Hello guys, the Opulent Neckbeard here, and this may or may not be a One-shot depending on the situations and demand, if people wanna see more, then I will make this into a full fledged story. It was more or less an idea that sprung to mind recently after reading other stories.
Anywho, enjoy.
Chapter 1: Entering Melromarc
(Elder's Recess)
Consciousness, it was something I held for a brief amount of time in my life. Able to make my own decisions and choices in what I did. What could have been seen as freedom was cut short for this lone Elder. Known by humanity as the Dark Light Dragon, they saw me as merely a nuisance to their motives and goals, and had to be dealt with.
The majority of my life was spent in a crystalline cocoon, passively feeding off of the bioenergy of weaker Elders when they passed on. Little did I know that I was irreversibly damage the very place I called home, which is what I found out all too late. They attacked me at my most vulnerable. I did put up a valiant effort, but it was ultimately my lack of experience with my own body that lead to my downfall.
If there was anything I wanted to say, it would be that I should have known about the possible risks of feeding off the planet like I did. If I had known, then I would have moved to a more active volcanic area. That way only those that lived there were effected less than where I was.
However, my time in the Void has been somewhat fruitful as the time I spent there has given me clarity in my actions, and I dare not repeat what actions I took last time for my own safety, and the world's as well.
That's when a miracle happened for me… one that would change my life forever.
(???)
"We did it!! We summoned the Cardinal Heroes!!" a young priest exclaimed with an excited tone as the ritual began to cool down. Along with the various priests, 5 individuals appeared from the smoke, coughing slightly and waving it away.
"Cardinal Heroes of Legend, please save our world!" another priest said, the group gathering their bearings to looks around them.
"Where the hell are we?" one asked, the others showing equal amounts of confusion.
"Everything will be explained shortly, but you have been selected to save the world, which titers on the verge of destruction. We beg of you for your aid in saving it." The first priest bowed in front of the Heroes. They look at each other for a moment, before one spoke.
"Forget it." The one with a sword spoke.
"You can send us back home, right? If so, then we can talk." A kid with a bow then said.
"We were brought here without consent. Don't you feel the least bit guilty?" the sword boy asked.
"How will you accommodate us? Also who is to say that we don't end up as enemies?" a blond with a spear then asked. That's when what looked like the leader of them spoke.
"Before we continue, we wish you to have an audience with the king, so please follow us." The Head Priest said, the Heroes following suit after some grumbling.
It was then I encountered my first problem. While I didn't know if I could speak, as soon as I moved forward, I started to fall, only to be caught by the only other who didn't speak, mostly because he was more nervous than anything.
"Are you okay? You seem a bit more disoriented than us. Allow me to help you out." He said with a polite tone, one I've never heard in my short life of consciousness. I did my best to accept his help, though I was very wobbly. Why was I like this suddenly? Did my nervous system not get healed?
It was a slow trek as a couple priests came to aid as well at the behest of the king. They sat me down on a bench of sorts, which I had to admit was comfortable, making me smile a little bit. It was then the King introduced himself as Aultcray Melromarc the 32nd. He had the Heroes then introduce themselves, but I couldn't help but notice something was off. It all seemed like it was prepared too well.
"Ren Amaki, 16, a high school student." The one with the sword said, though I knew not what a High School was, or any school for that matter.
"I am Motoyasu Kitamura, age 21, and a College Student." The blond spearman introduced. I didn't know what College was either, but Students seem to the common trait so far.
"I suppose I'm next… Itsuki Kawasumi, 17, a high school student." The bowkid said. I want to know what a student was now…
"I am-" the last one was about to introduce himself before the king interrupted him, going on as if he didn't exist.
While unfamiliar with this body since I took a quick glance at it, I could still feel my strength there. Using a small fraction of it, I managed to make a small bit of Dragon Energy form, and pushed it towards the King. It looked like a small white ball that when it touched his robes, it popped like a balloon. The whole room looked at me since some saw it. I then pointed to the spikey haired guy with the shield.
"Oh, apologies little one. Introduce yourself, Sir Shield." The king said, saying it off as if he was senile.
"Thank you. I am Naofumi Iwatani, 20 years old, a College Student like Motoyasu." The shielder said, glad that someone had his back.
Things proceeded as normal about a prophecy that brought nothing but destruction in certain intervals of time, and the heroes were the only ones who can muster the strength to fend them off. The King also mentioned something about a Dragon something, which perked my attention immediately.
"U-uumm…." My voice sounded horrid when I tried, much like my roar now that I thought of it. A priest was kind enough to give me some water to drink, which I did. It certainly helped at clearing my voice. "A Dragon what?" my words were slow and methodical, doing my best to make it understandable.
"Yes, the Dragons Hourglass. It's a device we use to determine when the next Wave of Calamity strikes. The heroes who sync up to it will be teleported to an area dictated by the Hourglass when the timer hits zero." The king said, a slight smile on his face. "And what is your name, young one?"
"I…. Don't know…" I said, thinking about if I should use my given name from humanity, or make one up. Maybe telling them the truth might help. "I am.. an Elder Dragon…. Humans called me Xeno'jiiva I think. Have only met them once before coming here." I said, and I got a mixed reception on what I said. Some were shocked to hear that, others didn't appear to believe me, especially the Redheaded girl near the King.
"That's impossible. Dragons are massive beasts that live away from civilization, laying waste to those who get close." The woman openly mocked, making me look down at my legs, my fists tightening a bit.
"Please don't remind me, miss." While I didn't notice it, the others noticed my hair was shifting colors to a red hue, one that appeared when I became enraged in my birth form. Seems it translates to the hair on my head in this case. "I am painfully aware of what I have done before arriving like this…"
That shut the girl up real fast, as she recoiled from my words. She probably expected to make me look stupid, but I was then comforted by Naofumi when he approached me. For some reason, I feel comfortable around him, not in an admiration kind of way, but he feels like what humans would call a big brother. The other Heroes checked on me as well since it seemed like the big topic was finished.
"Enjoy the rest of the day, Heroes and Dragon. Tomorrow your adventures start, and we will provide you with a payment and companions for your parties." The King said, retiring to his private quarters, followed by the redhead who took one last look at me, and mocked pity.
We were then escorted to a room that had a decent amount of what Humans called food. I was feeling a little hungry, so I tried things around for a little bit, doing my best to follow the examples of the other Heroes there. While I only needed bioenergy to survive, the humans food wasn't too bad, well suited to this form. I will probably consider eating food when I have the chance, and if I am along or on a long trip, using bioenergy siphons should work.
"Hey kid." The blond caught my attention, Motoyasu I think it was. "You never took your hood off, it's been blocking your face for a while." He said, with a smile. I wasn't paying attention to their previous conversation since I was so drowned in my food.
"My hood? You mean this thing over my head?" I asked slowly in response, still not used to speaking. I was able to understand and respond as if was somewhat natural, but I did find it a little odd that I could understand then in the first place. Regardless of that, I lowered my hood, and I got a few looks of surprise and wonder. "Is something wrong?"
"No, it's just we haven't seen a real life humanoid dragon before. To be completely fair, you look rather adorable." Motoyasu said, and I sort of stopped any train of thought for a moment due to the compliment. I didn't know what I looked like in this form, but I needed to find out soon, that was for sure. I did get a couple of chuckles later about my reaction. Apparently my face was red for a little bit.
"I don't know what I look like… never had the chance to." I said with a light tone, and Motoyasu was more than happy to help. He guided me to a mirror in the room so that I can see what I looked like.
Looking at my reflection, I see what looked to be somewhere between a child and adult, not quite fully grown to an extent. That made sense considering I was still young in Elder Years. My face appeared soft with a light tan complexion. I was a little bit darker in tone than the rest, but not compared to the human that bested me. Light blue hair with red at the base was cut somewhat short, approximately shoulder length. My orange eyes remained, though with this body, they were rather large in comparison to me dragon form previously. Two horns poked out like my dragon form though, each having an additional sensory organ on then. I don't think they're on since nothing felt odd with my vision. Motoyasu mentioned he was around 6 feet tall, and by comparing myself to that, they said I was in the mid to high 4 foot area.
As for what I assumed were clothes, it consisted of the hood, which also doubled as a small shroud over my shoulders resembling wings… my wings. A light blue top of sorts with an orange band over my left arm. Looking at it, I see a symbol that looked like my dragon form, but with a simplistic color pallet. There were also red accents on the top area. Underneath that, I felt something snug, looking at it was a black, stretchy substance. I asked what it was, and they said it was akin to a material called spandex. It was comfortable, so I won't complain.
Below the top area had more of what looked like my original body, this time the membranes of my tail, which was absent in this form, sadly. It was the most common way of getting bioenergy from the ground while I was sleeping. Underneath, there was a short, black something, and the material was dense. It reached down to almost my knees. Apparently these are shorts. A little bit of skin was exposed before the footwear I had on took over from below the knee area. They were mainly black, with blue accents, and a miniature form of the membranes hanging off to the sides. It looked natural to say the least, and I was okay with that.
The Heroes that were watching then continued their discussion on whatever it was before the one with the Shield, Naofumi looked over to me, and asked about my previous world.
"I…. Don't have much to say. I spent a very short time conscious before being defeated by a human. I am not mad at them as I understood that I was an unintentional threat where I nested. That Redhead from earlier didn't seem to nice about things when she brought it up." I said, my tone somewhat low as my expression became vacant.
"Oh, I'm sorry to bring up bad memories." Naofumi apologized immediately.
"Yea, it must have sucked, but you're not holding any grudges or anything, so you are okay with us." Motoyasu said after. This cheered me up a little bit.
"So what now? While you seem to retain your dragon strength, what are you going to do?" Itsuki then asked.
"I want to correct the wrong I have done in my past life. I unknowingly threatened the very planet I lived on by being greedy about what I did. Looking back, while yes, it was for survival, I took that chance away from others." I said, thinking about my words a little more. "I would like to be a hero as well."
"That is rather noble of you, but if you want to be a hero, you will need a name, would you not?" Ren asked, the others agreeing.
"A name? Humans called me Xeno'jiiva, but doesn't sound like that would work…. Hmmm." I was in thought for a while thinking of a name. That was when Motoyasu suggested one.
"Why not Zofie, and use Jiiva as a surname?" he asked. Rolling it in my mouth a few times, I immediately grew to like it.
"That sounds like it would work, what about you?" Naofumi asked me.
"I… like it. I will accept the name Zofie Jiiva." I said, smiling again to the Heroes. Naofumi pats my head, causing me to make an odd sound, causing my face to turn red again, and the Heroes to laugh.
It wasn't long after the food was gone, theories were thrown around about the weapons, and my abilities before we headed to bed. They wanted to see if I could unlock a weapon form, and by using some of my dragon energy, I think I did as the three weapons changed in a way to look like parts of me were making their forms work. Turns out they were too strong to be currently used too, something about hitting Level 60 when they could use a certain rarity it classified as.
I thought it was a nice day to end it off on. My first day in a new world, and I'm already learning so much. I hope that things will continue like this…
(The next morning)
I was the first to wake, feeling what humans called 'groggy.' While my normal eyes got adjusted to the sunlight, it seems that my sensory organs were working, seeing things in a different array of colors before my regular vision cleared. It felt weird, but in all fairness, I was used to it. Not long after, the other Heroes woke, and we went off to enjoy some breakfast.
I picked out an assortment, my plate being almost twice as big as the others, which lead to some light joking about gluttony at my expense. There was plenty of food there for us, so I thought it would be an okay idea to get my fill before heading to the Throne room…
This body however disagreed with that amount of food as I felt heavier than a crystal stalagmite. My belly was sore, my movements were lethargic, I felt like a mess. Luckily Motoyasu and Naofumi helped me out in getting there. In the room besides the King and Redhead were several other people who wore armor, or had robes. I guess those were the companions the King promised yesterday.
"Heroes, and our little Dragon, we have assembled the best this nation has to offer. Please choose who you want to travel with." The King said, his tone rather polite, but I felt something was off again.
It was made evident when I noticed 5 people lined up behind Ren and Motoyasu, 3 behind Itsuki, and none behind Naofumi. That was when I raised my hand.
"I would like to join Naofumi's party, King." I said, getting a glare from the redhead.
"Why would you want to join his party, kid? Aren't you too young for saving the world?" she mocked again before Motoyasu nudged her to stop.
"I am centuries old, miss. You have also been very rude to me when the King and Heroes have been very kind." I said, my eyes looking into the girl's, who shuddered slightly at my gaze. She then regained her composure before also offering to join the party.
The king allowed this, and gave each of the Heroes 600 silver coins, while Naofumi got 800 for extra recruitment. After that we set off, where the redhead gave Naofumi and I a tour of the city. I held onto the money pouch though as I didn't trust her with it. It didn't take us long to be introduced with some people, namely a lady with a large had, and a friendly face, some people with what I can only assume would be a group of sorts. All of those people had a strange symbol on their clothes. Redhead mentioned something about the Church of Three Heroes being the main religion in Melromarc.
"Why only three Heroes, and not all four?" I asked, having hidden the bag of silver from the Redhead's sight so she didn't know where I hid it.
"I don't know why exactly, but the Church seems to have it out for the Shield Hero by not including them." She said before something caught my attention. On the surface, it looked like some sort of circus tent with dulled colors, maybe due to weather taking its toll on it. Outside was a short man with a mustache and a businessman like attire.
"What is that place there?" I then asked as my eyes were trying to see what was inside.
"That's a slave trader's tent, but we're above having slaves, right?" the redhead said with a smile.
"What is Slavery?" I simply asked. "I can't see clearly in there, but I feel something is very wrong there."
"It's…. Don't worry too much about it, kid. It isn't something you should know about." The redhead dismissed my concerns for the most part. I didn't feel happy about that. Neither did Naofumi.
"Slavery was banned in my world, and for good reason… No one should own another person for any reason." Naofumi said, and my eyes darted to the tent, my hair starting to shift slightly to a more reddish hue.
"It's not your world, so why does it bother you?" the redhead asked, still dismissive about it. I then turn to look at the redhead, my expression nothing short of furious.
"I think we should split up for the time being, Myne… Last thing we need is a dragon on a rampage." Naofumi interfered, placing a hand on my shoulder, which calmed me down a bit.
"Okay… Meet up at dinnertime? I know of a great Inn nearby." She suggested after a pout.
"That's fine with me, what about you Zofie?" Naofumi asked.
"Yes…" I said, pulling Naofumi with me since I didn't want to be near the redhead, or Myne if that is her name. The first spot we went to after was a weapons shop. Inside was a man who was kind of large, but had no hair on his head. He looked friendly enough.
"Hello you two, I'm Erhard, how may I help you?" the man introduced himself.
"Ahh, could you hit us up with some armor and weapons, we're new here." Naofumi said, a little more nervous around the stranger.
"Sure thing, what's your budget?" Erhard asked with a kind smile. I like him already.
"What do you think, Zofie? You have the pouch after all." Naofumi asked as I looked at it. "We have 800 silver in total, so would 400 work?"
"I don't mind, it is your money, Shield Hero." I said, handing him the pouch, this caught Erhard's attention.
"If you're the Shield Hero, I can give you a free weapon on the house." Erhard smiled more, elated to hear about his status. "And 400 Silver will get you both good armor and starting weapons, so feel free to pick out something you like." He then said as the both of us looked around. I wasn't interested in any weapons really since I can still use my Dragon Energy, but perhaps implanting some of my energy into something can make it more suitable for me.
"Sir, can I try something out with a weapon?" I asked politely, tilting my head in curiosity of the prospect.
"Sure thing, what would you like to use?" Erhard asked, more than willing to comply.
"These two blades right here." I pointed to the pair that looked like they're going to fall apart if swung too hard.
"Go for it, kiddo." Erhard said, handing me the two blades while Naofumi decided on a custom set that would have to wait until the next day. Something about Barbarians.
Concentrating my Dragon Energy, my hands begin to emit a pale blue flame that slowly enveloped the worn and rather useless blades. This process lasted for a few minutes, both Erhard and Naofumi watching intently. The glow eventually fades, revealing a pair of what my world called Dual Blades, I didn't know what the specific name was, but they looked like what I would imagine ones made from me would. I looked to Erhard, who had something to look at them with.
"Holy crap… I don't know what you did, but these are really powerful now…." Erhard said as he looked through what looked like a magnifying glass. "These are easily worth 10 gold each."
Naofumi simply looked at me with wide eyes. "Just like you did with the Cardinal Weapons… What can't you do, Zofie?" The shielder asked, my expression beaming at the compliment.
"May I keep these for the free weapon, Sir?" I then asked, my smile only growing more.
"Sure thing so long as you let me handle your weapons and armor." Erhard said as I looked to Naofumi.
"Deal. We will be back tomorrow for the armor as it doesn't look like Zofie here needs anything now." Naofumi said as he paid the 400 silver for everything for his armor.
"You two have fun, and best of luck in the future, I'm rooting for you." Erhard said, us leaving soon after. It looked to be around sunset, so that should mean dinner if I remembered yesterday correctly.
"Should we head to the inn, Naofumi?" I asked, and he nodded, saying he was getting hungry. We both head to the Inn not long after.
The Redhead reserved a table for us, which was the nicest thing she has done since I arrived here, and let us order in peace. There was a bit of small talk that I only spoke when it was relevant, trying my best not to be mad at the Redhead. The food was nice though, can't say the same for the thing they called Wine. It was gross, and it burned my mouth slightly. After One sip, I gave it back to the redhead, shaking my head.
After Dinner, Naofumi and I went to our room, and fell asleep. I kept the money pouch in my hood so that we don't get robbed. Luckily we didn't, but were rudely awoken by some guards the next morning.
"Shield Hero, you are to be summoned at the Kings Throne immediately!! Please come with us!!" one guard said through the door. Naofumi, though confused, got dressed and stepped outside where I was making sure the guards didn't do anything funny. The Dual Blades were in my hands, one blocking the doorway.
We were escorted to the Throne, and whatever happened, I smelt the deceit running rampant. The redhead was crying behind Motoyasu as the other Heroes were yelling at Naofumi. This angered me since I have been with the Heroes the most, and they were nice people. I could only think that the Redhead was behind this.
"Miss Myne…." My voice growled, my hair glowing red through my hood. "Why are the Heroes against eachother?" I was furious with the Redhead, and she knew it as her eyes widened in fear. The whole room was frozen in fear as they must have felt my anger.
"I…. I….." the redhead was too scared to rebuttal my question.
"Miss Zofie, you were there with the Shield Hero, were you not?" the King meekly asked after regaining some composure.
"I was…" my tone was cold, staring at the Redhead with barely contained malice.
"Did he get drunk and attack Myne here?" he then asked.
"No, he refused to drink…" I said my anger only growing as my teeth were grinding against each other.
"…. I see… I apologize for the mistake, Miss Zofie." The King said, knowing better than to piss off a dragon such as myself. He is alright, but I don't trust him now.
"DON'T LESTEN TO HER!! SHE WAS BRAINWASHED BY THE SHIELD HERO!!!" the redhead said with her tone full of terror. That's when I approached her, both blades out. I stopped them just short of her throat since no one could muster the strength to fight back.
"You will stop your attempts at ruining my friends reputation, and turning everyone against each other. I hate you for who you are, and I want to kill you. The only reason I am not is because I am trying my hardest to redeem myself… You make that very hard for me." I said quietly enough for only the Redhead to hear before she passed out from the stress.
Satisfied I said what I had to, I walked over to the King, and apologized for my actions. I then explained things from my perspective, followed by a warning that if Redhead tried anything against the Heroes, that I will kill her. No ifs, ands, or buts. He agreed knowing we were the last hope for humanity, but he was very hesitant on it after he told me it was his oldest daughter.
Once things were cleared up, I went over to the Heroes, and hugged each of them, glad they were at least okay, and a way to calm down. I doubt that this will be the last time we see Redhead try something, but at least for now she won't do anything.
I just hope that I am doing things right…. I would be sad if all I am doing is painting a target on my back…
And that is the First chapter done! And to explain the context of this, the character is the Xeno'jiiva we defeated in the base game of Monster Hunter World, Isekai'd, and humanized (sort of, it will be explained later.) Her adaptability stems from how Xeno'jiiva improves in combat as we continue the fight, so she gets used to her human body rather quickly. Her human form also allows her to feel emotions better, hence why she is so guilt ridden by what she has done while in a cocoon, and why she got as mad as she did towards Malty specifically.
As for power scaling, she is approximately level 75, so hardly anything in Melromarc can even harm her seriously. It is possible that she can break past Level 100 with a special item that will pop up if I am to continue this story.
As for the other Heroes, they got the 8 rarity versions of the Xeno Bow, Insect Glaive, Long Sword, and Sword and Shield. Zofie herself has the Xeno Dual Blades since she can use her Dragon Energy, and put them into things like how the Jiiva line can make the ground explode by overflowing it with bioenergy.
I dunno what to say now asides from leaving reviews, I may try and continue this of there is demand for it. Until then, Opulent one out!!