Headmaster Larenok was not pleased to see them, either of them, but he covered his disgust with his usual scowl and gestured for them to sit.

Ran sat straight and stiff, as though this were an inquisition and he needed to avoid giving anything away. Jair lounged back in his own chair, sprawling out like he owned the place.

Ran gave him a look. Jair ignored the look.

"What is this that you've come here to say?" Larenok demanded, when neither of them immediately offered a report.

"I've had a vision, sir." Ran stepped forward at once, placing the scroll with Jair’s diagram on the headmaster's desk.

Jair raised his eyebrows. That was new. Since when did Ran pretend to be the seer? And how did he expect to maintain the charade?

Well. At least coming from him the headmaster might be less likely to dismiss it out of hand. Maybe Ran could do better than Jair ever had?

"What's this?"

"There's a dragon coming to eat me, sir. I would like to ask for your protection, help in bringing it down before it can do so."

Straightforward honesty, at least as far as possible without revealing that he wasn't the seer. Not the worst plan, but he’d had Ran request help in the past and it never amounted to enough. Still, the seer angle was new, so maybe…?

Jair leaned over and whispered a few more details to Ran while Larenok investigated the drawings, then sat back in his own seat when the headmaster's scowl turned on him.

"You say this dragon is going to eat you?" Larenok asked.

"Yes sir. Tomorrow evening. Me and Jair both."

Larenok's gaze lingered on Jair, prompting a sneer to cross his face, but Jair met the look with blank eyes and a falsely placid smile.

Larenok scoffed. "Welburne isn't necessary here."

"But, sir--"

"Welburne, dismissed."

Jair shrugged, grinned, saluted the headmaster, patted Ran's shoulder encouragingly, and walked out.

Just before he left the room he summoned Maelstrom in a brilliant flash of silver. Took one more step.

Wait for it…

Larenok's voice echoed after him, "Welburne, get back here."

Jair's smile shifted and he slowly turned on his heel, dismissing Maelstrom in the same moment. "Yes, headmaster?"

"What do you think you're playing at?"

"Not playing at anything, sir, just heading out to practice with my soulsword. If you don't need me here, I don't see what else I should be doing?"

"You should be attending class, not jaunting about." This despite the fact that there were no classes scheduled for the moment.

Jair waved a hand at them both. "I know you're busy, don't let me hold you up." He turned to leave.

Ran sat silently, not daring to interrupt, watching the unfolding drama with clear concern.

"Welburne…” Larenok's voice turned sly. “Show me your sword."

"Why's that?" Jair slowly turned back.

"You want me to protect Serin here from this dragon, don't you? Well, then, it's only fair that you do something to help the process along."

Ran's eyes widened. Jair slowly turned on his heel, facing back toward the headmaster's desk.

"Did you just threaten to allow Ran Serin to die if I don't show you my sword?"

"Not at all." Larenok rolled up the page carelessly and tossed it back to Ran. "I see no evidence of any danger whatsoever. This drawing doesn't mean anything. Do you know how many students in your class alone have tried to convince me they have prophecy powers and require special accommodations, or that I need to do something right now?"

"Seventeen."

"It's-- uh," Larenok blustered, clearly not expecting Jair to have the exact number ready. "Seventeen from your age group alone. Another--"

"Thirty two," Jair interjected.

"Thirty..." Larenok's scowl deepened. "...two from the upper classes."

"Yes. I know."

"And now you want me to give credence to this ridiculous farce of a story? What do you expect? You think I should send our battle professors to man the walls in case this alleged monster comes flying all the way from the Kyer Mountains to eat you and your friend there?"

"Yes."

Larenok grinned nastily. "Then show me your sword."

Jair gritted his teeth. On the one hand, if it was really this easy, he'd not complain for a minute.

On the other, if the only way to advance with Ran alive was really to leave Larenok of all people with the full details and stats of Maelstrom? He would not be happy.

The conniving headmaster was already one of the greatest threats to Jair's immediate future, holding immense power over him for the next four to eight months, depending on how long it took his spells to imprint properly.

That was a long time to live in the power of someone who knew your every strength and weakness and desperately wanted to part you from your greatest asset.

"You witness this, Ran Serin?" Jair said formally. "Headmaster Dalin Larenok commits by binding word to protect you from this foreseen dragon if I allow him to examine my sword."

"If that is what is witnessed," Ran replied, equally formally. He turned to Larenok. "Do you commit by binding word to protect me from this foreseen dragon if Jair allows you to examine his sword?"

Larenok's sneer didn't leave, but the glint of greed returned to his eyes. "I so commit."

Stolen novel; please report.

Jair shrugged. If it could be this easy, who was he to turn it down?

"Soulblade, manifest."

Maelstrom appeared in his hand. He walked quickly to the desk and set it down in front of Larenok, its silver pulse casting stark shadows across the man's angular face.

"Inspect," Larenok whispered, almost reverently.

Jair knew what he'd be seeing. He'd all but memorized the information.

Maelstrom. Ascended (3rd form), Legendary (10%). A blade of ???? Reforged at Mount Sanctum, Bound to Jair Welburne.

"Mount Sanctum?" Larenok's eyebrows were so deeply furrowed they seemed to be connected in the center. He looked up, staring at Jair with the most pure look of confusion the man had ever displayed in his life. "How?"

"My soulspell."

"You can teleport without a landing pad? Into a mana well?"

"No." Jair reached out to Maelstrom.

Larenok caught his hand before he could touch it, holding him back.

"Unhand me, headmaster."

Larenok didn’t release him. "This has to be a fake. Show me your true soulsword."

Jair held his other hand out to his side. "Recall."

Maelstrom flashed instantly from the desk into Jair’s waiting hand. He held the sword a long moment, staring directly into Larenok’s disbelieving eyes, daring him to deny the absolute proof before him, then dismissed Maelstrom back into his soul.

"Impossible." Yet instead of his usual derision, there was a note of astonishment in Larenok’s voice. He seemed disinclined to say anything more, brow furrowed, lost in thought.

"I showed you what you wanted to see. Now protect Ran from the dragon."

"Yes, very well." Larenok waved a hand absently, leaning back. "Tomorrow, you say? Return to me then. I'll send someone to fight your dragon. Dismissed."

Jair had no illusions that it would be that easy. Larenok was a stubborn idiot at the best of times, and his idea of ‘sending someone’ was unlikely to be remotely close to the level necessary. But it was a start.

At least it gave them a place to start with the rest of the staff, though. As long as they could say they were officially sanctioned by the headmaster there was at least a small chance they could get someone to help.

The next few hours were spent in more mundane requirements for preparation, attending classes, digging the tunnel, setting up traps. There wasn't much more to do than what Jair had already done, not without changing his preparations from earlier or making a special trip to town.

"Don't suppose you want to get that custom ballista now?" Jair joked, but they both knew they didn't have time to do that. It would have been a rush job even getting it in four days, let alone one.

"Maybe next time."

Jair grinned. "I'll hold you to that, even if you don't remember it."

Ran eyed him sideways. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not sure. What is it supposed to mean?" Jair grinned wider.

Ran punched him.

Jair staggered and swooned dramatically.

Ran scoffed and kicked him for good measure.

"Ow. Such pain."

"Get up. We have things to do, right?"

Jair hopped to his feet. "I really do hope you survive. I can't wait to see how things go with you along. It's so lonely alone."

"Did you--" Ran stopped and sighed. "Never mind. Tell me when you'll tell me, it's impossible when you get like this."

"When I get like what?" Jair pranced around him in circles, poking him.

"Like that."

"Well, you know me,"

"Always unpredictable," Ran chorused in perfect sync.

Jair pretended to scowl, but he was still having too much fun. "You're the best, you know that?"

"Why do you mention it now?" Ran asked, not bothering to feign modesty. They both knew he was the best, why would he try to deny it.

"Just hoping you'd reciprocate."

"No."

"Fair enough."

They attended classes, they fooled around, and they jogged up and down the stairs to the towers at Jair's insistence. Ran didn't appreciate the new exercise mania, but he wasn't so out of shape as to be actually annoyed by the insistence, more mildly irritated.

As it turned out, Larenok took his obligation seriously. When Ran and Jair showed up the next day to collect their promised dragon slayer, Jair honestly expected a pair of assistants and maybe a ranger if they were lucky.

Instead, the man waiting for them was Garow Firdon, head of the elemental manipulation division and one of the highest ranked Mageblades on staff.

Firdon might even surpass Larenok if they ever fought, but as far as Jair knew he wasn't the sort to want to advance any further. Firdon had attained the exact position he wanted in life and would happily sit there without complaint forever.

What he would complain about was being ordered to guard a noble kid from a made up dragon.

At length.

Incessantly, even. And without any consideration for who might be listening.

It's almost like he wanted to make Ran pay socially for dragging him into this.

Luckily, neither Ran nor Jair cared much about the opinion of their peers and their teachers.

Ran, because he already had his own alliances in place and they wouldn't be shaken by something this trivial - and if they were, then better to get it out of the way now.

Jair because he literally didn't care if anyone at the academy lived or died and if they got in his way he'd either go through them or around them without hesitation or remorse. Well, maybe a little remorse, he wasn't a complete monster, but he certainly wasn't going to work too hard to spare their feelings if they decided to act antagonistically toward him or Ran.

So neither of them paid any attention to the amount of complaining that Firdon did while they waited on the rooftop.

"Time." Jair pointed to the first hint of the dragon's shadow against the sun. "Get ready."

Ran ducked into the stairway and crouched down out of sight. Jair drew Maelstrom from his soul and held it, silver fluctuating light glowing like a beacon.

Firdon raised his arms and pulsed mana down them, the patterns across his arms and chest glowing faintly, then stronger, pale white and ivory fading to a deep green across his palms as he held up both hands.

Created matter would disintegrate at the touch of a dragon's hide or breath, but Firdon didn’t rely solely on conjuration. He spread his hands to the sides. Cracks spread sharply through the cliff-side below, stone grinding on stone as it broke into huge chunks the size of carriages.

Three, seven, twelve, then a full sixteen huge blocks of stone rose into the air, forming a loose barrier between them and the advancing dragon.

Firdon spread his arms further, tilting his hands inward, and the formation shifted, opening a tunnel in the center as the outer stones floated further away.

The dragon was intelligent, but it wasn't afraid of a few rocks. Instead of going around the obvious trap, it dove straight through, trusting its strength and speed to get through in time.

The rocks slammed down on it from all sides. One popped its venom sac, another clipped the wing. Most bounced off its sides, any damage invisible.

The dragon didn't slow. It slammed into the wall, clawed its way up, and blasted out a gout of fire into the faces of those waiting for it.

Firdon’s armor flared as anti-fire constructs activated; the stone mage had come prepared. He dropped his hands sharply, sending the stones pelting down at the dragon, trying to tear it away from the wall and drive it into the ground.

The dragon would not be so easily dislodged. Though its claws dragged gashes into the stone it didn't lose its grip on the wall. Blasting another gust of flame across them it crawled forward, heaving itself up onto the wall-top.

Jair ran forward and slammed Maelstrom into its jaw, the only part of it he could reach. He stabbed it again and again, scales flaking off at the weight of his strikes, but there was no stopping it this close.

The stones rose up again, but Firdon was too close. With a triumphant hiss, the dragon’s head darted forward and snapped up the mage in one bite. Firdon didn't have time to bring down his strikes before the dragon's jaws closed over him. At least he wasn’t going to go down easy, even out of sight inside the dragon’s jaws his stones dove at the beast with flawless aim.

But though his stone armor would protect him longer than Jair's metal, nothing survived long inside a poison dragon.

So much for that. A solid effort, but one mage wouldn’t be enough however powerful.

The dragon turned its acid-yellow eyes on them, crunching down on Firdon once more before swallowing the mage - the stones abruptly stopped hovering, crashing to the wall and ground beneath.

With a bounding lunge, the dragon snapped out a wing to send Jair flying off the wall and over the cliff. At this range, there was no chance Ran would escape. No point waiting around to watch. Jair closed his eyes and touched the golden star in his soul.

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