[Tavish POV]
In the end, I gave into temptation.
My little forest that had been slowly becoming more and more peaceful, suddenly became a warzone as the elves and the empire started duking it out.
Both sides were attempting to drag my little sanctuary into the conflict and I had to torch several encampments before they backed off.
My raids on the empire forces often yielded new freed slaves which prompted for new construction around the dungeon as the freed people and creatures joined up and expanded our forces.
It significantly leveled the playing field when our forces were introduced to the concept of firearms and gunpowder, enabling us to take care of most of the foot soldiers, leaving it as only a matter of time before they brought in a truly powerful hero to deal with my shenanigans, so the power boost was much needed.
It was actually because of this that the local elves extended their hands for a peace treaty.
I was a little fuzzy on the actual details, but apparently, one of the Cat spirits was ingenious enough to develop his own variation of a "Napalm thrower", and went absolutely postal on an empire camp containing an excess of captive Cat spirits.
When I got back to our camp, their was an excess of extra Cat Spirits at camp, and a very angry kitty sneaking through the forest, torching the empire's troops.
I'm fairly certain that he created the substance using "sticky slime" and a "fire slime", but I think I'm missing a component that he threw in.
Ground up "lesser fire spirit" gems maybe?
Regardless, "Rambo's" actions (and multiple forest fires) had convinced the elves that it was a good idea not to alienate us.
But I would have to think about that later.
Tavish Byrne
Lvl – 100/100 (3/5)
Race - Hydra Lord Variant
Ready to Evolve [Y/N]
I had to get several assurances before I was even willing to commit to this.
And seeing some of the people that had shown up to this event, I'm glad I did.
I received some glares, some enamored glances and emotions ranging across the spectrum.
Some were willing to approach me plainly, but many kept their distance.
At least the food was tasty.
I spotted the queen among the festivities. She was observing me with a look of hunger that was very disconcerting.
Thankfully she was keeping her distance for now.
The Sword Maiden actually had formal clothes made for me for this event. Which actually bears the question on when did she get my measurements.
It only covered my upper half seeing as I was still half snake, but the thought counts.
The biggest surprise was the non-humans in attendance.
A party of dwarves made themselves known with their distinctly steampunk getup, so of course I was interested if they actually worked with clockwork and other steampunk inventions.
The Dwarves were both surprised and exhilarated that someone else was taking an interest in their craft and I was able to have a fruitful exchange with them trading concepts, ideas, and establishing relations for further trade.
A little kitsune artificer got involved in the exchange at some point, resulting in some of the more intellectual people of the gathering to join in on various debates and exchanges.
[Would Hydra Lord Variant like to Evolve]
[Y/N]
Crap.
Looks like the main event is about to the start.
Slithering over to the resting area that the church had set out for me, I finally hit yes.
Shell starts to form around my body, cupping me in the comforting confines of a massive egg.
I start immediately nodding off to the sound of chatter and voices around me.
[Time Skip]
Blinking awake, I yawn and wriggle a bit, trying to stretch out, only to encounter the tight confines of the shell.
Using the metal claws on one of my hands, I start poking and prodding as I go through the process of hatching once more.
[Congratulations!]
["Hydra Lord Variant" has evolved to "Ouroboros"!]
[Abilities consumed have been sacrificed for the equivalent of the new form.]
[Dragon Rage] (1/100)
A dragon's rage is a sight to behold that can cause kingdoms to shake and empires to flee in terror of your rampage. Enhances Dex, Str, and Tou, based actions while raging.
[Draconic Manipulation] (1/100)
Regardless of what form you take, you are still a dragon, allowing to augment your base body with aspects of draconic nature.
[Allspeak] (1/100)
As highly magical beings, dragons are capable of understanding and speaking all languages through magic.
[Dragon Scales] (1/100)
Your skin generates a thick dermis of dragon scales that grow gradually tougher every time you shed scales or age.
[Dragon Physique] (1/100)
Your internal organs and biology have been replaced with that of a dragon. Everything from your heart, to your bones contains the essence of one of these beings.
[Dragon Gland] (1/100)
Evolving from the Wyvern Gland, your breath weapon becomes all the more potent with the expansion of this gland, granting the power to infuse your claws and fangs with various affinities.
[Dragon Wings] (1/100)
You can grow wings capable of allowing you to take flight.
[Dragon Tail] (1/100)
You possess a bladed, spiked, tail of a dragon.
[Ouroboros Form]
The beginning and the end, you can temporarily assume this form and that of lesser dragons.
[Environmental resistance]
[Elemental resistance]
[ . . . .]
The list of stuff continued on, but I fixated on the most important part of this.
I . . .
Have . . .
Legs!
Stretching out my new appendages, I unsteadily take a few steps forward and take a couple of experimental hops.
My taloned feet grip the floor, carving furrows into the marble underfoot as I flex my toes.
It looks like the digitigrade legs I could "borrow" before, had carried over as full-on dragon feet.
I'm pretty sure I could shift those to human legs if need be.
As it was, I could probably pass as a very large human at this point.
Well, if you disregarded the five eyes, four arms, and horns poking out of my hair.
The horns that seemed to have been growing out of my forehead, had shifted up higher on my head and refined to be much sharper and defined.
A draft reminded me of a rather important fact as I glanced down once more.
Apparently, evolution absolutely destroys any clothing someone might be wearing.
"Magnificent . . ." a voice interrupts my train of thought, and I glance over my shoulder and took stock of the people within the room.
Many of the nobles had left already, leaving only the most devout members of the church to still be hanging around.
The queen was still here staring at me hungrily at me after making the comment, making me feel more naked than I already was.
"Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to know where someone could acquire a dragon sized pair of pants?" I asked, bluffing my way through the uncomfortable feeling of her gaze drinking my naked form.
"I believe that the dwarven contingent left an offering in relation to that." She said gesturing towards a pile of offerings set off to the side of my "bed".
Wandering over I start using observe on various items until I come across a belt.
[Clockwork Stoutpants] (Rare Artifact)
Using the best in clockwork engineering, the dwarves devised a device that would enable evolving creatures to wake up with a good stout pair of pants.
Clipping the belt around my waist, it immediately shot out dark steel threads that started weaving a pair of pants.
Tossing the rest of the offerings into my item box, I check myself one more time to make sure nothing was awry before I headed back home.
The silent contingent followed me out to the church courtyard as I braced against the ground and my wings unfurled.
The stone cracked under my feet as I launch myself up into the sky the ground rapidly disappearing underneath me.
Unlike before, where flight felt a bit unnatural, it felt right as I wing my way through the sky.
Circling the spires of the cathedral, I tuck my wings for a dive, swooping low over the courtyard. I experiment a bit, figuring out how best to increase my speed when I hear a whistle from the front of the church.
Angling my flight, I spot the sword maiden waving from the front of the church.
Doing another dive, I land lightly in front of her, my legs negating the remaining impact.
"I must confess, I wasn't expecting you to run before walking. So how was your first flight?" She asked, eyeing my new form.
"Quite good! It felt very natural and liberating! I might have to travel the world like this!" I cheerfully inform.
"Well, I recommend checking on your home, I heard the empire engaged the elves in an all-out war. . ." The maiden informed helpfully.
"Ah . . . well damn. Guess I better run then." I reply, unfurling my wings once more.
"Oh! Could you pass this letter to the adventurer's guild?" She questioned, handing me an envelope.
"Sure, I probably need to update my information with them anyway." I replied leaping into the air.
As interesting as that was, I am never ever doing that again.
It felt to much like people observing an animal in its cage for my comfort.
The ground vanished beneath me with a massive flap as I shot across the landscape.
Within an hour, I heard the roars of something big, and the sounds of combat.
Guess its time to take this new body out for a spin.
A giant centipede was devouring a contingent of elves rather close to my base.
Well, we can't have that can we?
The smell of fire suddenly assailed my nostrils as the massive centipede was assailed by a conflagration of sticky flames that started melting its armor.
A small two tailed figure, leaped out of a nearby tree a knife clasped in his teeth and slit the throat of an empire soldier.
The Centipede locked its many eyes on Rambo as it realizes the source of its pain.
I dive, tucking my wing away, and drive my tail, point first into its head.
Forcing his mandibles wide open, I let loose a surge of fire down his throat.
Digging into the creature's chitin as it flails around trying to dislodge me, I gouge out more and more of his eyes, its armor plates starting to turn to slag.
It screeches and tries to dive underground, fully testing my strength as my claws dig deep as I fight against him.
[Dragon Rage]
My second set of arms start hammering the chitin, causing it to buckle and crack under the force of the blows.
Digging claws into the gaps, I start tearing until I punch through to the flesh.
I release an intense bellow of flames into the open wound, the smell of charred flesh filling the air as I upped the intensity of the flames.
Molten slag started melting out the surrounding armor as my flames dig deeper into the beast making the wound larger and larger.
The flailing of the beast got weaker, and weaker before finally collapsing into the ground.
I continue unleashing flames for another few minutes before I shut it off with a snap of my jaws.
"*Meow* Great timing boss!" Rambo speaks up, drawing my attention to him.
Rambo
Lvl – 215
Race – Battle Cat
Rambo was a tortoiseshell-colored cat spirit when I last saw him a scar crossing his right eye with slightly rounded ears.
But while his tortoiseshell coloring and scar remained, he had completely changed, his cute ears now covered with a red bandana and a black vest riddled with weapons.
His signature napalm thrower hung from his back while the rest of him was covered with pouches and sheaths containing other surprises.
"What the hell possessed them to come this close to our base?" I asked, causing the rugged cat to smile sheepishly.
"A creepy bug looking guy actually came upon me when I was setting more traps for these jagoffs. Wanted to dissect me and stuff, so I tried to burn him alive." He informed me happily.
Glancing back at the giant centipede I reply; "I suppose he didn't take kindly to that."
The cat meowed in laughter; "He did not. He had to scram after I torched off half his body but he left this bastard here to play with."
"Wait, burned in half? And he wasn't dead?" I ask the cat as I dig the monster core out of the centipede.
"He did this weird molting thing that allowed him to keep regenerating and shake off any of the flames I stuck to his wretched hide." The cat hissed, looting the corpse of one of the soldiers.
"Hmm, we might have to find a way to expedite these soldiers from our forest." I muse, glancing around at the surrounding carnage.
"No kidding, this fight was a bit close for comfort. But the Empire seems intent on something that the elves have." Rambo mewed, before adding; "At least they are providing us with a surplus of supplies."
"How have things been going while I've been gone?" I question curiously as I examine a piece of armor from the soldiers.
"Pretty great all things considering. The dwarves managed to improve and maintain the firearms so we can fend off most of the invaders." Rambo informed as we continued scavenging the remains of the elves and empire soldiers.
[Time Skip]
Lifting a slime up, I carefully set it on a shelf next to a bunch of other excited slimes.
The slimes had started evolving at a rapid pace displaying an impressive array of sub-species. It was damn near as versatile as my tree projects and were a hell of a lot easier to figure out.
It basically boiled down to feeding a standard slime a certain material for a long enough period until eventually the slime transformed, and started producing material based off its transformation.
A slime that is fed mostly water will eventually adjust its genetic makeup to be more compatible with water, thus creating a "Water Slime".
Most of the slimes followed this relatively simple process for evolution, but as always, their were exceptions to the rule.
After feeding a standard slime a lot of green plants, it had developed into what could only be called a "Healing Slime".
It had developed photosynthesis capabilities and the ability to cast the spell "Minor Heal".
I was honestly messing about with the concept of a slime that could generate plant growth as a possible addition to Zero Dawn, but this was also an acceptable solution. If I had to guess why it developed like this, it would be that to plants we fed the little guy had healing properties.
This process also revealed that various repeat actions also will force a slime to evolve.
The "Manufacturing Slime" developed from the slime that was helping me assemble various contraptions at my work bench. I could now leave it with a diagram or recipe and a pile of parts and it could quickly assemble the desired outcome.
It was actually thanks to this we were able to acquire so many guns in a short space of time. Now if we could develop a foundry-like slime, the only thing that would be slowing us down is acquiring metal for the slimes to process.
The forest was actually a lot more peaceful these days, the empires troops appear to have vanished from the forest entirely.
Didn't exactly figure out what they were originally here for, but the fact that they fucked off back to their homeland was alright with me.
Many of the initial slaves had moved out of the dungeon at this point and housing had expanded into its own little village outside of the fort.
Governing such a diverse group was made simple by each species electing a representative for various issues at a weekly council meeting.
Some of the newer creatures that joined tried to use this city council as a method to exert influence or power before I quickly put the kibosh on that.
You don't exactly say no to a dragon.
It didn't take very long for these individuals that while they relied on me for general safety of the forest, I didn't necessarily need them. It was simply more convenient for me to have the residents implement my various ideas.
The fact that I was capable of doing it myself was not lost on them.
One of the biggest offenders was a rather haughty elf who had inserted himself as the de facto leader of a few elves that elected to make their homes here.
Could not remember his name for the life of me, I think its Florence or something, but this dick was always sticking his nose in something to benefit in some way.
The last straw was when I found him rummaging around my workshop paging through some of my designs.
If that wasn't enough, he had helped himself to the small treasure hoard that I had acquired judging by the bulging sack sitting by his feet.
Needless to say, I had to set an example.
I honestly was doing the elves a favor by removing him from the gene pool, but of course, the elves though it was a tad excessive for me to rip his genitals off and make him eat them.
This made me aware of some additional traits that I may have picked up after my latest evolution.
I was a great deal more possessive of things and was fascinated with items of value. It irritated me occasionally just because it upped my distractibility by a significant chunk.
On the flip side, it gave me a general idea of where valuables might be located.
I ended up discovering another dungeon on the edge of the forest and killed a medusa.
Originally, I thought Medusa was a gorgon's name, but here, the name is used to denote a variant of the gorgon.
Abilities Gained!
[Living Hair] (1/100)
Your hair can transform similar to a gorgon's. Forming small dragon-like heads, it can extend and retract as well as provide greater awareness of the general area.
[Gorgon Eye's] (1/100)
You have the ability to transform your targets to stone. Requires eye contact.
[Gorgon Blood] (1/100)
Your blood can be used as an extremely powerful healing agent, or an extremely deadly poison.
It was kinda weird when my hair transformed for the first time. My hair shifted from a dark, feathery red mane, to black serpent-like creatures.
Putting aside that little oddity, it was kinda neat having all that extra awareness without having my head chopped off.
Plus, the snakes could bite someone and inject poison so that was kinda neat.
I wonder if I could do the same thing with another affinity?
Inject fire element into someone's veins?
. . . .
On second thought, that doesn't paint a pretty picture . . .
The Gorgon's blood, if I remember correctly, the healing and the poison blood were from different sides of the body.
The right side was healing, and the left side should be poison.
But that didn't sit right with me.
Blood naturally circulated all throughout someone's body on a consistent basis. And using that logic, it shouldn't matter what side of my body the blood is from.
So, I conducted an experiment using horned rabbits.
To make a long story short, it came down to the overall intent when the blood is drawn for use.
If I wanted to heal someone, the blood would be a healing agent, and vice versa.
I think, that if I had to guess what is happening, is that the blood itself is a medium. If I focus on doing something, enzymes in my body release to transform the blood to match the intent of either healing or killing.
I really want to get my hands on a microscope to prove my hypothesis, but while they did exist, they were fucking expensive, not to mention primitive.
They were the sort of thing a noble might have to impress their rich friends. Plus, they could only see the basic cell structure which wouldn't give me the information I was seeking anyway.
So I switched focus, to something that was easier to accomplish.
Now that I had legs, I found that wielding four weapons was a lot easier.
Good results were found when I'd wield anything like a falchion or smaller. But my absolute best results were found when using a shorter supporting blade in conjunction with the sword.
Either way, I had a hard time wielding multiples of any weapon longer than a falchion with four arms.
General Grievous from Star wars was able to do it simply because her was a cyborg. He had actuators at his arm joints that enabled him to implement complex maneuvers while using four light sabers at once.
So, the simplest solution to the conundrum, would have to wait until I had access to cybernetics again.
Martial arts however, became exceptional with a second pair of hands.
Skills developed!
[Dragon Fist] (12/100)
A martial art that optimizes the use of a draconic physiology to deal devastating damage to your opponent.
[Dance of the Dragon] (1/100)
"The world responds when the dragon dances." This is when a user of the "Dragon Fist" brings the full brunt of his magic to bear. As forces of nature in their own right, when a dragon fights, it reshapes the very world around it to suit its whims.
The second one I discovered unintentionally when trying to add element to my attacks.
If I focused on one element, the element in the surrounding area would respond to my intent and lend its force to my attack.
I basically became the avatar without the extra guess work or burdens that came along with it.
It was a hell of a shock when before, if I added earth to my attacks, it just made my punches heavier. But now a punch with earth element would cause the earth to surge in response to strike the target.
The various pillars of earth in a nearby plains area was a testament to its effectiveness.
On a side note, my Gallifreyan started responding after I acquired the job: Artificer, from one of the adventurers that I killed.
My notes started faintly glowing with energy one day and started animating as I drew more and more of the symbols, establishing meaning and context into the language itself.
I borrowed one of the mining caves and absolutely filled it to the brim with high Gallifreyan, leaving a very pleasant blue glow to suffuse the room.
The spirits were loving the new energy that was gathering thanks to these runes as well. This let to the spirits to diversify further as newer spirits came to investigate the energy of the cave.
Lesser spirit stones became much more prevalent and even a few "Greater Spirit Stones" started appearing thanks to the density of the spirits in the area.
[Greater Time Spirit Stone] (Epic)
A spirit stone that contains the barest hints of a "Time Spirit".
[Greater Space Spirit Stone] (Epic)
A spirit stone that contains the barest hints of a "Space Spirit".
New Abilities Gained!
[Chrono Kinesis] (1/100)
The ability to manipulate time energies.
[Spatial Kinesis] (1/100)
The ability to manipulate spatial energies.
It was stuff that I hadn't fully delved into before outside of portals. And it was surprising enough that these stones appeared here, but I'll take what I could get.
I quickly started practicing with the chrono kinesis on some of the plants we had growing, only to discover how volatile time energy was.
A stalk of corn and the surrounding ground, quickly cycled forward through time, sprouting, ripening, withering, before finally crumbling to dust.
The whole process then suddenly reversed, reassembling from the dust, it went through the whole process, until it finally receded into the ground.
It then proceeded to yoyo back and forth through time as whisps of what I could only describe as "time", wafted off of the plant.
Tapping the little bubble of time with a claw on my metal arm, I absorb the energy, causing the loop to come to a stop at a slightly rotten plant.
As it stands right now, I can only place the "concept" of time on a specific spot with little to no control over what happens within.
At best, I could stop it at a certain stage, but that's it.
The Spatial affinity was a lot easier since I played with it a bit before all this evolution stuff.
It also made for a great place to store snacks.
[. . . .]
What?
[I hate you sometimes . . . ]
Hey! Its not my fault that this body is so hungry all the time!
If anything, this is your fault for this constant evolution.
[You could have at least stored some weapons or armor . . .]
But those things won't protect me against hunger Iris!
[Maybe some crafting materials . . .]
Look, I can craft myself a really good sandwich with the stuff I have here . . .
[Even some loot from that precious horde of yours . . .]
This is a whole different type of horde! Plus, I don't like my food and my treasure touching.
[That is inherently stupid.]
I don't know where that gold has been! I need at least food grade sanitizer for that!
*Clank*
The sharp sound distracted me from my back and forth as I look for the source of the sound.
*Clank*
*Clank*
*Clank*
I finally Identified the source of the sound by my feet.
[Observe]
[Dragon Scale] (?)
The scale of a dragon is said to have multiple properties both magical and not. Its up to you to determine the worth of the scale by crafting it into a useful item.
Four dragon scales had popped off and were laying on the floor leaving open patches on my body where new scales were slowly growing in.
Picking one up my claws clinked against the surface producing a metallic sound.
Iris?
[A standard part of the aging for your species.]
[Periodically, an Ouroboros will shed its scales like a snake shedding its skin.]
[This results in slightly tougher scales.]
[That's why older dragons are so much harder to beat vs. a young drake.]
[They have had thousands of years to shed scales in comparison.]
Huh . . .
That's kinda neat . . .
Honestly, I don't know what a dragon scale can be used for outside armor and weapons.
I remember rumors of supposed alchemical properties of dragon parts, but I don't think that applies to scales . . . .
Adventures considered them valuable, but I was a bit stumped outside of that.
Maybe I could melt it down to an alloy?
While I'm thinking about it, could my blood actually be used in a similar manner?
I wasn't too keen on pursuing that really, but I suppose I should find that out while I'm figuring out my scales.
*Clank*
*Clank*
*Clank*
*Clank*
*Clank*
*Clank*
Glancing down at the next wave of scales that fell of, I resolved to take care of those experiments as soon as I was done shedding.
Maybe take a day off and snooze?
Yeah, that sounds nice right now . . .
[Time Skip]
Pushing open the doors to the adventuring guild, I duck under the doorframe, walking into the usual silence that settled on my arrival.
While I definitely visiting town more often, It still was a seldom occurrence.
I had to come back to register my evolution with the guild so my info remained up to date, it seemed like it was still unsettling for my presence in the guild.
But I had no choice, and had come here for an extremely valuable resource.
Information.
I was able to pay the adventurers guild for information about the events and moves propagated by the world powers that be, and acclimate myself to the workings of the world outside of my little forest.
This also gives me the side benefit of sending adventures to retrieve various items for me or to do miscellaneous errands.
Paying an adventurer to scout a location or to retrieve specific materials was far more cost effective than traveling to these places myself. I honestly didn't realize how little it actually cost to hire an adventuring party for minor scouting tasks.
It's also not far from the norm for dragons to hire parties to do their bidding if they couldn't be assed to do it.
Sitting down at one of the bigger tables, I get a mug of mead and some food as I wait for my next appointment.
I quite liked those dwarves that specialized in clockwork, and I had arranged to meet one of their craftsmen.
While I was waiting, I started sorting through the sheets of parchment that the guild girl had prepared on my request, and I focused on the documents focusing on the empire's movements.
Their entire war with the elves was supposedly over some sort of cure-all elixir. A member of the royal family had come down with an uncurable ailment, forcing them to pursue war as a last resort.
The war was abandoned when they found a dungeon containing artifacts that would work just as well as the supposed elixir.
Several reports of "hero's" stood out among the empires movements as they tried to get a full grasp of the entities within the forest.
As far as I could tell the title "hero" was assigned to particularly powerful adventures, and didn't necessarily indicate of they were righteous beings.
I think Rambo ran into the "Bug Hero" while fighting the giant centipede. The "bug hero" was a prime example of a not exactly virtuous being as his creations tended to raze villages to the ground on a whim.
Flipping to another page, this one actually detailed how the church had labeled the forest I live in as a religious site.
I don't know who snitched that I lived there, but I'm going to fucking kill them. I could tolerate the churches worship as long as they stayed at arm's length, but here I am looking at plans for a holy pilgrimage site.
The queen was even having a summer home built on the outskirts of the town apparently.
. . . .
I keep commenting on it, but I really need a spymaster to handle all this shit for me so I know well in advance. This last-minute crap was starting to really grind my gears.
"Well, I never thought I'd be hired by an Ouroboros of all things." A gruff voice interrupted my train of thought.
A dwarf hopped up on the chair across from me as I set the papers down.
"C'mon now, surly your services have been hired by stranger beings than myself?" I reply, taking a drink of mead.
"Nay lad. Once creatures get into a certain "weight class", they tend to disregard us lower beings." The dwarf grumbled, a server placing a drink on the table for him.
"That seems, remarkably short sighted . . ." I comment, pulling a folder out of my item box and passing it to the dwarf.
"Yeah, but what can you do? Some beings are just stubborn like that." He huffed, checking the contents of the folder, before pulling five separate tomes out of his bag.
Grimley, the dwarf, was here to facilitate an information exchange between myself and the clockwork dwarves.
I was providing my research regarding slime varieties I had discovered so far, while they were providing foundation materials for clockwork technology.
Turns out, they even had access to their own primitive version of firearms and gunpowder that gave them a significant standing as a military force.
They hadn't quite figured out rifling yet, but I was unsure about how much of my tech I wanted to release into the world at large.
While it would be simple enough to teach them, these guys were pretty quick to circulate technology throughout their circles, and the last thing I needed was a bunch of angry dwarves running about with howitzers.
I had less of an issue trading my research regarding the slimes, as they were entities of this world, and it wouldn't surprise me if I found out that other monster tamers were experimenting with the concept.
Come to think of it, I really should tame some more monsters for when I go back home. Who knows, I might discover some interesting traits that would be worth turning into cyberware.
That, or figure out if they had any materials that was worth keeping them around as livestock.
Monsters, I had discovered, had a variety of ingredients within them, that worked extremely well in alchemy and artificing.
You know how sometimes when you see a cool fantasy weapon or object modeled after a certain creature?
That's basically the after effect of using monster parts for your final end product. Stronger monsters result in more of their traits carrying over to an item.
This was reflected in the water skin shaped like a shark that I had made recently.
It would be more accurate to say that it produces potion of water breathing, but the shark skin that I used from a megalodon like creature, changed the shape of the flask into that of a shark with a nozzle sticking out of its mouth.
With this particular item, someone could breathe underwater for up to eight hours.
But let's get back to the dwarves and what they traded me.
With this clockwork tech, I could leap forward decades in the level of technology I had access to.
While some of the tech was delicate, and required precise tuning, other parts were quite robust in function.
Mining, refining, and general assembly line fabrication should now be theoretically possible.
Grimley nodded once after examining the notes and departed, probably back to his clan, so I gathered my belongings and was getting ready to leave myself when the guild girl grabbed my attention.
"Hey Tavish! You got a request for assistance at a nearby ruin." She called, as I walked past.
"Oh? Who is it?" I question coming to a halt in front of the desk.
"The Goblin slayer group. Apparently, they found something a lot bigger than goblins when investigating the elves territory." The guild girl explained, as I hummed in thought.
"Are these the same elves that live in my forest?" I ask, causing her to shake her head.
"No, this group of elves is part of an interspecies alliance to take down the demon lord." The girl commented, causing me to sigh in exasperation.
Of course their would be a demon lord here . . . .
[Time Skip]
Flying to the designated location took a few hours at most.
Honestly, that group could take care of themselves. The big question is why they would seek my assistance.
I don't quite share the Goblin slayer's sheer hatred towards goblins, but I do go out of my way to kill them if I find a group of them.
But why did they call for my assistance?
The breaking of a twig nearby caused my head to snap towards the sound only for the priestess to emerge from the brush, shortly followed by the dwarf, the elf, the lizardman, and the goblin slayer.
"Was wondering when you lot would show. So why did you need me?" I question simply, watching the goblin slayer carefully.
He points at the mouth of the ruin and utters a single word; "Dragon."
I blink and note the serious expression on the faces of the rest of the party.
"Alright . . . . . so?" I ask exasperatedly after he didn't elaborate.
"Erm, Beardcutter is failing to explain that there is a dragon in their controlling the local goblin population. And we were hoping you could mediate as an equal." The dwarf interjected sheepishly.
Well, that is fairly standard. A dragon will recruit a bunch of being that are lower on the food chain to do their bidding." I answered cautiously.
"And the goblins have been raiding the nearby elven villages." The elf added, anger crossing her features.
"So, you're trying to mediate with the dragon, so you can kill the goblins?" I ask for clarification as the goblin slayer nods furiously.
"Alright, cover your ears." I state before releasing a bellow.
[Dragon's Roar]
[Allspeak]
[Knock, Knock dragon! I need to speak with you for a bit.] I roar in draconic causing it to echo down the entrance of the ruin.
I only had to wait a minute before an answering roar came. [Alright! I'll be out in a moment.]
Soon, a green scaled dragonoid emerged from the entrance of the cave, its clawed fists on his hips.
[I'm Fulgar, a green dragon of the Terrapin Jungle. Whom is the one addressing me so brazenly.] He snarled in draconic.
[Tavish, the ouroboros of end and origin. You should have kept a leash on your minions Fulgar.] I reply back closing the distance with the dragonoid.
While he was similar in possessing a humanoid form, he did look significantly more "normal" than what I could achieve at the moment.
He fell quiet at my proclamation for a minute before, his anger returned; [So? They were only following orders. I fail to see how that puts me in the wrong.]
[It puts you in the wrong when your servants start looting and raping the nearby villages.] I bite back glaring down at him.
He wilts slightly under my gaze, until I spot a faint green glow from between his teeth.
Slamming my fist into his jaw, I grab ahold of his face and lock his jaw shut in my grip.
[You weren't planning on using your breath just now, were you?] I snarl as the dragon attempts to free his head from my grasp.
[What is going on here?!"] A new voice interjected from above.
A much larger green dragon came in for a landing directing a glare at me.
I glare right back; [Are you the parent of this whelp?] I question holding up the green dragon in my grip.
[Yes, now could you kindly release him before I rip your arm off?] the dragon requested, showing off several rows of pointy teeth.
[Maybe if you taught this one some lessons about the actual world, we wouldn't be here with a kingdom wanting his head.] I snarl back, slamming the smaller dragon on the ground and trapping his throat under my foot.
The dragon's expression changed slightly, before demanding; [Explain. . .]
[This little idiot decided that goblins were the best type of minion to serve him. But he's been having them increase their numbers by looting and capturing the inhabitants of a nearby village for "breeding stock".] I continued as the dragon sighed in exasperation.
[And the elves are taking issue with that I take it?] The dragon questioned, rubbing the scales on his forehead in exasperation.
[No, they are absolutely delighted that your kid is ordering the goblins to rape, kill, and loot their people.] I reply sarcastically.
[A simple yes, would have sufficed.] the dragon snapped back.
[Look can I level with you for a bit. Goblins are going to be goblins regardless if the kid ordered them or not. But the tricky part is that a dragon got involved in the exchange and it appears that he is guarding the goblins.] I explain and his eyes widened at the implications.
[Thankfully, these guys just want your permission to kill all the goblins. So, if you come to an agreement regarding that, you could probably get out of the elves crosshairs for the time being.] I add causing the larger dragon to relax slightly.
[Ah, so that was the angle from the start.] he mused before observing the offspring I had trapped under my foot.
[Aye. Just teach the young one that his actions reflect on all of us, and he has to be more careful when selecting his subordinates in the future.] I utter, directing part of the statement to the dragonoid under my foot.
[One evil dragon and suddenly the mortals want to hunt the entire race. Alright, thank you for intervening in a somewhat non-violent manner. He will take care of the goblin infestation.] the bigger dragon stated.
I release Fulgar and allow him to climb to his feet before I respond; [Good. The human with the helmet will likely offer his services to exterminate the goblins here completely. It would not be a bad idea to accept help from him and his companions.] I finish before switching back to common; "Fulgar here will kill the goblins in the ruin. He let them reside here as long as they guarded his home while he was gone." I explain to the adventures that had been ignored up to this point.
"But he intends to stay?" The elf asked, irritation crossing her features.
I glance at Fulgar who tilts his head from side to side before shaking his head no.
[I want to, but it might be better if I find a dungeon or something further away from here.] Fulgar answered in draconic, finally grasping the full consequences of his choices.
"No, he intends to move elsewhere." I translate, causing the elf to nod once before fixing an accusing glare on the dragon.
The young dragon and the adventuring party start discussions before heading into the ruin to kill the goblin tribe.
"I never did ask your name." I address the older dragon once they had left.
"Torian, green dragon of the Terrapin jungle. And you?" The dragon replied as he settled down.
"Tavish, ouroboros of end and origin." I answer causing him to raise an eyebrow at me.
"Quite the name . . ." He replied skeptically.
"The church of the great god gave me that. Their set up outside of my territory so they can pray to me. Apparently, I'm a religious icon." I answer, causing him to hum in understanding.
"Makes sense. Do you plan to attend the next Dragon meet?" He questioned, causing my head to snap sharply to him.
"What the heck is a Dragon meet?" I question and he chuckles.
"The Dragon meet is a bi-monthly event where the dragons of a continent will meet up and exchange pieces of news. The location of the next meet is usually given out at the previous one."
"But since you are new, we plan on meeting on a cliff overlooking the eastern sea. Don't worry you can't miss it. It's about forty miles south of the port of Water town." He commented amusedly.
"Alright. I'm going to hang around until those adventurers leave. Got any good time passers?
The green dragon hummed in thought before a grin spread across his face.
"You know, I just might . . ." he replied as he started producing paper, a game board, and dice.
[Time Skip]
"Steve is happy with the report you presented him. He hopes that you'd be willing to give the quarterly report to the board of directors." Torian listed off from behind a small folding screen.
"I agree and ask if he approved my time off request for the twenty third of this month." I reply scribbling a note on my character sheet.
"He explains that you can't because Jenkins already is gone that week, and he requested it before you." Torian replied smugly.
"I would like to roll for "groveling" I really need that day off. I heard that my test results were back." I counter, shaking the dice in my hand.
When Torian introduced me to "Human's and Skyscrapers", I was a bit skeptical. Mostly because I hadn't yet seen anything close to a skyscraper in this fantasy world, so how did they come up with the name?
Anyway, you pretended to be a human, and you'd go about doing what dragons assume a normal human does.
It makes for some fantastic thinking games as you "struggle" through a normal human's life.
"The goblins have been cleared." Fulgar's voice interject, as I turn to glance at him and the emerging adventurers from the dungeon.
Turning back to help clean up the game, I found that the entire board, the dice and all the papers had vanished, leaving an innocently whistling dragon cleaning his claws.
"Well, I guess this is where we bid you goodbye Tavish" he grumbled, and with a single flap, shot up into the sky.
Not much for conversation around humans, I guess.
Ah well, I may see him again in the future.
I stand up and stretch before glancing back at the exhausted adventurers; "Do you guys need me for anything else?" I question, watching them shake their heads.
"Alright then. See you guys later!" And with that last farewell, I took off into the sky.
[Time Skip]
Carving the last set of runes on a crystal, I place it down in its holder.
Glancing around the massive cavern that I had dug out in the dungeon. The entire floor was covered in crystals spread out over a massive array, a huge gem serving as the centerpiece.
Circular Gallifreyan served as my makeshift circuit's connecting everything together in the array.
The notes from the dwarves were extremely helpful for this project, as the key thing about these crystals, were that they were capable of storing a multitude of items depending on the magic they interacted with.
High Gallifreyan, was a language that held the words that made up the universe as well as certain phrases and descriptors that made it easier to discuss concepts of time and space.
Tapping a blue crystal and channeling some mana into it the room lit up in a rainbow of colors, before it filtered into a bright blue circles of Gallifreyan cycling back and forth.
A screen wavered into existence over one of the bigger crystals, and text started typing on the screen.
"Hello World . . ."
They say that science that is far enough advanced is indistinguishable from magic . . .
But sometimes, a little magic wouldn't hurt.
I once toyed with the concept of an A.I. that would develop and design spells, breaking their composition down to simple numbers and concepts.
The A.I., affectionately named Merlin, immediately overloaded and melted as it tried to make the logic jumps required to understand magic.
Theoretically, I figured that possibly a computer made from magic, would be able to understand these concepts given how it interfaces with magic to function.
Enhancing it with concepts of Gallifreyan, it was unparalleled to analyze and interact with magic itself.
A keyboard appeared nearby and I started typing and establishing values for the data the computer to work with, its capabilities expanding as I added more and more data for it to use.
With the last couple of buttons pressed, a pulse of energy radiates out from the center. It repeats this several times as it starts generating a 3D image of the surrounding topography.
Little icons, establish themselves on this map representing the various entities that it detected in the forest.
Grinning at the first successful venture, I start amping up the signal strength to reach further and further.
The crystals in the room started shaking, so I backed off and left it to operate in standby mode.
I obviously needed to establish a larger network to provide more coverage.
But where to put them . . .
They had to go in a spot where people wouldn't mess with them . . .
. . .
Maybe . . .
I grab a spare crystal and I open a rift, tossing the crystal in.
A new marker appeared directly above the computer.
Sixty-two miles up to be precise.
The computer started displaying more data as it connected to the crystal in orbit.
While I definitely need more relay points on the ground, the overall array had expanded significantly with the addition of the new crystal.
Now, I just had to get the computer to realize its full potential.
Turning back to the keyboard, I continue establishing parameters late into the night.
[Interlude: A Very Tavish Christmas.]
[Tavish POV]
"I fail to see why we need to be dressed up for this part . . ." Trayzn commented from next to me a costume of red and green draped around his frame.
"Don't worry, you'll see soon enough." I explain as I slip the Emperor's arms into the red furred suit.
He did look significantly better than he did when we kidnapped him several weeks ago.
"And what's with the damn ears? I look like I'm pretending to be one of those eldar!" the necron continued to rant as I hooked the fake white beard in place.
"Because Santa Claus needs his "helpers" to help deliver toys!" I explain adding the signature hat to the ensemble.
"Whatever, at least we get to drive that dope hover sled that you built." Trayzn commented, glancing over at the sled in question.
"Did you fasten on the Christmas cannon I built?" Tavish questioned, slinging the emperor over his shoulder as he staggers toward the sleigh.
"Of course, I did. The question is, why do we need such a device?" Trayzn replied, helping Tavish put the Emperor into the seat and fasten him in.
"Oh Trayzn . . . there is only one sole reason for having such a purpose-built device . . ." Tavish, informed solemnly as he leaps into the sleigh.
"And what, pray tell, would be that reason?" Trayzn asked sarcastically.
"Bitches love cannons!" Tavish exclaimed as he started doing flight checks.
[Time Skip]
[Ecclesiarchal Chapel]
[3rd Person POV]
The home of the Adeptus Sotoritas was a hive of activity as the Sisters of Battle armed up for the search of the millennia.
Reports were trickling in that two beings had breached the depths of the palace and had abducted their beloved God-Emperor, some how evading all attempts of the custodies to capture them.
The reports themselves were being maintained at the highest levels of secrecy to not cause a panic throughout the rest of Terra, but many planetary forces were beginning to move to locate and ensure the safety of the Emperor of mankind.
The Abbess Sanctorum, the overall leader of the sisterhood, had even made an appearance barking orders as she organized her sisters for the search.
Just as she was listing off some potential suspects to her commanders, a foreign noise joined the din of the sister's organization methods.
The Abbess looked up and finally identified the sound.
Sleigh bells.
Mechanical reindeer flew across the sky, pulling a huge sleigh behind it.
A red-haired man, a necron and a giant figure with a white beard and a red furry coat, sat astride the sleigh as the redhead hefted a cannon and pulled the trigger.
"To arms sisters!" one of the commanders screamed as blasts rained down from above . . .
. . . Only for festive decorations to sprout from the points of impact.
Tinsel grew across every tank as lights wrapped around gun barrels. Wreathes of holly sprouted and knit together, decorating every door and opening of the surroundings.
One of the sisters attempted to block one of the beams of energy with a power sword, only for it to turn into a massive candy cane which she looked at in bewilderment.
Then, much to the shock of the passengers of the cart, the figure wearing the red fur coat raised his arm and waved in excitement.
"Merry Christmas Daughters! On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer, on Blitzen! On Comet, on Cupid, on Donor, on Blitzen!"
"To the highest spires of Terra, to the lowest depths of the hive cities! Let us deliver presents to the good boys and girls of the galaxy!" the man exclaimed enthusiastically.
"The fuck?! Your awake now?! Way to give us a heads up!" the redhead screamed back at the elderly individual.
"Hey, you guys were having too much fun without me. So, excuse me for wanting my own entrance." The old man growled back, his hand glowing gold and directing a beam of light at the ground.
A massive spruce covered in lights and ornaments sprouted out of the reinforced earth and presents of all shapes and sizes appeared under the tree.
As the sleigh flew off over the rest of the city, the abbess bent down and retrieved one of the presents.
To: Morvenn Vahl
From: The God-Emperor
Her hands were shaking as she tried not to drop the holy relic she held in her hands.
What the hell was going on?
Was the Emperor walking amongst mankind once more?
And was everyone receiving one of his "gifts"?