Outcast

: 4 months later:

Roars and hisses echo from a small cleaning as a strong looking kobold and a large troll fight. The troll has several claw marks and burns on his body. The kobold has one of his horns broken off, along with a broken rib.

They circle each other, each waiting for an opening to attack. The troll, impatient to end the fight pounds his c.h.e.s.t before charging forward. Hissing Valoris wh.i.p.s his tail around sending 2 wind blades that cut deeply in the troll's c.h.e.s.t.

The troll drops to the ground, even with the fatal wounds you can see the trolls near-mythical regeneration trying to heal the large gaping wounds.

Valoris studies the troll before opening his maw and sending a bolt of lightning straight at the trolls head killing him instantly.

"4 months to the day now," thinks Valoris " it a been hard, especially that fight against the dire wolf pack. But the gains I received since then prove that I made the right choice.

In the 4 months since he had left the tribe, Valoris had experienced fights to the death nearly every day. Unlike his body refinement training, this type of training hasn't changed this body visually very much.

He has gained several more scars covering his body, and the aura coming off from him is much more m.a.t.u.r.e. If any of his tribe members met with Valoris now they would feel like he is much more reserved. The reason for that is the large scar on his c.h.e.s.t near his heart.

This wasn't gained from a fight to the death. No, he got that by helping a pair of seemingly lost lynx's. He had come across them being attacked by a feathered adolescent serpent. Seeing that they are not deranged Valoris charges forward fighting with the serpent scaring it off.

As he turned around to ask if they need help, one of the lynx's had snuck up behind him and tried to rip out his heart. Killing both of them, he dug a small den and closed it off before falling asleep to heal from the wound.

"Brothers, Sisters," thinks Valoris before turning to the left looking off into the distance. Using the bond he can tell that heading that way is the way back to the tribe.

" It will take another 3 months to reach the Dragon Peaks. I'm still not sure if this is really what I want to do. Part of me wants to just leave it alone and not go. I mean it could start a war! The other part of me feels like no matter what they need to know the truth.

Well, I still have some time before I need to decide. Let's make a den and get out from being in the open."

Dragging the trolls dead body towards a small waterfall he had found earlier today. Valoris begins digging out a sleeping den for himself.

"Hahaha, no matter where I go I seem to be always digging holes. Seems this is my fate."

After making it big enough, he drags the troll inside and sends small sparks of golden lightning all over it cooking it.

" I don't know why but this just makes it much more tasty to me"

He thinks before ripping chunks of meat off and swallowing. Then he activates his dragon stone to use it to create dragon blood to heal his wounds. After the last of his wounds were healed, he stores the rest of the troll in his space stone and pulling out his wind/lightning treasure and cultivating.

Valoris is at the point in his cultivation where in order to gain a deeper insight into the elements he must store a large amount of the elements in his core. It's a very tedious and time-consuming process as you have to slowly fill up your core every day. Until you increase your capacity a little bit, then start over again.

" My casting time has shortened considerably, also my control in welding them as well. That plus I can feel I'm about to go from entry-level pureblood to low pureblood are some of my biggest gains.

The hardest part is when I fight against trolls and orcs. I'm not used to fighting against humanoids and I need some more practice."

As he contemplates, a voice calls out from just outside his den.

" Hello to the dragonkin in the small cave. We have no intention of attacking you, please do not attack us. We are lost in the forest and have no food. We are wondering if you have any you are willing to trade with us? we have things of value to trade."

Startled Valoris's mind races as he tries to figure out how this could be a trap.

"I could burrow deeper in and make a new exit? no too loud they would know. Just ignore them? I didn't sense them approach so at least one of them has stealth abilities. They could just wait until I come out and attack. First, I need to see them.

"All of you come together in view of the den! I want to see all of you before I decide" yells Valoris

"Understandable, please I know where we are and that here is the last place you should trust people. But a few of my friends are injured badly and need at least medium-tier food to heal. I have several treasures I would be willing trade for it."

As the voice talks, four beasts come into view. Three of them are pythons of various elements with the fourth, a seemingly mutated python. Her scales were rougher with vibrant green scales, she had two horns that curled like rams, along with several bright colored feathers.

"She has dragons blood, that's how she found me. Dragonkin can sense each other, it looks like one of her parents has a trace of a dragon lineage, and she awakened it. " thinks Valoris as he evaluates the others. They are pale and listless barely keeping their eyes open.

"I have a medium-tier troll. Are you willing to trade?"

"Yes! please, what element do you cultivate in?"

"...Lightning" answered Valoris conflicted. He wanted to keep the fact that he could also control wind a secret from these people.

as long as possible in the case, they needed to fight.

"I do have one but... it's high tier" she admits " is there anything else you could want?"

"High tier! oh, my gods. if I could get that my lightning cultivation speed would increase by at least ten times!" Thinks Valoris

"What if...I offered you a high tier bone as well?"

"A high tier bone? what kind of bone?"

"Radius of a silverback ape king"

"Okay deal, are you going to come out?"

"No, you pull out the treasure and throw it inside. Then I will throw out the troll, and bone"

"No way! why do I have to throw mine first?"

"Two reasons, I can't run away, but you can. Also, you need my stuff, I don't need yours"

"...fair enough, here you go," she says before throwing something that lands at his feet. As he looks down Valoris gasps.

"No way!"