Dragon God’s System

s I walked closer to the red dragon, I could feel the heat in the cave becoming more oppressive. Before I was ready, I found myself standing before Einvaldskonungr. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me. I couldn’t tell where it was from irritation or curiosity. 

“And who are you, little kobold, to stand before me?” His voice rumbled through the cavern. I could feel each word reverberating in my bones.

I realized then that I should have kneeled, or at least bowed to the red dragon. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to speak. “I am not an ordinary kobold, great Einvaldskonungr. I am the reborn god of twilight. Although I am currently weak; my power will increase quickly.” Almost everything I said was true. The only exception was that I wasn’t a god. Afterall, I had been reborn, and I did have a godlike system.

For a moment, there was silence. Then the dragon let out a sound that sounded like a mixture of a chuckle and a growl. His expression shifted from one of annoyance to amusement. “A god of twilight, you say? And here I thought I’d seen everything.” Although I could hear sarcasm in his voice, I had apparently amused the red dragon instead of angering him. 

I breathed a sigh of relief, which stuck in my throat when the dragon began to change shape without warning. The transformation was quickly completed as he shrank and changed forms. Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, the dragon was gone and a tall human was standing in front of me.

Actually, I corrected myself, the man had long, pointed ears like an elf. However, his build resembled that of a human. He was much more muscular than what I envisioned an elf would look like. One thing that remained the same, however, was that his skin retained a slight reddish hue.

Einvaldskonungr’s leather armor was the same color the red dragon’s scales had been. It fit him perfectly and accentuated his muscular build. The leather was a deep crimson in hue, was etched with intricate patterns resembling the scales of a dragon. I was curious if the armor was real or if it was made out of dragon scales.

He then stepped forward and began to circle me slowly while I fought to maintain my composure. My mind raced with questions. Why hadn’t he taken the form of a kobold? Did he consider kobolds to be inferior? The thought stung, but I kept it to myself. Now, if he had taken the form of a gnome, that would have been unforgivable. 

He snorted softly, and without warning, he reached out and smacked the back of my head. The blow was firm enough to sting but lacked any real ill intent. It reminded me of the chieftain when he hit the back of my head. The unexpected familiarity of the action caught me off guard. I blinked up at him, momentarily unsure of how to react.

Einvaldskonungr grinned down at me. “I suppose there’s something to you after all,” he said. His tone was almost playful. “I’ve seen enough in my time to know that sometimes, the strangest of claims can hold a grain of truth. You might very well be the god of twilight. However, at the moment, your strength is almost nonexistent.”

I nodded, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’ll grow stronger.”

He waved a hand dismissively. My promise was of little consequence to him, it appeared. “Perhaps you will,” he said, “but I find myself intrigued. I will allow you to take some of the dissatisfied kobolds with you to form your own city. However, after establishing your own city, do not abandon your brothers. Also, when the city begins to thrive, send me a tribute as an offering of thanks.”

I bowed my head slightly in acknowledgment. “I will not fail you. Although I am sure you are already aware, I have reason to believe that the green dragon, Groenneitr, is behind the recent attacks on our tribe. He has been spreading rumors to lure adventurers and mercenaries into attacking our city.”

Einvaldskonungr’s expression darkened slightly. “I am well aware of Groenneitr’s schemes,” he replied. His voice was now more serious. “Although I hate to say it, he is a cunning foe. If you prove your worth to me, I will reward you with dragon essence.”

I nodded, “I will do everything in my power to protect our tribe.”

He studied me for a moment longer, as if weighing the sincerity of my words. Then, after a final nod, he said, “Go now, young Gothi and do not disappoint me.”

With that, he turned away from me. His form had already begun shifting back into a red dragon again. I took a step back and bowed low before retreating from the cavern. I knew enough from my ancestral memories to know the importance of dragon essence. It could be used by creatures to become more draconic in nature. Since I was already a high kobold, the essence might just be enough to transform me. Maybe I could become a pseudodragon, a half dragon, or a dragonborn.

The journey back to the kobold city was almost dreamlike. I was exhausted by the time we returned. Although we did stop for breaks, we didn’t stop long enough to sleep. However, because of this, we reached home much sooner than expected. I barely had enough energy left to climb up onto the bed before falling into a deep sleep. In my dreams, I imagined flying through the tunnels with Alsvartr as she hunted down small creatures to eat.

When I woke up the next morning, I still reeked of the dire weasels. Their musky odor seemed to have seeped into my very scales. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, wondering how long it would take before the smell finally faded away. Because of this, I decided to spend some time outside the kobold city.

I quickly ate the breakfast that had been left for me and tried to remember the location of the bathroom. However, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember how to get there. With everything that had happened in the last few days, I had forgotten what I had been told about how to get there. 

I even tried to use the ancestral memories. The only thing that accomplished was that I learned the waste was usually collected for the worms and beetles, which completely disgusted me. Deciding that since I had to go, I might as well head back down to Chuck Norris Bridge. I could always fly to the other side of the bridge and feed the worms there. 

While I was there, I could also meet up with Alsvartr again. I hadn’t taken her with me to see Einvaldskonungr because I wanted her to scout the area. That way she could alert me if the mercenaries arrived while I was gone.

It didn’t take me long to get there. Once I arrived, I almost didn’t notice that I wasn’t alone. However, I finally caught sight of a kobold hiding near the bridge. Apparently, she had been stationed there after the first incident. That actually made me feel better. 

It did mean that I needed to fly further away before I could do my business though. I waved to the kobold and flew to the other side. After that, I did what I had to do and was about to fly back when I paused. A thought hit me. I had been born into a new world. While I hadn’t had much of a chance to visit everywhere in the cave, I was also curious to see what existed outside the kobold city. I did have to admit that I also wanted more experience. 

Even though I hadn’t been in the world long, I had already discovered through ancestral memories that gaining experience through study and practice was an extremely slow process. The fastest way to become more powerful was to fight. Because of this, I was looking forward to my next near brush with death.

Wait, did I just say I was looking forward to my next near-death experience? Gnome brain! Frowning, I realized that Alsvartr was nowhere in sight. A little worried, I concentrated on her presence in the back of my mind. Slowly, I allowed my senses to merge with hers. My own senses were almost non-existent. 

I watched through her eyes as she glided through the darkness, her keen hearing catching the steps of a multitude of feet. She silently flew over toward the sounds until I saw dozens of human warriors. Those dozens were followed by dozens more. One reason I could tell was because they weren’t trying to hide. Almost every soldier was carrying either a lantern or a torch.