Chapter 13

A few days later there was another battle, one I didn't miss to show off my new power and appearance. As soon as I came out, everyone was fighting to the death.

Today I'm going to test if my calculations were correct, I'm excited. I decided on a lava elemental as my opponent. As soon as I spotted it in the distance I approached it as fast as I could.

The lava elemental saw me approach him and started to play along. The first one to make a blow was me. With my right hand I hit his chest and with my left hand I hit his right shoulder.

*CRAACK * *CRAAACK *

The places where I struck cracked and the lava elemental staggered under the force of my fists. I didn't waste the opportunity and used the tentacles on top of my shoulders to whip its head hard.

* CRAACK CRAACK CRACK *

His volcanic stone skull exploded and his lava head appeared. Without wasting any time, I hit his chest twice in a row.

*CRACK CRACK*

And it exploded its torso leaving its body free of lava. I took advantage and tested the strength of both tentacles with a mace tip.

*CRAAACK*

*CRAAACK*

No shoulders. I didn't let him respond and used my spear-tipped tentacles to pierce and destroy both arms.

*CRAACK*

*CRAACK*

This is so easy, and I'm doing it with no hands, hahaha. Just like him now, hahahaha. This is so funny.

Now my enemy is in "FLAMES!", hahaha. These bad jokes make me laugh so hard. I laugh with so little, hahaha.

The elemental, being greatly outmatched, threw a huge ball of lava at me and began to retreat. I let it hit my arm, which resisted like a champion. I did not feel any damage.

Recovering from my thoughts I used a spell and a wall of volcanic stone cut him off. Since I didn't want it to keep running away, I simply used the tentacle on my right arm to pierce through its chest and hook it.

Feeling the fish on the hook, I pulled hard. The poor elemental that was now nothing more than a half-shaped mass of lava, spilling its lava wherever it passed, came flying towards me.

I used my dragon skull tentacles. Two of them bit from opposite sides of the lava body in front of them, and began to pull. From another of the 4 tentacles, a flare of fire came out of its mouth. From the last, a ball of lava aimed at its head. The poor lava elemental didn't even hold on for a second, only to explode. It left 2 pieces of lava that slowly fell apart in the mouths of 2 of my dragon skull tentacles. I felt satisfied.

I enjoyed the feeling until I realized a problem. I had gotten out of hand with that death, it was simply too brutal. Yes, I wanted to test my new strength and power, but I didn't expect to unleash such an act of unnecessary violence.

I realized that I became more brutal after my change. I began to analyze the possible causes of this.

First it occurs to me that maybe it has to do with the materials that make up my new body. Maybe something of the consciousness or feelings of the elemental that owned those remains lingers inside. Something like what happened in my world with people who had transplants. Those who claimed to have dreams where it wasn't them but someone else, or who changed behaviors and did things, or wanted to do things they didn't do before... It's crazy, but I can't rule anything out at this point.

Second. Maybe by releasing my inner fire by letting my lava form act during the forging process I have impregnated my new stones with more of it. By doing this the internal elemental balance between fire and earth was lost and the fire element in me is now greater, causing this change of attitude. The hypothesis is that fire is more aggressive and earth is more stable and persistent. That would explain my ability to prevail in repetitive training when I was an earth elemental and it would also explain my sudden increase in narcissism, aggressiveness and confidence when I became a lava elemental. Plus the fact that I was bragging about my new form before. It also explains my sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I completed the form I've loved since I was a human...

Third, but not least and in accordance with the second and first probability, is that during the process of forging and compressing the minerals, the fire factor has increased and the sensations that lingered from this...

Knowing this, I now know that I must find a balance between my elements. I also understand now that even though my mind is resistant to the control abilities used against me, good or bad, it doesn't mean that my own body and new self can't influence me... In short my biggest enemy is myself... Shit. I have to be careful now with my own sensations and control myself.

For a moment I stood in realization and soon felt one of the feelings I least expected to find at this moment. The feeling of advancement in my control over my mental and bodily abilities... So that's why I hadn't felt improvement in such a long time.

*SIGH*

Good to know now. Still, this is a good lesson that also serves as training. I will continue to use elemental parts. They are the best for quickly increasing my mass and power, I just have to be in constant control of myself and my actions. I will overcome this situation, I know it. I have overcome all the problems I have encountered so far and this will not be the first problem I will not be able to solve. I will train my control over me and acquire greater power... I may be being influenced by my fire side again by being so confident, but I will try. In the meantime, I will look for other ways to safely increase my mass.

*sigh*

He has researched new combinations of minerals.

Consuming everything left behind by the lava elemental, continue searching for enemies to practice on.

...

(A few weeks later)

I will meet today with "Therazane, The Stony Mother", Earth Elemental Mistress. The reason is that the earth elementals had started attacking me, and this was happening even when I was helping them with the fire elementals.

I know there was an option to join Ragnaros now, but I prefer Therazane. Ragnaros would surely use me as a slave and force me to fight. From what I can see both elemental lords would do the same, but Ragnaros has a different philosophy for life than I do, so I prefer Therazane in that aspect, as it is almost the same. Also, now that I know elementals have their personality partly tied to their element, I can see Therazane being more patient and persistent than Ragnaros, who surely explodes often.

So I'll go with the more "passive" elemental lord, or more "quiet" in this case.

I walked to the base of a high mountain, the entrance to which was guarded by many earth elementals. They traversed the stony and somewhat sloping terrain with ease. They were all calm, and with so many gathered in one place I can assume it's on Therazane's orders, as I know earth elementals are territorial by nature... That explains a lot now... Hahaha, how I keep overlooking things. Anyway, I'll talk to Therazane and tell her I wish to join his forces. That way I can hopefully keep both sides from attacking me, and I can have a place to return to.

When I approached the elementals, they stopped me.

"STOP, WHAT DO YOU WANT HERE?!"

"I come to speak with the Elemental Lady, "Mother Petra", the Great Therazane, for I have a request and wish her permission to join her forces."

When the earth elemental that was bigger than a normal one, almost twice as big, heard me, he lifted his chest with pride. I guess when he heard how I referred to his "Mother", and elemental leader.

"WAIT HERE, I'LL TELL THE GREAT MOTHER ABOUT YOU."

Hahahaha, they're so easy. I just wanted to try and see if it worked to aggrandize their leader, just like humans do when they want something from simple characters in novels. That it worked tells me a lot about "clichés", hahaha. Of course, I didn't really lie when I put it this way. Therazane has my respect, both for her strength and her ideology, and I hope she listened to me, for she is "THE EARTH" herself. She must have the power to listen and more through her. At least that is my understanding from what I had researched of the history when I was human.

I waited for a while as I pondered how to say my request. Until the stone elemental came out again, which I guess I should call "upper earth elemental" because of how big it is.

"THE GREAT MOTHER LETS YOU IN. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU DO! DEVOUR STONE."

Did he just call me a stone eater?...

"Thank you for asking for me, elemental brother. You need not worry either, for I will give her the respect that 'The Stony Mother' deserves".

The elemental said no more and moved out of the way. I continued on and found a large tunnel that seemed to go down to the deepest core of the great mountain. Without fear or hesitation in my step I continued until I found a huge space that shone because of the large amount of diamonds and minerals that were there. There were many of them and they shone because of the power that ran through them. I guess it was mana or nature's energy... I'm not sure.

I went further into the great chamber and found a Therazane floating peacefully atop a great throne decorated with diamonds and minerals. On either side were the giant elemental princes and the smaller lesser earth lords. All were standing quietly, almost as if meditating and enjoying the peace and calm that seemed to radiate from the "Stony Mother".

I felt all that peace, curiosity, and intrigue that Therazane radiated. Her being was so enormous in power that I could barely cope with the sensations coursing through my being to say my requests.

Looking at me with her big, bright, orange mineral eyes that radiated energy, with an uncontained curiosity in her inquisitive eyes, she said.

"THE EARTH HAS TOLD ME THAT YOU WISH TO JOIN ME, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY, FORGE EARTH."

She said forge earth, she must know then what I have been doing. I decided to be as honest as I could, for I think she can sense whether I am lying or not, she may even know the answer to what I say.

(POV Therazane "The Stony Mother", Elemental Mistress of the Earth)

"Mother Stone, I wish to join you because I desire a place to return to."

I watched curiously as the strange flaming elemental stood before me. I could sense his honesty in his words, but I wished to understand him first. I will not let anyone interrupt the union and peace of my children. Even though he is a powerful elemental, I cannot trust him, yet.

"JUST FOR THAT? FORGE EARTH"

I knew what I had been doing in the mountain, I could feel its insides burning. The mountain was inside my territory, but I could feel the power of his fire and the pain of the mountain. But I also know that he has been helping my children. So I want to know why.

"I also have a request, Mother Pétrea."

Then you want something.

"I'M LISTENING"

I was even more curious, what would a stone devourer want from me?

"I need your help. In order for you to understand better, I will explain a little of my history. I was born on a hill as an earth elemental. In my struggles to survive I won my first battle, but I realized that I was weak, so, to gain power, I trained. But the peaceful times of my solitary training were soon over. The flames of war glowed on the horizon and slowly consumed their way to my home, but I was too small and weak to know it.

He paused. I wanted to know what he would say next, so I urged him.

"WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?"

Author's note: What do you think of this chapter, there's still more to know. I invite you to comment, because every comment motivates me to continue. If 15 people comment I may consider updating another chapter today. But you have little time, for me it's already 6pm. There are 15 people and I say consider because today I have to update my other novel, so the more people comment the more likely I'll update another chapter. ^^

By the way, what do you think of the new cover?