As Sigurd soared through the sky on Joyrax's back, he spotted something shining brightly above him. Suddenly…
ROAR!
"A dragon!"
It flew past him with incredible speed, almost knocking him off balance. Once he regained his grip, he scanned the sky for the dragon, but visibility was poor due to the cloud cover.
"Sigurd, is that you?"
An awfully familiar voice called his name from above. He glanced up and saw a dragon with blue scales, nearly twice the size of Joyrax, flying above him. On its back was…
"Theon!"
He was with Astrid, who was clinging desperately to his back. Sigurd also noticed she had some kind of lizard in her lap.
"Sigurd!"
Another voice called to him. Varys appeared right at his side, flying atop a white dragon about the same size as Joyrax.
"Were you the one who just flew past a while ago?" Sigurd asked.
Varys nodded. "I see you've managed to tame a dragon. That's good."
"We should land so we can talk properly," Theon suggested.
Following Theon's lead, Varys and Sigurd flew closely behind him until they found a clear patch of land.
"My butt is killing me," Sigurd complained as he climbed off Joyrax's back.
With a heavy sigh, he walked over to greet them, Joyrax following closely behind.
"So only the four of us managed to tame beasts," Varys remarked in a sad tone. "And each of us is a child of Father. There were originally eight of us."
"Still, it's good that at least one of us managed to tame dragons. Father will surely be happy about that," Theon said, trying to lighten the mood.
His eyes then turned to Joyrax, who was staring at him with big purple eyes and a cute face.
"Aww, he's so cute!"
Theon reached out his hand in an attempt to pet Joyrax, but then…
"Stop!" Sigurd grabbed his hand. "Don't touch him. He's just goading you into petting him so he can bite your arm off."
He quickly pulled his hand away.
Sigurd could sense his beast's intentions perfectly. He also noticed that the other dragons were obviously tense, keeping their distance from him.
What kind of monster did I tame? He's definitely a little psychopath.
Theon's blue dragon showed clear hostility toward him. Sigurd then realized that Theon's blue dragon was the same one that had led the charge against them when they first entered the Red Tomb.
Varys's white dragon seemed relatively peaceful compared to the others, the opposite of Joyrax. Sigurd's eyes then shifted to the giant lizard Astrid was cradling like a baby.
"What is that thing?"
She smiled at his question. "This is Sally; she's a salamander."
Naming a beast 'Sally' has to be a crime. My heart goes out to that poor creature.
"That's nice."
"We should rest up for the night and head back to Norrvik tomorrow morning," Varys said, then shifted his gaze directly at Sigurd. "That's where you were going, right? You were heading north."
He nodded. In truth, Sigurd was heading to Norrvik, but not for the reason Varys thought.
Following Varys's suggestion, they decided to make camp where they were for the night. Sigurd slept on Joyrax's stomach, using his wings as a cover, while the others found comfortable places to sleep.
The next morning, they woke up and began their journey. They climbed onto the backs of their dragons and flew in the direction of Norrvik. The journey took only three days, a far cry from the three weeks it had taken to get the Red Tomb.
As they gazed at the small dot that was supposed to be their village off in the distance, they noticed something…
Smoke.
Seeing this, Varys sped up, flying exponentially faster. Sigurd and Theon followed, matching his speed. As they got closer to the village, their dragons became increasingly agitated.
Flying over the village, they saw it: an orange dragon that was at least three times bigger than theirs. There were also men—lots of men—clad in armor. The villagers were gathered around them, and Father was there, with Fenrir by his side.
Throwing caution to the wind, they descended from the sky straight into the village. Everyone's attention turned to them as they arrived, and the large orange dragon seemed the most bothered by their presence.
Their father recognized them immediately, and as they hopped off the backs of their dragons, he rushed over to greet them. The villagers watched in bewilderment.
"Varys, Theon, Sigurd, and Astrid." their father called.
Varys, Theon, and Astrid embraced him in a hug while Sigurd scanned the crowd, searching for someone. The person he was looking for saw him and broke into a sprint. She jumped on him, almost knocking him over.
"Mother, how have you been?"
"I've missed you, Sigurd, so very much."
Tears streamed down her face as she ran her hands through his hair to make sure he was real.
"Don't get snot all over my clothes again."
GRRR?
The dragon standing behind Sigurd momentarily drew their attention.
"Mother, I would like you to meet my familiar, Joyrax."
She held out her hand to pet Joyrax's head, and Sigurd gave him a stern look before she made contact.
"He's so cute!!"
In the next moment, she jumped onto the dragon, kissing him on the forehead. The irritation was evident on Joyrax but he had no choice but to bare it.
"Get on his back; we're leaving," Sigurd instructed.
Varkari heard what he said and replied, "You can't do that! You can't run away from your home again."
"This place isn't safe. Why the hell would we stay here—"
"Dragon tamers!! Wow, what a sight to behold!"
A man with golden hair and golden armor interrupted.
"Who are you?" Varys was the first to address him. "Are you the tamer of that dragon over there?"
The man gave a graceful bowed. "Yes, I am. I am Prince Elric, the third prince of the Aztez Empire. We've come to have a formal discussion with your tribe."
"A discussion?" Varys asked skeptically.
"He wants our village to be officially a part of the Aztez Empire," Varkari said, as Elric approached Varys.
Varys reached for his sword, causing all the other knights to react, but Elric just walked past him and went straight to his dragon.
"Amazing!" he said in awe. "You've managed to obtain a rare light dragon. From its scales and bone structure, I can tell it belongs to the Lupus species. Not only are they rare, but they are usually reluctant to form bonds with humans. This is the same species of dragon that has aided many heroes throughout history."
Elric's attention shifted again, this time to Theon's dragon.
"A water dragon from the species Hydralis. They aren't as rare as the Lupus, but it's still an amazing find. They are known to take control of weaker dragons, and you see that tail? It's as pointed as a needle. They use it as their main weapon when going up against weaker opponents."
He approached the salamander Astrid was holding in her hand.
"A red herring salamander. A powerful find. They have a stronger affinity for fire than most dragons do. Their only downfall is their size."
Finally, he turned his attention to Sigurd's dragon, Joyrax. Unlike with the other dragons, he observed Joyrax from a distance.
"You have rotten luck," he said, shaking his head in disappointment. "Don't get me wrong; dark dragons are usually a rare and amazing find, but not for this species. They are known as fiends and are almost untamable.
The few times they do get tamed, they end up 'accidentally' killing their masters. And it's not just tamers; other dragons don't take kindly to them either, since most of the time they hunt and eat their own kind. This leads to them being hunted and killed themselves, which is why they are near extinction.
Researchers have found that their eggs are selectively smashed by other dragons out of hate and fear. They've gained the name 'playful hunter' since most of the time they don't even hunt for food; they do it for fun. He could still grow to be a powerful dragon if you cultivate him properly—without him killing you, that is."
Varkari regarded him skeptically. "How do you know so much about dragons?"
"I'm just a humble dragon enthusiast." Prince Elric rested his hand on his chin as if pondering something, then his face brightened. "Here's a thought: how would the four of you feel about attending a special academy for beast tamers like yourselves?"