Chapter 59 THE FESTIVAL OF DRAGONS
"Hey," called out a friendly voice, causing him to stop and turn. A dragon was approaching him, one with short blond hair and dark blue eyes. There was a smile on his face as he waved a bit. Magnus instantly recognized him as Levi, the dragon he had cured the other day.
"Hi," he greeted back cheerfully.
"What are you doing?"
"Practicing." Magnus began his routine again, punching forward and kicking, stretching all of his limbs.
"Want an opponent? I'm pretty good." Those words were like music to the sorcerer's ears.
"Sure. Let's go."
Both men got into fighting stances. Levi was the first one to make a move as he punched towards Magnus's head. The sorcerer dodged at the last minute, but he almost didn't dodge the kick that came right after. He had to quickly step back and shift his weight, avoiding it just in time. He had really gotten lucky there. He was going to have to step this up a notch.
"Are all dragons good at fighting?" he asked Levi curiously, sending a punch towards the man's chest. He missed it though.
"Yeah," Levi responded. "It's a fun pastime. Have you ever fought a dragon like this before?"
"Nope, not unless someone like Darren counts." Levi looked a little shocked when Magnus mentioned Darren. He almost didn't dodge the sorcerer's spin kick, but he had managed to backflip himself out of the way just in time.
"You fought Darren?" He sounded amazed for some reason. Magnus wasn't sure what that reason was though. Darren was no dragon, simply an acquaintance of theirs. From the tone of Levi's voice, Magnus guessed that the hunter was a better fighter than all of them were.
"Yeah," he responded, dodging two kicks sent right in a row. He quickly countered with a punch, but the dragon was too fast for him.
"What was the outcome?"
"A tie."
Magnus's leg finally connected a hit on Levi's side. The dragon was shoved back, sent down to the ground. When that had happened to Darren, the hunter had managed to stay standing. Perhaps he really was better at this than the dragons. Most wouldn't suspect a human to be able to do such a thing when putting their strength against one, but apparently the dragon race wasn't that much stronger after all. At least they weren't when they were in their human forms.
"You're good," Levi commented with a smile as he got up. "I can see why you tied up with Darren."
"Is he that good?" Magnus asked curiously.
"He's an amazing fighter. He can beat anyone in this village, even Xerxes. For you to tie him…you must really be something. Most sorcerers aren't very strong."
"I get that a lot," he responded as he stretched a bit. It was true though. Most sorcerers hid behind their magic and didn't bother trying to train their bodies. Half the time, they didn't train their minds very well either. Most magic users were arrogant creatures. He couldn't say that he wasn't. He was quick to lose his temper if anyone even assumed that he was weak. That was part of the reason he had killed that black sorcerer some time ago.
"You should participate in the festival tonight," Levi suggested. This only earned him a confused look from Magnus. He hadn't been told anything about a festival. That was something that Xerxes had completely forgotten to mention. However, if there was going to be a fighting event, he was interested. It would give him a chance to show these people that not all sorcerers were weak. Plus, it would give him a chance to fight Darren again, who was by far the best opponent he had in a long while.
"I think I will," he told Levi. "When will it start?"
"The festival starts at sunset. I was on my way to start setting up, so I guess I should probably get going. Thanks for the fight though. It was fun."
"You're welcome. See you." He stood there and watched as the dragon went on his way, heading off into the village. Now Magnus had been intrigued. He really wanted to find out more about this festival, and he knew just who to ask. He turned and began to head back to Xerxes's house. On his way, he passed by Xyra and Astrid. Both women stopped and turned, watching him run off back the way they had come.
"Should we follow?" Astrid asked. Xyra only sighed. She had been hoping to watch Magnus practice for a bit. It looked like she wouldn't get to have that luxury today.
"Sure, why not." Both girls turned and followed, chatting aimlessly amongst themselves yet again.
"Okay, now about the festival…" began Magnus. He was sitting down in a room with Xyra, Astrid, and Xerxes. The dragon king had insisted that he tell them all about it at the same time, although Astrid already knew what it was. "… Just what is it?"
"The festival is held every year around this time," Xerxes explained. "There's a feast, dancing, a fighting tournament, and a ton of other events. It's a lot of fun. Both of you should stick around for it."
"Can I be in the tournament, the fighting one?" Magnus was wasting no time at all in getting to his point. The dancing and the feast were fine, but he really wanted to know about that. He greatly enjoyed fighting tournaments, especially if his opponents were worthwhile. Most humans weren't good enough for him. The dragon race seemed promising.
"Of course," Xerxes responded with a smile. "You can be a part of whatever event you want."
Magnus cheered silently, bursting with excitement. He couldn't wait. This night was going to be a lot of fun. Nothing was going to keep him from being in that tournament. Now he was really happy that his arm had been healed. Everything was finally going his way.
"We'll provide you with the traditional outfit, so don't worry about finding one of those," Xerxes told him. "You see, at our festivals, everyone is required to wear robes like these."
"Okay, thanks." He stood up, his smile still a mile wide. He would probably be smiling all day long at this rate. Too many good things had happened to him. If he didn't calm down, his head would explode from the overdose of joy.
He quickly turned and ran from the room, wanting to go look around the village and possibly help set up. He had nothing else to do, after all. This would pass the time before the festival, and it would give him a chance to learn a bit more about the dragons he would be competing against. It was always good to know your competition.
Xyra watched the sorcerer run off like an excited child. He was a strange boy. One minute his eyes were merciless, and others they reminded her of a ten-year-old's. He was just so odd. It was fun watching him though. He never bored her, that was for sure. His life was always full of excitement, and it wasn't always the good kind. He always seemed to find trouble one way or another. At least she wasn't defenseless though. Her khukuri was quite the weapon, which reminded her…
"Sir?" began Xyra, a question now on her mind. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Go ahead," he said with a smile.
"The other day, when that dragon accused me of being a slayer…he mentioned someone. Who was he referring to?"
"Mr. Nixon, the man who runs the Sorcerer's League."
Xyra's eyes widened a bit at that. That dragon had accused her of working for the league. However, they were only after sorcerers. What would they want with dragons? It didn't make a lot of sense.
"He's a horrible person," Astrid said, shivering a little at the thought. "Most of the people on those wanted posters didn't do anything wrong. They just need them to make spells."
"Does everyone know this except for us humans?" Xyra asked. She was starting to really feel stupid for not knowing that the league was evil. It was probably best at this point not to mention what she had done to Magnus. She didn't want to relive it anyway, so she planned on keeping her mouth shut for now.
"I'm afraid so, since most humans don't understand the inner workings of the league. Some sorcerers are even unaware."
"But why do they want dragons?" She had been sure they were just going after sorcerers.
"Our scales are the strongest substance in the world next to the blade of a khukuri. They use them to make armor and swords. Usually someone with a khukuri is a slayer, so I don't blame them for suspecting you. But that man shouldn't have jumped to such a conclusion. By the way though, just why do you have that thing?"
"My dad gave it to me," she said with a smile. "I don't know where he got it from though. He didn't say."
"It's a powerful sword. Don't let it fall into the wrong hands."
"Okay."
"Now," he began as he stood up and walked over to the door. "It's time to start preparing. Astrid, you can help Xyra find some robes that will fit her."
"Okay," Astrid chimed sweetly. When Xerxes left, she looked at Xyra, her sweet smile becoming a bit mischievous. She had a plan, and Xyra was afraid of what it might be. It was hard to talk with her. She had an odd mind. However, the thief had a sneaking suspicion of what it might be.
"Astrid?" she questioned a little nervously.
"Come on, Xyra," the dragon said as she walked to the door. She glanced back and gave Xyra an impish smirk. "Let's go dress you up. You have to look your best…if you're going to impress Magnus."