^^ Adeline in flight ^^

--- Ten-Ryuu-Qián ---

Just as the first of the sailors rushed towards me, the Strider made her entrance, coming off the top of a wave nearby, and ramming completely through the second ship, cutting it in half.

The Pirates flinched as the Strider circled them, and Mú-Lòng calmly stepped onto their ship, making it dip in the water.

She gazed down at them. "You may either Surrender... Or Die. Make your choice."

Their weapons dropped almost in unison.

I nodded. "Well that was easy."

The captain barked out orders to strip the ship of useful things, and I hummed when someone carried out a pitch black egg.

One of the dragon's I'd saved snatched it in her teeth gently, and curled around it, with the other dragon laying on her for another layer of heat and protection for the egg.

I hummed and approached them, trailing a hand over their hides, which were an inky black, almost like oil. Though they didn't seem to have metallic scales, the leather of their hides had developed hardened scales of leather armor in key points, and where it was most aerodynamically useful.

I began checking their wounds, and found that they had already healed completely, and thick, armor-like scars were all that was left.

I blinked slowly. "You healed from cannon-shot in only a few minutes?"

The female gazed at me, and then spoke into my mind. 'Indeed we did. We have done so quite often. I thank you for saving my kit from the same fate.'

"Whoa... you're a telepath... that's interesting, but why would they do this, if they knew they couldn't kill you?" I asked.

'It is to toughen our hides. They wish us to be stronger, tougher, so we will not be killed if they sell us to the Demons, and they use us in their war.'

I blinked. "Pirates are selling dragon's? Like slaves?" I seethed.

She blinked slowly. 'I take from your reaction this is not common where you are from.'

Mú-Lòng interjected suddenly, leaning down next to us. "Dragons are the pinnacle of creation. We are honored, feared, loved, and respected in Asia. We are not slaves."

The smaller dragon blinked, then looked at its mate. 'I see we have found a very nice place, then, for our kit.'

The female hissed at him. 'My kit!'

He cowered for a moment, and nuzzled her chin to show some affection. She grumbled, but allowed him to lay with her.

I smiled. 'And it's a matriarchal society. Loving it.'

She snapped her gaze to me, and chuckled out loud, her rough vocal cords producing a sound not unlike sawing wood. 'Indeed.'

I looked at the captain. "And what shall we do? We can't turn back to china after a month at sea, we're nearly to the tip of India."

She nodded. "They'll have to come with us, or stay in India... but darlings, we're going to Deutschland, the Roman Empire, right near where you're from, so if you don't want to return..."

The female hummed softly. 'German Rome isn't so bad, only you're not allowed to fly inside the city, which is odd. And the punishments for most Draconic Crimes is Death.'

"What in the hell is a Draconic Crime?" I asked.

'Bonding a Peasant, Stealing Cattle, Killing Humans, that sort of thing. Though, they usually just kill the peasant, if that's an available option.' She said simply.

I blinked slowly. "The bond between Dragon's and Humans is a Sacred bond given directly by the gods... how dare they even believe they are allowed to dictate it?" I snarled.

She smiled sadly. 'Arrogance has always been the Bane of Rome.'

The captain snorted. "Now that's definitely true. Well, I suppose it's an exploratory mission, not a diplomatic one. We don't have the right to question their laws in their land. Put it from your mind, princess. Please."

I growled softly. "If I have to conquer their country, I will, but I will not allow such barbarism to stand, Captain Wei."

"Then you will have my sword, my princess, but we are much too small a force to attempt to conquer Rome and her Allies." She sighed.

"Fine. Then we shall simply free all the dragon's. Once we are done mapping the country, and we have sailed away, we will travel back, and free all the slave dragon's."

"Princess, regular dragons aren't slaves in Rome. Only the Pirates take them as slaves."

"And do they catch these dragons, do you think? No, I'm willing to bet they buy them from the Romans, who think they're too much trouble, or what have you." I shook my head.

'The little one speaks truth. Rome has long enslaved its criminals, and we are told they are put to death, but this is our true punishment.' The female dragon nodded at her scarred wings.

The captain sighed. "Fine, fine. I will help you conquer Rome at a later date, but as of now, this is an Expeditionary boat, mapping the seas. Nothing more." She said firmly.

I sighed. "Fine... but when I do go to war with Rome, I rather think I want you on my side."

She smirked. "No worries there, princess."

The dragon eyed me speculatively, and then nodded. 'I am Adelinde, or Adeline. This is Bergen.' She nudged her mate. 'And my kit is to be known as Galahad.' She grinned and nuzzled the egg.

"Very unique names you have... I am Princess Ten-Ryuu, the Heavenly-Dragon of Asia." I bowed my head respectfully.

She hummed back. 'A unique name you have, as well... are you cold? You took a dip in the ocean there for a minute.'

"I am a bit chilly, yes." I grinned guiltily.

She nodded and nudged me into the circle she'd made, though it wasn't a coil, like the Imperials, but more a Wall.

Her body was very flat, almost perfectly so, but her wings were a little over three-times her body-length, at around 100ft wide, from my calculations. Her tail also had an odd set of almost fins, which she seemed able to fold into many shapes.

She smiled at my staring. 'You have never seen a Shadow-Hound before?'

"Shadow hound?" I raised a lip at the derogatory name.

She chuckled. 'Not the best of names, I agree, but we are a rather Rare breed, which was why I was punished for bonding with a peasant. Bergen came with me because he's hopelessly in love with me.' She smirked and nuzzled her mate.

He chuckled softly, and went back to resting with his nose against the egg.

"And what gave you that name? And your rarity?" I asked.

'We're very fast, quite possibly the fastest breed of Dragons there is. We're used mostly as strafing fighters, as we're not very good in a scrap, but we heal quickly.' She hummed.

"And you're called Shadow because you heal with Ink Magic." I surmised.

She smiled. 'Indeed. That is our Magic.'

I let my tattoo's come alive. "It's mine, as well." I smiled back.

'Hmmm... interesting...' she sniffed the ink curiously, then reared back when one of the dragon's sniffed her, as well. 'I see mages have also learned the secrets of certain dragon magic's... can you create lightning in your stomach?' She asked suddenly.

I blinked slowly. "Why would I? I can make it in my hands, but I'm no weather mage." I made a few sparks between my fingers.

She hummed again. 'I see... and do you have a Weather Mage on board this vessel?'

I pointed at the woman at the helm, sitting next to the captain, her hood pulled low to disguise the fact that she was sleeping, now that the storm was over. As soon as we'd managed the ship's surrender, the winds had slacked, and then the storm had broken apart around us.

"Every ship of the Iron Fleet has one, or even two." I explained.

She hummed. 'Human! Approach!' She barked out mentally, and the woman fell off of her chair in surprise.

She stood up quickly, and approached us cautiously. "Is there something you need?" She asked.

'Hmm... you smell of salt and iron. I like it. Come.' Her tail snagged the woman, and pulled her into the little, but very warm, alcove.

Bergen hummed softly and sniffed her. 'She is very interesting... I have never had a human... may I have this one?' He asked his mate tentatively.

She hummed and pushed the mage into his side gently, (for a dragon,) then eyed her skin. 'She does not have the ink...'

"No, weather mages are specialists. They can't master other types of Magic." I explained.

She nodded. 'I see.'

Bergen sniffed the woman again. 'I am Bergen. Would you like to fly with me?' He asked.

She smiled and pet his snout. "I think that would be rather amazing, Lord Bergen."

He flinched. 'I am not a lord, little human.'

"In Asia, all dragon's are Lords of the Court, though the Royal Dragon's are obviously High Lords and Princes and such." She said easily.

He hummed. 'Odd...'

'Ahhh, so I would be Lady Adelinde? I approve...' Adeline grinned widely, showing teeth nearly as long as my hand, and incongruously pyramidical in shape, clearly designed for puncturing armor.

The mage smiled. "I am Xian-Su. It is an honor to meet dragons such as yourselves, Lady Adeline, Lord Bergen."

Bergen grinned and nudged his head under her, slipping her onto his back, and then carefully extracted himself from his mate, spreading his wings, which, despite his length, (~10ft shorter than Adeline's 35ft,) were the same span as hers, at about 100ft.

He dropped them once she was hanging on securely, and suddenly he was flying upwards at speeds that had Mu-Long snarling in surprise.

He zipped through the dying storm clouds, and then roared once, so loudly that the waves 300 feet below him broke early. His skin seemed to fluctuate for a moment, and then shadows poured from his body, making him look almost five times bigger than he actually was.

Finally, Lightning poured from his mouth into the broken storm clouds, and the clouds started sending the Lightning he fed them down around us in a strangely oscillating pattern, actually creating music.

Adeline hummed along, clearly recognizing the tune, and I placed a hand against her chest to feel the vibration in her sternum.

"What is that?" I asked.

'It is his Mating song... watch my egg, human. I must go make another!' She laughed, and darted into the sky, almost as fast as he had.

Her skin also created a giant replica of herself with shadows, and she added her own Lightning to the mixture.

She chased him around, unsuccessful at catching the smaller, faster dragon, until he swooped by us, and dropped Xian-Su off into my arms. The lost speed had her catching him, and dragging him into the clouds.

I smiled, setting the weather mage down. "Odd mating practices, but I like the matriarchal part."

She chuckled. "He's quite an interesting fellow, yes. And so is she."

"Well it's about time that the Strider got her own dragon stationed. And perfect for an exploratory vessel, huh?" Captain Wei grinned, slinging an arm over her mage's shoulders.

I sat next to the egg, and gently pet it, sending heat and electricity into it, like the dragons had been doing.

It was small enough that I could fit it into my lap, so I sat with the 45lb egg, watching and listening to the most beautiful storm I'd ever witnessed.

The music had grown in tempo, and I blushed at the rather obvious rhythm, but it was still beautiful. The Draconic Lightning, as it came through the air at a slower speed than natural lightning, was capable of making a deep, resonant tone; when it touched the water, the sound rebounded, changing intensity and pitch in what had to be the most precisely coordinated magical spell I'd ever heard in my entire life.

I sighed at the music winding to a close, and the two dragon's took a dip in the ocean, hopping onto the deck with a mouthful each of fish that the Lightning had attracted.

I noticed fresh scratches all over Bergen, but he seemed proud of himself, and they healed quickly.

He dropped to the deck, and curled around me and the egg slowly. Adeline grinned and wrapped the both of us, dragging Su into her alcove, then covered us all with her wings, creating a little cabin on the deck, and falling asleep.

I smiled. "Interesting."

Xian-Su snorted. "Indeed."