Black Onyx - Phoenix Resurrection

“What is this?” Gale asked as a small broken machine appeared on the table.

[It’s a guardian, a drone, or what remains of it anyway.]

I explained what happened and how those things took down countless Spirit Realm Cultivators with ease. I also told him about the big golem and how difficult it was to destroy.

“And you are saying this is Celestial Metal? Are you sure?” He asked skeptically as he examined the mangled metallic remains.

[Positive. It’s some kind of alloy, and the building itself is made from its ore, so I assumed you would probably want to hear about it.]

“Huh, yeah… Well, that’s more of a domain of my cousin, but it’s good you told me. Also, I’m assuming you are keeping the golem?”

I nodded. [And I’m not handing it over. I told that to the Elder already.]

“That’s fine. You can consider it payment for your troubles.” Gale quickly agreed. “I’ll make sure other members of my family don’t bother you too much. Can’t guarantee they won't try anything though.”

[That’s fine. I can deal with a few hot-headed folks.]

“Most likely nothing will happen, especially if there is that much Celestial Metal ore. But this is probably not why you are really here, are you?”

[No.] I shook my head and moved the tea cups to the side. Then, the Demon appeared on the table.

Gale nearly jumped out of his seat. “Wow! A Drow? What is this?”

[A Drow?] I frowned. I had heard of that race before, but that was definitely a Demon. [Are you sure this is a Drow?]

“Yeah… Well…” Gale appeared uncertain and rubbed his chin. He probably already figured out that I found the body in the ancient building.

[What can you tell me about the Drow?] I took the opportunity to learn more about this mysterious race.

“Um, well, they aren’t a particularly strong race in terms of physical prowess, though their mystical abilities are nothing to sneeze at. We are having some trouble with them at the western side of our territory.” Gale said.

[How do they look like?]

“Kind of like this, actually.” He pointed at the shriveled corpse. “Gray skin, long limbs…” He paused. “Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t think this guy is a Drow after all.”

[How so?]

“Well, his skin tone is too dark for one. While there is variation, I had never seen a Drow with such dark gray skin. The second one is the fangs. They definitely don’t have those or the claws.” He moved the dead to the side and then gestured at it. “Also, look at the ears. The Drow have quite long and pointy ears while this guy barely has any. And it doesn’t look like they were cut off.”

He rubbed his chin and then frowned. “It really is nothing like a Drow now that I think about it. Not to mention the scales. Most of the Drow have very smooth skin. They don’t even have body hair, much less scales.”

[Huh...]

“So, what is this thing?” He asked as he sat back down. “You probably know, right?”

I debated how much I should tell him. It wasn’t something that I necessarily needed to keep secret, but since nobody on the continent knew, I decided I might as well get something for it.

[How much is the information worth to you?]

Gale laughed. “I don’t know. Does knowing it change anything?”

I smiled mysteriously. [It could. I’ll be generous and tell you for just 500 Stones. In return, you will get all the relevant information about this creature. How does that sound?]

Leaning back in his seat, Gale crossed his fingers. “500? That’s quite some change.”

[Not really. I’m actually giving it away for cheap.] I countered.

Gale took a sip of his tea and then swirled the liquid inside as he stared at me. If that was a negotiating tactic, it wasn’t working. After about a minute of silent contemplation, he spoke again.

“Alright. 500 Stones. I’ll trust you on this one.”

He lifted his hand and a full pouch appeared on the table. I summoned it close and quickly scanned it with my Spirit Sense. I confirmed the amount was correct and stored it into my storage ring, before taking out a Memory Orb.

[A deal is a deal.] I said and injected a strand of my Soul Essence into it, with all the relevant memories copied onto it. It was easier than explaining it all verbally and much faster too.

I tossed it over and Gale caught it, bringing it to his forehead to absorb the knowledge. Almost instantly his eyes opened wide and he looked at the body of the Demon in a new light.

[Worth the price?] I smiled.

He swallowed slowly and then looked at me seriously. “This knowledge… You sold it way too cheap.”

[Haha.] I laughed at the seriousness of his statement. He was right, of course, it’s just that rarely would anyone pay more than that for something they didn’t know. And once they knew it, despite knowing the real value, there would be no point in paying it. Not that it mattered, really. That knowledge was just to show my goodwill. I suspected Gale would be much more willing to do me a favor after I did one for him.

“So this thing… The Demons were responsible for the plundering of our world.” He looked at the corpse and I could see anger burning in his eyes as the shock dissipated. He also realized his world was robbed of immeasurable wealth. Because of what happened 10.000 years ago, the path to godhood became out of reach for the people of this world. Anyone would be angry when they realized that.

“And the High Elves…” He suddenly turned silent and then looked at me. “Do you know how the High Elves looked?”

[Sure.] I had memories directly from a god of that era, and so I summoned an illusion of one.

The teacup in Gale’s hand shattered as he squeezed it hard, releasing a string of curses at the same time.

He stood up, shouting obscenities, and began walking around, visibly infuriated.

[Um… Gale?]

“These… bastards!” He shouted and then summoned an illusion of his own. It was a quite familiar figure. “Look at this! This, this is a Drow!”

I looked between the two figures, one of them with pale skin, a regal appearance, and a delicate body while the other was similar, just with much more… demonic characteristics. I looked at the corpse as the gears in my mind began turning.

“These traitors! Now it all makes sense! No wonder, no wonder!” Gale kept raging on his own.

After some time he calmed down and explained how they had trouble with the Drow. They sometimes attacked their workers in the Underdark as the underground labyrinth was full of secret tunnels that connected various parts of the continent. They also had fights with them on the surface, the ash-skinned beings claiming ownership of the land with righteous indignation.

After finishing his angry rant, he pointed at the body of the Demon and then summoned the illusion again.

“Look at this shit! It’s clear as day!”

I knew exactly what he meant even if he didn’t explicitly say so. Somehow, over the long history of time, the High Elves interbred with Demons, producing the Drow. It was similar to how on Neloron they had Dark Elves.

It was quite weird how both races kept their elvish heritage and only slightly changed their outward appearance. It seemed like the High Elven bloodline was quite strong.

I looked at the Demon and clicked my tongue. It would have been nice if I could assimilate its bloodline as well, but it wasn’t possible. The mummified remains didn’t allow for it, so I was left to imagine what my new abilities could be.

[I see what you mean.] I said to Gale. [Traitors to our world.]

He scoffed. “First they fight a bloody battle and then they fuck… What kind of nonsense is this? I can hardly imagine what the Grand Elders are going to say when they learn of this.”

He shook his head in dismay and then sat back down, much calmer than before.

“This knowledge you gave me… The Drow are quite weak in comparison to us and never engage in direct combat, but some of the relics they have are way too powerful for such a weak race. I guess now things make sense. They are using ancient treasures to fight, but with the Qi still so thin over the world, they cannot yet display their true powers.”

[They don’t use Spirit Stones for stored energy?]

“They do, that’s the thing. But they use a lot of energy and are quite reckless with it so they quickly run out. They were never good endurance fighters.” He gave me a long hard look. I guess I was just the opposite, an endurance fighter with extreme durability.

“Do you have anything else for me? I need to bring this news to…” He pointed with his thumb behind him, at the mountain where the rest of the Clans lived.

[Actually, yes.] I took a few freshly written manuals and pushed them towards him. [You know when I said I was not from here?]

“Yeah?” He looked at the papers suspiciously.

[I learned many techniques in my time. Martial Arts, Mystic Arts, Movement Techniques, and even Cultivation Techniques. As I am unfortunately in need of a large sum of money, I am forced to sell most of them. And as we are friends, I thought of giving you the first look at what I got. I thought the Clan might be interested.]

“Oh…” Gale took a manual and began reading. Slowly his expression changed, showing curiosity. “Interesting. This technique is similar to one of ours, but the way the Qi is moved… Hmm.”

[I have many more techniques at my disposal, all of which are suitable for the Spirit Realm. Well, there are plenty for Golden Core, but I don’t think they would be worth your time.]

“Ah, that’s true. So, what do you expect to get in return for these?” He patted the papers.

[Stones. But let us not speak about price. I am willing to give a manual every week while I work here, under the Verdant Ironwood Willow Clan. I’ll even let you examine it first. The only thing I ask is that you give me a fair price.]

Gale slowly nodded. “We can do that. I’m sure some from the older generation will gladly examine these manuals. I’ll make sure you get paid what you are worth. Though they will probably demand you do not share these techniques with anyone else.”

[Of course, I can do that. I expected nothing less, actually.]

“You got a deal. Now, about this corpse…” He glanced at the dead Demon.

[Take it if you wish. Consider it a gift.]

Gale nodded and then waved the hand over the table, making the body disappear. And with that, the meeting was done. I returned to the Underdark and he went back to… whatever he was doing.