The drakes were faster than the helicopters, and both were rapidly fading into the distance as the clergy did their work, saving one attacker and most of their guards.
Then they waited. And waited some more until the special forces team gave up the chase and returned a half hour later.
From the look on their faces as they stepped out of the helicopter, it was not a triumphant return, and the Drake Riders had escaped their pursuit, but it was still good to see them.
“Priests, students, and who might these be?” The large man leading the Inquisition team asked.
“A gathering team from the Divine Golden Academy, led by the Awakened students Karl and Dana, here to gather herbs, sir.” Karl replied, as he was the closest of their team members.
“Two Awakened Team Leaders for a resource gathering mission?” The Inquisitor asked.
“Yes, sir. We’re all in our first year, so they sent an extra Awakened member on this Common Grade mission to make up for our inexperience.” Karl explained.
That seemed to be enough to mollify the Inquisitor, who just nodded in satisfaction as he looked over the team.
“It looks like you’re all the leaders of this year’s class. Congratulations on your acceptance by the Divine Serum.” The Inquisitor replied.
“The World Dragon smiles upon us.” Karl agreed.
The two cleric students who had been with him nodded enthusiastically, and even the Inquisition smirked at that reverent response. The group had discovered two Dragon Priests, more correctly, a Priest and a Priestess, as the Inquisitors began to realize. If that wasn’t proof of the World Dragon’s favour, then he wasn’t sure what qualified.
“We will need to extract the entire team at this time. Notification has been sent to the Divine Golden Academy, and they will come to recover their students once we have had an opportunity to speak.” The Inquisition team leader announced with a gesture toward the helicopter.
The clerics looked nervous, which made everyone else nervous as well. What did they know that nobody else did? The team hadn’t done anything wrong, so surely there was no need to be frightened, Karl thought as he called Hawk and Rae back into their space for the trip.
Both had stolen Drake bodies for later, which someone would certainly notice, as the scales were incredibly valuable, but that could be discussed once they got back to the Academy, as they could also be counted as a strengthening resource.
Many scaled beasts used potions with the scales of Dragon type beasts to help their growth, and Karl had Thor, who might be able to get something from the exchange.
“Can you show me the marks?” The leader of the rescue team asked, looking at the two newly awakened Clerics directly.
They both pulled up their sleeves and the man smiled, then gestured toward the helicopter. “Everyone in. We’ve waited here long enough.”
As soon as everyone was in the large, twin bladed helicopter, it began to move, not even waiting for them to get buckled into their seats.
This matter must have been a bigger deal than what Karl or any of the others had suspected, and they hadn’t even been asked about the Holy Relic yet.
They only flew a few minutes, before they landed at a large cathedral surrounded by low stone buildings that were built in the middle of nowhere. This was the Seminary Academy, where the clerics trained their new clergy, and raised orphaned children who were left in their care. Only a promising few would get the preferential treatment that the six students in the helicopter had, but they would all be given the Divine Serum when they came of age, to determine if they would continue a mundane life or start moving on to bigger things.
“It is unorthodox to have students awaken outside the ceremony, but with the presence of Holy Relics, it is not unheard of. There is one in this school as well, and it is known to grant boons to those who the World Dragon favours.
That is the first place we will be going. The response of the World Dragon Temple will tell us much about you.” The leader of the Inquisition team informed them.
They were led out of the helicopter and toward a small golden building, with ramped corners that reminded everyone of the stairs at the trial site.
“Is there something familiar about this place?” The inquisitor nearest to Karl asked.
“The stairs. The trial instance that we were in was a Golden Pyramid temple with staircases up the four sides like the ones on the corners of the building here.” Karl quietly answered, trying not to disturb the peaceful vibe of the area.
The man didn’t say anything more as they were led into the small temple, and the two newly awakened students immediately began to glow with golden light, before their robes changed from student uniform robes to more ornate cleric habits in a gold over black double layered fashion.
Karl felt a weight around his neck, and found that he was wearing a simple golden dragon – shaped pendant, but when he tried to touch it, he discovered that it was some form of illusion, and not solid at all.
The inquisitors moved through the group, looking them all over for some sign of the World Dragon’s favour, and then quietly escorted the other four students out of the room. They weren’t taken anywhere, just left by the door, which was closed in front of them without a word.
Only when the doors were sealed and the priests who had been in the temple had moved to guard them did the Inquisitor speak.
“It appears true that you all did undergo a trial in a Holy Relic. Those pendants are a mark of lingering favour, and the design tells us how you did in the trial. Congratulations to you all, and we do hope that you enjoy the rewards granted for your hard work.
Now, we will be bringing you individually to speak of your experiences so that we can get a clear picture of what the Holy Relic is and how it functions, or possibly when it might open again. A team has already gone to secure the location, and they will verify your stories.” The Inquisition team leader informed them.
That explained why the others were sent out. They weren’t with the team, and they didn’t have the rank of the priests to stay in the room and hear such sensitive information.
“Who would like to go first?” The Inquisitor asked.
Karl raised his hand. “I will go first, if there are no objections.”
The students looked nervous as Karl was led into the other room, where two large men, shirtless in black leather pants, were standing on either side of a metal chair with arm rests.
Karl wasn’t an idiot, he knew that this was an interrogation room, not a ‘friendly meeting with new friends’ room, but as long as he explained clearly, he didn’t see any reason for there to be a problem.
Most of the intimidation of the room came from the knowledge that you had something to hide, and Karl really didn’t have many secrets. At least, he assumed that was why it was supposed to be horrifying, as the room was immaculately clean with no signs of prior use, other than the scuff marks on the floor by the chair.
The man who escorted him in gave Karl a friendly smile as he settled into a folding chair facing the metal one Karl was led to.
“Alright, let’s start at the beginning. I mean the very beginning. Who are you, where are you from, and what was your life like before you found out that you were compatible with the Divine Serum?” The inquisitor began.
“Well, my name is Karl. The working people of the mines don’t customarily give family names. I am in the first year at the Academy now, from the most recent batch of Serum candidates.
I was going to school on the standard four-day schedule and working six quarter shifts in the mine a week, as the rules allow for students.
I can’t say things were all that bad, my mother was a good cook, and my parents hadn’t run up any debts that I know of.” Karl began, then paused, unsure what else the man might want.
The inquisitor nodded. “You don’t hold any resentment against the mine owner?”
Karl shook his head. “I’ve never even met the man. Or perhaps it’s a woman? The foreman is a good guy, though. His daughter was in my class, but she didn’t have the compatibility.”
“How has your time at the Golden Divine Academy been? Are you making friends?”
Karl smiled. “Very much so. I’ve been advancing faster than most, so I keep getting moved between training programs, and everywhere I go I meet more good people.”
“Why do you think that is?” The Inquisitor asked, taking notes on a paper pad.
“I have a theory that everyone who gains the favour of the World Dragon has something in common. Have you noticed that there are suspiciously few douchebags in the first year classes? Maybe not. I don’t know if you were a student. But the truly cruel and the bullies don’t seem to have made the cut.” Karl explained.
The Inquisitor looked like he was about to laugh at Karl’s seemingly naive response, but as he thought about it, it was true of the first years. They came in decent, and only really devolved as the year went on, and the power differences began to appear, which caused resentment, bitterness and envy.
By the second year, the cliques had fully formed, but at the start of the first year, as Karl was experiencing, his classmates would all still be somewhat starstruck and hopeful.
“Now, I need every single detail of your mission. The wording, everyone involved in its assignment, and anything else you can think of.” The Inquisitor demanded, turning serious, but softening his voice enough that it didn’t sound like a threat.
