First Mission: A Middang3ard Series (Dragon Approved Book 5) Read online

  “We are not looking. Conversation over.”

  Pinelt turned his furious gaze on Alex. “I advise you and your team to head to the barracks and get some rest. There might be another delivery mission for you. Dismissed.”

  Alex just stood there, quaking as she tried to keep from exploding. “Sure,” she finally muttered. “Whatever you say.”

  Chapter Ten

  Alex stormed back to the dining hall, Pinelt’s words ringing in her ears. Kids? Kids who pulled their butts out of the frying pan, she thought. Telling her to go get some sleep like a child being sent to bed was the icing on the cake of humiliation.

  When Alex walked into the dining hall, she saw her team sitting there talking quietly. No one at that table was “just a kid.” They were all dragonriders, and they were here to fight the Dark One and do their parts in the war.

  Alex wasn’t ready to face Boundless and tell them that despite their hard work, they had been benched so the “veterans” could take care of things. Instead, Alex wandered around the facility, looking for the barracks so she could have some time alone.

  Once Alex stumbled upon the barracks, she found an empty bed and sat on the bottom bunk. She opened her HUD, hoping for an update on the state of their mission. Instead, she found a message from her parents.

  Alex opened it and laid back on the bed.

  Her parents were beaming at her, her father tapping the camera lens he was recording on. “Hey, is this thing on? Alex, can you hear me?”

  Liza shook her head as she pointed to the camera. “George, she can’t answer us. This isn’t a video call, it’s a video message.”

  “Oh, right. Well, anyway, Alex, we just wanted to say hi. We got your last message, and we’re really proud of you and how you’re handling yourself.”

  Liza pushed George out of the way so she was front and center. “That’s right, sweetie! Handling bullies isn’t easy, but we know you’ll figure out a way to deal with it and come out better for it all. We’ve always been proud of your ability to stand up for yourself.”

  George rested his hand on Liza’s shoulder. “That’s right. We know you don’t take guff from anyone, and I couldn’t be prouder of my daughter. All right, we’re signing off. Stay alive!”

  Liza shot a disapproving glance at George, shouting, “George, that’s not even close to funny!”

  George chuckled as he reached to turn off the video. “Alex will probably think it is,” he said, laughing.

  The video went blank, leaving Alex alone with her thoughts. It didn’t feel like she was standing up for herself right now. It felt even worse knowing that two people might be in serious danger because she was going to obey orders that made no sense.

  Alex knew she should have stayed in bed, but she got up and made her way to the field outside where the dragons were being kept. She thought talking to Chine might help her clear her head.

  Chine was sitting in the corner of the field, away from the other dragons. Alex waved as she approached him. Hey!

  He raised his head and puffed out a little smoke. Something on your mind, Dustling?

  You already know what’s on my mind, don’t you?

  Chine’s wings stretched out as he sat up. True, but it’s always better to hear it from you.

  Alex sat down across from Chine and folded her arms. She felt like a pouting child, but she didn’t care. I think the commander is full of crap. He knows he needs help, but he’s too proud to admit it. And we could help. I know we could.

  Have you thought maybe he’s looking out for your safety?

  The thought hadn’t crossed Alex’s mind. She had assumed his decision was based on a lack of faith in her abilities. No, not really.

  Nevertheless, he was extremely dismissive. So, what are you going to do about it?

  Alex leaned back and looked up at Chine’s intense black eyes. What do you mean?

  I believe this is a question of wills, Dustling. There is the commander’s will, and there is your will. Which do you believe is stronger?

  Alex stormed into the dining hall. The members of Team Boundless jumped when they heard the hall’s door slam. “All right. We’re grounded. Literally. The commander doesn’t want us going anywhere.”

  Brath looked up from his food. It was his third plate. “Is there somewhere to go?”

  Alex sat down and nodded. “There’s a battle going on. Roy and Toppinir are all alone and outnumbered. No one has heard from them in three hours. I volunteered our team to help, but the commander said we needed to stay put.”

  Jim watched Alex closely as he spoke. “You don’t think we should?”

  Alex played with one of the spoons on the table. “He doesn’t think we’re qualified, or he’s afraid we could get hurt. I’m not going to ask you guys to disobey a direct order or put yourself in danger because of what I think.”

  Gill, who was sitting on the table, his legs crossed, opened one of his eyes. “And what exactly do you think?” he asked.

  “I think we should help Roy and Toppinir. I think we can handle it. I don’t think we should be treated like children if we’re going to fight in this war.”

  Jollies landed on Alex’s shoulder and walked to Alex’s ear. “We’re going to get in a lot of trouble for this, aren’t we?”

  Alex smiled mischievously—the same smile that always graced her face when she was thinking about doing something reckless. “The way I figure it, we can’t get in trouble if we save Roy and Toppinir, and we can’t get in trouble if we’re dead.”

  Team Boundless sat in silence for a few moments, weighing the gravity of Alex’s words. Finally, Brath asked, “When are we leaving?”

  Alex brought up her HUD one last time to see if they had received any updates. There were none. “Now. Let’s go save Roy and Toppinir.”

  Alex Bound won’t let the Heroes of Middang3ard die. But what can a brand-new recruit really do to save them? When it comes to Alex Bound … a lot! Find out what in Sacrifice!

  Author Notes Ramy Vance

  February 13, 2020

  Dragons. Massive reptilian creatures with interlocking scales whose breath can burn a person to cinders within seconds. The beating of their wings bends trees at the trunk, and at full spread, they stretch a field’s length. Then there are the claws—curved knives at the end of each toe that can tear flesh from the bone in one quick, leisurely swipe.

  But this is just the European dragon.

  There are many dragons out there in the mythos, and they’re all different from one another. You’ve likely heard of the Chinese dragon, too—a snake-like, four-legged creature with a large head similar to a boar’s. These are often paraded during festivals, but there are many other kinds of dragon in Chinese lore. Lake dragons, winged dragons, dragons that guard the underworld from thieves, two-headed dragons, shapeshifting dragons and some are even legless (not drunk, but lacking legs - although, maybe they are drunk too - who knows?)

  The there are Indian dragons, Japanese dragons, Korean dragons, Slavic and Turkish and Albanian dragons… and they’re not all the same thing. They have similarities, for sure, but there are enough differences there to keep things interesting. So I give you: The Diverse World of Dragons *fanfare*.

  Nāga

  A Nāga is an Indian dragon that often appears as a huge king cobra. They are violent and aggressive creatures that possess great muscular strength, and like the king cobra, their fangs are capable of delivering fatal venom into the bloodstream of anything that gets in their path.

  Despite these characteristics, Nāgas are not all bad. Some act on the side of good, and a fair number are pretty neutral. In Hinduism, Nāgas are in fact nature spirits that guard bodies of water and can even bless the lands surrounding them. Of course, if you get on a Nāga’s bad side, you can expect drought or floods - but keep it happy, and you’ll get a damn fine harvest.

  Unlike most European dragons, the Nāga can take a human form, and they make curious individuals. In this state they are not aggress
ive, but can quickly become so if angered or mistreated. In the Buddhist faith, Nāgas often have more than one head, which makes the dragon significantly more dangerous.

  Japanese Dragon - Ryū

  These tend to be good guys - Japanese dragons are heavily influenced by the Chinese and Indian dragons. So it’s unsurprising to hear that the Japanese dragon - much like the Buddhist reading of Nāga - is associated with rain, bodies freshwater, and the sea. There are further similarities between the two, and the Japanese borrow heavily from Indian folklore - such as the history of the underwater kingdom in which the Nāga kings live.

  Ryū are snake-like in appearance and don’t often have wings. They have short, clawed feet and generally are physically very similar to the Chinese Long, but usually have three claws instead of the Chinese four/five. Like many characters in folklore, the Japanese dragons are often quest-givers and can easily manipulate the texture of the world around them - perform a deed for a local dragon, and your wish to become emperor might just come true…

  Bukunawa

  Another moon-swallowing creature, the Bukunawa is a Philippine dragon that threatens to swallow the moon forever. However, the creature is often scared away from total digestion by loud noise or music - and in these circumstances is forced to regurgitate the moon and return home, which is deep under the sea. We know these incidents as eclipses.

  The Filipinos believe there are seven moons, not one, and that these moons were created by Bathala to keep the sky light at night. But every time Bathala let a moon rise into the sky, the Bukanawa would launch itself from the water and eat it whole. Bathala wasn’t impressed, but there wasn’t a whole lot he could do about it, either. He instructed the island's residents to gather outside with cookware and make as much noise as possible so as to confuse and scare the dragon away.

  There is a short tale that further details the history of the Bukunawa. Apparently the deep-sea dwelling creature had a sister by who was a sea turtle. She would lay her eggs on the shore, but every time she did so, she would bring waves with her which would not settle back to their normal levels after she had left. So they killed the turtle, and the Bukunawa didn’t like this at all. Its desire to eat the moon stemmed from this incident.

  Lindworm

  Away from the East we have the European dragons, which are quite different (though equally as fierce). The lindworm is one such example - a serpent creature with no wings, two claws, and an alarmingly strong jaw. You might remember the post on apocalypses - if so, then you’ll remember the Norse concept of the end of the world, and how a creature known as Jörmungandr arrives on the land from the sea. Well, this foul demon is a lindworm. Perhaps the most famous lindworm of them all.

  The lindworm’s physical appearance can vary, however. There are lindworms with four legs or none. There are those privileged enough to have wings. However, most lindworms are snakey, slithery creatures with only two claws with which they pull themselves around.

  The stories surrounding the lindworm are various - in many they occupy negative space, and are truly demonic and foul creatures. Its poisonous bite allows it to kill quickly, and so it has no reason to fear us humans. In Norse mythology, the lindworms gnaw at the very bottom of the roots of Yggdrasil, and you can see the influence of the Norse in many tales, in which the lindworms rise from below the Earth.

  Wyvern

  I can imagine the wyvern is familiar to many of us. We know the wyvern as a two-legged dragon with all the features typical of such a creature. There are, however, also underwater wyverns, who do not have the traditional tail, but a fin instead. Their similarities to dragons makes is difficult to tell them apart. Many a dragon has been called a wyvern by an ignorant writer, and that writer has often been turned to a charred corpse only seconds later…

  Wyverns are often considered to be ‘lesser’ dragons. Many wyverns are incapable of breathing fire, and they tend to be smaller than the larger dragon. The wyvern is similar to the lindworm in that they operate largely with poison - though the wyvern has poisonous breath rather than a poison bite. Like the lindworm, there are no redeeming characteristics to a wyvern - they’re unpleasant, foul creatures akin to demons.

  Slavic Dragons - Zmey Gorynych & Zmaj

  Slavic dragons have much in common with their European counterparts, except they often have more than one head and some can even regenerate limbs. The two names above are specific dragon types - the first, Zmey Gorynych, is a creature particular to Ukrainian and Russian mythology, and the second is a creature of South Slavic origin which is said to be very wise, have incredible strength, and possesses magical abilities.

  Zmey Gorynych is a more traditional dragon. It has four legs, though only walks on the rear two, and does all the traditional dragon things - spits fire, munches flesh, throws people around… the number of heads isn’t detailed, but paintings show the Zmey Gorynych owning three heads or more.

  The Zmaj is altogether more interesting. Sure it has strength and knowledge and magical abilities, but it’s also said to possess great wealth and a lustful desire for women. It can reproduce with human woman, and it lurks in the neutral zone of good vs bad. It’s not the most benevolent of creatures, but neither is it the darkest evil. Like other dragons it can breathe fire, but unlike other dragons, it’s often highly respected - which makes it sound like an upstanding member of the local community.

  However, and most intriguingly, many national heroes have been said to be dragons. One such character was the Bosniak general Husein-kapetan Gradaščević who fought the Ottomans for Greater Bosnian independence. His success led to him being named ‘The Dragon of Bosnia.’ So dragons *do* walk among us.

  They also have the Aždaja, which like the Zmey Gorynych which has many heads but is a creature of absolute pure evil. It lives deep in caves and dark areas and tends to guard specific locations. It’s basically a monster to slay in fairytales, which is rather unfortunate. It’s not really a dragon either - more of an evil creature - but it and the zmaj get confused frequently.

  There are many other types of dragon existing in the world today. Chuvash dragons, Romanian dragons, Asturian dragons… maybe we will document more in later articles!

  Author Notes Michael Anderle

  February 14, 2020

  Thank you for reading The Dragon Approved stories!

  Do you know about our podcast to tell you what’s happening with our authors, other authors, and our releases?

  No?

  Check out Behind the Fiction right here: (Podcast: https://lmbpn.com/category/behind-the-fiction/).

  Thank you for reading our stories and encouraging all of our authors with your kind words, wonderful reviews, and passing the news along to other readers. Believe me, sometimes just hearing fans stories about where / how / when these characters or ideas touched you makes our whole day bright and wonderful!

  If you like the artwork, the artist is Jake Caleb, at JCalebDesign.com – check out his other amazing art! Http://jcalebdesign.com

  Diary, February 9th – 15th

  So, it’s Monday the 10th at the moment, and I’m already up to a few shenanigans that are cool.

  At least, in my opinion.

  A few weeks ago, we did a model shoot for one of our series. During that shoot, we took some special headshots of the model to allow us to see if we could map a real face to a 3D head. Now, that doesn’t seem like anything special.

  Except, we are a publishing company (trying to become an entertainment company.)

  We type—a lot—and edit and publish and all sorts of things related to putting out books. Having said all that, we have been working towards 3D bodies / heads / video clips for three (3) years, and recently, Reallusion (https://www.reallusion.com) has released a way for us to use our modeling images / cover shoots for a bit more.

  Take a moment (or twenty) to see the product Reallusion has released (link above) to map a face to a 3D model. I think you could have fun with it. Imagine taking a picture of your grandparent, o
r mom, or friend and placing them in a short animated video.

  Can you IMAGINE the mischief you could get into? It would be FANTASTIC!

  Now that you have the power, don’t do anything evil. (I can’t say “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do” since we all know I’m an author. I’ll absolutely do something you shouldn’t do and laugh maniacally as I do it.)

  Even if you don’t have the time right now, use your phone to capture the images of your friend/loved one/person you hate ranting about a subject. You will be able to use the voice to match the lips of the 3D character in the future. You just need the photos and audio at the moment. Use them when you get time.

  Or, someone on Fiverr (www.Fiverr.com) will eventually offer it as a service for $50.00, I believe.

  Consider it the not-very-fake deepfake (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepfake)—the cheap version.

  I’m so happy to be back in Vegas!

  I’m back from the #Superstars Writing Seminar in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The people were fantastic, the relationships I formed spectacular.

  The lack of oxygen was suffocating. (PUN, PUN! Wait, is that a pun?)

  (Editor’s note: No.)

  (Author’s Reply: Damn.)

  It might surprise you to know that Las Vegas is about a half-mile above sea level. So, while I came down from on high, Vegas isn’t exactly brimming with oxygen. This might also explain why some casinos (rumored?) pump oxygen into the casino area itself to keep people awake.

  I think I might go visit the Aria to work. Maybe I’ll be pumped full of oxygen.

  Dammit, I need a nap, and it’s only 10:30am in the morning. This jetlag is STILL kicking me in the ass.

  Do enjoy your week. I’m going to go pretend to be an old man who needs his late-morning nap.