Dragon Sorcerer 2- Chapter 76 (Patreon)

Chapter 76- Making Use of What I Have

I explained my plan and then a short argument ensued about whether it was necessary for me to transform to make the plan work. I didn’t explain that I wanted to make use of my bracers. I had failed to do so when I was with Matilda, as my mind had been occupied. That was stupid and I couldn’t let this pass again.

Yet, I didn’t want to share about the bracers with anyone other than Cami. So the argument took longer than necessary, but in the end, I persuaded them that I could exert more power in my true form.

We went a bit further into the forest and found a clearing large enough for my new dragon form. I hated that I had yet to fly in this expanded for or even really stretch out. The growth I had experienced through the bond was impressive, but I wanted to really know what I could do now. I was approaching the mature adult stage decades if not centuries before I should have and that was no small matter.

When we were finally there, Liam disappeared as he moved to patrol the area and make sure we weren’t disturbed. Modessa and Lisella insisted on staying. It was obvious they wanted to see me in action and who was I to deny them the beauty that was my true form?

The transformation happened even more smoothly this time. There was something about transforming in the stables which didn’t feel right. I raised my head to the sky and only at the last second did I manage to stop myself from roaring a challenge to the night. The world needed to know that a dragon walked this forest, but prudence needed to overcome instinct.

I let my dragon fear roll freely out of me. Sure, I could have used it in human form, but I wasn’t lying when I’d told them it was more potent in this form. As long as I considered the adventurers to be allies, they wouldn’t be affected by the fear. They were strong enough to resist, but even they would have felt something if they were hostile.

As for the gnoll, he immediately pissed himself. It wasn’t a pleasant smell, as the world was so much more alive to my draconic senses. I stared at the gnoll and didn’t say a word. Hopefully, the others would think that it was only for the sake of intimidation, but of course it served another purpose.

Do you wish to absorb the defensive capabilities of: you- adult blue dragon? Target is willing. Bracers are capable of absorbing.

It was exactly what I’d hoped for. When I transformed, the bracers were absorbed into my new form. They wouldn’t add any extra defense to the base stats would still boost me, as would the enhancement to unarmed attacks. I didn’t have time to really delve into the question, but I had no memory of my ancestors using magical items to enhance themselves. It was odd to me. Dragons might not like things created by the lesser races, but I considered it to be a matter of pragmatism.

Perhaps this was simply another way that I was a pioneer.

As soon as I accepted, the notification popped up.

 Left Bracer now provides the following unless :

Armor: +9

Magic Resistance: +10%

Physical Resistance: +4%

I grinned. I would have to do some testing, but this was promising.

A moment later, I accepted another prompt.

Set Bonus: Bracers of Natural Power now enhance your senses by 25% of those of a blue adult dragon unless your base senses are greater.

It wouldn’t be the same thing as being in dragon form, but at least now my senses would be enhanced. Then I smiled. Showing my teeth off to the gnoll made him squirm even more. It was time to put on a bit of a show.

I lowered my head towards him and spoke as menacingly as possible. “So you wanted to kill my rider did you?”

The creature couldn’t seem to put two syllables together. So I shook myself and acted like I was furious with his lack of an answer.

Cami said, “Maybe you should cast your spell now?”

I shook my head. “No, he needs to know what he’s fighting. Sit him up so he can watch.”

Then launched myself forward and with all my strength sliced through one of the trees with my claws. The wood shattered with the impact and my claws tore through it effortlessly. I paused for just a second till a notification popped up.

1 of 3 natural attacks captured by bracer:

Critical Strike- Claw Attack- enhanced by body weight and pounce.

Damage: 328- combined piercing, slashing, blunt, electrical

I whirled around. “Think about who you should fear.”

Then I lunged again at a tree. It felt so good to move my body like this. I reveled in my new strength as my jaws clamped down on a larger tree. The force of my body moving forward was nearly unstoppable on its own. I was still adapting to my new size, but with this much mass, I was getting a better feel for how much power I could generate simply with my weight.

The tree splintered under the force of my jaws and I felt my electrical aura soak into the wood, too. Then I pulled the tree up and shook the once might growth like some cat might shake its prey.

2 of 3 natural attacks captured by bracer:

Critical Strike- Bite Attack- enhanced by body weight and momentum

Damage: 520- combined piercing, blunt, electrical

I was pleased. I wasn’t sure if attacks against inanimate objects were automatically critical strikes or if it was just good fortune. I knew the next one would need to be a real doozy. So I growled, “Still don’t want to talk?”

Lisella started to say, “Uh, Nico… you aren’t even giving him a chance…”

The rest of her words were lost as I leapt into the sky and spread my wings. Nothing as large as me should have been able to fly, but that was the magic of a dragon. It was like I had told Cami, I willed the world around me to move. My wings beat buffeting the ground beneath with force and stirring up the dust while making the trees shake.

Cami’s mind spoke to mine, “No fair. I wanted to fly with you.”

“Soon little one.”

But then I couldn’t say anything more as I savored the wind against my scales. I was careful not to fly too far, but I still made a great circle around the clearing before diving with my full force. I pulled up at the last second and slammed my tail into a massive tree.

I almost wasn’t sure if I’d have enough force to knock it over, but I had worried for nothing. The tree shattered, but enough force was conveyed into it that the roots were ripped up. My tail hurt and I realized I had taken over fifty points of damage myself, but it was worth it.

3 of 3 natural attacks captured by bracer:

Devastating Strike- Tail Smash- enhanced by body weight and momentum

Damage: 824- combined blunt and electrical

I looped around one more time to allow my tail to stop aching as I cast Lesser Regeneration. Then, with a sigh, I descended to the ground once more. I landed right in front of the bound gnoll shaman. A quick Identify indicated that he had reached the maximum level of fear debuff- well beyond even terrified. His fear level was now listed as Insensate.

I opened my mouth, and he didn’t even react, his fear was definitely maxed out. It was time to cast my spell.

Adoration of the Fearful

The magic formed in front of me and then launched into him. The gnoll’s demeanor immediately changed.

“Oh great master, your benevolence knows no limits. How may I serve you, master?”

If he was frustrated at being bound, he didn’t say a word about it. He just kept pouring out lavish praises, calling me everything from a spectacle of beauty to a god. Technically, I probably could have started asking him questions right away, but praise from even such a despicable creature was certainly my due.

Finally, though, it started to get a bit old. That was an odd sensation, but I just pushed it aside.

“What is your mission?”

‘We are to cause chaos, master.”

I couldn’t help but notice that he was speaking much more clearly now.

“How many gnolls came with you?”

He tried to extend his fingers and looked like he was counting, but the ropes did a good job of preventing that. Finally he sighed, “Me not know exact numbers. Big number like, but they no want fight glorious master once they see you like me do.”

“How many?”

“More than 500 hundred.” He blubbered out those words as though he was fearful of displeasing me.

“Where are they all at?”

“Spread out. Cause chaos. We ordered kill humans. Eat humans. Find rider if can, but told rider likely stay in city. We no go near city.”

We asked him a few more questions, but it quickly became clear that was pretty much the limit of his knowledge. I asked Lisella, “Do we need to know anything more from him?”

She shook her head but looked over at Modessa who just shrugged. Then she looked at me. “Will you take care of this?”

Cami said, “Wait, you said if he answered your questions he could go free.”

Modessa smirked. “First off, he held back, and we had to use magic to gain what we wanted. Second, I said, I wouldn’t kill him. You have to think about the deals you make. The devil is almost always in the details.”

I picked up my foot and crushed his skull. The odd thing was the way he was oohing and ahhing as my foot descended on him like it was some sort of bliss. That was, at least until I felt his bones give way and got the notification about gaining a single DKP.

It wasn’t an ideal way to gain them, so I didn’t expect to pick up a career as an executioner anytime soon.

Modessa asked, “So what now? Someone out there knows that there’s a dragon rider on Urgoi at the university.”

Liam had made his way back as I reluctantly transformed back. When I was finished, I said, “It doesn’t change anything. Dragons still need to hunt. I still need to get out here and Cami needs to get stronger.”

Modessa said, “She is learning from her training. She did very well against the gnolls. I think that we should head to the village, sleep there tonight. Tomorrow we can search for gnolls but I want to train her more before she goes up against anything tougher. Who knows what monstrosities a wild mage might have created?”

Lisella said, “I know you’re all too happy to blame anything and everything on wild mages, but the threat is larger than that. From our time traveling here, we know that horrors are hunting for Nico. Perhaps they’ve decided it would simply be easier to kill his rider, which does make a sort of morbid sense. But in all of that, you aren’t asking the right question.”

Modessa frowned but didn’t speak.

Cami however asked, “What’s that?”

Liam said, “She’s talking about the obvious connection between the horrors and the wild mages. Do the mages create them or are they created by the horrors? There is a great deal we don’t know about this. I wish we had Serius here to help sort through the answers.”

“Bah, you don’t need the wizard. You’ve got a dragon.”