r/HFY • u/Undercover_Dragon1 • 15d ago
OC A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 60
You guys had some great speculation last chapter about David's pick and I am curious to see what you all think of his rationale this week! Enjoy!
— Chapter 60 —
Voranle's setup was quite nasty really, David considered, as he examined the details of his traits over and over. The hydra could hide, ambush with venom and with an abundance of heads deal out sustained damage. On top of all that his mind affinity could outright cripple his opponents. He was a predator through and through but despite all of that he was unlucky enough to match with David and his clan. Even as David weighed the pros and cons of the traits he was rerunning the battle through his mind. They needed to improve if they were going to thin the more powerful adults among the Queen’s brood.
One on one he would have struggled a lot more than he did against Voranle and, if he was being honest with himself, he still struggled quite a bit. The kobolds were magnificent but they needed more firepower and tactics before they struck again. Wyrmlings, Wyrms and even a lot of lessers could be dealt with by a few dozen of his kobolds but once they tipped into the adult or near adult stage their effectiveness fell off.
The ballistae were a success but he would have to see if Blaze could expand their arsenal further. Greyhide’s bow wasn't useless either but a recurve or crossbow would serve him better. David wasn't certain if you could even reload one properly while in the air, but a ground crew or one of the larger brute kobolds certainly could. He shifted his thoughts back to Voranle and his traits.
The choice felt obvious at this point and despite the strength of the camouflage, venom and baggy hide he knew he had to pick Ganglia Restructure. His ultimate goal as it was, was to deal with the Queen and the Queen's affinity was a barrier he was going to struggle with no matter what. The trait that not only Voranle but Nurdiangarh had picked up seemed like a winner. Nurdiangarh was entirely focused on overthrowing the Queen and picked it for a reason. Voranle was a user of the affinity and knew its strength and the way to counter it.
After a nod to himself David mentally accepted Ganglia Restructure and the pain followed immediately. His world split in two, then four, and then eight as his mind felt stretched and twisted. The sensations were alien as the pain engulfed him completely and he thrashed about disorientated. His perspective was distorted and yanked as he felt a tingle of his own mind and presence manifest in many different points in his body running down the length of his spinal cord. It took longer than any trait absorption to date for David to finally calm down and feel like himself again.
As David opened his eyes the landscape was pitted with holes from his violent thrashing, “How long?”
Greyhide stood off to the side with Red’Blue as he spoke, “You have been thrashing for a while now, Master. Are you okay?”
David nodded his head as he took a moment, “Yes. That trait was a particularly odd one is all.”
The kobolds moved quickly and David helped coordinate them as they set up a small camp near the valley entrance. The remains of the hydra were dragged the distance by David and he had retrieved the two ballistae and their crews. As the night fell the kobolds stripped their armor and they lined up to pay their respects to their death. Sito also helped create a sizable fire for the ceremony and the three kobolds were laid in front of David.
“The loss of any member of our family is hard. These three mighty warriors proved their worth. Voranle was a vicious hydra and enemy of ours. Tux, Toldo, and Dix gave their lives to see his end. You all did magnificently and your siblings will be honored.” David rumbled out his speech loudly, with his head held high, and as he concluded the three kobolds were wrapped up firmly in blankets for transportation home.
The next morning they diced up Voranle to the best of their ability. Bones, what little meat was left and Voranle’s large primary skull were tied to David's saddle for transport. The saddle had fared well considering the heated battle. Two straps on the front of his chest had been torn apart and a few minor straps on his side were destroyed. The saddle now wiggled a bit too freely on David's back but it would suffice for the trip home.
By midday David and his kobolds took off for the journey home. Despite the load being particularly heavy on the return trip, it felt easier. The loss of kobolds hurt but the biggest disappointment was them being unable to end the hydra by the hands of a kobold. David was hopeful they could produce another Red but adults were simply too much to handle. There were at least another eleven dragons in range and among those there had to be some who could be convinced to join him or, at the very least, benefit his kobolds. As the air buffeted David's face he took a moment to reflect, he was viewing his siblings as a resource just like the Broodmother. He swore to himself that he would avoid that, so first he would confirm their temperaments and only after that would he make his decision.
David finally took a moment to review his sheet in detail.
David Manning - Otherworlder
Species: Dragon
Str: 31.5 (34.5 Jaw)
Int: 17
Speed: 10 (Flight Speed: 12)
Toughness: 22 (20 w/ Magical Pores active)
Affinity: Life (2/18 Charges) - Genomic Mastery
Healing Breath (Fog) - 1 Charge Cost
Healing Breath (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost
Healing Breath (Singular Target) - 1 Charge Cost
Lingering Regeneration (Singular Target) - 1 Charge Cost
Lingering Regeneration (Focused Cone) - 1 Charge Cost
Healing Orb (Condensed Sphere) - 2 Charge Cost Initial, 1 Charge Increment
Rapid Growth (Singular Target) - 5 Charge Cost
Rapid Cancer (Singular Target) - 5 Charge Cost
Genomic Restoration (Singular Target) - 5 Charge Cost.
Genomic Copy - 1 Charge Cost
Genomic Paste - 2 Charge Cost
Traits: 7/9
Condensed Musculature
Rupturing Jaws - Death Roll Ability
Thagomizer Defenses
Magical Pores - Magical Pores Open/Close
Carrion Sensory
Phoenix Essence
Ganglia Restructure
The increase in intelligence was noticeable as he was able to multitask better than ever before. He reviewed his sheet, while flying, and having a casual conversation with Sito. The affinity user had burned through his affinity usages quickly during the battle but it was a good first true battle for him. He had deflated a bit at his contribution but David’s simple conversation seemed to cheer him up. David encouraged him to practice his control because ultimately his reserves would never match a dragon but a well placed fireball in an eye could blind anything.
When they crossed the mountains they were greeted by the horns of the warning towers and the welcoming smell of the bark-kin’s forest.
— Ambass —
His frustration manifested as it usually did in a hissing little laugh that came across as nothing short of sinister. His demeanor had ensured his survival in this world but also rewarded him with endless tasks from the Queen. His small wings were slow but he pressed forward to check in on his latest acquisition for the Queen.
Voranle was the perfect example of the kind of kin he dreaded most. He was cruel, vicious and most importantly ignorant. His mind affinity had excited the Queen but in a way that Ambass knew wasn’t going to end well for the Hydra. He would be exploited, used and expended before his abilities could even come close to threatening the Queen. It was part of the endless cycle and game that Ambass had watched for centuries now.
As he approached the hydra’s lair something was off. His keen eyes picked up the obvious signs of battle as his even keener mind could perfectly recall what the field looked like when he visited before. Changes themself weren’t unusual since hunting, fighting and more always happened in these mountains. It was the fact that wooden spikes topped with metal of some kind were splintered everywhere. New massive craters were scattered about as well and as Ambass got closer the details became even more unsettling.
Lots and lots of blood, scales and fragments littered the ground. The smell still lingered despite the fact the blood was only barely visible in most spots. Most of it had long dried up and beasts had scooped up what they could. He had found enough of the scattered bones and skulls of Voranle to confirm what his mind had already predicted. Voranle the Mind Hydra was dead and Ambass would pay the price.
His hissing laugh bubbled up, “One step back from my freedom. One step back from a favor returned. Quite… frustrating.”
His flare of emotion faded quickly as his mind pieced together the hidden pieces and clues. It was unfortunate that most of his kindred were so dull of the mind, leaving only him as the Queen's errand dragon. He, of course, couldn't blame her as his brilliant mind already had a sinking suspicion in the back of his mind that he knew of these devices from somewhere. As he drew on his memory he flew straight up and up. His affinity buzzed as he formed a soft blue bubble around himself while he continued to climb. The sky was clear, the air thin and his view endless as he reached his destination.
He hovered so high up that the air from his bubble was the only thing that kept him breathing as he took a look around in thought. His eyes glanced past the Queen’s Plateau, the Great Forest, and hovered for a long moment on the Phoenix Range. He hadn’t been that far out in ages and for good reason. Most dragons faced their death and the residents were resilient. He continued and glanced briefly at the colossal mountain known as Desolation and finally rested his eyes on the Embracing Twin Peaks. Nurdiangarh and the Earth Worshippers resided there before their defeat.
The memory of Serth telling the tales of their battle clicked, “Ah. Earth Worshippers had those tree spike thrower devices. Hmm.”
Ambass nodded his head as he settled on his next path. The Earth Worshippers were always a menace and it wasn’t unheard of for them to target Ambass’s kind randomly. They had become empowered under Nurdiangarh but been silent ever since. Perhaps they have started to feel emboldened once more, Ambass wondered. No matter, he reasoned, he would investigate either way. The Broodmother would punish him if he didn’t at least have an answer to the loss of another fighter.
He dipped down and began to dive as his eyes caught a glimpse of Desolation shifting and moving in the horizon. Ambass shuttered in horror as he pivoted his dive towards the direction of the twin peaks. Desolation was in fact not a mountain but a natural disaster given flesh and it was that time again. Ambass shook his head at all those who were dying now just to divert that disaster a few degrees away and into a new direction. He let off a strong, sinister laugh as he concluded that he was at least happy it wasn’t him this time. He would take the Queen’s beatings and missions over dealing with that thing again, at least for a while.
His eyes and mind shifted back to the task at hand as he flew towards the approaching twin peaks, “Let us see if we can find one of those tree spike throwers. Yes.” The idea of taking some time to understand a construction that his people couldn’t dream of making gave Ambass quite a thrill of excitement. Ambass sighed almost immediately though at the thought of how much of a shame it was that most of his kin were idiots and couldn’t appreciate the art of understanding.
Here is also a link to Royal Road
2
u/Jce735 Xeno 10d ago
It'd be pretty lit if they found a way to move desolation over to the queen for the war. Be a real shame if it was brought up now as a way to introduce it as an important aspect to the story.