Chapter 162: Stygian.

Chapter 162: Stygian.

How are your arms doing? Can you move them? Rotate your shoulders? Stretch? They were pretty messed up, to the point I had to cut into your left arm and realign your bones for them to properly heal. Well, [Major Heal] could have probably done it regardless, but I wanted to be sure, so sorry for cutting into you, Mister Raian. After watching over Saoris sleeping spot with Cernust over the night, I returned to our camp since Tasianna informed me that the grizzled, mercenary Raian had woken up.

Listening to me, Raian slowly began doing a rudimentary warm-up practice to test out how healthy his arms were. Despite losing one of his eyes, he hadnt complained much about it. They are good to go. Thank you, Mlady Priestess. Dont worry about the cutting part. If it helped me get better, then I have no right to complain, especially when I got myself into that mess in the first place.

Well, thats good to hear but arent you fazed at all about your eye? I mean, you lost it I tilted my head in wonderment. Looking worried that he was currently experiencing something I couldnt imagine.

Ah, yeah, thats right. Raian touched the impromptu bandage we wrapped around his eye like an eyepatch. He sighed before continuing, Funny thing is, I nearly lost my eyes once before on a job. Becoming completely blind would be the end for me, but with at least one eye, I can still fight thanks to my skills. [Prediction] and [Danger Perception] allow me to anticipate attacks and Ive managed to train myself to fight using one eye in case this ever happened. If my eye got plucked out and cant be restored anymore, then complaining about it to you would be pathetic. Id rather get used to my circumstance.

Wow as expected of an adult. Mature and sensible. Respect.

Raian has been working as a mercenary for years before we started, Wulf explained. He only made it to C-rank but hes got enough experience behind his belt to teach newcomers like us a thing or two. Even taught Roosterhead over there how to wield a sword properly.

Oh jeez, now he is using that nickname too? Too bad, Roosterhead.

All that experience didnt matter in the end. Still nearly caused the whole party to wipe, haaaaaaaa It was a deep sigh, filled with regrets and guilt. I wanted to say something, but it felt awkward for a teenager like me to say something uplifting to an adult like him. I didnt want to patronize him, especially if he were to think I was some snot-nosed kid who didnt know what she was saying.

Still wasnt it the role of a doctor to also help a patient mentally? When I was a kid, my family doctor would calm me down before an injection Ok, maybe that wasnt a very apt comparison.

But you are alive. You all are alive, I started, attempting to bring his spirit back with [Benevolent Aura]. You didnt lose anybody. Sure, you made a mistake, but it all worked out in the end, right?

OMG, it might have just been better if I had said nothing at all. Silence is golden, ahhhhhhhhh!

Ahahahahaha! Suddenly, Raian just burst out in laughter. With how awkward and cringy everything I said was, I cant even feel upset that he did! Sorry, sorry, I didnt mean to force you to make me feel better, Mlady Priestess. Dont worry about me. Shit happens. Youre right that I should be happy that everybody made it out alive thank the goddess but that doesnt mean I cant reflect back on this mistake of mine.

Mister Raian, please, if anybody has themselves to blame, then it was me. Mine was the deciding vote. You did what you could in a situation where we were simply outmatched and outnumbered, Lucia chimed in as she brought Raian a wet towel.

Shes right, mate. You and Diena were the only ones who said no to the plan, while I was stupid enough to think wandering into a goblin cave was a good idea. Arck, I really thought the worst that could happen was a hobgoblin champ or shaman, Wulf added.

Saoris evolution began at some point during the afternoon before the sky completely turned orange, while the current time should be a bit before lunchtime. With no access to a clock, knowing the exact time was hard. Anyway, as an evolution always takes a whole 24 hour day to finish, I didnt have anything else to do other than to listen to this adventurer party.

Still, despite how melancholic it could be sometimes with Raian or Verdiena assessing the situation, it could have been far worse. They werent pondering in silence and were already discussing their next moves. I guess this is what you could call the mark of adults, or, at least, the mark of veteran adventurers who know how to bounce back from a relatively small setback.

Thankfully, we didnt lose Lucias catalyst, otherwise that would have drastically lowered our magical influence. Leif also still has his equipment; we only need to repair it. The problem is that the three of us have no armor or weapons. Although I thought that they would have needed more time to digest their situation, especially after coming out of the predicament by the skin of their teeth, Raian was already speaking with his other four party members about equipment and money.

True, we didnt lose life or limb thanks to Aurora, Cernust and Sir Antonio, but without any weapons or armor, well have to do some low-rank Quests to amass the funds for replacements. Thankfully, Lucias merchant account has our partys funds saved up, so we dont have to start from absolutely nothing, even though it probably wont be enough. Youll probably have to deal with a normal longsword, Raian, Wulf assessed their situation.

Oh yeah, Saori mentioned her merchants guild membership also included a bank-like system.

With Saoris and my [Storage Magic], we arent in any need to store our money in a bank, as we can carry it around without any risks. I heard the bank functioned through our IDs and that the merchants guild is international to the point that we could deposit and withdraw our money in any associated guild building. Saori also mentioned that, unlike modern banks that give you interest for storing money, Peolyncas banks were more like the ones in medieval Europe, where you basically had to pay money for them to store it. At least with the guild, that charge was covered by the membership fee.

However, there was no need for them to actually go to town and buy the stuff, right? There should be no problem with that. Please, just take some of the weapons we salvaged from the field, Tasianna interjected with raised brows.

O-Oh, we wouldnt dare! Lady Hestia and your party defeated those monsters, so we have no right to take your spoils. Right, everybody? Lucia replied sheepishly.

It wouldnt be right, yes. We were rescued, and we shouldnt take something a priestess has earned, herself, Verdiena nodded in confirmation. They were being too modest, no?

Oh, I dont think my Lady minds it too much. Isnt that correct, Lady Hestia?

Yeah, I then took out the loot we salvaged from the battlefield. Well have plenty to sell anyway, so just pick something and go with it.

While Lucia was admiring my [Storage Magic] as a void-touched, I was a rare magician to her Raian looked at the weapons displayed in front of him. Mlady Priestess, this might be rude to hear, but even as a priestess, I cant help but be suspicious of people who give out free stuff. All the [Major Heal]s you used were free and now you are giving us what we needed for free. If I hadnt heard you selling your healing for only 500 Davi at your eatery, I would be very suspicious right now.

Mister Raian! Lucia cried out, but I waved my hand to calm her down.

A [Major Heal] costs 2500 Davi each, and I used up quite a few to make absolutely sure youd keep full use of your arm, Mister Raian. I dont want your money, as I am not a career magician or priestess. If I could, I wouldnt even ask for a price during my normal work hours, but I know it isnt proper to do so. Besides, could your party afford all the [Major Heal]s I cast to help your arms recover? I tilted my head as I questioned him, causing him to sigh and shake his head.

Point taken. I would be even more of a burden for the kids if I had to use party funds for that. Still-

But before Raian could end his sentence, Wulf leaned forward and blocked Raian from my sight. Beggars cant be choosers. There is no need for your pride here, Raian, nor any religious whatever, Diena, Lucia. You know, I trust Lady Hestia. Lets just take the gear and kick Roosterheads ass for the problems he caused her last time.

Hmph, and here I thought you werent a big fan of the church, Verdiena mumbled as she picked up a bow we got from an echikobold archer. This is good wood. Whoever made this is a good bowyer.

As the four adventurers were looking through the weapons, I began eating Tasiannas cooking. She learned from the best and the quality showed. After I was done eating, I told them I was going out to scout again, denying anybody from joining me while placing Tasianna as a guard.

In truth, I actually returned to Cernust, who was guarding Saori in a fort of trees and roots. I handed him a bowl of Tasiannas breakfast stew and we continued my Draconic tongue practice after he was full. Learning the language was weird, honestly. At least compared to Common tongue, I mean.

The main way to communicate as a dragon was not through words but through roars and growls. As dragonewts, we were perfectly able to practice in this form without returning to our original forms, thankfully. Cernust didnt have [Telepathy], so being able to understand his instructions was important, as I was having a lot of trouble understanding the differences between the various roars and growls.

No, no, its not Krauhhh its Krauuhh if you want to say I am hungry, Cernust growled.

You have to intone your voice again? Jeez, krauuhh hrarrrghhhh kryyuuuu? I spat out as I was getting frustrated by how annoying it was to learn how to speak with other dragons.

Why is I am hungry also so hard to remember? Hey, awesome, thats a proper sentence! See? As I said, us dragons have an internal library in our heads to identify our vocal sounds. It might seem daunting at first, but we were made to learn how to understand others to survive. The last thing a whelp wants is to accidentally wander into an elder scales territory and not understand them.

I was able to learn all of this so fast thanks to [Idol] giving me a near-pitch-perfect hearing. The skill is supposed to help me write songs better, but I cant believe I would be using it for this.

As we continued, time flew by, rushing through lunchtime and right into late afternoon. After a few more rounds of growling and roaring, my sense suddenly picked up movements inside the tree fort. Cernust controlled the trees to free our way, and there she was.

A mighty wolf.

***********************************************************

Skill requirement fulfilled. [Primal Sense], [Heat Vision Lv. 3], [Danger Perception Lv. 10], [Night Vision Lv. 8] merged intoskill [True Wolven Instincts]

Skill requirement fulfilled. [Terror Aura Lv. 5], [Bloodlust Lv. 4], [Lifetaker Lv. 4] merged into skill [True Wolven Bloodlust]

Skill requirement fulfilled. [Silence Lv. 1], [Tracking Lv 6], [Odorless Lv. 1], [Evasion Lv. 10], [Acrobatic Lv. 10], [Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 7], [Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 6], [Enhanced Agility Enforcement Lv. 5] merged into skill [Nights Caress Lv. 1]

Skill requirement fulfilled. [Unarmed Technique Lv. 9], [Unarmed Mastery Lv. 5], [Lupine Claws Lv. 3], [Lupine Fangs Lv. 3], [Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 6], [Enhanced Strength Enforcement Lv. 5], [Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 6], [Enhanced Stamina Capacity Lv. 5] merged into uniqueskill [Stygian Blades Lv. 1]

Skill requirement fulfilled. [Tenebrous Magic Lv. 2], [Enhanced Mana Growth Lv. 4], [Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 3], [Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 4], [Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 3] merged into unique skill [Stygian Voltage Lv. 1]

Magic Lost: [Umbral Pendulum] [Abyssal Bomb]

Abilities gained: [Stygian Lightning]

Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Shadow Armament Lv. 8] [Multi-Cast Lv. 2] [Continuous Cast Lv. 2] [Sundering Enhancement Lv. 9] [Piercing Enhancement Lv. 8] [Crushing Enhancement Lv. 6] [Concentration Lv. 8] [Air Walk Lv. 4] [Physical Super-Resistance Lv. 5] [Dark Resistance Lv. 10] [Health Recovery Lv. 8] [Mana Recovery Lv. 6] [Stamina Recovery Lv. 8] [Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 7] [Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 5] [Enhanced Vitality Capacity Lv. 6] [Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 6] [Elemental Mana Weave Lv. 7] [Dismantle Lv. 9] [Humanize Lv. 9] gained

Skill requirement fulfilled. [Dark Resistance Lv. 10] evolved into skill [Tenebrous Resistance Lv. 1]

By the divine System, individual [Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir, Saori Segawa] is granted the title: [Watched by Edna]

Individual [Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir, Saori Segawa] has reached Rank B through evolution. Congratulations, you have reached the maximum Rank achievable for a [Young] monster. Bonus: 300 in all stats, 3000 Skill Points

Due to becoming Rank B, individual [Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir, Saori Segawa] will receive reduced experience gain until maturation requirement is achieved. Evolution is blocked until maturation requirement is fulfilled. Maturation requirement: Age: 3 Years, [Shadow Armament Lv. 10], [Stygian Voltage Lv. 10], [Monster Tamer Lv. 10], [Monster Synergy Lv. 10]

Darkness. It was pitch-black. Not while I was sleeping, but when I woke up, there was just no light at all.

But, somehow, I was still able to identify that I was inside a wooden orb made by intertwined trees and roots. Cernust, a woodland drake, was the only one I knew who could create something like this, so I assumed he helped out with protecting me while I was evolving.

[Alpha] were the first voices I heard after waking up.

I still felt a bit stiff from sleeping, but as I took in breaths, it felt as if power was coursing through my body like a stream of lightning. As I looked down, I saw both Song and Sarasa bowing to me. Uno and Quatre were missing, but since both of them were recovering from their injuries, that was to be expected. Still, knowing they werent here made my chest tighten a bit and then a weird sound appeared.

Streaks of black lines zigzagged around my body, creating lightning-like sounds as they echoed slightly in this wooden dome. My eyes widened as this happened and I couldnt help but clumsily stomp my feet on the ground in a panic, tripping myself as my legs suddenly felt far heavier than I was used to.

[Alpha?!] Both of my garms cried out, but I stopped them with a quick answer.

[No! Everything is alright. I have not become accustomed to my new body yet.] I recovered from my fall and stood back up, now inspecting some of my new features. As I did so, the trees and roots around me suddenly moved.

As light filled the dome, pushing the darkness away, a cheery voice penetrated through the silence and brought me back to reality. W-Wow Saori, you look so fucking cool!

Hestia!

The crimson-haired dragonewt girl was jumping up and up in a cheery mood, smiling brightly as she inspected my body. With the light revealing my true form, I finally could see what Hestias blood gave me.

The black-furred body I was so used to was still there, but now I had a few patches of white fur around my shoulders, flowing down my back and front legs. The reason why my legs felt so heavy was from a change I anticipated from the description of my new race, and that was the inclusion of scales as armor around my front and back feet.

Similar to gauntlets, black carapaces were gathered around my legs as long sickle-like claws replaced my previous set; they were similar to Hestias, although they seemed thicker than hers, probably so I could still dig. As I practiced using them, I could fully feel the weight behind each step, making me believe I didnt have to rely on bites anymore and could finally use my legs in a real fight.

My tail also got a bit thicker, but not enough to be compared to Hestias. Black scales covered the skin there, with fur growing out of the gaps in between the scales, thick enough that it didnt look any different from before unless you parted the fur and looked closely.

Compared to all these changes, my face was relatively normal except for red eyeliners having been added around my eyes. However, what I think the biggest change in my appearance was? It was also the biggest prize of this evolution.

Woah, Saori, your new form looks completely different from your old form. Kinda intimidating, even for monster standards, Cernust commented, looking a bit concerned.

Woah! What the hell is that?! Black lightning?! Oh! The red marks around your eyes are flaring up, Saori, and now the mist is back! Hestias excitement over seeing my evolution made her speech a bit hectic.

However, I guess it was an accurate representation of what I was feeling.

A-Amazing!

Black lightning channeled around my right gauntlet-like front leg, gathering in one spot until my hair began to stand up from the electricity. I told Hestia, Cernust, and my garms to stand back for a moment as I raised my leg and slammed it on the ground. A loud thud rumbled out as the sensation of ramming my foot into the ground was transmitted to my brain by neurons, but in the next second, my ears and eyes were stimulated as a black lightning blast erupted from my toes.

[Shadow Armament (Full Body)] inflicted on [Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir, Saori Segawa]

My shadows clad my entire form, enveloping my new scales and white fur. Now looking over my body, I felt that I had become a bit bulkier than before, although I still looked lean enough to slip around shadows and attacks. It was the growth that I wanted to see my cadejo-I mean, fenrir body to experience.

Profile.

Profile:

Name: Saori Segawa

Level: 0

Race: Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir

Age: 7 Months

Job: Mage Level: 5/5

Status:

Health: 10325/10325 (+2573) Mana: 7895/7895 (+4819)

Strength: 6230 (+1920) Intelligence: 2731 (+1091)

Vitality: 4420 (+1244) Wisdom: 4320 (+1208)

Hestia shrugged but then nodded in the end. Well, I guess. Anyway, I am interested in seeing more of your new lightning ability, but how about we go back for now? That Wulf has been asking where you were the whole time. Where is Sister? Where is Sister? he kept saying.

[Wha-?! I already told him I wasnt his sister, that it was impossible! Is that wolfkin stupid in the head?] I shook my head at the headache. I hoped from the depths of my heart that he wasnt another Gael.

Ahh, about that. I asked him about it since I was curious, and he explained he understood you werent siblings and that it was a friendly way to speak with other wolfkins, you know. You are a wolfkin in your humanoid form, Hestia explained before using [Telepathy]. [Think of it like people calling each other bro, or delinquent groups calling their male leaders aniki and female leaders anego. It is out of respect as Wulf sees you as a stronger wolfkin. Honestly, it fits wolves, right? Betas being subservient to Alphas, like with you and your garms.]

An apt analogy there, Hestia.

As I was nodding to her statement, Hestia suddenly frowned. [SoUhhh, what is that [Watched by Edna] title?]

Watched by Edna

A title given by the Goddess of Monsters and Fertility, Edna. This title has no special effect outside of informing the owner they are watched by the Goddess

Hestia and I were both speechless, unable to understand why a subordinate goddess was watching me, and a Marsven pantheon goddess at that. Didnt we just murder a whole battalion full of their followers?

[Well, I do remember that Edna was a tamer when she was a mortal. The best tamer in the world, I believe. The one who managed to tame the most powerful and tyrannical monsters you could think of, if that lore book could be believed,] Hestia pointed out, referencing that one book she found in from the elven ranger's shed in the Belzac Forest which described the creation of the dark elves. [You are a Belzac descendant, which means youre a monster wolf. It makes sense since shes the goddess of monsters. Or, you impressed her with your newfound tamer skills maybe, thats less believable. Or, shes interested in the fact youre mutated monster type like me.]

[So why have you not gotten that title yet?]

[It was just a guess, Saori. Hmm, maybe its because Im already associated with Aurena and Kargryxmor? Dragons are specifically ruled over by the Dragon God, so maybe shes less interested in me? And Belzac was one of Marzvens followers, so maybe she sees you as more fair game?]

It was all speculation at the end of the day. I had no idea why she was keeping an eye on me, but that could wait for another time. If we couldnt figure it out now, wed look into it later when we had a chance.

Humanize.

[Humanized (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir, Saori Segawa]

Thank goodness, I am still a wolfkin.

Drinking Hestias blood was just a spur of the moment decision, as I remembered Hestia mentioning something about two light novels shed read, one about a slime and the other about a spider. I have no idea what they were about, but I did remember how those two would eat monsters to gain skills and abilities.

That brought me to an epiphany. What did those echikobold druids do during the fight? Drink the blood of monsters to gain strength and morph their bodies to fight us. While I knew I wasnt a druid, the possibility of drinking blood and having it transform my body was a sensible idea on Peolynca. I would be called mad if this were Earth, but we werent on Earth anymore.

Since my evolution choices were sparse and lackluster, I just wanted to try it out, and to my surprise, it worked. It does make me question what secret lay in Hestias blood, but we could figure it out another day. Going back to my evolution, when I saw the new evolution choice, I was extremely excited about the lightning part, but I was a bit reluctant to turn into a dragonewt. I got so used to my new body that the possibility of having my race change another time made me a bit apprehensive.

In a way, I am admitting that Ive accepted my fenrir background with this insecurity but Okay, there was no but. I didnt want to disappoint my garms nor did I want to deal with any dragonewt related stuff when I still had to find my students and support Aurora.

After we returned to the camp, I made everybody dinner with Tasiannas help and went to sleep. In that time, I also tried to ignore Wulfs constant sister remarks despite knowing what he actually meant with it. He honestly acted like a puppy when he talked to me, making me question how he was in a relationship with Verdiena.

I also heard Lucia and Tasianna already drained the excess mana from the battle grounds, although we couldnt enter the cave. This forest was already inhabited by monsters, but considering how much mana Hestia and the shamans used during their battle, I dont think having too powerful monster spawnings in this relatively low ranked area would be the smartest idea. Lucia kept the macula plants shed harvested with her seeds while we kept ours, meaning we had a mana water refill.

In the morning of the next day, the kid Hestia kept calling Roosterhead, whose actual name was Leif, woke up confused about what happened. When his companions explained everything to him, he was shocked to learn that our party rescued them, especially Hestia. He quickly apologized to Hestia for their previous fight after Wulf and Lucia both figuratively and literally kicked his butt.

Now with everybody able to move, we began to make our way back to Firwood. As the adventurers were still quite weakened from their experience, we didnt want to simply leave them like this in case another grimgarian battalion was around. It wouldnt be a surprise if another scouting group or something came to investigate what happened to the previous group, after all.

We had to spend a night on the roads as a result, but we finally made it back to Firwood the next day. We said goodbye to the adventurers and then went with Cernust to meet up with Severa and Antonio. Cernust stayed behind with them while we said our goodbyes the moment we received our Quest confirmation notice, heading over to the mercenary guild to hand it in right away. And with that, not only did we make some good money, but we also finished another Quest.

Now, most adventurers probably would have relaxed and hung around in an inn for a while but we had other plans. We had to depart towards Griffonpeak as soon as possible, not just because of Hestias duty as a champion of Aurena, but so that I could look for my students. Gael and Marianne couldnt tell me whether they had left the capital, as the church was being rather secretive about them, but that wouldnt stop me from looking deeper into it. Id evolved and become stronger for a reason, and with this power, I wouldnt stop until I made sure they were healthy and fine.

That was my last responsibility as their teacher.

A few things happened since we needed to say goodbye to everybody in Firwood, but thankfully, nothing serious enough to delay our departure again. Although, there was one surprise something we hadnt expected to happen this early.

Lady Hestia! Miss Saori! Miss Tasianna! Ellaine Fiero Helvas, ready to join!

Ellaine hadnt gone with her mother and brother to Griffonpeak.

A note from AbyssRaven

Zinogre. Woof.

f you guys want to support me, Hestia and "A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale" (or just read up to 15 advance chapters + any Patreon-only chapters) please check out my Patreon: Rawr!

If you guys enjoyed this chapter then, please follow the story. If you guys want the story to grow, then giving it a rating or a favorite will do wonders: Rawr

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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About the author

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Friday, May 14, 2021 4:51:43 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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