FSE

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The Sun was setting in the sky, causing the world to near a golden color as midday turned into the coming evening.

Here lies a large forest filled with healthy and woody trees. The grass and leaves, along with any small woodland critters occupied the forest floor below above the hardened and root-filled dirt.

A young man of about 21 ran through swiftly through the once peaceful and quiet habitat for deer, birds, among other creatures and game. His brown sewn leather sheepskin boots impacted the soil with several pieces of green and brown tree litter and black insects. He was trying to get to his destination to an opening in the forest, or a "hole" in the canopy to be more specific. It was more so a jog rather than a run for dear life, as he wasn't exactly in a hurry. However, he needed to intercept something, or in this case, someone, on time. He knew they were on their way to his destination as well. He just hoped he wouldn't be too fast.

Afterall, he did take a different path.

It was then that his efforts would pay off. The light shined through a collection of trees, although, through the light peering through their branches, the exact placement of the sturdy plants made it seem like they had purpose in their locations. This suggested that the trees were either intentionally left there or cut down and removed as if they never were there outside the perimeter.

The man slowed to a crawl at the forest's edge. He started to make a cautious walk to the end. He didn't want to reveal himself to the world outside and its inhabitants. There had to be some scouting in order to not end up like a nameless dead and rotting carcass somewhere.

Taking cover by a few bundled trees, the man peered out of an opening, unseen by those outside.

This man was known as Brian.

He had a rather pale but lively face of a young man, with long and uncut fuzz-like hair that reached his shoulders in the color his comrades compared to liquid gold and bright blue eyes that portrayed an endless sea of emotion and determination with the fires of justice and the Sun itself swirling inside them. He wore a bright yellow tunic with a layer of metallic chain links underneath in the shape of hexagons interwoven in each other. Underneath that was a bright white undershirt that extended to his arms until the disappeared under his brown leather gauntlets which housed his finger tipless gloves. His fingertips hanged out to grip anything, whether they be a tool or a weapon, with great dexterity and sense of touch to use them with effectiveness.

Afterall, the greatest warriors were the ones that felt their weapons as they used them.

He had a brown leather belt that buckled the very bottom of his tunic and the very top of his white cotton pants. On his left side was his sheathed most trusted weapon, his sword. It looked very ordinary, its handle and curved guard a very dull dark orangish color that could be mistaken for a brown. However, as it was inside the dark blue hard leather sheath, it hid its true power, willing to be unleashed. The blade itself was a normal and uninteresting shiny metal, sharpened and ready to kill and cover itself with blood. Despite the dull appearance, Brian could do many things other would never be able to. He needed to save the tool of death for his target, or targets.

Under his belt and weapon on his hip was his white pants that covered the entirety of his lower body until it entered into the bottom of his brown boots under his knee cap. A neatly sewn and brown outside and filled with soft white sheep wool on the inside, these boots had many years under them when worn by their sole owner.

He wore a light blue scarf with a symbol etched into it loosely around his neck and on his shoulders, a long part hanging over his left one and behind his back.

It was a silver dragon with its wings splayed out upwards and in front of it, a white-clad human with the wings of an angel open and towards below him, both creating a figure-eight shape with their wings.

The sign of the Human-Dragon Union.

The H.D.U.

The Union had humble beginnings, being created from dragon exiles and human gypsies. Instead of the dragons trying to devour and tear them apart or the humans hiding from them, the two species decided to create a mutual relationship. The idea of creating a small, tiny society sprang from two specific people from both species, a dragon and human. They conceived the thought of establishing a great connection to their peoples, to end the suffering on both sides to strive for peace.

And then, with that, the H.D.U. was born.

It was created to not only be a safe haven for human refugees who were either former slaves that somehow escaped their abusive draconic masters or wanderers seeking purpose, but also dragons of all species who were disillusioned with the war and running from persecution or forceful recruitment by the rest of their species. Both sought to end the war between Dragonkind and Humanity as soon as possible.

However, there were many challenges that would be thrown away.

Despite having the strength and power of Dragonkind and the intellect and creativity of Humanity, the H.D.U. was incredibly small compared to either of the dragon races and especially the D.H.G., the Dragon Hunters Guild, their main rival.

The Guild, made up of humans who aimed to end Dragonkind and the war, was an enemy from the start. They despised the membership of dragons within the Union despite what they did to Humanity. They felt the endless laboring, suffering, and slaughter upon their race by the dragons was too far to be forgiven. While they couldn't directly attack the Union, they found whatever stray people who were Union members and destroyed them from the face of the earth in ambushes. The Union, using similar tactics to carry out missions for intelligence gathering, scouting, infiltration, and all out combat, had to return he sentiment to stop the slaying of the dragons. The two organizations had to compete to gather humans to join their cause as well, which will always be an issue. However, the Union had an ace up its sleeve, the might of Dragonkind.

After making themselves known to the world, the Union was not paid much mind by Dragonkind due to being such a small group, but was slowly growing in momentum. Utilizing its strength, the fighters of the Union were able to impede war efforts by both the waring races of Dragonkind and the D.H.G. through their skilled warriors of both races. With the combined efforts of the humans and the dragons of the Union, the war had a new front to fight on or with, and one that could be the key to halting the conflict once and for all.

And to finish it off, on his neck dangled a leather stringed necklace with a gold-encrusted and deep blue cross and a metal chain with a small silver dragon hanging on it with its two wings, having miniature diamonds for eyes and a piece of sapphire on its breast.

The holy symbols of God and Bahamut.

Despite wearing minimal protection in terms of clothing, he did so on purpose. Brian intentionally wore no armor whatsoever to not be weighed down by it and he could easily make up for it with his ace in the hole, his powers.

He couldn't pay attention to that. He needed to scope out the place first to get a grasp on his situation and his objective.

He saw it all without any effort.

It was a brown and earthen fort. It had decent-sized wall around it and covered in sharpened rock pikes. There was an entrance to the inside of the wall and in between the pikes. Inside, was a great space with a brownish dome inside that nearly matched the inner space's size, although the entrance to the place itself had some space going into it. The dome had a very large hole as its entryway.

And the one defining characteristic was the garrison being occupied by earth dragons.

They likely created it with their great planet-based abilities to ward off invaders. They had emerald-green scales, were quite large, and had a pair of horns from the sides of their skull in various positions.

This was his mission. The Union recently gained intel of the location of this fort along with valuable information as to what could be inside. He and the one he was waiting for were to go inside and steal something of great importance within. That thing, was something that was meant to be the equivalent of a message and a battle plan: a stone tablet meant for only earth drake eyes to see. From their informant, it would contain carved images of a map for the specific location for an attack and a formation and strategy etched on it. How they figured it out and managed to get it to the Union, he would never know. Honestly, he would just sometimes leave it at that.

With the tablet, they would not only impede the earth dragon movement in the offensive maneuver by taking something that would ruin their strategy and force them to rethink of one, but would also allow the Union to ambush them if they decide to go forward with their current stolen battle plan, effectively stopping them from laying waste to either the fire dragons, the D.H.G., the Union, and everyone caught in between.

However, this task wasn't meant to be easy. In order to maintain stealth, the Union sent Brian and his partner-in-arms for the day and only them. While Brian had his powers to compensate, along with having quite the reputation in the Union, these were earth drakes they were talking about. They were ruthless creatures who could easily smash, crush, and impale given their earth abilities. They needed an effective strategy to kill them all without one escaping. If the latter happens, their mission would still stand to retrieve the piece of stone with valuable information on it.

Brian just hoped that his ally would be able to either meet him in this forest entrance or do something wildly unexpected to catch them off guard.

With as much silence he could possibly produce, he went to the side of entrance and in between two of the pikes. He put himself on the walled part of the barrier, waiting for him.

He prepared himself, placing his left hand on the sheath and under his sword's guard. With a simple movement, he slid out the sword a few inches with his thumb, like a flick.

However, his luck apparently wasn't in his favor, as a big green drake with spines of a darker color and beige-shaded horns that were straight besides the curled ends started to sniff with his sensitive olfactory instincts characteristic of Dragonkind. He must have caught a whiff of him, Brian hearing his inhaling of the air around him. They must have smelled him somehow. The dragon, with this new sensation, started to get curious and cautious if there was someone around who was not supposed to be here, or were one of their great enemies.

Brian, noticing large paw steps of a guarding drake, he slowly moved his right hand over his sword's grip and prepared to pull it at a moment's notice. He saw a massive shadow cross the cut in the wall, covering the dirt going into it. Brian then held his breath to remain silent and pushed as much of his body as he could against the wall.

His ally needed to be here right now.

Come on, come on, come on!

The movement continued until Brian viewed the drake's snout.

His eyes shrunk a bit.

Then, he heard a strange noise in the sky. It was like a storm alarm, or something coming from the atmosphere at blistering speeds. He and the drake looked up into the fresh evening sky, curious as to what was the confounded sound.

It raised in intensity, becoming higher pitched with every second.

Then, from the direction Brian came from, a massive flaming object the size of what seemed like a small meteor flew like a stone tossed at a lake. He and the drake looked with widened eyes as the fireball, with incredible velocity, drifted across the atmosphere, keeping there gaze on it, looking like animals annoyed by a fly.

They noticed that its trajectory was going downward and into the fort!

The earth drake turned around to the projectile as it lost altitude towards the opening within the wall, along with the dragons also there instantly noticing it as well. The meteor, with a large thud, crashed into the ground in front of a whole bunch of them, taking them by surprise with how fast it was moving. As it intercepted the ground, several miniature fireballs flew everywhere in front of it like flaring shrapnel, the object and burning pieces of fire colliding with the earth drakes. Some roared in sheer agony as the fires seared their precious scales, with some less fortunate ones burning in the face. Unable to get the flames off, they started moving their bodies wildly in an attempt to remove them from ruining and causing great pain to their hide.

Brian sprang into action. He realized already that this was his ally he was assigned for this mission.

Boy, was that an entrance.

With sword gripped in his right hand, he swiftly went around the pike in front of him and ran to the confused and distracted earth drake. With its back turned on him, he jumped with great strength onto its back, and aimed his dragon-killing weapon at its neck. The drake couldn't process what just happened, and Brian didn't want it to. With a swift strike, he stabbed into the back of its neck and out its other side, draconic blood spilling everywhere and the dragon gurgling on its own ichor and the weapon through its trachea.

Brian pulled out the weapon out of its throat and used his left hand to grip and get himself of the beast, using his holed neck as leverage, his boots making a sound upon the dirt as he appeared on the enemy's side. The drake fell onto its side, griping its throat with its three-clawed paws as it tried to breath, only to realize that it was impossible and that it would die a quick and painful death.

The fireball, now on the ground and initially unmoving, unfurled itself, revealing a known shape. It was not a meteor, but a dragon who turned itself into a meteor, a crimson one in fact. With its tail around the body and wings out in a threatening matter, the dragon was completely on fire, creating the characteristic sound of jetting flames. It opened it raw and gave a draconic hiss as it sought to end the lives of those stationed there, a red scarf somehow immune to the burning plasma with the familiar symbol of the H.D.U. and a small and limp burlap string bag also covered in red and also not harmed by the flames both hanging around the bottom of his neck.

It was Brian's ally sent with him. Apparently, the now-revealed fire dragon thought that such an entrance was the way he thought to catch them off guard.

Brian appeared at the entrance of the fort, and the drake was in the middle of the open area inside.

Some of the earth drakes notice their invaders, still recovering from being shaken up from the impact. They started hissing in anger at their plans trying to be to be ruined by these invaders. They then noticed these scarfs with the symbol they quickly grew to despise their eyes.

"Bahamut-damned Union...", one of the drakes said with anger, spitting venomous words towards the two. It then roared the infamous dragon roar, catching the attention of the earth drakes and the two Union members.

The two went into engagement mode.

Brian took his sword and displayed it in front of himself horizontally. With a slow glide, he slid his left hand across the blade from the guard, an ethereal blue coating it as he moved his fingers over the sword until it reached the end. Now covered in the blue like an outline, he took his sword to his right side, primed and ready to kill.

An earth drake, turning its head left to him, gave a draconic bellow as, with an indent in the ground jumped with its two rear legs with intent to pounce on and crush Brian with its sheer weight and strength.

However, unlike the other dragon races, they were very slow when it came to aerial movement. It became common knowledge within the Union, as if they were meant to stay on the ground below them. With great reaction Brian shifted his body to the left of the drake's intended trajectory, and moved forward to intercept them. With a swift cleave, as the dragon flew with low speed for any other drake towards him. He cleaved at its right side, the drake not expecting such quick movement. Due to the ethereal blue on his trusty blade, when the weapon made contact to the dragon's neck side and the rest of its right half, instead of leaving a nasty gash and blood spilling everywhere, it cut through the drake like it was thin air, slicing instantly his neck off from its body and through its body, never to live ever again, the sound of such a slash permeating from the cut. Its decapitated neck, now cauterized, hit the ground behind him, forever separated from his now ruined body.

Dead.

The dragon that was his brother-in-arms took a deep breath before letting go his Bahamut-given gift, breathing a long and powerful stream of orangish flames from his open maw at those unfortunate enough that weren't able to react fast enough to his crash and his fires, incinerating and searing their scales and flesh off of their bones, the earth drakes roaring as they had a painful funeral without a ceremony, one not of earth, but of fire.

After Brian sliced the dragon into two halves and several pieces, an earth drake tried to intercept him from a distance. It took its right paw and lifted it until, with great strength of from a dragon, stomped with a thud, shaking the ground for a bit. A series of spiked earthen pillars shot up from the ground and towards him at a great speed like a mole, trying to kill him.

However, Brian had great agility to spare. Before the seeking ground threat was about to impale him, he barrel-rolled to his side on the ground, the attack missing him. His body still kissing the ground, he took his blade and made a spin around himself, preparing his sword for a special type of a horizontal slash. Two other drakes joined with his attacker, moving at a brisk pace towards him.

How convenient for the heathens to line themselves to killed all at once. Like killing several birds with one stone.

His sword on his far-left side, he slashed it at a great speed, his ethereal blue outline turning itself into a projectile, a cutter of the purest sapphire flew out. The crescent caused his sword to return to its normal metallic sheen, but the slash flew and caught the drakes by surprise. They had widened eyes as they struggled to react fast enough for some sort of evasion. This was impossible to block against through conventional means and was so fast, they couldn't comprehend it. As the flying wide projectile touched the drakes, like when the blue was on his trusty weapon, it cut through them like a knife through butter. Their wings, necks, and any claws they had out was instantly cut off, ending their lives.

With his draconic ally moving back, he ran up to the close-distance drake. Noticing the human approaching, the fire dragon stopped the flames, revealing his crimson scales and darkened spines with some light smoke leaving his body. He turned his neck and looked at Brian with his pumpkin spice orange eyes and his beige-colored horns going backwards in a wavy way from both sides of his head. Brian went to his right side, facing opposite to the drake's visage to keep a 360-degree view of some of the incoming foes, earth drakes flying in after hearing the commotion.

"Took you long enough.", Brian commented in his young, yet matured masculine voice to the fire dragon hugging his left side. He might have become fresh bone-meal had he not come in at the right time to cause the distraction.

The drake sighed.

"Just shut up and help me with this.", the fire dragon responded back with a slightly higher voice than his, rather irritated that Brian would be saying such things after he saved his rump.

This drake was Blaze, a recent addition to the Union.

Brian had heard that the young drake defected the primary mass of fire dragons in the War for personal reasons he and most of the Union doesn't know. After signing to become an official member of the Union, he was given a rough crash course in English reading and writing along with combat against all races of beings within the War and those not involved for about three months.

Most of Dragonkind, due to not being able to grip objects from not having thumbs on their quadruped paws, didn't know how to write, and, in turn, reading either. Because of the Union having both humans and dragons, it became mandatory to learn the language they all speak to make a life within the H.D.U. As for the combat part, well, as a faction in the War, they needed to be able to not only fight any race in skirmishes if they decide to become one of the Union's warriors, but to defend their home at a moment's notice as well.

When all was said and done, Blaze decided to become a fighter with Brian and many others with exceptional fighting ability. Granted, to be fair, most of the other professions and trades didn't look very appealing to him since he was a fire drake.

Brian thought he was an alright, if a bit assertive given Blaze's irritable personality. Although, since he was a fire drake and had several insufferable pressures forced onto him due to the Fire Dragonkind's involvement and efforts in the War, Brian decided to cut him some slack, and even thought that the drake was warming up to him, no pun intended. He just hoped that Blaze would accept him for who he was despite his abilities that confounded not only the world around him, but himself as well.

Blaze felt...conflicted about Brian. He appeared to be a very nice and eccentric human who didn't really pay any mind to the fact he was a creature that could incinerate almost all organic matter within a few seconds and one with a horrible reputation with the world-wide conflict. However, a few rumors floating around the small city that is the primary headquarters of the Union, along with the fact that Brian preferred to be a loner most of the time, both in and out of the large settlement whether living everyday life or out snuffing the lives of those responsible for the planet's turmoil, gave rise to fears within him. Brian could do things no other can. He was an incredibly complex and very mysterious person whose abilities scared him with what he could possibly do. Still, Brian's kindness with his wholesome and off-beat attitude was on the verge of winning him over given what happened to him before he ever stepped foot into the Union.

As the few drakes flew in to end the two and wipe them off the face of the Earth, the two kept looked, visage looking from all sides.

They needed to separate to engage in the foes from forwards and behind.

Blaze got Brian's thought process silently.

"Ready?", Blaze called to his human companion, asking him with he was ready to disperse and handle some of the remaining drakes, gesturing his head towards him.

The answer was a no-brainer.

"Ready.", Brian responded, getting his body and sword into a defensive position to prepare to strike the earth dragons.

A couple of seconds have passed before the two went in opposite directions. Brian ran towards his enemy with courage, sword on his right side ready to strike, while Blaze pounced with his legs and wings, setting himself on fire again, and front claws out to intercept the earth drake in his visage.

The dragon in front of Brian took a deep breath and gathered several of the rocky and earthen particles and stones into his open maw, a power known by Earth Dragonkind. He then let it go with his breath, launching it at Brian. While it was a very simple projectile, it could easily leave a concussion if it doesn't already crush his bones and crush him. Thankfully, Brian was faster, sliding underneath it, dragging some clouds of rocky dust behind him and kicking some stray stones in the front of his boots. As he stopped his glide across the ground, his torso went to his left to grab onto the earth in order to get himself standing again. The dragon eyes widened as the human evaded his attack. With a draconic hiss of irritation, he started stomping towards him, his jaws opening his mouth, showing lines of razor-sharp teeth, aiming to bite Brian's head off his shoulders. Brain noticed this, and took his right hand with his sword, now standing up. He held it back like a throwing knife. He took a split second to aim with it, as he now intended to not slash it, but to throw it like a spear. It wasn't a good idea, but if one's aim was good enough, it could be done.

"Hah!", Brian grunted as he threw it like a flatheaded spear.

Thankfully, his aim was true, as the sword impaled the drake's body with a sickening sound, penetrating its chest plates, leading to blood starting to pour out.

As the weapon pieced its scales and stuck itself inside him and into his vital organs, the drake made a pained roar as it stared at his chest, seeing the sword in his body. He was surprised at the human throwing the slashing weapon at him and the pain sustained. Distracted, this left Brian to dash up to him to finish the job. He went up to the dazed dragon and took his two hands around the handle. Then, he twisted, causing even more pain and twirling whatever muscles and organs the drake had that were already ruined, making the damage permanent and sealing his fate. Brian, with great strength, swiped the sword to his left side to pull it out of the drake's chest, causing a nasty cleave on the dragon's right side, like someone had axed it. It sprayed blood everywhere along with the ground to the left of Brian. The earth dragon's ichor got on his face, tunic, and covered his blade with the iron-scented life essence.

Then, out of nowhere, a dragon stomped onto the ground as it suddenly appeared in front of him. Brian stumbled back in surprise. How had he not noticed them? His sword in his hand went up in a weird position also affected by the shock of one of his opponents catching him off guard. The dragon gave a hiss as it swiftly slashed with its right claws, and, with great strength of a dragon of the earth, slashed and launched Brian in his chest. He flew back in a good amount of pain and discomfort.

Thank goodness he had his chain links underneath his tunic to protect himself. Otherwise, he would be dead already. However, it created three slash marks in his yellow tunic, revealing the mail underneath. He would need to have a tailor in the Union repair and stitch it back up later.

As hit the ground after he flew for what felt like a few milliseconds, he rolled on the ground until his stomach was facing it, his face planted in it. He couldn't smell the ground now. He had a job to do. Brian realized he dropped his sanguine colored sword, as he lifted his face to face it. It was a few feet away. He tried to grab it. The thing was just a little bit.....

Brian was startled by the drake instantly, with a rumbling of the earth, appear on top of him. Brian faced them as it roared the draconic roar that was characteristic of scaled creatures, causing a loud ringing in his ears. It then lifted its face away from his, the drake's maw open with its jagged and shiny teeth meant for ripping and tearing with great power.

The dragon was about to bite his face off.

Brian discovered this just quick enough, as he saw the earth drake's open mouth coming down at him. He dodged to the right as the creature's snout smashed into the dirt on Brian's own left. It tried again, but Brian got the pattern again, moving his upper half flat on the ground below to the left, narrowly avoiding a fatal head-crunching once more. After the smash against its own nose again, it lifted its face again and gave Brian a very angry hiss. And opened its maw to create a rock to crush him once more.

This gave Brian ample time to retaliate. With great strength even he was surprised by, he gave the dragon's throat a right-hand punch. His opponent instantly shut its trap as it felt the draconic equivalent of an Adam's apple being pummeled. Its throat suddenly burned a little and it bit on its own tongue by mistake from the impact. Brian, seeing another opportunity, took his right boot-covered foot, and kicked the drake's lower area with it. The drake gave a big yelp as it felt an incredibly painful sensation in its nether regions. Just because it had scales, that didn't mean it didn't have its private parts in its lower half. After Brian impacted the creature's precious jewels, he prepared a final blow while it was dazed with agony. He pointed his middle and pointer fingers together and scrunched up the other two below it. He bent his thumbs on the top of both and slapped them together.

He shifted his hands together into a shape those of a possible future would recognize as a gun.

With his two hands in the formation and his thumbs on top, he pointed the two under the drake's jaw on where its neck met its head. With his inner power he let it go, a burst of great energy in the short-range exploding at his fingertips, instantly causing the dragon's head to explode into several cauterized bits, its brain matter fried and unrepairable. A sound was let loose from the close-quarters attack and the pieces falling everywhere, colored with ashes. Some of the grey and dead formerly living matter colored his upper body and face a bit with the blood from earlier. How he was fine with this, he would never know. The headless drake fell onto Brian, leading him to push the heavy deceased creature off of him with his hands. With a heave he lifted the headless dragon off and pushed it to his left side. Brian then took his right hand to his face and swiped some of the dried blood and cauterized ash off of his visage.

Brian then rolled onto his stomach before he lifted himself. Before he could push himself onto his feet, he gazed forward, seeing how his draconic ally faired. Unfortunately, he was currently rolling around like a barrel in a wrestle with an earth drake, their wings around each other to not only keep the other intact for a strike, but also to protect themselves from rough sliding on the ground otherwise. After some rolling around, the green draconic enemy was on top of Blaze, both with their maws open to bite each other's neck or head and hissing angerly.

Just because Blaze himself was a dragon, that didn't mean that he couldn't be subdued by other drakes, especially if they are stronger, more experienced, and one within the earth variety.

Brian, seeing his mission partner in trouble, took his right hand and shaped it into a gun with is fingers like he did last time. However, since he wasn't inputting all the power with both hands into a single short-distance blast, it allowed a different type of attack. Brian, his hand in the orientation, closed his left eye as he took aim. The two were moving a bit, both trying to dodge the other. Then, with calculated confidence, his fired off, aiming at the earth drake's forehead. Not an explosion, but a tiny bolt of blue light left his two fingertips and traveled at the speed characteristic of brightness itself. When the tiny projectile left his fingers, some remnants of smoke came off the tips. The bolt then nearly instantaneously pieced the dragon's head, leaving a smoking hole in his cranium. They instantly died, their brain losing invaluable parts now that a small crevice was bored into it.

Blaze, surprised, saw the dead drake with its lifeless and glassy eyes on him, unmoving. Blaze then peered at Brian, breathing with his smoking fingers, a sense some calmness and clarity coming for both, along with some breathing room. Brian stopped pointing his hand the dragon's direction and stopped the confirmation of his fingers, using his hands to life himself off the ground and ran towards his sword still covered in draconic blood.

The coast was clear, for now at least. Blaze took his four legs to get himself back into a standing position. They then sprinted for the entrance to the dome in order to get the tablet they were here for. It was wide and tall enough for both of them. Brian took Blaze's right side as they started to run down the musty and dirt-smelling structure, the sounds of their boots and clawed paws reverberating throughout the rather big hallway with tiny holes in the ceiling for light to actually see.

Then, as they were dashing to find the tablet's location, they found two earth drakes stalking the halls in the straight corridor. Why were the two here instead of outside aiding their brethren, Brian and Blaze didn't know. They instantly noticed the two invaders and hissed in anger that they dared to get this far.

Brian and Blaze looked at each other, silently forming a plan. They then nodded, knowing the strategy.

The dragon on the side of Blaze started trot towards him, aiming to intercept him in a biting match, while the other on Brian's end opened its maw to prepare a gathering of rocks and stones, and since it was in a rocky dome, it had plenty of ammunition.

Thankfully, the human and his draconic ally didn't think like that.

As the earthen missile created at blistering speeds shot towards Brian, he did a roll of the ground to avoid his skull from being crushed at such a heavy and fast-moving projectile. While he was doing that, Blaze was taking a deep breath to unleash his Bahamut-blessed power of inner fire while running. As Brian got out of the roll, he took his left hand and quickly shaped it into the weapon of death from outside and, while on a knee, sniped the head of the dragon dashing towards Blaze with a piercing bolt, making a light banging sound. The drake rolled around, now without any control of its since it passed away from the attack poking a hole in its skull. Blaze then let go of his breath, blowing out a powerful stream of the hottest of flames at the one on Brain's side. The moment it touched them, they started roaring in agony at its face being burned while alive. The drake also stumbled and lost its footing as it was in immense pain from the element of fire, leading to them starting to roll a bit as well to try to put out the flames. Brian, seeing a chance to end the drake's life, pointed his sword with his two hands like a crossbow while on his knee. The weapon glowed with an ethereal blue as suddenly, like a chain of lightning, a long and powerful bolt exited the tip of the weapon and towards the suffering earth dragon. With a velocity faster than the eye could see, the projectile of concentrated light flew, leading to Brian's inner power to blow apart the creature's head completely off its shoulders, as its now dead body stopped moving, still on fire.

Brian, now that he and Blaze dispatched the drakes, stood up and took his sword in his right hand and slipped to an underhanded position and placed on his left hip, sliding it into his sheath. Brian then turned his head to Blaze with his bright blue eyes, satisfied that the drake held up his end.

Then, Brian saw a few stray flames all along his left arm. Blaze must have nicked him by accident. How did he not notice it? His eyes widened and he gasped as he lifted his arm up. He tried to pat the flames out with his right hand to choke them out. It took a few seconds, but he managed to get rid off them all. Thank goodness they didn't leave much of a mark on his clothes. He was already getting his tunic sent to the tailor after this mission, so he didn't want much of problem with his attire. After Brian removed the flames and lowered his arms, he looked at Blaze with a neutral expression and his mouth slightly open. Blaze looked a bit amused, yet a bit annoyed at the same time, either at himself setting the cotton on his ally's arm on fire by mistake or Brian trying to get the flames off of himself.

After a few seconds, Brian turned his gaze down the hallway and started to run. Blaze took after him and started to dash with his four legs. The sound of steps on earthy ground in an equally rocky hallway traveled up and down the corridor like before.

It went on and on. Thank goodness there wasn't any drakes, but that caused Brian to consciously think a bit about why that is. Regardless, they needed to get in and get out as soon as possible.

Brian and Blaze ran for what seemed like an hour until they skidded down their position in the dome, kicking up some stray pebbles.

They saw a fork.

The hallway split into two. One was going to the left, while the other to the left. It was a fifty-fifty shot as to where the item of great importance was. Brian darted his eyes and face back and forth between the a few times.

"Uhhhhhh.....", Brian stuttered. They needed to act fast. Who knows how long it would take before the earth dragons started flooding in to end the lives of the two. Blaze shared his lack of decision making at the moment, as he was also trying to figure out which hallway to take. It was like a coin flip. Either the possible room or hallway led to the objective or not.

Brian quickly chose for the both of them.

"Uhhh, you take right, I take left!", Brian briskly told Blaze. It wasn't the best idea, but they fortunately two people instead of one, so it was better to split their power to cover more space. Blaze grunted in agreement, although it was also because he both didn't think the strategy was perfect and he didn't like being told what to do. Regardless, they were in a hurry. The two didn't want an earthen grave.

Brian took the left path like he said as Blaze grunted in response, obliging to his idea and went the other way. He didn't like being talked around, but he could care less since they needed to get in and get out ASAP.

Blaze ran and ran until he found a room with various pieces of earth-based materials, with a stone desk in the middle. The heavy imitation of the human household object was not unusual for earth drakes to make, as they, even though they hated humanity the Guild, and the Union with all their guts, had to admit that maybe it was a good idea to make something to set objects and stand behind instead of the floor or some other heavy piece of rock to use as opposed to a table. As for the objects haphazardly every where in the room, it varied. It consisted of rocks with pieces of shiny pieces of...whatever and objects with metal, such as raw chunks of metallic stones or human weapons, armors, and tools. He silently noted that these were likely taken from defiled humans, either civilians, the D.H.G., or the H.D.U. It was likely a storage area for such things. Why in the name of Bahamut were they taking these precious materials? Likely some unknown project. After Blaze darted his head around the area, he swiftly started searching for the confounded tablet.

Brian ran into his hallway to find a room with more organization than Blaze's. With a light through a hole in the ceiling to illuminate the place, there was a similar stone table with several rectangular prisms with cubes in them that appeared to be...shelves? It wasn't out of possibility or consideration, but it appeared unusual. Thank goodness there wasn't any of those creatures here like the hall. Brian had a dark thought in his head as he felt like they were somewhere else searching for them outside instead of being in here. He needed to search and find the tablet with the little time they thought they had. Brian went to one of the vertical and single-file heavy stone cabinets on the left side of the cube-like room.

Dear God, they were heavy! Despite the struggle, Brian managed to yank it out after feeling like he was tearing the heated muscles on his arms. He managed with several heavy breaths to get out of the way as the cubby fell out on its side. What came out was several flat, yet thick pieces of stone. They appeared to have several chiseled images in them. It then dawned on Brian.

This was where they would make the plans, literally set in stone.

" BLAZE!!!_ _** It's in here!**", Brian screamed out for his draconic ally towards the entrance with his right hand flattened on the side of his mouth to aim his voice. He hoped that the dome wasn't soundproof and that the dragon would at least hear him with echoes instead. Earth drakes may hear him, but they were in a hurry. It was a gamble, but it was one he took just now for the sake of exiting.

Thankfully, Blaze turned his head towards the entrance of his room as he heard the call for him inside his earholes while he was searching everywhere for the Bahamut-forsaken piece of rock. After the voice told him of where it was, he immediately shuffled through the various objects of future importance and started dashing to Brian's room.

Brian started to forcefully yank out the grey stone drawers and frantically searching the tablets if it had the clueless description of the informant. It was complete. However, most of these were either blank or partially done as possible battle plans to end the lives of likely at least a hundred.

Was this one it? No, that one is blank.

Or is it...? Nope, blank again.

How about this one? Mmmmmm, no, it only had a few aimless drabbles on it.

Blaze stormed into the room as he saw the mess Brian was making. Seeing Brian taking out the pieces of tablet-containing stones, he started to search alongside him. Due to his strength as a dragon, he had less of an issue removing the drawers form their cabinets. However, unlike Brian, his irritability caused him to do so with more determination and speed, along with more recklessness.

" Where is it, where is it!?", Blaze demanded to no one in particular. He was getting very anxious to find Bahamut-damned tablet as he feverishly started to look at tablets that were the incorrect ones.

"Still looking!", Brian responded to the drake's question. The pressure of the situation was building up to ensnare them. They had to hurry.

Brian then thought of looking to see if the desk in the center of the room had thin drawer of its own. He went to the behind of it.

Aha!

It did have one!

Why, he didn't care to think about it.

He yanked it out to find a singular piece of stone the same size of the other tablets. Brian took it out of its former rocky prison. With great strength, he started to gaze on it. It showed a bunch of arrows going in various directions. These were calculated. The arrows had a defined shape and went to a specific area. It looked like a flanking strategy, as some of the thin arrows went into the side of an open space like a cutout of a square. Some other pointed into this enclosure of sorts.

Okay, fine, but what was on its back?

Brian heaved as he turned it over, still hearing Blaze quickly taking the shaped tablet holders out of their cubbies.

He saw several misshapen carvings into it. Some appeared like some globs of something etched into it, with some of them having open parts within them. He also saw several defined shapes as well. Some were clearly squares, triangles, and he even saw wavy lines on the slab of stone. He saw an arrow pointing diagonally to the southwest direction.

Brian's eyes widened.

Those shapes were structures and those lines were rivers and divides in territory!

It was a map!

He found it!

"I got it!", Brian called out to his ally, his flustered head moving his eyes to stare at the human. Brian and Blaze then quickly went up to each other. Blaze looked at the tablet with an uneasy gaze. He saw the shapes and all, his mind quickly deducing it was a map.

"Okay!", Blaze stated in satisfaction that he and the human can finally get the hell out of there.

Brian held the tablet in his right hand and reached for the red, fire-dragon scale-covered sack around Blaze's still neck with his left. He slowly slipped the piece of stone onto the bag and yanked on the red and thick strings on the top of it, the item of great interest and importance now secure.

"Let's get out of here!", Blaze said, wanting to get back home at the Union soon.

"Don't have to tell me twice!", Brian responded, also wanting to get back to the safety and calmness of the Union as well.

The two, now with the vital battle plan, started to run down the way they came, sound of fast-paced movement on the brown corridors bouncing off the walls. Blaze started to get ahead of Brian, his stamina and speed outdoing him as they made a mad dash to the exit of the dome. Blaze went so fast, that he started a light glide with his wings down the hallway. They saw the light. Brian, however, was getting worried that Blaze may be going to fast, not only leaving him behind, but possibly going headfirst into danger or a fight.

"B-Blaze! Wa-".

Blaze stopped gliding and landing, turning around back at the human to respond, only for tiny rocks to fall from the ceiling as the ground they stood on started to shake. Brian and Blaze looked around wildly, as their eyes shrunk in pinpricks as they realized that they may be in mortal danger. They stared each other in the eyes, Blaze further down the hall than Brian.

Then, immediately as the shaking stopped, a hole appeared with a crashing sound in the ceiling as a being covered completely in stone came through as if they were powered by gravity itself, landing on the fire drake. Blaze instantly felt pain and roared in extreme discomfort as the rocky object crushed the fire dragon with its sheer weight alone.

It was in the shape of a large drake.

It was an earth dragon encased in stone.

Brian hated when they did that. They could control and constantly focus on the earth around them to create a natural armor that was nearly impossible to penetrate. The only weakness were possible openings like an open mouth and the tail and wings were dysfunctional with all the heavy rocks on them. Even then, that's if you don't get crushed trying to find that weak spot.

Blaze set himself on fire as he tried to slip under the stone-covered drake, only to have a heavy paw push his neck down to the ground, a yelp coming from him. Brian instantly realized his ally was under threat and possibly mortal danger, as he took his right hand and placed on the grip of his sword, slipping it out of its leather and metal prison.

As Brian moved to intercept the unexpected attacker, he suddenly felt something on his neck and trying to choke and seal off his access to fresh air. Brian gave a gurgle of saliva as he suddenly was being strangled in the throat, a thin green object being the source of danger coming out of the ground behind him to his right side. Brian dropped his weapon with a clang as he tried to remove the thing choking him with his hand. Then, it started to lift him off the ground, Brian's feet dangling and moving madly. Brian desperately tried to rip this thing off of him, trying to get what little oxygen he could with this unseen threat attempting to crush his windpipe. Blaze looked in shock and horror as the one to possibly save him, his ally, was also caught off guard as Brian was also subdued easily by an unidentifiable force.

Then, all of a sudden, rocks moved themselves apart in a ring behind Brian, making a noise of sliding rocks on a dirt road. Slowly, another stone-armored dragon of the earth came out from under the ground beneath them. The thin green object from earlier was the creature's tail, its end coiling itself around Brian's neck and strengthening every second.

"Ignorant slaves.", the dragon behind the human stated in a feminine and domineering tone. Brian was making sound of struggling as he tried to slip his hands under the tail to increase his air intake, only to have a tightening in response. Blaze would want to snarl, but that would only make him a hypocrite. He was suffering under the immediate pressure of another right now with his mission partner.

Both Brian and Blaze didn't want to die. Not now.

"You should know better.", the dragoness's voice reverberated once more as if telling them that the struggle is futile.

Brian needed to do something and fast. His mind tried to figure out a solution in a seemingly bottomless problem. The weight on Blaze and the power on his own constraints were increasing by the moment.

There had to be something.

Then, Brian, in a desperate attempt, tried what the dragoness behind him didn't expect.

Brian took his right hand and shaped it into a gun once more. He lost some grip on his constraints threatening to squeeze the life out of him, but he didn't have much of a choice.

Brian had to take a shot in the dark, but else could he do?

He aimed his hand over his neck and hope to God that it hit them. If not, he would either have to shoot the tail itself or accept death with open arms if that failed.

The dragoness peeked at his pointer and middle fingers pointing at her body. She didn't know what he was doing, but it seemed like a threat. However, before she had enough time to react, a light bang sound came to her ear holes. She couldn't see the light blue bolt pierce her chest, making a cauterized hole in it. Her armor did just about nothing to protect her from it.

W-What is this?

The dragon's pain receptors instantly responded. She let out a hurt yelp. She didn't think it actually got anything vital, but it was like a burning spear pierced her scales, as she stared down the wound and how for some reason didn't bleed at all.

The momentary distraction was enough for Brian as he realized he hit a mark, regardless of how off it may have seemed. He took his still smoking right fingertips and aimed at the tail part not on his neck. With another light bang, he fired off on the scaled appendage. The dragon instantly let out a roar of agony as one of its most sensitive parts of its body now had a burnt hole bored into it.

The dragoness let Brian go at the attack as a result of the pain telling her body to do so. She then went to try and bite the human annoyance's head off. However, little did she know that Brian actually anticipated this. Like a screwdriver coiling down, Brian slide on his legs as he did a five-hundred-forty degrees spin in the counter-clockwise direction onto one of his knees to face the assailant behind him, barely avoiding a head munching. Then, before she realized that he dodged her attack, Brian put his hands together, both his right and left ones in a shape of a gun.

He was going to blow this heathen's head off.

"Haaaaah!", Brian said in determination as he pointed at his target. How dare they try to kill them? In the name of God and justice, he wanted them finished for good to harm the weak no longer.

He aimed at the throat of her armor, the dragoness not knowing it will do nothing to stop such a powerful blast she is about to experience. Within the second, Brian let it go. A sickening sound of an explosion, flesh, and stones reverberated through the hall. The part of her body holding her head to her shoulders was cut off, the stone armor falling into several pieces now that its master was dead. Her lifeless head with pieces of flesh from the neck fell down, her separated body collapsing.

The drake on Blaze was startled for a second from the unexpected power of the human, but not enough to release they crushing hold on the fire dragon. It roared in anger at their ally being killed.

Brian turned his head around, facing the source of the signature dragon roar with a determined look on his face, his eyes having a very faint and unnoticeable ethereal blue glow to them.

The drake nearly had Blaze's bones crushed under the stone-covered enemy, his body and vision struggling to keep him fighting to live to breath and fight another day.

Brain, with anger that this monster, one who likely caused suffering of hundreds if not thousands alone and laughed it off like some demon or spirit meant to exist to only feed on the weak and unprotected, would dare harm a person that he was close to considering a friend and along the path of righteousness and justice with him.

He had a power unlike any other gather inside his right hand. He lifted it skyward like something is meant to be thrown to him and grabbed with grace. Then within a second, blue power within him was gathered into a primordial weapon, one of great constitution, focus, and resolve. The power was in a great amount and shifted itself with some effort into the shape of a long spear or javelin.

It was a bluish and magical bolt in the shape of such a weapon.

One weapon of the great power that is lightning.

The one thing non-electric dragons feared most on the planet of the living besides death itself.

Stray sparks flew from his hand as he focused very hard to keep the shape of such a power.

Both the earth drake and Blaze instantly saw what the human miraculously and impossibly did. Their eyes widened as one of their greatest fears came to life in front of them. The two were so shocked at the act of power beyond their comprehension, that they were frozen like statues, even if one of them was being crushed to death.

It reminded them of her. The Angel of Death.

Brian took his right hand holding the blue spear of great lightning and took it back behind his head, aiming with great strength and determination, his left arm in front of him with his hand open. The two drakes couldn't move as if Death himself was in front of them, wanting to reap their souls to the afterlife. With great power, Brian took a leap in the air, with his javelin ready to be thrown.

In God's name, go where you belong, demon of Hell!

He threw it with such fast velocity and speed akin to a bolt of electricity from a storm, it flew in a straight shot towards the earth drake's chest to end them once and for all. The drake had so much fear crept up into its heart and chest he couldn't register that it was flying at him. Blaze stared helplessly as it flew to the one on top of him.

The spear finally reached its target, piercing a burning hole in the stone armor, and dancing on the scales of the unfortunate drake within the rocky protection. Some stray bolts flew in a cone and onto the ground as it pierced the seemingly indestructible shield on the creature. Blaze thanked Bahamut it wasn't meant for him and that it missed his body.

The earth drake instantly felt the effects and burning of eternal suffering of countless dragons before and after him, the stone armor falling to pieces as the one fighting against the Union members lost all focus.

He felt just pain.

He couldn't scream, as he let out a groan laced with pure agony as his nervous system failed to operate properly, the drake stepping off of Blaze to behind him and was shaken to their knees.

B-Bahamut...n-no...

N-Not like this...

Brian then took the sword on the ground and took his right and gripped the handle and covered it with his left in the shape of a crossbow once he landed. With a blue coating the weapon and a speed akin to light of the Sun itself, it fired a straight bolt towards the horrified and damaged earth drake. He couldn't do anything as the projectile impacted his skull, turning it into past tense. Still attached to his neck, its front half was now in several cauterized pieces.

Dead.

Wasted.

Nothing.

Gone from mortal plane forever.

As the drake fell lifelessly, Blaze darted his eyes from the dead dragon to the human, starting to hyperventilate in horror. Brian took his sword down and had a very deep breath, his eyes shutting at the threat finally being gone from his consciousness. He started walking towards Blaze, slipping the sword into its sheath with a sliding sound.

Blaze's eyes widened.

He was going towards him!

No, no, no, no!

He couldn't move, his bones still realigning themselves into the proper places after the armored enemy nearly crushed him into powder.

Once Brian was finally close enough, with the coast now clear, he reached his right hand to help Blaze up.

" Don't touch me!", Blaze said, scurrying backwards to avoid his touch, his wide and scared pumpkin spice eyes making contact with Brian's.

The human saw that he was afraid.

Afraid of him.

Blaze struggled to get on his four paws as he made a mad dash for the exit filled with light of an evening for dear life.

"B-Blaze! Wait!", Brian tried to call his ally in desperation to explain to him what just transpired. He didn't want to be left alone.

Unfortunately, his cry for the drake fell on deaf ears, as Blaze was already on the homestretch within the hall to get back to the Union.

He needed to get away from this person as soon as possible.

Brian started running with an extremely worried face at what he had just done.

He used lightning, something that nearly all of Dragonkind fear.

Brian, you idiot.

Stupid, stupid! Useless, useless!

He ran with as much speed he could to the entrance as well. As he finally saw the open light and air within the sky and atmosphere, he saw that Blaze was already in the air above the trees Brian came from, the tablet dangling in the sack as he flew as fast as he could to safety from the world.

Safety from him.

"B-Blaze...", Brian said softly. He knew it was already too late, but he just involuntarily said his dragon ally's name.

Brian sighed in disappointment and sadness as he lowered his face towards the ground in the wide-open area in front of the dome with the several green earth dragon corpses from earlier. He rubbed the skin on his cranium with his right hand in contemplation.

Dear Lord....

What has he done?

Brian then stared the sky, hoping that some answer for everything would be there, only for nothing to actually show up. Brian could see the Moon prematurely up close to Earth itself.

Brian sighed once more as he looked away.

He had to destroy the place alone. At least he was already here, right?

Brian turned around to face the dome, thoughts still flooding his brain. They, however, were postponed as Brian took his gaze towards the structure. He then took his hands in the air, his right palm flat downwards and his left one also flat upwards. They were a few feet in between them. He focused and felt the structure as if it was shrunken down and invisible in between his hands.

He then pushed down.

Brian didn't have earth-based abilities, but he could manipulate matter itself. Why, he never knew.

As he tried to crush the dome, the crumbling of rocks came to his ear drums. He focused hard as he slowly shortened the distance between his hands. His fingers turned into cradles around his palms as sweat was added to his forehead from earlier.

Then, after about a minute, Brian effortlessly joined his hands, the structure giving out as it collapsed into a rocky mess and a seemingly endless number of pieces. It was as if it just...gave up. At least this would make it impossible to salvage anything in it.

Brian, his action finally done, relaxed his arms to both sides of him and turned around, a fear and sadness creeping up into his heart.

It seemed like Blaze wasn't going to give him a ride back. Not that he would blame him for leaving him behind in a hurry.

Brian started to walk towards the forest edge where he came from.

He just hoped that when he finally got back home for debriefing and claiming his reward that Blaze would at least allow him to explain everything, at least the best he could.

He didn't want a potential friend to slip from his fingers.

Not again.

---

Brian stood and Blaze sat on his rump on the floor in a rather roomy cubical room of the most homy browns, like a house their found great solace in. It had three windows partially covered with curtains in the middle of the three sides besides the entrance. The dying Sun shined through them before it would inevitably become night once again.

This was no ordinary room.

It was the Union Commander's office within the Union Warriors building.

The building itself had the purpose of accepting fighters of all backgrounds and races to aid in the effort against the fire and earth drakes along with the D.H.G in the War. It had several rooms dedicated to several militaristic purposes. From a central hub, one could find a massive section filled with medical professionals who would dress the wounds of those coming back from combat. There were also some expansive training grounds behind the building, with parts suited for humans and dragons of all races. A smithy worked here as well, giving their all to create the best of armors and weapons to the height of their abilities. While a tailor, meal hall, tavern, and even a bath house was considered for the soldiers, it was dropped for now at the very least. The higher ups thought that keeping those amenities public was the best decision to allow socialization amongst the Union's fighters.

Afterall, Humanity and Dragonkind, as a result of having sentience, are incredibly sociable creatures.

Brian stood to the right of Blaze, an uneasiness making him want to leave this place as soon as possible now that this creature beside him had one of his race's greatest weaknesses and fears. It now felt like he barely knew him. Each time his mind went to something else, it would immediately change subject and focus on the sheer horror he had to witness from his battle partner this mission. His heart beats and his blood pressure were higher than usual when not fighting for his life due to the human standing next to him. He had a very anxious and worried face and had a few, nearly invisible drops of sweat appear on his forehead. He tried to distance himself from Brian, evident by the abnormal space between the two he created as they faced something in the end of the room.

In the middle of the chamber lied a polished brown wooden desk with cube-shaped drawers on its side and a thin one in its heightened middle, all facing away from them. It was closer to the back than the middle though. Behind it was a large being.

This person was Timbermuth, the Commander of the Union's forces.

Timbermuth's origins were mostly unknown to the warriors of the Union, but the men and women working for him in the name of their nation gave the highest respect for him. He was a male hardened earth drake with dark emerald green scales, darkened brown spines on his head to his long tail, and darkened beige-colored horns that spiraled to the sides of his head like a ram's horns. His dedication to peace and justice within the Union was marked by several scars of battles gone past around his body, back, legs, and some of his face. Even the scales that grew over them still showed the permanent marking of a true draconic fighter.

If a person wanted to fight in the name of justice and happiness, whether a new or current member of the Union for years, they would come to him after accepting their written documents, needed to talk of a major city-wide problem, or a complaint.

For Brian, he was the closest to a father figure he ever got. Timbermuth knew of his circumstances given his incredibly vague responses on his official papers, and even he knew the drake didn't know the full story.

Heck, even he didn't know all the answers.

As one of the warriors under his wing, the hardened drake took him like he would anyone else. However, the problem arose when Brian showed him his powers from within himself. As Brian expected, he was shocked to learn such a thing, that a human could somehow harness the powers that only something comparable to a dragon would ever have.

Regardless, Timbermuth, despite reservations and fears the Union could have of him, he took Brian as fighter like the rest. Despite it all, a fact made itself known. Brian, even though he scared the earth dragon himself, had powers that were not only so great and unique, but it could also be the Union's ace up their sleeve. It could be the only thing that could possibly turn the tides of the War in their favor to finish off the bloodshed once and for all.

However, Brian was still a person and had to be treated as such. The old-timer knew that Brian would be left alone, shunned because of something he didn't ask for. It simply wasn't his fault.

At least he used the power in the name of righteousness instead of more malicious causes.

Timbermuth slowly but surely warmed up to him. They were still people of higher and lower ranks, but when the earth drake senses something troubling Brian, he would try to talk it out with him. The commander, even as a battle-scarred and cold drake who didn't tolerate such hatred on his soil here, had a kind heart buried underneath it all.

He was on the other side of the desk, gazing at the tablet currently in the air over the wooden object. Earth dragons could move anything of the earth in a variety of ways, be it rock, metals, or crystals. It would be as lifeless as a dead carcass if it was made of anything else. His hazel brown eyes scanned the front half of the small slab with the battle plan. Even though the two went through Hell to get it, he wanted to make sure it was authentic. As a militaristic tactician, he had to not only study the big picture, but also the little details, much like Brian himself. He saw the arrows go in the specific directions, trying to piece together what it meant like a mathematician. Despite his insistent brain asking him to continue studying it, Timbermuth decided to look at it later. He could see that the two soldiers were getting restless.

He knew that Brian absolutely hated being bored out of his mind. For him, doing nothing led to being bored. Being bored led to him being the equivalent of insane.

Timbermuth floated the tablet to its other side from the left side. Now this part was something more familiar. As an earth drake, your greatest strength was the ground you stood on. With this knowledge, he easily understood the carvings as a map. He recognized this place very well, like any drake of his scales would. However, a location was useful, but not knowing their plan of attack was the same as suicide, so he ultimately decided to leave it alone for now, satisfied of the piece of stone preventing the loss of life thanks to these brave people who risked their lives for the Union.

"You two have done an exceptional job.", Timbermuth complimented with his hardened and deep voice. It reminded the human and drake of gravel. He turned around with the stone still in the air, now in front of him. He went to a metal cabinet on the back wall on the side of the back window. With a simple mental tug, the drawer slipped out a bit. The old drake slowly placed it in before returning the hollowed-out cube back into its cubby. He slowly walked with large, yet soft steps of a gentle giant back towards the back of his desk.

He then faced Brian.

The young boy....

He saw the bright blue eyes that held an endless ocean with the fires of justice swirling in them. He had a neutral expression, but Timbermuth knew there was something else....

"I expected nothing less of you, Brian.", the Commander praised Brian's efforts, who simply and slowly nodded his head in acknowledgement. As a fighter who fought with the Union without a second thought despite the hatred in the world for quite some time, Brian knew he had specific expectations of him. He was just glad he could meet them to the old earth dragon's standards.

The green drake looked into Blaze's pumpkin spice eyes. He saw significant fear and worry in them. He didn't know everything that transpired out there, but given that he went to the medical hall immediately after he returned earlier than the one he was assigned with and finding he had several broken bones and visible emotional stress, Timbermuth knew that something wasn't right. However, he needed to keep his composure and consider talking to the young fire drake later, but for now, he needed to thank him for his efforts.

"And Blaze...", the elder said, gaining the red drake's attention, Blaze sitting up straighter.

"For your first mission, you did rather well yourself.", the commander praised Blaze. Thank Bahamut he didn't die on his first mission. Blaze, like Brian, made a calm yet slow nod to show that he acknowledged the compliment.

"The Union gives you two its thanks.", Timbermuth said. He looked at one of the left drawers in his desk and mentally opened it, a sliding sound coming out of it. Inside were two brown leather bags filled with several gold coins.

It was their reward for their hard work.

Timbermuth levitated two of the metal currency-filled pouches and gradually lowered them to the surface of the desk with some light clinks. They were specifically with a set amount for the two. Brian's had significantly more than Blaze given that he has done more missions and earned the pay raises. Blaze could receive the same amount of money in due time, but for now he needed to build up experience and confidence in the commander that he won't die the next task.

"Take these for your troubles.", the earth drake told the two, floating the bags through their contents to their new owners. Brian grabbed it easily with his dexterous hands and was slipped into the collar of his tunic. Blaze however had to just stare at it as it was floated into an open red, burnproof, fire dragon scale-lined carrying pouch on his neck, the coin-holding leather falling into the bottom of it with the signature clinking sounds.

"You will receive more over time young drake."

Blaze lifted his face to the earth drake. It was something he just accepted. He had more things to think and worry about right now.

"Brian..."

Brian looked at the old-timer when he was called.

"Go to the medical hall and get yourself patched up."

Well, at least he had the courtesy to say that.

He also needed to get his tunic to the tailer and have it repaired by the next few days. He just hoped that they didn't do a shotty job.

Without further ado, Timbermuth had pretty much nothing else to say or do with the two for now, so he said the only thing he could after a long day worth of work.

"Dismissed.", the commander said, giving them their earned leave.

The human and the fire dragon nodded to the leader one last time before the two made sounds on the floor as they sought to get back out of there to finally rest.

Blaze quickly got out the door before Brian did, a cracked opening left. The human saw this and saw his opportunity to finally talk to the fire-drake. He had a lot to explain and just hoped he would at least listen.

Brian opened the door as he slipped out of it, the accessway slowly closing on its own. Blaze was already far down the longwinded hallway filled with several windows on both sides with the late evening Sun shining though them. He made a brisk walk to catch up to and have a talk to him. The drake noticed this and slowly grew a scowl.

Can't he just see that he didn't want to be around the human and.... whatever else he could do? How could he not get it? How could he not take a hint?

He almost caught up to him. Now he had to stop.

"B-Blaze, wait! L-Let me talk, I-"

Blaze instantly whipped his irritated scowl-filled face at him, slowly shuffling his paws to face him.

"Lightning!? Lightning!? Bahamut-damned lightning!?"

Brian recoiled from the outburst, his right hand meant to stop him now in his front and in a form like he was trying to grasp onto some invisible and mythical object.

"W-Why wasn't I told about this?", Blaze asked accusingly, lifting his right paw flat and in the air before returning it for emphasis, his anger-filled face staring daggers at a person he almost could have called more than an acquaintance.

In Blaze's defense, he should've been told about the full extent of Brian's abilities, including his power of harnessing one of the most powerful forces on Earth. The commander should have informed him so he wouldn't be assigned to the human. Afterall, one miscalculated strike of lightning could spell an electric funeral for him. Because he wasn't told by the ones with the facts, he had to take the free chatter and assumptions from the town about Brian.

Brian started to look away from the drake, full of shame at his words and hurt.

"Well?"

Still no response.

Blaze gave a heated sigh.

"You've been here for three years, I've been training for three months, and this was my first mission. Why wasn't I told this?", Blaze repeated his question. When he said those details that way, it made Brian feel even more guilty and feeling more like shit than he already was.

He stumbled as he attempted to draw together a response to the angered dragon who wanted nothing more to do with him. A pit started growing in his chest as he realized that it was already too late. He lost his chance. The only thing he at least deserved is an explanation, or at least the best one he could.

"B-Blaze...I-I...", Brian stammered.

Blaze gave another annoyed sigh and placed his right paw on his lowered face in aggravation.

"Useless...", Blaze involuntarily said, wishing he had nothing to do with the situation. With him.

Brian felt even worse that he could kill full grown dragons, but couldn't have the courage to defend himself when he was being barraged with accusations on every corner.

He just felt so...awful.

Blaze turned his head away to look at something other than him in a failing effort to calm himself down.

"I knew I should've listened to what the city have been saying about you."

Brian instantly started to feel his blood boil, his face of sadness at being berated slowly morphing to one of anger as those word left the drake's mouth.

How dare he? How dare he do this to him? Even though they were brothers-in-arms?

Rumors were so utterly horrendous. Unlike actual facts or opinions, they couldn't be proven or disproven and had to be taken with a grain of salt at face value. If some piece of information like this floats around the city of the Union, it leads to gossip amongst private circles.

These rumors consisted of Brian's powers in the field.

It came from those that returned and saw these abilities for themselves, leading to some horror stories at the endless possibilities of their potential, not to save, but to destroy.

Granted, to be fair, most of the descriptions of what he could do were mostly true, but some of the more egregious ones were so overexaggerated, it baffles him how anybody could make this stuff up.

Because of the Union living in a free society, the ones that heard or made the rumors were inevitably forced into two camps of people. There are those that instantly deny it until proven it is true with actual facts, the sensible thing to do, and those that believed it wholeheartedly, regardless of the lack of evidence, the not so sensible thing to do.

Unfortunately, most of the Union was the latter.

It went from easily ignored to outright unbearable for Brian. How could these people living in a society meant for uniting the world in the name of peace do this to him? What did he do wrong?

One word. Nothing.

It didn't matter, as instead of consulting him on the ideas drifting in the airstreams, they sought to make him feel unwanted.

Brian couldn't blame them either. Lightning was one of the most powerful things on the mortal plane, and the fact he could conjure it up was bound from the start to have people who initially trusted him to flee as if he was a stranger.

Regardless, this slowly made Brian angry.

The fact that Blaze had graciously opened his maw open wide and had the city shovel dragon shit into it, accepting it wholly and completely without a second thought made his eyes of endless emotion burn with lividness.

He suddenly gained confidence to talk back to him, his hands clenched on his sides. He was justified in feeling this way. He went from feeling guilty from his good-intentioned actions to betrayal no fault of his own.

"What did they tell you?", Brian angrily asked. He wanted to know now that he felt insulted. Blaze, however was unfazed, his scowl unwavering.

"Tell me. What did they say? What? Tell me.", Brian demanded.

Blaze was so fed up with him. Did he not see the problem? Bahamut, what was the matter with him? How could he not see the issue here? He was this close to going ballistic on him to show just why he felt afraid of him after seeing the electricity in his hands and why he gained the courage to the point of coming close to exploding right now.

"Well?", Brian asked, expecting and answer for him now. How ironic. It went from Brian trying to answer an unsolvable question from Blaze and the whole Union to asking why he and the city was asking it in the first place.

Blaze shook his head, eyes shut and teeth bared.

That's it.

Enough is enough.

He had only one answer that made the most sense. For Blaze, it was a no-brainer.

He opened his pumpkin spice eyes filled with the greatest of fires and into the one of an ethereal blue filled with the flames of determination and resolve.

The eyes he never wanted to ever look into ever again.

"That you're a human, Brian."

Brian instantly had almost all of that anger dissipate when he said that. His gaze started to soften. He looked down into himself, physically and mentally, hurt now more than ever.

W-Why did he say that?

It may have been a dumb and brainless question to ask himself, b-but why?

"That I'm a dragon, and you're a human.", Blaze finished, gesturing to himself and then to the only other one in the conversation with his front right claw.

All of that confidence went away like the wind at that simple fact. It was true in every way, but Brian suddenly felt his hope for a better life with Blaze as a friend melt into nothingness. In fact, the thought no longer existed.

Brian looked down not at himself, but at somewhere other than himself or the drake that ruined what go will today he had for himself and the fire dragon.

Blaze gave an annoyed sigh, his right paw on the bridge in between his eyes and on his snout, an internal head-pounding signifying the coming of a headache.

Blaze knew that he hurt Brian in more ways than one, but he had to understand the facts.

He shouldn't have these powers, nor ever be around him if he did.

"Brian, you're a good person but...", Blaze said, trying to alleviate and diffuse the situation, but even he knew that the damage he did to the human was already done. He resumed his worried look from before so look softer, but once again, it did nothing to help either of their case's, especially Brian's.

The drake sighed again, Brian lifting his emotionless eyes to the dragon's.

"H-How did you even get these powers to begin with?"

Even Brian couldn't fully answer that.

"I-I don't know, I...", Brian tried to explain after the aftershock of the barrage of words and emotions from just a few seconds ago.

Blaze also sensed this, as he gave an irritated shake of his head, his eyes shut. When he opened his draconic eyesight to the human's, he sought to end this conversation. He thought they both had enough for one day. The fire dragon just wanted to think things over and relax for the night before he was inevitably called back into the field.

"Brian..."

The drake's calmed and tired voice caught Brian's saddened attention.

It was over. He knew it.

The mission was doomed from the start. He was always meant to talk and fail at keeping one of the only creatures he knew close enough to call a potential friend. None of it mattered anymore.

"If you can use lightning, don't you think you shouldn't be around any dragons?", Blaze asked, now drained from everything.

With one last look with eyes and a face that gave an excuse for a "sorry", he shuffled his paws around to leave this place for the rest of the day.

He just left Brian there, who just stood still, trying to process everything in silent and sorrowful contemplation as the question crashed into him like an out-of-control carriage.

Like the origins of his powers, he couldn't find the answer even though he knew the correct response was yes. He shouldn't be around other dragons, b-but...

B-But...

Blaze was close to the door at the end of the longwinded hallway.

Brian's heart just wanted a new friend.

W-Why couldn't Blaze get that?

Why couldn't anyone else understand that?

He gave one last shot even though it was prone to failure. He lifted his head and saw the drake about to open the door to leave this now deathly silent place.

"B-Blaze!", Brian called out to him in vain.

He was in the door, deaf to all of it.

The fear.

The few somewhat neutral memories of the human.

The mission.

Brian's struggles.

All of it.

"Blaze wait!", Brian gave one last call in a last desperate cry for friendship in this lonely life, stretching his open right hand to grab a ghost, a lost and painful memory.

He just wanted to hold on, to just talk with somebody, anybody.

The reddened drake already left, the brown mahogany door with its silver knob shut.

He was shut out.

Brian gave a conflicted sigh, lowering his head to rub and wrinkle his cranium with his right hand.

There was so much. This was too much, he...he...

Brian lifted his face and saw a brown oak bench on his left side on the wall in the middle of two of the golden windows illuminated with the dying evening. With a few steps of his sheep skin boots on the polished marble floor, he walked over to it. He turned himself around and plopped his rump on it. He gave a sigh and cradled his head with both hands.

To say Brian felt like complete and utter shit would be an understatement.

He came to the Union at the tender age of about eighteen after he was released from his home, searching for a purpose. With his powers, he couldn't bring himself to the D.H.G. He didn't want to continue the War in the name of hatred. The Union was no better, but it was the better of two evils. Despite the purpose and values of the H.D.U., it was still a faction in the growing conflict. He just wanted to save everybody, but even back then and now, it was but a distant dream lost in the darkness. He just wanted to use his powers for saving, not just killing. Even then, the people sought to silently torture him this way.

He prayed everyday to God himself for an answer, but now, his almighty voice eludes him.

He knew these powers weren't his fault for existing within him.

Brian just didn't get it.

Was it to do with his parents?

Brian never knew his true family. Did they abandon him because of these abilities? Did they die when he was at his youngest of years in this cruel and unwelcome world? He didn't know.

T-They...

He didn't even remember them.

Nothing came up.

Nothing.

He probably will never get all the details or the whole of the story, but it didn't matter.

The past was the past. He had to live in the present to strive for the future.

He lifted his face from his cradled fingers and moved his visage to the left of him, his hands now on his two legs. He had a look on his face that lacked emotion.

He felt almost nothing.

He looked as if looking for an answer, a sign, anything.

Brian took his left hand rubbed the lower part of his face under his nose.

H-How long was he here for?

Brian realized he must have been here for an hour or so. Even if that wasn't true, he felt like it was such a long time.

Even he knew he couldn't stay here forever.

Like everyone else, he still existed and lived in a society.

Without further ado, he got up onto his legs and started what felt like a walk into eternity towards that door.

Brian then thought that maybe he should go to the tavern not to drink ale or any other alcoholic beverage.

Dear God, no. He never wanted to ever touch those drinks.

However, in that place there was always a person there when Brian needed them most. A person to speak about his inner struggles with. Whom he could chat, laugh, and do anything with while holding one of the greatest amounts of trust on this planet.

One he could call a true friend.

But for now, he needed to get his body looked at and his tunic sent to get stitched up.