1 Hatching, birth of the void dragon.
A black shooting star flew in the middle of the day. CLING! It blinked with a quick flash. All the wizards, sorcerers, and arcane scholars sensed it as well. They felt the immense being who flew above them.
"Live your life, my son," A void hummed, "This is the end of my journey."
A black egg fell from the sky, rumbling. BAM! It smacked into the middle of a forest. The countdown immediately started.
Time until hatching, 4096 seconds: The egg is 1.5 meters in diameter and rumbles.
Time until hatching, 3072 seconds: The egg is 1.2 meters in diameter. The rumbling became a bit louder.
Time until hatching, 2048 seconds: the egg is 0.9 meters in diameter. The egg went silent.
Time until hatching, 1536 seconds: the egg is 0.75 meters in diameter. A quiet hissing surrounded the egg.
Time until hatching, 1024 seconds: The egg is 0.6 meters in diameter. It started smoking and upon further inspection. The ground beneath it is the one smoking.
Time until hatching, 512 seconds: The egg is 0.45 meters in diameter. The smoke stopped, and the egg started floating.
Time until hatching, 256 seconds: The egg is 0.3 meters in diameter. The egg became completely round, losing its egg shape.
Time until hatching, 128 seconds: The egg is 0.27 meters in diameter. The pressure is reaching critical levels.
Time until hatching, 64 seconds: The egg is 0.25 meters in diameter. The egg started sucking air like a vacuum.
Time until hatching, 32 seconds: The egg is 0.22 meters in diameter. The egg went silent, seeming to calm down.
Time until hatching, 16 seconds: The egg is 0.2 meters in diameter. The light around the egg started to bend. It's about to hatch.
CRACK! The egg hatched in silence, and the creature was born.
Arad opened his eyes, and his head was hurting. He looked around, dazed, "Where am I?"
{Happy birth second, minute, hour, and day. A happy century and millennium, Arad Orion} A voice rang in his head.
Arad looked around, surprised, touching his head to check it. "Who are you?"
{A shard of your mother's consciousness. Void dragons leave a part of themselves with their children instead of raising them.}
"Isn't that bad parenting?" Arad asked with a worried face.
{Not with the situation we're facing. We void dragons are on the brink of extinction. We should focus on making more babies than raising them. At least until we reach stable numbers.}
"So, my mother is already working on my siblings?" He asked, lifting one eyebrow as he started into the forest.
{Exactly, and you should do the same. Void dragons learn before they are born. You know how to survive.}
"I can't mate with other void dragons as we repel each other, and that's why we're almost extinct. So, I should look for mates from humanoids. Few can bear a void dragon egg, so I should choose wisely." He muttered what was going on in his head.
{Don't forget. The mother's consciousness is what decides the child's personality and goals. If you got an unwilling mate. The child will hunt you right after birth.}
Arad looks around at the vast forest, listening to the birds chirping. "What now? Should I find a humanoid and suggest it?"
{No, you're better off hiding your identity until you build a bond of trust. From your mother's experience, mages and wizards will hunt you for their experiments.}
"Can't I beat them? Am a void dragon, after all." Arad looked at the ants climbing the tree.
{Correction, a newborn void dragon. Even those who could level countries have got killed with combined efforts.}
"Then what could I do now? Get stronger?"
{And you better find a place to spend the night inside. And speaking about your powers, let me show you.}
"My powers?"
{This is what other people will see when inspecting you.}
************
{Name: Arad Orion}{Race: Human}{Class: Sorcerer}
{Level: 1/20}{Exp: 300}{Sub-class: Pyromancer}
{Stats}
[Strength: 11] [Agility: 14] [Constitution: 14]
[Magic: 18] [Intelligence: 17] [Wisdom: 9]
{HP: 11}{MP: 22}{SP: 12}
----------------
{Skills}
{Innate Skills}
[Draconic Bloodline: Fire]
[Draconic Scales]
{Resistance}
[Fire]
{Immunities}
Non
{Magic}
Non
************
"People can't see my stats. What are my real stats then" Arad asked.
{Look. Higher, but not by much.}
************
{Name: Arad Orion}{Race: Void Dragon}{Class: Draconic Mage}
{Level: 1/20}{Exp: 300}{Sub-class: Void Knight}
{Stats}
[Strength: 12] [Agility: 20] [Constitution: 14]
[Magic: 20] [Intelligence: 20] [Wisdom: 20]
{HP: 27}{MP: 29}{SP: 27}
----------------
{Skills}
[Claws]
[Bite]
{Innate Skills}
[Void Magic: The ability to use void magic to force the other elements out]
[Void Power: the ability to wield void itself]
[Alternate Form: Shifting from a draconic to a humanoid form]
[Breath Weapon: A blast of all-consuming void]
[Void Biology: The void dragon is alive. But not made of flesh and bones.]
[Void Eyes: The void eyes can detect magic, see in the dark, and detect invisible creatures.]
[Void Existence: Infinite void is your body and you are aware of everything in contact with it. Time and space can't flow inside your large stomach, and you should hide items there.]
[Void Walk: The Void Dragon can teleport up 40 meters to a spot it can see.]
{Resistance}
[All Elements]
{Immunities}
[Time Magic]
[Space Magic]
{Magic}
Non
************
"Right now am a sorcerer. How can I use flames?"
{You can use the void to rub the air particles together and force an ignition. But sucking air inside you first before heating it will make it easier.}
"That would make me look more like a legitimate sorcerer who can conjure the elements." Arad caught up on how to use his power.
Arad took a deep breath and closed his eyes. {Compress it, heat it.} Sizzled! Flames started emerging between his lips. Embers of crimson fire engulfed his palm.
"I did it. It wasn't that hard," Arad said with a big smile. But then he looked down and noticed the clothes he wore.
{Your mother might not have the time to raise you herself. But she made sure you got all the basics to start with.}
Arad was wearing commoner clothes, a blank brown shirt, and pants. He had a small dagger on his waist and a sizeable pouch by his side.
"But couldn't she drop me close to a city or something?"
{Your egg took some time to hatch, which would reveal your identity. But don't worry, this forest is the safest in this whole continent. You won't find an easier place to start.}
"I see. let's get going then." Arad started walking between the thick trees, looking for any humanoid traces.
It only took him half an hour to reach the forest edge. Behind it, the vast green hills glittered with the city behind them.
"I see it, a city." Arad pointed with his finger and a big smile crossed his face. "Do you know what city it is?"
{No, I only have the basic knowledge.}
Arad looked around, "Can I sleep in the city?"
{You will need money to pay for an inn. Your best bet to get money is killing monsters.}
Arad nodded, "I can hear some rustling in the distance. I bet it's some humanoids fighting monsters." He turned around and walked toward the noise.
{Calling them humanoid is weird. Make sure to call them people.}
CLING! CLANG!
"Get Behind me, don't drop your defense." A young man in armor shouted. He swung his sword at the goblins ahead of him.
The goblins dodged by leaping around. The young man was too slow for them to fear him.
The three behind him looked worried, "It's your fault for wearing such noisy armor. They sniffed us out immediately." The girl wearing a full green robe shouted and pointed her staff at the goblins.
[Firebolt] CRACKLE! A flash of red flames burst from her staff, grilling one of the goblins.
Another young man pulled his bowstring, "Damn it. We got too close." Pew! He got one of the goblins in the eye. "I can hit their eyes from this distance, for god's sake."
The last girl in their four-member team said, lifting her amulet, "Begone vermins by the light of the sun." [Light] Her holy symbol flashed, blinding the goblins for a while.
The fighter rushed in and swung his greatsword. CLANG! He sliced one of the Goblins in half. The rogue aimed his bow and took one of the goblins.
[Firebolt] The wizard lifted pulled a small wand, and a red flash burned one of the goblins. "Those vermins never end." She need speed and not power.
"Cast a big spell. We will use that as a cover to retreat." The rogue suggested while staring at the cleric and the wizard.
Arad stood at the sideline watching. {They don't seem to have noticed the shaman.}
"That one goblin with the funny outfit at the back, is he a spell caster?"
{Yes, those kids will go down. The moment they decide to retreat.}
"We should help them."
{No, the number of goblins is great. Those two girls aren't suitable mates either. Forget it.}
"And let them die like this?"
{Of course, their life is none of our business. We have nothing to gain by risking our life for theirs.}
"I can think of it as training. I have to start somewhere."
{If your HP drops to 0, you will transform into your draconic form. Exposing your identity means you have to start over in another place.}
"Come, don't be too scared. Let's hunt some goblins."
Thud! Arad leapt out of the bushes and ran as fast as he could.
{Goblins: 17/26} {Can't detect their HP because your eyes still need to evolve.}
{Adventurers: 4/4}
"Doesn't matter. The girl there killed with one fire thing." Arad extended his hand. CRACKLE! A firebolt emerged from his palm.
The goblins got surprised, and the adventurers looked back.
"A wizard?" Rogue gasped, drew his bow, PEW! The arrow took another goblin off the senses.
{Goblins: 15/26}
"It's our chance, attack!" The fighter screamed as he rushed ahead. Thud! Stomping the ground, he swung his greatsword with great zeal. CLANG! Two goblins lost their life at his slash.
[Shield] The cleric lifted her holy symbol and created a magical shield around the fighter. CLING! CLANG! The goblins threw a lot of poisoned sticks at him, and the spell deflected them.
"Thanks." He shouted, and the cleric cried. "there won't be any more spells, be careful."
[Firebolt] The wizard fired another firebolt at the goblins and claimed a life.
{Goblins: 12/26}
BAM! Arad rushed ahead. He went even past the fighter that guarded the front.
"Idiot, don't charge into the enemies. You're a wizard." As the fighter shouted, the wizard in their party noticed it. Arad wasn't carrying an arcane focus.
KA-DON! Arad's hand burst into flames as he grabbed a goblin by the head. CRACKLE! As the magic intensified, Thud! Arad turned around and threw the goblin at the other goblins, burning them.
"He isn't a wizard. He's a sorcerer." The wizard shouted.
{Goblins: 11/26} Arad lifted his hands and smiled, "Burn them all." His palms flashed red, sending sparks of flame everywhere.
{Goblins: 9/26} {Goblins: 7/26} {Goblins: 5/26}
PEW! The rogue shot his arrow and took a goblin that tried to sneak behind Arad. "Powerful magic, but don't forget to watch your back."
{Goblins: 4/26}
"He's right. You sorcerers are too reckless." The wizard yelled, [Ray of Frost] She sent a beam of cold magic, freezing one of the goblins.
{Goblins: 3/26}
The remaining three goblins turned to run away. "Thud!" You won't get away, the fighter shouted, throwing his sword at them. CLANG!
One of the goblins fell, and the fighter rushed after him.
PEW! The rogue took another goblin while Arad burned the last one.
{Goblins: 0/26}
