Lukas is handed bottles filled with drinks he had never seen before, offered platters of seafood that made his mouth water and delicacies which had appearances that had the opposite effect. He watched in a bit of fascination at the tight-knit community before him, laughter and music in the air. There was no technology, people glued to their screens or plugged into headphones. It was strange but…Lukas liked it.
He was beginning to realize the true meaning of what it meant to be of noble blood, especially when it came to dragon kind. It was more than simple respect that you showed because it was what was socially acceptable. The reverence they seemed to show him surprised him and the sincerity in how they treated him made all the difference.
Was this what it meant to be a Dragon Lord? It was more than just a leadership position like all the politicians back in his previous life. He was to act more than just a ruler, he was to be somebody they could rely on.
A sanctuary, that was the word his mother used. He suspected there was a reason why they had to be kept away, separated from the rest of this world. This was where they knew they were safe, able to live out the lives they wanted to without fear of danger. And it was part of his responsibility to ensure that things remained that way for his people.
Suddenly, there's a commotion and the music dies down. The look on some of the wyvern's faces flicker from joy to wariness and the crowd parts for the Dragonborn.
Lukas will later understand this about Linemall: Hierarchy matters.
The lowest of dragon kind are wyverns, they are blessed with immense physical strength and can grow up to enormous sizes. But they are not winged creatures and are essentially the common folk of the dragon race.
A tier above them would be your classic fairytale dragons, winged creatures who are capable of flight and are able to wield some form of magic. Due to this, some of them are able to breathe fire which gave birth to the legend of their fire breathing abilities. They make up the majority of Linemall's population.
Then you have your Dragonborn, the nobility and the upper class of dragon kind. They are capable of the "Draconic Flow", a system of divinity created by the first Dragon Lords. This grants them great power and affinity to specific types of magic. They range from direct offspring of the Dragon Lords to their distant relatives and it has taken armies of humankind to even bring down a single Dragonborn. Despite this, their power is incomparable to the top of the food chain:
The Dragon Lords. The first three of the Draconic races were the first Dragon Lords due to their immense power and intelligence. As the first three Lords passed, their power and title moved through their bloodline, and today now rests in the three Lords of today's time. Through them, and the heirs before them, the Dragon Lords continue to guide their kin to protective areas to prevent them from outside harm throughout the ages. As their powers continued to pass down from one another, it came with the ultimate goal to protect their own people. As it became more common for humans to hunt dragons, for their treasures or their scales, it came upon the Lords that they would have to create a safe space to keep them out of jeopardy and provide freedom from harm. The Dragon Lords take upon the responsibility of keeping Linemall safe and protecting its inhabitants, even if it costs their lives.
Lukas Drakos is the descendant of the first Dragon Lord of the Seas and thus it was only right for the Dragonborn of the Seas to greet him. He watched them carefully and did not like what he saw.
They were dressed in bougie robes which made them look a bit like dickheads if he was being honest and they carried themselves as if they had a stick up their ass. It was almost like they were displeased that the crowd hadn't parted sooner.
"Greetings, young Lord Drakos. It brings me great joy to see that you have awoken!" The leader of the pack declared, giving him a deep dramatic bow which immediately irritated Lukas. His tone was thick with veiled contempt. Perhaps his words were polite but their disdain for him was unmistakable. He was beginning to realize what sort of position he was in.
"We will have to make room for your residence at the palace, I'm afraid it is a little packed at the moment…" The Dragonborn's eyes trail towards his mother who has been by his side and immediately he drops the act. "This one of low blood will not be allowed to-"
Lukas had risen from where he sat and he stood around two heads taller than the Dragonborn. The noble flinched at the sudden movement and composed himself once more, eyeing him suspiciously but before any more words could be spoken; Lukas wound back his right hand and struck him across the face with a vicious backhand.
He had not even meant to put much force behind it but he could hear bone break as the man stumbled back and fell to his knees, crying as he clutched his shattered jaw. Yet, Lukas felt no remorse. The fact that he was being treated like an inconvenience had already pissed him off, the audacity to tell him that they were "making room for him". Fucking bitch. Then he dared to call his mother a "low-blood" to her face.
Lukas had not realized how protective he had already become of this woman, Lukas Drakos' mother. What he did know was that he was not going to allow her to be disrespected. The Dragonborn were taken aback and so was the crowd but he could tell they had it coming for a while now. Wyverns attempted to hide their pleased expressions while other dragons seemed to chuckle heartily at the sight unfolding before their eyes.
"What do you think yo-" One of them cried out.
"Shut the fuck up." Lukas snarled. And he made the wise decision to shut the fuck up as ordered.
"I am Lukas Drakos. I am your Lord. All of you are fucking beneath me, do you understand that? Make room? The entire palace is mine, I'll live in the fucking kitchen if I want to. And my mother will be allowed to be there because I fucking say so. Do you understand?"
They nod, their faces pale and full of fear. That was more like it.
"Send him to get his jaw fixed and make sure, he doesn't misspeak again." He pointed at one and gestured to him to handle the sobbing mess crumpled on the floor.
"You two, make sure everyone here gets reimbursed for providing me with food and drink and pay them generously." The two he pointed out next nods obediently, having been sufficiently humbled by what they had just witnessed.
"The rest of you, run along and ensure that when I get there, I will be met with a palace fit for a Dragon Lord. Understood?" They didn't need more encouragement to get out of there as fast as possible. The moment they are gone, the crowd cheers and erupt in applause. The celebrations continued but Lukas knows he cannot stay here forever. He needs to find out more about this world he has been born into.
With a satisfied grin, he turned to his mother and held out his arm for her to take. "Would you lead the way to the palace, Ma? I'm afraid my memory's a bit fuzzy."
Selene stared at the man and for a moment, Lukas thinks she's going to scold him for being so rash. Then she smiles and links her arm through his.
"It would be my pleasure, Lukas."