"Not much," Caeden responded. "Mostly stories that probably aren't very accurate.

"Well then, you'll all need a more in-depth explanation. If you even still want to go after I finish." Samantha sighed again.

"Is it really that bad?" Lily asked.

"That's a matter of perspective. The problem is unpredictability. Your trip could go flawlessly, or it could just as easily get you killed." Samantha explained. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. Dragons. One of the few species of sentient magical life on the Starry Sea. Also, a major problem to deal with."

"I'll start with a basic physical description. Firstly, dragons have a high level of physical dimorphism across their races, but all of them can actively breed with each other, so they're all considered part of the same species. Some are large and bulky, with wings, two for and hind legs, a tail, and long necks. Some are slimmer, with no wings and a variable number of legs. Most have horns of various sizes and numbers, but some have none." Samantha rattled off.

"If they can be so different, it seems like a physical description might not be very helpful," Caeden noted.

"I'm trying to give some perspective," Samantha explained. "My point is, dragons come in many different forms. However, there are some consistent factors. All of them have scales, even if they may be different colors. All of them have magical breath, producing a variety of effects. And all of them are intelligent. They can speak, though they don't use Central Common. Instead, they speak Draconic. You'll have to use communication aura sense to understand them, if talking is ever viable."

"Now, onto the situation at hand. We've checked the records, and there is a tower structure similar to the one you entered, Caeden. It's on a continent that would take only a small diversion from our intended course. The issue is that continent is dragon owned. Which makes sending you there…problematic."

"I don't understand. I thought that sentient magical creatures were put on reserves by the CA. Can't we just go in there? The Central Authority owns it, right?" Caeden asked.

"That's not entirely accurate." Samantha hedged, looking uncomfortable. "In most instances, that's what happened. When the CA expanded and encountered creatures that could talk and think just as well as any human, there was confusion. No one was sure how to classify them. The Church stepped in and declared that, since these species couldn't form shrouds, they were basically smart animals, not actual people. That opinion formed the backbone for several centuries of fighting that culminated in our current system."

"Most species were cordoned onto specific continents and kept alive for their valuable commodities. Arachne can produce silks and cloth with infusions that even the best shrouded find hard to match. Phoenixes leave a byproduct that can be used as a high-quality infusion base material when they immolate. Dryads and satyrs are capable of cultivating magical plants that have refused all taming efforts. Each reserve had production quotas to meet for their continued protection."

"All of them," She sighed. "Except for the dragons. They're different. Firstly, you must understand. Dragons are strong. Even in terms of shrouded, they are overwhelmingly powerful. On an individual basis, a dragon can beat a shrouded nine times out of ten if they're the same age. Their scales are highly magical and resist shrouds. You can't just manifest your aura in their skull and scramble their brains. Their breath attacks carry a highly potent effect, regardless of race, that can be devastating to even the most defensive shrouded."

"Add to all of that the fact that they are an incredibly long-lived race, reaching thirty thousand years with some regularity, and you have a tough enemy, even for the CA. They fought the entire Authority, and they fought hard. In the end, both sides were forced into a compromise. They formed a pact, the Treaty of Scales. The dragons ended up on reserve continents, much like the other sentient species, but they are treated as sovereign nations and have no export quotas. Under the rules imposed in the compromise, they have full autonomy within their borders. Our laws don't apply there."

"So we can't go? Why even tell us then?" Cat sounded annoyed, which wasn't surprising. Caeden was feeling a little upset as well. It sounded like this wasn't the opportunity they were looking for at all.

"No, I'm just giving you a little history. So you understand how serious they are. The Treaty disallows all military personnel and vessels from entering the continent without express permission from the dragon high council, the Draconis Graxarii. Which we are unlikely to get. Though we will ask. However, civilians are allowed to enter and exit at will. You'll be subject to their laws, and we can't support you, but there's no reason you can't go. So long as you don't do anything to get in trouble, you should be able to do what you need to and then leave."

Caeden looked around, trying to gauge what everyone else was feeling. A slight shrug from Lily let him know she was ambivalent, neither for nor against the trip. Erik looked excited, which wasn't surprising. Cat just rolled her eyes when he glanced her way. So it looked like the decision was being left up to him. The burdens of being assigned the leader.

"I think knowing a bit more would be nice," Caeden said. He wouldn't take his friends into a situation where they had no backup without as much forewarning as he could get. "Can you tell us more about dragons in general?"

"Yes," Samantha smiled. "I took the time to requisition some classified information on the topic. Speaking of which, Lily. Your request to access sealed records as your reward has been approved, with some limitations. You can only pull twenty books, and they must be below my clearance level."

"That's fine." Lily nodded.

"Alright, dragons. First of all, they're a proud race. Depending on the situation, that can work for you or against you. If you offer an insult that could lead to a duel, you're very likely to lose, but they won't attack you out of pettiness, as they'll see it as beneath them. They are almost universally proud of their scales in particular, and go to great lengths to keep them clean and healthy. Never dirty a dragon's scales. It's the worst insult you could offer. Other than that, they can be surprisingly fractious among their races. The different physical appearances and various magical abilities have led to a deeply intricate web of rivalries and grudges that last generations."

"They can be surprisingly even-handed when it comes to honoring duels and contests of strength or power. Victory clears all ills. Any insult offered is nullified if you can win, and any interference in the duel would be the height of impropriety. A dragon interfering in another's honor duel would be driven out, even killed. So if one of you gets stuck in a duel, do not interfere. The whole community will come down on you, and you'll be killed out of hand. That being said, avoiding all contact is your best course of action."

"Things to look out for. All dragons have breath magic, some degree of physical transformation, and truth speech. Their breath is the one magic that can vary the most from race to race. Many breathe some variety of element, from fire to ice. But others can make you fall asleep, charm you into their service, or give you nightmares for weeks. There's no consistency, and the results can be hard to predict. Just know that if a dragon breathes on you, it's doing something. Never assume it was a dud, even if you don't notice any change."

"Once again, their transformation ability varies from race to race. Some can form extra limbs; some can completely transform into humans, indistinguishable from you or me. There are a few limitations. The greater the transformation, the longer it will take them to change again. Their appearance will always be unique. Even if they turn into a human, they can't copy one of you. They'll be a distinct individual. Same for those that can turn into animals. They will always appear in the same animal form. Finally, they have limits on how they transform. If one can grow arms where it had none, it can only grow them on a specific part of its body, not just anywhere. You won't find a dragon with arms coming out of its nostrils.

"Breath and transformation are mostly used in combat, which you should avoid, so hopefully, you don't run into that. The magic you'll have to worry about the most is truth speech. Promises given to a dragon or by a dragon are binding. So don't lie, and get a promise of safe passage if you can. It won't bind every dragon, but the one who made it will be bound to defend you if another tries to attack. This is the one magic universal to all dragons, regardless of race."

"They're dangerous, intelligent creatures. Almost any dragon you encounter will be stronger than you. But they have no reason to attack you and should leave you alone. Should. I won't lie. It's a risk. Unfortunately, there are no other structures anywhere nearby or even on our route back to the Academy. You would need to wait until we got back and the expedition was finished, then take another ship out to the appropriate structure. It would be months before you could get to one." Samantha laid out the circumstances.

Caeden leaned back in his chair, thinking. It sounded like the best thing to do was go, despite all the risks. Forged Infinity had become a cornerstone of his fighting style, and leaving this unknown damage to fester for months wasn't something he was willing to do. That said, if he thought reaching the CMS would be impossible, he would let it go. But everything Samantha said made it seem like they could manage it. They just needed to avoid dragons as much as possible.

"Where is the structure? Is it near any dragon settlements? Do they have settlements?" Caeden asked. He would call it a loss if they needed to go into the middle of some dragon city to reach their goal. Too risky.

"Dragon's form lairs, which consist of a mating pair and immediate family. Usually, dragons of similar races will set their lairs near each other, forming pseudo-settlements. Our data isn't exactly recent, but there were no settlements near the structure the last time anyone surveyed the continent. Dragons don't move often, and they never gather in groups large enough to constitute a city." Samantha provided.

Glancing around one last time and seeing the same expressions from his team, Caeden replied, "I think we'll do it. I don't want to lose the opportunity. We'll just do our best to avoid dragons at all costs. What are the monsters like?"

“10,000 to 25,000 IP. Much higher than the last continent, but you all should be able to handle it as a group. Considering it took literally hundreds of monsters to push you before, a normal amount under these conditions should be difficult but not enough to concern you. Likely, it'll be good training." Samantha reasoned.

"That's fair. Plus, this isn't like that time. If we have to run away, we can." Caeden added. He wasn't worried about the monsters.

"So you've decided?" She clarified.

"Yes. We'll go." Caeden nodded.

"Excellent. You'll leave in roughly three days. I'll have more concrete directions at that point. Dismissed." She nodded to them. Everyone got up, thanked her for her time, and left.

"Are you sure about this?" Lily asked when they were out in the ship's halls.

"You didn't seem worried." Caeden gave her a questioning look. He would have expected her to raise any concerns while they were with the Captain.

Lily shook her head, black hair waving. "No, but I wanted to double-check. This is important to more than just you. Forged Infinity is unique, and fixing it is important to all of us, especially the Forged. It's a large part of your power. I would risk a lot to make sure it's completely fixed. So I'm not sure my opinion is objective enough." She seemed uncomfortable admitting that. "Many people depend on you as the head of the Forged."

Caeden nodded. "I know. But I'm not letting it cloud my objectivity. Plus, we have three days to make sure we're ready to go. If we don't think we are by that time, we won't go. I'm sure Samantha won't care. So relax."

"Ok. I just…You being strong makes me feel strong. I know I can rely on you to have my back. I don't want that to lead me to bad decisions. I like how much you support me, which makes me scared of what I'd do to keep that feeling." She frowned.

"If you're worried about it, I think that says enough about how much it's influencing you. After all, if you were making bad decisions, I don't think you'd be questioning it this much." Caeden said.

"I hope so. Still worried, though." Lily shrugged uncomfortably.

Caeden didn't respond, just wrapping an arm around her shoulders. They had plans to make. Dragon plans.