Valeria’s attitude toward the dragon changed upon meeting him. Toroken was even more friendly than Luke had claimed. He had gone out of his way to prepare for their arrival and had even altered the land in places for them. The dragon had a lot of control over the terrain here and he had adjusted portions of it for housing and farming. The dragon talked a lot about what the island was like, but she had already seen much of it.

The island could only be described as lush. Forests, rivers, and grasslands covered nearly every inch of the island. The black beaches were the only places that weren’t overfull with green life. The dragon had shaped some of the grasslands and rivers in preparation for their arrival. Toroken was a little too eager to get them to settle down.

“You will never lack food or water while on my land. And your people will always be welcome in my mountain if any concerns should arise.”

Toroken sounded hopeful. She wasn’t dense enough to miss the signs of loneliness. The dragon wanted people to talk to. He didn’t care about species or levels; he was just lonely. The lonely, old dragon was not as scary as he had seemed earlier. That being said, she was still aware of just what he was. A being capable of turning nations to ash. A species feared and hated by kings and gods. And in this case, a being so lonely that they became a bit of a fool around other people. The tense feeling that held her face vanished, and she felt her expression softening. Luke stifled his laughter as the dragon explained what he had done, but the humor on his face was evident. Toroken finally took notice of it and raised an eyebrow at him.

“What is that you find so humorous?”

Luke smiled as he responded.

“When is the last time you observed the mortal races? We have skills and magic that could build cities, but what I find so comical, is the endearing expression on my Valeria’s face.”

As he spoke, he slowly turned toward her, and she realized that he was laughing at her.

“It seems like you have given up your suspicions rather quickly.”

“You never told me that he was such an old fool!”

She hissed the words in a half whisper that was easily overheard by the dragon. She tried and failed to stop her face from reddening. Then the worst thing happened, and Toroken laughed with Luke. Although, Toroken still responded in a gentle manner.

“Young one, just as a mouse might fear a cat, it is only right for you to be weary around me. Your husband Luke is far too careless.”

The words were meant to get her to relax, but they did the opposite. Luke was a god. Could someone really dwarf his power to such an extent?

“But you are deserving of our trust?”

She had wanted to question him with confidence but her voice broke and she squeaked out the last word. The drake smiled warmly, reminding her a little too much of Luke’s father. Her own father was a far nastier man.

“I do not know, but I hope to become someone who is. For as long as you remain on my land, I will offer you the protection of a dragon.”

His voice boomed beyond just them. They hadn’t moved far from the mountain, but she had the feeling his words were meant for everyone. The ground trembled with his shout. Her head swung around as the trees, bushes, and even the grass seemed to lean toward Toroken. She glanced at Luke who was watching the surroundings with the same amazement. Neither of them had sensed or felt any magic. The island was reaching for Toroken with loving arms. She saw it then. A future for them. A protector who would let them live as they wanted.

“Something’s happened. We need to go back.”

Luke spoke quickly, launching himself into the air with a massive leap. She didn’t hesitate and followed him a second later. The boots on her feet glowed faintly, as she started running in the air. She expected Toroken to join them in the air. Instead, he ran below them. The island seemed to move out of his way as he easily kept pace with her. Luke’s jump had taken him further than her flight, and he was faster than her too. The forest beneath her blurred as she ran, and she arrived probably a minute after Luke.

She saw him standing in front of a small group of people. The people were all beastkin, and they were laying on the ground. She saw the group and realized that it wasn’t that small. Many more people stood around the ones on the ground. She could see some of them were coughing and clutching at their chest. When did so many people get sick?

She descended on the beach beside Luke. He was bent over one of the people. It was a child with small, rounded ears on the top of their head. His chest rose so slowly, that she thought it wasn’t moving initially. Her gaze darted over the rest of the group and she saw similar symptoms across them. The ones on the ground were obviously struggling even to breathe, and the people standing had scratching coughs. She stepped closer to Luke and noticed patches of greenish-yellow skin on the child’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

Luke should’ve been able to heal them. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and her hands felt clammy as she repeated the question.

“What’s wrong!”

It came out as a shout as Luke turned to her. His face was grim but focused. His hands shone gold as he touched the small boy. For the first time since his advancement, Luke looked a little pale. She instinctively reached for him, but he dodged her hand as if it were infected.

“Don’t touch me, or anyone. It spreads through contact.”

Luke’s voice was as steady as always, but his eyes radiated doubt. Her own reply wasn’t nearly as composed.

“You can heal it.”

She wanted to sound certain, but the doubt on his face made her own voice quiver. Luke shook his head fractionally.

“I don’t know. When I tried to heal them, it made it worse. I think it’s a curse. A living curse that’s tricking the soul into thinking it’s needed. My healing is helping it.”

His response cut off her pleas. Her mouth moved several times without any words actually coming out. Then she took a breath and focused. This wasn’t the first time something bad had happened, and she wouldn’t freak out just because of who it was targeting.

“It must be skill designed to counter you. The gods you sensed earlier?”

She kept talking even as Luke shook his head.

“No, you would’ve sensed it then. It must be a classer.”

Unlike thrones, aspects, and divinities, classers got power that wasn’t obvious. When kings, gods, or monsters reached level 200, their achievement was shouted across the world. Classers didn’t, they gained power in anonymity. That was the true advantage of that path. She glanced over the group of people, trying to figure out what to do.

“Who had it first?”

She settled on a question; her voice was empty of the earlier panic. There weren’t a lot of ways to stop a skill like this. Not without the person who had the skill. She just needed to figure out who. Getting the person to surrender would be the easy part.

“We don’t know yet. I asked Trevon to find out. The problem is that the curse didn’t activate until we arrived.”

He replied quickly but went back to the child in front of him. Luke was kneeling beside the child and was doing something to keep the kid alive. She considered what she could do and found nothing. Her powers were derived from Luke’s in a way. She had attacks and skills designed to target the soul, but they weren’t good at leaving things alive. Any attempt to help would end badly. A thought entered her mind, and she turned toward her new friend.

Toroken stood a little apart from her and Luke. He was just observing the situation calmly, but his face was set in a frown. She still had some hope though. A dragon wasn’t limited by the same system as far as she knew. Toroken might be able to counter the skill somehow. The dragon hesitated only a moment before walking beside Luke. He looked at her and then at Luke before speaking.

“I am not a being of healing, nor is this something I have encountered before. However, I have vowed to protect you and will do what I can.”

So, saying, the dragon rested his hand on Luke’s shoulder. Luke reacted first and slunk away from Toroken. The dragon didn’t let go and held Luke as he tried to pull away.

“You oh my people nothing.”

Luke spoke the words as he pushed Toroken's arm feebly. It was feeble only to the dragon. She could see the veins on Luke’s arms bulge with the effort. Toroken smiled.

“I have given you, my word.”

That was all he said. He reached down and touched the child. The boy’s breathing steadied slightly, but he didn’t get up. It took her a second to realize that Toroken had just put the boy to sleep. He glanced at her before speaking.

“I have been infected as Luke had said. I would recommend that you distance yourself from others if at all possible. I will seek a cure with my own abilities though it might take some time.”

She nodded and took a few steps away from them. What could she do? Her head darted back and forth, as she looked over the people. Her people. She was no king or god, but they were her responsibility. Find who started this. If the curse didn’t start till they got to the island, then maybe whoever used it was nearby. Trevon had skills meant for hunting and tracking, but she could at least fly around the island.

“I’m going to look around.”

Toroken and Luke both nodded as they sat around the sick child. She glanced at them one last time. She swallowed the panic and fear that were at the edges of her mind. They had been in dire situations before. They always survived, and she always got her revenge.