"Guo-Li! Guo-Li? Wake up, please! I need your help. We've got a problem!" Chen-Fe whined in the distance.
Slowly, Guo-Li came to. His surroundings were familiar, but different from the Lunar-World he once inhabited. He was back at the mouth of the cave. Resting atop Dark-Scale Mountain. It seemed the cave was always just a naturally occurring portal, and he'd made it out.
A Weredragon. Just as he hoped.
Well, maybe not just as he hoped. But close enough—
"Wake up!" Chen-Fe roared.
Guo-Li was startled fully awake. He sat up and tried to ignore how his head spun and his muscles ached.
Chen-Fe helped him to his feet with an iron grip on his wrists, speaking to his own rush of adrenaline.
"Chen-Fe, what's wrong?" Guo-Li asked.
"Did it work?!" His brown eyes were wide on his chubby face.
"I think so, why?"
"Because—" His words were cut short as something down the path leading up to the top of the mountain snarled.
Guo-Li and Chen-Fe jumped as they turned to face the approaching threat.
The three of them were tall— each over six feet/two meters tall and strapped with lean muscles. A light sheen of spotted fur covered them from head to toe. They were enduring and explosive warriors based on their powerful legs and pace as they ascended the mountain to reach them. They wore animal hides and mismatched leather armor. Likely stolen. Raiders.
Better yet.
"Demi-humans…" Chen-Fe shivered, "They're Leopard-men."
Confirmed by the leopard dragging along their leader on a chain collar.
"These are the ones bringing all that loot up the mountain, Da-Wei?" The leader asked. He wore an eyepatch and wielded an iron-claw spear with a bamboo shaft.
"Yes! It was him! The big chunky one with the bald head! My night-hawk saw him walking up the mountain with a bag full of weapons and gear!" Da-Wei, the Demi-human raider replied.
"Dammit! I didn't think there'd be raiders this far out. They usually clutter around city outskirts for fresh loot and food. What terrible luck!" Guo-Li thought.
Then he remembered….
A wave of crystalline blue PsyQi blossomed from his skull and warbled into the form of shapes and letters in front of him. The language and characters were foreign at first— like most of the worlds written word once was to him. But slowly, sense was made.
[Luck has nothing to do with it, elf. Remember your job. It begins now….] Lucarios' voice boomed in his psyche.
Suddenly a layout of information hovered in front of him.
***
[Name: Guo-Li]
[PsyQi Tier: Apprentice]
[PsyQi Reserves: 570/600 (+400 for Tier Upgrade)]
[Psionic Bond Strength: Neutral]
[Psionic Bonds Formed: 1]
[Race: Elven Weredragon (Curse/Blessing)]
[Dragon Form: Stone]
[Health: 65/100]
[Stamina: 150/300]
[Strength: 90/150]
[Speed: 400/400]
[Instinct: 10/15]
[Will: 400/400]
[Intelligence: 200/200]
[Perception: 300/300]
[Focus: 250/310]
[Charm: 150/200]
[Skills: (Fey-Feline Syngergy), (Elven Acrobatics), (Elven Swordsmanship), (Stone-Scale Armor), (Ore Sense), (Gray-Fire Manipulation), (Cave-Vision), (Lunar Empowerment)]
[Techniques: Apprentice Level Psionics: (Psionic Blast), (Psionic Stun), (Psionic Aura), (Psionic Collaberation) (Simple Commands)), Mountain Tiger Hunting Arts: (Pounce), (Mountain Acrobat), (High-Altitude Hunter), Stone-Form Weredragon: (Juggernaut Charge), (Quake-Step), (Bruiser Dragon Martial Arts (Level 1)).]
[Apprentice Level Psionics Mastery: 60%]
[Stone-Form Weredragon Technique Mastery: 4%]
***
Guo-Li had little time to properly adress his newfound abilities as the Leopard-men ascended the mountain trail to reach them.
Da-Wei ran behind his leader- smaller in stature and strength as he held his shorter dagger and night-Hawk mounted on his shoulder. PsiQi waves pulsed from his forehead.
Everyone heard his simple command in their minds.
"Fang, feather-swarm the travelers!"
The night-hawk screeched in understanding and flapped its massive wings.
It took to the skies and divebombed them.
Guo-Li whistled.
Before the bird could reach them, a large black shape jumped out from behind a collection of stones near the cave entrance behind them and snatched the bird out of the sky.
The Mountain-Tiger landed in front of Guo-Li and Chen-Fe. It was massive. Larger than the normal tigers of Guo-Li's old home of earth by about forty pounds/eighteen kilograms. The beast had spiked and elongated hackles that formed a jagged mane down its back. It's fur was black with smokey gray stripes and its jaws were open with anticipation.
The night-hawk held beneath its massive clawed paw screeched. The Leopard-men were no more than a hundred steps away.
Da-Wei issued another Psionic Command to his tamed avian beast, "Fang! Use your Mind-Breaker Screa—"
Guo-Li used his own Psionic Commanding power with his tamed beast as glowing blue energy flowed from his skull, "Lieren, breakfast is served."
The Mountain Tiger lunged just as the bird screeched. It's cries were cut short and drowned out by the sound of the much larger feline beast crunching on its soft bones and beak.
Da-Wei roared in a rage. "BASTARD! I'll kill yo—"
"Quiet!" The leader shoved him as they ran, "Take the big one with Bo. The elf and his tiger are mine!"
The leopard men split off as they reached the two.
Chen-Fe raised his axe and prepared himself.
The leader Leopard-man dropped his chain and let his leopard kin charge Lieren.
At the same time, he leapt over the two wrestling big cats and attempted to pounce on Guo-Li. In a flash, he landed, stabbing at Guo-Li with his spear.
Elves were among the fasted humanoid races— naturally. But if they ever did come second, it was to feline Demi-humans.
He wasn't fast enough to dodge the Leopard-man's attack.
Guo-Li brought up his arms and activated his, (Stone-Scale Armor) skill.
PsyQi waves spun around him as stony scales spread across his arms, chest, back and hands.
The spear tip of the leader Leopard-man shattered against his forearms. He didn't even feel the blades sharpness. Just a push and break as the blade was destroyed. His stone scales were anything but ordinary.
"Wha?! An Accursed One! A Scale-Walker!" The leader yelled in shock as his snout twisted in discomfort at Guo-Li's appearance.
"Wrong!" Guo-Li protested, "This is no curse. This is my blessing, bestowed by the Lunar-Dragons of Dark-Scale Mountain, and with it I'll become the greatest Tam—"
"Guo-Li stop talking and fight so you can come help me!" Chen-Fe swung wildly in the distance at his two quick footed attackers.
"Oh…. Right." Guo-Li activated his (Quake-Step) Weredragon Technique.
PsyQi waves pulsed from the soles of his feet and tumbled through the earth in a focused line aimed directly at his opponent.
"Ha! Nice try!" The leopard-man flipped out of the way, confident in his speed.
Then the ground split as a small scale earthquake caused the nimble Demi-human to trip.
He hit the ground and rolled. Dust and pebbles fell off his fur as the earth rumbled and beat him with underground tectonics.
Behind him, Lieren jumped, perceiving the earthquake thanks to their Psionic Bond. As the leading Leopard-man's feline tame also succumbed to his (Quake-Step), Lieren landed on the leopard and smashed its skull with his massive paws.
The quaking grounds gave a final shake, rivaling the rest and knocking the Demi-human into the air.
Guo-Li's quick thinking took over and he activated his (Juggernaut Charge) Technique.
Instantly, he took off in a blur. His stone scales thickened, increasing his mass and impact power as he smashed into the demi-human midair.
The blow shattered his ribs and nose, knocking the furry fiend back rolling down the mountain hillside.
Before he had any time to process Lieren's and his own victory, Chen-Fe yelped in pain as he was stabbed in the arm with a spear from the Demi-human duo.
Guo-Li spun on his heels, a heavy warmth bubbled in his chest for only a moment and he spit a ball of grey fire.
It hit the closest Demi-human. Da-Wei and shattered like a rock, but burned all the same.
The Leopard-man rolled and tried to put out the sizzling flame as it spread like rolling pebbles on his fur.
When it finally stopped, Guo-Li felt drained.
And Chen-Fe had the final Demi-human by the throat. He knocked the beast-man out with a headbutt.
Silence fell. Only their labored breaths could be heard atop the mountain.
Then, Chen-Fe turned to Guo-Li.
"You brought him!?"
Lieren looked up from the leopard he was eating and hissed at Chen-Fe.
"Both of you need to forget your racist lineage's and hug. We have new grounds to cover." Guo-Li said casually.
"It's literally in our dna to be enemies. We've both tried to genocide the other. Why couldn't you just tame a Sky-Wolf?" Chen-Fe whined.
Lieren spat a leopard tooth at the half-orc in disagreement and went back to eating his dead enemies face.
"Because I can't speak to Wolves before forming a Psionic-Bond." Guo-Li replied before smiling.
"What?"
"I may not be able to easily speak to wolves, but I think I can speak to reptiles now…..HAHA! This is amazing."
Chen-Fe suddenly realized the reality of the situation as he looked over Guo-Li.
"AH! It worked!"
"WOOHOO!!!"