(Ooops! I guess I kinda got carried)
He wasn't yet sure he could gain a transformation from a half-eaten body, so the only thing he could do now was ignore it and train until he reaches the next level of [Polymorph]. Then he would get his answer.
Although the other body had priority, considering its usefulness.
With that he turned away from the bodies and readied himself. Once he achieved this, he could start to look for a way out of the mountain.
He turned back into his human form, intending to repeated the same training he had before, however he hadn't accounted for the different location.
Hiiissssss!
(Ouch! Ouch! Ouch)
He started jumping around in pain, as the burning ground caused increasingly severe burns on his skin. Smoke rose from his soles before he managed to turn back into his ant form.
(Ouch! I should have expected it, but my human form is the only one that isn't fire resistant)
He purposefully didn't turn into his Phoenix form, since that always seemed to trigger the instincts of every monster around him, which made them want to devour him. It wasn't clear to him how much range there was to this or if it worked on sight and smell, but he didn't want to take any chances without the handy barrier of his former nest. Now he had no choice if he wanted to train his skill to next level.
(Dammit, I should have expected this with my luck)
Paul nervously approached the entrance to his new nest and turned his head cautiously left and right trying not to miss any detail.
(Good, no monsters in sight. Gotta use this chance or else I might not get another)
He turned back and immediately reverted back to his natural form as a Phoenix, only to see the surprise that awaited him.
Almost two days had passed, since he changed to his ant form and now that he turned back there were noticeable changes to his appearance, thanks to his races quick development at an early age.
Whereas before he looked like a hairy rubber chicken, now his feathers started growing out and were properly visible, despite being short.
The Feathers were a light crimson at the edges, becoming a slightly deeper crimson the newer they were, which recreated the semblance of fire as they moved around.
At the rear the tail split in two golden streams of feathers, not yet long enough to display the majesty it will have upon maturity.
(Hot damn, that's what I'm talking about. I'm looking sexy now)
He inspected his body for a while, until an extremely appetizing smell reached his nose.
His head turned in the direction of the smell and suddenly he started salivating.
An instictive sensation of craving rose from the pit of his stomach and spread throughout his entire being.
(W-What is this? … I don't know whats making this smell but I want it)
He nearly walked out of his nest in his Phoenix form, barely stopping himself at the last moment and then turned back to his ant form.
Upon transforming he could no longer perceive that delicious smell from before.
(An Emberant can't smell this? I guess they would have overrun this place otherwise. But that's a problem for me. If I can't smell it as an ant, I'll have to find it in my Phoenix form and that's way to dangerous)
His eyes fell on the two bodies stuffed in his nest, affirming his intentions of gaining new forms.
(I don't have any other options. Even if they can't smell it either, I'll still need them for mobility)
With a goal in mind, he changed into a Phoenix once more, experiencing that sweet sensation again.
(Not yet, but soon I'll be able to go)
He kept changing back and forth between Phoenix form and Emberant form.
This went on for several hours, running out of Fey multiple times during that time, however Paul was more motivated than ever to succeed.
Whatever produced that smell before was something important for him. As a Phoenix he could feel it in his bones, that it was necessary for his future development.
(Let's just hope it isn't an evil ring to rule them all … oh, wait, I'm already in a volcano so that would make it a super short journey, hahaha)
Paul tried to distract himself from the monotone cycle of training, that never seemed to end.
He continued his training regiment with fervor, until he finally got the notification he was awaiting.
Ding! [Polymorph] leveled up!
(Yes, now I can get my new form. Let's take a look at my stats as well)
(Open Status)
Status window
Race: Newborn Phoenix
Name: Unnamed
Class: None
HP: 10/ 10
Fey: 14 / (+++)
SP: 10 / 10
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 3
Defense: 3
Intelligence: 5
Resistance: 3
Speed: 3
Skills: [Budding immortality] [Polymorph lvl.3] [Fire attack lvl.2]
Polymorph
-Allows the user to transform into the shape of a different race. This skill cannot imitate the racial or unique skills of other races and the transformations are limited to races of the same grade as the user
Lvl.1 – Human
Lvl.2 – Emberant
Lvl.3 – Empty
(Good, time to test my luck)
Paul walked over to the Heatglider corpse and touched it, taking on its appearance a second later.
His form became more humanoid, sporting four limbs and a tail. A thin, retractable and elastic membrane was connected to his arms and legs on both sides.
He was somewhat smaller than the Heatgliders he encountered before, his height not even reaching a meter in size. This made him look like a child covered in smooth and polished leathery skin.
(Gross, this makes me look like an alien wearing a washed out human suit, blech)
As a former human, Paul felt a certain revulsion to seeing something so humanoid and yet so wrong. He felt hesitant to use this form, but his logical side knew the advantages were worth the discomfort. After all he would be able fly now, meaning he no longer had to be fearful of the species living inside the mountain.
The other Heatgliders wouldn't target him and he could simply fly away if the Salamanders or Emberants become a problem again.
(First I'll search for whatever made that smell and then I'll look for the exit, but first …)
He turned towards the bodies and stuffed his face full.
One thing he came to realize is that, while the Salamander had a heavenly flavor, the Heatglider tasted as bad as it appeared. Paul chose to focus on the Salamander after a few bites, to enjoy the little pleasures that he might not be able to experience soon enough.
Moments later he walked out of his makeshift nest, ready to explore.
He attempted to inflate like he saw the Heatgliders do before in order to float, only to realize that it wasn't as easy as they made it look.
When he tried to lift off, he stumbled and fell on his face. He was able to float slightly off the ground but then gravity took its course.
Heatgliders filled their chest sacks with air like a balloon and used this to ride the hot air currents.
The Phoenix, as the king of birds was naturally able to glide on air currents as well.
It was an inborn trait of theirs and thus Paul managed to get half of the movements correct. His mistake was in not properly filling his balloon sack.
The second attempt ended up a little better than the first. He managed to lift himself higher and stay in the air for a longer period of time before falling, this time catching himself mid flight like a humanoid cat and land on all fours.
Some time later Paul was proudly gliding through the air, ignoring his bloody nose from all his attempts, which was slowly healing thanks to his regeneration.
His eyes darted around from high up, observing the entire terrain. From his high vantage point he was able to see everything better than before.
The rivers of lava intertwining and separating, creating small island in between, where Salamanders sporadically laid soaking in the volcanic heat.
To his amazement Paul found many Heatgliders perched in high places along the walls, whom he hadn't noticed before. They seemed like vultures, awaiting a fitting moment to pick off easy prey.
Although the further on he went the less of them he saw around, as the number of Salamander on the ground increased.
Paul landed upon seeing a conveniently empty spot, using the chance to quickly transform into his Phoenix form. He took a deep breath to identify where the smell came from and then immediately changing back to Heatglider form.
By the time the other monsters noticed the presence of a Phoenix youngling, all they saw was a Paul glide away in his other form.
A confusing picture for them to be sure, but since they didn't understand it they simply forgot about it, as it didn't pose a threat to them.
Repeating this same maneuver a couple times, he got closer to the source of the smell, but at the cost of agitating all the nearby monsters.
The Salamanders on the ground were constantly looking up to see the cause, while some Heatgliders flew closer to investigate.
So much attention being focus in his general direction, made Paul quite nervous. After all he was walking a fine line and a single mistake would put him in a life threatening situation.
As such he stopped and pretended to be one of those investigating.
His impatience grew more and more with every passing second. Whenever he reverted back to Phoenix form he could sense that he was getting closer to the source and he was about to reach it.
(Just go away already and let me do my thing, you bastards)
He cursed mentally at the nearby monsters, fidgeting in place. The wait for a safe opportunity to progress was slowly driving him crazy.
Several minutes passed and eventually the others lost interest, as Paul remained rooted on the spot.
Once his chance appeared he jumped into action, but he nearly fell out of the sky when he saw the source he was looking for.
Leaning against the wall, curled up and sleeping peacefully, was a monster that he somewhat recognized. The similarities between it and the rest of its kind were undeniable.
The Salamander queen lay there like an arrogant dragon, who ruled the mountain.
Its body was covered in smooth scales, that shone a bright orange, reflecting the volcanic heat.
As the evolved form of the Salamander, it was several times bigger then the rest.
And in between its dagger like claws was a gemstone. In its interior a reddish light danced like constantly shifting flames.
This was the thing Paul was looking for the entire time.
The simmering fire fragment.