Wild Dragon of Rome 48 (Patreon)

Waking up shouldn’t be a surprise, but considering my last memory was dealing with the mysterious beast vitae that was going out of control, it certainly was.

Another pleasant surprise, I still had my arm. When I was falling unconscious, I was certain that Lillian would have to amputate it to save me. I took a deep breath, a short celebration that I was still alive, then I opened my eyes.

I was in a cave, an unfamiliar one. Surprising, I thought even as I shuffled, ready to stand up —

When my fingers rubbed the floor, I didn’t receive a familiar feeling. It felt like I was wearing a gauntlet … but also it was too responsive for that. Confused, I looked to my left. “Alright, it’s not as bad as losing it,” I muttered, trying to convince myself even as I looked at my new arm.

Every inch of skin below my elbow was covered with scales, and there were several spotty scales climbing up to my bicep. Though, even more noticeable was my hand, long turned into a claw. A dangerous claw,” I added even as I looked at the floor of the cave, with several deep marks.

Curious, I brought one finger against the rock, a moderate pressure enough to leave another deep mark.

However, even as I realized that the transformation had spread much more, I didn’t panic. The greatest reason for it was the feeling it gave. Previously, the scales felt like an infection, foreign and refusing my control. Right now, it felt like a part of my body.

I barely needed to focus before I could direct the transformation to recede. Just like that, I was looking at an untouched, pristine arm. Even my old scars were gone.

“I survived again,” I said. Not only that, but I was able to reverse another potential disaster. Still, even with the help of the girls, it was a close call.

Speaking of the girls, I wondered where they were. They were not in the cave, but one benefit of my enhanced senses, I could smell them, meaning they had been in the cave recently. Curious, I looked around, trying to understand just how long I was unconscious.

It was dark outside, so I wanted to believe I merely slept several hours, but I had a feeling that I was unconscious longer. Not exactly a comforting thought, because I was certain that the mana density of the valley wasn’t enough to block the commotion of my out-of-control beast vitae.

I wanted to go out and check them, but I had something more important to focus on first. I closed my eyes, trying to diagnose myself. The first thing I focused on was my heart, with the crystal still lodged in its center. It was a great relief to see that everything was still the same with it. No damage, no growth, nothing. It still radiated the same amount of mana every time it throbbed.

Unfortunately, that was the only thing that was the same. The surrounding area had been changed completely. The rest of my body had changed significantly. My elemental cores showed further signs of damage, not just the initial puncture, but also many cracks spreading through the surface.

Other than that, the most notable change was the mana flow. Previously, whenever the mana density had surpassed one point, my whole body had been draining the excess, subtly changing me in the process. Right now, the excess mana directly went to my arm, reinforcing the greedy vitae while transforming my arm completely. Not just the scales, but also the muscles underneath.

The transformation didn’t scare me too much. It wasn’t like the previous one, fighting with me every step of the way as I tried to control it, but felt more natural. That feeling was more similar to Astrid’s description of the holy warriors.

Then, I noticed something else. My arm was also generating mana. It took a while for me to notice it, as any mana generated by the scales was drained by my bones, making it difficult to notice.

It was enough to show that my mana problem had just got much worse.

“One step at a time,” I said as I stood up, my legs feeling rusty. I ignored it as I walked out, trying to see if my body had any other major changes. Before I could step out, however, Astrid appeared at the entrance.

“You’re awake,” she gasped in excitement as she covered the distance, her arms wrapping tight around my body. Lost in the moment, she didn’t even register that my arm was black to normal.

Interesting. Considering just how invested she was in my transformation, I expected a bigger reaction. Yet, she just hugged me, her body trembling. I realized that I might have been unconscious more than I expected.

“It looks like —” I started, which was all I was able to say before she kissed me desperately, her body smashing against me. Seeing that she didn’t want to speak yet, I surrendered to her. Not exactly a big sacrifice at my party.

“You’re alive,” she muttered, her arms still tight around my body. “After all this time, we were afraid that you were dead.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” I consoled her, surprised by the intensity of her reaction. Even with everything we had done, it was a bit excessive. Then, a reason for such an intense change occurred to me. “How long I had been unconscious?”

“Almost a day,” she replied, her arms getting even tighter. That explained the location change. “We thought that you won’t wake up.”

I sighed as I checked the cave we were in, which didn’t show any sign of living that long. “We have been discovered, hadn’t we?” I asked.

“Yes,” Astrid answered. “The mana flare from your transformation was too noticeable. The legion scouts arrived at the valley almost immediately, forcing us to escape deeper into the valley. Luckily, they didn’t send too many people to search, and Lillian managed to distract the scouts.”

“I see,” I muttered, doing my best to sound calm, but I tensed. Astrid’s explanation revealed a lot of details, and none of them was good. The first was our location. I had already discovered that there was something dangerous in the depths of the valley, something slumbering. Getting closer to that was not a good idea.

Luckily, I woke up soon.

Then, there was the presence of the legionnaires. The fact that they immediately arrived at the valley was not good news. Either they were aware that the source of the mana flare was not a natural treasure and wanted to catch us, or they thought that it was, and wanted to get it before the other forces.

I sighed. Either way, it was not good news.

“Where’s Lillian?” I asked.

“She’s out, making sure our location is not discovered. After my tamed beast died against the scouts, she’s the only one that could fight,” Astrid said, still tense. She didn’t look happy with the admission of her powerlessness. I had a feeling that she would ask my help to get stronger.

Not exactly a great chore for me.

“So, you’re an elemental mage,” she added, changing the subject.

“I … I was. Now, I don’t know what am I,” I said. A statement that reflected my true feelings, one I punctuated by raising my arm, letting my hand switch between a claw and a hand several times in rapid succession.

“Y-you can control the transformation already,” Astrid said. “It’s supposed to take years. How?”

I shrugged. “What we have done was enough to erase the emotional imprint on the vitae, allowing me to control it directly.”

Astrid looked shocked. “How’s this possible?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. It was more of an educated guess than anything else. Lillian’s blood ritual worked to calm the essence before, and I bet that my regeneration would handle whatever damage your cleansing spell would create.”

“So, it was a gamble,” she said.

“More or less,” I replied. Ultimately, it was not wrong. She looked like she wanted to say anything else, but I silenced her with a gesture. “I’m going to find Lillian and send her back to rest,” I said.

“Do you think it’s a good idea?” she said. “You just woke up. Maybe you need to rest.”

“No. I can move around. More importantly, Lillian might be a strong mage, but subtly, she’s not. I need to find her before our location is detected,” I explained. She didn’t seem convinced, but her complaints died when I let my arm transform back to a claw once more. Her reverence toward holy warriors was useful.

With my advanced senses, finding Lillian was not too hard. She was patrolling half a mile away from the cave, going back and forth in an attempt to catch any possible interloper. A mediocre scouting pattern even under normal conditions, and particularly terrible while trying to escape from a superior force.

She still had a lot to learn. But, I didn’t have the luxury to teach her. Because, at the distance, I could feel the presence of at least a dozen warriors.

Shapeshifters, if my sense of smell was halfway accurate.

It looked like Astrid was wrong. We weren’t dealing with just legionnaires.