Chapter 78: It’s been a while since I’ve done this
Morning came to Mount Ignis not with gentle sunlight, but with a harsh, golden glare breaking through the thinning volcanic haze.
Vince was the first to open his eyes. He lay on his back atop the fur-draped stone, the quiet morning air cooled by the dying embers in the hearth. Aside from his ragged breath, the only sound in the cavern was the rhythmic, heavy snoring of the massive dragonkin woman curled against his side. Her long, heavy tail was still wrapped possessively around his leg, her head resting on his chest.
The moment Vince shifted, a series of glowing purple system interfaces materialized in rapid succession before his eyes:
[QUEST COMPLETE: Tame the Crimson Calamity — Vetra]
[REWARDS DISTRIBUTED:]
> Passive Trait Gained: [Dragon-Scaled Skin] — Ability to coat the body in high-density, dragon scales.
> Skill Gained: [Blast Breath] — Through the core link with Vetra, channel and exhale hyper-condensed fire magic.
> Transformation Unlocked: [Man-Beast Form (Dragonkin)]
> Stat Multipliers Applied: Physical Strength +35%, Agility & Speed +30%
> Title Acquired: [Dragon Tamer]
> Quest Item Rewarded:[Dragon’s Heart Ember] (2/3 Ingredients for the Sovereign Transcendent Elixir acquired).
Vince quietly read through the floating notifications, a satisfied smirk touching his lips. He felt remarkably lighter, his mana pathways thrumming with a dense, fiery current that hadn’t been there the day before. Just one ingredient left for the elixir.
Gently unwrapping Vetra’s tail from his leg, Vince stood up completely naked, rolling his shoulders as his muscles popped. He looked down at his bare frame, then winced slightly as he remembered his clothes had been incinerated during their midnight brawl.
Lyrielle is going to lose her mind when she sees I destroyed the enchanted outfit she conjured for me,
Vince thought, rubbing the back of his neck with a wry chuckle.
Behind him, the heavy snoring abruptly stopped. Vetra stirred, her slitted amber eyes fluttering open. The moment she spotted Vince standing above her, her feral demeanor vanished. She sat up, wrapped her long, muscular arms tightly around his waist, and buried her face against his side.
Vince reached down, casually patting her long raven hair like a giant pet. Vetra didn’t mind in the slightest; a low, contented purr resonated deep in her throat as she leaned into his touch, enjoying the affection.
"You got any clothes I could wear?"
Vince asked, glancing around the empty stone floor.
"Unless you want me walking back into town like this."
Vetra looked up, her amber eyes blinking.
"I think I have something in storage."
She stood up, her bare, magnificent form unbothered by the chilly morning air, and walked over to a heavy iron-bound chest in the corner of the cavern.
She dragged out a dusty wooden box and carried it back to Vince with a proud expression.
She opened the lid and pulled out a set of garments.
Vince stared at the outfit in absolute silence.
It was a primitive assembly of raw, coarse animal hide and thick bone clasps—basically a sleeveless fur vest that barely covered his chest and a pair of jagged, loincloth-style leather trousers held together by coarse twine.
I think it’d be better to go completely naked than to be seen in this,
Vince thought, cringing internally.
"Put it on! It will fit you well!"
Vetra urged persistently, holding out the hide with an eager, beaming smile that left him zero room to argue.
Sighing, Vince accepted his fate. Without much choice, he pulled on the primitive garments. Vetra put on a fresh set of her own hide wraps, and together, they stepped out of the cavern into the crisp, high-altitude air of the apex.
They walked to the very edge of the mountain peak, looking down at the massive vertical drop that stretched thousands of feet into the valley below.
"Is there a faster way down this mountain?"
Vince asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Walking back down that shale trail is going to take at least a day."
Vetra looked at the dizzying drop, a slow, dangerous smile curving her lips.
"Yes... though it’s been a while since I’ve done this."
Vince tilted his head.
"Been a while since you’ve done what—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Vetra stepped straight off the edge of the cliff.
"Vetra!"
Vince shouted, his eyes widening in shock as he stretched his hand forward, watching her fall headfirst into the abyss below.
She plunged hundreds of feet in a terrifying freefall.
Then, her body exploded with a violent surge of blinding, blood-red mana.
CRACK!
The transformation was nothing short of legendary. The primal, ancient bloodline within her roared to life. Her sleek five-inch horns expanded rapidly, twisting into massive, jagged black spikes that swept backward from her skull. Her facial structure elongated, her jaw splitting into a terrifying dragon snout filled with rows of razor-sharp fangs.
Her arms and legs thickened into massive, scaled pillars tipped with mountain-crushing talons. Her breasts receded into her frame as dark, impenetrable crimson scales swarmed over every inch of her skin, forming heavy, ancient dragon-plate armor. Her tail expanded into a thick, sweeping whip longer than a siege tower.
And then, with a deafening tear of displaced wind, two colossal, leathery dragon wings erupted from her back, spanning nearly fifty meters from tip to tip.
Vetra banked sharply in mid-air, her massive wings catching the thermal updrafts of the volcano, and banked upward.
Vince’s passive perception picked up the massive energy signature surging from the clouds before the giant shadow cast over the summit.
A heartbeat later, the majestic, ancient Arrax dragon burst into view, hovering directly above the cliff edge with beating wings that generated mini-cyclones of ash.
Vince stood at the edge of the precipice, unable to hide his utter awe. Like any guy staring down a towering, mythical dragon, his eyes shone with unsuppressed excitement.
Vetra turned her massive, armored dragon head toward him, her glowing blood-red eyes fixed on his figure. She lowered her massive left wing to the edge of the cliff like a ramp, her deep, reverberating voice echoing directly into his mind through their bond:
«Hop on, master.»
Without a second of hesitation, Vince scrambled up her scaled wing, taking a firm grip on the thick ridge of scales near the base of her neck.
With a single, powerful flap of her massive wings that shattered the surrounding rock, Vetra plummeted into the open sky, carrying them straight toward the distant city of Ignis-Vara.
---
Meanwhile, down in the streets of the city, Lyrielle was carrying a bundle of newly transcribed fire-matrix scrolls back toward the inn. The morning market was busy, filled with merchants and townspeople going about their daily routines.
Suddenly, a sound tore through the atmosphere—a sound that shook the very foundations of the valley.
ROARRRRR!!!
The thunderous, primordial roar rattled windows, cracked cobblestones, and sent thousands of birds scattering into the sky.
The entire town froze in absolute terror. Citizens dropped their crates, guards drew their steel with trembling hands, and Lyrielle snapped her head toward the mountain peak, her emerald eyes widening in shock.
Sweeping down from the ash-clouds of Mount Ignis was the Crimson Calamity itself—a fully transformed, ancient Arrax dragon descending directly upon the city.
And standing atop its majestic, scaled neck, wearing primitive animal hides with a casual, victorious grin, was Vince.