Chapter 1: Welcome to the World of Dragonoids Part III

Chapter 1: Welcome to the World of Dragonoids Part III

1

There were only two seats vacant, and thankfully they were far apart. Lissandra took the one in front, and Ash was forced to take the one in the back. Once seated, Mr. Fireheart went over the rules, policies, and more, but Ash barely paid attention.

Attend one school, and you’ve heard it all. Ash reasoned. You know what, that two-faced lizard sure does remind me of that ugly bastard Ifrit.

Ash pulled out his book of fairytales, and sure enough, there was a story about a two-faced trickster named Ifrit that burned those coaxed by its good looks. At first, Ash couldn’t believe people could be tricked that easily, but looks are deceiving. Like his middle school had a giant rat infestation that apparently had been growing for over a year, no one noticed until it was too late. And by the end of it, he had to do class for months with it smelling like charred rat. Try taking a test while smelling roadkill; not fun at all.

“And Ash Spitfire…”

“Ash Spitfire, please come to the front with the rest of your squad and quit reading that book so you can hear what I’m saying….”

“Ok, that’s it!” Mr. Fireheart snatched Ash’s notebook only to receive a glare from the student.

“Hey, what do you want?”

“What do you mean what do I want?” For a moment, Mr. Fireheart wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or what. He just never had someone blatantly disrespect him before. Maybe he had grown soft. That would have to change. He thought. “If you were paying attention, then you would know what I want!”

Ash felt his head bead with sweat. It still wasn’t as hot compared to what he was used to, but there was a faint voice of reason that said maybe he should stop pushing his homeroom teacher’s buttons—

“Go to the front and meet your squad!” Mr. Fireheart slammed on Ash’s desk, cracking the wooden surface as Ash still seemed intent on sitting down.

“My squad?”

“Yes, your squad, you Halfbreed.”

Ash looked up to the front and noticed that there were four students, each getting taller towards the end of the line. But what was worst—“Wait don’t tell me I’m in your squad?” Ash’s shoulder slumped. There is no way I was picked for her squad. By Dragons, what did I do to deserve this?

“Yes, you are. Now line up! Or we can….” Lissandra’s presence changed as her eye gleamed. Her iris became that of a Dragon’s, losing its round shape and sharpening.

Ash let out a heavy sigh and accepted his place in line as he waved away the thought of having a brawl in class. “Fine, fine, you win Princessss.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“I am not, Princessss.”

That time Mr. Fireheart sighed and muttered. “This is going to be a long semester...”

And Ash’s next question did nothing to help with his pained expression. “Why was I picked to be on her squad?”

“Because, Ms. Starlight needed a fifth member. Thus, she was given the opportunity to pick someone in class.”

“And you’re telling me there was no one else?”

“None that fit my standards,” Lissandra said with a hmph!

“And I do?” Ash said, confused. “I thought you hated Humans.”

“Between having a Halfbreed or one of those bubble blowers, it’s a no-brainer.”

“Hey!” Some of the exchange students said.

“Oh go hey yourselves, you should be grateful you’re even allowed here.”

Ash looked over to his new squadmates but seeing as they were the only ones in class that seemed fairly composed over the Princess’s behavior. He knew something was up and guessed they had to have known each other beforehand.

“Is she always like this?” Ash asked where a short kid with goggles on his head responded.

“This is one of her bad days. Something must have happened to her earlier.”

Ash laughed to himself as he was probably the cause. Doesn’t change the fact she’s got a couple of screws loose.

“Liz, it’s fine. We have our final member, and he’s a Pyro. So no need to worry about the small fry.” The girl who wore a hood said as she placed her hand on Lissandra, hoping to calm her down.

“Small fry!” This time, more classmates joined in as they clearly knew that the hooded girl meant them too.

The hooded girl gave a toothy grin, and they all saw sparks crack behind her teeth which shut them up. “That’s what I thought.”

Lissandra took a deep breath, then exhaled, calming down. “Thanks, Lexi. I needed that.”

“No problem.”

The hooded girl stepped back in line as Mr. Fireheart decided that he could speak now. “You guys done?”

The four of them nodded, leaving Ash the only one who somehow still had a problem. Mr. Fireheart could only rub his temple as he asked. “What is it now, kid?”

“I never got an answer to my question.”

“Are you stupid?” Lissandra said. “Did you not listen at all! This is why I hate Halfbreeds.”

“And here we go again.” This time Mr. Fireheart decided he was going to sit down at his desk. He thought it was better if they worked out their kinks now than on an excursion.

“We chose you because of some new stupid rule that requires all future Dragon Guard squads to diversify. Or some nonsense, so we chose you. Oh, and don’t be flattered because you were the only Pyro Dragonoid in class that fit the bill, even if you are a Human. Do you get it now? Scales for brains.”

Ash knew all too well about the equality act, seeing as it was what got him into the school, but he was even more surprised at its thoroughness. He had expected schools to not really budge with the policy, so hearing that made him smile. Well actually, what made Ash smile was the fact that he got to annoy Lissandra.

“Now, was that so hard.” Ash teased.

Everyone felt the classroom heat up, and they all broke out into a sweat. Even Ash as he thought that maybe he really was going too far today. Lissandra lunging at Ash also helped cement the thought. Luckily she was held back by the tall, black-haired athletic student whose been quiet while the rest of the class behaved like a zoo.

“Let me go! I promise I won’t kill him.” Lissandra roared, struggling to break free from the student’s steadfast hold. “Please! I’ll just break his bones, and we’ll still be fine.”

“Wait, she can do that?” Ash asked as Mr. Fireheart got up from his seat with some duct tape. “What are you–Mmmm.”

“Ha! Serves you right—Mmmm.”

“Good now that the two banshees are quiet. To answer your question, your squad only needs five members, and in accordance with the Unity charter, one of the said members must be of a different background. It does not say the person could not be disabled, just that they have to obviously be alive. So yes, she can do that. That means you should stop antagonizing her, you suicidal brat.”

“Mmmm!” Ash grumbled. Suicidal! Ok, maybe with how I’ve been today, it could look that way. But in my defense, I’ve had a long day.

“Ignoring that, from this day forward, you five will be known as Squad S and will go to dorm D-19 for the ceremony. Do you know how to perform the ritual?”

“…” No one said a word, but Lissandra nodded fervently.

“Alright, so Ms. Starlight will lead the ceremony. The rest of you just have to listen to her, and you’ll be fine.”

Everyone looked at Ash.

“Please try not to cause any trouble. You all know what happens if you break a sacred ritual.” Mr. Fireheart continued.

Why are they staring at me! Even Ash knew not to break a sacred tradition. Breaking one didn’t just mean you were cursed, but up to three generations prior and after—if another generation is somehow born—could be affected by the wrath of Dragons. It honestly might have been why Ash was born powerless someone in his family probably screwed up.

“Any questions? No. Good. You’re dismissed. Tomorrow will be your first day as official Dragon Guard Trainees. And I welcome you all.” Mr. Fireheart gave a salute as he received one from Squad S.

He’s still staring at me! Ash thought as Mr. Fireheart walked up to both Lissandra and him. There he ripped off their silencers, receiving the satisfying screams that showed the effectiveness of his action.

“Good, remember that pain and never do what you did here again.”

Lissandra and Ash both glared at each other, but they somehow managed to apologize to their homeroom teacher.

“Sorry for disturbing the class.” They said, bowing their heads before leaving the classroom with their things.

2

After that, they walked around the campus to their new home. Every squad was issued a dorm room in the large apartment complex. Squads were intended to last all three years and hopefully past graduation if they so choose to stay within the Guards. However, since it was an honor to even attend a dragon guard academy, most students elected to become a real guard and earn their license to travel, which was something few jobs had. Otherwise, leaving the Kingdom was forbidden without appropriate privileges due to the dangers that lurked beyond the walls.

Along the way, the goggled boy approached Ash with wide eyes. “So you’re a Halfbreed.”

“Human.”

“Sorry,” The goggled boy looked down, unsure what to say. “We don’t meet many, ‘Hue-mans,’ as you can tell.”

“It’s fine. I don’t blame you.” Ash said, feeling slightly bad at how nice the kid seemed but after Lissandra… Ash didn’t want to let his guard down.

“To be honest, I thought Hue-mans were supposed to be afraid of us. So I was kind of worried when I heard I’d be going to school with some. I don’t want to be feared.”

After what Ash witnessed that morning, he should have been scared of them, but instead, he was more than happy to put them in their place. As Lissandra was nowhere near that strong, and the short-goggled boy seemed to be too much of a pushover to be scary. Even if he could breathe fire, Ash doubted he’d be scared of the kid.

“I mean, my parents have Draconic states, so I’m used to the occasional brawl with Dragonoids,” Ash said, thinking about how his father would often eat his food if he didn’t work for it.

Which meant there was indeed a brawl for things. Even something as simple as getting a glass of water was met with a “Water ain’t cheap, son.” Before, his father would mercilessly gulp the water down. Glass after glass, until Ash fought for it.

“Is that why you’re comfortable picking a fight with the Princess?” The goggled boy said.

“Yup, can’t have her step all over me.”

“Well…” The goggled boy pushed his fingers together as he tried to find the best way to say this. “Since we’re squadmates now, we should try to get along.”

“Tell that to her.” Ash pointed to Lissandra, who was ahead of them with the hooded girl and the tall boy.

The goggled boy grimaced at the thought of going against the Princess, and seeing the look on his face; Ash felt bad enough to concede.

“But fine,” Ash sighed. “I’ll bite my tongue only because it wouldn’t help the rest of us succeed.”

The kid’s face lit up, and he remembered something important. “My name is Scott Sightsear. Nice to meet you.”

The short goggled boy outstretched his hand, which Ash took with a smile.

“Likewise. I’m Ash Spitfire—”

Boom!

The hooded girl kicked a door open, saying the words. “Home sweet home!”

All four of them stared at the door, which was no longer attached to the wall. They had just got there, and already something was broken.

“Alexis…” Scott said, staring at the overexcited hooded girl. “You do know we have to pay to fix these things.”

“Ha-ha. Sorry.” Alexis said, scratching her head.

“It’s fine. I got it.” Ash placed his things down and took out a small tool kit. “Hey big guy, can you get the door?”

They all stared at him, confused.

“Alright I’ll get it.” Ash sighed.

“No it’s fine. I got it.” The tall guy stepped ahead of Ash and held the door straight.

Luckily Alexis’ kick didn’t shatter it—probably because they were made of reinforced steel—but that didn’t stop the school from skimping out on the little things.

“Ok, now just hold it still…and done,” Ash said, fixing the door after a couple of minutes, and it worked like new.

“Wow, where did you learn to do that, Ash?” Scott said, amazed at his new friend’s resourcefulness.

“Yeah, you seriously saved us some coin,” Alexis said, giving Ash a sharp-toothed grin where he noticed her blond hair hidden under her hood.

“Oh, yeah... It’s nothing special,” Ash said, turning red. “Just something I picked up from home.”

Lissandra crossed her arms. “Hmph! I could have just called someone to do that.”

“Well now you don’t have to, Princessss.”

“Stop saying it like that! And I already gave you my name. Or is your memory also stunted.”

“My memory works fine, Princessss.”

“You son of a—”

“Guys relax. Let's check out the room and unpack our things.” Scott said, stepping in between them and looked at Ash with pleading eyes.

Ash once again conceded to the teary gaze. “Fine, sorry if I offended you.”

“Good.” Lissandra nodded before entering and turning on the room’s lights. “Now, this is my squad's new home… It’s kind of small.”

The entire room was all on display the moment they entered. Two bunk beds and one queen-sized bed along with drawers for the five of them. One bathroom, two sinks, and a walk-in closet with enough space for the five of them to use if they shared it properly. It was lightly decorated with black and white Dragoon banners representing that they were first years and a golden dragon skull crest printed on the floor. Oh, and there were also two mini fridges if that was important.

“Your squad? Don’t you mean our squad?” Ash just couldn’t help himself.

Lissandra raised an eyebrow. “Why are you including yourself in this?”

“Because last I checked, I’m a part of the squad.”

“Let's be honest. You’re just dead weight. A requirement to be fulfilled. Just because you’re handy doesn’t change a thing.”

“Ok, where’s the duct tape.” Alexis walked around, searching for a way to silence them.

“You know what, let's settle this,” Ash said, putting away his tool kit. “Why do you have such a problem with me, huh? You were all peachy before you learned of my lack of powers. Do you really think knowing that changes who I am?”

“It changes everything!” Lissandra stepped forward, heating up the room. “If I had known, I would have never helped you. I should have just let security do their jobs. My fault for thinking they were incompetent.”

“Wow, this is getting heavy,” Alexis said, looking down, then immediately cracked a smile towards the tall boy. “Baron, who do you think will win? My money’s on Liz.”

“Lissandra, no doubt,” Baron said, planning to let them just go at it this time.

“Guys you’re not helping.” Scott cried. “Can we just go through with the ceremony? We’ll be late at this rate.”

The mention of the ceremony caught their attention, freezing the air.

“Truce?” Ash offered.

Lissandra nodded. “For now.”

“Thank you,” Scott said, successfully putting out the fire. “Princess, can you start the ritual?”

“Scott… What did I say about calling me that.”

“S-sorry Princess–I mean Lissandra.”

“Thank you. I can start it right now–”

“Wait,” Ash said before they got into a circle.

“What is it now Halfbreed?”

“Introductions, I don’t know all of your guy's names, nor do you know mine.”

Lissandra raised an eyebrow. “We all know each other, and you’re the Halfbreed. What’s there not to get?”

“You forked tongue—”

“Everyone stand in the ring, and I’ll start us off,” Lissandra said, ignoring Ash as they all stood on the dragon skull engraved onto the floor. It took a moment, but Ash joined with a grumble, not wanting to hold the others up.

In the circle, Lissandra bit her thumb, drawing blood with her sharp teeth as she partially entered her Draconic state.

“Oh venerated ancestors, hear my call as your stars continue to guide us. Drakos, Delakai, Ejderha, Smok, and Prukis.”

As she said the names of the five Dragon Gods: Light, Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water. The eyes on the dragon skull began to glow, and Lissandra opened her palm, splattering the crest in crimson, feeding the light that only grew brighter.

“Though unworthy we may be, I, Lissandra Starlight, direct descendant of Delakai the first Fire Dragon, request passage unto your domain. For Fire Cleanses All.”

“For Fire Cleanses All.” The rest repeated.

And with that, the engraved dragon somehow opened its mouth, not swallowing them whole but instead sending up a flame so pure that it barely had a touch of orange or red, just white. Engulfing them in a small taste of the original flame, which left them all blinded.