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"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the earth dragoness snarled.

Aurum tilted his head, studying the green and brown dragon with solemn distaste. He kept himself seated calmly on the stone ground, his tail casually curled up around his forepaws. The silver shell on his back glimmered slightly in the light of the open door-flap of the cave. Pale yellow scales twisted up his legs and flanks, disappearing under the metallic shell that covered the entire top half of his body, including his wings and tail.

The home he had infiltrated was rather quaint. A nest of soft brown blankets and pillows was set up in one corner. A feeding bowl had been calved into the ground at the other, with bloodstains scouring its surface. Behind him was another cave door covered by a boulder, leaving the more private possessions of the dragoness hidden away. That wasn't why he was here though.

"Thefa," Aurum muttered, bowing his head slightly toward the angry dragon, "I'm shocked you don't remember me."

Thefa growled. She was a large dragoness, as most earth dragons were, and despite being several decades younger she was the same size as the metal dragon. Her curled horns and muscular frame held a rather intimidating figure, with the large spiked ball waving back and forth behind with a savage eagerness.

"You better answer me you thieving snake," she glanced at the boulder behind him, seeming to be slightly relieved that it didn't seem as though it had moved, "Or I will crush your skull."

A grunt of amusement echoed from a dark corner of the chamber, "I'd think twice about that, dragoness."

She spun to face the other intruder, taking a small step back as another dragon revealed themself from the shadows. The purple scales shimmered softly in the light. The flashing grin of white teeth reminiscent of the six serrated horns on the drake's head. Glowing purple eyes watched her, as the drake's tail slowly moved back and forth with careful movements. To her credit, Thefa didn't flinch at the introduction of another home invader, but much of her confidence quickly disappeared as she realised that this wouldn't be a one on one fight. Besides, rift dragons had a reputation for being rather deadly foes.

"What do you want?" she growled, looking between the two of them with narrowed eyes, her body tense.

"We just want to ask a couple of questions," Aurum responded.

"About what?"

"About something that happened near... oh... it would be over a century ago now. When a dragon was nearly trapped and killed because of the false accusations of his peers."

Thefa's eyes widened slightly, "Aurum? You lived?"

"I escaped. I thought that was common knowledge."

He could see the genuine worry now flooding through her, along with a hint of guilt. It was quickly replaced by resolve and another growl as Thefa slowly began to back away from the two of them, glancing back toward the open door-flap behind them. The rift dragon snorted at her attempt, taking a quick step forward, his maw opened slightly with a threatening purple glow. She froze, narrowing her eyes.

"And who are you? Do you not realise what this dragon has done?"

The rift dragon grinned, "If you must know, I am Endral, and I see you are still keeping up the lie you told all these years."

"Lie? I never lied," she snarled, "He's the one that is lying. He killed King Strager's mate! I saw him! Mind dragons even proved my story."

"Oh, I wouldn't believe a word a mind dragon says. And now, we are here to find out the truth. You are going to tell us what it is," Endral rumbled.

"I am telling you the truth," Thefa replied desperately, a hint of fear in her voice.

The two drake's glanced at each other. Aurum sighed, shaking his head with disappointment, before turning his gaze back at the dragoness.

"Look, Thefa, I don't want to hurt you. All I want to know is who told you to lie? Neither of us thinks you did it out of malice. We used to be friends after all. I believe you were threatened. But please Thefa, don't make this harder than it has to be."

The dragoness let out a shaky breath, taking another step backward, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Aurum looked at Endral, and solemnly nodded his head. The rift dragon snorted, before suddenly charging forward with a flap of his wings. Purple energy flooded his body as he accelerated toward the earth dragoness. She let out a cry of surprise as he collided with her. As he did the space behind them ripped open, as though the fabric of reality itself had been torn apart, revealing a void of nothingness. Thefa let out another desperate scream as the two fell into the void before it closed behind them.

Aurum remained seated, calmly studying the tip of his tail as he waited. Several moments later, another rift in space appeared at the top of the chamber, and the two dragons fell through. Endral, despite his smaller size, was in control of the fall and slammed the dragoness into the ground with a growl. She groaned, her entire body shivering as though she had just been blasted by an ice dragon.

"Now, have you had enough, or do we need to go for another trip to the void?" Endral growled.

It took several moments for the dragoness to stop shivering, before with a roar she tried to throw the rift dragon from her. He responded quickly, opening another portal, and the two fell through once again. The process repeated several times, each time Thefa slammed into the ground she was more exhausted and slightly more frozen. There was even an icicle in her eye from what had once been a tear.

Aurum couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for putting his old friend through this. But then he remembered how she had framed him for the crime, ruined his life, and forced him to flee from his home. The anger returned. She had taken away his life. He couldn't forgive that. He wouldn't forgive that.

Eventually, she broke, "Please! Stop! I'll tell you what you want to know! Please! Don't take me back there. I'll tell you! I'll tell you!"

Endral snorted, stepping off the dragoness and shaking himself. Aurum detected a hint of a shiver in his friend and felt another stab of guilt. They had both agreed to this method of interrogation, and while rift dragons could resist the nothingness of the void far better than most dragons, even they wouldn't last long under constant exposure. Endral saw his worried look and gave him a slight grin, showing that he was fine.

The two looked at the near-frozen dragoness, who was still shivering violently as she huddled under her wings in an attempt to warm herself up. Aurum narrowed his eyes slightly. He had been through the void several times, and even in those brief moments, he had felt the effects of the cold on his body. Sure, he was a metal dragon, so extreme temperatures affected his species more than most, but the void was the coldest place he knew, colder even than an ice dragon's breath, and could cause nearly as much damage with prolonged exposure.

Aurum gave the dragoness several minutes to recover, before pressing forward with his questioning, "So?"

She glared at them, a rumbling growl constant in her throat, "You damned – "

"Answer the question," Endral growled, "Or I will take you back into the void."

Thefa hesitated for a moment, glaring at the two of them, before lowering her head, "It was Doran."

Aurum frowned, tilting his head, "Doran? That old element starved drake?"

"Y...yes. He needed a witness to frame you... and made me do it."

"Doran?" the metal drake repeated in disbelief.

Thefa slowly nodded her head.

"But that makes no sense."

"He wanted your position... I think. I don't know. All I know is there is some hidden side to him that... well... you're better off running. Both of you. You don't want to cross him."

Aurum narrowed his eyes, wondering if Thefa was lying again, trying to hide the true culprit. He remembered Doran well. The grizzled old earth dragon was a friendly face, incredibly intelligent, but weak as brittle bones. The last time Aurum had seen him, he was sure the elder drake was in the midst of his deterioration, a three-year period that ended in a dragon dying of their old age, but he had been told that Doran was merely suffering from several sicknesses he had hatched with.

"He tried to help me when I was originally framed," said Aurum, "And I was the one that helped him make several of his endeavors a reality when he started working within the palace. It was your false testimony that convinced him!"

"I don't know why!" exclaimed Thefa, "All I know is he did, and he threatened everything I loved if I didn't do what he asked."

For several moments the metal drake studied her, narrowing his eyes, trying to detect the hint of a lie. He glanced at Endral, who had his own frown as he thought over what the dragoness had said. The rift dragon slowly nodded his head. He believed that Thefa was telling the truth. But it only left Aurum with more questions than answers.

"Thank you," he said to the dragoness.

She let out an indignant snort, turning away from the two of them. Endral opened another portal into the pitch blackness of the void. He leaped through, and Aurum followed quickly after. There were only several moments of pitch darkness, blistering cold, and breathlessness, as though floating in an infinite abyss before another rift opened, and the two reappeared in another cave.

This one was smaller, with two nests made from straw situated on either side. A single door-flap lay closed on the other side, blocking out any from making their way into the room. The stone beneath their feet was nearly black and had several claw marks through it from previous occupants. Aurum shivered a little, and lay down in one of the nests, curling up a little as he went over what he had just discovered.

"Who's Doran?" asked Endral as he lay down in his own nest.

"He's this old earth dragon who works closely with the king and his court," replied Aurum, "He's the one who took over my position."

"Ah, why did you never mention him before?"

"Never came up I guess."

"I mean, I'm surprised you never suspected him, considering he was the one that took over your position."

Aurum shrugged his wings, "He never struck me as that type of dragon. He was incredibly smart... of course... but as an element starved, and rather sick, drake, he didn't really have much physical strength to back up that intelligence. I helped him get to a rather high position, thinking that his intelligence would be useful. And it was. He bettered many areas of the kingdom with his ideas, and he gave very good advice. He always seemed to care about the welfare of the kingdom. When I knew him, he was a gentle old soul."

Endral nodded thoughtfully, "He could have faked it all."

"I guess... he was an odd dragon. But to threaten Thefa and frame me for queen Muvillion's death... it just doesn't seem like something he would be capable of."

"Sometimes we are surprised at what someone is capable of if given the motivation," Endral muttered.

"I suppose," sighed Aurum, "But at least we are getting somewhere."

"Agreed. So, what is the plan?"

"We talk to Doran. If he is the perpetrator..." Aurum narrowed his eyes, suddenly not knowing what he would do if he found the old dragon was responsible for his self-exile.

"If it is him, we force him to admit it to the king," said Endral, with solemn determination.

"Yes," agreed Aurum with a nod, "And if he refuses we get Thefa to oust him as well. That or we find a mind dragon to help us."

The rift drake growled at that, "You know I don't trust them."

"I know, but it might be the only way to convince Strager."

Endral snorted at that, "A king who relies on the words of a foreigner to his kingdom is not a good king."

"That may be so, but they are allies. He trusts them," rumbled Aurum, flicking his tail in annoyance.

His friend grunted in annoyance, "Alright, then let us rest for the night. We'll find this Doran in the morning."

* * *

The earthen kingdom's castle was a massive structure. It towered above the rest of the city, with thousands of archways and passages running through the remnants of a mountain it had been calved from. The city below, like most earthen cities, was built in the midst of ravines with homes being calved into the side. It was a maze that all centred around the palace. The palace itself was covered in ornate carvings a millennia old. The massive archers were made from limestone, and the pillars holding the inside up were several dragon lengths long, and hundreds of dragon lengths high. Thousands of dragons made their way in and out of the palace, mixing in with the thousands of humans that ran around, trying their best not to get stepped on.

Aurum and Endral found it rather easy to enter the palace, even if Endral got several curious looks from others in the crowd. His dark purple scales stood out rather heavily against the greens, silvers, and opallic colours of the more common species found within the kingdom. But the palace was open to the public and was a popular spot for visitors to come. Aurum couldn't help but smile at the awe on Endral's face as he looked up at the massive roof hundreds of the dragon lengths above them.

"It's quite amazing isn't it?" asked Aurum.

"It really is," nodded the rift dragon, "I've never been to the earth kingdom before, but I've seen the palaces on the other side of the continent, and as massive and impressive as they are, none come close to this scale."

"It was an interesting place to live," said the metal dragon as they made their way through.

It felt quite surreal for the metal dragon, revisiting his old home. It stirred up many old memories that seemed a lifetime ago. He had raised hatchlings within these walls, made friends, mediated important decisions, offered nationwide advice. Many of the happiest moments in his life had happened within these walls. But it was also home to the greatest betrayal, the one that turned his life upside down.

"That's the passage we need to go down, right?" Endral interrupted his friend's thoughts.

"That's the one," replied Aurum, looking at a far smaller corridor barely big enough to fit a dragon.

"I've got it in my head. Just need a private place where we can portal into it."

"Follow me."

Aurum quickly lead his friend behind one of the massive pillars. There were still several dragons studying the many carvings on the wall, but it was significantly quieter, and they drew significantly less attention. As soon as they found a place where no one was looking at them, Endral quickly pulled them both into the void once again. This time they were in there for significantly longer than last time. Being forced to rely entirely on memory for a rift jump when they hadn't been there was difficult. It required far more focus and thus took a bit longer. The difference was only a couple of seconds, but that could sometimes be enough.

The two of them reappeared through the portal within the narrow corridor, as far as Endral could teleport them into it. Aurum let out a hiss, shivering against the cold that he had suffered. The metal shell on his back had attracted the cold rather severely, and it felt as though his back was covered in blistering ice. He quickly pulled at the shell, retracting it from his back, wings, and tail, revealing the pale-yellow scales and flimsy golden wings underneath.

"Are you alright?" Endral asked, a little worried.

"Fine. Let's get moving," Aurum growled, hating that he had been forced to remove the shell.

The scales that were usually protected underneath were flimsy and soft compared to most dragon scales. Being without his shell left him feeling vulnerable and exposed. But it was better than the blistering cold of his shell. The two dragons continued on their way, passing by several very confused humans who hurriedly pressed themselves against the side of the walls to get out of the way. The servant corridors lead further and further into the mountain. Thankfully they didn't meet up with any guards within the corridors, and eventually, Aurum felt warm enough to reacquire his shell.

They made their way higher and higher. Having been through these walls many times as a younger dragon, Aurum found he could remember the way. There were a few new corridors here and there, but nothing that drastically confused him. The path still held true. The hazel coloured stone dancing in the light of the many torches guiding their way was almost relaxing. Another memory that he embraced warmly.

Eventually, they found the right doorway, one that ran into the several homes kept at the top of the mountain. There were several guards, a mixture of metal, crystal, and earth, making their rounds around this part of the mountain. Each guard had an ornate golden plate on their chest to mark them apart, making it difficult for any without the plate to get through. Thankfully, Aurum had a solution to that.

Taking a deep breath, he focused on the metal around his chest, watching it warp and change. He narrowed his eyes in focus, feeling the metal fight against what he wanted it to do. But he was the one in control, and it would listen to him. Gradually his shell expanded into an ornate plate on his chest, with the same golden colouring as the rest of the guard dragons. He separated the plate from the rest of his shell, attaching it through a string of metal that wound around his neck, before letting out an exhausted breath as he finished.

"Still amazed that you figured that out," rumbled Endral with a grin.

"As am I," muttered Aurum.

They waited until no guards were in sight before stepping out of the servant hallway and into the main one. It was made from the same stone as the rest of the palace, but instead of torchers relied on massive skylights in the roof for more natural light. It also allowed several plants to grow throughout the walls, each of which was kept and trimmed by the many servants within the palace.

The two dragons walked through the hallway, Aurum stepping confidently, acting as though he knew exactly what was going on. The first guards they came across gave the two of them curious looks, but seeing the golden plate along Aurum's chest, ignored them, and continued on with their duties. The metal dragon grinned. Usually, a dragon was not allowed up there, but when accompanied by a guard, anyone would assume they were there for a reason.

The drakes continued through the hallways for several minutes, Aurum relying entirely on his memory to make his way around. He had a guess where Doran would be. He just hoped the earth dragon hadn't changed too much around in the last century. Usually, dragons were rather happy with their living places and didn't want to change them for the hassle it could cause.

Eventually, they came to the right door. Again, the two of them waited until the guards were nowhere in sight before Aurum opened the door-flap with his tail and entered inside. Endral closed it behind him, and the two were met with a rather spacious room. The cave opened out into the sky, looking down over the city. A nest of white pillows and blankets sat in the corner and several golden trinkets littered the room. What drew their attention was the earth dragon in the centre, calmly pulling apart a carcass of some animal with satisfied hums. He gingerly looked up as the two entered, before giving a large welcoming smile.

"Aurum! It is good to see you," said Doran, slowly getting to his feet.

The old earth dragon was even more sickly than the last time Aurum had seen him. He seemed weary and tired. His wings drooped slightly at his side, and his scales looked far duller than even the most battle-hardened earth drake. His tail moved behind him in calm movements, the spiked ball at the end looking difficult to lift. But his eyes were clear and aware, almost dangerous as he looked upon the two dragons that had barged into his cave.

Doran's eager greeting had caused Aurum to hesitate, "Doran... you do not seem surprised."

The earth drake chuckled, shaking his head, "You cannot hide much from me in this city."

Endral growled lowly, lashing his tail, "Then perhaps you would be willing to answer some questions for us."

"Of course," the earth dragon replied easily, licking some of the left-over blood from around his mouth.

"I was told that you were the one that set me up, all those years ago," growled Aurum as he slowly began to pace toward the grizzled old earth dragon.

Doran was bigger than both of them, but his weakened frame and lack of connection to his element made him little to no threat if their confrontation would get physical. The earth dragon knew this as well and took several carefully measured steps backward toward the opening into the sky. The movement stopped the metal dragon as he realised that, if it came to it, Doran could quite easily drop backward into the sky. The earth dragon saw his realisation and grinned again.

"Aurum, no one set you up. You were the one that killed Muvillion, or did you forget that," he spoke so calmly and with such conviction in the statement that even Aurum questioned his memory of the event.

The metal drake shook his head, and growled, "I didn't kill her. I don't know who did."

"I think you did," Endral growled suddenly at Doran, stalking around the side of the chamber, "And then you framed Aurum here to get his position."

"You are Endral, correct?" Doran said, startling the rift drake slightly with his knowledge, "Do you not know that mind dragons convicted Aurum? He was the perpetrator."

"Mind dragons are liars and narcissists. I have as little trust for them as I do you."

The earth drake snorted, "You have a rather twisted view of the world. I can't help you with that. All I can tell you is Aurum has blinded you with his lies."

Aurum hesitated, unsure of his decision now. Had Thefa lied to them after all? He was usually pretty good at telling who was lying and who wasn't, and Doran was speaking as though he truly believed everything he said. But Thefa hadn't been lying either.

"Don't let him confuse you Aurum," Endral rumbled, "It may seem like he is telling the truth, but he isn't. Trust me."

"I never lie rift dragon. All the evidence pointed toward Aurum. We even had a witness," snorted Doran.

"A witness that said you threatened her to lie about Aurum's involvement," growled back Endral.

"She only said that to stop you from torturing her," roared back Doran with a sudden flash of anger.

Aurum's eyes widened. Thefa had contacted Doran. He looked around as he heard the grating of claws against stone as hundreds of dragons approached the door on the outside, as well as the thundering of several wingbeats on the outside. Endral hadn't noticed yet. The metal drake felt as though he should stab himself for his stupidity.

"Endral, we need to get out of here! They know!" he called to his friend.

The rift dragon looked back at him, suddenly realised the predicament they were in as several dragons appeared in through the opening, diving down toward them. Endral snarled, seeing them, going to step away, but before he had a chance Doran moved. He was far faster than even Aurum expected. The earth drake's mace-like tail whipped around, smashing into Endral's head, and instantly downing the smaller drake.

"No!" roared Aurum, leaping forward with a flap of his wings in order to protect his friend.

However, a rope of liquid metal snaked through the doorway behind him, flying through the air as though alive. It curled around him, trapping his wings to his side, and curling around his snout. He landed with a grunt as it continued to spread around him, covering him in metal. He struggled desperately against his bonds, but it quickly became apparent how stuck he really was as several dozen dragons entered the room from the doorway.

There were several different guards of the three species, but one dragon got Aurum's attention the most. A large metal drake with an aura of power that tasted of metal.

"Aurum," Strager, king of the metal dragons growled, "It has been a long time, old friend."

Aurum growled, struggling against his holds, though the metal just seemed to tighten around him.

"Doran, are you alright?" the king asked the earth drake, who was now back to acting sickly.

"I am fine your highness. The trap worked perfectly."

"Good. Send Thefa my regards," Strager rumbled, before turning to his guards, "Uvan, take these two to the dungeons, and get that rift drake bound so he can't escape."

A crystal dragoness nodded at his command and quickly bellowed out orders to the rest of the dragons. Aurum felt his heart fall as he watched the unconscious Endral bound by metallic ropes of dragon steel, before being picked up and carted away, with himself quickly following.

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Hello everyone! Sorry this Chronicle was a little late. Got distracted with some other things. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! This was a lot of fun to write. I quite enjoy exploring the earthen nations. Tell me what you thought of our characters and vote if you enjoyed. If you have any ideas you wish me to write about, head to my 'Your Ideas' section of the book. Down below are the next five stories you get to choose from.

Mobilization: Several different dragons - 10Yrs BTA

The Blood Dragon: Parrella, Acid dragoness - 41Yrs BTA

A Last Hope: Strager, Metal drake - 5Yrs BTA

The Passive Flame: Sakary, Fire dragoness - 20Yrs BTA

Retribution: Dvayin, Chaos drake - 43Yrs BTA

Vote for which one you want next week! See Ya!

Pennator^^