We glide from the fissure to the planet in Tien’s dragon. It's quite smooth as we gently insert ourselves into orbit. I reach my right arm out to the window and touch it, flexing my newly regrown fingers. It feels nice to have all my limbs again. Limbs are one of those things you don't really appreciate until they are gone.

  Out the window I see a lovely planet, it is covered in vast blue oceans with a splattering of tropical islands. The planet is known as Marisphaera. It's a fairly well developed planet sitting at a class 5 rating. Though it doesn't have as much of the fancy tech you might find on a class 0 world, it's perfectly liveable.

  With so many tropical islands, it is something of a resort world. Though apparently it is also known for its brilliant pearls that come in all sorts of colors.

  “Alright folks.” Tien is wearing an absolutely hilarious shirt with a bunch of tropical flowers and a pair of shorts. She even has a straw hat. “Remember, absolutely no non-fun activities the moment we land on the planet. Ya hear me?”

  “Yes ma’m!” we respond. Everyone is looking suitably relaxed and ready for vacation. Personally I opted for a nice blue shirt and shorts. Though Liv says I should really get more ‘in the spirit’. Guess I just can't compare with her and her super fancy shirt and lei wrapped around her neck. She even found a pair of silly looking sunglasses somewhere.

  We board a shuttle that flies up into orbit to meet us. Apparently, it was an option back on Volea, but Tien decided it would be more fun to launch us from the cannons. Just for the ‘experience.’

  The shuttle rumbles gently as we hit the atmosphere and descend through the clouds. We are all glued to the windows as the planet comes into full view.

  It is dazzling. As far as the eye can see is nothing but endless blue. Waves gently ripple over the surface and the water is so clear that we can see giant schools of all sorts of fish swimming.

  “Look!” Moxie says and tugs on my sleeve, she has a large red hat – to block out the deadly rays of the local sun. I take a look out her window just as a giant whale-like creature jumps out of the water and high into the air. It glides gently above the water for several hundred meters before diving back beneath the waves.

  Our shuttle gently lands in a bustling spaceport. Dozens of similar shuttles are busy and people are constantly arriving and leaving. We step off the ramp and a wave of fresh ocean air hits me. The breeze is nice and warm, but not oppressively so. It's light and carries the scent of joy itself.

  Liv is the first one off the craft and she practically jumps for joy. “Woah, this is fantastic! Vacations are wonderful. I wonder what sort of food they have around here.”

  Stephen steps forward and grabs a hold of Liv’s hand just as she is about to speed away and get lost for sure. “Wait just a moment, let's check in at the hotel first.” He has declared himself a trip leader. He even has a bunch of fanny packs attached to his belt, and has all the maps and such. Really a go-getter.

  “Aww, why do you gotta be so responsible? Let's have some fun!” Liv tries to pull Stephen towards the crowded streets with her usual enthusiasm.

  “This is still unknown territory. It is good to be prepared and have a solid basecamp.” Stephen retorts, using logic to utterly annihilate her emotional argument.

  “Oh phooey.” Liv pouts, but she acquiesces to the pure logic.

  I step off the ramp and turn back to see Violet, trailing in last. She looks absolutely stunning in a red shirt and shorts. It's super duper cute as well, something about it is just so charming. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail which just adds to the charm.

  She notices my gaze and looks at me with that scowl of hers. I smile back, but she doesn't return the sentiment. She walks past me as though I don't exist.

  We make our way out of the starport and into the city proper. Most of the buildings are in an architectural style from the ancient times. Designed to look like a material known as adobe, it has a nice and cozy feel.

  We walk down the streets and take in the sights and smells. Street food vendors line the streets, offering all sorts of local cuisine. It looks mostly like fish and other sea related dishes. Though I do see a few offering some imported food, not every tourist wants to eat seafood I suppose.

  Maka I want to enjoy the sights too. Lemon says from inside her orb, which I've got in my pocket.

  You know the rules, you can come out in less crowded places. Dragons can't just stroll down the streets, it would be chaos.

  That's no fun. Why do we even have to follow rules?

  Following rules is important, they might dock our pay if we don't. And you know what that means. I explain to her.

  No yummy treats :(.

  Yep, so behave. Though I don't even know why you want food, you can't even digest it. Your bodies run fully on aether, I don't even think you have a stomach.

  Well, for your information, human. We still have tastebuds, thus we can taste yummy foods.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  I have no clue why dragons have tastebuds, but I am not going to question it. We reach the hotel and check into our rooms. I kinda feel bad that Moxie has to share a room with Liv, but then I realize that Moxie will be fine. Liv can't be that annoying, right?

  Of course Violet gets her own private and super fancy room. Apparently Tien tried to get Violet to share a room, but was turned down vehemently several times. That leaves just me and Stephen to bunk together. Maybe it'll be good for some good ol’ bonding time.

  “I claim the bed by the door.” Stephen says the moment we enter the room.

  “Sounds alright to me.” Then we proceed to unpack our various clothes and such in silence. The room is quite nice. There are two large beds – that are very comfortable. The walls are decorated in a nice seashell and waves pattern, and the ceiling is a light blue color like the sky.

  One side of the room is dominated by a massive window that overlooks most of the city. The vast ocean is visible in the distance. I stand and gaze out the window for a while.

  “What are the odds that Liv has already dragged Moxie off and gotten lost?” Stephen asks.

  “One hundred percent.”

  He sighs. “I should probably go find them. I don't even want to think of what chaos Liv will get up to.”

  “What is the worst that could possibly happen?” Stephen turns and looks me dead in the eye. Then I realize what I just said. “Oh right, you should probably go find her before we don't have a planet to vacation on anymore.”

  Stephen leaves and I also depart shortly after as I have no reason to refuse Lemon’s pleas for delicious food. I am happy to oblige since I am starving.

  I head out into the streets and peruse the various street vendors. Our first stipend came in. A whopping two hundred thousand credits. Which is more than most families will make in a year. Turns out monster slaying really pays the bills. Definitely worth the decade of work it took to get accepted into the academy.

  I buy a bunch of different fish skewers and a bunch of pastry things that remind me vaguely of rice balls. I wander out towards the beach and let Lemon out of the orb.

  She gives a nice and long stretch and then runs closer to the water. It's quite funny watching her run. She has grown a bit larger, she is now just about two meters in length. Plus I can start to see the formation of some wing bones, or whatever they are called.

  She turns to look at me. Her yellow eyes meet my own and bore directly into my soul. Gimme food. She commands, and I have no choice but to comply. After all, her razor sharp teeth are starting to come in, and I would rather not help with the teething process. I drop one of the skewers in her mouth and she ‘eats’ it. Woah, this is delicious.

  I take a bite of one myself and the rich flavors immediately fill my mouth. It's like nanites are carefully carrying every bit of the flavor individually to my taste buds. I try one of the rice ball things and it turns out they are filled with some sort of jelly filling. It's super sweet and I devour them in mere moments.

  I finish my food and then Lemon and I sit down on the beach and enjoy the scenery. A gentle wind is blowing in from the sea, it is super warm and salty. The sand of the beach is sparkling a lovely blue color, like it is full of a billion tiny gemstones.

  I reach and pick up a handful of sand, and it appears there are in fact tons of tiny blue gemstones in it. I pick a few out and bring them closer to my eye. They are nearly flawless spheres and they refract the light perfectly. It's crazy to think that so many of them are just covering the beach like this.

  “They are called tears of the water goddess. They symbolize hope and connection.” A light voice behind me says. I immediately jump up onto my feet and turn to see who it is. “Woah, calm down, I ain’t gonna murder ya. I wouldn't have announced merself if I was going to.” A woman stands before me. She is quite tan, probably a local. She has black hair and is wearing a yellow sundress and some comfy looking sandals. “Name’s Marla, hows aboutcha?”

  “Maka. Thanks for the info, these shiny rocks sure are interesting.” She walks over to Lemon, who is splayed out on the sand absorbing some sun, completely unconcerned with Marla. “Your dragon is soo cute, can I pet them?”

  Yes please.

  “She says you can.” I relay. Then Marla wastes no time plopping onto the ground and gives Lemon many belly rubs and head scratches.

  I stare at the odd scene that has unfolded before me. “So uh, do you get many dragons through these parts?”

  “Not too many. But they aren't as rare as you would think. So, Maka was it?” She turns to look at me. Her red eyes are a sharp contrast against the backdrop of the ocean. Her gaze shifts ever so slightly, but I recognize it instantly, the familiar look of greed. “You got any plans later?”

  “Well actually-” I start to say and then I am interrupted by a familiar voice.

  “Oooo Maka! Guess what time it is!” Liv shouts from across the beach. She is joined by Stephen, Moxie, Tien, and to my great surprise, Violet. All of their dragons are walking with them, enjoying the sun and the beach as they playfully nip at each other.

  Marla stands up. “Hmm, I see. That makes sense. Well, it was nice meeting you, Maka. Perhaps we shall see each other again someday in a land far far away from here.” Without waiting for a response, she walks off.

  The others approach and Tien watches Marla walk away. “Who was that, a new friend?” She asks, sounding awfully motherly.

  “Nope, just a local that wanted to give Lemon some bellyrubs I guess.”

  “Hmm, Lemon does look like she would love some belly rubs.” Without hesitating, Tien bends down and spoils Lemon with a skill that can only come from someone that has had a dragon for a long time.

  Liv steps forward with a fancy bag. “Hey Maka, guess what! We bought swimsuits! We even got one for you. That means you've gotta come swimming now. It's mandatory, Stephen said so.”

  “I did not. Stop putting words in my mouth.” Stephen objects.

  “Swimming sounds like fun. You even managed to drag Violet into it. What, did you promise to leave her alone for a week or something?”

  “I would do no such thing. I simply told her to come swimming and she agreed. We were just as surprised.” Liv says.

  I turn to look at Violet and she has the same scowl as normal. But for the briefest moment I almost see a smile appear on her face. Surprising indeed.

  But wait. Violet is going to swim? That means she will be in a swimsuit.

  Vacations are awesome.

  Class 0 are the most advanced worlds, we are talking nano-tech, antimatter power plants, and other such stuff. The planet where Maka went to school and where the government is, Travernium, is one of these class 0 worlds. They are quite rare and are the homes of the ultra rich and are major hubs for any empire.

  Next are classes 1-4, these worlds are more reasonable, fusion power, normal sized robots and such, these worlds are where a majority of the population lives and works.

  Next up are classes 5-8, these worlds are no longer colonies, but haven't had enough time for full technological development and civilization, or have been kept that way for tourism or other purposes. They often have tech that is still unreachable for us in the ancient times, but might be theoretically possible.

  Next Chapter: Surfing The Stars

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