After I finished helping John fix the crows nest I heard someone calling my name. "Ignis! Ignis! The sailors could use some help with other parts of the ship!" Sam called out as she waved up at me from the deck. Her hair swayed in the ocean breeze making her seem more enchanting.
I nodded a reply as I climbed down the mast to the deck. The sleek wood was slippery beneath my clawed feet. And the sway of the ship made it a bit difficult to keep my balance seeing as I had yet to get my sea legs as they say.
Sam led me to the lower decks where I guess the kraken had managed to punch a couple minor holes. The sailors made way with some scrutinizing looks my way. But no one made a fuss. The sailors had patched some of the bigger holes, but some of the smaller ones were still in need of fixing. ( I am Spit Man! I am here!) I chuckled to myself as I coated the holes with sticky spit. ( This'll be a piece of cake.) I thought as I spat a small fire to quickly dry it into a rubbery texture effectively sealing the holes. And as much as I'd like to say that the sailors did a good job... There were too many holes I had to fill. By the time I was done half the ships insides were covered in rubberized spit.
It was only when my stomache growled that I realized it was probably time for a meal. So I took the time to check on Sam and see what was happening for lunch. Which to my surprise (Not!) was kracken. Turns out that that kracken was enough for a months supply of food. They cooked it into a stew today. Not too salty or rubbery. Just the right texture. With a few veggies and potatos made for a nice meal. The unfortunate thing is I gained nothing but growth materials and a possible tentacle evolution I will never go for. Hentai is not my forte.
I continued my days aboard the vessel in the same manner. Helping repair here and there then eating and resting. Not that bad of a life. about two weeks into the voyage we were called to the captain's quarters. "The captain" is what the crew calls her. But her real name is Amanda Krowell. She had sailed the seas several times over her time. "Born and bred on the sea" her crew would say. We went to her quarters.
It was a small cabin at the upper back part of the ship. Not very expensive looking or overly shabby. Maps covered the oak desk in the back and a small chair sat facing the windows. The captain sits there. Her chestnut brown hair cascades down the back of the chair as her slightly scarred face faces the ocean through the windows. Her coat, hat, and scabbard hang close by on the wall.
" You two have done alot for my crew and I. Slaying the kracken.... fixing my ship. Protecting my crew. " Her eyes turned to look at me.
"What I say next does not leave this room."
We both nodded.
She looked at me again and slightly bowed her head. " I once thought of you as simply a monster. I hope you can accept my apologies after all you've done for me and my crew."
I was slightly stunned. Noone had ever lowered there head to me in my entire existence. Noone had ever apologized to me before. I nervously shook myself.
" Y-you don't have anything to be sorry about. You're n-not the first and certainly won't be the last." I looked at the captain sadly realizing my own words and how truly sad they were.
The captain sat up after a little and looked at Sam. " Not many can say they have a familiar as kind as yours. He's intelligent, honorable, and well spoken. Humanistic in almost every mental aspect despite his other characteristics. You'd best keep an eye on him girl. Before someone comes to snatch him from you. "
Sam paled a little at those words. " Noone has the power to take Ignis from me. The sealing has been cast. Only when I die can they take him." As I heard those words a protective feeling rose up in me. " Over my dead corpse!" I hissed angrily. I viewed Sam like a little sister . Anyone who tried to hurt her would have to go through me first.
The captain tapped the arms of her chair. After a little bit of time staring at me she got up and went to her cupboard that had a large lock on it. After a little rummaging she pulled out something wrapped in a cloth.
" My men asked me to give you guys something to pay you back for what you've done. From what I've heard.... familiars can grow by eating magic stones from strong monsters. I got this stone from a pirate mage who loved launching boulders at passing ships then looting the sinking vessel."
She unfolded the cloth to reveal a glowing green stone about the size of an adult fist.
" This is a earth dragon crystal. Hard to find and even harder to sell. People always try to steal it and it's become more of a burden than what I think it's worth." She knelt and held it out to me.
" Take it. Perhaps you can do more with it than I can." She pursed her lips a little. I slowly moved forward and took the stone in my mouth. It fit so comfortably in my mouth. The wierd thing is that it tasted sweet. Like honey or chocolate. Without much thought I instantly swallowed it.
" Captain..... Thank you." I said. Sam was staring at me like I'd gone mad. "Ignis..... Did you just swallow it?" I looked at Sam slightly confused. " Yes I did.... Why?....!!!!!!!" I felt a sudden pain spread across my body as I suddenly collapsed. It was like someone was trying to peel my skin with a spoon. " Agh!"
/ Host has Aquired Armored Earth Dragon Crystal. Beneficial for host. Crystal combining with hosts magic crystal. Host has gained Earth Wing Armor DNA gene. Commencing evolving wings.
Host has acquired Earth Control level 3. Magic which allows host to move, shape, and use earth withing 10 meter radius.
Host has acquired Earth Perception lvl max. Allows for host to see what happens beneath the earth similar to sonar or echolocation. max range is dependent on hosts capacity of understanding and power.
Hosts bones are being reinforced. Host now has a denser body which will break less easily. Reinforced Body of Stone is now level 8. Host can now be hit with a blade and hardly feel it. Axes will leave smaller scratches. Cross bows will chip armor. /
The pain was excruciating and my stomache was growling constantly. Sam ran and got some of the men. The started bringing me food. Despite my pain my hunger was greater. The Kracken was all they could give me but I didn't care. I wolfed it down bit by bit. My body expanded slightly and a smart sailor lured me onto the deck with more food. They didn't want me in the captain's quarters in case I couldn't get out.
For the next hour I wolfed down meat. My body became heavier and my muscle mass increased. I felt my bones groaning and stretching as my skin became thicker and more stone like. Magma like red veins crossed my wings and thick plate scales coated them. An hour after that I was stuffed and smoke started pouring off my body as I burned the calories. The muscles in my front wings changed. They became as thick if not thicker than my arms as the wings themselves became heavier. My back wings also expanded but became much larger and had greater span to make it possible for me to fly.
After a few hours I had grown considerably. My size was comparable to a Rhino. My length was at least 15 feet and my weight must have increased to a little over 500 kgs. My scales were thicker and had deep red molten like viens running along them. My front wings were shields that spread 5 foot across and 5 feet high. My horns had grown to a foot and a half. My gills now had spike like appendages and seemed to filter better. My back wings spread at least 30feet across total. All in all. I looked like a monster meant for combat.
/ Host has evolved further than expected. Host has acquired new type of monster that has never been seen before. The name of this form has been registered as Armored Sky Tyrant. Danger level: Middle Disaster Class. Higher class dragon suited towards combat on both the ground and in the sky. Defense is high on the ground but at the cost of speed. Destructive capacity is even higher than the Disaster Wyvern. Congratulations host./
I flopped to the ground with a thud. " That sucked..." Is all I managed to say before passing out.