Well… I'll be damned! Don't know what's more confusing: the fact that the magic spells have normal-sounding names or the fact that the names of these skills have no relation whatsoever with what's being described in them… Seriously? Spartan Hamster? I was thinking of a combat ability, not a defensive one! Who would think a hamster can be a tank?! Or the effect of Tzuika? Come on! That's should have a been a skill that allowed me to summon free booze, not shoot out fireballs! I complained in my mind, but on the inside, I was really happy about what sort of improvements these skills offered me.
I was FINALLY able to cast REAL spells!
Still, before I got all hyped about casting magic, it was time to improve and maybe advance [Bartender], so I pulled it up and got the first two levels. Now it was at level 3, and it only cost me 14 skill points.
I wanted to cry, but I had to save Brekkar.
I thought about giving it an advancement too, maybe it could help me. When I selected it, I learned that it cost a total of 5 points, so I skipped it for now.
I was left with 46 points, so I went over the new skills I acquired and gave those two a boost.
For a total of 8 points, I got [The Spartan Hamster] and [The Effect of Tzuika] at level 2. The effects I received from these were as follows: 20% in damage dampening from the first and for the latter, a new element and one more spell for the previous two. Thus, I could cast now the following spells: [Fireball], [Firewall], [Earth Spike], [Earthquake], [Water Ball], and [Water Wall].
It was amazing, so I added another 8 points in [The Effect of Tzuika]. Now, I had Air Element as well and the following spells: [Fireblast], [Earth Arrow], [Water Gun], [Breeze], [Air Barrier], and [Air Scythe].
I could tell just from reading the names what each of them did, after all, the weird naming sense of the God-like entity didn't apply for these spells. Which in itself was quite AWESOME!
Now, it was time to improve my pride and joy: [Dragon Tamer].
Without even the slightest hesitation, I began to dump the last of my skill points into this one, hoping that maybe just maybe it will give me more stat points.
This was the result after spending 15 skill points:
[Dragon Tamer] [Level 4]: This is a passive, buff type skill. When a Hero develops any sort of friendly or intimate relationship with someone of a Dragon origin, this skill will allow the creation of a special bond between the two of them. The bond is indestructible by any other skill unless the Hero wills it. The Hero gains 30% of the Dragon's Stats, and the Dragon will gain the ability to level up 5X faster wherever the Hero might be. The Dragon will gain the equivalent of 10% of the overall buffed stats of the Hero when they are within 100 meters of them.
Advancement I]: The Hero can sense the direction in which he can find his [Selected] Dragon friend. Number of dragons that can be sensed at the same time: 1
[Advancement II]: All dragons gain 10 stat points upon level up and every 10 levels gained in the presence of the Hero allows the dragons to gain a random improvement in any of their skills. The Hero can choose where to add the stat points at any given time. If bond is broken before applying them, they will be added automatically to the stat with the highest value. [Apply Stat Points]
This was… amazing. I got a 30% buff and a party buff! What more could I wish for? But then I wondered just what level 5 would give me, so I decided to see.
With a gulp, I said “Improve [Dragon Tamer].”
[Improvement will cost 25 Skill Points.]
[WARNING! Improvement will change your species from Human to Half-Human Half-Dragon PERMANENTLY. New Bonuses and Skills may be available due to species change.]
I blinked surprised and then close the message, canceling the improvement.
Half dragon? I can't… I'm a human, not a dragon… If I do this, then even if I previously had 1% chance of going back home, I would have a 0% chance now… I can't… This is scary! What am I going to do as a Half-Dragon? The humans will hate me, and the dragons will loathe me… I won't have a place on either side… NO! This improvement I can't get! I can't give up on my humanity! I'm not a monster! I thought, but when I said the last word, Seryanna's smile flashed before my eyes.
I looked down and clenched my fists.
She's not a monster, but she's not a human either… I, on the other hand, will become one if I change my species… So I can't! I absolutely CAN'T do this! I thought and then looking at my skill points, I realized I had only 15 points left.
Even if I wanted to get it now, I couldn't. Without hesitation, I placed 8 points in [The Spartan Hamster], then I wished for an ability to help me with sword fighting or something to do with swordsmanship.
This was a sword and magic world, after all.
“Let's see what I got…” I said, but I wasn't as excited as I was a moment ago.
My mind kept going back to the improvement and what it would mean to gain it. A lot more power, true… but I would become something not human. I was afraid of that, of losing my humanity.
There were many who would have jumped at this opportunity, but I wasn't one of them. I wanted to stay human. Although I didn't mind gaining absurd abilities and skills as I leveled up, changing to another species wasn't something I particularly wished for either.
As for my new skill, this was it:
[Super Chihuahua Style]: Grants Apprentice Skill with any and all bladed weapons, one-handed or two-handed. Grants the following Combat Skills: [Dash], [Ten Strikes Attack], [Side-Step], [Block], [Parry], and [Dodge].
The last ones were actually just basic movements and passives. They basically allowed me to determine the right time to Block, Parry, or Dodge any Apprentice and Journeyman swordsmanship attacks.
I improved this ability once and brought it to level 2. This granted me access to Journeyman skills: [Double Jump], [One Hundred Strikes Attack], [Blade Dance Counter], and [Taunt].
Although they were very interesting, the last one basically worked only on monsters, and the blade dance thingy was basically a passive that allowed me to counter, block, or parry the incoming strikes of the enemy. So instead of dodging and avoiding the sword, I would move my blade against his and push it to the side, away from my body.
With this, I was left with only 1 skill point, which I didn't really need.
All that was left now was to put my skills into practice and start brewing Brekkar's antidote, but not before I made a list with what I needed.
“Let's see…” I said as I looked around and realized that the maid with the bag of herbs had yet to arrive.
About a few minutes later, she knocked on the door. I took it from her and opened it immediately to check what was inside. On one of the tables, I separated the plants needed for the cure and the ones I could use to make some random potions to test out how this [Bartender] skill worked.
“I'm lacking some stuff…” I said scratching the back of my head.
There were a lot of herbs missing, and I knew where to find them: in the Seculiar Forest.
“I need their help.” I nodded.
After I made a few short lists of what I needed, I double checked them to make sure I got all the ingredients I needed for my experiments and Brekkar's final cure. Once I was done with this, I stepped out of my lab and went to where Seryanna, Kataryna, and Kleo were all enjoying a cup of black tea and having a staring contest. The silver-scaled dragoness was winning.
“Girls, I need your help.” I said with a small smile.
“What do you need?” asked Kataryna.
“More herbs. Here's the list, I made copies.” I said and handed one to each of them “You can find some of these in the Seculiar Forest, I already used my Luck to make it so that you will find them. Can you go and fetch them for me?” I asked them. “Do so, and I'll make something tasty for you?” I added the bribe.
“Tasty? Deal! But, I'll just get these ones here… I can't go in too deep with my strength.” said Kleo.
“I can get the ones here. I just need to look for any strange p
lants that pop in my sight, right?” Seryanna asked.
“Erm… Yes, sort off. I made the wish for you a bit more complex so you don't need to bother with looks.” I smiled, and she squinted her eyes at me.
Did I say something wrong? I wondered.
“Then I presume I am left to bring the more… difficult ones?” Kataryna raised her eyes from the list and looked at me “Still, even if you wish for us to find them, I highly doubt we will be able to do so immediately. It could take weeks, maybe months to find some of these.” she noted and pointed at the Nightmare Scarlet on the list.
“You will find them in no time, don't worry.” I smiled back at her. “If you don't find them in the next four days, just return to me, and I'll go look for them.” I told her.
“I will find them.” Kataryna said grabbing the list and getting up from the comfy chair.
“I'll find mine before you do!” said Kleo and poked her tongue out at her.
“Sister dearest, that's not polite.” Seryanna warned her.
“You are just afraid that I'm going to finish my task before either of you!” she grinned and then ran off.
“Then how about a bet? The first to bring their herbs back gets a kiss from Alkelios?” Kataryna suggested looking back at Seryanna with a smirk.
“What? That… something like that!” she blushed strongly.
“See you in a few days!” Kataryna flew off, leaving the redhead dragoness behind.
Clenching her fists, Seryanna glared back at me and declared “Don't you dare let that wench finish first! No cheating!” and then she stormed off.
“Well now… Guess I should head back to work as well.” I blinked a bit surprised.
For the tasty reward, I asked the maids to bring me a bunch of fruits. I was preparing to make some tasty jam. Five years in a row mom forced me to help her out in the kitchen whenever she made traditional Romanian food, including jam. Some of those recipes had been literally hammered into my brain through experience alone.
[Brekkar's point of view]
To think that a youngster like Alkelios knew the cure to my incurable disease. If someone told me a hundred years ago that a human would enter one day in my home and save my life as well as go after my granddaughter's tail, I would have smeared their face with their own blood and stuffed their mouths with cacti.
Nonetheless, that was the truth…
The weird part was that this fellow, Alkelios was now my friend and also the same one who made the notorious Kataryna Greorg walk away from the life of a bandit. In a kingdom, those with a Power Number over 1000 were greatly sought after. The nobles and even the king went through great lengths to acquire their loyalty. Killing them was by far considered an unfortunate loss for the entire kingdom. Thus, Kataryna's ‘mischief' would be more or less considered as non-existent by most officials as long as she fought on our side from now on.
Besides the king, there were maybe 16 at most who reached the Awakened Breakthrough. I was once counted among them before that accursed illness struck me and pushed me back to a mortal life. If Alkelios' cure worked, then I still had a chance of offering my services to my king… And to think that the one who helped us, the dragons, was none other than one of our enemies, a human.
Still, I was getting worried about this so-called cure of his.
It has been around 4 days since he sent my granddaughters and the former bandit after those herbs. Ever since then, my servants reported strange sounds coming from the boy's laboratory. I as well heard him giggling like a madman once.
Then there were the explosions.
From time to time, something blew up in there and either something broke, or he was thrown out the window. Luckily for him, those vials were enchanted to survive such unfortunate events, but it made me wonder if I should trust him with the cure of my illness or not.
“Master, can you please tell that human to stop? Yesterday he dropped a vial of some weird yucky white stuff on me! Now, my skin turned green!” complained one of my maids.
Indeed, she was as green as grass.
“I'm sorry, but I can't. The boy simply wishes to improve and find the cure to my illness… Please, look past his… problems.” I said and showed her a wry smile.
BOOOM!
Something exploded so loud it made even me jump out of my chair.
“That wasn't me!” shouted Alkelios from outside the mansion.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BADABOOM!
“Ok… Now THAT was my fault… Ouch…” he said, and I rushed off to the window.
For a moment there, I thought my heart would stop in place. By the gods! I didn't know what was going to kill me faster, the illness or this boy and his potions!
Looking out the window, I saw him walking back to the mansion. His body was emanating a weird green smoke, and his hair was pink. Stopping in front of me, he lifted a finger up and opened his mouth.
“Never mix Tiber Rice with Green Zerdrak…” and then walked off like nothing happened.
“Tiber Rice and Green Zerdrak?” I said and knitted my brow.
I never heard of those two herbs in my entire life… Just what was that boy concocting in that lab of his?
“Ah! My skin is back to normal!” the maid jump up in joy, and I could only sigh.
[Alkelios' point of view]
If there was one thing I was forced to learn about my [Bartender] skill that was the fact that it was a bit hard to apply in practice. On one note, following the recipes made things far easier, but actually getting the right quantity in was a nightmare. For some of the simpler potions, I was able to easily make them, but the complicated ones were very hard, but I was improving at a surprising rate, most likely due to the skill's influence. When it came to using the knife, I was a master. I always made perfect cuts, but using the balance wasn't so easy.
The skill showed me the recipe step by step on how to make it, but the quantity was offered in grams, while the dragons had some weird symbol on it translated as Merk, which was the rough equivalent of 1.25 grams. Surprisingly, only Alchemy used this stupid weight measuring system. Either that or Kataryna offered me some old tools that weren't updated to the new measurement systems.
The first two days, I spent them practicing making simple potions and getting the weights right. That being said, who knew you could make exploding cabbages? On the other hand, I did better in making jam.
Well, most of those things were nothing more than practical jokes. Their usefulness in real combat was close to zero, but maybe a skilled prankster would make some good use of them. Either way, they weren't going to be part of my weapon arsenal.
About 6 days after I sent the girls to bring me those herbs, they finally returned with everything on the list. Both Kataryna and Seryanna were out of breath and looked like they went through Hell and back. They were both dirty, and their armors were in tatters. Of course, they were wearing different ones than those they used when we went to rescue Kleo. Seryanna's dragon knight armor was cracked and damaged in various places. As for Kataryna's, let's just say it stopped serving the purpose of armor the moment it began to disintegrate as a result of a certain Phoenix' attack.
Speaking of which, the black-scaled dragoness managed to finish her task before the end of the day. I had no idea how she did it, but apparently she was the one responsible for a new rumor spreading around town, something about spooky dark shadows moving left and right through the woods. I didn't ask her, and I simply played the innocent fool. What I didn't know anything about couldn't hurt me, especially when it came to ghosts and other creepy crawlers.
“So? Who won?” asked Kataryna while swaying her tail left and right.
I had the feeling she enjoyed the hunt for the herbs.
“Who?” asked Seryanna, squinting her eyes at me.
“Erm… no one. Both of you got here at the same time.” I shrugged and looked through the herbs.
“Then… I'll just do this!” said Kataryna with an annoyed voice.
The moment when I l
ooked towards her, I saw a very rare and sexy scene… The dragoness grabbed the redhead's head with both palms and gave her such a kiss, it simply dumbfounded the knight. I was gasping as well because I never thought the silver-scaled dragoness would do something as outrageous as that.
“I'll give my thumbs up for that!” I said with a perverted grin.
“Hihihi!” Kataryna winked at me.
“What was that all about?!” shouted Seryanna as she threw a nearby empty basket at me.
Using [Dodge], I was able to avoid it, while Kataryna played the joke a bit further and slapped the redhead's behind.
“Hey!” she shouted.
The silver-scaled dragoness ignored her and walked off, swaying her hips left and right.
Pouting, Seryanna shot me a glare and then left as well.
I smirked and returned to my work. Of course, I did tell the maid to offer them some of the jam I cooked up. Apparently, Brekkar found it delicious.
About one day later, I finally managed to brew the potion. It was a nightmare to do so, especially since I ruined the first batch because I sneezed. Using my [Bartender] skill and after training on how to more or less approximate the correct quantity, I was able to do it properly.
[Night Breeze Potion of One Million Deaths] potion was a very complicated one because it actually required to make four different potions, then I had to mix them up like one would do an alcoholic drink. Stir the result with a silver spoon, then dip a root of Rosiette in it, leave it like that for two hours, and it was ready to consume.
“Here!” I told Brekkar with a big smile.
“Alkelios? What is it? It's three hours past midnight… Can't we do this in the morning?” he asked.
Dragons Can Be Cute Too Page 25