The First Cultivator

Gerald turned as the branch broke. A creature that resembled a giant beetle charged at him. It was half his size, with a bright yellow carapace with sporadic red dots. Such a creature would usually be visible a mile away, but in the strange foliage of the mana forest, it blended perfectly. Gerald raised his spear as his body tensed. He quickly jabbed the spear forward, penetrating deep into the creature's open mandibles. It screeched in pain, rearing back and dislodging the spear. Gerald jabbed again and was joined by two other kin's spear strikes. The spear tips scraped along the creature's carapace, doing no damage. Fatania dashed to its side and flipped the creature over instead of attacking. Again, the spears descended and easily punctured the soft underside. The beetle gave one last shudder before going still.

"That was fun," Fatania said, slapping Gerald on the elbow, the highest point she could reach.

"You okay back there?" Azura called.

"Fine, just a bug," Gerald replied.

"Got it. Everyone, stay together. We are spreading out too much," Azura called loudly from the front. As Azura gathered up the group, Gerald grabbed the beetle and dragged it behind him. Its carapace could be crafted into valuable materials. Others were carrying various kills of their own.

Gerald shook his head in wonder. He was walking in a mana forest, killing mana beasts effortlessly. So much had changed. If they had done this sooner, perhaps his pa would still be alive. Gerald sighed as he continued to guard the rear when more chittering came from his left.

"We got another," Gerald called unconcerned.

"I think it's Tabatha's turn," Azura said as the group stopped.

"I'll do you proud Master!" Tabatha called, fetching a spear from a kin as she headed toward the back.

Tabatha readied herself next to Gerald. When the creature emerged, she dropped her spear and ran back toward Azura.

"Spider!" Tabatha shrieked, hiding behind Azura.

"Err, Gerald, I'll let you handle that one," Azura said as she and Tabatha took several steps back.

Gerald sighed. Girls…

***

This is going smoothly. Besides that spider, Azura thought with a shudder. Gross. They circled the forest's center, searching for a place to establish their new home. Each spot they found had issues due to the wildlife or the terrain. Azura was sure they would find something soon. Periodically, she would have the group stop and take up arms as she did a quick race around looking for potential spots. It wasn't until she found the river that she knew they were close.

"This way!" She called out when she returned. Five minutes later, they were next to a wide river.

"This must be the Mirrored River," Fatania said. I didn't realize it went this deep into the mana forest.

"This could make an easy way to get supplies," Coralline added.

"Sold!" Azura exclaimed. "Now we just need to find a good area nearby."

Ten minutes later, they found the perfect spot. It was an area dominated by a massive tree towering high above them. At ground level, the area was clear of most vegetation. The reason was apparent. A pack of mana boars lazed underneath it. Most of them were the size of cows, with a dozen tusks jutting from their heads. Their hides were scaled, and they had long serpent tails. That was true for all but one. The biggest towered over the rest and was the size of a catapult. Time for training, then lunch.

"Alright. Time for practice," Azura said as the mana beast began to stir. "There are about a dozen smaller ones. I want three of you on each. I got the big one."

The king of the pigs roared, shaking the ground. The kin all flinched except Azura, who rolled her eyes.

"It's bacon time!" Azura cheered, her thoughts looking forward to the aftermath.

***

Hamal dodged the boar's first attack, its tusks gouging the earth where he had stood. He turned, ready to slash at its next charge, when he noticed it had stopped. Or rather, Gerald held the boar immobile by two of its longer tusks. Before Hamal could attack, Tabatha came out of nowhere, kicking the creature. She was less than a quarter of the size of the beast. Hamal expected her to bounce off. That wasn't what happened. The boar squealed as its body was turned sideways, but Gerald's iron grip still immobilized its head. A loud crack could be heard even over the frantic screams of the mana beast before it went limp.

Okay then… Perhaps this wouldn't be as challenging as Hamal feared.

***

Coralline swallowed the lump of fear in her throat as the boar tried and failed yet again to gore her. With a squeal of frustration, the boar circled around, picking up momentum as it aimed at her again. Coralline waited till the last moment when she leaped to the side. Instinctively, she kicked out with her claws extended, raking the creature's flank. She expected the beast to ignore her and whatever tiny scratches she gave it. To her and the beast's surprise, she tore a deep furrow on the beast's flank. It squealed and backed away, only for Fatania to slam a dagger into its back. The mana beast turned toward her, but Alenina grabbed its head before it could turn completely around. Coralline rushed to help but paused. Alenina didn't need any help. It was hard to say which one of them was more surprised. Embolden Coralline extended her hand claws and jammed her knife hand into the beast's neck. Her fingers plunged in, followed by her hand. Wrist deep, she could feel its heartbeat, which slowed and then stopped. The creature collapsed.

Alenina looked down at the dead beast, whose head she still held before dropping it.

"Did… Did we just do that?" Alenina asked.

"I, I think so," Coralline said.

"What a rush!" Fatania said, grinning.

They were mothers. But now, they were no longer defined by that role alone. Now, they had power. The grin on all three faces expressed pure wonder, not at the children who might outshine them but at themselves. In unison, they turned to see what else they could fight.

***

"That went better than I thought," Azura said as she watched her mother finish the last mana beast. She had been worried about the kin, but they did fine. Only one kin got hit with a tusk, but it was a mere scratch, thanks to the mana reinforcing his body. Azura yawned and patted the corpse beside her. She had killed it with a single punch to the head. It was already dead before the others had engaged their adversaries, allowing her to watch each fight. She'd been ready to intervene, but it wasn't necessary.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Everyone okay?" Azura called out and stood up on the king boar's corpse, her hands on her hips. She was sure her triumph pose would inspire them. That was when the beast she was standing on released its bowels. It must have been backed up, for the flood that came out was both loud and noxious. A thunderclap of stench made everyone take several steps back. Nearly gagging, Azura leaped off the body and returned to the others. Gerald and Hamal had a mocking grin on their faces.

"Not a single word," Azura snapped at the pair, then walked past. Once her back was to them, a loud farting sound came from just behind her. She turned to see the two twiddling their fingers, looking far too innocent. She squinted at them for a long moment before she joined the rest of the kin.

"This place should work great," Fatania said. "It even has extra fertilizer."

Azura sighed. "Now what? I'm not sure how to establish a community. I also want to check out the center. I think I should do that on my own. It could be dangerous."

"Not for you?" Her mother asked.

"I'll be fine," Azura said and hugged her mother.

"I think we should discuss where we are going to live. It will be rough as we don't have supplies to build houses," Alenina said.

"Excuse us," said a squirrel-kin. The squirrel-kin was a male with chocolate fur and appeared to be in his early 30s. Next to him was a wrinkly gray mole-kin. Azura couldn't even guess at his age. All mole-kin were wrinkly.

"We've been discussing that very question since we entered the forest. We believe the best course would be to dig a den. It would be crude, but that would limit us to one entrance we must protect. Eventually, we could expand to the trees. They're big enough to build on. We'll need to consider future expansion as more kin join us," the squirrel-kin said, his voice fast and excited.

"I would presume that you will bring the liberated kin here," the mole-kin said in a voice opposite his companion's.

"Yeah," Azura said, looking uncertainly at Fatania. She was trying to recall their names.

"It's best to plan for expansion now. We must secure supplies and other necessities," the mole-kin said.

"I will leave that to you. I'm sorry I forgot your names," Azura admitted.

The mole-kin waved her off. "Not to worry. I am Erwin. The nutty fellow over there is Fredrick."

"Thanks, I won't forget again. Fatania, can I leave the organization of this place to you and whomever you see fit? I'm no good at this sort of thing."

"I'll be happy to assist Magebane," Fatania said, smirking. Coralline came up as Fatania began organizing everything.

"Not to worry, dear, you aren't alone," Coralline said, patting her head. "Leave it to us."

"Thanks, Mom," Azura said, then raised her voice. "Attention, everyone! I'm going to investigate the center. After that, I think everyone who hasn't been assigned a duty should eat and rest. Tonight, more cultivation. Until then, be as productive as you can." Azura received a small cheer before she took off for the center.

***

The mana density grew ever stronger as Azura neared the center. She could feel her ki sucking it in greedily. She should bring a group here later to cultivate. As the mana increased, so did the foliage. Surprisingly, she didn't see any beasts. Whatever was at the center must be keeping everything else away. That conclusion became apparent when she entered the clearing.

The entire area was barren, but not naturally so. Rocks had clearly been dragged here, and all plant life appeared to have been routinely burned away. All competition had been removed. At the center sat a dragon. A small one. Small is a relative term. It was still the size of a small house, but far from its full size.

The dragon had metallic green scales that looked harder than emeralds. Crystalline spikes traveled down its spine to its tail, which had a cluster of them. The dragon's head was the size of her body and was attached to a long, supple neck. Vivid green eyes, not unlike Azura's, regard her lazily.

"I usually must hunt for my supper, yet here it comes to me. How interesting," the dragon said, steam billowing from its nostrils.

Azura approached, getting a closer look. At the dragon's feet appeared to be a crack in the earth. She could feel the mana pouring out from it. The leylines…

"Soo, Mr. Dragon, whatcha doing?" Azura asked, using the most annoying sing-song voice she could manage. If the dragon wanted to be rude, she could do the same. The dragon looked at her like she was crazy as she rocked back and forth on her paws. Azura did not doubt that the dragon had never been spoken to in such a manner. Despite her playful voice, she was tense, her ki ready.

"Insolent child!" The dragon roared, shaking the clearing. "I have devoured hundreds of your kind. The animals that walk and talk! Not even mages are a match for my might. You are merely a fleshy morsel to me!"

"We're called kin, Mr. Dragon. What do you want with all the mana? Is this one of those hoarding things Dragons are famous for?" Azure asked, keeping the same tone as she tracked the dragon's every movement. Hopefully, the dragon would underestimate her.

"I tire of you, snack," the dragon lunged forward, teeth snapping… on empty air. Azura was already behind the dragon poking at the leyline.

The dragon turned and glared at her. The dragon appeared to be momentarily frozen from sheer rage. Then, it unleashed a torrent of fire at her.

***

The dragon had no name. He was too young to have earned one yet. Despite that, he knew his destiny was to become the mightiest creature ever to live. There was no other conceivable option. He'd kill the previous being that held this place. The mana was his, speeding his growth. Any creatures, be they plants or animals, had been removed from this place. It was all his!

"You're grumpy. Perhaps we can share the mana?" The blueish-haired speck asked.

"Share?!" The dragon roared. "I do not share my den with fleas. Nor with pathetic mages. I eat them!" Frustratingly, that was much harder than it should be. He snapped his jaws at her. Swung his tail and breathed his hottest flames. Nothing touched the damn mage. Perhaps some type of short-range teleportation? It had to be.

"You're fast for a bug. But you can't hurt me. My scales are stronger than your magic. My victory is inevitable." The dragon boasted.

Pain. Actual pain lanced across his front leg as he toppled forward. What? The dragon looked down. His leg was gone. The cleanly cleaved limb lay next to him.

How!? He roared, blasting fire in all directions. Pain. Overwhelming, mind-numbing pain. He shouldn't feel pain. Other lesser beings should feel pain. Not him. Not a dragon. Not from some pathetic mage.

"Hmm, your mana levels aren't more concentrated. You just have more because of your size. Are all dragons like that? Do they just get bigger to hold more mana? How… inefficient."

The dragon ignored her and focused on his magical sense. When she teleports, there would be a magical residue or some other indication of where she would appear. The shock of what he saw distracted him from his agony. He looked at the animal that walked and talked, but she couldn't have been there. There was no mana signature at all. That was impossible. Even plants had trivial amounts of mana. Yet, there was none. In fact, all his precious mana was being consumed by this thing.

"GRAND METEOR!" The dragon called. Dragons prided themselves on only using their inherent magic for flames. To push a dragon to use actual spells was a rare occurrence. The dragon laughed as a flaming boulder nearly as big as he was landed atop the pest.

"REGENERATE," the dragon said, looking down at his missing leg. The high-tier spell would take some time and far too much mana, but it would eventually regrow the limb.

The dragon turned, wondering if it was worthwhile to dig up the corpse so he could shit on it when he paled. That was an interesting trick for an emerald dragon. The meteor moved. A small figure held it up with one hand as she stood in a new depression. She tossed the smoldering projectile aside.

"Wow, that was a new one," the kin-shaped monster said. "That was pretty impressive. A few more of those, and I might've been hurt."

The dragon quickly tried to draw on the leyline for another spell. But he couldn't. All of it was being drawn toward the kin. Worse still, his own reserves were nearing depletion. He could have launched a dozen more meteors at the pest if he had been fully grown. Desperate, he channeled the remainder of his mana into his breath. The fiery wave overtook the kin. He didn't relent, keeping up a constant stream until his world turned upside down.

His breath cut off. So did his airways. His body felt distant as the world spun over and over. What happened? Did he get tossed somehow? It wasn't until the world stopped moving that he saw the body. It was an emerald dragon body like his, without the head. Blood was pooling around the severed neck. Had another dragon joined the fight only to be killed? It wasn't until the kin squatted before him that the terrible, unbelievable truth became clear.

"You know, I was willing to share. Ah well. I guess I get to try dragon tonight."

The dragon blinked, unable to respond as his world went dark. The last thing he heard was.

"I should try to cultivate here. The mana is impressive…" Those words got farther and farther. Then, the mighty dragon knew no more.