by Ramy Vance
“That’s true. I’m going to have to make sure I don’t attack them.”
Jollies and Alex went down to the dragonriders’ tailoring department. It was not the same place Alex had originally gotten her cadet uniform. Apparently, they were completely different departments.
Alex was glad she had listened to Jollies’ advice about leaving early. It took them both a long time to figure out where the department was. By the time they found the door, it seemed like they had been wandering around the Nest for the last two hours, although after checking her watch, Alex knew that wasn’t the case.
Jollies placed her palm on the datapad that appeared in front of the two girls, and the doors to the department whooshed open. The room was bare of any decoration. There was no one there, either. The only feature was a glowing blue circle on the floor that was giving out an ominous humming sound. “Hello?” Alex called. “Is anyone here?”
A mechanical voice answered Alex. “Hello, Alex. I’m glad you made it to your fitting. Please step into the circle so I can adjust your credentials and armor to official dragonrider status.”
“Er, who are you?”
“Why, I’m the tailor. I’m an AI program created by the Nest to facilitate your uniform requirements. Do you have any more questions before we begin?”
“Uh, yeah. Can Jollies go first?”
“Certainly.”
Jollies’ jaw dropped as Alex stepped behind her and pushed her forward toward the circle. “By the gods, are you serious? I just told my parents how brave and caring and understanding you are!”
Alex laughed as she pretended to force Jollies into the circle. “I still am all those things,” she whispered to Jollies. “But I’m also prudent, and not sure I’m trusting enough to obey a disembodied voice just so I can get a new suit.”
Alex stopped pushing Jollies once the pixie was close to the ring. “I’m just kidding, Jollies,” Alex said reassuringly. “I’m going to go first.”
Jollies was gripping her chest and panting loudly. “You had me fooled!”
Alex stepped into the blue circle. “Ready whenever you are,” she said.
The tailor responded, “Commencing armor and credential upgrade.”
A bright light shot from the ceiling, creating the illusion that Alex had been encased in a blue tube, and the color of her armor started to shift. Within seconds, it was the red of the official dragonriders’ armor. Then the light died.
The tailor said, “You may step out of the circle now. Jollies, please step into the circle.”
Alex jumped out of the circle and patted her roommate on the back. “Doesn’t hurt,” she said encouragingly. “Go for it.”
Jollies slowly flew into the circle, grumbling under her breath as she eyed the ceiling suspiciously. The same blue light shot down, and Jollies’ armor changed to red to match Alex’s. Jollies flew out of the circle after the light vanished.
Alex walked back to the circle, uncertain of where she should address the voice. “Thank you!” she exclaimed. “Can you tell us about the upgrades we got?”
The tailor answered in its monotone voice, “Predominantly, your upgrades are to the way your suit interacts with your central nervous system. Your physical abilities have been augmented, and you are able to access more information and menus in your HUD. Thank you for stopping by.”
Alex and Jollies made their way to the door. “Well, that was kinda weird,” Alex said.
“’Kinda’ isn’t the right word. Come on, we gotta go to the stables next.”
Finally, Alex thought. She was really looking forward to telling Chine about the upgrades and even more excited to see what he was getting.
When Alex and Jollies arrived at the stables, Tribble was walking between the two dragons who were up on their outfitting pedestals, Chine and Amber. Chine smiled down at Alex when she walked into the stables, and Alex felt a warm glow wash over her.
Tribble walked up to Alex and Jollies and nodded gruffly. “All right, let’s get you ready,” she grumbled. “Hope you got some idea what you’re picking.”
Alex did a double-take that made Tribble grumble louder. “So, you didn’t read the email we sent?” Tribble asked.
Alex shook her head and avoided Tribble’s eyes. “No, I-I mean, we get hundreds of emails a day,” Alex explained. “It’s hard to keep track of which ones are important and which ones should go in the trash.”
“You got me there,” Tribble admitted. “If there’s one thing I want Myrddin to fix around here, it’s the communication. None of us like being flooded with emails about what’s going to be on the lunch menu. Not important.”
Alex walked farther into the stables, approaching the platform Chine was lying on. “So, what are we supposed to do?” she asked.
Tribble came after her and pointed to the console on the platform Alex was standing on. “Your new dragonrider credentials give you access to the different weapons configurations you can use with your dragon. They were pretty basic before since you were just cadets.”
Alex thought back to the armor and weapons Chine had worn the last few times she had ridden him. They did seem pretty basic, just lasers and rockets. Now that she thought about it, that tech paled in comparison with everything around her.
Chine sat up and yawned lazily. Looking forward to seeing how you would like to engage in battle, Dustling. Choosing weapons is more than just how you want to blow something up. Certain weapons provide you with different tactical options.
Alex turned to ask Jollies a question, but the pixie had raced off and was gibbering to Amber, who was fluttering her wings nearly as fast as Jollies was. They seemed to be a good energy match.
Instead, Alex turned her attention to the console in front of her. She activated it and looked through the menus and options. The sheer number of choices she saw was overwhelming. It was like looking at the most complex skill sheet of an RPG.
The menus were broken down by dragon body part. The first section was for the feet, and then it worked itself up to the claws, the shoulders, the chest, and ended with the anchor. The diagram of the dragon on the console placed the anchor on his neck. Alex assumed that must be the collar Chine wore.
Alex clicked on the feet and almost wanted to shut down the console. There were over ten thousand choices. This was either going to take forever, or she was going to mess something up. “Chine, there are way too many choices,” she moaned.
Chine’s laugh boomed through Alex’s head. Yes, there are. If it makes it any easier, you don’t have to look through each one. The console is psychically linked to me, as I am to you. If you think of something, an idea, I can relay it to the console, and it will show you something similar.
Oh, okay. That sounds more manageable, I guess.
Alex closed her eyes and tried to think of something that would be useful on a dragon’s hind legs. She didn’t think it needed to be something offensive since she’d never seen a dragon fight with their hind feet. All she’d ever seen a dragon do was rear up on their hind legs.
That gave Alex an idea—maybe some kind of stabilization, something that would give her the edge and round out her fighting capabilities if she were on the ground instead of the air.
Alex looked down at the console. There were only two options now, and one of them stood out to Alex. It was an augment that distorted the gravitational field around the dragon’s feet that could either increase or decrease. Now, that’s interesting, Alex thought as she selected it.
Next was the hands. I’m partial to clawing and tearing, Chine offered, If that helps.
Alex closed her eyes and imagined Chine tearing through the side of a mountain. Yeah, it sure does.
When Alex checked the console, there were a handful of claw enhancements—energy claws, fire claws, and things like that. None of them looked particularly interesting. Alex scrolled to the end. The last one was a stasis field generator, but it could only be used three times a day.
Alex read more about the generato
r. The field could be used to freeze an enemy, or the dragon could extend the stasis field outward, creating a concussive blast. You could even combine the uses into a massive attack. Done, Alex said as she moved on.
Now it was time for the chest. I’d prefer something that doesn’t rattle, Chine suggested. I have a sensitive chest cavity.
Alex tapped the console to look through chest augments. She closed her eyes and thought. The idea of Chine’s chest getting hurt was horrifying. When she opened her eyes, there were several choices. She picked an augment that boosted Chine’s defenses and allowed him to deploy an energy shield around his chest. Any ideas for your shoulders?
I believe missiles are redundant since I can breathe fire. Also, they’re loud. Maybe something to help with stealth? I’m not the, hm, most subtle dragon.
I know just the thing.
Alex chose a pair of misters for each shoulder. When activated, they would cover the dragon and the area around him with heavy fog. It would be perfect for throwing off the enemy and taking them out fast. All we’ve got left is the anchor. What exactly is that?
The anchor is our tie to each other. The augment of the anchor will give us an ability we share. It can be used together or separately.
All right.
Alex scrolled through the different augments as she tried to imagine what she wanted to choose. She stopped as soon as she saw the augment titled, The Unwieldy Element. When she looked up the description, she had to stop herself from squealing.
The Unwieldy Element allowed the user to cover their body with a random elemental aura that increased all of their physical and mental properties. It also set their body on fire. Alex chose it mostly for the latter. Can we try it?
Chine laughed as he looked around the stables. It might not be a good idea for me, but you can give it a try.
Alex read through the instructions on how to activate the power through her dragon anchor. She made a fist and slammed it against her hand, and there was a crackle of lightning. Then her body burst into flames, lightning flickering off of her.
Across the room, Jollies, Amber, and Tribble looked up as the flames across Alex’s body started to fade. “Oh, my God, that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done!” the rider squealed.
Chine stretched his front legs, and his scales rippled. Then you’ve made the right decision. It should prove to be invaluable on this mission.
As Alex and Chine talked to each other, the door of the stables opened. Myrddin and Manny came into the stables, the old wizard looking more grim than usual. “I’m afraid we’re cutting your weekend short. We’re moving up the delivery date.”
Chapter Three
Myrddin curtly explained the reasons for the change in plans to the two dragonriders. He seemed rushed, as if he had little time to spend explaining the situation thoroughly, and he left as soon as he finished giving them the bare bones of the information.
Alex, Jollies, Tribble, and the dragons were left to try to put together the pieces from what Myrddin had said. It didn’t matter, though. They were shipping out at the end of the day, regardless of why. That was part of being in the military.
Manny stayed after Myrddin left, and Alex came up to him. She thought about giving him a hug, but it might be weird. Not emotionally or anything—she just wasn’t sure how squishy his body was. “Good to see you again, Manny,” Alex said with a wink, pointing at her eye. “See what I did there?”
Manny laughed good-naturedly, with none of the stress that Alex had heard in his voice over the last few days. “Yeah, yeah, I see,” he said as his eye tentacles waved about.
“I wanted to thank you for all your help, Manny. I don’t think I could have come this far without you. And I want you to know I really appreciate everything. Uh, are you a hugger?”
Manny shook his head as he turned his mouth down in disgust. “Oh, gods, no,” he exclaimed. “Sorry, it’s nothing to do with you, but Beholders don’t do physical affection. Most of us don’t even do positivity. But I appreciate what you said. And you’re welcome.”
“I’m going to be doing this one on my own. Just me and my new eyes.”
Manny smiled proudly as some of his eyes vibrated in their sockets. It reminded Alex of how she had once read rat eyes vibrate when they’re comfortable. “That’s great news. I wasn’t looking forward to another ride. So, Myrddin’s spell is working well?”
“Took a little getting used to, but these are my eyes now. Time to put them to the test.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. You four should probably just sit tight here. Gill, Brath, and Jim took care of their fittings earlier today. They should be here in a little bit to take off with the rest of you.”
Alex looked around the stables, suddenly realizing something. “Wait, aren’t Roy and Toppinir supposed to lead this? Don’t they have their own teams as well?” she asked.
Manny’s eyes stopped vibrating, and he looked worried. “Actually, those two are going separately from you five,” Manny explained. “You’re going to meet at the mines and move the minerals from there.”
“Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense. Well, I guess I’ll just kill time then. Thanks again, Manny.”
“I’m proud of you, kid. You’ve come a long way from where you were when you got here.”
Manny left the stables. Tribble made eye contact, did something similar to smiling but more confusing, and followed the Beholder.
Alex paced the area near Chine’s platform, waiting for the boys to show up. By the time she looked at her watch, it had already been ten minutes. “I’m going to go for a walk.” She double-checked the coordinates to the mine. “All this waiting is driving me insane.”
Jollies flew to Alex and took a seat on her shoulder. “I’ll go with you. I am unbelievably bored right now.”
Alex waved at Chine as she walked away. See you in a little bit, big guy.
The two dragonriders peeked at the different dragon roosts and admired the dragons sleeping or lazily lounging about. For a while, they watched the skies as dragons came and went, flying at ferocious speeds.
Alex turned a corner and stopped. She could hear something in the distance, voices that sounded familiar. Maybe it was Myrddin, and she could corner him to get a better explanation for their sudden departure. Alex was still a little sore about her weekend being over.
There was an office, and the door was open slightly. Alex snuck over to it and pushed it open a little more so she could see who was inside.
Roy and Toppinir were inside, sitting at a desk and talking to each other. A three-dimensional map was projected between the two of them, and Roy was pointing to something Alex couldn’t quite make out.
Then the map changed.
Now the map depicted a giant orb. The orb was not stationary, though. It was flying toward the planet like an asteroid, and if it was an asteroid, it was one of those world-ending ones. The orb looked huge in comparison with its destination.
The map changed again, showing a region that looked familiar to Alex for some reason. She tried to figure out where she had seen it before, then it clicked. There was only one place she could have seen it—Middang3ard VR. Those were her only visual memories.
Alex tried to remember where in the game the region was, but she was too focused on trying to hear what Roy and Toppinir were saying to concentrate on the memory.
Roy leaned forward and pointed to a region on the map. “At this moment, who knows what the impact is going to be?” he grumbled. “On top of that, we don’t even know what’s in the SOB. All of our intel sounds insane.”
Toppinir sat down in his seat and drew on his pipe. “What do you mean by ‘insane?’” he asked.
“We got word from the Mundanes earlier today. They said the sphere is some kind of ship, and it’s filled with genetic experiments. First thing that came to my mind was a biological weapon. I wouldn’t have thought the Dark One would stoop so low.”
Toppinir tapped the ashes out of his pipe and repacked it. �
�True. Even humans have the decency to steer clear of biological warfare. It’s an extremely barbaric tactic. It seems odd, though. The Dark One would seem to have too much pride to try something like that.”
Alex tried to push the door open a little farther. The movement made it creak.
How does a crystal door do that? Alex asked herself as both Roy and Toppinir leaped to their feet.
Alex attempted to look as if she hadn’t been spying, but there was no way to hide it. Roy stomped over to the door and slammed it in Alex’s face. “Guess we weren’t supposed to hear that,” Alex murmured as she stood up and headed back toward Chine and Amber.
Jim, Gill, and Brath were waiting for them near their dragons. Their dragons’ platforms had been grouped together. Brath looked up impatiently as Alex and Jollies approached. “Took you guys long enough,” he complained.
Alex brushed off Brath’s words. She was learning how to deal with his constantly sour disposition. It was starting to seem rather endearing if she was honest. “Shut up,” she replied. “We’ve been here for like an hour, waiting for you guys.”
Gill was already atop his dragon Timber, sitting with his legs crossed as if he were meditating. “Brath had to talk to his sister. We were waiting for him.”
Brath shot Gill a dirty look. “I didn’t have to talk to her! We were just talking.”
“He was uncomfortable about our mission today.”
“Are you serious, Gill? I wasn’t afraid! I just like to touch base with her and see how she’s doing.”
Gill looked at Alex, smiling mischievously. Alex’s heart melted the moment she saw his sharp white teeth. “So, are we ready to go?”
There were no instructors or veteran dragonriders in the room. “Shouldn’t we wait? You know, for someone to send us off?”
Gill stood up, his dragon anchor glowing. “We don’t have to,” he explained. “All of us are dragonriders now. We aren’t cadets. We’re technically veterans, even if we haven’t fulfilled a mission yet. We’ve been given our coordinates and an ETA. That’s how it works.”