Dawn of a Dragon Mage, page 1
Dawn of a Dragon Mage
Master of Metal 1
DB King & EV Marcellus
Copyright © 2023 by DB King
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
v001
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Contents
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Contents
Series by DB King
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
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Series by DB King
Apocalypse Knights
Crafter’s Fate
Death’s Chosen
Dragon Magus
Dragon Rider Chronicles
Dungeon of Evolution
Elemental Mastery
Fatehaven Farm
Grimoires of London
Kensei
Mage’s Path
Night Guild
Ranger’s Magic
Shinobi Rising
Spellweaver Codex: Elder Mage Chronicles
Summoner’s Shadow
The Last Magus
The Lost Mages
War Wizard
World End
Chapter 1
Garret Leandre Ylhandra Vilfort woke to the sound of his alarm. He didn’t open his eyes but simply rolled over to grab his clock and switch it off. Despite his grogginess, he was mindful enough to avoid smashing his clock on the floor. The last time he did, he had to pay a fortune at the clocksmith’s atelier. Perhaps this time he could just sleep in and—
“Nope, nope, nope, I need to get up,” he mumbled as he shot from his bed. Today’s the field examination. I almost forgot! He grabbed his clock and stared at it. Ah, it’s still a little early. I have enough time to enjoy a hot shower and a good meal.
He hopped out of bed and headed straight to his washroom. It took him a while to draw up hot water, but he used it well, taking the chance to brush his teeth, prepare his clothes, and double-check his pouch to make sure he had all he would need for the examination. This included his map, some writing materials, a bottle of alchemist’s fire, and a pair of scissors. Once he finished bathing, he quickly got dressed and checked himself one last time in front of the mirror.
Garret was a fairly ordinary man of nineteen. He stood five-feet-ten high, dark brown hair that he kept at chin-length, and a pair of hazel brown eyes. He exercised regularly and maintained a lean, strong body regulated for quick action and combat.
He dressed in a white tunic, a dark pair of trousers that matched his black high boots, and a dark brown trench coat. He placed his pouch’s sling over his left shoulder and slid a white handkerchief into one of his coat pockets. Lastly, he grabbed his leather wallet.
Okay, you look ready. He took a deep breath and tried one more time to relax. It’s okay. Everybody goes through these exams. You’ll do fine. You might get lucky and find the essence of a wood dragon or maybe a fire dragon. That would be cool. Maybe you might find a—
He was startled when someone knocked lightly on his dormitory door.
“Good morning, Lord Garret, I do hope I’m not disturbing you,” greeted a female voice from the other side of the door.
“No, no, it’s fine, I’m just about dressed and ready to go,” he answered before exhaling and heading to the door. When he opened it, he found the princess standing and waiting for him. “Good morning to you, too, Your Grace.”
Princess Selina Rae Fraeldhen, daughter of the Fraeldhen king, was a year younger than Garret but didn’t really look it. She had a strong, stern soul despite her royal upbringing, yet it came at no sacrifice to her beautiful looks and courteous flair. She stood five-foot-four, had a very petite build but was somehow capable of lifting even the heaviest of weapons, and long blonde hair that she kept braided to keep it out of the way. Perhaps the most notable features about her, however, were her cerulean eyes and her wit. The princess reflected this with the way she dressed: she wore tight trousers and brown combat boots, a black and red blouse, and a feather hat with a wide brim.
“Garret, I told you there’s no such need for formalities here,” she said with a cute little pout. “I’m not the princess, and you’re not the son of High Lord Ghalen Vilfort. In here, we’re both students.”
Garret smiled and nodded. “You started it when you addressed me as ‘Lord Garret’ earlier.”
The princess blushed and scratched her head upon realizing her mistake. “Ah, I guess I did. Sorry about that.”
“Ah, the newly betrothed are already up and ready,” called someone down the dormitory hall. Selina and Garret turned to the right and saw their friend Null approaching.
Null was a mystery to one and all; no one knew his real name, where he was from, or what he did for a living. None of his records revealed what family he came from. No one, not even the school minister, knew whether Null was a commoner or if he was from a noble house. It wasn’t even known if he was natively from the Kingdom of Fraeldhen or if he was a foreigner.
His looks gave nothing away either. Null was nearly as tall as Garret and had a similar, lean build. His hair was silver-platinum, which he kept short and cleanly groomed. The two defining features of his face were his sharp goatee and his piercing blue eyes.
He applauded ever so slowly, likely as a jibe, and greeted them with a slight bow. “Well, if we’re all ready to go, I would like to grab breakfast before heading out for our field exam.”
Together, the group headed to the academy’s cafeteria. It was quite a walk, but it was one Garret enjoyed every day.
From the student dorms, they had to go through the open gardens. This was where many of the instructors liked to teach their students, instead of using the many classrooms in the facility. Beyond that were the practice rooms for combat and tactics learning, weapon fighting, and the basics of dragon summoning. There was the clinic, the school library, the residential towers for the instructors, and the laboratories.
The school had its own dungeon, a vast arena for dragon summoning and dragon care, and the accounting office. Beyond all that was the compound dedicated to the graduates. This was where the hirable dragon summoners resided and was where the school now served more as a mercenary guild. Clients could visit the guild compound to hire squads of dragon summoners for whatever tasks they needed to be done.
The Silver Wolf Military Academy was, at least in Garret’s opinion, the best dragon summoner institution there was. Anyone who wanted to become a dragon summoner and take on mercenary work had to come from an academy, and this was the most prestigious one.
The Silver Wolf had won multiple awards over the centuries and was founded by the very same royal family that founded the country. It made sense for Princess Selina to attend school here, seeing as it was part of her family heritage. Garret himself, from House Vilfort, had similar reasons for attending the academy. While most Vilfort men and women would go on to serve the crown, those who became dragon summoners always came from the Silver Wolf.
And now, both a Vilfort and a Fraeldhen were here. Not only that, but they were to be wed by the end of the year. Garret’s older brother, Yorgen, had already sworn to take their father’s place as Lord of Castle Vilfort and custodian of the City of Caerleone. The king’s other children, Prince Yendrick and Princess Sophia, refused to take the duty of a dragon summoner. Yendrick vowed to study how to become the king’s successor and Princess Sophia had moved to the Empire of Destrahl, where she was to be wed to the emperor’s son.
After a hearty breakfast, the group walked to the examination classroom. Upon arrival, they spotted several of their classmates still reviewing. Some were looking at their journals, some were holding onto small pieces of dragon bone, and others gripped practice swords and lances as they discussed combat tac
Their instructor, Lady Valentina Fraeldhen Juste—who was cousin to the king and Princess Selina’s aunt—immediately pried her attention away from her notes and lifted her head to look at the group as they entered. “Oh, you three finally decided to arrive. Are you all ready? We’ve picked a location for you.”
“Oh, wow, that was fast,” Garret mumbled softly. He turned to the others, and they all looked back at him with uncertainty. He returned his attention to Lady Valentina and shrugged. “I think we’re ready. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen, right?”
“We could die, horribly, for one thing,” Null answered. He then started counting his fingers as he listed all the ways they could perish. “We could fail the summoning process and be devoured by the dragon essence. A monster in the Shroud could come out and ambush us. We could fall down a crevice and break our necks. We could stumble into a river and drown. We might not understand how our new magic works and cause an explosion. We might—”
Selina scowled at him. “We. Get. It.”
Garret chuckled and then gave their instructor a nod. “We’re ready.”
“Good, head out to the stables,” Lady Valentina said. “There’s a wagon already prepared. Hollen will drive you to the location. Once you get there, you have to hunt down a monster called a cockatrice. If you’ve paid attention to your studies, you know what that is.”
“A giant rooster,” Null answered.
“A giant rooster that can petrify us with a stare,” Selina corrected.
Their instructor nodded, and her eyes narrowed as she stared back at them. “Remember: you either come back a dragon summoner or you don’t return at all. Good luck.”
Garret, Selina, and Null bowed to their instructor and headed out. There was nothing else to do other than head straight to the stables, which were right beside the eastern gates. Upon arrival, they found a wagon ready for departure. It had a barrel of water, some dry food packed, and a few sleeping bags. There were two horses at the reins. Hollen, one of the graduates, was seated at the front of the wagon.
Hollen had a barrel of a body, but he didn’t wield a primary weapon. Instead, he relied on his lute. He was a Weave dragon summoner, after all, one who could use his dragon’s powers to manipulate sound waves.
“Greetings, Lord Vilfort, and… uh… Null,” Hollen said as he swept back his long, crimson hair. Like many, he was confused when it came to anything about Null. His eyes came to rest on the princess. “But I feel extra lucky today.”
“Don’t say it, Hollen.” Selina glared at him with her hands on her hips.
“He’s going to say it,” Null concluded.
“I feel lucky today because I get to escort the beloved, the gorgeous, the one and only fairest maiden of them all… the Princess Selina Rae Fraeldhen!” Hollen went through with it… because of course, he would.
Garret yawned and ignored Hollen as he hopped into the back of the wagon. “Yep… and she’s my betrothed.”
Hollen’s jaw, and he rubbed his forehead. “Everyone knows that… Why do you have to kick a man who’s already down?”
Null laughed out loud and got into the wagon as well. Inside, he immediately popped the barrel lid open and scooped up some water for a quick drink. Selina giggled as well and gave Hollen a pat on the back before she too hopped in.
“Well, here we go.” Hollen dug into his pocket and produced a small piece of dragon bone. With a soft whisper, it began to glow. The light grew brighter and brighter until it created an umbrella of energy that fully encapsulated the wagon and the horses. “This should keep us safe for now. Okay, open the gates!”
The eastern gates swung wide open as four students on duty tugged on the operating chains. Hollen used the riding crop to get the horses moving. In mere moments, they were out of the academy grounds and deep into the rolling fields and low hills of the Fraeldhen countryside.
Unfortunately, there was very little to see. Like the rest of the world, a thick fog known as the Shroud covered the lands. Though there were many tales about the origin of the Shroud, the most accepted story was that it was a curse struck upon the land by the last metal dragon before it perished. It was a punishment to humanity for their hubris and the destruction caused during the Last War of the Metal Dragons. Of course, that took place over five thousand years ago, and no one now living was there to bear witness to the tale’s authenticity.
The journey was a relatively slow and peaceful one. Hollen had activated his dragon bone, and the umbrella of radiant energy was enough to push the fog away for at least a hundred feet in all directions. Garret and the others took turns keeping watch. It was always a good idea to still be wary of monsters tracking them and monitoring any downtime when their dragon bone needed recharging.
Garret and the others spent their time preserving their strength, taking short naps or breaks to eat some bread and fruit.
After what seemed like half a day’s travel, they felt the wagon come to a halt.
“Do you guys smell that?” Null asked as he sniffed the air.
“Yeah.” Selina lifted her face and took a sniff. “That’s sulfur… and a lot of it.”
Garret opened the wagon curtains and peeked outside. “Yep. We’re at the base of the Titanium Battlefields. That sulfur you guys smell is from the remnants of the battle.”
“That’s right,” Hollen confirmed as he hopped off the wagon and pulled open the curtains. “This was the site of a great battle between dragon summoners during the Last War of the Metal Dragons. It’s been over five thousand years, but the magical residue of their encounter still resonates like it was just yesterday. Unfortunately, sulfur also attracts all sorts of monsters. There was a cockatrice ravaging one of the hamlets nearby; as dragon summoners, it’s our job to hunt down these monsters and keep the people of the land safe.”
“For a price,” Null reminded. “We don’t do anything for free.”
Hollen let out a deep, hearty laugh and wagged his finger in agreement. “Yes, you got that right. We’re mercs, after all, so nothing is for free. A client came in for this yesterday, and the cockatrice was last seen here. We think it nested somewhere in this hot wasteland. Kill it. The only way to do so is by resonating with the energy in the land and accessing the power of a dragon. There is a bunch of dragon essence here, so you three should be able to communicate with something. If you don’t… well, it was nice knowing you.”
Garret nodded. Even when dragons die, they leave behind their magical essence. Nature also gives birth to dragon essence. It’s like an egg, in some ways, and now we have to resonate with that essence to give birth to a new dragon and gain its powers.
Hollen’s words echoed in Garret’s mind as they stepped out of the wagon. Even though both he and Selina were nobles, they would be treated no different to the lowborn among the academy. There would be no special treatment. If they wanted to become dragon summoners, then they would have to earn that right just like anyone else.
The battlefield around the trio proved to be more overwhelming than they initially imagined. The ground was charred black, and there were areas where the stone had transformed into crystal. There were craters everywhere and signs of the land shifting and cracking underneath the weight of immense beasts. Everywhere they looked, the ground was letting off smoke and steam. The Shroud was still present, but it was definitely weaker here. It was thin enough that they could see at least fifty feet or so around them.
“Good luck,” Hollen told them as he got into the back of the wagon. He grabbed a piece of bread and took a bite. “I mean it. I want to see all of you back here… alive. I’ll wait until sunset. That’s about an hour. After that, I’m heading back to the academy. If you survive, find another way back.”
Selina nodded, Garret gave a thumbs-up, and Null simply waved back.
“Let’s look into some of the craters,” Selina suggested, pointing to some of the larger ones ahead of them. “Cockatrices like to use those as nests. We might hit the jackpot and find it immediately.”
“Shouldn’t we try to resonate with a dragon first?” Null asked.
Garret looked at them both. “Why not both? The craters obviously took major hits during the battle here. If there’s any spot to resonate, the craters would be my best bet. We could hit two birds with one stone.”
