MakiaVi: The Frozen King - Chapter Sixteen

 
Edion awoke the next morning still sore from yesterday’s lesson. He rolled over to see that Zan’s bed was empty. He dressed himself and hopped out of the room. As he was locking it, he heard another door open. Edion darted his head around to find Riza stepping out of her own room down the hall. He caught her attention with a little wave and walked over. “Morning Riza. How did you sleep?”
Riza put a hand on her neck rolled her head around in circles. “As well as I could have I guess. Are you going to the training rooms today?”
“Of course. I was hoping to go with Zan but I don’t know where he ran off to.”
“Well if you don’t have anyone else, I was heading there myself anyway. Brakon did say we should have spotters.”
“Sounds good to me.” Edion put out his hand and with a overly regal accent said, “Shall we depart my queen?”
Riza chuckled. “Shut up.” She firmly punched his arm and walked away. Edion rubbed his already sore shoulder and followed her.
They arrived at a massive five story building matching the white theme of the MakiaVi. Two guards covered in steel armor stood in front of the door. Edion pointed to the tattoo on his cheek and Riza stuck out her tongue to reveal hers. The guards stepped aside to let them enter. They walked down a long hallway filled with glass doors coated in runes. In each room, Edion saw a barrage elements so furious, he could only catch glimpses of the people training inside. Most doors had someone watching the room from the outside with a hand hovering above a blue rune carved next to the door.
A massive bengal tiger wearing a red gi walked towards them. His outfit was completely worn through at the knees and the sleeves had been torn off displaying biceps half the size of Edion’s entire body. His hands and feet were wrapped up in white cloth. “Welcome!” The tiger roared. He stretched out paw to them. “My name is Tekal.” Edion and Riza shook his hand and made their introductions. “It’s always good to see new faces eager to better themselves.”
“Glad to be here.” Edion said. “We need to prepare for the trials.”
“Brilliant! By the time the trials start, I’ll have you both fighting like champions! Follow me.” Tekal lead them down the hallway until they found an open training room. “These rooms are able to simulate high viren atmospheres. They even create many different obstacles and challenges to strengthen the body and boost endurance. The room responds to voice commands but just incase you can’t tell it to stop, there is an emergency rune on the outside that will pause the session. Let me show you.”
Tekal walked into the empty training room and closed the door behind him. The entire room was made up of dark stones. He performed a few stretches and gracefully got into a fighting stance. He shouted to the room, “Level twenty!”  The runes around him glowed a rainbow of vibrant hues. The floor cracked under Tekal’s feet. His black hair stretched to the floor. His body stood strong in its stance. The red runes on the walls began shooting a barrage of fireballs at the tiger. Edion could barely track his movements as Tekal delivered a swift punch to each flame, causing them to dissipate. The teal runes at his feet grew brighter. As the tiger leapt from his position, spears of ice shot out from the floor. Each time he landed, more spears jolted from the ground, forcing him to dodge. Fireballs homed in on him in mid-air. Tekal curled up and the attacks struck him, exploding on impact.
Edion and Riza shared a horrified gasp. As Riza reached out for the emergency rune, Tekal darted out of the cloud of smoke, landed on his feet and slid across the floor. They breathed a sigh of relief in seeing Tekal in one piece. A large yellow rune on the ceiling glowed with a near blinding light. Tekal stood still and raised his left hand into the air. The rune began to discharge little sparks until a massive lightning bolt struck Tekal in the palm of his hand. The electricity danced around his fur until he pointed his right hand towards one of the ice spears sticking out of the ground. The power arched out of his hand and to the tip of the spear, causing it to shatter. “Stop!” yelled the tiger.
The runes lost their glow and the room began to repair itself. The ice crumbled and disappeared once it hit the floor. The cracks slowly mended. Tekal stepped out of the training room and rolled his wrist in circles. “Not bad for a warmup!” 
Edion and Riza stared at the tiger with their mouths agape. “How? You aren’t even a dragon!” Edion asked.
Tekal let a hearty laugh. “While the rest of us cannot store viren like you do, with enough training, anyone can build up a resistance to it and even manipulate other sources of viren. It’s what makes the dragon slayers such a dangerous force.” His eyes went blank as he stared off into the distance.
Riza gasped. “Tekal, your cheek.”
Tekal ran his fingers over a large scar under his eye. “Oh, this?” He chuckled. “Don’t worry, that happened a long time ago. But enough about me. You two need to get training! Start off at level one and keep an eye on each other. There is an infirmary at the end of the hall, dining on the second floor and places to rest on the third.”
“What about the fourth and fifth floors?” Edion asked.
“Those are the advanced training rooms. You two are not allowed to even set foot on those floors. The viren is so dense in that air, it would probably kill you if you were to inhale it.”
“Wow… ” Edion muttered. He had a new goal.
“I will be monitoring the other training rooms on this floor if you need me.” With that, Tekal strode down the hall and disappeared behind a corner. 
“Are you ready for this?” Edion asked.
“Ladies first.” Riza teased as she gestured to the door. Edion scoffed and walked into the room. “Be careful in there.”
“That’s why you’re here.” Edion said. Riza closed the door. He scanned the room and could not see any of the runes present during Tekal’s session. “Level one.” Edion commanded with a hint of nerves in his voice. A small fraction of the runes from Tekal’s demonstration appeared around the room. Edion’s body was pulled toward the floor. It was not nearly as bad as Brakon’s aura. His body moved in a slow and stiff manner as if he wore a full suit of armor. A red rune shot a fireball at Edion. He managed to dodge out of the way, stumbling a bit from the increased gravity. Instead of homing in, the attack crashed into the wall and dissipated. Edion dodged volley after volley of fireballs, each time becoming more graceful in his movements.
After leaping out of the way of another attack, the rough stone floor beneath him became slick with ice. Edion lost his balance and crashed into the floor. The room seized the opportunity and hurled a fireball directly at him. Edion instinctively curled up to protect himself, shielding his eyes behind his arm. He waited for a moment before realizing the attack did not make contact. Edion looked up to see the fireball hovering inches away from his face. As he scrambled back, the ball broke away into little embers. Edion sat on the floor, breathing heavily and darting his head around the room. He looked to the glass door to see Riza staring at him with a terrified look on her face.
The door unlocked and Riza sprinted to Edion’s side. “Are you ok?” 
“I’m fine.” Edion said, still panting from the exercise. “I might have been able to survive that one.”
“After what Brakon said and watching Tekal go through all that...”
Edion’s nostrils flared. “You don’t think I can handle it do you?”
Riza recoiled from his accusation. “It’s not that. I just-”
“Like babying me like everyone else.” he growled. “You think I can’t do anything without you.”
“I can’t do anything without you idiot!” Her words echoed through the room. Tears welled in her eyes as she tightened her grip Edion’s arm. “The journey north, the fight with Kardon, the coronation and now we have the trials.” She began sobbing.
Edion’s sneer turned into a frown. “Everything that has happened to you is because of me.”
Riza wiped her eyes. “My life became so exciting the day we met. I don’t want that to go away.” Edion wrapped his arms around her. Riza paused before hugging him back. They broke from their embrace and held each other by the forearms. Edion looked down as he began chuckling. “What is so funny?” Riza asked.
Edion stifled his laughter, lifted his head, looked her in the eye and said, “This.” He leaned in and kissed Riza. They both sat there in their moment, frozen like statues.
“What’s this?” yelled a familiar voice. They both snapped their heads to the door to see Zan leaning against the door frame with a smug expression on his face.
Both of their faces turned a few shades redder. “We were just. Uhh-” Edion stammered. 
“Training!” Riza exclaimed.
“Didn’t really look like training to me.” Zan said.
“Now we were just… taking a break.” Riza stuttered.
“Yes! But let’s get back to the training.” They both jumped to their feet. Edion cocked his head to the side looking at Zan. “Wait a minute. Where did you go this morning?”
Zan pointed his thumb behind him. “I was having breakfast with Bellatrix.”
Bellatrix’s head popped up from behind him. “Hello!” she said with a cheerful wave. “What’s going on here?”
“Riza and Edion finally kissed.”
“Dammit all!” Bellatrix yelled. She fished around in her pocket and put a handful of coins into Zan’s hand. “You couldn’t have waited until after the trials?”
The anger returned to Edion’s face. “You guys were betting on us?”
“Oh yeah. Big time.” Zan said. “Now if you'll excuse me, I need to collect money from Leon. He had the month after Bellatrix. See you two love birds later.” Zan disappeared from the door and Bellatrix soon followed.
“Idiots.” Edion scoffed while shaking his head. He looked up to see Riza’s eyes locked onto him. He turned his head away. “What?”
Riza gave Edion a little smirk. She fell into him with her hands clasped together. “Oh Lord Edion, I had no idea you felt this way!” she taunted in a lavishly articulate accent. Edion sighed and rolled his eyes. “We simply must be wed on the first sunny day of spring! Wouldn’t that be a marvelous affair.”
“Alright enough.” Edion responded as he started walking towards the door.
“Will that not do?” she continued. “You dare rush the engagement? Father shall not be pleased.”
“By the gods.”
“Oh we must send Xarada an invitation. A god at the wedding would make quite the talking point.”
“Why me.” he grumbled.
A few weeks have passed since Edion started training for the trials. The time has come to take their first test. On his way to the garden, Lien spoke to him through his glove. “Edion. We have to talk.”
Edion sighed at his words. Liara and Lien rarely ever spoke to him and when they did, the twins often ended up bickering. “What is it Lien?” he asked.
“You must settle a dispute for us.” Liara said.
“What is it now?” 
“Lien says that if you and Riza had children, they would hatch from eggs but I say they would be born like mammals. Which one of us is right?”
Edion’s face reddened. “How the hell should I know?” He screamed to the gloves.
“I figure since they would be three-quarters dragon, it only make sense that-”
“Stop. Just…” Edion took a deep breath. “Is this really that important?”
“Well I thought it was pretty important.” Liara pouted.
“Would you two just behave. I don’t want Riza to hear you talking like that.”
“Talking like what?” Riza asked from above. She landed next to Edion and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
“Wonderful! You’re here.” Lien said. “My sister and I were having a dispute about you and Ed-” Lien’s voice was silenced by Edion putting his hands in his jacket pockets.
“Okay. No more of that.” Edion grumbled. Riza wrapped her arms around his outstretched elbow. “How are you feeling Riza?”
“A little nervous honestly.”
“You’ll do fine. Remember, Brakon said it’s all about trying your best and your best can be pretty frightening.”
Riza chuckled. “Wow, you sure know how to compliment a lady.”
“Maybe. When I meet one, I’ll let you know.” Edion taunted with a smirk on his face.
Riza sneered at him. “You think you’re so funny don’t you?”
“I try.”
They arrived in the garden and saw Brakon standing by himself next to the fountain. He glanced at a gold pocket watch before noticing Edion and Riza striding towards him. “You two made it!” he said.
“Where is everyone else?” Riza asked.
“You two are the first.” He looked back at his watch. “We still have plenty of time before the evaluation starts.”
“Do you think anyone from our group will not show up?” Edion asked.
Brakon shook his head. “I doubt it. I’ve never seen a group train this hard before. I must say, you guys will definitely shake things up at the tournament.”
“How big will the tournament be?” Riza asked.
“Hard to say. After the tests are completed, we should have a bracket done by three. After that, the party gets started.”
Dragons around Edion’s age of various colors start to fill the garden. The students flew and walked in from every direction. They begin to cluster into small groups around older MakiaVi members. The teachers each kept an eye on the time. The rest of Brakon’s students eventually filtered in and found their teacher. They were all dressed in their combat gear. Leon even managed to toss aside his lavish silk outfits and gold jewelry for a simple cotton substitute. His hair and scales were slightly weathered yet still looked more than presentable. “Morning all.” he said, surprisingly devoid of sarcasm.  
Edion smirked in his reply. “Morning. I hope your training went well. I can’t have you getting knocked out before fighting me.”
Leon returned his smile. “My viren control has improved so I guess it wasn’t a total waste of time.” Glad to see he hasn’t changed on the inside. Edion thought.
Burlik appeared behind Leon and tousled the sky dragon’s hair. Leon recoiled from the contact but relaxed once he saw it’s source. “This guy is insane!” Burlik said. “He managed to part the water of a lake with just a flick of his blade!”
Leon scoffed, “It wasn’t that impressive. You splitting that boulder was far more interesting. In raw power, you definitely have me beat.”
“True, but your technique is far more refined than mine.” Zan and Bellatrix make their way to the group.
“Speaking of skills,” Riza said. She firmly slapped her hand on Edion’s shoulder. “This guy’s defence has become outstanding! Whenever we spar, I rarely ever land a hit on him.”
Edion’s free hand met Riza’s. “You always wear me down eventually though. I swear you could fight the entire day if you didn’t have to eat.” They shared a laugh.
“Bellatrix managed to get even faster!” Zan said in astonishment. “I could barely keep up!”
“Don’t sell yourself short.” Bellatrix said. “Your breath attacks are more fierce than ever. I saw him breath a ball of fire so massive, I was afraid he was going to burn down the entire forest!” 
The ground under them shook. Tereen sprouted from the ground, sending rocks and dust in all directions. She strapped her warhammer onto her back and brushed off the dust from her clothes.  “Tereen! Good to see you!” Bellatrix said. “Where have you been?”
She shook the rubble from her hair before answering in her thick east serrafian accent. “I spend month building tunnel for training. I no leave till tunnel is done. Keeps body strong.” she said slamming a fist into her chest.
Leon gave her a concerned look. “What did you eat down there?”
“Earth give you everything you need. Many root down there to eat.” She gave a delighted sigh. “Reminds me of home.”
As they chatted, Edion looked above to see a dragon dressed in a blue doublet and slacks. Her scales were a pristine white. Her bright blue eyes were mildly obscured by her long white hair. She clapped her hands together creating an ear-splitting shockwave that forced the class D members to cover their ears. Their teachers do not even flinch at the sound. “Alright!” she yelled. “My name is Lida Fieran, class C. I am the coordinator of the class D trials this year. I would like to make this quick so anyone not participating in the trials, please leave the garden immediately.” Only a few of the dozens of dragons walked out of the area. The garden was still fairly dense with aspiring class C members. “Now. If one of you teachers would care to do the honors… ”
“I will.” Amaria yelled. She wore a simple violet dress that was not long enough to hide the vine tattoos that ran up her legs. Amaria made her way towards the center of the crowd. She froze and her eyes widened as she noticed the gaping hole in her garden. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Edion felt his body being tugged downward. “Which one of you little bastards did this!” She exclaimed. As she growled, the ground under her began sprouting all types of flowers and vines. The wave of foliage ferociously spread out on the ground. The viren in the air became more and more dense. Amaria’s long red hair began floating and whipping around her. 
The gravity increased immensely but Edion resisted it with little effort. Most of the younger members were also able to withstand it including all of his friends. A handful of students fell to their knees. A couple others collapsed to the ground under Amaria’s force. Edion saw the teachers tap their collapsed students on the shoulder. Each time, the students jolted a bit and sat up with no problem. They took a moment to catch their breath and walked out of the garden. 
Lida scanned the group for a while. Most of the ones on their knees managed to push their way back to their feet. A select few stood as if Amaria’s aura were not there. “That’s enough!” Lida said. Amaria sealed her power to allow the students to move freely. “All of you who remain are cleared to move on to the health evaluations. Make your way to one of the clinics in the city and return to your teacher with a signed release form. Dismissed.” She bolted out of sight in the blink of an eye.
“You heard the lady!” Brakon said. “The clinics will give you all a check up to make sure you are in fighting shape.” He took a look at his watch. “You have four hours to get your forms to me so we can make the tournament bracket. Anyone that does not have them in by noon will not be able to participate.” They stood there for a moment looking at him. Brakon shooed them away. “Go. Fly.”
The seven of them flew around to find a clinic. After passing over a handful with large lines, they made their way to the eastern quadrant of the city and find one that was relatively empty. It was a large seven story white building with a red roof. After a small wait, they were taken one by one through a pair of red doors until Edion’s name was eventually called. He followed a young male dragon with red scales wearing white robes into a room with a modest bed. A table with multi-colored vials sat next to it. 
“Have a seat.” the mage said. Edion sat on the bed and saw that the walls were decorated with simple oil paintings. The mage pulled up a stool and sat next to his patient. He pulled out a thin crystal from his pocket. “Now. Open up.” said the healer. Edion closed his mouth around the crystal. It started blinking in time with a soft ring. The doctor pulled out the crystal and analyzed it. “Negative fifteen. Nice and healthy.” He picked up a slender vial filled with yellow liquid and uncorked it. “Drink this.”
Edion grabbed the vial and sniffed it. It smelled like rotten fruit and grease. It couldn’t taste much better. “What is this?” he said disdainfully.
“Assuming you have no internal injuries, you should be able to drink that without experiencing any pain.” Edion shrugged and downed the drink. The taste was so foul, it almost came back up. He let out a few coughs once the drink was done. “Feel any pain?”
“Unless assaulting my taste buds count as pain, no.”
The mage uncorked the blue vial. “Try this one.”
Edion quickly drank its contents to be rid of the taste of the last one. This one was even worse. It tasted like vinegar and mud. “Oh god! What was that one?”
“Well if you were possessed by demons, your eyes would bleed a black liquid. That would be the demonic essence leaving your body. Thankfully, you seem to be demon free.” He opened the final vial. It was a large one filled with a red liquid. “Here.”
Edion grabbed the vial and hesitated, fearing the worst. He tried his best to drink it in one go. Surprisingly, this one was very sweet and refreshing. “That actually tasted pretty good. What was it?”
“Odd. If that one tasted good then that means…” The mage’s eyes scanned a clipboard. 
Edion’s heart pounded out of his chest. “What? What does it mean?” He yelled, gripping his blue hair.
“It means… it’s wine.” The mage said with a smirk. Edion let out a sigh of relief. “Just a little joke. We give that to wash the taste out your mouth.” He quickly scribbled on the clipboard and handed Edion a form. “You’re all set. Good Luck!” Edion snatched the paper from the mage and gave him a stern look out of the corner of his eye. He walked back to the lobby to see his friends waiting for him. Each of them held a similar slip of paper.
“I assume the examination went well?” Leon said.
“All good here.” Edion replied, waving his health form. He looked at the clock. “Wow it’s already eleven. We should head back.” In no time, the group flew back to the garden where Brakon sat waiting their return.
“We’re back!” Bellatrix cheered.
“With twenty minutes to spare.” Brakon said. He beckoned them closer. “Let me see them.” The students handed in their papers and Brakon looked them over. “Alright. Everything seems to be in order.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small cloth pouch. “You each are going to need one of these.” From the pouch, he took out a small transparent crystal. “These will inform you of the tournament bracket once it is completed and will tell you where to report for your duels. Try not to lose them. You won’t get a replacement.” He gave each of them a crystal. When they made contact with the students, the crystals glowed for a moment before returning to normal.
“How long do we have until the first duels?” Burlik asked.
“The brackets should be done by three so I would advise that you all eat lunch now. While you are not required to stay in the dueling areas when it is not your turn, these fights can go by quickly. You wouldn’t want to miss your duel because you were out snacking.”
“Sounds good to me.” said Zan.
“Food always sounds good to you.” Bellatrix said, rolling her eyes.
“What? I’m a growing dragon.”
“At least try and show some restraint. Fighting on a full stomach will make you sick.”
“Yes mom.” Zan groaned mockingly. Bellatrix just shook her head and scoffed. The students waved Brakon goodbye as they flew off to the dining hall.

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