Ascent of a Dragon

Through the eyes of a baffled spider

Okay this isn't normal... You don't just near double in size overnight! Lyla watches dumbfounded as the dragon struggles to squeeze out from the nook they slept in. Can I even help? I don't think I could even drag it anymore if I needed to... Bark splinters and cracks as the dragon pushes through. With a hard stomp the wood gives way, shattering as the dragon stumbles forward. Where an ordinary tree would fall, bereft of solid footing, this one stands strong. The missing foundations made up for by its upper roots, it only leaves a slight creaking sound. It won't fall. Probably.

Shaking off the dust and splinters, the dragon steps forward, meeting Lyla's eyes. "Fight!" Huh? "Fight?" "Yes, fight!" "No! I'm not food! Um... Lyla no food!" The dragon shakes its head. "No food. Fight!" "You mean spar?" "Spar? Yes, spar!" Is this my dragon's training arc or something? Why me though? 'Cause I'm such an amazing language teacher? Wait... Doesn't that make me the cool sentei... tensei? What was that word again? Either way it means I'm cool right? Taking her giggling as a confirmation, the dragon hops back, taking a stance.

"Wait! No, not yet. Later. Food first." The dragon slumps to the ground with a frustrated thud of its tail. Oh don't pout with me. I don't have crazy weird dragon stamina like you, so I need to actually eat at regular intervals. Lyla hops atop her pouting perch. "Onward! To food!" Amazing how fast it learns. Only started teaching yesterday and already we're holding rudimentary conversations! Must be my amazing teaching skills! By the end of this eightday I expect it'll be able to sing! Wait... is it rude to say 'it'? Does it... Do they even have a concept of gendered pronouns in their native language? Hm...

Through the eyes of a pouting dragon

We could at least have a little spar... I really wanted to practice some techniques... And here I thought I was the overeater. And did Lyly get smaller? Must be seeing things. Language is easy enough though. It's actually quite similar to a few I know. Maybe I've been to this world before? Hard to say. I don't recognise this cave at least. Forgot this was a cave actually, with all the trees around us. Hm, I wonder if there's anything good above the canopy. Aleph latches to a large tree, the bark straining against her weight as she claws her way up.

My upgrades have gone really well for what I have available. Can't change my DNA, so everything is still very hands on, and falling unconscious could actually prevent me from healing properly. But I'm sure that Occam's gun... no, Checkov's razor? I feel like I'm really disappointing someone right now... Oh well, with three layers of scales, extra-condensed muscles, and an actual Aether channelling system I'm sure that'll never happen anyway.

Tiny bubbles of Aether dance around her limbs, her claws glowing violet as she sinks them into the bark and weaves through the canopy. Layers and layers of greenery pass by as she scrambles upward. Halfway through she pauses, her attention caught by the golden glow of a small orb floating within a gap between the trees. These must be where those lights come from. I can feel Aether in it, but... It barely responds to my will. It must already be infused. Someone made these and put them all here... My money's on shadow guy. If I had money...

Aleph crawls her way across the branches, approaching the orb. The trees being thinner than those of the forest above, and Aleph being bigger, makes the task increasingly difficult as she clings to the drooping twigs. Making her way to hang from the branches above the orb, she pokes an exploratory tail towards it. Sizzle. "Ow!" She winces, now bereft an inch of tail and glaring daggers at the rude burn ball.

Lyly, being the perfectly sensible and reasonable spider she is, decides to hop from her perch and directly onto the sizzling death sphere, where she snuggles into its warm embrace. Show-off... Being such a kind and sympathetic arachnid, Lyly waves the dragon down with an evil, spidery grin, offering to join her where the temperature is 'just right'. Being a several lifetime old, mature adult, Aleph promptly flicks the devilish fuzzball from her comfy sauna, losing another inch from the totally not petty response. "Wehehehe."

With a couple chittery obscenities added to Aleph's vocabulary, the pair once again resume their upward scramble. Reaching the top of the canopy, they meet the gaze of a dozen of their wide-eyed, furry observers clinging to the trunks and upper roots, who immediately begin panicking upon being spotted. Aleph and Lyly watch dumbfounded as they bicker and yell, probably blaming each other for being spotted.

"Huu!" "Hu'haa?" "Heheehee!" "Wuhu!" They howl.

"Hoo?" Aleph replies.

"""Hoh!""" They all yell in unison, momentarily stunned by the unexpected interlude, before darting off into the canopy below.

Those things are kinda fun. And feel a little nostalgic. Wonder why... Looking around, the pair take in the sight of the now inverted forest. Trees burrow their roots into the ceiling above, surrounded by hanging vines and foliage-like plants. Clumps of moss dangle from the stone between the plants, soaking the ceiling in green. Ivory clings to the trunks, spiralling down and joining the thick canopy.

Aleph hops between the densely packed trunks, searching for anything edible. Claws scrape against bark and dig into hollows. She flares her Aether, focuses her hearing, and even tries sniffing for scents to no avail. Finding nothing in the upper canopy, they return to the jungle below where they can walk. What's going on? We were finding so much stuff until today! Reaching the ground, they chase after critters and stalk after larger prey.

Yet all large animals flee the moment they step within hearing, and all small critters prove too agile and wary to catch. Eventually just settling with a bundle of fruit, the pair decide to take a break. Lyly sets up another web, hoping their luck will change after a short wait. For several hours the pair occupy themselves with language lessons and playing small games. Aleph uses her tail, already having healed, to chase the tiny spider around as Lyly tries to trick the dragon into flicking herself with said tail. Occasionally successfully.

Nothing catches in the net, even the monkeys, despite one falling from the trees above and planting its face in the ground directly next to the web, then immediately scurrying away in what must have been a mix of shock and embarrassment. "No food..." Aleph astutely points out after hours of waiting.

Through the eyes of a hungry spider

You know... I might be getting an idea about why we're catching no food. Not to point out the three metre tall dragon in the room... But it might be the three metre tall dragon in the room! "You're too big!" "I'm perfect." Well they do say confidence is key. But not this time! Okay, think. What can we do here?

Lyla lays down to ponder, ignoring the playful scritches of the dragon's tail on her head. We could split up? Everything here seems to be afraid of the dragon, who still needs a nickname... It's as if they've taken the place of that tiger from yesterday, and for some reason they tend to think I'm prey. They're wrong, but it works for me since the food just comes straight to me. What else? I could set up more webs in a larger area? More maintenance, but I don't really need a ton of food so I can take them down pretty quickly after. I could also just hide the dragon... Worth a try.

Lyla's mind wanders, searching for any potential solution to her conundrum. I could just do all three and hope one works. Actually yea! Let's do that! I'll make more webs, hide the dragon, then leave them to deal with any food we catch while I go hunt! I'm such a genius! Lyla puffs her abdomen, standing up and preparing a thread. Thwang! Squawk! Oh fuck off. Actually, don't! I'm starving!

Lyla skitters over to her catch, another of the grey eagles they first caught, squawking and flailing just as much as the last. Swiftly killing and unbinding it, she carves out a chunk and sets to feverously nibbling away. Finally! Meat! I know it hasn't been that long since the tiger, but still. I was getting worried there! After my last attempt at a vegan diet... Yea, let's just not go there.

Finishing her meal, Lyla looks up to meet the eyes of an eager dragon, having already finished their portion, tail wagging behind like an excited puppy. "No sparring yet. I just ate!" "Boooo! Fuck! Nugget?" The dragon pouts, lightly slamming their tail behind them. Who taught you those words?! Oh right... me. Well, time to do the responsible thing and not bother correcting anything. This surely won't turn out poorly.

Why the fixation on a spar anyway? Do you really need to get stronger that badly? I mean... it's already been established that neither of us can actually hurt each other... So we wouldn't need to hold back at all... Hm, this could actually be kinda fun! Now I'm getting excited!

Long ago, in the time before the gods waged war, there was a tribe of beasts who ruled the great plateaus of Aoleu'lothas. The golden fur of their greatest warriors was said to outshine that of the suns, and their tremendous skill in combat fuelled their renown. Even the ancients themselves are known to revere the strength they once possessed. However with their great strength, bore the ire of their contemporaries.

Empires ruled by greedy kings sought the source of their strength for themselves, believing it to be sourced as a boon from the land itself. Yet no single empire had the strength to best them. No army could match their might. No soldier could match their warriors. Consumed by avarice, the surrounding empires united, yet even their combined strength faltered against the beast tribe's might. Decades wore on to centuries as kingdom after kingdom waged battle against the tribe.

Weary of this constant war, the king of the beasts stood tall and declared to his gods, "Hear me! My people suffer under the tyranny of our neighbours! Grant them a safe asylum and I shall repay with everything I have!" What he had to offer the gods is still unknown to this day. But his words, they did acknowledge. The plateaus were pulled into the earth, leaving them half the height they once stood with their signature cratered surface.

The beast kingdom was never heard from again. Were they saved? Were they destroyed? We cannot know. But it is said, that if one were to reach the deepest depths of the Great Labyrinth, they would encounter a great village of beasts who would teach worthy explorers the secret to their strength.

- Adaptation of an old children's tale translated into modern Englin from ancient Aoan.