Dragon Sorcerer 1- Interlude 5 (Patreon)

If it hasn't become obvious the interludes will be more numerous here because I want to show more of the story from Cami's perspective. It's a good counter-balance to Nico's perspective. At least I feel like it is.

The third part of this Interlude is updated stat sheets- if you don't care about that then feel free to skip that last 3rd. 

Interlude 5- Cami/Modessa/Stats

Much of what happened felt like a dream to Cami. She felt the were-tiger’s breath on her neck just an instant before the pain. It was a searing pain like now other. Claws dug through her back and burst out the front of her ripping small holes through her. Something inside felt like it was shredded but she couldn’t even say that was the worst of it.

There was no way to describe the pain that occurred when a chunk of her neck and shoulder were ripped out. She felt the magic which had been cast on her activate and knew that the blow should have been fatal. Her thoughts possessed an odd clarity in that moment as everything seemed to slow to a crawl. Death had been her fate, but the blessing of a goddess cast from her servant had saved Cami’s life.

Yet just as surely she knew it was a onetime boon. It wouldn’t stop the follow up blow that she just knew was about to fall. She didn’t even try to look back at her killer, she didn’t want his or her face to be the last thing she saw. The blow never came.

Cami fell limply to the ground. The impact hurt horribly but a rush of emotion helped her ignore that agony. He had come for her. Nico had stopped her killer before he could land another blow. More than that, she could feel his fury. Nico was ready to tear the monster apart. He was ready to expose his secret to the world if need be.

It was such a jumble of emotion. Nico was afraid of the adventurers. He wouldn’t admit it to himself, but she could feel it. They were all strong, maybe stronger than him. The dragon in him couldn’t admit that, but he knew with certainty that he wasn’t yet strong enough to deal with the entire party of adventures.

He knew that if he exposed his draconic nature to them that he’d be done for. As soon as they finished with the trolls and ogres they’d be on him. Despite that, she sensed his willingness to transform, if that was what was require to kill this monster. The idea of transforming and carrying her off to live alone in the desert with her was strongly running through his mind.

Cami couldn’t so much read his thoughts as get a feel of his motivations and interests. His dragon mind was so much more raw and primal than her own. There were powerful instincts in play and yet he could be cold and conniving too. She also knew the only reason that he wasn’t flying off was because of her. She was too injured to be moved.

Cami expected that no matter what Nico did, she was going to die soon. All of her grand adventures cut short before she truly got started. Worst of all it was from some random encounter which wasn’t even part of their trip. She would have wept but it was taking all her strength not to cry out in pain. Her wounds hurt so badly. She was afraid if she did though that it would distract Nico at a crucial moment.

All she could see were flashes of the fight, but she soon realized he was fighting not one but two monsters. Time stood still as her pain made everything else fade into the distance and then it was over. Nico dropped to his knees beside her and she felt his fear, fear for her.

In that moment, delirious with pain, and dancing along death’s door, Cami made a vow to herself. If she survived this… if some miracle occurred she was not going to hold back. She was going to live life to its fullest and so would Nico, even if she had to drag him kicking and screaming along with her.

That thought made her laugh or at least start to before pain ripped through her. Nope, that wasn’t a good idea. Then Lisella was kneeling over her and she felt the woman’s hands. Goddess, she was so lovely and from what she’d heard she was a princess of sorts too. Cami didn’t know where the kingdom of Forlay was, but apparently Lisella’s father was a duke there and she was third in line for the crown because the king had no heirs. She was gorgeous too, everything that Cami hoped to be someday. She couldn’t blame Nico for spending time with the priestess. He’d be a fool to rebuff the woman’s advances, even if Cami secretly wished he would.

Then the power of a goddess rushed through her as divine healing back brought her back from the brink. She hadn’t bother to look at her status screen but was pretty sure she’d been hovering at zero HP for longer than anyone had a right to.

Lisella said to Nico, “That’s all I can do now. By all rights she should have already been dead. I’m not sure what kept her from dying.”

Nico had then insisted that the priestess cast a lower level spell on her. They argued but eventually Nico got his way. Cami almost wished he hadn’t because the dragon become man had to all but promise to let Lisella become his mentor. Modessa had explained that would likely entail fringe benefits as a mentor and mentee spent several years together and grew closer than many a husband and wife.

When the second spell hit her she felt just slightly stronger but it wasn’t like the first one. That had been a torrent of healing power rushing into her. This one just seemed to nudge her body along. But then wonder of wonders, she felt the spell hit her again, stacking with the one which had just been cast. This time though it was Nico casting the spell. He did so again and again and again until it was layered five times on her.

It still wasn’t that raw surge of power but she felt much healthier. Within minutes it was as though she’d been resting for more than a day. Nico remained sitting next to her and that comfort allowed her to close her eyes again. She drifted off to sleep secure in the knowledge that he would protect her. He was her dragon after all and she was going to ride him someday. She just needed to be patient for him to get comfortable with the idea.

The next thing she knew Serius was telling them he was going to teleport them all. She had to fight to keep the bear cubs with them. She wasn’t sure, but she felt a special connection with Patch and Rollie and thought perhaps in the future they’d be important.

Once she was up in the wagon she waited while Nico argued a bit with Serius. He had a point. If they could have teleported why hadn’t they done so already, but she tuned the two out as she had some notifications.

She smiled when she saw that she her bond with Nico had increased. The grin got even bigger when she realized that he had spent DKP to increase the bond. She didn’t know what DKP was exactly but realized that it was something like XP. Cami wasn’t sure why she got both DKP and XP but Modessa had explained that XP was how she would increase her level in whatever class she chose.

Modessa also revealed that she was able to see Cami’s stat sheet but apparently, could only see one class, specifically her mage class. From what she was told that was a generic class and she would need to pick a real class as soon as possible so as not to miss out on any of the perks that more specialized classes had.

Modessa didn’t say anything about the DKP though. Cami saw that she now had three DKP to spend. One from surviving a near fatal attack, one from before, and one from Nico increasing their bond. That seemed like a cheat of sorts but she just didn’t know enough to say. He spent points to raise their bond level and she got points back.

She saw that she had six options available for upgrades. She didn’t know if that was an impressive number of not.

Create Food and Water (1 DKP)—Conjure food and water out of thin air. Create enough to satisfy the needs of a single human for one day. The food will be basic but tasty. Cast Time: 1 minute. Mana Cost: 3.

Fabricate (2 DKP)—Take base materials and create a new product from them. May affect up to 2 cubic feet of material at current level. End product will be of standard quality. Quality may be improved by mastering the relevant mundane skills required to craft the desired item. Cast Time: 1 minute. Mana Cost: 15.

Cami read the first two. Growing up on a farm, running out of food had been one of the very few fears she had never had. She feared a beating from her father. She feared not having new clothes and looking silly in her old things which she’d outgrown. She feared being married off to a man much older than her just so her father could get her out of the house. Actually, no. Those were fears from her past. She no longer worried about those. But the point was that despite how useful she could imagine the ability to create food and water would be, she only had three DKP and didn’t want to use them for that.

Fabricate was an amazing ability. She was almost certain that it was what Nico had done to make his clothes before. He’d looked a little silly with the shimmering shirt but the ability to combine cloth and metal so effortlessly would make craftsmen go crazy, she was sure. Still, if Nico already had that power it seemed like a waste for her to get it. They were a team or they were becoming a team if she had anything to say about it. So their powers should complement each other.

Thus she read down to the next two choices.

Tough Hide 2  (3 DKP) This ability will toughen your skin and increase your base damage resistance by 2 points for all sources. Swords will cut a little less, flames won’t burn quite so much. This is an upgradeable ability but your bond level will need to increase in order to grow it further.

Strength of the Dragon 1 (3 DKP) Your connection with Nicosandumas already allows you to share a small portion of his strength. If you wish to grow even stronger you may choose this ability. Your Strength stat will be increased by a flat +15. This is an upgradeable ability but your bond level will need to increase in order to grow it further.

Ohhh… both of those were very tempting. She liked the idea of being stronger. If she’d possess that strength her father never would have been able to pick on her before. Glancing at her strength it was currently sitting at 11 and that was with 1% of Nico’s strength becoming her own. With this ability she could more than double her strength.

But the recent near death experience she had made the idea of toughening her skin seem rather important. It was only two points but then again the blessing of Miseria had turned a killing blow into a near death experience. That made her believe that even small boons could make a big difference in the end.

Still she decided to look at the last two possible choices.

True Rider (DKP: 3) – This is a pre-requisite to gaining the class: Dragon Rider. Dragon Rider is a rare class and the first of a set of upgradeable chain of classes. Choosing this talent gives you the ability to ride on a dragon without a saddle. You will stay connected at least as well as if you were strapped in with a saddle. This is an upgradeable ability.

As much as she wanted to take that ability, and Cami wanted it so badly that she could taste it, she couldn’t. She wanted to ride in the sky on Nico’s back and see the world the way he had seen it. She wanted that freedom. But, she wouldn’t choose this ability or the Dragon Rider Class unless Nico agreed with it. She still remembered how hurt he had looked when she talked about the image of the wing which had been the strongest one in her test. No, she couldn’t’ do that to him. It had to be something he chose on his own.

Thinking about Nico actually made her choice easy as she looked at the next choice. With this she could increase their bond but hopefully it would mean that Nico would gain a DKP back just like she had when he increased the level of their bond.

Enhance Bond- You may increase the depth of the connection with your bonded. Current level: 4. Each level increase comes with variable benefits, some of which are intangible. The cost for each upgrade is ½ DKP times the new level rounded up.

Cami took in a deep breath as she felt the connection deepen. She could feel more of what Nico was thinking. It was almost like she could reach out to his mind. She felt like she could say ‘hello’ to him just by thinking it.

Her eyes shot open as she heard him say back to her, “Cami?”

She bit her lip to keep herself from squealing. This was too good but it had to stay a secret. Modessa might be her mentor now but that didn’t mean she was going to spill everything about Nico.

“Yes, can you really hear me?”

“Obviously.”

She felt stupid for that question but tried to brush past it. “I just upgraded our bond in case you didn’t get a notification. Did it give you back a DKP?”

The answer was slow in coming and she almost thought she had imagined the earlier comments. Then he said, “Yes, I did. Thank you. You did well to increase our bond but did you have other choices to use your DKP for?”

She explained about the other choices and he actually growled at her in her mind. “Human, you must seek to protect yourself. I may not always be close enough and… well… I find the idea of you dying to be… unacceptable. You must promise me that you will prioritize gaining more strength so that you will be safe.”

Her cheeks grew red but thankfully everyone was intent on watching Serius casting his magic. Before she could reply though he had finished and suddenly the world turned upside down around her. It took her time to recover although she wasn’t sure if that was because of Nico’s rebuke or the way her stomach was still leaping from the teleportation.

The one thing she knew though was that she was now staring at the walls of a city, a true city. She’d done it. She’d escaped the drudgery of her life and finally felt like she was setting out on a grand adventure.

____________________________

Getting into the city was easy. Their level as adventurers, status with the church, or Lisella’s noble heritage all would have done it for them, but a few coins passed to a guard did just as quickly and soon their wagon was inside the city. The bears were a bit of a problem but again extra coins from Modessa was all that it took.

Modessa found herself excited to be inside a city again. She quickly found some porters who were willing to take care of the bear cubs. They’d be transported in a cage but she paid extra to make sure the bears would have sufficient space and were fed well. Cami still wouldn’t like it, but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her and her friends would likely arrive at the university only a couple of weeks after they did.

While she was taking care of this Serius got the rest of the party and the two students to an upscale inn, or at least what passed for one in Taleian. It may have been the first city on the continent but that only meant that it was more worn down. That and the fact that it was so close to the desert ruins of the Dragon Wars was enough to make this city a mere shadow of its former self.

It was still home to over half a million people but compared to most of the cities in the empire it was small and that was to say nothing of the Urgoi or the City of the Dawn. Those were truly massive hives of humanity. The places she felt most at home. Now though she had to think differently. She had an apprentice and she would do right by Cami.

Modessa was surprised by how happy she found herself to be both at having a new apprentice and at not having to kill Nico… yet. Of course, it was a happy day anytime she could beat out that pompous windbag, Serius. She trusted the wizard with her life, but that didn’t mean she particularly had to like him. That was the way it was with much of her party.

She couldn’t think of anyone that she’d rather be in a dungeon or a dragon’s lair for that matter than those four. Lisella was a bit uptight and prissy at times but she knew how to crack skulls with the best of them and her healing powers were second to none. She laughed because she could tell how entranced her friend was with Nico. Maybe it was just time for a princess to go slumming, but Modessa thought it was something more.

That was just another reason she was glad not to have to kill Nico. Even she could admit that he was oddly charismatic. Yet, she had sworn not to let wild mages run free. They could have the best of intentions but evil always followed them. The memories of her village in flames and her family’s cries still haunted her dreams. She tried to bury it deep but encountering Nico had stirred up those feelings.

Even during the short time she’d been with Nico she’d found him to be arrogant and yet strangely ignorant of even common sense things. That combination was oddly cute. What worried her about him was the number of strange encounters they’d had just after meeting him. He had something to do with the dragon they had lost.

The information they’d been given about the nest of blues was woefully lacking. She’d make sure to let her source know the price of giving bad information. Instead of a dozen dragons which were little more than hatchlings, they found only two of the creatures left and both were nearing adulthood, still young and without magic thankfully, but that didn’t make them forces to be taken lightly.

The fact that they’d only managed to capture one of the two was going to make the emperor upset. She didn’t know all the truth about whatever was driving the man to insist on rebuilding the dragon riders, but she knew it must be bad. None of that would matter though.

The weirdness with Nico didn’t end there. The mutated would have been bad enough but there had been an actual horror and one mature enough to nearly kill Galbrecht, the Shield of Miseria. That man was a burr beneath her saddle. She wanted him so badly but was afraid to be vulnerable before him. He was so good and noble, he might reject her and the worst part would be that he wouldn’t have any malice in doing so. She wasn’t sure she could bear that so she contented herself to dreams and of course teasing him. The rest of the party seemed to know about her infatuation but the object of her feelings was oblivious.

Even the encounter with that oni and those high level ogres and trolls was strange. Coincidence was one thing, but this many encounters all happening around Nico made her worry. She’d keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t hurt Cami. At least if they got him to the university it would be easier to contain him and who knew maybe he’d become a strong ally for the future.

For now Modessa would remain leery. She had seen what he’d done to that were-tiger. That was both brutal, which she could respect, and beyond what a level eight monk should have been able to do. A couple times she’d caught glimpses of how strong he was. It was frightening and seemed supernatural yet he didn’t seem to have a magical item boosting his strength.

She’d talk to Serius about it. Perhaps the old wizard could gain more insight than she was able to.

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STAT SHEETS:

Nicosandumas

Race: Blue Dragon

Maturity: Adult (0% to Mature Adult)

DKP: 1

Length: 31’8” Weight: 12,303 lbs.

Base Speed: 9 mph on land/108 mph in the air

Stats:

STR: 314

AGI: 38

DUR: 23

MIND: 16

HP: 23

Regen Rate: 33 HP/day (53 with Cami)

Immunities:

Electricity

Sleep

Paralysis

Resistances:

Magic- 40%

Physical Damage: 12.5%

Combat Proficiency:

Armor Rating: 32

ATK: 26

DMG: 2-12+14 (claws), 2-24+21 (bite), 2-8+13 (wings), 2-12+21 (tail)

Critical Strike: 17%

Racial Abilities:

Breath Weapon 1: Spark storm 100’ x 10’ (12-48 damage)

2: Lightning Bolt 300’ x 5’ (18-108 damage)

Sprint: reach a maximum land speed of 80 mph for up to 30 seconds or maximum air speed up to 226 mph for 1 minute.*

Sound Imitation/Ventriloquism*

Dragon Fear 1

Project Image (10% real)*

Shape Change 1*

Fabricate 1*

Soul Space 1*

Manipulate Sand 1*

*- These abilities can be used in either form

Mana: 160 points

Regen: 1 MP/minute. (2 with Cami)

Innate Magic Spells:

1st Tier: 2/6

Force Darts

Identification

2nd Tier: 1/6

Lesser Regeneration- Miseria

3rd Tier: 0/4

4th Tier: 0/2

HUMAN FORM

Nicosandumas

Apparent Race: Human

Apparent Age: 18

Class: Monk/Sorcerer

Level: 8th/7th

DKP: 1

Height: 6’3” Weight: 201 lbs.

Base Speed: 10 mph

STR: 78

AGI: 38

DUR: 23

MIND: 16

HP: 230

Regen Rate: 33 HP/day (53 with Cami)

Armor Rating: 10

Immunities: Electricity, Sleep, Paralyzation

Resistances: Magic- 30%, Physical Damage: 0

ATK: 23

DMG: 1-8+13 (punch), 1-10+13 (kick)

Critical Strike: 5%

Monk Fighting Style: Dragon

Monk Abilities:

Rapid Movement

Flurry Attack 1

Stunning Fist 1

Meditation 1

Stillness

Pure Mind-Pure Body

Make Me Whole

Evasion

Mana: 160 points

Regen: 1 MP/minute. (2 with Cami)

Innate Magic Spells:

1st Tier: 2/6

Force Darts

Identification

2nd Tier: 1/6

Lesser Regeneration- Miseria

3rd Tier: 0/4

4th Tier: 0/2

Name: Camille Westfork

Race: Human- draconic bloodline

Age: 14.8

Class: Dragon-bonded sorcerer/mage

Level: 1st/1st

DKP: 1/3

XP: 74/100

Height: 5’2” Weight: 108 lbs.

Base Speed: 3 mph

Unofficial Mentor: Modessa ???

STR: 11

AGI: 14

DUR: 10

MIND: 17

HP: 100

Regen Rate: 20 HP/day (53 with Nico)

Armor Rating: 10

Resistance: All Damage- 4

ATK: 4

DMG: 1-2 (non-lethal)

Critical Strike: 1%

Skills:

Tough Hide 1

Meditation 1

Mana: 170

Mana Regeneration: 1 per minute (2 with Nico)

DBS Spells:

Tier 1 (1/6)

Offensive: Force Darts

Mage Spells:

Tier 1- none

Pets: Rollie and Patch- year old bear cubs. Further information is unavailable until a formal pet contract is created.