The days crawled by but the weeks flew and before Kasyn knew it, Jelvaic and Arjana were calling a meeting with him, Zeter, and Damarys. He knew the chances of being sent off right away on some new mission was likely so he left out enough food for Jasper, his pet rabbit, and made sure to magically seal the windows and door to ensure he didn’t escape while he was gone. The companionship of the rabbit had been a great boon to him. At times he felt silly that a rabbit should be so comforting, but he loved watching Jasper hop around, exploring the different rooms, nibbling on his food, or just sitting on his lap and letting Kasyn pet him.

The walk through town was pleasant enough. Summer was over now and Autumn was beginning. Harvest was in full swing all around him and he’d heard that Shinrai had come for several shipments already. That was a relief, knowing that the city could sell their excess produce again. With that income, the city could really begin to rebuild from the damage it had suffered.

“Welcome,” Jelvaic barked when Kasyn arrived.

Damarys and Zeter were already there, sitting around the large table where a map of the city was laid out. Damarys had her newly repaired prosthesis on and Zeter was bundled up in a heavy coat, but other than that they both looked very much as they had the last time they’d been together.

“Good to see you again,” Kasyn said as he took a seat.

Arjana brought him a cup of hot tea to drink and he accepted it, sipping while he listened.

“Our next step is obvious,” Jelvaic said, pointing to the map. “Chikara Wa, like the other Was, needs to be reclaimed. The gate guardian has refused to let anyone in so that will be your first challenge.”

“The dragon?” Kasyn nearly choked on his tea.

Jelvaic and Arjana both nodded.

“I heard him raging at Akumu,” Arjana explained, “and challenging any who came near him. I expect he’s like the fiends of Ichiba Wa and not entirely under the city’s control.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Kasyn replied, trying to put on a brave face.

“How did the army get past the dragon?” Zeter asked.

“A few of the merchants you rescued from Ichiba Wa say the dragon let them in and didn’t fight them at all.”

“They must have already dealt with the runes making it loyal to Akumu then,” Kasyn said.

“Will you need support?” Arjana asked. “I can have the militia provide some additional fighters, although I don’t know they’ll be much use against a dragon. At least they could be another distraction for it.”

“I don’t think we want to endanger any lives unnecessarily,” Damarys replied. “All Zeter and I need to do is provide Kasyn with the cover he needs so he can get close enough to hit the dragon with the chain. That should work, right?”

Kasyn nodded, not daring to speak. Dragons were all but unheard of, and for good reason. They were terribly powerful creatures, proud and territorial. Civilization had learned long ago not to build near them. And he was supposed to get near enough to hit it with a chain that was barely a meter long. What were the chances the dragon just stomps him flat and puts an end to their efforts then and there?

“We can keep Kasyn invisible while we approach,” Zeter said. “and if we can get close enough to talk to the dragon, that might give him the opening he needs. No need to fight at all.”

“Being that close to the dragon is risky,” Arjana warned. “It might just attack you without waiting to hear what you have to say.”

“I’ll keep a barrier up around us,” Zeter assured her. “I should be able to ward off at least an initial attack.”

“If it comes to a fight,” Arjana said, “Their eyes and mouths are their weak points. A lot of magic will just break on their scales, though arrows are small enough they can slip between the scale joints if you aim well. Their necks are particularly weak to that sort of attack. An arrow in the throat will keep it from breathing fire on you.”

“We do have some gear to help you in this,” Jelvaic pulled out a leather pouch and began withdrawing pieces of jewelry and a bundle of arrows. “Courtesy of Ketty Pordis and the Sages of the Mercurial Robe.”

Kasyn noted the magical auras around them and knew they weren’t simple trinkets.

“These,” Jelvaic said as he passed around a set of rings, “will provide some protection against fire. I still advise against taking a full blast from the dragon if you can avoid it, but it’s better than nothing. Next,” he passed an amulet to Zeter, “this should provide some protection against over-channeling as well as increasing your base spell casting. For you, Damarys, I have five arrows with dragon tooth arrowheads, capable of piercing dragon scales. And last but not least,” he turned to Kasyn, “I have a circlet that will help keep your mind clear and focused.”

The small, silver band fit neatly on his head and he felt the magic working at once, calming his thoughts and letting him think without his worries distracting him.

“Once inside the Wa, you’re main objective will be to assess the Sages of the Mercurial Robe’s tower. As much as we’ve been at odd the with Sages, there are some significant benefits to having them and their tower on our side.”

“Don’t think you need to do all this in one day, though,” Arjana interjected. “We’re not in the same dire straights we were when you first entered the city. We want to gain access to Chikara Wa and the Sages tower, but not at the cost of any of your lives and well being.”

“Understood,” Kasyn nodded, recognizing the emphasis Arjana was putting on their safety and knowing he was one of the weak links on the team. Still, with his new headband, he wasn’t as worried as he otherwise might have been.

The dragon was the real challenge, but like Zeter said, he could become invisible and just sneak up on the dragon and then use the chain on it. No need to fight.

As Damarys and Zeter rose from their seats, Kasyn followed suit.

“Let’s go make friends with a dragon,” he said with a small grin and the three of them began making their way towards the gate into Chikara Wa. “I’ll summon my skeletons if a fight breaks out,” he told the others after a while. “I don’t think having them with us at the start will look very good if you two are going to be pretending to want to talk to him.”

“My bow will have to be strung, though,” Damarys said. “I don’t want to be trying to string it with an angry dragon attacking us.”

“I’ll put an illusion over it so it won’t look strung,” Zeter said as he began to weave the magic.

By the time they neared the gate it was past midday. Kasyn went invisible well before they came into sight of the gate and he managed to keep his breathing under control. When the gate did come into view, the dragon was immediately obvious, curving around the gate in an arch, his head turning from one side to the other in a constant vigil. As they drew closer it locked onto them and gripped the stone wall so tightly there was an audible crack as his talons dug into the stone.

“Ah, the slavers have come at last,” the dragon bellowed. “I knew it was only a matter of time. I saw what you’ve done to the fiends of Ichiba Wa. I may have little love for their kind but we share in our hatred for Akumu and his cruelty.”

All three of them slowed their pace as the dragon began to glow a vibrant red and gold and heat began to pour off of him. The grass nearest the dragon wilted and caught fire. It was only thanks to their magical protection that Kasyn, Damarys, and Zeter weren’t forced back by the intense heat. Still, it wasn’t exactly comfortable standing so close.

“We seek admittance to Chikara Wa,” Zeter called out, the three of them still walking closer and closer. “May we pass?”

“You may pass when I am dead,” replied the dragon, baring it’s teeth with a growl.

“Is there nothing we could offer?” Zeter asked.

“Break me free of the final bindings holding me to this city,” the dragon said, “and let me rain down fire and destruction on everything Akumu ever built, beginning with this city, and then I won’t care where you go or what you do. I’ll even let the people here flee into the hills before I begin.”

His expression was difficult to read but there was definite sarcasm in the dragons voice. He knew just as well as they did that there was no chance they’d let him destroy all of Yume.

“Where’s the rune that binds you?” Damarys asked. “If we set you free could you at least leave this city alone?”

The dragon hesitated since he had obviously expected them to refuse him, not haggle.

“This city was Akumu’s jewel,” the dragon growled. “How could I let it stand? At least let me destroy Nemuri no Shiro.”

The three of them were almost within reach of the dragon’s tail, which he had placed between them as a sort of line they were clearly not to cross.

“There are things inside the castle that we need,” Damarys said, “could we retrieve them first?”

The dragon did not respond right away, instead taking time to actually consider the offer. Kasyn knew they couldn’t actually make such a bargain since they needed the castle and the runes within, but this delayed the dragon long enough. Withdrawing the chain and preparing the strike was an ordeal since he didn’t want to make any sounds that would give him away. He’d considered having the chain out this entire time, but walking while invisible meant he couldn’t be sure of where the chain was exactly in relation to everything else and he didn’t want to have it bump into anything and alert the dragon that way.

“I–

The dragon began to speak but then cut off almost at once, his eyes sharpening as he looked right at where Kasyn stood.

“I sense Akumu’s magic!” he bellowed and several things happened at once.

Zeter’s barrier flashed as it blocked the dragon’s tail from smashing them. Damarys drew her bow and fired, and Kasyn struck out with the chain. The next thing he knew, he was tumbling through the air.

The chain had in deed made contact with the dragon and bit into its scales. At the same time the chain bit into his hand, joining the two of them together, and yet he didn’t feel the contest of will between them. Instead, the dragon began to thrash its tail back and forth like a horse trying to swat flies off it’s back. If it weren’t for the chain linking them, Kasyn would have lost his grip immediately. As he struck the ground again and again, he almost wished he could let go.

Everything around him was chaos and yet, through the noise and rapidity with which he was being tossed about, he managed to find the spot where his chain had attached itself to the dragon. The link of chain was buried deep into a scale but not, he realized, into the actual flesh of the dragon. Damarys and Zeter were shouting something but all his attention was focused on that link of the chain, willing it to dig deeper, to reach the dragon’s flesh.