The New Bond

Umbra

I looked around, parting my jaws in a yawn. Silt usually didn't mind starting the day late, but I had been adamant about getting up early and finishing what we needed to do today before Aster returned.

I was excited to show off what I could do now and how much I had grown. Looking down, I admired the three feet I'd grown in a week. Silt had said it was impressive, even though it was mostly from level gain and core consumption.

My mind drifted to the tips Aster had given me, mainly on how you had to actively try to gain a skill to earn it. Who knew flying was even a skill dragons could learn? We did it every day.

"Youngling, let us get going. The planes to the south will be our hunting spot today. Giant Alrid Birds were spotted there, and the farmers in the area have requested the kingdom deal with them."

I looked up at Silt's voice, the draconic speech skill usually let me know where the mental speech was coming from, and I spotted her on the top of the tower. Taking off from the ground around the tower and flapping upwards, I made my way towards her, watching as she started to beat her wings and lift off from the building.

Getting behind her at an angle, we veered south, using the wind from her cast-off to make my flight easier. I didn't struggle to fly longer distances anymore, not with my stamina increasing so much. But as Silt had said, 'A dragon takes every advantage and uses it.'

So I relaxed my wings for the flight, looking around the sky, keeping watch as I flew, bending around with my neck to watch the city walls disappear. I never understood how humans or other races managed to live with such short necks. It limited the ability to look around to such a big degree and made them look weird. Not that I'd ever tell Aster she looked weird.

After we had left the city limits and were over the planes entirely, Silt started to dip lower, signaling we were there. I spotted what we must have been after.

Big birds, a little under half my size tall and slightly bigger than half a human, flew in a flock of six. They were close to the ground, diving toward sheep, pecking at them, and pulling the wool off their bodies. I was okay with the birds taking the sheep. Their wool and low amounts of meat made them on the lower end of my preferred meat list.

That wasn't to be thought of as this was a training opportunity for some aerial combat. It didn't take long for the birds to notice us, and they let out screeches as they started to gain height.

I never understood how creatures like this thought it was a good idea to challenge an obviously stronger beast to a fight, much less me, a dragon, a ruler of the sky.

"I will stay at a distance and watch you fight. I will fly in if it is needed, but the Birds are only grade-two beasts."

Giving Silt my mental understanding of her words, I started to beat my wings faster and passed her as I moved to reach the spot above the birds before they got to my height. Grade two was the highest Silt allowed me to take care of in groups. I took the chance to identify one of them.

[Alrid - Giant Eagle - Level 83]

Once at the right angle, I folded my wings and started a dive, spinning so I was upside down for the fun. The birds let out more screeches as I grew closer, probably realizing their mistake. Two of them started to fly away.

I parted my jaws as we grew closer, eyeing one of the remaining four. I knew the best choice might have been using my breath, but I was hungry, and the birds of prey did look like a good snack. I felt the wind flow past my scales and into my mouth as I grinned. The first bird I reached didn't have time to do more than let out a squawk of terror before my mouth snapped down on its left wing. Then, the opposing momentum between me and the bird ripped it clean off. I made sure to slam my tail into the bird as I passed it. The crack of the bone and the notification confirming its death put it out of my mind. One down, three to go. Swallowing the wing, I approached the set of birds, all grouped together.

After seeing what had happened to their companion, they were in no hurry to try to fight anymore and turned to fly away. That, though, wasn't an option. You can't run from a dragon when you're that small. The momentum of my dive had me approaching them rapidly, and after the first taste of blood, I was eager for more. Reaching out my front claws, I snagged the one furthest in the back, forcing its wings closed and holding it. After a moment of hesitation, I might want another one to eat, but then I would be risking them getting away. I opened my jaws and forced the frost out of my mouth.

The first one took the brunt of my breath with its entire body, the blue coat of frost slamming into the bird's chest, the feathers crystalizing into ice, sending it plummeting. I swung my head to the other one, the line of frost carving through the air towards it. The last bird, however, was not taking any risk, and it started a dive for the ground, perhaps thinking it would prove safer. My breath only caught a few tail feathers as it passed over it. I snapped my jaws shut with an irritated hiss. I watched it speed up like an arrow.

The bird in my talons squirmed, reminding me I had at least gotten half of them. Then, before I let it flee, an idea occurred to me.

A conversation a few days ago with Silt had been about how gravity and momentum worked. It really was narrowed down to a simple sentence in the end. The heavier an object was, the faster it would fall. I was certainly heavier than some bird, so I should be faster. I folded my wings in and started a plummet, not bothering to challenge gravity at all.

Sure enough, even though the bird had its wings folded in as well, I was gaining on it, and it didn't even seem to notice. The only problem was I didn't have a way to grab it with my front talons, and I didn't want to use my breath while falling this fast.

A previous experience earlier this week taught me that you could fall into your own breath, and even if the frost itself didn't hurt, getting in my eyes still stung. If I couldn't do either option, then I could… Ahh, my tail! With some air resistance, I angled myself sideways and flipped around so I was pointing upwards, and my tail was below me. Winding my tail up as I drew within a few dozen feet, I aimed for only a moment before I whipped it out. It cracked against the bird below me. The motion sent me spiraling crazily, but the notification of its death confirmed that I had hit it hard enough. I took a second to even out. Only then did I notice the previously squirming bird in my talons was now unmoving, either broken or unconscious.

The last birds who had smartly fled from me at the beginning were flying off in random directions. I wanted to fly after them, but there wasn't a need. With over half the flock dead, they wouldn't be coming back. With a sigh, I angled towards the ground, intent on enjoying my breakfast.

A rest with Silt near where the birds had been making a nest out of the wool started A talk about how I could've done better involving some tips for flying. After that, we made our way over to the tower again to see what the next problem was.

Thus began what had become, over the past few days, a life of grinding levels. Usually, there were city guards that would be undertaking these missions, but with Roslin and Silt here, they were able to focus on other things.

The next issue involved a weird troll who lived in the middle of a lake and was terrorizing the fishers. It was a grade four monster, so I just watched as Silt dealt with it using a skill to drag it out with bubbling mud before piercing it with multiple fire lances that melted the rubbery skin.

"Remember what we discussed? Any monster grade two and above has a core of some form. Dragons and other sentient beasts like us gain power from eating them." She said, rooting around in the melted flesh.

I nodded but still felt queasy as I watched the smoke rise from the dissolving body. Monsters always smelled disgusting. The small core that remained was green and murky. Still, when Silt rolled the core over to me with one talon, I scooped it up in my tongue without complaint. It cracked easily under my teeth, and the liquid that flowed out sent a pleasant tingle down my spine.

[You have consumed a grade 4 monster core. Growth speed has been minorly increased. Time until the second class unlock has shortened.]

Whacking my tail on the ground, I stood up. As it was, I'd consumed enough to where the timer for my second class had decreased quite a bit, but I felt like I could still go further. That could wait for tomorrow. Now, I was ready to get going.

"Does this mean we're done for today?" I asked Silt, dancing on my talons.

"For now, Yes. However, just because your bond is returning doesn't mean you're going to slack off. The stronger you two grow, the better." I could hear the amusement in her tone, and I nodded.

I didn't waste time rolling my eyes at the repeated words, instead taking a running jump to gain some air for my take off.

I'd have plenty of time to return to the city, grab another snack, and wash off in a lake on the way back. That was the plan until halfway there, to my dismay, I spotted something rising in the distance, smoke.

Letting out an angry growl, I angled towards it. Not because I'd feel bad if I kept going, but if Silt noticed she'd be disappointed I didn't stop to help. If there was a fire, It wouldn't be a problem for me to take care of it in a short time.

As I got closer, I was able to make out what I was heading towards, and it drew my interest. I had expected it to be a house, but Instead, it was a small tower, compared to the one I stayed at anyway, and not a normal-looking tower. The blue top of it and the way the stone bricks spiraled as it went up the side of the tower gave it a regal look. The tower itself was not on fire, but a large patch of trees behind it glowed with the signs of burning. The trees were too thick from above to do anything, so letting out a huff of exasperation, I landed. Taking care not to do so near the tower.

Did I even have to put out forest fires? Grumbling, I walked into the small forest. Sure enough, and weirdly, a few dozen feet in one tree was on fire, but it didn't seem to be spreading. The embers seemed to almost part past them and land on cleared sandy spots. Wanting to be fast, I didn't bother learning more. Instead, I just parted my jaws, letting out a torrent of frost at the tree, starting at the bottom and moving up it. It took three passes to put it out completely, two more than usual, but soon enough, I was looking satisfied at the new pole of Ice. I stepped back, only to hear an outraged yell.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Snaking my neck to look behind me, I tilted my head at the man who was storming out of the trees, pointing a finger at me.

"It took forty days to finish that ritual and countless ingredients that aren't native here, and you've ruined it!"

He walked over to the pole of ice, looking over at his fist clenching and unclenching. Then he sagged, appearing distraught.

Unsure of what was going on, I started to slink back towards the trees, wanting to just leave, but as I took my first step away, The Ice cracked.

The man took a step back, appearing surprised, and then it shattered, falling apart. Left in its place was a floating black shard of some form. He quickly picked it up.

"It…worked? But how? The fire started only just started, to be sped up…" the man trailed off, then his head snapped around, only now seeming to notice me fully. His voice was now perplexed instead of angry.

"You! Can you do that again?"

I stared back and then let out a hiss. I wasn't going to be stuck here to help some man. Turning around, I stumbled over my own claws as I nearly ran into the same man, who was now in front of me again. I turned my head to look behind me, but the shard and the man weren't there. Had he teleported?

"It won't take long, and I can pay you. Your kind always likes glittering objects, right? Good Good, This way."

His tone had turned rapid, and he didn’t bother letting me respond, not that I had a way to. He started to walk off before pausing when I didn't follow.

"Look, the faster you help me, the faster you can get back to you things. You owe me for almost ruining that ritual. I'm not going to ask why a young dragon not oathbound to the kingdom is here. Much less why a frost dragon is all the way in Arilon as long as we get going."

I was initially just going to walk away. He couldn't keep me here, but at the mention of dragons, I found my interest peaked. What was an oathbound dragon, and what did he know about frost dragons? I took a step forward after checking the sun through the trees. Aster wouldn't be done with her classes for another few hours, so I did have time.

The man appeared satisfied at the slight movement, turned, and led the way through the trees moving around them until we arrived at one slightly darker than the rest.

"Now, all you need to do is let out your breath on the tree to cool it down."

He waited next to it, and after a second, I opened my jaws and hit the tree with my breath. To my astonishment, it made a hissing noise, and steam filled the air, making me stop and cough. There was a low chant from the man, and after a moment, the steam disappeared.

"I perhaps should have mentioned it was a Heat Wood Tree. It's quite hard to tell the difference besides a slight color difference, but a small touch could melt skin and maybe even scale. Now, please continue. I must collect some of the bark while it's still cooling."

He pulled a jar and a knife out of nowhere

"Now, continue. I promise the reward will be good."

The man had me freeze six more trees, and it took nearly an hour. The only reason I stayed was the promise of a reward, and every time I turned, the man would be in front of me.

To say I was getting tired of him was an understatement, but I couldn't exactly step on a human yet.

When he finally rubbed his hands together and said, "That should do it." I was relieved.

"Now, back to my tower, and then you can go on your way."

I let out a low rumble, and the man gave a sigh before adding. "Not without a promised reward, though."

I nodded my massive head, satisfied and curious about what he planned to offer me for my time.

As he led the way out of the previously twisted and tangled forest, it seemed to change, appearing ordered, and even had an old dirt path that led out, something I hadn't seen before. While he walked out, I finally spent the time necessary to get a good look at the man.

He was old, and his hair was pasty white like the other humans of a similar age, but he moved as if he didn't look like he would fall apart by tripping. There was also the long cane he used to walk. I could feel the mana coming off of it, and Identify didn't tell me anything about either of them.

Once we left the forest, the man entered his tower, and I waited outside. There was a clanging noise and then a crashing noise followed by muttered curses. He poked his head out of a window halfway up the tower before going back in. More noises followed until he eventually came back out the front door. He was holding a white bundle with a long strip of leather.

He bent down and set it on the grass in front of his door, then gestured at it. "You promised reward, now shoo. I have work to do."

He turned around and closed the door.

I stood there for a moment, then sniffed the bag but couldn't smell anything. With an annoyed grunt, I lifted it, straining at the weight. The man had carried it so effortlessly, so why was it so heavy now?

With a few extra wingbeats, I took to the air and started back to the city, determined to make it there without any stops, even if there was another fire.

Aster

I couldn't do more than dodge out of the way as the massive hammer slammed into the ground. Bringing my bow up and pulling back the string, I let the arrow fly before jumping back again. The student in front of me, wielding the big hammer, grinned as he lifted from the rubble of the smashed ground as the arrow bounced off the thin white shield.

I didn't understand how this was considered a fair fight, as Herney had put it. Maybe I was missing something, Not that there was the time to think about it, though. The fight, which had been going on for over five minutes, now seemed to be reaching its end. He was unable to hit me while I had stalker's movement active, but at the same time, he seemed to shrug off all but the frost-infused arrows, which took too long to charge up. Thus, it was a battle of attrition to see which one of us ran out of mana or stamina first.

The second test Herney had set up was a fight against students. It was, as he said, a way they could stand up to a non-beast-like opponent' because, apparently, there were quite a few monsters like that.

Taking a step back a second to infuse more mana into my active skill, stalker's movement, I felt the world slingshot around me, pushing me at a speed fast enough to have the world blur. I passed the student who missed in an attempt to smash me again. Sadly, the skill only worked like this in a short straight burst, or I would have put the man into the ground already.

Taking a moment to pick up an arrow off the ground near my feet, I stored it, bringing a new one out of my spatial gem. Pulling it back and letting it fly.

The arena we were fighting in was only a few dozen feet wide, which put me at a disadvantage, not allowing me to gain much space.

Pushing off of the wall behind me, using my tail for balance, I sailed over the student. I watched as his hammer blew apart some of the wall. That was when something changed as if he had been waiting or, rather, out of desperation, the student's hammer started to glow with a blue light. He brought the hammer back out of the wall and down at the same time I landed. The ground shook violently from the blow, moving like a wave, and kept shaking. My footing was thrown off, and I stumbled as I tried to regain my balance.

It gave the student, who I really wish I had asked the name of, time to run up and get within swinging distance. I cursed my lack of viable combat skills as I brought my arms up to block the hammer. They wouldn't stop it or slow the momentum much, but hopefully, it would help with the bruising.

The hammer connected with a thud, and I could feel the massive pull of mana and stamina as the telltale red flash of the shield enchantment breaking appeared around me.

I let out a grunt as I was flung back, sliding against the stone. For a second, I was surprised at how far I'd flown. The student had some strength behind his blows. Sitting up, I rubbed my arms. While the shield had blocked the attack, the condensed air behind the blow still hurt. I sat up and was surprised to see the student holding out his hand. I took it, and he pulled me up with a grin. "That was close. I was low on my mana, and the way you seemed to avoid every attack was amazing! If the arena had been any bigger, then I might not have had a way to get to you."

I gave him a smile rubbing the back of my head, a little embarrassed at all of the praise and still having lost.

"Thanks, And you're really strong. Even one hit with that hammer was enough to break the shield. I'm surprised I lasted so long." I was being honest. I didn't feel bad about having lost. I learned a lot. Mainly, I needed a way to either avoid a fight in such a small space like this or a way to end one.

"Well done, Easton and Aster." Herney's voice came from above, and we both turned to look up at him and the other students who were around the top of the fourteen-foot-deep square hole, or makeshift arena. Mentally, I slotted the student's names away to remember for later.

"It is like both of you said. The area given to fight in was small and advantaged, Easton, but you, Aster, held out longer than I would have thought and managed to pick most of your arrows in the process to avoid getting them broken. It is a good thought to have on a long trip. I'm giving both of you a passing grade. I do want to ask you, Aster. I only saw you use two skills. Is one of your classes non-combat-based? It won't affect you being admitted into this class as you've proved that you excel at archery."

I thought about it. I didn't want to outright say yes or no and definitely didn't want to name my classes with so many people around. I didn't know what effect it would have, so I tried to give half an answer.

"A lot of my skills are party-based. I haven't had a chance to try them, but they don't do much outright in combat, I think."

To my surprise, that earned a lot of whispers between the students, some of the excitement and some disbelief.

"I see. That will be something to talk about later, then. For now, let's get the next students up. We have Almatta and Sendrick on the list."

I wiped my soaking hair, trying to dry it off as I walked out of the bathroom. After the matchups, I was meant to go see Umbra since today was finally the day when we were allowed to start leaving the campus. To my surprise, Kat was waiting on the couch. She gave a wave as I walked out.

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at the club?" I asked her, tossing the towel to the side in a bin. I'd only stopped by to take a quick shower before I headed to the tower. I didn't want to smell like sweat when I saw Umbra again.

"Well, I figured since you weren't going to be there, I could take the time to relax for the afternoon and meet some more students." She raised an envelope, waving it. "This also arrived while you were in there. It was just addressed to the room, so I opened it. It's an invite to a party going on to celebrate the start of the academic year. Hosted by some year two rich noble."

I took the folded paper, opened it, and quickly read over it. Sure enough, at the end of next week, there was something going on. Shrugging my shoulders, I handed it back. "I don't know if I'll have time, and I've never been to one."

She blinked and looked surprised. "You've never been to a party? What about your class unlocking? My village celebrated it yearly for all the kids who unlocked that year."

"Well, I spent it with my mother, and we had a nice dinner, and I guess I did go to a celebration once recently, but it didn't feel like a party with the way the letter put it."

She opened her mouth and then paused as if realizing something. "Wait, on our first day, that kid Yarran said you were from the claw-woods, not a village. Does that mean you grew up in the actual forest?"

I nodded, sitting down. "Yup, me and my mother and her people."

"How are you alive? That place has like grade four beast!"

I snorted. "That's only on the outside part. I was lucky to see a grade two where I lived, and my mother is really strong." I couldn't help the boast that left my mouth and my smile.

Her facial expression turned wry. "Well, maybe a party will be good for you. Tell you what, you go, and I'll go. It'll be fun." her eyes widened in the same way Sandath's did when he really wanted something, and I relented.

"Fine, okay, I'll ask if I'm allowed to, but I don't know how long I want to stay. You know I don't like large groups. Being in some of the bigger classes is hard enough, and it sounds like a lot of people will be here."

She beamed at me and then nodded, standing up. "That's fine! It'll be fine, I promise."

I followed her lead and followed her, walking to the door, remembering something. "Oh, I want to cheek also, but I want to plan on staying at the academy every other day."

Kat nodded, appearing slightly relieved. "That sounds great! It would have been a bit lonely to have the room all to myself. Then you want to plan on keeping the same schedule?"

"Yes, I'll meet you here in the morning. I don't really see a reason to change it."

We both left the building, parting ways as I made my way to the front gate. As if it was planned, I felt a nudge from Umbra and nudged her back. "Aster! I have so much to tell you, but I want to surprise you. Just wait until you get back." I could feel her giddiness as she spoke, and I knew there was something I was missing. The bond hadn't been blocked, for say, but we had both been so busy the last week that we really hadn't had time to speak except for a few passing words at night.

"I'm just leaving the academy. We have a lot to go over, you know? To spend the time as best as possible, I have a few ideas on how to gain some skills for both of us." Showing my pendant to the guard at the gate, I made my way out, aiming straight for the tower, only stopping briefly to pick up some meat on sticks. The expression when I asked for twelve on the man was confused, but he didn't complain and even smiled when I handed him the coins to pay.

Taking a bite out of one, I started to explain what had happened in all of my classes in the week to Umbra. I did feel like it was going to be a long night.