45 Immolate

A familiar, but a far more intense, euphoria washed over Donis. The knowledge flooded his brain, giving him pseudo memories on how to use his new skills, making him feel as if they were always there. The euphoria was quickly drowned out by the burning pain coursing through his every vein. His blood was boiling, changing, ripping apart his capillaries and reforging his cells.

The energy that burst forth kept him conscious against his own will, his mind wanting a release. Yet the pain didn't stop, nor did it lessen. His muscles and his mind feeling like they ripped apart only to be reformed milliseconds later didn't help his consciousness, but whatever was keeping him there wanted him to experience it all.

Yet, even after holding on with all of his might, a new sensation bubbled up in the cauldron of pain Donis was going through. A memory flashed through his mind.

A scene of white washed over his vision, painfully so. His body no longer ached, but his eyes felt like they were readjusting from looking at the sun for too long. Closing them and shaking his head, Donis felt like he was heavier. Opening his eyes one more time he noticed he could see again, albeit blurrily.

He was witnessing a sea of fire. A land of lava and brimstone. There were monstrous being flying in the air, at speeds that shouldn't be possible by any living creature, yet somehow he could still follow them.

"Father, I have learned of it," said Donis in a voice that didn't belong to him.

He wanted to freak out yet he couldn't scream, nor could he control the body any longer. He realised he was remembering all of this and seeing it first person, through the eyes of this being.

"You have? Tell me, what does it do?" said another impossibly deep voice off to his right.

"It is a sacrifice to our own Will. It's the fire that burns deep within us made real," said Donis while looking out the stony window.

The being that Donis was inhabiting turned around, and he could now see that he was in a stone and metal room, not unlike those you'd see in a blacksmiths smithy. The room was furnished with metallic looking trinkets, odd chairs and a table with a stone map. It was unusually hot in there, and everything was on the verge of beginning to glow, as if constantly superheated.

"Yes, correct my vassal. You pay a price every time you use it, but you give it fuel, you give it life, and through it, you make yourself something more. You birth a will so powerful that not even Drakthiin dare smite you down," said a draconic humanoid sitting beside the stone map.

His eyes were reptilian like, vertical slits with a fiery disposition. His skin was scaly, and dark, but with a sheen that almost gave off light. Donis couldn't tell if he was tall or not, since the body he was inhabiting was seemingly of equal height.

"Yes Volvariin. I wish to learn Immolate, knowing about it has made the hunger within deepen. I want to extract my revenge and Immolate the one who killed him, forever sacrificing him to my will," spoke Donis's body.

"Ah yes, Paarth was beaten unfairly, and his soul devoured. I understand your sentiment. Yet learning Immolate may not be what you seek, as unfortunately, it is not easily cultivated. You see Aargash, it starts off weak, just like the will of a child. Through training, and sacrifices do you truly mould yourself into an unbreakable Dracon," said Volvariin with long and extended breaths.

"I'll do what it takes, Volvariin. If I have to, I'll become the Dragonfury to avenge my father."

Donis was forcefully ripped out of the memory, yet none of the rage subsided. It was always there in that speech, a smouldering flicker ready to ignite at a moments notice. Donis sat up in his bed drenched in sweat still trying to process the exact events that just took place. Etheria had been sitting beside him on the bed the entire time, chirping quietly and sweetly in the hopes of helping Donis. Yet the [System] never truly liked to let Donis process much nor enjoy a moment before springing notifications on him.

-[Main Quest]: -Drakthiin I- Reach the [Essence] Mana State before the age of 20.

Reward: [10,000SP] + Title: Universal First.

[Growth-Quest]: Learn more about Aargash and Volvariin.

Reward: [100SP] + ? -

'What the fuck is that reward System? Actually, is it possible to reach the [Essence] Mana State before 20? Did you just give me an impossible questline?' thought Donis with faintly hidden rage.

-Calm down Donis. I would never give you a quest nor questline that is impossible for you. You are an anomaly in this world, and have been able to achieve that which is impossible.-

Donis looked at Etheria with unbridled rage still brimming in his eyes. She was hesitant to approach Donis, but she still did. She tried snuggling up to him once again, chirping only through the telepathic bond they shared. He realised his actions had been influenced by the pseudo memory and he was scaring Etheria, he knew he needed to calm down.

'Fine, fine,' thought Donis, trying to get his breathing under control.

It was harder than he thought. The rage that flickered within didn't snuff itself out so easily. It seemed that he was called Aargash in that memory and he was mightily mad at Drakthiin. If he was a Dracon like the man said he was, then was he one of them in a past life? Are they both dead? There were too may questions for now.

Deep breaths in, slow exhales, eyes closed. Eventually Donis calmed himself down. He would need a clear mind to think of all the possible ways to continue forward. [10,000SP] is no joke, it would potentially upgrade the [System], or buy some ludicrous gear, skills and potential cheat like items. Donis could not let this go to waste, and getting to the [Essence] Mana State was already his goal technically.

'Tomorrow, I'm going to try out my new body, and try to help Etheria level up, and hopefully not scare her,' thought Donis as he drifted off to a painless sleep.

***

The next day, in the headquarters hall.

Donis walked into a far more messy hall than he last remembered. He heard nothing last night anyway since he had no real idea how long the memory lasted, nor if he passed out so hard he could have been called dead if checked upon.

The drunks on the floor were missing, but the Captain and Jimmy were both awake and smiling sheepishly at the perfectly intact bar.

"Morning guys, ye are up bright and early!" said Donis with a small spring in his step.

"Morning? Lad it's 4pm right now ahaha. I guess it wasn't just us having a fun night," said Jimmy with the stupidest grin on his face.

"Aye Jimmy didn't your mam tell you to not kiss and tell?" said Striga punching Jimmy in the arm a little too hard, sending him sliding on his chair a small distance.

"Guys… I don't care about that. Where's everyone, and is there anything to eat? I'm feeling weird not seeing drunks on the floor and stepping around them," said Donis as he gave the place another look around.

"I'm not sure, when we came out they were already gone, but Gonra was talking about some sort of noise that he couldn't get out of his head earlier. He said we can eat the leftovers from yesterdays Meckstra barbecue," said Jimmy as he munched on a perfectly seasoned Meckstra leg.

"Huh, okay. Uhh.. I'll grab something to eat and Striga could you show me where to go today? Wasn't I supposed to be used for some sort of mission?" said Donis picking one of the many beautifully charred and cooked Meckstra legs.

"Aye lad sure, come along, lemme show you the map, and the debrief. You're to go into this level 10 zone called Balneer. You know the drill, record the critters described in the debrief, note any changes, note the environmental changes, and if need be, cull the fuckers," said Striga as she handed him a map, and the debriefing.

"Thanks Striga, I'll make sure to come back safe and sound," said Donis.

"Aye lad, I trust ya. You wont be entirely alone, one of us will be watching over you just in case something major happens. Treat this as a solo mission okay?" said Striga ruffling his hair.

"Sure sure," said Donis as he walked out the door with the map in hand.

After about a 20 minute walk, Donis found himself in an almost exact looking swamp than where he left. It definitely seems that the zones aren't differentiated by their topography anyway. The debriefing specified a type of frog creature, called the Kreeker, that usually spawns hundreds of young around this time of year, and to check if there are too many, or if there are any mutations/evolutions/differences.

Simple enough really, just needed someone to actually do it. So Donis relished the chance to actually see his new skills in action, and also to really stretch his legs with this newfound strength. He had so much to do on his plate right now, he didn't know where to really start.

'Maybe with finding the Kreeker, I think that'd be a decent spot to start all of this,' thought Donis.

He didn't have to search for long, as he heard an obnoxiously loud frog ribbiting. It was grating on the ears for a myriad of reasons, and none of them were to do with how loud it was. It just sounded awful, like steel wool getting ripped up while it's being cleaned on a blackboard. It was both dull and yet had way too much range for a sound.

[Kreeker]

[Level: 9]

[Danger Rating: Common]

[Mana State: Wisp]

[Health: 130]

[Mana: 50]

[Strength: 7]

[Agility: 10]

[Perception: 11]

[Intelligence: 2]

[Titles:]

After having a good look at the creature, taking out the Monster Logger it began inputting the sensory information into the tablet.

'A creature of 1.1m stature, dark grey skin with splotches of black that represent it's growth cycle. This one is male, and looking for a partner with an unusually grating mating call. It looks like an overgrown frog that also has 2 antennae on the top of its head which act as a sensory organ for vibrations in the air.'

Donis summoned Etheria and had a weird sense of nostalgia wash over him.

'Hmm… I feel like I should have a ball to throw at this Kreeker here…Oh well... Etheria, I choose you!'