Dragon's Tale 11 (Patreon)

I felt reluctant as I walked away from the cave, a part of me wanting to lay next to the exhausted beauty that had worked very hard to swallow my shaft for a while. Pity that my transformed instincts made it an impossibility. Instead, I walked away, carefully examining my surroundings. I didn’t feel safe walking alone and naked, even when I had my magic to rely on. 

So, when I saw a nice looking branch, I decided to create a primitive spear for myself, just so that I didn’t need to rely on magic against everything. I raised my hand after grabbing a handful of dirt and concentrated, trying to shape my magic into a simple earth blade, something I had been able to do in the blink of an eye even before I joined the Halls of Saturn. However, even after concentrating for ten seconds, I almost failed while controlling the spell, not by fizzling, but by the energy escaping in a great hurry and leaving a big mark on the tree. 

I frowned as I grabbed the branch, which laid on the ground, separated from the tree, which I doubted would survive with the terrible wound I had created, showing my lack of control. Weird that it was easier for me to destroy a whole tree than to cut a branch. 

With my obvious need for control, I had to ruin four innocent branches before I finally succeeded in crafting something that might be classified as a spear, but only if the observer was blind. Still, it was better than walking around empty-handed, so I grabbed it and continued walking, this time my eyes on the ground, looking for fresh signs of an animal. 

Ten minutes later, I came across the distinctive tracks of a bear, and decided to follow them. Bear meat might not be the most delicious thing to eat, but it would fill us. More importantly, it was large enough to create a working set of clothes for both of us. As much as I enjoyed a naked Lillian, she needed to be dressed before we could start distancing ourselves from the pirates, because, even if I hadn’t been feeling possessive after our little play back in the cave, having her walk around naked was inviting more trouble than I could handle; especially in the desolate plains famous for their violent local tribes that resisted subjugation attempts from the Republic for centuries. Dealing with those savages would be difficult enough without tempting them with Lillian’s delicious body explicitly. 

It took several minutes for me to arrive at the cave of my target, which was at the end of a cliff that was followed by a deep river. It wasn’t a normal bear, I realized when an earth-shaking roar left the cave, carrying hints of magic. It was an interesting roar, one that conveyed a sense of utter superiority, ordering me to disappear. It was a nice idea, I decided. My prey was clearly not a weakling, and rather than exhausting myself, I could find an easier one. 

However, I found myself shouting back, those fucking new instincts taking control before I could realize and control them. 

While I was trying to understand the reason, another roar rang, this time much louder, much more aggressive. My grip around my spear tightened even as I raised my other hand, ready to cast a fire spell, the easiest elemental for me to cast after my transformation. From the roar, I felt that escaping was not an option. 

Then, a huge bear dashed out of the cave, its fur crackling in lightning, also dashing my hopes tf avoiding an unnecessary confrontation. A thunder bear, an elemental magical predator that made a lot of forests forbidden for humans, easily destroying scores of humans as long as their magical capabilities didn’t reach the level of a mage. 

It wasn’t a threat to me of course. With my capabilities nearing the level of a sorcerer, worst came to worst, I could have blasted it with the same spell I had used to destroy the longboat. The problem, it was pretty noticeable, so relying on it might result in my position being revealed. Not an ideal solution. I could have tricked him to the edge of the cliff to throw it off, but thunder bears were smart enough to catch such simple tactics, and even if I succeed, I would have to forfeit its skin, screwing up my point in the first place. 

So, when the thunder bear charged toward me, instead of blasting it with my full strength, I swung my primitive spear toward its face, swiping toward its eye. A magnificent roar escaped its mouth as the tip of my spear connected with its target, one that conveyed impotence despite all the anger and power. 

After all, its eye was gone. 

It swiped its dangerously huge paw toward me, much faster than I would have thought it to be capable of. I threw myself to the side, but the stinging sensation on my shoulder showed it wasn’t unscathed, not that it bothered me much. 

I couldn’t help but laugh, thinking how things would have been different if it wasn’t for the enhanced physical capabilities given to me by my transformation, saving me from a grizzly death. My magic might be limited and impaired, but I was faster and stronger than ever before physically. 

Maybe I should test my limits, I suddenly decided as I took a step back, waving my spear toward the bear, making it flinch. However, the thunder bear was smart enough to realize that it was a feint, and prideful enough to take it personally. It dashed toward me with another roar. This time, I threw myself to the side without bothering to attack it, showing a grace that would make a gladiator jealous. At least, any gladiator that I had seen in Londinium. The real gladiators, the ones that fought in the Colosseum in Rome for the pleasure of citizens and senators were supposed to be much more capable. 

Maybe someday, I could visit to compare.  

A shift in the battle forced me to abort my holiday planning in favor of avoiding an injury. Realizing that its strategy was not working as it was supposed to, the bear decided to roar once more, but this time tapping into its bloodline. A bright light appeared in its mouth, and a bolt of lightning dashed toward me. I managed to create a shield at the last second, deflecting it upward in a beautiful light show that cut through the soft light of dusk. 

So much for staying unnoticed. 

Since the bear decided to rely on magic despite its physical advantage, I saw no problem trying to do the same. I raised my hand and sent a bludgeoning arcane ball toward it. Not the best attack spell, a fireball would have been much more efficient, but also it would have ruined its fur. I still needed to craft clothing from it, after all. And I still didn’t have sufficient control to cast a decent piercing spell that wouldn’t ruin the fur while killing it. 

It attacked, I dodged. It sent a lightning bolt, I shielded before countering with another bludgeoning attack. It got slower and slower, and for a moment, I thought that it would be the end. 

Of course, lady fate decided to apply the new trend of my life, and things got complicated once again. I heard shouts and running people. I would have disengaged from the bear, but it intensified its attacks, probably thinking that they were my reinforcements. Pulling back without ruining the fur was impossible. 

Then, someone dashed into the opening recklessly. I was about to blast the intruder, but kept myself from casting at the last minute when I managed to get a good glance at the intruder. It was a buxom redhead, dressed in loose furs that somehow failed to hide her impressive curves. Her face was, though wild and sharp, still beautiful, and I wasn’t wasteful enough to destroy such a beauty before making sure she was actually an enemy. 

Still, just because she was a sexy woman didn’t mean I stopped paying attention. She didn’t carry any obvious weapon other than a dagger, which was more for utility than combat, but I could feel a subtle sense of magic from her tattoos. She seemed like some kind of spellcaster, but what kind, I wasn’t sure. Unlike the republic, the tribals had an impressive number of magical traditions with differing efficiency. 

I didn’t want to waste the gathered magic, so I gathered it in my palm and sent it toward the bear, much stronger than the other orbs I had sent at it. It managed to understand the danger it was in and tried to dodge, but it was too exhausted, so it failed, and one of its legs was broken badly as a result. 

I looked at the redhead from the corner of my eye, only to find her frozen with a shocked expression on her face. Considering she watched a naked mage fighting against a thunder bear, I wasn’t inclined to blame her. I chuckled as I attacked the bear again and again, beating it to death as soon as possible. I could still hear people coming forward, and I didn’t want to risk fighting on two fronts. A pseudo-sorcerer I might be, but a two-pronged assault was dangerous, especially when one of the prongs was a famous magical predator that could threaten small towns. 

“How!” the woman exclaimed in shock, her eyes stuck on the cooling carcass of the thunder bear. 

“Easy,” I answered as I turned to her, twirling my spear lazily, not at all ashamed of my naked state. Before she could reply, five men burst into the opening as well, two of them carrying axes, others armed with steel-tipped spears. “Your friends?” I asked her, even though, from her sudden panic, I could see that it wasn’t the case. 

“Who are you, you fucker?” called one of the interlopers who was a couple of inches taller than the others, with a greataxe in his hands. He sounded confident, but I noticed his gaze flickering back just to make sure his friends were still back there, supporting him. 

“Such a rude boy,” I said as I took a step forward, a lazy smile on my face as I looked at the redhead. “Is he someone important?” 

“As I said before, he’s the one trying to take leadership, sir,” said the girl, earning a shocked glare from the men. I wasn’t any less surprised, but after years of playing a role, I was much quicker to adapt. I got the gist of the situation. They were clearly from the same tribe, going through an internal dispute. What impressed me was that redhead was either perceptive enough to realize that I was partial to her, or she was brave enough to force me into their conflict without a good handle of my personality.

Either way, it was the second point in her favor, her sexy body being the first. I decided to play along. “So, you’re that insolent boy that dares to threaten those under my protection,” I said as I took another step forward, and I was highly amused to see that they took a step back. I was still naked, and I didn’t bother to release the pressure of my magic, but the carcass of a thunder bear laying just a few feet away was much more intimidating than any kind of clothes. 

“I didn’t know,” the leader stammered before one of his supporters poked his back and shared a warning gaze. “I mean, who are you to dare intervene with our glorious Welker tribe. Are you seeking your death?” he bellowed, hoping that volume was a good substitute for confidence. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t, so I took another step and lazily raised my spear. 

From their expressions, I guessed that his friends had realized the same thing. The one that poked him earlier leaned to his ear and whispered, unaware that I could hear him easily. “He’s just one man, why are we afraid of him?” he asked. 

“Don’t you see that hulking monster next to him,” the leader whispered back. “And who the fuck walks around naked in the middle of the forest. He is clearly not normal.” 

I thought that would be the end of it, but then the other one decided to push forward. “What kind of leader are you, scared just because of a crazy man. Maybe matron is right, not making you the chieftain.” 

That did the trick, because I saw the anger flashing on the leader’s face, unable to handle his courage being attacked. “On my mark, attack together,” he said even as he looked at the guy that was egging him on to attack, his anger building higher by the second. Maybe things were a bit more complicated than I first presumed. “We can take him down easily if we surprise him,” he added as he looked at the others and saw the rest not sharing his confidence, and attempting to convince the others. 

“But-” tried to say one of the others before the sly looking one spoke once more, cutting him off. 

“Go back to the village and beg the matron for mercy if you can’t handle following our glorious leader,” he said even as he patted the largest man on the shoulder. While they discussed, I shared a look with the sexy redhead, only to catch her examining my naked body while trying to be discrete. I smiled teasingly, and she blushed, forgetting her followers for a second. 

Meanwhile, the gang finished their argument, and the leader ordered. “Charge, let’s get them before the bitch can cast a spell.” whispered.  

The rest of the team nodded before letting out war cries and charging forward. Three of them, including the leader, charged toward me while the other two, including the sly one that pushed the leader for a confrontation moved toward the redhead. The redhead pulled a bone from her satchel hurriedly and shook it, mana gathering around her rapidly. I was curious about what she was casting, but I had more important things to focus on than her spell selection. 

Like the charging figure of the leader, brandishing his axe with two smaller figures following him, their spears high. I smirked, greeting the challenge. Unlike the thunder bear, three warriors dashing toward me with their superior weapons was the perfect opportunity to assess my increased physical capabilities. 

Therefore, I didn’t blast the leader away with a bolt of flame when his axe started cutting through the air with the intention of arriving to my head, but took a sidestep instead. It was a simple looking but deceptively complex move, so I easily avoided the swing of the axe, and came face to face with one of his followers, who looked surprised at my sudden assault. He was probably expecting me to pull back. 

It was the last surprise he would ever have, because I buried my impromptu spear into his throat, and he collapsed on the ground. I heard the distinctive sound of an axe cutting into the air, and ducked. The axe flew inches above my head. I kicked the leader in the knee, and he stumbled, giving me the time to take the spear back from my victim. 

I was planning to play around a bit more, but then I realized the redhead was having trouble defending herself despite the swirling mass of dark energy around her, barely preventing the combined assault of the two warriors. I decided to finish my fight quickly, rolling forward before stopping in front of the other follower, making sure he stayed between me and the leader, giving me a few seconds to deal with him without fearing being flanked. 

“You killed my brother,” shouted the other follower with a great rage as he tried to stab me with his own spear, but his jab ended up being deflected. Then I pushed the spear into his chest, directly through his ribcage and to his heart. He collapsed, unable to utter a word. 

The sly one didn’t miss that. “Keep her busy,” he shouted to his companion before dashing toward me, but instead of joining his leader, he suddenly stopped halfway in the distance, took a turn, and dashed toward the forest, fleeing the battle. 

“Coward!” called the leader, his expression falling as he tried to process the sudden turn of events, where two of his followers died and one of them ran away cowardly instead of helping him to finish a battle that only happened due to his bidding. His morale fell further when a distinctly male voice let out a bloodcurdling scream, and a look showed his last follower falling on the ground, his face destroyed by a magical blast. 

He took several steps back. From his expression, it was clear he understood his fate, and satisfaction flashed on the redhead’s face. Though, when he pulled a small figurine from his bag and pointed at us, her comfort was replaced by a thick panic. “Stop him!” she shouted even as she sent a bolt of magical energy toward him hurriedly, the spell falling apart midway. 

It didn’t connect with the leader, because halfway in, the leader broke the figurine. It turned out to be some kind of spell storage, and a thick wall of flame flowed toward us, large enough to cover both of us. It was strong, but nowhere near enough to threaten me. Destroying it was trivial, but killing the leader meant potentially more people seeking me out. Even hunting the one that escaped was not a solution, because I didn’t know whether they had any supporters that would follow. I already had a group following me, no need to have a second. 

It was easier to play dead, and luckily, there was a huge ravine close to us that would be perfect for that objective. I created a shield to protect me even as I dashed toward the redhead, whose fear prevented her shield from forming despite her best effort, and stood in front of her. The flames washed over my shield, failing to touch the both of us. At that moment I closed my eyes and cast a light spell, my lack of control working for my benefit as I heard him shouting in pain. 

The redhead looked at me in shock, blanching as she realized I was even stronger than what I had displayed against the thunder bear. Before moving, I cast a simple spell to a large rock near the ravine, which hit the walls with a hard thud before reaching the river, exploding with a big splash. 

With the absence of our bodies explained to the temporarily-blinded leader of the small band of marauders, I grabbed the arm of the redhead and dragged her along. She put up no resistance, smart enough to understand the power difference and its implications. We moved until we were hidden behind a nearby rock, observing as the leader started stumbling away without bothering to search for our bodies, his confidence in the flame spell and his temporary blindness working in my favor, the splash long confirmed our death in his mind. 

I watched until he left the opening, and then turned toward the redhead. “So, beautiful,” I said gently even as I turned to her. “Why don’t you tell me who you are, and why you decided to make your problems mine?”