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Prologue: Natural Enemies
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2023-11-06 17:19:33Across the ages, Dragon and Man have witnessed an intricate coexistence. In the times of antiquity, Man lived in perpetual terror under the reign of the Great Serpents and their vile human cohorts, the Salamanders. The dragons were regarded as divine beings and the Salamanders made scores of human offerings to fill the beasts’ vast appetite for flesh. No man dared raise a blade against the fated rule of Dragon and Salamander, no matter how dark and miserable the days turned.
But then, a lone ray of hope pierced through. A nameless man succeeded in taking a dragon with him to the afterlife; something that had previously been deemed an impossible task. The man was the first slayer and would only be remembered by his generic name Dragon Slayer (Toryu). His feat quickly entered the realm of legend. His story was sung and passed down in secret gatherings, lauded in soft voices around a dimmed fire. But deep down the hearts of men, it kindled a far grander flame.
The first Slayer ushered in a new age of dragon-slaying, when bounty hunters and guildsmen competed to hunt down the once immortal creatures. The early Dragon Slayers were called “shinobu”, from the Old World tongue meaning “to conceal”. In those times, the most common breed of dragon was the Ri-Tatu, an elusive dragon whose vision was so keen that it could detect threats from nearly thirty leagues away.
In order to conceal themselves from the eyes of the Ri-Tatu dragons, the Slayers employed the natural elements. Their various techniques were:
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wind style = fūton no jutsu (風遁)
wood style = mokuton no jutsu (木遁)
water style = suiton no jutsu (水遁)
fire style = katon no jutsu (火遁)
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Outsiders were acquainted with only one manner of Dragon Slayer; they who blended with the color of night using sappanwood dye to darken their raiment. But based on the four elements that the dragons inhabited, it was inevitable for the masters of concealment to vary their camouflage, thereby establishing their respective clans, colors, and lores. Ineluctably and rather ironically, the trophies that they hunted soon became the sigils of their houses:
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CICONI CLAN
COLOR: White
SIGIL: Hai-Riyo the Dragon Bird
SPECIALITY: Science of the atmosphere (Ten-mon)
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GNOMUS CLAN
COLOR: Brown
SIGIL: Ōmukade the Centipede Dragon
SPECIALITY: Geography (Chi-mon)
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UNDINA CLAN
COLOR: Blue
SIGIL: Kuma-wani the Aquatic Dragon
SPECIALITY: Water and ice arts (Sui to hyō-ren)
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VULCANUS CLAN
COLOR: Red
SIGIL: Kai-Ryu the Red Dragon
SPECIALITY: Fire and incendiaries tactics (Kayaku-jutsu)
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But all the will of man combined was yet to parallel the might of the nine-headed Dragon God, Kuzuryū Daimyōjin. Thus, in this world thrown gravely out of balance by an omnipotent apex predator, the gods of men chose to intervene. They sent down heaven’s wrath in the shape of the cleansing fire of Tenrai no Kasai; a ball of rock that spanned two leagues and was capable of expunging all manner of life on Pan-Terra, save the smallest, the meekest and the hardiest.
All the Great Serpents were obliterated into extinction by the Fire from Heaven. Legend also tells of the colossal hand of the Supreme Lord of Heaven, Ame-no-Minakanushi, reaching down from the skies and wringing all nine necks of the Dragon God. Afterwards, when all the dust and smoke cleared, nothing remained but a single dragon egg. Imprisoned in the egg was the Dragon God, forever trapped within a shell made of pure Adamantine, the toughest and rarest mineral.
But in the heart of every man burns a fierce desire to seize more power than what is permitted. The same tragic story holds for the Egg of the Dragon God. More than any territory, metal, or relic, the beast held captive by the egg promises domination of all the other clans. Much blood has been shed to guard it, and countless lives have been lost in adventures to claim it for one’s own.
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Temujin’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper.“What do you mean?” Aki asked. “They had to extinguish all sources of light within a hundred yards of me or else I’ll be able to manipulate them.”It dawned on Aki that that was indeed the reason the usual sputtering torches had all disappeared, swathing most of the prison in darkness.“I see,” she said. “My apologies.” “Why? Why do you apologize? It’s not your doing, is it?”“It’s common courtesy,” she reasoned matter-of-factly, “to express sympathy for another person’s discomfort.” “Well, I think you apologize too much.”She ignored that, fearing another outburst from him.“Can’t you generate fire from within you?” she asked. “With your ki?”“Fire can never be created by man. It can only be borrowed. We, of the Vulcanus Clan, are direct descendants of the god Homusubi, who gave the gift of fire to all mankind.”“I know that story. My mom used to tell it to me when I was a child.”“Well, I’m sure your mom forgot to mention how I
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It was Aki who spoke again first: “Fine. Do what you want. But aren’t you forgetting one very important thing?” “What’s that?” Temujin growled. “Even if you do find the Egg or the bad guys (and that’s a very big if all on your own), you still need a good word to the Emperor so you don’t get executed. Or did you think they were going to take the word of a Salamander like you?” Temujin kept quiet. Aki knew the point had hit home. She had also deliberately used the Vulcanus Clan’s old name to make Temujin even more uncomfortable. “And who else in the entire world can do that for you? Why, only me. None other than Princess Aki, granddaughter of the Emperor and heir to the throne.” Griffin clucked at Temujin as though in support of Aki. “And how are you gonna deflect all the arrows when they come flying at you? You may not have meant to take a white Slayer as a hostage but it was the smartest thing you ever did. Even if you hadn’t planned on it, you better let me do my job as your shi
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Dragon-kissed Epilogue: New Dawn
“’Tis a sin tah suffer such a numbskull as ye live,” Captain Fang said, “but it appears we be a perfectly even match. Ye know as well as I do ’tis futile tah resort tah our mother element.” The pirate could barely stand in his exhaustion and was leaning on his sabre. Sasha was also down to his last reserves of energy. He was poised low on the ground, ever ready to strike with his shinobuken held horizontally in front of him, his left hand behind. “Were we in a trainin’ dojo where ye’ve been raised,” the captain said, “no one would claim victory… BUT HITHER IS NOT A DOJO!” Captain Fang thrust his amputated right arm and released the harpoon on the end of it. As a matter of fact, Sasha had earlier grabbed a handful of salt when he tumbled forward across a drying pan. Now he swung his left hand from behind him and flung the salt to the captain’s eyes like a sumo wrestler purifying the ring. Sasha felt a certain amount of pleasure when he heard the captain utter a pained squeal. In a s
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Aki leapt from roof to roof. Her tabi boots touched the tiles lightly before pushing off. She was harnessing Karamijutsu (Body-lightening). Without warning, a tile she was stepping on broke and she slid straight down to the edge of the roof, only managing to grab the gutter in the nick of time. She was dangling there when Yuriko appeared on the incline, just a few feet away, crouching and fanning out a set of throwing knives. Apparently, she had launched a projectile that broke Aki’s foothold. “Fancy a prince tah rescue ye, princess?” “I’m not a princess,” Aki replied through gritted teeth. “I’m a SLAYER princess!” With a back flip, Aki brought herself upside-down with her legs spinning in a wheel kick. Yuriko held her forearms up in an X shape and the casings of her katars blocked the kicks. Aki landed right in front of her. They were soon locked in hand-to-hand combat; something rare for Stork Slayers who emphasized defense over offense, evasion over brute strength. Yuriko projec
Dragon-kissed Chapter 87: The Teacher
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Dragon-kissed Chapter 86: First Class
They sat around Koumori-shishou on the moonlit beach. Like real students, Aki thought excitedly. Sasha had returned to his human form and was still half-naked. Apparently, shrinking back down was relatively easier than blowing up to the fearsome scale of Dragonkist Ryūjin. The master sat on a large piece of driftwood. He took off the tunic-like uniform of the Dark Emperor and revealed his usual attire underneath: the saffron robe and pom-pommed surplice of the hermit monks, the Yamabushis. From inside his sleeve, he drew out his shakujō staff with the six rings. Like Aki’s bō staff, it could be retracted and extended. Next, from his slightly hunched back, he produced his straw conical hat and placed it on top of his head. Finally, he unclipped his one-toothed geta sandals from his belt and put them on. He was completely transformed. Aki clapped and Sasha muttered, “Wow.” Koumori-shishou bowed with a flourish. “You’re a true master of disguise, shishou,” Aki complimented. The monk
Dragon-kissed Chapter 85: The Emperor of the Dark
From the strong rocking movements, Aki could tell they were on a small boat. Her captors were using oars. All at once, the bag was pulled from over her head and the wind coating was removed from her mouth. “Get your stinking hands off me or I swear you’ll lose them!” Aki blinked to adjust her eyes. It was still night. Have they arrived in Dragon’s Horn already? “Spoken like a true warrior-princess,” said a familiar voice. Aki couldn’t believe it. She strained her eyes in the dark. “Temujin?” she blurted out. “That’s right. It’s me.” “But I thought…” “I had some help,” he said, gesturing to a second figure behind him. Aki let out a frightened gasp. In the pale moonlight, she could make out the Dark Emperor! “Oh, don’t be alarmed!” Temujin said. “It’s just my master, Koumori-shishou.” To Aki’s great consternation, the Dark Emperor swept back his hood and took off his iron dragon mask. An old man with slanted eyes and a long wispy beard like a mountain goat’s was beaming at her
Dragon-kissed Chapter 84: Hard Truths
“What do you think they’re going to do to us?” Aki asked Sasha. They had eventually given up hope that Temujin would return. As much as it pained Aki to admit it, she knew he would succumb to brainwashing. Most Slayers did, sooner or later. “Well, at first they were pointed south like us but then they made a U-turn, which explains why we didn’t see them coming. My guess is they’re now taking us to Dragon’s Horn. It’s a big and busy trading port, for all things legal and illegal.” “They’re gonna sell us as slaves?” Aki said in horror. “No, we’re much too old to be submissive. But they know you’re the heiress apparent so they’ll demand a princess’s ransom.” “A princess’s ransom? How much is that?” “Let’s just say they’re gonna try and bleed your empire dry.” “My grandfather would never allow that. I’m sure he’ll have imperial soldiers waiting for us when we reach port. I’ll have these pirates arrested before they even—” “They probably wouldn’t tell anyone about you just yet. The
Dragon-kissed Chapter 83: Torture
In the afternoon, after their cheerless and tasteless brunch, the captain came down to the brig to grace them with his presence. Aki was right, the four most important people on the ship were: Captain Fang, the Dark Emperor, Kosano and Yuriko; in that order. But because they were pirates, it was easy to imagine incessant politicking among the last three. The entire crew was of course curious about the young Slayers who had kicked their butts, but they were under strict orders to stay on their posts and perform their duties. Nevertheless, Aki recognized Zaterra and Ganzorig; the first was endlessly cutting his nails with a dagger. Temujin also noticed his cork backpack slung on Zaterra’s shoulder. “Hey, that’s mine!” Temujin shouted, gripping the dragon-bone bars of his cage. “Finders keepers,” Zaterra replied and stuck out his tongue. “Give it back to him!” Aki demanded. “Be yer companions knowin’ yer secrets in this here bag?” asked Kosano. Temujin fell quiet. “Cat got yer ton
Dragon-kissed Chapter 82: Prisoners
They were held in separate cells down the ship’s brig. Aki’s and Sasha’s were adjoining while Temujin’s was across from theirs. Each cell had an additional feature. For instance, Aki’s had a water barometer to monitor the slightest change in atmospheric pressure if she attempted to form winds inside the ship. Sasha’s had a quicksilver thermometer to keep the room temperature in check. Last, apart from confiscating his flint and steel, the pirates put Temujin in a cell with the fire-proof bones of a red dragon for bars. In case the prisoners showed any signs of defiance by using their powers, the pirates also had a weird-looking contraption like an electrically charged spear. Sasha figured it was a weaponized version of the Leyden jar. If it touched their prisons (the conductor), it would discharge tens of thousands of volts. This last piece of technology suggested a link between the pirates and Tamerlane’s research on the fifth element, but all of them pointed to the fact that the cap
