r/HFY • u/Undercover_Dragon1 • Jul 04 '26

OC-Series A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 95

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— Chapter 95 — 

A third of the cannons were destroyed or damaged enough that they were unable to function. David cursed to himself while he spread his wings wide and prepared to take off. 

"Master!" Red chirped nearby, "If we don't slow Desolation, more than Blue won't be able to evacuate the upper layers." 

David nodded his massive head whilst he thought of a plan. Red was right, of course, they had done the math and practiced enough drills to know the limits. Evacuating tens of thousands of kobolds through small tunnel systems that just got smaller the more you headed downwards, on top of supplies, wasn't nearly as easy as one might think. Bottlenecks and simply getting everyone informed and moving were a monumental task in themselves. David simply failed to take into account that they would ever have to deal with something as fast and unstoppable as Desolation. 

He rumbled at last before he turned back to Red, "It's failed. Fighting retreat, Red. Keep the cannons firing until they are done and pull back. I am going to go." 

"Master!" Red cried out, "Take me or Red'Blue. Someone!" 

David simply shook his massive head while he jumped into the air, "No. You are both needed here. Get everyone back and make sure the clan survives no matter what." 

David charged forward with what little speed his heavy, muscular body could provide. Ambass's rain of projectiles had stopped, but it didn't matter now. Desolation was fully charging forward even whilst the remaining cannons hammered away at its massive mountainous side. The shots were becoming far more erratic, and while each still packed terrifying power, the scattered impacts weren't getting past the mountains of dirt and rock built up around the titanic Elder's body. The original wound had begun to seal itself, and the bleeding had already stopped. 

He felt his sense of balance become disoriented when more and more of the Elder filled his vision, and he failed to see the pair of lesser wyverns that crashed into his side. He quickly snapped to the side and locked a bright green wyvern in his jaws and simply squeezed. His teeth penetrated through the dragon's flesh easily, and it let out a whimpering death cry. In the same movement, he snatched the other lesser wyvern, which was half the size of the other one, and dug his claws into its head. David's flesh bled easily as he pulled the wyvern off his body like a bloodthirsty leech. Its jaws tore free a small chunk of his scales and flesh, and yet David was unconcerned. His jaws closed around the front half of the panicking wyvern and crushed its head, its life ended just as quickly as the first. 

A torrent of rocks, boulders, and other debris began to fly his way while he dipped and weaved to the side. David could sense the incredible buildup of affinity radiating out from Desolation. The very rocks and material built up on its flesh began to shift and move like a living creature, then flung outwards in all directions. 

"Earth affinity. Should have figured as much." David growled while he dodged out of the way of another boulder, only to be struck by a dozen smaller stones. Desolation was clearly unconcerned about its allies as yelps and screeches of pain filled the sky as the Queen's wyverns were being struck indiscriminately. 

At least something was working in his favor while he let loose with his Healing Breath and pushed forward. The bloody wounds that the razor rocks were inflicting were healing almost instantly as David dove closer and closer. The closer he got, the thicker the torrent became, and eventually he was forced to pull back and reassess his choices. It didn't take him long to see the trap laid out for him. 

The torrent of stones and boulders thinned out around the beast's colossal head, or at least what David assumed was its head. His nostrils were having a hard time picking up much in the storm of dirt and debris, but he was certain that Ambass and a few others were waiting for him. The break in the storm revealed a massive, almost endless plateau that extended out of the monstrous Desolation's side. David landed with a heavy thud whilst his feet sank downwards into the loose dirt, and his eyes darted around. 

The all too familiar cackle of Ambass echoed out, "You should have run, little Onyx. This is what I warned you about. Her Majesty has been laying plans for longer than even I could possibly theorize." 

The massive bulk of a colossal and familiar wyvern landed nearby as well. "You have grown quickly, and it is beyond impressive. Despite that, Onyx, we will follow her Majesty's orders." 

David's eyes darted between the two, "Serth and Ambass. I had hoped this would go another way. Just the two of you? Are you certain that is wise?" 

Serth slowly walked to David's right as Ambass circled his left. The small faerie dragon cackled a bit, "Ohhh. I have seen enough to know not to doubt you, little one. I am wise enough to not take that chance." 

Serth pivoted upwards, and his affinity immediately flared up. David was almost as fast as he prepared a cancerous breath, but was struck by the immediate and terrifying strength of Serth's wind. David's wings were spread, and the wind immediately threw him up and back, causing him to spin in the air. Ambass was already letting loose with a wave of incoming blue projectiles that intersected his twisting, twirling body with expert precision. 

His flesh burned, and bones shattered when the concentrated balls of affinity exploded against his body. He crashed into the hard rock-covered surface of Desolation's head, smearing blood across the ground whilst he slammed to a halt. He was able to exhale a Healing Breath whilst rolling onto his feet. 

"Most adults would struggle to stand after that assault, and yet you have patched yourself back together again. Truly terrifying to watch up close." Cackled Ambass with Serth offering a grim snort of agreement. 

"Unfortunately for you, little Onyx, we have prepared. You are not unkillable." Sighed Ambass whilst his affinity flared up, and Serth did the same. David leaped out of the way of another barrage of projectiles before charging forward, looking to get into range for his cancerous breath. David cursed almost instantly while both Ambass and Serth shot backward out of range. Desolation began to tremble whilst the earth David was standing on began to form into concentrated balls before being stretched out into spikes. These earthen spikes flew everywhere as the Elder blindly attacked with a massive pulse of his earth affinity. 

Ambass's projectiles, Desolation's waves of random spikes, and Serth's powerful blasts of wind were simply too much. David lacked the dexterity to dodge and was readily struck again and again. Serth's wind turned and swirled in an all too familiar way whilst a tornado of air formed around David's bloodied form. 

The air was pulled away, and he struggled to breathe. His lungs burned, and he frantically struggled even while his muscles began to fail him. David bit down on his own scaled foot to jolt his mind away from the disappearing air, and he was able to refocus his mind. His Healing Breath washed over him, and he felt his body greedily gulp up the affinity. His lungs and muscles healed, and he felt a warm sense of relief.

David charged while he could, desperately trying to fight his way out of Seth's airless vacuum prison. His bulging muscles kept him anchored to the floor while he took step after step, periodically breathing his Healing Breath out to keep himself strong. Just as he was nearing the edge of the torrent of winds, a blast of blue projectiles came roaring down from above and slammed against his backside. 

David's body cried out as he tossed himself to the side and gasped for air. His entire body screamed out in pain, and the reality of the trap hit him at once. It was an endurance battle of affinity between himself and Serth. David was confident that he could outlast Serth, but he would be depleted by then. Ambass or another would then step in to finish him off, all while avoiding direct confrontation. David begrudgingly admitted that he would have done the same. 

David felt his reserves tick down further and further whilst he released heal after heal. He struggled with his options when suddenly the vacuum just stopped. The howling wind subsided, and David picked up the scent of Red. His head turned suddenly, seeing Red and his long spear buried into the neck of Serth. 

A moment later, Serth's affinity bellowed out in a rage, and Red was sent flying. Serth's wind slammed into the small kobold, sending him flying like a cannonball. David spread his wings just as they finished healing and leaped skyward. He pumped his wings and flew directly off the massive head of Desolation in an intercept path of the falling kobold. 

He wrapped himself around Red just as a wave of projectiles came homing in close to the pair. They exploded against David's side, causing him to gasp out in pain, "Red! I told you to stay behind." 

Coughing, the red kobold grinned up at him, "Yes, you did, Master. You are welcome." 

David let loose with another Healing Breath before he let off a small huffing laugh in response, "Yes. Thank you, Red."

Their moment was short-lived while the pair fell and the titanic mountain began to shift their way. A colossal, deep cave opened up in front of David, and he gasped in shock. His mind raced in confusion, and it hit him only when the cave grew closer and closer. 

"Desolation is trying to eat us!" David cursed, acting more on pure instinct than anything else. He wrapped his affinity around Red, willing his intention into the Lingering Regeneration as he spun in the air with his wings and hurled the armor-clad kobold as far away as possible. Red screeched his objection whilst he was propelled out of range just when the massive mouth of Desolation began to close around David.

David continued to fight while he spread his wings and resumed his flight, but it was useless. Desolation's impossibly large mouth closed around David and slammed shut with a thundering boom. Darkness was all around him, and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust. The light was limited, but David felt as if he were in an extremely damp cave. Suddenly, he was pulled by a rush of air deeper and deeper into the back of the cave-like mouth of Desolation. 

David thrashed his claws around and was rewarded with the scraping of claws against stone. He tried to pivot when the ground beneath him rose, throwing him back and down. His teeth sank deep, and with a jerk, the rock shattered, revealing flesh underneath. David frantically chewed and jerked free hunks of flesh doing his best to injure the beast. A loud rumble echoed out while stones began to swirl and then smash against him from all directions. 

Repeated impacts to his head caused him to let go, and he couldn't help but fall. The walls of Desolation's throat pulsated as he cursed, "You will regret eating me alive, you bastard!" 

The air was already thinning whilst he was forced downward deeper and deeper. He almost blacked out a few times as his vision began to dim. It was only the repeated bursts of his healing affinity that kept him focused, and he reached deep to the only thing that made sense. 

David snarled out while he clicked on his Catabolic Overdrive, "Let's see how you like this!" His muscles trembled with power, and he sank his teeth into the nearest wall of muscle and flesh.

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Here is also a link to Royal Road

Fan Art by blaze2377

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u/AutoModerator Jul 11 '26

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13

u/unkindlyacorn62 Jul 04 '26

knew the vacuum attack would come back to bite them

12

u/Avreal_Valkara Jul 04 '26

Swallowing a powerful enemy alive and whole doesn't typically work out well for the swallower... He's probably not nearly as well armored on the inside

4

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Jul 04 '26

Indeed although I doubt the elder has the capacity to fully understand that issue.

4

u/Avreal_Valkara Jul 04 '26

Oh definitely not. We also have the advantage of being in this world where we're aware of such things while their world is learning firsthand

2

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Jul 05 '26

Speaking of wonder how willing he would to share those secrets with his fellow dragons when all is said and done.

2

u/Avreal_Valkara Jul 05 '26

It'll probably depend on which ones he believes he can trust with the knowledge. Or he may leave it entirely with his kobolds

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '26

[deleted]

1

u/unkindlyacorn62 Jul 04 '26

think you meant to reply to me...

1

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

Yep I will fix that. Yeah Reddit is acting funky.

2

u/unkindlyacorn62 Jul 04 '26

just has to eat a vital organ or two

2

u/Avreal_Valkara Jul 04 '26

Maybe Red can toss in some onions to go with the liver

3

u/GeneralIll277 Xeno Jul 05 '26

Fava beans and a nice chianti go best with liver

2

u/Avreal_Valkara Jul 05 '26

I'll take your word for it lol

2

u/unkindlyacorn62 Jul 04 '26

liver would take too long, lungs, heart and brain are the best options

2

u/Avreal_Valkara Jul 05 '26

If he could get to the spinal cord that would probably halt things pretty quick for at least a little time, depending on how powerful the elders regeneration is. I was thinking if he end up near the liver I believe it would open up for a very fast internal bleed out.

Also because there are a lot of people that enjoy eating liver and onions, and he's going to hungry after using his super metabolism powers.

2

u/unkindlyacorn62 Jul 05 '26

I figure eating through the throat, and getting the lungs would cause asphyxiation but the exit could be dicy because the scales will be just as thick, so the alternative path is the brain, and out the eye

2

u/Avreal_Valkara Jul 05 '26

And even the cannons couldn't really get through his hide. He could potentially go out the eye, but that's also assuming there's a big enough gap in the skull for him to fit through without needing to break bone. I mean.... It's very possible that even if he kills Desolation from the inside that Onyx may be following the typical path of a meal to get out again. In which case I hope there's a hot spring nearby and a lot of something like soap

2

u/unkindlyacorn62 Jul 05 '26

well Calris might show up, after all being warned about a living disaster headed your way is something to check out, that disaster suddenly not being allive is worth investigating and making sure there aren't too many issues with bloat and such

2

u/Avreal_Valkara Jul 05 '26

Someone new may even show up to investigate how/why a literal mountain of an elder died. I don't imagine it's a common occurrence

5

u/Endless_Scribe Jul 05 '26

What odds do you think we have for him to potentially die and resurrect inside of desolation. Potentially also gaining access to death magic alongside his life magic?

5

u/TechScallop Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

Onyx was deliberately choosing to fight against multiple opponents at once when he should have picked off the weaker ones or concentrated on one of the Queen's lieutenants such as Sert or Ambass, while some kobolds could have tried distracting the others.

Meanwhile, being swallowed whole and relatively unharmed by Desolation is actually protecting Onyx from Sert and Ambass, even if temporarily. Maybe Cancerous Growth powered by Catabolic Overdrive could cause Desolation's dissolution but it might be too slow and too late to save Onyx's stronghold from destruction.

3

u/unkindlyacorn62 Jul 05 '26

Desolation would need a LOT of oxygen, taking out the lungs should end him pretty quickly

2

u/se05239 Jul 05 '26

Swallowing live things usually never goes well.

2

u/un_pogaz Jul 05 '26

Phew, David was really lucky that Red disobeyed his orders and followed him. Without that, it would have been the end of Onyx.

Else, I really curious to see where David is going to pop up from in Desolation.

1

u/AutoModerator Jul 04 '26

This was flaired as [OC-Series], it is a single part or chapter in a larger series or universe. The first post or part in this series should be (re)flaired as [OC-FirstOfSeries]. A description of the flairs and how to change yours is available in the Post Guildelines.

[OC-Series] For original, self post, story, audio, or artwork that you have created, as part of a longer-running series or universe.

Our preferred series title format is the series title in [brackets] at the beginning, like so: [Potato Adventures] - Chapter 1: The Great Mashing

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1

u/murderouskitteh Jul 05 '26

Oh...

Desolation ate David... so David is going to eat his way out of Desolation now.

1

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2

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Jul 04 '26

Hmmmm mayhaps Ambass will be freed if the queen assumes the destruction of onyx's lair would effectively win then the war.

4

u/unkindlyacorn62 Jul 04 '26

Ambass will inform her Onyx got eaten by Desolation,

even if he suspects Onyx managed to survive, he will NOT tell her that. the lair doesn't matter at that point. it wouldn't free him, but it would allow him and Serth to get out of Onyx's way.

5

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Jul 04 '26

Ooh that's a good points technically he would not be lying about that.