“There is always one person that thinks himself a genius and says ‘Oh, enslaving a monster would be amazing! They do all the work, while I enjoy an easy life!’

History is full of those fucking idiots that forced a monster to do their bidding and died when it grew too powerful to control or too pissed about being controlled. Look at Sarkashan, and what happened to the damn plains! How do they call them now? Dragon’s curse, or something like that, I don’t remember.

Just remember this one, pal: NEVER take advantage of a sentient monster. It will end… badly.

For everyone.”

-Discussion between an unknown rogue and an aspirant tamer.

Nashariel pov

*Thoughts acceleration, Mind healing have been granted for free. Heightened reflexes, Improved reading speed, Improved focus, and Improved memory have been bought.

Improved learning, Thoughts acceleration, Improved memory, Heightened reflexes, Improved reading speed, and Improved focus would like to merge for 25 points.

Y/N?

Improved learning, Thoughts acceleration, Improved memory, Heightened reflexes, and Improved focus merges into->

Intellect of the Mind dragon Lvl 1

Reconstructing your brain to the next level is a necessary step to mastering the mind. Most brutes will be mere pawns in your schemes, and even setbacks will be handled swiftly and efficiently. A mind dragon should never waste her precious time, time that she could dedicate to hoard knowledge, or develop new schemes to manipulate her enemies with.

Your mind is restructured. Every mental activity is facilitated and improved.

Logical reasoning comes easier to you.

Emotions are easier to ignore when you decide it unless they come from one of your skills.

Effect scales with awareness.

Upgrade cost: 7 points Lvl

Mind healing Lvl 1

A specialized form of healing, dedicated to curing the damage inflicted to the mind. Mental attacks are insidious, as the damage they inflict can hardly be resisted, and they may leave scars even after being healed. With this skill, such damage is now in your healing reach.

Healing power is increased when curing mental damage.

If in battle, the healed doesn’t suffer from traumas until the fight ends.

Upgrade cost: 4 skill points.

Points reduced to-> 70

Dual mind, Mind dragon fighting style, Mind armor skills are available. *

Nashariel had to hold off her finger from instantly pressing on those additional skills. I just spent 40-ish points in like, five minutes! I should really stop here. But maybe one more skill… No! She slapped her etheric cheeks. Later, maybe. Now, let’s see…

The omnidragon threw a last longing gaze at the purple library, then willed herself in front of the pulsing plate. She had found out that, being in her private status, she had absolute control over her surroundings.

* Quest: A dance of the elements.

Objective: Obtain two variant evolutions.

Reward: Hybrid forms unlocked, one given for free. You still have to fulfill the 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: Omnidragon-tier skill.

Please, select your evolution:

Acid: Liquid flames. Coming from the ire of fire dragons and the scheming water dragons, Corrosion dragons are wicked and smart, melting their enemies and their defenses at once, leaving nothing but consumed ruins behind.

Lava: Melted earth. The defensive nature of the earth has met the passion of the flames, and lava dragons possess their parents’ resilience and vivacity, combining them into a lethal defense.

Gas: Generous flame. Gas dragons evolved almost exclusively from fire dragons who feel a strong familial bond, choosing this affinity to support their Clan in every way. Beware, for even if their offensive power is reduced, fire still runs hot within them.

Lightning: Enraged winds. Lightning dragons incarnate the fury of the flame, quickened by the tempest. Like a storm, they come and go in the blink of an eye, as their bodies cannot sustain such speed for long, but they will always leave behind a convulsing or charred enemy.

Ember: Seething darkness. Fire dragons who seek personal strength, or vengeance against other fire users. Ember is all about feeding their inner flames, without any kind of waste. Slow fights are their dominion.

Poison: Nature’s corruption, from above and below. Water dragons are renowned for their toxins, and nature has an abundance of such substances. Poison dragons ambush their prey and easily bring them to the other side, often without even being there. Some good-willed Poison dragon might consider crafting medicines or antidotes, instead.

Mist: Lost in the depths and the heavens. The ocean and the sky are incomprehensible to mortals, often causing them to lose sight of their surroundings. Mist dragons take this statement in a literal way, suppressing the senses of their prey and causing them to become mad in the endless mists.

Illusion: Tricksters from below plays with lights and mirrors. Reflection is a real thing, but, at the same time, it is not. Some dragons confound their enemies with a false reality or play with their dreams. Either way, you better hope that this trickster is the benevolent kind.

Blood: Hungry hunters. Water dragons who obsess with hunts, or for picky gluttons. Blood dragons aren’t noticeably strong, compared to other dragons, but this changes as soon as the first blood is spilled. The life running within you will belong to them.

Sand: Dancing earth. Small fragments of stone, cutting their enemies a thousand times and more. Sand dragons are often aloof and peaceful, unless offended. Once a fool provokes their ire, they shall rise the whole desert with them to bury them, together with everything they hold dear.

Body: The undying abomination. It is no mystery that darkness corrupts, and even the stoic earth isn't immune from temptation. Dragons of flesh and bone are impossibly hard to kill, as they heal time and time again while perfecting their bodies at each attack they endure. Immortality for the price of elegance, one may say.

Spirit: Extreme freedom. Air and light dragons who wished to be freed from even their most basic needs. Spirit dragons seek to abandon their bodies and fight the very essence of their enemies. Overlooking their influence on the material plane has been the last mistake of many, as Spirit dragons can summon allies from beyond.

Force: When air chains you down. Air dragons whose hearts grew heavy, or dark dragons who were repulsed by their hunger. Kinetic dragons control the pressure of the world, manipulating objects at their whims. Light or heavy, up or down, this is for them to decide.

Crystal: Earth, refined and pure. Polished from each speck of dirt, mud became an icon of beauty. Mortals and immortals alike seek these beautiful gems, and Crystal dragons often suffer dire fates, when faced with mortal greed. They are aided by uncanny luck and the endless power of the gems that grow on their body.

Darklight: The heretic, or, maybe, something more. The most extreme opposites, generosity, and selfishness met, and… something strange was born. This element offsets the flaws of other attunements. By itself? You will find power in balance. *

At first, Nashariel found herself overwhelmed. Then her new Mind skill kicked in. A pressing headache pulsed in her head, restructuring her thinking patterns. Her thoughts became sharper, quicker, and she hardly felt the need to re-read the long lists of choices. Her reasoning made all the necessary connections between the pros and cons for each element with cold, hard logic. Some elements were discarded instantly, like Darklight and Gas, while others were selected as prime choices like Body and Lava.

The pain faded moments later, leaving Nashariel gasping for air. I'm not sure if it was the best choice or the worst. Oof. She shook her head a few times. Now, let’s get a good look at this.

She slowly analyzed each alternative, this time with her emotions into play. I do get pretty hurt during my hunts, so Body would be amazing, despite being defined as an abomination. Thinking about it, Lava synergizes well with my defenses… but I don't want to expose the others to that kind of heat, yet if ever.

The omnidragon thought about the elements she faced until today. Blood had been common, and her perfected memory worked against her, as she remembered the flesh on her shoulder being ripped off, just the day before or so. She shivered.

Lightning was an interesting choice. Nashariel’s stamina was relatively low, but this element would solve her mobility problem while offering a powerful offense. The ability to be near one of her teammates in an instant was a strong factor too.

With a grimace, she noted that most elements did not fare well with a group, at least without a proper investment from both sides. Well, one who didn’t share the same attunement. She threw a longing gaze at Mist. That’s mom’s element… but that would cripple the others too… My choices are so… restricted. Nashariel felt something bad rising within her, like a sense of suffocation, but she caged it in the depths of her mind. It doesn’t matter, I have enough choices already.

Without further ado, Nashariel ignored everything but the Lightning button.

*Choice confirmed.

…

…

Evolution complete!

May the storm you carry be forever raging, young Lightning dragon.

2 free lightning skills have been granted.

Further attunement will be priced at 50 skill points each.

Current essences acquired: Lightning, Blood, Poison.

Lightning: -7 points. Points refunded.

Blood: -27 points.

Poison: -18 points.

Points increased to-> 77 *

Nashariel found herself in the fire chamber, where a large body of flame disappeared. A static coursed through her, letting her in the room. Lightings of all colors flared in the chamber, each one striking a pillar beneath, with a metallic rod half-buried within the stone. Thankfully for her ears, they were loud enough to be heard, but not to the point of generating a painful cacophony of sounds.

With a somewhat spoiled mood, Nashariel considered her choices.

*Conductive crests, Conductive spines granted for free. Improved conductivity (self), Internal battery, Improved speed, Voltage generation, and Ionized blood have been bought.

Conductive crests, Improved conductibility (self), Improved speed, Conductive spines, Ionized blood, and Internal battery would like to merge for 26 points.

Y/N?

Conductive crests, Improved conductibility (self), Improved speed, Conductive spines, Ionized blood, and Internal battery merges into ->

Body of the lightning dragon Lvl 1

Lightning dragons are masters of the hit-and-run tactic, almost on par with Shadow dragons, leaving behind them only the echo of thunder. Announced by searing pain and extensive burns, these dragons modify their whole body to dis/charge their internal currents as fast and efficiently as possible. The gland within their body can store a high quantity of current for later use.

You grow a crest along your spine and small spikes on your body that act as physical lightning conductors. These conductors help to guide and speed up the electricity you use in your attack and defense.

You grow a special gland within your body that stores energy. This energy is used before your resources, acting as a sort of additional mana and stamina bar. You can only charge this gland with your mana, either passively or actively.

You are fast as the lightning itself. Your speed is noticeably increased, but not your agility.

Electricity is carried through your blood. Enemies that wound you suffer an instant discharge of the current within you.

The harmony of your body with lightning reduces the mana consumption of your skills, but it causes you to tire much faster.

Note: Changing attunement dissolves the energy stored in your gland.

Upgrade cost: 9 points Lvl.

Points reduced to-> 37 *

Nashariel let out a whistle. Using her improved mental capacities, she had calculated the most similar skills that were likely to merge and bought them en masse. [Omnidragon kin] did the rest. I wonder how close I am with the same skill, but water. I did grow a few more body parts…the girl resolved to check before waking up.

However, the last skill surprised her.

*Voltage generation Lvl 1

A skill often overlooked by non-mages, this ability directly influences each lightning skill of the user. Voltage is the foundation of electricity, and this skill awaits with trepidation for the storms that will follow you.

You gain another resource bar, called ‘Voltage’. This bar act similarly to mana and stamina.

Voltage starts at zero (0), but you can charge up to 20+ 5 Lvl units. Once you decide to activate it, this resource progressively returns to zero, depending on the usage you make of it.

For each unit charged up, your lightning skills are slightly cheaper to unleash, consuming fewer resources. The power of your skills is not increased, but they become more physical.

Upgrade cost: 4 points Lvl. *

Nashariel had mistakenly thought that this was either another passive or this element's creation skill, like [Metal creation]. She wasn’t disappointed, though. Where did I already hear the term ‘Resource’? Her mind scrolled through her memory like a book, fixing on her first Quest’s final reward.

Nashariel had chosen [Omnidragon body], but [Omnidragon’s supply] had been another option, the one that confused her the most. Glancing at her new Voltage skill, Nashariel pondered if every element had such a thing.

So, obviously, she checked.

They did. They all did.

As there were elemental creations, manipulations, elemental empowerment, fighting styles… and so on.

The actual scope of the number of skills available to her put the Quest's rewards in a new light. All elements combined into one… Nashariel found herself dizzy. And I used it on a first-tier skill… hold on, it just combined all resistances, but the Body skills are much more complicated…? It’s called [Omnidragon body], not omnidragon resistance or something like that… she used her Kin skill against [Body of the lightning dragon], then on [Voltage generation].

*Future merge detected.

Name of the skill: Vessel of the Omnidragon.

Required skills:

Omnidragon physique.

Body of the lightning dragon.

Body of the water dragon.

Body of the fire dragon.

…

Body of the centered dragon.

Future merge detected.

Name of the skill: Omnidragon’s supply.

Required skills:

Voltage generation.

Pressure generation.

Ore generation.

…

Balance generation. *

The reality dawned on Nashariel. It’s because those were basic skills! Damn, how much did I waste by choosing [Omnidragon body] immediately? She grunted, slamming her tail on the ground.

The girl needed a minute to compose herself. She vowed to carefully select the skill, next time.

Still somewhat pissed at herself, Nashariel tested her theory against her water skills.

*Future merge detected.

Skill’s name: Body of the water dragon.

Required skills:

Reduced water resistance

Draconic quills

Draconic stinger

Grow gills

Grow fins

Breathable scales *

Two skills away. Nashariel glanced at her remaining points, then at the cost of the respective missing skills. I bet that between buying these and merging them, I would use up all my points. Is it worth it? I would obtain a powerful skill, without needing to level each skill singularly… no, still not worth it, unless Karda sends us to the sea.

The omnidragon closed the prompt, impatiently for the end of her evolution. She resisted going into another spending spree by breaking the cap of her skills, but only barely.

Real-world minutes later, Nashariel hopped awake. She instantly shifted in her Mind form. The draconic scales tinted purple, while the world around her became clearer, less mysterious. Her thoughts quickened considerably, and replaying her hunts showed her countless possible improvements. A good investment, I’d say. Now, lightning.

Shifting once more, Nashariel’s scales tinted golden-yellow. Small spikes littered her body, occasionally sending a spark or two. The new ‘battery’ was an organ specular from her heart, thankfully without pressing against her lungs. The omnidragon could feel her body tire, while the gland filled. The new resource ticked up to one unit. I might need to increase my stamina next time I get some stats if this gets out of hand. I shouldn’t use this form too much at once.

Nashariel put on some clothes, ignoring the fading wisps of her cocoon, then went out. She chose the metal form, least she gave away too many of her elements. The girl didn’t forget the Grandmaster’s warning from long ago.

The ship docked without trouble.

A grateful captain greeted Nashariel and Cody off, while gleefully rubbing his hands. He and his crew would probably earn a hefty bonus from all their work. Nashariel didn’t particularly care, especially considering the pouch bouncing against her leg.

She had been given double the money promised since she helped well beyond what was expected from her. I hope they didn’t give me too much. Actually… “How much do you sell a body for?” The omnidragon asked her friend, nodding towards the ship.

"It depends on the quality, size, and demand. Generally speaking? Around a thousand mundane gold, give or take. The one you were contracted to kill was half-again that worth, or so.”

Nashariel stumbled, flailing her arms wildly for a moment. Once recovered, she stared at Cody, wide-eyed. The duck-hole smirked. “Say what?” She recalled the rough number of their kills. The pouch on her flank seemed much lighter.

Cody playfully smacked her tail with his. “It’s not like you could drag them here by yourself! Think about dangling even a single corpse above all those seamonsters by yourself!”

A good point. “Yeah, but…” She sighed. “Couldn’t your father offer a bit more? He could literally hire at least three teams of us with that single monster’s body alone.”

Cody shrugged. “You’re ignoring the costs we sustain. The ship, charging the Core, the pay of those people, and the processing costs aren’t cheap. What we earn from the ‘hunts’, as you call them, is probably around a third of what I told you.” He listed each thing with his fingers.

“I’m really glad I don’t deal with economy stuff.” And let’s leave it at that.

He burst laughing, perhaps not noticing her frown.

The duo arrived at the noble’s mansion, then parted ways with a hug. The girl wasn’t willing to lose a friend over a few coins. Or even a city, for that matter.

Nashariel entered the Bastion through the now-familiar Luxum golden doors. She walked towards her room at a quick pace, then dropped her coins on the pile. She felt [Draconic hoard] become much happier. I wonder if I can bring this with me, somehow. Should I buy a spatial bag? She had to check the price of those artifacts.

With a satisfied nod, she went towards her enchanted mirror. No message from mom and dad. She sighed. Let’s do something else…

The girl teleported into the Quest board’s room, searching for something else to do before the morrow.

A hand interposed between her and her objective. “You should rest, recruit.” Karda told her with a frown.

Killjoy.“I rested yesterday, Instructor.”

“And when have you slept last?”

“When I have reported to you.”

Karda grunted. “Two days without sleep aren’t good for your health, Nashariel. Especially after an excursion.”

The omnidragon huffed. “I’m not tired.”

“Nevertheless, you need to take a breather.”

“But-”

“It’s an order, recruit. If I learn that you went out of the city before tomorrow, there will be consequences.” The tone of the sharkin was final.

Nashariel snarled, stomped her tail on the ground, then marched out of the Bastion.

The dragoness wandered in the city, seemingly lost. In her mind, she had repeatedly cursed the woman. I’m not a human, I don’t need to sleep every day! She wasn’t being arrogant; her body and mind felt perfectly functional. She usually needed sleep every three to four days, but could go on as far as a week before absolute exhaustion. The crowd was giving the snarling girl a wide berth. Nashariel tried to bottle down her burning anger, keeping [Fury] from activating.

She decided to go to the Library. Being forced into it was a bitter pill to swallow, but maybe… maybe it was for the best? Nashariel sighed. ‘The best’ is keeping to repeat myself that. I wonder if Antoine has a moment to spare?

In time, Nashariel had grown attached to the old Grandmaster. They weren’t friends, per se, but he had always been kind to her. The dragoness had reported her progresses to him, and he gave her some pointers in return, like [Nullify presence] when she complained about her lacking stealth capabilities.

The girl spent the rest of her day and night reading stories and manuals about Mind and Lightning dragons. Comparing the writings with the skills available within her chambers, Nashariel was able to extrapolate some combination of skills, such as the –body line or her Intellect.

About that, the usefulness of [Intellect of the Mind dragon] had been invaluable. Nashariel noticed that the benefits of her first, most beloved, and now departed skill [Improved learning]had been greatly reduced, as she feared. On the other hand, all her mental capabilities had been enhanced to the point that she could probably catch up in half the levels.

Nashariel was still reading, when morning came to greet her and the other readers. Shutting for a moment her fatigued eyes, the girl put back each book where she had found it. She had already memorized the important parts, skill or not. Nashariel gave her Intellect skill a metaphorical pat on the head. Good job.

The dragoness went into her room, washed, changed clothes, and, lastly, went into the recruits’ dining hall. She found her team, together with the other not-so-anymore kids. Some tackled her in greeting, others pretended to not see her.

Veliel and Dan were busy messing with each other. Dorel stared at them while hiding a smile. Part of Nashariel’s irritation waned at the scene.

Less than an hour later, Nashariel and her team presented to Karda, who wore a stern frown. The dragoness held her gaze without flinching. The older Templar’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Children, how was your last Quest?”

The humans, the siren, and the dragoness looked at each other. Dan shrugged. “Could go better, I suppose.”

Dorel and Veliel agreed.

Karda nodded. “Good. Always be careful of ambushes. You never know from where they can come from.” She scolded them. “Now, how are your levels?”

They all replied. Nashariel was relieved to know that their level wasn't lagging behind hers by much.

The sharkin made a satisfied grunt. “Good enough.” She took out a peculiar-looking scroll with the symbol of Astill seared upon. The dragoness inhaled sharply. “As Nashariel noticed, this is official Church business.”

The rest of the teens imitated their leader. “Astill’s butt…” Muttered Dan. Nashariel absentmindedly slapped his head.

“Thank you, girl. Now, you shouldn’t go even near this place, but we lack a lot of personnel as of now, and your particular… skillset,” she threw a glance at the dragoness, “is particularly fitting for this Quest. You will support two fully-fledged Templars to help an elven village that requested our help.”

The sharkin pressed the scroll against their outstretched hand, one by one.

“What do they need help with?” Mutely asked Veliel, the last to receive the scroll.

“Dragons,” Nashariel whispered, having already read through everything, “they need help against fire dragons.”

Something within her stirred in anticipation.