“Choosing the right profession for you isn’t an easy task. Andriel is full of paths for you to take, once Awoken. Some of you will decide that they are made to craft, others will see the beauty in healing your neighbors, while the hearts of others will ignite with the spark of exploration.” The smiling teacher wove her illusions in front of the gawking kids, giving life to her words. Just a minute later, she summoned a small replica of the Bastion. “And the last ones will be Templars, our protectors against the darkness.

Remember, little ones, no profession is better than others, so follow your heart’s desire!”

-Miss Seasong, teacher of Andriel.

Nashariel pov

That morning, Nashariel and her family went to the Seaweavers' mansion. There were Templars around on the lookout, but not on the hair-trigger kind.

The family approached the pair standing near the entrance. “Good morning, captain, priestess, and young miss. How may we help you?” One of them asked, nodding towards each one of them.

“We’d like to-”

“I want to see Cody!” Nashariel jumped in.

“Sorry, but the mansion is closed off until new orders.”

Nashariel’s wings dropped. “Why?”

The guards sent Thalom and Lianna a hesitant look. “All I can say is that they are fine, don’t worry.” The other Templar gently said.

The girl sighed.

Her parents thanked the duo, then almost dragged her away.

“I’ll ask to be assigned here, for today.” Thalom declared.

“Really?! Thanks, dad!” Nashariel tackled her father. “Tell him that I’m fine, please!”

He and her mother chuckled. “I sure will, little light.”

The Templar bid them farewell, then went towards the Bastion.

“Why don’t you come with me today, dear? I recall you were interested in healing." Proposed Lianna.

When did I…? Oh right, that day. “Sure! Unless I’m intruding…?”

“Oh not at all, I had already asked permission a few days ago, but… well, let’s be on our way.”

As always, the city was bustling with activity. People came and went from shops and businesses, but something felt wrong. After a while, Nashariel realized that few children were outside, and their parents kept them close.

I hope that this ends soon. Nashariel shivered. If that Core exploded on those people… or in the bay… How can someone do this?! And why?! She swished her tail harder.

“Something the matter, dear?”

The omnidragon repeated her thoughts in a low voice.

“Some people only care about their goals, ignoring the people they hurt. For them it's… natural."

Nashariel froze, staring at her mother. “What? Why?!”

Lianna sighed. “I do not know, sweetheart. May Astill show us all why, because I really don’t understand either.”

Mother and daughter remained silent for the rest of the way.

They sighted the clinic soon after.

Clinics had a wide variety of appearances. In this case, depending from the owners’ skills. Lianna worked in a somewhat large plaza, covered by a light-blue pavilion with four different entrances. Injured people went in, healthy people still enveloped by healing fog came out.

The Blessed Mist was one of those clinics specialized in illnesses, mental injuries, and light internal wounds. There were external delimited areas, where people could quickly get healed from minor problems, benefitting from the vapors and leaving a few coins in exchange.

The priestess and Nashariel entered, the former smiling.

As one could easily expect, the inside was quite misty, making it somewhat hard to see. Mist was quite weak on its own, compared to most of the other elements. However, the Mist's specialty was its capability to increase its potency several times over when confined in an enclosed space. A sealed tent was the perfect envirnoment to abuse this peculiarity.

The ten medics, with various assistants, were calmly visiting the patients. When Lianna and Nashariel came into view, an old medic stopped. “Ah, Lianna, good to see you! And little Nashariel is here too!” He said smiling.

The priestess returned it. “Ghellos, good to see you too. How’s today?”

Nashariel waved with her wing.

“Astill has graced us with a slow day, fortunately for everyone. What happened at the bay shocked all of us…” Ghellos trailed off, eyes going vacant for a moment. He inhaled deeply. “But let’s not think about that. I assume these old bones can rest now?”

“Yes, I’m taking over from here. May Astill watch over your sleep, my friend.”

He and his assistants half-bowed. “Likewise!” They walked out beside them, the medic patting Nashariel’s head.

“So,” Lianna stated, walking towards the main desk. “First things first, you should activate your [Light’s refuge]. A free regeneration boost is always welcome.”

Nashariel nodded, shifted to light, then activated the skill, wishing for it to perfectly match her regenerations. Fricking finally, it’s been days since I bought this thing! She grumbled while a comforting shine played games with the fog.

The medic at the desk gave her an approving nod. “Are we hosting a future colleague, Lianna?”

The priestess chuckled. “I don’t think so, but who knows.” She looked at Nashariel. “Sweetie, why don’t you go around a moment? That aura needs training.”

The omnidragon looked around. Admittedly, her skill covered relatively little space. “Sure!”

She walked around, getting only brief looks of thanks or encouragement. The misty air was wonderful to breathe; humid without attaching her clothes to her body. Nashariel felt her lungs freeing themselves from an unseen blockage, and her slightly unsteady legs rebalance perfectly.

When she completed her round, her mother was chatting with a medic. Lianna was already generating her soothing mist. “Dear, this is a friend of mine, Sofia.”

“Hello, I’m Nashariel!” The girl extended her hand.

Sofia shook it, smiling. Her eyes were glowing with a pleasant purple. “Hello to you, young one. Your mother told me that you had an accident, the other day. I’m a mind-healer, may I look into that?” She asked softly.

Nashariel was taken aback. “Well, I’ve been to the Hospital, I think I’m fine.” Do I look that bad today? I feel okay. Am I okay?

“Please, dear, sometimes the mind is tricky.”

The girl gave the duo a doubtful look, then shrugged. “Okay.”

Sofia knelt before her, softly placing her fingers on the dragokin’s forehead. Seconds later, she got up. “All good!” The woman leaned her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Stay in the mist for today, and that will wash away. You can be near me if your mother allows.”

A flash of the corpses passed through Nashariel’s mind. “Thanks.” She muttered.

Lianna was visibly relieved. “Absolutely. Thank you, Sofia. How much do I owe you?”

The other waved her off. “I did almost nothing. A bit of passive healing is nothing special.”

“Again, thank you. Dear, learn well and come back when Sofia tells you to, okay?”

“Okay!”

And with that, Nashariel spent the next two hours near the mind-healer, asking questions from time to time. Apparently, [Mind healing] was an actual skill, that required [Improved healing] to be bought. Being a good healer sure is expensive! I mean, I just spent tens of points to get a few fighting skills… is every profession like this? Nashariel repeated the question aloud.

“You can say that! This is why people mostly focus on as few elements as possible, and even then, we narrow the skills we buy for our purpose,” she reflected for a moment, “although, there are a few skills worth acquiring even outside our chosen path, such as the growth-group. Are you looking to become a healer?”

“Not specifically. I kinda like the idea of a generalist.”

Sofia grimaced. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, little one. As you just pointed out, the number of points required would be outstanding. Jacks-of-all-trades aren't common for a good reason. Are you sure about this?”

“I am. Thinking about doing the same thing for the rest of my life makes me feel… caged.”

Sometime later, Sofia sent her back to Lianna.

Nashariel thanked the woman, and walked towards her mother, who was talking with a patient.

Nashariel examined her thoughts, finding little difference from before. “Mom, was something wrong with my head?” She asked, as soon as the priestess was done.

“You saw and went through bad things, and most people need help to recover from that. There’s nothing wrong with you, sweetie.”

“Oh... thanks.”

*Improved healing Lvl 5-> 6

Light’s refuge Lvl 1-> 3

Improved learning Lvl 9-> 10 *

After an uneventful day, the duo went back home. Thalom wasn’t back yet. Together, they decided to prepare dinner. Time to put my sharpened claws to good use! Chuckled Nashariel. She did wash her hands, though.

“So,” Lianna started, cutting some potatoes, “what do you think about the clinic? Did you like it?”

“I guess?” Nashariel replied tentatively.

Lianna snorted. “Did that bore you?”

“Not at all! Just, doing that all day… it was kinda dull.”

“No chance of you becoming a healer, then?”

What’s with everyone asking the same questions? “No, I want to travel.”

Her mother sighed. “I know, dear, but you… you almost died. You don’t know what’s out there, and I can’t help but worry.”

Nashariel wasn’t sure how to reply to that. Dying didn’t sound appealing to her, but neither did giving up on her dream just because of a rough start. She was much stronger for it, actually. “I’m sorry,” she replied shaking her head, “but that’s my choice.”

Lianna gave her a sad smile. “Don’t be. What you have to be, is careful. Remember this, Nashariel Holyshield.”

“I will.” Nashariel tightly hugged her mother from behind.

“Any news?” Nashariel almost tackled her father, once he got back home, close to the evening.

“They’re fine.” The dragoness felt the weight on her shoulder lift considerably. “I managed to speak with the Knight captain in charge. After talking with Lord Seaweaver, they are certain that his ships were the target, so they have been put under protection.”

Nashariel’s eyes widened. “What?!”

“Sorry, I haven’t been told much more.”

“How’s Cody?”

The Templar hesitated a moment before answering. “When he was told about your injuries, he tried to come to you, but… they can’t come out yet, not until the-” a glare from Lianna made him reconsider his next words, “situation improves.”

Nashariel slumped. “How long?”

“I don’t know, little light, but we’ll be as quick as possible.”

“Can I do anything…?”

“Stay with me, Lia, Tom, or Nick all the time. I don’t know if that monster was the first of many or not.”

The dragon’s ears perked up slightly. “Are the uncles back?”

Thalom nodded. “Their ship came back today.”

For the following days, Nashariel did as promised.

She either went to the clinic with her mother, trained with her father, Thomas or both, or went to study in the library with Nicholas. Most importantly, the girl had been allowed back into the forest, to finally discharge all her tension.

She saw the fruits of her progress when a giant boar broke its tusks against her earth armor. Yup, all that resilience is paying off. Nashariel grinned, her claws easily slashing through the beast’s neck. Its head fell with a loud thud. Should I test myself against variants? They are weaker than I thought they were.

Nashariel, for all her excitement, didn't throw caution to the wind. She kept close to the city and returned home before evening.

Yet, since the rewards she was getting were abysmal, Nashariel yearned to go to the deeper areas of the forest.

“If you go, I’ll drag you back to Lianna.” Declared Thomas, leaning against a tree.

Nashariel winced, her dragon body doing little to hide it. “But, uncle, you’re with me! What’s the worst that can happen?”

He groaned. “Never say those words, Nashariel. They tend to spawn legendary monsters and whatnot.”

The dragoness tilted her head, blinking a few times.

“Nevermind. Are you already bored of the monsters here?”

“It’s not that I’m tired,” well, a little bit, “but my racial skill penalizes me for easy fights. And I’m close to my first milestone. So, yeah.”

Tom scratched his chin. “That’s rough. How many more levels do you need?”

Nashariel checked. “Two.” Busy days, am I right?

“On with it, then. If you promise to stay safe and put, I’ll get you something from the city.”

“Yes! Thanks, uncle!”

“Are you sure that I can do this?” Nashariel asked. She was in her human form, staring at a parchment that the inquisitor gave her.

“I am.”

One whole section of the Bastion was dedicated to the assignment of Quests. Part of it was public, for either wandering adventurers or people who wanted some quick levels. The other was for Templars, who did the church’s business around the world.

Nashariel was holding onto one of the public ones. She sent some of her mana into the enchanted paper, activating it.

*Quest: Howls in the night

A caravan has reported that a loud pack of wolves has moved near the main road, close to Andriel. If they aren't removed quickly, people will begin to lose their lives. Be careful, as low-level as they may be, a pack is still dangerous!

Objective: Exterminate the pack.

Reward: Bonus experience.

Bonus objective: Bring their corpses back to the city.

Bonus reward: For each dismantled corpse in good condition, you will earn 10 silvers. The price of singular valuable parts may vary. *

Nashariel’s tail wagged. I get to train and get paid for it? Can’t wait to enroll!

The omnidragon followed the inquisitor, as he guided her. Kids rarely saw the outside areas of the city; she had been a special case.

Minutes of fast running later, Tom stopped, pointing at a small cave, from where two pairs of shining yellow eyes watched them. “Here you go. Remember, you can call me at anytime. Got it?"

Nashariel couldn't stand still and nodded repeatedly. She threw away her clothes, then returned to her true form, roaring her challenge.

Somehow, the choir of howls that replied hers was louder. So much so, that dirt and leaves flew out of the way.

The omnidragon grinned. Variants.

A dozen growling wolves came out. Most of them had light-gray fur, with a slightly larger throat and chest than normal. A pair were bulkier, their fur looking more like steel. The last one was the smallest, save for his head, and it was a darker shade of wolf.

*Mind-Alpha wolf Lvl 52

Leaders of packs, the wolves who choose this element are natural tacticians. Giving up personal power, they compensate by making the monsters they command or control acquire an unnatural cunning. Beware their mental attacks.

Protection-Wolf Lvl 55

Defenders of the pack, these wolves are noticeably tougher to deal with. A smart pack of monsters typically forces a few of their members to evolve into this element, condemning them to a short life, unless a healer is also present.

Sound-Wolves Lvl 49-53

As one, these wolves howl against their prey. Supporting each other’s voice, they exploit their numbers to shatter their prey’s eardrums. If you can, cover your ears. *

Nashariel shifted to her earth form, eager to try her improved armor against stronger monsters. The elemental construct manifested as a green glow, covering her from snout to tail-tip, but weighting her down. It had gotten easier to move with the armor, but she was still far from being considered an agile monster.

The beasts slowly circled her, their growl getting more and more ferocious.

The omnidragon unleashed her poisonous breath at the alpha, the leaves near her withering in moments.

The whole pack howled back, somehow sending the green gas back to the attacker.

Nashariel beat her wings, dispersing most of the poison before it reached her. Moments later, she yelped in surprise as her protected hind legs were bitten by two wolves each.

The second she turned, the defenders howled in a low tone.

The sound reverberated within the omnidragon, forcing her to glare at them in fury. A small part of her realized that this was probably [Taunt] or a similar skill.

Being sentient, and much aware, she resisted throwing herself into the middle of the pack, but the unnatural rage persisted. She swished her tail to attack those who were trying to munch into her, hearing two satisfying crunches. Then she huffed at the lack of notifications.

The tactic of the wolves was annoying, so she copied it. The dragoness taunted the alpha and the defenders in turn.

The dark one growled but managed to stand still, while the defenders snarled, almost pouncing at her. The alpha’s eyes glowed, and the protection-wolves shook themselves free.

Oh, c’mon!

Her time of complaining was cut short when the wolves howled as one.

Nashariel was bombarded from all directions, feeling her armor straining badly. Part of the attack passed through, her sensitive ears ringed loudly. Dizzy, the dragoness barely noticed a pouncing wolf to her right.

Nashariel countered with her wing, slamming the monster into the ground. As it struggled to raise, her powerful jaws closed onto it, finally tasting blood and receiving the first notification of the fight. “Come on, fight harder!”

The rest of the pack snarled ferociously. The Sound-wolves charged another howl, but Nashariel wasn’t having it.

She turned around, charging the two wolves previously wounded by her tail strike. Slowed down by her armor, they nimbly dodged her strikes, Nashariel only leaving deep claw marks in the soft ground. The omnidragon growled, charging an infused Breath, then aiming towards the right wolf.

As soon as her jaws opened, another [Taunt] hit her, forcing her to face the bulk of the pack. The omnidragon grinned ferociously.

The wolves howled again, but the mana-infused attack wasn’t a purely physical force. Part of it dissolved, but the elemental part flew ahead undisturbed.

The Protection-wolves brightened up, splitting the poisoned element between each other. Moments later, they were on the ground, foaming. Thick, pulsing dark-green veins decorated their bodies.

The alpha wasn’t looking pleased. Its eyes glowed brightly, a headache spiking in Nashariel’s head. In the meantime, the rest of the monsters howled.

Nashariel roared loudly, hoping to deflect part of the attack. The solid wind boomed against her, shattering her armor.

*Hp 2859/4560

Mana 521/1800 *

Her ears kept ringing, giving no sign of recovering. She had plenty of mana in the tank, but not enough to re-summon the armor.

Ignoring her wounds and her throbbing head, Nashariel charged. Both she and the alpha had lost their protection, but the dragoness easily betted on her tough body.

The glow from the wolf in question changed hue, and the omnidragon found herself swinging at a downed defender. A notification added itself to the incessant ringing. Still, the alpha was unbalanced by the tremors.

As expected of the monsters, they all but stood still. They pounced on her as one, the alpha barking angrily at them.

Their jaws found purchase, but their element wasn’t focused on strength. The scales held on, barely getting scratched.

She used her long, flexible neck as a fishing rod, grabbing a beast chewing on her wing. The surprised beast howled right in her face, the sound soon replaced by a single, definitive crunch.

Another monster bit her calf, circumventing her scaled defense.

The dragoness speared it with her tail, piercing the poor beast from side to side.

All the while, Nashariel had charged up her breath, infusing it with all her remaining mana.

She let it out, aiming at the ground beneath her.

All the vegetation nearby died instantly. Even the tree above the cave rotted on the spot, falling down with a loud crash.

A stream of notification ringed in Nashariel’s ears.

*Mind-Alpha wolf Lvl 52 defeated

Protection-Wolf Lvl 55 defeated

Sound-Wolves (x8) Lvl 49-53 defeated

Hunt rewards: 28 stats,16 skills

Quest: Howls in the night

Main objective completed!

The pack has been successfully and radically dealt with. Bonus experience has been granted.

Bonus objective failed.

'Radically' means that there's nothing to retrieve, by the way. *

“Wait, this is it?” Nashariel looked around her.

What once was a pack of wolves, now was a bubbling, indistinguishable, dark-green mess on the ground. Another tree fell, seemingly just to make a point. The forest was silent.

“Damn…” A rustle behind her attracted the dragoness’ attention.

"That's the power of a dragon. Your power." Thomas paced slowly as if taking in the scenery. "People will be scared or inspired by your power. Always. Now you see why.”

Thinking about it, she had just walked into a den of higher leveled variants, wiped them, and she was about to walk away without any significant damage.

If, instead of monsters, this had been a village… “Yeah… yeah, I get it.” She muttered.

“That said, don’t let it get to you. You decide what to do with yourself, like tanking a conflagration Core to protect strangers.” The inquisitor concluded with a wink.

Nashariel smiled. “I guess you’re right. Thanks, uncle.”

“Anytime. Did you get what you needed?”

Nashariel opened her status.

*Omnidragon Lvl up!

Milestone reached! Visit your status for more info.

Name: Nashariel Holyshield

Race: Omnidragon (young)

Age: 13

Current humanoid form: Human dragokin

Current attunement: Earth

Level: 48-> 50

Available stat points: 68

Available skill points: 94

Strength: 300 - 450

Power: 200 - 300

Resilience: 400 – 600

Vitality: 304 – 456

Dexterity: 250 - 375

Awareness: 200 - 300

Essence: 120 - 180

Endurance: 150 - 225

Hp: 3760/4560

Mana: 34/1800

Stamina: 1843/2250

Skills:

Racial:

Omnidragon kin (minor) Lvl -

Omnidragon prowess Lvl 20-capped

Omnidragon body Lvl 2-> 4

Draconic breath (II) Lvl 3-> 5

Draconic fighting style (II) Lvl 20-capped

Air:

Improved flight Lvl 4

Draconic feathers Lvl 2

Water:

Venom Lvl 3-> 4

Draconic dive Lvl 1

Improved learning Lvl 10

Identify Lvl 3-> 5

Improved grapple Lvl 1-> 3

Earth:

Improved burrow Lvl 1-> 2

Increased size Lvl 1

Increased body density Lvl 2-> 5

Earth armor Lvl 2-> 6

Fire:

Fury Lvl 3-> 4

Sharpened natural weapons Lvl 1-> 8

Light:

Improved healing Lvl 6-> 7

Light’s refuge Lvl 3

Taunt Lvl 1-> 2

Dark:

Stealth Lvl 4-> 5

Shroud of darkness Lvl 2-> 3 *

She wagged her tail. “I did!”

“Good,” Thomas paused, looking at the sky. “I say that we should head back. You culled enough monsters for today.”

The girl returned into her humanoid form. She grinned. "I guess I did. Can I look at my milestone first?"

Tom made a ‘go ahead’ gesture. “I’ll clean this up. Poisoning the ground is bad for everyone. Although… Mhmm…” He threw her the pack containing her clothes.

Slightly red in the face, Nashariel walked away, sitting under a tree just outside the clearing after getting dressed.

As always, her full status welcomed her. The slab was glowing once more.

*First milestone reached. Congratulations!

Skill unlocked: Elemental aura.

Elemental aura Lvl 1

Some beings spontaneously manifest this kind of skill, as the mana coursing through their bodies demands to be unleashed. Dragons are among these creatures, second only to elementals, yet even they fail to acquire this specific skill. So, either you are one of the rare humanoids that love to explore all elements, or you are a monster born with them all. You do you.

You can unleash an elemental aura, attuned to your current element, whose damage and size increases with level.

Size: 10 meters +1 Lvl.

Mana cost: 100-200 /s

The amount of mana spent increases the damage dealt.

Upgrade cost: 4 points Lvl.

Next milestone: Lvl 75 *

Well, this would have been useful a moment ago. And underwater. Better late than never, I suppose. Time to show mom and dad my new trick!

Nashariel and Thomas soon got home.

Thomas dampened her mood a little, saying that he was expecting something like this. Projecting an aura of their element was a regular thing for dragons. Still, Nashariel's was the most adaptable among the monsters that the Inquisitor had met until that point in his life. More like fought than met, but Nashariel really didn't want to think about it.

Her parents reacted much like their friend. “That is a powerful skill, dear, don’t ignore it.”

Her father nodded. “Hard to defend against that.”

“Should I bring it to the second tier?”

Lianna chuckled. “You are thirteen! You can take your time; don’t rush it for no reason.”

Nashariel blushed. “I guess.”

“Talking about time,” chimed in Thalom, “in a few days it’s the new month. You know what it means?”

The omnidragon grinned. “Enrolling time!”

The time passed in a blur.

The dragoness asked her parents and uncles what to expect. They outlined a pretty uneventful year, compared to Nashariel’s expectations. Although, they also added that her unique status, as a dragon and not a sub-species, would probably earn her a different treatment. There was little point in making a young dragon fight against an untrained kid, after all.

Nashariel and her parents waited in front of the Bastion, together with other parents and kids. A suffused chat filled the air, but it tasted of uneasiness.

“Fewer people this month.” Whispered Thalom.

“I can understand them.” Replied Lianna, squeezing Nashariel’s shoulder.

The girl looked at the people, trying to get a rough count. Forty kids or so are considered few people? She stopped to consider the size of the city. Yeah, I can see that. “So, what do we do?” She asked instead.

“You’ll see in a moment, little light.”

Nashariel pouted, tapping her feet and tail impatiently.

Fortunately for the street’s integrity, the doors opened only minutes later. The parents prompted their children to go inside. Some looked scared.

Nashariel glanced at her parents, then walked ahead, encouraged by their smiles. Two smiling priests received her and the kids. After a brief welcome, they sent the little ones into a room nearby.

Watching the doors close, the dragoness wondered how her life would turn out, from this point onward.

With a little bit of luck, it would become...

Interesting.