Aster

  I stood close to Umbra as we made our way out of the forest. Walking out of the trees felt exposed. There was nowhere to hide. The only thing that obscured the view was the land naturally forming into slopes. It was almost unnerving turning to see the wall of trees behind me and then turning around and seeing practically none. I let out a breath and then blinked as a system notification appeared.

  [You have left the Domain of a Grand Beast.]

  I had really left the forest. Now, It was time to move forward. I looked around.

  “Do we wait here or?” Umbra’s words echoed my thoughts.

  I didn't know, and I let out a huff of laughter as I realized Mother had let us go, and I hadn’t thought to bring it up. I was tempted to turn around and ask into the forest, hoping she would answer. I had started to turn to do so when Umbra's neck turned to the right, and she arched her neck higher.

  “I see someone, and I think they’re coming this way,” Umbra said

  I looked but didn’t see anything, not at first, but Umbra was taller than me. Slowly, her head moved as she tracked it. After a minute, I could spot what Umbra was talking about.

  A blur was moving towards us, visible only as they ran up a slope before they ran down. It was fast enough that anything moving that fast in the forest was more likely to hit a tree. Still, the distance was far, and we had a bit of time before they arrived. So I watched them. They were shaped like a human, and their strides were obviously practiced so that every movement they made aided them in moving faster.

  I wondered if I could have even hit them with an arrow if I had two shots I could take. Probably not. That thought led to me trying to identify them. The system message popped up at the next moment.

  [Elf - Unknown - Level: Unknown]

  I let my head tilt as I thought about it. They were an elf. It was the only information I got, and being unable to see the level was worrying. The only ways I knew a level could be hidden were if they had a higher level than me by at least several grades, had a skill to hide their level, or had an item that could hide them like I did. I hoped for it to be one of the latter, but something told me it was a mix of two or three options.

  When they got closer, the way they ran became clear. It was a graceful movement that reminded me of the way a gazelle ran, taking long strides that seemed to allow for the feet only to skim the grass for a moment. I saw few gazelles in the forest, though, so it was more of a guess, but they did venture into the inner forest now and then.

  What I saw matched almost perfectly with what the book said about elves.

  Their ears were pointed, and the limbs were longer, not to the point of unnatural, but they did stretch longer than mine or Kulni’s. He, I assumed because he lacked any feminine features besides the slender body, was wearing a blue tunic that ended at the waist, matched by dark brown pants. I could see no weapons on him, which led me to the idea that he might have had a storage gem like me. The scene was weird to watch but also hard to look away from.

  As he approached, he slowed down. What would have been a full-pace run for me looked like a fast walk with him. I stood where I was, not wanting to move and give a bad first impression. He stopped only a half-dozen feet away.

  Frowning, he looked from me to Umbra, then back. Neither Umbra nor I said a word as he looked us over, and for a moment, the collar grew slightly warm, and I felt my ears twitch as I realized what it was. He was trying to Identify me.

  The stretched silence grew more awkward until the elf nodded once, probably giving up on the identification attempt, and sighed. The noise was almost inaudible even to my enhanced hearing.

  “I will assume that you must be the ones I am here to transport, for the chances of there being another new dragon bond walking out of the forest are quite low.” He said, bowing slightly but keeping his eyes on Umbra, “I am Alowin, a portal mage of the king, here to take you to the capital.”

  He looked at me expectantly, and I was confused for a moment until Umbra spoke through the bond. “I think you’re meant to return the greeting and introduce yourself as well.”

  My eyes flicked to Umbra for a moment in embarrassment before I spoke, almost stumbling over my words, “Oh, um, I’m Aster, and this is my bond, Umbra.” I gestured to her, and a second passed before a question formed about what he had said, and I added, “Are we not walking to the capital then?”

  I had expected to walk, but from what I knew about portals, from the one storybook I had that included them, is that they involved complicated magic that usually had not only one but a set of skills to travel a long distance instantly.

  Alowin’s frown deepened. “I would hope not. That trip would take weeks. By the time you arrived at the capital, I believe you would be quite late to attend the academy.” He adjusted a golden band around his wrist, an item I somehow hadn't noticed before. “Lady Aster, might I ask if there is anything to pick up or things you might need to do before I open the portal? The time I can keep it open is limited.”

  Shaking my head at the abruptness of leaving, I turned to the forest, took a deep breath, and imprinted it on my mind. I was ready, and I would be back before I knew it. Looking at Umbra, who was still watching the elf, I could feel her curiosity about the magic through the bond, and I let it rub off on me. “I think I have everything that's needed.”

  He gave a slight inclination of his head, seemingly expecting it. He then made a gesture, flicking his wrist before he drew a complex symbol in the air, a blue glow following his finger. I watched the process with full attention. It had to be one of his skills.

  I could feel the mana flowing out of him into the symbol. Each movement he made seemed to make the symbol glow brighter until, all at once, he drew a final line, and it collapsed in on itself only to then spread out into a jagged circle, its color shifting from the standard mana blue into what looked like thick green water that grew larger and wider, only stopping once it reached a height Umbra could walk through.

  I looked back to Alowin, seeing a bead of sweat forming on his brow. He looked worn down, but he still bowed again before speaking.

  “This leads to the spire, where you will be a guest until the academic term starts.”

  I hesitated a moment before I started forward. I had no clue what the spire was, but I assumed it was in the capital or close to it. I had questions I wanted to ask and things I wanted to know, but Alowin didn’t feel like the right person to ask. Still, I eyed the portal nervously before I steeled myself. I could feel my tail giving my feelings away, but I ignored it as I stepped through the floating liquid, Umbra on my heels.

  I didn’t know what to expect a portal to feel like, but as I passed through the watery substance, a wave of nausea and dizziness assaulted my head, my ears popped, and for a moment, I felt like I was going to throw up. Unbalanced, I stumbled a step.

  Something reached out and steadied me, and I leaned against it using it. My vision cleared after a long second and a few rapid blinks. I looked down to see that I was holding Umbra's tail. She looked unbothered by the travel through the portal.

  “My deepest apologies, Lady Aster. I should have mentioned that the portal has side effects that can take time to adapt to.” I turned to Alowin, too queasy to make a comment.

  Umbra let out a snort that caused Alowin to look at the dragon uncertainly.

  Taking a steadying breath, looking around at the completely different surroundings in astonishment. We were surrounded by stout stone walls that were entirely built, unlike the ruins in the forest. As I turned my head, I was met with the tallest tower I’d ever seen. It stretched higher than any tree I could have imagined, hundreds of feet tall, maybe even a thousand. It had pillars surrounding it, holding up a pavilion that circled the tower. Each stone was carved with detail, showing dragons of various shapes and sizes fighting or flying, even eating. I felt my eyes widen more and more as I looked over each one.

  “Impressive, is it not?” Alowin said, and I could hear pride in his voice. I couldn't argue with it. “The previous king, early into his reign, ordered this tower built to house any riders that were in the capital. A bit oversized for the moment.”

  “It’s amazing.” I tilted my head up as I looked at it. The design was completely different from the ruins I had seen, but it had care put into the work. Each dragon on the stone was unique and almost life-like. My interest in it was temporarily forgotten as Umbra started to taste the air, her tongue flicking out.

  “There are other dragons nearby,” Umbra said, her head searching, and I looked around in confusion. The tower, surrounded by a curved stone wall, gave the area we were in a fortified feeling but blocked almost all other views except for the mountains I had seen earlier, which were much closer and more prominent. It also made it impossible to see over the walls, though.

  “I don’t see anyone or any dragons.” There was a lack of any movement in the area, and now that I was focusing on it, it felt odd. There was even a lack of wind in the air that the stone walls shouldn't have been able to keep out.

  “There. Above us.” Umbra had turned her head almost straight up, and I also looked. A pair of dragons circled high in the sky. I didn’t know how I’d missed them when I was looking at the tower top earlier. Had they been on the roof? One was a bright amber red, the other a dark emerald green. Both winged in separate circles and as if waiting to be noticed, they started to descend.

  “I hope you’re ready to meet your own kind,” I said, using the bond.

  Umbra shook herself, her scales rattling slightly, giving a nervous snort as she looked over herself. I stood close to her as the wind in the clearing started to billow from the approaching dragon's descent, and I had to cover my eyes to avoid them filling with the dust that flew everywhere. The dragons were giant, easily six or even seven times the size of Umbra. They loomed, making the area seem almost too small for them. Then, a person, who had been impossible to see from our angle, slid down the back of the green dragon, and another did the same from the red one.

  They wore outfits that looked out of place compared to anything I'd ever seen. The black fabric clung to their body-like skin, and several pieces of armor were layered over it, some leather and some metal dyed to match the dragon they had each slid off of. The armor only seemed to cover their vital points, and various loops, hooks, and straps dangled from it.

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  That wasn't even the weirdest point about what they were wearing. That went to the helmets they had that covered their faces completely. Made of a smooth blank piece of metal with almost no features except for a crystal plate over the front that acted as a mask, it was polished a dark blue and left no holes for breathing or seeing, but somehow, their faces were directed towards us as if they could.

  The one that had gotten off the green dragon started forward, taking off the helmet as they walked. There was a click and hiss as it came off, and underneath was a man, a human. A quick check from identify verified that I was right, but anything other info was blocked, like Alowin.

  [Human - Unknown - Level: Unknown]

  His brown hair was sweat-stained, but it did nothing to hide the green eyes underneath nor the slight wrinkles on the sides of them. He took a long breath as if enjoying the air before his eyes turned to focus on Umbra, staying for a heartbeat longer than I thought necessary.

  Umbra was too busy inspecting the dragons, who were doing the same in turn, so she didn’t seem to notice his lingering gaze as her tongue flicked out, tasting the air repeatedly.

  “You must be the daughter of the guardian.” He said, turning towards me with a smile as he clipped the helmet to his chest using a chain.

  I tilted my head. I had no clue what a guardian was, but based on the context, I assumed it was Kulni. She’d never called herself a guardian, but the system had called her domain that of a grand beast. I nodded at him, and remembering to Introduce myself, I did. “I’m Aster, and this is my bond, Umbra. We're from the Claw Wood Forest.”

  He nodded at the words before he rubbed the bottom of his chin where a trim beard was. He hummed as he looked me up and down and spoke, “You seem young to have reached your second-class unlock, and I can’t identify you. If I might ask Aster, how long ago did you advance?”

  I thought about not answering him; it was a personal question he was asking. I didn’t see a reason I should; I’d just met him, my first ever human, but I also didn't see the harm in it, and refusing to answer a simple question was a good way to start off conservation badly.

  “About three months ago, a little less than a month after I turned fifteen.” Frowning, I asked a question of my own, “Don’t humans all unlock around their fifteenth year?” I asked.

  His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the person standing beside the red dragon. They, or she, judging by the body shape, were focused on messing with something attached to the dragon, not even bothering to take off the mask she was wearing yet.

  I didn’t have time to look at what she was working on as the man turned back to me. He seemed to have come to a conclusion by the way his eyes relaxed from the green piercing gaze he had had earlier.

  “Well, Aster, I’m Baldwin, second in command of the dragon flight of Arilon, and this is Emyr, my bond. I want to say I’m glad to see a new dragon bond, as strange as the circumstance is to us. As for your question, Roslin will be able to answer it.” He gestured behind him to the person who was setting down a long strip of cord.

  He turned to Alowin, who was standing several paces away from where he had been earlier. “We should have it from here. Tell Lord Cassin and the King that Lady Aster has arrived safely and is in our care.”

  Alowin didn't hesitate to bow and leave, almost looking relieved as he made his way towards a gate on the wall.

  “She’s quite small, but I’d bet those ears and tail aren’t just for show.” The statement came from the red-armored woman, Roslin, who finally walked over and, almost as an afterthought, took her mask off. Her skin was pale, and she was young compared to the age Baldwin looked, maybe only a dozen years older than me. Her face lacked sweat, or any indicator to tell the air in the helmet had been hot like Baldwin’s, but her eyes matched her dragon's color, making me think the race class for dragons might have changed it. Even her brown hair had red tips, but that might have been a form of dye.

  “Well, since we're introducing ourselves, I’m Roslin, and this is Silt. She’s my bond. We’ve been asked to watch over you personally while you're in the capital, as well as teach you what you need to know about your bond.” Tilting my head slightly, I noticed her voice had an accent to it, a small lilt I had just noticed with her words. The way she spoke interested me, but it’d probably be rude to ask.

  She turned to Umbra, addressing her, “Silt will be teaching you directly, seeing as you probably haven't had another dragon around. Any questions you have are probably best directed towards her.”

  Umbra blinked at her words, then raised her head to look at the red dragon. Roslin motioned to a door on the side of the tower. “Let’s get some food, relax, and talk about what's happening. I know going through the portals is a pain. While we do that, the dragons can get to know each other and find something to eat from the pins. Are you coming, Baldwin?” I blinked in surprise at the rapid words. They’d seen me come through the portal? Had they been watching as I’d entered?

  He shook his head. “Can’t. Have to finish some paperwork about your transfer and the border, then report to Cassin. I’ll talk to you later when you get over to the castle.”

  I looked at Roslin, blinking as Baldwin made his way after Alowin. Looking at Umbra, I was hesitant to leave her side. We’d just left the forest and arrived. Everything was moving at a pace I found way too fast. She paused what must have been a mental question to the other dragon to look down at me. My emotions must have been quite apparent to her.

  “You’ll be fine, and I’ll be right outside. I know you have questions for them, and I have questions to ask my kind.” A gentle nudge from the bond and her snout had me stepping towards the door reluctantly. I couldn’t argue with what she had said.

  “You haven’t been away from your bond for long moments, have you? It’s always hard to part with new bonds, but they have their own things they need to do.” Rosilion said, seeming to understand what had gone on. I shook my head, a bit embarrassed, as I followed her inside after seeing Umbra move off with the other Dragons around the tower.

  “No, but that’s not really the problem. I’m just anxious. You're the first people I’ve met besides Alowin, so...” I trailed off, not sure where to go with the sentence. I didn’t want to say that I didn’t know how everything worked, but I didn’t.

  Roslin paused as she turned to me and frowned. After a second, she coughed awkwardly and opened the door she was next to. Her eyebrows were lifted in surprise. “I want to make sure I understand. You mean we’re the first humans you've ever met? What about elves or even dwarfs?”

  “This is my first time out of the forest,” I said, rubbing the top of my head and the back of my ears.

  Roslin slowly nodded as she waved her hand forward, gesturing for me to walk in front. “Well, it seems like we have even more that needs to be discussed than I thought.”

  As we walked through the door, I looked at the stonework. It was simple: a wide walkway with no doors on either side. Soon enough, the hallway opened up into a wide circular room with a stairway on one side and round tables randomly placed with chairs. There was a bar on one side with bottles and what looked like cooking utensils. Looking up, I could see low-placed wooden beams stretched diagonally, giving the room a cozy but open feel. Roslin motioned to the nearest table, and I sat in one of the chairs, and she sat in the one nearest to me.

  “This is called the lower floor or the lodge. Mostly, we riders will have meetings and celebrations here or just use this room to relax. The upper floors consist of living areas for humans and dragons. There are also armories and other things the tower needs. A room on the second floor has already been set aside for you and Umbra. You are not allowed up past that floor without a rider, understood?” She asked the question, looking into my eyes.

  Nodding my head to show I understood, I mentally marked any room above the second floor off, but I couldn't deny that I was curious about them.

  “As for the tower in general, here.” pulling out a smooth stone white stone from a small pouch on her chest, she set it down. "It's to prevent the enchantments on the gate from seeing you as an intruder."

  Picking it up, I looked the stone over. It was small enough to hold in the palm of my hand and looked utterly normal besides the almost perfect oval shape it had. I identified it as Roslin continued to talk.

  [Keystone - Unique - This stone was made and enchanted to allow access to the Tower]

  "It'll work from a storage gem or personal storage skill. Just ensure you have it on you when you leave or enter the tower, and don't lose it."

  I stored it in my gem before I angled my head, waiting for her to bring up the next subject, but she didn't say anything. She just leaned back in her chair almost lazily as she seemed to wait for me. I guess I could ask questions then, but what did I even ask?

  There was a moment of silence before I shifted uncomfortably and asked the first question that came to my mind, "When do I go to the academy?"

  She smiled and answered, "The academy is scheduled to start at the beginning of next week when their entrance exams end, something you don't have to take, being considered royalty and all. That gives us four days if you keep time the same way we do.” Then, she seemed to think about it. “Actually, how do you keep track of days?" She seemed interested in the question as she leaned forward and stood up. I made her stand as well, but she held out her hand, stopping me as she made her way behind the counter.

  Watching her, I answered, "Um, well, we have ten days in a week, three weeks in a month, three months in a season, winter, growth, and summer. With ten months in a year, the last month is considered the off-season or the wilt when, well, everything starts to wilt. Is there another way to keep track?" I couldn't help but ask, curious if there was a different way used to keep track of days. I hadn't heard of any other ways, but I did see how it was possible if you shortened something.

  "That's the elvish way time is kept. The Arilon kingdom uses the same calendar and time, but other places do it differently." She picked up a plate from under the counter and turned as she spoke, pulling fruits and meats out of closed baskets that were lined on the counter until her plate looked like it was on the verge of spilling.

  "Anyways, until the academy opens, I think acclimating you to the city would be the best option. You're going to draw quite a few looks, with you know." She gestured to me up and down the plate, wobbling precariously as she walked back over with only one hand supporting it.

  I didn't understand what she meant until I felt the ear on the top of my head move slightly as it turned to follow Roslin's path.

  "Oh." was all I could say. Then I thought about it, and it didn't make sense. With all of the different types of race classes, there had to be a wide range of looks.

  "Are there not a lot of people with different looks? I thought race classes altered the body quite a bit in their advancement.” I realized I felt more relaxed as I spoke the question-and-answer game we were playing, helping to soothe my nerves.

  Sitting down, Roslin nodded and then shrugged as she popped a green berry into her mouth. "Yes and no, race classes can alter the body widely, but that's only the case for rare and higher class advancements. In Arilon, a normal person is lucky to see an uncommon option available on their first grade advancement. Maybe a rare will appear on their second if they are fortunate." She paused, considering something. "I suppose the Adventurer's Guild has more people who advance to a higher rarity as well as the army."

  "Adventures Guild?" I echoed her words, "What's that?"

  Roslin frowned. "I guess you wouldn't know about them, being in the forest. They are a group that acts in a few different ways, but mainly anyone can request something to be done, such as kill a monster messing with your crops or find a specific herb you need, things like that. A posting will be put out for any qualified guild member or group to take. Even the king will put out a few requests they don't want to spend the resources on. It doesn't matter to the guild as long as it's at a reasonable price. The system even recognizes the guild in the quest it issues." She finished her words by biting into a massive piece of meat that she held with by the bone.

  I opened my mouth to ask another question about the guild, but I closed it. I was getting way off-topic. Giving myself a moment to think, I switched back to what needed to be asked, "You said it would be a good idea to get acclimated to the city. What does that mean?" It was a reasonable question, and while Roslin finished eating, I pulled out a piece of seasoned deer meat from my storage, not waiting to get up or take their food.

  "Well, you've never seen humans until today, right?" She asked, then continued without me answering. "Then tomorrow, the best course would be to get you used to them, well, us, by going around the city. At the same time, we can get anything needed done, and I can show you all the important locations you might need to know."

  I thought about it. I knew what a city was, and walking around one was tempting. Giving a hesitant smile, I agreed, “It sounds like a good idea.”

  "Then, for the rest of the day, you can take the time to get used to your room here. You'll have a room assigned to you in the academy. You aren't required to use it, but if needed, just let me know when you do so we don't start a search when you don’t come back one night." Then, she paused her eating, almost as if she had remembered something added. "The king wishes to have you attend a dinner in the castle tomorrow afternoon. The royal family of Arilon and the elven children that are of age to attend the academy will be there, as will the queen of the elves."

  That sounded good to me. Food I didn’t have to hunt and was freely given was always good, but looking at the food left on Roslin's plate, I was curious if the food eaten at the castle would be different compared to what I usually ate and asked, "Do elves eat anything different? I read that they don’t eat meat."

  Roslin started to chuckle a loud, hearty one. "That dinner is going to be something to attend. Aster, I think we're going to get along just fine."