Chapter Three: Old Quests
Zephyr noticed the forest of white trees distorting again to reveal another reality. The mountain-like entity was disappearing with the change.
"Wait!" he had oddly felt comforted with this strange being and didn't want to return to his state of rage and confusion. "What does 'skill' mean? What was the former host's mission? Am I to kill all humans?"
He felt guilty for having so many questions but a while ago, he was only a dragon who died strangely and couldn't remember how, yet was asked to avenge his death and many others'.
"Humans aren't worthy to avenge the dragons so I'm calling you to do it, Zephyr." the voice became distant. "Don't fail me. Don't fail Raxatia."
Zephyr was sucked out of that space to a river of darkness. He struggled to get out, not appreciating visiting the place the second time within a short while.
But he felt less confused even if his rage returned, he had a purpose now. "D.O.C, are you there? Who was that? And why exactly do I need to inherit you?"
A connection was made within him and he felt complete. He knew it was the system.
[The father and creator of Dragon, Ryujin. He had selected you to take revenge for the atrocities caused by humans. Raxatia is the third realm that got destroyed.]
Zephyr exhaled. The father of dragons. No wonder he had felt so protected yet dominated at the same time. "I don't understand the emotions I feel. Why do I enraged? Who am I angry at?"
[Humans, and the other disdainful creatures that sided with them.]
For a slight second, Zephyr could swear D.O.C had spoken with emotion and not its usual flat tone. Did he know those disdainful creatures? Did he hate them too?
"Don't worry, we'd get them. I want to know more about your former host."
[I will reveal her Stats.]
[Retrieving data from recycle bin...]
[Uploading...]
[This might take a while.]
Zephyr sighed. Had the system discarded his past host's information so quickly? It was quite unfaithful. "Isn't there anything to guide me to my next step? I want to leave this... darkness."
[Searching for undone quests...]
[Loading Stats...]
A blue sheet floated above his head. The light illuminated the darkness he was in and he saw the darkness only spanned through all ends.
He read the information on the floating sheet.
[Quest 17.1 – Complete annihilation of Doctor Leeroy and destruction of his lab.]
Complete annihilation? Zephyr noticed his heart pulsing with vigour. As he guessed, he felt better when he had a purpose. "That should be my next course of action, isn't it?"
[Yes. You'd be transported to Earth and exist in a translated human's body but with your dragon soul intact.]
"I don't want to look very human."
[I'm afraid that can't be helped, but I'd do my best. You also have to be uneasily identified by the other mythical creatures that work with humans.]
"Mythical creatures?"
[That's what humans believe you are. At least, the ones who know nothing about the realms outside their world.]
"I am not allowed to randomly kill humans, am I?" he asked, as he didn't feel anything towards them. They may be the ones he should hate but at the point… he felt nothing.
[Do you ask because you wish to do so?]
"Can I or can I not? They are just worthless beings who I'm supposed to revenge on."
[No, such behaviour would affect your cover and quickly amass enemies. Remember humans are your enemies, but humanity isn't.]
"You didn't make sense."
[Your Translation had started.]
[0%...]
[25%...]
[35%...]
[55%...]
[75%...]
[79%...]
[82%...]
[84%...]
[85%...]
[Ding! Translation successfully incomplete. Your physical form will remain 15% dragon.]
[Congratulations! You've been registered as Ryuu Zephyr.]
[Awakening as Ryuu Zephyr, a young human...]
~~~
There was a clanking of metal right above him and it felt like his head would burst open. A body rolled out of bed, holding their head.
He grunted. "That hurts a lot." He paused and touched his throat. "What language am I speaking?" He looked around his surrounding, a small dark room with a hole in its wall.
A transparent object covered the sun's direct sunlight from getting in. "A window." Somehow, he knew what it meant.
He looked at his arms, strong, tanned and had small bruises. He glanced at an object hanging on the wall and felt like he should move toward it. He felt smaller.
It reflected his appearance. Long messy crimson-red hair and amber eyes were the first features he noticed. He was tall, he knew he was, and his body was fitting on the shabby blue shirt and rough jeans he wore.
"This is a human's body…?" it didn't look as bad as he thought, but he might feel that way because of his human mind.
He turned his back to the mirror looked at the reflection. His backside made him question what gender D.O.C assigned to him.
[I assure you, you are male. But your family is rather endowed at the end, regardless of gender.]
It felt comforting knowing D.O.C was close. "So I have a family? Will they see me as their son or Ryuu Zephyr?"
[Their son is Ryuu Zephyr. The family name is Ryuu but their son was named Zebedee, not Ryuu. I had altered their memory only for that change.]
Zephyr nodded. D.O.C really found a family that he could easy adapt in. There was a knock on the door.
"Wake up already! It's time to work!" a harsh voice of a woman came from outside the door. "If you don't come out, I'd rip your useless ears and feed you!"
Zephyr felt deja Vu for some reason. His mind was like a human's and he felt amusement and familiarity. So even if the voice was harsh, it didn't worry him. Instead, it felt like it happened frequently.
"Neeta, stop yelling at my son that way!" Another loud hoarse voice yelled from above the room. "You know he'd still deliver the package at the end of the day. Let him sleep. See how good he's growing up."
Zephyr nodded. That human was bearable if they understood the important of rest. He fell on the bed. "I should get used to this first."
[Yes, I've been slowly downloading into you the language, basic knowledge and things you should know as a seventeen year old human son of a blacksmith family. I also included slangs and phrases the original body used. After these are complete, I'd no longer have any access to your body's modifications.]
Zephyr nodded again. "Seventeen year old and a blacksmith family." His human brain made meaning of that without D.O.C's help.
His family were one of the few blacksmiths around in the modern era, and their dealers were mainly movie production companies who needed semi-realistic weapons, and other rich people who liked having engraved metallic stonehearts. Even Zephyr's human brain couldn't process the reason for the last one.
"I don't think there's much to adjust to." He went to the window and jumped down with ease. "I feel this is wrong since I have a package to deliver but direct me to this Doctor Leeroy."
[Tracking the last known destination of Doctor Leeroy...]
[Unsuccessful. You'd have to find it manually.]
Zephyr rubbed his face. Truly, if it'd been successful, the Quest wouldn't still be undone. "Tips?"
[His lab is situated in a deep forest that is home to a native animal in the cat family, Panthera Onca. This information is gotten from the former host's log and verified.]
"A-ha! Show me her logs then—"
[Most are unverified and led to her capture and eventual death. I do not recommend.]
"...."
"What can you help me with then?"
[The Doctor relocated to a new lab after meeting the former host. I can identify him for you.]
Zephyr walked through the curvy street outside his house, that was situated outside the city's outskirts and blocked by a dense forest. He could see tall glass shaped buildings few kilometres away.
"This lab… it should be doing illegal things or he wouldn't try to hide it." Zephyr cracked his knuckles. "It's just to kill one human and other lackeys. How hard could it be?"
[.....]