Challenge #04452-L068: Way of the Dragon

This is a strange place where students are taught to fight. Not the ways of the shadow, but how to fight like the dragon-born. The teachers do not care that most of the students here are not, and were never dragons. Or that there are all races. All they care is that these youngsters, and some adults, are their students. And they will help others who are mistreated stand on their feet once more. -- The New Guy

Places like this are almost always out of the way. The students tend to need a lot of room for their training, and that kind of acreage is only found in obscure locations.

This one had a lot of its acreage inside a mountain. Because this Dojo was one for the Way of the Dragon.

A time once was that a Dragon took in foundlings, so they say. Some others say that the Dragon sired or bore them. Drakkonbred were the first, no matter what people say about how it started. They were not Dragon sized, and therefore needed to fight on their own terms.

The old Dragon Master had learned to shapeshift just so they could teach properly.

That old Dragon Master has long since found another life in another realm, but the Dojo remains. There's still a large number of Drakkonbred there, but anyone can master the Breath of the Dragon. With enough training and practice, an Adept can shock the life out of their opponents.

But that's not all.

They train to harden their hands, to strengthen their nails to the point where they can be used as claws. While many cannot fly, they can play with gravity like so many other Martial Artists. They can, very much, "jump good".

Tails are not necessary. Bite strength can be helpful, but by and large it is speed, agility, and hard hands that do the most in battle.

Adept Skayle had learned all that the Dojo could teach them, so it was time for them to go forth from the Dojo to see what the world could teach. They set forth in their deep blue gi with a simple staff as a weapon. They had little in their pack and needed little, since all Martiallists were austere or frugal to the extreme.

Nevertheless, it wasn't long before adventure found them. Skayle hit the bandits like a dervish of destruction, allowing the carter to rise from his position and assist with his swords. One of them defected and started attacking hir former allies.

They met with a Cleric in the nearest Temple of Kind Hands, battered and bruised and slightly worse off for the battle. At least they survived it, and they were taking that win.

Skayle had a lot to learn, indeed.

[Photo by Jonah De Oliveira on Unsplash]

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