Chapter 24: Dragon King
The morning sun began to rise and covered the dark blue sky with its sunlight like a golden blanket.
"Don you should get ready" Knight who sat beside Don reminded him.
Arrora was sitting with them and enjoyed a peaceful night until she couldn't hold back her sleep and slept on the ground.
"Arrora" Don tapped her shoulder gently to wake her up as she slowly opened her sleepy eyes and yawned while covering her mouth with her hands.
"We have to go" Don said to Arrora while she collected her ruffled hair, tied it up and threw it to her back. She looked very pretty when she did that, her previous worried face has seemed a little relaxed and her cheeks started to regain the rosy red due to good sleep and food especially the healing potion she took.
"Go where?" Arrora questioned, she was still sleepy and didn't awaken fully, a little bit of sleepiness could still be found in her voice.
"Are you gonna tell her Don?" before Don could answer Uncle Dior questioned Don and walked towards them.
"We are going to find the castle of Dragon King" Don said.
"Hmm, a castle where?" Arrora had not reacted like Arwen or Amaryll, she really never heard of Dragon King before but when she looked at Uncle Dior's disbelieving expression she guessed that Dragon king must be a prominent figure in Avelon Continent.
"Don't look at her like that Uncle Dior she is not from Avelon Continent remember?"
Amaryll and Arwen joined the group surprisingly the hardworking little elf boy Elrond also with them. When Elrond saw Don he came forward and held out his little makeshift bow.
Before anyone could answer Amaryll's first question she shot another one at Elrond"
"Elrond what is that?" Amaryll got curious when she witnessed the boy's gesture towards Don.
"This is how Archer's curtsy their lord at Divine Continent" Elrond honestly answered Amaryll.
"Who told you that?"
"Knight taught me when I was practicing" Elrond pointed at Knight.
Amaryll's squinted her eyes when she realized that Elrond called Don as lord.
"Lord?"
"You don't have to call me lord Elrond" Don said before Amaryll finds any more questions.
The little boy nodded his little head and put his bow behind him.
"Don give me the teleportation scroll before you leave" Knight asked Don because he knew it's better to be safe than sorry, the teleportation scroll as its name implies teleport the user to another area, how far it could teleport depends on the scroll's power the most powerful one could not only teleport its user but the people within its effective area.
"Here" Don flicked his wrist while his ring began to glow and in an instant, a golden color scroll appeared in his hands as he threw that to Knight.
The glow on his ring hadn't disappeared as a sword appeared in his hands, the sword was made of fine steel it was bright silver with a red handle which was decorated by obviously a fine craftsman, there were two small dragons coiled around its handle and gave the sword a dominant and powerful appearance.
Don held out the sword towards Arrora and gestured her to take it, seeing Don giving her the sword she dawdled a moment before she grabbed it from Don and studied the exquisite design of the sword.
"It's for me?" she was in disbelief, how could he give such a beautiful sword to someone like her, the half-elf he met not long ago but looking at his face she guessed that he didn't care about the sword very much.
"Take it you might need it" Don simply said and turned to look at Elrond who was on the verge of drooling staring at the sword,
"If you practice well I'll give you a bow Elrond" Elrond's eyes started to sparkle when he heard whats Don said,
"I won't disappoint you" Elrond confidently said.
"Alright let's go" Don nodded at Arwen as well as Knight and started to control the wind element around Arrora and Uncle Dior to take off just when Arrora interrupted him
"Can...Can I hold your hands?" Arrora asked with hesitation and embarrassment a slight redness appeared on her face, she knew she was asleep during their journey but now it's not same as that, it's going to be her first flying with her being awake therefore she was afraid,
Everyone around Don was staring at him to see what's he going to do, Don looked at Arrora and understood that she was genuinely afraid, he realized she asked him to hold his hands because she had no other choices she didn't throw a tantrum like young misses if she did anything like that he would not care about it, not even a bit however Arrora acted nothing like that, as a result he agreed to let her hold his hand,
"Thank you" Arrora slowly stepped beside him and gently grabbed his elbow while seeing this Uncle Dior rolled his eyes and got ready for the horrible trip.
After confirming everyone is ready Don started to control the wind element around him again, Arrora's gentle hold turned into a tight grip while the air beneath them started to rotate like whirlwind and the trio took off from the ground higher and higher, Amaryll waved her hands while her, everyone near her figures started to get smaller as Don flew higher.
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(Somewhere else)
A silhouette emerged on the air and opened its eyes,
"He's coming hahaha finally" the figure laughed like a mad man and slowly faded away.
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"Don the mark it seems down there" Uncle Dior pointed down, Uncle Dior realized he should be excited or a little bit afraid to come into the territory of Dragon king but ending of this long horrible flying made him relaxed when he reached the destination.
When they had reached their destination it's almost evening,
The sun cast its golden rays down upon the clouds of billowing smoke, turning them bright red; fire red. Don could have come sooner but he noticed Uncle Dior's feelings about flying so he flew smooth and slow as he could to make the journey less horrible to Uncle Dior, as for Arrora she was a little afraid in the beginning but after some time she composed herself and enjoyed the flight.
"Alright lets land" as he said he slowly descended to the ground, while Uncle Dior was glad to find solid ground beneath himself.
Don however, had no time or mindset to enjoy the ground as he was looking and scanning the area around them. There was nothing but a dark forest around them, Don led the two and walked towards the way Uncle Dior pointing.
The bare branches spiked into the sky - no sign of life to be found anywhere. It was so dark they were barely able to see where they were going. There were only small sounds of rustling bushes and the howl of the wind. Don didn't know what laid in the dark forest, all he knew was that it wasn't going to be a peaceful journey.
After maneuvering through the thick forest they could hear a sound of water falling. As closer they got they were able to see from a distance, the waterfall had been like a silent white stream cascading over the rocky outcrops. As they had drawn closer the noise had increased steadily until they were only a few hundred meters away. They could no longer even shout to one another over the deafening roar of the water.
"It's here the mark" Uncle Dior shouted so Don could hear what he is saying due to the sound of the waterfall.
Don took the map from Uncle Dior's hands and studied it, he noticed there was a symbol that looked like a waterfall on the map closer to the red mark but when he was studying the map the roaring sound of the waterfall stopped, just like that in an instant it stopped.
Uncle Dior's eyes went wide when he witnessed the stopping of the sound while Arrora unsheathed her sword and Don got ready for a battle.
"A human an' half-elves oi" a voice echoed around them just when Don tried to locate the source of the voice a silhouette emerged before him.
Don cautiously looked at the silhouette as it slowly took the form of a short man, he was nearly four feet in height with the stout, broad body and had a long thick beard as well as wore a black robe but his figure seemed slightly transparent like a ghost.
Don could not feel the magical fluctuations around the man but Uncle Dior and Arrora was able to, the power of the energy radiating from the man nearly choked them, they had a hard time breathing before him however when the man noticed Don was unaffected by him a mix of surprised as well as shocked emerged on his face but he quickly hid it.
"Who are you?" Don asked the man after studying him for a moment,
"It seems I have been gone for too long yeh, I be Dhorfir Thunderbolt tha dragon king" the man said with a thick accent.
"Dra...Dragon King?!!" Uncle Dior almost shouted when he heard the man.
"ha, it's nice ta see someone still recognize this old dwarf" Dragon King laughed looking at Uncle Dior who was shivering in fear.
"I'm looking for your castle" Don calmly said as Dragon king stopped laughing when he heard Don and stared at him for a moment.
"Nae a talkative type yeh I like that but if ye want me castle ye have ta prove yourself brat"
"What do you want?" Don knew well enough this was not going to be simple so he was already prepared to face anything.
Hearing the human before him, a mischief smile surfaced on Dragon King's face,
"Nae much ye just have ta defeat me"