The Dawn of Humanity (4)
I pulled out all the stops to teach those primitive humans how to make fire, one way or another. Honestly, it wasn't easy dealing with beasts who barely understood words and whose tool use was rudimentary at best. There were countless trial and error, splintered wooden boards... but hey, in the end, I managed to drill it into them, right? Let's gloss over the humans' sacrifices—the blisters from rubbing sticks until their hands were raw.
Getting them to spark a flame and feed it into a campfire with kindling was a win... but these humans. How to put it? They're way too curious. At first, they were terrified of the scorching heat and blinding light, refusing to go anywhere near it. But once they realized keeping their distance meant no harm, they started staring blankly at the flames. Now? They're poking around, tossing random stuff in out of fascination.
Somehow they've hunted something, skewered the skinned meat on sticks, and are roasting it. They're charring fruit to eat. Sticking their hands in and screaming when they get burned. Wait, why the hide?! Don't throw grass or wood in! The fire's getting huge!!! A few near-misses with massive blazes from their experiments—er, minor incidents—but whatever, small stuff.
Anyway, I've taught them how to make and use fire, so my work here's done. Time to spread the knowledge elsewhere.
"Grrk?! That form... is it the Genesis Dragon?!"
"Oh, you remember me well."
The Lizardmen remembered me admirably. It must've been dozens of generations by now, yet their oral traditions were remarkably detailed.
"Of course! Grrk! The deeds of the Genesis Dragon and her vast history will be etched on stone tablets, passed down through the ages!"
No need to go that far... They even carved it on stone slabs?!
"Especially when the world is rife with sin! As the Destruction Dragon, punishing the rampant evils— that must be preserved! As descendants of those who witnessed it, we shall never forget the warning!!"
Destruction Dragon?! What's with that chuunibyou edgelord naming?! Is that from when I ended the dragon era?! That was just me pissed off!!! I kinda regret it now!!! I swear I'll never do it again!!! Etching my dark history like some epic tale—how dare they!!!
I kept my inner rant buried, showing no sign on the surface, and spoke calmly.
"You seem to be thriving. That's a relief."
"This is all thanks to the Genesis Dragon's care. Our offerings to you have become a festival, but our faith endures."
Hmm. Despite their looks, they're good folk. Really. Hulking, reptilian muscle machines that look vicious at first glance.
If the dragons had even a fraction of these guys' claws, that mess never would've happened. Sigh.
"But what brings you here so suddenly?"
"Nothing major. Just a little gift."
At "gift," the Lizardmen tilted their heads.
"We've already received so much from the Genesis Dragon. Another one?"
"It's time you learned this too."
I gathered mana in my palm, igniting a flame.
"This is...?"
"Flame. Scorching heat, light that banishes darkness, a ravenous beast that devours all."
The Lizardman gazed at it in wonder.
Ah, but these guys developed spirit-summoning shamanism, right? There are fire spirits among them... yet I've never seen them use fire.
"This energy... it resembles the spirits that ignore our pleas."
"Huh? They don't listen?"
"Yes. Capricious ones who barely heed us. Their aura feels like this flame."
Er... bad compatibility with fire spirits, maybe?
Looking around: water spirits, wind spirits, occasional earth ones. But hardly any fire spirits.
Do they clash with Lizardmen? Or does the humid environment here repel fire spirits? Who knows. Something's off, clearly.
"Anyway, knowing fire will prove useful in many ways. Take it."
I distributed fire-starting tools to the Lizardmen.
Hmm, talking to folks who get it is so much easier. Gotta teach humans speech next.
"Isn't this wood?"
"Yep. Wood. If you could borrow fire spirit power, it'd be simple, but since not... this works."
Hmm. In a way, their poor fire spirit affinity is a blessing. Imagine prepping a gift just to hear "We already know!" Awkward city.
I demonstrated wood-based fire-starting for them. Rub sticks furiously for friction heat, spark an ember, feed it dry grass or leaves to grow the flame. Blow gently for oxygen, naturally.
Their scaly skin means no blisters—handy.
"Ooh... it ignites from the wood itself."
"Right. Now add well-dried logs... oh."
Hold up—their habitat's humid. Can they even make dry firewood? And the heat evaporating moisture—fine for Lizardmen?
Hmm... some lizards thrive in deserts, but these? Dunno.
"Transfer this flame to dry wood chunks to build a fire."
But the flame stays small. Half the size of the humans' campfire.
Hmm... tied to scarce fire spirits nearby? Curious.
"Fascinating, but... what can we do with it?"
"Light the dark, generate heat. You're weak to cold, no?"
"True, but..."
Lizardmen can't regulate body temp, so non-warm spots are deadly. Fire could expand their range.
Maybe even contact humans? Stone Age humans vs. obsidian-tool Lizardmen. Intriguing possibilities.
"Put a chilled Lizardman by the fire, and their temp rises fast. That's value enough."
"But approaching dries our scales..."
"Like your sunbathing, just quicker and hotter. Mind that, supplement moisture, and it'll widen your range."
The Lizardman bowed in thanks.
"Such a treasure... words fail."
"No biggie. You'd have found it eventually. I just sped it up."
I grinned, pointing to the roaring bonfire.
"Fire gives warmth, illuminates the dark, and..."
With a flick, I pulled over a drying fish—gutted, for storage.
"...you can cook fish or meat with the heat."
The faintly fishy one circled the flames, emerging golden and grilled. Salt or spices would've been better... oh well.
"Many more uses await your discovery—that's homework."
Not laziness on my part. Nope.
"Oh, other ways too." I quickly demoed bow-drill with grass rope and groove-stick friction.
Hand-rubbing's the hardest, so variety's key. Flint? They'll figure it—obsidian users, stone-on-stone's familiar.
Now, to watch how fire reshapes their civilizations...