Lillene
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Chapter 74 - Dragons! (Stage 3)
🕑 Added 2021-09-04 19:11:23 +0000 UTCEnjoy!
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Why did Chimera disappear on the first one?
[The first option is an Evolving Path, while the second is a Chimeric Path]
[Transitioning to the Evolving Path removes your current Heritage, including all chimerical features, but you would gain all Species abilities of the species you belong to]
[Following the Chimeric Path maintains your full history but limits your Species abilities to the physical ones and ones received through a Path or ones that are individually evolved]
Even though the Voice’s tone didn’t change, there was something about it that made Serenity pause.
Which one do you expect me to choose?
[You were expected to choose Child of Time. It maintains your current status and is the closest to Human, which assists your stated goal of saving your world]
Serenity remembered the vision - dream? - he’d had of himself. It seemed that the Voice was using the same logic as whatever had allowed that vision to happen. He couldn’t see it. Child of Time was enticing, but not when it restricted his magic.
It’s not my Path. I don’t think it ever would have been.
[Follow your Path. That is more important than any hopes or expectations]
That’s an odd way to put it. Do you have a choice you’d prefer?
[Only you may choose your Path]
That was a yes. Serenity wasn’t sure what the Voice’s preference was, but it didn’t seem displeased that he wasn’t following the expected Path. If anything, it seemed happy to be surprised.
It was his choice.
Serenity looked at the list. Basic Draconic Shapeshift alone seemed worth taking the Chimeric option, and the other abilities also looked good. The shapeshifting ability was probably why “dragon” would work; he suspected that only one form would be able to walk upright.
He hadn’t expected to see any shapeshifting ability at low Tier. It wouldn’t even have to be particularly good to be extremely useful. It might be too bad to not get abilities for free, but losing ones he had made that route less attractive.
He would probably have gone for the second option, even if it hadn’t looked as good as it did. Losing his heritage would be like saying he didn’t care for his family or his past, and however much he might want to forget the Final Reaper, his past made him who he was.
Essence Dragon Chimera
[Let yourself sleep. It will prevent pain]
The words faded and Serenity was left in the darkness. It was comfortable and warm. He felt himself fall asleep and did not fight it.
[Title Awarded: First of A Kind]
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Serenity walked down a long, dark hallway. He could hear crowd noise at the end of the hall, past the door. He felt oddly detached, as though he wasn’t really there. He didn’t seem to have a body, but it didn’t bother him. Nothing bothered him.
Some of it seemed startlingly clear, but all he could make out was bits and pieces..
“-are we here for?”
“Don’t know but everyone’s here. Everyone.”
“-was sleeping!”
“Do you think he’s lost his mind? There’s no justification short of-”
“Saw you last week. You need to work on your disguise or you’ll end up-”
“-new Element!”
“Nonsense!”
“Why else-”
“QUIET. We WILL come to order. It’s time.”
The last voice wasn’t any louder than the others, but it was completely clear. The chattering stopped for a moment, and the door that Serenity was somehow now standing in front of opened.
He’d walked into an amphitheatre. It was oval in shape, and he’d entered at one end. A raised platform sat at the other end of the oval, with no seating above it. To the sides stretched “seating”, rising higher than he could see. Every seat was filled.
It was hard to tell exactly what filled each seat, as the forms were all different, and each seemed to have at least two forms, which swapped back and forth frequently. One of the forms was always human, or at least humanoid.
As he walked forward, Serenity gained the impression that the other form was the true form. Each and every one had wings, scales, and a head, but past that they differed wildly. Some looked like the Western dragon, some like Eastern dragons. There were dragons that looked like flying feathered snakes and dragons that looked more like fish. Some were even less recognizable than that, yet it was clear.
Each and every one of the seats held a dragon.
The dragon on the far podium was the only one that did not shift forms as Serenity watched. He was larger than any of the other dragons by a significant amount. He had a somewhat triangular head covered in black scales, with a crest of silver feathers that spread from a point on his forehead along a pair of ridges. His wings - feathered - were folded behind him.
He sat on a raised stone platform. It didn’t strike Serenity as odd that he had relatively short arms and long, muscular legs - indeed, his form was distinctly humanoid, if far too large. Serenity would only feel the surprise when he looked back at the memory.
The great dragon simply waited for Serenity to stand close enough.
“Welcome, young one. It has been a long time since the Conclave welcomed a new member. For all that you were unexpected, you are welcome among us.”
“You don’t have long here, so I will keep this short.”
“This is the Conclave of Dragons. We do not meet often. This is only the third time in the past century it has been called, and the other two were not for such a pleasant reason.”
“I have great hope for you. You are the first chance I have seen in millenia…”
The great dragon stopped and seemed to gather his thoughts.
“The Lost are a matter for another time. For now, my task as the Eldest of the Conclave is to welcome you, the newest Elder of the Conclave, to our number.”
“It is traditional for me to grant you a gift. The normal gift is knowledge, but normally you would appear before the Conclave in person. Should you do so, I will grant that gift.”
“Instead, given your interesting circumstances and my hopes for you, I choose to give a different gift. I believe you will see its value.”
Serenity realized the dragon had been staring at him the entire time when it cast its gaze at the other dragons instead.
“None of us shall act against you, the people you have claimed as yours, or your land. We are not bound to aid you, but we will not harm you. This shall hold until you declare it invalid, the Conclave declares it invalid, or the Lost are redeemed.”
The dragon wasn’t talking to Serenity. He seemed to be picking out certain dragons.
The seats erupted in noise. Serenity couldn’t sort through it, but he thought the general mood seemed unhappy.
“Very well. The general mood of the Conclave does not support my first choice of gift. I shall therefore give a gift that is within my power and not that of the Conclave.”
The muttering seemed a lot more positive, even interested.
“Child, what is your name?”
Serenity heard himself speak his Name. A ripple rolled across the room.
“Named already. Impressive.”
“Serenity, I wish to become your mentor. Do you accept?”
Serenity suddenly felt fully aware. That was a significant offer. It mostly bound the mentor, but there were obligations from the student as well.
“I have people I need to protect - things that - the world is-” Serenity wasn’t sure how to phrase his conditions.
“This is a gift; we can talk requirements later.”
It was a hard choice. It would give him someone who might agree to help him if he needed it, and certainly would try to teach him. The dragon would almost certainly not be able to travel to Earth comfortably. Serenity wasn’t sure what Tier he was, but he had no doubt he was high Tier.
It would also involve Serenity in the politics of the dragons and whatever goals his mentor had.
It seemed like he was already involved.
Serenity already knew a lot, but he was starting to understand how much of what he knew was specifically Death magic and physical combat, not other magic. The model he knew for Affinities was already seeming less accurate for his new Path.
He’d already discovered that the instructors in the Tutorials knew more than he did about many things, but not about nonstandard magical theory.
He could probably go to an Academy, but that wouldn’t be possible until Earth was safe.
A mentor could train him, but would it be possible remotely?
He could likely find a way to visit the dragon if that was necessary.
Serenity tried to weigh both options carefully, but in the end his decision was made not by the benefits of having a mentor but by the first gift the dragon had offered. He’d offered to keep other dragons from attacking a vaguely defined “you, your people, or your land”.
At least two of the Great Factions that had attacked Earth were led by dragons. One group of original invaders had seemed to worship dragons. It would have been an extremely useful gift.
Serenity was confident he was trying to help.
“Yes, I accept.”
“I, Althyr, accept you, Serenity, as my student.”
[Althyr, Elder Dragon of Order, has accepted you as his student]
Althyr turned to look at the rest of the Conclave.
“As for the rest of you. I cannot bind the Conclave for this, but know that he is my student.”
Althyr turned back to Serenity.
“Thank you for attending this Conclave.”
As the world faded out, Serenity was presented with a Quest prompt.
[Mentor Quest Received]
[Quest: Restore the Lost]
[Initial Goal: Find out what Althyr means by “the Lost”]
[Reward: Unknown]
[Failure Consequences: None]
[Message begins: I don’t really expect you to be able to do anything about the Lost any time soon, but you have the best chance I’ve seen in millenia. If you can’t, maybe a descendant of yours will be able to. Message ends.]
[Accept Quest?]
There wasn’t any reason not to accept.
Yes
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Author's Note: I bet most of you would choose Dragon, too. I'm pretty sure I would.
Though Child of Time would be a strong contender.
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Who are the Lost?
