Taming a Dragon

(I'm building up to a major climax. I've got a feel for it, but it isn't quite there yet, so there's only one update today. You're probably used to it by now. Whenever the story reaches a turning point, Fututu needs some time to build momentum.)

Could it really be Dragon Fear?

Rainbird felt the hairs rise all over his body. It did seem remarkably like the Dragon Fear of legend. The dragon most often seen in Port Nyanzaru was the Wyvern raised by Young Miss Vivian. As a Draconic creature, it carried a faint Dragon Fear of its own, enough to leave ordinary people frozen in terror. Rainbird had experienced something like that before becoming a high-level professional, but he had gradually grown used to it. The pressure exerted by a Draconic creature was nowhere near enough to affect a strong-willed Drow Warrior.

"Someone's coming."

A dark-skinned guard with several braids in his hair spoke up. His name was Zagud, a name that did not roll easily off the tongue. Unlike the other guards, Zagud spoke with a thick native accent. He was a powerfully built native, and a slave brand marked his cheek. It showed that he had once been a slave Gladiator, the lowest of the low. Zagud was something of a legend in Port Nyanzaru. Born a native Slave, he had fought his way from the arena to a post guarding one of the city's most important restricted areas.

Countless Slaves looked up to him as a role model and idol!

That was the wonder of Port Nyanzaru.

Anyone had a chance to climb the ranks, step by step. Even a Slave with no freedom at all could become an honorary citizen of Port Nyanzaru, or rise higher still.

That was the soul of Port