(This chapter was uploaded on Saturday 14/September/2024 3:00 PM, timezone GMT+3)
('1), ('2), ('3), etc. means that there is some explaining for the thing in the chapter's footnotes.
"..." small moment of silence.
"Talking"
[Different Language Dialogue (Different from the language of the PoV)] (What language it is: Accent if necessary)
"He-" Someone was interrupted.
'Inner Dialogue'
{Skills' names, chanting, spell keys and spells' names}
(PoV)
(Flashback, including the text)
Don't shy from commenting on typos and/or inconsistencies. That and/or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.
I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.
(Line Break)
(3rd person PoV)
(The following morning)
The researchers who were tasked with the fauna research lamented the loss of most of the Puki-Puki materials to the hungry maws of Nephelont and Eucleia. For instance, the meat was all gone. Some of the bones were cracked open and slurped clean. The skin and most scales were fine, but the feathers were singed and in tatters. It was mostly a loss in their perspective.
Nephelont requested they leave him and Eucleia alone in the early morning so that they settle things between them. He discussed what Eucleia felt in that instinct-driven state. Much to his displeasure, Eucleia stated that she does not remember more than her emotions. There were no memories kept while she was instinct-driven.
And now that they settled that conversation, they told the hunters so that they could talk to the commander. They were led to a ship-like extension to the sea-side of Astera, partially floating over the water and the small waves of the ocean.
"Good morning, little friends!" The commander energetically greeted them. He thought it appropriate since they were born only recently.
"Good morning, humans" Nephelont said, being slightly assisted by Ariel. After an extensive question and answer session with Allen, Nephelont knew that he could employ the help of only one of them. Any more, and his body would give up and stop functioning. He needs to grow up physically before he could do much else.
Another conversation Nephelont had with Allen was more like an interrogation. Through it, he discovered that the instinct responsible for the crystal control is lying dormant. And when an instinct does that, no other could attempt to replace it. In the cases of Gwyn and Ariel, they allowed the other instincts to act in their place, though that was limited to a quarter of the efficiency.
"Good morning, hatchlings" The commander replied for all the team leaders and other important figures present. (AN: Like The Huntsman) "How should we treat you during this conversation?"
"I'd rather you treat us as adults" Nephelont said as he shrunk to approach the table they were gathered around. In response, a researcher started furiously scribbling something.
"That's an interesting thing you did" The Ecological Researcher commented, his head dipped into a book. How he saw that, nobody knows.
"On another topic, can we assume friendly relations?" The commander cut directly into the topic.
"I appreciate the direct approach you took. And yes, we're currently considering becoming friends of yours. I don't know exactly how you got our eggs, but nurturing us is enough to be on our good graces" Nephelont said as Eucleia silently laid to his side, dragging him to her with one wing as her tail grabbed his to coil around it.
"Now, I'm curious. You seem like you know too much for a few days of life. Are you willing to elaborate?" The Ecological Researcher was now looking at Nephelont directly. It made Nephelont feel the attention. This short man's attention was especially heavy.
"That's due to our inherited knowledge. We inherit our parents' knowledge, which they in turn got from their own parents and so on and so forth" Nephelont left out the part where it was only a part of the knowledge and also some memories.
"Do you know anything about what species you are? Maybe some knowledge on your anatomy?" The Ecological Researcher noted down Nephelont's precious answer and was preparing another section right below it to jot down more about him.
[Bunbun, Clea wonders, will you ask them for information in return?] (Koine) Eucleia asked expressed her desire to get something out of this exchange.
[Of course, my Clea] (Koine) Nephelont assured her as he rubbed their snouts together. He then returned his attention to the gathered people.
"Before that, we want information in exchange" Nephelont said.
"Then you should ask first. You already answered a question, you see" The field team leader said. His tone was sincere, telling Nephelont that it was not bad to gauge this person for a while before establishing a closer friendship with him.
"Thank you for the sincerity. Are there dragons or wyverns that breath underwater?" Nephelont asked, skeptical of the possibility.
"There are. Right in that little pond" The commander smirked as he pointed a thumb behind him, at the ocean. "But what would you need to know that for?"
"Your researchers might have already realized it, actually. If I eat the heart or the brain of a monster, I can get an ability from its species. Just last night, I gained the ability to secrete poison from eating that feathery one's heart. That also applies to some parts of their bodies, like extra limbs or energy storages, much like that purple sack that stored the Pukei-Pukei's poison" Nephelont said, not bothering to remember the name of the delicious dinner he had the prior night.
"Pukei-Pukei. That's what they're called" The Ecological Researcher corrected. "What abilities and attributes are you willing to share information on? Just the gist of it is enough, really"
"Well, for starters, our species as a whole can generate crystals over our bodies. Those allow us to control light more easily the more of them there are. Make no mistake, a proficient individual might bypass the need for them altogether" Nephelont waited for the old man to write that down, along with his theories on why.
'Thanks, Gwyn' Nephelont thought.
'At your service, physical body' Gwyn replied.
"Now, what are the properties of the underwater dragons/wyverns the commander told me about a moment ago?" Nephelont asked.
"Let me answer that as our ecological research leader finishes taking notes on your previous answer" An assistant researcher who was heeling the Ecological Researcher stepped forward. "The first, and the most dangerous, would be Lagiacrus. It is known as "The Lord of the Seas" and "The Azure Lightning". The second one, somewhat less dangerous, would be the occasional Plesioth. Between the two, I would recommend you get the ability to breath underwater from the Plesioth and leave the Lagiacrus for when you want its hydrodynamic body shape" The assistant researcher noted down how that might impact the natural shape of Nephelont's body.
"Are they readily available? Easy to catch? Or do I need to take a risk to catch some?" Nephelont asked.
"How lucky you are. Plesioth breed around this season, away from predators, in the shallower parts of shore" The commander commented.
"What do you know about your growth stages? When are you considered an adult and could engage in combat with elder dragons? Is that possible to begin with?" The Ecological Researcher's spirit was at an all-time high. A new discovery can lead them to a step closer to a breakthrough in this decades-long research, to finally reach the satisfaction of an answer, before delving deeper in search of more hidden knowledge somewhere else in the new world. This man has dedicated his entire life to researching.
'Allen, can you help with this one? What growth stage am I currently in?'
'You are both now early teenagers, physical body. Your growth spurt will slow down until you hit 1,400 years old, which is when the growth begins to move again, ending in a long life of at least 10,00 years. If they asked about the abnormality of the situation, tell them that the growth spurt was due to the lack of biological parents'
"Sadly, being an adult would need to wait for another two thousand years to come. I will ask something before returning to the combat prowess question, is that alright?" Nephelont asked.
"Go ahead" He was given the green light.
"How strong are elder dragons?" Nephelont asked, puzzled by the new term. 'For a category to be this broad, as to be based on strength and not on species, it worries me'
"To answer that, an elder dragon is a creature that alters the ecosystem around it simply by being present. The natural phenomena its presence causes can turn a dry desert into a fertile land and vice versa" The Ecological Researcher said.
"If that is the case, then our species isn't considered elders, as there are memories of a couple and their children living with humans without harming each other" Nephelont said, dismissing the notion as nothing more than a problem to deal with using his next wish if it became the case in this world.
"Returning to the question about our strength, we don't know much about the limit or if there was one. As for how strong we are now, then either of us could have taken down the Pukei-Pukei alone, without moving a single muscle. I mean, shredding its lungs from the inside isn't that hard" Nephelont said, making many of them reel away in terror. That was with the exception of the Commander, the Huntsman, and the Ecological Researcher. Two were too experienced to not have noticed a lack of hostility and the latter was too focused to be feeling much fear.
"Ah, I'll demonstrate something, since my energy reserves could handle it now" Nephelont said as he stood up, on all four of course, and made his way to the bow of the ship-like extension. He opened his maw wide and light started gathering in it, the lighting in the area around his body dimming. He kept gathering light from the sun directly, spreading his scale-covered wings and limbs, removing most of the energy cost-related concerns.
When the laser was ready, he fired it at the ocean, avoiding the spots where Gwyn had shown him sea monsters that could have measured close to his length from snout to tail-tip.
The heat left the water exploding into vapor, pushing away the much heavier liquid water as it sought to spread into the atmosphere. As for Nephelont's target, it was a particularly large fish that looked unassuming at first glance.
"If reusable, that alone makes you a high-rank monster already" Commented the Commander as he was scratching his chin in thought. 'If we could assist them in getting much stronger, then they could possibly deal substantial damage to Zorah Magdaros... might I dare say kill it, even. We should prioritize this if possible. A meeting between the team leaders is to commence right after this mutual exchange of information'
"Huff... S-Sadly, this... huff... is my current limit..." Nephelont said between exhausted, ragged breathes. 'I should really use Gwyn's help with lasers... I would be able to fire another two, and quicker at that, then have some more energy in me to move normally'
"We can help you with the Plesioth. And in exchange, help us with some of our hunts and gathering tasks. Are you two okay with that?" The Provision Manager asked.
"If you can bring him one today or tomorrow, I will personally kill any one creature you want, regardless of strength. Though, I would have most of the carcass" Eucleia said as her tongue passed by her lips unconsciously. She was already imagining the tastes of the monsters here. Her body craved more of the succulent meat from last night.
"Hmm?" The Ecological Researcher suddenly stopped when he heard Eucleia's voice, both because it sounded humanely female, and because she claimed something impossible. 'Unless...' His eyes sharpened.
"What do you mean by 'regardless of strength'?" He asked.
"That's a secret" She replied.
...
A silence permeated the place.
"Sigh... Then, can we get to more ecological questions about you?" The Ecological researcher said defeatedly.
"I'll take it back from here" Nephelont said after absorbing enough light to recover his energy.
Nephelont answered questions about their genders and if they were a couple, if they knew why they saw a mate in each other. Other questions concerned their ecology. And, since he claimed having inherited memories from an older generation, he was asked about where others of his species were. He answered that they may be among the last few known individuals alive.
In exchange, he got information on the ecology of the monsters within the Ancient Forest. Among them, there was a painting of a mountain-like monster, Zorah Magdaros, an elder dragon who was roams the vicinity. One who Nephelont and Eucleia were instructed to flee from and report on sight.
To test their capabilities in earnest, the commander discussed what quest to assign to the two. They were tasked with harrassing the Anjanath roaming around the town. Their quest only included annoying it away from Astera but not necessarily confront it. With their invisibility and control over the winds, it was a very realistic quest as they could erase their traces and body odors. Eucleia gave the Commander the stink-eye when he mentioned their body odor.
(End of Chapter)
Greetings, dear readers
This chapter explored an area of literature I am unfamiliar with, negotiations/proper conversations.
Thus, I ask you, how do you see this? Is it good?
If you want to know something I did not explain, ask here. Though, be informed. Some of the things you may ask about may be spoilers about coming worlds.
Be well, ladies and gentlemen.