Franz was shocked at how willing the people of the settlement were to prepare for the Imperium. He initially assumed that they would run away or hide. Instead, each person prepared in their own way. Many of them had combat experience due to the monsters in the surrounding areas. So, it was mostly a matter of preparing for an actual battle. Elio, with his former military experience, spent much of his time instructing people on battle tactics and formations. Franz and the rest of the crew each prepared in their own ways. Elio was not just right about Franz’s skills; the whole crew had allowed their combat skills to get rusty.

  Time started to fly by as everyone found their routine. More than a month had passed, and Lutz had grown quickly in that time. The once small dragon had stood as high as Franz’s chest. His body was now much longer, and his wings had grown to match. His body had also gained substantial muscle weight. Even his scales started to change; the scales around his feet had turned dark purple, and the scales around his face became a mix of the same dark purple with his white scales.

  Because of Lutz’s growth, Franz spent almost all of his time training. Lutz could hunt for himself, so Franz had plenty of free time. Because of Elio convincing him, Franz used that time to practice his old sword forms. It was far from his favorite thing, and reminded Franz of a time he would like to forget. But he knew that it was important to get his old sword skills back. When he was not practicing his sword forms, Franz sparred with his fellow crewmates and even instructed people on his swordsmanship. While the townsfolk had great combat instinct, they did not have much formal training and had not spent much time fighting other people.

  Franz finished instructing a group just outside the settlement and grabbed a towel from his bag. While people walked away, he wiped his face and drank from his water bottle. He let out a satisfied sigh as he felt the water hydrate him. Instructing people was a type of training in its own way, but he did not get many chances for a water break. The process drained him physically and mentally.

  A refreshing gust of wind brushed against Franz. He looked upwards to see where the wind came from. Lutz was descending from the sky. Another gust hit Franz as the dragon landed and folded his wings to his side. Before Franz could greet Lutz, the dragon ran towards him and brushed his head against Franz. While Lutz had grown larger, he had not yet learned to control his strength. This meant the playful brush of Lutz’s head almost threw Franz to the ground.

  Franz laughed and aggressively rubbed his hands around Lutz’s head. “How was your hunt?”

  “It was awesome!” Lutz replied eagerly. Over the past month, Lutz’s intelligence had grown vastly. His personality had evolved into somewhere between a preteen or teen. Even his voice had started to deepen. “They didn’t even see me coming. I swooped down and grabbed one. You should have seen it, I was like lightning!”

  “I’m sure you were,” Franz smiled. “I’m happy you are enjoying hunting.”

  “Of course! It’s like a game!” Lutz smiled broadly, revealing his many sharp teeth. “But now I’m tired.”

  “Hunt, eat, and sleep. Is there anything else you do?” Franz teased.

  “I like to wrestle with Elio, but he’s been busy lately,” Lutz said. “He promised he would wrestle with me later today.”

  “I can’t believe he still wrestles you,” Franz said. “You’ve grown so big.”

  “Yep! I can beat him now!” Lutz laughed. “He still beats me most of the time, actually, but just wait until I get even bigger.”

  “I think there will be a point where he can’t wrestle with you anymore,” Franz pointed out.

  “We’ll figure something out then. It’s not like I have other dragons to wrestle with,” Lutz said.

  “Sadly, that’s true. Anyways, before you take a nap, would you like to visit Apell with me?” Franz asked. Apell was the head of the town. While Elio was helping with battle tactic instruction, he was the one truly in charge of preparation for the battle.

  “Sure! He’s really nice to me!” Lutz said enthusiastically.

  “Everyone is nice to you,” Franz sighed. “I think it comes with being a dragon.”

  “Of course, I’m an important guy,” Lutz boasted.

  ***

  Apell’s home was nothing extravagant. Like many of the homes in the settlement, it was made of a durable tan-colored metal. All of the buildings in the settlement were dome-shaped and had only a few rooms. It was just enough for people to live in. Franz and Lutz met Apell outside of his home. Since Lutz definitely could not fit inside of it.

  Apell was a yellow-skinned man with stern features. His white hair was cut short, and he had a white goatee to match. He wore a black form-fitting tank top and cargo pants to match. Across his back were two white battleaxes that hung in an X-shape. The weapons would be hard to wield one-handed for a human, but posed no problem for a Nublean.

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  “You had some concerns you wanted to talk about?” Apell asked dryly with his arms crossed. He was a stark contrast to Elio and his friendly demeanor.

  “Yes, there is something that has been really worrying me,” Franz began to explain. “I do have faith in the people of this settlement, and I do believe they are strong. I am just worried about our numbers. I am not sure if we have enough people to fight back against what the Imperium sends.”

  Apell nodded along as Elio talked. His expression remained unchanged like stone. “You don’t need to worry about that. We are currently in talks with other settlements. We believe that when the Imperium comes, they will fight with us.”

  “Why would they do that? They do not even know my crew or Lutz,” Franz raised his eyebrow in a confused expression.

  “They do not need to know Lutz to want to help him,” Apell said. “Almost everyone on The Great Trial believes in the old Nublean ways. The emergence of a dragon is like a symbol to them. A symbol of our years of continued alliance. Some people remember those times, and they are eager to restore that alliance.”

  “This is starting to sound more important than I initially thought,” Franz said as he narrowed his eyes. “What’s really going on here?”

  “Normally, I would not say anything, but you are bonded to Lutz. Which will make you an important figure for things to come. Your arrival has sparked the fires of revolution in the people here. Ever since meeting Lutz, they have gained hope on the return of the dragons,” Apell explained. “Right now, we are building our forces and preparing for the Imperium to attack, but that is just the beginning. Our people want to take back the Nublean government.”

  “I appreciate your hospitality, but we aren’t going to join in your revolution,” Franz replied.

  “Oh, I know. You won’t do something without getting paid. Elio made that very clear in our discussions,” Apell said. “So, if or when we get to that point, we will pay for your services. You won’t even have to directly fight. We have plans for someone like you.”

  “Any of which I can know?” Franz asked.

  “All in due time,” Apell said as he placed his hand on Franz’s shoulder. “I don’t want to give anything away until you are on our payroll.”

  “As long as the pay is good, I’ll consider it,” Franz sighed.

  “Good to hear. Did you have any other concerns?” Apell asked.

  “No, I think that was it for now,” Franz said. “I’ll leave you to your work.”

  Apell walked towards Lutz and rubbed his head with his hand. “Make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.”

  “Will do!” Lutz exclaimed. “He can be a handful, though.”

  Franz’s eyes narrowed in irritation. “I don’t know what you are talking about. If anyone needs to be watched over, it’s you.”

  “Maybe, but I’m a dragon. So, I’m important,” Lutz said as he lifted his head upward and puffed out his chest confidently.

  “Exactly, listen to him,” Apell said with a slight grin before he walked back into his home. “I’ll see you later.”

  As the door to Apell’s home shut, Franz let out a breath in irritation. “You know, I think I’m just as important as you. I was the one who found and bonded you.”

  “You might be right,” Lutz shrugged. “But I just look so magnificent.”

  “We really need to work on this cockiness thing,” Franz rolled his eyes.

  “Is it cockiness if I actually am great?” Lutz boasted as the pair began walking.

  Franz decided that any more arguing would just stoke Lutz’s ego, so he decided not to respond and continued walking. He had made plans to spar with Kelsa and wanted to meet with her quickly. His pace started to change from a casual walk to a quick stride. While he did not run, he moved fast through the settlement. Lately, every day, he felt like there was so much that he needed to get done. He figured that if he moved at a fast pace, there would be less chance for someone else to stop him.

  Just as the thought entered Franz’s head, he noticed that a group of children had started to walk towards Franz and Lutz. That was his biggest worry. They always wanted to play with Lutz. His increased size had made them even more attracted to the dragon.

  Franz came to a stop as the children’s pace turned into a run. Lutz stopped as well and was instantly covered in children. They excitedly started to pet and grab at him. Some even started to climb along his sides.

  “They are getting me! Do something!” Lutz pleaded with Franz.

  “You are the great dragon,” Franz shrugged. “This is part of the popularity.”

  “Noooo!” Lutz yelled desperately before his demeanor shifted. Suddenly, the dragon smiled broadly.

  Lutz’s pleas were a facade, and he started to play with the children. The children climbed on him and started to pull on his wings and anything they could get a hold of. Despite this, Lutz did not seem to mind. His entire body soon became covered in children who each found a way to grab and hold on to him. Then he shook his body and sent the children flying off of him. The children were not upset by this. Instead, they laughed as they flew through the air. It had become a sort of game for the children since Lutz grew larger.

  “Rides?” One of the children asked Lutz with wide eyes.

  Lutz looked over at Franz expectantly, as if he were asking for permission to give rides to the children. Lutz knew that Franz had work to do and that riding him would take up a good deal of time.

  “Yes, that’s fine,” Franz sighed.

  “You heard him!” Lutz smiled broadly. “Line up for rides!”

  The children started to push against each other as they lined up. Each of them wanted to be the first to ride. Eventually, the children settled and made an orderly line. They came to realize that if they kept fighting for a place in line, then no one would be able to ride.

  As the children each took a turn riding Lutz, Franz looked around and sat on a nearby metal bench. Each ride did not take long, but there were plenty of children, and he knew that he would be there for a while. He decided that maybe it was a good thing that he took a break. As the children each took their turn, he opened his tablet to begin reading one of his books.