All nations fight for every bit of power and influence they can put their hands on. External factors are taken into consideration and judged as either useful or harmful. Depending on the result, the initial contact will be an extended hand or a dagger in the throat.

The omnidragon is simply the largest example of such practice.”

-Arbiter Orthal, about politics.

Nashariel pov

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

*Quest: Fire from above.

A young Warband composed of four fire dragons has recently settled near an elven village called ‘Althei’, demanding heavy tributes and threatening the citizens. Protect the innocents, Templar.

Objective: Defeat the Warband. Help the villagers to rebuild, if possible, or aid their escape.

Reward: 500 gold. Twice the normal amount of experience.

Bonus objective: Retrieve the corpses.

Bonus rewards: An item made of draconic body parts, plus 500 gold per corpse. The amount may vary depending on the state of said corpses.

Note: If found, their hoard is to be given to the village. *

Her team reacted with a chorus of gasps.

“We aren’t ready for this Quest.” Nashariel declared. “As the leader, I refuse for everyone.” She pressed no on her status.

The omnidragon wasn’t sure about her chances against another dragon. Sure, [Omnidragon kin] showered her with points, but she invested them in all her forms, nine at this point, and she had chosen the path of a generalist. These fire dragons had surely invested everything they had on improving their main shtick, and living in the wilds forced anyone to continuously improve their skills. Most of hers were in the first tier. Engaging four fire dragons now? It's suicide for us.

“Can’t defend against that.” Muttered Dorel.

Karda stood unperturbed. “You will have to,” she gestured towards the empty room, “most Templars are busy in Aldrastor and other more urgent Quests. Among all the recruits, this group is the one with the most experience in fighting against and with dragons. Moreover, you will only need to act as a supportive force, so veterans will have your back all the time.”

"I don't mind being a support…" Wrote Veliel. She tried to hide her shivering.

“I’m going to be an inquisitor, so sneaking on a dragon is mandatory for me!” Dan said, beaming.

Nashariel shook her head. “I said no.”

“We can't let a village full of innocents to burn, Nashariel.” The sharkin declared. “A team will have to go there, yours or not. You accepted to protect others at all costs when you crossed the Doors. It's our duty as Templars.” She added, speaking a tad more softly.

The omnidragon took a deep breath. Silently, she took the scroll, accepted the Quest, then crossed her arms. She knew Karda was right, but… she wasn’t ready to see her friends risk their lives like this. The cave had been a close call, and Nashariel still blamed herself for not checking the upper cave twice.

Her team looked at each other, then accepted too, still shocked.

“Good. You will depart tomorrow morning through teleportation. This morning you will be bestowed with some of our Order’s skills. The rest of the day is yours to manage. Follow me.”

Karda started walking towards a room, the group in tow.

Nashariel kept brooding over the exchange. We made countless bouts, but I was never serious! But I can’t let the others go without me. If they died, and I wasn’t there… it was also true that the Bastion was almost empty.

Between the expedition to Aldrastor and the reinforced guard among the entirety of Varastill, the Templars were thinned down considerably. The Church had recruited en masse, both adults and young people, and it had been part of the reason why Nashariel didn't enjoy much free time.

Her instructors wanted everyone to battle against her, probably because of her heritage and the ability to provide priceless training condensed in a single session or so.

The group came to a stop in a room. An altar stood solitary under an open window, with a statue depicting Astill as an angel that looked upon all of them with comforting warmth. The air in the room was one of pure reverence, sacred. The sight calmed Nashariel, if only barely.

“Pray near the altar, and receive the gift of our Goddess.” Whispered Karda.

The teens looked at each other, then did just that.

A few minutes of prayers later, the statue emitted a soft glow, then, a moment later, it burst into light.

Nashariel shut her eyes instantly.

*Blessing received.

Skill granted…

ERROR!

The Omnidragon cannot receive divine gifts!

…

…

An equivalent Quest has been generated instead.

Quest: Believers of the Omnidragon.

As an Omnidragon and a future ruler, mortals and monsters alike will put their trust in you. You must care for them, defend them, and defeat those who wish for their harm at the best of your abilities.

Primary objective: What’s a ruler, if not the aegis for their empire? Stand in front of your enemy and endure, for such is the weight of every ruler worthy of this name.

Reward: The Protection Aspect will be granted for free, with two additional skills at no cost.

Secondary objective: An empty empire is no empire at all. Care for your followers, and they will care for you in return.

Additional reward: The Healing Aspect will be granted for free, with two additional skills at no cost.

Third objective: The empire rejoices when its enemies crumble. As a ruler, it’s your job to be the tip of the spear that pierces each threat.

Additional reward: The Radiance Aspect will be granted for free, with two additional skills at no cost.

If you fulfill all the objectives, an Omnidragon-tier skill will be granted to you.

Penalties:

Failing to fulfill any of the objectives above will lead to the corresponding affinity to cost twice as much in the future.

Failing two objectives will result in the loss of your most powerful two skills, which will need to be re-unlocked at twice their original price, their components included.

Failing to fulfill all three objectives will lead to the loss of your most developed Variant, together with all its skills. The same penalty cost will be applied to each skill.

Good luck, young omnidragon. *

At first, Nashariel felt a rebellion surging within her, then grew worried at the error thing. This Quest is… hard. I mean, I would try to do these things anyway, but… those penalties… Maybe I heard wrong, and Karda said Quests? Also, still with the ruler thing…

The room returned to normal, save for the excited shouts of her team. They each received a skill and/or a merge for their chosen path.

“Astill says that I’m an inquisitor now! Wooohooo!”

“I’m a Protector now!” Even Dorel seemed more expressive than usual.

“A priestess! Hurray!” Veliel shouted too, forgetting about her hypnotic voice for a moment. No one noticed.

Nashariel smiled with them, hiding her worry. Guess not. Does Astill resent my kind? I hope not…

Thankfully, the joy in the room was enough to fool the older Templar. She was smiling too. “Good, now go to prepare. I’ll be on the first floor after dawn.”

When the omnidragon turned to go out, she felt watched by something. Snapping back, she saw nothing, but the sensation persisted until she left the room.

The first thing Nashariel did was go shopping for a Spatial-bag. She had… other things to think about, the day before. As a recruit, she was granted access to the Armory, a massive workshop owned by the Church that equipped all Templars and trusted people. Unfortunately, they didn’t handle the things she needed to recruits like her, so the dragoness teleported to the first floor, went out of the Bastion, then walked to a trusted shop of hers, one that her mother had shown her a year or two before her departure.

The shop itself, humbly called ‘The nine tails of infinite wonder’, shortened in ‘The tails’, wasn’t physically in the city, as it existed on a separate dimension, but the entrances were sprinkled among all major cities and probably elsewhere too. The entrance to this particular entrance was guarded by a foxkin priestess dressed as a shrine maiden, who smiled at her. “Welcome, young Templar. How may this servant of Kaiko be of use to Astill, in this tranquil day?” The woman asked in a soft voice.

Kaiko was the kitsune Goddess of trade and travel. Her worshippers were usually nomadic merchants that bought and sold magical items, from sword-canes to legendary artifacts.

For the right price, of course.

Nashariel didn’t know why and how this shop came to life, but, supposedly, the first kitsune to have this idea was a Spatial/Illusion specialist that enjoyed her privacy a tad too much, and the rest was history.

Strangely, these shops were utterly despised by the worshippers of Astor, the patron god of Aldrastor and the human god of civilization. Probably because of both peoples’ dedication to trading goods.

“I need a Spatial-bag and something that fixes this on me," Nashariel replied, showing her Core.

The foxkin eyed it, then hit her with a playful smirk. “And I suppose that they also must follow your shapeshifting, dear customer.”

They also didn’t believe in the rudeness of Identifying other people. [Omnidragon kin] hid her omnidragon status, but apparently left her draconic nature on display.

Groaning, Nashariel nodded. Right, I didn’t check how many points this thing gave me since last time. “It would be lovely.”

The foxkin opened the door, letting her in.

A gargantuan place opened in front of her. Seemingly endless rows of articles filled the space in front of Nashariel, organized and yet chaotic enough to confuse most of the customers. A myriad of foxkins helped said customers at the same time, somehow without filling the place with a cacophony of random voices.

The dragokin patiently waited for the woman, whose previous place was taken by another foxkin. "Please follow me, dear customer."

The woman led Nashariel among a maze-like route.

The girl gawked at the things displayed. The Tails also sold Cores bigger than she was tall, and terrifying-looking artifacts, such as an armor made of Void-fabric. The price tag read ‘50.000 Fourth-Tier infused gold coins’.

From then on, Nashariel remained focused on the ground beneath her.

Minutes later, the foxkin stopped. She theatrically indicated a vast display of various-sized items. “May I guide you, dear customer?”

Nashariel nodded, still stunned at the shop’s marvels. Perhaps the name isn’t so pompous, after all. She saw a few price tags and grimaced. “Go on, please. My budget is…”

“Wonderful! Follow me!” The foxkin ignored her, darting in the middle of the artifacts.

The dragokin made a pained groan, then followed once again the grinning woman. She’s gonna drain my hoard dry, isn’t she?

An hour later, Nashariel was eyeing dubious at the ‘bag’ chosen by the foxkin, an ordinary-looking mantle, save for The Tails’ logo, a nine-tailed shimmering purple fox. It was red on the inside, and silver on the outside, with a fabric soft enough to be considered a luxury. She glanced at the woman. “Did you notice my wings?” I can’t really fly with a cloak on my back.

“Would you like to try it, before making judgments, dear customer?”

Nashariel slowly obliged. The mantle glued to her armor instantly, and fed on her mana regeneration, even if only a little. The dragokin’s wings vanished in the mantle. Nashariel froze for a moment, before finding herself still able to move her wings. They felt in a colder place, and even extending them to the max didn’t let them out of the small dimension.

“This Space-mantle’s capacity will depend on your mana regeneration, specifically the amount you decide to invest in it, plus a base amount of 80 kilos at little-to-no mana. The mantle can shrink as little as a pouch on your neck, or grow a hood to hide your appearance, for an added cost in the form of mana. You may even use it as a blanket, as the fabric is an amazing insulator. Lastly, it has self-cleaning and self-repairing capabilities, even when fully destroyed, again for an added mana cost. The mantle has enough autonomy to last two days without mana, but all objects will be forcefully ejected at once after.

Does this item satisfy your needs, dear customer?”

Nashariel was speechless. This is amazing! Hold on… Gulping, she asked. “How much?”

“1500 mundane gold should suffice.”

Nashariel paled. It’s most of my hoard, including the gold from Cody’s Quest! With great pain, she put the cloak down. “I can’t afford it, especially not with the Core-thingy to buy.”

The blonde woman brought her hand in front of her mouth, her red eyes widening. “Oh, silly me!” She said with a voice full of feigned embarrassment, “I forgot about another function. Please, dear customer, lend me your Core.”

The girl obliged hesitantly. The other put the pearl near her chest, pressing it against the armor.

Nashariel could feel the mantle’s mana warping her armor, creating a perfect slot for the Core.

“This item can also adapt itself and any desired accessory to the needs of its wielder. Does now the price seem less of a burden, dear customer?”

You sly fox! “How about my dragon form?” She was determined to lower the price.

The foxkin let out a large smile, her tail swishing. “This mantle will hold onto a single scale of yours, dear customer, should your chosen attunement not include an armor.”

Something nudged Nashariel’s mind, but she didn’t pay it any attention. Defeated, the dragoness relented. “Fine, I’ll go get the gold.” She brought something with her, but she didn't think to spend most of her hoard on a single item.

“Oh, worry not about that.” The woman opened a crack in space. Iron, silver, and gold poured out of it, together with a few gems, into another waiting fissure.

Nashariel stood still for a moment. Such a casual demonstration of power… I wonder how strong she is. She barely resisted identifying the woman. “How did you know where I live?” It wasn’t the first time she had seen this skill in action, but she didn’t expect its use for mundane gold.

"I do not, but this spell is set to retrieve the payment we agreed upon from anywhere in the world. Or dimension. Should we head out, dear customer?"

Nashariel nodded. The duo walked back without talking.

Once arrived at the door, the foxkin bowed. “I hope you will come to visit us again, dear customer!”

Nashariel nodded. “Once I wish to go bankrupt again? Sure, why not. If I may ask, what’s your name? I’m Nashariel.”

The woman giggled. “You may call me Shaska, dear customer.”

The dragokin nodded. Before going her way, something finally clicked. She snapped towards Shaska. “How did you know that I have more than one attunement?!”

The woman smirked. “Your kind has always been an amazing customer of ours, little omnidragon. Good luck!” With a final wink, the door closed, leaving Nashariel frozen in the street.

Nashariel spent the rest of the morning getting supplies in the form of medicines and non-perishable food. Admittedly, she read an alchemy book or two, but a crafter’s life and her busy lifestyle hadn’t allowed her to deepen her knowledge, nor pushed her to buy related skills. She threw everything in her new mantle, observing with interest the ripples that the items created when entering. It does look like a liquid.

The omnidragon had pushed aside the thoughts about Shaska and her knowledge. She couldn’t do anything about it, but she wondered how the woman saw through her racial skill. Although, [Omnidragon kin] warned me about specialized skills. Dang it.

After having lunch in the Bastion, the girl decided to rest. The sight of her meager hoard made her and [Draconic hoard] sigh in regret. Nashariel glared at the mantle. You better be worth your price.

The dragokin slept until the next morning.

The dreams hadn’t stopped, during these years. Nashariel dreamed of fighting flaming dragons and monsters from deep below.

No deaths, this time. The dragoness thought after waking up. Feeling well-rested, she stretched for a few minutes, then opened her status. Her Core gave her other four stat points and six skill points. Seems like it’s two stat and three skill points per day. Better than nothing, I guess.

She could almost afford another affinity. Putting the thought aside, Nashariel decided to ignore her status, for now. I’ll see what I need when we get there. She wasn’t comfortable with this Quest, but she was confident in her ability to survive for a while, especially considering the older Templars.

With that done, Nashariel shifted in her electric self. She sat in the center of the room, activating her Aura. The electricity was weak, since she used almost no power with it, and behaved as she expected. After a moment, the omnidragon pushed a bit of mana in her Voltage bar, filling two units. Willing the discharge, Nashariel observed how the lightning seemed to come alive, actively searching for nearby metals. Her Aura left tiny scorch on the floor.

It was like using a third more mana or so. Concluded the dragokin after the test. She wondered how much stronger her breath would be with these kinds of resources unlocked. It made [Omnidragon’s supply] much attractive in her eyes. I wonder how it works for the other elements…

Lightly slapping her cheeks, Nashariel equipped herself, then went down. As she was about to close the door, a thought crossed her mind. She glanced at her cloak, then at the remainder of her hoard. Can I…? Swiftly, the dragokin put all her most prized possessions within the mantle, books included, then went out.

Her skill showed no signs of weakening. Yes!

“Good investments. Well done, recruits.” Karda sent an appreciative nod towards the teens.

They came all geared up to the teeth.

Dorel had a brand new tower shield, with the logo of his father’s smithy proudly flaring in its center.

Veliel wore protective cloaks, with a wand sheathed near her flank.

The grinning Dan had a large bag on his side, with a pair of strange-looking daggers resting around his waist, and a belt full of small daggers on his chest.

Nashariel hoped that it would be enough. “Where are the others?” She asked at the older Templar.

“They should arrive any moment now. Remember, always listen to them, and don’t die.”

They all nodded. Less than a minute later, a pair of tired-looking Templars arrived.

Their armors looked worn out, full of scratches, and missing a part or two.

Nashariel subtly activated [Light’s refuge] at maximum power, fully shutting off her own regenerations.

One of them glanced at her. “Much appreciated.” He said with a brief smile. The other nodded, equally grateful.

"These are Khaian," Karda indicated the one who just thanked her aloud, "and Lethos. Your job is to assist them by any means possible and nothing more. Questions?”

“Are you okay?” Wrote Veliel. She too was shining with mana.

Lethos gave a tired chuckle. “We just came back from a Quest.”

“No rest for the righteous! Eh…” Khaian supplied, trying to sound cheerful. He failed, but no one pointed it out.

Nashariel had a sinking feeling in her guts. She decided to be direct. “Can you protect us? No offense, but…” she trailed off.

The first one nodded. "I know this Quest seems daunting to you, but it's far less deadly than it sounds for us. Dragons are a handful, but we six should be able to deal with them easily enough if we are careful. Stay behind us, don't take too many risks, and we will all make it home in one piece. It’s going to be fine!”

Nashariel internally screamed.

They took a moment to learn the teens’ specialties, then elaborated a few different tactics to capitalize on that. Lastly, they repeated everything once more.

The group of six approached the temporary teleportation circle, where three priests were busy casting the spell. “Whenever you’re ready.” One of them said with a strained voice. Another arrived hastily, joining the relieved casters.

They all stood in the purple circle.

Nashariel's heart was beating faster, and she was clenching and unclenching her hands. Dan checked his equipment one more time.

"Ready," Lethos announced.

"Good luck, Templars," Karda said.

The world progressively tinted more and more purple, unlike the regular circles.

At the last moment, just before the external world shut off, Nashariel saw the last priest smirk, then throw a strange powder at them.

The group arrived in a warzone.

Terrifying bellows came from above, where four dragons spit fire on one another, some of it setting part of the ground aflame. The monsters laughed and mocked each other every time that happened.

Five years of practice pushed Nashariel to take command. She fell into a focused state, glancing at their entire surroundings in a single instant. "To me!" She shouted, darting into a small alley around them.

Her friends followed a breath later.

They darted among the flames, ignoring crumbled houses of an unfamiliar architecture, and running towards what Nashariel's instinct deemed safe. A destroyed house, with part of its upper floor caved in, and hidden from eagle-eyes was the choice of the dragokin.

A pair of dragons soared above the group. One of them spat his flaming breath on the other, who avoided it. The flames kept going towards the Astillians.

Nashariel instinctually shifted in her water form, breathing an infused jet at the incoming attack. The girl felt her attack greatly diminishing the heat, but failed to disrupt it.

Flames rained upon them.

She briefly took her draconic form, tanking the whole attack. The conjured armor she wore exploded in a thousand pieces since she wasn’t in her Metal affinity.

Searing agony spread along her back, her mantle already taking in her mana to repair itself. Nashariel felt compressed among the houses, her size giving some of them the final push needed to make them crumble. Less than a second later, she returned in her dragokin form, completely uncaring about her nakedness. “Fall back! There!” She shouted once more, indicating a nearby alley.

The team rushed once more, stopping when ordered to by the dragokin. Dan quickly muttered a spell, by some miracle managing to not stumble the words, then they all vanished at sight.

The most terrifying of slams echoed near them.

The red dragon wore a frown when scanning his surroundings. With a casual motion of his paws, he knocked down the rest of a house. He grunted in disappointment.

*Fire-dragon (young) Lvl 101

Fire dragons usually build their nest within volcanoes or mountains, preferring hot climates. When moving out, young dragons travel in warbands led by the strongest member, often chosen by combat, or solitarily. A traveling Warband spreads devastation while its members get stronger.

A fire dragon is unmatched in raw power and strength, so a direct challenge on this front is extremely ill-advised. Powerful defenses against fire and slash are equally recommended. *

The house where the group rested upon shook tremendously, signaling the landing of another dragon. “You already tired?” She asked, smugness dripping from her voice.

A few splinters of wood and stones fell on Dorel. Metallic pings resounded in the alley, making the whole group shudder in horror. None even dared to breathe.

“Ugh, stop that! I swear I saw a blue dragon here, just a moment ago.”

The other laughed, wheezing. "A water dragon in a forest?" She burst to laugh again. "Find another excuse!"

"Stop making fun of me!" The male roared. Flames surged around him, setting a few buildings on fire. The heat reached the young Templars.

Be it the heat or the terror, their foreheads were dripping with sweat. Dorel proved his stoic demeanor by being the closest and not moving a single inch.

“Make me stop then, Weakling!” The female taunted, taking flight.

Flames exploded around them, forcing Dorel to raise his shield high, and Nashariel to extend her wings to protect the frailest members of their team. Fortunately, the enraged dragon didn’t notice, chasing away the other.

Nashariel beat her wings, extinguishing the flames nearest them. She sighed loudly, together with her friends. “Is everyone good?”

She received various mutters of confirmation.

The house groaned, forcing the group to be on the move.

They slowly head back to where they came from, wordlessly agreeing that this Quest was way above their capabilities. Even Nashariel had underestimated this task.

“Hold on a moment,” Dan whispered, “where are the Templars?”

The rest of the group looked around, finding no one. They rushed to the circle, their ticket home, and hope of survival.

The plaza was empty, and the circle was gone.

They were stranded a thousand miles away from home.

By themselves.

In a place where fire dragons played their games.

Despair overtook their hearts.