"Roxas?"
"Yeah?"
"Why am I hiding in here?"
"Because I stopped them from sacrificing you," he answered absently, continuing to read. The Draconic language did not look easy to learn.
"Right. But the dragonstrike is undoubtedly over by now, right?"
"Probably."
"So until next month, I should be safe."
"I guess. If you don't like my company just say so, Naminé. I won't mind."
"It's not your company, it's your obsession with dragons and the stupid idea you can do something about it."
"Actually-" he began, looking up from the book.
"I'm not interested," she cut him off. "You don't even know if you can trust that book."
"One way to find out," Roxas shrugged. "I think it's more possible than I did before after reading a bit of this."
"What can I do to convince you to give it up, Roxas?"
"I dunno," he shrugged again. "If I come up with anything I'll let you know. If you're not planning on coming back, you can give me the spare key back though."
"Would you mind if I kept it for now? I don't know if I'll be accepted again, since I'm meant to have been eaten."
"Nothing personal, but... how do I know you're not just going to tell the watch what happened, where to find me, and give that to them?"
"I can't believe you'd think I'd do that. You're my friend, even if you have gone mad. I'd never turn you in."
"Alright, but what about the watch? They're likely to ask you how you got free."
"I'll tell them the cuffs weren't put on tight enough."
"That'd get me into trouble – the others who went with us know I was the one who had to put them on you."
"Then..." she hesitated momentarily, then continued, "Then I'll tell them you told the other guard to put them on me. No matter what they say, I won't put you in trouble, Roxas."
"And the key?"
"You're not being fair, Roxas. If I tell them it's mine, they'll ask me what it goes to, and if I tell them I found it, they'll take it and try to find what it unlocks."
"Which is exactly why I want you to leave it behind, Naminé." He fished in one pocket, then pulled out his house key. "Here. Take it. You can stay in my room if you need a place to stay, and I'll try to come and check up on you if I can make it safely. If you're there, then I'll bring you back with me."
"I don't know where your place is," she objected.
"Just look for the houses with the holes in the roof. The one closer to the top of the town is mine. You can't miss it."
She sighed, but nodded, taking the house key and returning the spare hideout key.
"Don't do anything stupid Roxas. I know you're set on this, but..."
"I know. I'll take care of myself."
She unhooked one of the two torches still lit, listened at the door for a moment, then left. The only other light now came from the string of lights over the roof of the cave. It was lighter than the torches had been, and showed that some parts of the hideout were already starting to show signs of turning out like his bedroom had.
He felt somewhat bad for making her hand over the key, but it would be safer this way. He doubted his mother would turn Naminé away if she found out. If she noticed she was there at all, he doubted she'd even noticed the dragonstrike.
He trusted her not to turn him in, and without the hideout key unless he opened the door, no one had any idea he was here. It had taken him some time to get perfect, but up until now time had never been a problem. If he'd still been working on it now, the pressure would have been on to get it done...
Roxas turned back to the book, flicking forward again. He'd looked up the colours of the two dragons he'd be dealing with already. The black Noble Dragon embodied the two aspects of poison and darkness, while the red Wyvern fitted the classical dragon with fire as its element. Coupled with his suspicions, this gave a few suggestions as to just why it was so familiar to him.
Now though, he wanted to learn about the Dragonkin. Everything he'd read so far pointed toward their being humans with special affinities for dragons, but there was little more than this mentioned. If he wanted to find out more, this was where he had to look.
Dragonkin is a collective name for those humans among us who relate to the Dragonkind better than most. Understanding on what constitutes a Dragonkin is scarce, limited only to the theoretical and the unverified. Some have said that the blood of the Dragons runs in them, others have suggested that there is a recessive genetic trait that seldom surfaces. Whatever the reasons, they are split into two broader categories, known among the Dragons as the Jacks and the Masters.
The term 'Jacks' may have sprung from the human phrase 'Jack of all trades', and it is perhaps the most accurate description. As suggested, these Dragonkin do not specialise in any single kind of dragon, and are instead capable of working with all kinds. Jacks gain fewer benefits from any dragon than the Masters, but their broader coverage gives them the ability to combine the powers of more than one kind of dragon, and indeed more than one colour of dragon.
However, as neither Noble Dragon or Wyrm have much liking for humans, Jacks that have any relation to either are exceptionally rare among an already rare minority of humans. Overall though, one is more likely to encounter a Jack than a Master.
The far less common Masters, as no doubt already gathered, are always specific to a single kind of dragon, known as their totem dragon. They can delve deeper into the secrets granted by their totem dragon, and are the only ones who can partner themselves with one of these dragons to gain yet more benefits.
Partnering is done only by mutual agreement, and thus as would be expected Wyvern Masters are the most commonly seen Dragonkin. Noble Masters should rightfully be held in deep respect due to the nature of the Noble Dragons, and Wyrm Masters no less so just for finding a Wyrm willing to partner. This does not demean the Wyvern Masters in any way however, as common as the Wyverns may be, Master Dragonkin are the least likely to have a Wyvern as their totem dragon.
Masters do not have the option of choosing their totem dragon, and most are not even aware of their kinship. Guiding signs that may suggest the possibility of being a Master include an affinity for dragons, the Draconic language coming to them almost as naturally as their native tongue, unusually sharp sight and hearing.
The most notable sign, and the only certain one can only be found during the first month after birth. Newborns that appear to have a single dragon's scale matching their skin colour at the lower part of their back will undoubtedly be a Master of one dragon or another. After the first month though this scale will have disappeared, making it impossible to tell for certain after then.
Some Masters go through their entire life completely oblivious to their nature and the secrets they could unlock, and those who do discover it will most time find it completely by accident. Those rare individuals who manage to learn of it usually discover much about their totem dragon and what they stand to gain before starting their own quest to find their partner – though there have been two known Masters at the time of writing known to have turned down this fate and went on to lead normal lives.
On coming into direct contact with a dragon, most Masters have a chance to gain some few traits of that dragon, dependant on the kind and colour of the dragon. A Blue Noble Dragon for example, may confer the powerful ability to breath underwater, while a Blue Wyrm will allow the ability to detect water while tunnelling, to avoid opening the tunnel into open water – a somewhat lesser power, but useful nevertheless. A full range of possibilities may be seen in the chapter regarding dragons and their colours, though Masters should take care to note that these are merely guidelines, and the actual abilities gained may vary, or possibly not even be listed there.
When partnered, Masters gain further abilities, ones not available to Jacks or Masters of other dragons, even to those Masters who share the same Dragonkind in common. These abilities too vary by colour, but also by the personalities and the depth of the kinship between partners. New partners may only have a few additional abilities, while long-time partners who have rarely had rough times will be formidable foes to cross, with potentially devastating abilities.
When this partnership deepens, it sometimes becomes possible for the reverse to take place, with the Master lending some of his own traits to their partner dragon. These incidents have not happened often or within the lifetimes of the authors, and so is considered to be but a legend – but such a legend must surely have some basis in fact. Therefore, Masters would do well to remember this, but be aware that it may never happen.
Once a Master is partnered with a dragon, it becomes an irrevocable bond, binding their two lives together for all time. For this reason, entering into a such partnership must be considered with utmost care, as there exists no way to break one afterwards – even death cannot part them, for as long as one lives, so too does the other. Only by ending both within moments of each other can true death happen. This alone may allow a Master to live far beyond the normal lifetime, up to the end of the natural lifetime of their partner dragon. These extended lifetimes are not known, and questioning dragons on the matter has not been fruitful. It is known to be in excess of some three centuries in some cases, providing some idea of just how long a Master may live for if care is taken to avoid one's enemies.
The words seemed to play back to him in his own voice, echoing inside his head as he looked up from the book, already thinking over what he'd learned from just this small introductory part of the Dragonkin chapter.
An affinity for dragons and for their language. Both were true of him – he'd picked up the language from the book almost startlingly quick even though he'd never seen or heard it before, and Naminé would no doubt confirm his affinity. Sight and hearing? Well, it was possible. Sometimes it did seem like he noticed things before anyone else.
There was no way to confirm the last sign though, unless it had been recorded in his file back in the official library – and now that people were undoubtedly back out and about, that was totally out of the question.
But if this was accurate... whatever had weakened that red dragon had left it without much strength and it could die – if his suspicions were correct though, it was unlikely that there'd be any reason for them not to partner, and if they did that, he could save it.
There shouldn't be many people left in the tunnels by now, and fewer still close to where the dragon was. If it was still alive, he could use the sound of its breathing and occasional flaming to return to it again.
He emptied the rucksack first though, filling it with various chunks of wood, even breaking down a chair into pieces to fill up the last of the space. He'd need something to light so they could see by.
The book on dragons was hidden carefully away behind several other books on the small shelves, then he slung the rucksack back onto his back with several wooden clunks, took the last torch and headed back out into the tunnels on the skateboard again. He didn't want to get there only to find he'd been too late.
