A Mithral Dragon in Modern Britain
Chapter 1: LochNess
Author's Note: Part of this chapter is very grim. Just be aware of it. I'm not going into any really gritty details, here or there, but just be forewarned.
The news crews stared at the two dragons as they conversed quietly. Sharanna laughed lightly. "Yes, too true. I'll look into the problem. But, for now, it seems we've attracted a little bit of attention."
The indigo-scaled reptilian considered the situation. "Well, I guess it was time that they finally figured it out," the other dragon answered her. She shrugged, or as close to a shrug as a near-dragon like her could. The creature otherwise known as Nessie laughed lightly, looking around the Loch. "It's not as if I haven't given them enough clues over the years."
Sharanna snickered. "In any case, I'll be going. Thank you for assisting."
Nessie smiled, showing her teeth. "I'll get it out of you eventually, mithral," the lesser dragon promised.
Sharanna just shook her head at her friend and leapt into the air, banking slightly to the north as she came up to around four hundred feet, moving directly away from her own home to throw everyone off. I think that went about as well as it could have, she thought to herself. Now maybe people will start thinking. It should be funny to see what they do to figure this one out, she added, chuckling (or rumbling, really, since her voice box was larger than some big cats).
The Senshi sat down on various items of furniture in Makoto's apartment, looking worried. All of them, save Setsuna, were there for the meeting. Michiru and Haruka traded a look, and both Ami and Artemis looked tense. "Guys, are you sure that's what you saw?" Rei asked, confused and a little worried.
Haruka gave her a dirty look. "Do I look that stupid?" she asked. "I don't like this. It's probably a coincidence, but since two of us are going to be in that country…" she trailed off. "It sounds like a trap."
The others traded looks of their own and sighed. "Well, we need to keep an eye on the situation," Artemis said after a long moment. "From what Luna and I can remember, the silver dragons were friendly to the Moon Kingdom, but that was thousands of years ago, a long time, even for dragons."
"Yes, it is," Ami replied slowly, some old memories coming to the surface. "One of them was my friend. She… adopted me after I was called to become Senshi Mercury," she continued, pain old but no less bitter flashing in her eyes. "She taught me… magic," she added, confused. Shaking off the mood, she looked at the other girls. "I don't know if I can fight one of them. There's something else. I don't think she was a silver dragon, any more than that dragon on the news was."
Artemis nodded, but was cut off before he could say anything. "Indeed, she was not," a soft feminine voice answered her. "The silver dragons died out millennia ago, or fled to other places, far from Earth," she added, stepping fully into sync with that time. Senshi Pluto stood before them, her features human now. "Humanity hunted them, blamed the dragons, all of them, and anything else that was intelligent and non-human who survived what had happened. With magic having died out after the fall of the Moon Kingdom, they were easy prey. Some of the dragons were barely able to move, crippled without the mana that they required to survive." She looked sad and ancient, remembering horrors long gone. "The orcs and the goblins perished during the long winter, unable to cope with both human encroachment and dramatic climactic change. Humanity turned on the giants who had liberated their race so long ago with the help of the silver and gold dragons, and much of the last of the magical talent that was left died in those purges." Pluto stares at something no one else can see. "Mankind brought the Silver Millennium down through his own arrogance and jealousy. Metallia and Beryl both hailed from the host of Man. And in his fear, Man turned on everyone else, even the innocent. Children were slaughtered, hatchlings of the dragons and drakes killed and butchered for meat." She looked like she was on the edge of crying. "The dragons were trying to save everyone, both on Earth and off it, but Man had doomed them to a slow, lingering death that they defied to save Mankind. And Mankind killed them, and anything non-human, in thanks for their efforts. And for all that, the horror and shame of the survivors when they discovered just what evil had been wrought upon the other races, they forgot. The flood of the Bible was unleashed by an uncontrolled ritual. Humans broke in and killed the casters, a trio of mithral dragons trying to save Earth from being frozen over. The closest thing to family of that dragon on the screen died that day, and their blood and that of millions of others still stains the collective hands of humanity in my view and in others. Mankind has much to atone for. And this time, I don't think that I would stop anyone from bringing the people of Earth to justice," Pluto added coldly, angry over what had been done so long ago.
Haruka, Michiru, and Rei were on their feet, and in Pluto's face. "Just what do you think you're saying?!" Haruka demanded angrily.
Pluto looked at them for a moment. "Humanity butchered and displaced over a billion sentient beings in that struggle, many of them innocent, and some of them actively trying to undo the damage that Man had done to himself. More of them fall into the former category than the latter," she added. "I stood by, evacuating who I could, shielding and aiding those I couldn't, but even I was targeted for my efforts. I will not be lectured on this by you," Pluto added. By now, the rest of the Senshi were standing up, various expressions of anger and horror on their faces. "The hatchlings of the dragons were butchered for meat, as I said. It wasn't given to dogs," she added. "I watched horrors beyond anything Hitler ever contemplated carried out because Mankind was 'afraid'. In reality, he was mad. Mad with fear, with arrogance and pride, and a thousand other things." She looked old, so terribly old, as the sights she'd seen weighed down on her soul. "We are fortunate that Sharanna does not hold it against us, otherwise, I suspect that few would survive her wrath."
Haruka laughed. "Just what makes you think we can't take something that villagers armed with sticks could kill?" she asked, not believing her ears.
Pluto cocked an eyebrow. "A mithral dragon? A fully-grown adult mithral dragon is probably less vulnerable in the modern deprivation of mana than it would be otherwise, since you need some sort of magic to have a prayer of stopping them. Their scales and hides are tough enough to stop tank shells, and they have a resistance to hostile magic that even I would be hard-pressed to defeat were it not for my Senshi abilities. Immensely strong in methods both physical and mystic, and with an intellect and perception that surpasses that of the greatest of humans, and the memories of a half-dozen lifetimes. That is what you would face. Mithral dragons are not sloppy, and while overconfident to some extent, they have a sense of caution and foresight that our previous enemies have lacked. And Sharanna was also an intelligence and fleet officer, trained in strategy, espionage, and tactics. If we wanted to kill her, I doubt that we would survive more than a few days after she found out. Or more than a few minutes in open battle," she added. "The dragons helped to create the Senshi, invest us with our power. Sharanna wasn't that old, but she did study the spells and rituals binding our powers to us. I'm not sure, but she might very well be able to strip one of us of our powers. I do know she's killed at least one Senshi before, one who went rogue, and she was much less powerful then." Pluto shook her head. "Her kindred died from surprise that day, Haruka, and they were assaulted by the last of Earth's archmages and eldritch warriors. They had so much of their power bound up in the spells they were casting that they were unable to defend themselves. Sharanna would not have that problem if we chose to strike against her."
The Senshi sat stunned at the revelation. "Just how many of these dragons are still alive?" Mamoru asked quietly after absorbing the information he'd been given.
Pluto considered the question for a moment. "At the time of the last count I conducted, there were precisely... one," she finished, smiling slightly. "And Sharanna has... while not accepted, she has come to terms with what happened in the past. The sins of the father will not be avenged upon the child in this case," she pronounced. "Sharanna has dealt with it better than I have, in fact," Pluto added, bitterly.
"Because she's not human?" Ami asked hesitantly. "Her psychology is better at dealing with it?"
"Because she slept through the Darkness, rather than watching at the Gates," Pluto corrected. "In truth, I am only marginally more human that she is," she admitted.
The Senshi reeled at the latest little revelation. Michiru finally summoned enough of her faculties to ask a question. "Pluto, just what do you mean by that? That you aren't that much more human than the dragon?"
Pluto gave no verbal response, simply focusing her mind and allowing the glamour she wore for their benefit to disappear. Her ears became pointed and her eyes almond-shaped. Her features were more angular, and she seemed more... slender and fey than before. Looking at the shock on her faces, she smiled, amused at the sight. I haven't this much fun with a roomful of magi since the last Conference, she thought to herself, feeling the grim mood that had settled onto her begin to lift. The other Senshi erupted into pandemonium. Rei slapped a ward on the face of the Time Senshi as both Haruka and Michiru transformed. Ami pulled out her computer. Makoto and Minako had their wands out, but didn't know whether to transform or not. Mamoru became Endymion and had his sword drawn, though what he planned to with it seemed a source of confusion to the Prince of Earth. Usagi stood, becoming Serenity and looking at her eldest Senshi in confusion. Hotaru had her Glaive, but she looked as confused as Endymion did. Luna was shocked while Artemis just shook his head, looking vaguely amused and annoyed at the same time. Overall, the revelations they had been privy too this day were nearly the limit of what their faculties could accept.