It was already late when all appointments were over, the emperor was actually satisfied and interested in the dragons, especially the Sentinels that Duncan mentioned before, but the dragons that they brought also made him very pleased.
Thorin was the first to leave with his dragon, Boulder, as he started to call her, flying directly to his house/forge/section of the guild, just like Roland was planning to do.
"Roland"
Roland and Duncan were preparing to leave when a familiar voice got his atencion, making him frown as Harmony, his dragon, started to growl.
He turned to see a man with white skin, just like his own, and black hair, just like his own (even if it was starting to get gray) and violet eyes, just like his own.
That was his older brother (by ten years), he looked to be still in his thirties, even though he was already seventy three (Dragon Tamers age differently, to match with their dragons age, mages do too as they grow more powerful, but it's not as effective), a young woman with bright red hair was standing by his side, her eyes were just as red as her hair and her pupils were just like those of a beast.
"Theodor" Roland said, indifference in his voice "And Gloria"
The woman, his brother's dragon in her human form, huffed with disgust before turning her face away.
He and Gloria never had a good relationship, even when she was still a cub, he never knew why, but it might be because his brother didn't like him, so she followed the exemple.
Talking about his brother…
"Did you use a taming scroll to tame this thing?"
That sounds like him.
When he was younger, before he awakened, Roland's dream was to be a Dragon Tamer, like his father, so, when he discovered he was a mage, he was determined to use a taming scroll, an item that could be found in Rifts and used to tame any creature, to have his own dragon.
Well, it's obvious that it didn't work, his father made sure of that, and his dragon did the same when the man died.
He came to a stop after a few years, and gave up on that old dream.
But, when he came to the Edge, that dream came back, just a bit different.
"Not really" Roland said "I did want a dragon, but this guy who chose me, no taming scrolls needed"
Harmony, among the many Deadly Nadders that he saw, was the only one to approach him, and reclaim him as his Rider.
He is thankful to the dragon.
"You call this a dragon?"
Gloria gave him a scornful look while crossing her arms.
"I can barely feel any mana on it" She stated "Is it even able to breathe fire?"
He heard Duncan chuckle by his side, making Gloria's face darken.
"What is so funny?" She demanded.
"Oh nothing" His son said "It's just this guy is more dragon than you"
Roland saw as her pretty face contorted, revealing her fangs as scales started to appear, making Harmony agitated, spreading his wings to shield them and showing the spikes on his tail.
Gloria also didn't like Duncan, but more because he liked to start fights with her.
"How dare you!"
"That's the truth" Duncan said "You need mana to fly, you need mana to breathe fire, you need mana to speak, you need food full of mana to be satisfied and need mana to live, Harmony doesn't need mana for any of that, doesn't that make him the real dragon then?"
Roland had made this comparison too, when he started to analyze the dragons in the Edge.
Their flight only need the strength of the wings, raw muscle strength, they have an special organ to produce their fire power, they eat any meat you can offer (apart from eel in most cases), they may not speak the comum language, but that doesn't change the fact they can understand it, and there was no need for mana in their system, their bodies worked like any other being.
Dragons in flesh, not in mana.
That was how the appraiser described them, and Roland had to agree.
But Theodor seemed to have a different opinion.
"I don't know how you tame that thing" He said "But don't you dare call that a dragon in front of me"
Roland scoffed, all too used to his brother's antics, Harmony stood with a scornful gaze, just like Gloria's, he used his head to push Roland closed as he crouched.
An invite to climb the saddle.
And how was he to deny it?
Climbing the saddle with grace, Roland made a gesture for Duncan to do the same as he turned to his brother.
"Why should I comply with such a request?" He asked "Didn't you see the results of the appraiser? He confirmed in front of the emperor himself that Harmony is a Dragon, so who am I to deny it?"
Theodor's face contorted, not the same way Gloria's did, but as satisfactorily as hers, he opened his mouth to speak, but Roland gave Harmony a gentle pat by the side of tbe neck that made him take off.
Duncan might or might not have inherited this desire to annoy others from him.
***
Johann had just finished his dinner when he heard it.
He knew his great-uncle and uncle would only return at night, as they had returned from their mission and were now in a meeting with the rest of the guilds and the emperor, so he was quite anxious in announcing his discovery about the site when they both would be tired.
But to hear a familiar sound was a bit surprising.
He runned out of the house, coming across a large orange and yellow lizard.
/Huh? A kid?/
The draconic language came to his ears like a wind chime, bringing grace and tranquility with it, but his heart beat like a drum.
/D-Dragon…/
He was so surprised that he ended up talking in draconic too, surprising the dragon.
/You speak dragonese!/ He (sounded like a he) said as he approached /Are you the rumored Dragon Tamer that Guiding Star talked about? You do smell like dragons, much better than that strange human I saw earlier, but the smell of the sea is just as strong! Are these scales? You have fins!/
He was promptly stiffened by the dragon, making Johann a bit startled.
He had never seen this type of dragon before, and he never interacted with such a calm one too.
He was wondering what the dragon was trying to do when he heard a chuckle and something new came to view.
"Good night Johann" His great-uncle said from the dragon's back.
"How was your day?" Duncan asked from behind his great-uncle "You won't believe what we found!"
He was stunned, and confused, but all his attention was taken by the dragon in front of him that sniffed his left leg.
/Oh, you're like the third in command's kid/
***
Sally was quite satisfied with her situation, honestly.
She had just got up from bed after her first night in the edge and Gods, what wonderful and peaceful night, the cry of the Night Terrors reminded her of the cry of the beasts of the Guild, were she lived, like many Hunters did, and to start a day with a Vanaheim fruit was like start the day with some Premium nectar from an elemental flower!
Lark was already awake and off with his pack when she got to the common room of the training facility, used for guests and anyone who wanted to learn how to train their dragons without leaving the Edge.
Leaf was waiting for her in his corral, the brown and green Monstrous Nightmare was quietly sitting, an expectant gaze was darting from her to the saddle on the floor in front of him, making Sally laugh.
Stella had taught them how to put on the saddles before taking them to the 'meal trip'.
She flinched at the memory.
She didn't imagine that Bewilderbeast would be that big…
With the saddle on, the only thing left was to get in the dragon, but she was stopped by a familiar tune that startled Leaf.
After calming the dragon, she picked her phone to answer the call.
"Hey Miles" She said "Got the thing?"
{A 'Hi' would be good} Said her leader from the other side {But yeah, I got it}
"Good!" She said while guiding Leaf out of the corral.
{But why would you need equipment with a fire resistance effect?} He asked {Are you planning to cause arson again? If you are, please, at least do it in Dragon Power guild quarters this time}
"No arson this time" She said "I just don't want to burn my wings when I'm on my dragon's back, the poor thing nearly had an heart attack it happened yesterday"
Leaf let out a sad growl when she said that.
"I told you that was an accident!" She said "Come on sweety, don't give me that look, my friend will bring something that will protect me from the flames, then you can set yourself on fire without worries!"
Leaf gave her a dubious look, not seeming to believe her.
{Wait, wait, wait} Miles said from the other side {Your what?}
"My dragon?" She said "His name is Leaf and he is a sweetheart"
She scratched under his chin, making Leaf loudly growl in content.
"Go to the guild master before lunch" She said "He'll be coming here with his family to get a dragon to his great-nephew"
{The guild master? Coming to where? Wait a moment, did you say something about putting what on fire?}
"Sorry" She said "I have to go, training time"
{Sally, you can't just leave like-}
She ended the call, jumping in the saddle in a wingbeat.
"Let's go!" She said "To the arena!"
Leaf roared proudly before he took off to the sky.
Yeah, she could fly on her own, but flying with Leaf was more relaxing.
***
Johann was nervous.
Roland and Duncan had explained to him what kind of place they were going and what they would do there, but still…
He was going to the exact same place his great-uncle got Harmony, that is, the place he saw on the site.
Dragon Edge, the newly discovered archipelago.
He was nervously fidgeting with the scales in his arms while they approached the docks.
Johann was a half-blood, especially a mix of human and sea folk, he could be said to be a half triton, his skin was brown, but the scales that grew in parts of his body where sky blue, just like his fin-like ears and hair, a Box Braid tied in a ponytail, the only thing in his appearance that didn't match the sea folk was his eyes, violet in color.
He had gills too, but they only appeared when he was in the water, just like his tail.
"Johann?"
He stiffened before turning to see Duncan.
It was strange, like, to have someone looking at you with concern.
"Yes?" He said, hesitant.
"We arrived" Duncan said.
Oh.
He looked at the window, most definitely, the ship had stopped at an island.
"Let's go?" Duncan offered "I want to introduce you to a few people"
Still a bit nervous, Johann nodded, following his uncle up to the upper deck, where Hunters and civilians moved nervously and glanced to a specific part of the deck.
There, a pair could be seen.
Two men, one with fair skin, black hair and violet eyes, and the other was white like paper, skin and hair, even lips, and had eyes that reminded him of kaleidoscopes, changing colors in beautiful patterns, his pupils were just slits.
His gaze and the violet eye man met and he cringed before avoiding the gaze and following Duncan.
That was Edward Ignatius, Johan's father, and Nicholas, his dragon.
They had come by his grandfather's order to check the place and, unofficially, keep an eye on Johann.
His father and grandfather didn't want him to have a dragon, he didn't know why.
It had reached the point where they threatened all and every place that sold dragon eggs.
Nicholas wasn't that bad, he was actually pretty nice whenever his father, grandfather and Gloria weren't around, he was actually the one who helped the most.
It's thanks to him that he was now living with his great-uncle.
Johann followed Duncan as they got off the ship, reaching land, where a girl that looked a few years older than him was waiting.
"Duncan!" She called, approaching them "Back so soon? Where 's Roland?"
"Father couldn't come today and yeah… the people of the capital became curious about the the Edge" Hes cousin said "Especially the press"
He pointed at the civilians carrying microphones and cameras, which were already on and recording their interaction.
The girl looked at the journalists with an amused look.
"The press, huh?" She said "What about we give them a good show?"
"What kind of show?" Duncan asked.
She smiled mischievously.
"The type where I call one of my boys~~"
Johann didn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't the girl cupping her hands to scream in draconic.
/OH MARBEL~~/
Both journalists and Hunters were surprised by the scream, his father and Nicholas had astonished and dumbfounded looks on their faces.
He was surprised too that she could speak draconic, but got confused.
"Who's Marble?" He asked quietly.
That brought the girls attention to him, making him stiffened and retreat behind Duncan.
"Who's the boy?" She asked.
"My cousin" Duncan said "He's a Dragon Tamer, we wanted to find him a dragon"
She showed him a bright smile after hearing that.
"So that's why you understood that I was calling Marble" She said "And, to answer your question, Marble is one of my dragons"
That brought his attention.
"One of?" He asked "You have more than one?"
Dragon Tamers don't usually have more than one dragon, more because dragons can't actually stand the thought of sharing their Tamer than the inability to do so, so it was interesting to see a Tamer with more than one dragon.
"Oh I do!" She said "I have many dragons, most because the leader of a pack follow me, and the rest just follow me because of this"
Oh, that kind of makes sense.
Dragons don't usually leave in packs, but when they do, the packs are always big, and, if the leader is tamed, the rest follow.
He was about to ask more when she interrupted him.
"Cover your ears!" Was all she said.
They followed her exemple and covered their ears as the wind changed.
And then it came
It was a roar.
But not any roar.
It was loud, louder than anything he had ever heard, and was a pure and genuine roar, with no meaning behind it.
Even with his ears covered, it was still stupidly loud, making his ears ring.
Then he saw it.
It had a gigantic creature, it had a paper white body full of spikes, with a blood red tail, eyes and a few spikes on its head that were red on the tips, it had a pair of wings that grew out close to its head and it didn't have any other limbs other than that.
"This" She said with pride "Is Marble, the Screaming Death, a mutated species of Whispering Death that is only born once every hundred years or so"
"You're telling me that thing came from a Whispering Death!?" Duncan said in disbelief.
Johann was stunned, curious, terrified and amazed at the same time as he had never seen such a creature in the books of the Academy.
Its snake-like body twisted in spirals while it circled the sky above them for some time before it landed behind the girl, who turned to pat its lowered muzzle.
/You called?/ He said.
"Yeah" She said "Got some visitors and curious eyes, mind the attention?"
He looked at the ship, where the people were still shocked, his father and Nicholas were beyond surprised.
/A bit/ He muttered after some hesitation /Are these the cameras you told me about?/
"Pretty much" She said with a sly smile "They are doing free advertising for us! Now more people will know about the Dragon Edge!"
The dragon chuckled, rolling his eyes with what he recognized to be an amused smirk.
But then his attention was on them.
/A child?/ He said, surprised.
"You say it like you weren't seventeen" She joked.
/Seventeen from a human and seventeen from a dragon are completely different, and I'm far from being a cub right now/
"You and I both know that's not true, your just look older because you're big, and that's just because you eat a lot"
/I do not!/
"Marble, dear, don't lie on my face, I raised you, I know when your lying"
/I am not!/
"Then why don't you look me in the eyes?"
/'Cause you're too short for me to do so/
"Oh now we're talking about my height? Look, young man, don't you dare-"
"Excuse me?"
Their peculiar argument was interrupted by Nicholas, who approached them with an euphoric look, Johann's father was right behind him, completely mesmerized by the Screaming Death.
"Could we have a chat?" He asked "Me and my Tamer would like to-"
He was interrupted by the girl, who, as soon as she saw him, ran to Nicholas and grabbed his face with a wide smile.
"You're so beautiful!"
She then scratched right at the side of his chin and Nicholas was sent to the ground.
***
Nicholas was quite surprised by the situation.
Just like a few more dragons and their Tamers, he came to the strange archipelago with Ed to see the place and, by his mother's order, to not let Johann get a dragon.
He honestly doesn't know why his Tamer, his mother, and her Tamer don't like Johann, the boy was so sweet, just a little angel, how could he hate him?
So his plan is to pretend to stop Johan but actually distract his Tamer to let the kid find a good partner.
But then came a series of surprises.
First was the Dragon In Flesh, oh such a magnificent creature, unlike him, who was barely any different from the rest of his species even though he was an hare white dragon, capable of using any type of magic.
Second was its strength, he didn't put any mana in that roar or on his wings, it was only used raw lung and muscle strength, something he himself envied of not being able to do.
Third was his attitude, so gentle and calm, but also childish even though he was obviously a teen (If the way his teeth and scales looked was any indicative) he couldn't understand, being used to being surrounded by scornful gazes and arrogant personalities when close to his own kind even at a young age (he honestly thing that mana mess with the head, that's why he use it sparingly, even to fly).
And lastly, the woman, not a girl, she might look young, but he can recognize a human with slow growth like his own Tamer.
She didn't show any fear in front of the beast many times her size, and even teased him as if she was talking with a human teen.
He couldn't help but try to talk with her.
But then she grabbed his face with the widest smile he had ever seen.
"You're so beautiful!"
Just like she did with the Dragon In Flesh, she approached him without fear.
But them the scratched him in a weak spot hi himself didn't know he had and he was on the ground, feeling confused and as if he was in heaven, a content smile on his face as the woman grabbed his face with both hands, pressing a mana vain in his jaw with her thumbs and momentarily blocking most of the mana in that part, making his fangs return.
He immediately became sober from whatever that was and sat up, surprised.
"How interesting!" The woman said "Even though you have many differences with the dragons on the Edge, you still have the same principles! I tried to do the same as always to help baby Light Fury and Night Fury to bring their teeth out and it worked! Does that mean you are similar to a Night and Light Fury or the mana vain work like a switch and I just forcibly turned it on?"
He was just as curious as she was, never having been in such a situation where his control over mana was questioned.
He turned his fangs back into teeth, massaging his jaw for a moment, still confused about the situation as the woman pulled him to his feet.
/First time?/
He turned to the white dragon behind the woman, he recognized the amused look the kid had.
/How did you know?/ Nicholas asked.
/Many dragons on the Edge don't have good experiences with humans/ The kid said /So it's pretty obvious when is their first time/
Nicholas paused for a moment.
/That's… sad to hear/ Was all he could say.
He saw as the kid's wings moved to make the equivalent to shrugging one's shoulders.
/Things are better now/
The one to respond was the woman, who had hidden a sad smile as she turned to Duncan.
"Mind calling the rest of the people?" She asked "Since there's a lot of them I'd like to answer whatever question they have while I guide you guys to the Training Hall"
She then turned to the dragon.
/Sorry for calling you/ She said /You can go, make sure your mother and siblings are eating well, don't let the brats eat anyone and tell the Sentinels to bring many Vanaheim fruits, these guys are beautiful, but they're all skin and bone/
The kid rolled his eyes with amusement and a huff, but nodded before taking off to the sky.
"Now!" She said "Who is gona ask first?"