! Anyway, what should I buy?" “[Improved healing] is a steal for five points, compared to its efficacy. I fondly remember when I chose it, as a little girl…" She smiled, eyes lost in her memories. "It will open up many more skills too, but some of them require knowledge about magical healing to be bought. The sharing perks are amazing, even more so with your stats. I think that they are among the most selected skills among our faith. Dear, I strongly suggest picking these four, if you are considering becoming part of a team." Nashariel pondered for a while. Even this early in the morning, they crossed ways with a few teams going out on various kinds of mission. Some of them smiling, others laughing heartily. I kinda do. “Okay, the four of them it is.” Lianna smiled, patting her daughter’s head. The duo parted ways there, and Nashariel sat on a nearby bench. She decided to try enrolling with the Templars. Worse came to worst, the dragoness could simply quit, having wasted just a few points. Also, being able to heal others in a pinch will never be useless. Onto the skills! *Improved healing, Share vitality, Share essence, Share endurance have been bought. Skill points reduced to -> 102 Improved healing Lvl 1 Fighting against the eternal reaper is a worthy battle, one that all fight with dedication. This skill proves that you possess such drive. May your war be long and victorious, young healer. All types of healing are slightly improved. Upgrade cost: 3 points. Share vitality Lvl 1 Life-force is forever bound to our bodies, nourishing them. Some individuals have an abundance of vitality, one that they wish to share with others. This skill will allow you to do so. You may provide part of your health regeneration to nearby allies. The amount is both dependent on this skill’s Lvl and your vitality. Upgrade cost: 2 points. Share essence Lvl 1 Mana is a mysterious force, one that powers most skills and spells. Mages of all races search for more of this energy, engorging themselves with power. Other beings, such as yourselves, seek to empower those below and equal to them, hoping to rise together. You may provide part of your mana regeneration to nearby allies. The amount is both dependent on this skill’s Lvl and your essence. Upgrade cost: 2 points. Share endurance Lvl 1 Stamina fuels the body, granting it the freedom to act as its wielder sees fit. Some beings had so much of this fuel that they were incapable of running out of it, so they decided to share with others. You are one of them. You may provide part of your stamina regeneration to nearby allies. The amount is both dependent on this skill’s Lvl and your endurance. Upgrade cost: 2 points. Resonating skills. Would you like to commence the merge? Cost: 10 points. Y/N? Skill points reduced to-> 92 Merging commenced. Share vitality, Share essence, Share endurance evolve into-> Light's refuge. Light’s refuge Lvl 1 During or after the fight everyone needs respite. You offer your allies such a thing, empowering and healing them to endure. None shall kill them under your benevolent watch. While active, within 10 meters from you: You can sacrifice your regenerations to boost those of your allies; this amount is both dependent on this skill’s Lvl and your regenerations. You may decide the precise amount of your sacrifice. Upgrade cost: 5 points. Quest: The Aspects of an omnidragon. Objective: Acquire four skills in each element. Reward: You gain a sense for skills that can be merged together. You always know the name of the final skill in advance. Bonus objective: Acquire, and bring at level twenty, six skills in each element. Additional reward: Variants will be unlocked, one given for free. You still have to fulfill the requirements to obtain it. Note: Omnidragon and racial skills count as one skill for each element, but a minimum of one maxed skill per element is required. First objective fulfilled, omnidragon kin has been updated! Progress: 3/6. Good luck! * As expected, with the ‘puzzle’ completed the skills could merge. Ten points for a skill like this were a fair trade, considering that it was still a simple Tier 1 skill. Nashariel looked at her progress, switching the legs she crossed earlier. She tapped her scaled foot, frowning. I can complete the Quest immediately if I want. She shook her head. No, I already have six other bodies to learn. Adding another, more advanced one? That’s a guaranteed headache. Plus, I would waste an astronomical amount of points for no reason. Nashariel closed her status, standing with a stretch. Time to go!