A few months ago, Clarent and Qiong Qi had been exploring the wall that separated the inner section from the core section with interest. Both of them were originally Divine Beings, or in Qiong Qi's case, a descendant of a Divine Being.
As such, they had come into contact with Divine Energy many times, and even Origin Energy a scarce few times. When they sensed that supreme and inviolable aura that Origin Energy gave off, they naturally came around to investigate.
"Hm, I think it's a leftover from the Refinement God? If there is this much organic Origin Energy here, then they were definitely a powerful Semi-Origin God." Clarent postulated.
"That is most likely. The quality here too is quite admirable, far purer than what I've seen those remaining Semi-Origins have." Qiong Qi added thoughtfully.
While the two discussed this matter seriously, Sheera lay down a slight way behind them, under the shade of a nice tree. The breeze was calm and cool, and the shade lowered her body temperature to a desirable intensity.
Her belly was already showing a bulge, and she had become less active. Soon, she would birth her first litter of cubs and she had high hopes for them based on her bloodline contrasted to Qiong Qi's.
As for the wyrm, no one knew her name, not even she herself. As such, Clarent named her Chrona. She could not have a unique last name until she became a true Dragon, so that was omitted.
In fact, most Wyrms weren't even allowed to have names and were most often just called by their color. So silver wyrm, green wyrm, etc. Granting her a name already showed how special the silver wyrm was.
Chrona currently lay curled around herself, also under the shade of the same tree. She was fast asleep, enjoying a certain state of peace and satisfaction that she never had before.
The days of uncertainty towards her future were behind her now that she had a legitimate True Dragon as her mate. She would definitely reach atavism and join him in the skies one day!
This tranquil scene was interrupted when a sudden change occurred. Clarent, Qiong Qi, and Sheera began to glow in a strange light, waking up the sleeping Chrona.
This glow persisted for a short while. Clarent's body began to grow as he absorbed a great amount of Worldly Energy, while Qiong Qi's own transformation barely lasted a minute. He didn't absorb any Worldly Energy either, likely because he wasn't leveling up like the others, instead shedding the shackles binding him.
As for Sheera, she only absorbed a normal amount of it that didn't raise any ruckus. This didn't mean that she was sub-par, after all, every cat and dog on-screen who had gorged themselves to the point of nearly bursting had been a real monster, making her seem like a meek mouse.
Qiong Qi flexed his claws and checked out his body, but pouted when he saw nothing different. However, this was to be expected since his body was still in its original state at Rank 7, merely his attack power had been firmly sealed, as well as his skills.
Now that Draco had finally reached Rank 2, a lot of his suppressed power came bursting out, as well as a few new useful skills to add to his repertoire. Qiong Qi laughed uproariously at this and moved to check on his mate.
Sheera's Rank up had been mild and she nuzzled Qiong Qi when he arrived.
"You good babe?" The Lion King asked.
"I'm fine. I just wish we would have been informed beforehand, so that I could prepare." Sheera replied in that exotic Egyptian accent of hers.
"Hmph, it's the fault of that fellow. Don't worry, when we get there, I'll make sure to educate my human pet thoroughly." Qiong Qi replied with an arrogant huff.
Sheera smiled, but internally scoffed. She had seen how this fellow had fled from their master, so who did he think he was fooling? If there was anything Sheera hoped that her kids wouldn't inherit from Qiong Qi, it was his shamelessness.
However, since when did the God of Genetics ever care about the wishes of the parents?
｢Name: Sheera - Rank 2 Manticore
MON Str: 70
MON Dex: 60
MON End: 50
MON Int: 30
MON Spr: 30
MON Cha: 30
MON Lck: 50
Abilities: Poison Sting, Fury Swipes.
Traits: Flight, Petrification.｣
｢Poison Sting – Ability
Effect: Pierce an enemy with a scorpion stinger to poison them. This drains 1% HP per second.
Duration: 20 seconds
Cooldown: 8 minutes.｣
｢Fury Swipes – Ability
Effect: Slash out at enemies with condensed energy from the claw, dealing 40% damage from a distance.
Cooldown: 5 seconds.｣
｢Flight – Trait
Effect: Can take to the air at will. A maximum of three people can be safely carried when in the air.｣
｢Petrification – Trait
Effect: Any entity that is stung by the poison stinger will be turned to stone for a period of time dependent on their Endurance.｣
Sheera had become stronger, verily so. Her stats had increased in various fields, with Strength being the highest. The female Manticore was especially pleased that she successfully acquired one of her most important racial abilities, which was Petrification.
Now, she could also easily carry three people on her back during flight, and her Poison Sting Ability had also become stronger overall. She understood that her power was nothing compared to Clarent or even Qiong Qi, her mate, but she knew her worth… and would prove it.
As for Clarent, it took a whole hour for his changes to subside. When it was done, everyone but Qiong Qi gasped in surprise due to the depth of his changes.
He was originally the size of a PC, big enough that he wasn't tiny, but small enough to still somewhat comfortably sit on Draco's shoulders if need be.
Now though, his size had ballooned greatly. He was about the size of a 4x4 luxury car. His body had become less chubby and sleeker, while his muscles began to show all over his body.
His snout had become longer, while his ridges and spines had become longer and sharper. His wings had also become longer and firmer, allowing him to fly faster, longer and easier.
It was an all-around total upgrade that didn't lose out to even Qiong Qi. This became even more apparent once one peeked at his stats and skills.
｢Name: Clarent - Rank 2 Young Dragon
MON Str: 150
MON Dex: 150
MON End: 150
MON Int: 150
MON Spr: 150
MON Cha: 150
MON Lck: 150
Abilities: Fireball, Flamepillar, Immolation, Flame Explosion, Fire Claw, Sea of Flames.
Traits: Divine Origin, Fire Immunity, Dragon's Fire, Boost, Fire Ward, Aether Production.｣
｢Fireball – Ability
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Effect: Shoot a ball of fire at a target within 500 yards. This deals 45% fire damage.
Cooldown: 2 seconds｣
｢Flamepillar – Ability
Effect: Cause an eruption of fire at a certain location that engulfs an area of 15 yards. This deals 125% fire damage per second.
Duration: 15 seconds
Cooldown: 3 minutes.｣
｢Immolation – Ability
Effect: Set a target within 75 yards aflame from the inside out. This deals 200% fire damage.
Duration: 7 seconds
Cooldown: 6 minutes｣
｢Flame Explosion – Ability
Effect: Cause a huge explosion in an area of 20 miles. This deals 200% fire damage.
Cooldown: 15 minutes.｣
｢Fire Claw – Ability
Effect: Imbue the fire element into the suer's claws, dealing 15% fire damage with each swipe for the duration.
Duration: 1 minute
Cooldown: 3 minutes.｣
｢Sea of Flames – Ability
Effect: Spray a great amount of fire over an Area Zone, setting it alight. This deals 500% fire damage.
Duration: 5 minute
Cooldown: 1 day.｣
｢Divine Origin – Trait
Effect: Possessing true Divine Aura, this combat pet will face no growth issues until at the Divine Rank.｣
｢Fire Immunity – Trait
Effect: Total Immunity to all fire damage.｣
｢Dragon's Fire – Trait
Effect: 200% to all fire damage.｣
｢Boost – Trait
Effect: During flight, fire energy can be expanded to provide a speed boost for all purposes.｣
｢Fire Ward – Trait
Effect: A permanent aura of fire surrounds the user, blocking 20% of all damage.｣
｢Aether Production – Trait
Effect: You are able to generate Aetheric Energy at a rate of 1 crystal per hour. Crystals vary in quality depending on the location and rank of the Draconic being.｣
Clarent was really looking good in terms of growth. His skills had all just about doubled in power and his stats had tripled. Since he grew differently from Hikari as a Combat Pet, this was normal.
When Chrona saw his changes, she excitedly slithered over to Clarent and coiled around his leg. Clarent, who was still getting to feel out his changes, saw her antics and smiled.
Then, with one claw, he pressed down on Chrona's tail so hard that she couldn't move. Confused, Chrona looked up to Clarent to understand why he had captured her like this.
When she saw his evil smirk and dark eyes, the silver wyrm began to tremble as panic flooded her system. Even as she tried to escape, all she could hear was Clarent's malicious snicker.
"Why are you running? Isn't this what you wanted? Now that I am a Young Dragon, I finally have reproductive functions."
Clarent used the claw which gripped Chrona to bring her closer under him as Qiong Qi and Sheera looked away, not willing to further watch this heartbreaking scene.
"And now, I shall vent all my anger on you!"
.........…
A few months later, Qiong Qi, Sheera, Clarent, and Chrona could be seen heading towards Evergreen Village. At the leg of Sheera were two cubs running around their parent's feet while playing.
Even though normal lion cubs needed about three months to walk, Qiong Qi and Sheera's first litter were truly special thanks mostly to Qiong Qi's supreme bloodline… so the cubs were a little different.
Both of them were females, the first had been named Nemea and the second Sphea. Nemea was more like her father, resembling a typical Lion, only that her body was smaller and her tail was that of a scorpion stinger.
As for Sphea, she was more of a manticore like her mother, with reptilian pupils and black eyeshadow around her eyes. Her tail was also a stinger, and it looked like she might also grow wings.
On the day of their birth, Qiong Qi had been grumbling since he needed a son, but Sheera had consoled him that they could always try for more, so he had accepted Nemea and Sphea's existences.
The big cat community was different from the human one, first and foremost.
As for Clarent, he lazily trodded along with Chrona demurely slithering behind him. There were some bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, and the way her lower body twitched every now and then as she slithered made one feel pity for her.
Once they reached Evergreen Villa, the group paused for a bit. Qiong Qi and Clarent simply sighed as they gazed at the opulent manor decorated in the finest greenery and ambient lighting from mana crystals.
Upon seeing all this, they remembered that they had left here only a few days after arriving in order to give Draco some breathing space. If he failed his quest because of them, they would never live it down.
However, months of aimlessly wandering about had become boring. Heck, Qiong Qi had even become a father! A lot had changed, from Clarent disposition to Sheera's personality.
Now a mother, she had become less fierce and more doting. In fact, she was still fierce, but only when someone tried to mess with her cubs. However, since that rarely happened, there was little drama so far.
The two fellows wondered how their buddy Draco had been doing? Last they checked, he was bullying some maids or the other while making plans with the goatman butler.
Thinking like this, the two fellows felt excitement for the upcoming reunion. They had grown greatly and wanted to show off their changes to their one true pal, and as such, they showed just how mature they had become in the next second.
"HUMAN TRASH DRACO, ROLL OUT HERE AND GREET YOUR FOREFATHER CAT AND LIZARD THIS INSTANT!"
(Editor's Note: I'll make this short, to not waste any Coin from you guys.
All of you have noticed that the previous chapter was different from the usual style.
The character Essence Stalker is actually based on one of our readers who we have written in as a thank you. Thanks to the donations of him and others we were able to start contacting artists who have begun creating some official art.
On that note, we have NOT forgotten about the name change, but our last cover kept delaying over and over, so were forced to replace him recently.
Chapter 420 happened to be the first large donation amount from Essence and given the other meaning of it, we had a bit of fun with the chapter. We understand that change of style might not be everyone's cup of tea, but please just treat such an occasional chapter as a whacky spin-off chapter, which is still canon though.
Thank you all for reading so far!)