The Blue Dragon

Chapter 3

We woke up with a firm knock on the dorm's door. Whoever it was didn't wait for a sign from any of us, as they made themselves walk in and, with a feminine voice, quickly told us to "please, get up" and that they'd like to start as soon as possible. Maurice was the first to raise his head and asked, with a sleepy husky voice:

- I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?

- I'm a member of the Serpent's Order and I'm supposed to lecture you on the Uro? Commander Stavros must have warned you, no? – the woman insinuated, with a slightly irritated tone.

- Hold up, he's a commander? He didn't tell us that – I blurted out with a yawn, while mildly shaking Noon's shoulder to wake her up – Also, we didn't catch your name.

- The name is Marion, Captain Marion – she affirmed categorically – and yes, you should address commander Stavros with the due respect, Maurice, Noon and... Fires? Is that right?

- Yes, captain, you can call me that – I moaned, still feeling lightheaded from just waking up.

- Very well. Please get dressed on your uniforms, I'll be waiting outside – she promptly ordered.

- She looks new to the job – commented Noon, rubbing her eyes and sitting next to me – with some more years of experience, she'd have more patience.

- She's cute, though – opinionated Maurice. Captain Marion had red hair, what appeared to be a sign of her short temper, light green eyes and a very slender, but imposing posture.

- And I'm the idiot who's aiming for the king – I sighed, as I opened the closet closer to us to get on my uniform. I quickly found proper sizes for each of us and studied the attire for a while. It resembled what the commander was wearing, with the exception that this one was grey and had no embroidered Uroboros. In its place, there was a white armband, maybe symbolizing an Outer-worldly in training. It gave off the idea of a weird pyjama, as the shirt needed to be buttoned up and the pants were a bit loose and straight. At least the fabric was comfortable, clean and wasn't too damaged. In a sense, if I made some effort imagining how I looked, it would seem we were all wearing a suit. Well, at least it fitted Maurice.

After braiding my dark blonde hair, we were ready to follow the captain into a wider room through the stoned corridors that resembled a small college auditorium. There were four rows of tables and chairs, each one disposed along the steps of a wide staircase that led to a broader space where a desk stood with some books on top of it. Behind it, there was a blackboard where a map had been drawn with poor drawing skills.

– That map seems a bit out of scale – observed Maurice, while us three seated on the second row, where we would be perfectly able to listen to Captain Marion.

– I drew that – she admitted, throwing a fierce look at him, like someone who shoots an arrow to a target with deadly intent.

– I'm going to refrain myself from talking now – the young man decided, with a simultaneously puzzled and fearful expression, making Noon and I giggle.

– Good. I'll be straight to the point, then – she started – This morning, I'll be addressing some more general information you might have missed yesterday. First, I'm going to tell you about the geography of our continent, second, some details about our country and policies and, lastly, the full options you have after finding which quirks you've been gifted with. After that, we'll have time for questions. Then, you'll be free to have a lunch break, after which I'll give you a small tour of the Trial Complex, as well as enumerate some techniques we'll be using to awaken your powers. Is that clear?

Immediately after we mouthed a soundly "Yes, captain!", the woman started spitting out country names and capitals, additionally mentioning what economic activities made each territory profit and uphold good and strong relationships between themselves. For instance, the kingdom we were in, Sunwin, was famous for highly trained Outer-worldly mercenaries that used to be employed by other realms, usually with the purpose of fortifying their defensive power. In exchange, the other rulers would give us products that couldn't be found in Sunwin, such as well-preserved seafood and coal. Captain Marion even remarked that these mercenaries provided a powerful advantage to king Felix I, in the sense that they'd often deliver sensible information about the various territories and military structures, which would be useful in a war scenario.