Finally waking up, she sat up from the rubble of the shattered cave wall, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She must have seen my angry face because her face changed from a lazy complexion to one of fear. Scrambling out of the dirt and pebbles, she rushed over to me and kneeled, saying;
"I'm sorry, master. I was just very exhausted from our battle yesterday, and I am not used to waking up at a specific time. Please punish me as you see fit." She said submissively. Seeing her already red cheeks flush even redder, I know that my preferences have also been ingrained into her mind.
So, the spores implanted inside monsters and other species don't just reproduce, but also can affect the mind, making it more susceptible to my liking. In this case, she is turning into an M, which is my preference.
"Although it was painful, I see no reason to punish you for something like that. Get up, we have places to be." I said sternly, making sure that she will learn from this experiance. exuding a decent amount of aura, the sleepy dragon wobbled to her feet and went out to the entrance of the cave, rubbing her side. I can tell that she wanted something else to happen, but I just thought that it would be too violent for someone like her.
However, that does remind me that I have not asked for her name. shouting to her to get her attention, I said; "By the way, I have not once asked for your name," I said, implying for her to tell me. turning around and walking closer, the busty dragon told me her name. "My name is Andromeda." She said shyly, most likely still embarrassed from what happened, and probably from letting me hear what she wanted. Anyways, sending her to go outside, I started to follow her, only to get my attention caught by something else.
Looking back at all the rare gems and another precious items, I felt bad that I had no use for them, and even if I did, I have no way to carry them out of here, or to any place that I will be traveling. speaking of which, it will be a miracle to even find a place to rest or call home on this giant continent, as my net only reached a couple of miles, and there was a hell of a lot more out there than just that. creatures of all different shapes and sizes, ruins, and magical remnants from the times of old could be out there, waiting to be explored.
Naturally, as someone who knows a little more than most in the department of education, mostly because of all those studies I did back at the Base, the adventurer and discoverer in me awoke right as I was born from that tiny mushroom in a cave, which seemed eons ago. with one last sigh, I walked out into the tunnel, which seemed much more dark and sad than before. with the familiar scent of wildflowers and fresh air, the texture from smooth stone to light grass felt refreshing.
'Now all that's left to do is explain the plan to Andromeda. Even if she does not agree with the plan I have, she can't do anything about it.' I thought, happy with the current situation. meeting up with Andromeda, who was resting near a large tree trunk. I silently went up behind her, startling her. "What are you doing out here?"
"Oh, master! I am just thinking about how different the outside my Hoard, and what new things I could experiance!" She said excitedly. as cute as it might be, especially with her tail wagging off the hook, I had to pat her head to calm her down, as I had something I needed to share with her. but before that, something she said aroused a question in the recesses of my mind.
"Something has been on my mind recently. Why were you never able to go out of your cave previously? There seemed to be nothing stopping you from escaping." I said questioningly, hoping for an answer.
"Oh, I was sealed away inside this cave by my village, as I was deemed 'too much of a threat' by my parents. when I was a little girl, I somehow managed to kill my brother. I don't know how or why, but something inside me snapped. I was about five years of age when it happened. I was playing outside our cave, throwing around little deer when an antler stabbed me.
Although I have been hurt many times previous to that, this one seemed different. upon seeing the cut, my vision went as red as the liquid pooling in my hand. I do not know how much time passed, minutes or hours, but when I regained my sight, all I found before I was burnt grass, dead trees, and my brother, barely recognizable due to his intestines being hung on his horns like ivy." Andromeda told me, tears threatening to burst forth from her eyes.
Of course, my life wasn't perfect, but I had some happy times too. As such, I know when there is a good time to hurt, but when there is also a good time to comfort, as well. The comfort can either be fore benefits, or just emotional heartbreak. anyways, using this moment to bond together, I bent over and hugged Andromeda's chest, which was the only thing I could hug from above her.
Despite the awkwardness of it all, she seemed to appreciate the gesture, responding with a hushed thank you. Of course, now is not the time for sadness, but time for action. "Alright, I can guess where this story will lead, and I do not want to make you relive this again, so to take your mind off of your past I have thought of a plan we can use to help familiarize ourselves with the continent. So, here is the plan:
"The first step of the plan is to gather more power. You could use more physical strength if you have not left the cave in a while. Contrastingly, I was born recently, so I would need more Magic power in my arsenal." I said. While she did need more powerful physical strength, she had the magical department stocked up.
I need more magical power if I was to ever be able to defeat her if she decided to overthrow me. I would have said I needed more Skills, but I do not know if she knows what skills are, or if she even has them. Maybe I could just transform the magic that others use into Skills.
"If we find strong enemies that can be of use to me, then we will pause the power hunting and, if they are sentient, conquer them. I would also like a new body if we get the chance, so that could be another part of the plan should either the opportunity or need to arise." I told her. Andromeda nodded her head.