Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Max chuckled as Miranna activated her Ultimate Form. Knowing the restrictions of it, he had made sure she was wearing magical armor.
Before him stood an almost twelve-foot-tall version of his daughter. Her silver armor seemed to glow, catching the morning sunlight as she moved around the training area.
“I feel… amazing!” she yelled, while doing a backflip.
“Don’t get dependent upon it,” Max called out. “Remember, that ability is designed to be your trump card. The cooldown limits your use, and when time runs out, you’ll feel a lot weaker.”
“She’s growing up so fast,” Tanila joked.
Max groaned even though he knew his wife was partially joking. “She is, and yet she’s not. Still, I’m glad she told you about the ability before using it against me.”
“And Bob?” his wife whispered quietly as their daughter moved through an obstacle course Max had created with his Stone Mastery. “He has no idea on what the limits are of her ability?”
“He has no clue, and Jazzjak told me that he’s never heard of it either. I’m not sure what she has. Bob even tried to use his tricks to scan her when touching the shard, but he couldn’t undo the knot of garbled text that hides whatever she has.” “Do you think it was a skill given or…” Tanila’s words trailed off as they watched Miranna charge through a stone wall section. “Don’t hurt yourself!”
“I’m fine!” Miranna shouted.
“She’s not,” Max said, motioning toward his daughter. “She’s held her shoulder, and the arm is drooping slightly. If I’m right, she is feeling that decision.”
“Better that she learns it now.”
He nodded. “And to your question, I think the skill she is talking about is the one she was born with. I think she’s always had it. The shard just allowed her to see it now.”
Tanila bit her lip slightly and Max wondered what she was thinking.
“We’ll protect her. No matter what. The big question comes down to what happens when she defeats the tower.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “When? So you’ve decided she’ll do that? Already?”
Tanila turned and faced him, her lips pressed tight. “We both know she won’t stop until she does or dies. No matter what we say or do, she’ll risk everything to be like you.”
“And not like you?” Max asked. “I seem to recall the first ability she ever got was Elemental Mastery. We both were surprised when she summoned those balls of ice to play with.”
His wife shook her head at him before turning back to face their daughter. “No… she and I have a bond, but you two are… connected. I can sense that, and I know you do as well. Am I jealous? Yes. Am I afraid?” Tanila paused for a few seconds and then nodded. “I am. Because I know what power feels like and the desire to get more. She appears to be growing far faster than I can imagine, and soon, if we’re not careful, Miranna will be in the tower, waiting for others to catch up.”
He grunted, unable to help himself as he smiled, watching his daughter perform a few parkour moves, vaulting over stone walls, bounding across the tops of three, before dropping down and rolling along the dirt.
“Seventeen seconds!” he shouted.
Miranna picked up her pace, her powerful, lean and toned body bounding across the remaining course.
With a few seconds to spare, she dove through a large stone ring, grabbing the flag hanging in the air on the other side.
“Made it!” Miranna proclaimed, only to start shrinking two seconds later. “Aww… that sucks.”
“How’s your shoulder?” Tanila asked. “Still favoring it?”
Their daughter’s face scrunched as she nodded. “Yeah… running through the wall wasn’t the smartest decision, but it did save me four or five seconds.”
“Let’s get you healed then,” Tanila said, holding out a hand. “After that, we have some people to help. Tomorrow you have some dungeons to clear.”
Even though his daughter was technically an adult, she still let out a small squeal.
“You two have fun. I need to check on Rakonath and Sog. I’ll be home for dinner.”
Both of the women in his life waved at him, neither turning to look back as they leaned close, whispering things he tried not to hear.
You’re serious about this next part, aren’t you?
We both know it’s the best choice. Besides, Rakonath agrees as does Sog. It’s time to change things up.
***
His dragon sat on an obsidian throne that a pair of dragons had made for Vaelion. Its size looked comical, towering twenty feet into the air. Rakonath’s broad shoulders didn’t even reach the sides of the alpha dragon’s new chair. The dragon crafters had etched intricate carvings, and part of their legacy was set in it.
“You sure you don’t want one?” Max teased.
“No… the fact I’m sitting in it right now feels wrong. I never wanted a throne. Something like this feels… binding. I would be anchored to this spot, unable to soar as I desire.”
“And yet he expects me to enjoy it,” Vaelion said.
Max nodded and gave a gentle pat to the alpha dragon’s arm. It had surprised him just how large the humanoid form of the dragon was. Easily eleven feet tall, three feet more than Rakonath. Blue eyes and hair seemed ready to give off a bolt of lightning. Against his dark skin the contrast made the color pop even more.
“Leadership comes with many obligations,” Max said. “But I know Rakonath picked the best from his kind. You play the role of a hard and moody dragon, but I’ve seen you with the wyrmlings. The patience you display speaks of what you possess.”
A snort came as Vaelion moved to the throne Rakonath had just vacated. Turning, the dragon sat, his size filling the chair far more than the father of these dragons had.
“So… you brought me into a meeting I never expected,” Vaelion said slowly. “I am humbled and honored. Why request a meeting with me?”
“Because you are the alpha,” Rakonath replied. “You are responsible for every dragon in and below the skies. A time will come when I will have other worlds and will be unable to be here. Do you really want me to decide everything?”
Two piercing blue eyes narrowed as Vaelion shook his head. “No… You have been delegating things to me since the ceremony and I was not certain if I had done something wrong and if that was the meaning of this meeting. Being summoned, forced to wear this form and present before him made me question many things.”
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Max chuckled and smiled. “Am I that scary? And you can call me Max.”
“Absolutely,” the alpha replied. “You radiate power like no other. Even with that power that comes from you, it is reined in, held tight, almost like a second skin. Many of the younger ones cannot sense it, but every elder knows what you are. Our father—”
“Rakonath,” Max’s dragon interrupted.
“Rakonath,” Vaelion said, his voice struggling to form the words. “Forgive me… honor forces me to speak in the other way.”
“You are not like the others,” Rakonath replied. “You are the alpha. You alone carry my blood and my spark. To you, I shall always be who I am and not what I am.”
Vaelion bent his head slightly. “I am grateful for your kindness. As I was saying, Rakonath gives off that same aura but not like yours, Max. His comes from those eyes. Warmth, love, acceptance, loyalty all exude from his scales, but a single glance tells each of us elders that to attack him would be a painful death.”
He is saying that because of our bond. I have grown stronger after you killed Kherbann. Soon, I wonder what it will be like when we start purchasing stat points with the DP.
Max chuckled internally as his dragon spoke through their link.
And here I was, afraid everyone would see you as a soft dragon. Let’s hurry this discussion up. I need to visit Sog also.
Rakonath grinned as he spoke. “Vaelion, I would like to see Shale Spark go with Miranna, a demon, a dwarf, and an elf into the dungeons. You and I both see the bond between her and Max’s child. The time has come for us to unite all our races behind a single group which may rise beyond the tower.”
Vaelion’s blue eyes widened. “You plan on those five doing such a feat? So soon?”
“What is time to a dragon?” Rakonath replied. “Five years, ten years, a hundred years. None of those matters except that we feel the time has come for them to do such a thing. Is my choice of dragons one that you agree with?”
A sharp fingernail tapped against the obsidian throne, and dark lips pressed against each other as the alpha dragon stared at two gods.
He is thinking about it. Are we taking bets on whether he disagrees?
No, Bob. We all know he won’t. I believe this is his way of showing he considered it before saying yes. Vaelion doesn’t strike me as the kind to go against the wishes of two gods, especially after telling us how much he fears us.
A half minute passed and then the alpha dragon nodded. “I believe that would be the best decision. Shale Spark carries your spark, and we have spoken many times of the bond between Max’s daughter and our wyrmling. Besides, I have witnessed our little troublemaker growing up faster than some of the other wyrmlings. The interaction between the two has been… beneficial. May I ask if you are going to speak with all the other kings and queens?”
“We are,” Max replied. “Edward has already given his approval. Cordellia has given hers. Batrire and Fowl had mentioned this a while back. Which leaves us with just Sog now. Tell me, how has the dragon core developed in Shale Spark?”
A chuckle came from Rakonath as Vaelion’s eyes widened at the mention of a dragon core .
“Forgive me, I sometimes have to remind myself that you know of such things,” Vaelion said. “It is there, faint, but growing. She will be a good ally in the dungeon and the tower. Her power will grow as she consumes more things. Her hunger for food is higher than most her age, a sign of good things.”
“Then summon her, if you would,” Rakonath said. “We have a gift and would like to share the news.”
Vaelion nodded, closed his eyes for a moment and then smiled. “She will be here soon .”
Soon meant about thirty minutes as a red-scaled shape streaked toward them. The throne sat near the obelisk, and Max grinned at her descent. “Seems she is coming in fast. Too fast?”
“Perhaps,” Rakonath said. “I have faith.”
A low thrum came from Vaelion, who rose to stand by the two of them. “She only knows two speeds. Fast and faster. Age will mellow her out. The Flights are doing what they can to teach wisdom. Some require… a few bumps and scrapes to learn lessons.”
Shale Spark came hurtling toward them, suddenly flaring out her wings and landing a dozen yards away, almost tripping over her feet as she skidded along the stone.
“My alpha!” the red dragon panted. “You summoned, I came.”
“Off with Miranna?” Vaelion asked.
The red dragon’s head glanced upward at the alpha and then at Max and Rakonath. “I… was. Is that a problem?”
“No, it is not. That is why I have summoned you,” Vaelion said. “The gods have spoken, and I have agreed. You shall join Miranna and one from each of the other kingdoms as a party in the tower. You will—”
“A PARTY?! WITH—”
Vaelion growled, his throat vibrating as the noise escaped his mouth. Shale Spark clamped her jaw shut, trembling, and placed her snout to the stone.
“It is alright to be excited, but we must learn to temper that excitement, little one. You carry much upon your back. Inside you is the spark of your father. Now raise your head and look at me.”
Shale Spark did as she was instructed, her neck trembling slightly.
Max watched, keeping his face neutral as Vaelion moved forward, bent down on a knee, and carefully slid a hand under the red-scaled jaw. With fingers that showed he knew all the right spots, the alpha dragon scratched a few scales, causing Shale Spark to trill slightly.
“You, little one, are to carry that spark into this world with the others. Protect them, watch over them, shield them. If you have questions or need help, please don’t hesitate to ask. Simply approach me, and when I am free I will turn my ear to you.” Vaelion paused, turning her head slightly so that their eyes were locked upon each other. “Only you have this ability. No other dragon will receive my blessing like this for a while. Show me and our father that we were right in choosing you for this task.”
Shale Spark’s lips curled, teeth showing, and she nodded slowly. “I will show this world that we dragons are all that we have promised to be. I will protect them until my dying breath if needed.”
Vaelion gave one last gentle scratch before removing his hands and stood.
“Little one, approach,” Rakonath said.
Her body only shook once, but Shale Spark did as she was commanded, head low, almost scratching the stone floor as she came toward Max and Rakonath.
“I have a gift. Actually, we both have a gift,” Rakonath said, motioning at Max. “To aid the growth of your core. Perhaps these will help aid in your growth.”
A pair of magical chain gloves appeared in Rakonath’s hands, and Max summoned a small shield that radiated with power.
Two red eyes kept darting back and forth between the offered gifts.
“You… are giving me those? I am not worthy,” Shale Spark whispered. “I already carry your spark.”
Max smiled and bent down, holding out his shield. “And you honor me by how you and Miranna have bonded. Know that I am grateful she has you. Perhaps one day you two might defeat the tower together and go on to create a world like this one.”
Shale Spark trilled at his words. “Then I am honored and grateful for the gifts.”
Max tossed the shield toward her, and she caught it with ease, chewing a few times before swallowing. Rakonath repeated the same with the gauntlet, and a low sigh came as the red wyrmling rested against the ground.
“Vaelion,” Max said, holding out his hand. “I need to head to another kingdom. If you ever need me, you know how to find me.”
The alpha took a moment, staring at the offered hand before stepping toward him and shaking it.
“I am honored, Max Hoste. May our kind always be the shelter against the storms.”
Max nodded and then laughed, grabbing Rakonath and the two of them hugging.
“I’ll stop by tomorrow,” his dragon said. “Right now, I have a few things to tend to.”
“And by tend to, he means let the sun warm his scales,” Vaelion said.
For a moment, the sounds of a man and three dragons rang out from near the obelisk. Their noise was absorbed, and a pulse was sent across the world.