"Let me guess this straight...You want me to dive down there?" Ragnar asked slowly, already feeling the volcano's heat on his face as he looked down at the bubbling lava. "I think I'm gonna die first before my body adapts to that." He took a step back from the crater's edge.
'You will not die, child. You're a Makluan, you're very resistant to heat,' The Great Protector spoke, her voice laced with expectation. She wanted to confirm if Ragnar's scales could evolve to withstand the lava below. 'Pain is only an illusion created by the mind,' she advised wisely. 'Now jump.'
"Okay, sensei dragon, chill!" Ragnar spread his palm out, stopping the Great Protector from speaking. "I need to prepare myself first," he said, taking deep breaths to calm himself, his gaze fixed on the molten lava. 'That's gonna hurt like a lot.'
"I have an idea. How about we take this training at ease, like bathing in a fire first?" Ragnar offered with a smile, desperately wanting to escape the volcano. He liked the feeling of success, but he would choose the path with less pain, like any normal person or dragon should.
The Great Protector stayed silent, floating directly in front of him. Her eyes shined with golden light, preparing to use her powers.
"It seems I don't have any say in this training. Okay, okay," Ragnar muttered, his teeth clenched in resignation. "If this doesn't work, I'm leaving," he grumbled, he transformed into a dragon and with a final, frustrated roar, he leaped into the crater.
"RAAWWRRR!" Ragnar roared in pain, but he was actually shouting in dragon language, a scream of agony that only The Great Protector could understand. 'Resistant! Resistant your face! AHHHH' He felt his scales slowly peeling off his body, the lava burning his flesh.
At the same time for the first time in her life, the Great Protector truly felt the urge to beat someone up. Even the Dark Dweller hadn't aroused this desire. 'He's a good child, he's just hurting,' The Great Protector thought, closing her eyes to block out Ragnar's rude words.
'You DRAGON B****!'
'On second thought, he needs to be taught some manners.' The Great Protector's eyes narrowed, her gaze fixed on Ragnar as he swam through the lava, trying to claw his way up the rocky walls. His wings were severely burned and couldn't help him fly.
'His body is adapting, but his healing can't keep up.' The Great Protector's eyes glowed with golden light as she lifted Ragnar out of the lava.
'Is it done?' Ragnar asked weakly, on the verge of passing out from pain. He didn't even have the strength to regret agreeing to jump into the volcano. All he wanted was to sleep.
Ragnar tried to open one of his eyes, only to see The Great Protector's eyes flash with coldness as she dropped him back into the lava.
"RAWRR?!" Ragnar roared in disbelief, before he started cursing again, feeling the lava burning his flesh.
Then just like that, in one of the active volcanoes in Ta Lo, from time to time a dragon's roar could be heard, gradually fading until it entirely disappeared.
The Great Protector, for the last time, lifted Ragnar out of the lava, nodding her head in approval. 'His scales have become tougher and more resistant, and even his flesh has become much stronger than before,'
'Congratulations, child. Your adaptability is the most impressive thing I've seen in my life.' The Great Protector said, putting him down on the ground.
Ragnar remained silent, not even bothering to transform back into a human. He stared into the distance, replaying the events in his mind, feeling numb all over. Even his throat felt sore from roaring and cursing.
'Let's end this session for now, and continue tomorrow,' The Great Protector said, feeling a slight guilt. She had quite enjoyed dipping Ragnar in the volcano after hearing his rude words. She flew into the sky, using the wind to carry Ragnar beside her, flying back towards the village.
'Come back tomorrow,' The Great Protector set Ragnar down beside the suitcase before flying back into the lake, her speed noticeably faster than before.
Ragnar stayed put, not even wanting to move a muscle. He contemplated whether he should even train tomorrow. 'Since I already know my powers, I don't need her now, right?' He was ready to escape Ta Lo, because he felt so close to developing PTSD.
The suitcase beside him snapped open, and Elliot peered out. "What are you doing? Why aren't you getting in?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice. His eyes narrowed. "Why do I feel something off about you?" He asked in doubt. "Did your scales become much more shiny?"
Ragnar slowly turned his head, his gaze blank as he crawled toward the suitcase.
"Are you getting in?" he heard his father ask. "Let me move…" The words trailed off as Ragnar ignored his father's increasingly frantic voice, "Wait! Hey, wait!" With a heave, the golden dragon squeezed himself into the suitcase, his tail disappearing last as the lid snapped shut.
"Boy! Get off me!" Elliot shouted in distress, trying to push away Ragnar's head, but his strength was weak in his human form. He couldn't budge Ragnar's head an inch. Without any choice, he swallowed his pride and closed his eyes, calling for his wife, "Help!"
A moment later, Sicilia appeared at the door of the shack, giving them a questioning look with a raised brow. "What are you both doing?"
"Have you gotten stronger?" Sicilia asked, narrowing her eyes. She noticed the changes in Ragnar's dragon form. His muscles felt firmer and more prominent. But then, she saw Ragnar's dull, lifeless eyes. "What happened?"
Ragnar stared at his mother for a moment before shaking his head, not wanting to tell her what happened. He knew his mother might try to fight the Great Protector after learning about it. So, he used telepathy to convey a single message, 'Clothes.'
Sicilia stared into her son's eyes. She felt he was hiding something, but forcing him to open up might backfire. "You destroyed your clothes again," she sighed, descending the stairs to fetch some clothes. "Let your father breathe," she shouted from below.
Ragnar lifted his head, giving Elliot a chance to roll to the side.
Elliot sat up, rubbing his chest with a worry expression etched on his face. "What's wrong?"
Ragnar shook his head. 'Maybe I also need that wake-up call,' he thought. He couldn't complain because his strength came from the system, he hadn't experienced any real pain.
Simultaneously Ragnar couldn't deny the results though. He had gotten stronger. He used Identification to inspect his status.
[Ragnar Haddock: Dragon/Makluan]
Strength: 35
Agility: 30
Spirit: 50
Powers: Shapeshift, Telepathy, Psion Energy, Psion EnergyControl, Dragon Breath, Magic, Soul Power, Underwater Breathing
Knowledge: Boxing, Tang Sect Technique, Meditation, Spells+
Ragnar knew their experiment had worked. Adaptation had yielded new power, increased strength and agility, tangible proof of his body's evolution.
'My muscles and flesh are much tougher now,' Ragnar thought, his eyes shining with a cold fire. He accepted the results, but such an ordeal would never happen again.
"Here, dress up. The kids should be coming back soon." Sicilia placed the clothes on Ragnar's head, pulling her husband off the ground and walking outside, closing the door of the shack to give Ragnar some privacy.
"What do you think happened?" Elliot asked, a frown etched on his face. He also sensed that something was wrong with Ragnar. Though they always fought, Elliot wouldn't stand by while his son suffered.
"Maybe he lost, or got beaten up, or hurt." Sicilia whispered, guessing the possibilities as they walked towards the table. "Whatever happened, maybe it's a good thing. He needs to encounter a setback if he really wants to grow stronger."
"You, Sicilia? Actually said that to your son? Who are you?" Elliot asked in disbelief, looking at her with confusion. He knew how much Sicilia cared for Ragnar, he wouldn't be surprised if she suggested they pack up and leave.
Scillia rolled her eyes at her husband's antics before explaining with a sigh, "He relied on the system too much. What if one day it disappeared? What if it took away all the powers it gave? Then where would our son be?"
"If he really wants to get stronger, then he has to work hard to achieve it, not just by accepting rewards," Sicilia said, closing her eyes. She didn't want her son to get hurt, but it was a process he needed to go through if he wanted to achieve his goals.
"But..." Sicilia opened her eyes showing a fierce expression and whispered, "Even though I think a setback might be good, I didn't mean it's okay for him to get hurt."
"Ah, yes, there's my wife." Elliot nodded, feeling that this was the right way his wife should have reacted. "Take it easy. We're still just visitors here."
"If that dragon can't take a complaint from a worried mother, then we could only leave," Sicilia said, meeting Elliot's eyes as if it was the final decision.
"I thought so." Elliot whispered, nodding his head in acceptance.
•-----•-----•-----•-----•
Back in the shack, Ragnar shifted back into human form, taking a sharp breath. "Hiss—" he hissed, the loss of his scales leaving his body aching and flushing a bright pink skin. Even the touch of his clothes sent shivers of pain through his sensitive skin, but he gritted his teeth and slowly dressed.
"What happened to you?" Ororo asked, getting inside the suitcase. Even though she wasn't close to Ragnar, she could tell he was injured from the way he was moving so slowly.
"The Gre–" The first thought that popped into Ragnar's mind when he heard her voice was to complain about what happened to Ororo, since she was someone close to his age. But the words got stuck in his throat when he turned around and saw a patch of bruises and cuts all over Ororo's body.
"What happened to you?" Ragnar asked, gritting his teeth, putting his shirt on swiftly, ignoring his sensitive skin the best he could.
"Training. Elder Jiayi began to teach me, but I couldn't learn much since it was my first time learning martial arts," Ororo recounted her training with a soft smile, walking down the stairs and stopping in front of Ragnar. "And you? You didn't answer my question."
"Nothing, nothing happened," Ragnar shook his head with a soft smile. Now he understood that he wasn't the only one trying to improve. In fact, possessing the system made him the luckiest of them all.
Realizing since he had chosen to get stronger, he could only bear the pain because it was just a small part of his journey.
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