The General Tishow

The dragon was pawing impatiently, creating something of an earthquake, and if it weren't for its gigantic stature and chilling aura, it might have looked like it was just fooling around. Hearing a thin whistle, he obediently froze.

The soldiers lined up beside the dragon.

After the second whistle, the dragon lay on the ground. The soldiers lined up in two rows and saluted a man in incredible armor, seemingly made of pure mercury, who deftly jumped to the ground.

The man was no less admirable than his dragon: this man's overwhelming aura made the mind tremble and the will bow and obediently follow his commands. He was unusually tall, at least two and a half meters, because the soldiers beside him looked like teenagers, though they were not short.

Something about the man seemed familiar, but Cal didn't understand what. The man in armor nodded to the soldiers and took a few steps toward Liam. The head of the Academy greeted him with a slight bow.

Cal watched the whole thing as he came out of hiding. To say he was stunned was nothing to say. Suddenly the sky lit up in a bright flash, and the next moment Cal was the target of celestial fire, but like a whirlwind, Liam and the other man were right beside him.

The man raised his shield above them, and the firebomb scattered into millions of sparks without hitting anyone. The three men looked at each other, making sure no one was hurt. Cal came to his senses and, stepping back a respectful distance, bowed to the stranger.

Accepting his gesture of respect, the man walked over and took Cal by the wrist without a word. Freezing, Cal felt like he was in the most important exam of his life. After studying him, the man thoughtfully let go of Cal's hand and turned to the Head. Liam was silent the whole time, waiting to hear what the man had to say.

"It is uncomfortable to speak here; you have arrived amid battle. Follow me to headquarters,» the man said the last words, heading swiftly toward his dragon.

Liam grabbed Cal by the sleeve and hurried after him. The man had already taken a seat at the dragon, and Cal, accompanied by the Head, took off after him. There were comfortable saddles for three people on the dragon's back. Cal took the vacant seat. Everything was so well prepared. Were they expected?

The dragon maneuvered between the firebombs, using the power and agility of his fantastic wings. For the first time, Cal was jealous: it must be a great honor and privilege to have such a dragon.

Who was this man?

Upon entering the headquarters, the man first laid down his weapons, then removed his armor and sat down in a chair. From the moment the man sat down, he stared at Cal with a cold stare. Then, finally, he turned his gaze to the Head and said:

"Has the Academy degraded again?"

Every word was pierced with contempt and venom.

Liam flashed but held back.

"You said you'd bring a protector, but I don't see even 1/10th of a protector here," the man was enjoying his wit.

"General," the Head addressed, "you've never jumped to conclusions before."

"So he's a general!" - flashed through Cal's mind, and he looked at the man with a new look. "So young and already a general?!" The man looked no more than thirty-five years old. His white hair seemed to Cal at first to be gray, but now he could see that it was a natural color.

"And what conclusions should I draw?" Rather asserted than asked the general.

"You know that a dragon chooses its master according to its strength and courage, and according to itself."

"A century and a half ago I was chosen by Azinot," the general confirmed.

Cal could hardly hide his surprise: 150 years?

"Exactly," Liam agreed, "the day Azinot, the great third generation Dragon, returned to our world was a great event for everyone in the universe. His bravery and strength are fully in line with your abilities, General. "

The man nodded in agreement with a satisfied look.

"What are you trying to say? Did one of the great dragons of old come out of the lake?" Asked the general, leaning toward Liam.

"Yes, " the Head confirmed, "Dai-Kun has returned to us."

This news struck the general and everyone in the room like a thunderbolt. There was a deadly silence. In a hoarse voice, the general broke the silence:

"The Dragon of the Light-bearing Overlord? For thousands of years alone, repelling evil? The only commanding the sun? The Overlord's beloved and loyal friend?"

The general said each phrase, raising his voice, and ended with a very loud scream that made Cal's knees tremble.

The Head looked meaningfully at the general, who was incredulously silent in response.

"The apprentice who became Dai-Kun's master and brings him up is him, " Liam said, nodding toward Cal.

The general jumped up and squeezed Cal's shoulder so hard that he involuntarily began to sink to the floor in pain.

"Who are you to be chosen by Dai-Kun himself?"

Cal could only remain silent, for he didn't know the answer himself. He'd been fascinated by Liam's romanticized stories about dragons when he'd gone to the lake, and he wanted to impress the Head so he could become his apprentice.

And now he had to pay the price. He remembered how huge and scary Dai-Kun had looked when he came out of the lake...

"Wait, what is that? " The general suddenly asked, and after saying a few words of the «expose» technique, he waved his hand.

Cal and Liam didn't have time to do anything. The veil fell, and the apprentice appeared before the general in his true appearance.

His snow-white hair fell in a thick waterfall over Cal's back, and his black eyes gleamed with unyielding intensity.

Liam jumped up to his apprentice, blocking him, but the general pushed him aside, unaware of what he was doing.

The General did not take his eyes off his guest in silence.

"You... " the General said, faintly, for a moment, losing his composure, but no one seemed to hear him.

"I apologize, General, this pupil is hiding his appearance by my order, and there is no criminal intent in it."

The general was silent. As if weighing his words, he pondered his actions.

"I am not interested in the affairs of the Academy. All of you there are a bunch of jerks called elders. Nothing more than a kindergarten resort for rich offspring... Except you, Liam, no offense…"

Cal was astonished. He hadn't thought that in the eyes of anyone else, the Academy could look so pathetic. Though he understood that the training there was extremely strange, he couldn't find an explanation for how he felt. And now he had to admit that he was in solidarity with the brute.

"I am aware of your dislike for the Academy, " Liam said meekly.

"Then you must know that I don't take your students seriously."

"Well, I understand you, " the Head replied. "But since we can't bring up Dai-Kun with dignity, we'll have to ask Marshal Pittsu for help."

Instantly all animosity was gone from the general's face, and he spoke in a different voice:

"Marshal Pittsu can't help you. He has no business with dragons, preferring to dust his eyes, and you will have wasted your time."

Liam was silent, waiting.

"Your only chance is with the third unit under my command, " the general concluded smugly.

The head nodded in agreement, carefully concealing his jubilation.

"In a week we move toward the southern border. The training camp is still in the rear of the unit-let him and his dragon be there no later than that, " the general finished giving instructions.

"Thank you, General Tishow, that's very generous of you, " the Head replied, and stood up.

"Go back. Today and tomorrow we will call fire on ourselves so that the first unit can get out of the siege, it is not safe here."

"I hear you, " the Head nodded, and he and Cal walked out.

Liam and Cal were silent for a while once they were outside the headquarters doors. The sky was still bursting with fire and rumbling. Flocks of...birds could be seen in the bright flashes.

Cal looked closely at the swirling clouds and was surprised to note that it wasn't a flock of birds hovering there at all. It was a dense formation of... of dragons in armor, at least two hundred of them.

Cal stood there with his mouth open, unable to take his eyes off the majestic sight. Liam was watching uneasily, ready to raise the dome over them at any moment.

Meanwhile, the formation of dragons crashed into the black cloud with crackles and lightning. The dragons were burning it with fire, and the strange cloud was emitting a hideous howl and wounding the animals in return.

Liam followed his gaze and explained:

"It seems to be a cloud, but it is a Swarm, a spirit of chaos. When confronted with it, one can lose one's mind, a human should not engage in combat with a Swarm. That's why dragons fight, their sacred fire can dispel the Swarm. Don't worry, it's a small Swarm, the dragons will do it quickly."

And indeed, in a few minutes, there was no trace of the big dense cloud, and the glittering army gracefully made a circle in the sky and flew westward.

Cal tugged at the Head's sleeve:

"Can we go after them?"

"Of course, but to do so, I will summon Zhu-Er."

Liam strode forward and lifted a thin whip into the sky. A noise was heard from the sky, and, tearing the fabric of space, the majestic Zhu-Er appeared. When he landed, he snorted and growled, scratching his nose with his clawed paw.

Liam walked over and cheered the dragon on:

"This strange reaction of yours to Swarm, don't panic, it will pass soon, " he patted Zhu-Er on the paw, "It's not safe here, there's an attack going on, where's your armor, remember?"

Zhu-Er lifted his hind paw and vigorously scratched his side. Suddenly that place lit up and the glow continued to grow, so Cal and Liam had to cover their eyes with their hand. A moment later the light went out, and the dragon was already fully clothed, his shining armor protecting his neck and torso.

"Quickly, " the Head called, and the men leaped onto the Dragon's back and soared skyward. Flying over the planet's surface, Cal saw a dried-up riverbed and a ruined city of creators.

Fortunately, the fireballs had stopped falling from above, and Zhu-Er brought his passengers safely to the dragon block near the mountain.

A fence glowed menacingly with white light around the perimeter of the block. It was a special thread, forged on the nascent star, keeping out outsiders and impostors.

Cal stared involuntarily: the thread wrapped around the area in a single turn, not interrupted anywhere by a gate.

It glowed brightly, hovering in the air, attached to nothing, and the closer you got, it made the strong sound.

Somewhere nearby, some silly little creature tried to cross the perimeter and was just chopped to pieces. Cal looked closer and found the perimeter dotted with such «lucky ones» and whistled.

Meanwhile, their appearance had been spotted. A giant snake was crawling toward them from the side of the block.

On its head stood a man dressed in black with no armor. Stopping in front of the barrier, he easily flew over it and took a couple of steps toward the Head, with his robes developing, showing that he was carrying many weapons.

"The Head of the Academy welcomes the Spellcaster," Liam said almost cheerfully, and Cal looked at the men in surprise.

"Liam, how many years, how many winters," the Spellcaster spoke in a suddenly feminine voice. "You haven't changed at all! I am so glad to see you!"