Dragon Tide Chronicles: Dawn Rising

Chapter 42: Sunneroria, Blazing City of Dawn

Chapter 42: Sunneroria, Blazing City of Dawn

The only word to describe it is… wow. As soon as we landed, Alexander turned to normal, and began to walk in a certain direction, like he knew where he was going.

“Where are you going?” I yell, frustrated and impatient to get out of the sun.

“The city is just ahead. Keep moving, pixies!” I snarl to myself. Can he not… oh… my… god… that is a freaking huge wall.

The wall was made of one smooth rock, and pierced the clouds it stood so tall. It was made of solid marble, from what I could tell, and gleamed like metal in the light. Think of the tallest skyscrapers you know of. Not even close in comparison. It stood like a mighty shield, a lone defender of a weak and defenseless people.

“Alexander… it’s beautiful!” He smirks.

“Take a good, long look at the city wall. It is not as pretty on the inside.” He started walking towards the great gates of the wall, which were made of a strange crystal-metallic substance, and were colored obsidian black. The mighty golden Alexandian Insignia, a sun with each of its eight points curled to the right, was inscribed on the mighty gates.

I notice that material the gate is made of is similar to what the armor Alexander is wearing is made of.

“Hey Alexander, what’s that gate and your armor made of?” I ask, my curiosity getting ahead of me.

“Don’t you know? The gate and my armor is of Crysem.” I blink.

“I’ve never seen Crysem before, I only heard rumors about it from the veterans.” I say with wonder. Crysem is rumored to be invincible to slashing and piercing damage, and is renowned for its impact resistance.

 It is only produced by the Dragonling race, even though we had once acquired details on its creation in a dragonling ruin, we were unable to comprehend the complex procedures given on the scroll. Rumored to be the combination of metals and gems through magical means, Crysem is known to have a solid, gas, liquid, and plasma form. It is the Plasma form that Crysem takes that is used in the production of Phazer weaponry.

“Well, so you know, Danica, I serve as a blacksmith in the army, it’s just one of my many jobs and hobbies. I am the exclusive manufacturer of Crysem weapons and armor.” He smirks.

“I’m pretty much the sole Chromatic blacksmith around, because not even Gems are as good as me, they end up having to have a bunch of smiths, with varying degrees of quality. I get pretty decent pay, If I do say so myself.”

Ore takes immediate interest.

“Hey, I’m a blacksmith too, I was wondering if…” SMACK! Alexander deals him a crushing blow to the nose.

“No. We would never give away our knowledge of the creation of Crysem, let alone to a fairy.” He growls.

“Let’s keep moving. I don’t want to waste any more time out here.” With that, Alexander keeps walking towards the city gates. We all follow, unsure of what awaited beyond the menacing yet awe-inspiring walls of Sunneroria.

“Halt! Who goes there?!” A guard cries out once we arrive at the gate. Alexander growls and simply states flatly,

“Don’t waste my time, cadet, if you don’t want Racla to skin you alive.” The soldier yelps,

“Yes sir, I’ll open up the gates for you sir! B-but what about the outsiders and the fairies? Do you want me to…” Alexander cuts him off with a roar,

“JUST DO IT ALREADY DAMN IT!” The soldier cries out in terror and opens the gate.

“So sorry sir!!!” He cries, before shakily returning to duty.

I give Alexander a look.

“What?” He growls, getting annoyed. I just shake my head, and we all walk through the great gates into…

The most run down, sad city I ever saw. The houses were all made of what looked like… driftwood, and the streets were brick, but all uneven and loose. The city felt miserable, depressed even.

“Why is everything like this?” I whisper. “I hear so much about the grand cities that our veterans came and conquered… and I expected to see so much more to this place…”

He glares.

“I told you before that we were banished and forced to receive resources from the Gems, who have not decided to send adequate supplies, as punishment for crimes we did not commit. This is the state of many of our new cities, throughout. Sapphirania is only a shard of a greater city, the Towers of Torik. That’s why it’s so grand and majestic. Everywhere else was like this or at least a bit more fancy.”

He inhales sharply, clearly angered.

“It should be no surprise to you that we’re like this. Did you think that our race would be able to recover on our own after such uplift and violence? Did you think that if we could build such cities with, ‘such ease’, then we could just start over?! NO! People have suffered because of your family Danica, and they now blame you for it. It was bad enough that your people violently destroyed what we held most dear, but the fact they just left us in the dirt is cowardly.”

He spat at me, venomous with anger.

“Now, now Alexander. That’s no way to talk to a lady… even if she is a fairy.” An elderly voice rings out sharply. Alexander’s eyes widen in surprise, then looks over at the source of the noise.

“Lord Ignitus, my Elder. I see you came here to welcome me back, as usual.” He bows in a traditional curtsy type deal. When I stare at him blankly, he smacks my on the head.

Be polite and bow you stupid pixie!!!

Fine! Just don’t hit me again, scaly breath!!

Once I had bowed, the elder turns towards Alexander. He truly was elderly, especially for a dragonling. He had a long white beard, and a bald head. His tired eyes were a soft green, sort of like mine but different. He had a long scar on his bald head, which stood out plainly on otherwise smooth skin. He wore large robes, which probably wasn’t comfortable in the heat.

“Same as always, Alexander? I win, you take over, you win, you get to refuse?” Alexander smirks.

“Still want me to take your job eh? Alright then, bring it on old man!”