Iron Dragon's Advancement Journey

Page 16

　The small scratches and minor wear and tear on the equipment look like terrain damage. That's normal; when hunting, bumps and scrapes are inevitable, and the cave is probably a place full of jagged rocks.

　Their hunt was successful; their prey lay comfortably in their baskets—fat maggots, tightly bound by vines, still writhing and twisting... If something covered in fine dragon scales, with fleshy stubble resembling dragon wings on its back, and two bulging dragon horns on its round head, and each one about half the size of a dog-headed man, could still be called a maggot.

　Perhaps... it could be called dragon vein maggots?

　Casalos simply couldn't comprehend this kind of existence.

　In the culture of true dragons, dragon vein creatures, like half-dragons, are collectively referred to as dragon-origin species. They are essentially the same type of beings, namely, the offspring of true dragons and other species.

　For some unknown reason, Asgras, also known as the nine-headed dragon god Aio—Cassaloz, knew that the two might not be the same, but the true dragons called the nine-headed dragon god Aio Asgras. Asgras endowed his children with the peculiar ability to appreciate the reproductive aesthetics of all species, and gifted the true dragons with the unique physiological characteristics of the elemental subspecies, which are half-life and half-element, allowing them to engage in mysterious mating with other species, even asexually reproducing species, to give birth to all sorts of half-dragon creatures.

　The direct descendants of half-dragon creatures, also known as the dragon vein species.

　In other words, dragon vein creatures are the descendants of true dragons and other species. The appearance of dragon vein maggots means...

　"What a joke!"

　Is it really possible for a dragon to take a liking to the "mother" of a maggot, which is a fly?

　Based on the sensations Casaroz felt from the maggots, they were definitely not the offspring of some magical creature that resembled flies but had not yet completed its abnormal development. Their ancestors were not dragons, but were the purest flies, not even as big as Casaroz's fingernail in his current gecko form, the kind of flies that buzz around rotting flesh and excrement!

　Did a dragon mess with a fly... or was messed with by a fly?

　"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

　This almost completely overturned Casalos's understanding of dragons.

　But the truth is right in front of it: the prey of the kobolds is the living dragon vein maggots.

　"Could it be that some black dragon that attracts flies has gotten drunk? Can dragons get drunk...?"

　While it was still muttering to itself, the entire kobold hunting team had returned to the stone island platform. They exchanged a few low growls, and one of them, who had entered the cave, pulled out a piece of crystal-clear meat from under its basket. The other one pulled out a few tiny "dragon scales" the size of a fingernail, raised its palm, and extended four slender toes toward the one who remained behind.

　The dog-headed man who took the meat swiftly sliced ​​it into three equal pieces with two quick cuts, giving one piece to each of the three people left behind on the stone island. The one who took out the scales then handed out dragon scales, and each of the three left-behind individuals took one. Holding the scale, the left-behind individuals bent down a scale with their toes, and so on, until each of them received four scales.

　Through the conversation between the kobolds, Casalos learned that this was the spoils that the survivors were entitled to, slightly more than what they would get from the hunt below. There wasn't much danger in the hunting grounds; the main risk the kobolds might face during their hunt was being watched by other underground inhabitants during the long journey.

　Staying on the rocky islet to keep watch was the most dangerous part of the entire operation. The islet was just a flat stone platform with no hiding places or obstacles, and the duty of those left behind required them to stay put and wait there. The inhabitants of the underworld were all more dangerous and wicked than the last; during the two hours the hunting party was on the hunt, any random monster that passed by would be enough to give the three kobolds a run for their money.

　They were crawlers with a strong work ethic, Casalos recalled a comment about kobolds.

　The kobold, drooling as it took the piece of meat, swallowed it in a few bites. Its dragon vein aura then showed a negligible increase. If Casaloz hadn't been so sensitive to this aura and witnessed the change without noticing it... the six kobolds in the cave had already eaten their share of maggot meat, and Casaloz wouldn't have noticed the change in their dragon vein aura at all.

　Thus, the source of the faint dragon vein aura on these kobolds was found: it was a slight atavism caused by long-term consumption of dragon vein maggots and flesh, stimulated by the richer dragon vein aura within them.

　The reason why they would risk violating their own lawfulness and killing each other to compete for the qualification to join the hunting party has also been explained: the hunting party can enjoy an extra portion of dragon vein maggot meat—given the generally innate lawfulness of kobolds, this is definitely a rule set by the tribal chief.

　Innate alignment is not some immutable golden rule, but if the alignment shifts, even just a slight inclination, it will show obvious signs, unless some great being helps them cover it up.

　A god or master in the literal sense.

　What god would do this for a bunch of kobolds... There probably isn't a god in this world with such overflowing compassion.

　This is precisely why Casalos was puzzled by the inexplicable internal strife among the kobolds—the kobolds' camp had clearly not shifted, so the chaos must be in accordance with their rules of order.

　The kobold tribe uses this method to create competition, select the stronger individuals, eliminate the weak, limit the size of the entire tribe, and at the same time strengthen the overall power of the tribe.

　"Hmm, indeed very lawful evil." Casalos commented one last time, then backed away from the vines and shrank back behind the stalagmite. He waited for the kobold hunting party to leave after completing their hunt before transforming into an owl and lightly flying down, landing directly on the stone slab.

　After standing firm for a while and observing to determine the location of the traps left by the kobolds, he resumed his dragon form, opened the well-concealed stone slab, and crawled into the hole, not forgetting to close the slab with his tail.

　The passageways inside the cave are still the typical features of dark and secluded places, winding and moistened by water, covered with travertine, undoubtedly formed naturally.

　The corners and uneven ground were full of simple traps reminiscent of kobold traps, which looked like they had just been maintained. It seemed that the hunting party that had just entered the cave had spent most of its time maintaining these traps, leaving even less time for hunting itself.

　What exactly is ahead?

　Casalos became even more curious. It tried to avoid the traps, using its six limbs, including its wings, to cling to various parts of the passage, taking small, quick steps to explore deeper into the tunnel.

　34. The oldest

　"Wow……"

　As expected, the passage was indeed short. Casalos, using all six limbs, only took about ten minutes to pass through the crooked rock passage and enter a vast underground hall.

　Using the dim, intensely green light, Casalos could clearly see the enormous object in the center of the underground hall, and could only gape in astonishment.

　It was a dragon, long dead, a dragon "buried" in this underground hall for countless years, now only a quiet corpse remained... to be precise, only a skeleton remained.

　"This is... a Gem Dragon?"

　The fact that only a skeleton remained meant that many identifying features had been lost, making it impossible for Casalos to determine the species of dragon to which the remains belonged.

　Its skeleton looks like some kind of dark gemstone material with a faint purple hue, which can be identified as a type of Gem Dragon. The physical structure of the Gem Dragon is perhaps the one that best reflects the elemental subspecies among the true dragons. After all, the various subspecies of the Pan-Metal Dragons are only slightly higher in metal content and their scales are covered with metal. The Gem Dragon, however, has a soft "gemstone" material even in its flesh and blood structure.

　From afar, a fiery green light emanates from its marrow, reflecting off the translucent bone as if it were stained with a magnificent black.

Chapter 34

　Obsidian.

　The skeleton of the dead dragon was slender and had a whip-like tail that was almost as long as its body and neck combined. It had two large, serrated horns that grew upwards and backwards on its head, resembling scythes with handles.

　Bejuri Gem Dragon, an ancient gem dragon species almost forgotten by the Faerûn.

　If the Gem Dragon is an extremely special subspecies of true dragon, then the Bejuri Gem Dragon is exceptionally special: while Toril was still undergoing global land-building, with endless volcanoes and earthquakes reshaping the world, the Bejuri Gem Dragon was already active throughout the land. That was an era before the oldest existing races had even been born, before even the gods and the Primal Ones had awakened; naturally, short-lived humanoid beings wouldn't remember them.

　But the dragon will not forget.

　A large number of anthropologists in Faerûn always try to use various pieces of evidence to prove that dragons, like elves, are not native to Toril. The existence of the Bejuri Gem Dragon is the best evidence to refute their arguments. Of course, even the silver dragons, who are the most friendly and fond of humans, would not be interested in arguing with these foolish anthropologists.

　The entire multiverse was created by the nine-headed dragon god Io. To say that Asgard's children weren't native species of a certain world is pure nonsense.

　However, this is enough to demonstrate the special nature of the Bejuri Gem Dragons. They were Asgras's first children in the world of Toril, much earlier than the other metal dragons, gem dragons, and chromatic dragons that returned under the leadership of the various dragon gods after Toril became stable.

　They were likely assistants to the nine-headed dragon god Aio in quickly shaping the surface of the planet Toril. Otherwise, how could tens of thousands of years be enough for the crust of a newborn planet to enter a stable period? As for the evidence, the Bejuri Gem Dragons do not eat meat or plants, nor do they eat anything that any other dragon can eat, nor do they absorb the magic that all things in the world of Toril possess. They feed on seismic waves!

　The surviving Bejuri Gem Dragons are extremely rare. Not to mention the short-lived humanoids, even most dragons might never encounter one in their lifetime. Casalos never expected to find one here, albeit only a skeleton buried for who knows how many years.

　Judging from its size and the aura it exuded, Casalos determined that this was an ancient Bejuri dragon that had died of natural causes. It had not chosen to create a dragon tomb or any other way to avoid its aging; it simply lay there, in this nameless cave in the Darklands, quietly and peacefully welcoming its death.

　Its dragon soul was not released into the next life, nor did its dragon body become part of the natural terrain. It just lay there quietly, binding its vast magical power.

　The strangely shaped, seemingly naturally formed stone island was probably the tomb this ancient dragon had built for itself. It sank this tomb to the bottom of an underground lake in a dark region. Over time, the terrain changed, and the lake level dropped, eventually exposing the top of the tomb, which was then discovered by a group of lucky kobolds…

　Countless dragon maggots crawled and writhed on the skeleton, which seemed to explain the origin of their dragon lineage: their ancestors, perhaps while consuming the remains of Asgras's first child in Faerûn, accidentally triggered some mechanism that prevented them from being overwhelmed by the high concentration of dragon magic in the dragon blood, and instead allowed them to acquire the dragon's bloodline.

　Is that really the case?

　Casalos immediately dismissed his own idea. Ordinary gem dragons' "flesh and blood" would become indistinguishable from real gems after death, but the ancient Bejuri gem dragons were even more special. Just look at their dragon bones; a kind of "energy" different from magic flickered within their bodies with a seemingly eternal flame that heated their gem-like bodies to extremely high temperatures.

　When they are still alive, they will use their acquired abilities to actively retain this temperature within their bodies and transform it into something else.

　But when they die, the terrifying non-magical energy released at that moment will burn away all their tissues except for their bones. How could an ordinary fly possibly eat the flesh and blood of the Bejuri Gem Dragon?

　Even if someone did manage to eat it, there's no record of anyone in the entire history of Faerûn becoming a half-dragon after eating dragon meat...

　With a skeptical attitude, Casalos folded its wings and walked toward the strange gem dragon skeleton, wanting to study up close what had happened to the group of dragon maggots, but suddenly stopped when it got about 60 meters away.

　It noticed some unusual signs.

　The dragon maggots crawling on the dragon bones showed no intention of leaving them. Even if they fell off the dragon bones in the midst of their jostling, they would quickly climb back up, unwilling to leave for even a moment.

　However, there were a few fresh crawling marks on the ground, stretching from the keel to more than 50 meters away, and then abruptly disappearing.

　On the opposite side, there are messy footprints of kobolds and remnants of what appear to be animal traps.

　The kobold hunting party used some method to lure the dragon maggots to that distance for capture; none of their footprints came within 50 meters of the dragon bones.

　Is something guarding the dragon maggots, with such a small warning range, or is it some residual influence from the skeleton of the Bejuri Gem Dragon that covers this area?

　The innate "magical" power of the Gem Dragon is also quite different from that of other True Dragon subspecies. They use psionic energy, and the Bejuri Gem Dragon is an innate psionic sorcerer.

　If magic is mysterious, then psychic energy can be described as bizarre.

　It's best to be cautious when facing the skeleton of a psionic ancient dragon.

　35. Twisted

　It's also quite simple to verify whether there is a threat within that 50-meter distance.

　Casalos returned to the stone island platform, dipped the tip of its tail into the water and wriggled like a worm a few times, catching a "blind" fish that was common in the lakes of the Dark Regions. It then trotted back into the tomb chamber with its tail in its mouth—it had long forgotten that it had come to find prey.

　After all, it wasn't truly hungry; its intense curiosity masked the illusion of an empty stomach.

　Using the traces of the kobolds' activity as a safety line, they threw lively fish near the Juli Gem Dragon skeleton, and a strange phenomenon occurred.

　The blind fish, still hopping around after landing, seemed even more active, its tail slapping the ground repeatedly. The translucent, smooth scales tightly packed on its body were thickening at a visible rate, with a central ridge rising along its midline. The rounded edges quickly became sharp, resembling dragon scales, giving it a gem-like appearance with its original translucent texture. The whitish eyes of the subterranean fish, which had degenerated, became clear again, first becoming the pupils of a fish, then shrinking inward into vertical pupils resembling dragon eyes, with dragon scales growing on the soft eyelids. Two bulges rapidly rose on the back of the neck, behind the gills in front of the dorsal fin, as if a pair of new limbs were about to grow.

　In just a few dozen seconds, a pure, underground blind fish actually turned into a dragon vein fish.

　The abstract lineage of the azalea clearly tells Casalos that its judgment was correct; the fish it had just caught with its tail had indeed become a rare dragon vein fish!

　They are not descendants of dragon veins born from half-dragons, but rather dragon vein creatures directly transformed from fully formed native organisms.

　The power to warp reality—only the power of psionic reality warping can achieve such an effect without any magical fluctuations.

　Around the dragon bones of the Bejuri Gem Dragon, there exists a barrier that distorts normal creatures into dragon-veined beings...?

　No, it's not a barrier, it's the might of the dragon!

　The abstract legacy of the Athelonian dragon was revealed once more, making Casalos realize that he was facing a unique dragon's might. Dragons possess a terrifying aura, a special ability often referred to by the Faerûn as dragon might, capable of creating waves of fear, either actively or passively, within a certain range.

　However, the dragon's might is not static. As the dragon grows to a certain threshold, it can manifest under certain specific conditions.

Chapter 35

　Under certain circumstances, Dragon's Might may mutate and manifest in a different way.

　The most common form of this mutation is the supernatural effect of either the fiery majesty of a red dragon or the icy majesty of a white dragon. A red dragon with fiery majesty radiates flames from its body as pure heat, creating a large area of ​​high temperature. Even just flying over a region can cause a catastrophe, making it a complete scourge.

　Clearly, the mutated majesty is closely related to the power inherent in the dragon itself.

　The Bejuri Gem Dragon before Casalos possessed a mutated majesty, and during its mutation, it fused with a certain reality-distorting psionic energy it wielded, thus creating such a unique effect after its death.

　If a dragon's might transforms a natural creature into a dragon-blooded creature, will it still have an effect on the dragon itself? Besides this, will this dragon's might have any other effects?

　If it were merely a transformation into a dragon vein, wouldn't the kobolds be eager to enter it? Why would they avoid it like the plague, even keeping their hunting of dragon maggots outside the affected area?

　Casalos decided to wait and see.

　The blind fish, now transformed into a dragon, continued its metamorphosis. Its dragon-like features became increasingly pronounced. Two horn-like bulges sprouted from the top of its head, and the protrusions on its neck and back had grown into fleshy, deformed dragon wings, only slightly larger than its pectoral fins. Its mouth extended to its gills, and sharp teeth emerged from its jaws. Beneath its translucent scales, the translucent flesh and internal organs unique to subterranean fish were transforming into a glassy, ​​stony state… Soon after, the blind fish leaped into the air again, unleashing a burst of burning dragon breath that flowed to the ground and burned for a long time without extinguishing, just like the continuously burning dragon breath of the Bejuri Gem Dragon.

　Although it is the forces that are altering reality that are at work, such changes still consume the nutrients and energy stored in the fish's body.

　During the rapid transformation, the body of the Dragon Vein Blind Fish also shrank, and the fat that was originally abundant in its body was quickly consumed, followed by protein and bone components.

　Fortunately, the dragon vein transformation was completed before it was completely dried out; the fish was almost twisted into a half-dragon.

　With a breath of its own, it exhausted the last bit of energy in its body, and with a thud, it fell to the ground and lay still, as peacefully as if it were asleep.

　Ah, I see. The twisted dragonification based on psionic manifestation is directly modeled after the source of dragonification majesty, the Bejuri Gem Dragon. Species distorted by it will only transform into the Bejuri Gem Dragon.

　The Kobejuri Gem Dragon is a bizarre creature that feeds on seismic waves.

　How many earthquakes can the world of Toril provide for its food now?

　True Bejuri Gem Dragons can avoid "famine" by going into a deep sleep, while Bejuri Gem Half-Dragons and Dragonvein Creatures only have one option: to starve to death.

　What about the dragon maggots?

　Casalos turned his gaze back to the dragon skeleton and observed it carefully for a long time. Combining the knowledge from his abstract inheritance and his previous life, he finally came to a conclusion: it was the completely metamorphotic development of flies and their reproductive pattern of laying a large number of eggs at once that allowed them to find a glimmer of hope before starving to death after being transformed into dragon veins.

　It saw many fly cocoons scattered on the dry ground beneath the dragon bones. Some were only the size of a grain of rice, still in the normal fly state, but already broken and tattered; some were the size of a fist, seemingly halfway through dragon transformation, most of them dead cocoons, with only a few successfully hatching; and many more were giant cocoons, corresponding to the size of dragon maggots, resembling the size of dragon eggs.

　The survival rate of these giant cocoons is very high; almost all of them emerge from the cocoon normally, but the dragonflies that have completed their development have flown away to who knows where.

　Among the flies that were twisted by the dragon vein in their cocoon state, a very small number of them coincidentally gained the ability to devour the mysterious heat source inside the skeleton of the Bejuri Gem Dragon during the process of transforming into a dragon. Their descendants are the dragon maggots that are now crawling all over the dragon bones.

　The dragon's might, capable of transforming normal creatures into dragon veins, and the mysterious, eternal thermal energy within its body—both non-magical—are unique abilities of this ancient Bejuri Gem Dragon.

　That is why the dragon maggots transformed by it also possess a weak effect of awakening the bloodline of a dormant true dragon—that is a unique spiritual energy created by the ancient Bejuri gem dragon itself, which is why Casalos could not recognize it.

　36. Burying the Dragon

　Only creatures that are themselves dragon-origin beings can stimulate their own true dragon bloodline to gradually awaken by consuming the "flesh and blood" of these unique dragon-vein creatures, thus reaching that in-between state of having dragon veins but not being fully dragon veins.

　This is a miracle pieced together by a series of unique and unrepeatable coincidences.

　With the crustal movements on Toril now in a period of calm, the remaining Bejuri Gem Dragons are already scarce, and they are all dormant inside active volcanoes, waiting to be awakened by the earthquakes that accompany volcanic eruptions so they can have a small meal. They may not even possess this special psionic power.

　In the world of Toril today, perhaps apart from the Lord of the Gem Dragons, no other dragon possesses such a bizarre ability.

　"It's a pity there will never be another group of kobolds like that..."