96 Multi-Training II (2/2)
On the way back, Li walked a little slowly on the main road, letting Azhar catch up with dragging and tired feet. Li himself carried a sleeping wyrm in his arms. She had overeaten and tuckered herself out with the fighting.
”Gods, you're strong as an ox to carry her so easily like that,” said Azhar. ”And you don't look it, either. You're as skinny as a stick, but then again, you ain't exactly human.”
”How long do you intend to keep that a secret?” said Li, for he knew that if Jeanne nor Sylvie suspected him, then Azhar had not told them.
Azhar scratched his head and shrugged.” I dunno', probably never. Figure it ain't important cuause' you don't make a big fuss about it, and it ain't really a big deal for me.”
”What was the adventurer's creed again? To kill all threats to humanity when you see it? Wouldn't I count?”
”Seems like you're helpin' us out. Besides, if we all followed that creed, then there wouldn't be a single hinterlander in our ranks considerin' we raise dragonkin and worship wild animal spirits that western folk would consider savage man-eating monsters. Besides, what I'm more interested in is how she's gonna turn out.”
Azhar pointed to the wyrm, and Li asked, ”In what way?”
”Ya see, I told ya before, but dragonkin form bonds stronger than anythin' else with their parents. When they grow, they naturally try and mimic their parents, and it ain't like a human boy trynna' act tough like his pa. Dragonkin'll physically change to match their caretakers.
Among my kind, it ain't rare to see a few dragonkin riders with mounts that can take up human forms.”
”And that doesn't interfere with a master to pet relationship any?” questioned Li. ”It's one thing to order a beast around, it's another to treat something that looks like a person like an animal.”
”Yeah, it is,” said Azhar. ”That's the reason why ya gotta let dragonkin hunt alone most of the time, let em' retain that draconic wildness that keeps em' from changin' too much. Else it'll be mighty hard to keep em' as beasts of burden, especially cause' if the dragonkin's changed enough to take a human form, then it probably has a bond so strong with their caretaker that the relationship ain't master to pet no more.
Hell, in a few old myths we got, there are riders that straight married their dragonkin, though nowadays dragonkin in the west don't got enough much magical potential to become fully human.”
Azhar tapped his head. ”The more magic somethin' has, the smarter it probably is. Most wyrms in the west these days are dumb as bricks, been that way for a couple of generations, so they might be able to take up a human shell, but they ain't ever gonna' learn how to be human. Kinda sad, really, ya got these semi-human, semi-monsters that don't belong nowhere.”
”I see where you're going with this. She's different,” commented Li in understanding as he looked at the wyrm in his arms. She undoubtedly had an exceptional amount of magical power and, consequently, intelligence from her mother.
”Yeah, just lookin' at her mother, how damn strong and smart she was, you know for a fact that this kid here has the kinda potential you ain't gonna see for hundreds of years.” Azhar paused, giving Li a questioning look. ”Meanin' she's got all the potential in the world to change. I dunno' what she's gonna end up like with you as her bonded, and I don't know how you consider morality and all, but if you wanna' use her to fight, then you might consider weanin' her off your presence.”
Li thought for a few seconds, each of his steps helping him focus.
”I have no need to raise a tool,” said Li simply.
”Got it,” said Azhar, immediately respecting Li's decision. ”Then hells, I feel kinda' useless. All my knowledge is in raisin' a mount, not…,” Azhar searched for the right word as he looked at the wyrm. ”I dunno, at this point, she might as well be a daughter.”
”Your knowledge is still useful. There is precious little to read on dragonkin, so what general information you have, you should still pass it on to me. Consider that, along with your blood, sweat, and tears, to be payment for my help.”
”Gotch. I, uh, appreciate this,” said Azhar with a thankful nod. The ranger was not the type to express his thanks outwardly, so Li knew even this probably took a significant amount of effort from him.
”Old Thane's agreed to let you sleep a few days in the cottage, so clean yourself up and prepare for training in the morning.”
Azhar's eyes widened. ”In the morning?”
Li cast a backwards glance at Azhar's dead arm. ”I don't suppose you have anything better to do with your time?”
Azhar gave a defeated shrug. ”Ya got a point. Anyways, what am I gonna' train then? I ain't even learned this [Scattershot] skill yet.”
”You'll have to get in a few more battles first, but there's tomorrow evening for that,” said Li. ”The training tomorrow morning isn't related to that. It's going to be improving your hand to hand combat.”
”Not skills and spells, but combat? Like, pure punchin' and all that? I ain't got no use for that huntin' monsters.”
”No, but if you make a living fighting - an inherently chaotic job - it's an inevitability that you're not just going to be fighting monsters. Case in point: your miserable defeat against Launcelot. You didn't plan on fighting him, did you? It just happened. Better to be prepared.”
Azhar made a fist in enthusiasm. ”Alright, I hear ya. Then what am I gonna learn? Sylv always talked about how easterners like ya can split mountains with palm strikes and chops and the like. Gonna teach me some of that?”
”I won't be teaching you, and besides, I don't know anything about that stuff.”
Azhar raised a brow. ”Huh? Then who?”
”It'll be Old Thane. He said he won't try to kill you, so you shouldn't worry too much.”