Dragon Quest; Search for the Air Dragon (Book One)

[Bratterratt]

YAY! I have a lot more!

"In the morning, he was weak, but still alive. Illiad moved from the field into the forest. From what the old legends say, he lived in a den among a family of wolves, hunting with them until his wounds healed and he was strong. No one but him knows if that was true,” –Brion paused there, a disbelieving look on his bearded face.

“But that matters not much anyway. As the oldest stories tell, he began a life of travel, a lot like us,” –Brion explained, gesturing to himself, Jacom, and Shindra, “Illiad moved from city to city, gathering supplies when he needed, and living a somewhat carefree life. That’s when he stumbled upon them.”

“Upon whom?” –Coryn interjected, leaning forward, drawn easily into the story.

“The Elementals. A family of four dragons, siblings, who controlled the way of life in Tilmaria. Illiad had not been searching out these dragons, but fate decided otherwise.” –Brion began again, the dancing fire throwing mysterious shadows across his face.

“Wait, wait. In the book, it says that the Elementals were never found, that no one truly knew if they existed!” –Coryn interrupted once again, pulling out the leather bound book from his shirt.

Brion chuckled softly and shook his head.

“Ah, a common misconception, Coryn. Of course they were found, found by Illiad. Let me get on with my story though, and maybe you’ll understand a little better,” –Brion said pointedly towards the boy.

Coryn sighed and nodded.

“Sorry, Brion. I won’t interrupt again,” –he promised earnestly, sitting back a bit.

“Good. Now, where was I. Oh, yes. Well, when Illiad found the Elementals, he hardly believed what he had discovered. The dragons did not react violently to Illiad’s arrival though, instead they took him in as if they had been waiting for him all along. The Elementals revealed many of their secrets to the frightened young Illiad, telling him of things that were to come, of things that no one else should know. Then they asked him for a favor,” –Brion leaned forward ever so slightly, his hands folded and resting on his knees. Coryn, and the others all listened intently, as did Tiron, his dark head resting by Coryn’s feet.

“The Elementals were the last of their kind, and needed others, guardians, to help protect Tilmaria and the people from darker forces. So, willing, Illiad became the first guardian. Several days later, the Elementals drew a young woman from a nearby city to them, as they had Illiad. She became the second guardian, and the two, Illiad and she were paired. The race of guardians began, and scattered over Tilmaria, keeping to their duty of protecting the kingdom. Coryn, what is it?” –Brion asked, a twinge of annoyance in his voice as he could tell that the boy was longing to ask a question.

[wolfgirl159357]

GO ON

[Bratterratt]

Lol, here!

“Explain the guardians. What were they like?” –Coryn asked quickly, asking only one of his many questions.

“They were men and women, who, when called to guard, changed, to the form of an animal, a hawk, a lion, you get the picture. Their kind was strong, fierce fighters, probably a trait they inherited from their father’s, Illiad’s, side. Those who knew the guardians could always identify them, while in their animal form, by their distinctive marking, a strange bouquet of swirls moving down their sides,” –Brion said, drawing the shape in the air with his finger.

Coryn started, as the marking seemed to ring a bell. The boy looked down quickly at the dog lying at his feet.

“Tiron?” –he asked, reaching down and tracing the bluish swirled marking down the dog’s side. Tiron looked up at the boy, his ears up and intelligent eyes meeting Coryn’s. Brion nodded, the hint of a smile on his face.

“And Gideon?” –Coryn asked, turning his head sharply to look at the large bear who lay nearby, watching the conversation. Sure enough, the distinct chestnut swirls marked the giant Gideon’s body, resembling the ones marking Tiron. Brion nodded in agreement.

“Yes Coryn, both are descendants of Illiad, guardians to Tilmaria,” –Brion said softly, watching Coryn’s expression.

The boy was shocked. Tiron was a mythical guardian, sent to protect a kingdom. It was hard to take in.

“So, if Tiron is a guardian, why can Gideon talk, but not he?” –Coryn asked Brion, looking up with a wrinkled brow.

“Who said I couldn’t talk?” –a voice asked from by the boy’s feet. Coryn started, and looked down with wide eyes. Tiron looked back up, a slightly annoyed expression on his dark face.

“I… I am sorry, Tiron,” –Coryn stuttered, surprised by the sudden discovery. Tiron merely huffed, and lay his head back down on his forepaws, silent once again. The earth trembled a bit as Gideon rose to his feet behind them. The travelers turned to look as the giant bear’s form began to tremble, then very slowly transform before their eyes. After only a moment, a man stood before the travelers, instead of a giant bear. The man stood from his crouched position and sighed. Gideon was huge in this form as well, his shoulders so wide it was impossible, his height reaching almost eight feet. The man’s hair was cropped short, and the same brilliant chestnut color his fur had been. His skin was a pale, luminescent shade of pearly white.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in this form,” –Gideon recalled, examining himself, looking almost awed.

[SomebodyDude]

OOOOOO!!!!!! GO ON! GOOOO OOONNNN!!!!

[wolfgirl159357]

go on and i like the title

[Bratterratt]

Lol, thanks Wolf!

Tiron sighed and pulled himself to his feet as well, stepping back a bit from Coryn. The dog bent his head and closed his eyes, then his form shivered as well as he changed. Tiron’s human form looked a bit different than Gideon’s. The boy that stood before them now, Tiron, was not as tall, or heavily muscled as Gideon. His muscles were wiry, and he was only about as tall as Coryn himself. A long, sleek curtain of bluish black hair covered Tiron’s tanned shoulders, reaching a little past the middle of his back.

Tiron looked a little uncomfortable in this form as well, unsure. Brion gestured to the ground, inviting the two guardians to sit. Gideon accepted eagerly, a crooked, almost boyish, grin on his face as he plopped to the forest floor beside Coryn. The boy couldn’t help but look up in awe at the guardian, then quickly back down. Tiron fidgeted a bit, then hesitantly took his seat on the other side of Coryn, sitting cross-legged and tense, as he avoided the others’ eyes. It was more than obvious that he as well had not been human in quite a while, if ever even more than once.

“Continue with your story, Brion,” –Jacom urged, slightly impatient, though that was easily excused as the young man’s curiosity was apparent.

“Of course, Jacom,” –Brion chuckled heartily, shaking his head and stroking his beard absentmindedly as he returned to his story,
“Anyway, a few years after their third child was born, yet another daughter, Illiad and his wife got tired of living among the Elementals, in one place, so they left the safety of the dragons, and moved into the center of Tilmaria. Until that time, Illiad had not met any creatures dark forces the Elementals had spoke so little of. But those who they did not know much of, they were to become extremely close to. As the family reached the heart of the kingdom, they were surrounded, by the Serpent’s army. The Serpent was the master, the one who longed to rule Tilmaria, to be its king. He hated the Elementals, because as long as they still live, his powers are useless against them. The Serpent hated Illiad, because he and his family guarded the four dragons. So, as revenge, in an attempt to stop Illiad, the Serpent kidnapped the warrior and guardian’s three daughters.”

Coryn inhaled sharply, the story seeming to play out in the dancing flames before them.

“The three daughters were hidden by the Serpent, in his lair. There he raised them, along with his own offspring. They were ignorant, being young and irrational, so easily swayed by the Serpent. He convinced the three sisters that Illiad, their father, was the perpetrator, one who needed to be disposed of,” –Brion shook his head bitterly, his face grim, “The Serpent taught the three his ways, his powers, training them so that one day they would be able to destroy their father, Illiad. Unfortunately for him, the Serpent was unable to see the dangers awaiting him.”

“The Elementals had not let Illiad leave their protection without giving him one last gift, the stone itself. It was not just an ordinary stone though. It was selected from the sea of stones on the shore of Tilmaria by the Water Dragon. Each of the Elementals joined together, to put a portion of their own powers into the one stone, a beacon of safety for Illiad. Then they marked the stone with their own symbol, the sectioned circle,” –Brion continued to tell, drawing lightly in the dust the ancient marking that the powerful stone bore.

Coryn slowly, without thinking, drew out the stone from his shirt and fingered the engraving at the top, though still staring into the dancing flames. As if by some force, each of the others’ heads turned to look at the tiny symbol of the Elementals resting in Coryn’s hand. Brion paused for only a moment, then began again to tell the story.

[wolfgirl159357]

np just keep goin

[Bratterratt]

Ok. Oh, and I wanted your guys' opinion. This book is almost over, but in the second one, do you think I should have a female character for Coryn? I can't decide if I should or shouldn't! I need your guys' help!

“Illiad kept the stone with him always, worn on a leather strip around his neck. Close to his heart, the perfect protection. The day the three daughters came for Illiad, the guardian was unprepared. The Three, as they came to be known, came at dusk, in an attempt to catch him by surprise. They succeeded in that part of their plan, but that did not do them much good. The stone seemed to catch fire, burning at Illiad’s chest where it lay. The Three tried to attack Illiad, but each time their snake-like fingers touched their father’s skin, they were thrown back, by an invisible, rippling shield. The burning subsided and Illiad was able to fight against the Three, though they were not able to touch him without feeling the pain of an electrifying shock. Protected and filled with rage, Illiad fought with and killed the older two sisters, them leaving nothing but smoldering piles of ashes behind. But as Illiad turned upon the last of his daughters, the youngest, he found he could not bring himself to kill her. Instead, the guardian let the last surviving of the Three live.”

“The daughter left, returned to the Serpent, injured, but alive. Illiad never left his human form again after that day. Him, his wife, and two young sons moved to Ether, where the guardian lived out his days. After the battle with the Three, Illiad never was quite right. His mind seemed to work differently, and the once fearless warrior became known to the citizens of Ether as a crazed old man, full of dreamed up stories and a wild imagination. His sons reached adulthood and left, growing families of their own, a new generation of guardians,” –Brion stopped for a moment, clearing his throat, “Leaving Illiad and their mother behind in Ether. Illiad lived out his life quietly, never leaving the city boundaries. When he died, the whereabouts of the stone was lost. Most just assumed it a legend, a story, not true.”

“The leather book, Coryn, was the only thing Illiad left when he died,” –Brion explained, meeting the boy’s eyes now, as the man was talking directly to Coryn, “My mother knew the wife of Illiad, she out lived him by almost twenty years. When she finally died, my mother was given the book, a token of friendship she had thought. I was only four years of age when I last saw Illiad. I was frightened of him, like every other young child was by his crazed antics. My mother gave me the book when I reached my teenage years, as she found she had no use for its stories. I found them fascinating and could never read enough. That is why I took up the life of a traveler. Throughout my entire career as a wanderer, I have searched for the stone, because I could feel that this wasn’t just a story. I knew that the legends I was told as a child were real. And again, to think, I had it all along,” –Brion said, shaking his head with a wry smile on his face.

“But what happened to the third sister?” –Coryn asked suddenly, his brow furrowed.

Brion looked up and then exhaling, shrugged.

“No one knows Coryn. After she returned to the Serpent, the two left Illiad’s family alone. Instead, she and the Serpent trained their powers, building up their strength to one day remove the Elementals from their power. If the Elementals were gone, if there was no one left to protect Tilmaria, than the Serpent would have the freedom to rule, as he always wished,” –Brion explained in his deep voice, “No one had heard from the Serpent until about five years ago, when the rains stopped coming and the crops began to wither and die. Those ignorant enough to excuse the Elementals as a legend blamed the beginning famine on merely bad luck. But those of us, who believe in the Elementals and their powers, knew that something was dreadfully wrong.”

[SomebodyDude]

Go On....

[Sipphy]

OOH! This is so good!
By female character, do you mean a love interest? Or do you want to replace Coryn with a girl? How old is Coryn? All the story says is that he's a teenager.

[Bratterratt]

Yes, I meant like love, not replacing Coryn. He is 17 years old (I thought I mentioned that somewhere in the story, but I probably just forgot!). So what do you think?

“The Serpent has come out of hiding. He has found a way to hinder the Elementals’ powers, because now, he is stronger than ever. Somehow, he has imprisoned the four siblings, bringing this never ending famine upon the kingdom. And that is where you come in, Coryn,” –Brion said shortly, pointing at the wide-eyed boy, “The stone was hidden for a purpose. So that the one destined to save Tilmaria would find it, and under its protection, restore the Elementals their power, and bring the kingdom back to the way it should be.”

Coryn had heard this before, how he was destined to save the kingdom and all of the people. But it just couldn’t seem to sink in. Now, more than ever, he wished life could just return to the way it used to be. That he could be back on Brier Hill, with the woolies that he loved so much. Coryn wished that he could hug little Aria again and feel his father’s pride when he had done a job well done. Wishes, hopes, daydreams, they did no good now. So with a sigh, Coryn merely nodded in response to Brion, beginning to feel the exhaustion of the heavy weight placed on his young shoulders.

Brion looked up at the dark, star speckled sky, his lips pursed.

“We need to be getting our rest now, there’s more traveling to be done tomorrow,” –the man suggested to the group, and stood, dusting himself off.

Preparations were quickly made for bed. Gideon and Tiron returned to their animal forms, both seemingly more comfortable that way. Coryn, Jacom, Shindra, and Brion all rolled out their thin sleeping mats around the fire, and then lay down, warm in the fire’s comforting light. Tiron curled up by Coryn’s feet, and though it felt a little awkward now, Coryn stroked the dog’s familiar blue head goodnight. With a deep, rumbling sigh, Gideon lay out his huge body in a half circle around the travelers, quite a reassuring presence.

Even with his many thoughts weighing on his mind, Coryn did not stay awake much longer. His eye lids grew heavy, and finally, the boy succumbed to his exhaustion and fell into a fitful sleep.

Chapter 15: On the Road Again

(Will post if wanted!)

[SomebodyDude]

WELL NO DIP WE WANT YOU TO POST IT! SO HURRY UP AND POST! I SAID POST!

[wolfgirl159357]

GOOOO NONONONOOOONNNN YOU SHOULD REALLY PUBLISH THIS!

[Bratterratt]

Lol, well a little bad news. I'm still working on this chapter, so ya'll are gonna have to wait!!! I still need opinions on the "girl for Coryn" thing!

Bratterratt

[Sipphy]

I think a girl for Coryn is a good idea, but not a simple one. Relationships in real life are complicated. Although, I think it's okay to use cliches, as long as they're well though out cliches.
Also, make sure you don't neglect your current characters. Maybe think about putting in more dialogue so some of the more ignored characters can express themselves. And I mean the real back-and-forth kind of dialogue, not monologues with occasional comments.
But those are just my opinions.