Dagon's Honor: Chapter 4

Dragon's Honor
Chapter 4: Another Reward...

About an hour after the ceremony, where Micheal had earned his "Medal of Honor" for saving his mom, he sat in his room on his bed. His two brothers, James and Brian, sat in his room as well. Brian was wearing a blue shirt and jeans. James was wearing cacky pants and a red shirt. Brian sat in a chair next to an entertainment system setup along the wall on the far side of the room. James sat alongside the dresser which was placed almost right next to the bed.

"What happened?" Brian questioned Micheal. James just looked at Micheal eagerly, and Brian also stared.

"Long story," was all he said. Micheal was holding his medal of honor. It's gold with silver embossing saying, "Medal of Honor" on one side, and "Bestowed upon one who distinguished oneself in the line of duty" on the other.

"Is there a short version?" James asked.

"Well, I think I could shorten it." Micheal said. He could see Brian and James lean in slightly, and that they were listening intently. "I was airlifted via a chopper to a forest in the dead of night. I had to navigate my way through the forest to the base, enter and exit without getting detected. I did pretty good, until they found out that she was missing from her cell."

Micheal continued, "When the alarm went off, some soldiers appeared and fired upon us," the other two gasped. "The informant, Daniel, suppressed fire with the gun I had while I retrieved a gun. After the fight, we ran off and arrived at the chopper..." Micheal paused.

"Yes? Is there more?" James asked.

Should I tell them about the dragon? Micheal thought. "The rest was pretty smooth sailing," he said at last.

"Cool." James said.

"Must've been fun." Brian said.

"Yeah, sort of," Micheal said as he peered at the clock. "9 am," he said, "time for training."

"Oh... yeah." Brian said as he stood up. The trio left the room. Micheal stopped in the hallway, and remained motionless.

"You okay?" James asked.

Pain shot through Micheals body. "Pain," he said weakly, then he fell to the floor.

"Micheal!" Brian and James shouted almost at the same time as they rushed to him.

"Can't... move..." Micheal barely stammered. He was paralyzed. "Help..." he forced out before everything started to fade. All went black: He fainted.


An unknown amount of time later, Micheal awoke. Slowly, but he awoke. He opened his eyes and gazed at the room around him: it was all white. The bed, the sheets, the lights; everything was white.

"Good, you're awake," a voice echoed through the room. "You fainted in the corridor down the living quarters. You were brought here by your brothers. Who knows what would have happened if they had taken their time."

Micheal attempted to shift, but found it rather difficult. "You're still somewhat paralyzed. No one here can determine what's wrong with you. We'll just keep you here until you get better, and keep you under constant supervision." Micheal tried to speak, but was cut off by a different voice.

"I wouldn't try to speak for now: You should conserve your energy." He recognized it as William. He trusted him and just stopped trying to move. "That's better. You'll be like this for a few days: We've had this kind of thing happen before, so you don't have to worry about it." Micheal felt relieved, but couldn't show it without a lot of effort. "I'll talk to you later. Try to get some rest until then." Micheal forced his eyes shut with too much effort and they wouldn't open again. He relaxed and soon he slept once again.


When he awoke, he found he could move some more: It was easier to shift and open and close his eyes. He shifted to a comfortable position when he heard a voice. "Micheal, you alright?" He recognized it as James.

He heard a second voice. "We've been wondering about you." This one was Brian's.

"I'm... fine..." He paused in between words because talking was still rather difficult.

"It's ok. Don't try to talk if it's too hard." James said. "We don't want to strain you."

"Ok." Micheal forced out.

"I think it's time for you guys to leave," Williams voice came through the intercom. "He needs his rest." There was a pause, a moment of complete silence, then William said, "You should sleep. Who knows how long it will be until you are well again."

Micheal managed to get comfortable once again and slept.


He awoke in some time, which he didn't know. He couldn't move anymore, and he couldn't open his eyes. He could only talk, breathe, smell, eat, and drink. He lay there, listening for anything. He heard a voice over the intercom. "Micheal, you are completely paralyzed again. We don't know how, but all we can tell you is that you may never recover. Sorry." He didn't recognize the voice, but she sounded confident in her words.

"Actually," another voice, this time it was William, "we believe you will be paralyzed for a few more days. I've seen cases like this before. Sorry about the confusion." Micheal felt relieved to hear this, but couldn't show it at all. "About the strange ailment, I suffered from it before, and so did Grandmaster Draco." Micheal was shocked. "Shocked? So was I when I heard Draco went through it too."

"But... how... much... longer?" Micheal struggles out.

"About 3 days and you will feel better. Trust me." William said solemnly. Micheal believed him. "For now, rest some more. You'll need your strength for later."


The next day, Micheal awoke in the bed and still couldn't move. He could sniff the air now, and took a whiff. "Is... someone... there?" He swore he could smell someone there.

"Actually, I am here." A familiar voice pierced the air. "You know me as Grandmaster Draco."

"Draco...?" Micheal began, but found it more difficult to speak.

"Conserve your energy, young one. Besides, when you are better, I have some plans for you." Micheal became worried. "Don't fret, young one, it isn't anything... bad." Micheal felt a needle pierce his neck. "This is just to help you relax." His voice faded.


About one day later, Micheal reawakens to a strange noise. "Who's there?" He asks, and notices he can speak a lot easier now.

"It's me, Will." The person said. "I came to..." there was a slight pause. "I came to see how... how you were doing."

"Why are you pausing?" Micheal asked. To him, pauses were a sign of either lying or hiding something. "What are you trying to hide?" Micheal got worried.

"Nothing you won't discover yourself." He responded. "Anyway, what would you like for lunch?"

"Lunch? What time is it?"

"About... two pm."

"Wow... how long was I out."

"After Draco gave you the sedative... about 21 hours." Micheal gasped. "That's a little more than usual, but it doesn't matter. You are well enough to eat."

"But I still can't open my eyes." Micheal replied. There was a pause. "Hello?" Micheal asked. No response. "You still there?" No response still. Frustrated, Micheal lay back down in the bed and noticed he was bound to the bed. He tested the restraints and found them quite strong.

"Don't worry about the restraints, Micheal." A voice came over the intercom. It was Will. "They are merely a precaution. Don't want you to hurt yourself in your sleep. We want you to be as comfortable as possible."

"What does that mean?" Micheal asked. No reply. He hated that Will just left without warning. Micheal became more agitated because of this, and that Will was keeping something from him. His mind pointed all the evidence to the worst outcome.

"It's me, Will." A voice finally ruptured the silence. "We're going to administer some sedatives to knock you out for the next couple of days. Those are the most uncomfortable. As I said, we want you to be as comfortable as possible." The sound of moving machinery continued after the intercom switched off.

"Don't I get to choose what happens?" Micheal pleaded. "I don't want the sedatives!" He kept screaming. The needle pierced his skin, and a sharp pain followed the insertion. "I don't... want... the..." He fainted from the sedatives.


About 3 days later, he awoke. He felt a little strange, but still felt the same. He opened his eyes, and the light was blinding. "I would keep them open, if I were you. Get them used to the light again." It was Will. Micheal forced his eyes open, and they burned, but he knew it was for the better. "Good. Once your eyes have re-adjusted, take a look around." Everything was still a blur.

Micheal peered around the room and saw that it was circular, and it wasn't the infirmary where he was before. "Yes, you are no longer in the medical ward." As Micheal's vision re-focused and adjusted to the light, he saw that the room was rather large, and there was a window on one side. He could see Will behind it.

"Good, your eyes are better." Although there was still a small blur throughout his view, he nodded. "Very well. Take a look at yourself." Not knowing why Will said this, he looked down at his body. He saw something unexpected, and screamed. Instead, however, he emitted a large roar and not a scream. He saw blue scales all over his body, three-toed claws for feet, a long and pointed tail, four clawed hands, and large wings. He even had spikes trailing down his back to the tip of his tail, getting progressively smaller as they got closer to his tail. He is a Blue Dragon.

"Don't be shocked, my friend," Will said. "This was planned ever since your mission to save your mother. It was her idea to do it this early. She said you were ready." Micheal started getting used to his new form by walking around, flapping his wings, and even flexing his claws.

"I see he already likes his new form." A new voice projected into the room "Hey, Micheal, how's it going?" It was Anne, his mother. "Sorry about keeping this a secret, but it's the rules."

"She's right." Will said. "Either of us would have loved to tell you, but it wasn't allowed. We're sorry about that." Micheal was finally used to his new form. He was getting ready to want to change back, but wondered how.

"You're probably wondering about if you can change back." Anne said. "Well, it is possible, and it is rather simple."

"All you have to do is focus on your human form and you will revert. Same thing to become your dragon form." Micheal decided to test it. He closed his eyes, saw how he looked as a human, and felt a rush of something he couldn't describe. When he opened his eyes, he was human once again.

"See what I mean?" William said through the intercom. "Your final test to ensure your readiness is to get your brothers to distinguish themselves."

"Very well, sir." Micheal was still a little stunned, so he just responded by instinct. He really didn't know what he said until a second after.

"Good. When you leave here, your dragon powers must remain a secret!" William responded to Micheal. Micheal nodded. "The door at the left of the room will open. Go through and you will be at the end of the dormitory hallway." Micheal saw the wall moving off to the side of the room and saw the all-too familiar dormitory hall, just as William said.

"See you later, William, Mom." Micheal said.

"By the way, Micheal," William started, "you and your brothers are requested for a briefing in 3 hours. See you then."

"Gotcha." Micheal said as he left the room. He walked down the hallway, and turned to see the door he just went through. He just saw a wall. He shrugged it off, thinking nothing of the disappearing door. When he arrived back at his room, he opened the door, closed it from inside, and plopped on his bed. He'd had a long week. "What is going to happen next?" he asked himself. Then there was a knock at the door.

"Micheal?" came a voice. It was Brian.

"You alright?" This time it was James.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Micheal responded. "Come in, come in." The door opened to reveal Micheal's two brothers Brian and James. They both rushed in and hugged Micheal. "Whoa! Didn't know you missed me that much, guys!"

"We didn't think we'd ever see you again!" Brian said happily. "Now you're back!"

"What happened in there, anyway?" James asked.

"I... I really don't know..." He said, pausing. "Oh, we are wanted for a briefing..." Brian cut him off.

"Then let's get going!" He said.

"Wait!" Micheal yelled, startling the two. "It isn't for 3 hours. We can relax." He chuckled. "What should we do?"

"I don't know..." James said. "Maybe some training?"

"Sounds good to me." Brian said. "Let's go!" They all hurried off down the corridor and to the training rooms.