The Flames of Destinies and Sorrows

First, just a quick thank you to everyone for reading this chapter of a book I've been writing for a quite a while. If you'd like more I would be excited to share more! Also, feedback would be great as well!

Chapter 12 Missions

As you know, the missions that Dragorath gave to his students were based on their skill and ranking. So missions were ranked such as the students were ranked, warrior, knight, master, lord and sage. So as it went, people went to the request board in the village near Dragorath’s home, and posted the usual like “Help needed” or “Urgent” or “Please help” and etc. Then Dragorath would go and collect them, or ask a student to collect them. He would look them over and rank their requirements among the students whom he deemed would be best fitted for the mission. The missions at the time were common, most people asked for aid from bandits, conflicting family feuds, war parties on the move, spying, trading, escorting cargo, cleaning, help harvest food, and hunting, etc. Then there were real missions, such as help fight in a war, save people from imprisonment, save the daughter or son from powerful gangsters and warlords, etc. And then there were rare missions such as, the fate of the entire city, the country will be destroyed, and the fate of balance lies in danger, etc. Now, Dragorath did his best with these missions and how to send his students to help the people. So he usually sent students in groups of five, sometimes all from one class or a mix between classes.

I know what you are thinking and wondering; if we are going to join the eight of the dragon lord students who went off on their sage-ranked mission and we will, but not yet. Instead, there is another set of students going on their own mission. It was a mission regarding a supernatural phenomenon, occurring in the eastern part of the lands of the Sawyerway forest. People reported things being moved by the unseen. It has caused injuries and destroyed some homes. So Dragorath called up a set of doom and paladin students to deal with the issue, doom students Jacob and Samuel, paladin students Evelyn, Megan, and Jamie. Dragorath called them into his office, “Alright you five, this is a knight-ranked mission. And you must travel to the Sawyerway forest to investigate some strange occurrences,” said Dragorath.

“What!” exclaimed Jacob, “I am a doom lord and this is a knight-ranked mission!”

“That’s right,” said Dragorath, “And I’m counting on you to lead the others Jacob, you will be the team captain in the investigation. People have been reporting that objects are being moved around without seeing who is doing it. Some people have been hurt, as well as buildings being destroyed. My guess is that they are wandering spirits gone adrift and causing mischief. I want you to go there and use your doom powers to detect the spirits, and have the paladins give exorcisms to lay them to rest.”

“Ah, that’s why you choose us then, makes sense,” said Samuel.

“Been a while since I did these kinds of missions, I’ll bring my exorcists book just in case,” said Megan, she was a lively girl, she was very proficient with her holy powers, she carried a cane for walking because her left ankle was very weak from being crushed by a tree when she was little. The cane was given to her by Dragorath which had a blade on the inside.

“Oh goodness me, I-I don’t like spirits that much, they are so cre-cre-creepy!” said Evelyn of the paladins, now here’s a coward for sure, she hated everything creepy and unusual, especially spirits. She was a pretty and intellectual girl, but often stuttered while she talked. She wields a shield that can defend her from most attacks, can use it as a weapon, and she is human.

“Well then when you are ready to leave, go through the back and get on the horses and you can start your mission and don’t forget to keep your cloak on this time Jacob,” said Dragorath.

“I won’t forget this time old man Drago,” retorted Jacob.

“Very well then, depart immediately as soon as your ready.”

“Yes master!” said the students.

Dragorath let out a sigh, “So fierce and impatient, jeez, and why does he keep calling me old man, I’m not that old.”

“Farewell dear sister,” said Jasmine; she is the twin sister of Jamie. The only way you could differentiate them was their skin color, Jamie was dark skinned while Jasmine had light skin. They were the best archers in the school, their bows were made with dragon bone to increase their light damage.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it,” said Jamie, the students then went to the armory and pantry to get ready for the mission.

So the students went out to the stables and got their riding gear ready, the horses trotted inside that we ready for the mission. Within the mountain range was a great valley, and it was filled with large fields, prairies, lush forests, and great bushes. There, the horses galloped and trotted around with much happiness and glee. The horses were a major part of the inhabitants in the mountains before Dragorath came. The horses came to love and respect Dragorath when he built them a great stable. The mare knelt before Dragorath and offered the services of his herd for all time. As so, the students of doom and paladin used horses to travel (if they didn't want a dragon for travel) and just like the bond between student and dragon, the paladin and doom lord students grew great bonds of friendship with the horses. The students got on the horse of their desire, and galloped off east of the road. And as you remember, the students must wear a cloak resembling their class, so Jacob and Samuel wore the doom lord cloak, Evelyn, Megan and Jamie wore their paladin lord cloak. They strode out the eastern passageway, and started their journey to the Sawyerway forest.

“So Jacob, how-how-how l-l-long do you think it’ll take us to get there?” asked Evelyn.

“Hell if I know, I ain’t got the map. Sam’s got the map in his pocket, Sam check the map and make sure we are going in the right direction. And this time don’t get us lost,” Jacob responded.

“Me, get us lost? Yea right,” retorted Samuel as he was pulling out the map, “Anyway the map says the Sawyerway forest is about three hundred miles to the east, so about four or five days and we’ll be there.”

“Well let’s try not to take our time then shall we,” said Jamie, “We don’t have time for luxury or casualness.”

“Well it’s a knight-ranked mission and we have two doom lords with us, so it shouldn’t be a problem,” said Megan.

“Well anyway, I don’t get this at all still,” said Jacob. “So Samuel and I use our doom powers to locate the spirits?" Megan nodded, Jacob continued, "Then you three use your power to lay them to rest and/or perform an exorcisms if they take control of a host?"

“Yes,” answered Megan.

“Well why don’t you guys have the power to sense spirits with your light power?” Samuel asked.

“Well it’s because, the spi-spi-spirits are no l-l-longer living,” Evelyn started to explain, “And sure we can sense th-th-them, but it would require a lot of time since our powers help the l-l-living. We deal major damage to the un-un-undead, and spirits. But locating them will be ea-ea-easier for you two, since you can sense dark beings without using much power. That is t-t-to say that if these spirits are vicious.”

“See, that makes sense,” said Megan.

“Okay,” said Samuel and Jacob, though they really didn’t understand.

“It’s okay you guys, just do your thing and we will do our thing,” said Jamie.

So the group traveled along the eastern road, they stopped a couple of times, to eat and to rest. Then the group halted and starred at a large encampment, it actually was a demon village, beings with demonic energy and power. Some didn't even look like demons at all, but most of the others had demonic looks, such as scars, marks, runes, horns, and animal characteristics and some looked fully demon. They all have the endurance, stamina, and power of demons. The village was called “The Demon Village” and it was a valley village, directly under their great allies and friends, “The Dragon Village.” The Dragon Village had people in the city that looked like normal people, some there were half dragons known as dragonoids and of course, dragons. The Dragon Village stood upon a hill that spanned across a great plateau. The two villages both stood under “The Angel Village” or as other people call it, “The City in the Skies.” The Angel Village's people, much like the other two cities, looked like normal people, and during their time, peace and prosperity lived between all three villages. Three levels and three villages all containing some of the greatest warriors in the lands; dragons for strength and power as dragon lords and elemental dracomancers; demons for speed and agility as assassins and doom lords; angels as healers and paladin warriors. The villages were massive and not only populated by their native people but of all people from all around, they enjoyed the peace and prosperity. Nighttime was approaching and the sun was setting, the group was tired of their travel and sought to seek refuge in the Demon Village.

“Halt!” said a man at the Demon Gate, “What is your purpose here?”

“We travel to the Sawyerway forest, and wish to enter the city to rest before we set out in the morning,” said Jacob.

“Youngsters… five youngsters, and what is your business to travel so far to our beloved village and so late, if I may ask,” said the man, “And do not pretend or lie, I will be able to read your faces like a book with all the hints pointed out. Nor pretend you haven’t traveled far, I see from your garment you’ve traveled many leagues.”

“We wish to stay at an inn and our business is our own as the will of our master says so,” replied Jacob.

“Alright, youngster I meant no offense to you or your master,” he eyed them in suspicion still, “It’s my job to question people after all who try to enter our village. But you seem well enough not to get yourselves in trouble. If you wish to stay at the inn, it’s near the town center; it’s called “Red’s Place,” a good inn with the best food you could ask for, the ale’s not too bad either.”

“Hold on there brother,” said another man jumping into the scene, “let’s get a little more info from these youngsters. I’m quite intrigued with them, just as much as you are, these robes are quite intriguing. Tell us who you are from and who sent you, don’t lie, I’ll see right through it.”

“Brother, I said it was okay for them to enter, plus we have our own important matters to attend to.”

“Don’t worry, we still have a lot of time on our hands, seeing as how we came an hour earlier then expected, so let them speak and then we can be underway.”

“We don’t have to tell you anything.” said Samuel.

“Then I shall not let you enter,” replied the second man.

“You said you had an hour before you left, so we’ll wait for you two to leave and hopefully some other guard will let us through,” said Jacob.

“Oh, you don’t want to see the other guardian. Trust me,” said the second man, “Before I came, I challenged him and I was nearly defeated. So please just tell us, or you’ll regret it.”

“Regret this!” said Jacob thrusting a punch at the second man who stopped it and twisted Jacob's arm and forced him into submission. Then Samuel tried to attack the second man, and he grabbed Samuel's face and smashed him into the ground with Jacob. The girls stood back and watched, they knew better. Samuel and Jacob got back up and attacked again, and again until they were too beat up to try anymore.

“Well, looks like those two will be out for a bit, maybe one of you girls may explain better than using your fists.” said the second man.

“Yes please, it was fun watching those two get the crap beat out of them for thirty minutes,” said the first man, “I hate to see it happen for another thirty minutes if they come to.”

“Alright I-I-I’ll explain,” started Evelyn, “We are here because people reported to our master th-th-that strange occurrences have been happening in the Sawyerway Forest. Th-th-things being moved without anyone no-no-noticing who or what are moving them. And that’s all we have c-c-come to do, is inspect and discover what is g-g-going on.”

“And who is your master? If I may ask, I knew a man who had students wear the same garment on their travels, you haven't stolen these have you?” said the second man.

“Our master is the mighty Dragorath, known far and wide for his deeds and accomplishments and his power,” responded Jamie.

“Oh the great one himself and you are his students! It’s been a hundred years since I last saw one of his students travel to our villages. And it’s been hundred and forty eight years since we’ve seen your mentor and our dear friend,” said the first man.

“Alright you may enter, and give your master this letter for me when you return to your home. Now brother, let us get going, an early start means an early leave, and an early finish and an early return.” The second man handed Evelyn an envelope.

“True, the mighty Dragorath is a sovereign man and very wise. He helped us in our time of need, and we welcome him and his students. Be careful you three and don’t let those two run a muck in our village,” said the first man and they walked off into the night.

“I wonder who those two are?” said Megan.

“Well whoever they are, they sure are in a different league,” said Jamie

“Let’s go-go-go and get to rest,” said Evelyn.

They lifted up Jacob and Samuel, and brought them to the inn and set them down. Then Jacob and Samuel came too, lifting up their heads and groaning.

“Alright you bas— what… where are we?” questioned Jacob standing up ready to continue fighting.

“In the inn and resting, and you better get a lot and be ready for the morning,” said Evelyn.

“But where did they—” said Samuel starring at his surroundings.

“They left.”

“Damn it all.”

So the five of them rested up for the night and had a good night's rest. Jacob though could hardly sleep, after being pummeled into the dirt, his frustration grew, he walked outside and around the village. He looked and awed at the village, and then he heard music, soothing music as he had never heard before. He followed the sound of the music, it brought him all around the village. Yet he couldn’t find it, when he thought he got close the music faded. When he got far the music sounded closer.

'The music sounds so wonderful, where is it coming from?' he thought. He kept on walking until he found himself back at the inn, whence he had left. “What the hell is this crap, I just walked a whole circle around this village!”

Then as soon as he turned to head back in, he got a glance at the corner of his eyes and saw a band of musicians playing across the street. They had flutes, clarinets, violins, and some fifes; a man and a woman singing in slow monotone voices. He saw them, and noticed that there was hardly a crowd in the area. Yet there wasn’t any applause, but all were in awe. So he decided to walk up and join the crowd, as Jacob stood he saw the singing woman. She started increasing her pitch and moving toward him. She was speaking to him as she sang, telepathically, “So you are new to the village, are you not, my young demon?”

“Well… yea, but I’m staying for too long… wait what? I’m not a demon, I’m a doom lord.”

“Hmmm so you are… you like this music, the music of the demons.”

“It does sound wonderful.”

“Glad to hear it. Most people would think the opposite when I tell them that. Only those of the villages truly appreciate our music.”

“Well most people would think opposite because they think all demons are vicious killers, who are breed in hatred and death. My master told me that… it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are of one’s birth, all that matters is what they do with those circumstances. And so I believe that good can come in the form of anything that it chooses.”

“Glad to hear such wisdom from a young one, your master is a wise one.”

Jacob listened all night to the music, it removed the weariness from his body and he felt rejuvenated. He walked back to the inn just as the sun was creeping over the mountains; he went back to the room and got ready to continue to journey onward. He woke the others up and they got ready, then they checked out of the inn, paid the inn keeper five gold coins. They went to the stables, got their horses, mounted them and continued on their journey. They left the village on the east side; then followed the signs that lead to the Sawyerway Forest. They camped at the bridge that lead to the Sawyerway Forest, and to them, all they could see was trees beyond count. The bridge itself was a large tree grown from one side of the river to the other side, old and strong. Then Evelyn saw a sign that said the village was about fifty miles inward, and that they needed to stay on the path to not get lost.

“Ouch!” said Samuel, “Who threw that rock at me?”

“No one did…” said Megan, “Ouch, what was that for?”

“What was what for?” questioned Jamie.

“Noth-nothing.”

The group continued on, at last they had arrived at the Saweryway Forest, if they had gone around the Demon Village it would’ve taken them a lot longer. Anyway, the group entered the gates, and followed the long road through the many outlying villages and camps. They saw houses destroyed, farms desolate, people with severe and non severe injuries. Most people were afraid to leave their homes and welcome the five. A soldier at the gate that lead to the Mead Hall was hiding in his post, but came out. They told him that they were the help their master had sent for, and that they were ready. The soldier relieved beyond hope, had the gate open, towards the Mead Hall and that the king would be delighted to see them. So the group traveled to the Mead Hall and yet none of them could sense evil spirits in the area. All they saw was scared people, and then they saw objects floating in the air; there were no spirits.

A giant rock flew towards Evelyn and she crushed it with her fist. “Doesn’t seem like we are getting a warm welcome,” she said looking around as if she expected something else to fly at her.

“True, but we have a mission and will complete it for the master’s sake,” said Jamie.

The village was literally under the trees of the forest, the air was close, warm; not stiff. The light of the sun barely seemed to pierce the trees. The breeze of the air was unusually strong; the trees seem to exhale great amounts of oxygen that cooled the forest down. Fires lit up the village and with the great amounts of rich oxygen, the fires could last hours upon hours with only a few faggots of wood.

So the group went to the entrance of the Mead Hall. “Halt,” said a guard, “What is your business here?”

“We have a request from your king, about the recent problems your village has been facing. Our master has sent us to help,” replied Jacob

“Very well you may enter. But we require all weapons to be relieved before you enter.”

“Very well, but the robes stay on.”

The group dismounted their horses and entered the Mead Hall and they saw the king sitting on his chair with his hands on his face. “Who’s there?” he said meagerly, “Is it the help that was sent?”

“Yes King Menethos, we have come to help you with the situation,” said Jamie.

“Good, we have been waiting for someone to end this evil,” said the king now in high hope. “So please can you help us and stop the evil from spreading?”

“Of course we can,” they responded.

“Good, then you have my leave to explore about the village. And you may have your weapons returned as well.”

“Thank you.”

So the group walked about the village and got information from the villagers, all of them said the same thing practically. They all said they saw the objects move and never saw who or what moved them. One farmer, far off the outskirts of the village, said that he saw a woman in armor standing and watching the sun setting. Then he saw boulders fly towards him, then he glanced back and the woman was gone. That was the only little information that they could get from anyone. Soon they reported back to the king and told them what they found out, and it wasn’t long till villagers reported again. Boulders and trees being lifted and smashed into their homes, farms and people being injured. This angered the king greatly and he would not stand for it any longer. The five stood around and thought what they should or what they could even do. They took their leave and traveled again outside of the Mead Hall hoping for any sign.

Then by a stroke of luck, a revelation appeared in the sky, “Energy signatures,” Jacob said, “See the swirling energy at four o’clock.” The others looked and saw the energy but it disbanded and faded away. “Maybe if we move to that location, we can discover who or what is really behind this whole situation."

“Wo-wo-wow, you can be smart at times Jacob,” said Evelyn.

“Oh shut up,” retorted Jacob.

“But how did we not notice it before,” said Jamie.

“Well, I think maybe because we are too focused on the ground, to notice what’s happening in the sky,” said Samuel.

"I mean it's not like, we really expected to look up when most of time it's just the treetops covering this whole place," Jacob answered pointing upwards.

So the group waited, until they saw another pillar of energy appear in the sky and it seems Jacob was really correct. They saw the pillar form in the sky; then noticed the rubble being lifted off the ground and being thrown; then Jamie who caught one of the rocks, studied it and saw a thin blue like energy surrounding the rubble. “Guys!” she said, “I think I know what’s causing these phenomenon's.”

“What is it?” they asked.

“I think some sort of person or thing has psychic abilities, the Master talked about them, they are different from energy users, unlike the energy users who create matter with their minds. The psychic users can control objects, and people with their minds.”

“That does make sense,” said Megan, “and if it’s true, then we must deal with it soon. Still, we don’t know whether the person or thing is doing this for some kind of purpose, or if they even know they are doing it at all.”

“So then let’s not sit, and wait,” said Jacob, “let’s get a move on and follow that energy pillar.”

So the group ran to the pillar and as they got nearer, they felt themselves getting heavier with each step they took. The swirling energies started to disperse, the group felt the weight of their bodies return to normal.

“Hurry do not lose sight of that spot,” Samuel said, "We might get them yet!"

Immediately Jacob had jumped through an opening, once he landed he looked up and saw her. Standing in an open field, surrounded by a sea of trees was a woman. She looked menacing, she said no word, and not even the sound of her breath could be noticed. She wore a suit of armor that was so weird, that it didn’t look real at first. Her head covered by armor, but tinted glass covered her eyes, she carried a sword, her hair was long yet was a mix of platinum and brunette, her skin was whiter than snow, she was tall, very tall. She had a tail, but that was covered with armor and spikes. The woman turned around to see that she had been tracked down, which caused little expression of surprise on her face.

'A Dragon?' the group thought, maybe she was. She did have wings, but they were metallic, maybe, even the armor covered her real wings. But little did they know she was really a Metallic Dragon. The group stood motionless as they and the woman starred each other down. The group didn’t know what to do, sure they had trained for moments like this, but this was their first encounter with something so menacing. Then they felt her power blowing them back, a mere push of force from her energy was enough. The group stood their ground, then Samuel grabbed his sword and swung it at Evelyn who blocked the attack.

“What’re you doing!” she said.

“I don’t know, she’s controlling… me,” struggled Samuel

“Jacob charge at her, we’ll hold Sam back,” commanded Jamie

So Jacob went head first and before he could make contact, the woman picked him up with her psychic powers and threw him into Samuel and they both fell to the ground.

“Ouch…" Samuel groaned, "How do we fight someone who can control anything with their minds!”

“I don’t know but it’s not like we can give up,” said Jacob standing up

The woman stood their making no motion or sound, then Jacob was being controlled and he started to fight with Jamie, who he then kicked into the ground and then drew his blade, Samuel stopped him before he could further harm Jamie. Megan tried to use a blinding flash of light to stop the woman, but the tinted glass that covered her eyes rendered the attack useless, and then a rock smashed into Megan. The woman stood motionless still not a single flinch or expression across her face. This time she took control of the girls and forced them to fight the boys; then she stopped and forced the boys to fight the girls. There was nothing they could do, she was to strong, her psychic powers were on an incredible scale.

Jacob was thinking of a way to counterattack the situation, but the thoughts he had seemed almost impossible to achieve. Then he had an idea, 'That’s it!' he thought, 'She has control of our bodies, but not our powers.' But his hopes were dashed when his arm lifted up and a dark blast came from him and hit Jamie. “Damn it. I didn’t think she could control our powers too. Man this sucks, I’ve never thought a psychic user could be this stinking strong. I didn’t think how powerful the mind could really be… the mind…hmmm… That’s it!”

Then the woman removed her control of the five. She then started hitting them with a barrage of trees and stones. The group managed to dodge them, and then Jacob got close to her again, “Jacob you can’t touch her.”

“It’s foolish!” The woman threw Jacob back; he got off the ground again and rushed at her again, “She’ll just stop you—” The woman fell on one knee, though she finally moved her face was still motionless, except for her eyes which widened.

“But, how did you do that?” they asked

“Simple… the mind,” answered Jacob pointing to his head, “We Doom Lords can use our dark powers to influence fear into our opponents mind. Or, if they are immune to that, we can still use our mind crush to briefly interrupt their concentration. That instant is all we need though, we need to time our attacks perfectly. This woman is extremely dangerous and powerful.”

“You weren’t sure were you?” said Jamie

“Shut up. It worked didn’t it?”

“You were just lucky.”

“Shut up!”

The woman quickly kicked under Jacob's feet and tripped him, then she quickly stood up and kicked him back to the group knocking them all down. She tried to take control of Jacob and Samuel but they stopped her with their mind crush technique. She then again fell on one knee and this time Jacob and Samuel rushed toward her and doubled punched her. The woman flew and skidded across the ground. She got back up and dusted herself. Still no expression on her face except for the brows, though now her brows moved down her eyes. Her tinted glass visor cracked and fell, revealing a number on her face, it was the number three. She looked and again forced more rubble towards the group, they slashed and dodged all of them.

“So what now?” said Megan, “Is she just gonna keep throwing stuff at us?”

No, the woman moved so fast that she was standing in front of the group, she struck each one of them and they hit the floor. Then she took control of the girls and forced them to fight the boys again.

“Damn, she knows that if she controls us, we can't break her concentration,” said Samuel.

“True, but maybe we can still try,” said Jacob who then tried to use his mind crush on the woman, but this time it didn’t work. Jacob saw that she had erected a mental barrier around her to block out other magical spells. “Damn it… maybe a physical attack can get through the force field.” Jacob threw some daggers, but even those didn’t work, the woman used a tree to block the daggers. He then broke through the tree and tried to slash her, but a rock came flying and knocked him back. “Damn it… so no spell or physical attack will work. What can we do?!” The boys were getting tired, fighting the girls was tough alone, and then getting attacked by flying debris was another thing and annoying.

“Jacob maybe if we mind crush the girls, the woman will lose control of them. Since she is using her power, then maybe they are connected. If it works it might stall her, maybe, it’s just an idea,” said Samuel

“True, sorry girls it might hurt but deal with it for a little while.”

So then the boys fought the girls and during the fight used their dark prowess to try and stop the girls, since after all it was Dark vs. Light and while the girls were being controlled they used their power to protect themselves. Then in a moment, Jacob and Samuel put their hands on girls faces and used mind crush; the girls were freed. The woman lost her control and concentration, she put her hand on her head. The group rushed toward her and started to fight her. She couldn’t use her psychic powers to stop them in that instance, and she couldn’t concentrate fast enough at a close distance with all five of them attacking her at once. The woman managed to fight them off, then Jamie withdrew to a long distance and drew back her bow with her arrow knocked in place. Samuel and Jacob fought the woman, Jamie had to wait for the right moment.

It seemed though Jamie’s moment couldn’t come, the woman fought off Samuel and Jacob like wheat before the scythe, so then Jamie decided to just fire shots, there’s no way the woman could concentrate on all three attacks at once. Evelyn was with Megan and they planned to attack from behind, once they were sure of it. The woman fought on, still no motion came to her face, only her body moved cutting, hitting, and dodging. The group couldn’t believe their eyes; it felt like they were fighting in water against a slippery eel. The woman used her psychic power to blow them all back, she then put her sword in front of her.

Then from underground chains of light grabbed her legs; Evelyn and Megan managed to trip the woman, and she fell. Then Jamie fired two shots with her bow and took off some of the woman’s armor. The woman, motionless, cut the wires with her sword and stood back up, then they saw it, under the armor. They saw dragon scales, metallic and gave of a shimmer of star light. The scales were busted and bleeding. The woman dropped her sword and in midair and caught it again, she moved so fast that the group didn’t realize until they found themselves on the floor.

“What the hell… how did she… I… how?!” exclaimed Samuel.

Then it sounded like a faint whisper, “Le stelle appese alla mia testa, tutto quello che vedo è tutto quello che posso controllare. Nessuno avrà la forza di sopportare il mio potere.” The woman was speaking in the Dragon tongue which the group hardly knew, “Paralisi, di confusione e di stupore miei avversari cadranno davanti a me, Mekoten!” The group didn’t really understand, but Jamie caught the word “Paralisi” which means “Paralyze”

“Guys!” she said, “She’s paralyzing our bodies; that’s why she seems faster than before, she has us all under a paralysis!”

“Va bene.” the woman said, her voice was metallic, but with a sweet soothing sound. “Mi chiamo Lurline. Tu hai fatto bene contro di me, ma ho trovato quello che avevo bisogno per il mio maestro. Hai avuto l'onore di affrontare le mie reali abilità psichiche. Come segno di rispetto e di gratitudine per il tuo potere, prendi questo. Forse il destino vi permetterà di combattere un altro giorno e spero che sarà più potente. Fino ad allora ti lascio questo posto.” Then the woman left in a flash, the group looked around, but they couldn't see her or feel any trace of her presence. Then they fell unconscious and woke up a while after. The group found nothing else except for the broken visor, and few armor pieces on the ground.

“Damn… ouch… that woman, she was so strong. What happened to us?” asked Jacob.

“It was too late, we were under her paralysis. There was nothing we could’ve done,” responded Evelyn.

“I don’t think that’s all she was capable of. I really think she was just, toying with us,” said Samuel.

The group returned to the village, they had actually been gone for about a good three days, but they were in good fortune. The villagers took them into the village, fed them and let them rest for a long while. The King called them in and was in more high spirits than before. The group told him that their mission was successful more or less. That nothing would harm them for now, and that if he ever needed help to call on them again. “Thank you so much for your assistance!” the King started, “We are greatly indebted to you for your assistance, and we wish to have you stay in out village for a while and rest up!”

“No thank you kingy,” responded Jacob, “We have to return home and report back to our master.” They wouldn’t admit what really happened to them.

“But you could stay for a while… please.”

“We stayed long enough, we need to return home and report to our master,” responded Evelyn.

The villagers waved goodbye’s and shouts of praise as the group left, they waved back uneasily. In the back of their minds, they had hoped that the woman wouldn’t come back. Cause another ruckus, and they would have to fight her again. So the group got on their horses (which were well looked out for) and they started their homeward journey. They traveled over the bridge and saw the clear the blue sky, the sun was shining, the air was clear and fresh; the breeze felt nice. The group traveled back to the three villages, this time going upward towards the mountains. To be honest they took a wrong turn when Jacob was leading them… he wanted to go back to the Demon Village, but instead led the group to the gates of the Dragon Village on the east side.

“Are you sure we went the right way?” asked Jamie.

“Uh… yea… I led us to the right place.”

“Are you sure, this g-g-gate looks noth-nothing like the gate we left from be-be-before,” said Evelyn looking at the gate with uneasiness.

Indeed the gates looked nothing at all like the Demon Gates which were guarded by soldiers, these gates were guarded by Dragons… and familiar ones too… too familiar now with the group. When Jacob tried to approach the gate, there was a rumble and a tumble, the earth shook and a voice rang like the sound of screeching nails against the chalk. The gate started to reconfigure and reform, then it grew to full stature of a dragon, the group trembled, it was indeed a Metallic Dragon. He looked at the group as if they were cockroaches before his foot, ready to be squished.

“Oh crap, not another one,” Megan groaned.

“What is your business here?” questioned the Metallic Dragon, it used the ordinary speech as he smashed the floor with his foot. He had great authority, as well as the other metallic gate guardians.

“We come to rest from our journey,” Samuel responded, “We rested at this village before, by the leave of one of your leader’s I believe they were. We come back now after have finished our journey.”

“Hmm…” he eyed them all, “Which leader allowed you passage if I may ask?”

“Umm… well they really didn’t tell us their names, they just let us go and left,” replied Megan.

The Dragon starred at them for a while, “I see no lie in your eyes, I see much weariness.” He started to shrink and transformed into human size. “Very well, I shall let you pass.” He then opened the gate and let them pass, Jamie starred back and saw him sitting down and drinking tea. He was pondering at “another one” he was thinking about the other gate guardians.

So the group this time entered the Dragon Village, to their surprise it was much like the Demon village but full of Dragons, Dragon Lords, Dragon Guardians, Dragon Mages, Dracomancers, and Dragon Soldiers (etc). The mountains surrounded the village, much like the Demon Village which was a valley; the Dragon Village was at the top of the mountains, the group starred at the sky and then they saw it. The peak of a mountain which stretched to the skies, and then stairs leading to the Angelic Village in the clouds. The group saw the wondrous village, music filled the air, the market was full of the finest produce, and the children ran gaily.

The Soldiers, Guardians, and Dragon Lords were heavily armed with Dragon scaled armor, their blades and arrows created from Dragon forged steel and bones, and their helmets represented a dragon, and their shields were caste ironed with tempered steel (and some high officers had platinum), latent with smooth grip and hardened leather. The Dracomancers wore robes with warrior armor, although their armor was made of mesh dragon scales, light and flexible but extremely durable. The Dragon Mages wore Robes of the Dragon, much like the Dracomancers though it was indicated that they were of lesser rank and the Dragons were all of a variety.

"So what is the difference between a Dracomancer and a Dragon Mage?" Jacob said aloud, "Aren't they kind of the same?"

"Most certainly not!" said a Dracomancer, "Though I do understand your confusion young one. I shall tell you the brief story of how Dracomancers came to be. If you wish to learn the whole story you're master can tell you. A long time ago a young woman traveled to learn all she could about spells and magic. It then came to pass that she traveled to the ancient city of Order and was granted an audience with the Mother. The Mother saw her devotion and gave the young woman the privilege to learn the ancient magic of the Dragons. For as you know Dragons are the primordial beings whose magic is true magic. Though the woman was never born as a Dragon Lord, she learned the power regardless and impressed the Mother greatly. Though her body couldn't endure the vast amount of magic needed to use more than a few spells, the Mother gave her a Dragon Spirit who would help her. So she was named, 'The Genius of Dragon Magics' and was given a seat among the Dragonite Council here on Earthrendora. And so the Dracomancers were created. We have the advantage of using all the elements, though we lack in physical strength, endurance and stamina."

"Well said master," said a Dragon Mage who stepped forward to offer his piece, "As for Dragon Mages we simply are initiates to the Dracomancers. We learn from the Dracomancers as an apprentice. When we are ready we are sent to complete our final trail decreed by the Dragonite Council to become a Dracomancer. Many fail and remain as a Dragon Mage, only a handful become a Dracomancer. The main purpose of the trail is to find a Dragon Spirit who is willing to become your companion and teach you the secrets of the Dragon Magic and help you maintain the immense power."

"Wow that's very interesting," said Samuel, "I thought you needed a Dragon to become a Dragon Lord. And that our master and the Dragoness Queen would be the only ones who would grant the rank of Dragon Lord."

"Well what you say is true," the Dracomancer responded, "At one time. But with the passage of time there are those who have proved their worth, and were appointed by the Queen to join the Dragonite Council."

"Well there'll always be more than one way to achieve a goal so as long as you are willing to give it your all," said Jacob.

"Very profound of you Jacob," snickered Samuel.

"Shut up!"

Then the group saw a sign that read, “Dragons Ravine Inn” and so they dismounted, went inside, ordered a room, stable and paid the innkeeper. The students looked at the innkeeper, her eyes showed her age though her face didn't, she had a scar on her face and her hair was scorched. With a roaring chuckle, “Welcome young masters!” The innkeeper had a closer inspection, she recognized the cloaks they wore, “Well, well! It’s not often we get some of Dragorath’s students. I haven’t seen him in nearly two centuries. But that’s fine he comes and goes as he pleases, pays handsomely as he is."

"You know our master?" they asked.

"Of course! Who wouldn't remember that man," she said dreamily.

"Are you then his lov—"

"Oh gracious no! Oh but what woman wouldn't fall head over heels for that guy. I did hear that he was romantically involved with a couple of women."

"A couple!" The students gasped.

"And then younger folk started to show up, they proclaim to be his students and that he has had a school ha! Always thought you were all his children, but it wasn't true. It’s always a pleasure to serve folk, especially if they be his students.” She bowed to them and they to her. “Ganu, you little varmint ha-ha come out my dear and show the guests to their room!”

Out came a young Dwarf, very red cheeked and a blond beard, hobbling on his feet, huffing and puffing. “This way masters I’ll show you to your room,” he said hastily, leading the group to their room, he opened the door and inside was a large room, the room had a balcony so you could see a full view of the village during the day and night. “If there is anything you need just ring the bell and I, Mrs. Darling or Snappy will come and assist you." The group thanked him and when he left, they stood outside on the balcony and awed at the village.

“If there is such a place as this…” said Jacob staring out “Then why… why couldn’t we have been born here. A place… or well I guess places where we wouldn’t be shunned by our own parents because of our unique power. Shunned by our own people because we were “different” or because they didn’t have what we had.”

“I guess… well, we were born in the wrong place and the wrong time,” said Samuel.

“That is true,” said Evelyn, “We-we-we all f-f-feel the same way Jacob.”

“But we have someone who took care of us, loved us, taught us, trained us,” said Megan, “Our master is our hero, more importantly he's our father, he saved us from the true darkness of the world, from ourselves and the dread of loneliness. If he hadn’t done so… who knows what would have happened to us.”

“I guess… you guys are right…” responded Jacob, “I don’t know... I just wish that… that maybe… our parents or guardians would have just loved us like our master does.”

“So do we,” they responded.

"Come now I'm starving," Samuel added, "Let's ring the bell."

The innkeeper came in with food, and with her a small dragon whose name was Snappy a small breed of Dragon who had strong jaws that could bite into steel and platinum they were called Snap Dragons (hence his name Snappy), carrying plates on its back with silverware, they set up a table with a white cloth, cups and plates.

“Here you go,” said Mrs. Darling, “A nice dinner for the young masters.” There was salted pork and chicken, jam, butter, bread, corn, cool cheese, crackers, broccoli, hot soup broth, and drinks. A good a meal that one could ask for, the students sat and ate, talked and laughed. Three of the students went outside and had a pipe.

“Does anyone know what day it is?” asked Jacob who was trying to calculate on his fingers the days when they left the school.

“It should be Wednesday, about two weeks since we left the school,” answered Megan.

“T-T-Two days… I mean we-we-weeks! Oh we are go-go-going to be behind on our st-st-studies when we get back home, we’ll have to c-c-catch up fast,” stammered Evelyn.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be back home soon enough! Goodnight!” said Samuel, not thinking about any other worry in the world. The group stayed at the inn and fell to sleep, especially Jacob who fell into a deep slumber. During the night the girls awoke to find that they couldn’t sleep at all, they went out to the balcony and to their surprise the beauty of the Dragon Village increased during the nighttime. During the day the village was a vision of color and beauty for the scales of many Dragons reflected the light off the sun and created a aura of splendor. During the night the moonlight had a different effect, it cast everything else in shadow except for dancing lights and flickering flames of the Dragons who flew at night.

The site was breathtaking and the girls could hardly speak, and after a moment of silence, “Wow… such beauty and grace,” Megan said. The music played in the streets, musicians who played a soothing melody that made the girls forget about weariness from their bodies, but yet made them sleepy at the same time. They saw dragons flying in the moonlight, they saw guards below interacting with children and taking them home. The girls left the inn to travel around the village and they saw all sorts of wonders, they got to see Dragons (though they were already accustomed to seeing the dragons at the school) they talked to people, listened to philosophers preach about the dawn of the history of the coming of the dragons to protect the people. They heard the dragons humming in a deep rolling voice, they heard the pounding of the smithies, and they saw the waters running in a great stream from the heart of the village to the sides of the mountains. The awes and wonders kept on coming, something caught Evelyn's eyes fast she saw something that she thought was an illusion but it sure wasn't. A man was performing tricks in the street, and it seemed to her that he was transforming different parts of his body into Dragon parts.

"That's a good trick," she said as she approached to man, "How are you doing that? Do you have everyone under some kind of illusion?"

"Why no nothing of the sort dear," the man said, "The name's Shoja."

"Well then how are you doing it? Are you a Dragon Lord, or a Dracomancer... if you're a Dracomancer, then you're the first one I've seen to be able to use Dragon power that way."

"Well no I'm most certainly am not a Dracomancer," Shoja said now doing a different trick, "I am a Dragonoid."

"A what?" questioned Evelyn thinking the man was just jesting with her.

"A Dragonoid, but I understand if you do not know, we are even fewer in number though more than the Metallic Dragons," Shoja continued, "We Dragonoids are half human and half dragon. We can freely change our bodies, we can even transform into a full-sized Dragon. Yet, our only drawback is that we can't use the elements like the way Dracomancers or Dragon Lords can. But we can master energy in a different way."

"So kind of like the Aurora Dragons?"

"In a way. Though only a few Dragonoids can master their energy to create physical items, like the Aurora Dragons. Most of us use our energy to increase our physical prowess."

"Can you still use the powerful Photon Cannon?"

"Yes, that is an ability that all Dragons can use, including us. And well... depending on what kind of Dragon you are, like me I am a Red Dragon. I can breath fire from my mouth. That is my only ability with my element, though it may be a drawback my fire breath is my most powerful ability.

"Okay, I think I get it. And so when you use your energy, it's red?"

"Yes."

"Very fascinating, very fascinating indeed!"

Finally the girls decided to go back to the inn and slept the night away. The next day the group woke up (the girls were still a little sleepy) and got ready to leave, the horses were brought to them and they seemed delighted to be heading home finally. The group mounted and said their farewells to Mrs. Darling, Ganu, and Snappy. They exited on the west side of the village and started their homeward journey.

“You made sure to write down our report right Jamie?” asked Jacob

“Yes, I made sure,” she replied

“Good, I don’t want anything important missed.”

“I got everything down; especially about the part with the woman, her power, her armor, and that number she had on her armor... what was the number again... it was three…”

“This won't bode well for us in the future,” Samuel said, “I hope the master will have some answers.”