Dragon World: The Beginning [Open to ALL]

[Draganisia]

OOC Thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=450753

This RP is Open to All who want to join but before you post here please post in the OOC thread first and say how you want to join by posting about your characters, nation, however else you want to be involved.

"My name is Jesse Smith. I am the son of Emperor Brian Smith and Empress Mei Lee Smith although by now I am sure you know her by another title. You came here today because you want to know my story. It is a story about a boy who was lost, someone that was trying to find his purpose in the world and do what he could to protect innocent people. During this story he meets a girl who had lost everything, a warrior who like him was also looking for her place in the world. They wanted to find the truth to what happened. They needed to find that truth in order to prevent a great evil from changing our world. However in doing so none of us could have imagined that it would end like this."

DRAGANISIA
Capital City

Draganisia was a large empire in the world. It spread from the Ocean in the west to the Jungles and Mountains of the East. The national animal was the Dragon which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies. However no one really knew that much about them and that was about to change forever.

Prince Jesse Smith was asked to meet with his father to discuss what had just happened moments before. "I assume you wanted me to come here to explain what happened?" Jesse asked his father.

"Yes I do." said Emperor Brian. "The "Sons of the Dragons" have struck. They are a terrorist group we have known about for a long time now but could never track down their leaders."

"Why wasn't I told about them till just now?" Jesse asked him.

"Because you didn't need to know about them until now. We believe they might be funded by the nations that border our great empire but when it comes to this group's goals it is possible they might actually hate this group even more than we do."

"Why is that?"

"Because their goal is to turn everyone else into dragons."

"I admit there is not a lot we know about Dragons but what he wants to do is insane. How would that even be possible?"

"Their leader believes he has been given powers by the God in order to do this. There is no proof yet he is even capable of doing what he claims but after the recent threat we recieved from him we need to be certain and make sure he never truly becomes a threat to us or our people."

"What did it say in the threat?"

"Right now that is irrelevant. You and your squad are ordered to meet with Capital City police where the recent attack took place. Look around, see if you can find something the police may have missed. And then use what you learned in order to find their leader and take him down by any means necessary."

"I will father. Will meet you here again when I find something that can help us track him down."

"Be safe my son. And know that your mother would be proud."

[Draganisia]

The attack site was surrounded by Draganisian police but beyond that not quite what they were expecting it to look like for some reason.

Many there were wearing hazmat suits as they help people that were effected by what happened. When Jesse and Jake arrived they met with the lead officer in charge of handling the situation.

"What happened here?" Prince Jesse asked the lead officer named Henry Wu.

"A small bomb exploded on the steps in front of the ATLAS HQ."

"ATLAS. Isn't that the mercenary group your father is in charge of?" Jesse asked Jake.

"Most corporations here are owned by the Draganisian government but some like ATLAS are allowed to be privately owned as long as they comply with government regulations. ATLAS is a Private Military Corporation that specialises in legal weapons manufactoring and help supply the Draganisian Military with the weapons they use along with anyone else who has enough money to buy weapons from them. So long as they also agree to work with any government regulations."

"What happened exactly?" Jesse asked Wu.

"The people here report that a small bomb exploded but the explosive power of the bomb itself was smaller than that of a gernade. After the explosion a green gas spread over the area and while the people were afraid none of those who touched it are showing any signs of disease or anything like that. It is as if the gas was completely harmless and was only meant to cause a panic."

"Given what me and my friend know about their goals it is probably best that we meet with those effected by this gas." Jesse told him. "Show us some of the survivors."

"Most are already being taken to the hospital but some who agreed to give statements about what happened are still here. I will bring you to them." Wu said as he motioned for Jesse and Jake to follow him.

"Why would they attack here? I thought this group is trying to turn people into dragons?" Jake asked Jesse.

"Maybe they are testing the spread of the gas before going through with another attack that could change people? Or maybe something else is going on here? I don't know Jake but I intend to find out."

Wu lead them to a woman with dark red hair about the same age as Jesse who was sitting on a stretcher behind an ambulance. "Hello Adria." Jesse said as he recognized who she was.

"You know her?" Wu asked him.

"We are friends." Adria told him.

"That true?" Wu asked Jesse.

"To be honest we are closer than that." Jesse told him. "It is fine Wu. We can take it from here."

Adria continued. "After your father gave me the medal of the dragon for my heroic service while saving your asses I was wondering when we would see each other again."

"I think you have to realize by now we can't get rid of each other that easily Adria. What happened?"

"I was heading up the steps to the ATLAS HQ when that bomb went off to my right. I was knocked down by the blast but was otherwise fine even though I did breath in some of that green gas."

"Can you tell us anything about it?" Jesse asked her.

"It doesn't feel like something that will kill me. In fact I actually feel better after breathing it in than I did before but it is understandable why the doctors and many others are in hazmat suits. Speaking of which why are you two not wearing that sort of protective gear around here?"

"Because if that stuff was deadly we would already have been feeling the effects. And after what my father told me about those behind it I don't think they actually want to kill people."

"Jesse these are terrorists." she said. "They always want to kill people!"

"Not these ones. At least not directly. The only time they killed anyone directly was when our forces raided some of their camps in the Eastern Mountains. They only killed to defend themselves. And what is even wierder is that there were no casualties from this attack either. As far as we can tell everyone survived."

"Maybe not everyone." Adria told him. "Before the attack I saw an older man with black hair walking near ground zero just before the attack. He was carrying a suitcase that could have had the bomb inside of it. I have not seen him since just before the explosion and none of the officers have seen him either. I did have the police make a scetch of his face so that they can use it to identify him."

"Will have the police check the scetch to see if they can find him. If you find out anything else you let me know." Jesse told her.

"I will do more than that. I am coming with your two." she told them.

"Adria..." Jesse was about to tell her no however she disagreed.

"This happened on my watch. I was here and I want to know who is behind this just as much as you do. And I can help you identify the man I saw before the police will be able to find him." Adria was not going to take no for an answer.

"Fine. You will come with us back to the Imperial Palace and we will plan our next moves there." Jesse told them.

"Yes my Prince."

"Adria... Don't call me that."

Meanwhile on a rooftop above them a beautiful woman with long black hair wearing a long fancy light blue dress watched them. "My son is trying to find the truth." She said to a man standing next to her on the rooftop. "Those behind this will try to stop him before he can stop them."

"I know that my Queen."

"Keep him safe. My son might be the only one powerful enough to stop him in the end."

"I will." the other man said as he transformed into a dark red dragon and flew in the direction of the Imperial Palace.

[Parcia]

The Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, or to those who did not speak the Parcian tongue, the KGB, is tasked with Governing the Security and well being of the people of the Motherland at all costs, from threats both Foreign and Domestic and is given what is arguably no actual restrictions on how to go about it. As such, the KGB budget is never officially recorded, KGB assets and Agents are struck from the Official record, and only those in the highest echelon of the State Duma know of its true actions and intentions.

As such, when the special Task force "Sokol" is activated to combat magical threats both foreign and Domestic, it moves in to action with the upmost speed and aggression, while keeping to the shadows and leaving no trace of their existence.

Draganisia
Capital City

The Area was mostly covered by local buildings, as such, the most logical Location to watch the events proceeding from would be on top of one of the buildings. Vasily Karov (Asset Designation: Strigoi would sit atop a building roughly a block down from the bomb site. He was dressed casually, a simple jacket, slacks, a floppy fishing hat and a pair of high powered Binoculars in one hand, and a large book labeled "Birds of the word, Draganisia" in the other hand.

To all outsiders, it would simply seem as if he was an elder gentlemen bird watching for a rare type of finch that like to nest in tall buildings. He swept the binos from side to side down and up the block, appearing to track the movement of said rare finch as it dashed from building to building. In reality, with every swipe, he was putting his memory to use, noting every detail of the scene as it unfolded below.

"Seems to be a airborne agent, olive green in color and similar to CS gas." He took his thumb off the wireless button in the book, taking his mic off the air.
A few seconds later, the second team member deployed to the Area, Keterina Romanov (Asset Designation: led (Ice, when translated from Parcian) piped up.

She was a few roof tops away, hidden in a hallowed out pigeon coup , her view being provided by a x30 variable zoom scope attached to a Vz.S98 sniper rifle (SV-90). Her scope was also hooked in to a video view finder, and she was using it to record footage and take still pictures.

"The Prince appears to be conversing with a women in the Stretcher, body movement patterns dictate they are friendly with each other, likely more based on how close he is to her." Strigoi smiled, he was liking the new sniper, she had tact.

"Roger that, will continue to observe for now."

[Draganisia]

The Imperial Palace was honestly nothing special on the outside compared to other Draganisian homes. And if you spent enough time in Draganisia you would also see that most other homes were not much smaller than it either. However there were some differences in features to make it better for the Royal Family. Especially since it was easier for the Emperor to use the Palace as sort of a base of operations compared to other government buildings in the Capital City.

"Welcome home my Prince." Adria said as the car they were in went through the gates in front of the Palace.

"Adria I thought I said not to call me that?" Jesse told her.

"I'm sorry Jesse. But you can't hide from who you are no matter how much you might want to."

"Now you are sounding like my father."

After they arrived they went to the War Room of the Palace which had many computer and TV screens of various sizes on all of the walls showing many different things having to do with the Draganisian Military. Usually there were not many people in that room at all during peacetime if any but the attack managed to get everyone on edge.

As they entered the room an older man with pitch black hair approached them. "Hello Prince Jesse. I assume this is the lady you talked about on the phone." he said with a smile.

"Adria this is James Lee. He was a good friend of my mother's. After my mother died he helped my father raise me. He taught me pretty much everything I know."

"A pleasure to meet you Adria." Lee said to her as he shook her hand. "I heard you were one of those close to the blast. Jesse are you sure it is good to bring her here?"

"She seems ok to me." Jesse said, "Right now let's focus on finding the one behind this."

"Speaking of which I have some people in the War Room trying to find a match to the person Adria claims to have seen. Once we identify him you will be the first to know."

"Thanks Lee."

About an hour later while they were waiting Adria told Jesse she was feeling hot. Before she could say anything else she fell to the floor and both Jesse and Jake scrambled to pick her up.

"She is still breathing Jesse but it doesn't look good. We need to get her to a bed."

They managed to get her to the small clinic on the Palace grounds where a doctor could look at her.

After checking on her the doctor told Jesse and Jake what was going on. "Her vital signs are good but she is uncouncious for the moment. I'm sorry Prince Jesse but there is nothing more I can really do at the moment. She has been through a lot today so for now just give her some rest."

Jesse and Jake both spent the night there in the clinic and at Midnight the people in the War Room finally found out who she had seen and Jesse wouldn't like it. "Are you sure it is him?!"

"Yes it is." Lee told Jesse through his wireless piece he had in his ear. It was so small it was practically invisible and was connected to his small wrist computer or "PDA" as it was called.

"So what now?" Jesse asked him.

"You need to come meet me and your father in the Royal suite. There are some things we need to tell you privately."

"OK I am on my way." Jesse said as he looked at Jake. "Stay here Jake. Let me know when she wakes up."

"You got it Jesse." Jake said as Jesse left the clinic.

Jesse knew that his father was hiding things about what was really going on and now it was time for him to get some answers.

The real question now was if he would be able to handle the truth once it was revealed to him.

[Shwe Tu Colony]

The Gatekeeper's Tower, the Thryllasian Region
"Hmm. Well, well, isn't this an interesting little situation," the Gatekeeper mused, putting a few more bags of supplies on his lizard mount, "'The Sons of Dragons,' huh? I'll wager that a real dragon won't be too delighted by them." By some manner of luck, he had been able to hear of the attack in Draganisia, & had a feeling that he would find something of note there. However, he had made sure to send a note to them prior his arrival detailing his appearance & his offer of help, although he had neglected to mention that he would go to their civilization even if he had been told not to. After all, this seemed to be rather urgent issue, the region itself was calm, & even if he couldn't officially support them, he knew that his beast-taming skills would still prove useful to their potential chagrin.

Since the Gatekeeper's writing was barbaric & highly informal — he had no need for it in managing his beast-related affairs — he instead elected to ask his friend Sekka Verndara to relay it.

Notice of Help to be Sent

Sekka Verndara
Parfuhmerie
Verndara Manor
10 Desyllians (maximum safety | OOC: Requires some effort to decrypt, is read by the receiver & those permitted by them)

To: The Government of Draganisia

I must say that I am most displeased by the route that these vile terrorists have elected to take, and as has one of my friends, who has decided to come to your civilization in an attempt to help you where he can (I am writing this letter for him). He is known as The Gatekeeper, and I will note that his appearance may be mildly frightening, as you can see in the attached picture. That said, I will assure you that he is a benevolent person — his work in my world has consisted of noteworthy excellence in pacifying all manner of beasts, be they enormous Behemoths capable of knocking down mountains or dragons able to slaughter entire regiments & consume entire cities if they so wished.

In fact, he was able to convert a particularly infamous dragon known as "The August Darkness" Seiryuu, who had indeed torn apart an entire army, into a mighty judge. As it had turned out, the beast hid within its facade of destructive desires an impressive wisdom that has allowed it to garner quite the reputation. Knowing that his dragon friend would prove to be an enormous asset, The Gatekeeper has also decided to invite Seiryuu along in hopes that he may be useful, either for defensive or conversational purposes. Since the dragon's normal form is too massive, though, he will be appearing in a shrunken-down form that I am certain he will not be able to maintain for too long without his magical energy running out.

Expect him to appear in your universe, alongside Seiryuu and his lizard mount, tomorrow morning at the scene of the crime. From there, he will likely await your orders, unless he decides on a more spontaneous route for his investigation.

The Gatekeeper hoped that there would be no temporal mixup to cause the letter to be instead sent at a later date, as his universe's creator deity & said deity's avatar were infamously problematic, constantly fooling around with the creations of the former, only sometimes with their consent. Even so, he was not terribly concerned if it turned out it was — he knew more or less what to do when he barged into other peoples' universes, as he had done it several times prior for other such forays to tame his beasts or to capture some Anima that had gone berserk. In those cases, he usually avoided the other authorities, but when confronted, had been able to convince them to let him continue his pursuit.

"Now then," he said to himself, mounting his lizard, "just where is that dragon? I had told him we would get going soon." With that, the Gatekeeper took out his staff, which was some sort of gnarled oak cane that twisted around a purple orb on top, & raised it to the sky, emitting a violet pulse. Moments after, a dragon's roar rang out from behind him, & soon enough Seiryuu, in all his multi-winged splendor, landed on top of the Gatekeeper's tower, slightly shaking the structure. "Ah, there he is," nonchalantly said the beast master, not even looking up, "Hey, let's get going now." Rather than check to see if the dragon heard him, he instead waved his staff in an arc in front of him, summoning a swirling purple vortex. Before he entered, a much smaller version of Seiryuu dove onto & roosted on top of The Gatekeeper's head, the dragon putting his head in between the two horns on top.

---

Draganisia, Attack Site
The first sign of a visitor from another universe was the spontaneous opening of a portal large enough to fit a rider & his horse near the scene of the crime that was out of the way of anyone's route & hopefully sight. Regardless of if anyone was nearby, the portal would then have an enormous, impossible-to-miss & easy-to-read sign materialize over it that said "THE GATEKEEPER FROM THE THRYLLASIAN REGION WILL COME FROM THIS PORTAL. PLEASE DO NOT BE AFRAID OF HIM". Moments later, the sign would be pushed out of the way & a calmness spell would be cast over anyone perceiving the scene, preventing any panic towards The Gatekeeper, who then exited — still riding on his lizard while Seiryuu rode on his head & looked as grumpy as he always did. After this, sign would disappear, followed by the portal once the lizard's tail fully exited it.

"Alright, let's hope that these natives will feel like helping me," he said to himself as he dismounted, his lizard sat down, & he leaned on his mount, waiting for something else to happen. As he had arrived later, it was likely that most of the gas had dissipated, but he kept a few magical sensor spells running on him. In fact, his magical aura was not suppressed at all, & it was likely that most would be able to feel a powerful aura radiating from him.

[Draconia Homeland]

Draganisia
Capital City

The dragonling awoke with a sudden jolt, it's small paws swinging and wings fluttering about as reality snapped into place. Confusion reigned over the small creature as he stood upon wobbly legs and looked around at an unfamiliar room. He recognized the room for what it was; a utility closet of some type with tools and equipment on shelves, yet could not figure out how he came to be here, or for that matter, who he was.

Looking down at his stoutly built body, he felt a vague sense of astonishment, yet could not quite figure out why that sensation was there in the back of his mind. He could clearly see that his belly was a bright yellow, while the rest of himself seemed to be vibrant shades of deep blue fading to a wonderful violet color. Feeling about his head and face, he felt the outline of a short snout and nubby little horns on the top and back of his head.

Dazed and confused, the dragonling sat back on his tail and stared at his paws, with their little claws for a few more moments, trying to clear the fog from his mind. Finally, unable to scratch that itch of a lingering memory, he turned to look towards the open door and cautiously padded forward, peeking out into the hallway and looking left and right, hearing sirens in the distance and seeing that there was no one around. Summoning his thoughts, he opened his muzzle and called out, "Hello?" and noted dimly that his voice was a soft squeak, appropriate for a creature of his size.

Like following the light at the end of a tunnel, the dragonling wandered down the hall to where the door stood open and sunlight was streaming in. Stepping out, he was blinded by the sunlight momentarily, slowly blinking and clearing his eyes to look around and finding himself standing in an alleyway. The sounds of traffic came from both ends of the alley, and he hesitated about which way to go. Finally, he chose a direction and moved to the end of the alley, cautiously peeking around the corner to see a street that was closed off by caution tape, and there were people in uniforms standing about. Some people were wearing what appeared to be bright yellow space suits, and the dragonling understood not their purpose. Moving among them seemed to be a large, red horned creature as well as a giant lizard of some sort.

Watching the scene for a moment, the dragonling did not know what to do with himself. Everything was frightening. Losing his courage, he turned and scampered back down the alley, darting out the other side unknowingly into street traffic. A car suddenly honked and swerved as the dragonling scrambled across the street, and the car ran up onto the curb, smashing a trash can. Even more frightened, the dragonling gave a squeak of fright and hurried under a row of vehicles parked by the curb and darting under them. He hurried along in the shadows until the mouth of another alleyway opened up to the side. With a mad dash, he threw himself into the alley and ran away from the scene of the car accident, eyes wide and wings tucked back in fear.

[Draganisia]

OOC: Since I am responding to other posts with this one as well I am warning you right now this will probably be a long one.

Draganisian Imperial Palace
The Night After the Incident

Jake watched over Adria to make sure nothing bad happened to her while Jesse was gone. Meanwhile Jesse made his way back into the Palace and into the Royal suite where his father Emperor Brian and friend James Lee were both waiting for him.

"It is Gladius." Jesse said to them. "Time to explain to me why he is doing this."

"There is a lot to explain to you Jesse and so little time to do it." Brian said to him.

"Than now would be a good time to start!"

"Fine. A long time ago I was lost on a mission in the Eastern Mountains and Jungles. My squad had been killed and while I did manage to kill the rest of our enemies I was left alone in the jungles and mountains of that area. I was starving and on the brink of death before she rescued me."

"Who rescued you?"

"Your mother. She lead me to an Ancient City high in the mountains and she had to use magic in order for me to go there. Once we were in the city she revealed to me who she was and that she had been watching me for a long time waiting for the chance to finally be with me. Her name was Mei and she was the Princess of the Dragons. Her mother was named Mara and she was their Queen."

Now Jesse finally understood why he felt a bit different. "So my mother..."

"Is a dragon and that means so are you and your sister Alexis. I had told her the truth a while ago as well since she seemed to love dragons even more than you do and promised me she wouldn't tell you until I was ready to."

Jesse looked at Lee. "I assume you knew about this as well?"

"Yes. I promised your mother that I would watch over you and keep you safe from those that may want to kill you. Everything I have taught you is real as I have been helping you prepare for the time where you learn who you really are." Lee told him.

Brian continued. "Dragons have the ability to change between Dragon and Human forms at will. Even in human form they are much stronger and faster than normal people which is another reason you are the best soldier the Draganisian Empire has."

"So why is Gladius's plan so bad. If anything after what you told me it sounds like things would be better if everyone changed."

"After a while that may be true." Lee said. "However you have to remember that he wants to change everyone which would include our enemies as well. You saw the panic and chaos just from one small attack. Imagine the chaos that would ensue from everyone in the world changing into dragons?!"

"No matter how good it may seem it is something we cannot allow to happen Jesse. That is why you and your team must stop Gladius at all costs. I am also prepared to give you any and all resources you need in order to do this even if you needed our entire military. Just let me know and it will be done."

"How should I start? I have no idea where to even start looking!" Jesse told them.

"Yes you do." Lee said. "Your mother will know a lot more about him than any of us do. If you want to learn how to defeat Gladius you must go to her. I will take you to our city in the mountains where you can meet with her.

Draganisian Capital City
The Next Day

Lead Officer Henry Wu would be the first to see The Gatekeeper and whether the calming spell worked on him or not was irrelevant because he still wanted to know who this Gatekeeper was and what he was doing there. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"


Draganisian Capital City
Also The Next Day

(This part may change)

Alexis was the Princess of Draganisia but right now she was a worried mother looking for her son who went missing after leaving his school for the day which was located in the ATLAS HQ.

He was supposed to be picked up and brought to the Imperial Palace but because of the Incident the driver never made it to where he was supposed to be picked up. Since then Alexis had been walking around the city herself looking for any signs of her son and where he could have gone and that was when she heard a sad squeak coming from under a nearby parked car.

She looked under it and saw a little dragon that looked like it was about the same age as her son. "Come on out little guy. I promise I won't hurt you."

The little dragon was hesitant at first but a part of him recognized her as a motherly figure and agreed to do what she said.

After he was out from under the car she picked him up lightly to make sure she didn't hurt him and went into a nearby ally. She wanted some affection as she hugged the little dragon because she was sad that she still couldn't find her son and as she hugged him she recognized something on his scales as a birthmark that looked exactly like the one her son had.

"Is it really you?" she asked.

Before he really got a chance to answer she began to run back to the Imperial Palace while still holding him and making sure he was not hurt.

"There is one way to find out."

[Shwe Tu Colony]

Lead Officer Henry Wu would be the first to see The Gatekeeper...

Draganisian Capital City, Scene of the Attack
Hmph... doesn't look like the letter got through in time, The Gatekeeper thought, looking at the man blankly with his green, orb-like eyes, his two companions also glancing towards him with Seiryuu narrowing his eyes at him & the lizard sniffing the air. After a moment of silence, the beastmaster finally spoke, "I believe that I had asked my friend to send a letter, but it seems that it didn't successfully arrive..." He shrugged. "A small shame, but onto introductions. I am The Gatekeeper, but contrary to my name my specialty is more in the taming of all manner of beasts, from dragons," he gestured towards Seiryuu, whose glare shifted into a more neutral expression, & then to his lizard mount, "to less fearsome creatures."

"But anyway, as for what I am here for, I decided to visit your nation to perhaps help you out where I can against these terrorists. I am certain that my tracking & taming abilities will not disappoint," he continued, somehow extracting a folded letter by reaching behind him & holding it in front of him, "But anyway, this here's the letter that should've been sent to your government." If Henry took it, he would see that it was the letter that Sekka had written.

[Draconia Homeland]

Draganisian Capital City

Still a bit too confused and stunned to really understand what was going on, the dragonling found himself scooped up and hugged by a strange woman. When squeezed to her chest, he gave out a *squeak-whee* that sounded faintly like a chewtoy being stepped on. His head tilted when she asked who he was, and he replied with some squeaky chirps before she hurried off with him in her arms. He gave another squeak, and flailed small paws in the air, he's being kidnapped! Err.. dragonapped! SOMETHINGNAPPED!

Unsure of what to do, as he was rather securely held in the woman's arms, he waggled his undersized wings a little, still squeaking and making noises at the woman as he tries to explain what has happened up to this point. Much of it involves waving his paws about dramatically.

[Draganisia]

As much as the little dragon tried to squirm it wouldn't be enough to get away from Alexis. Being a dragon herself she was much stronger than normal humans even while in her human form so he wouldn't be able to get away from her no matter how much he wanted to. "Don't worry my son. I am taking you home and once we are there everything will be straightened out. You are my son and I promise I will never let you go."

Draganian Capital City
1 Day after the Incident

Officer Wu read the letter and saw that the message was to the Emperor. It was understandable why the message had not gotten to him yet given the time it takes to go down the Chain of Command. Either way Wu was convined The Gatekeeper was not a threat to them. At least for now.

"If this message was also sent to the Emperor than I suggest going to the Imperial Palace and speaking with the Emperor to let him know that you are here. If you did truly send it to them first and really want to help us than there should be no problems with them letting you into the Palace. Do all that you can to truly show them you mean no harm and things should be fine for you. Good Luck Gatekeeper. I hope you really do help us find the bastards responsible for this attack."

Meanwhile...

Draganisian Imperial Palace
Same time as above

Adria woke up that morning with a scream and after what his father and Lee told him Jesse wasn't really surprised at what had happened.

After Jesse heard the scream he sighed. "Can't say I didn't see this one coming." He said as he casually walked into the room and saw a large purple dragon where Adria was sleeping the night before.

Jesse looked at Jake who was still sitting in the chair next to the bed. "Jake how did you not notice this earlier?!"

"I'm sorry Jesse. I fell asleep earlier in the night and didn't wake up until I heard the scream."

"How are you feeling right now?" Jesse asked her.

Adria was not amused by his question. "I went to sleep as a human and woke up as a dragon! HOW DO YOU THINK I AM FEELING!"

"Ok I will have Lee take care of this. LEE YOU BETTER GET IN HERE!" Jesse yelled.

"What does he have to do with this?" Jake asked.

"Oh last night I learn some things last night. My father and Lee told me that Dragons can turn into humans and back whenever they want to. And that is not even the best part. Turns out my mother is the fricken Queen Of The Dragons and she is still alive!" Jesse told them.

"Dang. So what is the plan now?"

"I will take you all to our city in the mountains. There your mother will tell you what she can about Gladius and how to stop him. But first I must help you change back into your human form."

"Yes please do." Adria said as her mood did not really change at all yet.

"Changing between human and dragon forms is actually very simple. It has to do with our feelings and emotions and what we truly want at the time that we change. In order to turn back into your human self you simply have to imagine yourself as a human and it will happen. The same can be said when changing into a dragon. Just imagine yourself as a dragon and it will happen. It is as simple as that."

Adria did what Lee said and sure enough he was right. She imagined herself as a human and as she did so she changed back into her normal self."It worked!"

"Good. Now let's get moving and find that Dragon City." Jesse said.

"Not without us!" Alexis said as she ran into the room while holding the small dragon. "I found him!"

Jake was not amused. "Alexis I thought I told you to stop bringing in stray animals?"

"He is not an animal. He is our son [insert name here]!"

[His name is up to you Draconia Homeland]

Seeing Alexis change into a dragon and back was one thing but now this was pushing it. "Alexis are you absolutely sure it is him?!"

"I did the DNA tests in my lab. I can confirm it is him."

Lee?" Jesse asked as he looked at him.

"I believe she is telling the truth." Lee said as Alexis showed them the birthmark which they all knew looked the same as the one Alexis and Jake's son had.

"Can you change him back as well?" Jesse asked him.

"No."

"What do you mean NO?!" Jake asked with a bit of anger.

"Most dragons can't change between human and dragon forms until the age of 13 and this dragon looks younger than that."

"He is 12 so isn't that close enough? Even then wouldn't his dragon form be bigger than his human form instead of smaller?" There was no end to Jake's questions.

"It depends on how he changed. You said you found him under a car?" Lee asked Alexis.

"Yes."

"Than that is concerning." Lee said. "As I said before changing has to do with your feelings and emotions as well and if he was afraid and scared at the time of his transformation than it would explain why he is smaller and more adorable than he should be."

"The place I found him was close to where the Incident took place. If he was leaving school at the time of the blast he may have been very close when it happened."

"That would do it." Lee said. "The psychological trauma caused by the explosion and panic could have caused the transformation. It wasn't the gas since you are a dragon as well. As far as we can tell the gas doesn't effect those who were already dragons."

Jesse knew what they had to do "Either way it only shows that we need to go see my mother even more now. Let's get moving."



Meanwhile The Gatekeeper was let through the front gates of the Palace after the guards confirmed that he was the one sent to help them against Gladius.

[Draconia Homeland]

"He is not an animal. He is our son, Sammy." At those words, the dragonling seemed to perk up a little, head tilting back and forth. He didn't really understand what was happening, as he had no memory of what had happened before he woke up in the shelter of that utility closet. He doesn't know who he is, who his family might be. He squirmed around in Alexis' arms a little as she held him out for inspection to the others. A dubious look was focused on Jake as he reached out to examine the discoloration on his scales of a birthmark. It's time to strike!

Grabbing his own tail by the base, he wiggles and swings the end of his tail at Jake's arm, harmlessly whapping the back of his hand. Hrumph! He's not defenseless, he's dangerous, and ferocious, and very mighty. That'll teach people to go grabbing at him. Luckily for Alexis, she was holding him out at arms length, so with his stubby little limbs, he can't exactly fight back against her, not that it would hurt anyone.

When Jake shouted out in anger, Sammy squeaked and covered his head with his wings, peeking out briefly to see that no one was attacking him. No attackers? Time to be brave! Balling up his little paws, he assumes a fighting pose in Alexis' arms like a kung-fu fighter, prepared to fend off the shouting man. But by then, they all seemed to be leaving to go see someone else. Carried along for the ride, Sammy huffed quietly and folded his stubby arms over his chest, a look of adorable stubborness on his face.

[Draganisia]

While Jake was slightly angry after the little dragon wrapped his tail around his arm he then started laughing a bit when he saw Sammy trying to fight while failing miserably.

"Oh that is Sammy all right." Jake said with a smile. "He had always been a little fighter and told me he wanted to be a Soldier Prince like you when he grew up." He said while looking at Jesse.

"Ha Ha very funny." Jesse said sarcastically. While Jesse understood why Jake was feeling a little better now seeing Sammy squirm around like that with his cute little squeaks it still didn't make the situation any less serious. "I'm sorry Jake. Right now I just want to focus on getting out of here and to that Dragon City to see my mother. Hopefully she can help Sammy learn to change and tell us more about Gladius before he tries to attack again."

As they exited the Palace they came face to face with The Gatekeeper.

Now Jesse had seen everything. "This day just keeps getting better and better. I am sorry but I don't know who you are." Jesse said as they approached the Gatekeeper riding his lizard.

[A m e n r i a]

Draganisia, Capital City

The Vampire Twins of Amenria have been sent on a mission to help a faraway nation called Draganisia with their terrorist problem. After reviewing some satelite photos of the capital, they headed to the palace, where they explained themselves to the guards and handed over their business cards. They still plan on seeing the king anyways, with or without the guards' consent. An infiltration plan was already in the works.

[Draganisia]

"First a demon riding a giant lizard and now Vampires." Said one of the guards at the front gate to the palace.

"It's none of our business at to why they need to see the Emperor as long as we can verify that they are who they say they are." said the leader of the guards. "I called those that I needed to and can verify that the Vampires are here to help."

"Why are they so interested in fact is going on. There have been terrorist attacks before and those were always dealt with by our own forces. Why do they all want to help now?"

"I don't know but I am sure we will all find out eventually."

Meanwhile when the Vampire Twins approached Jesse and the others he told them and the Gatekeeper the truth. "OK I don't know the real reasons as to why you all want to help us all of a sudden and honestly it's probably best that I don't but either way if you really are here to help than I need to know that you are all here to help for the right reasons."

Lee then spoke up. "What he is saying is that we need to know you want to take down Gladius as much as we do. That you are not really going to try and help him against us."

"They won't." Emperor Brian said as he went out to say goodbye and see them off on their journey. "I talked with the leaders of their civilizations and they told me they are here to help us figure out the truth to Gladius's attacks. I trust them for now Jesse and so should you."

"Of course father." Jesse replied. "We are heading to the Eastern Mountains to meet with my mother where you found her. Will contact you once I learn more about what Gladius is planning and how he intends to complete his plan."

"Good Luck my son. And know that it is not just the fate of Draganisia that rests on your shoulders but perhaps that of the entire world."

[Shwe Tu Colony]

The Palace
Seiryuu was quick to snort in anger & leer at the Draganisians's bluntness while atop The Gatekeeper's head, but the beastmaster stroked the dragon's shrunken head. "Calm down, this is not the time for disputes, they are simply... curious," he said as he spoke to the dragon, who shook his head back & forth in what could either be anger or happiness, "Oh, yes, I should introduce myself." The Gatekeeper extracted Sekka's letter by reaching behind him & held it out towards Jesse. "I am The Gatekeeper, & I'm mostly interested in this trouble since it seems to be mostly dragon-related in nature. Contrary to my name, I am more so a beastmaster than a guardian. I'm mostly just here since this seems to be a beast-related problem & there hasn't been much going on in my home universe. I ought to keep my skills practiced, of course."

"But I will not turn my back on your nation, that I will assure you," The Gatekeeper then continued, his tone serious & Seiryuu's glare intensifying, as though trying to convince those present that the beastmaster was not lying, "I am more often a peaceful fellow, only fighting by the orders that I agree with — & I'm certain I will agree with most of yours that aren't crimes against humanity — & in self defense. I do not tame beasts with violence beyond painless immobilization, but rather kindness, for it is most often the most effective. As Sekka has constantly told me, peaceful rebellion usually ends better versus a violent one, as we can see right now." He paused & hastily added, "But of course, I don't think that I would support these beastly foes of ours. They had their chance, & they have lost it."

He cleared his throat, & his lizard mount motioned its left hand forward to tell everyone that they really ought to get going. "Yes, he's right, I've been talking for too long," The Gatekeeper said, "Let's get going. Don't worry too much about my lizard, by the way... I have my own solutions if we must go into more cramped spaces." The mount nodded in what resembled an innocent happiness, but Seiryuu looked down at the lizard in a disapproving glare. The dragon seemed unfriendly to say the least, but surely he would be useful for something.

[A m e n r i a]

Carmilla and Camellia expected the prince's reaction. Jesse knew nothing about them, so it's only natural that he got suspicious. Before they can provide and argument, however, his father vouched for them, saving them the need. They were glad that either the Matriarch of the Miao Coven or the Heavenly Emperor talked to the king beforehand.

"I believe an introduction is appropriate." said the older twin, a woman in her 20s of Chinese descent, with smooth, bright skin, a tall, slender build, and black hair styled in a bob. She was wearing a black dress with matching heels and her pistols, the Fullmoon Song and Newmoon Aria, were holstered on her lower back. "I'm Carmilla and this is Camellia, my sister. Pleased to meet you." She smiled and bowed, and her sister did the same. The two were identical, save for their hairstyle and clothing. Unlike Carmilla, Camellia was wearing white and her hair was long, wavy and brown, styled in a princess-cut.

[Draganisia]

"Welcome to the team." Jesse said to all of them after everyone was done introducing themselves. "We are heading to an ancient Dragon City located in the Eastern Mountains to meet with someone there who can tell us more about our enemies."

"The Vampire twins should be fine being allowed into the city when we get there." Lee told them. "The Gatekeeper and his companion on the other hand could be a problem."

"How so?"

"Long ago a huge war was fought here between the Ancient Dragons and the Demons. They were invaders from another dimension but the Ancient Dragons drove them back. As for his Dragon it is known to be destructive. It was because of that destructive nature that he was exiled from the city. The demons no doubt know where the city is so bringing him there is no problem. Allowing him inside however could be problematic."

"We will worry about it one problem at a time Lee." Jesse said. "Let's get moving."

[Draganisia]

OOC: Ok if no one else is going to post than I may as well continue.

The journey into the mountains was not very eventful itself but it was a long and hard one.

After many days they all eventually made it to a small forest village deep in the mountains that was overlooked by a large stone Castle that could be seen from almost anywhere in that forest valley.

"That is where we are going." Lee said while pointing at the large stone Gothic Castle. "However we cannot get there before night comes. We will rest here at the Village Inn before heading up to the Castle tomorrow."

"What is that place?" Prince Jesse asked him.

"It was built long ago during the Dragon-Demon War. Within that fortress lies the entrance to the Dragon City."

"Who is the owner?"

"I am." Lee told him. "I am the guardian of the secrets that lie within that place. So are the people of this village."

"How?" Jesse asked him.

"Your questions will be answered when the time is right. For now go to your room and rest. I will stay up and make sure everyone else is well rested as well before we continue in the morning."

Jake and Alexis would stay up a little longer and have dinner with Sammy on the ground floor of the inn. They thought that Sammy would stick out more but most people there didn't seem to really care about the small dragon at all. Like they had all seen small dragons before and it was nothing new to them.

Meanwhile...

Unknown Location

Gladius was preparing the next phase of his plan with his second in command named Makarov who had some news for him.

"The operation in the Capital City was a success." Makarov told him. "The gas was able to change people there it came in contact with into dragons but the gas itself did not last as long as we need it to in order to change more people."

"The gas was just to see what would happen when people did change and how they would react to it. According to the report I got many are trying to investigate what happened and are now all heading to our city in the mountains."

"You mean the Prince? He is no threat to us." Makarov said.

"He may not seem like it." Gladius replied. "But he knows more than you think and if he finds out the truth before we can reclaim the medallions it will become much harder for us to complete this plan. Remember when I told you to have a large force ready to attack the mountain village and Castle if we ever needed to?"

"Yes. They claim to be ready at a moment's notice."

"Get them ready Makarov. If the Prince and his friends do become a threat than him and those following him need to be eliminated before it is too late."

[Shwe Tu Colony]

The journey into the mountains was not very eventful itself but it was a long and hard one...

The Village
I wonder what he meant by a city, The Gatekeeper thought as he cautiously stepped into the village, Seiryuu observing everyone & everything nearby with his usual angered expression, Hopefully, this isn't the one he meant. Earlier, the beastmaster had rode his lizard for as long as he could, but by the first area where it became impractical to continue riding it, he took out a small crystal for his mount & threw it above it. A gentle blue light would have then enveloped the lizard, which would dissipate into a cloud of red-like gas & be absorbed into the item. Although the village streets were probably wide enough to accommodate it, The Gatekeeper was too lazy to extract it & let it stay inside of its crystal, which hung from Seiryuu's head by an orange string.

Assuming that nothing else happened, the demon would probably enter his own room, Seiryuu flying off of his head & diving into the bed, whereupon the dragon pulled the sheet a short distance to crawl inside & tuck himself into the bed. Hmm, it's not like I'll be sleeping much anyway, he thought as he watched the dragon curl like a cat in the sheets, Plus, I would tear apart the sheets. Thanks to advancements in magic in his home universe, he was among the many that did not need sleep to do well. Sure, it was nice & still had some benefits, but it wasn't absolutely necessary, & he could function just as well as someone who got a good night's rest, even if he had gone weeks or even months. His lizard, though, was never content to go without a quick nap where possible.

As such, The Gatekeeper gently extracted the crystal from Seiryuu & threw it into the air, where it then created a field of light in the room that summoned the lizard, which just barely fit inside the room & also curled up to sleep. "There you are, my little fool," he teased, lying down next to it & stroking the head of it. He attempted to get up, only to realize that he was a bit stuck — wearing such spiky red armor had its impracticalities, like right now, but it was useful in deterring beasts from trying to eat him. At the very least, his spikes did not pierce into the roof of the next floor, nor did they pierce anything important. "Ah, gods above, not again," he said to himself as he tried to pull himself out of the floor. After a few embarrassing minutes of struggle, in tandem with a few weak lubricating spells, he finally popped out of the floor, stumbling a few steps forward.

"Hmm, I better fix that," he thought to himself. As he prepared to cast his spell, though, Sieryuu suddenly sprang out of the bed & flew to the damaged floor, using his own magic to repair it. "We must conserve our energy," the dragon said, "I worry for what enemies we may face. We must be prepared, & I know that we can not afford your magical energy reserves being depleted."
"I suppose, yes," The Gatekeeper replied, "I can say the same about you, though."
"I do not need magic to be diplomatic towards other dragons, but you will, beastmaster," the dragon turned & flew back to his bed, curling into it again.
Hmm, let's hope that my spells will not be too necessary for our next operations, he worried, placing a durable blanket in a gap in his lizard's curled body & sitting inside of it, relaxing against his mount & eventually falling into a light sleep.

[Draganisia]

After everyone else went to their rooms for the night Jesse and Lee met with the inn's owner.

"It is good to see you again Lee." The owner said as they sat down at the corner table with him.

"You as well John. Seems you and the village have been doing good here."

"We still get people passing through on their way to the Capital City. Although less have been coming here since the attack. Speaking of which I know a lot about you Prince Jesse. Not just a Prince of Draganisia but also the son of Queen Mei."

"How do you know that?" Jesse asked them.

The owner then transformed into a dark green dragon right in front of them.

Jesse was a bit surprised but it seemed no one else was. "You are a Dragon?"

"Everyone who lives in this village is a Dragon. Lee is not the only Guardian to the city. We didn't really like the loud city life so we created our village here and help Lee guard the portal to the city."

"Is the city located in another dimension?" Jesse asked him.

"Actually no. The city is on another part of the planet though. The city used to contain portals to many different locations in the world but after the Demon War most of them were closed. This is one of the few still open and we must do our best to guard it otherwise it will be closed as well and we will be cut off from them."

"What happened during the Demon War?"

That was a question neither or them felt like answering. "It was a dark time for all of us. Better not to bring that up right now. Just know that an insane evil tried to take over the universe and we stopped him but at a great cost."

Lee then got up from his seat and went to his room without saying another word.

"Something I need to know about?" Jesse asked him.

"Lee almost lost his family during that war and while they did survive nothing was ever the same for them. A while after the war his mother died so the only family he has left is his sister. You will meet her once you go through the portal tomorrow."

Jesse thanked him for the rooms for the night and then went to the room he shared with Adria. "Took you long enough to get up here." she said to him as he entered the room. "What was that conversation about?" she asked him.

"Let's just say I learned some important things about the guy that owns this place and the people of the village."

"Anything I should know?"

"Nothing you probably didn't already figure out yourself." Jesse said knowing she more than likely already figured out everyone in the village were really dragons.

"If anything a Dragon Village like this is probably one of the safest places we could be right now." She said not hiding that fact at all. "So let's have a good night's rest so that we can get up there to that Castle tomorrow and find out what really happened me and Sammy."

"How do you feel?" He asked her. "Do you know how Sammy is doing?"

"I visited them after you and Lee told me to leave the room. Sammy is still a little dragon and seems to be handling this much better than anyone else. Hopefully your mother can find a way to change him back once we get there."

"We will see."

"You don't think they can change him back?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore Adria. What I do know is that I intend to find out everything I can about our enemy so that we can defeat him without hurting anyone else in the process."

"If war has taught me anything Jesse it's that while you might try to save as many people as you can. You can't save everyone."

[Draganisia]

The next morning they all started their journey up the mountain to the Castle overlooking the high altitude valley that the village was located in. The journey would be shorter than what they have done so far but was far steeper and Jesse decided that instead it was time to use their Dragon abilities for the better and fly their way up to the Castle instead of going the steep way.

Adria was still learning how to control her dragon form but had managed to get in the air without too much effort while Jesse and Alexis seemed to have even better control of themselves naturally since their mother was a dragon.

"Let's do this." Jesse said as those that were dragons all transformed. He then looked at the Vampire Twins. "One of you will ride on my back while the other will ride on Lee. As for the Gatekeeper you can ride on your own Dragon you brought with you."

He then looked at Jake. "Will you and Sammy be good on Alexis?"

"Yes they will." Alexis said as Jake got on her back while holding Sammy who surprisingly was not squirming around as much as he had been before. "I guess seeing his mother as a dragon as well seems to calm him down."

"Young dragons are always more calmed down while they are with their parents." Lee told her. "Be gentle with him and he should be good for the flight to the Castle."

"Ok lets do this. And maybe have a little fun while we do it." Jesse said as he jumped into the air right after one of the Vampires got on his back. "Hold on tight. I'm still a little new to flying as a dragon."



Meanwhile back in the Capital City another attack had taken place. This time it was in a more populated area and while they had things handled for the moment Emperor Brian knew that if the biological attacks continued to happen there would soon be more dragons than humans in the city. However at the moment that was not even his biggest problem.

"Any word from St Abbaddon about the civil war there?"

"They are requesting reinforcements from the Pacific (My NationStates Region). I believe that Pacific Alliance leadership will soon approve a full scale mobilization to support the loyalist government against the rebels and other invaders supporting the rebels."

"Do you know if Gladius has anything to do with what is going on there?"

"Why would he sir if I may ask?"

"Gladius has always been one to use distractions to keep us away from what he is really doing. It is possible he orchestrated the whole war to distract us while he completes his true plan."

"Should I contact the Prince?"

"No. I will tell them myself after they return from their journey to the mountains. The last thing we need is for Jesse to be distracted while protecting our allies instead of being focused on defeating our true enemies."

[Shwe Tu Colony]

The next morning they all started their journey...

To the Castle
"Oh, flying on Seiryuu?" The Gatekeeper said in a vague sense of surprise & talking to nobody in particular, more so monologuing to himself, "Well, it'll be a first for both of us. Seiryuu?" With an acknowledging but less-than-pleased grumble, the dragon leapt from the beastmaster's head into the sky above. Once he was but a tiny speck of purple in the blue sky, a cloak of purple dust flew out from him & wreathed him in an opaque cloud, followed by Seiryuu's mighty roar echoing throughout the area. After another moment, the cloud was scattered with a surge of wind blasting out from its center, after which the dust became too diluted in the atmosphere to be observable.

With the cloud out of the way, Seiryuu's transition into his larger form was complete. With a smirk, the dragon extended his cloak of wings, which ranged from nearly white to a dark purple, & flew in a circle, causing a few gusts of wind that would thankfully not blast towards anyone, although a glance at the trees below would reveal that the drafts he had made were of some considerable strength, with a few small branches being snapped off from their trees. "Ahahahah!" came the dragon's rather sinister laugh as he fluttered in the air, "The exhilaration of flight, the wind under my wings... there is just nothing like it! Gatekeeper, get ready!"
"Wait, what are yo—" The Gatekeeper began, only to be caught inside of one of Seiryuu's equally massive claws, "Wah-ah-ah!" His peculiar scream, which was a series of staggered ahs, soon gave way to a short bout of amused laughter as Seiryuu flew in a circle, awaiting further directions from the others with a smile & The Gatekeeper in his claw.

[Draganisia]

OOC: Sorry I have been busy IRL but promise I have more free time now.

"That Castle is our destination." Lee told them as he began flying towards the main entrence on the other side of it. "Inside the Castle is an ancient portal that will take us directly to the city. Before we land we need to decide who is going in and who will stay to guard the portal behind us."

"As much as I want to see the Dragon City I agree to staying behind but will need someone with me." Jake said while holding Sammy in his arms. "Alexis you will go in with our son and find out how to change him back."

"Who will stay out with Jake?" Jesse asked.

"Honestly I prefer if the Gatekeeper did." Lee said. "Dragons there still don't like the Demons that much and while I do trust you personally right now you need to understand that others there might not."

"Gatekeeper are you ok with that?" Jesse asked him.

[Shwe Tu Colony]

"That Castle is our destination..."

To The Castle
When Jesse mentioned staying back, Seiryuu had somehow heard it & decided to land & release The Gatekeeper, roosting on what ground he could considering his enormous size whereas the demon walked closer to where the rest of the group was. "Me, stay behind... yes, that will be quite fine," he said, "I am a capable beastmaster, as I have said, but I do agree that it would be best if I avoid creating potential conflict. I know what war can do — seen it with my own eyes, heard the tales, even participated in one or two to my pacifist chagrin — & I would rather not remind those dragons of anything terrible to that degree. They've fought once, they deserve as much rest for the memories that they might never forget." He shivered slightly, remembering the tales spun & spurned by the assassins after the operation in some distant civilization known as Sadera. Those folk, though deemed impenetrable, stalwart protectors & legends in Parfuhmerie, were truly no stronger or indeed even weaker, than a normal soldier, for they were oftentimes the rejects of society, living a life of scorn.

"So, yes, you lot go on ahead, I'll be just fine staying here with Jake," he continued, "I have my own knowledge of portals, but whether or not it'll be usable is the only issue, seeing as this is a foreign land to me. At worst, I can ask for support from the Psytrines, who I am closely affiliated with. Their brilliance will not disappoint us in the event of catastrophe, but I think they're awfully busy right now anyway." It was a slight lie — the Psytrine Domeses had a surprising amount of free time, but he was opposed to harassing them with favors, even if he rarely called on them. Still, there was also the matter that whoever he might call upon would get distracted with something new, which might have its own cast of undesirable consequences.

[Draganisia]

"Good." Jesse said when the Gatekeeper agreed to stay behind with Jake. "You will stay here with Jake and guard the Castle while the rest of us go in. If the Dragon City is still on the same world as us like Lee claims than our Communicators should still work. If so than let us know if anyone hostile approaches the Castle."

"How will we know if they are hostile?" Jake asked.

"If they shoot at you it probably means they are hostiles."

Jesse, Alexis holding Sammy, Lee, Adria, and the Vampire Twins would then head into the Castle while The Gatekeeper and Jake stayed outside. Jake had defended positions like that on his own before so he knew what to do and assumed that The Gatekeeper and his Dragon knew what they were doing as well. "What could possibly go wrong."

Meanwhile inside the Castle they made their way through the hallways and corridors to a courtyard at the center of the large stone and brick Castle where a large golden machine was located. "We are here." Lee said as he approached the machine.

"That is... shiny." Jesse said looking at the portal machine.

"The Ancients has technology capable of converting other materials into Gold or any other materials we wanted to." Lee told them.

"Matter conversion." Alexis said in awe.

"Exactly, And through that we could make anything we wanted to including portals to other locations." Lee said as he started the machine. The circular area in the center of the machine lit up as the portal opened. "It is stable. Step through it and we should come out another portal machine in the Ancient City. Let's get moving."

"Here goes nothing." Jesse said as he went through the portal first with others following him until Lee went through last.

When they got to the other side of the portal they all just stood there and stared in awe at the Golden City in front of them. The buildings were all made of gold and silver just like the portal machine was and the city stretched on as far as the eye could see. "How big is this place?" Jesse asked Lee.

"The island the city is located on is fairly large yet far enough from any human nations for them to not worry about us."

"Do other nations know about this place?" Alexis asked him.

"Actually many do but we have made agreements with them to leave us alone if we left them alone and they have honored those agreements. In fact we get many refugees here that wish to join us." Lee said as they walked down a golden staircase from where the portal was.

"How is that possible?"

"As you can see this city is not just home for Dragons. Vampires, Werewolves, and many other races similar to us call this city home as well. Some of them have the power to read minds so they read the minds of the refugees to see if they are here for peaceful purposes or not. Those that are allowed to stay can be given the same powers we have. They can become one of us if they choose to."

"I'm guessing that is part of the reason what Gladius want's to do is possible."

"Everything you have been told about us might not be true Jesse. I will let my mother Queen Mara explain the situation."

Just then what was probably the most beutiful woman Jesse had ever seen approached them. She had long black hair and here eyes were almost exactly the same as Alexis's.

"Lee!" She said gladly as she ran over and hugged him. "It is so good to see you again brother. Our mother has been expecting you." She then looked at Jesse and Alexis. "You as well my son and daughter. I was the one who gave life to you both so many years ago. My name is Mei."

Jesse and Alexis didn't know what to say. She didn't look that much older than Alexis but since Dragons aged very slowly they had pretty much already figured it would be the case before they even arrived. It was still weird to them seeing her themselves though.

"I know I have much to explain to you both but for now that will have to wait. You need to come speak with my mother so that she can explain to you what is going on."

"Let's go." Jesse said with no emotion at all. If anything he was still angry that Mei did not meet with them sooner but at this point he just wanted what they came there for. A way to stop Gladius from hurting anymore innocent people once and for all.