Human talk

"Friday, did that dragon just… talk?" Charlie stared at the enormous creature lying defeated on the ground, still hacking up the remnants of its own dragon fire. The thought was surreal, but he couldn't ignore what he'd heard.

"Yes, sir," Friday confirmed, her tone light with amusement. "That was the dragon talking, and it seemed none too pleased."

Charlie blinked in surprise. "But how is that even possible? I mean… it's a dragon."

Friday replied with a hint of a smile in her voice. "Ant-Man's helmet has a built-in simultaneous translation function. This technology allows him to understand and communicate with most intelligent creatures. You may want to brush up on your hero skills, sir."

Charlie frowned. Like many players, he'd skimmed over the finer details of Ant-Man's skills, assuming he could learn most of them on the fly. Manuals were for emergencies, not for practice.

"So, Ant-Man's helmet can actually translate languages? Even… dragon?"

"Correct, sir. The translation function is an advanced piece of technology originally designed for communication with insects. Over time, it was improved to interpret languages from various species, including intelligent ones like this dragon."

"But why didn't it work on those beasts we fought earlier?" he asked, recalling the chaos of the previous battle.

"Those creatures likely lack the intelligence to develop a language that could be translated," Friday explained. "While Ant-Man can control ants, they don't possess a true language. His helmet only translates languages that exist within intelligent life forms."

Charlie couldn't help but smirk. "And yet, Aquaman gets all the grief for 'talking to fish,' while here Ant-Man can talk to anything with enough brainpower to hold a conversation. Guess I'll have to remember that."

Friday's tone turned serious. "Sir, I've also finished a new scan of the area. This dragon is not the source of the infection. There's no connection between it and the mutated creatures you encountered earlier."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "If it's not the dragon, then what is?"

"A weak radiation signal is coming from deep underground, right near where the dragon emerged," Friday reported.

Nearby, the dragon, still huffing and growling, spotted the small metallic box in Batman's hands—a sturdy, worn object about the size of a book. The dragon let out a menacing growl, baring its jagged teeth. "That's mine!" it rumbled. To everyone else, it sounded like a series of guttural snarls, but Charlie's helmet captured the meaning clearly.

Batman held up the box for Leila to inspect. "Do you recognize this?"

Leila's face shifted from confusion to realization as she examined the object. "It… it can't be. I thought it was just a myth," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "A tale spread by the Adventists. I never believed it actually existed."

Batman's gaze narrowed. "What exactly is it, and who are the Adventists?"

Leila hesitated, glancing between Batman and the box. "The Adventists are a faction among the Ancients. They're… different. While most of us believe the return of the Old Gods would bring disaster, the Adventists see it as our only hope for salvation. They believe in a prophecy that claims these gods will one day return and that their arrival will save us from our endless cycle of reincarnation."

She paused, her gaze distant as if recalling a memory. "They claimed to have discovered something—a key to the gods' return, something they called the 'Core of Advent.' They believed it could open the way for the gods to cross over."

Batman's attention shifted back to the box. "So this is the 'Core' they spoke of?"

Leila shook her head, still processing the revelation. "I think it might be. But I never actually saw it, and I assumed it was just a story, a legend. No one knew it was real, let alone that it would end up in the hands of… a dragon."

The dragon's scowl deepened, and it growled low, eyes flashing with defiance. "It's mine! You thieves! Robbers!" It kept a wary eye on Ant-Man, who loomed closer, one massive fist flexing in warning. The dragon shrank back. "Fine, fine! Just… stay there!"

Charlie's mind was racing. Not only was this dragon in possession of an ancient artifact tied to the arrival of gods, but it seemed to understand the power it held. If this really was the Core of Advent, they'd stumbled into something far bigger than he'd bargained for.

Batman turned to Leila again. "If this Core is real, what exactly can it do?"

Leila considered his question, her face tense with worry. "The Adventists believe it could act as a beacon, a sort of… calling card for the gods. But I don't know its full power, or how to control it. We always thought it was a myth." Her gaze shifted warily to the dragon, who was still muttering angrily, glancing at the box as though it were a precious treasure.

The dragon caught their looks and snarled. "Stop talking about it like you know! You don't understand what you're messing with!"

Batman ignored the warning and held the box up to Leila. "Take a closer look."

But Ant-Man, now fully aware of his helmet's capabilities, decided to put his newfound skills to use. Stepping forward, he addressed the dragon directly.

"Alright, listen up," he said, his voice transformed by the helmet into the deep, guttural tones of the dragon language. "We need to have a talk."

Every eye, from Leila's wide gaze to the agents back at the camp, turned to Ant-Man in disbelief. The dragon, hearing his own language echo back at him, froze, his large golden eyes widening.

"You… you speak my language?" it stammered, then shrank back as Ant-Man took another ominous step forward.

Charlie allowed himself a smug smile beneath the helmet. "Yeah. So let's have a nice, long chat about this little treasure of yours."

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