Maxine looked up at the ship from the Stardust Academy. It had taken it five days and during those days, she had managed to convince Turan to give her some space and it wasn't an easy task to accomplish that. She had tried to get him to back off using polite methods, but those didn't work. Eventually, she got angry and called him a stalker, which oddly worked and he stopped following her quite so closely.
Yesterday, he gave her a special core as an apology for his behavior. It had perfectly fused energies of essense and ki within it and she had been studying ever since. It gave her some inspiration on how to safely fuse her own energies, but she was still a long ways off from ever accomplishing that feat.
She was drawn out of her thoughts when the ship from the Stardust Academy ceased it's descent a hundred feet above the city and opened up its side hatch. A young woman with antler like horns come out of her head and golden scales on her hands exited the ship and approached Maxine. A golden eastern dragonkin? It's not every day you get to see one of them. If I recall correctly, they have the most destructive breath attack out of any dragon and are the most physically powerful of the eastern dragons.
"I'm Piras Long, but I'm young miss Long to you," the golden dragonkin woman said with an arrogant and slightly angry tone, "Now get on the ship, If I wasn't commanded by my father, I would've never come to fetch you." Something in her tone infuriated Maxine, but she pushed that anger down. However, her anger refused to be subdued and that it made it very difficult to think clearly. In that moment, Maxine realized that it was her hydra bloodline reacting to Piras Long specifically. It was almost as if their two species were enemies.
"I answer to only my master," Maxine replied in cold tone, "And if my master hadn't commanded me to go to the Stardust Academy, I wouldn't even be waiting for you here." Her attitude is seriously making it hard to keep any control over my hydra bloodline. And I'm pretty sure she would prefer this cold attitude over me biting off her face.
Piras Long's face twisted into anger, but she quickly regained her calm, "There are very few people that would dare to talk to me like that and all of them have backgrounds similar to mine. So who is your master? I want to know who he is to give you the confidence to act like this." So, she came here without hearing all of the details. That's really careless.
"Poison Emperor Guan," Maxine replied. Piras Long looked mildly surprised, and her arrogant demeanor was dialed down. However it was still apparent that she didn't like Maxine.
"I wasn't aware he had a student, but regardless, we are on a time table. So, get on the ship. We've wasted enough time with useless talk," Piras Long stated. At least this time, her tone doesn't ooze with arrogance.
Maxine shrugged and flew up to enter the ship. She looked over her shoulder at Turan and saw that he was terrified. She just now began to smell him. It was then that Maxine realized that both she and Piras Long were eminating dragon fear unconsciously. Poor, Turan. He's getting a double dose of dragon fear. I'm surprised he's still on his feet. It's strange that I don't feel the slightest bit of anxiety or anything in her presence. Perhaps my bloodline is high enough on the hierarchy to not be suppressed by her draconic bloodline.
"You look terrible," Maxine commented after they entered the ship.
"I'll live," Turan said weakly as Piras Long walked past them.
"Just be sure not to harrass, miss Long. She doesn't appear to be the forgiving type," Maxine warned him, "And you better stay out of my room. That is unless you want to be my test subject for my itching powder."
"Itching powder?" Piras Long asked out of curiosity as she took a peek over her shoulder.
"It does exactly what it sounds like. One packet of that powder is enough to cause someone a severe itch that covers their entire body for twenty four hours regardless of their strength," Maxine explained.
"How severe of an itch?" Turan asked.
"Enough that you will keep on scratching even after you start scratching off strips of your flesh," Maxine answered.
"I can see how that could be useful," Piras Long commented with a cruel smile, "Can I purchase some from you?"
"No," Maxine said bluntly, "Unless you are immune to poisons or have a chitinous exoskeleton, one tiny mistake in handling this powder and you will dose yourself with it."
"That's a shame," Piras Long said just as the ship started to tremble slightly, "It seems we are underway. Your rooms are on the corridor to the left. Just pick one that you fancy. They're all essentially the same." Piras Long immediately turned around and left them. Maxine had wanted to ask Piras Long a few more questions.
After giving Piras Long's departing back an annoyed look, Maxine went to the rooms. She gave Turan a glare before choosing one and closing the door behind her. The room itself was small. It had only a two foot gap between the wall and the bed. I know they make rooms this size out of necessity for crewmates, but shouldn't a passenger get a bigger room for comfort? Or better yet, have a larger room for someone with claustrophobia. On the plus side, it's very unlikely that Turan will be able to sneak into this room without me noticing. Still, it's better to lean towards the safe-side.
Maxine promptly started to put up various strings coated in her Maddening Itching Powder. Just as she finished, the door to her room opened to reveal Piras Long, whom raised an eyebrow.
"Is that really necessary?" Piras Long asked, "He can't be as bad as you're making him to be."
"Yes, he is," Maxine responded without any hesitation, "I've woken up with him standing over me and I do not want that to happen again."
"Ugh, that man sounds like a fiend," Piras Long said as she looked disgusted, "Would you like for him to have an accident?"
"No need," Maxine said, "The shadow lords would just send someone else and I rather deal with him than someone else. The next one they send may be far worse."
"Very well," Piras Long said, "I just can stand the arrogance of the Shadow Lords. How dare they think they can manipulate someone with dragon blood!"
"Thanks," Maxine said as her impression of Piras Long improved, "Sorry about behaving so childishly earlier."
"Think nothing of it," Piras Long said, "I admit my behavior was not any better. I just felt this fury explode within me when I set eyes on you."
"Strange, I felt something similar," Maxine admitted, "But it's not as big of a problem now."
"It must have something to do with our bloodlines. In ancient itmes, certain dragon clans were antagonistic with each other," Piras Long explained, "Is your bloodline perchance related to snake dragons?"
"Hydra, actually," Maxine replied.
"That explains it. Golden dragons in the past had a falling out with snake dragons, which are cousins to the hydra, and fought each other for several millenia. A bit of that hatred lingers within our blood," Piras Long explained, "It makes encounters with each other tense."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"That isn't the word I would use," Maxine said, "Is that the reason you came to see me? To make peace?"
"Yes," Piras Long admitted.
"And did it have anything to do with finding out my background?" Maxine asked.
"In part, but that's not the only reason," Piras Long answered, "But more in part due to your strange bloodline. If I'm not mistaken, there have only been a handful of people that have managed to acquire a hydra bloodline. Your master was the most successful case by far as his life span wasn't shortened at all and he could still have children. So I find it very curious for you to have a hydra bloodline. So I've come up with two theories: you are either his supposedly dead daughter suffering from amnesia, or he 'created' you using his great knowledge of alchemy. And before you discount either, it's not outside the realm of possibility since he's already brought his wife back from the dead. That feat alone was thought impossible, so whose to say he can't do something equally impossible." So, she already knew which bloodline I had before she came here. Yet she asked anyways. What's more is she came up with all of that mere minutes after meeting me. She's frighteningly intelligent.
"That's enough," Turan said angrily from behind Piras Long.
"I already know which of those two options the shadow lords are leaning towards," Piras Long said while ignoring Turan, "But what do you believe?"
"I believe he's my master and that's all there is to it," Maxine said neutrally, "If there is nothing else, I need to Turan-proof my room."
"Actually, there is," Piras Long said, "I came to inform you that you will be tested once you arrive to the academy in both your martial skill and alchemical skills to help us place you into your classes. I suggest you study if you're not confident that you will do well."
"I can understand the martial skill test, but why are they testing my alchemical skills?" Maxine asked, "I'm Poison Emperor Guan's student. That alone should exempt me from any alchemy tests."
"They want to know the extent to what Guan has taught you thus far and what your ranking on the alchemist's ranking board is," Piras Long replied, "They like to display rankings to encourage competition." Yeah, I read up on that. Thankfully, they don't make the students fight each other. Instead, they have them walk into an illusion array and have them fight illusionary opponents that get gradually stronger and stronger. And with alchemy they just ask you to make the highest tier potion or pill that you can.
"I've read the literature," Maxine said calmly, "I still don't see the point of it."
"Be that as it may, they will still insist that you take it," Piras Long said. But why though?
"I'm guessing you won't enlighten me as to why," Maxine complained.
"I havn't the faintest idea as to why that fool is insisting on it any more than you do," Piras Long said, "If there is anything else, I will be in my quarters near the bridge and don't worry about your meals. They will be brought to you."
"I will keep that in mind and thanks for letting me know about all of that," Maxine said.
"You're welcome," Piras Long said before walking down the corridor.
Maxine promptly closed the door and continued to put up a few more itching powder coated strings before getting on the bed to cultivate. Thankfully, she wasn't interrupted until one of the ship's crewmates opened the door carrying a plate of food, but after seeing all of the strings crisscrossing the room, the crewmate wisely set the plate on the floor just inside the room before leaving.
Maxine created some shadow tendrils to navigate the plate of food through the maze of itching powder strings and returned it once she was done eating. She quickly went back to cultivating and again she was awoken by food being brought to her. This routine continued until a veil was brought with her food after a week of being on the ship.
She held up the veil to get a better look at it. It looked like it hanged just below her eyes and it was long enough to conceil everything from her cheekbones to her collarbone. She could only sigh as she put it on. I shouldn't have to wear this damn thing. I know full well that men can control themselves when they see a beautiful woman. It's just that they choose not to and now they will be just as distracted by wondering what I look like underneith it.
Since it was clear that they were about to land, Maxine began to take down all of the itching powder coated strings and cleaning up any of the itching powder residue on the floor. She didn't want to accidentally poison one of the ship's crew, so she had to be thorough. Just as soon as she finished, Piras Long opened the door to her room and Maxine noticed that too she was now wearing a veil. Oh, good. I'm not the only one that has to wear this stupid thing. That makes me feel a little better about this.
"We will be landing momentarily," Piras Long said camly, "See to it that the shadow lord knows of this."
"He probably already knows," Maxine replied and she tugged on the veil, "By the way, is it really necessary for me to wear this thing?"
"Very," Piras Long replied, "There are various beastkin males attending the academy that have difficulty controlling themselves. It's best not to tempt them." So in other words, I'm being punished because a bunch of idiots can't control themselves.
"In that case, I better change into something less flattering," Maxine said since she was wearing another green dress.
"That would be best," Piras Long said as Maxine ran back into the room.
"Oh and by the way, I have this thing about men touching me. If they are to carelessly touch me, they may end up loosing a hand," Maxine said calmly, "I would appreciate it if you sent out word of this ahead of time. I don't want anyone to complain that they hadn't been warned."
"I will have the captain forward it," Piras Long said calmly.
"Thanks," Maxine said before closing the door to get changed into her training clothes and after she finished changing, she felt the slightest tremor of the ship entering an atmosphere. When she opened the door, Piras Long as still out there waiting for her.
"Now that you're ready, the both of you should head to the airlock," Piras Long said, "We are about to land. I will join you in a few moments."
"Alright," Maxine said as she started walking to the airlock and Turan phased into existence behind her, "How long have you been there?"
"The whole time you two were talking," Turan answered.
"You do realize how much you sound like a creepy stalker, right?" Maxine asked.
"Forgive me, but I was under the impression that I was performing the shadow elf courting ritual properly," Turan said in an apologetic tone. If that's how they look for love, they are doing it in a very messed up way.
"I don't know about that, but where I was raised, they courted each other by singing ballads, reciting poems, giving gifts to each other and most importantly, spending time with each other," Maxine retorted.
"Fascinating. Did you happen to be near a human city?" Turan asked.
"Close enough. Why?" Maxine asked. Technically, I lived in the suburbs of a human city, but I'm not lying.
"That explains it then," Turan replied, "It's not uncommon for villages near human cities to adapt some of the human's culture into their own. I just didn't consider that you would adopt the human's courting rituals as your own."
"Whatever you say," Maxine said and Piras Long gave them both a wierd look as she walked up to them.
"Stop the chatter. We are landing," Piras Long said just before Maxine felt a small impact through her feet, "Once we land, I will take you straight to the illusion array where your martial skills will be tested. I recommend that you don't go all out in it because the rest of the students will be observing you."
"I wasn't going to," Maxine said.
"Good," Piras Long said as the outer hatch opened up and she walked out. Maxine followed behind her and paused for a moment as she took stock of her surroundings. She immediately saw the formation array just outside of the academy walls with what looked like a holographic monitor above it. There was a list of names with numbers beside them, which she guessed was a ranking board of some kind, but she didn't know how they kept score.
The academy itself was rather bland. The metallic walls were easily three hundred feet tall and extended several miles in either direction. She didn't see any defensive emplacements, but that didn't mean there weren't any. The gate leading into the academy was made of a bronze-like metal and was big enough to allow her full hydra form to fit through.
She looked around for any students, but didn't see any. She found that odd, but as soon as she started to approach the formation array, the large bronze doors opened up. Beastkin of every shape and size started to walk out in groups of three. Oddly enough, she only saw one group of humans exit the academy. They were all watching her as she followed Piras Long to the formation array.
"Defeat as many enemies as you can inside the illusion array. Try to get a high score. The higher your score, the more resources the academy will spare for your cultivation," Piras Long explained.
"One question: Can I have my constructs appear in it? Or will this test be based solely on my personal combat ability?" Maxine asked. She hadn't found any reference material that stated that clearly.
"It's a test of your personal combat ability. Constructs are not allowed in it," Piras Long replied.
"This should be fun," Maxine said with a smile just before she walked onto the illusion array.
Instantly, a heavy mist appeared all around her and she had to walk a short distance before entering a place where there was no mist. In it, there were half a dozen shadowy figures infront of her with peak silver stage cultivation. They were just standing there waiting for her to make the first move. She withdrew her twighlight iron blades from her dimensional ring and hesitated for a moment before charging at the shadowy figures.