“Well, I hate to be the one to say it,” Bidane said, “but it’s time to call it. Two days and nothing? They’re either dead or they quit the game for good. Either way, there’s no reason to stick around. The camp’s decided to move to the south, to fight in some good old fashioned Dwarven wars. I suggest that we go with them.”
“Why bother?” Kylian asked. “This game is some kind of death trap. Bidane, I felt real pain in that zone. Dolly just got out of the hospital, and you were close to dying in there, too. Do we really want to be here? Do we really want to deal with all this for a video game?”
“I want answers,” Bidane said. “But you don’t get answers from staying still. So, we’re gonna move around and learn as much as we can from other players. Listen for rumors, try to figure out if anyone else knows about Draco being some kind of weird alien thing.”
“You keep talking about aliens,” Kylian said as he shook his head, “but I don’t buy it. It’s gotta be some kind of government testing. This whole game is probably some kind of mad experiment they’re running.”
“You didn’t hear what I heard,” Bidane said. “Draco is up to no good and they aren’t in league with the government. Dolly will back me up if she ever gets back into the game.”
“If she’s smart, she’ll stay far away,” Kylian said as he began to move with the rest of the players to file out of Bloodrock. Getting out of this area was far easier than getting into it had been.
“I want revenge,” Bidane said. “I swear to God I’m going to have it.”
“Why?” Kylian asked. “Why go to such lengths to fight against these guys?”
“You know, I’ll tell you something,” Bidane said. “A long time ago, I was trapped in a relationship with someone who tried to control me. He tried to hurt me really badly, and for the longest time, I let him. Then, one day, I snapped. I broke free and I made sure he wouldn’t hurt me ever again. I swore that I wouldn’t let anyone control me again. These Draco bastards? They want control, Kylian. They want it really badly. And I’ll be damned if I let them own me like my ex-husband thought he did. So that’s why I’m going to find these jerks and kill them. Because they want to rule everything, and no one rules over Bidane. Not Sang, not Van, and certainly not Draco.”
“Cheers to that, I guess,” Kylian said as they walked down to where Sahara and Capello were waiting for them.
“When are we going to kill something?” Capello asked. “And when’s Van gonna get back? I miss him—he always knew the best places to go on a spree.”
“He’s not coming back, kiddo,” Kylian replied. “I think we’re on our own for now.”
“Are they... dead?” Sahara whispered.
“No idea,” Bidane said. “And it’s not worth worrying about anyway. Come on—we need to move south.”
As the party moved past the massive walls of Bloodrock, something caught Kylian’s eye. It was Jet, Sang’s pet dragon. He was gently flying through the air. As soon as Jet spotted him, he flew down to meet Kylian.
“Hey there,” Kylian said. “Sorry, buddy, but I think your mom’s not gonna be around anymore.”
“I have no human mother,” Jet replied.
“I’m sorry, what?” Kylian said as he took a step back. Jet flapped his wings and hovered above him.
“I said I have no human mother,” the dragon said.
“You’re speaking? Words? English words?”
“I speak your language, yes. My fears are to be confirmed then? Have Sang and Van been slain?”
Kylian shrugged. He had no idea how this thing was so intelligent, and there was no way it was an AI. Artificial intelligence didn’t have the ability to contextually respond like that. But how could it be a player? That didn’t make any sense, considering that being a dragon just wasn’t an offered option. “I don’t know if they’re dead or not, but we’ve lost all contact with them.”
“They were in danger in there?”
“Yes,” Kylian said. “It was serious danger, too. Some kind of lizard guy.”
Jet didn’t like that. He began to grumble to himself in a strange language that Kylian couldn’t identify. It wasn’t any language that he had heard before. “I see, well, it is to be expected that they are dead then. A shame, for I had such high hopes for them. Do you still have control of your mercenary forces?”
“Um, yes, we do. Look, Jet, what exactly are you? Are you a player? You can’t be an AI—you’re far too advanced.”
“I assure you, Kylian, I am something far, far different than what you can imagine. Call those whom Van trusted over here. I wish to share something with them.”
“Oh, I, uh, I’m not sure—” Kylian began to stammer, but then he was fiercely interrupted by Jet.
“I did not ask! We do not have the luxury of time to decide such trivialities! Bring them here!” the dragon roared.
“Sure,” Kylian said. “Sahara, Bidane, Capello! Over here, now!” The three turned to see Kylian waving them over.
“What is it?” Bidane snapped.
“Oh, is that the dragon? He’s gotten so big!” Sahara said as she rushed over to see Jet. As the four gathered around the dragon, he looked back at them carefully.
“I should hope you are prepared to learn a great deal of things in a very short amount of time. The fate of the entire world now rests upon your shoulders.”
“What the hell? It talks?” Bidane asked.
“It does a lot more than that,” Kylian said with a heavy sigh. And with that, the floor beneath them collapsed and the leaders of the Iron Dragons Mercenary Company found themselves drifting in space, where they would be taught the darkest secrets of Draco.
End of The Black Dragon
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BLURB
In a time of darkness, unlikely heroes will rise.
The once-peaceful kingdom of Torvald has been ravaged by evil magic, forcing Riders to forget their dragons and their noble beasts to flee to the wilds. Now, anyone who dares to speak of dragons is deemed insane and put to death. Into this dark and twisted land, Saffron was born sixteen years ago. Blessed with the gift of dragon affinity, she has been forced into a life of exile, secretly dreaming of a normal life and the family she lost.
Scholarly and reclusive, Bower is the son of a noble house on the brink of destruction. His mission is to fulfill a mysterious prophecy and save his kingdom from the rule of the evil King Enric, but all he wants is to be left alone. When he meets Saffron, Bower gains a powerful ally—but her magic is too wild to control.
Their friendship might just have the power to change the course of history, but when the Dark Mage King Enric makes Saffron a tempting offer, their alliance will be shaken to the core.
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EXCERPT
Fire, Blood, and Sword
The Salamander Prophecy: