Chereads / The Archaic Dragon Mage / Chapter 4 - System installation

Chapter 4 - System installation

I cried out in pain as I writhed on the floor of my room.

Non ally entities detected nearby. Disabling vocal cords.

Fuck you system. I cried out in my head since now I couldn't even cry out in pain. My whole focus narrowed to the numbers of the countdown as my heart beat frenzied out of control.

5:49

I blacked out, and when I came to I was still in the same hell I'd been in before. Something was different though. About my body. I couldn't tell what it was through the pain though.

4:55

I couldn't think as I writhed around on the floor. Silently crying out as my body burned inside. The light stung my eyes, and I couldn't take more pain then I was already in so I threw whatever I got my hands on at the switch by the door. I passed out before I found out whether I succeeded or not. My eyes opened slowly sometime later.

The lights were still on.

3:15

System has nullified pain receptors.

"Why didn't you do that before?" the question left my lips silently.

3:14

System was unable.

I tried to get up, but something was wrong so I drug myself to the door instead. I reached up, and clicked the light off, but was it so high up before? All other questions were forgotten as I passed out up against the door. The normal wake up bang assaulted my senses suddenly. I laid there unmoving as I looked around the room slowly.

System installation complete.

Species change successful.

Quest Survive completed 100 xp earned.

100/100 xp level up.

You are now level 2.

15/15 hp

strength 20

agility 20

instinct 10

stamina 20

damage resistance 10

mana 30

New passive skill unlocked. Berserker rage. When health falls below 25% there is a 50% chance of activation.

"Species change?" my voice was high almost squeaky.

Species Dragon

Rank Hatchling

"What!?!?" I snapped my head up, and my world spun.

My head fell straight back down. I rolled onto my belly, and lifted my head off the ground again. The room felt bigger. I tried to push my chest off the ground, but my arms were tangled up in something. I started to look down, but my vision had changed.

Making my head spin a little more. I steadied myself, and slowly looked down at what I'd wrapped myself up in. My mind, and body froze at the sight of my own chest.

"What is this?" I felt my chest tighten as panic closed in.

My chest was covered in smokey grey scales. I couldn't see much more since the collar of my t-shirt covered the rest. I shoved with my arms full force as I tried to get away from what was in front of me. I was flung up, and backwards. I slammed into the door with a loud thud, and tumbled back down to the floor.

My shirt somehow ended up over my head in my sudden departure from the ground. I hissed as I hit the ground like an angry cat, and flailed around. Shredding the cheap cotton easily. I had somehow made it onto all fours in all my flailing, and just stayed that way breathing heavily.

"You alright Wyatt?" One of my neighbors yelled through the wall.

It didn't register that I was being talked to. My brain saw only one thing as I looked back down slowly, and my ears only heard my own heart thudding into my ribs. My chest wasn't the only thing covered in those smokey grey scales. My arms were too. I picked up my right hand slowly, and wiggled my fingers.

My hands were covered in tiny scales, and each finger had a claw at the tip. I looked around the room, and realized that somehow I had shrunk. I needed to get a better look at myself. I tried to stand up, but ended up flopping back down on my front. I decided that all fours was how I would have to do this.

Lucky me had forgotten to close the door to the bathroom. I moved slowly on all fours into the bathroom. The toilet lid was almost as tall as I was now. I raised my arms up, and gripped the edge of the toilet lid. I pulled myself up using my legs to help push, and now from there I could reach the bathroom counter.

I climbed up on the counter, and looked down. Dreading what the mirror might show me. I closed my eyes, and breathed in deep. I snapped my head up, and eyes open. I forgot to breath for a little bit.

There I was. All of me. My neck had grown long, and slender. My body looked more more like that of an over fed cat. My face had a snout, and it all was the same smokey grey color.

The thing that my eyes kept going back to was the fact that I now had two of them. I couldn't see any white in either, but the right one was a striking golden yellow in color. My new eye was a cold silverish blue. Like glacial ice, but not that blue. Both pupils were just like a cats.

A slash of black in the color of my eyes. I closed my left eye, and my vision returned to what I was used to. I slowly switched to closing my right eye, and I could still see but my vision felt off. I opened both eyes completely. This would take some getting used to.

I raised my front, and there was a quiet click as my talons hit the glass of the mirror in front of me. I have two eyes! I cheered silently as the joy pushed back the horror of the moment. There was a loud knock on the door, and I flinched away from the mirror as if the sound had struck me. I was now leaning dangerously back as my head swiveled around.

I have a tail? My tail twitched in response to the thought as I fell backwards off the counter. Time seem to slow as my body squirmed in the air. I closed my eyes bracing for impact as I landed evenly on all fours. I opened my eyes slowly, and lifted my right hand to look at it.

"WYATT NIX," someone shouted through the door, "This is private Bowers. The transport is here to pick you up. You have five minutes to get your ass on it or we're going to drag your ass out of there."

Fresh panic flooded into me as my tail lashed back, and forth violently. I sat back looking at my hands. I couldn't go out there like this. They'd probably kill me thinking I was some sort of beast. Maybe I was a beast.

I had no Fucking idea what a dragon was. I turned my head so now I was facing backwards. It freaked me out a little since I couldn't turn my head this far as a human. I could see lumps going down my spine, and all the way down to my tail as it lashed into the shower then the counter over, and over. Two odd looking nubs on my shoulder caught my eye briefly before I snapped my head to looking forward again.

There was no way they wouldn't mistake me for some sort of beast. I needed to look like my old self desperately. I lowered my head so I could rub what I guessed was my temples.

New ability unlocked.

Physical Camouflage.

10 mana and 15 stamina required to activate. 2 mana per hour to maintain.

Would you like to activate ability?

(Yes) (No)

Couldn't get any worse than this, "Yes."