The Lands of Cathay

Zhao Ming didn't pretend to know much about the dragons that existed on the other side of the world, particularly how they flew with wings, instead of naturally floating while he and his family did. Perhaps there was a reason they allowed the lesser races to ride them? Perhaps they actually gained something from that? Those were questions that Zhao Ming often found himself wondering, but now was not the time. After all, he wasn't flying on for no reason.

There had been a disturbance in the Elemental Winds, and as a dragon, Zhao Ming could sense it very clearly. He was currently soaring across the Southern corner of the Western provinces, in the green lowlands that bordered the Celestial Lake, in the general direction he sensed the disturbance. For all he knew, it could've been nothing; the Winds were fickle like that, and were prone to strange gusts and changes, but as he flew on, something caught his nose.

While the scent wasn't "familiar" per se, Zhao Ming could still recognize what it was, partially because he'd been smelling it since he first emerged from the egg. As he veered in that direction, he couldn't tell much about it, but there were there things he knew for sure, and what he knew sent a tingle all the way to the tip of his tail. Those there things were as followed: it was a dragon, it wasn't one of his siblings, and it wasn't far away.

()

When Gajeel woke up, the first thing he needed to confirm was that Levy was alright. He leapt to his feet, looking around for his wife, and to his relief, he saw her lying not far from him, no worse for ear.

"Levy!" Gajeel called, as he came over to her, taking her in his arms. It took a moment, but Levy eventually stirred, and opened her eyes, blinking away the haze in her head.

"Gajeel?" She asked, as she sat up, "What…"

"Are you alright?" Gajeel asked.

"Yeah," Levy answered with a nod.

"There you guys are!" A familiar voice called, "I was looking all over for you." The two looked up to see Pantherlily floating over to them.

"Where are we?" Lily asked as he landed in front of his team.

"Hell if I know," Gajeel answered, looking around, folding his arms, "This certainly ain't the guild hall."

"Well that much is obvious," Levy said, one hand instinctively going down to her stomach. They seemed to be in some kind of valley, surrounded by greenery, with large groves of bamboo scattered around. Tall, stony mountains surrounded the area, and there was a river floating through the center.

"Do you guys know what happened?" Lily asked.

"I remember I was standing with Lucy back at the guild," Levy answered, "They had just come back from a job, and she had some kind of strange tome with her, one I'd never seen before. I just remember it had a weird cover on it, kind of like a stylized eye."

"Yeah, and then Salamander started reading it," Gajeel said with a snort, "Leave it to him to do something stupid like that."

"Careful big guy," Levy said, rolling her eyes, "He who lives in a glass house and all." Gajeel just snorted again, as he looked around.

"Well, wherever we are, we need to get moving," he said, "I bet if we-" He suddenly stopped though, as the winds started picking up, and he suddenly stood up straight, sniffing the air.

"What is it?" Levy asked, "Do you smell something?"

"Yeah," Gajeel nodded, as his eyes narrowed, "But it doesn't… it doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean?"

"It smells like a…," Gajeel trailed off, but Levy and Lily both knew him well enough now to pick up on the quirks. At any point, he wouldn't need to say anything, as there was a great gust of wind, as a massive, serpentine form swept over them.

"A dragon?!" Levy balked. While it was definitely a dragon, it wasn't like any dragon Gajeel'd ever seen. Of the dragons Gajeel had encountered, their appearances could vary radically at times, but they generally followed a similar body plan: four legs and two wings, with a few exception. But this dragon had NO wings whatsoever. Instead, it had a long, snake-like body, with four small limbs across its body, and a beard and mane of black hair, with two long feelers trailing off its snout.

Gajeel, Levy, and Lily all watched as the dragon circled back up into the sky, before it suddenly dove down. Its body was then consumed in fire, which reminded Gajeel somewhat of Salamander, and out of those flames emerged what looked like a man. He was tall, with black hair, wearing black armor over white robes, and an elaborate headdress of horns, with a small blue gem embedded on the forehead. His eyes, however, were a solid white, and yet had a fierce appearance to them, almost as if they were just a mask hiding his true eyes.

"Who the hell are you?!" Gajeel demanded, as he took a fighting stance.

"Gajeel, can you please-," Levy didn't get to finish as the man… dragon… whatever he was answered.

"I am Zhao Ming!" he proclaimed, thumping his chest, "The Iron Dragon, and Ruler of the Wes-"

"'Iron Dragon'?" Gajeel interrupted, not sure he heard that right. His opponent, Zhao Ming, blinked in surprise, clearly not used to be interrupted.

"You certainly don't smell like an Iron Dragon," he declared, only for Levy to smack him upside the head.

"Be polite!" She said, putting her hands on her hips, "We can't go starting fights here!" Gajeel just grunted, but didn't protest. Zhao Ming looked over them; outwardly they didn't appear different, but they had somewhat strange auras about them, particularly the man. Indeed, his scent was that of a dragon.

"You are not Cathayan."

"The hell's a 'Cathayan'?" Gajeel asked, cocking his head.

"How did you get here?" Zhao Ming asked.

"We honestly don't know," Levy said, holding up her hands, "One minute we were back home in our guild hall, and then we were here." Zhao Ming narrowed his eyes, not sure if he believed them. They did have plenty of reason to lie.

"We'll be on our way right now!" Levy then said, grabbing Gajeel's hand, "C'mon!"

"Hey!" Gajeel protested.

"I'm afraid that's not going to be possible," Zhao Ming said as he stepped forward, his hand curled into a fist, steaming leaking off it, "You're going to have to come with me."

"And if we don't want to?" Gajeel asked, as he (gently) removed Levy's hand, and stepped forward, his own hands curled into a fist.

"That is not a choice, I'm afraid," Zhao Ming answered. Gajeel just grinned in anticipation.

"Gajeel," his wife said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Just leave this guy to me!" Gajeel said, "I'll make sure he leaves us alone."

"This is your final chance," Zhao Ming said, as he held up his fist, "Yield, or fight." Gajeel quickly gave his answer.

"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel said, as he punched out, though Zhao Ming managed to avoid it, his eyes narrowing at the sight. The magic seemed like the Wind of Metal at a glance, it was definitely different than anything he'd seen or used before. He'd dwell on this later, but first he had to deal with these trespassers.

"If you are looking to challenge me in a context of magic, you'd best prepare to be defeated," Zhao Ming said as he took a fighting stance. That only made Gajeel grin as he retracted his fist back, and cracked his knuckles. This was a challenge he certainly didn't intend on turning down.

"Lily!" Gajeel called, "Take care of Levy!"

"You sure you don't need help?" Lily said. As he was saying that, his form shifted das he grew into a hulking, muscular figure that resembled a humanoid panther. That was odd enough, but Zhao Ming figured he'd deal with that later.

"Nah, I can take this guy," Gajeel asserted, as he took a fighting stance, "Besides, he's so cocky, he's begging to be taken down a peg." Zhao Ming narrowed his eyes, before taking a breath.

"Whatever happens next is the result of your actions," he then said, as his hands ignited.

"That's the Fairy Tail way!" Gajeel said, and without another word, he leapt towards Zhao Ming, bringing his fist back again, which turned into a club again. Zhao Ming managed to avoid it again, before he launched a fire ball at Gajeel, who dodged it as well.

"That magic, it's almost like Natsu's," Levy said.

"He was a dragon at one point," Lily said, "He could be a Dragon Slayer." That just begged even more questions. If this guy was a Dragon Slayer, how could he turn into a dragon? Was he like Acnologia? Levy certainly hoped not.

"It seems I have no choice then!" Zhao Ming said. With that, he took a breath, as he brought his arms around, creating a ring of fire around him.

"Now perish in the flames of a dragon's breath!" He then said, before thrusting his arm forward. The flames then surged around him and formed the head of a dragon, which released a burst of fire. Gajeel held up his arms as the flames encompassed him.

"Gajeel!" Levy and Lily called at the same time. Zhao Ming lowered his arms with the spell done; he wished he didn't have to resort to such a tactic, but this man wasn't leaving him with much choice. But then a form burst out of the flames. It was Gajeel, and that was surprising enough, but then he saw how his entire body was now covered in dark colored scales, almost like the scales of a dragon, and his hand had morphed into the shape of a sword.

"These flames may be hot, but they got nuttin' on Salamander's!" The Iron Dragon Slayer declared, "Iron Dragon's Sword!" He swung his sword-arm down, and Zhao Ming didn't have time to dodge this one. Instead, he blocked it, hoping the Burning Vambraces would be enough to take the blow. At first, they seemed to, but then Zhao Ming felt his first starting to grind against the earth…

The blow sent Zhao Ming careening away, as he bounced against the ground. He skidded to a halt against, breaking through a grove of bamboo in the process. Once he stopped, Zhao Ming took stock of his condition, and he saw that the Vambraces were cracked slightly. That made it apparent whatever this young man was, he would take more than what this current form generally could. With that, he started to gather his energy.

"I would've preferred to not resort to form shifting to do this, but I'm afraid you leave me with little choice," he growled. With that, his form erupted into flames, creating a gust of wind that Gajeel had to shield his face.

"You kidding?" Gajeel responded, "This just makes ya' a bigger target!" With that, both the slayer and the dragon inhaled, and released their breath attacks together. The flames and the iron collided with each other.

"Gajeel!" Levy called. Fortunately, her husband quickly jumped from the smoke, as the dragon did as well, snapping his jaws at the black haired man. Gajeel managed to avoid the jaws, as he then brought his fist back again.

"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel declared as he punched outward, hitting the dragon square in the cheek. The sheer force of the attack pushed the serpent back, causing him to crash through more groves, and be left sprawling on his back. He quickly recovered, but Zhao Min was more shook than heart. Feeling around in his mouth with his tongue, he felt some teeth had been… knocked loose? This human had hurt him?

"How did you…," he asked slowly.

"There's more where that came from you overgrown garden hose!" Gajeel asserted, cracking his knuckles aggressively, "So why don't ya' piss off and leave us be now?" Zhao Ming growled as he floated back up into the air.

"How the hell are ya' even flying without wings?" Gajeel then asked.

"You think yourself a Dragon Slayer, do you?" Zhao Ming asked.

"Because I am!"

"Well then, you wouldn't be the first self-proclaimed slayer I've defeated," Zhao Ming said. With that, he roared, as Gajeel did as well, and they sprung at each other yet again…

()

Shang-Yang always felt like a different city whenever its ruler was away, though those times were rare. The Iron Dragon only really left the city to go to Weijin to meet with his kin, or to his siblings when they needed it (in which case he would generally be accompanied by Shang-Yang's armies). Once in a while, though, something would seize attention, and he would fly off to address it. Nobody would ever dare question the will of a dragon obviously, and while it invited curiosity, most were in agreement that it wasn't their business to wonder. But this time, they wouldn't need to, as they all had a good sense to realize what this was all about.

Like most Alchemists, Chen Zhou had gravitated to Shang-Yang to escape the marginalization that many mages not favored by the Celestial Court often suffered. Only those of the Elemental Wind of Stone were truly permitted in most of Cathay, with the Western Provinces being an exception, and even then, they were only truly "welcome" in Shang-Yang, under the protection of the Iron Dragon. It was probably the only place Chen could've learned about his talents without fear of being arrested. Chen was currently standing on the walls of the city, one of multiple people in the city tasked for watching the return of their leader.

"Any sign of him?" His superior, Lin Xiang asked as she joined him on the city walls. In addition to her golden robes, she wore the traditional mask of an alchemist, and her hair was done up in the traditional topknot.

"No, Ma'am," Chen said, as he bowed slightly, putting his hands in front of him. Lin frowned, as she looked out into the distance. Lin Xiang was a member of the Council, with Chen serving as her personal aid. That generally amounted to keeping her day straight, and checking things she didn't have the time for; in that capacity, Chen was more a secretariat than an Alchemist.

"He's been gone for hours now," Lin then muttered, "Just what could he be looking for out there?"

"I could never know," Chen answered, shaking his head. As Alchemists, and thus attuned to the Elemental Winds, Chen Zhou and his peers had been among the ones that had felt it, even if none of them could know what it was. It had been like the surface of a pond when a stone was thrown into it; the Winds had been disturbed, and were in flux. Whatever it was, it was deemed enough for the Iron Dragon to decide to investigate personally, as he took flight, and soared off into the distance.

"His absence always puts the city on edge," Lin said, "The citizenry becomes anxious, and unproductive." Chen nodded in understanding. In the Iron Dragon's absence, governance of the city generally defaulted to the Alchemist Council (a committee of the most skilled in their field), though it was always with the understanding that they were just stewarding, not ruling. After all, humans were not meant to rule, that was the purview of far greater creatures than them. To that end, little was actually accomplished when Zhao Ming was away; it mostly just amounted to them noting what issues the city and provinces faced, and how to bring them to the prince whenever he returned. It could be irritating at times, but Chen understood that was simply the way of things, and he had made his peace with it.

"Perhaps it would be best if-" Chen was interrupted by the sudden sound of a gong; announcing the return of the city's lord. Indeed, standing out in the sky was the serpentine form of the Iron Dragon.

"Praise the emperor!" Lin said with a smile, as she went over to the edge of the wall, gripping the railing.

The dragon gradually made its way way towards the city, but he wasn't heading back to the palace, instead he was heading towards the walls, and after a moment, Chen saw (and was rather shook to realize) that he was coming in their direction. Chen couldn't dwell on why exactly though, especially as the prince came up to them, and he saw something he never thought possible. Zhao Ming actually looked… beat up? His face was covered in scratches, one of his horns was broken, and there were traces of blood along the edge of his mouth. He was also breathing heavily, as if he was tired in someway.

Both of the Alchemists knelt to their prince as he floated over them. Before Lin could ask anything, though, the prince dropped a couple of forms out of his claws in front of them. It was two humans, both of them unconscious; one was a muscular man with wild black hair and iron piercings across his body, while the other was a petite blue-haired woman with spiky blue hair. The girl seemed to be clinging to a black cat of sorts. The man was visibly beat up as well.

"What in the emperor's name?" Lin said, frowning through her mask.

"I found them in the lowlands to the South," the dragon explained, as he floated over them, his harsh voice making Chen's bones rattle, "Bind them, and put them in the dungeon." Lin took a step forward, looking down at the people before them, and as she did, her face contorted in confusion.

"His aura," Lin said, "It feels like…" She trailed off, but she didn't need say much more, since Chen could sense it too. Both of them found themselves looking up at the Iron Dragon, who showed his teeth. But he didn't disagree with them, instead his talons curled, and a rumbling growl went through his body.

"I must report this to my father," Zhao Ming eventually declared, "I will be back as soon as I can." Not giving anyone a chance to ask him anymore questions, the dragon flew away, disappearing just as quickly as he arrived. That left the two Alchemists with the trespassers, once again alone.

"I need to tell the Council," Lin said, her tone turning bitter, "We will be on our own for some time now."

"Yes, Ma'am," Chen said, bowing his head again. Lin then looked down at the trespassers again, her eyes narrowing behind her mask.

"No one can know what we just saw," she said.

"Well, we're going to have to tell the others about these people," Chen said, gesturing to the humans.

"I'm not talking about these foreigners," Lin answered with a frown, "I'm talking about the condition we saw the prince in."

"What do you mean?"

"Word doesn't need to spread that he was wounded, especially by these ones" Lin answered, "If it does, I don't like the other words that'll invite to discussion." Understanding her point, Chen nodded in agreement. While it wasn't like the dragons being injured was unheard of, especially if one served along the Great Bastion, the idea of mere humans, and foreigners at that, harming one of them? The mere thought made Chen's head spin.

"Go gather some guards," Lin said, "Tell them what's happening, and the prince's command."

"Yes, Ma'am," Chen said with a nod, as he turned to leave. As he descended down the hall to find some arms, his mind went back to the wounds he saw on Zhao Ming's body. There were very few things in the world that could harm a dragon, and most of them lived far from Cathay. Just who these humans (if that was what they truly were) were, and where they came from, were both questions that Chen didn't like leaving unanswered. Hopefully they'd be able to explain when they woke up. And if they didn't feel like explaining, the Alchemists always knew of how to make even the tightest lips loosen.

Note: In the original, Gajeel and Levy were among the Greenskins, but I knew that I wanted to send somebody to Grand Cathay, and since sending a Dragon Slayer made the most sense, and since the other Dragon Slayers (save Laxus) were in Ulthuan, that just left Gajeel and his family. And I didn't want to separate him from Levy and Pantherlily for obvious reasons. I though it especially fitting that the Iron Dragon Slayer would meet up with the Iron Dragon of Cathay. Some might also remember that I also put some characters with the "evil" factions (in addition to Gajeel and Levy with da' Greenskins, I also had Mirajane with the Dark Elves, and her siblings with the Beastmen, to name a couple). I had some certain ambitions with those factions when I started writing, but it was ultimately a bit too ambitious, which was part of the reason I couldn't finish. Here, most of the characters will be with the "Order" factions, or at least the "Order-adjacent" (like the Tomb Kings, who are traditionally considered "Neutral", but are still counted on the side of "Order").

Grand Cathay is one of my favorite factions (anything with dragons as a main motif is a quick sell for me), and one faction I am actually pretty good at playing (along with the High Elves and Tomb Kings; by the by, factions I suck at include Bretonnia, any Chaos faction, and the Dwarfs, among others). Since Grand Cathay was created almost whole cloth by CA, with some loose cues from the very limited lore about it (until the release of Warhammer: The Old World), I'm going to insert a lot of my own world building and details for it, though while trying to stay within the confines of what we do know about the setting. For example, in the game all the alchemist models are female, but I think it stands to reason that in-universe, just as many alchemists are male.

Be sure to leave a comment. Let me just say thanks for all the support this story is getting so far.