Dragon Sorcerer- Tail Smash: A Litrpg Adventure, page 1
DRAGON SORCERER TAIL SMASH
Copyright License Notes: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this e-book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dragon Sorcerer- Wings Spread
Copyright © 2023 - Sean Oswald
Cover art copyright - Sean Oswald
Cover art by Luciano Fleitas
Table of Contents
The Story Up Till Now
Prologue
Chapter 1 - Return
Chapter 2 - Confrontation
Chapter 3 – Questions… One Way or Another
Chapter 4 - DKP It Is
Interlude 1 – Impossible Tasks
Chapter 5 - Listening for the Storm
Chapter 6 - Amidst the Storm
Chapter 7 - Storm Rider?
Chapter 8 - A Potion for Your Thoughts
Interlude 2 – Working Meditation
Chapter 9 - Phantasms
Chapter 10 - You Can’t Handle the Truth
Interlude 3 – Here there be Dragons
Chapter 11 - Encounters
Chapter 12 - Vulnerable
Chapter 13 - Into the Mind’s Eye
Interlude 4 – In the Tunnels
Chapter 14 - Monsters Go to School
Chapter 15 - Fighting Back to Back
Chapter 16 – Only Actions Count
Chapter 17 - Eyes of the Mind
Interlude 5 - A Line Too Far
Stats 7.0
Chapter 18 - Mixed Feelings
Chapter 19 - Not So Secret
Chapter 20 – Purification and Life
Interlude 6 - Soul Weight
Chapter 21 - What It Means to Be a Dragon
Chapter 22 - Dances with Dragons
Chapter 23 - The Dragon’s Claw
Chapter 24 - Soul Patch
Interlude 7 – Takes a Dragon
Chapter 25 - A New Minion
Chapter 26 - Soul System
Chapter 27 - The Ignorance of Dragon Riders
Chapter 28 - Triggered
Chapter 29 - Soul Drain
Chapter 30 - Storm Training
Chapter 31 - A Lair to Claim
Chapter 32 - Bearing the Soul
Chapter 33 - When Dragons Hunt
Interlude 8 – Hold the Wall
Chapter 34 - Terrors of the Deep
Chapter 35 - Birds in the Belly
Chapter 36 - City of the Dawn
Stats 8.0
Chapter 37 - Family Reunion
Interlude 9 - Tested Allegiance
Chapter 38 - Rescue or Dominion?
Chapter 39 - Into Forlay
Chapter 40 - Giant Slayer
Chapter 41 - Political Beast
Chapter 42 - Matching
Chapter 43 - Revealing
Chapter 44 - Ice and Lightning
Chapter 45 - Becoming the Storm
Epilogue
Stats at the End of Book 3
Cast of Characters and Places
Other Books by the Author:
The Story Up Till Now
This began as a story of a young dragon fleeing his home because adventurers attacked the nest where he’d been born. Nico has learned a great deal since then. Largely, because his magic activated in the presence of a fifteen-year-old farmer’s daughter. Cami and Nico bonded through that magic.
At first, it looked like Cami was the only one benefiting from the bond as she gained magical abilities and a small percentage of Nico’s stats. But by the end of the first book, Nico had gained several advantages: easier DKP (the dragon equivalent of XP) and very rapid advancement through the age categories (the dragon equivalent of levels) as it was linked with Cami gaining levels.
Since Nico was initially hiding from the adventurers, he and Cami passed themselves off as youngsters who had discovered their magical ability. Nico’s shape change ability allowed him to so completely take the form of a human, that he would be able to fool all but potentially epic level divination magic.
The very adventurers who destroyed Nico’s home became his chaperones. Some, like Galbrecht, the paladin, were more than willing to help because it was the right thing to do. Others, like the rogue Modessa saw Nico—with his strange expressions and mannerisms—as a wild mage worthy of death. The other adventurers—including Lisella, the priestess of the goddess of healing; Serius, the team’s leader and a wizard; and, Liam the quiet half-elven ranger—had varying degrees of acceptance for the pair who kept their bond hidden.
In exchange for saving her paladin from an eldritch horror, the goddess of healing, Miseria, agreed to hide Nico’s secret—but the truth always comes out. Eventually, Nico had to reveal his true nature to the others.
Lisella became Nico’s mentor, offering to teach him how to be the best mage he could be and hinting at other offers. Modessa, in turn, took Cami on as her apprentice. As they traveled the long way to the Imperial University, it became apparent that Nico was a magnet for monsters and they encountered a variety of dangers related to an ancient threat known as the Horrors. This included mutated monsters and a possessed kraken.
Throughout it all, Nico refused to see the humans as his equals. He was a dragon, after all, and possessed the memories of his ancestors through the Dragon Dream—a type of genetic memory which just might be more than it seems. It showed him bits and pieces of his kind’s past and the origins of the bond between dragons and the other races. But it created more questions than it answered.
After they arrived at the university, Nico finally encountered another dragon. This domesticated dragon was far from what he had expected—and, in fact, the system no longer deemed her to be the same species. Matilda was cut off from the Dragon Dream and, as far as Nico could tell, was little more than an intelligent animal.
By the end of book 1, Nico accepts a quest to determine how this was done to her and the other dragons who are kept captive. He still has his sister to save, too, and his deep-seated curiosity about humans to satisfy. Let’s not forget that old monsters keep reappearing and the gods are meddling with the world once more—though they appear to be constrained by some mystical ‘pact’.
And it all seems to be connected somehow to Nico.
In book two, Nico has to work through his rage over the treatment of dragons while continuing to grow closer to Cami. He meets a few humans who seem better than the others, while at the same time encountering those who fail to understand what dragons truly are.
He and Cami learn to work together better as they fight an ancient enemy of dragons. This also reveals some of the weaknesses of their current capabilities.
Nico took the first step to freeing future dragons by forging a connection with the three hatchlings so that they develop souls and will be full-fledged dragons. Not that Nico wants to be a babysitter for little dragons, either.
He also upgrades his first class to dragon disciple after training with Edgar Lev from the Clan of the Dragon. The training proves invaluable as it helps him master his body, which is growing faster than his experience. Cami also gains a legendary crafting class as she learns to forge weapons infused with a piece of her soul so that they can grow just as she does.
They also finally meet with the greatest of the living dragons. Nico is underwhelmed by the meeting, but it points to some of the greater problems for dragons. In many ways, their own isolation and apathy is the greatest threat. Nico is however, named by the system as a Balance Warden, meant to maintain the Pact between dragons, gods, and horrors. He just doesn’t understand what that means yet.
Prologue
Archmage Tolston stared at one of his senior instructors. She had served at the university longer than he had been here. In his youth, the headmaster had been an adventurer. It was only after the Emperor had asked him to take up his current post that he had retired from dungeon delving.
Truthfully, it had been a good time to stop. He was now 102 years old. He might only look like he was sixty because of the benefits of his legendary class, but most days he still felt every single one of his many years when he woke up. He still had the killer instinct, but it was harder to work up the energy to get going of late.
Age grinds even tall mountains down, and now it was coming for him.
“Why him, Cassandra? You can teach anyone you want. The administrators get more requests for you as an instructor than almost anyone else.”
The woman in question snorted. “Now, I doubt that. Don’t go blowing smoke up my skirt. I’m too old for that. I am well aware that alchemy is nowhere near as popular as the more obviously combat-oriented classes. Most of the younglings don’t understand that mixing up potions or learning the properties of various ingredients will help them delve deep into a dungeon.”
It was the headmaster’s turn to snort. “And more the fools they are for that. I know you don’t like to talk about it, but a few of us old-timers still remember when you were an up-and-coming potion mistress. What was it that they called you in the A
Cassandra shook her head as though in regret. “I never really cared for that name. I turn a troll or two into pools of mush with a few well thought out potions, and suddenly everyone started making a fuss about it. That is until they learned how much work and preparation went into it.” She pursed her lips. “No, I prefer to focus on the more boosting parts of my art. In the end, I believe I’m a better support.”
“And if I were to check your spatial bag…” Tolston’s brows crawled up his forehead, “I wouldn’t find any explosive potions, poisons, binding agents, or liquid death cocktails?”
Cassandra winked at the Archmage, “A girl’s got to be prepared.”
Archmage Tolston waved his hand in the air. “I thought as much. Well, no matter. That boy is due for discipline, not more private tutoring. Did you realize that other than a couple of general courses that he sat in last spring because he got here too late to actually begin on time, that he has only done private tutoring?”
“Yes, I know. His mentor asked me to tutor him. But as I’d already met him, I was of a mind to ask her myself. There is something about him which is quite intriguing…” She frowned, tapping one finger against her cheek. “And as you well know, when one reaches a certain age, finding new things that interest you can be a matter of life and death.”
“You are making this difficult. On the one hand, I want you to teach students again.” He waved one hand around. “That’s what this place is all about. But on the other, the university also stands for the Empire, and there are rules and strictures which need to be followed. No matter what Princess Lisella may think, there is a certain value in group classes. The lad will have to interact with his peers at some point, and how can he do that if he can’t even sit through a class with them?”
Cassandra snickered. “Some of us suffer fools better than others.”
The headmaster continued, undeterred. “A series of notifications have been sent to him—including both magical messages and actual in person messengers. He has refused to respond to any of the messages. Did you know he never attended his orientation session?”
Cassandra chuckled. “I got the impression he wasn’t much for authority or structure, but I only met him for a few minutes. Are you sure you aren’t making too much out of this?”
“I have my reasons. Besides, he disappeared from the university yesterday and hasn’t been seen since. By all rights, he could be expelled for that alone. But at the very least, he is to be questioned about where he went. Remember, we’re not just training dungeon diving adventurers. These students are meant to be the backbone of the empire’s defense against whatever it is the Emperor believes is coming. I know you’re smart enough to read between the lines.”
“Perhaps… but you’re having him tracked?”
Tolston’s expression soured. “No magical scrying… as much as I might like to. The University charter frowns upon such things and there’s no reason for me to agitate his mentor if I don’t have to.”
“I’ve not known you to bend much for royalty,” Cassandra said.
The headmaster shrugged. “If I can keep the Princess of Forlay happy, I’ve gained a world class healer with recent battle experience to teach some of our students with her same skill set,” he said as he sighed.
“And what about his friend… the girl everyone is talking about? Has she disappeared too? Won’t she be in trouble, as well?”
“Camille? Of course not. She’ll be asked about her absence from the school, as I don’t buy the excuse Modessa gave, but more than likely she let herself get distracted by a young man. Heaven knows it wouldn’t be the first time that happened.”
“So you’ll bend the rules for a dragon rider, but not for her surly friend?”
“The appearance of a new dragon rider is too much to let anything interfere. And don’t give me that look. Yes, I know we have dragon riders, but they only have a pseudo class. If she can do something to turn these dragons we have into a more powerful version—like the dragons in the wild—I’ll not stand in her way.”
Tolston steepled his fingers, leaning forward. “I’ve fought a dragon in the wild, and let me tell you, what we have here is but a pale imitation of those creatures. Besides, she managed to do all of her private tutoring and still made it to her regularly scheduled classes. Final exams for the fall semester are only a few weeks away, but I’ve been told by her professors that they all expect her to make excellent marks across the board.”
“I’m sure the imperial guards at the exotic stables have many people asking questions about dragons and our new dragon rider,” Cassandra admitted.
“Yes, well, the Emperor hasn’t seen fit in his wisdom to fill me in on what that’s all about... but we all serve at his pleasure. For all I know, he could be listening in on this conversation. With that class of his, who can say?” Tolston looked up at the ceiling of his office. “If you are listening in, I mean no disrespect. I simply want to serve the Empire.”
Cassandra didn’t say anything for a full minute before redirecting the conversation. “How about this, then? Give me a chance to speak with Nico. If I can convince him to take at least one group class in the fall, can I train him?”
Tolston cupped his chin in one hand, bracing that elbow in his other hand as though he were deliberating. “Three group classes.”
“Two, and I get at least a year to make sure he has more potential than a handsome face.”
“Fine, but there is still going to be a punishment for leaving the university without permission.”
Cassandra sighed and stood to leave the headmaster’s office. Tolston didn’t stop her, but he was pretty sure she mumbled something about her not being the only one with a reputation for going to extremes… back in the day.
Tolston smiled. She was probably right. This student was a nuisance. And the fact that the Emperor seemed personally interested in the boy, yet refused to give him any details about why, infuriated him. He was supposedly the headmaster, yet the Emperor relied upon Serius to serve as his intermediary with the boy.
That was okay, Tolston was hedging his bets.
Then, almost as if the very thought had summoned it, he sensed another presence had entered his chamber. How the creature got in remained a mystery, but what else should he expect from this particular mage?
No, he was definitely more than a mage.
There was a skittering sound, as tiny bony feet clawed into the wood of his desk until a skeletal mouse reached the top, then it climbed over to him. The creature had once been a living mouse, but had been re-animated through the forbidden art of necromancy. Necromancers animating the corpse of beasts wasn’t what put that art beyond the pale. The real problem arose when they tried to animate sapient beings. That required a soul to do so.
Tolston could only imagine what sort of torture it would be to find your soul trapped inside a rotting corpse and bound to serve the will of the mage who animated the body, who imprisoned your soul.
At least this mouse was simply animated by the magic and will of its creator. Still, as the mouse touched his hand, the headmaster felt the cold of the grave seep into his fingers and begin to climb up his arm. He shuddered involuntarily. Even the god of the dead wouldn’t tolerate such creatures.
The headmaster was far from a religious man. The priests always threatened the wrath of the gods, but in his experience the divine didn’t really have the ability to do much of anything in the material world—except through their faithful. As far as he could tell, the gods needed worshippers more than their worshippers needed the gods.
