Jasper looked upon his men, they had just finished digging the graves for their two fallen comrades. They had asked the village for permission to bury their dead there, the local priest had been most welcoming. They would have desired to rest in their home city but the mages did not know any preservation spells. The men had stood around and spoken of the fallen men, telling stories and jokes. Covering their grief later that night with laughter and beer.

Death was common for a soldier, they had all lost friends before, including Jasper. He gritted his teeth and watched the dispirited men gathered around the fires.

His second in command walked over from one of the small fires, the man was his best scout, and perhaps friend in the company. The second highest levelled individual, and with primarily vision and dexterity skills.

“Can we find it, Quint?” Jaspers rough voice was low, barely audible to most.

“Mmm, my skills lead me along the blood trail. It headed a mile north before the blood trail pooled. I found the arrows there, then the blood trail continued travelling northeast for another mile before a large pool of blood.”

“Then?”

“Nothing, the blood trail stopped, it probably stopped to tend to the wounds. The ground’s too lush to leave a trail after a day. This forest be a nightmare for tracking”

“It's den can't be too far from here, it wouldn’t hunt if it was long distance. We'll centre our search around the last known location focusing north and east.”

“Probably be best to send for a proper hunter, one of the enhanced smell ones” Jasper watched as Quint dropped his shoulders the slightest fraction. He was saddened, not being able to track the beast made him feel inadequate.

“Quint…” he struggled to find the right words to comfort the man. “I know I’ve been distant lately, and…..just…just… glad you're ok”

Quint looked up, Jasper had never been good with comforting words or small talk. But the man knew what he was trying to say.

They shared a companionable silence for the evening, only breaking it to assign guard rotations.

…………………………………

Rue awoke within the darkness, she felt completely disconnected from her body. She tried to move a limb and found that there was no connection. It was not the feeling of having your arm so tightly bound that it refused to move, no. There simply was no arm. No feeling.

She flexed her mind and felt inside of herself, beckoning the feeling that would tell her what was happening. A feeling similar to the build-up prior to getting a notification came. It seemed to take longer than usual building to new heights, one final push and she got what she felt a small amount of energy be sucked out of her. It manifested in her mind.

Ding! Hibernation in progress…[5%]

That took so much effort to get, hibernation. That was… sleep, she must have been resting in her cave. What had happened before she fell unconscious, something about too much essence? Yes, that was it, she had killed two humans and levelled up twice. Had that caused the problem. It would not be good to lay sleeping in her cave for too long.

The humans or other beasts could hunt her down and she would be defenceless. Fear gripped her and she tried to move again, the signals to her body simply getting lost. She tried again and again to move, telling her body to move.

Nothing worked.

After a time of trying this, she calmed back down. If she could not move her body what could she do? Reaching back inside herself she felt the raw energy that powered her dragon breath, it had also been used for the system. The small amount of energy it had used to tell her she was hibernating.

Mana. That was its name.

She reached her mind into the mentally glowing ball of power and pulled. A small wisp of energy came from the mass, she attempted to send it out, with a desire.

‘Move’

The energy left her control and a feeling built.

Ding! Hibernation in progress…[6%]

Well, that did something, had she thought wrong? She had been trying to give her body some energy to move but instead, the system had told her she was hibernating again.

To test this out Rue dipped back into her mana and pulled out more, and a larger chunk this time. And she gave it a question, then pushing it outward, away from her mind and core.

‘Hibernation?’

The energy build-up was slower this time and reached greater heights that the more simple thought. What seemed like minutes dragged on by as the energy and feeling build, like a glass getting too much water filling it, yet not quite spilling. Until it snapped and information flooded in.

Ding! Hibernation in progress…[6%]

Hibernation : Body Maturity Insufficient For Current Level – Expanding Vessel

[8] Levels have been converted into Essence… Efficiency [79%]

Essence containment attempted [12%]… Formed into Core [Incomplete]

To Prevent Permanent Damage Remaining Essence Was Bound Into Growth Aspects [8%] [22%] [27%] [43%] Efficiency [100%]

Level Cap Has Been Set To [15]

Ding! Core Type Unlocked [Amber]

Rue didn’t understand much more than the basics of what the information was telling her. It had all popped into her head at once and she kept flitting back and forth between the different parts of the message.

From what she could understand, her body had been too small or…immature to hold so much power. She was currently sleeping so she could grow.

In many ways this was good, she would become larger and more powerful. Be able to shoot more than a few blast of flame at her opponents. Yet sleeping here, while she was being hunted was not such a good idea.

She also felt a pang of apprehension at the mention of 8 levels being converted, did she lose all that hard work? Was she topped out at level 15 for the rest of her life? What was an incomplete core. Her mind began to swim as she panicked and it took a long time for her to calm down. She could not tell how long, but she tried to bring up the hibernation message again, she could use it too keep time.

Ding! Hibernation in progress…[8%]

It had progressed, time was moving. Hopefully, she would eventually get out of here. For now, perhaps she could ask the system questions. She pulled mana from her core and sent a question out of her mind.

‘Core’

The sensation of building took place, much quicker this time, and popped.

Ding! Amber Core : Status [Lv1] 56/130

Crystalline Formation – Increases & Fuels Magic Abilities

Affinity : Fire

Essence Collected Over Cap [15] Converted Into Core

Well, that answered a few questions, but what was a crystal? Increased magic abilities would be good, it seemed to mean her fire would be stronger. Her biggest question and fear though, could she never level beyond 15 now?

She had many questions to ask, but looking within herself. Her mana was not coming back. It seemed to be slowly dwindling as well, already at a tenth of what is usually was when she went about her daily activities. Deciding to only ask 2 questions she drew a small amount of mana and thought…’Level’

It took time and the feeling of building seemed to fade at one point beginning to recede, scared of what would happen if it failed, she fed another small bit of mana and the feeling popped.

Ding! Level Capped : Wyrmling [15]

That seemed to imply that as she grew she would continue to increase her level cap, at least that would prevent her from passing out again…hopefully.

Rue was beginning to feel mentally strained and decided to request her status as her last request. She fed a tiny bit of mana...

‘Status’

She felt it practically ripped from her mental grasp and panicked, she fed it more mana. The energy was rapidly consumed as the feeling built. It took nearly 50 times as much as her last question and had caused a noticeable decreased to her mana reserves.

Race

Level

Core

XP/Growth

Stat Points

Dragon [Red Dragon : Amber]

10

1 [56/130]

78/130 [-15 /pd]

0

Strength

Vitality

Dexterity

Intelligence

100 {60}

88 {48}

62 {54}

51 {43}

Ability

Effects

Roar

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

Identify

Tells you the basic [Species] and [Level] of targets. Can appraise targets up to [30] Levels higher than you.

Dragon Breath

Racial ability, allows expulsions of biologically created [Ethanol] from glands near the stomach. This can be ignited via [Fire Magic]. Expending Mana the fire can be enhanced to have Magical properties. You gain Further resistance to [Heat] and [Flame] attacks and damage.

Den Sense

You have an instinctual sense for the direction of your primary [Den] and [Territory]

Scaly Skin

Your scales have reached the point where it can turn even the most fearsome natural weapons. The higher your [Vitality] the tougher your scales. Your scales become highly resistant to [Fire].

Regeneration

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

Her level had as she feared been reduced, her stats were still recorded as the same but had the effective number listed next to them. That was not good, she had had a major setback in terms of power. As soon as she was out of hibernation she needed to get her power back.

If she was still alive.

Rue felt her mind fade as she stopped resisting the desire to rest and dropped into a dreamless sleep.