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Vol2 Chapter 10
Coming of the Dragon
Don’s exhausted form was barely standing. His foe this time was a veteran of combat, a literal goddess of war. She seemed nice enough at first, but apparently her followers would do all they could to ignite wars between any faction who even disliked one another. In the last century alone more than a dozen wars could be attributed to her cause.
Her weapon skills were not the flawless perfection of the god of the sword, but she wore battle armor and knew how to fight strategically. Even with three on one she was holding her ground against Don, Rose, and Tolan’s combined might.
Behind her golden battle mask spoke the words, “You have done well fighters of Lu, but if this is all you have...”
Don knew that Rose was almost out of mana for healing spells, he said to her, “Use whatever you got left to heal Tolan, don’t heal me anymore.”
She looked at him like he had said something she couldn’t believe. She answered with, “What?! Don’t tell me you’re gonna do that?!”
Don smiled at her and took several rings from his pockets to put on. Afterwards he charged the goddess as fast as he could. His twin blades against her time tested battle instinct. However her own sword skill allowed her to give more hits than she took. Taking her experience into account, she had already calculated how much life she would lose throughout the length of the battle to defeat every person here. She had judged their abilities and even their potential to grow through the battle and even if they reached maximum fighting efficiency, she could still defeat them. That is what it meant to fight against the goddess of war.
However after Don was dealt another blow, his comeback strike was so powerful it knocked the sword from her hands when she tried to parry it. She hadn’t accounted for the possibility of equipment that made one stronger as the wearer lost life like Don’s rings.
The other two saw the opportunity and, before she could retrieve her weapon, they surrounded and cut her down.
After a few moments she died, dropping her essence, an opal, and her golden mask.
Quest Update: Slay the Gods
Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance.
Progress 19/19
Return to Lu for your reward
Done looked down on the goddess’s essence and let out a deep sigh, “It’s over,” before bending down to pick up the glowing orb.
You have obtained the spirit of War!
Strength increased by 20 (+10 STR)
Agility increased by 10 (+10 AGI)
Intelligence increased by 10 (+10 INT)
Your divine affinity has increased
Rose knocked Don on the side of the head and said, “You idiot, I can’t believe you put those rings on. How much health are you at?”
Don looked at his own health bar and read it aloud. “43 health points.”
Tolan and Rose looked at him like he was a talking floating head. They knew that Don had made rings that lowered the wearer’s health by 15% a piece and gave a large stat boost if the wearer had less than 20% remaining health, but Don had put on five rings, lowering his maximum health to 44% of its original size.
(If he had 100hp and 1 ring, it would be -15% of 100, 85hp. With two rings, it -15% of 85, 72hp, and so on)
It was overly dangerous and foolhardy, in other words it was something Don considered an appropriate fighting style for himself.
Rose meditated a bit to recover her mana and heal everyone to maximum health. Don gave her the golden mask and Tolan the opal. At first they refused but Don insisted since this was their last battle together. The pair never struck Don as sentimental, but they agreed.
After leaving the temple Don went to the bank of the nearby town to make a withdrawal. Before going to the temple of War, he had left his dragon egg at the bank, since it was now larger than a beach ball and didn’t fit in his inventory space. The bank manager returned to the counter with the large sack Don had left with him. Inside the sack was the egg as well as some materials that would dull the presence others could sense from the egg. Without such a precaution Don couldn’t let the egg out of his sight.
Carrying a large white sack that made one think Santa was coming to town, Don and the others headed for the closest temple of Lu, where Rose lead the way within to a back room that had a small golden statue of the deity.
In the direction of the statue came a voice.
-You have done well. There is but a single matter left to deal with.
Don nodded and took out Lu’s essence. The sphere of light that could be absorbed by other gods to strengthen them, the bait that Don had been carrying around since his quest began.
He opened the box and the light filled the room. Slowly it dimmed until it was gone.
Quest Complete: Slay the Gods
Faith has increased by 50! (+50 FAI)
You have gained a Level!
You have gained a Level!
You have gained a Level!
You have gained a Level!
.
.
.
Don gained eleven levels, he was now at level 243. Don opened his stat window to see how much progress he had made since starting the quest at level 131.
Status WindowAvatar DonAlignment LawfulRace Lunar ElfTitle: Inheritor of the God of the SwordLevel 243Class Blade DancerFame 1610Infamy 0Health 12130Mana 8110Strength 642+27Agility 565+24Wisdom 165+80Intellect 211+50Vitality 230Affinity to Nature 72Charisma 215Charm 225Leadership 60Perseverance 324Fighting Spirit 199Endurance 171Concentration 169+30Luck 160Insight 44Faith 231Attack 1390Defense 202Magic Resistances None+ Charisma stat is added extra 80 points.
+ Charm stat is added an extra 80 points
+ Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class.
+ Increases Attack Power while dual wielding swords.
+ Enables you to learn secret skills based on your level in Blade Dancing Mastery.
Lu spoke again.
-Don, as per our agreement, I shall make a pact with you. For you I have chosen a very special pact. It will impart unto you a unique skill.
Don remembered the sacrifice skills that Tolan and Rose used back when they were captured by the shadow god. They later told Don that those skills were some of the ones that their own pact with Lu had given them. It seemed also that the damage dealt by Tolan to the shadow god had vastly weakened it, which was the reason that it took almost no effort for Don to kill it.
Lu continued.
-Over the past year you have killed many of my enemies, however whatever you may think of me, I have many more friends among the gods than I do enemies, and it was with their help, that this skill was conceived.
From the statue, pure white light glowed and enveloped Don.
You have been offered a pact with the god Lu, should you accept, you will gain a unique skill.
By accepting a pact, you will automatically become a member of the church of Lu and be subject to the church’s Law.
Do you accept?
Yes|No
Don had wondered why he hadn’t been invited to the church yet, it seemed because it would happened anyways as soon as he accepted. Don was told that this pact would give him greater Divine affinity than simply absorbing the essence of a slain god, and since Lu went through the effort of making a skill for him, he had much to gain and little to lose by accepting.
“I accept.”
The light strengthened for a moment before fading away.
Ting*
You have joined the Church of Lu.
Your rank has been elevated to Disciple.
Your faith has increased by 30 (+30 FAI)
You have gained the skill: Dance of the Gods.
Your divine affinity has increased.
Without hesitation Don said, “Show skill window for Dance of the Gods.”
Dance of the Gods [1] 0%
Invokes the power of a random god to aid you
Mana cost: 3000
Can only be used once per day.
Don was speechless. Not over the skill, but the mana cost. He didn’t really understand how good it could be, but he hoped that it was worth the mana for it.
Lu spoke again.
-That dance is based off one that once greatly pleased the gods, but the original has been extinct for hundreds of years. It can only be used by a dancer who possesses sufficient divine affinity, and usually only draws forth the power of a single god. But there are many gods who wish to see that dance again, s the skills was re-conceived so that I may share it with others . Use it wisely.
The light died down and the trio left the room. Tolan was the first to speak up, “So what are the specifics of the skill you got?”
Don simple said, “Costs 3000 mana, invokes the power of a random god.”
Tolan gave an impressed whistle. “That’s pretty good. Most pact skills have a high cost, one way or another. My strongest pact skills are Battle Blessing that burns my health until I die and Spear of the Heavens, which costs 2500 mana. Which is pretty much all the mana I have.”
Don knew that his own mana was far higher than it should be thanks to the bonus stats gained through divine essences so he could use the skill and still have mana to spare, but he didn’t want to speak of that. So instead he said, “What does Spear of the Heavens do?”
“It calls Lu to throw his spear at what I’m targeting. It can only be used outside though, and only once per day.”
“What do you mean throw his spear?” Don asked.
“I mean when I use it, a beam of light comes from the sky and strikes what I’m targeting from above, piercing it through and usually obliterating it.”
Don slightly regretted that Tolan never used it in front of him but his explanation made Don look forward to using his own skill.
Don asked Rose and Tolan before they parted, “Will we ever see each other again?”
Rose answered, “Probably. We did work well together and now that you’re a member of the church, you’ll be assigned the occasional mission and we might run into each other then.”
Don then said as if it he just remembered, “Oh yea, the egg is hatching in a week, wanna see it?”
Tolan shook his head, “No, we’ve got plenty of work ahead of us. I don’t think I’ll have much free time in Royal Road for the next month or so. Speaking of which, enjoy your Christmas.”
They each said likewise before leaving. In the real world it was the first week of December and Christmas was around the corner. Don would have a lot of work at the electronics store for holiday shopping but his semester classes had ended and his finals were passed with mostly ‘B’s he had time to devote to Royal Road.
Although Rose and Tolan wouldn’t be there, Don did invite all of the people on his friends list to the hatching. That of course amounted to four people. His sister and the gnome Bob were already on their way, and the Paladin Ramen would be there as well. The blacksmith, Smith, of course had refused for several reason, mostly because he just didn’t want to go.
Don, still wearing a cloak that hid his his pretty boy elf face and now a sack that could fit a fridge, looked very odd walking down the mainstreet of the city. He heard several people say the word ‘santa’, followed by the remark, ‘he’s too thin.’
Don made his way to the library. Unfortunately he realized he had been overly optimistic. There wasn’t a single book in the library that showed how to care for and raise a dragon. The only book that was slightly relevant was a book about known dragons. On the cover of the book was a majestic looking white dragon, the one Don recognized as Kay Bern, the ruler of the Thor Kingdom. After him was Dowl Saer, the green dragon who protected the Emerald Forest. Dune Reck, the earth dragon, Xenel, the gold, Fosphor, the scarlet, there were many known dragons in the lands of Versailles. Most of these had a set domain that they either ruled or protected, while some simply appeared randomly throughout history. Don was tempted to go look for one and ask how to raise a dragon, but there was a chance that in the presence of another of its kind, Don’s hatchling would abandon Don in favor of being raised by dragon, regardless of how high his divine affinity was.
Don decided on Ranbull heights as the hatching location. It was far from any civilized area so if the dragon tried anything there would be no collateral damage, but it wasn’t too difficult to get to, just out of the way. Ranbull heights was a highly elevated rocky area that was filled with cracks and seams. It had an assortment of monsters, but their level range was low and they wouldn’t bother anyone unless provoked.
Three days after setting off, Don found his way to the town that was closest to Ranbull Heights, and was happy to see a familiar wagon parked outside the common Inn.
Don entered the Inn and saw a table filled with four girls and one red bearded gnome. Don recognized one of the girls as his sister and called out, “Sierra, Bob, I’m here.”
Both looked over to Don, but neither met his eyes, they were of course drawn to the large sack he carried.
After looking over it thoroughly, his sister got off the table and rushed to hug her older brother. Although he always spent at least one weekend a month with his sister, this was the first time they had seen each other since being separated when he first logged into Royal Road.
Sierra asked, “Big brother, what level are you at?”
“I hit 243 after completing Lu’s quest.”
Sierra said, “Woah, you’re catching up to me, I’m at level 298.” Sierra then motioned the other girls in the table and said, “These are my friends, Jene, Howel, and Noch.”
Sierra told Don before that her friends wanted to see a dragon, and since this was apparently the only dragon they knew that wouldn’t hate humans, it should be safe.
Bob slowly walked up to Don and held out his hand, Don shook it vigorously and said, “Good to see you Bob.”
The gnome smiled and said, “Likewise.” He took another look at the sack and said, “I think I’m glad you opened that box and not me, that thing is too large to fit in my wagon.”
Don considered this and said, “You can strap it to the roof.”
Bob shook his head and said, “No, that’s Oric’s spot.”
As if he just remembered, Don said, “Oh yea, you never told me that I needed a license to sell the artifacts I've made.”
Bob looked confused for a second before saying, “What? Wait a minute, how high is your artificing level now?”
“Beginner 9, 12%.” Don answered.
Bob said, “Wow, I didn’t expect you to achieve so much so fast. I guess since we’re on the subject, I should tell you that without a license, your artificing skill won’t get above beginner level 10.”
Don hadn’t considered that but it made sense. Skills outside your class have limitations on mastery level. Don asked, “Will I be able to get a license?”
Bob looked a bit uneasy. “Well, yes and no. If you do it right, you can get a license, but if not, both of us will be in a lot of trouble.”
Don said, “What do you mean?”
“Well, if it is discovered that I gave you the skill, I could lose my license and you’ll never get yours. If you can hide it, then you can become the apprentice of a legitimate master. Afterwards he’ll assign you a license if your skill in artificing shows promise.”
From the way he said the last part, he didn’t seem convinced it was possible to fool a master. Don thought about it for a moment and said, “I’ll claim I learned artificing from Actos’ journal.”
This startled Bob like he had just seen a giant running straight for him. “Actos?! You would claim to be Actos’ Apprentice?!”
“Not his apprentice, more of a student. No one but you and I know he still lives. Technically lives.. Actos already gave me a journal I could give to head of the artificing guild. I’ll claim I learned everything I know only from it.”
Bob remembered that the head of the artificing guild would do anything to get his hands on anything that belonged to Actos, so it could work. Bob said, “If you haggle right, you could get an apprenticeship to a good master along with whatever reward he’ll offer in exchange for that journal.”
Don nodded thoughtfully. That was one problem down.
The group discussed past adventures and traded secrets at the Inn table for a few hours, occasionally requesting food or drink from the Innkeeper. Before the sun set, the last member of the group showed up, the paladin Ramen. They rented rooms for the night and the next morning set off for Ranbull Heights.
Bob paid the Innkeeper to allow him to park his wagon in the large storage shed they had so he could leave without it. He took Oric of course and actually rode him like a horse. The automaton wolf forged of the purple metal, orichalcum, was in fact closer to the size of a horse than the size of a wolf. And with the padded seat that was built into the mount’s back, it was a comfortable ride for the small gnome.
Don and Ramen talked about the church and the random tasks and assignments he could look forward to now that he was a disciple. It seemed that although most members of the church were priests and paladins, it was not all that uncommon for others who have demonstrated their faith to be invited to the church. Their roles are usually supporting for other groups who require more than paladins and priests to be successful.
Sierra and her friends were busy talking to Bob and fawning over Oric. It wasn’t everyday you saw a gnome riding a giant robo-wolf and Bob who had spent years traveling throughout Versailles had many stories to share.
The trip to Ranbull Heights was uneventful and after two days they found a nice spot to camp. The egg would hatch the next morning and at this altitude and so far away from any cities or towns the stars would be as diamonds in the sky.
Ramen lead the story telling around the campfire.
“So, a few months ago myself and a few others were dispatched to investigate this sudden sickness that was spreading over this town in the south of the kingdom. It turns out that there was this Sorcerer doing all kinds of weird experiments. The side effects of which caused a buildup of this noxious gas that caused the sickness. Anyways, he had these freaky abomination that he created. There weren’t like chimeras, stuff made from a fusion of a few other things, they were creepy looking monstrosities that would give you nightmares.”
Stolen novel; please report.
Some of the girls shuddered when he gave a detailed description of what they looked like.
“Anyways, the sorcerer turned out to be the son of the mayor of the town, his workshop was beneath the medical center, which is why the people being treated never got better. It was tricky but we were able to shut him down and even get him to administer an antidote to all the victims.”
Sierra and her friends narrated a story of this maze like dungeon they got lost in for a week. Eventually they solved the secret of the maze, got a boat load of treasure and found their way out.
Bob shared a story about this group of merchants he once traveled with that got attacked by a famous band of thieves, but the merchants had hired some renown mercenary who defeated the thieve’s leader in single combat and lead the other mercenaries to drive back the thieves. His description of the battles was intense and made the audience hang on his every word.
Don decided to go with the story of the dungeon he was dragged into back before he opened the the sealed box and got the dragon egg. Sierra laughed several times at how absurd the whole thing was and Don couldn’t blame her.
They spent the night chatting and looking at the stars, and in the morning, Don took the egg out of the sack and let everyone see it. The egg was large enough for a single person to hold, but you couldn’t wrap your arms around it. It was as white and smooth as ivory and had a beautiful sheen that seemed to glow in the sunlight. Don put his hand on it and said, “Identify.”
Egg of the Holy Dragon Thessalanos.
This egg was created in the time before the races existed, before the gods descended on the world, before the time history was recorded. Since its creation it has laid dormant, unable to grow due to being bound. If not bound by ancient stone or wood it will grow until it is ready to hatch.
Note: Because this egg was created in the time before the non dragon races it will not possess a natural hated for them. In the moment it is born it will seek one who it recognizes has the right one to raise it. This will either be a dragon or someone with an outstandingly high divine affinity.
Time till the egg hatches: 2 Hours.
Don was so excited he had to restrain himself from jumping up and down repeatedly for two hours. It wasn’t that he was shy to do so, it just wasn’t very manly to be seen doing. He had been looking forward to this for some time, there were nights he dreamed about riding atop a white dragon and flying through the sky.
“Excuse me, do you have anything to eat?”
The entire group turned away from admiring the gleaming egg to see an old man with a walking stick who had somehow stumbled into the camp. Don had no idea how someone could end up out here without meaning to get there, but he did not forget his courtesies.
“Not at the moment, but Ramen had volunteered to make breakfast. You are more than welcomed to join us.” Don said before turning to Ramen who nodded with a smile.
The old man looked over each person of the camp and said, “Why thank you young man. I am not a very good cook myself so it has been a while since I have tasted something that wasn’t overcooked.”
He stepped forward a few paces into the group before finding a spot to sit. “Oh where are my manners, my name is Stribog.”
Don, still showing his best manners bowed his head lightly before introducing himself, and as if taking a cue of some kind, each person did likewise.
Stribog chuckled at the over the top mannerism and showed an old smile, the kind you’d expect to be given by a kindly grandpa. The man himself was short, not as short as Bob of course but he had the look of someone who had shrunk a few inches as he aged. His hair was white and his clothes were made of light fabric and if Don was any judge seemed to be of the mage variety, but Don couldn’t figure out the material or the level requirements. He was tempted to use scan, but it would seem rude if he was caught.
Bob walked right up and sat next to Stribog. “So what brings you out here?”
Stribog said, “I’m meeting a few friends out here. They should be wandering around but I think they may have gotten lost themselves.”
Stribog then looked up and said, “Actually, maybe I should have done this in the first place.”
He pointed his finger into the air and said, “Growldackarr”, rolling the ‘r’ as he said it. His finger glowed and shot a point of light into the air that left a sparkling trail. The point didn’t travel very fast but it kept going higher and higher without coming back down.
Sierra’s friend, the fire mage Noch said, “What spell was that? I didn’t recognize it.”
The way she said it implied she knew a great many spells and a encountering a spell she was unfamiliar with was a rare sight.
Stribog said, “A bit of ancient magic child. It costs more mana than normal spells but it happens to be what I specialize it.”
Ramen said over a cooking pot, “Mr. Stribog, two questions. Did you just call your friends to come here and should I make more breakfast?”
Stribog raised his head in contemplation and said, “Well, I didn’t want to ask, but if you have enough materials.”
Ramen said, “Of course, we brought enough to feed a dr-”
“How many can we expect to come Mr. Stribog?” Don quickly interrupted Raman from finishing his last word.
“Four if they all decide to come.” He answered politely.
Don asked, “Why did you choose to meet out here?”
Before the old man could answer Don heard a loud thud from across the camp. A tall, buff looking old man had jumped from a higher ledge down to where the camp was situated. He looked over the campers, let his eyes set on the egg for a moment, and then saw Stribog.
Stribog lifted his head to the man and said, “Gondel, good to see you made it old friend.”
The man called Gondel looked apprehensively through the campers but seemed to relax a bit at how nonchalant Stribog seemed to be about the whole situation. He passed through the crowd and stood before the beach ball sized egg.
Don decided at that point that these guys weren’t here by accident.
Ramen spoke up and said, “Breakfast is ready. Mr. Gondel, you’re more than welcome to a portion.”
Gondel didn’t look at him but instead turn to Stribog, who completely ignored him and went to get a bowl.
The meal Ramen cooked was roasted beef in a light, refreshing sauce. Don smiled and had to struggle to keep from mentioning that someone named Ramen was a hell of a cook.
Stribog said, “Most delicious. Gondel, will you not be having a share?”
Gondel, who was now standing near a large rock and facing the egg said, “I ate before coming.”
Don decided it was now or never and repeated his former question. “Mr. Stribog, why did you choose here, the Runbull Heights to meet each other?”
After setting aside his bowl, he said, “I didn’t choose it, I simply came for that.” He gestured to the egg. It was as Don feared.
The old man continued, “If you chose to come here to allow the egg to hatch away from civilization, I must thank you for that. You see my friends are not as tolerant of humans as I am.” He motioned once again, but this time to Gondel who gave Don a slight sneer of disgust.
The other members of the camp had been listening since Stribog said he said he wanted the egg, and Sierra asked, “Wait a minute, are you not human?”
The old man shook his head, “No, dragons have the ability to take the form of any race they wish.”
A chill went down Don’s spine as the words Stribog spoke registered, and as far as Don could tell, the same chill was shared by everyone else.
Noch asked, “You... You’re a ... Dragon?” Her words had a hint of both fear and curiosity.
“Yes child. I am a wind dragon. Unlike most of my brethren I travel as I please, going wherever the wind takes me.”
Ramen looked over to Gondel but said nothing before looking at Stribog. Stribog understood the unasked question and said, “It is inappropriate for me to share information of another in their presence.”
Three more people showed up, a large fat man, a slender gentleman, and a short kid with red hair.
The kid came down first, looked around at everyone and said, “Stribog, long time no see, Gondel, you seem as grumpy as ever.”
He then took a look at the egg, gave a polite bow to it and looked around at everyone before his eyes stopped at the kettle and the roasted meat.
He walked up to Ramen and said, “Human, give me some of that.”
Ramen gave him a bowl and the kid ate the whole thing in two bites before saying, “Another.”
Stribog said, “The kind paladin made enough for everyone. But before you empty the pot, you should check if anyone else wants some.”
The kid looked at the fat and slender men but both shook their heads. The kid said, “Alright!”
It was an interesting sight to see a kid who appeared younger than Don’s sister devouring a large pot of food in less than a minute. Don suspected that the only reason it took so long was because that was the limit of the size of a human mouth.
The kid then looked up to the face of the paladin for the first time and said, “Not bad.” He then turned around and said, “Alright humans, “and to Don, “and elf, I’m Fosphor.”
Don recognized the name. It was in the book of known dragons, Fosphor the scarlet dragon. Don noticed that the kid’s hair was indeed the same shade of red as the scales of the paintings of Fosphor in the book.
The fact that Don was now surrounded by five dragons was not lost on him. Even though they did not emit fighting spirit or killing intent, once you knew they were dragons you felt the overwhelming pressure of their existence. Surrounded as they were, Don felt that breathing was harder, moving was more difficult, and fear strangled his nerves. Don looked through everyone else and knew he was not alone in this feeling.
Still, even with through the fear and pressure, he was with his sister, and he would not let himself display cowardice. Don steadied his breath, looked Stribog right in the eye and said, “You’re not taking this egg from me.”
At this point Gondel shouted, “You dare! I should rip your heart out for even looking upon the holy dragon’s egg, and you dare lay claim over it?!”
His eyes morphed slightly back and forth between human pupils and dragon irises, as if his rage were so great he couldn’t hold it and his false form at once.
The slender man stepped forward and said, “You will do no such thing. It was this elf who released and protected the egg in our absence. For that deed he will not be harmed, regardless of any transgressions he has made.”
Then he turned to Don and gave a serious look before speaking both aloud and to him. “But that right does not extend to the others here. Hold your tongue or you will leave these lands on your own.”
Another shiver of fear. Don could tell that this was not a threat but a fact. He was not personally threatening Don’s friends but implying that if Gondel went wild, no one but Don himself would be spared.
Stribog held his hand up and said, “Settle down, these men and women have done nothing that deserves punishment. On the contrary, they have shown generosity through the sharing of food and foresight into the choosing of this location.” He turned to Fosphor and said, “Killing, or allowing the one who freely gave food to you to die would be most dishonorable.”
The redhead nodded slightly as if agreeing. Don hoped that meant if worse came to worse, his friends would be protected somewhat.
Stribog turned to Don then continued, “Anyways, it is not for you to say who will take the child. A dragon must raise a dragon. We have sensed this one’s presence for some time, and knew today to be its time to hatch. To be honest we have been looking for it for a few days, but its presence was hard to sense. Only this morning did we feel the exact location.”
That was the time Don had the egg in the sack, but he decided not to share this with them.
“Anyways, we appreciate you watching over the egg, but we cannot allow you to raise it. If it had hatched without any dragons around, it might have chosen you to raise it, but we could not have that. Which of course is why we came.”
Don said, “May I ask why I cannot be allowed to raise it?”
The fat man stepped forth, “Are you an idiot? The holy dragon will grow to be perhaps the most powerful dragon there is. Should it be raised to turn against us, the dragon race is finished.”
Don pouted at the logic. There was no way he could simply say that he would never do such a thing.
Stribog also added, “And just because the holy dragon can be raised by mortals, does not mean it should. I do not have a dragon’s natural hatred or greed, but I still have a dragon’s pride, and it won’t allow such a thing.”
“Look!” cried out Fosphor. The egg cracked. The tension had been so high Don had not even noticed that since the time Stribog arrived and now, two hours had passed.
The egg cracked again, louder this time. The crack spiraled around the egg.
Stribog got up and said, “There is another reason we had to come, Fosphor, if you would join me please.”
Fosphor got up as well and they stood on opposite sides of the egg, opened their mouths, and shot fire out of their mouths continuously.
Don moved to get up when the tall, skinny one was suddenly in front of him and saying, “A dragon can hatch on its own in time, but there is a chance of it dying shortly after from the cold. By heating the egg as it hatches with dragon breath, the egg is warmed to an ideal temperature, ensuring a successful hatch and healthy child.”
Considering how level headed this one was, Don wondered what kind of dragon he could be. The man wore a silk robe and had grey hair, but that told Don little as he couldn’t think of any know or any dragons with grey scales.
A moment later the egg exploded and the shell turned to dust. Where the egg once was, there sat a small, white, fluffy dragon, with red colored tips at the ends of its wings and tail. Don at first thought he was seeing things. Dragons weren’t fluffy. Then Don realized that it did not have scales like every other dragon he had seen pictures of in the library books, but feathers.
Sierra, Jene, Howel, and Noch spoke up at the same time and said the same thing. “Awwww, Cuuuuuute!”
The dragon was in fact adorable. Big eyes with a small red irises, large forehead, fluffy from head to toe, and about the size of Don’s little sister’s large plush bears. In fact this whole dragon would make an ideal plush toy without having to change a single thing.
The dragon yawned a bit before raising its head to look over at everyone. Don himself looked around to see each of the five dragons were focused intensely on the little fluff ball. He realized that they were waiting, that Thessalanos was choosing from among them who was fit to raise it.
Don turned back to see that the dragon was looking right at him. After a moment it got up and walked over to him before nuzzling Don’s kneecap. Don looked down at it as it looked up at him and he got down on one knee and petted the holy dragon who seemed to smile.
Don heard a crackling sound behind him and turned to see that Gondel was coated in lightning and his form was now more scale than flesh. He was mad beyond all reason and couldn't hold his human form. Don realized he was about to be slaughtered.
Don turned to Stribog and said, “Can I raise Thessalanos if I promise not to train it to wipe out all dragons?” It was said weakly as that was all he could manage with his impending death on the way, but Stribog said nothing.
From above, a shadow blocked out the sun and descended on the group.
Everyone looked up to see a dragon the size of a large passenger plane float down and land on the ground. In an instant Gondel reigned back in his sanity and the crackling sound stopped.
The dragon looked through the group and said with a booming voice, “Who has the holy dragon chosen as her guardian?”
Don decided now was not the time to remain silent and stepped forward a few feet. “I am.” As if to confirm his claim, the fluffy dragon followed him to stop at Don’s feet.”
The large dragon meet Don’s eyes and looked hard for a moment. “I see. You have achieved a great connection to the divine, through it you are closer to the holy dragon than her own race.”
After that he closed his eyes, looked down, and Don could swear he heard a sigh.
“But still, I can’t believe she has more in common with an elf than with a dragon.”
Gondel yelled, “Lord Sol, The holy dragon cannot be raised by anyone but a dragon!”
The large dragon said, “I had hoped that one of you would be chosen to be her guardian, but it seems that the choice is made. Gondel, Lord of Thunder, do you believe your judgment superior to the holy dragon?”
Gondel flitched at this but did not back down. “The holy dragon is a child who does not know any better.”
Sol, shook his head and said, “Knowledge is not this issue. Choosing guardianship comes from instinct one is born with. Today, tomorrow, ten thousand years into the future, this child’s instinct will not change, and will choose this elf over each of you time and time again.”
Don said aloud, “So you’re not taking her away?”
Sol looked down at the others and said, “No, it is her wish to stay with you. Now, Fosphor, Dune Reck, Gondel, Rothar, please leave us. By my order, you shall take no action to separate this elf and Thessalanos.”
A few moments later and the great dragon Sol had taken human form and was talking in private to Stribog.
Thessalanos was in Don’s lap sleeping when the two walked up to him, with Sol in the form of a young blonde man with flowing golden hair.
Sol said, “I suspect you know little of raising dragons, correct?” His voice was light and uplifting, the kind of voice that had authority but you didn’t mind being ordered by it.
“Yessir. I did try to look but I couldn’t find anything on the subject.” Don answered.
Sol nodded and said, “Until she has grown a bit and learned a few things it would be dangerous for her to be taken back to civilization. You shall stay here in the Ranbull Heights with Stribog, who has offered his services to help you learn how to raise the holy dragon, until he deems her fit to blend into society.”
Don bowed to both Sol and Stribog and said, “Thankyou very much.”
Sol continued, “This is a very unusual situation. I must warn you that should being in your care cause any harm to befall Thessalanos, you will be taken to the deepest, darkest dungeon to live the remainder of your life in agony and torment.”
Don stood straight up and nodded in understanding.
Sol nodded once, bowed a bit to the sleeping fluff ball in Don’s lap and teleported away.
Don turned to Stribog and asked, “Who was that?”
Stribog smiled lightly and said, "The current dragon lord and mightiest of our race, the Sun Dragon Sol.”
http%3a%2f%2fi39.tinypic.com%2f28sqb0l.jpg [http://i39.tinypic.com/28sqb0l.jpg]