Chapter Summaries

Sol fed the hungry White Dragon wyrmlings, then attacked the Blue Dragons that had bullied him, using his powerful fire breath and aerial maneuvers to overwhelm them. As the injured Blue Dragons pursued him through the air, Sol watched his essence increase and declared his strength.

• Sol checked his essence balance and estimated he could save enough to draw a low-level monster template within a month.
• Sol shared chunks of the Great-Horned Ox with Xisitana, Kalpu, and the starving White Dragon wyrmlings.
• Sol attacked the Blue Dragons, knocking one aside and tossing its abandoned camel leg to the White Dragons.
• Sol charged into a group of Blue Dragons and engulfed them in a powerful stream of fire, leaving them burned and furious.
• The Blue Dragons pursued Sol into the air, where he dodged one attacker and struck its wing with his tail.

Sol fought a group of older Blue Dragons and, with help from Xisitana and Kalpu, turned the battle into a counterattack. After taking down Virix, he faced the two remaining Blue Dragons while his relatives held them off.

• Sol fought the young Blue Dragons but was overwhelmed by their lightning breath and fell with a badly injured wing.
• Xisitana and Kalpu caught Sol and softened his fall, then agreed to hold off two Blue Dragons while he faced the strongest one.
• Sol spread smoke across the ground and provoked the Blue Dragons into igniting it with lightning, using the blast as cover to attack Virix.
• Sol grappled with Virix in the air, and the two dragons crashed to the ground and fought savagely.
• Xisitana and Kalpu blocked the other two Blue Dragons, while Sol rose from his fight with Virix and glared at them.

After defeating the Blue Dragons, Sol used his growing reputation to secure his place among the young dragons and rewarded Xisitana and Kalpu with Dragonvein Crystals. Once his wounds healed, he claimed food at the next feeding without opposition and seized an extra share for his hungry relatives.

• Sol returned from the battle with 22 essence points and concluded that the victory had established his foothold among the young dragons.
• Sol gave Xisitana and Kalpu Dragonvein Crystals, warned them they would be stolen if they kept them, and watched them eat the crystals.
• Sol recovered from his battle wounds over the following week as his bones, muscles, and scales healed.
• When the Kobolds and Half-Orcs brought food, Sol arrived early and claimed two adult wild deer without anyone challenging him.
• Xisitana and Kalpu arrived too late to find food, so Sol intimidated a young Green Dragon into handing over her share.

Sol deliberately provoked the young dragons by insulting them and flaunting treasure before eating it, gaining Essence from their envy and anger. After repeating the tactic for nearly a month, he accumulated 100 points of Mental Power Essence.

• Sol insulted a nearby Black Dragon, prompting the young Black Dragons to retreat while their hostility increased his Essence Fragments.
• Sol showed the assembled young dragons a Dragonvein Crystal fragment, taunted them with it, and swallowed it as they cried out in anger.
• Xisitana and Kalpu stole food while the other young dragons focused on Sol, who then flew away to avoid their retaliation.
• Sol spent the following weeks hunting and displaying valuable items at feeding time before eating them to provoke the young dragons and gain Essence.
• Young dragons searched Sol’s cave for his supposed treasure but found nothing, and nearly a month after arriving at the oasis, he had saved 100 points of Mental Power Essence.

Sol fused with the Dodogama Creature Template, gaining the ability to spit explosive fire-and-rock projectiles and raising his Challenge Rating. He flew out to hunt and spotted Green and Black Dragons scheming to lure away his companions and weaken him.

• Sol spent a hundred points of mental power essence and obtained the Dodogama Creature Template with 81 percent compatibility.
• Sol fused with the template, gaining high-temperature reactive saliva, explosive projectile spit, and part of a robust physique; his Challenge Rating rose from 5+ to 6+.
• Sol flew from his cave and searched the oasis for prey, spotting Green Dragons and Black Dragons beneath the water.
• The young Green and Black Dragons discussed luring away Sol's two companions and recruiting Blue Dragons to wear him down.

Sol hunted and ate a giant crocodile, growing stronger and raising his Challenge Rating to 7. When he returned to the Gobi cliffs, he found wyrmlings waiting for him after some had ambushed Xisitana and Kalpu.

• Several Green and Black Dragons persuaded Virix and the Blue Dragons to join them in opposing Sol, then flew toward the Gobi Desert.
• Two Green Dragons poisoned Xisitana and Kalpu in their caves, dragged them outside, and had their companions beat them.
• Sol killed a giant crocodile with a dive attack and used his Frightful Presence to frighten the others away.
• Sol ate nearly the entire crocodile, completed the changes from the Rock Jagras Monster Template, and raised his Challenge Rating from 6+ to 7.
• Sol sensed hostile emotions as he neared the Gobi cliffs, landed, and found wyrmlings emerging from the shadows to confront him.

Sol confronted a group of young Blue, Green, and Black Dragons who had attacked him and injured Xisitana and Kalpu. He overwhelmed the Blue Dragons with his strength and fire-and-earth breath, then prepared to attack the remaining dragons from the air.

• Sol taunted the young dragons and spat magma-hot saliva into a Black Dragon's face, burning him.
• Sol charged the Blue Dragons, knocked down their leader, and hurled him into the others.
• Sol took to the air and blasted the Blue Dragons with five rock burst projectiles, incapacitating several and scattering the rest.
• Zefiro watched in disbelief as Sol's strength and size far surpassed what he had shown a month earlier.
• Sol turned toward the Green and Black Dragons, declared the sky his domain, and began charging another breath attack.

Sol defeated the young dragons who tried to surround him, then pursued three Green Dragons he blamed for arranging the attack. The Green Dragons trapped him with their abilities and unleashed deadly poison, leaving his fate unresolved.

• Sol blasted the Blue Dragons from the sky and sent the fleeing young dragons scattering.
• Sol decided the Green Dragons had orchestrated the attack and chased three of them into the oasis.
• Sol stopped the Green Dragons and rejected their denials, then charged at them.
• The Green Dragons dodged Sol, used Cuibisi’s charm and another dragon’s vines to immobilize him, and struck him with poison.

Sol resisted a Green Dragon’s poisonous breath, defeated her and used her as a weapon against two others. After rejecting their apology and offer of treasure, he attacked them and prepared to deal with the remaining Blue and Black Dragons.

• Sol dispersed the Green Dragon’s poisonous fog, broke free of her vines, and resisted her attempt to constrict him by scorching her with his heat.
• Sol seized the Green Dragon by her tail and swung her into two approaching Green Dragons, then struck them with his tail.
• Sol battered the Green Dragon he had used as a weapon and dropped her, leaving her bloodied and motionless.
• The two remaining Green Dragons begged Sol for mercy and offered treasure, but he demanded their obedience and all their hoards.
• Sol charged the two Green Dragons, intending to deal with the Blue and Black Dragons afterward.

Sol recovered from his fight, discovered that items and creature templates on his wheel cost far more essence than he expected, and forced three injured Green Dragons to take him to the Black Dragons’ swamp lair. He ordered the Green Dragons to drive the Black Dragons out, threatening to attack them if they refused.

• Sol ordered the three beaten Green Dragons to wait outside his cave by the next sunset, then returned to his lair.
• Sol woke Xisitana and Kalpu, scolded them for losing to the other young dragons, and went back to sleep.
• Sol checked the wheel’s prices and found that liquor, bombs, and creature templates cost more essence than he could afford.
• After resting, Sol met the three Green Dragons and demanded that they lead him to the Black Dragons.
• At the Black Dragons’ swamp den, Sol ordered the Green Dragons to attack first and threatened to attack them if they refused.