I Received System to Become Dragonborn

Sylven looked around the forest, his face settling into a deep frown. He needed to find a clue about what he was supposed to do here, yet the forest had given him nothing useful so far.

He still did not know whether this place would eventually become hostile or remain as peaceful as it appeared. Something in his instincts told him the former was far more likely.

He could not explain why, but the feeling had remained with him ever since he entered the forest.

The trees, flowers, and animals appeared to live together in perfect harmony. Birds moved between the branches without fear, small creatures wandered through the tall grass, flowers bloomed beneath and around the enormous trees and the leaves swayed gently whenever the wind passed through the forest.

Everything looked natural, and too peaceful.

Sylven had learned enough by now to know that appearances could be deceiving.

There was something hidden within this forest. He could feel it even though he had yet to discover what it was. The deeper he went, the stronger that sensation became.

If this truly was a Trial then there had to be something waiting for him. Trials were not meant to be easy. They were meant to force those who entered them to struggle and overcome something.

The question was what he was supposed to find?

Sylven slowly turned his head and studied his surroundings again.

"What am I supposed to look for in all of this?" he muttered.

The forest gave him no answer.

For another minute, nothing changed. Then the ground suddenly trembled. The entire forest shook.

Sylven’s eyes narrowed as a powerful vibration passed beneath his feet. The trees rattled violently and several branches collided overhead.

Birds erupted from the canopy in a chaotic swarm, abandoning their nests and scattering into the sky as though something had frightened them beyond reason.

A second tremor followed, this one was much stronger.

The ground rolled beneath Sylven’s feet and the distant trees bent violently as if struck by an invisible wave. Leaves rained from above, the frightened animals fled through the undergrowth.

Sylven’s expression immediately became solemn. He looked toward the direction the birds were escaping from and he ran there.

He moved against the flow of fleeing creatures rather than following them. Instincts told the animals to escape while his own instincts told him to approach.

As he moved deeper into the forest, the atmosphere changed.

The peaceful sounds gradually disappeared beneath the rumbling. The air felt heavier, the ground continued to quake at irregular intervals, each vibration growing slightly stronger as Sylven approached its source.

Then the plants began speaking. Their voices did not come through the air but entered directly into his mind, overlapping one another until countless whispers filled his thoughts.

"Do not go there."

"Danger."

"Turn back."

"Powerful beasts are fighting."

"They will destroy everything around them."

"You will die."

Sylven continued walking.

The vines along the ground trembled as he passed, flowers bent away from him, several trees seemed to strain their branches toward him as though desperately trying to warn him.

"Go away."

"They are fighting for territory."

"Nothing survives near them."

Sylven did not answer. He just kept moving.

The warnings felt wrong. After telling him that the forest was so peaceful, the plants were afraid now. That much was obvious.

Their fear had spread throughout the forest and had even reached the animals. But fear alone did not mean he was walking toward something he should avoid.

If anything, it made him more certain that he needed to see what was happening.

This was a Trial. If something powerful had appeared here and the entire forest feared it, then that was exactly what he was supposed to investigate.

Sylven increased his pace. Trees became larger and more twisted as he approached the source of the disturbance. Their trunks were thick enough to rival towers and their roots pushed through the earth like enormous veins. The forest floor had become torn apart in places. Deep grooves ran through the soil and several trees had already been uprooted.

Another roar suddenly shook the forest. Sylven stopped and realized that the sound had not come from an animal. It carried force to make the air itself vibrate.

He immediately moved forward again.

After passing through another wall of dense vegetation, Sylven finally reached the source of the disturbance.

He stopped at the edge of a vast clearing where two enormous beasts were fighting in the center.

The first creature resembled a massive quadrupedal predator, but its body was far too large and heavily built to belong to any ordinary beast.

Its shoulders rose several meters above the ground, its thick limbs supported a body covered in overlapping plates of dark gray armor.

Jagged horns curved backward from its skull and a long mane of coarse black fur ran from the back of its head down along its spine. Its mouth opened wide whenever it roared, revealing rows of enormous teeth designed to tear through flesh and bone.

The second beast looked almost like a gigantic serpent combined with a predatory lizard. Its body stretched across the clearing like a living river of dark scales.

Four powerful limbs emerged from its upper body and ended in enormous claws while a pair of smaller horns protruded from its elongated head.

Its tail swept across the ground until it uprooted trees and scattered massive chunks of earth.

Unlike the first beast, its body moved with frightening flexibility, allowing it to coil around trees and launch itself forward with tremendous speed.

The big beast’s claws slammed into the ground and launched its body forward like a siege weapon. The serpent-like creature twisted aside at the last moment, causing the massive claws to tear through the earth instead.

Soil exploded into the air as the impact carved several deep trenches across the clearing.

Before the armored beast could recover, the serpent lunged at it. Its jaws snapped around the creature’s shoulder.

A deafening roar followed.

The armored beast violently shook its body and slammed its opponent into the ground. The serpent released its bite but immediately wrapped its long body around one of the beast’s hind legs.

The armored creature reacted instantly and grabbed the serpent’s body with both claws and ripped it away.

The two beasts separated for only a moment, then they attacked again.

Their movements were brutally fast despite their enormous size. Claws struck scales, teeth crashed against armor, tails smashed through trees, bodies collided with terrifying force that sent shockwaves through the surrounding forest.

Every exchange destroyed another portion of the clearing.

Sylven remained completely still. He did not interfere for now and just carefully observed the battle.

The plants had warned him that these beasts would kill everything around them. That appeared to be true. Yet Sylven still felt that something about the situation did not add up.

They were not fighting randomly but fighting over something.

Sylven narrowed his eyes and studied the clearing. He crossed his arms and continued watching.

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