Near Death

I was clinging to life. Somehow I was managing to stay alive. The Basilisk's venom had done a number on me.

Basilisk killed 2000 xp. 11 crystals absorbed 55 xp. 2055 xp awarded. 2200/1600 xp until level 10.

Error.

Unable to level up. Unable to Evolve.

The crystals I'd eaten had helped, but my mana was running out again. I was losing this fight against the Basilisk's venom. System what would happen if I absorbed the Basilisk's crystal?

Crystal is more powerful than user. User could mutate. User could absorb too much mana. User could die.

System would it increase my chance of surviving?

Calculating...

Current chances of survival 10%. Chances of survival if user absorbs crystal 25%.

I'll take that chance. I forced my eye open so I could look at Savannah. The stone had spread to most of my arm, and was spreading to my back, and wings. I didn't know how far it was spreading internally. It was hard to breath so it was definitely spreading inside my body as well, and I was getting cold again.

"The Basilisk crystal," I raised my head a little, "Give me the Basilisk crystal."

"I can't," Savannah hesitated, "It'll kill you."

"I'm dying anyways," I shivered, "Please. I'm not strong enough by myself."

Savannah ran her hand down my neck gently. I was so cold now, and enough of me had become stone that it hurt to shiver. Exhaustion weighed me down, but I couldn't fall asleep because it hurt too much. I tried. I really did try to fight it off on my own, but I was losing.

It was spreading faster than I could fight it back. I didn't know how long I laid there until I felt Savannah opening my mouth, and shoving the Basilisk's crystal in. My eyes snapped open as I bit down. I couldn't close my mouth fully at first, but then the crystal started melting down my throat. I could feel the crystal's energy burn through me as the stone receded completely.

I hadn't felt pain like this since I'd first become a dragon.

***

I'd caved in to his request when the stone had spread past the halfway point on his body. I'd seen the effect of him consuming the crystal almost immediately. The stone had receded until it was just the grey fang marks on his shoulder, and marks that looked like cracks spread out from the two punctures. He'd started writhing violently right after that. I backed away quickly.

The stone receding had been good, but the way he was hissing, and writhing now wasn't. His eyes were clenched shut. He wasn't actively trying to hurt me. He was just in pain. I felt guilty for enabling him.

I sat close to the mouth of the cave for hours. Watching him until he stilled sometime later. He went to still that I couldn't actually tell if he was still alive by watching him. I stood up, and moved over to him quickly. I wasn't sure how to check his pulse so I reached out in front of his nose to see if he was still breathing.

I could feel the heat of his breath on my fingers. He was still alive. My fingers brushed his scales gently as I drew my hand back. His eyes snapped open, and his head came up. His breath came fast as if I'd just woken him from a nightmare.

He looked at me for a few seconds before his head dropped back onto the stone floor. Out cold before his head even hit the ground. All the exhaustion had added up. I was kicking myself for not realizing it sooner, but he was barely standing before he'd fought the Basilisk to save me. I didn't know how he was even still moving.

I thought back to what he'd said. He'd said that we'd fallen through a rift together. I tried to remember it now. I'd taken a few hits. I knew that the moment I'd woken up.

It seemed like Wyatt was through the worst of it so I laid down up against the cave wall. I felt my eyes close slowly as I tried to get some sleep in. The glow stick was dying anyways so I couldn't see much of anything anymore. I dreamed about what had happened. I had pulled Wyatt off to the side to see if he was feeling any side affects from absorbing those crystals.

Then Luke had shoved Wyatt. Wyatt had reached out while he was falling, and grabbed me. Then we were in the sky. I knew I was dead then so I held onto the one thing I had. Wyatt.

In that sky all I could see was my plummet to death, and yet Wyatt. He saw a way out, and instead of saving himself. Instead of letting me die. He'd pulled me in close, and given away his greatest secret for a chance that we would both live. I owed him.

***

I awoke to daylight shining down into my eyes. I flinched away from the light, and rolled onto my belly. Savannah was sleeping peacefully up against the wall of the cave, and I was still alive, and coherent so everything hadn't gone too wrong. I tasted something nasty when I swallowed, and spit it out onto the ground. There was something black in my spit, and my teeth felt funny, but not all of my teeth.

Just two in particular. I opened my mouth slowly, and ran my tongue around the ones that felt off. I opened my mouth a little further until my jaws were almost fully extended. My two canine teeth suddenly extended when I pressed on the gum above them, and black liquid dripped onto the ground below my head. They popped back in when I let off the pressure, and looked at the black liquid on the floor.

System what the hell happened to me?

User absorbed Basilisk mana crystal. Crystal was more powerful than user. User had mutated new ability. Venomous level 1.