I enter the cave where the blind shaman is supposed to be. It's pitch black inside, but luckily I have Darkvision. At the end of the cave, I see an orc sitting next to a bonfire. Not as old as I thought. He has dark gray skin, braided hair, and typical orc tusks. His eyes are milky white and he shows no reaction as I approach.
"Orc shaman... Come with me and teach me, or I will break your legs and drag you with me." I threaten in Goblinoid. I hope he understands.
The orc remains silent. As I get closer, he breaks the silence.
"What could I teach a dragon?"
What? Wasn't he supposed to be blind? How does he know that I'm a dragon?
"You must teach me the language of my kin. Draconian." I say proudly.
After a few moments of silence, the shaman smiles and stands up.
"So be it. Lead the way. I am blind after all..."
§ § § § § §
As we exit the cave, I grab the orc and take flight. He remains calm during the journey. Everything is going smoothly. Too smoothly, perhaps.
"My name is Farat. What is your name, wyrmling?" The orc asks calmly. He doesn't seem to care about height. He must really be blind...
"Akalani." I answer.
"Are you red, by any chance?"
"No. I am the color of copper."
"Your name comes from the color red. Why?" He looks intrigued.
"Because my fire is red." I respond. But as I think about it, Ralkor has never seen me breathe fire. How could he know that my flames are red? I should ask him about it the next time he wakes up.
When we arrive at the goblin village, the elderly goblin approaches me along with a scout. Both of them appear concerned. She reveals that the scout's partner was captured while they were searching for the shaman in the territory controlled by the bugbears. The scout fears that the bugbears will harm his partner. The elderly goblin pleads for me to rescue her.
But why should I? I have already obtained the orc shaman. The usefulness of this village seems to have reached its limit. It would be best to set everything on fire and leave.
"Will you retrieve the female goblin?" The orc shaman asks.
"Why should I?" I respond dryly.
"Because it seems like you promised to protect this village. And now you are breaking your promise."
"And?" My gaze pierces through his milky white eyes.
"If you don't fulfill your promise, I won't be able to teach you Draconian."
"Why you care?"
"Why don't you? Fulfill your promise, and I will fulfill mine."
I let out a growl of frustration. Then I ask the scout goblin for the direction to the bugbear camp and take flight towards it.
Bugbears are a particularly violent type of goblinoid. This rescue mission is going to be a pain.
§ § § § § §
After flying for a few hours, I spot the bugbear camp. It is quite large, with dozens of goblinoids, including bugbears, goblins, and hobgoblins. As soon as they see me, they begin shooting arrows.
I circle the camp and see a fence with prisoners. My goblin must be there. But before I retrieve her, I need to deal with these archers. This hail of arrows is starting to hurt me and it will certainly kill her during our escape.
I inhale and breathe fire onto a group of archers. Then I move to the next group. Quickly, my crimson flames engulf the camp, and the smell of burnt goblinoids fills the air.
When most of the threats were being neutralized, I heard a roar. A burly and fierce goblinoid throws a javelin at me. He seems to be the leader of the camp. I dodge the first projectile, but he throws a second one that hits my wing directly. A critical hit!
"You son of a bitch!" I yell in anger.
When I land on the ground, I run towards the bugbear leader who now wields an axe. I try to bite him, but he dodges and counterattacks, tearing through my chest. Enough! My vision turns red. This little worm will die in the worst possible way.
I'm raging now.
I slash his chest with the claws of my wing and then toss him with a swipe of my tail. When he falls, I bite his shoulder and I hear the bones cracking. The bugbear starts punching my face uselessly as I chew on his shoulder. I open my jaws and bite his arm this time. I hold his body with my wings while I pull his arm with my jaw until I rip it off. Finally, I unleash a jet of crimson flames, finishing off the bugbear leader that burns to cinders.
I continue with my rampage until I kill or drive away all the members of the settlement. When I finally calm down, I make my way to the fence looking for the goblin I came to rescue. Alongside her, there are more prisoners who are also set free.
With my wing injured, the journey back to the Gorkaki village will be on foot. Following my trail, come the other prisoners of the bugbear settlement: an ogre, two orcs, three hobgoblins and five goblins, including the one I came to rescue.
§ § § § § §
Upon arriving at the village, I am greeted with a celebration. The goblins now genuinely believe that I am here to protect them. The elder approaches me and asks what should be done with the other prisoners. The orc shaman butts into the discussion saying that they must be welcomed. What's wrong with this guy?
The elder mentions the idea of the village starting to raise cattle. They were hesitant to try it before because it could attract dangerous beasts. But with me here, she says there's nothing to worry about.
Perhaps it's not such a bad idea... If these mongrels can actually develop decent livestock, I won't need to go out hunting anymore.
The following days were quite busy in the village. Temporary tents were set up for the new residents. Preparations began for the construction of livestock enclosures and stone houses. With the ogre, the orc couple, and the hobgoblins here, there was now enough manpower for such heavier tasks.
Meanwhile, the shaman Farat began my lessons in Draconian. I am also learning the writing system of Goblinoid. I use one of my wing claws to write on the village's dirt floor, trying to imitate the shaman's writing. Apparently, he was not always blind and still remembers how most words are written.
After days of being dragged through this hectic pace of change, I get a little surprise when I stop to check my scroll life. Apparently, after the battle with the bugbears, I gained one more barbarian level.
§ § § § § §
Name: Akalani | Race: Copper Wyvern | Class: Barbarian 3 Fighter 1
Title: None | Background: Savage | Age: 37 y.o (wyrmling)
Size: Large | Speed: 9m (30'), Flight 18m (60')
HP: 97 | MP: 16 | Defense: 22
Attributes: Strength 5 | Dexterity 2 | Vigor 4 | Intellect 0 | Senses 0 | Charisma 0
Skills: Athletics, Fortitude, Initiative, Intimidation, Fighting, Survival, Will
Features: Draconic Scales (Fire), Dragon Breath (Fire), Dragon Flight, Monster Vitality, Darkvision, Rage, Unarmed Attack, Primal Instinct
§ § § § § §
Apparently, my defense, strength, and vigor have increased, and I gained this feature called Primal Instinct. That's good, but it's not exactly what I wanted. If things continue this way, the gap between my physical and mental stats will only grow. I should ask Farat to start my initiation into shamanic rites as soon as possible.
I'm almost certain I should take a few druid levels...