Way of the Knights

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"...you're back."

"Yeah." Vendrick replied to Arthur as he come down from his hut.

"What's it like outside?" He couldn't help but ask. 

"It's fine, I didn't go far this time so it wasn't so dangerous. I only found some Tier 1 Demonic Beasts and had a good fight before coming back." 

"Tier 1?" Arthur was confused about this term.

"Yeah, it refers to the weakest bunch of Demonic Beast, something that I made up myself." Vendrick said as he ate breakfast. "Demonic Beast had their hierarchy as well. A Tier 1 Beast is roughly bigger and stronger compared to common animals you'll find. Still, even if they are weak, they aren't something a mortal can easily defeat."

"I see." Arthur nodded. 

"According to what I discovered, there's 9 Tiers of beasts but there's no need to know just how strong a Tier 9 is, since a Tier 4 Demonic Beast can easily destroy this tribe." Vendrick explained, well this is mostly due to his speculation. He shouldn't be wrong since he personally killed a Tier 4 Demonic Beast but Arthur and Rosa doesn't have to know that for now. 

"The Tribe is that weak?" Rosa almost couldn't believe it. 

"Yeah." Vendrick sighed. "Those clowns overestimates their strength. Even after hoarding all the supplies, they still aren't strong enough to match-up against a high tiered demonic beast. If they encounter one they'd surely die."

Vendrick shook his head and said: "Well, don't worry too much. If anything, just prepare for now. Later in the afternoon, I'll be back to teach you how to become Berserkers."

"Really!?" Arthur and Rosa beamed at Vendrick. 

"Yep." He nodded, "I'm still preparing the demonic beast meat and it's going to take time. Moreover, I do have something I need to do. While you wait for me, you two should practice this." 

Vendrick poked their heads and transferred a technique via Spiritual Transmission to them. Arthur and Rosa were a bit dazed since they weren't prepared but thanks to Vendrick's perfect control over his energy, the process went smoothly and didn't cause any pain. 

"...what the hell?" Arthur was confused. For some reason, he knew that there are new information on his mind, something that wasn't there before.

"How...?" Rosa was similarly confused as she looked at Vendrick. 

"Don't ask questions. Concentrate and practice what I gave you. Depending on how good your practice is, the chances of you becoming Berserkers by the end of the day will get higher as well."

Vendrick didn't say anything more than this and left them to their own devices. What he gave to them was the basic breathing and movement technique that will help them open up their apertures in order to absorb the Berserk Qi they will consume later from the demonic beast meat.

Knowing that they never had experience with the art before, he gave them time to practice for now since it would be more beneficial to them to do so. 

As for him, he of course has something else to do. 

Just a few hours ago, Vendrick returned to the hideout after combing through the whole tribe stealing dragon's blood. The reason he did so is because he needed as much power as he could get in order to accomplish his goal. Now, stealing from people, especially weaker ones, was something that Vendrick didn't want to do as much as possible. That being the case, he did so anyways since he needed it. 

Well, what's done is done. He also sworn that he would make it up to them so he planned on doing something extra. It's not really going to prevent him from achieving his overall goal. In fact it might even be more beneficial for him if he helped them so he might as well try his best. 

For now though, the important time is about to come. 

Going at the core of the forest, Vendrick sat down on his usual spot and began meditating. He accessed his body, more specifically, his heart where all the True Dragon's Blood Essence he stole was kept. 

The total amount he managed to harvest could only amount to a handful but the viscosity and power this blood has was immense. If it weren't for his strong physique, there is no way that Vendrick's mortal body could handle such dense blood energy. 

Even with just being there, the glob of blood essence was releasing a vibrant crimson light. One could even see silhouettes of dragons roaring and flying inside of it. This phenomenon was only possible due to the sheer concentration of the bloodline.

Steeling his resolve, Vendrick didn't waste any time. He began circulating the Ancient Dragon King's Manual to absorb the power of the bloodline he was keeping. At the very first movement, his body rocked visibly, he felt a strong blow from within, it was akin to a horse kicking him using its hind legs. 

The concentrated blood energy rushed through his veins, it was berserk, aggressive and chaotic. It was as if it was provoked from it's slumber and began throwing a fit inside his body. 

Even with Vendrick's strong physique, the power of the bloodline was too violent to endure. It was extremely challenging to reign it in at first. The rampaging energy damaged some of his blood vessels, thankfully it left his heart alone otherwise it would've been really troublesome to heal. 

Gritting his teeth, Vendrick felt irritated. He wanted to slap himself from underestimating the power of the bloodline but he didn't have time for that. Instead, he concentrated his efforts into controlling the energy. 

Thankfully, Vendrick used True Essence as supposed to Berserk Qi when he started cultivating. Had he used the Berserk Qi, it and the Bloodline Energy would've been in conflict which will make him suffer. True Essence was neutral and instead of clashing with the Bloodline Energy, it was coaxing it instead. Additionally, Vendrick already is considered as a Half-Dragon so the Bloodline Energy felt some familiarity with him. 

When the Bloodline Energy was calmed by his True Essence, Vendrick began controlling it little by little, gently fusing them in his marrows, washing away his old blood and tempering his body even further. 

Once the bloodline fusion began, Vendrick's scales abruptly appeared. He then started shedding his old scales, allowing new and stronger scales to appear. Additionally, the coverage of the scales were also increasing. In fact, Vendrick was silently morphing into a True Dragonborn as time passed. 

His arms and legs became that of a reptiles, turning into claws with sharp nails and hard scales. The muscles on his back were also squirming, it's as if something was trying to poke out of his back, this sensation is accompanied by a huge discomfort, he felt very stifled. 

With a low growl, his back erupted and two bony wings sprouted from his back. They don't look much for now but as Vendrick grows stronger, these wings would evolve even further. He didn't feel a tail sprouting though, but it doesn't matter since a tail would just mess up his balance anyway. 

The fusion process was smooth. This is all thanks to the neutralization factor of his True Essence, allowing the aggressive dragon bloodline to calm down and be cooperative. 

As time went on, Vendrick's body was constantly releasing smoke. A sign that his body's temperature was high. He didn't feel much discomfort from it really, he more focused on the sensation of him becoming more and more stronger time passed, allowing him to basically ignore everything else. 

More time passed and come afternoon, Vendrick's transformation entered its final stages.

The transition from 99% to 100% might not be much at the surface but in reality, this is where majority of people fail in their transition to a True Dragonborn. 

Vendrick could feel a thin barrier which prevents him from completing his transformation. At first feel, the barrier looks fragile but in reality, its extremely tough. In addition to its toughness, Vendrick only has one chance at this. If he failed to shatter this barrier, nobody knows if he'll ever get the chance again. 

Knowing this, Vendrick didn't dare to relax. He gathered his energy, converging them into a sharp spear which he could use to puncture this barrier. He condensed his energy as much as he could, he didn't hold back even a single ounce of strength. 

With a loud growl, he released his hold onto his energy, causing it to swarm through the barrier. The impact caused his body to visibly rock back but when he heard the chiming sounds of the barrier shattering into pieces, the stifling feeling could be ignored. 

Vendrick felt as if his body was levitating, he could feel an overwhelming sense of freedom and surging strength. It was difficult to explain. His wings stretched out from his back, his scales were releasing a resplendent light and his body was emanating faint dragon roars and carries a faint golden aura - a True Dragon's Aura. 

Without a doubt, Vendrick just succeeded on his transition. From now on, it wouldn't be a mistake knowing that he's a dragon wearing a human skin. Sensing the changes on his body, Vendrick smiled. He then suppressed his might dragon air and returned to his hut where Arthur and Rosa was waiting...