[Territory of Enilla the hydra]
Noticing Darganth's gaze on her daughter, Enilla increased her vigilance. While she wasn't completely certain, Darganth's void black scales and their glowing edges gave her a rather good indication of what, or more precise who, he was. Her thoughts were currently all over the place, resulting in her heads getting into disarray for the first ti in decades. The last ti her thoughts changed rapidly and strongly enough to cause her heads to act on different ones was shortly after her advancent decades ago.
Currently two of her heads were fiercely protective of her daughter, one head looked at Darganth suspiciously, another bowed in worship while two were looking at him in interest. Her last head was the only one that continued what she intended, looking around for any dangers. With four of her heads already looking at Darganth, this head ignored him.
Darganth was anwhile surprised. He was sure that the hydra in front of him just lost the cohesion of her heads, sothing that would normally happen only shortly after reaching a new rank and acquiring a new one. This was the unique feature of hydras, with them starting with two heads and growing another upon reaching a new rank. The exception was the mythical rank where they would gain two instead of one.
The benefit of this was that with each head they would gain elental control over another elent, the exception to that being that they start with only one elent but two heads. This ability to have elental control over six elents upon reaching the mythical rank is sothing that few other beings have.
While looking from one head to the next he stopped at the head that bowed in worship. Upon noticing this heads actions he understood the source of the hydras disarray and surprise. Despite being viewed as one of the lowest ranked among them, hydras still count as lesser dragons. And as few lesser dragons worship all dragons like gods, it was instead far more likely that the hydra in front of him either connected him to the void lineage through his scales or even realized or at least suspects his identity.
After a mont Darganth noticed the younger hydras bloodline and beca slightly surprised. After all despite the naming similarities, dragon-hydras are extrely different from hydras and he didn't expect there to be one of the forr. While the species are related, the dragon-hydra is commonly known as the king of lesser dragons in comparison to the hydra's far lower position amongst them. The reason for this is that the are the only lesser dragon that evolves into a specific true dragon species.
All other lesser dragons may be able to evolve with the help of an ascended dragon after reaching the mythical rank, but they can only evolve into that dragons species or a species of a lower tier. This makes evolving into a high tier dragon rare for them, as all three ascended dragons of high tier species dislike allowing them to evolve into their kind.
A dragon-hydra anwhile will always evolve into a Tiamat, a high tier dragon species, no matter which ascended dragon allows them to evolve. Coupled with their high strength even as a dragon-hydra, few find it even relevant to ntion the small flaw that they are the only species of lesser dragons that is affected by dragons authority. Among dragons this is even considered sowhat of an advantage as it makes relying on them far less risky as no matter how much lesser dragons respect them, sotis a task needs a stronger assurance.
After a couple minutes the hydra fully regained its composure. While still slightly wary of him, she no longer looked like she wanted to kill him at the first wrong move.
“For what reason are we in your presence Darganth?” She asked sharply. Her tone far from what one would expect, after all she clearly knew who he was, his na being known by most dragons and even lesser dragons. This caused Darganth to chuckle slightly as he quite preferred such a ton to the stuck up one most use to address him when they know of his identity.
“While I considered the possibility, I didn't find it likely for you to recognize . From what I have learned most dragons consider it re rumors.”
“Well, I must admit that I also considered it to be re rumors, even after being told of the opposite.”
“I take it that your child's father told you?” His question caused her to nod while being annoyed at his ntion.
“Mom, who is he?” The younger hydra asked into the pause in our conversation.
“How do I describe it best? He is an acquaintance of an acquaintance of your father. The two never t so I know rather little, but mbers of the void lineage are always easy to spot.”
“Void lineage?” The young hydra exclaid in surprise and eyed in a mix of awe and curiosity.
Seeing her child's look Enilla stopped coiling her heads around her daughter protectively, allowing her to dash towards Darganth. While she was initially slightly unsure with her steps, owing to her newly increased size and her new head, she quickly reached him. Due to lesser dragon counting as beasts, they have evolutions with every new rank that drastically increase their size compared to the slower but steady growth of true dragons.
“How about coming with us to my cave? Having any dragon answer so questions could probably make famous among lesser dragons, but the first voidborn? That's not a chance I want to miss.” Enilla asked him while watching her dauhter being fascinated by the flowing pattern of erald green and silver at the edges of Darganth's scales.
“An overprotective mother inviting a man into the sa house her daughter is in, you are falling out of your role.” Darganth said with a smile.
Hearing these words a jolt of realization passed through Enilla, causing her to look at her daughter and sigh in relieve when she found her interest in Darganth to rely be curiosity. But she knew how fast such a thing can develop into feelings, after all it happened with her and the father of her child and he is only a dragon-hydra, not even a true dragon. With a sigh she turned around and made her way to her cave. After a short mont of thought he followed behind her.
After fifteen minutes of walk they reached a large cave, but despite its enormous size Darganth knew that it would only barely fit an adult fourth rank hydra. Walking inside and making their way through a large tunnel, Enilla lay down at the wall of the large room they found themselves in.
“I think proper introductions are in order. I am Enilla, the strongest being north of the steel mountains besides the dragons that inhabit them. But they rarely leave their peaks so I don't really count them. As for my ever curious daughter-” She started but was interrupted by her daughter.
“I am Jennia.” The young hydra interjected.
“I'm Darganth, like you mother already said.”
After they finished their introductions, Jennia made her way towards another part of the wall, nearly directly opposite of the place her mother currently lay.
“So why did you ask to co with you, hoping to beco a true dragon?” Darganth asked.
“That would be an offer I wouldn't deny, but I am not going to beg you for it. While I know you only through the account of others, I doubt you give every lesser dragon you et the chance to evolve.” She said, causing a smile to form on Darganth's face.
“I quite like your stance on this matter, many others may say such things but cave in should they ever co into the situation. And you are right, I only allow those lesser dragons I consider worthy to evolve. And may I add, the requirents for that are quite high but in the few minutes I know you for you reached further than many.”
“To receive your praise, that is certainly not sothing I ever expected. But still, I have no plans of actively trying to gain your approval. There are other ways to beco more powerful than to beco a true dragon.”
“Yes, but to truly beco powerful you need ti, sothing that is limited until ascension. Lesser dragons may live long, even when compared to beast species, but they don't live forever.”
“Yes, but I still have a long ti until that maters. Maybe I will try my luck with ascending once that day cos, but now is not yet the day to care for it. I may even be lucky and survive, no matter whether through strength, luck or by my opponents rcy. Of course I am not arrogant enough to think I could do what all before couldn't and win that fight, no matter whether it is the world itself or an extrely old god.” Hearing her outlook on ascension surprised him sowhat.
“How co you wouldn’t plan on hiding?”
“Because it brings the risk that whatever god is responsible for it will go after Jennia. I won't force my child to hide due to my actions and I would never willingly expose her to any danger.” She said while glancing towards her daughter.
“To think that this entire noble plan boils down to you being overprotective of your daughter.” Darganth said with a laugh, causing Enilla to roll her eyes in annoyance.
“Jokes aside, I respect that. As a sign of that I will give you the advice to use my na to protect yourself should you ever ascend.”
“You know who is responsible for the deaths of all newly ascended gods?” She asked in shock.
“Not who exactly, but I know on whose order. That is also why I can say with confidence that fighting and surviving without him showing rcy is impossible and I would have also said the sa thing about hiding until a few days ago.”
“What changed?”
“Learned of a demon, probably here in the kingdom, that managed to hide through an artifact. While I already knew that there are artifacts that could hide soone from his sense, I didn't think that there is one in this world.”
“Now I am slightly intrigued who is responsible, after all there are prominent artifact allegedly made by pseudo-elental gods in this world. And I know of at least one whose function is to hide its user.”
“Well, you knowing it won't change anything so I don't see any reason not to tell you.” This caused Enilla's eyes to widen in shock and anticipation.
“While the na Irsyr probably doesn't ring any bells for you, his title as oldest mber of the Locis should.”
Hearing this, Enilla jumped up in surprise causing slight tremors due to her bumping into the wall. Feeling her mothers sudden movent, Jennia also turned around. Seeing the complete disbelieve on her mothers faces, she turned back around with a chuckle.
Enilla was anwhile trying her hardest to digest this information. While she reacted far less extre than when she noticed Darganth's identity, the main reason for this is that she was completely focused on this surprise. Additionally there is a difference between eting soone you never though you would ever et and learning that a famous group lives on the sa planet as you.
“Just he or the entire clan?” She asked after so ti.
“At least many. Its been too long to know by how much their numbers increased. The only thing I did learn that he had another child and not even that long ago.”
“Here I learn that the leader of the Locis has children by learning that he has another.”
“Well you also learned his na only just now.”
“But I had expected that there would be flying around hundred of rumors about it when he has a child.”
“While I don't know for this one, in the past that was never the case. But considering that she is already nearing six hundred years old neither of us would have learned of such rumors should they have existed.”
“You call her a child and she is older than I am?” Enilla said surprised. This caused Darganth to simply shrug indifferently.
Suddenly her expression changed from disbelieve to a gleeful smile. Before Darganth managed to express his irritation, he felt a ball of water hitting his side. Turning to its origin, he found Jennia with about a dozen balls of water floating around her. From the corner of his eye he noticed Enilla smiling as if it was normal.
“I might have skipped saying that she is a great fan of pranks in addition to curiosity. While I could have told you sooner, this way was way funnier.” She said, causing Darganth to roll his eyes. He knew that both dragons and lesser dragons inherited their often eccentric personalities and constant search for entertainnt from him. While having a goal or another purpose may reduce these traits, like his current aim to reach back to his peak, those were just temporary solutions.
“Ever felt the echo?” He asked Jennia after a bit, before hijacking her spell and letting the balls of water fly into her once her expression changed to irritated. This caused Enilla to chuckle, much to her daughters annoyance.
“How did you do that?” Jennia asked once her annoyance was overpowered by her curiosity. Darganth simply grinned to this question, causing her to pout in annoyance and turn to her mother.
“I myself am not sure what he did, but probably so unique dragon ability. There are dozen of those with each being more unfair than the last. Few besides themselves know of all of them.”
Watching Enilla comforting her daughter he decided to tell her.
“It actually isn't. I overtook her spell through a combination of having a higher affinity as well as the boost my mana heart provides. But I have to say, she is quite talented. Never expected it to be as difficult as it was.” Hearing his praise, Jennia started to smile.
“I have to ask, what are your affinities? I highly doubt that she inherited a space affinity from her father, so it is either from you or a random mutation.”
“Of course she inherited it from . I hope that she inherited all my elents, after all I don't want her to get anything from that idiot that left us shortly after she was born.” Enilla said while simultaneously displaying all her elents.
Seeing them, Darganth beca surprised. While of the six elents that she has elental control over four where rather normal, with them being fire, earth, lightning and psychic, it shocked him to see that she had control over both ti and space.
“Now I am intrigued, I don't think there has ever been a case of a hydra having a dragon-hydra bloodline and either space or ti. I never thought about what would happen when such a hydra beca a dragon-hydra, would it gain two more heads, would it loose two other elents or would it loose space and ti.” Darganth wondered out loud. This made both Enilla and Jennia look at him confused.
“What do you an with that never happened, has there never been a dragon-hydra with either the space or ti elent as elental control?” Enilla asked, much to Darganth's surprise.
“You don't know? It is impossible for a dragon-hydra to grow a head for either of the two elents, while they will over ti acquire one for each of the other elents.” This shocked both of them greatly.
“You want to tell that all dragon-hydras only have fourteen heads? I thought that they were just the last two elents they gain control over.”
“No, they have fifteen. Just like hydras they are born with one more head than elents they can use elental control on. Well, they are born with five heads as opposed to two in the case of hydras, but instead they gain no new heads with each new rank and have to wait one hundred years each ti.” Hearing his explanation caused Enilla's head to snap toward Darganth. Her expression was filled with worry and uncertainty, with her gaze constantly drifting towards Jennia.
“Hmpf! Should I ever et him again he will have to give an explanation.” She said after a while, the anger in her voice drowning the previous two emotions. Knowing that dragon-hydras lack those two elents made her worry that their entire relationship was nothing more than an experint for him.
“I need a bit of fresh air.” She said after a while, making her way to the caves exit. With just him and Jennia being in the cave, Darganth turned toward her and found her to be looking after her mother in slight worry. Deciding to leave her alone with her thoughts, Darganth waited for a while. When he noticed after a while that she has started sleeping, he rolled up and started sleeping himself.
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