The passage we had found was narrow, spiraling down to whatever end awaited those who walked its steps. I feel like it could have been made into a slide, but maybe we would have gotten too excited and ended up alerting the dragon to our presence if it was. Anyhow. It took nearly twenty in-game minutes to get to the bottom, but at last we arrived to find a corridor that led straight to an alcove. Maryn was about to start heading in, but I held up my hand for her to stop. It can't be that easy...

I turned on Shadow Vision; sure enough, there were traps. Floor-spikes, wall-pikes, wall-discs, ceiling blades, wall darts... you know, the usual. I looked carefully to see where the pressure plates were, and turned up nothing. Well that's not good. That probably means... I mused to myself, and then looked over at Ariana.

“Ari, use Spell Detection.” I said to my partner, who nodded and activated the skill. She frowned after a moment, and shook her head.

“We can't avoid any of the trap triggers.” she told us.

“Traps with magical triggers? This dungeon may actually be rough,” Lizzy grinned wryly.

“It's a volcano with a dragon inside it,” I shrugged, and some of the others giggled.

“Hmm... there's nothing on the ceiling, though; no triggers, I mean.” Ariana then said.

I looked up at the ceiling. There was nearly nothing to hold on to up there, except the breaks where the swinging blades would come down from to try and terminate unwary players. And they weren't designed to allow for monkey-business. I then blinked, and opened up a window to look through my skills.

“Ah! There it is,” I said as Ari looked over my shoulder.

Shadow Climber: adhere to any surface for forty-five seconds.

“Can you get across that in a little less than a minute?” she wondered.

“Maybe,” I said, getting the skill ready.

“Whatever you're doing, I hope you find a trap disabling lever or something if you get to the other side.” Maryn said to me.

“Eh? 'If'?” I grinned back, jumping up to the ceiling as I activated the skill.

I stuck there like a spider, but unlike the others I didn't have time to be impressed with that. Orienting myself the correct way (which is harder than you think when you're upside-down on a ceiling), I scurried across as fast as I could, still feeling antsy every time I moved past one of the traps.

“I bet you could've used Levitate.” Healina remarked to Ari.

“Maybe.” she returned. “But it's more fun watching Lana!”

Wh-what am I, the circus? I grimaced softly as I continued making my way over. There were ten seconds left. I picked up my pace, hoping I would clear the last few meters in time. All of a sudden something clicked, and I stood up (upside-down, of course) to sprint the rest of the distance. Just in time, I cleared the last few traps, and I tumbled down like a cat onto the ground again.

“Hahh... hahh... hahh...” I panted in relief, gazing back with bemusement as I heard clapping. I waved it off, hearing them laugh, and looked around for something to keep the traps from coming out.

There was no lever or anything like that, but I did see three glowing crystals. Red, blue, and violet hues greeted my sight from another alcove off to the left. The alcoves had symbols underneath them; the far left one (where the red crystal sat) was marked with an arcane symbol, the middle one (with the blue) had a mark of crossing blades, and the right one (the violet crystal's resting place) looked like some sort of aura around a circular object.

Wait, that looks a bit like... I thought to myself, turning to examine the other prominent alcove. There was the -- collar? I guess it was a collar. And it was behind some sort of magical barrier. I let out a sigh, rubbing the back of my neck and then sending a message to Ari about what I had found.

Ariana: maybe the marks are color-coordinated to the crystals? Or maybe you just have to play with them a bit!

Lana: maybe... I'll look again.

Ariana: :)

I went over to the other alcove once more and looked closely; the marks were all of black coloration. Hmm... the colors aren't a clue, at least for the marks, but maybe the symbols themselves are... the triggers are arcane, the traps are the blades, and this thing is for the barrier around the collar. Okay. Think.

Red; usually means danger. Violet; about the same. Blue; pretty calming, most of the time. I thought for a moment more, then I put the blue crystal in the arcane spot, the red one in the crossing blades alcove, then I changed my mind and put the violet one there and the red one in the collar alcove. I heard a depressive sort of noise, and looked around confusedly.

“The triggers are down, let's go!” Ariana said, and the others came rushing over. I looked over anxiously; the traps did not go off. I sighed in relief as they reached my side, and then looked over at the other alcove.

“Maybe...” I said as I gazed at it quizzically, taking the blue crystal and switching it with the red one. The magical barrier disappeared. “Ah!”

“Oh, I get it,” Ariana then said. “The blue crystal deactivates things, the red one activates them, and the violet one... is probably a dud!” she smiled.

“Huh,” Lizzy remarked with interest.

“Or it's a wild card and we've just been lucky so far,” I said as I looked back at the traps.

“Maybe,” Ari agreed. “For now, let's take this thing!” she said, stepping forth to get the collar. It was like a giant hula-hoop.

“H-how big is th-th-the dragon?” Heali remarked anxiously.

“Ahh...” I stared at the collar with bemusement. It would be at least twelve meters long if you laid it flat.

“Big enough to go carrying six people, I guess.” Maryn said calmly, but I could see her face twitching with some level of consternation.

“N-never mind the details for now; if we sneak up on it, this'll be easy!” I said.

“Nice stutter.” Lizzy smirked.

“Ahh... anyway, I'm switching the crystals again so we can go back.”

“Right, we'll worry about the dragon when we get to him,” Maryn nodded, and with that I again switched the red and blue crystals to allow us safe passage over the traps.

We crossed back over safely, and made our ascent up the spiraling passage. It was then I recalled that the door had shut behind us. I brought this up to the others, but Lizzy said we should be fine now that we had the collar.

“Besides, the crystal probably unlocked or opened the door again as well,” she said.

“I hope so.” I muttered as we continued upwards.

Thankfully the door was open again when we got there. We turned left to continue heading down the main tunnel; the rumbling snores of the dragon came to our ears again. Slowly we approached the terminus of the passage; subtly anxious and mysterious music played as we crept along, and then we exited the passage to find an overlook. To the right was a descending stair that wound its way around the edge to head further down. I got down on all fours and inched over to the edge of the overlook; Anhe came with me. The two of us peered cautiously over the side.

There was a glowing lake of magma that we could see slowly bubbling at the bottom. That was probably two-hundred feet down. Fumes of smoke ascended from various places to create the billowing cloud which rose from the top. We could see several dozen creatures, all of them dragon-like or serpentine, that were guarding the stairs down. And in the middle of the lake there was a jagged and rocky island that was being used as a bed for a great dragon. It was a European-style dragon, with four limbs and a great set of bat-like wings. There was a golden-red color to its scales, and the size was about what I expected when I saw the collar.

“That is big.” Anhe whispered almost soundlessly. All I could do in reply was nod back. We crept away from the ledge, and went to talk with the others.

“Whew,” Maryn sighed softly when we had finished. “This won't be easy.”

“Two-hundred feet down; might as well be two-hundred miles at this rate!” Lizzy groaned.

“What if we have Lana and Ari sneak down while we distract what's on the stairs?” Heali wondered.

“That'd be great, provided we don't get the dragon as well,” Maryn said.

“He was far enough away from all the others, I don't think drawing his aggro will be a problem for anyone but someone close to him.” I said, and Anhe nodded.

“He is on his own; although there were four statue things near him, Lana, did you see?” she told me.

“Hmm? I didn't notice,” I admitted.

“They may just be decorations.” she shrugged.

“Let's hope.”

“All right, so how do we do this?” Lizzy then asked, and Healina smiled.

“I'll summon up some little friends to get their attention while Ari and Lana head down in stealth; with Lana's skill, they won't be noticed, and before the dragon even wakes up we can collar it!” she said confidently.

“I hope it goes that smoothly,” I said, remembering that it never went quite as smoothly for us as we always wanted.

“When was the last time we died?” our healer quipped to me with a smirk.

“Now you're talking.” Lizzy grinned.

“Well, then, let's not start now!” I smiled back. “Ready, Ari?” I asked her, and she nodded back to me.

“I have the collar!” she said.

“Right; give us...” I looked towards the stairs again, guesstimating the travel time. “Eh, give us about two minutes and then lay into them.” I said to the others as Healina summoned up some ice-sprites.

“Gotcha. Good luck!” Maryn said with a sword-salute, and with that Ariana and I vanished into the shadows to begin our descent.

As the two of us headed down the long stairs, hidden by my shadow skill, I had a vague flashback to our adventure with the Twin Dragons. Those two had been smaller compared to the beast now slumbering at the bottom. Now we were trying to tame a dragon instead of beating it.

The first wave of monsters suddenly rushed past us; the stealth skill held without breaking. We looked back briefly to see Healina's minions continuing to harry the enemy as they rushed towards our friends above. Turning back to the descent, we kept close to the wall and moved as fast as we dared along the jagged steps.

It was definitely getting warmer as we went down. Another wave of the dragon's minions rushed past us after a couple of minutes; one of them almost seemed to notice us, but this one was suddenly viciously attacked by a flurry of Heali's creatures that diverted its attention to the others. The monster in question practically flew towards them in anger. As it did so I suddenly looked towards the “nest” in the midst of the magma lake again. This time I noticed the four statues that Anhe had mentioned.

All four were dragons; one was black, the archetypal Western Dragon complete with vicious spikes coming from its head and back, wings outspread. The second was blue; this one was more Eastern in design, noble and yet ferocious in appearance. Between these two in the arrangement was a green dragon that was more wyvern-like in appearance, its forelimbs merged with its wings like a great bat. And the fourth across from it was of silver coloration; I didn't quite recognize what kind of dragon it was supposed to be. It looked almost like the blue one based on the Chinese dragons, but it was more serpent-like and it had a set of horns like antlers coming from its head.

At the base of these statues I could see inscriptions. And if I had learned anything about this game, it was that inscriptions in a place like this usually pointed out some useful hint. I nudged Ariana and nodded towards one of the statues. She looked at it for a moment, and then turned back to me with a nod; she had seen it too. We picked up our pace as another wave of the dragon's servants rushed past us, luckily aided by the shadow of an overhang in our stealthy descent.

Above us, I could hear Lizzy yelling out a ferocious war-cry and Maryn tapping her shield as a taunt for those who were rushing towards them. The two of us almost danced down the stairs, making sure to stay in the more shadowy areas as much as we could. Then we came to a halt. We were now most of the way down the stairs. And there was a group of elites directly in our path, along with a mini-boss.

Four of them were salamanders; the mini-boss was a small wyvern. Ariana and I exchanged a glance. Even with Healina and Maryn, to say nothing of Lizzy's DPS and Anhe's support-skills, that would be a tough fight without us helping them. Ariana looked hesitantly towards it and then back up towards the others. I drew us over to the shadows, and sent a message to Healina.

Lana: found a mini-boss; looks real tough. I can probably do some heavy damage to rough it up first without waking up the dragon.

Healina: ??

Healina: I mean, if you can do that and then slip back into the shadows *really* fast, then go for it, I guess

Lana: you tag it first, then Ari and I will do some damage and disappear again -- wait about a minute before you do

Healina: Got it.

I nodded to myself, and then messaged Ari. Why did I message her instead of talking? Because talking even at a whisper has a chance of disrupting the stealth effect.

Lana: we're gonna do some surprise damage on the mini-boss when they tag it; get some DoTs ready

Ariana: you got it!

I looked back up towards the rocky platform above; the others were just about to finish off the attacking creatures. I looked back down towards the dragon; it was sound asleep even now. I readied my daggers, and Ariana readied one of her spells. This was one of the few she didn't need an incantation for; it was a series of venom-fire bolts that kept ticking away on an opponent's health for at least a minute. She bolstered it with a penetration and critical booster. Even that thing will have a hard time resisting the effect... I thought to myself with a wry expression.

At that moment, a flurry of ice-minions drew the attention of our five friends before us; the four salamanders scurried upwards at once, but the wyvern let out a growl before charging up the stairs, which was perfect for us. Ari and I unleashed our attacks as he rolled by and then quickly vanished into the shadows again. The mini-boss looked around for a moment, but was swiftly diverted by more of Healina's minions assailing him.

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

We watched as he hurried up the stairs after his allies; his health was not dropping rapidly, but it was dropping steadily enough. I estimated that by the time he got to the top where the others were his health would be around seventy-percent, maybe seventy-five. It would be enough.

The two of us then hurried down the rest of the way, crossing the narrow span across the magma lake with a strong anxiety towards the rocky island. I then noticed that the statues were oriented in an intercardinal fashion, the black one at northwest, the blue one on southeast, the green one for northeast, and the silver one at the southwest. This might have escaped me but for the fact that the entrance we had come in was definitely facing south and the descending passage to the interior had never once wavered from a straight line. The stairs had also terminated at the north end of the great chamber, and we were now facing directly south, more or less.

We made our way to the black dragon's statue, where Ari read the inscription carefully, noting some things down. She nodded, and we went to each of the others in turn, and then we slipped over towards a fairly good hiding spot where I deactivated the stealth skill and sat with her as she looked over her notes, softly whispering to me.

“The black dragon is Krosys, the world-devourer; the blue one is Shu, the Lord of the Waters also known as the peacemaker; the green one's name is Xagox. The inscription was tricky to read, but I think he is some sort of trickster dragon without much in the way of power, except intellectually. And the last one is Sanbhravi the Wise.” she said.

“Hmm...” I mused softly. “War, peace, knowledge, wisdom...”

“That's a good way of looking at it,” she smiled back. “I didn't see any sort of panels to push in on them, but that doesn't mean they're not involved somehow.”

“Are you sure we can't just walk up and collar him?” I asked her.

“We can try it,” she said with a shrug. “That was our plan to begin with--” she continued, and then looked at me curiously. “You know, this is a very general perception of things, but wouldn't you say wisdom is needed for peace and knowledge for war?” Ari then asked me.

“Ehh... you're right about that being a very general thing to say,” I whispered back after a moment, “But when you think about it, it does make a certain kind of sense.”

“I wonder how it all goes together... but let's try sneaking up on him for now,” she said to me. I nodded back, and we entered stealth again. Ariana readied the great collar, and we crept towards the beast. All the while, my mind continued thinking about the relevance of the statues, ending up in a hasty series of thoughts.

Hang on, is sneaking up on him knowledge or wisdom? Well, I guess since he was a subjugator it's probably “wise” to use stealth against him. But then... well what if the statues are just related to his attributes? Or a warning about how to treat him? Do we want the wise dragon or a beast of war? We're looking for an ally and friend like Fyu who can help us get around and do quests and stuff, so I guess sneaking up on someone isn't the best way to make a new friend... here I paused mid-stride, and Ariana looked over at me with a curious but anxious expression.

Knowledge, wisdom, war, peace; what do the statues mean? Do they have any relevance beyond simple attributes? Is there some sort of warning? Am I overthinking things? Maybe. Ugh. Just get on with the plan. Wait, what's that? I suddenly wondered. The snoring had suddenly cut off with a slight jerk. However you pronounced his name, Dracuoatlax was about to wake up.

“Dang it!” I swore softly, yet it broke the stealth skill.

“Lana!” Ariana exclaimed in a hoarse whisper.

“Stay there and get ready!” I hissed back, running to the dragon's face, where I knelt down.

In front of that massive reptilian face more directly, I could see that our friend Dracuoatlax resembled the Krosys statue most. He had great horns coming out of his skull, and smaller ones sticking out along his jaw like spikes. I could feel my heart racing, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Ariana biting her lip.

It's a game, it's a game, it's just a game...

I said that to myself over and over, and in the end I never quite convinced myself, for at that moment the dragon Dracuoatlax opened his eyes, those golden eyes with the dark-slit of a pupil that suddenly fixed their gaze upon me. Suddenly I felt completely naked. I knew I wasn't, but that was just the kind of impression being stared at by those eyes left on me.

“A woman,” the rumbling voice spoke as the head lifted up. “A human woman, no less. What would you have of Dracuoatlax, woman, or what would you dare in his presence?”

By the way, he pronounced it “drah-cwoh-aht-lax”.

“T-t-to g-gaze up-p-pon y-your g-g-greatness-s-s... a-and to a-a-ask a b-b-boon...” I stammered out.

“Ho-ho? And what would a mere woman ask of a dragon lord such as I?” Dracuoatlax asked me then. For some strange reason I suddenly felt calmer, but I still swallowed a lump before I spoke again.

“Wise dragon, knowledgeable dragon; lord of war, and keeper of peace. Mighty and Discerning Dracuoatlax, I seek your aid.” I returned, hoping I had made some sort of progress.

“What a well-spoken guest I have found in my home; yet surely you mean we: deny it not! I smell others in these halls, and the blood of my servants. Nay! I hold it not against thee: I commend your efforts, for they were no small prey and had lain low many a mighty hero of old. Speak freely! What aid would you have, so valiant a warrior as you seem?” the dragon said.

Don't get cocky, don't get cocky, I reminded myself. He had left me to stumble along with this reminder of his acute senses. How could I justify -- no, he didn't want me to justify our actions in defeating his subjects. What did he want me to -- no, what was I supposed to say to get us in his good graces?

“L-lord Dracuoatlax! I seek your aid against many further challenges. Challenges of war, of making peace; I ask for your knowledge and wisdom, for your strength and your restraint, to help us overcome that which awaits us in days yet to come.” I said then. He seemed to gaze at me with approval, and blinked.

“Tell me your name, woman.” he said to me.

This was a tricky question. Even I knew about the old fables and stories where giving your name to a dragon came with a price. It would lay some sort of curse or pox upon you once it knew your right name, or your true name, in some cases. But if I remembered right, a riddle or so was usually the correct kind of reply.

“I am the Shadow of the Aldholt, a Scourge of Injustice; I walk as a leader and as a servant. Many have fallen to me, but I have fallen before no one. My greatest foes have fallen to my cunning, yet never once did my blade touch them.” I said in answer, and the dragon gazed at me with curiosity.

“Interesting...”

“I am a heroine of barren wastes and an unknown in great cities; I am one of six, yet I stand apart from them. All that has stood in my way has only helped me along. I have found out many secrets, yet none in this land have taken secrets from me.” I continued. He snorted.

“Amusing. I can see your prowess, or what you believe of it, at least. Do you think these qualify you for my aid?” Dracuoatlax wondered.

“I think they speak to that which might be accomplished with your aid.” I replied. “You have lain low here for time out of mind; do you not fear that some might come to eclipse you?” I asked him. His eyes lit up. “But I have heard of you, Dracuoatlax, and I desire to show the world, this world, how strong you are -- and how cunning.” I added with a slight emphasis. Ariana took the cue, quietly levitating herself from the ground and readying the collar.

“Cunning, yes -- but, my foolish woman, do you think I need you or any of your friends to demonstrate my cunning, my strength, or any other of my qualities? I am Dracuoatlax! There is none more cunning than I, none stronger, none wiser! None more powerful! If there were such, I would aid them, aye: even serve them as masters! Yet in all my centuries, not one have I ever known! What say you now, my dear woman?” he said to me then.

“I say... checkmate.” I replied with a smug grin.

Ariana then snapped her fingers to activate a psychokinesis spell which sent the collar flying towards Dracuoatlax's neck and fastened it swiftly and securely. He let out a grunt of surprise, and then blinked twice before erupting in laughter. At that point the others had come down to join us, nervously at first but then they seemed a bit more relaxed by the fact that the great beast was chuckling.

“Ha-ha-hahhhh! Ah, me, by all the flames of the ancient north! Not even those who made this thing were clever enough to get it on me; yet you sly warrior women have done so with cunning and aplomb. Very well! You have won! The Mighty Dracuoatlax is now at your service until the day you leave this world.” he said to us then, inclining his head reverently.

“I hope we have many adventures together before that day comes,” I said to him with a grin.

“Then let us begin, my master; what adventure awaits us?” Dracuoatlax grinned back.

***

About an hour later, we were flying with Dracuoatlax in the skies of Panarena, heading over the Firelands at a fairly rapid pace. Not even he could fly the whole distance to Harmonia City within the space of a day; but with only a couple of stops he could be most of the way there before we had to log out for the night--err, day.

Which reminds me, how are the other guilds getting there? The wayports are only activated for a player or party when you reach them, right? I know that makes sense, but then what about players who didn't quite make it to Harmonia City before the Grand Tournament? … I'm missing something, I know I am... I thought to myself as we headed out over the Jade Sea.

To the west I could see the rest of the Firelands, and a hint of the Phoenix Domain on the distant horizons. To the east I saw the great and stormy peaks of Stormwraith Hold and the Mountains of Travesty, and further north of them the untamed landscape of the Wildlands. Looking north, I could see the sea stretching on for quite a distance, as well as a hint of land that we would probably reach in a couple hours.

“We will rest on the southern shores of Pirate Isle,” Dracuoatlax said as he flapped his great wings. “From there, our next halt should be at the border of Thessalia and Bretony, and then we shall arrive in Kingsmark, where I shall set you down at Harmonia City. Forget not the spell I have taught you to call me!” he told us.

“We won't!” Ariana smiled.

“Now this is an adventure.” Lizzy said, also smiling.

“Right?” I nodded in agreement.

“I wonder how fast we are going...?” Anhe said with a nervous grin.

“I wonder what Pirate Isle is like!” Maryn wondered ecstatically.

“Priorities,” I whispered to Ari, who giggled softly. We looked down at the sea; there were ships traversing the great inlet that touched the five regions of Xuanpu, the Firelands, the Wildlands, Stormwraith Hold and the Mountains. Were they NPC vessels or players? Or even a hybrid crew of both?

From what I had read on the forums, it wasn't just that we could hire NPCs as workers and such, a player could also work for a NPC's business. Not in the traditional questing manner, but as an actual employee. Which was particularly handy for crafters, especially the dedicated ones. I'd read about several players who were now top-class artisans or chefs making a fortune from their experiences at NPC bakeries, shops, or warehouses.

Almost makes me wonder if they have a currency-conversion system here that would let you exchange Panarena coin for real money... I thought to myself. There probably was and I just hadn't looked deeply enough into it. Then again it was bound to be a steep conversion-rate. I'd have to be one of those no-life pros to make a decent income from gaming. Or be a professional tester... I mused.

Ari and I leaned onto each other as Dracuoatlax flew over the sea, practically falling asleep, and then the next thing I knew our new ally was touching down on the southern shores of Pirate Island. A few of the nearby NPCs chattered in excitement or fright, but other than that there was no huge reaction to us. We climbed down to stand on solid ground once more, and with a nod Dracuoatlax slunk into the sea to do some hunting.

“Hehh...?” I remarked with interest as I watched him start swimming under the waves like some sort of sea-monster.

“Fyu was right, he really will take care of himself.” Ariana quipped.

The six of us then went over to a nearby tavern and inn that stood on the piers and jetties which darted out over the nearby ocean. It was like a Maldives resort, but without the huge expense to get to it and stay there. We paid our expenses for the night and then changed into our beach-wear. Heali, Lizzy, and Maryn immediately set off for the beach while the rest of us sat at a table to enjoy some house specialties.

“If this tastes as good in real life when we're able to actually drink...!” Ariana said as she sipped on a rum and punch cocktail.

“Right?” I grinned, sipping on another one. Anhe was contentedly idling with another kind of drink involving lime, and there was a seafood platter in the midst of the table.

“We should try to do something like this for our summer trip!” she said with a smile. “And then maybe our last year, as well,” she added.

“Right, because we're in the same year,” I nodded back.

“Oh definitely!” Ariana agreed at once. “That's going to be weird... Maryn's going to graduate this year, and then Lizzy and Heali next year...” she said in a more subdued tone.

“I'm sure we'll have--” I started to say, but then stopped myself. “No... no, it's definitely going to be weird,” I said as my face fell, looking over towards the other three, who were playing in the waves, shrieking and giggling as they splashed each other or got knocked over by a wave.

Before I knew it, we were all here together, I realized quietly.

“Let's make it the best summer ever.” Ariana said, and Anhe nodded.

“We'll do that.” I smiled, turning back to them, and we toasted the sentiment. “To the rest of the year, and to a great summer!”

“Cheers!” Ari smiled.

“Ganbei!” Anhe also grinned.

We finished our drinks with that toast, and when the others came back we ordered another round and another platter, spending most of the evening carrying on merrily until we went to sleep around midnight Panarena-time. Dracuoatlax was waiting for us when we woke up, and after we had gotten our travel gear on and a short breakfast had been eaten we were off again.

The first part of our second flight took us over the rest of Pirate Island, a mostly tropical jungle with some ramshackle shanty or beach towns, but on the northern side of the inlet that almost cut the island in two there was a more city-like series of buildings. This, Dracuoatlax told us, was the Pirate City of Turquoit. It was surrounded by great palisade walls, and the greatest two buildings, an administrative center and a temple, were made more of stone than of timber. A fleet of ships were docked or lazily patrolling the waters.

After we passed over these sights we continued over the Jade Sea and into Thessalia. This, as I had imagined from the name, had a Grecian theme to it. Not just the buildings and homes, mind you, but the actual countryside as well: hills and dells with rolling mountains and shining rivers that almost seemed to sing as they rolled along. We could see fauns and satyrs running about, and centaurs galloping off into the distance. Ari caught a glimpse of dryads, and there were a few nymphs idling around here and there as well.

From the more mythological and idyll settings we crossed into more human lands, where shepherds and their flocks sat on the borders of the fantastical. Here we saw vineyards and farms in more isolated places, and brilliant marble and stone cities of markets or universities.

“It's like we're flying through time,” Healina remarked as we passed a building reminiscent of the Parthenon, and we all nodded.

“It really is a fantastical world,” Maryn added.

By the late afternoon, Dracuoatlax touched down near a large mountain range that bordered Thessalia and Bretony. He nodded to us again as we got down, and stalked off to find something he could eat while we made our way to the lakeside village nearby. We spent the night at a local inn, enjoying the quieter pace of the village here and listening to tales of Thessalia and a few that came from Bretony. I think we all silently agreed that we were going to do some quests in these regions at some point.

One of the stories we heard reminded us of the Trojan War; it probably was that story, actually, but with a lot of the names changed. And there was also an Arthurian-style ballad that we were treated to, one that concerned the quest of a knight to rescue a fair lady from the heavy-handed tyrant who had kidnapped her. We enjoyed them immensely, of course, and applauded with everyone else (mostly NPCs) when they ended. There were two real players here, both of them from the other side of the world, working on their crafting professions in this village. We shared a round of drinks with them, and they wished us luck in the tournament, to which we wished them luck in their crafting pursuits in return.

The next morning (in Panarena at about five-thirty), we woke up and went tell Dracuoatlax that we would be back as soon as we could (two days later from his perspective), to which he nodded and promised to lay low while he waited.

Our school-day passed as it usually did; classes went by at a steady pace, and we weren't given too much homework for a change, so when we got home it was easy to finish it all up and do some chores before dinner, after which we once again journeyed into Panarena. Fortunately Lizzy didn't have to work until Saturday--tomorrow--this week, so she could finish her journey with us. We found Dracuoatlax waiting at the foot of a mountain some distance away from the village, and then set off for the last leg of our flight.

Once over the mountains, we found ourselves flying over Bretony, which, as you may have guessed, is a Celtic and Arthurian-themed region. There were spotless castles and rustic villages with farmlands and herds of cattle or sheep milling about. We passed by a mysterious-looking woodlands with the hint of an ancient tower peeking out of the mighty trees that were obscuring it from sight. To the west we could see a region called Vinlandia, a Nordic-themed area that was also famous for its grapes, and to the east we could see what was marked as Hollyland on the map. We couldn't see the eponymous trees, but our new friend assured us that the region was nearly filled with them.

After a few hours we had passed through Bretony and were now in Kingsmark, where we could see the hint of proud spires gleaming in the distance. It was Harmonia City. Another few hours passed before we finally got there. The surrounding countryside was not unlike Bretony's, but with a less idyllic and more pastoral vibe to it, if that makes any sense.

Dracuoatlax set us down for the final time, at least on this journey, and then told us that he would return to his mountain until we called for him again. We exchanged farewells, and then he leapt into the air with a mighty flap of his wings, soaring southwards. I watched him fade into the distance, and then turned to look at Harmonia City.

It was exactly as I remembered from the introductory cinematic, a gleaming white city of elegant spires and shining roofs; the blue banners trimmed with golden fray, with the rampant-lion of gold surrounded by four hearts and four swords etched onto them, waved proudly in the breeze. Everything about it said that this was the center of Harmonia's civilizations. We entered through a set of massive gates on the eastern side, and further in I suddenly saw Tyman and Wildeye looking at us with funny expressions. We waved at them, and they came over to us.

“Damn, Lans, a dragon, really?” Tyman asked me.

“What?” I wondered defensively.

“Y'know you coulda caught a train up in Stormwraith Hold, right?” he said to me.

My mind shut down for about five seconds, and then restarted with a jumble.

“… Train?” I asked him blankly. He pointed to a spot behind us. There we saw a sign indicating an underground train station.

“Some sort of Dwarf and Gnomish contraption that runs on magic crystals; they call it the Magic Bullet Express. Runs through a lot of Harmonia's interior,” the claw-wielder explained to me.

“Ah... ahh...” I sighed wearily.

“I can't wait to hear how you tamed a dragon, Lady Lana!” Wildeye then said with a grin.

“Damn, girl, you ain't never gonna change.” Tyman quipped.

I could only stare at the sign absolutely dumbstruck. I was sure I heard Lizzy and Heali laughing, and I was sure that I vaguely saw Maryn shaking her head with amusement and Anhe giving me a sheepish smile, and I was also fairly certain that Ariana was patting my shoulder, a bemused smile on her face, but there was only one thing occupying my thoughts at the moment.

How in the half-baked heck did I not know this world had a dang subway system?!?!?!?