Abigail was not having a good day.
She had studied and studied and still failed the Elven enchantress exam. "Too weak, no power, no strength," the examiners had written on her exam results. She had left the city where the exam had taken place to meet back at her rendezvous spot with her party. However, she was extremely frustrated and decided to walk alone before getting to the location.
Abigail Montall is an Elven healer. She is a hard worker, determined, and brilliant. She comes from a small Elf tribe in the West. She was the first from her tribe to be an Enchantress. Enchantress power is unlocked in the Natural Power slot. It is a legendary rarity to have the nature of an enchantress. Being an Enchantress means she can spell cast with ease but not spells that are damage dealing. Those would take longer to learn, if ever. As a result of the difficulty, her spells were healing-focused. This is why she has failed constantly; she only had skills to help her defend and protect. Abigail felt immense pressure to be this great elf. The one who would bring them wealth and great fortune. The one where everyone''s success depended on her.
Abigail hated this pressure. She didn''t want to lead a stationary life. She wanted to explore. She wanted to view all the beauty and wonders of the world. She found a bench and took a seat, going further into her deep thoughts. She smiled as she recalled all the great adventures she had had already in her young career. She missed her young self before all the pressure; she was young, dumb, and so free. She missed that. Always dreaming of that sweet, sweet, pressureless freedom.
"Hey, why the long face?" a smooth voice interrupted her thoughts and said. The voice was smooth with a constant hint of care. He spoke with genuine care toward everyone he communicated with. He spoke with a lot of slang.
"Oh," Abigail replied to the scrawny man in front of her. "Hey, Vin.. how long have you been there?" Abigail’s voice sounded like she attended a top university in Oxford, England. She spoke with grace and elegance. It was formal and proper.
The man named Vin frowned, "Just walked up to ya, Abs. What''s wrong? You''re usually more alert."
"I failed again.." she said with exasperated sadness, "I am too weak," she growled. "I need to get stronger. I need stronger attacks or ANY attack spells. I just do not have the skills for it. That makes it so hard. My total set is so - "
"Defender"
"Yes, Exactly. They are so defensive. I need some attacking power. Otherwise, you and I will never make it as a big crusader party. We need more power."
"Our team is brand new Abs. We got plenty of time to find that power. It would be ideal if we find someone from the Maverick Federation.
"Not this again... Vincent, the Mavericks are all jerks. They are so full of it. I won''t stand to have one in our party!"
"Oh, come on, Abigail. Just ''cause the one we met that jerk-off werewolf doesn''t mean we cannot trust ANY mavericks. Just gotta do some extra vettin'', that''s all." Vincent pleaded.
Vincent was a close friend of Abigail, the human to her elf. They grew up as neighbors in the West. The two have been friends since they were near babes. Vincent''s family are all hunters; he comes from a prominent tribe of hunters. The best in their small provincial area. Vincent''s parents would deliver fresh games to Abigail''s family in exchange for elixirs and health potions. Vincent was a medium-built man; his skin was marked with intricate tribal tattoos covering his face and feet. He had tanner skin, as if he was from the Earthly Middle East; his hair was curly and dark black. He had hazel brown eyes and a short-cropped beard. Vincent wore a dark forest green camo tunic top and bottom with a hunter''s bow hung around his chest and a few throwing knives along his belt. His voice was smooth and mellow; he was taught to talk like this so he could talk while on the hunt. His steps were light and nearly imperceptible.
Vincent knew Abigail was destined to be great. He wanted to help his closest friend reach that. She just had a habit of getting in her own way. He gently touched his friend, touched her shoulder, and whispered, "Our party is going to be great. Not because you are leading it but because WE are leading it. Not all pressure is on you."
Abigail felt electricity course through her once he touched her. Did Vincent, her oldest friend, feel that too? Does he share similar feelings as her? Soaking in his words and warm presence, she took a slow, deep breath. Then, slow-released it, along with her tensions. "You are right, Vin. I cannot judge them for one ignorant prick." She took another long breath, breathing in his delightful scent; it was familiar and calming. "I am just not having a good day. Failing yet another examination did not help my mood either. I just feel unsure. I do not know; maybe I am just in my own head, or maybe I am getting ill."
"Or… or… or.. Or.. n-not," Vincent stammered, pointing up to the sky as a large dark shadow covered the park.
<hr>
Ob woke up lying flat. He was, yet again, cold on his back. Not translucent this time. He could see his dark milk chocolate skin yet again. He never grew a lot of body hair before, which is why he was surprised to feel a little stubble on his face. Ob spent the next few moments examining his body and noting the differences.
"I am bigger? Like more jacked... Dang, I''m not mad at this. I don''t know how I feel about the stubble; I always enjoyed the clean shave. My hair is longer." Ob wore tight braids, tightened into two lines across his head, ending with two small braided ponytails hanging just by his neck. Ob noticed he was wearing the same gym shorts he used to go to sleep in. "Okay, so not dreaming then."
Objective: Find your body and reconnect the link. Completed You have found your body.
Reward - Dragon Tunic
Reward - Dragon Pant Legs
Reward - Dragon Boots
Reward - 1500 Gold pieces
Reward - 10 XS Explixirs
- 5 S Explixirs
- 1 M Explixirs
Reward - Ice Blue Stone
Reward - Spellcasting Guide
Bonus Rewards for Slaying the Wraith
Reward - 15 S Exp-lixirs
Reward - Dragon Charm
Reward - Spectral Cloak
All items have been put in inventory. To access inventory, view the chest icon on HUD.
You have received new clothing. Would you like to put on new clothing? Yes/No?
"Yeah," Ob said, "Get me some clothes." Swirls started to appear around Ob. Ob felt a rush of power as he was wearing his new clothes. The outfit was black mixed with red and orange as if he was staring into a solar eclipse. The cloak flowing behind him had an actual solar eclipse in the design, slowly showing the moon covering a bright sun.
Item: Spectral Cloak
Bondable Item
Legendary
The cloak matches the spectral aura of the wielder. This is a bondable item. Once bonded, the item will unlock a skill within the Natural Powerset. Insufficient power to bond. Cloak cannot be bonded. Cloak provides different abilities based on bond. Without the bond, the cloak is a good-looking piece of clothing.
The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Item: Dragon Charm
Bondable Item
Divine
The charm grants the power to create a soul-link with a dragon. The dragon must be of equal or lower level or age, whichever is lower. The dragon has the right to refuse the link; if this happens, the charm will become inactive for 7 days. After that, the charm may be attempted again on a different dragon. Soul-link, you gain a buddy for life. You and the being you are soul-linked to will travel together and explore the world. An extremely unique bond is that those who are soul-linked have an intrinsic understanding of each other''s feelings, thoughts, auras, and souls. The two grow stronger as they work together, becoming an unbreakable unit.
WARNING: choose wisely. A soul-link is a challenging thing to come by, and if you choose a soul-link with an inherently evil being, you, too, will become corrupt. You will feel no effect if you select a soul-ink with an inherently neutral being. If you choose a soul-link with an innately good being, you, too, will become good.
"I see you are learning about your spoils." A melodic motherly noise entered the space he was in, startling Ob.
"Oh, ah yes, sorry! I got distracted. There was a lot of information on that item… I also cannot see you. I also don''t think I heard you, but I did… How is that possible?" said out loud.
"I am Flaxornora. The Queen of the Astrological Dragons of the North. Yes, child. I do not speak as you humans do. I use my vocal box to create words as you perceive them, and my dragon nature projects it into your mind," Flaxornora responded. "We all speak this way."
"That did not make any sense to me, but okay, Queen Flaxornora.." He said syllable by syllable, "I''m Ob, er Ob Jones. Do you mind answering 1 or 15 questions I have? I know I''m tripping because you just told me you were a dragon, and that is not the thing I am focusing on…" Ob said, rubbing his temples and shaking his head. An odd noise erupted from the shadows; Ob could only assume it was laughter.
A gigantic dragon walked out. It had icy blue scales that glimmered like stars in the night sky. Ob also saw green and blue lights flash across her scales. Her head was about the size of Ob. She had wings that would span 10 feet in both directions. Her body was as long as a bus. Ob stood in awe as this beautiful yet terrifying creature walked in front of him. The dragon stared at him. Once again, Ob felt that feeling of danger, and his instincts were telling him to RUN. He swallowed that feeling and put on a false facade.
"Oh, very good. You do a good job at forcing your resolve." Flaxornora complimented, "Please call me Flaxy. Yes, I am able to answer some of your questions in due time. You are in Woarndoleth, one of the few dimensions connected to your home dimension. I am not sure how you got here, but your body arrived a few days ago, cold and pale. Ancient stories tell of this happening all throughout our world. Bodies appear dead but are idle, waiting for the soul to be reconnected. The answer as to why was never passed down. Each reason is different; each being who comes comes comes with a different purpose.
It is up to you to find out why you are here, Ob. I cannot keep you here forever. You must travel South. The beginning of your journey starts there." She paused, giving Ob an assessing look. "Your nature is friendly towards the dragons. This is why we did not destroy your body. This is extremely rare, especially for those traveling to this dimension. Now tell me, "What long item were you learning about?"
"Woarndoleth, Wo arn dole th… another dimension okay. Great. Yeah, this is insane. What?! What about my old life? Am I just dead? Is this an avatar? Am I living both lives? What is happening??" Ob started to ramble, overthinking and panic setting in yet again. "Breathe, big guy… Breathe… Let''s see what I can control," Ob started to say, completely ignoring Flaxy.
"Ob… our time is limited, please," Flax interrupted
"Oh right, sorry. Um, it''s called a dragon charm. It had long descriptions. Why is our time limited?"
"We must get you to your destination before the sunsets. We disappear after the sun sets. As astrological dragons, we only appear in this dimension during astrological events; once they end, we return to our home realm."
"Oh, okay, so I met the super dragon clan. Dope. Y''all are friendly enough, though. Which is against everything my world says about dragons, but that''s neither here nor there."
"You are not afraid of dragons despite the stories?"
"No, dragons were always awesome to me. Sure, they could kill us, but so can many things that people still love, like Lions, Tigers, and Bears." Ob paused and thought Oh my to himself and chuckled a muffled laugh. Flaxy looked at him with suspicious eyes. "Dragons," he continued, "were no different but much cooler to me."
"I see. I see indeed," Flaxy mused. "Call it destiny or fate; you were brought to us for a reason. The dragon charm allows you to create a soul-link with a lesser or equal-rank dragon. May I suggest you use it on my youngest? Her name is Eclipse, and she is a Solar dragon. She is hot-tempered but extremely loyal. Come on out, Eclipse."
"Oh, uhh, sure? Would love to meet her.."
Not sure what to expect, a small black dragon with scales matching his cloak perfectly walked out. Eclipse''s scales would shimmer red and orange with every step, while most of her scales were black. She was no bigger than a tiger and much more slender than her mother, the queen. Her eyes were golden orange, and she stared at Ob with studied intensity.
"You do not fear human? You are excited to meet a dragon. Have you ever met one before?" Eclipse asked in a bitter-sounding voice. Sharp yet caring, the voice of a stern professor who cared for her students'' well-being.
"Err, no, Y''all are the first I''ve ever met. And no, I''m not afraid. This is amazing." Ob responded.
"Do you hail from a magic desolate realm?" Eclipse asked, "Pardon me, I am Princess Eclipse. 5th offspring of the Queen of The Northern Astrological Clan." Eclipse said with pride.
"Nice to meet you, princess. I''m Ob, 5th child in my world. And yes, my world does not have magic." Ob responded, "Why do you want to be linked? Is that something you want to do, be trapped with another creature for the rest of your days?"
"Not my days, yours." she corrected, "Dragons live much longer than humans. I want to see the world, Ob. It is full of beauty and wonders; I cannot do that in my other dimension. I mustn''t let this opportunity pass me by. I must take hold. You, Ob, do not fear me or my kin. This fills me with a renewed hope, a hope that I will gladly accept your soul-link." Eclipse said in response.
"Be warned, Ob." Flax noted, "There are many charms in the world; the dragon charm is the most potent. Your very nature will be altered, as will my child''s. I do not offer this lightly; this is done with a level of trust you cannot comprehend. We are not pets. There is a level of power that we give up to be a soul-linked being. This bond will not turn you into an owner. It will not turn Eclipse into a slave or a pet. It will turn you two into a formidable team."
"I hear you. I don''t want pets or slaves. Perhaps it would be foolish to do this without knowing anything about you or this world, but I ain''t got time for sitting and waiting. Back home, we have a saying, ''Get it before it is gone forever.'' An opportunity like this is rare, plus DRAGONS! I''m in." Ob responded. "I''m cool with this. If you are Eclipse, it''ll be nice to have a friend."
Would you like to use Dragon Charm on Princess Eclipse of the North Astrological Clan?
Yes. Ob gave the mental command.
The link is being established. Princess Eclipse has accepted the charm.
Soul-Link: Princess Eclipse of North Astrological Clan
You have created a soul-link with the dragon Princess Eclipse.
You have gained the Natural Power: Draconian Ally.
Draconian Ally, you are an ally to dragons. Being a dragon ally can be read on your soul and aura with full force. Your soul-link has given you the power of Dragon Speak added to HUD/UI.
You have learned the skill Dragon''s Breath.
Dragon''s Breath skill, spell - breathe a dragon''s fire on all in your path. High-level manna cost. Zero cool down.
You have learned the skill - Dragon''s Hide.
Dragon''s Hide skill, body enhancement - gain the strength of dragons and resist high heat and cold temperatures. Immune to fire. Increased resistance to slashing attacks.
You have gained the Nurtured Power: Slayer.
Ob''s reading was interrupted by a voice entering his head. "Hello, soul-link, mate. Let us depart to where we must go before we are sucked into another dimension. It''s a long journey. Hop on."
Ob''s instinct of danger and fear washed away after reading the letter and looking at Flax. "Thank you for helping me with the wraiths and getting me started. We will see you at the next astrological event," Ob said as he got onto his new friend''s back.
Eclipse took flight, spreading her midnight black wings; she nodded to her mother, then took flight.
Eclipse had many questions for Ob. The first thing she said was, "I''m not your servant or your pet; let''s get that straight."
"No arguments here. As far as I am concerned, you are a friend and a partner. We make decisions together. Sound good?" Ob mentally responded back over the rushing wind. Ob didn''t understand everything, but he knew his new friend was shocked by his response, and she was silently grateful to have a soul-link to him.
"Tell me, Ob, are dragons loved in your world?"
"No, goodness no. Most people hate dragons. They are afraid of them, or they make them the bad guys in our fairytales. So many princesses are captured by a dragon, and a knight has to go save them in these stories. But I never feared them. I saw these great magical beasts full of power who are insanely misunderstood. They were always my favorite." Ob responded. "Why me? Why decide to be with me. I''m not buying the whole seeing the world lie you told me in front of your mom."
"You seem different. I am not sure what makes you different. The way you looked at me when I first walked out. It was full of awe and wonder. I felt as if I knew what it was like to be ostracized for who you are. It felt as if you knew that judging before getting to know me was not a good idea. Call it madness or bravery, I do not know, but I am eager to find out."
Ob chuckled, "I don''t see the difference between the two. Sometimes, you have to be a little mad before you can walk out with bravery." His demeanor got sad, "yes, I know what it is like to be treated poorly for who I am. In my own family, too. I never want to cause harm like that."
"I see. This world, Ob, is not as easygoing as I fear you might believe. It is full of beauty and wonder. This much is true. It is also full of terror and death. Be warned, my.." she paused, searching for the right word, "friend, I sense that you will have to fight, and they fight till death here. The world is a savage place, but it is malleable. You have the mark of a person who sides with us, dragons. This will make many enemies. I have your back ''cause I know you have mine." Eclipse said as she descended onto a park. They had reached their destination.