The morning sun had begun to rise as sunlight enveloped the dark blue sky like a golden blanket.
"Don, you should get ready," Knight, who sat beside Don, reminded him. Arrora was sitting with them as they enjoyed a peaceful night. That was until she couldn't hold back her exhaustion and finally slept on the ground.
"Arrora," Don gently tapped her shoulder to wake her up."We have to go."
Slowly opening her sleepy eyes, she yawned, covering her mouth with her hands. She then bundled up her ruffled hair, tied it up, and threw it over her shoulder. She looked very pretty as she did her hair, her previously worried face seemed a little relaxed as her cheeks started to regain their rosy red complexion due to good sleep and food. Not to mention the healing potion that she took.
"Go where?" Arrora questioned. She wasn't awake yet, a little bit of sleepiness still coloring her voice.
"Are you gonna tell her, Don?" Uncle Dior questioned Don as he walked toward them.
"We're going to find the castle of the Dragon King," Don said, answering the uncle's question.
"Hmm, a castle where?"
Arrora had not reacted as Arwen or Amaryll did. She had never really heard of the Dragon King before. But when she looked at Uncle Dior's disbelieving expression, she guessed that this Dragon King must be a prominent figure in the Avelon Continent.
"Don't look at her like that, Uncle Dior. She's not from here, remember?"
Amaryll and Arwen had joined the group. Surprisingly, the hardworking little elf boy, Elrond, was also with them. When Elrond saw Don, he immediately came forward and held out his little makeshift bow.
Before anyone could answer Amaryll's first question, she shot another one at Elrond, "Elrond, what is that?" Amaryll got curious when she witnessed the boy's gesture toward Don.
"This is how archers curtsy to their lord at the Divine Continent," Elrond honestly answered Amaryll.
"Who told you that?"
"Knight taught me while I was practicing," Elrond smiled, pointing at Knight.
Amaryll's eyes squinted when she realized that Elrond just called Don a lord. "Lord?"
"You don't have to call me lord, Elrond," Don insisted before Amaryll could field any more questions.
The little boy nodded his little head and put his bow behind him.
"Don, give me the teleportation scroll before you leave," Knight asked of Don. He knew that it was better to be safe than sorry.
The teleportation scroll, as its name implied, teleports the user to another area. How far it could teleport depended on the scroll's power. The most powerful of scrolls could not only teleport its user, but also the people within its effective area.
"Here."
Don flicked his wrist. His ring began to glow, and in an instant, a golden-colored scroll appeared in his hands which he then threw at Knight.
The glow on his ring hadn't disappeared just yet as a sword then suddenly appeared in his hands. The sword was made of fine steel. It was bright silver, with a red handle which was obviously decorated with fine craftsmanship. There were two small dragons coiled around the handle, giving the sword a dominant and powerful appearance.
Don held out the sword towards Arrora and gestured for her to take it. Seeing him trying to give her the sword, she dawdled for a moment before grabbing it from his hands and studying the sword's exquisite design.
"It's for me?"
She was in disbelief. How could he give away such a beautiful sword to someone like her? She was just a half-elf that had he met not long ago, but looking at his face, she had guessed that he probably didn't care about the sword that much.
"Take it. You might need it in the future," Don simply said as he then turned to look at Elrond. The boy was on the verge of drooling just from staring at the sword. "If you practice well, I'll give you a bow of your own, Elrond."
Elrond's eyes sparkled at what he just heard. "I won't disappoint you!" he confidently said.
"Alright, let's go."
With a word, Don nodded at Arwen, as well as to Knight as he began to control the wind element around Arrora and Uncle Dior to take off. Just as they were starting to lift off the ground, Arrora interrupted him.
"Can... Can I hold your hand?"
Arrora asked with hesitation and embarrassment. A slight blush colored her face. She knew that she was asleep during their prior journey, but now, it was not going to be the same as that. It was going to be her first time flying while being awake. Naturally, she was afraid.
Everyone around Don was staring at him to see what he was going to do. Don looked at Arrora, understanding that she was indeed genuinely afraid. He had realized that she was asked him to hold his hands because she had no other choice. She didn't throw a tantrum like a young brat. If she did anything like that, he would've probably not cared about it. However, Arrora didn't act like it at all. As a result, he agreed to let her hold his hand.
"Thank you..."
Arrora slowly stepped beside him and gently grabbed onto his elbow. Seeing this, Uncle Dior rolled his eyes and simply prepared himself for the horrible trip.
After confirming that everyone was ready, Don began to control the wind element around him once more. Arrora's gentle hold turned into a tight grip as the air beneath them began to rotate like whirlwind. Eventually, the trio took off from the ground, going higher and higher into the air. Amaryll waved her hands at them, their figures starting to get smaller as Don flew them higher.
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(Somewhere else)
A silhouette emerged in the air and opened its eyes...
"He's coming! Hahaha! Finally!" the figure laughed like a mad man before slowly fading away.
****************************
"Don, the mark. It looks as if it's down there," Uncle Dior pointed down. He realized that he should be excited, or maybe be a little bit afraid to come into the territory of the Dragon King, but ending this long and horrible flight only made him relax as soon as they reached their destination.
By the time they reached their goal, it was almost evening. The sun had cast its golden rays down upon the clouds of billowing smoke, turning them bright red. Don could have come sooner, but he noticed Uncle Dior's feelings about flying so he made the flight as smooth as slow as he could to make the journey less turbulent. As for Arrora, she was a little afraid in the beginning. But after some time, she managed to compose herself and even enjoy the flight.
"Alright, let's land," he said as he slowly descended them to the ground.
Uncle Dior was only glad to find some solid ground beneath him. Don, however, had not the time nor mindset to enjoy the solid earth beneath him as he scanned the area around them. There was nothing but dark forests around them. Don led the group, and walked towards the way Uncle Dior was pointing.
The bare branches spiked into the sky. No signs of life were to be found anywhere. It was so dark that they were barely able to see where they were going. Small sounds of rustling bushes and the howling wind echoed all around them. Don didn't know what lay beyond the dark forest. All he knew was that it wasn't going to be a peaceful journey.
After maneuvering through the thick forest, they began to hear the sound of falling water. As they got closer, they were able to see a waterfall from the distance. It had been like a silent white stream cascading over the rocky outcrops. As they drew even closer, the noise steadily increased until they were only about a few hundred meters away. They could no longer even shout at one another over the deafening roar of the water.
"It's here! The mark!" Uncle Dior shouted so Don could hear what he was saying over the sound of the waterfall.
Don took the map from Uncle Dior's hands and studied it. He noticed that there was a symbol that looked like a waterfall on the map closer to the red mark. But while he was studying the map, the roaring sound of the waterfall suddenly stopped. Just like that, the water had ceased falling.
Uncle Dior's eyes went wide as he witnessed the cessation of the loud sound. Arrora unsheathed her sword, and Don got ready for battle.
"A human an' two half-elves... Oi!"
A voice echoed from around them. Just as Don tried to locate the source of the voice, a silhouette emerged before him.
Don cautiously looked at the silhouette as it slowly took the form of a short man. He was nearly four feet in height, with a stout, broad body, and a long thick beard adorning his face. He also wore a black robe, but his figure seemed slightly transparent like a ghost.
Don couldn't feel the magical fluctuations around the man, but Uncle Dior and Arrora were able to do so. The power of the energy radiating from the man nearly choked them. They had a hard time breathing before him. However, when the man noticed that Don was unaffected by him, a mix of surprise and shock emerged on his face before he quickly hid it.
"Who are you?" Don asked the man after studying him for a moment.
"It seems that I've been gone for too long, yeh? I be Dhorfir Thunderbolt, tha Dragon King," the man said with a thick accent.
"Dra...Dragon King?!!" Uncle Dior almost shouted when he heard the man.
"Ha! It's nice ta see that someone still recognizes this old dwarf!" the Dragon King laughed, looking at Uncle Dior who was shivering in fear.
"I'm looking for your castle," Don calmly said. The Dragon king stopped laughing when he heard his goal. He stared at him for a moment.
"Nae a talkative type, yeh? I like that. But if ye want me castle, ye have ta prove yourself, brat."
"What do you want?"
Don knew well enough this was not going to be simple. He was already prepared to face anything.
Hearing the human before him, a mischievous smile surfaced on the Dragon King's face, "Nae much, ye? Just have ta defeat me."