Shifter - Infinite Transformation-Chapter 50: Among Enemies

The message was no less of a shocker than the Essence pouring into me. My vision cleared up like a layer of dust had been removed, my muscles bulged and compressed as the Essence reached the core, and pain flooded every corner of my body.

I was stronger, faster – greater – than a moment ago, all because I killed a single monster. But it was not just any monster. It was a Dragon, juvenile, but a dragon nonetheless.

The Status confirmed my sudden growth.

Xavier Halur

Core: Tier-1 (66%)

Primary Power: Shift

The first major threshold stood no chance to the mountain of Essence that pierced through the natural obstacles of my Core. Instead, it punctured two major thresholds in one go, pushing me to the last stage of the first Tier. Each of the major thresholds took most people years. Even hunters would spend months hunting monsters and using their Powers to accumulate that much Essence.

I, on the other hand, only had to kill a single monster. A monstrosity. No, a mythical beast. Intelligent and suffering, unwilling to live for another day.

Staring at the corpse, tears welled in my eyes. I didn’t know the juvenile dragon, but somehow I knew exactly what it went through. It was almost like Shift’s update showed me something. That it revealed fragments of the life I had just taken.

"I hope you find peace in the Godlands." I muttered toward the dragon’s corpse, my senses perking up as the ringing in my head grew louder and louder.

The alarm bells were still active, and I had yet to move. So I did just that. I transformed into a Terro Sparrow, a small bird I’d killed two days earlier, and burst through the sky. It was the fastest avian monster I’d killed, yet it was not all that durable. If anything, the Terro Sparrow was weak. A monster that shouldn’t have a Core saturation closing in on the second threshold. Yet, it did, which was also why I only transformed into it now. It had been too draining to transform into the Terro Sparrow before.

I considered shifting to the Nature Dragon but, considering the amount of Essence I absorbed from ending its misery, I doubted I could maintain its form for more than one second. Even that would be surprising.

Was it at the 3rd Tier? I wondered as I fled from the scene. Moments later, heavy presences descended. Several men and women appeared near the dragon’s cage; the guardians to the dungeon entrance. They’d moved and must have noticed the blade wound in the back of the juvenile dragon’s skull.

What now? I wondered, when the juvenile dragon’s last words echoed in my mind.

’Thank you. Please, protect the young.’

Protect the young. What exactly was that supposed to mean? I helped the fae escape and freed the other monsters. What else was there to protect?

That question distracted me momentarily, so I did something I maybe shouldn’t have. I burst into one of the tents and transformed into the fiery soldier I’d killed before. Phillip Lecoste, a regular man in his late 20s, his Power neither impressive nor bad.

Ignite. I triggered it, setting one of the tents on fire, hoping to bring chaos to the battlefield as the flames spread like wildfire.

Who the fuck are the ’young’ I am supposed to protect?

In the first place, did I really have to protect them? The answer was clear; no. I didn’t have to do shit. But if the ’young’ were anything like the juvenile dragon, I wanted to help them. For their own sake but mostly for myself. To clear my mind of all guilt and to tell myself I tried my best.

Hence, I set the camp on fire, pocketed a few things, and searched for more beasts. Instead, I found myself face-first with the dungeon entrance.

Maybe the young were inside the dungeon. The thought of entering the dungeon came to me. It was raw and unbidden, yet now wasn’t the time to go hunting exotic creatures in a Grand Dungeon. Or to acquire rare materials, another Power, or all the other treasures the Grand Dungeons were hiding.

I licked my lips, the deaths and chaos around me forgotten. I wanted the dungeon. And it compelled me to come to it as well. It wanted me to step closer and enter. Who was I to deny its wishes?

Alas, the opportunity was taken away from me.

"What are you doing here instead of the battlefield, soldier?" A gruff voice snapped me back to attention.

I spun around, ready to shift and dart when a middle-aged man covered in blood fell into my view. His eyes were sharp but not without coldness.

My hair stood on end, and my mind went blank. Fortunately, before anyone could say anything, the sound of combat drew closer.

Tents were thrown around as several burly Hnolls emerged in the camp centre, followed by dozens of smaller, ordinary Hnolls.

"Don’t stand around here doing nothing, you failure! Unsheath your weapon and kill your way out of here. Or die protecting the empire’s assets!" He cursed as a set of handaxes with blades the size of my head materialized in his hands.

The soldier charged the burly Hnolls, followed by a small group of soldiers I hadn’t even noticed until now.

I considered fleeing but thought differently as the plan in my head grew more and more detailed.

As dangerous as the plan was, it was worth a try.

Unsheathing my sword, I charged into battle as a soldier of the Zetrian Empire. A glob of fire was conjured in my empty hand, which I threw at the nearest group of Hnolls. It detonated before them, transforming the surroundings into a field of dazzling light. Soldiers as well as Hnolls screamed as the dazzling light took them by surprise.

Then I was upon them, praying to the gods. Either my plan worked out, or...it didn’t. One way or another, my life was on the line.