Emberscale Chroicles CH4

Gatling was sat in his small room. He had shared it with is brothers, Cole and Torrent and also there little sister Shyne. But tommorow all that was going to change, because tommorow he Gatling was going to begin his new life as the Head Spellbinder's new Apprentice. Gatling could barely containhis excitement as he rummaged through his few personal belongings and packing them into the large satchel his mother had given him. Gatling's Mother worked as rune-weaver by day in the markets near the town center trying to make a living from crafting exotic Runed cloaks, bags and other pieces for passing Mages and Dracocrats. Gatling's mother was indeed a master of her craft and could forge the finest pieces from nothing but a few pieces of cloth and was known to be one of the best rune-weavers in he city, but alas this was spoiled by the infamousy of her family name and only visiting dragons who didn't know of her families dishonour would come anywhere near her stall.

Gatling's mother had made this satchel especially for him embroidered with strange glowing runes, when Gatling had asked his mother about the runes she only replied that "there to make sure you don't lose it like you always do!"

Gatling turnd the strange satchel over in his claws a couple of times before going back to his packing. He had nearly finished gathering his things when he came across a photogram of him and Nagina that hey had got taken at a travelling kappa's stall in the market. Nagina. It was only because of her that he had become the Arkozstraza's new apprentice, he thought, he was going to miss her. They had been best friends from early childhood, growing up on the streets, they stuck together and stood up for each other. They had been insperable, a team. Until now, Gatling was going off to his new life at the Arcanium with Arkozstraza and Nagina was going to left here, on the streets. Gatling sunk down onto his bed and stared at he picture before him, at the two frozen faces staring back.

How'd I get myself into this?

Gatling laid back and recalled the day that had set him on the path to becoming the new Apprentice spellbinder...

The day had been an all round average day in the emberscale slums Boring, the adults were off to work in the market and Gatling and Nagina had been left to wander the streets in search of something to do. You'd be amazed a how little there is to do in the slums of a magical city filled with dragons, without a single cloud in the sky and the smell of freshly baked bread and burning timbers on the wind.
Wait a minute, burning timbers! Nagina gave him a panicked look as they sprinted round the corner to meet a horryifying sight, the orphanage was burning down!

Adult dragons were chucking buckets of water over the burning building to douse the flames, but to no avail. There was a child screaming from inside.

"We've got to do somthing Gatling!" Nagina was looking him in the eyes with a dire stare.

"What can we do? The buildings ON FIRE Nagina we can't just give it a stern talkin to and it'll run away, it's a fire! Besides your a sea dragon, if you went in there you'd dry up faster than you can say firecracker!" Gatling tried to give her his best "Don't do anything stupid nagina" looks, but as usual it didn't work and Nagina ploughed straight through the door

"Nagina!" Gatling began to give chase but becamroote to the spot as dark thoughts began to haunt his mind, What are you thinking!?! You can't save her! Your no hero! Gaatling watched as the one side of the building collapsed into flames. Well if i don't nobody will! and witout another thought Gatling ran headfirst into the blazing orphanage.

Gatling tried to spot Nagina through the haze but the smog was to thick.
>Cough< >Cough<
There! Gatling ran forward dodging falling debris from the ceiling, trying as hard as he could to hone in on the small sound. Gatling darted round another corner and arrived at another room. Gatoling looked inside to find Nagina lying on the floor trying to protect a cluster of young hatchlings from the flaming debris falling from the crumbling inferno around them. Gatling tried to get in but the door was blocked by a fallen beam, Gatling tried to move it but it wouldn't budge. Gatling wasn't the strongest dragona round, due to the fact he didn't play as much sorts as t other kids, which he was starting to regret, but he knew Nagina would be strong enough to move the beam, so why hadn't she? Then the answer dawned on him, she was all dried up, he looked upon his friend, her scaled withered from the heat. As a sea dragon Nagina depended on the moisture in the air arund her to survive, but in a place like this, a towering inferno,she didn't stand a chance. Gatling stared in horror as Nagina fell unconscious before him, powerless to stop it. Gatling stared at his claws in desperation trying to think of something, anything to save his friend. Be could do nothing.  He pummelled the beam ineffectively and roared in anger at his futility.

And roar he did.

From his jaws burst forth a mixture of lightning and blue fire that disentegrated te wreckage that blocked his path. Gatling was almost transfixed wth awe at his outburst, and probably would have stood their for a year if he wasn't in the middle of a burning building. Gatling ran forward, hoisted Nagina over his shoulder and gathered up the hatchlings around him.

"Come on we've got to get out of here!" Gatling guided the hatchlings through the inferno and towards the front entrance. As they aproached there only way out tragedy struck, burning wreckage fell from the ceiling and blocked the door. Gatling stared in rage as there last chance of survival was swept away.

Gatling turned round and faced the dozen little crying hatchlings, and almost wanting to start weeping aswell. All these little lives to never be lived, to burnt away and be nothing but ashes in a fire. "No!! We didn't come this far to see it end like this, not like this!!"

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The dragons outside the crumbling orphanage were losing there fight against the flames and were almost ready to give up, sweat dripping from there brows tearsfalling from there eyes as they realisedthe childrens fate.

BOOM!!

One side of the wall next to the door smashed apart as a yellow-blue mound burst through wall. The mound was a young dragon and not just that the boy was holding a young female sea dragon over his shoulder and clutched inbetween his arms and his wings were a dozen little hatchlings. The head of the orphanage rushed over to embrace the hatchlings as Gatling opened his eyes, coughing and spluttering. He'd did it......Wait, no, there was something else - Nagina of course!

"Quick bring her some water NOW!" Gatling yelled as he held his best friend in his arms. "Come on Nagina don't die on me now!" A dragon ran over with a bucket of water which Gatling hastily dumped over Nagina. Her body seemed to soak up the water as her scales returned to there normal colour and her fins flexed out from her face, her eyes shot open as she began to cough and splutter.

Nagina smiled at Gatling "I told you...you were brave, I was right."  Gatling gave a light smile back and nodded as two medical dragons put her on a stretcher a took her away to the infirmary.
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A few days later Nagina had nearly recovered and was lying in bed with Gatling at her side. Gatling was telling her about how she and Gatling were heralded as heroes back at the house of Stormbrand and that the whole orphanage had said how they were indebted to them both.

"Well, I didn't do much Gatling your the hero your the one who saved everyone."

Gatling was shocked by this, he was no hero "No your the one who was brave Nagina, your the one who ran in without any hesitation, if you hadn't ran in there I never would have ran after you. If it wasn't for you they all would have been dead, your the hero Nagina!"

"Gatling you've gotta starting giving yourself a bit more credit, your braver than you think."

Gatling contemplated this for a moment but was interrupted by the entry of Nagina's mother Sandrina.

"Nagina you've got mail from Arcanium!" Sandrina's face was full of glee, and Gatling knew this was for good reason as not just anybody was contacted by the arcanium. " Everyone in town's got one!"

Well normally anyway, he thought.

"It's a letter from the Head Spellbinder himself" She continued "It says that Arkozstraza of Emberscale is going to select a new apprentice and that there will be a Grand Festival where Arkozstraza himself will pick the new apprentice! Isn't it exciting! Theres going to be special markets and bizaars and of course the Grand selection Ceremony. Oh i can't wait!" Sandrina left the letter on mantelpiece next to Nagina and rushed out to gossip with her friends.

"Hey look Gatling theres an application form at the bottom to become the next apprentice, that could be you Gatling!" Nagina was stuffing the letter up to his face and pointing at the bottom half of the letter which had questions on it asking about the applicants qualities and why they deserve to be the next apprentice etc. "I mean havn't you always wanted to something like this?"

Gatling thought about it for a moment, he had indeed always wanted to have a career in magic but he had never dreamed it could become a reality, he always thought he'd end up as another average dragon from the slums, working in the markets in his mum's stall, making ruune weaved satchels and capes for passers by as his mother does.

"Look Nagina what makes you think they'd pick me to be the next apprentice? Im just another dragon from the slums im nothing special, theres no way I'd make I'd be chosen as the apprentice. Besides even if i did, everyone would just laugh at me if they saw a Stormbrand step up in line with the other candidates, i'd be a laughing stock!"

"Hey it can't be any worse than running into a burning building" Nagina replied with a large smirk

"Look I gotta go, I promised Mum i'd help her at the stall today. Just try tostay out of trouble while im gone, ok?"

"Fine... Ill see ya later then"

"Bye" Gatling walked out the door and waved farewll to Nagina, who happened to be grinning rather strongly as she reached for the letter...