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Chapter 8 Covered in Diamonds

With slow but powerful flaps of his wings Eltai approached the Kryza mountains. In theory it would be faster for the dragon god to use the astral plane to travel, but experience had taught Eltai that the time needed to figure out how the body should look in the real world when he returned outweighted any time gained by the faster travel.

"Dragons in Kryza mountain prophecy said. Will listen?" Eltai screamed laughing. The dragon felt an urge to spray the closest mountain peak with fire but he must not let such things distract him.

"Fire, fire, fire , fire fire, silly humans make Crel Gala, so called ultimate fire magic," Eltai roared as he followed a strong upwind to gain altitude.

"Burn, purified by might, mountain hurt me," Eltai screamed, vaguely remembering an event when he had tried to dive through that particular mountain.

Before the dragon got time to breath fire on the mountain he noticed two dragons flying to intercept him.

"Ah, quest to gather my army of dragons," Eltai sang, all thoughts of the offensive mountain peak gone from his mind.

With a dive into a warm wind gained Eltai yet more speed. Laughing he followed the two dragons effort to match up his greater speed. One was a small ice dragon but the larger of them, a plasma dragon larger than Eltai himself, was definitely impressing.

"What is your business here?" the ice dragon cried out.

"I am flying," Eltai answered. The ice dragon suppressed a growl of anger.

"The council of elder dragons has assembled here to select a leader for their council. You must not disturb them," the plasma dragon ordered.



"Oldest dragons, I must talk to them," Eltai answered and dived sideways. If the other dragons tried to say anything more he didn’t here anything over the roar of the wind. Further forward Eltai sensed the group of dragons assembled.

Eltai tired of watching the two following dragons disappearing in distance behind and twisted to look forward. The only thing Eltai saw was rock. A mountain side to be more exact. The rumble as Eltai crashed into an especially high mountain peak rolled over the mountains.

*

Slowly Eltai came back to conscious. Around him he could here voices in draconian. He tried to speak but found the mouth filled with stone and mud.

"Watch up, he is breathing fire," a voiced warned the moment before Eltai spit out everything he had in his mouth.

Eltai looked up to find the elder dragons assembled around him. They carried the names elder dragons since they had woken up first among the dragon race, but to Eltai they all seemed young, very young. Most of them used their draconian form but three had assumed full combat ready dragon form. Most likely they intended to remind him to behave.

"Found dragons," Eltai declared proudly.

"You must leave now, we are having an important meeting," one of the dragons said.

"You want leader so I come," Eltai declared.

"You don't understand. The draconian's who can't shapeshift have asked us to select a leader to fulfil some prophecy of theirs," a dragon answered.

"Not stupid, prophecy about white haired," Eltai retorted with triumph in his voice.

"Get him away from here. He tried to eat my tail," Eail-ti-zil-dak exclaimed angrily.

"On the other hand he is among the oldest dragons. He have a right to remain here," another dragon answered.

"Me not old, me oldest," Eltai commented, not aware that he had started to lick his lips when he saw Eail-ti-zil-dak.

"You have not been told about this meeting. How come you are here in this desolate mountains?" a dragon asked. Mistrust creeping into his voice.

"We make war against Impedia. Slay evil," Eltai said.

"Go to war against Impedia, Why? They leave us alone as long we don't frighten their griffons," a dragon commented.

"No more, Mar'raz crazy, kill old man, we go there with elves and small earth men and kill everything," Eltai tried to explain.

"I think it is you who is crazy. Is it sane to drool when you look at my tail?" Eail-ti-zil-dak asked in a offensive tone.

"Me not mad!" Eltai screamed.

"Get him away from our meeting," a dragon said.

"Me not leave. Obey me and attack Impedia, Me not mad," Eltai cried out.

"He is worse than what I have heard, Old dragon or not I don't think any crazy dragon should be allowed to disturb our meeting," a dragon said.

"Me not mad," Eltai roared and breathed fire over the offending dragon. He then charged towards Eail-ti-zil-dak, but his path forward was blocked by dragons in draconian form who now shifted into dragon form.

Eail-ti-zil-dak roared in anger pushed himself past the other dragons so he could rush in with claws extended. Eltai met the onslaught with teeth and claws. He tried to hit the dragon with his tail but found that some dragon had captured it.

Eltai saw an opening in Eail-ti-zil-dak's defence but the dragon holding his tail prevented him from more than scratching Eail-ti-zil-dak's exposed neck.

A dragon came crashing into Eltai from the side. The force large enough to level a building. Eltai groaned in pain and tried to spray fire around himself but the breath weapon was not ready. The last Eltai saw before he lost conscious was Eail-ti-zil-dak's claw come lunging for a direct hit on Eltai's head.

*

Slowly Eltai woke up. He was in his draconian form. Chained to the ground by a chain that in some way felt less than real, but very solid. He pulled on the chain but there was no slack.

"Don't wear yourself out. Sixteen dragons formed that chain from their magic to anchor you to Kryza mountains," a voice said.

Eltai looked up to find a draconian looking at him. In truth he for all purposes looked like a human, but Eltai was sure he was a dragon. Less than a couple of hundred years since he turned old enough to assume his dragon form but full grown nevertheless.

"What for?" Eltai asked.

"Because you tried to eat Eail-ti-zil-dak's tail and that you did put Il'mai on fire. The older dragons said you could as well be prisoned here for a couple of hundred years before anyone told you the reason but I thought it would be fair if you knew," the dragon said.

"Let me free. I must assemble dragons," Eltai said.

"Even if I could break their magic I doubt I would dare. Those old dragons don't treat us young dragons with much respect. Even less to the ones like me, who lack breath weapon or huge mass to protect ourselves," the young dragon answered. Irritation creeping into his voice.

"She be angry on me," Eltai mumbled.

"I really hate the thought that one of them will turn to leader," the young dragon said, not really listening.

"Pretty white haired fail because me mad," Eltai continued with sorrow in his voice.

"Who?" the young dragon answered.

"White haired elf," Eltai answered.

"White haired like the lady in my dream, covered in stars" the young dragon said.

"The diamonds of wind," Eltai replied.

"What, how did you know it was diamonds?" the young dragon asked.

"Eltai knows his prophecy," Eltai answered.

"No, I am speaking about my dream," the young dragon said.

"No dream. As the white lady call to righteous war the dragons shall assemble at Kryza mountain. A leader to be declared," Eltai recited.

"A leader to bring both flying and earthbound dragons to war against chaos. A leader chosen by god to lead the clans," the young dragon joined into the recitation.

"A leader to carry the white lady covered in stars to the gates of hell and back," Eltai finished.

"This is incredible. None of the other draconians or dragons had heard more than fragments of it. Yet you know every word as well as I do. What is the meaning?" the young dragon asked.

"The white lady has been declared. War against Mar'raz now," Eltai answered.

"When I think on it, it is perhaps not so strange if it's your prophecy. The humans often speak about mad prophets," the young dragon said.

"Mad humans are no gods. Only twisted versions," Eltai answered.

"Are you claiming to be a god?" the young dragon said.

"I can't make such claim," Eltai stated.

"You are struggling to control your madness. You do even form proper sentences. Why is this so important for you? What would you say if I named you god of the dragons," the young dragon asked.

"Keep it to yourself general. The white lady has declared war," Eltai said. The moment later the seriousness in his voice was gone and he was laughing madly as he pulled at the chain connecting him to the mountain.

"Chain is bad. Chain is bad. Chain is bad," Eltai exclaimed.

"I am to become the leader!" the young dragon exclaimed but there was no confirmation from Eltai who just struggled with the magic chain.

The young dragon watched the chained dragon in silence for a while until he heard cries of surprise form the other dragons. Soon he was by their side and saw how a glowing ball of fire approached the mountain. Around him there was heated discussion about what the ball could be but most just watched it in silence. It landed and took form as a giant scorpion, large as a horse.

"Strong magic in that creature. Prepare for battle at my command," Eail-ti-zil-dak ordered.

Around him dragons was taking their dragon form. The young dragon that had talked to Eltai did the same, but then arouse from ground and hovered over the other dragons. He had no wings like most other dragons but could fly from innate magic.

"I am Rin Jin, Foolish elders for wanting to fight that creature. Even worse young ones following them without questioning," he called out.

"Rin Jin, a bold name from a weak one that dares to speak up," Eail-ti-zil-dak cried out.

The massive fire dragons body, more than five times larger than Rin Jin's slender snake like body, rose up. Standing on two legs he was looking down on the small snakelike dragon.

"You claim that it is coincident this magic creatures come invading our secret meeting," Eail-ti-zil-dak cried out.

"Far from coincident. The dragons have a dream about war and a white haired lady but when I tell you this you elders dismiss me for being weak. Then the heavenly force that sent the dream sends the mad Eltai speaking about the white lady too but you imprison him without hearing him. Now this creature arrives, covered in flames, flames like the essence of our being. In strength of being the only one to have been sent the whole prophesy I apply for the place as leader, you elders can not lead us," Rin Jin shouted.

"You must be joking, you as a leader. Dragons, we drive this puny little scorpion creature away and then we let Rin Jin join the fate of mad Eltai," Eail-ti-zil-dak declared.

"Dragons and draconians you must follow me to Elrochia to meet the white lady of the dream. Anyone who challenges the messenger of the god will be slain," Rin Jin called out.

"Don't listen on the fool that barely has come over the trauma of hatching yet," Eail-ti-zil-dak cried out.

"Fight the scorpion yourselves then. If I am wrong it will be an easy task," Rin Jin countered.

"You think that scorpion can hurt me enough that you can win against me in combat?" Eail-ti-zil-dak asked.

"I think the scorpion will kill you," Rin Jin stated.

Laughing Eail-ti-zil-dak rose into the air and came lunging for the scorpion that still covered where it had landed. The dive was perfectly executed, yet the scorpion moved sideways fast enough to let it avoid the dragons claws.

Eail-ti-zil-dak roared in anger and when the next dive begun the dragon used magic to form stone walls around the scorpion to avoid that it got away.

The walls was halfway formed when suddenly the tip of the scorpions tail flared in red, the magic building the walls was pulled out like a blown out candle.

Eail-ti-zil-dak screamed in surprise and broke the dive to avoid smashing into the halfbuilt walls without any prey found inside. The scorpion was out of the walls but suddenly turned and stung with its tail. Eail-ti-zil-dak's cry of pain was swallowed by the cry of fear from the other dragons when they saw the tail cut off one of Eail-ti-zil-dak's claws.

Eail-ti-zil-dak flipped his wings to gain altitude but it was not enough. The scorpion launched itself up into the air. The tail embedding itself in Eail-ti-zil-dak's breastcage. A sickening smell of burnt flesh could be smelt.

In a desperate try to defend himself Eail-ti-zil-dak dived into the ground hoping to crush the small attacker. The scorpion turned out quicker yet and swung itself free of the body. In the same instant Eail-ti-zil-dak hit the ground the scorpion hit again. Embedding its blue glowing tail deeply into the dragons head. Again the tail had pierced dragon scales without effort.

It was deadly silent as the scorpion pulled its tail free and crawled away from the dead dragon.

"Clear a path for it," a shaken Rin Jin ordered and no dragon hesitated to obey.

The scorpion continued forward until it came to the chained Eltai. The tip of the tail flared and the chain was no more. The scorpion waited as Eltai came up standing.

"Behold Scarpia, champion for the elementals of fire," Eltai declared as the scorpion moved closer to rest by his feet.

"The creature is no enemy of us?" Rin Jin asked.

"Enemy to evil magic and Impedia," Eltai answered.

"You seem to be able to control it. Will you become my advisor and help handling this Scarpia?" Rin Jin asked.

"If you promise to not call me mad," Eltai said.

"I swear to not call you mad," Rin Jin declared.

"Dragon general, Me and Scarpia, fight at your side," Eltai declared.