It has been three days since the interruption and I have expanded my vocabulary massively. I also know numbers now! Turns out, 133 of the symbols are letters while 12 are numbers and 2 are punctuation. The two for punctuation are to represent the beginning of a list and a break in reading it. Honestly it's much simpler than I expected and am grateful I do not have to learn an insane amount of symbols for writing or reading. Well, 133 is a large amount. But the amount of symbols and stuff back on earth was insane.
Today is the day I'm being 'let out'. It took a while and a LOT of miming. But apparently, Dragons haven't appeared in a long, LONG time. I'm still confused about two of the number symbols since the man has said they're 'the same' but they are also 'different'. I am assuming right now that two are used in calculations or something else while the other 10 are the actual numbers. And the number representing the time Dragons have been gone for was long. He needed an entire sheet of paper for it.
Though, my sense of size isn't very defined yet. My eyes are still adjusting I think. I'm only 6 days old after all.
Although, I have noticed I am getting bigger. It's not enough to be noticed by others yet but I am certain my tail is longer and it has been feeling itchy on my head. A little behind my eyes, which have an interesting little tidbit I learned a day ago.
I can swap between sight like humans, where we have a 180 degree vision forwards and 270 counting peripheral, with the ability to focus on points. And to swap to vision like a deer would, with their eyes on the side! I'm still getting used to that version of sight so I swap to it once every what I think is an hour for a few minutes.
"-Dragon."
That's another issue that's popped up in these three days. Since I learned the word Dragon, they use that to call to me, like one would a dog or something. Though, I doubt it since there's part of the word I can't understand. I've yet to figure out whether they are saying something like: 'Lord', 'Sir', or something along the lines of that. Though, do I even have a physical gender? Can I reproduce? Another question for another time. Though, I have the inkling that I do not have one. Another thing I have to question. These 'inklings' of ideas pop up now and then but I have no idea where they come from. Instinct? A higher Being? Mana? I don't know. There's so much that I do not know. It sucks.
"Yes?"
I say, almost as fluently as them.
"Time for - with - - and - -."
This man speaks so damn eloquently in his language and that's not something I need to understand verbally. The way he holds himself, his posture, his tonality. It's all filled with self-confidence. Others also hold respect for this man, I hear it in their voices and feel it with my Emotional-Sense, name pending.
He gets up, something I have only seen him done to go sleep, or what I presume is sleep, and to talk to a guard outside. This time, he does what he did the first time we met. He stopped and looked at me.
"-"
A word, probably 'follow', or 'come'.
I get up from my sitting position, one similar to that of a cat, and we walk. As we exit I take a second to adjust to the light difference before following him once more. I listen to the small things as we walk: chirping from what I think are birds, chatter from the humanoids, sizzling of the pots and the bubbling of the boiling water in them. We arrive at a beautiful tent, at least 6 to 7 times wider and around 2 to 3 times taller than the tent I learned in. It is the biggest thing I have ever seen. Not that that's... never mind. I'm less than a week old. I can be excused for not having seen many things.
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We enter the tent and I am greeted by 9 different people. One is the armored person who came to talk with the man I have been taught by so far. Another wears the same armor but with more decorations. It seems to be split into a group of 4 and 5. The group of 5 has the two armored people as well a person wearing what looks like a lab coat, and two with what look like wizard robes. The other group is more diverse.
One has wizard robes, one bearing looks like RPG berserker armor and a giant axe next to him. Well, giant to me. The last two are different. One is wearing something eerily similar to priest robes but different somehow. I can't put my tongue on it. Yet despite all of these imposing people it is the last that I am wary, no, afraid of.
The man looks like a human but if I dare mistake him for a normal one I'd die, no doubt in my mind. He wears a brownish-grey tunic and black pants. His boots are compact and heavy duty, probably for marching, fighting, etc.
It is none of this that prickles my senses. No, it is the mere SIGHT of this man. I cannot make out his facial features, nor the color of his hair and skin. Even the clothes were barely seeable. It is for one, simple yet terrifying reason.
This man is overflowing with mana. Pure, unbridled, controlled mana. The amount of mana colors in him, what I have deigned to call elemental mana, is insane. He should be dead. It's inconceivable to me. How. How? HOW.
I do not pay attention as the others speak, only do I look at this singular person. Trying, failing, to find a reason he is still alive.
Then I give up. Just like that.
If I cannot see it then there is knowledge I need in order to understand it. Knowledge I do not have.
Yet.
"How interesting."
I pause. I understood the words. How?
"Mana."
Can you read my mind?
"No."
Liar.
"It is the 'intent', it rolls off of you. I am speaking to you with a similar method, though refined."
How are you alive.
"I trained my resistance, I trained it for centuries."
What are you?
"I am a Mana Elf. A race blessed with the ability to sense Mana from the beginning, allowing us to understand from the start."
I see.
I look inwards, looking for what the possible 'intent' he spoke of could be. Then a thought occurs to me, and I seal my mana. I pull on it, finding it surprisingly easy to do so. Bringing it into the confines of my body and I then look at the man and smirk.
He laughs. Not a light chuckle or a short laugh. A deep belly laugh that continues for minutes until he calms down. The conversation between all of them continues but with the man speaking at times as well.
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Dragons are beautiful. That is the conclusion I have reached.
This beautiful being is able to see mana. This beautiful being is capable of learning faster than I, a genius of the Elves with mutational advantages.
Moreover, this beautiful being is smug! They're proud, arrogant! They are a being that takes pride in their ability to learn.
I bring myself back to the moment as the IMPERIAL SCUM speak again.
"Let us finalize the teaching plan then."
Nods all around.
"I shall begin, I, Ent-La'Ver will be in charge of teaching the Dragon the basics of Fire Elemental Magic."
"I, Tyrone Epilos shall teach the Dragon the basics of Wind Magic."
"I, Myl--"
It continues as the people say their names and what they will teach the Dragon. I shake my head lightly. How foolish. How short-sighted. The option is right in front of them all yet they do not say it.
"-teach the Dragon the basics of Transformation Magic."
I nod at that one. A good choice no doubt. While a Dragon is an insanely powerful being, in the end Humanoids have better ways of speaking due to our mouths having evolved for such a task. How ironic. Despite having evolved to speak to each other, communication is lacking between all.
"What will you do, Tel-Dep, Sage of Mana?"
I smile.
"I shall be the bodyguard of the Dragon until they explicitly say I am no longer needed."
The room goes cold.
Then comes the cursing.
"YOU SWINE!"
"TYRANNICAL FOUR ARMED BRAT!"
"Why didn't I think of that!?"
I embrace the... what?
I look over at the man consumed by annoyance.
He isn't racist towards me? That's a first. I'll have to have a conversation with that man later.
I embrace the curses as they wash over me, empower me as my mind glows.
Well, time to watch over the Beautiful Dragon! This is the best day of my life!