A Dragon's Redemption [Book 2 in Rising Dragons]

Chapter XVII: Dream 9

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I stepped forward, forcing my way through the undergrowth and between trees. I surveyed the other dragons nearby, all were fighters from the looks of them. I grinned in excitement, knowing that the night was going to get quite interesting. I got a few looks as I entered the clearing properly. I knew the reason they were looking at me wasn't for my bright scales or because I was a newcomer, but because of my age.

A dark green dragon slunk up to stand beside me. "A newcomer, eh?" They asked rhetorically, and I eyeballed them. I could tell that they weren't the best fighter, probably humiliated the last time they fought based on how they had slunk up to me without anyone else. "In a group fight, you'll want me – Rykar – by your side," the other dragon said.

I had forgotten that dragons could speak through body mannerisms and their own voice, by roars and whines, instead of only through their mind. It wasn't something anyone did often, but it made sense to avoid doing such a thing here, considering how letting someone into your mind meant that they could attack your mind or figure out your plans and your fighting ability.

I fully turned to the other dragon and snorted. "No," I responded, "I don't think I do." A nearby dragon cackled at my response and the dark green dragon snarled before leaving.

A mauve dragon – the one who cackled incidentally – prowled closer, and took up a position beside me. "I suppose you plan to fight tonight?"

"No," I responded, taking delight in the widening eyes of the other dragon. "Tonight I plan to watch so I understand, next week will bring me to the fight."

"Tonight is a group fight," the mauve dragon explained. "Everyone fights tonight."

I frowned and shifted in annoyance. I hadn't planned to take part in the fighting; I would prefer to watch so I understood everything. "Are there actual groups or is it a free for all?" I quizzed.

"Actual groups," the mauve dragon responded. "The real difficulty is trying to remember who's in your group."

"How are the groups decided?"

"Normally by the number of wins, you'll be put in the group alongside the dragon who has the most wins. It should, hopefully, make up for your lack of experience," the mauve dragon revealed. "However, it's sometimes down differently." I hummed in response. "Sao will divide the groups soon. Sao is the biggest of us all."

"The blue-and-white patched one," I assumed, just as said dragon reared up on their hind legs and sent a burst of flame high into the night sky. Instantly, all the dragons silenced themselves. I flicked my eyes around the area, taking in the twenty and then some dragons, before letting my gaze fall on Sao.

"Vaso and Lina split," Sao said, and a brown dragon and a blue dragon took a step sideways, creating a divide between them. "Wayland and Neculai split," Sao added after surveying the group, and another two dragons took a step away from each other. "Those are the groups. Newcomers have to participate. You have five minutes to familiarise yourself with your group. Fight until one group wins, and then fight until one is left standing. Go."

The mauve dragon and I walked towards our group, which was gathering in a small circle. "Alright, everyone is to work alone to take down other dragons. One on one will mean that the other team cannot double-team anyone. Neculai and Nicholas, you are to take down the dragons that defeat the newcomers; do not waste time. Keep them away from Rykar."

I surveyed the group. Neculai and, I guessed, Nicholas were standing beside each other, heads together but not actually talking. They were either great friends or related, and I was leaning towards the latter. They seemed of similar height, and therefore age, so either nest-mates or twins. Twin dragons were rare, but not unheard of. Having a twin dragon meant that both dragons hatched from the same egg. Twins tended to work better together and were stronger when they were near each other.

"Good luck," the mauve dragon said.

"You too," I said with little attention, instead noting the dragons in my group.

There were about eleven dragons, including myself. There was the mauve dragon, Neculai, Nicholas, Lina, the red dragon who had spoken, another newcomer, a black dragon, a yellow one, a pink one, blue-and-green striped one, and me.

Neculai and Nicholas were apparently the best fighters, but would probably fight close together. The red dragon who had spoken was given a lot of respect but clearly wasn't as strong as he usually was or preferred to act as a back-up if necessary. The newcomer was shades of grey, but larger than me and older. The mauve dragon seemed well-liked but many of the others, but wasn't treated with respect straight away, so he probably wasn't overly strong. The black dragon seemed more intimidating than strong but seemed at ease as she waited for the fight to start. The yellow dragon was waiting in a similar manner. The blue-and-green striped dragon seemed excited and was ready to start. The pink dragon looked completely at ease but was respected. Lina looked like she was determined to win and already planning.

I licked my lips. Not a single fight would be easy. It would be hard, but I would not be the first to surrounder!

"Start!" Sao shouted as he leapt into the sky and took a seat in one of the large trees, looking out over the clearing.

Half the dragons immediately took to the air, while the rest stayed on the ground. Each dragon took on another, waging war with teeth and claws and fire. I was attacked by Rykar – the dragon that the red one had said to avoid. Still, there was no helping it. I disengaged quickly, leaping back to watch the dragon from a distance. The dragon seemed to smile at me, teeth glinting in the darkness. I frowned. Things don't glint where there is no light.

I wheeled around, and struck out behind me, claws digging into dark green scales. Rykar snarled as he realised I had figured out his illusion. I breathed fire and leapt into the sky with a laugh, provoking Rykar into following me into the air. We were locked in battle, and Rykar was a good fighter, I had to admit. He subtly used illusions and was flexible and thin enough to avoid many of my attacks, twisting and squirming to avoid being injured. He was good. And he was annoying me.

I shut my wings and acted as a deadweight, pulling the other dragon down with me. Rykar growled, and I swung upright just before we hit the ground. I shifted into a crouch before leaping forward at Rykar who was unprepared. I swept out with my paws and tried to bite the green dragon with fire waiting in my mouth. The fire leapt out when I missed and caused a black patch to take hold of Rykar's scales where he had been scorched.

Rykar charged at me, and I met him rather than moving out of the way, digging my claws into the ground and barely budging as the, probably, stronger dragon rammed me. Rykar seemed surprised at my refusal to move, and I used that to my advantage to head-butt him, forcing him to throw his head into the air. I then leapt forward and closed my jaws around his throat. He struggled, but in the end, I won and he lost. Slinking away with a scowl, Rykar left the group fight and took to the trees to watch.

I didn't win or get close to winning, but I wasn't the first, second, or third to leave in my team. I was forth, but I had done better than anyone had expected and proven myself.

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Here's a nice chapter! Please enjoy! I'm going to spent my weekend trying to write 20,000 words. I've done 2000, so that's only 18,000 left. Wish me the best of luck and please comment so I have some motivation!

Gabby/SilentSilverSlip is out

Edited: 1/02/2021