Chapter Ninety-Four

"A… dragon?" The mage questioned, confused, "Like the metaphorical kind?"

"No," Edward sighed. Brandon laughed at the mage's confusion and shook his head. Edward continued as he ignored his brother's reaction, "I mean the literal kind. A platinum dragon— only an adolescent."

"You have a dragon?" The mage gasped, shocked, "I thought they all migrated away from civilization?"

'So that's what happened? I should ask more about that later,' Edward thought to himself. He shook his head and looked back at the mage, "He's my dragon. I raised him."

"Is it accurate to say you're his father?" The mage asked once more, his eyes widening once again. Brandon laughed even harder as he slammed Edward's shoulder with his open palm.

"We're not blood-related, no," Edward sighed, "It's more accurate to say I adopted him, though. Is that a problem?"

"Not a big one, no," The skeleton mage shrugged, "I'm used to looking for monsters anyways. A dragon is technically a legendary monster, so it might end up more difficult to find your human friends rather than the dragon. However, I can only track one of them at a time and it'll take a few hours until I can do so again. Who do you want me to find first?"

"Who's least likely to survive on their own?" Edward wondered aloud. After a moment Brandon stepped forward and put his hand on Edward's shoulder.

"Probably Leila, right? She has the least HP out of the three of them," Brandon suggested. Edward nodded his head in agreement and directed the mage to track Leila first. The skeleton mage nodded, then took the glass eyeball in his hand. After a moment the mage began to chant in a low whisper. The green glow surrounding the glass eyeball became stronger and stronger until it was as bright as a bonfire. Then, after a bright green flash, the eyeball disappeared.

"Where'd it go?" Edward asked in a panic. That eyeball was valuable, yet the skeleton had suddenly destroyed it?

"Don't worry, the object is fine," The mage spoke with exhaustion as he witnessed Edward's worry. He sighed in relief, "I teleported it to your friend to help with the tracking. Now we'll only have to track the object itself rather than the person. Give me a few minutes, Edward. That spell always takes a lot out of me."

"Oh, I see," Edward said. A moment later, another skeleton entered the tent. This one wore similar robes as the first one, yet his robes were a little bit darker and a foot longer. As soon as the skeleton mage entered the tent, Edward appraised it.

︽

Relassa - Frozen Skeleton Mage (NAMED MONSTER)

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"Hello," The skeleton mage spoke as she waved. After a moment, Edward realized he hadn't yet learned the name of the first mage, so he turned back and appraised him.

︽

Varandor - Frozen Skeleton Mage (NAMED MONSTER)

︾

"I've been told I'm teleporting somebody here?" Relassa spoke as she put her hands together. Varandor nodded, then flicked his finger forward. For a moment, Relassa's eyes glowed green as all of the information behind Varador's spell was inserted into her mind. She smiled, then turned to Edward.

"If you'll follow me. We need a larger tent than this," Relassa suggested. Edward and Brandon nodded before they followed her outside of Varadar's tent. After a moment, they found themselves standing amongst dozens of tents— each of which was dedicated to a different skeleton mage.

As far as Edward could tell, the skeleton clan's encampment was separated into a dozen different sections, each of which was called a quarter. This was the mages' quarter, located just next to the central quarter of the camp— the chieftain's quarter. The tents here were much bigger than the average tent throughout the encampment, though they were packed together to make more room. Therefore, Edward and the others had no choice but to walk through tiny pathways and roads to make their way to their destination.

When they finally arrived at Relassa's tent, they were surprised by its size. Other than the chieftain's tent, this tent was perhaps the largest in the entire encampment. Of course, though, there were no guards stationed near the tent so it didn't feel as special as the chieftain's tent.

"Teleportation uses a lot of space," Relassa explained as she walked inside. As Edward followed her inside, he was quickly surprised by the lack of furniture waiting for him. There wasn't even a rug to cover the cold stone ground below them. Instead of a rug, Edward saw a large magical circle etched into the stone floor. He couldn't recognize any of the words at the edge of the circle, nor did he understand why it was designed in the way it was.

He wasn't a practiced mage, after all. It was more accurate to say he was a sorcerer— someone who had a natural ability to use magic. Mages like Relassa had to study and learn before they could perform the miracle of magic. As Edward and Brandon entered the tent, they both made sure to avoid the lines of the circle, despite the fact that the circle itself was carved into the stone. They wouldn't have been able to disturb the circle even if they tried.

"Now then. I would take a step back if I were you," Relassa suggested as her eyes settled upon the edges of the circle. She quickly stood just outside the circle— where it was safest to stand— and waited until Edward and Brandon did the same.

Then, Relassa began. She lifted her arms and faced them toward the center of the circle. A low wind came into the tent and focused on Relassa as a low purple glow appeared around her arms. In the next moment, Relassa began to chant and whisper. Edward was able to hear her easier than he heard Varandor, though he still couldn't understand anything she was saying.

As she spoke, the wind and the purple glow around her fingers grew brighter. Once they were both strong enough to seem unnatural the circle itself glowed purple as well. Then, in a moment as quick enough to miss with a single blink, the circle suddenly flashed violet.

In the next moment, there was somebody standing in the center of the circle. A dragonkin woman with black hair and deep green eyes stood still— shocked by the sudden new environment— as she held a familiar glass ball in her hand.