Chapter 35 - Karr Osten and Torch

Ash gawked as they walked up the path to the dragonhouse.

The sheer size of just the entryway was overwhelming. It had to stretch at least thirty feet across and stood nearly fifty feet tall in Ash’s estimation. Way bigger than what was needed at the Skyfort. The entrance had clearly been designed for mature adult dragons. And giant ones at that.

Ash knew that dragons never stopped growing, but he had never heard of one that would require an entrance this incredible. But this large passage screamed to him, that dragons larger than the tales might exist. Ash smiled wryly as he imagined how long it would take for Rasp to grow half as tall as this opening, let alone the full fifty feet. A thousand years, he mused. Of course, right now he’d happily settle for Rasp to clear a measly five feet.

The houseleader, Oneer, led them through the immense passageway. The cavernous space smelled of fresh hay, scorched meat, and a faint tinge of sulfur, a welcoming scent for Rasp. The black dragon enthusiastically explored the surroundings, its scaly snout darting in every direction. Ash couldn't help but feel a sense of relief for Rasp, who had spent the last couple of weeks confined to a cramped cart.

Amid the grandeur, Ash noticed a disheveled man with windswept hair passing by. Oneer exchanged nods with him, prompting Ash's curiosity. "Houseleader Oneer, who was that?"

"Oneer replied, "That was Karr Osten. Today is his week off. He always flies over the lake when he gets the chance."

Ash stifled a gasp and he resisted his excited urge to look back. That was Karr Osten! The hero?! Karr Osten and his red dragon Torch were famous throughout the Empire.

Ten years ago, the nation of Winch invaded Talon’s borders across three different locations. Karr and his dragon were on patrol when they encountered one army advancing through a remote forest. Setting the trees ablaze with Torch’s dragonsbreath, the pair dealt massive casualties to the invading force and harassed them back to their own borders. They had successfully repelled an army all by themselves. For this heroic act the Emperor had named the duo as Talon’s Great Shield, but they were more commonly referred to as the Armykillers.

Ash had heard that he had joined the Royal Dragonguard, but hadn't expected to meet the hero on his first day here! And as for Torch, he was the whole reason every trainee had hoped to end up with a firebreathing partner. Poisonbreath is good too, he had to remind himself.

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But if Karr was on his week off... The boy had a sudden realization, "So that red-gold I saw on the walls wasn't Torch?"

Oneer was amused, "If you saw a red-gold, that was Sahara. Torch is a light brown-orange. But enough about that, here we are," he stopped outside a large sliding door. "Here's where you'll stay during your time here. Get yourselves settled, and I'll send someone to show you around later."

"Thank you, sir! Ah, sir?"

"You have a question dragonboy?"

"Yes, I have a letter to deliver to the mage academy as well. Sir."

"That's fine. I'll let the runner know."

"Thank you, sir!" Ash responded with a snappy salute.

Oneer saluted back before walking away.

Looking down at Rasp, Ash couldn’t prevent the grin spreading across his face. Thanks to Rasp he was stationed with a hero. He hoped he would soon meet the famous Torch as well.

Ash slid open the door and Rasp rushed into their new quarters with the boy only a step behind. Large enough to accommodate a mature adult dragon, the stall allowed streams of light through narrow slits in the walls. Rasp explored every corner with happy snorts, seemingly satisfied with the new surroundings.

Ash, too, couldn't hide the grin that spread across his face. “You already like it, eh Rasp?”

Throwing the sack and gear into a corner Ash sat down against a wall and decided to patiently wait for the guide Oneer mentioned. Rasp ran over to join him, and dropped his head into Ash’s lap. In no time at all they had fallen into a quick nap.

“Hey, hey, are you Ash?”

HISS! Ash and Rasp were startled awake. Ash turned to find a young man sticking his head into the stall. The dragonboy hastily got up to shake the guy’s hand, “Yeah, that’s me and this is my dragon Rasp.” They use blue shirts here too...

The guide introduced himself, “Great, great, nice to meet you. You can call me Tocc. I guess I’m supposed to show you around. Where do you want to go first?”

Ash, realizing the necessity of bedding for Rasp and other essentials, decided to get the stall sorted out first. “I’ll need some bedding for Rasp and …”

With Tocc showing the way, Ash soon memorized the dragonhouse complex. They had even dragged a spare cot over for the dragonboy’s use. And after feeding Rasp with Tocc's help and layering a stall corner with clean bedding, the new arrival only had one last task in mind.

With Rasp drowsily closing his eyes for a second afternoon snooze, Ash figured that now was a good time to bring up the letter.

He asked Tocc, “I need to deliver a letter to the mage academy. Do you know the way?”

The guide shot Ash a startled look. “Yeah yeah, the houseleader did mention something about that. Hah, thought I had misheard him. But yeah, I can do that." He was curious though, "Who is the letter for?”

“The archmage in charge, I think?”

“Ah, ok. Fair warning, the academy is pretty far. Clear on the other side of the city.”

Despite warning Ash about the distance, the dragonboy chuckled confidently and slapped his leg. “Hah, don’t worry about me; I’ve done little except walk for the past month. I can handle it.”