HA! I did a great job on these walls!

After waking up, yet again, in a pit of magma, I flew myself up to observe my handiwork. Nodding proudly at my work, I suddenly realize that I had no idea whatsoever where that dwarven caravan with my friends was, and also where my rubies were! Winging my way over the city, I am met with massive cheering. Every dwarf that saw me seemed to call my name and point me out in the sky. Roaring majestically in response, I look down at them.

Hmm, I already have loyal subjects?! MWAHAHA my Army grows in numbers!

You do know that they’re only cheering you on for those walls right? In a couple of weeks you’ll be nothing more than a local legend to them…

Nursing my pride back to health from the grievous injuries it sustained, I finally spot the brother’s signatures in an inn. Landing in front of the building, I chuckle at its brand new decorations.

Walls of blackened stone separate its courtyard from the street while the building itself has a tile tile of me flying forming its facade. A sign held by a stone dragon’s head above the gates reads,” The Dragon’s Retreat”. Meanwhile, a few blocks down the street, rubble can be seen of white walls and a grand sign reading,” The Prancing Pony.”

The Dragon’s retreat eh? These dwarves sure work quickly!

Noticing two awed urchins, sprawled on the ground nearby, I boom out,” You boys! Yes, you there. I have a task for you. Go inside and fetch out Eitri and Brokk, two acquaintances of mine.”

Hurriedly nodding, the scurry to the inn. I sit down to wait. Realizing that I have nothing to reward the two with, I ask Themis.

Hmm, Themis hominids like to play with gold right?

You know you’re the strangest Dragon I have ever met right? Yes they like gold, but would you ever give away part of your horde to two urchins?

Focusing energy into my claws, I call up a lump of gold from the ground. Analysing its energy and composition, I learn its properties. Turning to my other front claw, I take a rock and fuse its particles together, condensing it further and further until it begins to turn metallic. Finally, it reaches that golden sheen and I merely add energy to keep it stable in that form. It form a small nugget about the size of a dwarf’s fist.

While looking it over for any faults, I’m interrupted by Eitri and Brokk.

“How… How did you… How…” The two brothers and the urchins stood there staring and the new gold and twitching like broken records.

“Hmm, this? I made it as a reward for those two. Not quite sure how much its worth, but I can always make more of the stuff.” Splitting the lump of gold in half I give it to the kids and send them off. Strangely enough, they just numbly at the nuggets in their hand.

Eitri runs over and tries to shake my foreleg, His eyes wild.

“How did you turn stone into Gold!!” He practically screams at me.

Surprised by how deeply this affected him, I try to explain,” I just fused the stone with itself, making it one heavier element. I kept fusing it together until I got Gold. Simple really if one has Creation affinity and can control Fire and Earth.”

When my explanation seems to have no effect, I continue on.

“Anyways, I was looking for you two. Do you know where the caravan is and where the council put my rubies?” seeming to shake himself out of a trance, Brokk replies.

“ Ahh, yes actually. The caravan is outside the Northern Entrance of the Mountain. The rubies are already stored in a mark, and are with the caravan master.

“Great! Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Brokk sighs slightly, and smiles sadly. Looking up at me, he answers:

“Well, Terrus, I’m afraid I can’t go on this trip. I have to take care of the family and the inn now that my father is ill.”

Shocked by this revelation, I reply,” That saddens me, but I see you have your duty. We’ll always stay friends, and I’ll make sure to come back to visit someday.”

Patting him on the shoulder with a claw, I look to Eitri.

“What? Yeah of course I’m coming! Do you think I’d miss a grand caravan with a dragon for that old fart? Ha! He’s still got a few decades before he kicks the bucket. Just let me grab my pack!”

Rushing Inside for a few moments, he comes back out with a small bag strapped to his back and dressed in travel clothes. Hugging his brother goodbye, he sets off walking towards the gates.

Looking down at him bemusedly, I ask,” And just what are you doing Eitri?”

“Err, walking to the caravan?”

Chuckling I look down at him and reply,” Walking is boring and way too slow. I want to see this caravan too! Come on!”

Reaching down, I pluck him up in my front claw. Nodding to Brokk, who was waving and chortling at his helpless brother, I launch myself into the air.

It’s surprisingly difficult to not crush a hominid as you fly. Even more so when you try to land. After crossing the bridge with the screaming Eitri, I circle above the gate trying to find a way to set him down safely. Eventually, I merely make my way as low as I can and drop him.

“Ooph! You’ve killed me ya great big lizard!”

Landing beside him, I reply goodnaturedly,” Ha! Please, I didn’t know you dwarves were too fragile to handle a tiny 10 foot drop! Come on, we have a caravan to join!”

As Eitri gathers himself, I nod to the guards and push the doors open with ease. Looking back at Handelsstadt, I beam with pride. The new walls stand tall and imposing, with massive towers and gates. The dwarves are already at work building a statue on top of each gatehouse.

I’ve certainly left it better than how I found it!

Happily, I turn and strut out of the mountain to see the caravan.

When the dwarves had said the grand caravan, I had expected something hominid sized. A few dozen wagons, a couple hundred guards, and a bunch of traders. Large but nothing to write home about. Instead, it surprised me completely. While there were a few small wagons tied to horses, the majority of the vehicles were massive eight-wheeled metallic trailers, absolutely filled with crates of goods. They were pulled by hulking tusked creatures that were nearly twice my size. Intermingled with the wagons were tall wooden towers. Covered in ballista, strange tubes and catapults, they made an imposing sight as they moved along on their own.

Eitri must have sensed my awe as he launched into a description of the whole thing.

“Impressive isn’t it? A caravan this size is only sent out once every fifty years or so. Around two thousand of us dwarves and of course one dragon are going. It’s basically a small moving city. Those towers are the defenses and living quarters for us. That last trailer over there? It holds our forges, so that we can make parts and weapons. Those 20 hold cargo. Everything from dwarven steel to beast cores to weapons and tools. That one in the middle? That’s the treasury. We keep our profit there and any rare treasures we acquire on the way. You’ll be living in there except when you go out to fly or stretch.”

As he points out each specific part of the caravan, we walk by the wagons to reach the front tower, the place where he said the caravan master could be found. The trailers tower over me, half again as tall as the behemoths. Dwarves rush between them making last minute pre

Hmm, I underestimated the dwarves. Alone, they are weak and can never match me. But together? They can perform feats greater than even I, a dragon, could dream of.

Finally reaching the front, I hear a booming dwarven voice.

“And where in the bloomin blazes is that dragon! I’m the f------ caravan master not ‘is nanny! Go find ‘im and ask the bastard respectfully, remember respectfully ya good-fer-nothing numbskulls, to drag ‘is arse over ‘ere so we can get this damned circus on the road!”

“Yes sir!” a few voices call out enthusiastically.

Rounding the corner, Eitri and I see the caravan master. He is short, even for a dwarf , and has a long plaited white beard. Wearing a tunic and pants, he is directing the frantic efforts of a group of dwarves.

Gasping and yelling out in delight, Eitri runs to him and hugs the old dwarf.

“Grandpappy!”

“Put me down ya rascal! Ya little scallywag, if ya don’t put me down I’ll bend ya over mah knee and spank ya like the whippersnapper ya are!”

Beaming, Eitri set his grandfather down and turns back to me.

“Terrus! This is my grandfather Dalrin! Dalrin, this is Terrus my friend and the “bastard” that’ll be guarding your coin!” Eitri finishes off with a grin as his grandfather gasps and swallows deeply upon noticing me.

“Err, yer scaliness, please forgive and old dwarf fer….”

Chuckling, deeply I interrupt him,” All is forgiven. I’m not too snobbish to turn a deaf ear when I know no harm was meant. Your grandsons do you great credit, and I am certain it will be a pleasant voyage.”

Visibly relaxing he replies,” Whew, thank ya. Fer a second there I thought I was retiring permanently if ya know what I mean. Anyways, we need ya on the treasury wagon so we can get going. We’re already a day behind schedule, and I ain’t getting any younger.”

“Haha, that is true, very true! I suppose I shall go to the wagon and learn my duties. Ahh, wait a second, before I forget, where are the lava rubies and the storage rune?”

“They’ll be waitin fer ya in the treasury. Ya know, with all the other money and jewels…”

“Ohoho, careful there Balrin I might just get a little hungry.”

“Meh, have at me! I’ll give ya indigestion!”

Laughing openly, I shake my head at the elder’s antics and take off. Finding the treasury was easy enough considering I could see the magic signature of all the gold. Landing near the trailer’s entrance, I am quickly greeted by a few young dwarves.

“Greetings, Lord Dragon! We’ll be your attendants for the duration of the trip! If you please, we do need to hurry as we are the last trailer that isn’t ready…”

“Ahh yes, lead on little ones.”

Following the three excited dwarves up the ramp, I enter the treasury. It is rather impressive. A sea of shiny, glittering, gold beckoning to me. And It’s all mine! Mine! MINE! Haha just kidding. While I do feel a connection to the gold, it’s really not that overwhelming.

What… How… Why… I give up. You don’t even feel any need to kill them all and take this for yourself? You are the strangest dragon…

I can always make more of it, and It’s not like it is useful to me. If I killed them all and took it: 1 I couldn’t carry it all, and 2 I would never have dwarves willingly join my massive army to end all armies. My horde that blots out the sun and makes the very….

Oh boy, he’s a monologuer…

No… I most definitely do not monologue! That’s just ridiculous!

Shaking my head, and turning back to my attendants, I ask,” Alright, so I just need to guard this money? Easily done, if I do get my rubies…”

Quickly running off, one fetches a steel plate with a rune etched into it.

“All you have to do lord, is focus your intent into it. It’ll bond to you and store amounts of objects depending on your power. Considering you’re a dragon sir, you shouldn’t have any trouble with it.”

Bonding with the rune, I dive into the piles of gold checking my stats, Having grown to level 128, i was very Happy with myself as I laid out amongst the riches.

Terrus Lvl 128 Magma Dragon (Champion)

Str: 1561 Agi: 1132

Con: 1640 Res: 1640

Dex: 832 Int: 1530

The day passed as dwarves rushed around the caravan. They pretty much left me alone, boring me greatly. As afternoon arrived, I had an inspired idea.

Since, There’s no thieves around in the middle of the plains, I suppose I could go help the blacksmiths!

After confirming my absence for a few hours, I walk among the moving trailers until I reach the smithy. Smoke is bellowing up into the air from the open top trailer and constant ringing can be heard as the dwarves inside are hard at work. Flying up, I see that the trailer is split, having forges on two sides and a broad twenty foot open corridor in the middle. Landing at the very back of the trailer, I observe the smiths, fascinated.

A few hundred of them are hard at work in the massive trailer. Pounding the metal constantly, they shape it, giving it purpose and meaning. One tall, grey-bearded dwarf in particular caught my attention. He was Shaping an axe. With each blow, he infused magic and pure will force into the the metal.

The axe started out a small block of steel on a handle of metal. Slowly, he beat down flattening and shaping it. Meanwhile, runes began to slowly form on the axe, pure magic taking shape itself in the weapon. Then using magic and physical power, he ground the still red-hot axe tip down. Then taking a new piece of metal, he fused the head with the new piece, and began the process anew. Slowly but surely, he could no longer add any enchanted steel to the axe head and dunked it in an inscribed barrel of water. Then he handed it off to his apprentices, a work of art in my eyes.

Uhh, Terrus? Are you okay?

It’s beautiful… Themis can I do it? How do I shrink myself to hold a hammer?! I want to create something too!

Are you sure you’re a dragon?! Ugh, it must be that creation affinity of yours. Anyways, you could take a human form, but considering you’re a dragon (Champion) you could take a drakonid form. I’ve been meaning to tell you this, but that avatar magic of yours? If instead of projecting your energy, you focus it inwards, you can change your body’s shape.

I will not turn into a hominid! All oily and weak! What’s this drakonid though?

It’s a rare dragon hybrid. It stands on two legs and has arms like a hominid. They still have wings and you’ll gain a few benefits, while you’re at it.

Alright, Let’s do this!

Focusing my energy inwards, I use my avatar ability on my own body. Gently morphing, my body takes new shape, shrinking down to a mere 10 feet tall.

Congratulations! You have taken a new form: Magma Drakonid (Champion) form. While in this form, your strength, constitution, and resistance have been reduced by 50% while your agility and intelligence have increased by 25% and your dexterity has doubled. Staying in this form consumes you power. At your current level of power, you can remain in this form 120 minutes. If you evolve, this form will evolve with you. Since you are a champion, you can hold three forms at a time. Currently you can enter your True form, Avatar Form, and Drakonid form.

I look… just as badass. My scales have closed in, forming what looks like a massive set of plate armor. My dragon head, remaining unchanged, only shrunk leaving me with grand horns. My wings attached to my back against the spikes that go down my spine. My tail also shrunk and whips back and forth behind me.

Walking upon to the elderly Dwarf I gave him a simple command,” Teach me.”

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Whew, sorry for the delay. I had quite the writer’s block on the details of this chapter. Anyways, I’m already starting on chapter eleven which should be out Monday.

In case I haven’t made my position on this clear enough, nope he will not get a human form. That’s just weak! A drakonid form on the other hand? That has its uses… :D

These three pictures, by the way, are where I drew inspiration for Terrus’s form from. Credits go to their artist as I am most definitely nowhere near this skilled. Also, they are not exactly what he looks like they are what inspired me to think of him.

This is his original form as an Earth Dragon.

This is the inspiration for his current true form, the magma dragon. Note: His front legs are thicker and longer. His scales are bigger and black with red. He only has two sets of horns on his head and the spikes running down his back are larger and split in two rows. Finally, massive plated scales run down his abdomen, covering him in armor.

And this is the inspiration for his drakonid form. Note: he does not have the crown and majestic circle of runes. He only has the top set of wings and his scales form armor, not the bone armor that is in the picture. Also, his wings are dragon like, not thin and spindly like those in the picture.