Draagterra. A floating land in the sky where creatures from all over lived. Elves, Dwarves, Beastmen, mermaids, humans and lastly… Dragons. Dragons were the first to live on the land and so named the land as such. Being the oldest and wisest of creatures, the Dragons took it upon themselves to teach and guide the other creatures but it was the humans that the Dragons saw in themselves both the need and desire to lead this young race.
Reckless and head strong, humans were similar to Dragons in nature but they possessed wit, charisma and ability to adapt; things that the Dragons did not, and so the Dragons decided that they will teach and guide humans, work beside them and soon humans became the ruling race together with Dragons by their sides. Dragons became a part and partial of everyday life for humans there. They relied on Dragons for help with agriculture, to build and develop land, educate humans in the knowledge of old and even used them in War.
In return, the humans cared for the Dragons, and acted out the will of the seven Ancient Elder Dragons who ruled the land. Under the leadership of the Ancient Elder Dragons, seven kingdoms rose up and coexisted peacefully for many years. Until the day when the Elder Dragons suddenly disappeared, marking the return of the ‘Dark ones’. Bringing a plague of death and destruction, the ‘Dark ones’ brought the might of the seven Kingdoms down to their knees.
No matter how hard they fought, the armies of the Seven were not strong enough to hold back the dark creatures that the ‘Dark ones’ brought. All seemed hopeless until ‘they’ came forth. A band of warriors who stood up against the ‘Dark ones’, each possessing something that no one had heard of or knew about until then. Dragon Souls. A mysterious form of magic even by the council of mage’s level for mysterious things. But to even classify as ‘magic’ was not true to its form.
Many had debated over it, wondering what it was, wondering whether it was in fact a form of magic, or something else altogether. What it did, however, was clear to all. The band of warriors, using their ‘Dragon Souls’, could transform into mighty Dragons themselves. Stronger than a normal dragon, possessing the intellect, cunning and wit of humans, these warriors faced the army of the ‘Dark ones’ and forced them off the continent, thus ushering a new age of peace.
These warriors soon made themselves into a separate and independent military might, a group of highly trained and special fighters who would possess the ‘Dragon Souls’ and stand guard against the ‘Dark ones’ should the darkness return once more. They came to called ‘Dragonnaires’.
“And that is how the legend goes.”
He had heard the stories many times over but he never stopped getting all excited over hearing it. It was a story that he admired throughout the years.
“But joining such an Order is like trying to marry the Princess. You need to stop dreaming so much and look at reality.”
“I’m sure that it’s always nice to dream about something so big.”
He sighed, leaning against the counter as he thought about it.
“Well, it’s not like you have a ‘Dragon Soul’ so there is no point in dreaming about it in the first place.”
His friend pointed out. He did not need to be reminded about that. His friend sat next to him and though they were around the same height, his friend was always trying to get the edge, like how he was trying to sit up straight to make it seem like he was taller. But they were both not what you would call ‘large, tough guys’. Just normal. Maybe a little too normal for himself as he did not like to stand out. His friend, on the other hand, liked to be the centre of the party, which would explain his choice of clothes.
“Only those who are born with such a power are taken into the order. That is how it goes.”
He turned around and saw the large scales of the Dragon who stood behind him. The Dragon stood on its two hind legs, and had arms that were similar to that of a humans in structure, but covered with a thick leathery hide and scales. Standing taller than most humans, this Dragon is a Drac, a type of Dragon that were much like the lizard folk, the Rezar. However Dracs were far less savage, having the intellect and grandness of the Dragon race.
The Dragon race had many groups belonging to that name, Dracs being the bipedal humanoid dragons, who were born either with wings or not, depending on their lineage though they do not distinguish them as humans do. Drakes, the large hulking wingless Dragons, were often used as beasts of burden or as mounts for Calvary knights. Drakes had tough hides and durability, though they were not as intelligent as their brethren. The one to hold the distinction of their namesake, Dragons, were winged creatures who resembled the Ancient Dragons, the Drakgonias.
The Dragons were intelligent and stood mightily on all fours with their grand wings spreading out wide in a display of their might. They were strong, agile and dominated the skies over the Wyverns, griffons, eagles and other flying races. While they are intelligent, they, like all others of the Dragon race, do not choose to rule, rather most choose to live beside the other races as mounts, mentors and caretakers. The Kingdoms have Dragons as part of their Dragon Knights, flying high over the battlefield and ruling the skies over their enemies.
Dracs were amongst the smartest and most innovative of the Dragons, choosing to mingle with the other races in Kingdoms and villages as one of them, becoming merchants, farmers, teachers, scholars, soldiers, knights, and, like this Drac here, an innkeeper with a wine store attached.
“What exactly is a ‘Dragon Soul’? No one has ever seen or heard of such a thing, nor does anyone know how to find out if a person has such a thing.”
His friend asked, to which the Dragon smirked, if one could see how Dragons smirk.
“It is about having heart! Ha ha ha!”
That was not a real answer, but they should have expected such from the Dragon.
“It is best if you do not ask too much of it. But not all Dragonnaires have ‘Dragon Souls’. They enlist volunteers who are willing to fight in defence for the land, Dragoon Knights. They do not have a ‘Dragon Soul’, so why don’t you try that first?”
The Dragon added.
“That’s true, but Krakos, aren’t you forgetting that this is the ‘Deryke Verias’ we’re talking about? Never mind a sword, he can hardly pick himself up in the morning.”
His friend laughed, a little too loudly for his own liking. He had a great urge to hit his friend but didn’t, mainly due to the fact that they were in public, not to mention in a busy tavern where the Dragon behind him, Krakos, was the owner. Krakos was well known around the town to be a good source of information, but his temper can be quite short. It was always best to not test the Dragon’s temper.
But he knew that Dragon better than most, after all it was Krakos who found him when he was just a child and raised him. He never knew who his parents were but it did not really matter to him. ‘Deryke Verias’, a name that Krakos gave him, a name to call his own.
“Right right, no need to compare who wakes up later. If I recall, you’re not the one who rises the earliest either, Tyriousel.”
The Dragon said, making his friend rather angry.
“Hey! That was a thing of the past! I’m a changed man now!”
“Yes yes, while you’re getting ‘changed’, I suggest you do your job. The crate at the back of the shop needs to be added to the cart that is bound for Alexasdra.”
“Again?”
Tyriousel groaned, earning a swift fist to the head.
“Ow!”
“You would do well to stop complaining so much. I do not recall paying you to flap those lips. Ah, which reminds me, the two old deliverers have finally retired. I guess it takes that long for a Dwarf and a Goblin to finally decide to stop bickering and settled their differences. Or maybe age has finally decided to kick their bones in.”
Krakos muttered off-handedly.
“What? Then who will deliver the goods?”
Tyriousel asked, earning another swift fist to the head.
“Ow! Seriously! Why me?!”
“Because you ask really silly questions, and it is starting to bleed my ears. The new delivery crew will be you and Deryke, obviously. It is about time that I let the two of you take over the delivery routes anyway. Now hurry up, I do not like the way the winds blow this morning.”
“… fine, let’s go, Deryke.”
Tyriousel muttered, grabbing his coat and heading out of the door. Deryke stood there, not understand something his friend just said.
“Wait, I’m going too?”
“Obviously.”
Krakos delivered one more fist, though this time to Deryke, letting the young man know that the Dragon really does not like stupid questions.
“But still, i sense a war soon.”
Tyriousel said as they rode their horses along the dirt path towards the main capital of their Kingdom, Alexasdra.
“A war? So soon?”
Deryke asked.
“You really don’t like to pay any attention to the latest news, do you? How would you ever hope to be part of the Dragonnaires if you don’t even know that much? The war between our Kingdom of Red, Alexasdra, and the Kingdom of Blue, Morianne.”
Tyriousel explained. The seven Kingdoms, each were supposed to be ruled by a human ruler, hence ‘Kingdom’, and an Elder Dragon. The Kingdoms and each of their respective capitals were named after the Ancient Elder Dragon that governed them. The Kingdom of Red, Alexasdra; The Kingdom of Blue, Morianne; The Kingdom of Green, Sylvian; The Kingdom of Yellow, Hexarash; The Kingdom of Brown, Gouralish; The Kingdom of White, Tiamat; The Kingdom of Black, Bahamut.
These seven Kingdoms were now ruled by humans after the Elder Dragons disappeared before the return of the ‘Dark one’ nearly ten years ago, but the peace that was suppose to exist between the Kingdoms was weak and news of wars breaking out were common. The Dragonnaires were forced to step in when the Kingdoms all turned to them to solve this problem. The Dragonnaires knew that war cannot be stopped. Without the Elder Dragons to lead them, the different Kingdoms would not know how to maintain the lands and soon turn to war.
It was in the nature of both humans and Dragons to fight over land. The last one to ask the Dragonnaires to step into these affairs came from one group of unlikely people; the Elves. The Elves of Kyrodral were always keeping to themselves, rarely having any interactions with humans other than for trade. The Elves respected the Dragons but tended not to mix with their kind unless needed, one time being the war against the ‘Dark one’, where the Elves were forced to join humans and Dragons in their fight for the land.
After the war, the Elves went back to their lands and only came out to seek the Dragonnaires to stop the war between the Kingdoms of humans and Dragons. No one knew why the Elves did it but with the Elves asking for help, the Dragonnaires decided to step in and created ‘rules’ to the wars that the Kingdoms had. War would only affect those who want it. Farmers, traders and other people who did not fight would not be involved.
The armies of the Kingdoms who wished to fight would meet on the piece of land which they would fight over. The winning Kindom would gain the land and will gain the right to govern the people who use the land. The immediate land around the capital of each Kingdom is not meant to be contested against so in the case in which a Kingdom loses all of its land, it would still have the ability to sustain itself. Such is the nature of ‘war’. To Deryke, it seems more like a game than an actual ‘war’. The soldiers who fight in the battles can be injured but there are little known deaths.
People who are wounded in battle are not allowed to continue fighting and no one is allowed to finish them off. In such a manner, each Kingdom is able to keep their armies despite losses. To the people of the land, it seemed something more to a sporting event than an actual war. The Kingdom of Red, Alexasdra, the Kingdom in which Deryke and his friend Tyriousel come from, is a large Kingdom that had won a number of battles against their neighbour, the Kingdom of Blue, Morianne.
“Do you think Red will win this time round?”
Tyriousel asked.
“You’re asking me?”
“Well, since you had been interested in joining the Dragonnaires, I thought you would have looked into the local army to get an idea on how it would be like to be in a military force.”
“No, I did not check, and no, I don’t know who will win.”
Deryke muttered, keeping his horse on track.
“Really? Well, I think it should be Blue again. They’ve really gone on a winning streak lately, especially against Yellow.”
“You’re betting on the invaders of our own country?”
“I play to win.”
“Sigh, sure, whatever you want. But come to think of it, weren’t you the one who wanted to join the army instead of me?”
“Of course I am, but you’re the one who dreams of entering the Dragonnaires. Didn’t I say that I play to win? Don’t aim for the moons and aim for something easier.”
“… I guess you’re right, though your dreams of being a General in the Army isn’t small either.”
“Heh, you got me there.”
Deryke sighed, looking up to the sky. Maybe his dreams of joining the elite group was too large, but he had always dreamed of joining them after hearing stories of their bravery and skills. Like most boys, he grew up hearing how they were heroes who would save the World when needed.
“Well, let’s both just aim big and go for it!”
Tyriousel smiled to his friend.
“… Yeah. Let’s do our best.”
The two finally reached the gates of the capital, Alexasdra. The Red Kingdom is well known to have the largest number of people of all the Kingdoms and the capital Alexasdra is proof of that fact. Grand and large, the capital of the Kingdom of Red was a city that was alive with noise of all sorts, smells of wondrous origins and colours that dazzle the eyes.
With walls that surrounded the city were large and high, it was nearly impossible to climb the walls. The entire city itself was almost three times the size of other capitals and even then the number of people living within the walls were pushing the city to its limits. The Kingdom of Red was larger than other Kingdoms, owing to the expansionist policies of the King, although the war was now starting to slow with the King’s public appearance becoming few in number.
Yet, the expanse of the Kingdom was clearly shown with the number of people in the capital. Large villages outside the capital walls were not uncommon to have a thousand residents, while larger cities and towns could hold a few hundred thousand to a million people. capitals, on the other hand, were massive and pales the comparison to the cities combined. Buildings along buildings, houses crammed into residential districts, the entire expanse of the capital was impossible to grasp, given its size.
As far as the eye could see, it was nothing but buildings and walls. And at the centre of it all stood the castle. Flying the red banners of the Kingdom on its white stone walls, the castle was tall and grand, reaching through the clouds above and radiating down upon the city with its glory and brilliance. The castle was built with the capacity to house the royal guards and their dragons, as well as the many knights who make up the imperial elites of the army.
It was a castle that was built in the long faded pages of history by the Ancients, and thus it held the grandness of size the Ancients themselves were known for. Towering spires and large roosts for those of flight. To any who would gaze upon it for the first time, they would mistaken the castle for a mountain sculpted into shape, but it was never a mountain, rather a marvel of the Ancients and the Golden age that came with the founding years of the Kingdoms.
“Stop. What is your business here?”
One of the guards at the gate asked when they reached the massive gate that barred their entry. The gate’s size was large enough to allow the large Drakes to enter, carrying larger provisions from elsewhere into the city. Deryke and Tyriousel were not the only ones entering the city, with people lining up to enter the grand city for hours without end in sight. Deryke and Tyriousel did wait, though the line with which they waited for was for smaller merchant traffic, such as themselves, and thus inspections were quick and soon they were before the guard who stood between them and the city beyond.
“We’re from Aleara town here to deliver some wine to the Upper district shop, ‘Galion’.”
Deryke explained. The guards looked at them and the goods they carried before nodding.
“Yeah, I know the place. Krakos, right? That old scale hasn’t given up his store up till now. So you’re the two helpers we heard about. Krakos did say his old helpers were too old and that he was sending some young ones. Alright, go on in.”
Deryke had only been to the capital once before and to him it was a sight to see for both the first and his current visit. Despite having such a large number of people, the city tried its best to maintain the living conditions across the entire city. There will be the rich and the poor but at the very least no one was starving, sickness was rare, water was clean and the place was full of life. It could be said that the successor to the crown, the princess of Red, did her best to improve the lives of her people, but many were beginning to question if she could lead the war should she be forced to take over during such a crucial time.
“No matter how many times I see it, it is still quite a sight.”
Tyriousel said, getting off his horse to pull it by the reigns. Riding in the city was usually not allowed unless there was some special reason. The market was crowded as always, with Dwarves trading their metal work, the Beastmen with food and leather, the rare Elf trader would appear every now and then, providing wood works or herbs. Humans and Dragons make up large number for people in the market.
Dragons come in all shapes and sizes and the most common being the ones who cannot fly, or ‘Wingless’. Those who could fly were considered to be stronger and wiser than their wingless brothers and were more involved with the military or with politics. But that did not mean the ‘Wingless’ were any lower as they were still strong and wiser than most humans and were better with their hands, chosen to be the head of smaller villages and towns. The two of them made their way through the crowded market before they saw a group of soldiers, wearing the armour of the Red Kingdom, walk through the crowd. Tyriousel noticed Deryke look at the soldiers with some interest.
“Since we’re here, why don’t we check out the local army? We have some time before we need to deliver the goods.”
Tyriousel asked. Deryke wasn’t too sure whether they should go but in the end he agreed. He could use some information.
“Alright, let’s go.”
He agreed and they turned to go but Deryke suddenly found himself bumping into someone.
“Woah, excuse me.”
He said, noticing that the person he bumped into was quite small in size and wearing a dark cloak that covered the face and body. Dropping a bag of fruits, the cloaked person started to pick them up. Seeing as how he was the one who knocked this person down, he knelt down to help as well.
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t see you there.”
He said, picking up the fruits along the floor. But when he reached for an apple, the stranger had also reached out for it and their hands touched for the moment. And for that moment he though he felt something. Like a loud sound that went throughout his body. He stopped and looked at the stranger, who also seemed to feel the same thing as the stranger was looking back at him.
“You…”
A soft voice, slightly distorted by the mask being worn, but one that Deryke knew belonged to a young person. The silver eyes that looked back at him seemed to hold some sort deep sorrow. But the stranger immediately looked away, grabbing the rest of the fruit and standing back up, walking away without a word.
“… What was that all about?”
He wondered.
“Hey! Deryke! What are you doing? Hurry up!”
“Y-yeah.”
Imagination's fart 