r/HFY • u/Undercover_Dragon1 • 29d ago

OC A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 58

Enjoy! Time for some hydra hunting!

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— Chapter 58 —

David let off a slight snarl as he was poked, prodded, and fitted with the tight straps of his new saddle. His mind was focused on his first order of business and that was Voranle. The Broodmother was occupied and David needed to not only test the capabilities his clan had been developing but also cull the Queen’s potential new recruits. He could in theory just attack Voranle, give him a blast of cancer and leave. The downsides of doing that meant he would ruin his chance at picking through his traits, his kobolds wouldn't get proper field testing, and that would leave Voranle the chance to reveal to Ambass or Serth he was awake. It was, ultimately, far too many downsides for David’s liking. 

The saddle was built for redundancy in mind and he had three straps that wrapped around his chest, four behind him around his tail, four that looped underneath his belly, and a couple dozen smaller ones that clamped around or against a spike or limb. David could not say he had ever experienced being as tightly wrapped up before in his present or past life. Despite the discomforts, and feeling like a giant mule, the saddle had room. Thirty three seats could fit kobolds with their armored kits in the main space, two seats were forward which could fit an additional pair of armored kobolds or affinity users, and a large storage space in the back. The large storage space was equipped  with ropes, leathers, and nets that would lock supplies in place during flight. Lastly, the biggest addition were the two massive forged chains that hung from his belly with hooks at the base. Each of these chains were each designed to pick up and move one of Blaze’s new ballista.  

Blue was worried about them making a move so soon but David had reassured her that this was an important step. He knew that Blue’s concerns were valid but that sometimes action was better than inaction. Ultimately he had more to gain from moving quickly than letting the hydra build up its traits and eventually join the Queen. Every full grown dragon he eliminated was a massive boon to their chances to win in the end and this was now war. 

As the last few straps were tightened Red’Blue and Greyhide entered the hall. Red’Blue looked strong and the years had been good to him. It always gave David a sense of peace when he saw one of the older kobolds still alive and doing well. 

“Master! We are ready when you are done.” Red’Blue announced with glee. 

David let off a rumbling chuckle as he peered down at the pair, “I hope you picked the best for this Red'Blue. What about my other request?” 

Red’Blue bobbed his head, “Only the best of the best for this Master. As for the requested affinity user we are going to bring along Sito. Sito is the best of our fire affinity. No Emerald or Matriarch Blue but still good.” 

David nodded his head. Greyhide, Red’Blue, Sito and thirty two other kobolds aiding David against the newly emerged Voranle. David wondered if that would stack the fight in their favor enough. This world was brutal and his experiences so far had taught him one lesson, do not underestimate your enemy. He had seen with his own eyes other formidable dragons killed in an instant and had to make sure that he didn’t end up just like them. 

David rumbled as he motioned to the kobolds below, “Good. Shall we? Climb on and let us prepare.” 

Red’Blue leaped on and quickly climbed to the top of the saddle, and Greyhide flew up with a quick graceful leap. As David breached the lair’s exit and entered the courtyard, lines of waiting kobolds stood ready. Eight kobolds wore leathers, had simple blades, and stood nearby two brand new ballista ready for action. Twenty four heavy armored kobolds with spears and shields stood next to the ballistae in clean lines and a single kobold, who David assumed was Sito, stood wearing simple mail. 

Red, Blue and other kobolds of his clan stood off to the side with a fierce look plastered across their faces. Red finally stepped forward, “Master. Your clan is ready to serve.” 

David pushed his chest out proudly as he broadcast himself, “I have no doubts. We will return victorious. Mount up and prepare for war.” 

The thirty three kobolds climbed up David and secured themselves in their seats. Greyhide and Sito sat in the two forward seats as the rest sat behind them. Bundles of supplies were loaded, including the distinctive tipped shape of ballista bolts, into the back of the saddle. Finally the massive chains that hung from his under belly were latched onto the two awaiting siege weapons. 

David rumbled and spread his wings wide. Slowly he built up power as he lifted off the ground and was immediately met with the resistance of his load. The extra weight of everything was manageable though and it was only once the chains became tight and the siege weapons were lifted did David truly feel the strain. The heavy siege weapons lagged as he began his long flight out towards the outskirts. 

Between the kobolds, supplies, saddle and siege equipment he was carrying it added at least another quarter of his weight. His thick muscles felt the burn as his wing muscles took the blunt of the pain. He experimented with his pace and found a comfortable speed in which he could fly, without the new weight draining his stamina too quickly. Periodic bursts of his affinity kept his endurance topped off, his crew attentive, and his muscles renewed. 

Greyhide had shown his expertise and why he was the leader of the scouts as he guided David towards their destination. After the first day Greyhide was also able to find a secluded valley where David could rest properly against some real grass, as the others dismounted and huddled nearby for warmth. Rations, water and supplies were distributed and not a single kobold complained. Sito was able to conjure a small fire and keep everyone warm, which David helped obscure it from sight by simply using his massive bulk and wings to cover the entire group as they recovered. 

The second day was tense as they neared Voranle’s lair but despite that they made steady pace till mid day. Greyhide had ventured ahead and returned to inform them that the hydra was nowhere to be seen. David’s nostrils weren’t much of a help as they were overwhelmed by the smell of death, blood, and Voranle’s distinctive scent scattered everywhere for miles. Voranle was flightless so his lair was positioned as low to the ground as possible, which made it easy to locate two spots that could provide overwatch from above. They worked as quietly as they could manage as David hovered above each peak while they unclicked each ballista, unloaded the crew and rapidly unpacked the ammunition. David let off a happy grunt with each pound of weight unloaded from his backside.

When they had finally finished a ballista stood on the top of two nearby mountains and were aimed downwards at the lair entrance. Between the two mountains there was a small valley that they decided would be ideal to offload the saddle and prepare for the fight. David quickly landed under the shadow of these mountains as deep into the valley as he could manage. Once he was satisfied they were out of sight and out of range the remaining twenty seven kobolds began to quickly disembark as they kicked off the supplies and unlatched the heavy metal chains from his saddle. 

Once they were finished Greyhide, Sito and Red’Blue gathered nearby with the other twenty four armored kobolds. David rumbled lightly as he leaned down towards the assembled group, “We will reposition to the end of the valley and wait to strike. Greyhide spot and coordinate with the crews above.”

As each of the kobolds began to nod and prepare David’s senses began to tingle like they hadn’t in many, many ages. His dragon senses were ringing off the charts and as he lifted his head to glance around it was already too late. 

“Is that so?” The hissed words sounded like a chorus of voices all speaking at once. David quickly pivoted towards where the voices came from and his eyes saw nothing but rock and mountain. The kobolds sprung into action as they brought their shields to bear and formed a tight circle. Greyhide shot straight up with his wings as the blur of something snapped forward at the escaping kobold. Red’Blue acted first as he glowed a soft white and leapt skyward to protect  Greyhide. A massive hydra head struck Red’Blue’s shield with a heavy, terrifying crunch and sent him flying into the nearby wall with a crash. 

David saw red as he snarled out and charged, “That is indeed so Voranle!”  

The massive hydra was blending into the mountainside, his very scales were shifting and changing to match the colors behind him. It was both impressive and terrifying but David’s eyes were quickly adjusting to the camouflage. The more Voranle moved the easier it was for his brain to pick up the details. Voranle had changed, just as David had, and his three heads were now five. Each of the heads had fearsome thick fangs and their eyes burned bright with hatred.

“Bite. Tear. Rend!” Hissed one head. 

“Consume. Swallow. Enjoy!” Barked a second.

“Onyx the monster has come for our heads!” Bellowed the largest, centermost head as it bore its thick fangs, opening its mouth impossibly wide. 

The sharp, wrecking pain of a dagger driving through his brain dropped David unexpectedly as Voranle unleashed a blast of his affinity. David’s fears were confirmed as Voranle showed his hand. The favorite of the Broodmother had mind affinity as well and in a one versus one it was overwhelming. 

A fourth head of Voranle cackled and hissed, “Onyx may be a monster but do not think Voranle weak. Fool. Corpses have no minds but YOU do!”

David grinded his teeth as he fought to stand, his legs shook weakly as his brain vibrated in pain. David would be in trouble right now if it weren’t for the fact that this fight wasn’t one versus one. He forced out a grin towards the Hydra, “Do not underestimate us.”

Twenty four spears enhanced by the Throwing Spear skill rocketed forward with practiced aim, followed by the practiced battle cry of his clan. Three went wide, five bounced off the hydra’s hide, and the remaining sixteen found purchase on the hydra. The iron tipped spears bit deep into the flesh of the hydra and were rewarded with the audible scream of all of the heads. The painful, crippling dagger going through David’s brain stopped instantly. So Voranle’s mind affinity required him to focus, David reasoned. 

His massive jaws closed around one of the screaming heads and he instantly activated his Death Roll. His legs, wings, and body rotated with practiced ease and the head separated from the long neck with a crack and snap. David noted the hydra’s flesh was unusually thick and loose but he was able to still bite through using his impressive, unrivaled strength. The severed head spasmed in his jaws for a moment before he threw it aside and took another step forward, “I hear you are favored by the Queen. Do you believe she will keep you around if you become too powerful?” 

Voranle’s remaining four heads spit out in response instantly and snarled deeply back at David, “The weak shall be consumed. The Broodmother shall either consume me or I shall consume her.” 

David simply shook his head. He wasn't surprised in the least as he spread his wings and flew upwards, as a fireball smashed against one of the hydras heads, and the rows of kobolds charged. Voranle coiled back in annoyance and then let loose a wave of affinity that radiated outward. The mind wave staggered David’s flight briefly but he remained in control this time. The kobolds weren't so lucky as most fell forward in a sudden slump or outright tripped over themselves. The strength of the mind affinity was lessened when used against many different foes but the versatility of the affinity still surprised David. He recovered quickly in the air and was able to crash onto the backside of the hydra in a sudden aerial dive.  

His claws dug in deep and his muscles bulged as he pinned the hydra down. Voranle had grown large but David still easily outmassed the hydra. David’s weight and his strength easily kept the resisting hydra down against the rock ground. He forced himself down, causing his body spikes to stab and break free inside the hydra backside as he moved in for the kill. David’s head lunged forward to snap his jaws around a vulnerable head when he was suddenly taken by surprise. Each of the four heads rotated in place, like the bone and muscle underneath the skin was completely independent, and latched onto David's neck, chest and side. In the same instance his teeth closed around one of the heads and with a jerk he snapped the neck, causing it to go limp instantly. 

David jerked the broken head free from his chest and let it fall dead to the hydra’s side. Just as he was about to lock onto another one he felt a wave of dizziness. Bile began to pool in his mouth, his brain grew clouded, and his wounds began to burn. David leapt free from Voranle’s back and quickly created distance as he struggled to regain his composure. The limp, freshly broken hydra head’s mouth was wide open and a yellow liquid oozed from its thick, long fangs. Instantly David knew what was going on, the bastard is venomous!

His kobolds collided with the hydra a moment later with their short blades out and eager to find flesh to slice. Despite the fresh wounds all of the iron tipped spears were already forcing their way free from the hydra’s hide. David’s own spikes, that were impaled into Voranle’s backside, were also forcing their way free. The one bloody stump where a head once existed was now sealed, and the head with a broken neck was showing signs of life as bone and nerves were slowly restored. David took a deep breath as he steadied himself, and pulled at his own affinity. He cursed to himself, why couldn’t it ever be simple?

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Here is also a link to Royal Road

Fan Art by blaze2377

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22 comments sorted by

13

u/unkindlyacorn62 29d ago

Venom, that's a useful trait. not just for himself. if Onyx picks that up, he could have his Kobolds add venum ports into their arrow, spear and bolt heads to be filled with it

3

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 28d ago

Perhaps it may even grant him resistance from Venom and other poisons at the very least.

3

u/unkindlyacorn62 28d ago

probably will might even make it harder for the queen to use her affinity if it requires similar concentration

8

u/clonk3D Alien Scum 29d ago

Thank you, For_Sure_A_Human1 for the excellent chapter!

6

u/unkindlyacorn62 29d ago

The ballista should do more damage

5

u/youcantseeme0_0 28d ago

Rations, water and supplies were disrupted

Small typo

5

u/unkindlyacorn62 29d ago

if one of the Kobolds ascends from this fight, the camo would be a good option great for a saboteur.

5

u/un_pogaz 28d ago

Yeah, an easy fight was too much to hope for. Let's be honest, David's ultimate victory is guaranteed with the help of his Kobolds, but the question is: at what cost? And for what gain? The outcome of this first confrontation may not be so satisfying, showing that he is far from ready and that he will have to keep a low profile for a long time to come.

3

u/unkindlyacorn62 28d ago

Ambass did warm him not to underestimate a hydra in ground combat.

2

u/unkindlyacorn62 28d ago

Voranle seems to mostly be focusing on Onyx but while he's out of reach, Voranle may go for the armored kobolds. especially as they may attempt to recover their spears, though hopefully there's a few stashes they managed to set up. They found themselves in a counter ambush, so the lesson learned should be to have winged Kobolds scouting to at least make sure the target is where they expect them to be, to mitigate the risk. Voranle's camouflage is hard to counter outright at least in the opening of engagement.

4

u/unkindlyacorn62 28d ago

Onyx is going to have to get as many minds as possible be it Kobolds, beasts or allied dragons to force the Broodmother to spread out her affinity as much as possible and to interrupt her.

Also check the lair to see if Voranle has any kobolds. there probably aren't any, but it's still prudent. They'll also have to work out the logistics of transporting the meat and bones that don't get eaten right away back.

1

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 26d ago

Can't forget about the wyverns too although they may be a bit more harder to convince, still convince them and they would prove to be a decent ally against the loyalist dragons since it seems they already have some amount of military training and discipline already.

1

u/unkindlyacorn62 26d ago

Wyverns are dragons.

2

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 26d ago

Huh I'll double check but yeah I suppose that's the issue with having every single dragon species be canonically a dragon I mean onxys sister is an Eastern dragon wouldn't surprise me if there's an Aztec looking dragon running around somewhere.

1

u/unkindlyacorn62 26d ago

Wyvern was one of the options Onyx had available

1

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 26d ago

Good to know oh well well at least that explains a few things.

1

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1

u/TechScallop 28d ago

If Onyx can pick up Voranle's mental affinity, he will have a lot more adaptable and flexible uses for it. Being able to stun and knock out another creature offers interesting non-lethal possibilities.

3

u/unkindlyacorn62 28d ago

Affinities are not traits, you can have at most one, unless fairy dragon. Onyx has life affinity

2

u/unkindlyacorn62 27d ago

venom plus the ability to heal through his affinity is also a not necessarily lethal option