~~Author's Note~~

Sorry again for such a long wait! 2 weeks again? Well I can sort of make up excuses but its really just my fault. Writing this chapter didn't inspire me much and getting the sick near the end of writing it didn't help much but finally its out! I hope you guys enjoy this one!

Chapter 8

As the sun glimpses over the horizon, many forest animals and dragons begin to stir from their sleep. Vinur slowly wakes up in his human body, looking towards the sunrise. Spktra, already awake, was chatting with Hermit. Striker was the last of the three to wake up, stirring slightly and then finally opening his eyes as the sun brightened his lids.

"Morning Hermit, morning Spktra." Vinur says as he sees the two chatting. Spktra turns around and smiles at the two as Striker awakes, padding to them.

"M-morning Spktra." Striker greets with a yawn. Vinur stands up and pets Spktra on the head.

"So did anything happen while we were asleep?" Vinur asks. Spktra churrs and sits down.

"Not really. The island was cloaked for the most part. There were no attacks… Heh… been awhile since I slept with no wounds…" Spktra responds with a smile. Striker then stands up from laying down and sits beside Spktra.

"Good, if it's ok, we should leave soon. We have a friend to go visit." Vinur says, looking up to Hermit.

"You can go visit your friend, but I would like to point something out to you first, Striker." He speaks, turning his attention to Striker.

"O-ok, what is it?" Striker responds, also looking up to the foreverwing. Spktra answers the question for Hermit, saying,

"It seems like your passive ability of healing who is around you is infact working. There were some dead flowers around for a while here, but when you slept, they started recovering. Striker looks surprised and looks around at the flowers. They were all blooming well.

"Th-that's amazing! I did not know it would start working that fast…" Striker says in awe.

"You are truly impressive. No elemental was able to learn this quickly, especially passive abilities. Those abilities usually start working once the elemental clears all his inner conflicts and achieves peace with who they are and their goal…" Hermit informs, impressed.

"I must have done th-that last night then…" Striker recalls, looking back to when he met his father in The Pathway. Spktra nods in agreement and looks to Hermit.

"Thanks for everything Hermit. We might come back here tonight. Seems like this is the only place where demons can't find us." Spktra tells his old friend. Hermit nods as Vinur mounts onto Striker and the three get ready to take off.

"W-wait, there is something I want to give you first." Hermit suddenly remembers.

"What is it Hermit?" Vinur asks as the three all look at him. Hermit looks to Spktra with a look and Spktra's face seems to brighten as he remembers something. He flies to a cave and runs back with a dragon sized necklace in his maw. The necklace has a few gems on it all glowing green. Spktra lays it upon the ground in front of Striker. Hermit then speaks to Striker,

"Your father used to wear this. These gems helped him identify a nearby elemental, or a nearby demon as demons sometimes disguise as friends to try and get you off guard. Take it Striker."

"Th-thank you Hermit, this will be useful." Striker remarks, taking the necklace. Vinur helps him put it on as he rests it against his neck.

"The gems will glow green if an elemental is nearby, and they'll glow red if a demon is nearby. Like this…" Spktra says, getting closer to the necklace. As he approaches it, it glows red, indicating that a demon was nearby. "See, just a demon here." Hermit then nods and says,

"Striker, I taught you everything I know about your healing powers. Spktra will teach you the rest. Also, I suggest you go talk to the people on 'Your Eternal Reward Island.' They are people who have ditched viking ways and pursue knowledge. They should have lots of information about elementals." He then pauses and sighs. "I'm afraid this is time to say goodbye…"

"Goodbye Hemit. We'll visit you again someday." Vinur says, hopping on the back of Striker.

"Yeah, thank you Hermit for everything. Farewell."

"Good luck on your journey. I hope we meet again one day." The stormcutters around Hermit fly down to Spktra and Striker and bow to them. Other dragons join them soon afterwards. Striker nods to them and takes off to the sky, thanking Hermit again. Spktra follows the two.

The three approach the island as they see it in the distance. Enforcer Island seems to be still in celebration. Dragons still fire fireworks into the sky and many of them are carrying the same banners like before. As they get closer, they notice that Locnus' ship was not around.

"That is odd." Vinur says as he doesn't see the ship. "Let's circle the island and see if they left." Striker nods and flies around the island along with Spktra. As they fly around the island, the three notice two kids riding a deadly nadder as it flies around. "Hmm, let's fly next to them…" Striker glides down to them, indicating his understanding.

"This is where I leave, unfortunately." Spktra says, staying near the clouds. His two friends say goodbyes. Striker and his rider now glide right next to the nadder.

"Mornin' there." Vinur greets them. Striker and Vinur recognize them as Liza and Ryder. He then smiles as he sees the two.

"Hey! You're back and human!" Ryder says although now realizing it was weird to say in front of Liza. She didn't seem to react, but that might have been due to her shyness.

"Yeah we are! And I am! Although, where is your ship?" Vinur asks curiously.

"Oh, dad said that there was an important trade he had to make for my birthday today."

"Ah, I gotcha, well happy birthday! How old are you now?"

"Thanks! I'm now thirteen." Vinur smiles and then asks,

"Well, what do you want to do on your birthday?"

"Well… I was planning on spending it with my family. They've been gone for three weeks, but then they sailed, so I thought I would spend it with Liza until they are back."

"And with us." Vinur smiles and pets Striker's head.

"Heh, I guess so then." Ryder smiles and then inspects Striker. "Hey, is Striker's back glowing green or am I imagining things?"

"Nope, you're not imagining anything." Vinur answers back. Striker nods in agreement with a smile.

"And… he is wearing… a necklace? Can I ask what happened?" Ryder asks, very confused.

"A lot happened. We found out that Striker is an elemental night fury."

"A what now?"

"An elemental night fury, basically a magical night fury."

"I heard you.. I just don't understand what that means…" He turns to Liza. She looks very confused at their conversation. She then pets Rose and tells Ryder,

"I think we should land, Ryder. Rose seems to be tired." Ryder nods in agreement as he sees Rose panting a little. Liza pats Rose's head and she starts to glide down towards the island.

`Hey Spktra, I think you should come down, maybe meet Ryder.`

`Ehh… I don't know.`

`It'll be fine.`

`Alright then…` Spktra then decloaks and dives down to Striker and Vinur. Striker smiles at Spktra and then follows Rose. The three dragons land at the massive mead hall. Liza dismounts and then sees some of her friends.

"Hey Ryder, I gotta go. Goodbye Ryder."

"See you later!" Ryder smiles and waves her goodbye before turning to the three. Vinur dismounts and Ryder begins to speak, "Well, now that you are here, I can show you the…" Before he continues, he notices Spktra and looks at his black eyes. He backs off and freaks out. "Wh-what the hell is that thing?!"

"Oh, that's Spktra. Spktra, Ryder. Ryder, Spktra." Vinur introduces them. Striker purrs comfortingly to calm and try and tell Ryder that Spktra was a friend.

"Hehehe, it ain't the first time someone reacted this way, kiddo." Spktra says to him although Ryder can't understand his words.

"What the hell is up with its eyes? It looks like a demon!" Ryder says, still looking scared.

"Well, he is a demon dragon." Vinur emphasizes 'dragon' to make it seem normal. "A very nice demon though. He helped us get safe. He might be demon by nature but he's an angel at heart." Vinur smiles and pets Spktra.

"Would you stop staring at me!" Ryder commands Spktra, petrified. Spktra sighs and closes his eyes and points his head to the ground. Striker nuzzles Spktra a little to show that he was friendly. Spktra nuzzles back, raising his head back up a little.

"He's not gonna hurt you. He's friendly. Just introduce yourself to him." Vinur says with a smile. Ryder sighs and looks to Vinur.

"Are you sure? I've never seen a dragon with those eyes before… and he is a light fury. His eyes should be blue, shouldn't they?"

"He is friendly, I assure you." Vinur persists. "Just go over to him and introduce yourself." Ryder looks nervously at Spktra and then steps closer ready to back off at any moment. Spktra keeps his eyes closed so he doesn't scare Ryder.

"Spktra, Ryder wants to get to know you." Vinur informs him.

"I can sense he is scared. I can hear his heartbeats from here. I don't want to scare him more…" Spktra explains.

"Don't be afraid to be yourself even if he is a bit scared." Vinur says and then turns to Ryder. "He is friendly. I know the eyes can be scary but he's not going to hurt you." Ryder gulps and then sits right next to Spktra with one knee up. He puts his hand on top of Spktra's head gently and with worry.

"H… Hey big guy, I… I'm sorry for shouting at you..." He says, still being a little nervous. Spktra nods but keeps his eyes closed. Vinur whispers in Spktra's ear.

"It's oki Spktra, you can open your eyes now." Spktra hesitates and then slowly opens his eyes. He looks at Ryder, trying to look as innocent as possible. Ryder looks a bit afraid from seeing his reflection in Spktra's eyes, but he then composes himself.

"You aren't scary… just different… I'm sorry" Ryder says and then hugs Spktra around the neck. He looks surprised and smiles happily. Vinur and Striker both smile at the sight.

"See, he's nice and friendly such as nearly every other dragon." Vinur remarks.

"Y-yeah, I just misunderstood. You need to tell me what exactly elemental night furies are though, but let's go to my house to discuss."

"We can ride there."

"R-ride? Who will I ride on?" He asks nervously.

"Spktra of course." Vinur smiles. Ryder looks at Spktra and then sighs.

"A-alright… I won't judge a book by its cover. Spktra… would you mind if I could ride you?" Spktra nods and smiles, lowering his back for him to get on. Ryder hesitates at first but then gets on. "Easy now.."

"There we go." Vinur smiles and then mounts onto Striker. "Now let's go." Spktra nods and unfolds his wings before taking off. Striker follows him. As Spktra flies, he has a confused look as Ryder tries to guide him to his home. It felt very strange to him as this is the first time a human has ever ridden on him.

"Is he ok?" Ryder asks, gesturing to Spktra. "I'm trying to tell him where to go, but he keeps going in wrong directions."

"He's never had a human rider before." Vinur answers which gets a nod from Ryder in understanding.

"How's having a human on your back?" Striker asks Spktra with a little chuckle.

"It's uncomfortable as hell. He is trying to move my head around for whatever reason, and I don't want to accidentally drop him, so I have to go slow. How do you do it without being uncomfortable?" Spktra responds.

"Well, the saddle helps with it a lot, but I just kinda got used to it." Hearing the two's conversation, Vinur asks Ryder,

"Hey Ryder, can you stop pulling on Spktra's head around? It's making him uncomfortable."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I saw Liza doing it with her dragon to guide her to where she wants. I thought that's how it was done." Ryder apologizes.

"Nope, it's not. I usually just tell Striker where to go." Vinur suggests.

"I'm sorry then Spktra. Try to go right, around the second statue." Ryder points to it and Spktra nods and starts slowly flying towards it.

"See, much easier." Vinur remarks. Striker then follows the light fury and its rider to the second statue.

"Alright, land there." Ryder points to a big house with a stable next to it and a small farm to the back. Spktra nods and lands at the front of the house and Ryder dismounts. Striker follows swiftly, landing and letting Vinur get off of him. "I don't think I showed you our new home before. Come in!" He welcomes them and opens the door before entering. "Don't worry, my mom is with my dad as well, so all three of you can come in."

Vinur enters first and then the two furies enter after, sitting gently in the main room which could fit the two. The three noticed that the house had many valuable items around, with an assortment of paintings, weapons, full scale armor sets, and much more. There is a big fireplace on one of the walls in the main living room and stairs off to the side that lead to the second floor.

"Nice home you got here. So, what do you want to do, birthday boy?" Vinur asks as he sits in one of the comfy chairs in the room. Ryder takes a seat as well and answers,

"I'd first like to know what elementals are, and why I all of a sudden feel… a bit… energized. When Striker got close to me today, I felt like I had more energy. And I feel that now too. I caught a cold yesterday, yet I didn't sneeze once today…"

"Well, let me explain. An elemental night fury with special powers. Striker is a nature elemental fury. He has strong healing powers and his vicinity can heal people, so that might explain why you feel better." Vinur explains to him. Ryder looks amazed and looks to Striker.

"R-really?" Striker nods knowing that Ryder seemed almost in disbelief as he looked at him.

"Yeah, we discovered it yesterday evening." Vinur informs.

"Did he always have these powers?"

"Yeah, it seems like it… although he hasn't used much of them until recently."

"Woah… so what else can he do?"

"Well, he can make himself or others invincible as a last ditch effort. He can also get rid of the poison that humans use on dragons. Oh! And he can even supposedly heal and revive people."

"Re...revive? Like… bring them back to life?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Wow… I can't believe it… this is beyond magic…" Ryder awes.

"It truly is…" Vinur agrees. After a few moments of silence, Ryder gets up and looks to Vinur.

"Wanna see my room?" Vinur stands up.

"Sure, is it upstairs?"

"Yes, Striker and Spktra, you two can stay down here." Vinur relays the information to Striker and he nods. Spktra would have already nodded, knowing the language of Norse. The two humans then walk up the stairs. Ryder guides him to the left after they walk in and opens a door to his room. "Alright, here it is."

"Wow, nice room." Vinur says, looking around at the room. There was a simple bed, although it did have valuable fabrics for the covers. On the bed, there was a stuffed dragon plush. It seemed to not be any sort of particular dragon. There was a desk with some pencils and a candle, and a big dresser that most likely carried many clothes. A window to the docks and the sea beyond was above the desk. Ryder sits on his bed.

"Thanks, I like it. It was better than the last home."

"I can tell." Vinur keeps standing and looks out the window. "Hey, is that your dad's ship?" Ryder gets up and peaks out the window.

"Oh! It is!" He smiles and watches it as it gets closer.

"Well, should I take you to him?" Vinur asks.

"Oh I think it's better if I stay here. I should prepare the house for their return. Though, I think you should greet him."

"Alright, I'll do just that then." Vinur walks out of the room and down the stairs. Ryder follows him but then goes into the kitchen to presumably get things ready. Vinur then takes a deep breath and then starts transforming into his night fury form. Striker and Spktra look confused as to why he was changing.

"Uhm… why are you changing?" Striker questions.

"Locnus is here and I want to greet him." Striker nods.

"We'll just stay here." He looks to Spktra who nods in agreement.

"Alight, I'll see you two in a bit." Vinur responds and then exits the house. He then sighs and spreads his wings carefully before taking off a bit roughly. He was still not used to flying but he was definitely improving. He increased his altitude to gain some height for gliding. He knew it wasn't a good idea to transform in front of him and he needed to speak to him so he transformed back into his human form which had his flight suit on. He started gliding towards the ship and then landed right behind Locnus at the wheel of the ship. Locnus turns around suddenly but then realizes it was Vinur.

"Welcome back Mr. Vinur."

"You can just call me Vinur." He chuckles. "So, how was your journey?"

"Apologies. It was great. I got Ryder something… a little special for his birthday."

"What is it?" Vinur asks curiously. Locnus points to a covered cage.

"I got this from a trade. I got him a stormcutter now that he isn't afraid of dragons. I thought it would be a good idea to give him a dragon like his new friends."

"Is the stormcutter poisoned?" Vinur asks with an expressionless face.

"Of course it is… I don't want it to hurt Ryder. Don't worry, this poison doesn't really enslave dragons. It just prevents them from hurting their owners or fully disobeying." He reasons.

"The stormcutter would also not hurt Ryder even without the poison." Vinur says with a glare. Locnus' smile goes away.

"I'm sorry Vinur, but I am not letting this dragon get close to my son without it being safe… I won't leave any chances of harm happening to him."

"Let the dragon out of its cage and I'll show you." Vinur tells him.

"I know what you will do Vinur, but I'm not allowing it. I know dragons can trust humans, but I won't risk it. Please, I can't bear the idea of anything going wrong." Locnus explains.

"Things won't go wrong. I thought you were someone different. Open the cage before I do it." Vinur asks with a hint of anger.

"I'm still the Locnus you know, but I can't let it harm my kid. I'll do anything to keep him safe, and if that means keeping the dragon poisoned, then so be it." Locnus states firmly.

"You don't need to poison a dragon to make it safe." Vinur walks to the cage to open it. Locnus then runs to the cage and gets there before Vinur and then removes the cover. The stormcutter was a purple color and its eyes were normal. There was no poison in it. Locnus looks at Vinur with a sad expression. "Care to explain, Locnus?" He sighs,

"Well, Ryder already told me about your opinion on the poison and I uhh… I didn't know exactly what to do… I knew you two were close friends, so if I poisoned it, you'd know, so I just decided to see how you would react to me bringing in a poisoned dragon…"

"Well, now you know." Vinur says planely and then gets close to the stormcutter and speaks to it. "You alright?" The stormcutter looked very confused for a second as the human spoke with a dragon voice.

"Umm… eh.. Yeah, I am, don't worry… I've been in situations like this before… I was sold a couple of times…"

"Well, now you're safe. The person who will receive you is a good friend of mine, and you're not getting poisoned." Vinur then opens the cage. "Step out. No one's gonna hurt you." Vinur smiles. The stormcutter gets out of its cage slowly. Locnus sighs and puts his crossbow on the floor and kicks it away. "So what is your name?" Vinur asks the stormcutter. "Mine is Vinur."

"Well, my name changes with each new buyer, but I like to be called Nightdust." She says with a purr.

"Nice meeting you Nightdust, so would you like to meet a nice human and bond with him without poison?" Nightdust thinks for a bit, looking to the sky, wanting to take off. She then shakes her head and looks back to Vinur.

"Who is he?"

"His name is Ryder. He's not like other humans. He loves dragons and hates the poison probably as much as I do. Do you want to meet him at least?" Vinur asks with a smile.

"I… I would like to meet a person who doesn't poison me for once… Yeah, I think I want to meet him…"

"Alright… so… Vinur…. Would you mind leaving and getting Ryder to the middle of the village? I want to surprise him with his gift…" Locnus asks.

"I think it will be more of a surprise if you, me, and Nightdust show up at the doorstep." Vinur suggests.

"This is more of a personal thing. You know, a family thing. I want the dragon and I to show up to him together and give it to him by myself. Please let me have this moment." Locnus pleads.

"Alright sounds good. I'll just lead him to the middle of the village."

"Thanks Vinur."

"Well, Nightdust, would you be ok with Locnus riding on you?"

"It's alright. I was ridden before…"

"Alright then Locnus, I'll meet you at the center." Vinur goes to the edge of the ship and looks back to Locnus. "And no poison." Vinur transforms back into his night fury form and then takes off to Ryder's home.

Vinur lands at the entrance to Ryder's house and knocks on the door with his head. Ryder opens the door and then smiles and pets Vinur. He purrs and comes in before transforming back to his human self. Striker and Spktra would be resting by each other in the open space of the big room.

"Have a nice talk with my dad?" Ryder asks.

"Yeah it was good. Your father actually has a surprise for you. He said to come to the center of the village."

"Oh? Well then let's go there!" Ryder says excitingly. He then goes to Striker and Spktra and pets both of their heads at the same time softly. "Come on guys, we're going to the center of the village. Both of them open their eyes and Spktra asks,

"Why's that?"

"My dad has a surprise for me and I don't think you two should stay here alone in our house." Ryder says. Spktra nods and relays the information to Striker. The two get up slowly and walk to the front of the room. Ryder opens the door and walks out. Vinur walks out behind him and Striker and Spktra walk out after them. Ryder then shuts the door.

The four begin walking towards the center of the village.

"Soooo… heh, do you think you can tell me what he got me?" Ryder asks eagerly.

"Well, I'm just gonna say you'll like it." Vinur smirks. The four arrive at the center of the village and many people have gathered around.

"So, where is he?"

"Look up." Vinur grins. Ryder looks up confused but then sees a stormcutter flying around with a rider. The dragon starts gliding down and lands.

"No… way…"

"You're getting a dragon now." Vinur whispers. "Without poison." Ryder smiles wider as he hears the last two words.

"He… he really didn't poison her?"

"Mhm." Vinur smiles. Locnus dismounts Nightdust who sits down after. Locnus walks up to Ryder and puts his hand on his shoulder and sits on one knee. The crowd goes silent.

"Happy birthday son. This is uhh, your new dragon. I thought it would be a good time to get you one since we're in a place that doesn't hate dragons anymore. It isn't exactly cheap, but it is for you, so it was worth all the money." Ryder smiles happily.

"Th...thanks dad!" He hugs his father.

"Now go meet your new dragon." Locnus smiles.

"Her name is Nightdust." Vinur whispers to Ryder. Ryder nods and walks up slowly to Nightdust. Nightdust smiles and Ryder stretches his hand out to touch her. Nightdust leans on it without hesitation. The crowd then cheers and claps, but a confused look fills Ryder's face.

"Wh… what the?" He gets closer to Nightdust's eyes. He looks at them and notices a purple color around his pupils. His smile fades away instantly.

"What is it Ryder?" Vinur walks up to him. Ryder then sighs and turns to his father.

"D.. dad… you poisoned this dragon while Vinur was away, right?" Locnus looks at Ryder with a sad expression.

"I know you hate the poison, but I'm not going to let anything harm you, not even a chance. As much as I like dragons, they are still wild animals. They might still hurt you no matter what you do…" Locnus tries explaining. Ryder looks to the ground and closes his eyes. Vinur glares at Locnus.

"Locnus, you don't trust me, do you? You went behind my back to poison this innocent dragon. Why would you do it if you have seen the truth multiple times in your life?" Vinur asks angrily.

"Vinur… back off now…" Ryder says with a serious tone. "I'll handle this. I need to show him… no…" He looks to the crowd. "I need to show you all something!"

"Go ahead Ryder. Show them the truth." Vinur gladly steps away and watches. The crowd starts talking to one another. Ryder pulls out a strange piece of equipment of some kind and raises it to the air.

"This, this is the same tool you use to inject that venom into those dragons… Into those innocent creatures who had done no harm other than defending themselves, but I changed it. I reworked how it functions. Now it removes the poison from dragons… I refuse to be like all of you… I refuse to enslave poor creatures." Ryder turns to Nightdust. "I don't need this filthy poison to gain their trust…." Ryder puts the tool into Nightdust's neck. The purple poison starts building up inside the tool as he pulls on it until it stops. All of the poison now is out of Nightdust. Her eyes go back to normal and she looks to the crowd and then to Ryder. Her pupils become as thin as paper and she growls a little bit. "It's ok big girl." Ryder looks at the tool and then throws it away as hard as he can. "I am not one of them!" The crowd gasps and some start backing away. Nightdust looks at what Ryder did and her pupils become a little wider.

Ryder composes himself and stretches out his hand looking away from Nightdust. Nightdust watches Ryder's hand and stops growling. The crowd all looks at Nightdust in suspense, wondering if it would bite Ryder's hand off or his whole body. Locnus becomes a little scared but does not intervene. After a moment of silence which felt like hours, Nightdust leaned on Ryder's hand. Ryder opens his eyes and looks to Nightdust. He smiles and puts his other hand around her giving her a small hug. Nightdust smiles back. The entire crowd gasps again in shock. Many 'whats?' and 'hows?' could be heard from them.

Ryder scratches Nightdust's chin. "These creatures are not the monsters you think they are. They don't need poison or whatever to make them trust you. They may have attacked you before out of self defense or being scared, but they are not enemies. They are intelligent creatures and even some of them are magical and more powerful than you think." He gives Striker a nod. Striker nods back and smiles. Locnus then feels the need to speak up.

"Every one of you owns a dragon, but not their trust. That poison won't help, no matter what it does or how little harm it does to the dragons. It is still slavery. I've seen the truth before. I've even seen magical things I thought were just stories… So I planned this scene with my son to show you all how wrong you all are. These creatures aren't for slavery whether you accept the truth or not. It is what it is." He looks to Ryder with proud eyes and Ryder smiles back. Vinur turns to Locnus.

"You planned this, you sneaky one." Vinur says shocked but relieved. The crowd still looks shocked, none of them saying anything or speaking up.

"It is the truth, and I won't allow anyone to decline it!" Ryder shouts to the crowd, looking to the poisoned dragons. He then glances to Striker.

"Striker… snap them out of the poison. All of them." Vinur relays the information and Striker nods.

"Concentrate. Summon lightning and turn it into a healing beam then flap your wings strongly releasing the healing power with the general area. All of the dragons here will go back to normal." Spktra whispers into Striker's ear to instruct him.

"O-ok, I'll try." Striker begins concentrating deeply. Lightning strikes him and makes his spikes glow ferociously. He then focuses on converting the energy into a healing energy. Once converted, Striker flaps his wings which sends a shock wave of yellow and green, causing all the dragons on the island to be released from the poison's effect.

The crowd all look scared at the now freed dragons. All of them expect the dragons to kill them or burn the village down, but the dragons just look at each other and each one leans against their owners, nuzzling them to calm them down. The dragons realized that their owners learned the truth. Striker smiles at all of the unpoisoned dragons acting peacefully.

"Looks like it worked." He pants.

"It did." Spktra smiles at Striker. The crowd looked amazed and now truly believed that dragons were not bad. They saw that the dragons didn't hurt them even after the poison. They already gained their trust and the dragons forgave them because they still loved their owners. They thought all their lives that the hunters were the heroes, but after what they saw, they knew they were the villains. The crowd all cheers to the group that showed them the truth. A man which Locnus and Ryder identify as the chief steps out and raises his hand. The crowd silences and the chief walks closer to Ryder. He offers his hand to Ryder which he takes and shakes it.

"I'd like to thank you for showing us this realization. Those hunters were scummy and took our money from us by giving us this poison. Well, we don't need it anymore thanks to you. The dragons were always kind of limited when it came to fighting and complicated tasks with the poison, but now we can see them as helpers of our tribe. No more poison from now on!" The crowd cheered loudly and everyone seemed to have a smile on their face. The chief goes to his people and all are emotional with glee. The people all focus on their dragons and pet them. The crowd goes on seperate ways with their dragons.

Luca comes from within the crowd and gives Ryder a hug which Locnus joins. Nightdust then joins the hug with a purr. Vinur smiles and joins the hug as well, Striker and Spktra also join on the outside of the hug. Ryder then laughs.

"Ok ok! Guys thanks, but I can't breath!" He chuckles trying to free himself. Everyone laughs and lets him go. Ryder then introduces Nightdust to Luca. Locnus looks to Vinur.

"I suppose you want an explanation, right?"

"Well, I have the picture but did Ryder know all of this?" Vinur asks.

"He knew about the dragon days ago, ever since we got here actually, but what he wanted for his birthday wasn't a dragon, it was for everyone here to treat their dragons equally."

"Well, it was a nice plan." Vinur chuckles.

"I can't believe it worked, but it did, and that's what matters." He turns to Nightdust. "Sorry for poisoning you. It was a part of the plan to get people to stop doing it to other dragons." Nightdust smiles and licks his face in understanding. Locnus laughs in response.

Spktra pads closer to Vinur and Striker and informs them,

"As much as I am enjoying this, we should probably start moving to Your Eternal Reward. The night will fall soon, and the last thing we want is to draw the demons here; It's a cloudy night." Striker looks to Spktra.

"Yeah, you're right, we should probably get going, Vinur…" Vinur nods and turns back to Ryder.

"Well, Ryder, now we part ways again, we'll visit again."

"Well, we're actually moving again tomorrow. It will be my first trading trip ever. We'll be sailing around the world… s-so… I think this will be our last goodbye…" Ryder tells them solemnly. Striker whines and nuzzles Ryder.

"Well, is that so…" Vinur gives Ryder a hug. "Maybe we will see you again someday…" Ryder hugs them both.

"Thank you Vinur for changing my life… forever…" Striker then licks Ryder. He chuckles in response and scratches Striker. "And you too, Striker, thanks…" Striker churrs and nods, nuzzling his hand.

"I'm always happy if I can spread the truth." Vinur states. Locnus notices the three and searches his bag before pulling out a sheath of a dagger. He unsheathes it and pulls out a fire proof dagger. The handle is decorated with a ruby and its blade has engraved dragons on it.

"This is a really valuable weapon. It can be used both in combat as it is good at shredding through any metal and in trading for its value. Almost anyone would give you anything for it… Take it Vinur… Something to remember us with… I insist." Locnus offers, holding the blade out carefully to him, putting the sheath back on.

"Thank you Locnus." Vinur takes it and straps it to his belt. Ryder looks to Striker and Vinur and wipes a tear from his eyes. Nightdust nuzzles Ryder a little which makes him smile a little.

"Well, we gotta go prepare for the next trip. Farewell Vinur, we'll never forget you." Locnus says with a bittersweet tone.

"And we will never forget you. We may even see each other again…" Vinur hugs them both and then lets go and walks backwards back to Spktra and Striker. Ryder, Locnus, and Luca all mount onto Nightdust who could easily carry the three. They wave one last time before flying away back to their house. Striker sighs,

"I'm really gonna miss them…"

"We will see them again, don't worry." Vinur comforts Striker.

"Well you two, let's get moving. We have a lot of things to do…" Spktra tells them.

"Well, lead the way Spktra." Striker smiles and unfolds his wings as Vinur hops onto Striker. Spktra nods and takes off. Striker and Vinur follow Spktra as he leads the two towards Your Eternal Reward Island. As the sun set, Spktra thought it best to settle down for the night because of how far they were from their intended destination.

"There's a small island here, it is kinda high with no cover so the moonlight should protect us." Spktra says, gliding down to the island. The other two follow and the three land.

"We should probably take shifts in looking out for demons throughout the night." Suggests Striker.

"Hmmm, that's a good idea. I'll take the first shift, get some sleep, you two." Spktra smiles and looks to the moon.

"Alright goodnight Spktra." Vinur says as he leans against Striker. The two fall asleep peacefully. The three take turns each hour to watch to get everyone some sort of sleep. Surprisingly, no demons attacked and the three slept relatively well throughout the night.