All The Skills

Arthur got a brand new stew pot bubbling for the dragons' lunch. He had gone back to the rather wary quartermaster and found a large pot that, unlike the steel cattle trough, looked like it had once been meant to feed a lot of people. When he requested it, the quartermaster reluctantly signed it over without even asking for a price. Arthur suspected the man was either trying to grease his palms or just get him out of his hair. With that in mind, he added a few more inconsequential items to the list. Now he not only had a food-grade stew pot, but stacks of simple bowls for the Purple Commons, and a couple of buckets for the larger Uncommons. Hopefully, this meal would be much less messy.

It seemed that word was getting around. The sky directly above his ledge was full of chirping, buzzing, and excited Purples, all chattering to one another.

Out in the sky around the hive tower, he saw flights of dragons on the wing, running regimented practices led by their wing captains and second-in-commands. A few times, he spotted Joy's distinctive shimmery pink hide. There were several yellows in the wing that she and Cressida were in, but Sams was a particularly large dragon, and his new purplish belly made him more distinctive.

The entire wing twisted and turned on signals that Arthur could not see. Then some dragons practiced swooping runs, diving straight to the ground, only to pull up at the last second, and then use that momentum to glide back upward to regain their place in their wing. Arthur assumed that they were miming using card powers on ground targets. On the next eruption, he planned to see how effective that was, and if there were any techniques that he could copy with his own wing.

Down below, Asha and Equinox were training with a newly formed class of hatchlings. While they were officially part of his wing, he did not have the expertise to bring a hatchling dragon up properly. Especially since his own training with Brixaby had been aborted a couple months in, and he certainly didn’t know Blood Moon’s methods.

But after dealing with the quartermaster, Arthur saw how things were done. He had bribed the hatchling instructor with a Rare shard for both of them to get in.

The hatchling class was still too young to fly, so they were lined up in rows, frantically beating their wings to exercise them. Meanwhile, their riders sat nearby in an open-air classroom, listening in on a lecture about scourglings.

Certainly, there were some horrific aspects about Blood Moon Hive, and life was certainly regimented, but... even Arthur had to admit that aspects of it made sense. This hive acted like a true defense force against the scourglings, just like dragons were supposed to be.

Too bad that defense force was ultimately self-serving and driven by fear from the very top.

As Arthur worked on the stew, he kept his ears sharp for anyone coming in through the hallway entrance.

Finally, he heard labored steps echoing through the hallway. In a burst of inspiration, he had told his prospective wing riders to meet him here. Then he let them figure out the way. It was quite the arduous walk to the twentieth floor. On top of that, they had to figure out the twisting pathways through the hive and make it past the checkpoints.

His reasoning was simple: He had wanted to see some basic dedication from these people. It was a simple thing to say yes to being a dragon rider, but if he was going to work with these people, and in some ways, rely on them with his and Brixaby's life... He needed to make sure they were serious.

Larry, Amanda, and Thackeray appeared, and to Arthur's surprise, a fourth person stumbled along with them. It was the young man who looked a little bit like Arthur. Like a bizarre mirror image of a different life lived.

They arrived, all huffing and puffing. Larry rested his hands on his knees to breathe deep. He didn’t fall over, though he looked like he wanted to. Amanda and the boy seemed to be the most fit while Larry was still bent over catching his breath. Merchant Thackery was sweaty and red in the face, but had a glint of determination in his eyes.

Arthur set down the oversized paddle he was using to stir the soup and headed over. "I'm glad you made it.” He let his gaze fall on the young man. He didn't ask, but the question was expected in the air.

He straightened under Arthur's scrutiny. "I'm Steve.”

“Steve... originally went with the wing captain... Blue Sky wing. Told you not to do it," Larry might be huffing and puffing, but he was eager to tease the younger man.

"What happened?" Arthur asked.

"The wing captain was a jerk," Steve said. It seemed that he wasn't eager to elaborate.

"Well, I can be too," Arthur said. "You should know that the dragons in my wing come first. Speaking of, you all made it, so why don't we meet some now?" Ṛ₳NỌBĚＳ

He walked them through the room, which was still a little spare for his liking, even though he and Brixaby had unloaded a few extra pieces of furniture from their Personal Space and put them out for comfort.

Outside, the wall opened up out to the ledge. The Purples, he saw, had taken Arthur's absence to start dipping out bowls of stew for themselves. It was, in a word, organized chaos, with Purples buzzing in to dip a bowl and buzzing up while others pushed them aside if they took too long, and they occasionally squabbled and snapped.

In a certain light, they all looked like a bunch of Purple hummingbirds all vying for the same cluster of flowers. This was a secondary reason why Arthur had wanted the prospective riders to take the long walk up here. These were Purples in their truest form, and he'd needed time for them to gather so that the others could see it.

"Purples are a little different from other colors," Arthur said. "Many of these are a bit underweight, as you can see. We're working to fix that right now, but they're a little more aggressive and territorial than you would normally see. Most of the time, they're a bit like overly friendly hounds." He paused and admitted, "All work and little brains."

Then he nodded to Brixaby, who sat by the side of the ledge, showing his teeth and bellowing at some of the Purples who got too aggressive with one another. "Mine is Rare rank, so obviously he's the exception. He's just as intelligent as you or I, and more so than most people. So take care to remember that and address him as a person, or else he will take offense. Then you will get a lesson you won't forget. So," Arthur looked at them, "you've had your time to think, I'm sure, while you're walking up twenty flights of stairs and navigating through all the checkpoints."

They all nodded warily. "Once you do this," Arthur said, "there's no backing out." He did not tell them there was a way to upgrade their cards and leave their dragons behind. It was a horrific practice, and he and Brixaby would deal harshly with anyone who tried it.

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"Wait," Steve said, shocked. "Just like that? You don't want to see our cards?" The way that he said it suggested that this had been the sticking point between him and the Blue Sky wing captain.

"Doesn't matter," Arthur said. "The dragons will decide if your cards match theirs. That's how it works. So, we have... a couple dozen dragons." It was almost impossible to get an accurate count with all the darting and comings and goings. "I can't say if all of them want a rider, but if they do decide that you're the one for them, they will offer you their card. When you combine them, you will both create a new card to share." He paused again. "And you'll be faced with a choice."

That grabbed their attention. Everybody had been risking glances, both curious and longing, at the darting Purples, but now all eyes were on him.

"What choice?" Larry asked roughly.

Arthur chose his words carefully. "It's a very intimate choice between you and your dragon—how much access you want to give and receive between each other's cards. My dragon and I have full access between my heart deck, and his cores. What he has, I have, and it goes the other way around. But many dragon riders don't do that. In fact, I think most only share the one card that's linked between you. It requires quite a bit of trust.” Trust that the two of them hadn’t had when Brixaby first hatched, but his dragon had been greedy for power and would accept nothing less. Wisely, Arthur kept that to himself. “But the melding of your powers... to me, it has brought something special."

He paused. "I can't tell you what to do, and I certainly can't enforce how much you choose to open up your heart to a stranger. But I'll tell you right now that I intend this wing to be powerful. I strongly suggest that you allow access fully to your heart deck if your dragon will return the favor. By doing that, you give yourself the most opportunity for power and strength so you can protect yourselves."

He let that sit for a moment. Amanda and Steve nodded. He couldn't quite read the expression on Merchant Thackeray’s face. Larry scowled as usual, but that seemed to be his default expression, so Arthur wasn't concerned.

Arthur continued. “You may have had this explained before but I'm going to go over it again. Once you are a dragon rider in this hive, you will have power and responsibility, but you will also be subject to the blood price. I'm new here, but from what I can tell, they take it seriously."

Thackeray raised his hand as if he were in school.

"Yes?" Arthur said.

"That's my chief concern," Thackeray admitted. "You know that I am a merchant, and even if a dragon does accept my card, I don't know how to kill scourgelings."

"You'll be riding a Purple," Arthur said. "We generally don't kill them. We'll have to work smarter than that."

"Then how...?" Steve began.

Arthur cut him off with a sweep of his hand. "This is a new wing, and we're still figuring our methods out. Maybe your combined card will be good at killing scourgelings, but likely not. I just need to know that you'll be flexible and open to new ideas on how to collect shards."

To his surprise, Larry snorted. "Son, I've been laboring under different farmers all my life. Everything about this is new to me," he added, "I'm about due for a change."

"If I can collect shards without killing scourgelings, I would like to learn how," Amanda said.

"Sure," Steve said.

Thackeray hesitated. "I would be willing to give this a try."

"That's all I ask," Arthur said, then led them forward. "To show a dragon that you’re interested in linking, you’ll want to project your card out to them. And then we'll see what they think about it. It can't be forced. You can't bribe a dragon. This is a voluntary melding of your two powers."

He stepped out to the base of the ledge then cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "Brix, they’re here!" only remembering at the last moment that he was supposed to use his other name. Well, maybe his new recruits would think of it as a nickname.

Brixaby looked around, saw the prospective dragon riders, gave a snort, then bellowed loud enough to practically shake the air. "I want Candy Floss, Noregerts, Tiger Eye, Skye, and Anklebiter," he said. "Attend me."

Instantly, the sky cleared and five of the Purples separated themselves to buzz forward in a hovering line before Brixaby.

The dragon looked to Arthur. "These are the best of my fan club."

Arthur rubbed an aching spot above his eyebrow. "Maybe we should use the word ‘followers’.”

Behind him he heard Larry mutter, “What’s with these names?”

“Oh!” Candy Floss exclaimed. “Do you want to be riders? You want to join with us, really? Really?" She was so excited that her voice came out as a squeak at the end. "Let me see your cards. I've never done this before!"

"Why not?" Larry asked roughly.

"Because no one's ever wanted to pick me," she said.

"This will be the other way around," Brixaby told her. "You will pick them. Choose wisely and pick only the best for yourselves."

Amanda stepped forward and projected her own card to the five dragons. Arthur didn't pretend with niceties, which would require him to look away.

Amanda had a Common card that helped seeds sprout.

He winced. That wasn't the best combination for a Purple. That was much more suited for a Green, who generally had nature magic.

But then, she projected another card—he hadn't felt that, but then again, he'd only been concentrating on the ranks. This second card was also a Common, but was a speed boost for working. It was sort of esoteric, but very useful for a type of laborer. And, more importantly, much more suitable for Purples.

The Purples looked at her cards and hovered a little closer. Then, one by one, they shook their heads and instantly looked away.

Larry stepped forward and showed a projection of his own Common card, which was for double the strength of a normal man. Swallowing, Thackery stepped forward as well.

His card surprised Arthur. It was an endurance card.

Endless Stride

Body Enhancement

Common

The wielder of this card will be able to achieve a constant physical stamina over an extended period of time. This card uses willpower and when the will is diminished, the stamina will end.

Instantly, Candy Floss and another Purple darted to it. Arthur wasn't a hundred percent on the name of the other dragon, but he thought it was Tiger Eye.

Candy Floss squeaked in anger and barreled right into Tiger Eye. Even though she was a third his size, she sent him staggering, hastily flapping all four wings to keep from tumbling head over tail.

"No! He's mine!" she yelled and gestured to her chest to display her card to Thackery. "Will you be my rider?"

Thackery's eyes were wide, and he nodded. "Yes."

The projection of the cards melded together and a third card flashed into existence with a burst of light so bright that Arthur was forced to glance away. When he looked back a moment later, it was gone. But just like that, Thackery was a dragon rider.

Candy Floss barreled into the man with a big hug, arms, legs, wings and tail all wound around him. It was a good thing that she was only as big as his torso. "I've been waiting so long to meet you!”

"Me too," Thackery sounded amazed, and a little winded, and he carefully cuddled his dragon back.

Grinning, Arthur glanced over to Steve, who had watched the entire process, but had not stepped forward. Steve caught his eye, and Arthur raised his eyebrows in a silent, "Are you doing this?"

Steve grimaced, nodded, and stepped forward to project his own card.

Dancer’s Grace

Body Enhancement

Common

The wielder of this card will be able to move through life with the effortless grace of a trained dancer. This includes unusual body awareness, balance, and enhanced dodging skills. This card is powered by the user’s natural physical strength and does not use mana. This card does not grant additional dance moves.

Oh, Arthur thought, he's embarrassed about his card.

He imagined it had been difficult growing up with a card like that, especially when Steve had a manual labor job where people are expected to be strong and full of endurance. He understood why Steve would want to keep it a secret, but he would have to get over it.

I would have taken that card… or any card when I was in the borderlands, he thought.

Unfortunately, none of the four remaining Purples seemed overly interested in Steve, Amanda, or Larry.

Brixaby wasn't concerned. "We will have more prospective riders for you to choose from," he told the Purples. "Go get more soup." Then he bellowed up at the hovering, darting mass above him. "Puffball, Tiny, Falafel, Ripley and Training Wheels."

Just like that, five more Purples buzzed down to examine the prospective riders.

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