“It looks beautiful, isn’t it?” Kinryuu smiled, “They might be soldiers, but they are quite skilled, don’t you say?”

Arad looked at the massive building, “How did you even build this?” He started with a dumbfounded face, seeing a keep built at the mountain peak.

“The chromatics had a brown dragon, and we got a skilled copper one. With molding magic they bent the dirt and stone to form it.”

“How long does it take to have this fine control?”

“Over centuries of practice, you might be able to get the vague shape in a few tries, but…” Kinryuu approached the wall, touching it, “Look, you can see engravings with art on each block.”

Arad looked closely, seeing drawings of dragons, elves, and poems engraved between the seemingly natural cracks. “It’s even better than I expected.”

“It’s how a dragon flexes his skills,” Kinryuu smiled, looking back at the copper dragon that made it, “You topped yourself again this time. Gatomri.”

“I hate to admit it,” He looked toward the brown dragon, “But it won’t be possible without his pure earth magic. I never had such amazing clay to work with in my life,”

“Kinryuu, what’s this?” Arad looked at the wall, noticing a peculiar drawing of a dragon getting punched from the sky by an ape-shaped being. Right beside it is another depiction of the ape swinging a dragon by the tail at a wall.

“Pithikos Dynamis,” Gatomri looked at Arad, “It’s a demonic ape that preys on young dragons that go astray. Wandering away from the nest before their age closes.”

“A story to scare the young ones? Just like humans do,” Arad smiled, looking at the wall.

“But that thing is real.” Kinryuu looked at Arad, “It’s a monster that preys on dragons before they reach adulthood and get stronger. Those apes develop the same elemental powers as the dragons they consume. So if one ate a red dragon, it’s start breathing fire and punching with it.”

“Have you ever faced an item that prevents you from using your draconic powers?” Gatomri smiled. Those are made from those apes.

“Chains had the claws burned in their molten still to give it those properties. And the apes themselves had that power,” Kiryuu smiled, “One punch and you’ll feel weaker, take another, and you won’t be able to move.”

“With a third, you’ll be paralyzed and get eaten alive.” Gatomri looked at Arad, “Be careful. If you faced one, take it down from a distance and try to kill it in one hit.”

“You won’t find them around the human territory. They always chase their food, so they are touring around the star mountains of the dragons.” Kinryuu explained.

“I won’t want to face an angry ape,” Arad could imagine it. An ape monster that preys on dragons. Even if he can beat it, he isn’t thrilled about meeting one.

Kinryuu looked back as the human architects approached, their jaws open, “How did this happen?”

“We built it,” Kinryuu smiled, “You still have the castle to finish on your own, but that is for later. Get to filling the place,” He pointed at the keep with his thumb, “We don’t provide furnishing,”

“Of course,” Half rushed inside to inspect the rooms while the other half went into the city to buy the standard furnishing.

“I can build them,” Mira approached.

“That would take time,” One of the architects looked at her, “And it will be a massive amount of work. It can’t be good for your health.”

“Fine,” She sighed, “I did want to make custom furnishing…but it can’t be helped. Follow me to the shop. I do have some on sale.”

“Wait, what?” The architect looked at her.

Arad smiled, “She makes most of Alina’s furnishing market.”

“Really?” They looked at her, “Wait, let me check something,”

The architect rushed back into his tent, taking a look through papers. “It’s true!” He gasped.

He walked out with a smile on his face, “Sorry I didn’t notice it earlier, lady Mira.” He looked at the paper again, “Most of the castle’s beds, cabinets, desks, and even the royal throne are imported from Alina. You’re the carpenter who made them,”

Mira smiled, “You’re the one who said we shouldn’t waste time. Get to fill the place. I’ll work on the woodwork of the other buildings.”

Merida arrived at Arad’s house the next day, walking inside searching for him.

“Aella, did you see Arad?” She asked, knocking on the door and walking inside.

“He’s out hunting for meat. A flock of wyverns landed on the mountains, and he needs to thin them out a bit.” Aella wiped her hands dry and walked out of the kitchen, leaving the rest of the work to Tina, Rey, and Ray, “How are your grandparents?”

“They are doing well,” Merida replied with a smile.

“Did you come for what we talked about before?”

“Yes. Roberta got me the shipment late at night,” She smiled, “You can come and pick the clothes you want.”

Aella smiled, “Did you finish Arad’s set?”

“Do you know how many clothes that ate? Almost enough for two people.” Merida stared blankly.

“Arad is huge after all,” Aella smiled, “It’s almost impossible to find clothes that fit him now.”

“All those muscles, I needed to get a new mannequin carved.” Merida sighed.

“How did you get one made in such a short time? And how did they even make something the size of Arad?”

“They didn’t,” Merida looked away, “Merlin managed to pull a naked stone statue in one wave of her staff.”

“How in the hell did she?”

“I don’t know, she always dodged the question,”

Knock! Knock! Knock!

As they talked, they heard a knocking on the door.

“I’ll go see who it is,” Aella stood, approaching the door. CLICK! She opened it, seeing a massive cat-like golden eye staring directly at her, blocking the whole door. The green scales at the edges made it clear who that was.

“It’s been a while,” Claug said with a smile, her breath almost pushing Aella back into the house.

“Ha?” Aella gasped, “HAAAAAA!” She cried, “How did you get into the village? You didn’t stomp anything, did you?”

She looked outside.

“I’m not stupid. I made sure to only step on the roads.” Claug replied with a smile.

“NO! NO! NO! Look!” Aella pointed, “Your claws dug a trench where you walked, and your tail already smashed some of the village’s outer walls!”

“HA?” Claug looked back, “Isn’t the road supposed to be walked on?”

“Not for a dragon that weighs as a mountain! And what about the fence? Keep your tail up enough not to hit it.”

“You’re asking a lady to walk with her tail up?”

“You all look the same, don’t crush the village. There is a reason they didn’t get in,” She pointed at the other chromatic dragons standing outside.

“You’re the ones who told me I can go in!” She glared back at them, and they looked away.

Aella sighed, “It can’t be helped that you can’t shift into a human, sit outside with the rest of the dragons until Arad comes back. the noble party will start tomorrow at the evening,”

****

Time quickly passed, and the party came. Arad looked at the mirror. “Those clothes look funny.” He sighed.

“They suit you,” Aella smiled in the back as she stood with her arms lifted, the two maids Rey and Ray strapping her corset.

“I feel like they would rip with one move.” Arad lifted his arm. The black and white clothes were a bit too tight around his shoulders.

“It’s my first time making such a big one,” Merida stared at him as she wore her leggings.

CLICK! The door opened, and Amber walked it. With a swift move, she pushed the door to close behind her. “They need…” CLACK! The door closed, and she cried, jumping in place with tears in her eyes. “AWAWAWAWA!” She turned around, blowing on the air.

Out of nowhere, two massive, red, and semi-transparent butterfly-like wings appeared behind her back.

The wing’s edge was bent and twisted.

Mira looked at her, “Again? This is the seventh time you closed the door on them,”

“I told you, didn’t I?” Zephyr said, sitting on the desk in front of the window, brushing her hair, “Always face the door before closing it,”

“I can’t help it,” Amber cried, “I’m not used to it,”

“Do you know how expensive that body was? The fire spirit is stingy,” Zephyr looked at her, “Try harder not to damage it,”

“Sorry,” Amber looked down.

“How much did it cost?” Arad looked at Zephyr.

“If you’re thinking money, we spirits doesn’t use that. It has no meaning to us.” Zephyr replied, “I did pay for it, and that’s all you need to know,”

“Why can’t you tell me?”

“Since it’s between us high spirits,” Zephyr replied, shaking her head and looking at her long flowing hair. “Nice,”

“Spirits trade in Mana,” Aella looked at Arad, “She probably paid a portion of her power to the fire spirit for the body,”

“That isn’t it,” Zephyr sighed.

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