Dragons Can Be Cute Too

by Cristian Madalin Dragomir

  She looked at me for a moment, but didn't reply right away. What I had just told her might have come as a shock to her, but I hoped she got the hint that through my naive honesty and specifics of the skills, I had no intention on ever becoming her enemy.

  “In other words, if one were to become your friend and join you, then they would only have benefits to gain…” she said at one point.

  “Yes, but it can also be quite dangerous for me. If I didn't know you were a kind and good dragoness, I might have hesitated to say all of these things. I'm not a naive fool, but I do believe that as friends, one of the most important things we need to have is trust. If I can't trust you with something like this, I don't really have the right to say that I'm your friend, right?” I explained with a smile.

  Once more, Seryanna kept quiet and looked at me straight in the eyes, trying to spot the truth from the lie. I was honest to her though, for more than the reasons I mentioned in my words. First off, she was a knight. If that part was true, then honesty, justice, and loyalty held a great value to her. Lying or trying to be dishonest would only lead me to the pointy end of her sword. At the same time, it was a terrible gamble. Saying all of that also revealed my weakness. Without dragons, I had no way of getting stronger. Without getting stronger, I had no way of defending myself or going on the journey to defeat the Demon King or whatever baddie was out there and tried to make everyone's lives harsh. Before trying to make the world a better place, I had to become stronger, and Seryanna was my perfect opportunity and ticket for that, plus she was a beautiful, hot woman with an hourglass shape.

  “I believe you.” she said, and I let out a sigh. “That's why I swear upon my honor as a knight that unless you wish to or the King himself requests this of me, I shall not let a single word about your abilities leave my lips! Nonetheless, it would be wise if you didn't randomly spread this knowledge around. You truly are lucky you met me and not a bandit or something the like, otherwise, this conversation would have had another outcome.” she spoke with a firm tone of voice to let me know that she was serious in her words.

  “I understand. Then, I won't reveal this information to anyone else unless you agree to it!” I told her with a smile.

  Yes! I did it! Lifeline secured! Banzai for me! I thought at that time.

  “But tell me, why were you sent here?” she asked me.

  “The God-like told us it was a test to save our original world from an invasion.” I shrugged “Well, it was also to make this world a better place, some way or another. If by the time we die in this world, we did something to improve it, then we helped tip the scale a bit in our homeworld's favor. If not, well, that's just bad for the people back there.” I shrugged again.

  “That sounds like a hero's job. You don't look like a hero.”

  I shrugged. “We do what we can. Besides, who knows what the future has in store for me?” I smiled.

  Letting out a sigh, she said “True… I guess I should tell you now how we are able to tell our kind apart. In general, we have wings or draconic eyes. Some even have a tail, but that's available only for those who have awakened their Flame. Despite being a knight, I have yet to awaken mine and still look quite similarly to a human, but because I lived around the Seculiar Forest, I'm much stronger than even some Awakened dragons. The only difference between me and you is the row of scales on my back and on the side of my thighs…” she then blushed a bit.

  “Scales? Hm, earlier I didn't… erm… What I want to say is… erm… sorry.” I said and looked down.

  “It's alright. I am not ashamed of my body, and it was too dark for a human to see, although, I would have rather you didn't hug me like that… it was a bit embarrassing.” she said and looked away with a pink blush on her cheeks.

  “Sorry, I panicked. I really thought for a moment that something really bad happened to you and even though I am actually quite weak when compared to you, I wanted to at least try and help you…” I told her and looked down at the fire.

  It felt a bit bad to realize that I acted so foolishly, but also because I may have disconsidered her own strength by thinking I could actually do something to help.

  “It's alright, thank you for thinking about me. Even among dragons, there aren't that many out there who are willing to risk their own lives venturing into this forest at night, especially if they are much weaker than me. They would rather wait and try their luck when the sun is up.” she showed me a soft smile.

  Her words made me feel a bit better.

  “So, you really have scales on your back?” I asked after a moment.

  “Yes, but I will not show them to you, ever.” she threw me a sharp look.

  “Of course, I wasn't asking to.” I quickly defended myself and showed her a foolish smile.

  Chapter 9: Of levels and overpowered skills

  For some reason, that night I had a very HOT dream. When I say hot, I don't mean I went all tomb raider style with a whip in one hand and jumping on sinkable platforms over a lava pool, but in the sense that I dreamed of Seryanna. White nightgown, sultry look in her eyes, the body movements of a vixen, and the rest was pretty much history. When I woke up, I was hugging and kissing an imaginary friend. My brain took a few minutes of loading time before it managed to process what was happening. The color in my cheeks went from pink to red, and I slapped my forehead.

  What a dream… I thought as I remembered quite clearly every single detail of it.

  The big difference between the beauty in my dream, and the one in real life was their outside anatomy. The version in my dream was a full human version with no dragon or monster parts like scales, tail, and draconic eyes. I was also 100% certain it was a side effect of what happened when I wandered off into the forest because what I remembered most of that moment was the soft sensation of her skin touching mine, the unique scent of a woman, the suppleness of her breasts, and the sound of her voice. The giant, scary, hairy, white tarantula in the back didn't even register unless I focused on it. ‘T was but a mere background detail.

  Usually, I walked out of the tent right after I woke up, but seeing how that ‘morning' I was a little bit more excited than usual, I decided to wait until I cooled down. Practicing the multiplication table, remembering some scary stuff, trying to figure out what politician was bald and who wasn't, and doing some basic stretching helped lower the flag.

  When I was out, I was met face to face with Seryanna. She was standing at barely half a meter away. Luckily, she was dressed this time.

  “Erm… Good morning?” I said with a forced smile.

  “Good morning to you too, Alkelios. I was just about to wake you up.” she said and then lifted a bucket filled to the brim with cold water.

  “Erm…” I squinted my eyes at the tool 'commonly' used to drag people out of their peaceful dreams.

  “You have slept for more than eight hours. The sun will be up soon.” she said and then turned around.

  My eyes landed right on her behind. I gulped and shook my head.

  Me and my teenage hormones… I grumbled in my mind.

  The second thing I noticed after stepping out of my tent was the carcass of the giant white tarantula. Seryanna did well in stripping it of its flesh and sharp needle hairs. However, what I noticed about it and didn't see in the others were a few organs left to dry above the fire.

  “Cooking breakfast?” I asked as I pointed at them.

  “What? Oh! No, those are poisonous, but if prepared right, they can be sold as alchemy ingredients. The only good part about a spider is the white meat. If it's colored in any other way, then it's poisonous. Some spiders release their own venom inside their bodies right before they die. It's a revenge mechanism.” she explained as she walked over to the chitinous exoskeleton and checked it out.

  “Revenge mechanism? Don't animals usually have a defense mechanism?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

  “Yes, they do, but some monsters have a revenge mechanism as well. The most common one is self-poisoning. Demons usua
lly ingest explosive crystals, which they detonate upon their death. I heard that giant monsters sometimes create a Magic Energy bomb. These are quite common on the Dragon Continent, but I understand that they are rare on the human one.” she explained while moving around, checking the parts of the monsters for any visible problems.

  “A very bothersome thing…” I said.

  “Indeed! Most hunters are trained to act fast and kill the monster before it can activate this mechanism, so that the spoils of their battle don't go to waste.” she placed two pieces of white meat over the fire and near the drying organs.

  “Something bothers me, though…”

  “What?” she asked.

  “This spider is quite different from the last one you caught. It also entered the area of the warding crystal. Shouldn't that thing keep these scary things out?” I pointed at them, one at a time.

  “Yes, but this is a Syllian Spider, a rare breed which normally isn't found around these parts. Their chelicerae and needle hair are very valuable for a blacksmith, while the organs are needed by alchemists. The interesting thing is that I was actually planning on going to hunt one of them after I dropped off the Bloody Mushrooms. For the treatment, I need the venom bag of one of these spiders as well as the soft tissue under their carapace, so meeting one is quite a fortunate thing. Maybe it's thanks to your Luck attribute?” she explained.

  “How can it be thanks to my Luck?” I asked a bit confused.

  “Well…” she furrowed her brow and looked down at the fire for a moment “Maybe because you wished to help me in my quest, you activated it? We could have met any other species, but we met this particular one, which I needed. Isn't it thanks to your Luck that it was so?” she asked and turned her gaze towards me.

  “Hm, so… You are saying that's it's something like a passive skill with an active ability?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “Maybe…” she shrugged, showing that even she wasn't sure about it.

  “Then, if I wish for something, I'll get it, but it might depend on time, location, and probably stuff like that? And if I don't wish for anything, it simply puts me in a ‘lucky situation' depending on my current circumstance and the people around me?” I asked.

  “Well, I do hear rumors once in a while of adventurers having more encounters and finding more items with certain members in their groups. There's also a temple for the God of Luck where one can make various offerings to improve their luck, but they say that after a while, you lose that blessing and need to obtain it once more.” she explained and then shook her head “But I never thought those rumors to be true.”

  “I see, well… when we get to a safer location, would you mind helping me figure it out by seeing if I can make it so that we can encounter certain monsters or other things? You know, form a party with me or something like that?” I asked with a smile as I laid my proposition on the table.

  “I don't mind. You helped me a lot, but aren't we already in a party?” she asked tilting her head a bit to the left.

  “Erm, don't we need to cast a spell or something for that?”

  She giggled when she heard me ask that.

  “No, silly! You only need to think of me as part of your group and I of yours. When you first met me, and I agreed to tag along, I already formed a party with you. Didn't you feel the tingly sensation around your left wrist?” she asked me with a smile.

  “Erm, no… Hm, wait. It might be because of this strange system of mine.” I lifted a finger up and said “Let me try something.”

  “Alright.” she nodded.

  “Form a Party with Seryanna Draketerus!” I said out loud.

  A messaged popped up in my mind.

  [Party Formed. Current Members: Seryanna Draketerus; Alkelios Yatagai]

  There was also a small yellow dot next to my name, just like you would see in some MMOs to signify the leader.

  “I never received a message like this before.” she said a bit surprised.

  “Hm, I wonder? Seryanna's Status.” I said, and the following window appeared before me.

  [Name]: Seryanna Draketerus

  [Species]: Superior Draconian of the High Flame

  [Awakened Status]: 2 of 4 Conditions attained.

  [Level]: 273

  [Strength]: 1254

  [Speed]: 988

  [Dexterity]: 1004

  [Magic]: 754

  [Luck]: 12

  [Magic Excellence]: 27%

  [Current Buffs]: [Dragon Tamer] <2X Life Force and Magic Energy Absorption from kills/Learning Speed>

  [Current Debuffs]: [Unawakened One] < -60% All Stats; -1000 Magic Energy; Elemental Attacks deal 20% more damage; Dragon Form Sealed; Half-Dragon form Sealed; 40% Less appealing to the opposite sex;> [Unlucky One] < -50% Luck>

  “What is it?” she asked me after she saw me staring for a while at the window visible only to me.

  “I'm… I'm looking at your stats… You have two debuffs. One is called [Unawakened One] and the other [Unlucky One]. The first one drops your Luck by 60% of your initial stats, and the second one by 50%, but that doesn't make sense. If you add them up, you get 100% Luck debuff, but yours is 12, therefore, the last one must be removing 50% of the remaining stats, not the initial ones, so… if I'm right, your true Luck is 60, not 12. You are also 60% weaker than you should be… and 40% ugl… less beautiful. Although, I have the feeling the last one's broken. I don't see how that works, you are already quite beautiful in my eyes.” I explained shaking my head.

  She blushed faintly, but didn't make any remarks on my compliment.

  “Sigh… I know about the first one, but I didn't know of the last one. Usually, when you Awaken you do get a lot stronger and faster, but you also become more appealing to other dragons. It's the sign of maturity, of becoming an adult.” she explained.

  “What about mating season?” I asked her, remembering what she told me about other dragons courting her.

  “It was a small white lie... I never was courted by adult dragons, but over the years there were some who did it just to poke fun at me. I never believed them.” Seryanna showed me a small sad smile and then shrugged.

  It made it hard for me to believe that their dishonest and insensitive confessions didn't affect her in any way. I decided not poke around it, so I changed the subject to something else that intrigued me.

  “It says here that you need to accomplish 4 out of 4 conditions to Awaken, but you only have two so far.” I pointed at the status screen, but of course, she couldn't see it.

  “It does?” she asked blinking surprised.

  “Erm, you didn't know about this?” I asked.

  “N-No… What else does it say?” she asked and took a step closer to me.

  “Well your level is 273, which would explain why you can slaughter those spiders, and you are a Superior Draconian of the High Flame. The rest are stat points. Oh, and you have my buff as well, but what I find odd is that it doesn't say 2X level up, but 2X Life Force and Magic Energy Absorption from kills/Learning Speed… Guess that's the translation in your words. It also doesn't mention the fact that you need to be close to me for it to be active? Maybe you actually don't? Hm.” I scratched the back of my head and then closed the window.

  “I see… It doesn't say what conditions I need to fulfill does it?” she asked.

  “Nope.” I shook my head.

  “Well… this much is still good. It's better than nothing…” she let out another sigh.

  After we had our breakfast, we packed everything and crossed the river. While we did so, I kept praying none of the monsters felt like attacking us, and none did. I was starting to get the hang of this weird ability of mine, so with Seryanna's permission, I started to experiment, wishing for various monsters to appear before us. They were all weaker than the pretty dragoness, but all of them appeared in front of us at one point or another, some sooner, while others later.

  One thing I tried out was to pray to find a suitable weapon for myself.

  “I wonder what I'
ll get? Maybe Excalibur?” I said with a confident smirk as I followed Seryanna.

  “I doubt a demon sword is something you would wish for.” she giggled.

  “What? Excalibur is a demon sword?” I asked a bit surprised.

  “Yes. I'm guessing you aren't asking for that but a Godlike or Holy Sword, right?” she jumped over a large trunk.

  “Yes…” I replied a bit disappointed and jumped after her.

  “Hm? I think I found your hehe sword.” she said with a giggle as she picked something up.

  “Show me! Gimme! Gimme!” I said excited and eager to acquire my first weapon in this Fantasy world.

  I wonder how powerful it is? Maybe it's some sort of secret weapon, or a mecha sword! Or a plasma sword! That would be so awesome! I squealed in my mind.

  When Seryanna turned around, she offered me the result of my prayer. It was a half-broken wooden sword children usually used for practice. There were no runes on it or any sign of it being powerful. Down to its very core, it was just a harmless piece of wood.

  “Here you go, oh brave warrior!” she offered it to me as one would a real sword, but I could hear her snickering.

  “Very funny…” I said and took it.

  Nothing happened when I picked it up, so I tossed it away in a nearby bush.

  I must have used the wrong formula for it… I thought as I walked after the giggling dragoness.