The Keeper Exams

Chapter Sixteen - Angelic Dragons for the Win

Realm One: Treetop Base Capture

Team Green

Maris Gold

"Let's go," Andreanna said pulling on my arm.

"Hey whoa what?" I asked.

"Come on, that moron is going to do nothing but babble and we'll loose all the bases." The guards had pushed us out the door as soon as Kate finished her little speech on what was happening. Find the bases, take the bases, try not to die. Our group, green I guess we were was herded onto the other platform and the other team was on the other side. I wonder if Roman is okay, I want him so badly to be okay. I looked at Andreanna scanning the people in front of us, probably trying to calculate their usefulness, the lava crackling and spitting up flames underneath us.

Lava. Let that sink Gold, lava is underneath you and you're fighting for magical powers. What has your life become. I rubbed my head and groaned quietly.

"Come on Gold pick up the pace," Andreana said as she snuck out the door and onto a rickety bridge.

I stepped sure footed, my wildlife instincts holding me in place. We approached the end of the bridge, large pillars of rock bursting from the lava. Occasionally rocks dropped with splashes, the other trees in the area had branches leaning down, with ropes dangling dangerously close to the ground.

Andreana jumped to the first rock pillar, her footing not nearly as sure as me but she was confident and strong with her leaps. I quickly over took her, channeling my inner mountain goat to cling to the rocks.

I looked back at Andreana and stopped. She started to slow, her shoulder looking like it was giving her pain. She slipped and I lunged forward grabbing her hand, pulling her up quickly. "You had to take the hardest path huh?" I said jokingly.

She chuckled. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for training at any time I can. Thanks though Maris," she pushed herself up. "Maybe you should take point for awhile then. I can cover flank if we're ambushed."

"Let's go," I said with a small nod. I jumped to the next pillar and continued watching both in front of us and Andreana. Her shoulder was giving her problems, but at the same time she was still strong. Her emotional powers were keeping her tough, I could feel it leaking into me. We made it to the final pillars and I crouched down.

There was a large tree house, on a raised platform, rope nets spreading around from the outside connecting to the bottom of the pillars. Ladders spread up into the house and as Andreana jumped next to me I pulled her down quickly for two members of the other team jumped down into the nets.

"If you can lead me to get close enough to them without being noticed, I can get them to leave the base without causing a scene."

I could barely hear her. I was just focusing on the two people in front of us. I could tell who they were at first, but they came closer I realized neither was who I thought they were.

"Not Roman," I said quietly. "Thank God." Andreana looked at me and rolled her eyes. Suddenly I feel her reaching into my mind and I looked at her. "Sorry, I just, I-"

"You care about him don't you?" She asked.

"Can we please talk about this later, I won't let it interfere with the mission. Ok?"

She nodded sternly. "Well, then I won't pry." I could feel her anger and concern over this and I rubbed the back of my neck. I had have the most amazing ability to make my friends angry at me.

"Alright, don't worry I heard the plan," I said. "I can turn into a bird and fly us right into there without them even knowing." I watched their forms moving across the netting, occasionally slipping and getting tangled in the ropes.

She smiled a bit and nodded. "Well, while that's a good idea, but wouldn't you have to turn into a pretty conspicuous bird to do that?"

"I don't turn into the actual animals, I have their traits, so large bird wings yes but I should be good. Avenray." Large black wings grew from my back and I held out my hand. "Have you ever flown before?" I asked.

"Can't say that I have," she said her voice shaking as she took my hand. Her eyes were as wide as plates and I stifled my laughter.

"When we get in there, we land swiftly and I'll attack while you burn their flag. Got it." She nodded and I held her arm tightly. I jumped into the air and we flew off, Andreana covering her mouth to stop from screaming. "Ready, three, two, one!" I dropped Andreana and landed rolling into the tree house. "Everesay," I quickly let my wings fade away and landed next to her, dive tackling the nearest enemy. I slammed my elbow into the girls face rendering her unconscious and then hear a scream as Andreana is thrown back holding the opposing flag in her hand. The young Asian woman, Crysalis I think, picked up our green flag and with a malicious smile, dropped it over the edge.

"No!" I lunged forward and jumped off the tree house, Andreana screaming my name behind me. I grabbed the flag and landed in the netting, almost falling through the large gaps but I held on tightly.

Flames were licking my back and I held in my cries as the skin on my back seemed to boil.

"Maris!" Andreana screamed.

Alright time to see if this works. I held my hand tight over my tattoo. I don't know if I can turn into mythical creatures, but the world I live in is mythical. My hands were shaking and I closed my eyes.

"Agondray." My back stopping burning as scales grew over my skin, I felt the familiar weight of wings growing on my back but they felt different, more powerful. I dipped my hand in the lava and smiled as it didn't burn. I held our flag tightly and flew up, landing in the treehouse again, my lava covered hand burning the floor. Andreana was in the middle of fighting the elemental, the other girl on the ground starting to regain her consciousness. Andreana saw me and stopped, Chrysalis turned around and gasped. "What, it's just wings and scales," I said. "Dragons though, I was told I could only change into creatures that exist. Who knew right?"

Everyone still frozen in place I tucked the green flag into my shirt sleeve and popped my fingers. "Give me just one minute, everseray." Everything fades away and I walked over to Chrysalis. "You have caused me intense pain." I punched her in the jaw and she fell, holding her broken face. "Andreana would you like to do the honors." I ripped her red flag out her hands and handed it to Andreana.

"Thank you," she said taking it. She picked up the girl Chrysalis by her hair and pulled her up. "You keep look out." I looked from her to the bloody girl and nodded. I knew what she was going to do, but I didn't care. Andreana was angry, she was my friend, I want to see my friend happy.

"What about this one?" I say kicking the groaning one I knocked out.

"Just leave her on the platform. She never really had a chance to prove herself as a threat, we should give her the benefit of the doubt," Andreana said. She dragged the girl outside and I sat quietly, listening to her beating the living crap out of Chrysalis. Then she walked back inside and dropped the girl next to her friend.

"You just stay out of my sight," she spat at the girl. Andreana walked back over to me and I smiled brightly.

"Did you burn the flag?" I asked.

"Yep," she smiled back. "The base is ours."

"Alright good cause now I'm gonna vomit," I said holding my stomach.

"Did you see me?! I willingly jumped into lava. Willingly!" I fell back on the floor and pulled out our flag. "Team Green Angelic Dragons for the win. We are badasses."

She laughed. "You scared me half to death back there," she joked. "Really, you need to think a bit more out there. I can't loose the dragon of the team." She held her hand out and I high five it. "Team angelic dragons for the win."