Forums → Art, Music, and Writing → Dragonseeds: Retold

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Freakenstein

9,503 posts

Jester

Posted January 4, '10 8:20am UTC

_S~*~*~*~* For those of you who like dragons and combat, this is the story for you! Skip on to the prologue if you wish to read without a note from the author *~*~*~*~S_

Author (me): This is a story about a game without a story. With that, I mean that the game I'm talking about really did not have a tangible story, and so today's my job to fill that story. I've read the rules and it has said &quotost original content". This begs a question: since the story's chapters posted here will be of my work, the game based off them is NOT, so I have mixed feelings about how to proceed. The actual game was made by this company and its development team, and I played no part in its making, however, the story written here will be made by Yours Truly. If this creates a problem, kindly tell me so. Read on and enjoy!

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~> PROLOGUE <~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

Year 150: Scientists predict that the world's ice caps will melt, plunging the land into an abyss of cold, dark water.

Year 152: A creature measuring over 80 meters is found inside a glacier. Scientists have determined that the creature is over 200 million years old.

Year 153: Research on the creature is underway. It has been cloned.

Year 154: Many strands of the creature has taken form, producing many different breeds. Known as dragons, these creatures have taken a focus into a new sport.

Year 155: A new world order has been formed. These dragons, paired with their masters called Dragonseers, are now used to do battle in the arena, the centerpiece of Altair. This will be your new home.

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~> Chapter I: The Newcomer <~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

"Hey. You... Newcomer!" Roared a distant man. "Are you just going to stand there gawking at the arena, or are you going to actually register?" He was sitting down, hunched over near the arched gateway to Altair-- a massive gate, reinforced with iron and spread 3 miles wide and over 20 feet high. He finally stood up, tired of watching the newcomer do nothing. His scale armor clanked as he strutted over next to the man, who seemed to have been carrying rolled parchment in his fist the entire time.

"OH! Uhm, yeah, I'm here to register!" spoke the newcomer, his daze broken. His eyes were planted on the enormous site of the Arena. No tower ever equaled this one in terms of size, width, or height; this was the biggest tower in Altair, and no doubt the most popular of all the rest. His eyes finally fixed to the guard, a balding man in his middle 50s. His turban swayed from side to side as he gave looks around the newcomer's body.

"I suppose that piece of paper has all the info about your arrival.." the guard mumbled, taking the parchment (from the newcomer's hand no less) and peering through the writing. He didn't have much interest at all about admitting new citizens, much less guarding a gate that no one in their right mind would dare breach. "Your name is..Simon, right?" he asked, even though the answer was in his hands. It seemed to the newcomer all the more that he really didn't look at the document much and that he could care less about the poor fellow.

"Yeah, that's right!" the newcomer said with confidence, outstretching a hand. All the guard did was look at the wobbling hand and scoff.

"Kid, you really are new to our culture, aren't you? Let me give you a few pointers: In Altair, we question people with dragons, and we answer them with dragons. We greet them with dragons, and we say goodbye with dragons. Seeing as how you haven't any at all, we really can't do any of those, can we?" The newcomer just stared with confusion.

"Well...that's what I came here for, right? For dragons? That's all Altair has; why else would I come here for?" The guard took in a breath of air.

"Hahaha!" he echoed with laughter. "You made my dull day a little more sharper. I like you already, kid! Name's Caius. I'm the guard here in Altair, but you probably already figured it out. I also do a little bit of Dragonseering on the side, for entertainment, you know? Well, I shouldn't keep you waiting. I'll sign this waiver for you..." He took out a rather long ink pen and scribbled his signature on the parchment "....and let you be on your way."

The massive gate enclosing the city opened up, but not for Simon. Emerging out of the sunlight which the gate's direction was, was another man. Looking to be in his 70s, he could really conceal his age, since his complexion showed no signs of wrinkles or aging. His attitude felt pompous, as coming out of the sunlight you could tell that he was either a very wealthy man, or a very famous one--maybe both. His clothing consisted of blue silk robes with silver, layered plate armor to cover the breast, shoulders, and feet. A diamond clasp held up his purple mantle which dragged across the ground in an attempt to follow its master's movements.

"That won't be necessary yet, Joe," declared the old man. Joe? Does he even know his real name? "Greetings newcomer! I will come right out and say that this encounter will not be our last, as I sense great potential from you!"

Simon wasn't even paying attention to the old man at the time; he was more interested in what was beside him. Two dragons stood beside the newly-assumed Dragonseer. One, a red-orange dragon with yellowish-orange horns protruding 1 foot from its head. It's belly was of a yellowish-cream color extending to the underside of its newly-spiked tail. It was barely the height of its master, only smaller by a few inches. Its eyes were large and red, looking to assume innocence; the dragon was quite cute. Its muzzle and hands were bound by leather ropes, supposedly to confine him to keep it under control. The second dragon contrasted greatly. This one's height was massive: about 2-3 times the size of its master. The colors were mostly purple and black, spreading over the head and backside of its scaled hide that formed spiked callouses along the armored back and 7-foot-long tail. Around its two feet were spiked chains that clanked together as it moved along with the old man. Its eyes were slender, sharp, and had a yellowish tone to the irises. Compared to this dragon, the smaller one seemed to be a baby fresh out of its cocoon, while the 2nd, an adult. They both had leather packs over their heads with metal ends sticking out of the flaps. This is where they hold their weapons inside.

"Please, do not be alarmed by these dragons!" the old man spoke. "My name is Zakariel Karma, and I see to it as my personal goal to welcome all newcomers to Altair. As the fellow guard, Dan, had already explained, we converse to each other through our dragons." He grinned. "Why don't we have a practice match to warm you up and prepare you for the experiences ahead?".

Immediately, Zakariel motioned to the adult dragon on his left with a nod. Without looking, the dragon reached into his pack and drew out an enormous weapon. The blade was longer than the master's body and just as wide. The hilt was comprised of a thin handle wrapped in leather with two large golden guards on either side curved upward, resembling the wings of an eagle. In one fell swoop, the dragon slammed the blade two inches from the baby dragon, cutting the leather ropes. Intimidated, the young dragon cringed, holding its hands over its eyes, sitting down. As if this wasn't enough, the adult dragon punted it in Simon's direction. Missing him by a few feet, the baby dragon tumbled 10 feet, sobbing in the same position.

"What the hell was that for!?" Simon yelled. "You could have killed the poor thing!" Zakariel only laughed.

"This dragon is newly hatched from its cocoon, and therefore untrained, in both fighting skill and fighting spirit. It must be taught in the basic laws of Dragonseer combat: Never fear, never cower, and never surrender in the face of the enemy, unless told otherwise by its master." He looked over at the innocent, young dragon. "This one shall be yours to fight alongside with. "Duriel!" he called to his dragon with a wave of a hand, "show the hatchling no mercy!"

"No!" Simon cried out, "NOOO!"

Duriel, Zakariel's dragon, lunged over at the baby dragon with his blade. Realizing that it was being attacked, it jumped out of the blade's direction. It reached out of its pack and pulled out ITS weapon: a hunting dagger, sizable enough for humans to even use. Another item pulled out was a shield: a leather shield with the engraving of the sun--many colorful, curved markings ranging from white to a dull red, with a bright yellow spiral in the middle.

Simon snapped down to the ground and watched the battle in horror. Duriel took a 180 degree chop with his giant sword and struck what was behind him. The target was the baby dragon's leather shield, barely scathed, but the sheer force of the blow sent him tumbling a couple feet. It used its reflexes to jump back to its feet and lunged toward the large dragon. Duriel merely took his free hand and caught the young one by his leg and threw him to the ground.

If there was any award for this baby dragon, it would be persistence and endurance; a split second after being thrown to the ground, he once again ran and lunged toward his opponent, this time for the head. Duriel went to grab him once again, but the baby's original attack was a feign. It instead stabbed the hand of his opponent. The end result was a fierce cry and the dropping of his weapon. It fell to the ground with a massive clank as the baby immediately climbed up Duriel's body, reaching for his head.

Then something happened that totally surprised Simon as he watched. The baby dragon took in a huge breath, as his abdomen tanked up with air. He took even more breaths of air. It reached to the point where it looked naturally impossible for a dragon's lungs of that size to hold that much air. He finally exhaled, but the end result was shots of fireballs issuing out of the baby dragon's windpipe, blasting into Duriel's face and eventually into his esophagus, where Simon heard the cross between an erupting volcano and an ensemble of trombones hitting a high Bb two octaves high.

When the smoked cleared, Duriel's face emerged, barely singed, and the expression unamused. He proceeded to show the novice how it was done. His tank of air was much more swift and succinct. The mighty dragon's "fire ball" was an armageddon of swift flames shooting out every which way, covering the baby dragon in intense heat. Simon heard shrieks of agony as Duriel and Zakariel paid no mind and the flames continued, the kind of scream which was like a thousand needles in his heart.

"STOP!" he bellowed, "That's enough! You've won, now stop torturing him!" Zakariel waved his hand, and Duriel proceeded to spew his remainder of air up in the air, creating a sort of flame-like fireworks display. He dropped the fledgling dragon to the ground, an unnoticeable dragon-like figure, coated black with burns and ashes from its weapons, charred to the bone. There was no response. Simon blankly walked over to his blackened dragon staying a short distance away, since the heat carried, warning any passerby to stay from its location.

"Hahaha!" Zakariel chuckled, sensing Simon's anger building. "Do not be so melancholy friend! I have trained dragons for many, many years. If he had lived, he would have rightly grown into a mighty dragon. Do not worry though! This dragon surely will not be your last. After you settle into your new home, visit Altair's cloning lab. There, they will breed a dragon to suit your tastes, newcomers no charge!"

Before Simon had a chance to further yell at him, he turned around with a sweep of his mantle, and walked on through the gate, leaving him and the charred dragon corpse alone. "Maan, tough luck kid", sympathized Caius, "that was one uneven battle; making your novice dragon take on a trained adult." Simon's sad eyes turned away, declaring to be left alone. "You ain't alone with your hate for Zakariel. He is a ruthless dragon killer, eliminating all competition and hoping to turn down all other newcomers from also becoming Dragonseers. We pretty much stay away from him, but we know his crimes. Sadly, there really is nothing we can do about him." Simon's expression still yielded sadness for his fallen comrade, but Caius knew he was listening. "Why don't you go set up in your apartment for now. You can think all this through, but for now, rest up and refresh your mind."

With that, Caius left Simon alone, returning to his post and continuing to "stand guard". He watched from a distance the gaping, reinforced door standing before him, as if imploring him to enter. He saw it as a window of opportunity, to make a true living for himself, but he mostly saw it as a chance for revenge-- revenge for the cruelly-taken life of his fallen dragon.

[b]_S~*~*~*~* For those of you who like dragons and combat, this is the story for you! Skip on to the prologue if you wish to read without a note from the author *~*~*~*~S_[/b]\r\n\r\n\r\n[b]Author (me)[/b]: This is a story about a game without a story. With that, I mean that the game I'm talking about really did not have a tangible story, and so today's my job to fill that story. I've read the rules and it has said "post original content". This begs a question: since the story's chapters posted here will be of my work, the game based off them is NOT, so I have mixed feelings about how to proceed. [url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/psx/data/197158.html]The actual game was made by this company and its development team[/url], and I played no part in its making, however, the story written here will be made by Yours Truly. If this creates a problem, kindly tell me so. Read on and enjoy!\r\n\r\n\r\n[b]+~+~+~+~+~+~+~> PROLOGUE <~+~+~+~+~+~+~+[/b]\r\n\r\nYear 150: Scientists predict that the world's ice caps will melt, plunging the land into an abyss of cold, dark water.\r\n\r\nYear 152: A creature measuring over 80 meters is found inside a glacier. Scientists have determined that the creature is over 200 million years old.\r\n\r\nYear 153: Research on the creature is underway. It has been cloned.\r\n\r\nYear 154: Many strands of the creature has taken form, producing many different breeds. Known as dragons, these creatures have taken a focus into a new sport.\r\n\r\nYear 155: A new world order has been formed. These dragons, paired with their masters called Dragonseers, are now used to do battle in the arena, the centerpiece of Altair. This will be your new home.\r\n\r\n\r\n[b]+~+~+~+~+~+~+~> Chapter I: The Newcomer <~+~+~+~+~+~+~+[/b]\r\n\r\n"Hey. You... Newcomer!" Roared a distant man. "Are you just going to stand there gawking at the arena, or are you going to actually register?" He was sitting down, hunched over near the arched gateway to Altair-- a massive gate, reinforced with iron and spread 3 miles wide and over 20 feet high. He finally stood up, tired of watching the newcomer do nothing. His scale armor clanked as he strutted over next to the man, who seemed to have been carrying rolled parchment in his fist the entire time.\r\n\r\n"OH! Uhm, yeah, I'm here to register!" spoke the newcomer, his daze broken. His eyes were planted on the enormous site of the Arena. No tower ever equaled this one in terms of size, width, or height; this was the biggest tower in Altair, and no doubt the most popular of all the rest. His eyes finally fixed to the guard, a balding man in his middle 50s. His turban swayed from side to side as he gave looks around the newcomer's body.\r\n\r\n"I suppose that piece of paper has all the info about your arrival.." the guard mumbled, taking the parchment (from the newcomer's hand no less) and peering through the writing. He didn't have much interest at all about admitting new citizens, much less guarding a gate that no one in their right mind would dare breach. "Your name is..Simon, right?" he asked, even though the answer was in his hands. It seemed to the newcomer all the more that he really didn't look at the document much and that he could care less about the poor fellow.\r\n\r\n"Yeah, that's right!" the newcomer said with confidence, outstretching a hand. All the guard did was look at the wobbling hand and scoff.\r\n\r\n"Kid, you really are new to our culture, aren't you? Let me give you a few pointers: In Altair, we question people with dragons, and we answer them with dragons. We greet them with dragons, and we say goodbye with dragons. Seeing as how you haven't any at all, we really can't do any of those, can we?" The newcomer just stared with confusion.\r\n\r\n"Well...that's what I came here for, right? For dragons? That's all Altair has; why else would I come here for?" The guard took in a breath of air.\r\n\r\n"Hahaha!" he echoed with laughter. "You made my dull day a little more sharper. I like you already, kid! Name's Caius. I'm the guard here in Altair, but you probably already figured it out. I also do a little bit of Dragonseering on the side, for entertainment, you know? Well, I shouldn't keep you waiting. I'll sign this waiver for you..." He took out a rather long ink pen and scribbled his signature on the parchment "....and let you be on your way."\r\n\r\nThe massive gate enclosing the city opened up, but not for Simon. Emerging out of the sunlight which the gate's direction was, was another man. Looking to be in his 70s,  he could really conceal his age, since his complexion showed no signs of wrinkles or aging. His attitude felt pompous, as coming out of the sunlight you could tell that he was either a very wealthy man, or a very famous one--maybe both. His clothing consisted of blue silk robes with silver, layered plate armor to cover the breast, shoulders, and feet. A diamond clasp held up his purple mantle which dragged across the ground in an attempt to follow its master's movements.\r\n\r\n"That won't be necessary yet, Joe," declared the old man. Joe? Does he even know his real name? "Greetings newcomer! I will come right out and say that this encounter will not be our last, as I sense great potential from you!"\r\n\r\nSimon wasn't even paying attention to the old man at the time; he was more interested in what was beside him. Two dragons stood beside the newly-assumed Dragonseer. One, a red-orange dragon with yellowish-orange horns protruding 1 foot from its head. It's belly was of a yellowish-cream color extending to the underside of its newly-spiked tail. It was barely the height of its master, only smaller by a few inches. Its eyes were large and red, looking to assume innocence; the dragon was quite cute. Its muzzle and hands were bound by leather ropes, supposedly to confine him to keep it under control. The second dragon contrasted greatly. This one's height was massive: about 2-3 times the size of its master. The colors were mostly purple and black, spreading over the head and backside of its scaled hide that formed spiked callouses along the armored back and 7-foot-long tail. Around its two feet were spiked chains that clanked together as it moved along with the old man. Its eyes were slender, sharp, and had a yellowish tone to the irises. Compared to this dragon, the smaller one seemed to be a baby fresh out of its cocoon, while the 2nd, an adult. They both had leather packs over their heads with metal ends sticking out of the flaps. This is where they hold their weapons inside.\r\n\r\n"Please, do not be alarmed by these dragons!" the old man spoke. "My name is Zakariel Karma, and I see to it as my personal goal to welcome all newcomers to Altair. As the fellow guard, Dan, had already explained, we converse to each other through our dragons." He grinned. "Why don't we have a practice match to warm you up and prepare you for the experiences ahead?".\r\n\r\nImmediately, Zakariel motioned to the adult dragon on his left with a nod. Without looking, the dragon reached into his pack and drew out an enormous weapon. The blade was longer than the master's body and just as wide. The hilt was comprised of a thin handle wrapped in leather with two large golden guards on either side curved upward, resembling the wings of an eagle. In one fell swoop, the dragon slammed the blade two inches from the baby dragon, cutting the leather ropes. Intimidated, the young dragon cringed, holding its hands over its eyes, sitting down. As if this wasn't enough, the adult dragon punted it in Simon's direction. Missing him by a few feet, the baby dragon tumbled 10 feet, sobbing in the same position.\r\n\r\n"What the hell was that for!?" Simon yelled. "You could have killed the poor thing!" Zakariel only laughed.\r\n\r\n"This dragon is newly hatched from its cocoon, and therefore untrained, in both fighting skill and fighting spirit. It must be taught in the basic laws of Dragonseer combat: Never fear, never cower, and never surrender in the face of the enemy, unless told otherwise by its master." He looked over at the innocent, young dragon. "This one shall be yours to fight alongside with. "Duriel!" he called to his dragon with a wave of a hand, "show the hatchling no mercy!"\r\n\r\n"No!" Simon cried out, "NOOO!"\r\n\r\nDuriel, Zakariel's dragon, lunged over at the baby dragon with his blade. Realizing that it was being attacked, it jumped out of the blade's direction. It reached out of its pack and pulled out ITS weapon: a hunting dagger, sizable enough for humans to even use. Another item pulled out was a shield: a leather shield with the engraving of the sun--many colorful, curved markings ranging from white to a dull red, with a bright yellow spiral in the middle.\r\n\r\nSimon snapped down to the ground and watched the battle in horror. Duriel took a 180 degree chop with his giant sword and struck what was behind him. The target was the baby dragon's leather shield, barely scathed, but the sheer force of the blow sent him tumbling a couple feet. It used its reflexes to jump back to its feet and lunged toward the large dragon. Duriel merely took his free hand and caught the young one by his leg and threw him to the ground.\r\n\r\nIf there was any award for this baby dragon, it would be persistence and endurance; a split second after being thrown to the ground, he once again ran and lunged toward his opponent, this time for the head. Duriel went to grab him once again, but the baby's original attack was a feign. It instead stabbed the hand of his opponent. The end result was a fierce cry and the dropping of his weapon. It fell to the ground with a massive clank as the baby immediately climbed up Duriel's body, reaching for his head. \r\n\r\nThen something happened that totally surprised Simon as he watched. The baby dragon took in a huge breath, as his abdomen tanked up with air. He took even more breaths of air. It reached to the point where it looked naturally impossible for a dragon's lungs of that size to hold that much air. He finally exhaled, but the end result was shots of fireballs issuing out of the baby dragon's windpipe, blasting into Duriel's face and eventually into his esophagus, where Simon heard the cross between an erupting volcano and an ensemble of trombones hitting a high Bb two octaves high.\r\n\r\nWhen the smoked cleared, Duriel's face emerged, barely singed, and the expression unamused. He proceeded to show the novice how it was done. His tank of air was much more swift and succinct. The mighty dragon's "fire ball" was an armageddon of swift flames shooting out every which way, covering the baby dragon in intense heat. Simon heard shrieks of agony as Duriel and Zakariel paid no mind and the flames continued, the kind of scream which was like a thousand needles in his heart.\r\n\r\n"STOP!" he bellowed, "That's enough! You've won, now stop torturing him!" Zakariel waved his hand, and Duriel proceeded to spew his remainder of air up in the air, creating a sort of flame-like fireworks display. He dropped the fledgling dragon to the ground, an unnoticeable dragon-like figure, coated black with burns and ashes from its weapons, charred to the bone. There was no response. Simon blankly walked over to his blackened dragon staying a short distance away, since the heat carried, warning any passerby to stay from its location.\r\n\r\n"Hahaha!" Zakariel chuckled, sensing Simon's anger building. "Do not be so melancholy friend! I have trained dragons for many, many years. If he had lived, he would have rightly grown into a mighty dragon. Do not worry though! This dragon surely will not be your last. After you settle into your new home, visit Altair's cloning lab. There, they will breed a dragon to suit your tastes, newcomers no charge!" \r\n\r\nBefore Simon had a chance to further yell at him, he turned around with a sweep of his mantle, and walked on through the gate, leaving him and the charred dragon corpse alone. "Maan, tough luck kid", sympathized Caius, "that was one uneven battle; making your novice dragon take on a trained adult." Simon's sad eyes turned away, declaring to be left alone. "You ain't alone with your hate for Zakariel. He is a ruthless dragon killer, eliminating all competition and hoping to turn down all other newcomers from also becoming Dragonseers. We pretty much stay away from him, but we know his crimes. Sadly, there really is nothing we can do about him." Simon's expression still yielded sadness for his fallen comrade, but Caius knew he was listening. "Why don't you go set up in your apartment for now. You can think all this through, but for now, rest up and refresh your mind."\r\n\r\nWith that, Caius left Simon alone, returning to his post and continuing to "stand guard". He watched from a distance the gaping, reinforced door standing before him, as if imploring him to enter. He saw it as a window of opportunity, to make a true living for himself, but he mostly saw it as a chance for revenge-- revenge for the cruelly-taken life of his fallen dragon.

6 Replies

offline

goumas13

4,749 posts

Grand Duke

Posted January 4, '10 9:08am UTC

It's an interesting story and it's very well-written, excellent work, but I would enjoy it more if the story was totally yours.

offline

Freakenstein

9,503 posts

Jester

Posted January 4, '10 9:27am UTC

What are you saying Goumas? The story IS totally mine. This story is based of the game that DIDN'T have a storyline OR plot. I feel great that you thought my story was very well-written and excellent though :'

offline

goumas13

4,749 posts

Grand Duke

Posted January 4, '10 9:31am UTC

The whole story has been totally written by you, but the central idea is not yours is somebody else's, which means that the story is not totally yours.

offline

Freakenstein

9,503 posts

Jester

Posted January 4, '10 9:34am UTC

True, but that then just makes mine like the "The Last Stand" essays that pop up every now and then. it's their story, yet the idea wasn't. I have to get some credit though; it took me an hour and a half to brainstorm and type this chapter >_<

offline

goumas13

4,749 posts

Grand Duke

Posted January 4, '10 9:43am UTC

You have to get all the credit, the others don't have anything to do with this, you did all the work. But unfortunately the credit is lessened because of the not-yours central idea.

offline

Freakenstein

9,503 posts

Jester

Posted January 7, '10 3:55pm UTC

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~> Chapter II: Making Friends <~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

After finding his apartment district and number, house 2166, Simon laid awake the entire night at his bedside thinking about the best course of action. The words that Caius the gate guard had said to him echoed in his mind. He wanted revenge for his fallen dragon friend, but...could he really do it? He had no idea about anything that was going on, and yet he was plopped right smack into the whole situation. He wanted to know so much, yet didn't know exactly how to do so. With so many questions to his dilemma, he knew only one answer: the answer to his questions will involve dragons. It was nearing 6:00 AM, and he had to make his decision now.

His door was being knocked lightly and calmly, as if a nervous hand was making the noise. Simon plopped out of his bed and went to answer. Outside his apartment door, was a woman, slightly shorter in height, but much skinnier. Many wrapped clothes and robes hid her true figure, but her head was exposed, showing her short black hair, small nose, and dark blue eyes. She drew her hand back, startled by the sudden noise of Simon opening the door.

"Uhm, hello, is this apartment 2166?" she asked. She had a really soft voice, whether it was from being too early, or just from pure shyness.

"Yes this is 2166", Simon replied. "Are you my roommate?" She nodded.

"Hey there! My name is Krista Benneseph!" She outstretched her arm forward, hoping for a handshake. Simon remembered "the code of DragonSeers", where every single conversation were answered with dragons, but wondered if that was really the case. He gave her the handshake anyways. "So what's your name?" She asked after the handshake was over.

"I'm Simon Muran," he answered back.

"Really??" she said surprised. "So... I heard about what happened last night. Sorry about your dragon," she sympathized, "for your first time, that must have been brutal. It was--"

"An unfair fight," Simon interrupted. "It wasn't so much a duel as it was a slaughtering of a child".

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. " Well, I AM your new roommate! If there is anything you need just let me know. Oh wait, you have a job, right? I mean, you came out to Altair all by yourself, didn't you? So you must have some money, or a job, or something."

"Actually, I'm unemployed", he spoke.

"Really??", she gasped. "How in the world did you get in here then?"

"My parents gave me a signed passport to enter here. They paid the money for the passport, and I got a first-hand look at how DragonSeering really is. Not the greatest experience, mind you.."

"Well...today's a new day! A chance to redeem yourself! Comeon, what do you say?" Krista jumped up and down, spirited.

Simon put his hand over his mouth. "Well, despite how things went, I think I really did put a number on that guy's dragon. I probably have a good shot at being a really good DragonSeer if I put my mind to it."

Krista stepped back shocked. "So wait, you want to really go through with it? And with that talk, you sound like some sort of cool-headed old geezer! How old are you agaaain..?" She peered over him with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, I'm really 34. Honest!" he said defensively.

"Wow, a lot older than I am! I'm only 24 myself," she said, defeated. "See, the only reason why I got to live here, by myself, is because my family is, well...loaded. Sad part is, I think that they really don't like the presence of children, so they sent me out here all by myself. I never thought I'd actually find this place, to tell you the truth..."

"Sounds pretty sad, to know that your parents never really liked having you around.." he sympathized.

"It's not that, they actually love me, to a certain degree. I mean, they buy me things that I need, or want.. but when they do, they just leave me off with it. Almost like they are saying
'okay we got you this, now bugger off'!"

"Sounds like both of our lives are in the deep right now" I remarked. "But hey, like you said, today's the start of a new future, right? Wanna come to the cloning lab and see my new dragon?" She thought about it for a second. "I mean, I'm pretty new at this myself so I have no clue what to do at all..."

"Hmm..." Krista contemplated, "Actually, I'd like to do some DragonSeering stuff too! Okay, let's go together!" she cheered.

Krista undressed, taking off the first two layers of the heavy animal-skin robes she wore outside. I had no idea that nights in Altair were so cold. She hung her robes on the nearby rack next to the door, having only an Aquamarine-colored light robe on with strapped sandals, exposing her small feet. Her robes came down to her knees, then arched upward wrapped around her back and shoulders. The robes ended at the forearms, allowing some movement in the elbows. She took the hood part of the robe off, fully revealing her hair and face. She had short, black hair that barely reached her shoulder, shiny and thin by the looks of it. The biggest part of her face were her eyes, dark blue as already mentioned, but full and deep, with the eyelashes arching up slightly. Her nose and chin were very short and stubby, while her ears were hidden from view by her medium-length hair. It was hard to believe she was 24, she seemed much younger than that, maybe that of a teenager. We started to make for the door, after packing supplies for a light trip.

Being 6:00 AM now, the inner workings of Altair were much more impressive to Simon, since the time that he appeared in the commons was past midnight. Tall, tall buildings were erected, all housing different apartments. The rich lived among the top, rounded, domed apartments, having larger spaces and a clear view of the island and the oceans beyond. Traders rode on their dragons, some large pack dragons, while those preferred the sky, showing off some beautiful, impressive dragons. Their pit stops involved stopping at other buildings to provide meat, fruits, and vegetables to feed them. This involved wicker baskets of each food group, providing 20 lbs of sustenance at one time. It must cost a fortune to feed them for a while!

The most impressive of the buildings were over in the eastern part of Altair, where Simon and Krista were both headed. Their energy was provided by these giant, glowing....energy balls that were floating in the sky. "They harness the strength and power of electric-trait dragons," Krista pointed out, "the mass of the electric-trait adult dragons can provide mass-amounts of energy to light and power the buildings, but much more for the cloning lab. See look! One of those energy balls are being re-fueled already!" The dimmest energy ball was being accompanied by 4 giant electric waves that flickered with light and awe, slowly but surely brightening the ball with intense power. As they were walking, more and more electric waves were being spotted all along the sides of the &quotower plants", brightening each and every one of the energy balls until they were as bright as the sun, except in a heavy violet color. The energy balls that were done were raised high above the holding chambers and emitted energy beams high into the sky. The base of the energy ball was shocking the bottom of the holding chamber. Turbines spun about, and electricity was provided once more.

Simon had no doubt in his mind that the cloning lab was the most impressive of all buildings, next to the ever popular arena. It wasn't taller than the buildings next to it; the cloning lab was instead longer, stretching some hundreds of feet wide, in order to meet the demands of all the DragonSeers.

Heading on inside, we were greeted at the entrance's steps by a female scientist. "Well hello there!" she greeted. "Let's hope you're not lost around here! Newcomers can find the cloning lab over on the right side, next to the Biobank. Please do not go into the nursery which is on the far left side." She pointed with a finger. "Anyone caught disturbing the newborns will be asked and forced to leave." Without any sort of reply from Simon and Krista, she walked off into the left side of the cloning lab building (the nursery). Not letting them speak just made her a mysterious woman.

"Well, let's take her up on her forceful advice and head on inside", agreed Krista. The problem was, the steps to go on into the cloning lab were numerous! The couple took what seemed to be a grueling eternity to reach the actual cloning part of the building, and when they did, they breathed a sigh of relief.

The two didn't even have to open the door in order to listen to the sounds that came from inside the cloning lab. Opening the door made the sounds even louder, and more recognizable: they were the murmurs and coos of the dragon embryos that resided in the cloning lab.

"Shhhh!" whispered a nearby man, a scientist. "Listen. The little ones are dreaming." They couldn't tell exactly what constitutes dreaming for dragons, but they definitely heard. Murmurs, coos, and other strange noises echoed across the epic building. The entrance was being held up by a rather large balcony, filled with controls for regulating the status of the dragon embryos. The lights were shut off, and the only lights that ever showed, were the aqua-green auras pulsating from the biobanks that the embryos were housed in: 5x10 foot tubes all linked together into a main computer that regulated temperature, feeding rations, and...well they didn't exactly know what else. There were masses of these tubes, as far as the actual building length went. certainly farther than the eye could see.

"Interested in the tubes?" the same scientist asked, seemingly reading their minds. Simon and Krista quietly listened to what he had to say."You see, keeping strands of DNA and the basic shapes of different breeds of dragons altogether is a very precise chore for us as scientists to control. Each individual dragon embryo you see here require a precise temperature and feeding ration that must be regulated 24 hours a day. If they fall short of their expectations, the strands fall apart, and the embryo withers away."

"SUPER AWESOME!" Krista exploded. "What else does the computer do??" The scientist hushed her, chuckling.

"Well, you see here, there are various types of dragons at the cloning lab. The main computer extracts DNA, and changes the genes around, creating a different breed of dragon. In the almost decade of doing this research, we've managed to come up with 6 different types of dragons: 'Saurian, Winged Saurian, Wasp, Natura, Crustacean, and Beetle.' Each of these have a much different strand of DNA from the others. The main computer in the center of the lab there *pointing a finger* sees to it that the race picked by a future owner will construct a brand new strand of DNA based of the data that the certain breed has."

Simon listened further. "So we came here for adopting a dragon--

"Ah of course of course," the scientist quickly said "after all why would you be here in the first place right?" he chuckled slightly. "Come step over to the control panel by me, would you?"

Simon and Krista were brought to the center of the balcony, where the scientist started punching in numbers and letters on the keypad. "Names Jonas, by the way, the vice-head scientist. Need anything or have any questions, be sure to come give me a holler!" They nodded as he continued to punch in commands. At the press of a large button, a giant screen appeared in the air before them, a hologram. It started by greeting the couple in words, then showing them the list of dragons in alphabetical order:

Beetle -- Arthropod capable of strong, yet swift fighting. Will either be a fire, or thunder element.

Crustacean -- Dragon mimicking a sea creature. Has very strong armor and prefers breath attacks rather than combat. Can be either fire, water, or electric type.

Natura -- Dragon modeled after organic parts. Strong and durable partner comprised of complex body parts. Thunder element only.

Saurian -- Most popular breed resembling the classical dragon. Well-balanced fighter and ranged attacker that can become either a fire, water, or electric-type dragon.

Wasp -- Most peculiar dragon that takes the form of an insect. Quick and agile, but fragile. Will either have a water or electric element.

Winged Saurian -- Everyone's favorite dragon breed in sky form! Trades strength for agility and is great for aerial attacks. Will have either a fire, water, or electric-based element.

??? -- Unstable DNA

??? -- Untested DNA

??? -- Classified DNA. Use with permission.

"Hey Jonas?" Krista called. "It says here that there are NINE different breeds, not 6.

"Oh those three?" He explained. "these are the new strands of DNA we are trying to crack. We need to test them to see if they are stable, and if not, make tests to make them stable. Once we get these fully up and running, they will be made to the public!" He typed in a command to hide the three unknown strands. "Now then," he added "which one of you wants to make a strand?"

Krista jokingly pushed Jonas next to the control panel. "Alright, alright, I'll go first..." He moved his finger over the list of names. He contemplated his decision, then moved further to "Natura" and pressed it. A second window popped up.

"Now time to come up with a name for the new dragon," Jonas added.

"Uhh..." Simon muttered. "What should I name it?"

"MARKUS!" Krista urged. Jonas hushed her again. Simon thought about it for a long time, then typed in F-E-N-R-I-R in the keypad under the hologram. "Pfft, how classical and boring," Krista huffed.

"Well, for a Natura breed, it has a nice ring to it" Jonas suggested.

A third, but higher window appeared. "Now for the fun part," Jonas spoke, excited. A long list of random words appeared along the sides of the window:

The past is shining.
The egg is alive.
The future is rising.
The battle is turning.
The end is burning.
The power is frozen.
The wind is defiant.
The rock is eternal.
The fire is passion.
The ice is dreaming.
The thunder is crying.
Armageddon is broken.
Life is breathing.
Apollo is near.
Time is continued.
Justice is beautiful.
Strength is forgotten.
Knowledge is shunned.
The King is revealed.

The control panel was asking Simon to pick two words and hit enter. "What you have to do," Jonas explained, "is to pick two words that would best suit your new dragon. These words modify your dragon's genes, changing its biological makeup. Like, a specific word set would make your dragon stronger or smarter, lighter, or weigh more. You gotta be careful with these. This right here is the biggest mystery of the cloning lab, because we as scientists have no clue how these words specifically affect the bearing of the dragons' futures. So, the point is, choose one phrase to the left, followed by 'is', then finish the chain by choosing a phrase to the right. Finishing the chain will finish, the gene splicing will be injected into a Natura embryo, and your dragon will be complete."

"Go give it a shot, Simon!" Krista encouraged. His fingers were trembling with nervousness, suspense, and excitement. He and the others had no idea what sentence would be best for his dragon, much less know what they affected, yet had this feeling that the choice of phrases were highly important. What he chose now would forever be set in stone and he would have to live with the choice he made, so long as the dragon was still living. He took his finger, touched the phrases "THE EGG", and "IS BREATHING", and hit enter.

A bright, aqua-green-colored light appeared in the near distance, followed by a quick shutter noise. "That's your dragon!" Jonas pointed out. Electricity followed the lightened tube, shocking the biobank. The tube rumbled and jumped back and forth, as if trying to escape the enclosed prison. Nothing was creeping out Jonas until he heard:

THE EGG....IS....BREATHING.

He heard this in his mind, strong and calmly. The pupils in his eyes widened from pure awe and sat down on the nearby wall in shock. "hahaha," Jonas chuckled. "He hasn't gotten used to Dracokinesis yet! Actually it's his first time, isn't it? Don't worry bud, you'll get used to it pretty soon enough..." He took out his hand and helped Simon back on his feet, with a heave. "We might want to go to your tube very soon to meet your newborn." A newborn...? His very own newborn dragon... the thoughts were etched in Simon's mind, "I finally have my own dragon from the start!" He was so excited he was the first in the group lineup, even though he didn't know exactly where to go when walking down the aisle of the biobank tubes.

The light from Simon's dragon tube increasingly went higher and deeper, until they were at the very tube where his future companion resided. With a strong pull, Jonas opened the tube with the lever that hung from the side of the door. Very warm steam issued from out of the biobank, the steam that kept the dragon warm. The fluid that was originally from the biobank was drained into a pipe down the cloning lab floor, where it would be recycled and used for future dragon embryos.

Inside, a very small, crawling dragon appeared in the biobank. It was barely 2 feet tall, its eyes not fully developed yet-- its eyes were still blue films with a small grey dot that was barely noticeable. The actual figure was a stone colored body with four stubs for arms and legs. A small horn protruded from the cranial cartilage, and a tiny, green jewel was stuck to the newborn's back. Its cries were that of a small, crackling bear cub.

Krista's eyes lit up with joy and immediately bent over to try and pick up the newborn. "Wow, this is a heavy little thing!" she remarked with a wheeze. The Natura newborn rolled over from being picked up sloppily and bumped its head on a nearby stump on the biobank tube. "I wouldn't be so surprised," Jonas walked over. "Dragons' muscles, bones, and armored scales are so compact that the weight is rather massive, despite appearances. It will only get ever stronger as it gets older. Enjoy the small stature while it lasts, okay?"

"Thank you for the help Jonas!" Simon thanked. He was strong enough to carry Fenrir, so he was the one holding him. They made for the door, with Fenrir in hand, but Jonas stopped them. "Now when I meant enjoying the small size, I meant for the first few minutes, ehehe... You see, newborns are to be immediately taken over to the nursery, where the caretaker inside will take care of their first day and train them for combat. You will have to wait an entire day for the two to be together, I'm afraid."

They both looked at each other. "Well if you say so Jonas", Krista said disappointed. "Well, you can go on ahead for home, Simon, I still need to make my dragon too!" She walked back with a wave, "I'll see you later!"

"Now don't you worry Simon," Jonas remarked, "Fenrir will be taken good care of. Now, you should go back to your apartment, or better, yet, spend some time at the shop looking for equipment to best suit your dragon's weaponry needs!" He left for the door to go assist with Krista's choices. A small boom and smoke out of the door made him rush over.

[b]+~+~+~+~+~+~+~> Chapter II: Making Friends <~+~+~+~+~+~+~+[/b]\r\n\r\nAfter finding his apartment district and number, house 2166, Simon laid awake the entire night at his bedside thinking about the best course of action. The words that Caius the gate guard had said to him echoed in his mind. He wanted revenge for his fallen dragon friend, but...could he really do it? He had no idea about anything that was going on, and yet he was plopped right smack into the whole situation. He wanted to know so much, yet didn't know exactly [i]how[/i] to do so. With so many questions to his dilemma, he knew only one answer: the answer to his questions will involve dragons. It was nearing 6:00 AM, and he had to make his decision now.\r\n\r\nHis door was being knocked lightly and calmly, as if a nervous hand was making the noise. Simon plopped out of his bed and went to answer. Outside his apartment door, was a woman, slightly shorter in height, but much skinnier. Many wrapped clothes and robes hid her true figure, but her head was exposed, showing her short black hair, small nose, and dark blue eyes. She drew her hand back, startled by the sudden noise of Simon opening the door.\r\n\r\n"Uhm, hello, is this apartment 2166?" she asked. She had a really soft voice, whether it was from being too early, or just from pure shyness.\r\n\r\n"Yes this is 2166", Simon replied. "Are you my roommate?" She nodded.\r\n\r\n"Hey there! My name is Krista Benneseph!" She outstretched her arm forward, hoping for a handshake. Simon remembered "the code of DragonSeers", where every single conversation were answered with dragons, but wondered if that was really the case. He gave her the handshake anyways. "So what's your name?" She asked after the handshake was over.\r\n\r\n"I'm Simon Muran," he answered back.\r\n\r\n"Really??" she said surprised. "So... I heard about what happened last night. Sorry about your dragon," she sympathized, "for your first time, that must have been brutal. It was--"\r\n\r\n"An unfair fight," Simon interrupted. "It wasn't so much a duel as it was a slaughtering of a child".\r\n\r\n"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. " Well, I AM your new roommate! If there is anything you need just let me know. Oh wait, you have a job, right? I mean, you came out to Altair all by yourself, didn't you? So you must have some money, or a job, or something."\r\n\r\n"Actually, I'm unemployed", he spoke.\r\n\r\n"Really??", she gasped. "How in the world did you get in here then?"\r\n\r\n"My parents gave me a signed passport to enter here. They paid the money for the passport, and I got a first-hand look at how DragonSeering really is. Not the greatest experience, mind you.."\r\n\r\n"Well...today's a new day! A chance to redeem yourself! Comeon, what do you say?" Krista jumped up and down, spirited.\r\n\r\nSimon put his hand over his mouth. "Well, despite how things went, I think I really did put a number on that guy's dragon. I probably have a good shot at being a really good DragonSeer if I put my mind to it."\r\n\r\nKrista stepped back shocked. "So wait, you want to really go through with it? And with that talk, you sound like some sort of cool-headed old geezer! How old are you agaaain..?" She peered over him with a smirk on his face.\r\n\r\n"Oh, I'm really 34. Honest!" he said defensively.\r\n\r\n"Wow, a lot older than I am! I'm only 24 myself," she said, defeated. "See, the only reason why I got to live here, by myself, is because my family is, well...loaded. Sad part is, I think that they really don't like the presence of children, so they sent me out here all by myself. I never thought I'd actually find this place, to tell you the truth..."\r\n\r\n"Sounds pretty sad, to know that your parents never really liked having you around.." he sympathized.\r\n\r\n"It's not that, they actually love me, to a certain degree. I mean, they buy me things that I need, or want.. but when they do, they just leave me off with it. Almost like they are saying \r\n'okay we got you this, now bugger off'!"\r\n\r\n"Sounds like both of our lives are in the deep right now" I remarked. "But hey, like you said, today's the start of a new future, right? Wanna come to the cloning lab and see my new dragon?" She thought about it for a second. "I mean, I'm pretty new at this myself so I have no clue what to do at all..."\r\n\r\n"Hmm..." Krista contemplated, "Actually, I'd like to do some DragonSeering stuff too! Okay, let's go together!" she cheered.\r\n\r\n\r\nKrista undressed, taking off the first two layers of the heavy animal-skin robes she wore outside. I had no idea that nights in Altair were so cold. She hung her robes on the nearby rack next to the door, having only an Aquamarine-colored light robe on with strapped sandals, exposing her small feet. Her robes came down to her knees, then arched upward wrapped around her back and shoulders. The robes ended at the forearms, allowing some movement in the elbows. She took the hood part of the robe off, fully revealing her hair and face. She had short, black hair that barely reached her shoulder, shiny and thin by the looks of it. The biggest part of her face were her eyes, dark blue as already mentioned, but full and deep, with the eyelashes arching up slightly. Her nose and chin were very short and stubby, while her ears were hidden from view by her medium-length hair. It was hard to believe she was 24, she seemed much younger than that, maybe that of a teenager. We started to make for the door, after packing supplies for a light trip.\r\n\r\nBeing 6:00 AM now, the inner workings of Altair were much more impressive to Simon, since the time that he appeared in the commons was past midnight. Tall, tall buildings were erected, all housing different apartments. The rich lived among the top, rounded, domed apartments, having larger spaces and a clear view of the island and the oceans beyond. Traders rode on their dragons, some large pack dragons, while those preferred the sky, showing off some beautiful, impressive dragons. Their pit stops involved stopping at other buildings to provide meat, fruits, and vegetables to feed them. This involved wicker baskets of each food group, providing 20 lbs of sustenance at one time. It must cost a fortune to feed them for a while!\r\n\r\nThe most impressive of the buildings were over in the eastern part of Altair, where Simon and Krista were both headed. Their energy was provided by these giant, glowing....energy balls that were floating in the sky. "They harness the strength and power of electric-trait dragons," Krista pointed out, "the mass of the electric-trait adult dragons can provide mass-amounts of energy to light and power the buildings, but much more for the cloning lab. See look! One of those energy balls are being re-fueled already!" The dimmest energy ball was being accompanied by 4 giant electric waves that flickered with light and awe, slowly but surely brightening the ball with intense power. As they were walking, more and more electric waves were being spotted all along the sides of the "power plants", brightening each and every one of the energy balls until they were as bright as the sun, except in a heavy violet color. The energy balls that were done were raised high above the holding chambers and emitted energy beams high into the sky. The base of the energy ball was shocking the bottom of the holding chamber. Turbines spun about, and electricity was provided once more.\r\n\r\nSimon had no doubt in his mind that the cloning lab was the most impressive of all buildings, next to the ever popular arena. It wasn't taller than the buildings next to it; the cloning lab was instead longer, stretching some hundreds of feet wide, in order to meet the demands of all the DragonSeers. \r\n\r\nHeading on inside, we were greeted at the entrance's steps by a female scientist. "Well hello there!" she greeted. "Let's hope you're not lost around here! Newcomers can find the cloning lab over on the right side, next to the Biobank. Please do not go into the nursery which is on the far left side." She pointed with a finger. "Anyone caught disturbing the newborns will be asked and forced to leave." Without any sort of reply from Simon and Krista, she walked off into the left side of the cloning lab building (the nursery). Not letting them speak just made her a mysterious woman.\r\n\r\n"Well, let's take her up on her forceful advice and head on inside", agreed Krista. The problem was, the steps to go on into the cloning lab were numerous! The couple took what seemed to be a grueling eternity to reach the actual cloning part of the building, and when they did, they breathed a sigh of relief.\r\n\r\nThe two didn't even have to open the door in order to listen to the sounds that came from inside the cloning lab. Opening the door made the sounds even louder, and more recognizable: they were the murmurs and coos of the dragon embryos that resided in the cloning lab.\r\n\r\n"Shhhh!" whispered a nearby man, a scientist. "Listen. The little ones are dreaming." They couldn't tell exactly what constitutes dreaming for dragons, but they definitely heard. Murmurs, coos, and other strange noises echoed across the epic building. The entrance was being held up by a rather large balcony, filled with controls for regulating the status of the dragon embryos. The lights were shut off, and the only lights that ever showed, were the aqua-green auras pulsating from the biobanks that the embryos were housed in: 5x10 foot tubes all linked together into a main computer that regulated temperature, feeding rations, and...well they didn't exactly know what else. There were masses of these tubes, as far as the actual building length went. certainly farther than the eye could see.\r\n\r\n"Interested in the tubes?" the same scientist asked, seemingly reading their minds. Simon and Krista quietly listened to what he had to say."You see, keeping strands of DNA and the basic shapes of different breeds of dragons altogether is a very precise chore for us as scientists to control. Each individual dragon embryo you see here require a precise temperature and feeding ration that must be regulated 24 hours a day. If they fall short of their expectations, the strands fall apart, and the embryo withers away."\r\n\r\n"SUPER AWESOME!" Krista exploded. "What else does the computer do??" The scientist hushed her, chuckling.\r\n\r\n"Well, you see here, there are various types of dragons at the cloning lab. The main computer extracts DNA, and changes the genes around, creating a different breed of dragon. In the almost decade of doing this research, we've managed to come up with 6 different types of dragons: 'Saurian, Winged Saurian, Wasp, Natura, Crustacean, and Beetle.' Each of these have a much different strand of DNA from the others. The main computer in the center of the lab there *pointing a finger* sees to it that the race picked by a future owner will construct a brand new strand of DNA based of the data that the certain breed has."\r\n\r\nSimon listened further. "So we came here for adopting a dragon--\r\n\r\n"Ah of course of course," the scientist quickly said "after all why would you be here in the first place right?" he chuckled slightly. "Come step over to the control panel by me, would you?"\r\n\r\nSimon and Krista were brought to the center of the balcony, where the scientist started punching in numbers and letters on the keypad. "Names Jonas, by the way, the vice-head scientist. Need anything or have any questions, be sure to come give me a holler!" They nodded as he continued to punch in commands. At the press of a large button, a giant screen appeared in the air before them, a hologram. It started by greeting the couple in words, then showing them the list of dragons in alphabetical order:\r\n[b]\r\nBeetle --[/b] Arthropod capable of strong, yet swift fighting. Will either be a fire, or thunder element.\r\n\r\n[b]Crustacean -- [/b] Dragon mimicking a sea creature. Has very strong armor and prefers breath attacks rather than combat. Can be either fire, water, or electric type.\r\n\r\n[b]Natura -- [/b] Dragon modeled after organic parts. Strong and durable partner comprised of complex body parts. Thunder element only.\r\n\r\n[b]Saurian --[/b] Most popular breed resembling the classical dragon. Well-balanced fighter and ranged attacker that can become either a fire, water, or electric-type dragon. \r\n\r\n[b]Wasp --[/b] Most peculiar dragon that takes the form of an insect. Quick and agile, but fragile. Will either have a water or electric element.\r\n\r\n[b]Winged Saurian --[/b] Everyone's favorite dragon breed in sky form! Trades strength for agility and is great for aerial attacks. Will have either a fire, water, or electric-based element.\r\n\r\n[b]??? --[/b] Unstable DNA\r\n\r\n[b]??? --[/b] Untested DNA\r\n\r\n[b]??? --[/b] Classified DNA. Use with permission.\r\n\r\n"Hey Jonas?" Krista called. "It says here that there are NINE different breeds, not 6.\r\n\r\n"Oh those three?" He explained. "these are the new strands of DNA we are trying to crack. We need to test them to see if they are stable, and if not, make tests to make them stable. Once we get these fully up and running, they will be made to the public!" He typed in a command to hide the three unknown strands. "Now then," he added "which one of you wants to make a strand?"\r\n\r\nKrista jokingly pushed Jonas next to the control panel. "Alright, alright, I'll go first..." He moved his finger over the list of names. He contemplated his decision, then moved further to "Natura" and pressed it. A second window popped up. \r\n\r\n"Now time to come up with a name for the new dragon," Jonas added.\r\n\r\n"Uhh..." Simon muttered. "What should I name it?"\r\n\r\n"MARKUS!" Krista urged. Jonas hushed her again. Simon thought about it for a long time, then typed in F-E-N-R-I-R in the keypad under the hologram. "Pfft, how classical and boring," Krista huffed.\r\n\r\n"Well, for a Natura breed, it has a nice ring to it" Jonas suggested.\r\n\r\nA third, but higher window appeared. "Now for the fun part," Jonas spoke, excited. A long list of random words appeared along the sides of the window:\r\n[i]\r\nThe past       is shining. \r\nThe egg        is alive. \r\nThe future     is rising. \r\nThe battle     is turning. \r\nThe end        is burning. \r\nThe power      is frozen. \r\nThe wind       is defiant. \r\nThe rock       is eternal. \r\nThe fire       is passion. \r\nThe ice        is dreaming. \r\nThe thunder    is crying. \r\nArmageddon     is broken. \r\nLife           is breathing. \r\nApollo         is near. \r\nTime           is continued. \r\nJustice        is beautiful. \r\nStrength       is forgotten.\r\nKnowledge      is shunned.\r\nThe King       is revealed.[/i]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe control panel was asking Simon to pick two words and hit enter. "What you have to do," Jonas explained, "is to pick two words that would best suit your new dragon. These words modify your dragon's genes, changing its biological makeup. Like, a specific word set would make your dragon stronger or smarter, lighter, or weigh more. You gotta be careful with these. This right here is the biggest mystery of the cloning lab, because we as scientists have no clue how these words specifically affect the bearing of the dragons' futures. So, the point is, choose one phrase to the left, followed by 'is', then finish the chain by choosing a phrase to the right. Finishing the chain will finish, the gene splicing will be injected into a Natura embryo, and your dragon will be complete."\r\n\r\n"Go give it a shot, Simon!" Krista encouraged. His fingers were trembling with nervousness, suspense, and excitement. He and the others had no idea what sentence would be best for his dragon, much less know what they affected, yet had this feeling that the choice of phrases were highly important. What he chose now would forever be set in stone and he would have to live with the choice he made, so long as the dragon was still living. He took his finger, touched the phrases "THE EGG", and "IS BREATHING", and hit enter.\r\n\r\nA bright, aqua-green-colored light appeared in the near distance, followed by a quick shutter noise. "That's your dragon!" Jonas pointed out. Electricity followed the lightened tube, shocking the biobank. The tube rumbled and jumped back and forth, as if trying to escape the enclosed prison. Nothing was creeping out Jonas until he heard:\r\n\r\n                     [b]THE EGG....IS....BREATHING.[/b]\r\n\r\nHe heard this in his mind, strong and calmly. The pupils in his eyes widened from pure awe and sat down on the nearby wall in shock. "hahaha," Jonas chuckled. "He hasn't gotten used to Dracokinesis yet! Actually it's his first time, isn't it? Don't worry bud, you'll get used to it pretty soon enough..." He took out his hand and helped Simon back on his feet, with a heave. "We might want to go to your tube very soon to meet your newborn." A newborn...? His very own newborn dragon... the thoughts were etched in Simon's mind, "I finally have my own dragon from the start!" He was so excited he was the first in the group lineup, even though he didn't know exactly where to go when walking down the aisle of the biobank tubes.\r\n\r\nThe light from Simon's dragon tube increasingly went higher and deeper, until they were at the very tube where his future companion resided. With a strong pull, Jonas opened the tube with the lever that hung from the side of the door. Very warm steam issued from out of the biobank, the steam that kept the dragon warm. The fluid that was originally from the biobank was drained into a pipe down the cloning lab floor, where it would be recycled and used for future dragon embryos.\r\n\r\nInside, a very small, crawling dragon appeared in the biobank. It was barely 2 feet tall, its eyes not fully developed yet-- its eyes were still blue films with a small grey dot that was barely noticeable. The actual figure was a stone colored body with four stubs for arms and legs. A small horn protruded from the cranial cartilage, and a tiny, green jewel was stuck to the newborn's back. Its cries were that of a small, crackling bear cub. \r\n\r\nKrista's eyes lit up with joy and immediately bent over to try and pick up the newborn. "Wow, this is a heavy little thing!" she remarked with a wheeze. The Natura newborn rolled over from being picked up sloppily and bumped its head on a nearby stump on the biobank tube. "I wouldn't be so surprised," Jonas walked over. "Dragons' muscles, bones, and armored scales are so compact that the weight is rather massive, despite appearances. It will only get ever stronger as it gets older. Enjoy the small stature while it lasts, okay?"\r\n\r\n"Thank you for the help Jonas!" Simon thanked. He was strong enough to carry Fenrir, so he was the one holding him. They made for the door, with Fenrir in hand, but Jonas stopped them. "Now when I meant enjoying the small size, I meant for the first few minutes, ehehe... You see, newborns are to be immediately taken over to the nursery, where the caretaker inside will take care of their first day and train them for combat. You will have to wait an entire day for the two to be together, I'm afraid."\r\n\r\nThey both looked at each other. "Well if you say so Jonas", Krista said disappointed. "Well, you can go on ahead for home, Simon, I still need to make my dragon too!" She walked back with a wave, "I'll see you later!"\r\n\r\n"Now don't you worry Simon," Jonas remarked, "Fenrir will be taken good care of. Now, you should go back to your apartment, or better, yet, spend some time at the shop looking for equipment to best suit your dragon's weaponry needs!" He left for the door to go assist with Krista's choices. A small boom and smoke out of the door made him rush over.

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