Ancestral Talks and Magical Exploration
Disclaimer: If you are stupid and think I own Tensura, then sorry to burst your bubble. I don't. If I did, then Tensura wouldn't have succeeded as much.
Summary: A human soul transmigrates into the body of a newborn snake with some strange skills. How would it fare in this world where people with strength like Gods roam freely? Surviving this mayhem should be its first concern.
Alright, I am taking a 2 week break after this chapter. For personal reasons. Though, don't worry, it won't be abandoned.
Edits in chapter 2: So in the second chapter, removed Tempest from Veldora's name. Apparently, Rimuru gave Veldora that name.
As I stood very close to the big black scaly creature, which I can only assume is a Dragon, only one thought passed through my head. I am a stupid reptilian, who is now gonna be the dinner of a bigger reptilian.
Great choice coming here, you stupid brain.
While I did have {Fear Resistance} that lowered my fear by a large amount, I was still a bit afraid of this Dragon. After all, Dragons were considered legendary creatures even in my world.
The only reason I was still alive was perhaps that I could see something holding him back. It was like someone had trapped it with translucent shackles and chains. Hey {Scholar}, while I am busy getting scared, can you analyse whatever that is?
[Answer: Affirmative.]
Now, just one question remains. What am I supposed to do?
I considered all the possible things I should be able to do.
Attacking the Dragon never crossed my mind, just its magicules were enough to suppress me. I can be a megalomaniac at times, but I am not that delusional.
Escaping was the most logical and limited option. The only exit plan that I came up with was to turn back and slither away at my top speed.
The only other was communicating and getting the Dragon to spare me. Despite how good it sounded, it was the most unrealistic of all the options availab-
'Welcome to my prison, young Snake. Don't worry, this Dragon couldn't have killed you even if this Dragon wanted to. This Dragon has no intention of harming you.' A wise and arrogant voice rang in my mind.
I froze upon hearing this voice. You have got to be shitting me. I used {Magic Sense} and sure enough, he was staring right at me.
…
…..
…….
Did I really just hear the Dragon speak in my mind?
[Answer: Affirmative]
It was a rhetorical question {Scholar}. You need to learn more about human(snake?) emotions.
'If I may ask, who are you?' I thought, in an attempt to communicate with the Dragon.
'This Dragon deems you worthy of knowing his name. I am Veldora, one of the True Dragons. But if this great one's musings are true, you probably wouldn't be very familiar with my kind. HAHAHA' Came the reply in the same haughty voice along with a boisterous laugh.
What did he mean by musings? Has he read my mind? What exactly is he? Fuck it, I am throwing all caution in the imaginary fire. This Dragon or 'True' Dragon or Veldora is restricted anyway.
'What do you mean by musings?' I asked without any care for courtesy.
'Quite bold of you to talk with this Dragon in such a manner. Don't forget in the end you're not-' He was saying something but stopped mid-way.
The reason? Probably because I had already turned around and was heading the same way I came from.
Since I know this guy doesn't pose any threat, I can just choose to walk away. Sure he could be a good source of information, but I ain't dealing with that behaviour.
'Please wait! Don't leave me alone here! It has been a long time since I talked to anybody. I wouldn't use that way of speaking again.' Came the desperate reply from Veldora.
As he was no longer gonna be… whatever that was, I think we can hold a civil conversation.
'Ok, so let me ask again. What did you mean by your musings?'
'I have been observing you for quite a while now, and seeing that you have sentience and intelligence, I theorised that you are a rare case of Otherworlder.'
'I am gonna go ahead and assume that 'Otherworlder' quite literally means someone from another world. Though, why is my case special?'
'Otherworlders are of four types. For example, "Summoned" are people who are summoned to the Central World through rituals and magic, generally by nations to bolster their power. Your case falls under the most rare category,' He was suddenly very open to giving me information, almost as if he was trying to hold me here. Though deciding to not interrupt him, I let him continue.
'If my guess is correct, then you are a "Transmigrant". They are individuals that are reborn as inhabitants of the Central World. Though all the cases that I know of had individuals that reincarnated as Humans. There hasn't been another case like yours, to my knowledge.' He finished his info dump by giving me a very curious look.
So apparently, I am very unique. Great. This has just made my life possibly harder, now I have a bigger target painted over my back. At least this one comes with the added benefit of being powerful from birth.
'Yeah, you're right. I am indeed a Transmigrant. I had died in my original world and was reincarnated here.' I said calmly, but hearing my response, Veldora started to laugh and praise himself. Again.
Just as I was wondering if inserting something sharp in his rectum would be easy or not, {Scholar} informed me of my query about the barrier.
[Notice: Skill {Infinity Prison} has been analysed.]
Oh, cool. Tell me the details about whatever is confining him here
[Answer: {Infinity Prison} traps the target inside of an infinitely large Imaginary Space for eternity and prevents any interaction between the inside and outside. It doesn't weaken over time and cannot be damaged by physical attacks. The skills of the target are sealed along with them.]
Holy shit! This guy must have done some crazy shit to be sealed in this kind of prison.
'How long have you been sealed here? And what kind of shit have you done to deserve this?'
After I said this, there was a bit of a silence but it was quickly broken by Veldora speaking. This time his 'voice' had a nostalgic tone.
'It has been almost 300 years since my imprisonment here. As for the reason? There were many.'
Damn, to mention three hundred years so casually.. this guy must be ancient as fuck. Also, that sounds sad. I don't know how a Dragon's mind works, but I am pretty sure a human would lose his marbles if they wereleft alone with no social contact for years.
'In my rage in the past, I had laid waste to an entire army of hundreds of thousands of humans that had come to conquer my resting place. Even after this, my rage hadn't been placated and I had turned to destroy a human settlement. But before I could do much damage, a Hero had sealed me with one of their Skills. They really were powerful,'
His voice started off boasting, but turned respectful at the end.
Despite expecting a big reason behind his sealing, I was surprised. The Dragon in front of me stood true to the legends of my world. The sheer power needed to do something of this scale must be ridiculous. This once again reinforced my belief about my strength being nothing in this world.
As for the moral implications behind this act, I was a bit affected. This much unneeded bloodshed was repugnant to me, but I understood that hating Veldora for something like this would be hypocritical. Who am I to judge an existence that is neither human nor a short-lived species.
'Are you scared of my power, young Snake? This is nothing! Before being sealed, I had performed many such feats. Hmph, I wasn't called the 'Storm Dragon' or 'Chaos Incarnate' for no reason. Also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I am an ancient Dragon, so I know a lot.' Came the booming prideful voice, successfully interrupting my thoughts.
Yeah.. this guy and violence aren't relatable at all. Feels more like a Tsundere? I think that was the term.
But this does present many opportunities. I can ask this guy questions about the world, something that I don't know about much.
'I am not scared of your power, you are sealed and can't do anything to me. Though I do have a question. What is a Hero?' I asked, curious if this has some relation with my Extra Skill: Hero.
'Heroes are the counterparts to Demon Lords, an existence that only those who have the blessing of an elemental of either light or darkness can obtain.'
'You lost me at Demon Lords, I have some knowledge about these, but all of it is from my previous world's legends and stories. Explain the details too, please.'
'Hmm, I have an alternate brilliant idea. I have a skill that lets me communicate complex thoughts very efficiently. I can just transfer the knowledge directly to you. Though, processing this much information can be taxing on your mind.' Veldora said after some pondering, and scratching his neck with his claws.
I am really starting to like this guy. Hey {Scholar}, would you make it so that the data is received and processed by you? Don't know about others, but I certainly don't want to get brain damage, if that's a possibility.
[Answer: Affirmative.]
Cool, my ever-reliant and social partner.
'Ok, send over the data please. Also, add all the things you think I should know, to not be perceived as a country bum.'
'Ah, I can easily do that. Though, this would increase the burden on your mind, are you sure about this?'
'Yeah, I have a skill that helps me process large amounts of data with relative ease' I provided him with a bit of knowledge about my skill. I am not completely trusting him, but I don't think this guy has any intentions or reasons to harm me.
Just to be sure, I had already asked {Scholar} to try its best to protect me and warn me of any perceived threat. So, technically there shouldn't be any problems with letting him in my mind.
'Prepare yourself..' His face looked a little bit more serious, but I don't think I would be able to unsee the other face I have seen him make. 'It's finished.'
[Notice: Data received from the existence, Veldora.]
Oh, I thought this would take a long time. {Scholar} store that data for now, I would ask for it later.
[Answer: Affirmative.]
So now that I have the information regarding the basics of this world, I wouldn't be seen as someone without common sense in this world.
I was right in placing my trust in this big bad, ancient city destroying Dragon in the end. Just as this was going on, I had a weird thought.
'Hey Veldora, I am a Tempest Snake and you're "The Storm Dragon". Are we somehow related?' I asked in amusement.
He didn't respond for a while, and there was silence for a while, but eventually he burst out laughing.
'You have quite the mind, my friend. You're partly right too. You were created by the magicules that I radiate, so I can be called your magical Father' Came the surprising response from Veldora.
This guy? As a Father? I don't think my life can get any weirder than this. For some reason, I hoped to never find out, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine at that thought. Yup, I am ignoring that for the sake of my sanity.
After this, I was totally relaxed around Veldora. We talked for what felt like hours. I don't even know how much time has passed since I have found myself in this cave.
We talked about a lot of things, like my past life and Veldora's past stories too. I especially liked the ones in which his pride got shattered by his sisters.
Whenever he talked about a term that I wasn't familiar with, {Scholar} explained it to me. Since I used {Thought Acceleration} to talk with {Scholar}, the flow of the stories was never ruined.
I have come to understand Veldora better in this time and I understood one thing about him. He is really double-faced. He says something and means something else entirely. Truly shameless.
Aside from all that, he is a very easy guy to get along with. You just need to see past his boisterous personality and prideful demeanour.
'We have been talking for a long time now, Carlos. I am honestly grateful to you for relieving my boredom. This has been the most content I have felt in the last 300 years. Say, do you want to get a name?'
I thought about this for a while before replying.
'Carlos was the name I had in my past life. Honestly, I don't want to associate myself with my past life. I would prefer having a new name in this world. Probably something cool like Azridan.'
'If that's your wish, I can grant you a new name, but you need to name me too to make sure that this is a naming of equals. As I have told you, names are akin to a divine protection in this world. Currently, you're nameless, but after I give you a name, you will get a boost in your magicules and will be under my protection.'
I didn't even need to consider that. I have already learnt how much importance a name holds in this world. Veldora is a True Dragon, a being that the world fears. If I get named by him, I am definitely gonna get stronger.
'Sure, that sounds cool. I name you.. Veldora.' I said excitedly.
'HAHAHAH, that works too. I acknowledge you as an equal, Azridan. From here on, you and I are brothers! HAHAHAHAHAHA' Veldora transformed into a laughing maniac after proclaiming me as his brother.
Just as I was gonna reply with a jab about how he is now my brother despite being my 'father', I felt something strange. It was a very strange feeling but I felt like my mind became clearer and more attentive. It was like waking up after a good sleep, I felt refreshed.
[Notice: The Host's Magicule capacity has increased. Host has become a Named Monster.]
Huh, that felt very good. It was the biggest increase in magicules I had experienced till now. I feel like my capacity has been increased to five times the original. Now if only I could learn magic-
'Quick question Veldora, do you know anything about magic?'
The Tsundere Dragon was still laughing when I asked this question but halted his celebrations upon hearing it. He used his hand to stroke his imaginary beard, and put his other hand behind his back.
'Magic? Yeah, I suppose. I never really bothered learning any other Magic, except Flight Magic, as I was born with an innate Magic. Normally, no one but me should be able to use Storm Magic but as you're under my divine protection, you should be able to use it too. Do you want to learn my brilliant magic, little brother?' Came the cartoonishly comedic 'wise' voice of Veldora.
I almost wanted to laugh. Ok, I am laughing right now. Though, Veldora's Magic is bound to be strong. Getting access to it so early on feels like cheating but I need to survive, so anything goes.
'I would appreciate it, if Your Majesty could do that.' I said in a mocking tone. At least I hope that sounded mocking. We have been talking with our thoughts the whole time, but seeing how I was able to sense emotions in Veldora's voice, he should sense mine too.
'Be prepared, my friend! You're going to learn the Magic of The Storm Dragon.'
Veldora used his skill again, and this time the process seemed to take longer.
[Notice: Host is receiving data from the existence, Veldora. Data is being processed.]
[Notice: The Data has been processed.]
Huh? Shouldn't I get some Magical Spells from it? What's going on, {Scholar}?
[Answer: Insufficient data to acquire the Magic Spells. Unique Skill: Scholar need to observe the Spell being used to acquire the spell.]
Ahh, is that so? Ok. Time returned to its original pace after my conversation with {Scholar} was over.
'So now that this is done, I am going to perform the spells, so you can learn them. Don't worry this is a very time-consuming process, it can take you literal years to completely master these spells. After all, they belong to me. HAHAHAHAHA'
Hearing his annoying voice in my head, I felt my veins bulge.
'Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!'
'Where would be the fun in that? Anyway, let's start with one of my signature Magic art. It's called "Black Flame", it's a higher version of Flame Transformation created by me. It allows me to convert my internal magicules into superheated flames. After conjuring them, I can freely manipulate those flames as I see fit.' He continued while skillfully ignoring my annoyance.
'While in normal conditions, I would have demonstrated this at its full power. Unfortunately, the barrier doesn't allow me to do that. I can just do a very underpowered version of this. But that should be enough for you. Now, watch carefully.'
{Scholar}, make sure to observe this carefully.
[Answer: Affirmative.]
After finishing his explanation, he opened his maw, revealing his sharp teeth. As I had tasked {Scholar} with observing this, I didn't have any limitations on my use of {Magic Sense}, that's why I was able to see the concentration of magicules increase around his mouth, even though it wasn't by much.
Out of it came the expected black coloured flames. What was unexpected was the fact that they fizzled out as soon as they formed. I was worried that this wouldn't be enough data for {Scholar}, but I was happily wrong.
[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Black Flame acquired.]
Heh, this is my first spell. I didn't even have to work for it. Just as I was celebrating learning my first spell, Veldora interrupted my fun.
'Don't worry, my friend. I don't expect you to be able to even begin comprehending my spell. HAHAHAHA. But I am confident that you would eventually get the basics of it in some month-' His smug and arrogant voice was annoying my non-existent ears.
To shut him up, I decided to try my new skill out. The magicules gathered in my mouth, but I made sure to limit the output because I didn't want to use too much power.
As I opened my mouth, scorching black flames came out of it and striked at the nearby Magic Ore and melted through it with ease.
Veldora looked stupefied at my unexpected display of magical might. All of his smugness was drained and only shock remained on his face. It felt awfully good seeing him like that.
'W-What?! How did you learn it by just observing it once?!'
'Oh! I must have forgotten to mention that I have a skill that lets me analyse Magic and learn spells instantly! My bad, sorry~' I sent him my reply with a faux-innocent tone.
'You have a skill that lets you do what?!'
…
[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Dark Lightning Acquired.]
…
[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Death Heralding Wind Acquired.]
…
[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Storm of Destruction Acquired.]
…
[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Ruin Tempest Acquired.]
…
[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Thunderstorm Acquired.]
…
[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Storm Blast Acquired.]
'I am really starting to hate this outrageous skill of yours.' Veldora could do nothing as he was stripped of his "hard work" by me.
Positive reviews and valid criticism is always appreciated.
Go support me on my p47Re0n. It would motivate me to write faster.
Here's my p47Re0n: P47Re0n.c0m/AzathrasSalvation