Draco adjusted his paws, trying not to tighten his grip for the time being. Kei straightened up in his wolf form, breathing heavily. The lycanthrope shivered, which even the dragon could feel. The boy began to twitch his ears and blink fiercely, which distinguished today's exercises from the others. Previously, the animorph would start to thrash wildly immediately after the transformation, but now he just stood there.
'Kei?' The reptile whispered, and the boy he was holding trembled again. The wolf's head turned slightly, and emerald eyes glanced at the dragon. This time, however, the previous emptiness was missing from his gaze. It seemed that intelligence sparkled in them. The humanoid blinked rapidly, and the sparkle gave way to primal instincts.
Draco reacted at the last moment. If he hadn't managed to tighten his grip, the animorph would have easily broken free. In addition, the lycanthrope's struggle was stronger than before, more coordinated. The reptile had the impression that for the first time, the shapeshifter was not trying to struggle, forcibly tearing his limbs apart, but that his movements were connected and the attempt to free one arm was carried out with the participation of his entire body. The difficulty of the session automatically increased, to a monstrous degree.
The dragon quickly searched his memory for all his knowledge of hand-to-hand combat and immobilising opponents. He recalled everything he had learned at the Academy in Dagos, everything he had learned from his master and the Ed'heer soldiers, and every technique he himself had suffered from. Unfortunately, the latter was the most numerous.
Mindful of his own tricks, he tripped Kei and forced him to kneel on one knee, significantly limiting his movements. This made it a little easier to hold the hellishly strong lycanthrope, but it did not change the fact that the dragon had to work continuously with his entire body, from his wings to his tail.
Kei lunged forward, throwing Draco off balance slightly, but immediately bent backwards, howling piercingly. It wasn't the first time, but even so, a wolf's howl right next to your ear could be dangerous.
The dragon felt something on his thigh. He looked down. Kei's claws had slid across the reptile's leg, leaving streaks on the black scales. Draco only now noticed that in his attempt to immobilise the subdued animorph, he had leaned to the right, making it easier for his opponent to attack. He wanted to curse under his breath, but instead he just pulled hard in the other direction, putting himself out of reach of the wolf's claws again.
As usual, the struggle lasted a long time. Draco could have sworn that it was even longer than usual, and much more intense. In addition, Kei's coordination had improved significantly, allowing him to use his true strength. To say that it was difficult would be an understatement. However, he succeeded, and finally the animorph lost his vigour and began to move more and more slowly and sluggishly. Only when his body collapsed in the dragon's grip and began to slowly transform into a human did Draco gently lay the lycanthrope down on the sand of the arena.
The dragon sat down heavily. He panted with his tongue hanging out, trying to cool down a little. It wasn't easy. This time, Kei had given him a hard time, just when the reptile thought he had gotten used to the animorph's level. It turned out that the shapeshifter's abilities were only slowly beginning to reveal themselves.
Draco waved his paw. The barrier surrounding the arena fell. Ari was the first to jump onto the sand and approach the sleeping Kei. Vi and Forth followed him. All three looked paler than last time.
'It took you a long time today.' The vampire looked at the dragon. 'Is everything all right?'
'Yeah... It's not that bad.' The reptile gasped, trying to keep his eyes focused on one point.
'You said things were starting to change.' Ari rose from the lycanthrope. His face reflected his consternation. 'Today...' He looked around as if expecting some inspiration to come to him.
'It was obvious.' Draco stood up and headed towards the stone floor. If he had to lie down anyway, at least he didn't want to be covered in sand. 'He surprised me too. He remained conscious for at least that brief moment.' The dragon collapsed onto the cold floor and transformed, knowing what was about to happen. He instantly felt exhausted and stretched out on the stone, almost lifeless. He had long since discovered that the coolness of marble alleviated the terrible wave of fatigue, but today he felt it many times over. He was only glad that he had taken off his shirt before transforming and would not have to return in completely soaked clothes.
'Do you need help sitting up, or can you manage on your own?' The elf waved a large jug of water over Draco's head.
The dragon only raised his hand, not even bothering to speak. Ari pulled him up, which caused dizziness and the appearance of dark spots. The reptile was about to make a snide remark, but only sucked on the jug.
'It really is better,' the sharp-eared one whispered. He seemed afraid to admit it out loud, lest he jinx it. 'Gods, I'm so happy,' he added more clearly.
'Wait with that joy until it's completely successful,' Draco grumbled. 'For now, it's just the first big step.'
'The most important thing is that it works,' Ari smiled broadly. 'Speaking of things that work.' He took a familiar vial from his pocket. If the dragon had had more strength, he would have grimaced, but all he could do was give the soldier a sad look. 'Don't look at me like that, just drink it.' He pushed the potion into the reptile's hand and looked at him expectantly.
Draco put down the jug and sighed. The regenerative potion wasn't very tasty, but its effectiveness couldn't be denied. The dragon uncorked the bottle and drank it in one gulp. He was so tired that he didn't even taste it. The pleasant warmth heralded improvement, but everything takes time.
'Aren't you overdoing it a bit?' he asked Ari, who sat down next to him on the floor. 'With the potions?'
The elf stared at the sleeping Kei. Vi and Forth stood over the lycanthrope, betting on how long it would take him to wake up after his exertions. The sharp-eared one smiled slightly.
'It's the least I can do.'
'You do enough without that,' muttered Draco. He checked that the vial was indeed empty and handed it back to the soldier sitting next to him. 'Kei certainly has it easier with you and knowing that you won't leave him.' The dragon was suddenly overcome with irritation, which he managed to hide quickly. He also thought he had someone like that. He bit his lip, thinking of all the letters he had sent to Jeviev, to which he had received no reply. He felt regret about this, although he wondered if he should. However, no arguments could help him get rid of the painful needle stuck in his heart. 'You don't have to worry about me that much.'
'It seems he has to.' Forth approached them with a grim expression. It seemed that he had lost the bidding to Vi. 'You would hurt yourself and not even notice.'
'It's not that bad.' Draco tried to pretend he was indignant.
'Then how do you explain how they described you after the marvax attack?' Ari scored a point. Long ago, the four of them had told the reptile what the soldiers accompanying them on the trip to Enpine had said about the monster's attack. The dragon's behaviour after returning to the estate and his attempts to downplay his injury worked against him.
'Besides, every now and then I hear from the butler or the lieutenant that we have to be careful and make sure nothing happens to you.' The vampire rolled his eyes.
Draco just sighed, not wanting to comment. Although not much time had passed since the monster's attack, for the dragon it was already a faded memory, one of many similar ones.
'Good quality potions aren't cheap.' The reptile tried to change the subject, or perhaps return to the previous one.
'And our pay isn't low,' the elf replied. 'Besides, there aren't many things we spend it on. Everything we need is in Ed'heer.'
'Yes, a roof over our heads, food, uniforms and clothes, equipment,' Forth listed. 'Basic potions too.'
'And they are issued every month, if nothing happens,' the elf shrugged.
'You said you buy them somewhere in Dorvus,' Draco recalled reluctantly. At that moment, he was not a very sharp conversationalist.
'We were going to show you, but... somehow it slipped our minds recently.' The vampire sat down on the other side of the dragon. 'As Ari said, they are issued as a basic necessity, mainly for emergencies. If you use it up during training or in other circumstances, you have to wait until the next month.'
'Or buy your own.' The elf played with an empty bottle the whole time. 'Actually, most people buy them at that shop. When we're...'
'...in Dorvus, you'll show me.' Draco shook his head slightly. 'You already told me that.'
'So I'm just repeating myself.' Ari shrugged. 'Never mind, if we're in the area, we'll go there. Anyway, I need to restock my supplies.'
'I think you still have a week off before the start of the academic year,' Forth pointed out. 'There will be time while nothing is pressing.'
'Exactly, you're right.' The elf nodded enthusiastically. It seemed that Kei's visible improvement had affected Ari more than the lycanthrope himself. The boy couldn't hide his joy, smiling constantly and bursting with energy. 'Master Vittoro's workshop is also nearby, so we can go to the shop while we're at it.'
'And while we're on the subject of free time,' the vampire focused his gaze on the dragon, 'you haven't told us anything about today's exams.'
'Uh...' Draco had hoped that the question would be avoided, but it seemed that his hopes were in vain. He had already explained everything to the master and Gizel once today, but it seemed he was destined to repeat himself. At least his previous listeners had filled in a few gaps that the dragon had encountered. 'Practical magic wasn't difficult. I came across all the most common spells. I cast them, the instructor made some notes, and that was it. Nothing interesting.' He braced himself behind his back so as not to fall over. 'Later, Aiden took me to the Tower of Earth, to the underground. Maybe it was better that we got there quite early, because at least I didn't have to wait for my turn. My examiner turned out to be a grey orc woman who didn't introduce herself, but after hearing the description, my master said it must have been Isverna Gar'quette. Personally, the name meant nothing to me.'
'I've heard of her somewhere before.' Vi must have been listening carefully, because he interrupted them, leaning over Kei. 'I just can't remember where.'
'It sounds familiar, but it doesn't mean much to me either.' Forth just shrugged.
'Never mind, tell us what happened next, because I can see from your expression that something else happened.' Ari was very good at reading the dragon.
'It started out standard, just attacking as if you wanted to hurt the other person,' Draco continued. 'I could feel that she was strong, in the sense that I somehow knew that even if I gave it my all, I would have trouble even hurting her. After a while, she told me to stop and said that by human standards, it was good, even very good.'
'That's an understatement,' Forth rolled his eyes. 'Once someone tries you, they'll know you're good, you don't have to be an instructor from Solvein.'
'But she's also the only person I've heard of who can recognise a dragon, even without transformation.' As he said this, the reptile felt uncomfortable. It sounded as likely as a dragon wielding magic. Draco smiled to himself.
'I guess nothing surprises me anymore,' Ari sighed.
'If she really recognised it and didn't find out some other way.' Forth seemed sceptical. 'But what reason would she have to try to find out more about you on her own?'
'I think she did recognise it.' Draco wasn't entirely convinced that it was possible either. After all, even the twins Vittoro and James didn't need much prompting to start guessing that he wasn't human. 'Especially since Gizel said that with her skills, there's not much you can hide from her. The Master only added that sethi Gar'quette is the Court Master.'
'What is someone with such skills doing as an instructor at Solvein?' Forth almost jumped out of his seat. 'How many Court Masters do we have in the kingdom? Four?'
'Five, I think,' Ari muttered thoughtfully. The elf frowned deeply, thinking intensely about something. 'There are different opinions about Jovan Tryblec. If he hasn't reached that level yet, he's on the verge of the Master of Combat level.'
'In Dagos, there was open talk of nine Court Masters, but it's hard to say how many are hiding in the mercenary wings,' the dragon said almost unconsciously.
'That's as many as our archmages,' the vampire relaxed a little, but his face still betrayed his thoughtfulness.
'Can you be quiet? My head is splitting.' The lycanthrope stirred on the sand of the arena.
'Kei!' Ari and Forth jumped up simultaneously and ran to the animorph.
'How are you feeling?' Vi asked first.
'Bad,' the shapeshifter muttered indistinctly. 'Something's blowing my skull apart. Uh...'
'Did you hit your head?' The elf tried to examine the lycanthrope, but he only hissed, turning his face away from the light. 'Something wrong?' The long-eared creature's frightened gaze rested on the dragon, who was slowly getting up from his place.
Draco would have liked to sit a little longer, but it seemed that the situation did not allow it in the slightest. He dragged himself off the floor and slowly approached the others.
'Not really,' he finally muttered, looking Ari in the eye. 'But I advise you not to say it too loudly, because Kei will go crazy.' He put his finger to his lips. 'I had something similar after my first full transformation. It's hard to get used to how suddenly the world is perceived differently, and then you return to everyday life. My aunt said at the time that it was worse than even the most terrible hangover. I believe her.'
'Laugh, laugh,' Kei whimpered. 'Gods, what's going on...?'
'I told you,' the dragon tilted his head with interest. 'It's about not being able to adjust to a complete and sudden change in perception. Don't worry, it goes away after a few times.'
'That's comforting,' came from the curled-up body.
'Stop whining.' Forth nudged the lycanthrope, causing Ari to snort indignantly. 'You made a lot of progress this time.'
'Well... I do remember that.' Kei turned his head slightly, but kept his eyes narrowed. 'Everything was... different, more intense... Just different.'
'It's hard to describe, although dragon perception is probably different from yours anyway.' Draco stretched, feeling the potion begin to take effect.
'But I remember,' the lycanthrope stated emphatically. 'Only later, again like before.'
'Little by little, step by step, it will get better.' The elf patted the moaning animorph on the shoulder reassuringly.