Minglings - Book 3 chapter 17: Fire pressure

Jake walked to the couch on the far side of his and slumped down before looking around.

So… if that's true, what is real and what is not?

As questions kept popping up in his mind, it took him a while to calm down.

"And this? How is this possible?" he asked as he waved around." It looks real… the radio even worked!"

"It's all in your mind, in your memories," Laurana replied as she moved beside him. "All I did was provide your mind with enough energy to create a tiny soulscape, a place stable enough for us to talk. Your subconscious filled in what it should look like."

Soulscape?

"Why did you bring us here?" he asked as he looked through the window at the building on the other side. The reflections of buses and cars drove by in the windows, and a pocket of blue with white clouds sat in the top one.

Jake felt a deep sadness at all that had been lost, something he'd not felt before. If everything he had known was nothing but a shadow, would any of it ever come back? Things like phones and cars, a giant interconnected world with planes and trains?

"I brought you here because I need to know if it's time for me to truly wake up and if my journey through time is finally finished," Laurana said as she leaned forward and examined a thick magazine on the table.

"Journey through time?" Jake asked.

Laurana didn't respond but walked back to the window and looked outside for a while before turning back. She sat down on the window sill and gazed at Jake.

"I've been hibernating," she said softly, smiling slightly sadly. "Waiting for the next wave."

Jake frowned. "Next wave?"

"It's too much for you now," Laurana said. "And it's not important for you to know either. What I need to know is how many of you have appeared?"

"Us? Earthlings?"

Laurana shook her head. "Not simply earthlings. Specifically Kobolds."

Jake frowned as he shrugged. "Only me and Emma reached you, but there were hundreds on the island where I arrived."

Laurana frowned, seeming unhappy with the answer.

"And how many of those were awakening before you left?"

"I don't know exactly," Jake said as he frowned as he tried to recall. It where just Mason, Emma, Willson, Sandra, and he himself, as far as he knew.

"Including me, five for sure. But I didn't pay much attention to the others…"

Laurana sighed. "Still not, then. You would have noticed otherwise. But it won't be much longer… perhaps a few hundred years…"

Jake shook his head in confusion as he saw Laurana stare out of the window wistfully.

"What is going to happen in a few hundred years? Can you please explain what's going on?" he asked, trying to understand what was going on. "Why is all of this happening?"

"It's better that I don't," Laurana said as she smiled at him. "If for some reason the information gets out… If he learns of what we did? No. It's not a good idea."

"He?" Jake asked with a frown and was about to ask more things when Lauruna shook her head, staring at him. There was a hard glint in her eyes, and he immediately knew that she wasn't interested in talking about it anymore.

"Alright, well, I'm thoroughly confused now," he muttered, annoyed. "Was there anything else you wanted to know? Anything at all you can tell me?"

Laurana looked at him with a surprised smile.

"Actually trying to push me? You are definitely not entirely my descendant! That's good, very good. It means it really won't be much longer," Lauruna said before she frowned and inspected him.

"Probably a descendant of that grumpy old silver scale," she said, seeming more to herself than him.

Right… and that tells me what? Jake thought as he waited quietly, wondering if she was going to say anything else.

"Jake," she finally said, startling him by using his name. "I will send you out in a few moments, then return to my slumber. Tell my children that they have done well and need to continue biding their time and growing in strength and numbers. They are to go out and bring as many kobolds back as they can."

Seeing how she seemed ready to stop doing whatever was letting them stay here, Jake rose.

"One second," he said. "My friend, brother, he awoke, turned into a dragon, and is out in the world somewhere. I want to find him. Can you help?"

Laurana frowned. "Is he of my blood?"

"Blue scales you mean?" Jake asked before shaking his head. "No, red and gold."

Laurana's eyes widened as she rose to her feet in a single move. "It worked? Even his bloodline is rearing its head? It was a wild gamble but..."

So there's more than just her that somehow became the ancestors of the new dragons? But why does she seem confused? Jake thought as he attempted to make sense of it all. Did it mean there were more ancient dragons in hibernation?

Lauruna shook her head. "I am sorry, Jake. I can't help you to find your friend. There is no elder left of that bloodline that can either. If you are to find him, you would have to set out into the world. Look for deserts and volcanoes."

"What if I find that other… Mason's ancestor? Is he hibernating somewhere?"

Lauruna sighed, a deep sadness on her face. She said something in the odd language that ended with something that sounded like Inceriorar before continuing. "He died before… no. I can't tell you this now. It is too dangerous. Forgot about it," Lauruna said.

Jake sighed as he saw a tiny bit of hope dashed.

"Jake, your arrival foreshadows a chaotic period of wars and battles," Laurana said. "But the true trouble is still not here."

She hesitated slightly, then the slight softness in her face vanished, leaving a dark coldness like the depths of a bottomless sea.

"Try and reach your full potential before you become an adult. Travel to the frozen south and search for other creatures with Frost Dragon blood."

Jake swallowed as he caught a glimpse of something deep, dangerous, and magnificent in her eyes.

"No matter what happens, in less than two hundred years, the true age of troubles will reignite. You need to become as strong as you can before that time. Learn how to wield the true magic of your ancestors, and if possible, find and guard as many kobolds and young dragons as you can. Create hidden enclaves… and prepare them."

Before Jake could ask anything more, the world around him rippled, and then he was staring at his claw lying on Laurana's scale.

"Holy shit," he whispered.

Taking a deep breath of water, Jake pushed himself back, swimming away from the massive body of Laurana.

"Is she waking… or not?" Ga'ulinder asked angrily.

Jake looked up to see him swim above him, and for a moment, he wondered what he should say. Should he explain what had happened?

She said there's a war or something going to happen in a few hundred years… I can't keep this to myself.

"Not yet," he said with a deep sigh.

"She spoke to you?" Ga'ulinder asked as he swirled closer, his enormous form hovering above Jake.

"Yes, she told me that in less than two hundred years, something horrible is going to happen, and we need to get strong enough to fight it off. She said she would wake up somewhere during that time."

Ga'ulinder's deep eyes gazed at him while a soft, weary sigh came from Libuxeria.

"So… she told you," Ga'ulinder said.

Wait? They knew? Jake thought.

"Jake, are you sure she said two hundred years?" Libuxeria asked as she swam closer to him.

Jake frowned as he tried to recall the exact wording.

"Yes. Something about some age of troubles that will happen in less than two hundred years," he said.

"By the hounds and all that's evil," Ga'ulinder shouted, his voice echoing out as he swam up. Then he let out a deafening roar as he vanished up.

"Quick, follow me," Libuxeria said, and Jake saw a worried look on her draconic visage.

He quickly swam after her, and as they went up, he sensed the pressure quickly leaving. As it did, he also noticed that the odd sense of not being in the right body was vanishing rapidly, and as he stared at Libuxeria, all he saw was a normal dragon just like him, with an old weary face and intelligent eyes. Nothing unusual.

Another deafening roar came from Ga'ulinder, and Jake saw Libuxeria look after the larger dragon sadly.

"What is wrong?" Jake whispered. "Is it because Lauruna didn't wake yet?"

Libuxeria didn't immediately reply as they continued up until she finally sighed.

"That too… but we already knew something horrible was going to happen, it's just… we never knew when. Ga'ulinder wanted nothing more than to fight in that war, to defend his people, and to help. But… two hundred years?"

There was another angry roar from above, and Libuxeria increased her speed.

"Ga'ulinder won't survive that long. And if he did, he would be too weak to do battle in what is to come…"

Right… two hundred years when you are already this old, Jake thought. Then he recalled the other dragons above, who had looked even more ancient. Was the reason why those hadn't come with them down here because they didn't have to… or because they couldn't?

"How long will you all be alive for?" he asked softly.

Libuxeria let out a sad laugh. "It's hard to tell for each of us, but as it looks now, there might be only one or two of us left by then."

She was quiet before continuing in a weary whisper.

" Each generation of us sleeps sooner. It's as if we become weaker with every generation. There is a small chance that Ga'ulinder will still be alive then. Me or the others? No, only Gaugurim might still be here when all is said and done, and he is already too old to really fight."

"If he is already that old…?" Jake asked, slightly confused.

"As I said, we don't all age the same," Libuxeria said.

Another deafening roar came from up ahead, and Jake tried to keep up with her as she increased in speed again.

Two hundred years from now? At least I've got plenty of time to find Mason and figure things out, he thought.

–

Mason slowly walked beside Salvo, reveling in the increasing temperature. His nails ticked loudly on the dusty, cracked stone tiles, and the tip of his tail slid across the roughly made wall to his left.

"Ugh… I can't believe your type can stay here and enjoy it," the other dragon said. "It's almost like torture!"

"Nah, it's not that bad! You should try swimming in lava. Now that's a way to peel off old scales," Mason responded.

"Yes... you think I'm suicidal, I see. Well, I'll stay here till you have your chat with Clankrin, and then I'll be off," Salvo snorted.

Yeah… a chat, Mason thought as he took a deep breath, expanding his lungs until his ribs cracked softly.

"How big is he?"

Salvo looked at him, eyes wide. "Who? Clankrin? I don't know… roughly the same size as you, I think?"

Mason ignored the curious look as he nodded, noting the dull orange glow on the stone ceiling ahead.

"Is that it?"

Salvo turned back forward and let out a relieved grunt. "Yes, we're here!"

They walked to the end of the roughly made tunnel, and as they did, the temperature kept increasing rapidly until they stepped into a massive cavern. Burning streams of lava ran through a landscape of tall pillars and mounts of black volcanic rock. Twinkling red mana particles drifted everywhere. The roof of the cave was dark and high, while Mason couldn't see the far end.

It's probably the same size as the area around that city, he thought as he noticed movement along one of the most massive pillars in the center of the area.

"What are those towers?" he asked.

"No clue," Salvo said as he looked at the pillars. "They were here when we came. Might be some information about it in Glariussu's books."

Mason nodded as he focused on the tower, noticing dragons moving about.

There are rooms over caves in there?

"Ah, here they come," Salvo muttered, drawing in deep breaths.

Mason saw a half dozen dragons launch themselves in the air from one of the lower holes in the pillar and fly towards them.

Salvo grunted as he stepped back into the tunnel.

"You okay?" Mason asked, looking back at the other dragon.

"Yes… as long as I can leave soon," Salvo muttered.

Mason looked at him for a few moments, then nodded and turned back to the incoming dragons. They were all red, orange, and yellow, some with brown or even black highlights.

Fire dragons. Great. Let's get ready for this bunch of hotheads then, he thought, ignoring the fact that he was one too.

He took a deep breath and focused on drawing in red mana.

Still feels different from the golden stuff in the desert, he thought as he drew in more and more. If I had some of those Taznir stones, it would have been simple, he thought, recalling how he'd nearly blasted a hill apart with one of those.

"Salvo, did you find another of my little brothers?" a deep voice boomed towards them.

“No, Clankrin,” Salvo shouted back. "This one found his way to us himself!"

The largest of the red dragons, one with yellow highlights across the bottom of his stomach and wings, landed before them.

"Impressive, little one, you found us yourself?" he rumbled as he gazed at Mason while the smaller dragons landed to the sides. Mason saw looks of curiosity and interest as well as weariness. Focusing back on the big one in front of him, he saw a nasty smirk and a slight condensation in the other's eyes.

Soooo, she was definitely right about this one, he thought as he recalled what Sandra had told him about the current leader of the fire dragons.

"Clankrin?" he asked, letting a bit of a growl in his voice as he grinned. Standing up a little straighter, he saw that he was actually a fraction smaller than Clankrin.

"That's me," the red dragon said as he took another step forward, raised his head, looking down his nose.

Mason's grin widened as he took another step forward, and as he did, he saw the other fire dragons take a step back, eyes wide.

"Mason, what are you doing?" Salvo whispered from behind him.

Mason ignored him as he moved forward until he and Clankrin's heads were only an arm's length apart.

Clankrin's eyes widened while he grinned, showcasing a few missing teeth.

"What's this?" he said in a dangerously low voice.

"A little bird told me that it's best to show you exactly what I'm made of," Mason said as he let a bit of fire ripple up his throat before snorting them out of his nose. His heartbeat began rising as he felt the desire to do battle grow stronger.

Clankrin blinked. "Bird…?" he muttered before laughing. "I have no idea what you mean, but that bird is right! Normally I wait until someone at least has had a good night's rest, but-"

Mason saw the movement, but he knew that if Sandra hadn't warned him about Clankrin's behavior, he probably wouldn't have been able to react in time. As it was, he jumped back, spread his wind, and roared a massive cone of fire just in time to meet the same one Clankrin breathed his way.

The fire slammed into each other, and a startled shout came from the sides as the other smaller red dragons jumped away just in time. A surprised and worried shout came from behind Mason, but he ignored it as he forced his head to stay forward. The massive power of the colliding blasts of fire was causing the muscles in his neck and back to grow taut as he attempted to stay on his feet, head forward. As difficult as it was, he managed to draw in more red mana while continuing to focus on his breath attack, even managing to keep a little of it back as he used the rest to continue feeding his flame.

A ruddy veil covered his vision as he felt his desire to rip the other apart, exert his dominance grow stronger. Sensing the power in his body, he took a step forward, and his fire began pushing back that of Clankrin. He couldn't see the other's reaction, but he sensed the pressure increase as he saw the other move a step closer.

Not happening, Mason thought as he managed to force himself another step forward. As he did, he almost felt his head snap back from the massive pressure, and he dug his claws into the stone to remain standing.

Your turn, he thought as his heartbeat rose.

There was a tiny increase in the pressure as he saw Clankrin's form move, then the pressure lessened slightly as the other dragon took a step back.

Time to end this, Mason thought and he drew on the slight bit of mana he'd built, held it back then increased the power of his fireblast a sudden burst.

The pressure increased for only a moment, and then it released as he heard a startled roar and saw Clankrin's body being blown back and over the edge.

Mason roared in victory. He had done it, he had-

Shit, he thought as he cut off his fire and ran forward. His desire to kill the other rapidly dwindled as he feared that he actually had shoved the other into the lava. What if he couldn't stand that yet? Sandra had told him that Clankrin wasn't really an evil guy, just... weird, aggressive, and bossy.

As he reached the edge, he poked his head across just as a shadow came from below. Mason barely managed to yank his head back as Clankrin shot back up, wings wide, roaring with laughter. He made a spin and then landed to the side, staring at Mason.

"Great! Finally, someone with some fire in their belly!" Clankrin roared as he stomped forward.

Alright… that's not what I had expected, Mason thought as he saw the other's wide smile, showing not a single bit of desire to fight again.