Placing the scroll on the side of the table, Yi Qiang looked at the Grand Elder.
"I have a few questions."
She smiled and nodded.
"I presume they pertain to that little guy on your shoulder?"
"Yes."
"Ask away. One at a time of course, this old mind can't keep up with much anymore." The elderly lizardwoman chuckled.
Yi Qiang took a deep breath, collecting himself and firming the question's wording in his mind.
"What do you know about the dragons?"
A knowing smile appeared on the Grand Elder's face as she heard his question.
"Such a big question, but it's to be expected. Well, Chosen, it's a long story, but I presume you want to hear it all," she looked to Yi Qiang for assurance, continuing when she saw his nod, "without any details left out.
"The story, or the known one at least, begins on this continent, the Moonhall continent. The humanoid races are actually foreigners, though with the way they treat the continent, you wouldn't think so. The dragons and the beast races, that's what you and I are, are the true natives. Yes, back then when the humanoids were first arriving from the Feudal continent, dragons were rampant - they had their own society, heirarchy, and culture, and, well, we were getting along just fine without them.
"But the everpresent human greed reared its ugly head, and they got ambitious. They could have coexisted with the dragons, setting the course for a long, peaceful, and prosperous friendship, but the major human leaders elected not to do so - they pictured, in their minds, standing over a majestic dragon's corpse, wreathed in glorious treasure and riches. Of course, some wise higher-ups opposed the decision, but they were quickly and ruthlessly silenced. One of them, Jiuxian, formally known as the Jade Sage, was even framed for a great crime - the punishment of which was the slaughter of his entire family lineage as well as his own torture and eventual death. But that's not important.
"As you could expect, the war brought on many, many deaths. Most of them were those of the humans - the dragons, enraged by our unwillingness to listen to reason and ability to place greed over the value of life, furiously slaughtered the humans as if they were a blight upon the land. In fact, the only reason that they survived for those ten years were the formations and gifts the dragons had given them - as masters of magic, the dragons' talent with artifacts was unparalleled, and their advancement in that field far surpassed that of the beastmen.
"But ten years passed, and the innovation one day after marked the return of the human race as the leading one - a horrible creation christened the Bloodcore Cannon. But that name doesn't properly begin to convey the evil nature of this object.
"It worked not through magic or personal strength, nor on enlightenment or willpower. All that was needed for this weapon to conjure power strong enough to slay dragons was enough humans. It used them as a sacrifice, twisting and warping their souls and flesh and blood to form a crystallized object called the Bloodcore.
"Of course, the humans, now desperate to try anything for survival, sacrificed those weaker than them to this artifact. Chaos reigned the streets, as soldiers burnt down houses to smoke out the hiding humans within. Some of those couldn't get out, but the long-since-numbed soldiers moved onto the next house.
"The war ended, simply like this. Of course, human population was decimated in the meantime, but regardless, the dragons were the ones hunted to extinction. And the humanoids prevailed, and began to develop into the empire they are today.
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"Until some millenia later, it was revealed to the humans that dragons still walked the earth. No one believed it until a capable and unscrupulous wizard cast away the spell of a disguised human. Bloodshed ensued.
"It was human against human, each suspicious of the other, thinking their identity to be that of the evil, powerful dragon, the beast capable of murdering their kin in droves.
"But this was the last tumult, the final era of chaos, when the humans settled down because of the emergence of one dragon.
"This dragon had seen past the selfishness of the humans, finding it in her vast heart to forgive them, and absolve them of their sins through that forgiveness. Even as these humans, who she had spent so much time to bring herself to show mercy to, attacked her as she tried to speak with the leaders of the humans, she persevered; her strength was below that of no other dragon, and instead far surpassed theirs.
"That one dragon's name and motive has long been lost to the ages, but it thanks to her we do not live in times of bloody war today."
When the Grand Elder was finally done, Yi Qiang sat back, staring at his partner. Did you know about this?
"No, but it feels right."
He nodded and turned back to the elderly lizardwoman.
"Thank you. I will take my leave now, and set out by dawn tomorrow."
"No more questions?" She asked, visibly surprised.
"No, I think I know enough now. What matters to me is not in the past, but hidden somewhere in the present."
She nodded. "A wise outlook for someone so young. I won't escort you out. These old bones don't have much energy left in them."
The door closed with finality. Something had come to an end, but Yi Qiang could not place his finger on what.
----------------------------------------
He woke to the gentle snoring of Shenyu, who had nestled next to his head in the crude mattress they were given. Rising gingerly, so as not to wake the small dragon, he looked out the door, checking the time.
Seeing that the sun was about to peek out over the horizon, Yi Qiang picked Shenyu up, praying the baby dragon would stay asleep as he cradled him with both arms, running out towards the direction of the exit. That exit probably isn't the only one, nor the nearest, but I don't feel like looking for another even if it saves me time.
Suddenly, he realized Shenyu had grown. As Yi Qiang run steadily, he looked down, squinting his eyes to make out the dragon's form in the dim natural lighting.
Shenyu hadn't grown by a small amount - no, shockingly, the dragon was maturing at an incredible pace. The hatchling that was previously the size of his foot had grown to three-quarters the size of his arm, no small growth.
The faster the better, this means he can begin to defend himself sooner than I had expected. Hopefully, he isn't stunted by the lack of food I had at my disposal.
Suddenly, it had struck Yi Qiang that he had yet to use the scroll the Grand Elder had given him. Luckily, he already knew which skill to morph: Bow Mastery.
There were multiple reasons for this. Chief among them was the fact that Yi Qiang would probably receive the greatest boon if he morphed this skill - the fact that it was a passive skill enhancing all of his bow work made it invaluable. Also tempting to the marksman was the hope that his bow's previous skill level would affect the outcome of the new skill, whether in how powerful a skill it was or in its initial level.
So, opting not to deliberate further, Yi Qiang retrieved his scroll and read the window that popped up.
Please select the skill you would like to morph:
Active:
Dragon Marksman's Judgement(Level 9 Novice)
Arrow Burst(Level 4 Apprentice)
Mark(Level 1 Journeyman)
Empyrean Dragon's Armaments(Lvl 2 Apprentice)
Analyze(Lvl NA)
Passive:
Rapid Training(Lvl NA)
Empyrean Dragon Physique(Lvl 6 Apprentice)
Qi Control(Level 2 Apprentice)
Sneak(Lvl 5 Journeyman)
Bow Mastery(Lvl 4 Master)
Yi Qiang selected Bow Mastery, watching with anticipation as the screen notifying him of the new skill popped up.
You have gained the skill Empyrean Marksmanship(Level 1 Expert, Passive)
Your skill with the bow transcends ordinary proficiency, each arrow carrying the nobility and strength of the Empyrean Dragon.
+31% damage with bows
-6.2% to cost of any skills with bows
+31% firing rate
+7.25% to Qi damage while wielding a bow
Yi Qiang grinned.