"Darling... Would I see you again after the war?" a woman said, her long black hair shining with green eyes. A man stood firmly, his brown hair and sharp eyes.
"Of course, dear. I will come back, I promise you that." Pressing his forehead to the woman's, she almost cried,
"I-I wish you the best... On the battlefield, my love." She offered... As...
"DRAGON RIDERS!" Shouts a commander, as every Dragon Rider, big or small, stands firmly on the battlefield.
"FIRE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE! SHOW THOSE BARBARIANS THAT CALABAN'S BLESSING THE PROTECTION WILL KEEP OUR PEOPLE SAFE!!!" Screaming, the Dragon Riders roared, being sent into battle.
"HA!!!" Welding gauntlets, the man, Dan Lake, used the Bond Skill,
"BAM! BAM!" Shooting energy blasts at flying Dragon Riders, the man proved capable of close and far-range combat.
"Tsk! Those scales...!" Talking to himself-
"!!!" Turning his head below...
"Crrk... Crraaakkk...!" The Earth shifts and moves-
"ROOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" A powerful roar,
"Tsk!" Leaping back, a decently sized earth dragon is seen,
"Get the ones on the ground! They're weak!" Shouting at someone, the leader of the Underground Forces of the Ironclad Kingdom...
"BAM!" Dan rushed in, punching the dragons with immense force.
"!?!" The commander's eyes couldn't believe it...
"YOU FOOLS! AMBUSH HIM! HE'S A THREAT TO US!" The man ordered, as when the Dragon Riders leap from all sides...
"Fwoosh...!" An energy surrounded him.
'Oh no you fucking don't. I have a wife and a kid to get home to.' Thinking, the powerful energy bursts, as this was Dan's dragon's power... Energy Propulsion.
A skill he refined with the help of his dragon, Smallfry.
"Alright, Smallfry. Ready!?!" Dan wondered, as...
"Grooo...!" Despite their size, Smallfry reformed...
"A Bronze Rank!?!" It consisted of Silver Ranks... But they know when they see it...
"No... It's... It's a Gold Rank!"
"BOOM!!!" An energy burst, sending the Dragon Riders back.
"Hmph." Dan was prepared for more. As from the skies, many Dragon Riders fell, the markings breaking, leaving some dragons dead or...
"!!!"
"ROOOAAA!!!!" Many of them...
"LEAVE THEM ALONE YOU SCUM!" Dan, furious, soon combined his body with the spiritual energy of Smallfry, becoming clad in some armor, as...
"FWOOSH!" He flies to the captured men,
"STEALING A MAN'S DRAGON IS A SIN UNFORGIVABLE!!!" Roaring, he fights.
"CHARGE, MEN!" The commander ordered, as a full-on brawl happened... Many Dragon Riders died... But...
"AUGH!!!!" It ended horribly. As in front of them...
"Grooo..." A black dragon with gems coming out of its body... Its red eyes glint a murderous shine.
"T-The king..." Dan coughed,
"GROOO!!!!" Smallfry cried, trying to bite, but the king's hand was as if made of steel.
"Hm... You have some magical energy comparable to a Gold Rank Dragon... Tell me, warrior... What's your name?"
"Your fucking executioner-!"
"AUGGG!!!!" Dan screamed in pain, as a sword was stabbed in his wrists and ankles, the rocks buried in his back as one of the Ironclad Dragon Riders twisted their sword made from their dragons into his skin,
"I asked for your name, warrior. I wish to ensure your name is remembered by the one who personally assisted his army... In the defeat of the Castalix Army." The king demanded, as Dan coughed...
"... Fine." The king smirked,
"Gro-!" Smallfry suddenly froze, as...
"GROOOOAAAA!!!!"
"SMALLFRY!!!" Dan felt something... Dark energy comes out of the king's hand, mana surrounds its small, frail body,
"KRRRIII!!!!" Smallfry was roaring from pain,
"Smallfry...!" Dan's eyes widened, as...
"!" He sees the marking on his hand... Shattered.
"Groo..." Smallfry goes limp from exhaustion.
"Ah... Seems it worked. Hehehe... HAHAHAHAHA!!!" The king laughed in excitement,
"THE METHOD WORKED!!!" He was laughing triumphantly, as Dan's eyes shook...
"W-What did you do!?!" Dan demanded to know,
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO SMALLFRY!?!"
"Smallfry? Hm... What a fitting name... But... Unfortunately for you... You'll die without knowing what happened to your dragon... Family... Friends... You'll die without even getting to say goodbye." The king smiled sadistically.
"But be honored... This dragon here will... Hm." He looked...
"A female dragon? Hm... We'll see how many kin she'll bear before we throw her as food for my dragon right here." The king explained, as Dan was furious...
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD-!" And suddenly...
"GUH!" A stab...
"G-Gh..." A sword to his chest, as the sword was then removed, as the dragons shifted from the blades,
"Capture the dragons! We'll return home triumphant!" The king ordered, as everyone shouted,
"YES, SIRE!" They went to work, as dragons roared, resisting the capture, some escaped, but many were taken...
"Z-Zariah..." Dan, bleeding profusely.
"C-Calaban... P-Please watch over my son... My family..." Dan said, staring at the sky,
"PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!!!" He roared in the blood-soaked battlefield... As his head stared at the skies, his arms raised... Before...
His body goes limp.
***
"H-He...!" Zariah is suddenly hit with the most horrid of news...
"I am sorry, ma'am. But... Your husband..." The guards couldn't... But they had to.
"Your husband, Dan Lake, has died in the battle."
***
Life began anew, as at the time of Dan's death... A new life was born.
"W-Wahhh...!" Ashter Lake, sporting his father's face, his mother's colorful green eyes... He was born.
"Hng...!" Zariah cried alongside the baby, as he was born... So did the news of his husband's death.
"Dan...! Dan...!" She cried for him...
"Why... Why could you leave us?"
***
"WHAT!?!" The king is shocked,
"The Ironclad barbarian king showed up on the battlefield!?!" The king didn't think...
He... He took advantage of...
"Indeed, my king. After our brave soldiers advanced deeper into their camp... A large dragon entered the fray, the king. Only one breath... It killed... So many of our men." The Dragon Rider, or the commander, gives a rundown of the situation.
"Hng... That dirty barbarian..." The king growls,
"..." The king thinks...
"Reinforce the walls. We need to ensure they don't launch a direct attack on the 5th Circle. If that is the case... We won't stand a chance." The king ordered that the security of the kingdom be at 100%, as Dragon Riders still left behind monitored the walls for days... Weeks... Then... Years passed.
The wars "ended," and both kingdoms dared not launch attacks. Since then...
"She died last night, sire." Spoke a man in the Ironclad Kingdom.
"Good... And what has come of her kin?" The king wondered,
"Four of her children show incredible growth and are adaptable. Seems the dragon's genetic makeup was different compared to most dragons, being capable of adapting their body to more amounts of mana. Currently, however, it seems our dragons have at most become close to Diamond Rank because of this mutated gene." The man said,
"And what of the kin? Are they able to have children?" The king wondered,
"... No. Due to their birth... It seems their reproductive cycles are... How can I put it..."
"... They can't bear offspring?" The king asked...
"... Yes, sire." The man said,
"Sigh... But this is good. We have 4 Diamond Rank Dragons amongst our ranks... But rest assured... In the years to come... We will attack the Castaix Kingdom... We'll take it over... We'll replenish our ranks! We'll then... Ohohoho... We'll take over EVERYTHING on this pathetic PLANET!" The king slams a knife into a paper map, the Castalix Kingdom their target...
And since then...
"Welcome one and welcome all to the Castalix Academy Midterm!!!" Shouts a Dragon Rider, as everyone roars in anticipation of this Midterm.
"..." Ashter breathes a bit, as others get ready, the majority of them being men, the women however weren't exactly excited as most of the guys.
"I wonder how I'll do! Imagine... Imagine if I caught the eyes of the best Guild or even one of the Order!" Spoke someone, as Ashter just calms himself down,
"Kroo?" Bismuth shuffled to him, the dragon was much bigger than expected.
"We'll do amazing, Bismuth. I... I just need to calm down." Speaking to the dragon, it didn't take long for most to hope...
"That smug peasant needs to be taken down a few pegs."
"I know, right?" From other parts of the room, many badmouthed Ashter, as he's the only "low-born" from the 5th Circle. At minimum, the Dragon Riders here are from the 3rd Circle, and the majority are from the 2nd and 1st Circles.
***
"Cursed Draconic Items?" Spoke someone...
"Yes... It's a cursed item that was made by a dragon of exceptional power." Spoke another one we don't know, as deep in his mind, the man grew cautious, saying...
"We haven't had any of these cursed items since the last war over 18 years ago... I don't think the king would be kind to know that the latest catch not only died but cursed our lands with... This." A ring rests, as a black mana radiates from it.
"But sir... I think we can-"
"NO BUTS! I will have it melted to get rid of the dragon's energy. From now on, don't EVER speak of such taboo ever again!" The man ordered a blacksmith for the Ironclad Kingdom...
***
Many years ago, even before the war, 19 years ago... Dragons that were owned by owners cursed items that were seen as blessings by the users. It brought immense power at the cost of their life, sanity, and future.
Swords, rings, necklaces... It radiated a mana far more intense, 1.5x more potent than the original, and gave remarkable abilities to the owner.
Cursed Swords... Cursed Rings...
But these items soon took that toll... Driving the user to madness, killing them, and cursing their entire bloodline. That's simply the divine retribution of the dragons, and they can easily get rid of them by melting down the metal and calling a special Dragon Rider with cleansing power to remove the lingering curse.
But like Healing Dragons, Light Dragons were a rare type of dragon of the Support Class.
Combat, Tank, Healing, and Support.
Of course, many branches stem from these four classes, and a remarkable number of types were found. From Priest to Light, and even Lightning Dragons, they're all classified under a type. Support Dragons were rare as it is, on par with Healing Dragons, but that made Support Type Dragons of varying types all the more rare.
The common ones are Combat and Tank after all.
Lola is the wielder of a Healer Type Dragon that can heal herself and her allies, and Fran has a Support Type Dragon specializing in detection and scouting. Janus and Lukas have a Combat Type. (Possible retcons)
Bismuth is under the Tank Type Dragon class, too.
But Cursed Items... These items brought insanity to the Ironclad Kingdom. When they first started enslaving enemy dragons from the kingdoms such as Castalix and even the Grove, those dragons died, and cursed items that brought a much given firepower to their wars... But they made the users go mad. The energies are dark, resentful, and never go easy on the bastards who separated them from their masters and their entitled retirement. This resentment cursed items around them, or made them, forming rings, accessories, and weapons such as swords.
The people used them... It heals them when striking enemies, it can increase their speed, normal people become superhumans, and Dragon Riders use them alongside their Bond Skill to increase their physical capabilities by 1.5x their original strength.
***
But...
Some items can be countered with the right circumstances.
"Cursed Items, huh?" Ashter soon walked alongside...
"Yeah! I always wanted to study them, see how they work, and maybe... Just maybe-!"
"?" The pair turned their heads, as since waiting for the matches to start, he made a friend. A man who is obsessed with Cursed Items. He's a Silver Rank Dragon Rider, his name being Jacob Quartz.
He's related to that one Diamond Rank guy from a few chapters ago.
"Alright, Dragon Riders!" Said someone, Lukas.
Today is the first round of the Midterm! Where you will showcase your skills and capabilities with races, brawls, and so much more." Lukas said, as many people didn't wish to take part in this and used their brain to take an extensively hard test. They pass due to them studying rigorously.
"The first round... Will be a race. With or without the Bond Skill, you will race against three of the other top academies of the Castalix Kingdom!" Lukas explained, seeming more hyped than usual.
The four Dragon Rider Academies...
These four academies produced notable Dragon Riders, sure, but aren't as known due to the reputation of the Castalix Dragon Rider Academy.
"Welcome one and welcome all!" Shouts a man, as a large stadium surrounded a large area of land, as stones glow and show the closeups from all angles.
"I hope everyone bought water and food, because you won't be able to get out of your seats, for today is the day... The grand festival, the grand performance, the Dragon Rider Midterm!!!!" He said, as everyone cheered, as dragons viewed from above and plenty more flew around, it was a grand performance only happening once every year!
"The Midterm will take place for an entire 4 days, from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years, we all will witness... We will see these young and capable Dragon Riders fight to make it to the top of their classes! Now... Let's introduce the other big three Dragon Rider Academies!" The man soon focused their attention on...
"Farwell Dragon Rider Academy!!!" Plenty of 1st years from Farwell Academy are seen walking into the stadium, wearing a grey colored uniform compared to their academy's blue uniform, which Ashter wore.
"Mountain Peak Dragon Rider Academy!!!" Another, Mountain Peak Academy, is located in the mountains outside the kingdom but in their territory. These people are wise and are not notable people, but despite their around 40 students per year, they are a force to be reckoned with and wear fluffier uniforms of whites and blacks.
"Third... Calaban Dragon Rider Academy!" In a religious school, these people are devout worshipers of Calaban, the God of Reason, whose presence is said to bring humans free will and knowledge. They wear green uniforms,
"And last but not least... Castalix Dragon Rider Academy!!!" Soon, Ashter gets up, as walking alongside Jacob, a LOT of people burst out in cheers compared to before. While many support the other schools, it isn't a surprise that the main academy gains the most recognition for being the first of the Dragon Rider Academies to be born.
Everyone roared as if from a special section...
"Seems you turned him into a respectable young man, Cale." Spoke the king, as Cale sits with her mother and father.
"Of course I did... After all... H-He will have my hand in marriage..." Cale blushed a bit as she fixed him, that's for sure.
"..." Ashter stands amongst other Dragon Riders, they all stood there, representing themselves, their dragons, and the honor they will hold being amongst the elite of the elite.
"There he is!" Spoke...
"Indeed." Another said, as there was Zariah... But what's that man beside her? He seems well off, wearing more colorful clothing, as the woman explained...
"That's my boy... My son!" She was CRYING almost, as the man calmly said,
"Get carried away but not too much-"
"GO ASHTER!!! MOMMA LOVES YOU!!!" Zariah roared, as the praise was drowned by plenty of others, from the Castalix Kingdom strictly, many from other Circles came to watch. Many of the praises were aimed at the main academy...
'This is it... The Midterm!' Ashter smirked...
'Lets fucking do this, Bismuth.'
End of chapter 9.