Book One: Onnu and Pannu

Learning Curve

"So they really can't get us?"
   "They really can't. The monsters of Erdewaz--that's 'Earth-that-was'--can't leave Erdewaz. This world doesn't have a name yet, but it is part of the Fortnight Worlds. I tell you this because I live on a different Fortnight World; so named because there are fourteen of them."
   "You're gonna leave us?" many voices cried out.
   She shushed, as if they were babes. "You will be safe, even when I'm not here, but I will stay for a while. I have been given some time to teach you what you need, young ones. And yes, even if you were an elder on Erdewaz, you will find these bodies new and fresh. Stretch, bend. Find that your old aches and pains are gone."
   Roughly half of the crowd did just that. She smiled, which required a hasty explanation of draconic smiles.
   "If I were to frown--and I'm warning you first--it would look like this." She kept the face brief, knowing what they'd been through so recently. "If I were truly angered, it would not be directed at you. I know what you have seen, little ones. You needn't fear your teachers.
   "Speaking of teaching, we do have matters to attend to. The first of which is finding out what you already know, and what you want to know how to do, here. On Tupino, where I currently live, we have learned many useful skills that translate to the other Fortnight Worlds. I offer no pressure," she hastened to say. "I can already see worry about that. I merely hope to give you a productive avenue to explore. It sometimes helps to have something to do, you know? Helps the world around you feel more concrete; to shed the old world.
   "Again, no pressure. Perhaps you can throw clay, and decide to become a potter--though we have not found a wheel that works well, yet. Or, mayhap, you are a tinkerer, and simply need pointing to material sources. You will need food, once the stores that Trey has set aside are gone, and you may wish to wear clothing. We can teach you how to acquire both. I offer this knowledge, as best we can give it, in the hopes that it gives you something to focus on, in this new, physical world."
   After a silence, a small voice asked "So... do we just walk up to you and say 'this is my name, and this is what I can do'?"
   "Names can wait," Onnu said firmly.
   "Then how do we tell each other apart?" another asked.
   "The names you once had are no longer relevant. You need time to choose one that fits the new, transmogrified you. The naming is an important milestone. We have opted to take a three name system, thus far, though you are free to choose otherwise. For example, we have Tandy Tally, who handles things like inventory. If she married, she could get together with her spouse to create a surname. There's no rhyme or reason to names, it's just what you feel fits. Some have named themselves for their profession, or the color of their fur or scales, and a few have given themselves names of characters they've had in Dungeons and Dragons games, or books they've written."
   "What's your name?" a small blonde elf asked. She sort of reminded Onnu of a more rounded Solara, and she felt the first pang of homesickness.
   "I am Onnu. That is Trey. We are what is known as Elder Dragons. Unlike most dragons you will meet, we do not age, or die. I must stress, however, that we were also humans on Erdewaz. We, and every dragon you see, were transmogrified, transfigured, however you interpret it, from humans--the same as all of you."
   She let that ripple throughout the crowd for a moment before continuing. "Things here are quite different from Erdewaz. No new souls will be created, so every babe born on the Fortnight Worlds is someone who wanted to take another chance at perfecting themselves. That's what we were promised, was perfection. Even now, you are better than you were on Erdewaz. Every time you come back to these fourteen planets, you will become a little better. That's the theory, anyway."
   "What does 'better' even mean?" an orc asked.
   She shrugged. "Less sinful is all I can come up with. That is another lesson for you: Dragons don't know everything. We remember more of Erdewaz than any other kin, but we are far from perfect, all-knowing creatures. By all means, ask a dragon, but don't expect us to always know the answer. Oh, and if you know something we don't, or you learn a new thing, please do tell a dragon. Since even normal dragons live longer than all of you, anything you teach us will be passed on to future generations."
   She saw a few chests puff up, and mentally prepared for some major infodumping later.
   :Do you have any idea what you just did?: Trey asked.
   :It'll help, I think, if they believe they're contributing to the betterment of--:
   :I don't know whether to love or loathe you right now,: he interrupted.
   :What? Why?: She tried not to furrow her brow too much.
   :That was a very sweet thing to do.:
   :But?: she asked in the brief pause.
   :But I'm a dragon,: he growled.
   Onnu burst into laughter, which startled several of the smaller kin. It quickly became "Haha sorry, ha, ha, sorry, haha, sorry..."
   When she'd regained her composure, she told the little ones an abbreviated version of events: "Sorry, I just realized that I signed Trey up for lots of talking, and I didn't ask first, and I know y'all can't read dragon faces yet, but his face!" She let out a few more chuckles for good measure. As on the other Fortnight Worlds, Elder Dragon telepathy was a closely-guarded secret.
   "It's fine," he grumbled, earflaps not quite all the way up.
   The way he said it, though, most of the smaller kin joined Onnu's laughter.