Master Of None

The question put everyone on edge again. They could not imagine Midnight leaving them and staying with the dragons. It was clear that by the time Midnight grew up to the dragons' expectations they would long have passed away to the land of spirits. There was also the fact that without her they wouldn't feel like a complete family. Midnight was a very important part of who they were and they were a part of who she was. There was no removing one from the other. 

"Midnight is my little sister, even if we are not bound by natural blood we have a blood contract. She is as much a part of me and I am of her. I believe that she can grow stronger and safely with us. We have faced situations that put us near death but that has made us more powerful and resilient."

Walker paused for a moment before speaking again, "But if she were to stay with you she could learn more about what it means to be a dragon. I can see the benefits to both of these things. However, it is not my decision to make. Midnight can choose what she desires to do and how she wishes to live. I will not force anything on her." 

"Little champion, do you hear him? Your older brother has said that you have a choice to make. But that isn't really what will happen, is it? You already decided to stay with them forever, haven't you?" Adair was smiling knowingly even before Midnight gave a soft purring growl. 

"I had to ask as a final test. You all seem well bonded with one another but I had to be sure. If even for a moment I sensed ill will toward this little champion I would take her away from you. Champions are very rare for dragons and represent a great deal to the royals who fight over the laws that bind dragons and dragonkin." 

This was all information that the party more or less knew. The royal dragons' valued the champions more than anything. However, there were many grey areas that the party did not know. "I have to tell you though, you will need to travel to the main village. The royal dragon court will need to see the dragon champion and the draconic guardian paired with her. It is by our laws and even those who are not familiar need to follow them. But you have time before you should do so. The court will convene with the little ones like you in seven months' time." 

It was a heavy announcement but Walker had the feeling if they did not attend there would be some form of loss or battle. The royal dragon court sounded as if it had an eye on every corner of the world where dragons were concerned. 

"Can I ask why they meet with the younger dragons in seven months?" This time Su was seeking the answers. She wanted to know why it would be necessary. This first encounter with dragons seemed to be setting a dangerous precedent when it came to Midnight and other dragons. 

"Yearly there is a time to meet the ancients and royals. The court holds that in seven months. It is for the young dragons to not only have their bloodlines tested and to find mentors but also for them to know who rules them. Not that this little one will need to worry much. Champions will be able to move independently once they have a royal dragon's support." 

"And if Midnight does not want the support of a royal dragon?" The fact that Midnight would only be able to do what she wanted with the support of a royal dragon was not sitting well with Remey. She believed that everyone should have freedom and that extended to monsters like Midnight and Onyx. Even the goblins had their freedom, so why wouldn't a dragon. 

"If she does not then she will be able to be stolen away as a champion for another royal dragon. They have a skill that bonds a champion to them to fight for them and stand for them. That is how they deal with their law decisions and when different villages fight for territory. She has no choice." Adair spoke as if this was just a way of life. An unavoidable way of life that could not be changed. 

"Do you know what the skill is called? How it performs? What effects the skill has? How much mana it cost? What it is dependent on?" The flurry of questions surprised Adair. She had not expected Walker to be so interested. She had been told he had the jack of all trades system but to her, that just meant that he was able to learn a great deal of human system skills. 

"I do not know what you will do with the information but, the skill is called champions coronation. The royal dragon will recite an oath to the dragons and themselves. The champion will repeat it. Then they drop a single drop of their blood together and light it ablaze with fire breath from each of them, or the breath attack that each dragon has. My illusion mist breath and the frost breath Illia has as an example. This is common knowledge most parents would teach their children." Walker was smiling, it sounded like there were no hidden requirements for the skill. 

"That is one thing that strikes me, you found this little champion with a mother who called out with a roar instead of words and no father in sight. It must have been a fairly young and impulsive dragon. If she was a dark dragon it sounds as if she was forced from the nest. The skeletal dragons are not the kind to settle down and the odds are her father took the mother on a journey then abandoned the two. It is a common occurrence but if the little champion and father ever meet, do not fight a skeletal dragon." This was another minor shock. None of them had expected to be told not to fight a skeletal dragon. 

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