“Welcome to my Corps,” the general said, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. “

General Thorne was tall and imposing. Up close, Kaiden could tell he had a muscular frame underneath the dark, dragon-themed armor which looked like it was designed for aerial combat. His shoulder-length black hair was tied back, emphasizing piercing gray eyes that seemed to strip away pretense with a single glance. Every inch of him exuded control and authority.

“I happened to be in the area on other business and decided to spare a few minutes to see the next generation of Dungeoneers. I trust you won’t disappoint me.” He scanned the formation of graduates, his piercing gaze lingering as if evaluating their worth. “Dungeoneering is dangerous, and only the strongest among us have what it takes to endure.”

Kaiden mentally blanched at the General’s tone. There wasn’t even a hint of humility. He spoke as if the Corps belonged solely to him, and it felt more self-serving than inspiring.

“To have survived for your first dungeon means you have some modicum of strength. You should be proud to have made it into my beloved Corps,” the General continued, his words punctuated by an air of ownership that grated on Kaiden. The privates remained at attention since the man hadn’t bothered to tell them to relax. Kaiden wasn’t sure if that was standard protocol or just an ego trip, but he really wanted to glance back at the drakes—or dragons, or whatever they were.

“If you’re standing here before me now,” the General said, his sharp silver eyes scanning the group, “you just might have what it takes to make it far. Now, I’m not going to lie—many of you won’t make it. For one reason or another. But for those of you who can climb high enough…”

He let the words hang, trailing off as a sly smile crossed his face.

“For those who survive... See you in the Obsidian.”

With that, he turned on his heel, the edges of his dark armor catching the light as he made a dramatic exit. As he neared the dragons, he tossed a final remark over his shoulder. “Colonel, they’re all yours.”

The Colonel saluted, his posture rigid, while the General climbed effortlessly onto his massive winged companion. The drake let out a low growl, and moments later, the entire formation of beasts launched into the air with a thunderous beat of their wings. The ground trembled as they lifted off, circling once before disappearing into the sky.

Colonel Thorne stepped forward, his expression calm and composed. “I believe the General has given everyone here a goal,” he said, his voice steady. “Now, get ready to find your instructors after this for your orders. Once again, congratulations, Dungeoneers. Dismissed!”

The words had barely left his mouth before the crowd erupted into excited murmurs. While some talked about their upcoming assignments, most were abuzz about General Thorne and his larger-than-life presence.

Kaiden wasn’t sure what to make of it all. His first impression of the general wasn’t exactly glowing, but even he couldn’t deny the magnitude of what they had just witnessed. It was also glaringly obvious that, despite everything, the man was deeply revered. No one else seemed to read as much into the General’s attitude or words as Kaiden did. In fact, they appeared honored by his presence.

However, there was something the General had said that didn’t register any meaning with Kaiden but clearly had an impact on others:

“See you in the Obsidian.”

The phrase echoed in Kaiden’s mind, but it was a mystery to him. Judging by the expressions on some of the other recruits, though, it was anything but meaningless.

Davick slapped Kaiden on the shoulder, snapping him out of his musings. Like everyone else around, his excitement was palpable. He looked like a puppy about to be let outside for the first time, bursting with excitement and barely able to contain himself.

“Can you believe that just happened? Oh, thank Oros!” Davick exclaimed.

Kaiden chuckled. “Yeah, and to think—there were dragons!”

Davick shook his head, grinning. “Oh, those weren’t dragons. Dragons are much bigger.”

“I know General Thorne rides a drake,” Kaiden said, “so are you saying drakes aren’t dragons?”

“Exactly,” Davick replied. “They might be similar, but they’re different. I’m sure if a dragon heard you calling it a drake, you wouldn’t live long.”

Kaiden laughed at that. “Fair point. What about the other winged beasts, then? Those must not be dragons either. Were they drakes too? Or lesser drakes?”

“Wyverns,” Davick said. “They’re the smallest of the three, and they don’t have the extra limbs that drakes and dragons have.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Ah,” Kaiden said, recalling the details he had noticed earlier. “The wyverns’ wings were attached to their front limbs. I saw that, but I didn’t really think much of it at the time.”

“Exactly,” Davick said. “Drakes, on the other hand, have four limbs and wings.”

“And dragons?” Kaiden asked.

“Dragons are like drakes in that their wings are separate,” Davick explained, “but…” He hesitated, then grinned. “That’s assuming dragons are even still around.”

“Right,” Kaiden said with a smirk. “But even so, just seeing a wyvern and a drake up close was amazing.”

“I know!” Davick said, his excitement renewed. “I never would’ve thought I’d get to see that in my lifetime.”

“Me neither,” Kaiden agreed.

Davick said, “Not to mention seeing so many of the famed Black Wyvern Riders.”

“Black Wyvern Riders?” Kaiden repeated, tilting his head.

Davick scoffed, then let out a laugh. “I almost forgot who I was talking to—Mr. Know-Nothing.”

Kaiden rolled his eyes. “Okay, so?”

“Well, they’re mercenaries. The strongest mercenary group in Jadari,” Davick explained, his tone making it clear he assumed this was common knowledge.

“So what’re they doing here with the General?” Kaiden asked, genuinely curious.

“Why the hell would I know?” Davick shot back with a shrug.

Kaiden waved him off, already regretting the question. “Fine, fine. Forget it.”

Davick grinned, his excitement still bubbling over. “Man, I’m so hyped—I still can’t believe this happened.”

For Kaiden, the whole thing felt more like meeting a celebrity from another country. Sure, it was a big deal to the locals, but to him, it was just another person. He understood the General’s significance, of course, but he wasn’t swept up in the same kind of fanboy excitement as everyone else. The drake and wyverns, however, were a different story entirely.

Then Kaiden brought up the other thing that had been on his mind. “What about the last thing he said?”

Davick said, “Oh, the thing about Obsidian?”

Kaiden nodded. “Yeah.”

Davick scrunched up his face, thinking for a moment before grinning. “I don’t know either,” he finally admitted.

Kaiden blurted out, “Then why’d you take so long if you didn’t know?”

“Hey,” Davick said, feigning offense, “I had to search my knowledge! At first, I thought it had to do with his title—Obsidian Dragoon—but that didn’t make a whole lotta sense. So then I came to the conclusion… that I don’t know.”

Kaiden chuckled. “Let’s see if we can find Garin, then. I bet he knows.”

“I have a better idea,” Davick said, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Oh?” Kaiden raised an eyebrow.

“We make our way to Sergeant Farron and ask her when we get our orders,” Davick suggested.

Kaiden smirked. “Anything to try and speak to her a little longer, huh?”

“No, that’s not it,” Davick protested, though the grin on his face suggested otherwise. “As a Sergeant and a B-rank Dungeoneer, she’d definitely have more insight into what the General meant than some private E-rank Dungeoneer. C’mon. if you think otherwise, you wound me.”

Kaiden shook his head, not buying it for a second, but agreed anyhow. “Fine, let’s get our orders, see what she knows, and then we’ll meet up with Garin and Harlan.”

“Agreed,” Davick said with a nod.

All the instructors had been out in the field during the ceremony, so the two didn’t have to search far. Ever since the Colonel had dismissed them, most of the graduates had been gravitating toward their instructors. It wasn’t hard to spot Sergeant Farron amidst the clusters of Dungeoneers.

The duo walked up to Farron, who glanced up from her clipboard and said, “Ah, you two.” She shuffled a few papers aside and handed one to Davick. “For Private Forgewell,” she said, then turned to Kaiden and handed him his own. “And for Private Hayward.”

Davick’s expression lit up at her words, and Kaiden held back a chuckle. He was certain Davick was ecstatic to hear Farron actually address him by name instead of “Private Two.” It was probably the first time she’d ever done so. Farron seemed to notice Davick’s barely-contained joy, and a hint of a smile formed at the corner of her mouth.

“What?” she said, feigning innocence. “Of course, I know your names. All of your names. You’re Dungeoneers now—you’ve earned that right back.”

Davick grinned like an idiot and replied, “Thank you, Sergeant.”

Kaiden cleared his throat, signaling Davick to wipe the ridiculous grin off his face and focus on asking what they’d come to find out. Davick got the hint and straightened, making a theatrical ahem before saying, “Sergeant, we have a question.”

Farron raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t even looked at your orders yet, but okay, shoot.”

Kaiden hadn’t looked at his orders yet either, but he let Davick take the lead.

“Do you know what General Thorne meant when he said, ‘See you in the Obsidian?’” Davick asked.

Farron’s eyes paused momentarily as she regarded Davick with interest, then shifted her gaze to Kaiden before looking back to Davick. “He was referring to an Obsidian-grade dungeon,” she said.

“What?!” Davick blurted, while Kaiden raised both eyebrows in surprise.

Farron seemed to enjoy their reactions. “I haven’t been able to confirm it with my own eyes, but there might be a dungeon grade higher than Diamond. It’s called Obsidian.”

“Why haven’t we heard of them before?” Davick asked.

Farron shrugged. “There aren’t any official military records of Obsidian-grade dungeons. Just whispers among the top.”

“So, did the General just confirm their existence?” Kaiden asked.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Farron replied.

“What do you mean?” Davick pressed.

Farron crossed her arms. “That phrase has become somewhat common among the highest-ranking Dungeoneers. It’s kind of like saying, ‘See you at the finish line.’”

“Ah,” Kaiden said. “So it was more symbolic than literal?”

“Perhaps,” Farron said with a nod.

After a few moments of pondering, Farron broke the silence. “Anything else?”

Davick hesitated. “Uh…” he began, clearly grasping at nothing, while Kaiden stroked his chin, trying to think of another question.

Farron rolled her eyes. “How about you actually read your orders, then?”

“Right,” Davick said, embarrassed, quickly unfolding his paper. Kaiden followed suit, glancing at his own.

Kaiden’s eyes landed on the city name written at the top. “Where’s…” He paused, squinting slightly. “...Archehaven?”

Davick immediately smacked his forehead in exasperation, letting out a groan. “I cannot believe you just asked that question.”

Farron stared at Kaiden, a look of bewilderment on her face. “You don’t know where the capital city of Jadari is?”

“Sorry, Sergeant. He’s from Chicago.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”