Chapter Five: Training Camp

Sean led his group of seven out of the mall and far from the city. Everyone kept asking questions, but they received no answers yet. They, like Ben and Robert, were led past the suburbs to the outer edges of town and into the woods.

"Exactly where are we going?" Brittany asked for the millionth time.

"We're almost there." Sean replied.

"Almost where! We're in the middle of nowhere!"

"That's the whole point." Robert said.

"Huh!"

"You'll see, trust me."

"Robert," Melissa said. "I trust you as far as I can throw you."

"Okay, we're here." Sean said, glad to finally be there.

"Where?" Brittany asked. "We're in the-"

"-middle of nowhere." Robert finished. "You said that already."

"Believe it or not," Sean continued, "this clearing is the place."

They all looked around.

"It's…big." Melissa said.

"It's…nice." Christie said.

"It's…I've got nothing." Brad said. "Why are we here?"

Sean gave a small grin. "Ben? Rob? Get your weapons." Ben and Robert went into the woods just a little ways and came back with their gear, as well as Sean's blade.

"Whoa." More than one person said. Sean took his blade and looked around the group.

"Who's first?"

Everyone looked at each other.

"Did you bring us out her to kill us?" Brittany had to ask.

"Nah. Quite the opposite, really. I want to show you a new life. So, who's first?"

There was a long silence as everyone looked at each other, their eyes daring one another to step forward.

"Alright, alright." Melissa said. "I'll go."

"How did I know?" Sean asked.

"If you try to hurt me, I'll break your neck."

"I doubt it, but don't worry." He held up his sword and brought it down until it was pointing at Melissa's Dragoon Spirit. "Awaken…spirit of the Dark Dragoon."

Instantly, Melissa's spirit glowed like never before. It was a dark blue hue filling the area. Suddenly, the dragon launched its powers into Melissa.

"AH!" She shouted, clutching her chest. But the pain traveled through her body, covering every limb, straining her until it burst. A dark bubble surrounded her, clouding her from their sight. Then, it all came together and suddenly exploded in a dark wave, shrouding everything around in darkness for a few seconds. When they could fully see again, Melissa wasn't herself.

Her armor was much like the guys' armor was, except that it was all a very dark blue, almost black color, and the armor around her waist was had a more prominent curve to it, outlining her hips.

Melissa was frozen in place. Finally, she looked down at herself.

"What…what…what…what…what…what…h-h-h-h-h-h-happened!"

"Good question!" Brittany exclaimed. Sean looked at the shocked faces of all who were unfamiliar with the transformation.

"I have just awakened the spirit of Melissa's dragon, the Dark Dragon," Sean said.

"WHAT!" Melissa exclaimed.

"Alright, let me speak to everyone here when I say this. Those necklaces you wear? You want to know why they glow? Here's why: they're alive. Those orbs on your necklaces are the spirits of dragons long deceased."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm serious!" Sean said.

"Dragons?" Brittany asked.

"That's right. They did exist. However, they're all long gone. However, though their bodies had died, their spirits lived on. Their spirits took the form of small orbs we call Dragoon Spirits. That's what those orbs are, the remains of a dragon."

"Uh…whatever," Melissa said. "But what does that have to do with what happened to me?"

"It's simple, really. A dragon's spirit is useless by itself. It needs a vessel to act through. They started placing their trust in humans and would grant them their powers."

"Powers?"

"Yep. Certain humans are able to harness the power the dragon had. For example, Melissa, you are able to use all the dark abilities the Dark Dragon had, for that is the spirit you carry. And the armor? It's as hard as the dragon's skin was. So, basically, you're a human dragon. Make sense?"

"Uh…"

Robert spoke up. "The necklaces are spirits of dead dragons who will give you their powers and abilities when you call upon them."

"You're serious!"

"How else do you explain it?" Sean asked.

"That's…that's crazy!"

"Everything is crazy in this life."

"This life?" More than one person asked.

Sean sighed, having to repeat this story. "You think Dragons are going to give their powers to humans for no reason at all? Of course not! They give their powers to someone so they'll use them."

"For what?"

"For war."

"With what?"

"The dark forces that threaten the human race."

Another silence.

"He's telling the truth." Ben said, stepping up. "He already showed all this to me and Rob. He said my dragon was the Red-Eye dragon, dragon of fire, and I was able to use fire abilities. I've done it. It's all true."

"How?" Melissa asked.

"Well," Sean said, "No one really knows how, but it doesn't matter, now does it? What matters is all of you have one thing in common. The dragons chose you to fight for them, for they are unable to do it themselves."

"Chose us?" Brad asked.

"That's right. Humans cannot manipulate dragons. They are the only ones who can choose who bears their powers. They've been sleeping for centuries, but now, they're coming to life again and I am speeding up the process. I am going to prepare you all to face our enemies. If kept unchecked, they will attack the humans. We Dragoons are chosen to stop them."

"How do you know all this?" Christie asked finally.

"Because for several years, I have been living this nightmare. I have been keeping all dark forces at bay for a long time."

"Then why do you need us?" Melissa asked.

"Because something is coming. I don't know what or when, but it's coming. All I know is that I can't handle it alone. I'm going to need all the other Dragoons with me to defeat it. I've been searching for you guys for a long time. You can imagine my surprise to find you all today."

"So, we're all these 'Dragoons'?" Christie asked.

"That's right. You're all warriors. Well, not really. I can teach you all how to fight. If you will all meet with me on a regular basis, I can transform you all into true, fighting Dragoons."

Melissa asked a question. "Does this have anything to do with that monster that attacked the town yesterday?"

"Yes, it does. That was a virage; an ancient monster I thought was extinct. Even so, virages hardly ever attack alone. I believe there's more to it."

"This is all VERY complicated." Brad said, rubbing his head.

"You'll get used to it."

"Used to it? How?"

"Like I said, if you can meet with me on a regular basis, I'll teach you everything."

"Meet on a regular basis?" Melissa asked. "You mean come together all the time so we can fight and train to be an elite army that's supposed to save the world, putting us right in the heat of danger?"

"Yep." Sean replied, unemotionally.

Melissa gave him a dumb look. "And what if we don't want to do this?"

"Yeah!" Brittany chirped in. "What if we don't want to run the risk of being killed?"

"Then you can all sit back and watch your species get destroyed."

The bluntness of Sean's statement disturbed everyone, which is exactly what he wanted. The group looked at each other. Was this really happening to them?

"Why us?" Christie finally asked. Sean shook his head.

"I can't tell you that. You'll have to ask your dragons."

"Ask them?"

"Yeah. They're spirits, so they do have a consciousness. They choose their bearers for their own reasons that only they know."

"Another question," Brittany declared, "How is it that you know so much about these Dragoon Spirits?"

"I, too, am a Dragoon, you know. And, like I said, I've been a Dragoon longer than any of you have, so I have learned much. And I can pass that knowledge on to you all…if you're willing to stand with me. I'm not going to force you into anything; it's your decision. I'm going to ask here and now: who's with me?"

Everyone looked at one another.

"I'll tell you now, the life of a Dragoon is no fun. You're constantly in danger of being killed, you have a terrible responsibility to live up to, and nobody will know you're a hero. That's why you've never heard of any of this before. Nobody can know about the Dragoon Spirits."

"Why not?" Brittany asked.

"Because this world isn't ready for such knowledge. It's better that the humans remain ignorant to our activities. Of course, nobody will know what heroes we'll all be, but it doesn't really matter after a while. As long as you're saving your race, it's alright. So, who's with me? Who's willing to fight for their race?"

There was a silence. Then, to everyone's surprise, Brad stepped up.

"I'm in." Everyone looked at him. "Well," He said, "Why not? I mean, the dragons chose us, right? So, if we don't do it, nobody else can, right? And I'm not one to watch the humans die out, so I'll do what I can."

"So will I." Christie put in. "He's right. We're the only ones who can do it."

"Well," Brittany said, "if she's in, then so am I."

Sean turned back to Melissa. "Well?"

She nodded. "Yeah. My butt-kicking skills are going to waste anyway. Why not?"

Sean had to give a small grin. "Wonderful."

Robert and Ben smiled to each other.

"Alright!" Ben said, "So…is this everyone?"

"No." Sean said, "There's still one more Dragoon we need to find. Does anyone here know of any other Dragoons?"

They all just shook their heads.

"Hm. I was fortunate enough to find six in one town. The last one can wait a bit, but everyone keep your eyes open, okay?" They all nodded. "Alright. Now, I have a plan to get us all together for a while…"

Sean's plan was unbelievably clever. Everyone told their parents about a camp that really didn't exist. It had all the greatest stuff and it was really cheap! All the parents agreed and their kids were off.

They all arrived, bringing only a few necessary things with them. The money they'd taken for "camp payment" was for emergency purposes only. It was mid-June, so, for the next two-and-a-half months, they'd be roughing it. Up until now, Sean had been unable to transform Christie, Brittany, and Brad into Dragoons. Melissa, however, had now spoken to her dragon and was dying to learn more. Everyone was, really.

At long last, they all arrived. They were nervous, but they were ready.

"Alright," Brittany said, as she arrived, running over to Sean. "C'mon! C'mon! Make me a Dragoon already! I've been waiting for weeks!"

"Hang on a minute!" Sean said, not used to dealing with such energy. "First, a few ground rules."

"Rules?"

"Yep. Rule number one: I have been a Dragoon longer, and my Dragon is stronger than any of yours. Plus, I know a lot more about everything than you guys do. That being known, you will all follow my lead."

"So, you're in charge by rule of seniority?" Robert interpreted.

"Basically. Any objections?" Nobody did. He was right, after all. "Good. If someone did, I'd have to take the lead by force." Everyone chuckled, not knowing how serious Sean really was.

"So," Christie said, "any other rules, Oh Great Leader?"

"Don't call me that, for one. For another, just as a reminder, nobody can know about what happens here. Third: nobody leaves unless I give them permission to, okay?" Everyone nodded. "Okay. Ben, Rob, and Brad, come with me." He led them to one edge of the woods and spoke to them privately. "Alright, guys, listen. I know this is a co-ed party here, but…" Robert rolled his eyes. "Don't be getting any sick ideas, alright? Out there, in the real world, after our training, you guys can do what you want. However, while you're under my command, you'll watch yourself around the ladies, alright?" The guys nodded, all embarrassed. "I'm serious. They're our companions, our friends. You guys try anything without her consent and I'll break your legs. Understood?"

"So we can't get involved with the girls?" Brad asked.

"Not true. I want you to get to know the girls and all. I'm just saying keep it in your pants, alright? Especially you, Robert."

"So we can flirt?" Robert asked.

Sean gave him a look.

"Well?"

Sean sighed. "I don't know. I'm just want you to treat the women as companions, not entertainment devices, okay?"

"Okay." Everyone said.

"Good." He turned back. "Melissa, Christie, Brittany, front and center." They walked up to each other and Sean crossed his arms.

"What we you talking to them about?" Brittany had to know.

"I was just laying down the gentleman's rules. If any of them gives you trouble, you tell me, okay?"

They all chuckled, embarrassed, but gave their okays.

"Cool. But this rule applies for you too, okay?"

"Alright," Brittany said, "but we can still hang out with them and all, right?"

"Right. In fact, I encourage it, but to a limit, if you catch my drift."

"Good, cuz that Brad kid is really cute."

"Ah," Sean said, rubbing the back of his neck. "There's another thing I should warn you about. If you want to, like, get into a relationship with any of the guys, or any guy for that matter, I won't stop you. However, I do want you to remember one thing: you all live a dangerous life. You all nod your heads now, but you have no idea how dangerous it can actually be. All I'm saying is it might not be the best idea to get involved with a Dragoon, because you never know how long they'll be around."

There was a silence. The girls looked troubled.

"The way you say that sounds so foreboding." Christie said.

"Afraid?"

"A little."

"Let that fear help you. Use it. Fight to protect your friends, as well as your species."

"Then I'll try extra hard to make sure Brad doesn't get killed." Brittany said with a nod.

Sean opened his mouth, and then closed it again, seeming confused. He scratched his head again.

"Hm. I don't know whether to encourage or discourage that. I mean, it's good you want to protect someone, but you shouldn't pick favorites. Well…whatever. Just, uh, be careful."

They all nodded and Sean turned to the whole group again. "That should about do it! Now, the first order of business: Christie, Brad, and Brittany, please step forward."

They did so, all excited.

"Ben, Rob. Come give me a hand."

They looked at each other, then walked forward. "What do you need us for?" Ben asked.

"Speeding up the process. Anyone can awaken a fellow Dragoon Spirit. Just watch me. He turned to Brad and pointed his sword to his spirit. "Awaken, Spirit of the Violet Dragon."

As with the others, Brad's spirit swarmed with life. Violet jolts of electricity pulsed through Brad's veins and around his body until erupting in a wide-range electro-magnetic pulse.

"Any guesses as to what powers he possesses?" Sean asked. There were none. Obviously, it was electricity.

The electrical bolts wrapped themselves around Brad like he was one big magnet. The bolts fused together, becoming armor. When it was over, Brad stood in basically the same armor as everyone else's. The only differences were that his armor was a deep violet and the band around his forehead had a spike going up in the middle and others getting smaller and smaller wrapping around his head.

"Ah," Brad said, rubbing his sore areas. "Does it always hurt like that?"

"No." Sean said. "Just the first time."

"Why?"

"Humans aren't meant to wield great amounts of power. The dragons have to break you in. Even then, you're not at full power. You'll all have to grow as Dragoons, becoming increasingly powerful and your bodies will adjust better. Soon, abilities you couldn't do, or ones that hurt to do, you'll perform effortlessly."

"Cool." Brad said.

"Oh, by the way." Sean said. "Melissa, would you transform for me?"

"What?" She asked. "How?"

"Just ask for your power from the dragon."

Melissa felt foolish, but closed her eyes anyway, silently asking the dragon to give her power. Instantly, it happened. Black energy surrounded Melissa as before and she reappeared as a Dragoon, quicker this time.

"Huh." She said. "That was easy."

"Told you. Now…" Sean's Dragoon Spirit glowed as he pointed his sword at Melissa's spirit. Suddenly, a rapier appeared in Melissa's hand.

"What!" She exclaimed.

"Your weapon. Use it well. Now, change back."

Melissa was going to ask how, but she tried the same way she went in. With a dark flash, she was herself again.

"Aw…I feel so weak in this form."

"Dragoons aren't everything. Learn to rely on your human body as well."

"Alright, alright." Brittany said impatiently. "C'mon! I wanna be a Dragoon already!"

"Patience." Sean said calmly. "Ben. Robert. You two transform them. Robert, you do Brittany. Hers is the Blue-Sea Dragoon. Ben, you do Christie. Hers is the White-Silver Dragon."

They both nodded. Ben pointed his sword as Robert pointed his spear.

"Awaken, spirit of the White-Silver Dragon."

"Awaken, spirit of the Blue-Sea Dragon."

Blue and white lights went off like mad. Christie's light overcame Brittany's by far, nearly blinding everyone. They all had to look away for a few minutes. Even when the light had vanished, they still saw little sparkles in the air and their eyes kind of flashed in and out of focus.

Christie's armor was different from everyone else's. Her armor was white, of course, except for the headband, which was light blue. Her armor was fashioned differently, however. The shoulder guards were very short, for one, but the white armored gloves went up a bit higher. Than the other Dragoons'. The armor covering her body stopped just below her chest, leaving her midriff exposed. As for her lower body, white armor matched her curves going down, like Melissa's, but unlike hers, it was more see-through. Not a problem though because there was a green skirt underneath it that went about halfway down her upper leg. She still had the white armored boots that went up to her knees, and a tad past. And, of course, there were the two white wings.

Brittany's was VERY unique. It looked, basically, like a one-piece swimsuit of blue armor. It went up in the front to her collarbone, but in the back, it went up a little further and wrapped around atop her shoulders so that the wings could come out. She still had the armored gloves and blue headband, but her lower armor was different. Instead of having the armored boots, her lower legs were bare. Her armor was on the upper part of her legs. But she did have blue footwear that looked remarkably like thicker high-heeled shoes.

The girls looked themselves over. Christie was slightly embarrassed by the look, but otherwise thought it was neat. Brittany loved everything about her new appearance. Sean's spirit glowed and he waved his hand, causing the other two spirits to glow. Weapons then appeared in the girls' hands. Christie was a long, white blow. Brittany's was an odd weapon: a long mallet with a large head.

"This oughta knock some people out." She said with a grin.

"Hopefully, it'll crack a few skulls." Sean said. "You'll need to. Okay, now, transform back." The girls did so with ease. "Alright." He rubbed his chin. "Where to start?" He pondered for a moment, then decided. "Flying. We can't just train here. I know of a lot of places to train, but we can only get there by flying, so everyone transform and let's get started!"

They all became splendid flyers within a couple hours. They couldn't fly too high, though, for fear of being seen. However, this had advantages. The Dragoons had to fly through the tangled mess of trees and their branches. They broke through a lot, but soon learned to evade very well, despite their wingspans. Brittany's favorite move was a dive straight down, then unfurling her wings at the last second and floating up again.

Sean taught them how to use quick aerial attacks, like a simple swipe with their sword or whatever. However, he never flew himself. In fact, none of the Dragoons had seen his Dragoon from yet. He said it was currently unnecessary.

After their flying lessons, Sean began showing them how to fight as humans. Sean had to give one-on-one training to each member, so they didn't all get much time to practice. They caught onto the basics for the most part, but they had a long way to go, of course.

Evening came faster than Sean had counted on. When it got dark enough, the guys got a bunch of firewood together.

"So does anyone know how to start a fire?" Brad asked.

"Why don't we ask our fire Dragoon?" Sean suggested. "Ben?"

"Me? Uh…okay." He remembered what Sean had said about talking to his dragon, so he asked it for power. Fire emerged from the spirit and engulfed Ben, yet he did not burn. The fire grouped together and formed red armor all over him, right where he sat. He opened his eyes and he was a Dragoon again.

"Now," Sean said, "Light the wood."

Ben nodded and outstretched his hand, concentrating. A rush of fire shot from it and ignited the wood.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this." Ben said with a giddy smile.

"You will." Sean said. "Soon enough, you'll feel naked without your Dragoon Spirit."

"I have a question." Brittany said. "You said you've been a Dragoon for a while, right?"

"Right."

"So how did you keep your work hidden?"

"My battles are always fought far from any human cities. Nobody knows these places still exist. Everyone's forgotten about them."

"Forgotten?"

"Yeah, they used to be inhabited by humans long, long ago. Some turned into today's smaller towns, though their origins are forgotten. The others were deserted or simply forgotten. My enemies sniff out these places to keep themselves in secret until ready to strike. I stop them, though."

"What kind of enemies?" Melissa asked.

"All sorts. Big, small, smart, dumb, you name it."

"And your parents don't know?" Brad inquired. "That's what I'm worried about."

"Me too." Ben said.

"How did you keep your secret a secret?" Christie asked.

"Well," Sean said. "It's wasn't all that hard for me, really. My dad's kind of lost interest."

"What about your mom?" Christie had to ask. "Mine can just look at me and tell I've done something."

They all noticed Sean's brief hesitation. "Not a problem either."

"Is it hard being a Dragoon?" Brad asked.

"Yeah. Often times, it's overwhelming. But I just keep thinking of what I'm protecting; what I have to come back to."

"But they never know." Robert pointed out. "So they can't appreciate it, can they?"

"No, and that's really discouraging sometimes. But you're still fighting for a good cause, and that makes it worth it." No one seemed thrilled, so Sean tried encouraging them. "But there are a few perks. Take flying, for example. I know you all enjoyed that." They all admitted that they had. "And there's that sense of freedom that comes with the wings. You become a great fighter, if you try, and get to kick a lot of butt. There's a lot of pride that comes with the job, knowing you're one of the select few chosen by a dragon to do such incredible feats. Such a calling has not happened in centuries."

"Say what?" Brittany caught on. "You mean this has happened before?"

"Oh, yeah. I didn't tell you guys. We're the third generation of Dragoons. Here, let me tell you a story…" And he went into the story once more, of the Dragoon Campaign, the winglies, virages, and Melbu Frahma. Their eyes were wide open as they listened to those that had gone before them. None of them could fathom the tales he had to tell, and the intensity of them.

When at last he was done, the sun was fully set and the Dragoons stared in awe.

"Wow." Brittany said. "You know a lot!"

"Only what I need to know."

"This brings me to another question." Melissa said. "How do you know so much? Nobody else knows anything about Dragoons, so what makes you so special?"

"Well," He said, "I, too, discovered I was a Dragoon quite by accident. Most of my knowledge came from my Dragon. He raised me as a Dragoon."

"Huh." Melissa said. "And the rest of you knowledge?"

Once more, they sensed hesitation. "A source."

"Can you be a little more specific?"

"A wingly."

"A wingly?" Brittany chirped in. "Did we, like, kill them all in the, uh, Dragon Campaign?"

"No, some of them still lived. To be honest, it was a surprise to me to find out she was of a different species."

"She?" Brittany caught.

"Yes, she. For a while, I thought she was a human."

Brittany tried putting it together. "An old girlfriend?"

"Hardly." Sean said. "She was almost twenty years older than me by human standards."

"Human standards?"

"In wingly years, she was approximately 5,589 years old."

Eyes shot open everywhere.

"Winglies live longer lives than humans."

"Much longer!" Brittany exclaimed.

"So she just taught you?" Melissa pressed on.

"She'd been carrying the spirit and it happened to glow around me, so she took the time to teach me what she could."

"Where is she now, though?"

"After a year or so, I can't quite remember how long, she left me in the care of the dragon. I never saw her again."

"And how long ago did she leave you in the care of the dragon?"

Sean thought back, seeming to strain his mind to remember. "Let me see…it was…" He seemed troubled. "I…can't remember…strange…" He shook his head. "It doesn't really matter."

They all looked at each other. How could he not remember something as big as that?

"Well," He said, "Any other questions?" There were none. "Alright." Melissa suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, uh, can I talk to you?" She requested.

"What is it?"

"Uh…over here." She motioned to the woods and they walked off into secrecy.

"Well?" He asked.

Melissa hesitated, nervously fidgeting her hands.

"I, uh…I…I know who the eighth Dragoon is."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chapter five completed. So, most all the Dragoons are found. The last one will be discovered in the next chapter. But why was Melissa hiding it? And what of Sean's mysterous past? Those answers to be given soon. Please review for now!