"Everyone wants the fairy tale, but don't forget there are dragons in those stories."
― R. Queen, Darkchylde
---
After a while, I stopped feeding the little dragon to read the notifications.
[Congratulations! Your dragon ? is now Level 5!]
[?'s Water Affinity has been boosted!]
[You've unlocked ?'s first ability!]
[Due to the [Supreme Dragon Goddess's Blessing] Perk, you've gained Water Affinity(Minor) and Water Resistance(Minor) from your dragon ?.]
It was pretty much what I expected to see. Next, I pulled up its Status page.
[?]
Water Dragon
Rarity: Common
Level: 5
HP: 300
MP: 2000
Abilities unlocked: [Aqua Blast]
The stats matched what Pyra had at Level 5 making me hypothesize that all dragons, or at least the common rarity ones, follow the same Level/HP/MP progression scheme. Clicking on [Aqua Blast], I read the description.
[Aqua Blast]
Cost: 20 MP
Description: The Water Dragon summons a small but powerful torrent of water and hurls it at the target, dealing moderate damage. Aqua Blast has a chance to inflict the [Soaked] status, reducing the target's accuracy and making them more vulnerable to follow-up attacks.
"Cool… Wait, did I just make a pun here? Hmm."
Shaking my head of that thought I rose, picking up my new dragon, and was about to make my way to where Pyra was, hoping to introduce to her the third and newest of the inhabitants of Dragon's Retreat. But then I had a curious thought and turned back to the remains of the eggshell from which the baby water dragon came.
I opened the [Dragon Codex] and searched for Water Dragon Egg to check if there was any use for the eggshell. I had treated it as a waste product the first time and didn't bother with it but now I was curious.
Sadly, there was no real information about it.
I sighed at that.
"Wish I had an [Analyze] skill or something."
Still, something in the back of my mind told me to pick it up and keep it in the inventory. It just tingled my Gamer senses once I started thinking about it.
So, with a shrug, I stored whatever pieces of the cracked shell I could in my Inventory and went to the Fire Dragon Habitat to call for Pyra, idly realizing I could have done that for Pyra's shell too. I left it near the campfire when I came here, thinking nothing of it at the time.
Even now, I didn't entirely believe it was of any importance. And hopefully, it was indeed so.
***
-Salem-
"So… you came back empty-handed?"
She spoke from the large ornamental chair at the head of the table, her tone even, but the audience knew very well of her disappointment. And that it sometimes led to painful outcomes.
Hazel replied, his head bowed in servitude and apology.
"Forgive me, my lady. We searched the area but didn't find anyone. The only thing of note was a dead campfire in the middle of nowhere, but there were no signs of whoever placed it or where they went from there. The place was abandoned for a while. However, we—"
"Ahem. Actually, I did find something that might be related to it. Or at the very least might interest you, my lady."
Arthur interjected from Hazel's side, putting emphasis on it being his accomplishment solely before he pulled out a small satchel from his hip and presented it to her.
Hazel simply frowned at that but didn't bother arguing, knowing Arthur's nature.
She took in the item with an inquisitive look and opened it to see the contents of it.
"And this is?"
She asked, not quite certain of what she saw inside.
"I'm… not quite sure, but I believe it to be the remains of an eggshell of some kind. It's strangely warm and has a curious coloration. I haven't known any mammals that lay such an egg, however. I tried to look it up but found nothing. If my hypothesis is correct, this might be linked to the phenomenon days ago."
She hummed a response and simply observed the cracked pieces. Raising an eyebrow, she tried to feel magic from it and her eyes widened at the result.
"This is…"
She started, eyes still wide but soon it turned into one of mirth and intrigue.
"… very intriguing indeed. I wonder…"
She then turned to look at her minions and spoke after some time.
"This is acceptable. An interesting find. But I am curious about what was inside it if it is indeed what Arthur has hypothesized it to be."
Whatever was inside it had something that was supposed to be extinct, save for a select few people one could count on the fingers.
There were traces of Magic on the eggshells.
She put her empty palm under her chin and pondered, still observing the curious product—or, a by-product in this case.
"Something that shouldn't exist is now roaming somewhere in this world… I want it."
It was said in a casual and calm tone but everyone present here knew it was a decree.
"Understood, my lady."
"I'll look into it and see if the other side has any information on this."
"Hehe, I would love to serve it to you, My Goddess! It would be an honor!"
She placed the red piece of shell back in the satchel and then closed it up before she summoned a swirling black void and placed the satchel inside it.
"Go. I expect good news."
With that, everyone present left and she was alone, left to ponder on this new item and its source.
***
Journal Entry #2: Week 2 as a Dragon Tamer
Date: ? (I should probably not bother with this)
---
I've been bored out of my mind!
Like, holy crap, there's very little to do on this island. After half a month as a 'Dragon Tamer', I've settled into this life with something akin to a routine.
Wake up, get fresh, check on my dragons, and then just laze around and play/train with my dragons until night falls.
Sometimes, when I remember or feel it's been a while, eat and drink.
I still don't understand why I don't get hungry and thirsty. I'm also starting to lose my interest in food and it's likely something to do with just eating Apples and Dragon Berries every day. It loses its flavor after a while of eating the same thing. Also, still no signs of malnutrition from a lack of those supposedly basic necessities. Weird. Though, the fact that I don't have to use the toilet (haven't used it a single time yet) at all is something I'm glad for. No more pooping and pissing for me. Woo!
…
Anyway, back to the main topic. There's nothing interesting to do here other than interact with my dragons, whom I've somehow become accustomed to. I don't know how, but in just 2 weeks, I've come to accept my new lifestyle and the existence of dragons.
Maybe because they act like normal pets? Well, pets that can breathe Fire and Spray a jet of water on you.
Yes, there's a story there and it involves me losing 1/10th of my HP and feeling sore for an entire day. I'm debating whether or not to write it here.
I'll skip it for now because I'm mildly frustrated and don't feel like typing hundreds of additional words on a maybe funny story that no one will read anyway.
…
So, after some thinking, I've come to a decision. I'm leaving this island today.
I know I said I won't until I get multiple Level 100 dragons but leveling up my dragons is getting harder. Just feeding them Berries and raising their levels worked initially, but now that Pyra has hit Level 15, she's barely getting any XP from eating them. It's still going up but VERY SLOWLY. Like, it's not even worth it at this point since it'll take her a week or two to level up once at this rate.
And from reading the book and my own observation, I now know that it's only going to get worse. The XP requirements double every next level.
So, the best way to level up my dragons after they hit a certain level is by, and I quote, 'defeating enemies'.
And the only enemies I can think of is the Grimm. But I'm still apprehensive about fighting them.
Because I'm still pretty much a weakling who might get one shot by even the weakest of the Grimm. Or at least get wounded badly. And I don't think I can recover from that. There's no such thing as a Healing Potion in the [Shop].
So, I've been training my dragons as best as I can, commanding them to use their abilities and other attacks I can think of—claw slash, bite, etc.— and hoping this would be enough. Pyra has some really sharp teeth in the making and she's able to fly somewhat… well, it's more along the lines of floating close to the ground, but it's something!
Anyway, as a tamer now, I would be mostly staying at the back and letting my dragons fight, like tamers usually do, but I'm still nervous.
Here's hoping it won't be a mistake. Please let it not be a mistake. Ugh, why did I think it was a good idea…? But there's no other way. At this rate, my dragons will stagnate.
I know this is supposed to be an integral part of the level progression for both me and my dragons since battling gives a lot of XP apparently, but… fuck, I'm being a pussy. I know. But what can I do? I don't like getting hurt or dying. It's a sort of trauma I have from that accident years ago where I lost my parents and was admitted to a hospital for over 6 months before I could properly walk again.
Anyhow, that's all. I'm gonna take this risk and explore Remnant.
Wishing myself luck.
Damian
***
Closing the [Notes] tab, I sucked in the air and breathed out deeply before steeling myself.
"I can do this. Don't be a pussy, me. This is fine. It's going to be fine. Pyra is strong. And Nixie… she's still Level 13, but she's strong too. The only weak link here is you… No! Stop being a pussy! You've grown a bit as well. It's fine. And you don't have to fight them yourself. Trust in your dragons. You've trained them for this very day. Yeah."
Taking another deep breath, I walked out of my Hut and made my way towards my dragons.
Pyra's habitat came first and I called her to me as I checked her Status page.
[Pyra]
Fire Dragon
Rarity: Common
Level: 15
HP: 800
MP: 7000
Abilities unlocked: [Ignite] [Flame Burst]
At Level 15, Pyra had gained another ability. This time, it was an AOE attack.
Flame Burst
Cost: 50 MP
Description: The Fire Dragon unleashes a burst of flames, causing area-of-effect damage to multiple enemies within a small radius.
In practice, the first ability [Ignite] did what it said and ignited a target. But it was short term and the damage was hard to find given I had no live targets to test this.
The second ability [Flame Burst] made Pyra charge and spew actual flames from her maw and spread it at a 120-degree angle. The flames didn't go very far but they were strong enough. It caused decent damage to enemies even near its range— a result that I discovered the hard way when I caught my sleeves on fire somehow from one such poorly aimed attack.
I had panicked and in my haste to put the fire out, since it was shaving away my HP and HURT LIKE A BITCH, I made the stupid decision of using Nixie, my recently named Water Dragon to use her attack on me.
Stupid. I know. But tell that to the panicking me who was on fire at that moment.
So, I received a jet of water on the burning area and had the displeasure of experiencing the pain that a high-speed jet of water can cause. I'm pretty sure the attack wasn't a full-powered one; Maybe Nixie was holding back, but it still hurt. Enough to bruise my right hand.
But at least it put out the fire.
I had a sore and aching hand the rest of the day and the training was put to a halt as I went to a nearby tree to just lie down and take a breather.
Curiously, I recovered my HP in a few hours and didn't suffer from any lingering effects of being on fire and getting hit by a spray of water after a few hours.
That was nice to know.
I told Pyra to wait by the portal after giving her some pets and scratches near her ears—because why not; She seemed to enjoy getting them and a belly rub and would give me a happy purr and lick in response every time— I went to get Nixie from her habitat near the coast, finding her swimming around in circles in her pond.
She'd grown in size too from the level-ups and her serpentine features were more pronounced now.
In length alone, she was now a bit longer than I was, if compared, but since she stood on her hind legs when on land, she came close to my chest.
I was wondering if it was time to upgrade her habitat like I did with Pyra's.
'Maybe I should do it. It might feel a bit cramped for Nixie, not that she's shown any signs of discomfort or complained.'
Reaching the Water Habitat, I was soon greeted by a wet Nixie rubbing herself on my body, soaking me as a result.
"Alright, alright. Stop, you're getting my clothes wet."
I tried to pull her away with some difficulty since she was quite strong—and heavy— and gave her the scratches as well, causing her to make clicking noises that I could somehow tell were of delight.
Once again, I checked her Status to see if she'd by any chance leveled up. She was still supposed to be fed the berries passively, though she wasn't eating when I found her.
[Nixie]
Water Dragon
Rarity: Common
Level: 13
HP: 700
MP: 6000
Abilities unlocked: [Aqua Blast]
'Ah, she's more than halfway to Level 14. But it'll take time. Unfortunate, but oh well. Hopefully, she'll level up by fighting.'
After a while of it, she seemed content and I let go, making my way towards the portal with her in tow.
Even though Nixie was a Water Dragon, she could walk and live on land fairly easily. However, she was much faster and more at home in the water from the looks of it.
Though, for some reason, she wasn't that fond of the Ocean. Maybe she preferred fresh water. That would explain why her habitat had fresh water in it.
Finally, with the entire team ready to leave, I pulled up my own Status page one last time to do something I've been holding out on.
[–Status–]
Name: Damian Pendragon
Age: 18
Race: Human
Class: Dragon Tamer(Initiate)
---
Tier: I
Level: 8/10
---
HP: 380/380
MP: -Locked-
Aura: -Locked-
---
STR: 10
END: 10
AGI: 10
DEX: 10
INT: 10
WIS: 10
CHA: 10
LUC: 10
---
SP: 18
DP: 10
---
Gold: 129,300
---
Dragons:
Pyra (Lvl 15)
Nixie (Lvl 13)
♦-♦-♦
With the 25 Stat Points I had received, I did as I had planned and rose my DEX and CHA to 10, making my stats fully balanced.
But after that, I didn't increase anything else, saving the SP for when I needed it.
Seeing as I was about to head to danger, it was the right time.
I had mulled over the stat distribution in the past and couldn't decide on a good strategy.
I didn't have enough points to have all my stats raised to a substantial number and thus had to make a choice.
And I did make my choice, which I thought would be the best for me.
Seeing as I wasn't going to be much of a help in the real fight, I didn't increase my strength. INT and WIS were attractive, I would admit, but they co-related more to Magic and less to my actual Intelligence and Wisdom. That is not to say they didn't relate to those at all, because they did, but I wasn't going to become a genius if I doubled my INT or wouldn't become a Wiseman if I did the same to my WIS. Still, out of the two, INT seemed like it'd be helpful since it helped me in calculations and increased my thinking speed. Supposedly. I couldn't tell a real difference so far.
WIS, on the other hand, was linked to my MP regen, which, I didn't even have at the moment. So, it was kind of useless to me.
AGI was on the list of stats I was definitely going to raise. The faster I was, the better. It was also linked to evasion. And I would rather not get hurt, if I could help it.
END was linked to my HP regen, and so was on the list, though with slightly lower priority. Again, I was planning to NOT get hit.
DEX was kind of useless for this endeavor—I thought— and thus excluded.
Finally, LUC. Definitely on the list. In fact, it was going to be at the top of the list. You can never have enough Luck. And I would need every ounce of it.
No, I didn't miss CHA. I just wasn't stupid enough to waste my points on it since I highly doubted Grimm would leave me alone if I was slightly more attractive or whatever.
And so, with that decided, I updated the stats.
[–Status–]
Name: Damian Pendragon
Age: 18
Race: Human
Class: Dragon Tamer(Initiate)
---
Tier: I
Level: 8/10
---
HP: 380/380
MP: -Locked-
Aura: -Locked-
---
STR: 10
END: 13
AGI: 15
DEX: 10
INT: 15
WIS: 10
CHA: 10
LUC: 15
---
SP: 0
DP: 10
---
Gold: 129,300
---
Dragons:
Pyra (Lvl 15)
Nixie (Lvl 13)
♦-♦-♦
'Hopefully, this is good enough. If I could have 2 more levels… no, forget it. I hardly get XP here. Most of it came from the Quest Rewards from the repairing Trainer's Hut quest. Leveling up my dragons gives me a minimal amount of XP, and so does building new structures, but they've barely contributed maybe one or two level-ups. Too slow. I can't wait another week or two in hopes that I can reach the next Tier. My mind will go crazy from the boredom and loneliness.'
Taking one final breath, I looked at my dragons.
"Ready?"
I got two sounds of affirmation and so, with a determined but nervous face and a self-made wooden pole/spear I had made from one of the thicker branches of the Apple trees in the past few days as my impromptu weapon, I willed the portal to open.
"Let's do this."
'Please let this not be a big mistake.'
***