Words Amongst Dragons

Lucy still didn't really know what to make of their situation; if anything, things may have gotten even more confusing. And now a dragon had carried Natsu off to gods know where, and Lucy was sitting at a table in the tower grounds (which she learned was called the "White Tower of Hoeth"), talking with an ornately dressed elf named Teclis. But hey, at least they weren't in the cells anymore, so she could be happy about that.

They had been exchanging information in a tit for tat arrangement; for every question they asked, Teclis would be allowed to ask one of his own, and so on. So far, they'd learned they were in a place called 'Ulthuan', in a world known as "Mallus". Hearing that, Lucy was reminded of their misadventures in Edolas, though this place seemed to have magic; that being said, their version of magic also seemed fundamentally different, though that was all Lucy could tell about it. If it was any consolation, it seemed they were just as confused about her magic, though.

"Forgive me, I'm still confused," Teclis said, leaning on his hand, "Just what is your magic power called?"

"I use Celestial Spirit Magic," Lucy explained.

"You say 'celestial'," the elf said, "Do you mean the power of Azyr?"

"Again, I don't know what that means," Lucy said with a sigh.

"You humans call it the 'Lore of Heavens', or sometimes the 'Blue Wind',"

"Honestly, that doesn't really clear things up, but the way my magic works is I can summon Celestial Spirits from the Spirit World using these keys," Lucy explained, pulling her key ring from its pouch, "These Spirits can fight for me as I need, and I can use their power to enhance my own abilities."

"Interesting," Teclis said, rubbing his chin, "And I take it your friend uses the power of Aqshy? What the humans call the 'Lore of Fire'?"

"I... I guess so," Lucy said, rubbing the back of her neck, "Specifically, what he uses is 'Dragon Slaying Magic'." The sound of that made all the elves recoil back slightly, including the Archmage himself. Like most elves, Teclis found dragon slaying an abhorrent practice; dragons were noble, wise creatures that had been in this world far longer than any of the younger races, and veneration of the great serpents was common place amongst the Asur (and most of elven kind at that). That said, he understood that not all dragons were as benevolent as those in Ulthuan (if anything, his experiences with the twisted black dragons of Naggaroth proved it).

"I wouldn't presume to know how he got such power," Teclis said.

"His dad was a dragon!" Happy said, raising his paw. In the list of possible answers Teclis had considered, that certainly wasn't among them. While he figured the cat (or "Exceed" as the white one stated) meant that in the adoptive sense, the idea of a dragon adopting a human was slightly... absurd, to put it lightly.

"How is that possible?"

"It's... kind of complicated," Lucy said, "We can tell you the whole story later, but he was raised by a fire dragon named Igneel, who taught him how to use magic."

"That explains why his aura is so akin to a dragon," Teclis mused, before looking at Wendy, "Your's is also very similar. Was this 'Igneel' also your parent?"

"No," Wendy said, shaking her head, "My mother was Grandeeney, the Sky Dragon. I use Sky Dragon Slayer magic." Again, that sounded like Azyr magic to Teclis; he would have to ask them all for proper demonstrations of their magic at some point. But that would have to wait, as the wind picked up again; everyone looked up to see Gordinar swoop down to the ground.

"That was awesome!" Natsu declared as he jumped down to the ground, before the dragon had even settled down.

"If I may be so bold, mighty Gordinar, what drew you to this young man?" Teclis asked. Though many elves (especially Caledorians) didn't want to admit it, there were plenty instances of humans riding dragons. In the end, taking a rider, and who that rider would be was the dragon's own decision, and frankly, no one had any true right to question it. But this was still a strange occurrence, and Teclis wanted to know what this was about.

"I could sense him, even from as far as I was," Gordinar answered, as he settled down to rest, "It was a form of raw power that I haven't felt in a long time. It was the raw power of a dragon."

"Are there other dragons here?" Wendy asked. That was a… complicated question, and one Teclis wasn't sure he wanted to answer just yet.

"I will explain the matter another time," he said. Thankfully, as he said that, a servant came up to the table, where he briefly bowed his head.

"My Lord, a message has come from Prince Tyrion," he said, "He requests an update on what you have learned." Teclis looked at the messenger, before back at the mages, and then at the great dragon looming behind them.

"Tell him I've learned quite a bit," he said, "And that I may have also found an idea to aid our current situation."

()

Ever since the Coming of Chaos, the forces of nature had been twisted and warped by them, turning man into beast and beast into man, and taking root in the darkest parts of the wilderness. But it was sometimes said that there were expanses of nature so deep and so wild that even the corrupting aura of Chaos couldn't penetrate into them. These were places of purity, where nature still existed in harmony; these were sanctuaries of peace in the blasted waste of conflict. This was where the great wyrm slept.

It slept peacefully, as normally did; little could rouse a dragon out of its deep slumber, after all. Only a few times had it ever emerged, and when it did, the entire forest would shake with his fury. However, those instances were few and far between; now, it took little more than the greatest of noises for the serpent to be stirred, and some would be justified in thinking that its languor may have been permanent at this point.

But suddenly the wyrm shifted slightly. At first it seemed like nothing, as it tried to go back to sleep, but then it stirred again, before its eyes slowly opened. It shifted on its coils, shaking off pieces of moss that had accumulated on its body. Pushing it self up, the dragon slithered out of the cave, through a cluster of vines, and into the light. It then inhaled deeply, taking in all the scents of the world.

Bruwor, the Protector of Life, said nothing, he just opened his wings, and leapt into the air, traveling West.

\()/

Zhao Ming was not close to his family, or at least he wasn't anymore. They had all been part of the same clutch, and while they grew up together, they had drifted apart in the ages since. They took on the responsibilities that could be expected from dragons of their stature, and had goals that were, at times, at odds with each other. They began to clash with each other for resources, manpower, and most important, the favor of their parents. Perhaps inevitably, any remaining bonds were lost between them.

Those feuds had reached their zenith when their parents disappeared. Looking back, Zhao Ming wasn't sure what started the fight, and he wasn't sure it even mattered at this point. He had initially tried to stay out of it, until Yuan Bo marched his forces into the Western Provinces, demanding he turn over the Alchemists to him. Zhao Ming obviously wasn't going to roll over that easily, so he pushed back, and before he knew, he was embroiled in this ridiculous civil war as well. He still had a scar on his back, courtesy of Li Dao's teeth; the two still hadn't spoken since then.

It was hard for him to say how long it lasted, it had proven such a blur, but it came to an end when the Monkey King invaded from the South, and the five were forced to work together again to stop him. That was the end of the war, and incidentally (though Zhao Ming had doubts about that) that was around the time their father reappeared, and assumed rule of Cathay again. Since then, Zhao Ming had done his best to forget the travesty that had been that time. For the most part, he failed, especially as he neared Wei-Jin.

Despite being the Imperial capital, it was rare that any of the Imperial siblings came to Wei-Jin, unless it was on official business, or if they were answering summons from their parents. Yuan Bo (the eldest among them) tended to affairs in Shang Wu, running most of Cathay's affairs from his office. Miao Ying (the second eldest) was frequently occupied in the North by marauding tribes, so she didn't have the time to spare. Li Dao (the younger brother) was reluctant to leave the Southern Provinces, mostly because it was well known that the moment he left, the Monkey King would get ideas. Yin Yin (who was the youngest among them) was still in disfavor for her bungled campaign in the Southlands, and so she rarely left her court in Fu Chow, the capital of the Eastern Provinces. Even Zhao Ming (the middle child) remained in Shang Yang most of the time, watching over the Alchemists, and keeping a close eye on the mountain passes into Cathay.

The journey to the capital had took some days, even flying at pace. Zhao Ming didn't like leaving Shang Yang unattended for long periods of time, especially with those strange foreigners imprison so his hope was to get his business here done quick, and be back as quick as he could. His hope was that Xen Yang wouldn't react too strongly to the news, and would at least allow Zhao Ming to study the foreigners before anything happened to them.

Once he arrived, Zhao Ming was greeted by the court attendants, and given the routine assurances that the Emperor was "very busy", and would get to his petition, "as soon as possible". Not intend on accepting that, Zhao Ming decided to go to his father himself, as he strode down the winding halls of the palace. As he rounded the corner though, he bumped into a familiar face.

He was adorned in green armor, and wore a headdress even more elaborate than Zhao Ming's, resembling a splaying set of antlers, with a jade embedded in the center, and violet plume sticking out of the top. He also had the same, pale eyes as Zhao Ming, though his beard and mustache were shorter, and much more finely trimmed. It was none other than the ruler of the Western Provinces, the Jade Dragon, Yuan Bo.

The eldest of the siblings, he was the highest ranking official in the Empire, save for the Emperor and Empress themselves He attended to just about all matters of state that concerned Cathay, and it was said that no document in the land, from the greatest treaty to the smallest tariff, didn't pass across hid desk at one point or another. However, he also had the honor of being the Imperial Executioner, tasked with striking down those the Emperor decreed enemies of Cathay. As such, while Miao Ying may have been the favorite, when Xen Yang wanted a problem dealt with, he tasked Yuan Bo with it.

More broadly, while it was something of a taboo subject to wonder what would happen if the Emperor passed, Zhao Ming knew that Yuan Bo would be the one to take the throne if it ever came to it. Some of his others siblings might've rejected that (for his own, Zhao Ming had no interest in the throne), but they all knew on some capacity that he was still the most capable of them when it came to the matter of ruling. Still, it was something they would never, or perhaps could never talk about.

"Brother," Zhao Ming said with a nod.

"Zhao Ming," Yuan Bo answered, narrowing his eyes slightly, "I did not think to see you here."

"Well frankly, I hadn't thought to be here myself," Zhao Ming answered, "But circumstances arose, and I came to seek our father's council."

"Hmm," Yuan Bo answered, before moving past his brother.

"I wouldn't presume to know what you were doing here?" Zhao Ming asked, making the Jade Dragon stop.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Yuan Bo said, only stopping briefly. Zhao Ming immediately knew that was a lie; if it truly hadn't been his concern, Yuan Bo would've just kept walking, without even acknowledging him. The fact that he answered suggested something was off. But Zhao Ming also recognized that his brother wasn't going about to tell him anymore, so he didn't protest as he watched him walk off.

Taking a breath (releasing some steam int he process), Zhao Ming turned, and strode down the hall. Though he would've preferred the presence of foreigners be kept a secret, he suspected Yuan Bo already knew about the foreigners; his spy network spread across the entirety of Cathay, and it was said there wasn't a whisper exchanged in an alley that didn't reach his ear.

()

It went without saying that Levy was under a lot of stress, and considering all that happened to her, who wouldn't be. Possibly the worst part was she knew it wasn't good for the baby, so she tried to keep her nerves in check as best she could, even if it got real hard at times. Her husband arguing with their captors certainly didn't help matters either.

"How many more times I gotta tell ya?" Gajeel said, "We're mages from Fairy Tail!"

"And how many more times do I have to tell you, that means nothing to us!" Lin said. In the few days since they arrived in this land (apparently known as Cathay), she and her aide, Chen, had been responsible for Gajeel and Levy's incarceration. Most of the time they just ignored them, but once in a while, they would come down to press them on questions. Often these questions were about who they were, where they came from, and what their magic was, but much more often, it devolved into shouting matches between Lin and Gajeel. As for Chen, he would often just stand off to the side, jotting down notes, clearly trying to avoid getting pulled into all this. Even now, Levy couldn't help but feel sorry for him as she sat in the corner, Lily sitting on her lap in his miniature form.

"I swear, when I get outta this cage, I'm going to kick your smug asses!" Gajeel snapped.

"Gajeel!" Levy scolded, "That's not helping."

"Tch, as if a foreign barbarian like you could ever hope to defeat me in a magic contest," Lin said, turning her nose up at him, "Frankly, it's a wonder you can even string two sentences together." Gajeel glowed as he pressed his face against the bars. Lin returned the glare in kind, before she averted her gaze.

"I've had my fill of their presence," she said, "If they aren't going to cooperate, I have much more productive things I could be doing." With that, she strode away, leaving Gajeel to glare after her as she left. Chen let out a sigh, as he closed his notebook.

"Look, I know my husband's not helping our case, but we're not here to cause trouble," Levy said, as she stood up, still holding Lily, and walked over to the cage, "If you let us go, we'd gladly leave you all alone."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Chen said, "Your mere presence in Cathay simply raises too many questions to leave unanswered." Gajeel grunted, as he leaned against the bars, as Levy put a hand on his back.

"In all honesty, you'd never make it far even if we did let you go," Chen then said, "You have the Warpstone Desert to the East, and the Mountains of Mourn to the West, neither of which you can navigate without a guide. Either the desert would consume you, or the ogres would."

"This place is just sounding better and better," Levy grumbled to herself.

"So the fuck are we supposed to do?" Gajeel grumbled, looking up.

"When His Highness returns, we'll determine it then," Chen said.

"You mean Zhao Ming?" Levy asked, to which Chen frowned.

"Yes, though I would thank you not to refer to him in such a way," he said, Dragons are the highest forms of life in the world. We should be honored to merely be in their presence."

"Are there other dragons here?" Gajeel then asked, suddenly looking interested, which caused Chen to frown some more.

"Well, the entire Imperial family consists of dragons," he explained, "They have ruled over Cathay for longer than recorded history." Upon hearing that, Gajeel and Levy exchanged looks. An entire nation ruled by dragons sounded impressive, but it still seemed like there was a lot Chen wasn't telling them.

"Are their dragons other places in the world?" Lily asked from Levy's arms.

"Well, I've heard tell of lesser dragons in other lands, but I don't pretend to know much about them."

"What makes them 'lesser'?" Levy asked.

"Again, I can only go off what I've heard or read, but it's said that they fly using wings, and that they allow themselves to be ridden by others," Chen said, before shrugging slightly, "But it's best not to ponder it too much. The sages say those who obsess of the mountains in the distance frequently neglect the farmlands beneath their feet."

"That sounds good," Levy said with a smile. Gajeel just rolled his eyes, thinking it kind of corny and flowery.

"Well, I suppose I should let you return to whatever affairs you have going on here," Chen said, as he turned, and without another word, took his leave.

"I really don't like these guys," Gajeel grumbled, folding his arms.

"Chen seems nice enough," Levy said as she returned to her seat in the back, as Lily got out of her arms, and stood beside her. With her hands now free, they went down to the baby, as her own brow furrowed.

"You shouldn't be here," Gajeel said, approaching her, "It ain't safe for you, or the kid."

"I'm fine," Levy said, looking up to smile at her husband, "I've got you here, so what've I got to worry about?" It was a smile that Gajeel couldn't help but return.

Note: I figured it was worthwhile to check in on Gajeel and Levy, and see how things are going in Cathay, though it seems that their situation hasn't changed that much. Zhao Ming his reporting to his father, but something may be going on in the Central Provinces.

Meanwhile, Team Natsu is finally sitting down and talking to the Asur, as they try and figure out what has happened. Also, it seems Bruwor has taken note of something in the distance, and he's flying out too, not entirely unlike what Gordinar did. Bruwor, of course, is another dragon from Imrik's pool in the games.

Be sure to leave a comment. Next chapter, we'll be checking in with the Strauss siblings in Reikland, and Erza finally meets the nobleman; and she's going to have "words" for him when she does.

By the by, any other writers starting to get really annoyed with all the bots and scammers trying to "sell" you art with the canned offers that looked like they were cranked out by chatbot. I'm sure I'll get some "offers" when I post this chapter too; I'll just say to those people (or person with multiple accounts) that the answer will be no, and will remain "no", so don't bother waiting for a response.