It must have come as a surprise for them, or perhaps they had been anticipating this moment? Indeed, it was a few days after each of them had been personally met by the Dragon Knight that the three individuals had been summoned to the keep of the Dragon Order.

Although in this particular occasion the invitation was more formal, for a portal emerged near them from which two knights of the order emerged, each clad in their pure black armor. They bend the knee toward the individual and declared proudly. "You are being summoned for an audience with the Dragon Knight."

Upon entering the portal the three of them would find themselves in a spacious chamber, familiar at least to Karstaag. A round table stood at the center of the throne room, which further extended along a red carpet to a large throne made from marble, upon which the Dragon Knight had been seated, but more noticeable was the presence of the other four in attendance. A dragon flanked each side of the throne, with one more dragon at the right side, each dragon was truly massive in size and shape, with a third one who was slightly taller leaning his head over the throne.

Each of the dragons gazed at a particular member of the group that had arrived, and Ryuko's lips curved into a smile as she rose from her seat. "Comrades, friends! It is a delight to see you gathered here~ Forgive the sudden summon, but I invited you all here for a fair reason, at least I consider a gift of power a fair reason~ Well there are other reasons I could think of but we'll leave that for another time~"

A wink followed as suddenly the dragon hovering his head over the throne spoke, his deep voice booming through the room. "Thou can hardly call thyself an Order of Dragons when the majority of thee are but mere mortals. As such I have gathered some of my kin who share similar... interests as thy. They shall aid thee in thy ambitions, should thee prove worthy."

Ryuko turned toward Karlstaag and explained. "Remember when I mentioned the Dragonborn rite? It is an ancient rite among our kin. Surely you all have heard about mortals gaining a semblance of a dragon's power? These Dragon Slayers hold a pale imitation to the powers of a Dragonborn, the rite itself is one where a dragon can bestow their power onto you by handing over a fragment of their heart to replace yours. But... to succeed in that you'll have to convince one of the big ones here that you're more than worthy of that~"

A smile lingered on her lips as she turned her gaze back from the group toward the dragons upon which Bahamut sighed deeply. "Do not expect any advice from me, you will have to convince them by your own merit."


Meanwhile Ryuko turned her gaze toward Bahamut, a soft hum following. "I hope they are a bit more hospitable than you were on our first meeting~" To which Bahamut merely scoffed in amusement. Even if he was a mere aspect now, the dragon was still quite interested in witnessing this event unfold.

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The three other dragons in attendance are the dragons you'll be forming a pact with upon reaching level 5 in the guild, as such I'll let you play with their personality and figure out the conversation with them yourself.

Skald had known from the moment he had set eyes on ryuko that his life was going to change again. He was sitting quietly in his room back in oak when the formal invitation arrived, his eyes locking onto the two black knights. Their voices rang with a fevor he could respect and shortly he’d stand up. He was wondering when they were going to get to it. Though far from the usual wear that he had; the ‘diplomat’ nodded his head and htanked the two before entering the portal with a savoring glance around him. It was going to be… different being in another country he had no ties to at first.

Stepping into the throne room; his eyes appraised every instance and every divet of the construction. Every little thing was quickly assessed, stored and thought upon. His eyes slowly roved over the various dragons. One of them stuck out more than the others, a dragon that while not as big as ryukos or perhaps not even as big as the others but that was fine. Size was nothing, it was all about power. He could smell the ozone oozing off of it, he could see his face in the sheen of its scales. He could hear its breathing, the way its claws clicked on the floor. His piercing blue eyes met its yellow ones but before anything could be said or any more attention could be diverted from the actual reason for their meeting… Ryuko spoke.

Skald stood there, hand resting on his sword and his eyes swept over the other two that were inevitably here. He was intimately familiar with coventina but this was the first time that he had ever seen a dwarf in person. The isolationist colony nearest his home in iceberg didn’t send any to deal with them, always worked through proxies. He had to admit he was impressed. His eyes went back to ryuko; a smile cresting his features.

”You certainly have a way with words and an entrance Ryuko…”

He’d chuckle softly and adjusted again; with the way that ryuko explained what was going on here and what came from it well… Skald was surprised and he could feel the pressure of the dragon in front of him. He could feel everything about it and there was an incredible bloodlust radiating from them that he knew only he could feel.

”...I can already smell the stink of magic like mine on him. Weaker by far but…”

There was a deep guttural rumble from the dragon and skald felt himself grow maybe a little shorter. But he’d set his jaw and stare up at the dragon; there was no balking, no shouldering an insult. This was an apex predator for sure…

”You needn’t finish that sentence dragon.”

”Already figured that part out did you?”

”It’s not difficult.”

The dragon snorted and waved a hand dismissively at the kitsune, the latter of which shrugged a little bit. His eyes dancing to the other dragons and he’d cock his head to one side. There was a proccess here for sure; maybe his dragon wasn’t really ready to share itself with a mortal it just barely met but the both of them…

”You certainly deliver when you say you will ryuko. I couldn’t have been more surprised.”

There wasn’t actually any surprise evident in skalds tone or posture; but the way that his ears seemed to be moving every which way and the crackling of lightning dancing through his tails, up his back and along his teeth or eyes certainly indicated a level of excitement. Did he… want to… fight his dragon?

The destined time had finally arrived for the gathering of the Order and the lass certainly made a grand display of it. A fracture in time and space appears in the secluded fields he found himself questing in - a blessing in disguise. The mere thought of prohibiting Momo from leaping through the portal alone was enough to give Karstaag a migraine. No matter. He'd more than make up for the brief disappearance later. One of Ryuko's knights steps through and cordially invites the dwarf peering up with jubilated eyes. Karstaag steps through the mirror before the invitation fully graces his ears. He's far too excited, a sense of whimsical adventure pulsing through his body like a shot of adrenaline.

Molten eyes erupt and overflow, shattering the blinding veil of the sudden shift in space and Karstaag finds himself in a place familiar. A quick appraisal of his surroundings, scouring the expansive throne room to sate his curiosity. He was startled to see a familiar face in Coventina, a woman he had become well acquainted with on a hazy night in Hosenka. The third member was a mystery - a bestial enigma that felt as anomalous as the dwarf, a fox with claws, teeth and tails, given human form. It was too early for the dwarf to make judgments, but he was intrigued. An inclination to be close with a fellow beastie. Accompanying the prospective members of the order stood majestic creatures beyond mortal comprehension, let alone Karstaag's, stood guard of the throne and the monarch that it rightfully belongs to. All four stood stalwart in their reception, emitting an overwhelming pressure with every thrum and rumble of their breathing. Karstaag, respectfully, paced towards the round table he had once sat at on his previous visit to this place, slow calculated breaths that are betrayed by the flickering of his droopy ears.

The trio are met with a theatrical greeting befitting the monarch, as well as an explanation for the sudden gathering. "Aye, lass I remember yer promise fer power." A wry crack of a smirk as a hand lifts to stroke his beard, gazing upwards to inspect the dragons that would be bonded with their respective members. One in particular caught Karstaag's attention and he noticed the dragon's obvious interest. He teeters to the outskirts of the table to stand beneath it, peering up with hands fasten around the hem of his leather waistband.

"Ya like what ya see or somethin'?" Teeth are bared between the two, but for entirely different reasons. The brave dwarf bravely poking fun at the creature exuding a somber elegance in every movement only elicits a huff of annoyance that nearly topples Kars. "Oho~ You're a brave one aren't you mortal? To approach one such as I. Begone, wretch. You bore me." A growl perfectly entwined with cheeky sass - arrogance that was rightfully earned. The difference in the two was surely insurmountable, but that wouldn't dissuade the dwarf from claiming this power as his treasure as well. "Awww~ Don' be like tha'. I'm not so bad once ya get ta know me~" The stout little man, straightens his posture and heaves, exploding into a howling laughter that drowns the rattling roar of the dragon.