Silvermoon

At the home of the First Knight, the three-way Dragon battle finally came to a conclusion. Being less experienced in Dragon form than the other two, Darius found himself at a disadvantage. The two older Dragons didn't go all out against him, but they didn't hold back either. They systematically introduced him to various challenges when fighting against Dragons, or Dragon-like creatures.

There were other dragon-like creatures on Emphyralis besides Drakes, but they weren't intelligent. More like cunning wild animals. There were two types. Wyverns were slightly smaller than Dragons, with only two hind legs, more like birds. They were typically less aggressive unless their territories were encroached or their eggs were disturbed. They were also solitary, living alone or in pairs. They didn't reproduce much and they were typically left to themselves. Only wild Drakes were typically allowed to live in their territories.

The other creature was much more dangerous and much closer to Emphyralian Dragons in size and shape, except their scales lacked the metallic or gemlike scales, appearing much more reptilian. They were referred to as Wyrms. They had four legs, two wings, and longer necks and tails like the Emphyralian Dragons, but they had no gifts or high intelligence. They were aggressive and hunted and lived in groups. They had various colors adapted to their environments. They, however, were cunning enough to make enemies and allies. 

Wyrms were a major force in the Siege of Thale, allying with the sea-faring races for benefits. They were brutal and savage. But, they were also targets of the Dragon Hunters. The Plague didn't affect them, because they weren't the same as Emphyralian Dragons, but they were hunted on a large scale alongside the Dragons. A few groups chose to ally with the Emphyralian Dragons to fight against them. 

Wyrms were not a united force. They mostly acted by instinct and for their own benefits. The Wyrms that were fighting alongside Dragons one minute, could turn around and attack them the next. 

It was unknown when Wyverns and Wyrms came to Emphyralis, but they'd been there a long time. The Wyverns were basically left alone to their own territories unless they became a threat. The Wyrms were another story. They could be harmless or the biggest threat to a community. The rulers of Emphyralis had mixed opinions. Some wanted to completely exterminate the Wyrms and get rid of the danger once and for all. Others objected. For the most part, Wyrms were treated as any other group. Left alone until they became a threat.

Darius had never faced a Wyrm, but Lazarus and Amadeus had. Not long after Amadeus joined the army, Wyrms began attacking a fishing village in the Shattered Straits; they had to team up with the Isazian Sentry Corps to battle against a group of Wyrms. So, during their three-way battle, they used tactics that mimicked their previous battle with the Wyrms.

As a young, inexperienced Dragon, Darius was, in surprisingly, defeated. He was pushed down by Lazarus, wings twisted under his back. One leg was on his neck, and another on his chest with Amadeus in a position to land the final blow. The position of the claw on his neck was tricky. It wasn't a killing blow, but it cut off his ability to take a breath and counter-attack with his psionic fire. At his age, it would also be hard, in an already weakened state, to move a larger, older Dragon with his telepathic ability. "I concede," he managed to say.

Laz moved back and Amadeus backed off as well. "Not bad, my lord," Laz said as he began to shift back to his humanoid form. Amadeus shifted back as well.

Darius rolled to his feet and shook out his wings. "It could have been better," he said as he began to transform as well. The two older men watched him transform but remained mostly covered in fine silver scales. Darius made a slight face and concentrated on completing the transformation. The scales slowly receded. "One would think of it as a magical race, needing five years to adapt to switching forms would be unnecessary," he complained slightly.

Amadeus snickered. He clapped his cousin on the shoulder. "That wasn't too bad. Laz once had Dragon eyes for almost two days. No matter how many times he transformed, they wouldn't go away," he readily sold out his family member.

Lazarus only rolled his eyes slightly at him, but didn't get mad at him for revealing his embarrassing moments. "It's a process everyone has to go through. I once heard my mom talk about stories she heard from her elders about a Dragon who didn't transform at all during their Changing Age," he said.

Curious, Darius glanced at him. "What happened to that Dragon?" he asked. He'd heard that some Dragons preferred to live and travel in their humanoid forms, but even then, he'd never heard of someone refusing to transform at all.

"From the story she told, that Dragon lived almost two hundred years without ever transforming after the first time. But during a crisis, they had no choice. When they attempted to transform, not only was it painful, nearly ripping apart their humanoid body, but they were unable to transform back for another two hundred years."

Two pairs of eyes looked at him in some shock. Laz shrugged. "I don't know if it's true. It could just be an old wives tale to scare children into practicing their transformations in their Changing Age," he said.

Amadeus shook his head, unable to imagine it. "Glad I practiced," he said and looked at Darius. "Don't slack off, my lord," he said in encouragement.

Darius nodded. True or not, just the idea was horrifying. All in all, this interlude achieves his purpose of letting off steam after the annoyance of the Parliament testimony.

He patted his stomach. "Want to head to Crowley House? I'm famished," he declared.

Lazarus suddenly brightened up. "Wait! Let's drive there," he suggested and suddenly brought something out from his storage ring. It landed in the middle of the training grounds. When the other two saw it they looked back and forth between the object and the unusually spirited Lazarus with complex expressions.

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