Nemes’ room had changed significantly from what it had been like only three days ago. Whereas it had previously been a metal box with a mirror in it- he had found that it was actually ‘one-way glass’- it was now thoroughly decorated with things for Nemes to spend his time doing.
There were several machines in the room that he could use to build muscle, for example. They had been added not due to his own request, but because he’d been found to be physically weaker than a wyvern of his own age- a month old. Of course, this wasn’t his fault, as there was very little for him to do in the small metal box that he lived in, but Nemes had felt infuriated by it regardless.
They were where he spent the majority of his time, but there were other things in the room, too. There was a board in the corner of the room where he could play a game called ‘chess’ with an ‘artificial intelligence’. The game was very similar to the ‘hnefatafl’ game that Apophis knew, and so, with the Ancient Dragon’s help, he picked it up quickly.
What was possibly the most useful object in the room, however, was the clock hanging on the wall. It made keeping track of time significantly easier.
The past three days had been rather uneventful, though. Cleo had apparently lied to him and hadn’t shown up once since the last time, meaning he hadn’t even learned anything. Even with all of the things to do, Nemes was still unimaginably bored of it all. Curiosity gnawed at him worse than even his fear of the humans and their technology.
Luckily, some of that boredom would soon be sated.
***
The powerful arcane expert barged into the room, tearing Nemes’ attention away from the chessboard.
“Come with me.” He said simply, and Nemes did as he was told.
The man led him through the door that he had come through, which Nemes barely fit through, and down a hallway. While chainless shackles still clung to his legs and neck, as they had never been taken off, it was still strange to be mostly in control as he followed the man through the labyrinth of hallways that apparently made up the Greenhaven Institute.
Nemes and the man passed by at least a hundred guards and researchers going about their day. Their gazes made Nemes nervous. It was loud outside of his containment cell, with an unfathomable amount of activity everywhere he looked. Bugs- ah, cleaning bots- rolled about, little screens of glass lit up with colors and activity, people bickered and conversed. Occasionally, he’d be able to peek through a door and see what was behind it. One time, he saw a large room in which a small metal humanoid fought a group of goblins.
Soon, though, they seemed to enter a section of the Greenhaven Institute that was more restricted. There were fewer and fewer people with every passing minute, with less and less activity. The people they did cross paths with seemed important and were, more often than not, powerful.
“What’s your name?” Nemes asked the arcane expert, trying to make idle conversation.
“Leon.” Leon replied curtly.
“…Why do you guys call magic ‘the arcane’?”
“Why do you call the arcane ‘magic’?” Leon replied, and Nemes almost gave an answer before deciding to shut up.
In a couple of minutes, Leon stopped in front of a door and, after pressing a series of buttons on a small metal rectangle beside it, the door slid open to reveal an enormous ‘room’.
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‘That’s not a room- that’s a walled-off field.’ Nemes thought.
The field was a hundred or so yards long and fifty wide. Grass and dirt made up the ground, and the sight of it made Nemes’ strangely happy. Birds chirped from atop a pair of trees, and he could see a hummingbird eating from a flower.
The stark difference between the insides of the Greenhaven Institute and the outside left him stunned- so stunned, in fact, that he almost didn’t notice the… thing on the other side of the field.
It… was almost a dragon. No- it was a dragon, but not a pure dragon. Nemes could feel that it had draconic blood coursing through its veins and arteries, but it was impure.
“It’s an Amphiptere,” Apophis said, “A cross-breed between a dragon and a sea serpent.”
Its appearance certainly reflected that. It was, in effect, an enormous, winged snake. It had to have been at least twenty feet long, with a pair of enormous, colorful wings sprouting from its back. They were bound, however- likely in order to prevent it from flying away.
It was an olive color- aside from its wings, of course- and its body was thick- larger and bulkier than his torso and significantly longer. Its tail encompassed at least a quarter of its length and seemed strangely floppy.
Picking up on his mild interest in its tail, Apophis said: “It’s boneless and can be used like a whip.”
“That’s Cetus. She’s a month older than you, so be careful.” Leon said.
“…Wait- am I meant to fight it?” Nemes said, confused.
“What? No. You’re supposed to get along. I told you to be careful because draconic monsters are especially violent in the way they ‘play’, and Cetus came from the wilds.”
“A half-breed is beneath us to spend time with.” Apophis said, its thoughts tainted with a sneer.
Leon pushed Nemes through the door with startling ease, considering his weight. Leon stepped in a moment later, and the door slid closed.
Cetus’ eyes locked onto Nemes’ comparatively diminutive form, and Nemes felt paralyzed for a brief heartbeat- and his hearts beat quickly.
And then, it disappeared.
“This one is predominantly sea serpent, judging by the paralyzing effect of its gaze.” Apophis commented, “Even more reason to stay away from the impure beast.”
Nemes was a bit unsettled by the levels of hate that Apophis emanated, but ignored the Ancient Dragon’s words regardless- he had become especially good at that, over the past three days.
Cetus’ gaze slid away from Nemes and locked onto Leon next, but the arcane expert didn’t seem affected at all. Cetus didn’t seem particularly unsettled by the man’s presence at all and slowly slithered forward.
As she did, Nemes noticed a pair of curly and metallic horns on her head. She could speak, too. That was good.
Nemes started to greet her, but before he could, she lunged.
Without thinking, he lunged to the right, and the Amphiptere struck the metal wall behind him, hard. The wall gave slightly before her likely tremendous weight, and Leon punched her in the side of the head hard enough to knock her over.
“Don’t damage the walls.” He said, not an ounce of emotion in his voice.
Cetus didn’t seem to care at all, however, and quickly recovered before lunging at Nemes again. This time, Nemes was ready, and used his horns- his natural horns, straight and sharp- to deter the charge.
It worked, and Cetus came to a stop just before impaling herself on his horns. Nemes’ instincts kicked in, and this time, he went on the offensive.
He jammed his horns into her upper body, but she weaved nimbly to the side and struck at his neck. Nemes angled his head so that the pair of curly metallic horns guarded his neck, and her attempt to bite at his throat was thwarted.
Nemes grabbed her length in his mouth and bit down- not with all his might, but enough to make sure it hurt. Her scales were adamantine, and it likely hurt his teeth as much as it hurt her.
She thrashed, and Nemes let go so as to not lose teeth. At the same time, her tail whipped forward, lashing his flank. It hurt; a lot. Taking advantage of the brief moment in which Nemes was blinded with pain, she lunged, but this time not in an attempt to bite him. Instead, she moved past him and wrapped her body around his neck and forcing him to the ground.
“That’s enough.” Leon said threateningly, and Cetus quickly released Nemes and moved a few feet away, looking at the arcane expert warily.
After a few second, Cetus spoke through her metal horns: “Greetings. What name?”
It took him a moment to understand what she was asking.
“Nemes,” Nemes answered, “Why do you speak so crudely?”
“Don’t like. Speak proper language.”
“If it was born in the wild and raised properly, it likely speaks Dracon.” Apophis said in a rare instance of helpfulness.
“What about now?” Nemes said, this time speaking Apophis’ language.”
“That’s better; much better.” Cetus said, eyes gleaming. “I’m surprised you speak properly. Dragons must know it instinctively, I suppose.”