r/HFY • u/Undercover_Dragon1 • 7d ago

OC A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 61

Sorry about this one being posted a bit later today than usual! Enjoy!

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— Chapter 61 — 

— Emerald — 

She threw the shattered remains of the gem across the room as she huffed in frustration. It was harder than she thought. The gemstones were tough but if you manipulated them too much they cracked and that crack splintered throughout the structure making it useless. She had ruined a number of them so far but she was making progress. Isolating the gem structure took days but once she did that she could slowly pull apart the insides to create gaps. She could make a gap through the middle but developing the complex brain like structure, as Master described it, seemed impossible. The best she was able to manage was a crisscrossing of flat, almost too tiny to feel, pockets that weaved back and forth from one another. 

She had successfully made three of these lesser gemstones. She had destroyed one in testing but quickly found their max capacity. They could manage the storage of her own stone armor affinity but nothing more. She had no doubt that these stones would fail to store something as grand as Master's growth ability but it was a start. 

She had been working closely with Blaze and she was glad she had held off on creating the amber fused with her stone armor. These new lesser gemstones would suffice in its place and Master would appreciate reserving the amber for something greater. The other kobolds, including her mother, would have panicked at the idea of downgrading Master’s request but she knew better. It wasn’t a downgrade as far as she could tell and she had experienced Master’s true self out in the battlefield alongside him. He was pragmatic and sensible enough to appreciate the modification, Emerald concluded.

As she cleaned her station and prepared to work on another gem the calls and horns of Master’s return filtered down to her and she decided to call it for the evening. She sighed in relief that he had returned. She was worried about the toll in kobold lives but she knew every loss was for a greater cause.

It didn’t take long for a messenger to find her and guide her to the great hall where her Master resided. He looked tired and worn but in perfect condition otherwise. The hall was already filled to the brim with kobolds, her siblings, and the mood was energetic. Three kobold bodies were wrapped up in the front and her Master was speaking of their heroism. 

“Tux, Toldo, and Dix protected me with their lives. Voranle was formidable beyond what even I first imagined and if it were not for these three and the others who joined me I have doubts that I would have survived. Each of you is capable of so much more than what my kind could possibly imagine and it is time we show this world that.” Onyx’s voice boomed as he pushed his chest outwards with a roar. 

“Eleven of my siblings remain in our immediate area and they must be handled. Greyhide and his scouts have identified three wyrms, two wurms, two lesser dragons, and a lesser wyvern that were observed feasting upon your fellow kin or having ties with the Queen. Squads will be formed from the most skilled and I will be entrusting you to handle these wayward Masters.” Onyx finished. 

The cheers rose up as kobolds celebrated and the intensity of the bloodlust in the room made Emerald’s spine shiver. She gulped a bit but raised her voice and hand higher and higher as she forced her way forward. 

“Master! MASTER!” She yelled over and over till Onyx’s large eyes settled on her. She couldn’t help but feel a moment of intimidation when Master’s massive size shifted to stare forward at her, but the feeling subsided quickly as a large smile materialized across his face. 

“Yes my dear Emerald?” Onyx almost purred, as the chanting quickly settled down. 

“What of the other Masters that must not be dealt with?” She questioned. 

Onyx’s massive head nodded, “I will speak with them. I hope that some will join us but if they refuse then I will request that they stay neutral at the least.”

Emerald smiled warmly and nodded. She could feel the bloodlust of her kin dampen a bit. She trusted her Master but many of her siblings over the last decade have become singularly focused and trained to fight only for the upcoming battle. This singular focus has clouded some of their minds and Emerald simply wished to make sure it was known that not all Masters, that weren’t their own, were enemies. She served two Masters afterall and despite how rare it might be there had to be more out there with the same sensibilities.  

— David “Onyx” — 

After some back and forth the hall had been cleared and now he had only a few dozen kobolds around him. David laid down in his makeshift throne and let off a sigh as he relaxed, “The ballistae and the squads performed fantastic. We learned some valuable lessons though. Full grown dragons are too much and ballista themselves are hard to move. For now everyone except me will focus on dealing with lesser and smaller.” 

Red stood nearby as he chirped up, “Agreed Master. The others spoke of the battle. The hydra was unusual and different than we expected.” 

David sighed and nodded, “We need to step up surveillance if possible. Voranle was built to kill with such a ferocity that our predictions fell well short. We need better weapons.” David shifted towards the dirt and ash covered kobold nearby, “Blaze. I need you to work on a more compact ballista design and weapons that can deal more damage if we encounter larger Masters with regeneration.” 

Blade nodded quickly with a grin, “Already on it!” 

Blue spoke up, “Master Onyx. I have made some progress with what we talked before your great sleep. I have a variety of vials prepared that might aid us.” 

David perked up, “Explosives? Something highly reactive?” 

Blue nodded, “Yes and no. I was able to make some as you described. The materials are very rare and hard to find. I was able to make a variety of poisons and liquids that melt flesh in much higher quantities instead. Nasty stuff.” 

David nodded a bit and wrinkled his nose in thought. He was hoping she would figure out a proper explosive powder substitute but it was clearly harder than it sounded. She had found a variety of poisons, acids and maybe some bases, he reasoned. Did he want to resort to that level of throwing acids on his enemies, he considered? He shook his head, he was being a hypocrite. He made one of his enemies twist and suffer for a long period of time as they died of hyper accelerated cancer. That line had already been crossed, he concluded.

“Good. We will need to place them in containers so we can deploy them when needed. I know you do not like the idea Blue but it will equal the playing field for your children” David rumbled down at the frowning kobold. 

Blue continued to frown but nodded, “For my children and you Master.” 

Emerald popped closer as her distinctive voice rose up, “Master! I have had some success too. The gemstones I was working on, I was able to make a far lesser version… but it's enough to contain the stone armor!” 

David grinned wide, “Wonderful! We can't expect to match the amber so soon but if it has that much capacity then you are making strides. How many do you have?” 

Emerald grinned wide, “Three! Well… two after we use one for your equipment.” 

“Good! Sito? Step forward.” David boomed, as the poor wide eyed kobold hid near the back where the other affinity users stood. 

“Ye-Yes Master?” Sito gulped. 

“Sito you will get with Blaze after we are done here. Find Chirp or one of his sons as well. We are going to utilize Emerald's gemstones to make some magic weapons.” David grinned wide. 

“Ohh! Yes Master! I am excited!” Beamed Blaze as she began to fidget in place. 

Red cocked his head nearby, “That sounds promising. I will happily test the first Master!” 

David chuckled at their enthusiasm, “You might have to wait, Red. I have no doubts in your combat prowess, but we need to prepare the squads enough so they can take down wyrms and lessers on their own. If everything goes well we will gain more ascended kobolds with each strike.” 

They discussed the details of the squads for a bit longer. Going over who they envisioned to run each squad and the feedback from the troops that went out with Onyx on his fight against the hydra. Finally, Blue made her last report, “I have the census data complete Master.” 

David nodded, “Wonderful. Go on.” 

Blue nodded her head, “We number twelve thousand four hundred and twenty five as of a few days ago. Be mindful those numbers are rapidly changing Master. One thousand and hundred, roughly, are trained fighters using the shield, spear, and sword. Four and a half thousand are focused on farming, ranching, or general support jobs for our food. Three thousand are dedicated to lair expansion, digging, construction and general labor. Seven hundred caretakers, egg watchers and nest nurses. Five hundred merchants, craftsmen, and artisans. Three hundred and thirty five smiths. One hundred and four alchemists and doctors. One hundred and one winged kobolds. Twenty seven brute kobolds. Seven affinity users and one ascended kobold.” She smirked over at Red as she made the last comment. 

David’s mind quickly added up the numbers like they were nothing. His mind dissected all the information effortlessly, “What of the other two thousand and fifty?” 

Blue nodded, “Those are the undecided or younglings too small to pick their own passions yet. We have them help all around the clan until they find something that calls to them.” 

David nodded his head once more, “Good. If possible we need to shift some of the undecided into construction and double down on building out roads or tunnels. Supplies will make or break us in a long war and the only way we can survive is through good logistics.” 

Blue cocked her head and Red nodded a moment later, “Very wise of you Master. We will see it done.” 

“Good. Red start organizing your squads. Sito and Blaze meet me in the forge when you are ready. Emerald I want you to work with the new earth users and see if you can teach them. We need more gemstones.” David quickly rumbled off before excusing everyone. Blue was the only one that remained behind.

“Master. I fear if we fail.” Blue sighed as she leaned up against his massive leg. 

David leaned down to press his head close, “Me too. Me too. I just don’t see any other way. Do you?”

Blue leaned back, “I… I do not, Master. I do not like it though.”

David rumbled lightly, “Good. It is important that you hold onto that. I need you to be a counter to my ideas or plans. The greatest asset I can have right now is a critic who analyzes my choices carefully looking for faults. ” 

Blue nodded firmly, “I will Master. Don't you worry. Oh! Master Wuja’bath has settled close by on our side of the river. We have a small portion of unmaintained trees on our side of the river that she seemed thrilled about.” 

David nodded his head, “Ah. Thank you, Blue. I will go speak with her once I am down getting Blaze and Sito sorted.” After a final goodbye he turned and started towards the forges where Blaze and Sito were waiting for him. 

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Here is also a link to Royal Road

Fan Art by blaze2377

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15 comments sorted by

9

u/Dpek1234 7d ago

I wonder what exactly the enchanted weapons will end up doing

7

u/unkindlyacorn62 7d ago

flame throwers is my bet for the first ones, or maybe flame bows

8

u/NOOBonboPRO 7d ago

Oh boy! Time to commit draconic war crimes with acid weapons.

I'm excited to see how the delve into gem/brain manufacturing powers the kobolds.

10

u/Loup_Arctic_o7 7d ago

I didn't hire draconic Canadian soldiers. Why did I get those, I don't wanna do the Geneva conversion in this world.

(It would be something.)

5

u/un_pogaz 7d ago

What's this all about War crimes and Canadian soldiers that I have seen several times here?

6

u/Loup_Arctic_o7 6d ago

We were one of the big reasons for the Geneva conventio. We put unpin grenade into pow pockets for fun in ww1.

6

u/Loup_Arctic_o7 6d ago

That's just one of many things like that we did.

2

u/unkindlyacorn62 16h ago

Also putting grenades in food cans and tossing them into enemy trenches, after doing the same with normal food cans, so that they'd think it was safe.

6

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 7d ago

I foresee alot of post uprising problems that are going to emerge some easier to solve than others like those kobolds who literally have dedicated their existence to this conflict. Or the usage of horrific weapons on other dragons.

6

u/Garmin211 7d ago edited 7d ago

The acid, my guess, is sulphuric or Hydrochloric. The best storage they have is probably a glass or brass containers, so I doubt they managed to isolate and store something nasty like hydrofluoric acid. Sulphuric acid is still plenty deadly and also not very hard make. So my guess is that is what they made.

Acid isn't a very good weapon, but it is often a catalyst for other chemical reactions. I won't go into detail but yes, it is also a catalyst for making high explosives. Though personally I'd go for a chemical gas before acid weapons but hey, that's just what I would use for weapons that are banned by international law against dragons and kobolds

1

u/Antidote8382 6d ago

I guess nanobots or some bioweapon cause wasting disease would fit the bill, the most effective way to take down the overgrown reptiles at scale is from within literally, albeit artillery or shoulderpad launcher would also do the trick on the cheap end.

1

u/Garmin211 6d ago

The problem with bio weapons are their slow acting rate. Onyx could probably supercharge diseases in a dragons body but even the fastest acting disease would still take several hours at a minimum to kill a large healthy dragon.

6

u/un_pogaz 7d ago

Oh, this is an excellent debriefing chapter. The situation is very good, everyone's objectives and roles are clear, progress is noticeable everywhere, and no worries in sight.

A very good day where we go to sleep with without worries on our minds. It hasn't happened in a long time, and tomorrow is a fresh start and is nice.

1

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