A Chronometric Defect

I found a nice big rock to lounge atop by the city's mineshaft. I'd told the mayor not to let me get bored, but my dragon lineage must be giving me an immense desire to sunbathe. I'm not going to get bored of this any time soon. In fact, I haven't slept since I came to this world and— I've only realized right now!

I'm considering taking a nice nap.

Then again, reptiles are known to love sunbathing, so I'm not sure why I'd presumed otherwise. I wasn't a big tanner in my previous world, and I doubt this body can even get tan.

I examine my lovely draconic scales. Though, greh. I have a lot less of them, for some reason? I don't mind being more heavily armored, of course, but... Hra. What's happening?

Reh, I feel fine. Maybe I'll shed my scales? Do dragons do that? I did get a lot bigger.

...

I don't know... Well, I'll ignore that for now.

My scales were previously all orange. What color would they turn from tanning? Yellow? Ugh. Brown? Also ugh. I like being orange. Others can be whatever color they want. I'mma orange dragon. Rawr.

#RAAAAAHHHHHHH#

-raaaaahhhh-

(~rahhh~)

(tshsh)

I enjoy loud roars the most. Except, apparently those kill people. So instead I'll enjoy some mild roaring while happily rolling in the sun. I only need to restrain myself, right? No big deal!

I kick my leg and twist my body, which causes my spinal spikes to dig into the rock.

*SKRRRRTCH*

#RORARORRRRR#

-rorarorrr-

(~rororr~)

(tshsh)

Granted, I didn't want to act like a yappy dog, but it is kind of fun... I roll over.

*THUD-shhk-tak*

I squirm happily.

*kshtthsh-thok-tk*

#RRARORRAARRR#

-rararorar-

(~raraar~)

(tshsh)

Alright, Pure Evil, three is enough. The sun is enjoyable, but you're going to scare the locals. You've gotta talk yourself down from this dragon-induced sun mania if you're gonna be at all productive when the humans get here.

"Erm. Pure Evil, I presume? What are you doing?"

Rah, shit. At least that wasn't the mayor. I sit up from my rocky seat and look down at the human.

*skatch*

*thod*

Nope, humans. Plural.

Damnit! I should've stuck to my anti-yapping principle.

"Reh, hello. I was just enjoying the sun. I hope that isn't too uncommon for a dragon?"

A couple of humans give me differing weird expressions. Look, I don't know how my species is supposed to behave, okay?

One human in particular has a defeated, almost hopeless expression. Who is that? I open my mental map and am about to ask Pathfinder, but then I see he's already on my map. He's the head inscriptionist.

He seems upset. I can apologize to him; I'm not too good for basic manners.

"Sorry if I've bothered you. I got a bit caught up enjoying the morning sun and started lazily roaring. I won't be doing what I did to Haitos a second time, I promise."

The inscriptionist speaks. By his voice, he's evidently the one who addressed me earlier.

"You weren't casting a spell just now?"

What? No. Why would I do that?

"My voice naturally shakes Mana. Which, I've determined, is why it sounds screechy and creepy. I've no idea why it does that, though."

The inscriptionist nods his aged head.

"Then, would you mind casting a spell?"

"Not at all— but weren't you interested in my terms, plus news from Achiton?"

The mayor speaks.

"I am, but Aitos here holds rank on me. Not in terms of administrative power; he can't appoint or remove officials, for example. But he can veto or override anything we've decided, as well as enact almost any law at his discretion."

Interesting system. They make him satisfied with his conditions no matter what, likely due to his immense value. This also explains why Pathfinder selected a person, an enemy to defeat, and it was he himself. I need to defeat him to get my loot, which must be his knowledge.

No way am I not checking what I'm up against after that freakin' Parasite.

"Alright. I don't subscribe to your ranking system—"

I look straight at this 'Aitos' before continuing.

"— but I can play along. What spell do you want to see?"

Aitos speaks again.

"What can you cast?"

I give him an annoyed look.

"Greh, we are already at an impasse."

He gives me a smug grin.

"You don't want to share the extent of your repertoire? Are you afraid we'll make counters for your magic spells?"

It's my turn for a smug grin.

"Hrah, it's the opposite. I can cast anything."

I... Don't recognize his expression.

"I'm sorry, what?"

I raise my head proudly.

"Describe the hardest spell you know."

"You don't want a spell schema?"

Reh, what's a spell schema?

"Just say a spell."

"Gravity Singularity."

Is he joking?

I look at him with consternation and concern.

"No offense, but if I do that, you won't survive. Frankly, neither will anyone else."

"What? No, just make a gravity singularity. What are you talking about?"

"A gravity singularity, also known as a black hole, will erase this entire planet if I cast it. You're asking for something so ridiculous?"

I shake my dragon head and continue.

"I don't understand why you think you'd survive."

He damn near screams at me; he's jumping up and down and everything.

"Wha— what the what what? What are— not THAT! I meant an area where the force of gravity is much stronger!"

I glance at the other humans. Several of them are getting a kick out of Aitos' little performance.

"Rah, you should've said so the first time. What you describe is not a gravity singularity."

My thoughts somehow form a casting method instantly. Odd. I thought it'd take a moment since I've never casted gravity magic. Then again, I had no trouble inventing that brain surgery spell. Or, any spell...

Rah, let's proudly show off my unexpected prowess. I snap my scaly fingers for dramatic effect.

*sss-ch-THOK*

Hrur. Snapping my fingers makes a super-weird sound. Must be the scales. I won't be doing that again.

The area is blanketed in two times normal gravity at my Will.

"This. This is Gravity Field."

Several humans didn't brace correctly for the sudden increase in gravity. Many of them lose their balance. Only one random guy in fancy mage robes falls down, though. Something metallic on his belt hits the ground.

*klink*

"Oof!"

Due to their evident surprise, I have a hunch that 'Gravity Field' was not what Aitos meant. Perhaps something more like a ball of gravitational force? Gravity Ball? Oh well. That's much easier to cast than Gravity Field.

I dispel Gravity Field without any motions.

Aitos speaks in a low, even tone.

"Its... True. Instant."

"Yes, I can instant-cast most spells involving material creation or physics alteration. Been having a hard time with teleportation magic, though. That, and I was hoping to get some education on inscriptions."

"Tch."

That was a scoff.

Luckily for him, he explains.

"First, it's 'transference.' Teleportation is a long-disproven hypothesis. We do not create a portal; we transfer our physical form one component at a time but in parallel. Mana is our conduit since the speed of light doesn't constrain it! But, every spell must traverse space; there is no such thing as 'teleportation.' Feh! Second, you want ME to teach YOU, about inscription? In what world does it make ANY sense for a master to personally educate a novice? You may have matchless raw casting skill, but—"

The mayor interjects, bowing as he does.

"Pure Evil, I'm sincerely sorry. He doesn't seem to possess any sense of self-preservation."

*kfft*

These guys are hilarious.

"Hraw hraw hraw hraw!"

(tshsh)

Most of the humans cower from my draconic laugh. Grahhh, of course you would.

I decide to convey my thoughts to ease the atmosphere.

"Don't worry about it. I'm here to learn, so I don't mind being a little more open to criticism than I might be otherwise."

I turn my whole body toward Aitos, my large draconic toe claws also turning to face the group of humans.

*shhrkt**chrk-tok*

I lean down from my rocky perch, covering about 2/3rds of the distance between us. It's as if I'm leaning down to examine a housecat; I'm so darn huge. Several humans back away from Aitos, but the mayor and his single guard stand firm.

Interesting.

"Just like the spell. What do you want?"

"You can't possibly know every sigil. Never mind inscriptions, arrays, or keystones!"

I back away, again sitting upright.

"Well, that's definitely true. The latter part, I mean. I absolutely know every sigil."

"Absurd. Draw the one which converts friction into mass."

"I can do you one better."

"What? How?"

I smile brightly. Several humans fall to their knees; a few even drop onto all fours.

*chok**thok**tok**tak*

*thak**tik**shuf*

*thik*

Ah, right. I shouldn't smile. My mistake.

I vocalize some weird sounds.

"Kerrrthhechetheteee."

A human-shaped sigil forms in midair directly over Aitos. It then falls onto and merges into him from head to toe like a sheet of paper. I tried to warp its shape while hopefully retaining its function.

It works, seeing as he immediately slips onto his ass.

*thop*

He begins slowly sliding like he's on ice— even though the ground here is mostly flat.

{"You! You inscribed a sigil on a living thing? From midair? Using your voice?! None of that makes any sense! At all!"}

He's not whispering; the sigil's making it hard for him to talk since human vocal chords use vibrations. The air can't vibrate if there's no friction. In fact, I doubt the others can hear him.

I grin arrogantly at his intellectual frustration. No doubt a killer technique Aitos has used often during his long life.

"Living things are little different from other matter. The living simply possess the ability to modify themselves, which tends to make the sigil deform very easily. It's like trying to inscribe a sigil on a woven shirt; you'd need to somehow inscribe each individual strand of fabric. It's not possible with any reasonable level of inscription skill."

I wave my hand, at which the sigil inscribed upon the front side of his body vanishes. I continue speaking.

"So, I cast my sigil on the spatial plane but affix it relative to the sigil's target. I notice you folks try to affect difficult materials from a distance via inscription slabs, but I find that method inelegant and wasteful. As for my voice? It moves Mana, so I can use it to create any form of magic. I don't need to inscribe sigils with tools."

For some reason, Aitos is holding his chest.

"You... That makes sense, but... I..."

He falls over.

*shup*

Several humans rush to his side.

*chk*

*chok*

*tak*

*chik*

Oh, crap. Is he having a heart attack? Did I do that with my sigil? Damn, if blood is heavier and doesn't have friction—

DAMNIT!

I look at the Mayor.

"Did you bring a healer?"

"I'm sorry, Pure Evil. I didn't."

I don't have time to figure it out. Not like with Achiton's guard captain. Fine, I'm going for broke.

I use my talent; the visible one. For the first time, ever. A massive wave of Mana coils around my body, threatening to crush the humans below under its sheer density. The air wavers and shakes around as the Mana draws closer to my scales.

This isn't even a spell; it's just the immense amount of Mana required to activate my talent.

My scales warp and morph slightly for a moment, then return to their original appearance— the Mana torrent now gone. I look similar, but there's an added translucent glow coating my body like a thin layer of ice. Bits of Mana twirl off in small plumes similar to smoke. I note that this layer's obstructing my Mana a tad, but considering my nonsensical Mana affinity? It almost doesn't matter. Besides, I have no need for casting spells right now.

I reach down. All the humans back away from Aitos— all except for the guard. I flip one finger at him and he goes flying, landing several dozen meters away. Hopefully he's okay, but this isn't the time for grandstanding.

Should I even DO this, though? Gragh...

Dragons never give up their loot!

I touch Aitos regardless.

I allow the translucent glow to spread onto, and then into, his tissues. I feel his insides churning and morphing under my immense power. But, it's not harming him. For a given definition of harm.

Parasitic Body and Mind.