[b]Iscandar, The Dragos Mountains, Near the Dragon-Rider HQ[/b]
A rider and his male dragon glided across the peaks of the smallest mountains, as the larger mountains were where most of the unbound dragons made home, heading towards one of the outlying caves of the mountain. The rider himself was a human, his hair was dirty blonde and short, with him having deep blue eyes, he wore a simple green long-sleeved shirt, with what appeared to be blue pants, and sat upon a well-crafted saddle. He also had what appeared to be a rifle like weapon on his back. The Dragon he rode was slightly bigger then a small shed, and had brilliant ruby red scales.

As they approached the cave, they began conversing, although not outloud, but rather using the bond that bound Dragon and Rider.

“[i]The first trial on the road to becoming a full member of our order. Are you ready Hasai?[/i]” thought the Rider through his link.

“[i]Yes Aiden, little one, there is not much that can stop a Dragon and his Rider. Whatever trial the senior riders put us through, I am sure will we succeed at as we always have.[/i]” replied Hasai through the same link.

“[i]What could the trial even consist of? Combat perhaps?[/i]”

“[i]There is not much that lives up here behinds my kind and herd creatures. I doubt it will be as such.[/i]”

“[i]They could have easily hid a greater threat from us. Something they did not want the us and the other initiates attempting to chase after.[/i]”

“[i]Perhaps little one, but remember who your bonded partner is. I shall not let harm befall you.[/i]”

Much of the rest of their journey passed in silence, except the occasional sharing of thoughts and feelings through their bond. They arrived at a large ledge of rock on the mountain, a massive cave entrance before the two. Nothing else but the music of silence greeted them.

“[i]Where are Masters Oromis and Glaedr? They were supposed to greet us.[/i]” thought Hasai.

A few minutes passed before the pair heard the sound of a Dragon roar across the mountains. Oromis, a Iscandarian, on his golden dragon Glaedr glided down to the pair. Oromis wore a full suit of what appeared to be a type of plate armor, glowing silver in the daylight. His hair was silver as well, and hung behind him in a long ponytail. His veins glew a light blue, his angelic wings tucked behind him.  Glaedr stood tall and proud, much larger than even Hasai.

“For all of your training you two have been together. Today you separate. Apprentice Hasai you shall go with Master Glaedr. He has your part of the trial.” spoke Oromis, his voice orderly and calm.

“[i]So I leave you Aiden. Do not fret, we shall be back together before long.[/i]” thought Hasai to Aiden. Aiden and the two shared a few parting words, before Glaedr and Hasai took flight to elsewhere within the mountains.

“Apprentice Aiden, has anyone told you of the trial you are about to embark upon?” asked Oromis.

“No Master Oromis, I have never been told of what is ahead.”  responded Aiden. He shivered for a moment, as the bond between him and Hasai grew longer. He could still sense Hasai, but he was now too far away to communicate with.

Oromis drew two weapons, the first his Archnite sword, the second his energy blade. His sword, much like Glaedr’s scales, looked like pure gold. The energy blade glew with the color of silver, shining despite the daylight. He put them away, focusing on Aiden.

“Today you proceed forward into this cave and go to claim the materials which you will use to forge your sword and build your energy blade. While the sword will be constructed as a part of this trial, the energy blade is not to be finished until much later, but you will still keep the focusing crystal you collect safe. Do you understand?” Oromis asked, once again.

“I understand, Master Oromis.” bowed Aiden, in a sign of respect.

“You will recognize the Archnite and crystal that is to be used for your weapons when you see them  when you see them. Now go forth my Apprentice, harm usually does seek out apprentices in the cave, but I shall recommend you draw your weapon and proceed with caution.” finished Aiden. Both gave finals bows, as Oromis withdrew to a different part of the ledge, watching Aiden.

As Aiden walked forth, the cave had no natural lighting. Aiden quickly used a spell, creating a large ball of blue light that followed him. The only sounds were that of Aiden’s own hushed breathing. Soon however he heard a sound almost alien to the environment of the cave. The noise was clearly that of a teapot on a stove that was boiling.

As he went further he arrived in a hollowed room in the cave, litten by a chandelier made of gold with balls of magic energy for lighting. Off to the side was an old-fashioned wood stove. However the most noticeable feature of the entire room was a rounded oak table, upon which sat a teacup, teapot, and various other things for flavoring the tea. Already at the table was a fine women, who hair was long and flowing, a perfect blonde color. Her eyes shone with gold, looking towards Aiden with a look of happiness and pleasantries. Her veins glew a fine white light, as she wore a long white dress made of fine silk. The air she projected was one of a mother, and one of perfection.

“Sit my child, there is a few things I must tell you.” the Mother said, her tone was one of calmness.

“Who are you?” asked Aiden, sitting down reluctantly, watching as she filled the other teacup and passed it to Aiden.

“You can think of me as your adoptive mother Aiden.” she responded.

“How do you know my name?” he questioned, getting a bit aggressive with his tone.

“As I said Aiden, I am your adoptive mother.”

He looked at the Mother with a questioning look, but realized that whoever it was would not give him a straight answer.

“What is that you wish to tell me, oh my adoptive mother?” said Aiden, speaking the second part very sarcastically.

“There is someone very important to me located within the Empire of Aramun. Only you will be able to locate him. You must ask the Grandmasters and Masters of your order to attend the diplomatic mission they were asked to conduct on behalf of the Eternal Union.”

“Why should I retrieve him?”

“Because he is not only important to me, but to your order. He will be the greatest assets for your order to ever have once again.”

“I shall inform my master, but now I must gather my weapons materials.”

As Aiden finished his sentence, the Mother summoned, out of thin air, a focusing crystal and a small orb of Archnite.

“These are the materials your master has asked you for. Now go child, time is of the essence.” finished the Mother, walking off in the opposite direction of Aiden. The table, stove, and teapot disappeared. Aiden stood for a minute, before heading back out the exit of the cave.

[b]New Condia, Eternal Union Outer Territory[/b] [@Zadubadabu]
The sleepy agricultural world of New Condia rested on the very outskirts of Eternal Union territory, far away from the nearest Core World. A few stations and frigates lazily orbited around the planet, watching for signs of trouble that were never likely to come.
However aboard the planet’s main station, a mixed crew of Iscandarian, Human, and Rakloid watched as the sensors kept on detecting, and then losing, a faint magical signature.

“Whoever is currently hiding in the system is obviously magical in nature. No other known civilizations who were not magical were capable of hiding from our sensors. They know how to account for it. But we know there here” said the Station’s Captain. He turned towards the transmission console and ordered the officer there to begin transmission, having it encoded in 01 format for easy of translation.

“Unknown contact, please identify military or civilian affiliation. Please identify nation of origin, please identify benign or malignant intent.” broadcasted the Station throughout the system, encoded in 01 format.