Chapter 6

‘There are no normal people here’, Amy thought to herself. She was nervous for Sean: one of the anchors for her in this new world.

“ughhh”, he groaned.

Amy watched him furtively, the heel of Glyn’s brand new Adidars, leaving a red track on his face, so clear she could read the brand. Amy smirked, she recalled the many scuffles and yelling contests between her and her sisters. However, the sibling rivalry of a competitive apex predator could sometimes become intense as Amy had witnessed.

“Right everyone”, Radim said as he paced to and fro in front of his desk. That’s right, Amy and all had returned to the classroom. He continued as Sean raised himself in his seat waving forward with his hand as his tablet flew before Sean, “Let’s go over our people’s history”.

Though it was grueling to listen attentively for all present, Amy had been immune to all the status affflictions. Amy was mesmerized by the sight in front of her. Radim waved his right hand in a circular motion above his head and a translucent blue screen appeared behind him as his tablet circled his location like a bird of prey.

“Let’s start with something familiar: this city, this tower Arbell and all the land it contains”, Radim began his lecture, as images of the great city of Arbellon were on the screen, “Is but one of seven towers, scattered across the earth. Israel, Italy, Japan, Ethiopia, and Germany. Now our writings have told us that there is another tower somewhere else in the world, but its location has been lost in the tide of time. None of our brethren from the tower remain, and what happened and why is a question we have tried to answer for thousands of years. Anybody care to name the towers?”.

Sean regained his vigor and was just about to raise his hand before Lorenn drew everyone’s attention including Amy’s with a cough. He pushed up his glasses, which Amy knew he did not need because elven eyes were almost as good as a dragon’s, at least according to Glyn.

Lorenn recalled them with a matter-of-act tone, “The tower of Pescali in the Italian Alps, Shahulu in the high plains and mountain ranges of Ethiopia, The Radermacht in the depths of the Black Forest, Waga in the coldest most isolate reaches of Hokkaido”.

“Right”, Radim confirmed, “And my home territory of Ra’dashaman in the Coastal Mountains of Galilee. Collectively we call the towers ‘Draegoch’. Anybody care to translate that for us?”

“Land of Draeg”, Amy whispered to Glyn not wanting to be noticed.

“I’m sorry what was that young miss?”, Radim stopped pacing and focused on Amy.

Amy’s voice cracked as she replied, “Umm, Land, Land of Draeg”.

“Very good miss Amy”, Radim said and started to pace again as whispers erupted, “We know that we are therefore Draegun: people of Draegoch. We abide on earth yet what we know it is not our home. We know our home is somewhere else and what cramped continents we have are but shadows of what once was. Yet we have no records, no memory, no recollections of what cataclysm that eventually brought us here. We have stood with humanity, defended ourselves from humanity, and hid ourselves from humanity. Yet we have never desired or coveted the human world, even with the natural resources that we are lacking we dare not take anything from our hosts. It is not our planet and not our domain. We also stem the infestation of malice that is in our lands from spilling out onto earth like an agitated cup of water”.

“What malice?”, Amy poked Glyn and asked.

Radim’s lecture continued despite Amy’s talking, “Our lands have been polluted by the foulest of creatures who only desire to eat live flesh, screaming and misery is their vice. Some of our experts believe that they were once like us but became corrupted, their souls becoming putrid like rotten flesh. But that is mere speculation, we have no proof in our vast libraries to verify such claims. But regardless they pose no world ending threat to us. We have defended our territories from their violence for unknown years. Their strength comes and goes like the tide. Now they have been confined to the old fortress of Dulahuund, the natural bastion in the cold, untouched, inhospitable ranges and tundra of Dulahuum in the north. A vast cold wasteland full of suffering and insatiable hunger. The Kran, and its rotted sun scorched steppes, the stench of which cover the Southern city of Lenefir when the wind turns north. The poisoned marshes of Ffunrefir, has darkened the land so thoroughly nothing can live within a hundred miles. The toxic lake of Kalybrila in the forest Dduradum, a water so dead it looks like a mirror. Regardless of where they are, they are less than beasts. We call these areas Ddanedyn or dungeons. Most of our history has been the battles between these mobs. Sometimes leaders rise up lay in wait, and then they overflow. Other times we organize preemptive great raids to reduce their numbers that never seem to disappear no matter how many we kill. Yet we’ve maintained our borders and have built a vibrant culture, a vibrant people as have the other towers. Within our lands, marauders and packs of creatures with wicked desires appear from nowhere. First one lamb two lamb, then some one goes missing, then several then a whole village is gone. They appear randomly and without warning so we have remained vigilant throughout our realm. The dragons patrol the sky looking for these pockets and quests are given to guilds. We are a people with only one enemy. The goal of my class is to teach you to control your magic, utilize your magic, and either make a peaceful living, or fight”.

“Blah, blah, blah”, Sean whispered with a yawn, “Oww”

Glyn shushed him to be silent with a kick to his shins, as Amy was quietly absorbing everything presented to her.

“Of course for those with more human blood, they may wish to return to earth once they have satisfactory control and are aware of the dangers and reprecussions should they be exposed or expose their magic to pure humans”, Radim lectured on with Amy clinging to every word, thirsty and finally able to drink at the well of answers, “However we do not wish for people to do something they do not want, so guilds guide their members into doing something they enjoy that will directly or indirectly help keep our towns our homes free from invasion, and the blood of our people from being spilled”.

The speech pricked Amy’s heart. She looked at her classmates with sympathetic eyes; because while she was worried over what shoes to buy, they were fighting every day.

“Ohh don’t look like that”, Amy turned towards the speaker: a bright young dwarven girl with flaming hair at five feet, with thick hips, thick lips and a long nose, “We do quite alright lass, it has been like that for us so we have learned to thrive despite our circumstances”.

“Indeed Minerva!”, Radim said as he continued his pacing, “and that is due to our magic. Magic in the worlds consists of four things, the spoken word, power in the blood, a keen imagination, and a singular focus to see that magic through. Magic, or Ddar in the Ddyllewech tongue, can be used from building, to adding a physical energy to a swift sword stroke. This is the Guild of Magic; we study and learn the secrets, processes, and reality that is magic”.

Radim plucked his tablet out of the air, “And this we call the Waga tablet, Developed by the Shinsai clan in Waga. They created it for Draegun and Earthers to use, quite surprising actually considering their disposition. They’re fundamentally good natured but they are secretive and private, and their desire for money is legendary. Oh no they would not give of this freely the remaining isles that has the most natural resources in Draegoch no, they have made enormous amounts of profit. The entire tower of Waga is committed to producing more tablets for the next generation and beyond. You see hundreds of years ago we too used wands, much like what Miss Amy has but they are now obsolete. Though there are still some, a small few that still use wands, and favor their power over versatility and live in their communes, although they cannot deny the advantages of the system. What is the system? It is a guide in the mysterious mystical maze that is magic; one small turn and your efforts will become confused, and your reasoning confounded. The system will lead you in a direction most suitable to your skills, and gives you detailed information of your abilities, because after all knowledge is power”.

All the other students’ eyes were dull and expressionless as Amy inspected her classmates 30 in all. A lecture they had heard before, and heard before that as well despite Radim being their instructor this year. Yet for Amy the words were like drops of clear water to a dry tongue. She became caught up in the momentum of her circumstances, a life she had wished to live, a world she had wished to see. The more she leaned into her new life, the lesser the pain in her heart became. An urge to escape from her pain filled her heart, an urge to make her way in this new environment.

Ian was sitting at a bar, a dimly lit bar. The soft candle light, and the strong shadows biting at it as if to overtake it. He looked down at his drink, garbage quality alcohol that was meant to be consumed quickly, and produced cheaply. He measured 3 perfect inches to the right with his eyes and moved his glass to the spot. He sat silently and tried to consume this disgusting beverage with elegance. His atmosphere seemed to cast the darkness around him away, while it obscured the faces in this not so reputable establishment.

Just as there is light so too there is Darkness. The dragons saw many faces in the humans, greed, envy, lust, malice, hate, but they also saw, peace, joy, warmth, and love. They had a range of dispositions, and sometime ones that were violent. But among them there were gems: people of unshakeable character, unyielding courage. Humans would be left to themselves, humans with the magic blood of a Draegun; however, is a different matter. The dragons had vowed long ago to not allow their world to interfere with Earth and the humans.

Ian pondered over such things and gracefully suffered through each sip of this insipid beverage. The only thing that soothed his taste buds, was the constant plume of tobacco smoke emanating from his mouth and nostrils. Ian was a fire drake, and all dragons enjoy smoke, as it naturally emerges from deep within their lungs. After finishing he turned the glass over on the bar.

Ian was here, in Oregon, Ian was here for Ponzo ‘the know it all’, as 'some' referred to him. Instead of the dragons’ might he used a human’s guile and subtlety. A dragon’s gaze was not all seeing, keen though it may be, it could not penetrate the naturally occurring shadows of the world, in which the groups of those who used their inherited powers for more nefarious purposes hid: the dark wizards. It was human ingenuity turning the improbable into the possible. Hiding in the dark unseen spots, in the shadows of the mind of a dragon; where the perception of the high downward looking drakes would not think to gaze. Like the rotted creatures of his lands these too were a blight here on Earth. Like the monsters of home they could neither gain ultimate victory nor defeat. Dark human magicians were a tricky opponent.

Four men stood up, from the four corners of the bar. Slowly they approached, with grim expressions and tightened lips, towards Ian. Each puff of a pipe revealed dark olive spectacles standing by the door.

A rainy night, an isolated tavern, yet an inspector was here! They gathered together, the quartet now behind Ian. Only those who resented the watchfulness of the dragons, those who felt stifled would dare approach an inspector in such a manner. With a dark smirk on his face Ian looked back over the collars of his grey trench coat. The men’s hands moved quickly. Shink! With one smooth calculated motion Ian had unsheathed his Shinsai katana hidden under his trench coat, stood and cut the four wands the dark wizards were clutching, then sheathed his sword as if he had never drawn it. What was the reality of wands on Earth: they were in the hands of most criminals, hard to trace, less conspicuous than a floating tablet, and the only tool that could be also used for black magic. The leader of the men drew a knife filled with killing intent, and lunged at Ian. Turning to the side and with a slight nudge of his foot he tripped the aggressor shoving his head into the glass Ian had on the bar. It shattered leaving shards embedded in the man's forehead as he slide down the walls of the bar. The other three pulled out knives and started to retreat towards the door, before a burly tone rang out behind them, and they dropped their weapons in defeat.

“Why in such a rush?”, William asked, the cherry from his pipe reflecting on his glasses menacingly, “We have questions that you will answer, it’s okay if you don’t tell us now”, William towering over the frightened men, grabbed one of their collars and pulled him in until his whiskers poked the man’s face, “We are patient. We can wait”.

Dragons are immensely kind as they are fierce, an apex predator and a protector. Ian regretted that it would be a trait that may cause a rift. Ian snatched the leader who had collapsed sitting on the filthy floor against he bar. Blood dribbling down the side of his face. The man’s legs could not sustain his weight, but his strength mattered not. Like puppet on a string Ian held up the man as his feet moved in the air trying to regain his ability to stand. Ian, William, and the four men went outside. The rain had died but the wind had not, Ian stood there finishing his cigarette. Humans had a special place in Ian’s heart unlike some who may be a shade indifferent; although, a dragon always kept his vow, and his ancestors had vowed that all generations would protect humans. But Ian was the Chief Inspector and he could show no weakness to those who would dare disturb the humans. There were five Suv's outside. William stuffed them into a van and off into the night they went as if they were never there to begin with.

Ian was sitting in the van with William and the four future informants. His Trench coat was draped over his shoulders, and he had his hand on his scabbard leaning his sword on his left shoulder. He gazed quietly intently at the men. Finally realizing who Ian was they panicked. Ian could see all their outspoken beliefs and faux loyalty wash away from their eyes, as desperation to escape no matter the price filled them. These weren’t true believers; they were just thugs looking to wreak havoc on the weak.

“Ponzo”, William said indifferently then stopped talking.

Ian watched them squirm more as they learned what he wanted. Who were they: just common criminals; however, they knew who to find, to get to Ponzo. He was the real reason for them being arrested. They could be arrested anytime, the evidence against them was overwhelming. But Ponzo was their prey a slippery weasel he was. He would visit the major cities posing as a street magician looking for a quarter here a dollar there. The fact that contacts coincidentally leading to him were found in Oregon, troubled Ian. His brows sharpened his gaze at the suspects. What reason would cause Ponzo’s schemes to focus here.

“We will die if we say anything!!”, one man exclaimed his clothes drenched with sweat.

William scoffed, “You hear that Ian they will die if they say anything. You lads should have thought about that before you decided to peddle black magic curse apps, and black magic relics on the dark web. You know the punishment right. Every curse you sold will come back on your own head permanently. And if one of your buyers kills a human even by accident, then your lives are forfeit. And since traces of your spells have been detected at the deaths of four victims, you are already dead men drawing breath. So, we could either release you right here, and Ponzo will not stop until he extracts the last most exquisite drop of pain and torment from you, or use you as an experiment for his curses until you die. Or you could come with us and live and pass on relatively peacefully if you are lucky. It is your decision”, William nudged one of the men sharply in the ribs and winked, “and you know we dragons dare not interfere with humans and your decisions. Of course, with 15 counts of dealing illegal magic with purpose of being used on a human, you won’t ever go outside again, but your deaths will be of natural causes at least”.

Ian’s stare turned into a glare as the four men now bound with magic swallowed their saliva, and were ready to talk until they had no more breath to speak.