Chapter 15 - Stranger Danger

The next morning came too soon for Ash's liking. He found himself tired, stiff, and once again trudging back to dragonhouse four, his dragonflight having soared off for their morning practice.

The duo had only just gotten comfortable back at their stall, when Rasp suddenly raised his head, drawing Ash's attention. Then he hissed low in warning.

Stranger danger, eh? So when there was a knock that rattled the door, Ash had already rolled upright off his bunk onto his feet.

Stepping out into the corridor, he found Head Instructor Vor waiting. Standing beside Vor was Magus Gus, the portly, black-goateed mage clad in a robe of fine sheepskin. Ash recognized him immediately as Skyfort's current communication mage.

He saluted, guessing that this must be about Rasp. It only made sense given his partner's peculiar display the previous night. "Sir!"

"At ease, Dragonboy Ash."

Vor gestured to his companion. "This here is Magus Gus. We are here because we want you to allow him to take a close look at your partner."

I knew it. Ash hesitated. But how close does he want to get?

Instructor Vor sensed Ash's uncertainty and clarified, "It won't cause any trouble for either of you. He only needs to observe your dragon for a short while. From here is fine."

The magus nodded in agreement and added, "A minute is all I need."

Ash was relieved. One minute was manageable. Though it would have been better if they showed up after lunch when Rasp was gorged, he thought.

He opened the door just a crack, then crouched next to Rasp, draping an arm over his back. Rasp hissed unhappily, his slitted eyes trained on the stranger beyond the opening. hisssss... The suspicious black-scaled dragon made sure to keep one clawed grasp atop his quartz.

The mage mumbled briefly in an odd, unfamiliar language that Ash couldn't understand. After that, there was silence as he observed Rasp.

GRAHHHH- However, when Rasp began to emit a low, menacing growl, Ash hurriedly waved at the mage with his free hand, signaling that he should back away. Any more time and Rasp might decide to charge.

Understanding the signal, Magus Gus stepped back, and Instructor Vor took it as a cue to close the door.

After giving Rasp a moment to settle down, Ash stepped back out and asked, "Was that enough time, sirs?"

Magus Gus nodded silently, while Vor spoke up, "Yes. Keep up the good work. That will be all."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The two men then moved to leave without further explanation at all.

"Ah. Ah, yes sir!"

That's it? Ash was slightly confused as to what the magus had accomplished, but decided to forget about it with a small shrug. He had thought Head Instructor Vor might have also come by with a new itinerary for his and Rasp's free afternoon. Since they weren't allowed out of the fort anymore...

Perhaps we should take a nap, he thought, rotating a sore shoulder. Or maybe he could try to catch Rasp doing magic again?

A short while later, Instructor Vor and Magus Gus strode into the commander's office.

General Lukes had been expecting the two of them and had extra chairs waiting. As the arrivals seated themselves, he leaned forward with some anticipation. "Well?"

The goatee'd mage was the first to speak. "I wasn't able to sense anything special about the dragon. At all. Unsurprisingly it was immune to my scan, it's a dragon. What exactly were you hoping I would find?"

The instructor questioningly glanced at the commander and received a nod, which Vor took as a cue to fill Gus in.

"Yesterday, that little dragon undeniably displayed the ability to use magic. Right here in this office. The result anyways. The dragon was in his stall at the time. But it was able to cast its sight into an object in the boys hand. Right in front of the me, and right in front of the General. Untrained magic."

The mage's eyes had widened further with shock at every statement. He stood and started pacing excitedly. "Untrained magic!? You know what that means?"

The general spoke dryly, "Oh, not exactly. But I think we have an inkling."

The pudgy man continued as if Lukes hadn't spoken. And started ranting. "To manifest magic without training. Wild Magic! Incredible! You know what that means?! Incredible magic power! Barely one or two people every generation display that much potential. And from a dragon no less?! How is this even possible? How would you teach it? Can it be taught? If it can be taught, that means- a dragon mage!"

Pausing for breath, Instructor Vor took that opportunity to jump in. "As far as we know, its the first time any dragon has shown an affinity to magic before. Or at least, we have no record of it. Dragons are only classified as magical beasts due to the universal magic immunity of of their scales. But we were wondering if you would be able to detect mana from that one."

The commander raised a hand to stop Gus before he could start going again. "Lets talk about some of your questions. Do you think you are capable of teaching the dragon magic?"

The robed magus opened his mouth, then shut it with a snap. The room was quiet as Gus seriously wrestled with the tough question. He dropped back into his chair with a thud, then firmly uttered, "No."

Lukes and Vor shared looks of both disappointment and acceptance while Gus continued on in a forthright tone, "No. I couldn't even sense its potential. And even if I could, I lack the resources and knowledge. Nor do I even know how to start."

The general leaned back and drummed his fingers on his desk. "Thats disappointing to hear, but I do appreciate your honesty. Do you know of anyone who might be able to take on this task?"

"No. I don't think there is any one person who could do it. Not even an Archmage. This...This is a project that would require the attention of multiple mages."

Further pondering the problem and finding himself lost in thought, Gus absently twisted the end of his goatee. He then came to with a start. "Ideally, the mage academy in the capital would be the best choice. But even then that would not guarantee success. Considering the subject and all. But I can't even think of any other option really."

The mage concluded his answer with a simple shrug.

Instructor Vor was appalled. "Ollu City!?" He looked to Lukes as his weathered face tightened, "By foot that's nearly three months away! Through the Green Sea. How can we... ?"

The general stayed silent for a time as he considered the options. Keeping the slow growing variant here until it was of proper size. The proper path. Or risk sending the dragon and boy off to the capital to capitalize on the potential. The sheer potential! Perhaps providing the empire with a new weapon, capable of reaching yet unseen heights of power...