"The Eastern Alliance is a necessity. These kingdoms and nations would have faltered during the Iron Invasion if they did not learn to stand together." -History of Roul, By Althur Vinn.
***
Hotshot stood there with five other students. Dancer had told them to gather at platform four at the crack of dawn. Which seemed urgent.
"Why are the instructors always late?" Thunderbolt shrugged and turned to the student next to him. "Don't you think they should live up to the same standards they place on us?" The blonde student with the number three stitched on his uniform nodded.
"It is our duty to wait. It is a sign of respect on our end. It teaches us patience. "Saber did not look at Thunderbolt as she spoke. Her gaze seemed to be focused on the horizon.
"They shouldn't keep us waiting like this." Thunderbolt folded his arms. The student next to him simply shook his head.
"Do we have any idea what this is about?" Hotshot asked Pixie who was next to him.
"I must have given the same instructions as you." She said. "Platform four at the crack of dawn."
"The real question is why only us six." Saber added.
"We have the top three students here." Thunderbolt gestured at himself and the student next to him. "Plus Six." He pointed at Pixie. "That's got to mean something."
"If it was just by score, then why am I here?" Hotshot asked. It irritated him to bring up being last place, but his curiosity won over.
"I'm in eighth place." Said another student.
"Yes, but you always show up first to lessons, Hawktail." Saber then turned to Pixie. "You may be sixth but have a performed well since we began."
"Then what about me?" Hotshot asked Saber.
"That, is a bigger question to me. Not only are you last, you haven't done that well in lessons. When you are merged you do well enough, but nothing to deserve special treatment." Saber's words were like cold knives in Hotshot's heart. Before he could respond she turned to him. "There must be something you offer that I simply do not see. Pardon my words."
He decided to let it go for now. Besides, he beat her at tail tag. That memory made him smirk a little.
They waited only a short while until A Purple Horned Dragon flew overhead.
"That's Dancer's! Hotshot shouted.
The dragon flew in a small circle before Dancer emerged out of it and fell from the sky. The students gasped, but Dancer was able to somehow slow her fall and land on her feet.
"The dragon's magic lingers slightly. Eventually as your bond grows, you'll be able to perform above human feats while in proximity to your dragon. That, however is not why I brought you all here." Dancer was stern. Here eyes darted to all six of the students. Hotshot couldn't help but feel that here was something she wasn't telling them.
"Why are we here?" He asked.
"A test flight." Dancer said this as if it was something they should have heard of, but the students simply looked at each other.
"Just six of us? We normally do our lessons all together." Pixie pointed out.
"This is going to be a little different than your ordinary lessons. We will be flying away from the Academy. Above the Sea of Roul."
The Sea of Roul was to the west. It was larger than the Kingdoms of Erostland. Hotshot couldn't help but get excited about an extended flight.
"Why us?" Saber asked.
"I chose you. Each of you has stood out. I want to see if there are some of you who can follow orders." Dancer looked at Hotshot, and then back at the other students. "There is a mission coming up. I can't give any details, but it will involve students, and it could be dangerous."
"Then sign me up!" Thunderbolt raised his fist.
"I will decide who will go, but first, I need to see how well you all do in this test flight. Each of you will be observed based on three main factors." Dancer held up her hand. "First, I need to see vigilance. How seriously do you take orders. How carefully do you view your surroundings. You will be in combat situations some day, you can't let your guard down.
Pixie spoke up. "We know this!" She composed herself after Dancer gave her a look. "I mean, we wouldn't have signed up for the Academy if we weren't willing to be in danger." Hotshot nodded and so did the others.
"I know, you know. But this is serious." Dancer and Hotshot exchanged a wordless glance. He couldn't help but to look away. "What the Academy will put you through, is more dangerous than every other military program in all of the Eastern Alliance. You need to be ready." Dancer gave a sigh before continuing. "The second thing I need to see is determination. You have to see the mission through, no matter what. Any hesitation in a mission means death, not just for you, but for your squad, the people you're protecting, and all the other innocents out there."
"We can do this, Instructor." Saber nodded at Dancer. The others shared the sentiment. Hotshot knew Dancer was just trying to keep them safe. He felt babied the entire time he was there. It was nice to see she held the others to the same high standard he had been getting from her.
"Finally," Dancer paused for a second. "I need to see luck."
"Luck?" Thunderbolt took a step forward. "I don't need luck. I'm the most skilled Pilot here."
"And luck is beyond skill." Dancer's words put Hotshot back in line. "You could be the greatest Dragon Pilot in Roul, but without luck you will fly right into a cliffside, or get struck by lightning, or get torn apart by an enemy you just didn't see." Dancer turned around and faced her dragon. It had since curled up, almost as if it was sleeping, but Hotshot could see that its hears perked up. The creature was very much alert, even in at the Academy.
"We won't let you down." Hotshot stood forward. Dancer stood there. Still facing her dragon. He took it as a cue. Without a moment to lose, he shouted Pepper's name and ran to the edge of the platform. The others followed suit and called there dragons. A few seconds flew by, and soon the sky was covered with six dragons spiraling around the platform.
Pepper landed next Hotshot and chirped a happy tune. "Miss me buddy?" Hotshot scratched the dragon's neck and then asked to merge. All the students merged with their dragons and took off.
"Follow me!" Dancer spoke to them through a link in their minds. Dancer flew straight west through the mountains, with the students in formation. They had learned to currently fly by rank. They were in a "v" shape, with Dancer at the tip. Dancer was the largest dragon there. She was a Purple Horned Dragon. Hotshot had heard stories of her using those horns to impale dragons in combat. He had thought those were awesome when he was a child.
Saber was on Dancer's right. She was a White Sword-Tail Dragon. Saber was on the slender side as far as these dragons went, but she was still much larger than Hotshot.
Down from Saber was the one called Hawktail, in his Orange Flame-Tail Dragon. Hotshot had never seen it, but apparently the end of his dragon's tail could light on fire.
Then there was Pixie one further down from Hawktail. She was a Green Venom-Horned Dragon. Hotshot had noticed at the dragon stables, both of their dragons would get along more than the others.
To Dancer's left was a large Black Lightning-Spike Dragon, Piloted by Thunderbolt. Nobody had really gotten along with Hotshot yet, but Thunderbolt least of all. Next to Thunderbolt was his sidekick of course, who was Piloting a Red Ruby Dragon.
Finally at the last spot, the end of the left wing of the "v", there was Hotshot, Piloting the Yellow Featherwing Dragon, Pepper. Hotshot was smaller than everyone there. He wanted Dancer to know that she wouldn't regret picking him.