The sun had only begun to rise over the forest as Elia rode up to Oliver's house, the ring that he had given her setting on her right hand as she overlooked the house in front of her. As she did so, she noticed Oliver himself sitting at the flat patch of ground with his legs crossed, looking at Serphia who was swinging with a practice sword. "Focus on where you're striking while also paying attention to your surroundings, otherwise you'll be taken out completely," Oliver spoke as he kept his gaze on her, his head turning slightly as he noticed the sound of hooves approaching. "I won't be here for the remainder of the time, so you'll need to focus more on your training than before if you wish to survive any similar onslaughts to what you had faced yesterday."

"Of course, sir." Serphia responded, looking over at him as she got out of her stance, noticing Elia directly behind him. Oliver chuckled as she stood up in attention, dropping the weapon immediately as she bowed to Elia. "Your majesty."

"At ease," Elia spoke, getting off of her horse as she looked to Oliver, particularly the white shirt and pants he was currently wearing. The man only sighed as he got up, looking at her as he smiled. "I was told to arrive early so as to allow us more time."

"Excellent, that should cut our time by a few hours since Ksalso should have some food ready at the Dragon's Heart," Oliver responded, holding his hand out to the wall of his house facing them, his gaze looking to the horse. "I suppose you'll be bringing the horse as well?"

"Indeed," Elia responded, her gaze still on the outfit Oliver wore. No buttons and the cloth seemed to be all sewn together. It was an interesting concept to her. "I'm guessing this is another form of attire in your country?"

"The shirt is, but the pants are for a more formal attire I use for training," Oliver responded, looking to the wall as the shadows that came from the roof fell down onto it, causing a large door to appear in it's place. With a sigh, Oliver looked back to Elia with a more serious gaze. "I'll warn you now, once you enter this place and we depart, I'll be explaining the truth behind what the Dragon's Heart is. After you learn it, you will either be shocked to the point of no words, faint from the information, or have the event of both."

"I've come to accept that for you," Elia responded, her gaze on the door as it swung open, revealing a stable as Oliver raised his hand to it, gesturing her to enter first. Elia only nodded as she walked into it, Oliver's gaze soon moving back to Serphia.

"Remember, if you need to contact me for anything, just rub the green gem on the bracelet that's in my house. I'll respond immediately." Oliver spoke, making Serphia nod as she looked at the doorway in awe. "Since you're among the few who actually know of the location of this place, I'd like you to have it when I've returned. Gods know that I won't be needing it with the return of the Dragon's Heart."

"Of course." Serphia spoke, shaking her head as she looked to Oliver, her attention now focused on him. "I'll be coming here with Sylphy and making sure the place stays the same while you're gone, given the temporary leave they've given me to recover from the behemoth attack."

"I'll be holding you to that." Oliver responded, pointing to her as he walked into the stable, Elia herself already walking along the path with her horse in tow. "I'll see you when I've returned, Serphia."

With that, the doors swung closed, leaving both Oliver and Elia alone as he turned to her. "You'll find a place for your horse to stay on the far right by the red door." Oliver spoke, walking up to her as he straightened his shirt. Elia only nodded as she looked ahead, finding the place a few feet away, along with a turn right beside the door. When she arrived at it, however, she found a fairly large patch of grass to her left as she took the horse to the stable, finding Ksalso there as he took the reins from her. This time, however, the gem was in the center of his shoulder blades, catching Elia's eye as the man turned to the stable. "Ksalso will tend to the horse while you stay here, and the area itself is wide enough to grant it a good amount of free space to move through. In the meantime, we should take you and your bags to the room you'll be staying in."

"Right…" Elia spoke, looking over to the grassy area confused as she looked up, seeing a fairly bright light above them as they exited through the gold door. "So you said you would explain what this place was, correct?"

"Indeed, and I intend to." Oliver responded as he looked to her, a smirk on his face as the two moved through the hallway to a black door at the end of it, this one of a similar design to the one that Elia had seen before. "The Dragon's Heart is my greatest creation, as you may have noticed, because I've prepared it for everything. Five miles inside of this place, it would take hours to walk it alone if I didn't have the travel means I've placed in it. Some of this is made up for agricultural purposes and preserving wildlife, as you noticed with the stables."

"But how can a ship be able to hold all of this?" Elia asked, making Oliver's smirk widen to a grin as he looked back at her.

"I told you already, this place is a mobile fortress." Oliver responded, the doorway opening as the two walked into a small room, Elia only looking at it confused as Oliver tapped the wall three times. "Ksalso, take us to the top."

To that the room started to shake as the doors closed, making Elia look at it confused. "Wait, isn't he tending to my horse?" Elia asked, making Oliver nod as he leaned on the wall. "Then how is it you're speaking to him?"

"If I had to explain it, then it would take months that we don't have in order to." Oliver spoke as he held up his hand, a black orb forming into it. "So instead I'll ask you one thing: What do you know of dragons?"

Elia then looked at him confused, her gaze now looking to the orb in his hand as her thoughts raced. "There are multiple kinds throughout our world, one of the largest coming from the Eastern countries. Some are even considered deities by tribes to the south."

"In my country, we have no dragons, only legends portraying them." Oliver spoke, his gaze looking into the orb as he went through his memories. "Of these legends, there are tales of dragons who are older than all others, who are masters of the elements. These dragons have lived since time immemorial, and are among the strongest forms of spirits within the spiritual plane. However, they too are born from the hatching of eggs."

"What does this have to do with Ksalso?" Elia asked, making Oliver smirk as he looked at her.

"Patience is a virtue, princess." Oliver responded, the orb spinning around his finger as the princess stared at him with clear annoyance. "While these eggs give birth to spirits, they can be tampered with by the mortal world and change into a physical manifestation of the said dragon, if the dragon is willing of course. This is where Ksalso comes in."

"My lord, we are now sky bound." Ksalso spoke, making Elia look up in confusion as the movement from the room they were in stopped.

As he spoke, the doors to the room opened, revealing a large room that spanned yards around, holding an assortment of tables and devices that Elia hadn't seen before. Oliver only smirked as he walked out, Elia following in tow in awe as she looked up. Unlike the rest of the fortress, the area above was a large, glass like roof, revealing the sky above them as Oliver turned back to her.

"Now that we're on our way, it's time I properly welcomed you." Oliver spoke, looking at the area around them with a smile as he turned to the opposite direction of the door, where the clear visual of the back of a dragon's head could be made out. "Welcome to the inner workings of Ksalso, better known to my enemies as The Dragon's Heart. It has been one of my greatest weapons, as well as one of my strongest allies."

Elia just gaped as she noticed the dragon's head directly in front of them, her body shaking as she looked around the place. "What in the world…" Elia asked, her gaze overlooking the area in wonder as Oliver smirked. Oliver just kept his gaze over at the see through roof, seeing the clouds around them as the dragon flew. "This isn't possible…"

"Not with that attitude, it isn't." Oliver responded, looking over to her with a grin. Elia didn't respond as she walked over to the edge of the roof, looking at the scales that it overlooked as Oliver walked beside her. "Right now we're on what people would see as a large red gem on his back, one of five areas like it which can be used to survey the events of a battle. The others go for their own appropriate forms of warfare as well, of course, but this one is the most suited to take in the realization of the situation people are in when they board Ksalso."

Oliver looked back at Elia, expecting her to still be in shock of the situation. However, he soon found her leaning forward, gripping her chest as she looked at the situation around her. His grin quickly vanished as he raised his hand up, causing the darkness under her to rise as she fell over, eyes closed as he ran over to where he could check her pulse.

"Looks like you were right, less than one minute from learning before it overwhelmed her." Ksalso's voice came, the ebony man rising from the ground beside the two as Oliver looked over to him, standing back up. "Though I am impressed that she even made it to the edge of the room."

"It's to be expected, she's learned from Derek, though it has taken its toll on her." Oliver responded picking her up as he walked over to Ksalso before handing her over. Ksalso only sighed as he held the girl, looking back at Oliver as he walked down the steps to an area the red glass converged to the ground. "However, it's better she gets the full scope of what she just got onto since we don't have the pleasantries of babying her into the truth of the matter, especially since she'd learn about it the moment we arrived at our destination."

"Indeed, she'd probably end up in search of my form, hearing claims of a terrifying beast flying through the skies, striking terror into the hearts of any who gaze upon it." Ksalso responded, making Oliver grin again as he looked to the man. "Shall I take her to her designated quarters?"

"Yes, and make sure that she's alright when she awakens." Oliver spoke, his gaze moving back to the sky above them. "I think I'll cook something for when she awakens, given the stress from this revelation is sure to do something major to her eating pattern."

"Very well then, my lord." Ksalso responded, turning to the red cylinder that the two had come in by as he stopped midway through. "Shall I prepare some of the livestock for you, or will you be using some of the refrigerated meat and spices?"

"I think I'll use the refrigerated, preferably the prime pieces we had gotten back in Texas." Oliver responded, looking to the man with a grin as he watched him enter the cylinder with the princess, the door closing behind them as it went down. "We have a guest, and one I openly made faint from shock, so it's only natural that I make something personally to ask for forgiveness with. Oh, and be sure to tell Isao when it's time to eat."

"Very well, my lord." Came Ksalso's voice from the area again, making Oliver smirk as he turned from the glass. "What shall you do till she awakens?"

"For now, I think I'll meditate on what the King had ordered me to do, and see what I can pull from the items here to help teach her as I prepare the food." Oliver responded, his form slowly falling into the floor as he looked down, his eyes a dark red glow. "With the time frame we have, and given we should be able to make it there in three days if we pace ourselves without that much of a rush, I should have something that's more than enough to prepare with."

-Arlus-

Arlus sat in his room as he read through the most recent reports from his network, the red gem of the ring Oliver had given him shining with the sun's rays hitting it. 'The Western kingdom is growing exponentially after the invasion of a former royal family in the west, and is forcing those to the Northwest to be pressured into paying for their peace…' Arlus thought as he read through one of them. 'In particular, the people of the north eastern canyon areas have been harassed the most, due to the actions of a faction within them that's fighting the Western Kingdom… To add to this, more and more bandits are coming in from the west than we can hope to manage, so we'll need to send someone to deal with them soon.'

Arlus' thoughts were then interrupted as he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." Arlus spoke, closing the letter as the door opened, revealing Indras as the king entered. "What is it that you want, father?"

"Something that I had intended for you to do at a later time, but current matters have changed things…" Indras spoke, the old man walking towards the desk that Arlus sat at, his gaze on the letters as Arlus himself looked at the king confused. "I believe it's time for you to get your head out of the books, and see the battlefield itself."

"Excuse me, father?" Arlus responded, his voice showing the shock that now phased into his face as he heard his father say those words. "Last I checked, you were adamant on me learning all I could before going out into the field against an actual military."

"And current events have quickened that schedule to where you must have firsthand experience in facing the reality of the situations you have read." Indras spoke, looking down at the prince before he turned and walked to the door. "I have received reports from our scouts in the West of the people of the Northwest requesting aid, specifically in a area known as Putolu. You are to go there with the four thousand soldiers of the royal army and aid them in both training and defending their country from their western invaders."

"Aiding a nearby country which we don't have an alliance with?" Arlus asked, his gaze on the king as he stood up from his chair. "What have they offered in return?"

"In return for these actions, if we succeed in aiding them, then we are to be given trade rights with them in both their mining and metal production." Indras responded, making Arlus' gaze widen. "The area there is known to bear Orichalcum veins in several small regions. As it so happens, the people of Putolu bear such a vein within their country, one which is a closely protected secret and item which they will share in return for our aid."

"So you want me to ensure that they hold up their end of the deal?" Arlus asked, making Indras shake his head as he looked back at the prince.

"I want you there in order to ensure that we uphold our own end of it." Indras responded, making Arlus look at him confused as the king looked back at the desk. "The generals of our country have our people's best interest at heart, but only Derek has ever shown an interest in protecting other countries despite the fact of foreign relations. To add to this, it will be inevitable for us to face the western kingdom with their constant push for power, so we must ensure we can stop some of their actions before they gain too many resources."

"Then why send me alone with some of your men?" Arlus asked, making Indras look back to the prince. "And why with some of your own elite troops, given the force that we have read should be coming soon?"

"As I have said before, the time has come for you to face reality than to rely solely on what you have learned." The king spoke, walking to the window now as he looked at the sky past it. "As much as I would want to deny it, a war is coming, and we need those who are of the highest command to be ready for it. Therefore, this is also another lesson for you. Learn from the men who march with you, and deal with matters with their insights on the events at hand."

"So this is another lesson within a duty." Arlus sighed, standing from his chair as he walked beside his father. His gaze soon went down to the city in front of them as he went through the possible reasons for this. "First you tell Oliver to teach my sister in military tactics while sending her troops back to an area that has relatively low attacks occur around it, and now you're sending me to another region away from the country itself… Tell me this: what do you fear will happen to this city in particular, and how bad can it be that you have to send us away from it?"

"Far more observant on the decisions I've made recently than your sister is, aren't you?" Indras asked, a chuckle soon following as he turned to the door. He then made his way there, opening the door as he turned back to Arlus. "You are to leave tomorrow at dawn, so make the proper arrangements within today."

With that the king left, shutting the door behind him as his son turned to question him further. "Very well then…" Arlus muttered, raising his hand to his chin as he thought through what his father had said. As he turned back to the window, however, the gem on the ring that Oliver had given him began to glow, making him raise his hand to look at it. "Wonder what this is supposed to mean."

As he rubbed the gem with his other hand, he heard a small clap behind him, making him turn to find Oliver standing in front of his bed. "Good job, you figured out how the communication works with it." Oliver spoke, a smile on his face as he sat back, a chair soon appearing where he sat as he looked at Arlus, who had taken a step back in surprise to the event. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"How did you come in here without any sound?" Arlus asked, looking at the door to find it shut from when his father had left. He then looked back at the ring, his gaze changing from surprise to understanding as he looked up to Oliver, who kept his smile. "You said communication. I suppose this is the form you spoke of when you gave these rings to me and my sister?"

"Exactly." Oliver responded, reaching to his side before his sword appeared in his hand, pulling it back as he set it on his lap. "The rings are a type of communication that allows you to contact anyone who is holding a similar ring, myself included. Too add to this, you can also decide to have them listen into any conversations you're having with other people or not, depending on the situation you're in. However, the ring only lets you see the person wearing the ring and anything they have full contact with at the time, with the sole exception of anything your feet touch since people normally are wearing shoes, making it null and void."

"Quite a handy item." Arlus spoke, looking at the ring as the red glow now gave a faint pulse, too dim for anyone to see without looking close to it. Arlus then looked back to Oliver, who was now cleaning the blade in his hand with a white cloth. "So how has Elia taken to your accommodations?"

"I'm not sure yet, though I do know she passed out from shock when I showed her the top of the Dragon's Heart." Oliver spoke, making Arlus' gaze widen in surprise as Oliver looked up to him. "It's to be expected, though. The fortress itself is unlike anything that could ever be created in this country even if a thousand years passed, and could only be a thing of imagination."

"What, does it fly?" Arlus asked, his voice showing a slight bit of worry as he looked to Oliver. "More importantly, is my sister okay?"

"She should be fine, I have Ksalso taking care of her at the moment." Oliver responded, the sword in his hands seeming to shine brighter with each time the cloth passed over it. "And I think it's better to show you exactly what the fortress is so you can understand. However, I will confirm that it does fly."

"Why am I not surprised…" Arlus spoke, walking to his chair as his hand moved to his head. As he sat down, his eyes looked back to Oliver, who no longer had his smile.

"I would've eased her into it, but the pleasantries that we've been given by the letters make it a waste of time." Oliver spoke, looking back to the blade in his hand as he set the cloth on the arm of his chair. When he moved the blade over to his side, however, it vanished again. Oliver's gaze then looked back to Arlus. "That also means that I need to make sure on how things are going on your end and the capital."

"Then you've chosen a bad candidate for that." Arlus responded, setting his hand down to his side as he looked at Oliver. "My father's decided to send me with several hundred of his elite troops to go aid a small area in the Northwest called Putolu, which has requested our aid in return for trade rights with their people. I don't suppose you know why he's sending me at this time, do you?"

Oliver just looked at Arlus, his gaze slightly widening as he leaned forward, putting his hands together as he went into thought. "…I believe I know, given what he's told me about it." Oliver spoke, looking at his hands before he looked up. "He probably has plans for you to be a contingency plan for if his own fails, that depending on the events that will occur in two weeks time."

"So he did confide in some of his plans to you…" Arlus muttered, leaning back in his chair as he looked to the letters on his desk. Then, with a sigh, he turned back to Oliver. "The people of Putolu hold the mining of some of the largest ore deposits within the entire region, with weapons forged from the ore mined being far more durable than others of similar metals. What do you think of all of this?"

Oliver just kept his gaze on Arlus, looking over the man's features before he smirked. "I'd say it'd be an opportunity wasted if you don't go there." Oliver spoke, standing up from his chair as it vanished. He then began walking back, his legs moving through the bed as he placed his hands behind his back. "In warfare, it always helps to have allies which can provide proper munitions and supplies for your troops and generals, especially if the ore can be made into highly durable and strong weaponry. This also provides with a good way to help out with the currency of a nation as it can aid with the worth of the currency in other countries."

"However, I only say this due to what I knew of my own land." Oliver continued, turning back to Arlus as he set his hands back to his side. "For this land, I don't know that much on the metals which reside in it, though I'm able to work with a good deal of them with the smithing I was taught by Alegar. I do, however, see the major gain in obtaining the ability to trade with them for the said ore, as well as making an ally through the agreement your father has made."

"So what you're saying is to go with it." Arlus sighed, looking back at the ring as he contemplated what Oliver had spoke beforehand. "Then what of the plans for the Capital?"

"Simple, just tell Oric to tell Serphia when she'll need to fill me in with that bracelet I gave her when something seems to be stirring in the capital." Oliver spoke, a smile back on his face as he placed his hand down on something, causing a part of a table to appear beside him as he rested his hand on it. "I may be rusty in some of my tactics due to being in a form of retirement for a year, but that doesn't mean I can't think up some back up plans from the resources I put around the place."

"…I guess that will do then." Arlus sighed, standing up and walking back to the window as he looked back to the city it overlooked, the shadow of the castle noticeable on the area as the sun rose behind it. "I would like to discuss matters further, but I would rather not keep you from whatever you have planned."

"I thank you my prince, and I hope you may find your own path when you leave for Putolu." Oliver responded, bowing his head before he raised it again. "If you ever need to contact me, just focus on the ring on your finger and on who you want to contact. Normally that can work by having your off hand touching it like you did to open the communications. For now, however, I begin on what I have planned for the day."

With that, Oliver vanished from Arlus' room, leaving him in silence as he turned to the room to find Oliver gone. 'A strange man, but with enough mind to prepare for if events like this happened to his plans.' Arlus thought, remembering Oric' praises of Oliver. 'If he's not even close to his former self, then I fear of what may have happened if he faced us as he once was…'

Arlus then turned to his desk, his mind set on writing a letter to Oric. Then, when the matter was dealt with, he'd make plans on what to do during his travel to Putolu. If memory served him right, it would take roughly four days to reach them. That meant four days worth of parchment and books, though he had a feeling he would have to truly be serious in his own right.


Woo, finally done after a few months. Speaking of, sorry about the silence, been busy with a lot of work since I've had to teach Taekwondo on my own for the last while. Either way, it's nice to start writing for this thing again and hopefully I can at least try to type something out. However, I already have the next chapter planned out in my head, the only problem is actually writing it out and finding the right words for it.

In the end, feel free to R&R and tell me how the story is, and until next time this is Ron signing off.

On a partially related note, how many of you expected Ksalso to be the fortress itself?