VJN: PRDC-01 Dragons Fly

[Artemis Archer]

Veronica June Novels
Power Rangers Dragon Corp
Episode One - Dragons Fly
December 29th, 2013

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Starring:
Pyrobolt (Pyro), Red Dragon Visionary Knight
Roadshine (Errol), Celestial Dragon Visionary Knight
Matsukaze (Reku), Blue Half-Dragon Visionary Knight
Fiststorm (Reynard), Green Dragon Visionary Knight
Holyfire (Elaine), Mist Dragon Visionary Princess
Cryaughomyrdrakkan (Crya), the Ice Assassin dragon instructor in charge of combat classes
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: A Zyo is defined as a Visionary.
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Chapter One: Strike Three.

Award Ceremony Arena, Dragon Command Academy; One year prior
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"...and when you hear your names, please come up to the stage to receive your plaque and medallion for a job well done. Cadet Ozra of the Black. Cadet Myco of the Green. Cadet Jand of the Yellow. Cadet Tira of the Mist. Cadet Ixel of the Blue."

As the other named dragon cadets arose to proceed to the stage, one lone cadet lowered his head and quietly began to depart the area occupied by the academy's dragon cadets. Strike three... they say that if you cannot graduate by the third year... it isn't going to happen. I might as well go pack my bags and leave. I am just a failure. Why did I think that I had a chance?

An alert black dragon guard at the Arena gate reached out one claw and stopped the cadet. "Where are you going, Pyro? The award ceremony isn't over yet."

The red dragon cadet looked at the guard and a glint of recognition crossed his mind. "I failed to pass... yet again. They say if you cannot pass the course in three tries then it isn't meant to happen. This was my last chance, Maulken. They didn't call my name so I am just going to go and pack my gear. I should have known that I didn't stand a chance in the academy."

"You are just going to quit?" asked the black dragon guard. "What happened to the old 'never give up until I shine' speech you gave when you first arrived at the academy? Several instructors were all impressed with your resolve. And now you are just going to sneak out without a whimper."

"I need time away from the academy, Maulken," he replied. "A fresh outlook. I will not disgrace my clan leader by staying to fail a fourth time in a row. But I cannot go home either. I need to find enlightenment. Perhaps in the Bleak Peaks; no dragons are said to dwell there. Now please remove your claw from my arm." Once he was released, he departed and went to his assigned quarters to pack up his belongings.

In truth, he had no intention of returning once he left. Three strikes and you were out. And this was his third strike. He was a failure and he was too afraid to go face his clan leader. No, the Bleak Peaks were the place for him now. A place where he could reflect upon what he did wrong. Within his quarters, he pulled his backpack out of the storage closet and he began loading it up with mementos. He picked up a picture of his dragon parents and stared at it for a silent moment before packing that away as well. Then as an afterthought... he removed the academy chain necklace from around his neck and stared at it for a moment... before pitching it across the room and into a refuse bin.

"I didn't think you would simply leave, Pyro," came the voice of one of the instructors. It was Cryaughomyrdrakkan, the Ice Assassin dragon instructor in charge of combat classes. "But I cannot fault you for not being called upon. Like you, I failed the academy the first few times myself. But in my case, a war erupted and the generals admitted that they needed someone with my skills. They had to find me first but I joined them once I learned what was occurring. And now... I am an academy instructor at the very academy that had failed me. Yet you... are choosing to leave. I hope you will recall the things I have taught you."

Pyro sighed once again as he turned to look at the Ice Dragon. "Nice try, sir. I have seen your graduate plaque on the walls of your office. You only failed once; you succeeded the following year. And there was no war. Hasn't been one in over a thousand years. Why does the academy even exist? We are constantly training to repel invaders yet none have ever been seen in Tatsu-Lan. I know it is supposed to be a great honor to graduate from here and many consider a graduate to be a true dragon in stature. But for what purpose? Simply so we can wait for an enemy that will never come? So dragons can have bragging rights in the taverns? No, I have failed and therefore I must go to the Bleak Peaks and meditate in hopes of learning why I failed over and over again."

"I know you feel disheartened over recent events, Pyro, but you are not a failure. I will not stop you from going. But I had hoped that I might pitch that last ditch effort to get you to stay. It gets lonely when there are no mouthy students to point out what they think is wrong with my methods." And then the Ice Dragon departed with a grin.

"He means well but my mind is made up," he said to no one in particular. "I failed and I can no longer be here. Goodbye DCA. What will become of me? Fate will direct me now." And Pyro hefted up his backpack and departed his quarters where upon he opened his wings and launched himself into the night sky so he could fly over the academy walls and begin his self exile in the barren mountains.

Present day time; the Bleak Peaks

The dragon merchants often brought news of the red dragon fighter in the Bleak Peaks who played escort to their caravans as they passed through the only viable pass in the region. Often protecting them from rogue dragon bandits and other natural occurrences. But oft times as the stories go, appearances of the red dragon became fewer and fewer until the story faded from the minds of the people. Now it was a year later and the Walled Tatsu-Lan city of Oraca was under siege from humanoid forces with ungodly weapons. It had been proven already that they could take a fighter dragon out of the sky with ease. The dragon empire was in a war that no one thought would come. But fate plays favorites for no side. The dragons had all but let their guard down. And now they paid the price.

"Stupid dragon soldier! Can't you hold your pattern when we fire the cannon at you?" The Gold Dragon Commander was angry at his own troops for being unable to hold still long enough to see if the new dragon armor could deflect the cannon shot or not. "You make me sick! All of you!"

Within a dangling cage sat a human male page, the only survivor of the group who had been captured recently. Lifting his head, the youth said, "Sir?"

The Gold Dragon Commander turned to look toward the voice sharply. "I shouldn't even be speaking to you. Make it good."

The human replied, "I have been paying attention to the activity you are having your troops try to perform and upon first glance, it might appear that they cannot brace for impact. However, this is not the case. I noticed that every time you fired the cannon at them, they would slightly flinch which caused the cannon shot when striking them to make them spin out of control. Thus, it appears that they cannot keep their position."

End of Chapter One.

[Artemis Archer]

Chapter Two: The Search For Pyro.
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The young human squire then continued. "However... I have heard an old story of a dragon who could do the very thing you are asking for. However, the story is a little more than a fairy tale among my people. They break out laughing every time the story is told. In the Bleak Peaks, there is a red dragon fighter who battles the elements there as if they were actual foes and-"

The Gold Dragon Commander cut him off by saying one name. "Pyro! I never thought I would ever hear anything about him after he quit the dragon academy for the third failed year in a row. And now you are saying that he is the only one who can do this?"

"I do not know the Red Horror's name but if it is Pyro... it makes sense, I suppose." The young man then continued. "I am not saying he is the only one who can do it, sir. I am saying he is but one who could; perhaps there are others. But that one is the only one I have heard stories about. If he can withstand the elements themselves in the Bleak Peaks, then a cannon fire would be nothing to him."

Pacing back and forth was nerve wracking for those who saw their commander doing this but the human prisoner did have a point. The troops kept flinching when the cannon was fired; that was no good for their needs. But how would they possibly find Pyro and ask him to assist them with this task? Even he knew the old stories; Pyro never left the Bleak Peaks since his self-exile. And now they needed him. Just as the Ice Dragon had predicted way back when the cadet quit the academy. "Wait!" He stopped pacing and glanced over at one of his aides. "Is Cryaughomyrdrakkan, the Ice Assassin, within the city? And the answer had best be yes."

The dragon aide replied, "He stays in the war room nearly all the time, sir."

Within the war room, the Gold Dragon Commander spoke to the Ice Assassin. "Alright, Crya... you can gloat; we need Pyro. Just like you always said. I need you to go find him for us. The only information we have about him is that he is in the Bleak Peaks and even the enemy has had sightings of him."

"The human prisoner comes with me. Take it or leave it."

"Are you crazy?!" the commander boomed loudly. "He is a prisoner of war! He's... he... oh alright, Crya. But I expect to see results of this outing. And I want that boy back here when you are done. No funny business or your tail won't be the only thing caught in the blender."

Cryaughomyrdrakkan stood up and smiled winningly. "I was the best combat instructor the academy ever had, Commander Augutherysol. What was that nickname the other cadets had for you at the time...? Oh yes, Auggy." He then departed quickly to fetch the boy as he heard the commander started to swear just behind him; he HATED that nickname! At the cage, Crya proceeded to open the cage and he pulled the boy out with one claw. "First thing we need to do is to give you a bath and clean clothes. Then after a good meal, we are going on a trip into the Bleak Peaks to find Pyro. I didn't tell the Commander this, but I know where he is."

An hour later with the boy safely cleaned, dressed, and fed, the Ice Assassin placed the boy into a secured leather harness which was affixed around his neck and upper torso, then he took flight through the Murder Ruin Tunnels which exited several miles outside of the city beyond the invaders position but well within reach of the Bleak Peaks, their destination. "By the way, human, you don't have to keep calling me 'sir'. My full name is Cryaughomyrdrakkan, the Ice Assassin, but when we are by ourselves, you can shorten my name to Crya. Just don't let any other dragons hear you shortening a dragon's name or else they will kill you."

"Crya... then to be civil, I will give you my name to use. I am Errol Rhodes, but you can just call me Errol."

"Errol it is then," said Crya. "Now, lets see if we can find Pyro."

Well within the Bleak Peaks

The ice dragon flew through the narrow gorges and windy crags at near lightning speed. The boy in the harness was often holding his eyes closed at what looked to be near collisions with natural formations. As they banked around a sharp set of rocky spires, Errol shouted, "Crya! There is some sort of dragon monastery between the cliffs over there!" The Ice Dragon whipped back to where Errol had made the sighting and then... he veered sharply off toward the gates of the structure within the cliffs. Even though there were dragon reliefs all over the columns flanking the open gates, not a single dragon could be seen nor scented... save one. Crya sniffed the air as he flew toward the opening between the columns. "Pyro is nearby. Perhaps within."

Landing within the inner chamber, they saw what looked to be a large robed dragon working silently over something which could not be seen. Crya removed Errol from the harness and had him wait to one side while he approached the large cloaked dragon entity. Just as he went to lay a claw on the dragon's shoulder, he barely got out the question of, "Pyro?" when the creature turned its hideous and undead looking head up to look at the Ice Assassin. "A DRACOLICH!" And then the battle was on as Crya steered the fight away from Errol and into another chamber.

The young man glanced to the spot the Dracolich had been working over and there was the remains of what looked as if it might have been a human soldier. It was unrecognizable. Errol quickly tore his gaze away from the horrible sight and that is when he saw what looked like a shining glint of silver in one wall of the chamber. Although the fight was loudly continuing in the other chamber, he walked over to the silver glimmer and carefully touched it... which caused the wall to split open and it opened to a dragon sized passage just beyond. Within the corridor, everything shone like the brightest silver and the shiniest gold. But floating within the central chamber itself was what looked like a floating globe of silver and gold clay. There was nothing else within the chamber at all.

"What could this be?" Errol asked quietly as he kept the fight within his range of hearing.

"It is the chamber of the Silver Lining, boy." Directly behind him was the Red Dragon they had come to find. "I've been looking for this for months and you just revealed the way into the place. I saw Crya bring you in. He is braver than I to fight a Dracolich. I would help him but the honor of the battle is his. If he wants help, he will call for it."
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End of Chapter Two.

[Artemis Archer]

Chapter Three: Gaining One's Wings.
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The unnamed dragon then said, "I am Pyro, the self-exiled red dragon fighter. And because there is honor in names, what might yours be?"

"Errol Rhodes," he replied. "Just use the first part to make it easier. I had been the Gold Dragon Commander's prisoner in Oraca until Crya- Er, I mean... Cryaughomyrdrakkan... spoke up for me. Please don't kill me. I meant to use his full name."

Pyro chuckled. "Don't be so noble, kid. He said you could use the shortened name. Nicknames make insulting dragons fun. I have been looking for the Silver Lining because it is the only thing that can help me to defeat the demon generals who have fooled your people into thinking that the dragons were about to attack their homelands. But why are you and Crya here?"

"Auggy decided that he needs you to help test out a new dragon armor to use against my people."

The red dragon fighter closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head as if to suggest he thought Auggy was an idiot. "The answer is no. My mission is far more important than presenting myself for execution. Several months ago, Lord Auggy issued a bounty on my head and that made me a marked dragon. Being marked means you are wanted dead by the issuer of the bounty. If I went in to help Auggy with his project, the moment it ended, he would kill me himself. Therefore I cannot return to Oraca for any reason if I want to continue living. Tell you what, Errol... if you help me get the Silver Lining, I will let you pal around with me from now on. Sure beats going back to a cage, right?"

"Just tell me what I have to do, Pyro. Although I am worried about Crya."

"He is a big dragon. Like I said, he will call for help if he thinks he cannot handle the beast. And the moment he does... I will charge in there. Preferably with the Silver Lining. Dracoliches are weak versus the holy dragon power. See that floating globe of clay? That is actually the outer shell which contains the Silver Lining. There is magic in place to prevent dragons from touching the outer shell. All you have to do is walk out there and reach out and tear a hole in the clay to reveal the Silver Lining. When you do this, I will be able to extract the holy relic and then we can vanquish the Dracolich. It was sent here to prevent dragons from gaining something that could be used against demons. You know what to do, Errol. I'll stand guard just in case the fight comes back this way."

The young man walked out into the shining chamber and carefully stepped up on to what appeared to be a gigantic glass lens which shined a light up to illuminate the clay globe. "I sure hope Pyro is right about this." And he reached his hands up and grabbed into the clay and-

For a hundred miles around the Bleak Peaks a light show of sorts erupted from the chain of mountains as what appeared to be lethal looking laser beams shot down from the heavens all striking the center of the Bleak Peaks. As each beam of light hit, a dome of holy energy slowly grew in majestic radiance. The Dracolich was caught in the rush of holy light and he was destroyed instantly. All wounds upon Crya were healed instantly. Pyro felt a power coursing through his body that he had never felt before... as a shining metallic bracer appeared on his left wrist. It had a shiny button with the symbol of IO upon it. But where Errol had been standing, it would later be learned that when he tore open the hole... he had accidentally touched the Silver Lining himself and thus... in place of the former human was a Silver and Gold Dragon with Diamond like eyes. There was a shining metallic bracer on his left wrist that was identical to Pyro's bracer and the remains of Errol's clothes lay shredded all over the chamber.

Errol was still in the self same position he had been in before the explosion although he was clearly not human now. He was... majestic. "Pyro? What happened?"

Pyro got over his own shock pretty fast as he came over and grabbed the new dragon by one arm. "We'll talk about it later, Errol. We need to get out of here. It is no longer safe for anyone to be here. That blast alerted people for a hundred miles in every direction."

En route to the entrance, they encountered the Ice Assassin who obviously had questions but Pyro urged him toward the exit as fast as possible. At the gates, Pyro said, "This might be a little scary for you at first, Errol, but trust us. Take a running jump off the edge and open your wings; your body will do the rest. Once you are in the air, we can help you steer your way back to my base camp on Memory Mountain."

The red dragon demonstrated how easy it was by going first. There was a slight drop but his wings opened and he soared up into the sky. Now it was Errol's turn; Crya would quickly assist if he got in trouble.

The silver and gold dragon was nervous but they said they would help him if he got into trouble. He ran forward and leaped feet first off of the edge. Almost immediately he wished he had not done it. The drop was a lot faster than Pyro had made it look. He heard Pyro shouting, "OPEN YOUR WINGS!" And just as it looked as if it would be curtains for him, his wings did open and his body righted itself... and soon he was in the air with Pyro. "You could have warned me about the drop!"

"You wouldn't have learned anything then," he replied. "Here comes Crya... now, as distasteful as this will sound, take my tail in your mouth and I will steer us out of the Bleak Peaks. We will be maintaining altitude so the humans can't shoot us with their primitive cannon weapons. Don't let go of my tail until I tell you to. Now let's get moving."

Taking Pyro's tail into his new snout and biting down hard, he then hung on tight as the red dragon and the ice dragon flew just ahead of him... apparently speaking freely in that second language they were fond of using. It was Dragon Speak as opposed to the Universal Common the humans used. But slowly as he heard them speak it, Errol began to learn it. And more importantly, what they were saying. It seemed to be an explanation of not only Pyro's self proclaimed mission against the demons but also what had happened to Errol within the chamber of the Silver Lining. Apparently the boy had accidentally touched the relic and... he had absorbed it into himself which transformed him into a unique dragon phenotype the world had yet to see.

Errol was also thinking about how bad Pyro's tail tasted in his snout. But he didn't dare let go or else he would have a crash course in steering under his own power. Although... flying was fun.

With the Bleak Peaks and Oraca far behind them, the three were soaring over a vast forest where an occasional field of cows could be seen grazing.
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End of Chapter Three.

[Artemis Archer]

Chapter Four: Training.

Then, much to Errol's horror, Pyro and Crya dove down and snagged three cows in their claws before lifting back up into the sky once again. The frightened cows were defecating their manure all over the landscape as the three dragons flew onward with their prizes. Errol just closed his eyes when that happened. He knew why dragons wanted cows and he knew that they grabbed a third one for... ugh... him.

Then a lone mountain of crystal came into view. It was absolutely beautiful to gaze upon. Crya said, "Errol? Open your eyes and look ahead. We don't want you to miss seeing this." When Errol did open his eyes, he saw just how pretty it was. And there was a raging river around both sides of the mountain forming a natural impassable moat of rocky rapids which no army could bypass. Then they flew in and descended slowly where a nice looking camp was laid out just ahead. Pyro was aiming for what looked like a field of clover when he said, "Release my tail and land, Errol. Now."

And when he did, he tried to land in the clover. That was sure to be softer than barren ground. And you guessed it... the very obvious happened... one foot touched down and he tripped and fell into a roll where as he landed flat on his back in the clover, his wings stretched out to both sides. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."

Pyro grinned as he broke one of the cows' necks and then he brought the cow over and dropped its unmoving body into Errol's lap. "New lesson, kid... this is your meal for tonight. Force yourself to eat it."

Crya chuckled as he watched Errol turn a little green around his snout and cheeks. "He will learn. He will have to; Errol is one of us now."

Base camp on Memory Mountain

The next morning brought the light of the sun and a most beautiful rainbow to the surroundings as Errol snoozed quietly within his comfortable field of clover. While he slept, Pyro and Crya spoke quietly near the camp's fire pit. The discussion concerned Errol's transformation and how the two dragons were going to train their new clan member.

Errol slowly sat up forgetting he was a dragon for a moment as he slowly stood and tried to walk over to a tree where he could relieve himself. "What happened to my penis?" He then paused for a moment. "My hands."

Crya smiled as he glanced at Pyro. "Sounds like our friend is awake. He must have forgotten that he had been transformed into a dragon."

"I think you are having too much fun with this, old friend," said the red dragon fighter as he glanced over at poor Errol trying to figure out how to take a leak. "I'm going to go help him. And stop giggling."

"I can't help it."

After the brief bout of morning learning, Errol was sitting at the fire pit with the other two dragons. He looked both sad and miserable at the same time. He was obviously embarrassed over having to be helped in learning how to relieve himself as a new species.

"Stop beating yourself up, kid," stated Pyro as he unpacked a black rock and then he uncorked a vial of sugar water and poured it over the black rock. "New lesson, Errol. Open your mouth and close your eyes... and you will get a nice surprise. I'll only tell you that it is crunchy and it is good for you."

Errol closed his eyes and opened his mouth. When he did, Pyro stuck the lump of coal into his open maw. When he felt the 'morsel' in his mouth, he closed his maw and started chewing on it. "Tastes like... sugar... and... something else..."

"Just chew it up entirely and swallow it," said the red dragon. "After that, I will teach you how dragons go fishing. You like fish, don't you?"

Crunch, crunch, crunch... he nodded his head before he chewed some more and then he swallowed it. "Oh boy... I feel like I need to belch."

Crya chuckled. "Lean your snout toward the fire pit and then take one fist and hit yourself in the tummy pretty hard."

Errol did as he was told and what resulted made him scamper in fright away from the fire pit where he hid behind a boulder just outside of camp. He had belched out a stream of fire which caused the fire pit to blaze with strength and life. He peaked out from behind the boulder only to see Pyro right there with one claw extended to him. He slowly took the claw and he stood up. "I'm sorry, Pyro. I'm a lousy dragon."

Pyro shook his head slowly. "No, you were just surprised. First timers react differently. I remember one dragon who did that and then he tried to stomp out the fire with his feet. That was a funny day. Anyway, once a day you need to eat a lump of coal and then belch just like that. We had you ignite the fire pit this time. Next time you should aim your snout into the air or toward an enemy. Breathing fire is actually fun. Some dragons can do lightning. But to make lightning, you have to eat a lump of sulfur. It is yellow in color and tastes like mustard dust. At least I think so. In order to eat new minerals, you should always coat the new mineral in something you actually like the taste of. Then you get used to the taste of the new mineral. That was an important lesson just then, Errol. Remember it. Now, let's go catch some fish." The first day was spent teaching their new dragon friend the basics of hunting and fishing. By that night, the three dragons had fish for dinner. Scales and all. Including the bones. "Eww," was Errol's original reaction to having to eat the fish raw, without cleaning nor cooking them. But as a dragon, he found that food tasted better raw. His palette was far different than it had been as a human. The second day involved the hunting of boars and deer.

Pyro explained that a cow should only be eaten during special occasions, such as a dragon's birthday... which was why they got cows the first night Errol had become a dragon. That was his dragon birthday. It still made Errol sick to think about eating a raw cow. But they didn't have access to pastries, like cakes, so a cow was it. Errol thought that since Pyro had access to sugar, he could have doused the cow in sugar to make it taste better.

End of Chapter Four.

[Artemis Archer]

Chapter Five: Saving Lives.

The third day brought the first lesson in flying from a standing stance. This wasn't as easy as jumping off a cliff had been. To prepare for this feat, Pyro gave Errol three lumps of coal to eat. By now, he knew what coal tasted like so it no longer surprised him to have to chew up and swallow such things. After the initial belch, Pyro instructed him to close his eyes, lift his head upward, then unfold his wings and start flapping them slowly. Then when he felt ready, while still flapping his wings, slightly crouch with his legs and then... using his tail as a support, leap upward. Sadly, the first try was unspeakable. It took Errol several tries to get air born but once he was in the air and hovering, and hovering was explained as flapping ones wings slowly with the tail extended straight down, they focused on training Errol in flying maneuvers. Pyro and Crya fed Errol a whole lot of coal that day since he was going to need the energy to learn his flying prowess.

The fourth day was to instruct Errol in how to pick up things while flying and how to carry these things without dropping them. Pyro and Crya demonstrated this with each other to provide the example to their friend. And then came Errol's attempt at carrying Pyro, since the red dragon was the smaller of the two. This took a few attempts since crashing was expected and Pyro could fly himself just in case of an accident.

Come the fifth morning Pyro and Crya announced that this day was to be Errol's test. "Crya and I will be flying to the dragon capitol to seek registration for you. While we are gone, you will be fending for yourself here on Memory Mountain. True, we only expect to be gone for one day but you will need to eat minerals, hunt for food, and practice everything else we have taught you. We will return so please do not be afraid. I know you can do this, Errol. And remember: avoid humans with weapons when possible. You are not up to having full combat as yet. Come on, Crya." And the two dragons lifted off into the sky.

All alone. Had Pyro and Crya known what this day was to bring, they might have just stayed with Errol at the mountain.

The two senior dragons had been gone for a few hours. Errol was practicing with his new dragon skills. "That fish hit the spot. Now what to do?" And then his dragon hearing heard a cry for help on the other side of the mountain. "Someone is in trouble. They shouldn't be on this river island at all." And he took flight and flew in an arc around the mountain.

As he flew into view, he saw what appeared to be a demonic looking humanoid with bull horns and black cloven hoofs. He was trying to capture what appeared to be both a human male and a human female who had leaped across the river and were trying to climb the crystal mountain. As he caught sight of the ugly beast, he exhaled a blast of his Silver Lining breath, which was a mixture of fire and lightning. The resulting explosion sent the demon beast flying back across the river where he writhed and rolled on the ground to extinguish the holy burning flames that seemed to be devouring him alive. Once the demon beast general was preoccupied, Errol grabbed the two humans and flew off with them to the summit of the crystal mountain, a place where Pyro and Crya had yet to explore.

Positioned atop the mountain was an ancient shrine with odd looking crystal mirrors floating around the central building.

Errol released the two humans and then he landed himself as he glanced back down to make sure the demon was not following them. Once he saw the flames vanquish the monster, he turned his head back to look at the two new people. "That was a close call. Do not be afraid... I was once human like you. My birth name was Errol Rhodes. I accidentally touched a holy artifact called the Silver Lining and I was transformed into this dragon form. What may I call the two of you? Be civil for I just saved your lives. You owe me your names at least."

The male nervously replied, "I am a message runner named Reynard Fitz. And my companion is none other than the Holy Princess Elaine Lowell. We had been attacked in the royal gardens by that beast and it chased us out the back gates and across the abandoned fields until we reached a river. It was too wide to jump or traverse until we found a closer location where this beautiful crystal spire stood in the middle of the river. I held the princess' hand and we made the leap across the river. Then the stupid demon beast made the same jump and that is when you came flying around the mountain like that to save our lives."

Errol recognized the princess' name and he immediately bowed out of respect. "Your name is known to me, Princess Elaine. May you find long life among the wolf eyed roses."

Elaine was flattered, but she chose to say, "Were we in a proper court, that would be the right thing to do. But with demons after us in the open, we need a plan. May we call you an ally, Errol?"

"You may, Elaine. I hope you don't mind my dropping the title for now. As you said, this is not a proper court."

"Elaine will suffice. And Reynard made sure I wasn't captured by that fiend."

Reynard had his head tilted as he seemed to be looking at Errol's left front wrist. "I've never known dragons to wear jewelry of any sort. What is yours for?"

Errol lifted his draconic wrist to show them the bracer he had on. "Ever since the Silver Lining transformed me into this dragon type, this bracer has been on my wrist, although I am not the only one to have one; my dragon friend Pyro also wears one similar to my own. Only his has red jewels while mine has blue jewels. My other dragon friend, Cryaughomyrdrakkan, does not have one himself. I really have no idea for what the purpose of these bracers are. But I do know that I cannot remove it."

The human princess studied the bracer (without touching it) before replying, "I recall the High Priestess once mentioning that the Silver Lining was part of the ZyoLegend."

Reynard then said, "I'll bet that Pyro would love to know more about this legend since he obviously has some interest in it himself."

Errol replied, "Oh I am sure he would since he was searching for the Silver Lining to use against demons. And since a demon chased you both from the human palace to this island, it is not a coincidence that we met today. For now, we should get some rest right here and wait for my friends to return. I won't let them hurt you."

The Celestial Dragon (Errol Rhodes) lay himself down with his back toward the shrine as he permitted Elaine and Reynard to lay themselves against his body with his silver and gold wing covering their bodies protectively. He really wanted Crya and Pyro to come back now since he had accidentally learned new information about the Silver Lining.

End of Chapter Five.

[Artemis Archer]

Chapter Six: ZyoLegend.

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End of Chapter Six.

[Artemis Archer]

Chapter Seven: .

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End of Chapter Seven.

[Artemis Archer]

Chapter Eight: .

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End of Chapter Eight.
End of Episode One.

Stay Tuned for the next episode, .