Dragons of Dalaran

The beautiful Elven language was like heavenly music, but listening to these parrot-like apprentices made even the good-natured Astaroth feel as though his ears had been tortured for ten thousand years. He left the classroom with a stern face, leaving behind Nobo, who was practically collapsed on the floor, and a group of apprentices staring at one another.

"You're the Blood Warrior?" The gnome from the back row stepped forward. She was a pretty young gnome girl with lovely platinum-blonde hair and large, sparkling eyes that blinked rapidly. "You really are unusual."

Lister bent down politely to meet her gaze. "And may I ask your name, miss?"

"My name is Cromie." Cromie smiled.

Lister was instantly struck dumb. His mouth fell open again, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Cromie immediately broke into a delighted smile, until Lister finally recovered and slowly asked, "Is there something wrong with me?"

"Of course not." Cromie's answer made Lister let out a long breath. He had thought his sneaking across had disrupted the timeline, prompting the Bronze Dragonflight to capture him and set the worldline back on its original course. "It seems you know what I am."

"Of course." Lister replied irritably. "That's why I was so startled. I thought..."

Cromie scratched her head sheepishly. "So you know about the agreement between my father and you too? No wonder. Traveling across timelines is so easy for you."

"Wait, I'm still me." Lister immediately had a bad feeling. "I mean, I'm still the me from this timeline, not the future me."

Cromie tilted her head. "Okay, so I caught the major event where future you met you. But why isn't there any temporal turbulence around you? That's strange. Could future you have some other secret nobody knows about? Very possible. You have far too many secrets, after all."

"I've never met my future self." Lister rolled his eyes at her, though that was hardly convincing. Otherwise, how would he know Cromie was a dragon? "So, what is future me like?"

"This is really interesting. You've never met him, yet you know so many secrets." Cromie bounced excitedly on her feet. "If Father finds out, he'll definitely go talk to him."

"Father?" Lister pricked up his ears. "Could it be that your father is..."

"Of course." Cromie curled her lip disdainfully. "That guy who spends all day doing nothing in the desert and leaves everything for me to do."

Lister's hairs stood on end. He knew only that Cromie held a very high position within the Bronze Dragonflight, but he had never imagined Nozdormu was her father. Wiping the sweat from his face, he said, "You could discuss it with him. And what exactly is this agreement? Why would I have an agreement with your father?"

"Hmph." Cromie snorted. When she saw a new teacher enter, she turned and stormed off in a huff. "You'll find out when the time comes."

The teacher who had just entered winked at Cromie. Seeing her angry little expression, he smiled knowingly. Then he glanced at Lister, who felt embarrassed all over again.

This course was called The Cultivation of a Fire Mage. Its instructor was highly respected: Krasus, one of the most gifted archmages of the Kirin Tor. The only one who could rival him was Kel'Thuzad, disciple of Master Antonidas.

This man was the consort of Alexstrasza, the Red Dragon Queen. No wonder he had greeted Cromie; they were both dragons, after all.

"Hey, friends." Krasus's opening was passionate and energetic, like a wave of summer heat sweeping through the classroom. By now, the room was full. Not only were Lister's batch of students present, but many other apprentices had come specifically to attend Krasus's class, which was proof enough of his excellence. "Welcome to my classroom, Krasus's classroom. Here, all we need is passion. No need to be so cold, all right? This is a class on fire magic."

Soft laughter rose from the classroom, but everyone had clearly been drawn in. The spirited opening made them all sit up, and Krasus was very pleased with the effect. He waved an arm and pointed at a student.

"Come on, let's have a little interaction." Krasus encouraged the student to stand. "Don't be shy. Life is short, so don't waste time!"

Everyone laughed aloud. Krasus asked, "What kind of knowledge do you think you want to learn?"

"Powerful fire spells," the student answered timidly.

"Very good. Otherwise, why would you come to my class? This isn't a banquet. There's no mead or afternoon tea here!" Krasus's words drew another burst of laughter from the students. He strode toward the next student. "Hey, what do you think?"

"The same as him."

"That lacks originality. Even when learning the same knowledge, different people can gain different insights from it." Krasus's criticism was direct, but not uncomfortable. "How about another answer?"

"I want a pair of wings made of flame."

"Very, very good." Krasus burst into laughter, and his smile was genuinely joyous, exposing a row of white teeth. Lister was truly afraid they might turn into sharp fangs. "That's really good! An excellent idea! I suggest you study alchemy. Gnomes and dwarves have plenty of experience in that area. Make yourself a pair of metal wings and enchant them, or simply develop a spell unique to yourself. Either way works! Wonderful! I'm glad you're all mages with imagination!"

"Without imagination, what a dull profession being a mage would be. We don't merely learn—we create! What about you, my friend?" Krasus pointed at Ambella. "What do you think, miss?"

"I want to marry an outstanding person." Ambella's answer made Krasus pause for a moment before he smiled. "Not a bad thought. If we demand excellence from our other half, then we must be equally excellent—or even more so. Otherwise, we're like two legs of unequal length. You can't walk that way."

"Then you're all very fortunate." Krasus did not continue questioning people, making Lister breathe a sigh of relief. Unexpectedly, that sigh caught Krasus's attention, and he quickly walked over. "Oh? One of our friends is sighing? Are you upset that I skipped you? My sincerest apologies. Let's give him a chance to show himself. Of course, you're Lister the Blood Warrior. I've heard your name before. Let's invite the Blood Warrior to speak!"

Nobo was the first to applaud. Like an elementary school student caught by his teacher, Lister stood up trembling. "I want to learn how to start a fire."

This answer left Krasus at a loss. He asked with a smile, "Just a fire?"

"Under any circumstances."

Krasus began applauding on his own, and everyone else followed, impressed without quite knowing why. "A very good idea, very good! A flame that can burn under any circumstances—if I had to describe it in a single sentence, I could only think of this one."

"Who first forged the sword, that fatal weapon? His savage soul must have been made of rough steel. Like your deeds, you possess a soul of steel, my friend. I look forward to the stories you will create."

"Please, sit." Krasus's tone softened. The textbook on his desk flew open by itself, and the red dragon briskly walked up the steps and picked it up. "Please turn to page three. Let's look at the first chapter: the origin of fire elementals."