《A Dragon's Curiosity》


 Chapter 1: Prelude to the Dance

    *Crack!*


    A sharp vibration rang out in the air, rippling through the atmosphere, and broke the silence of the pristine forest. A small current cut through the valley, filling the surroundings with a soft mumble of the stream running through.


    With a slight rustle, a rabbit perked up and stared along the water towards the direction of the noise. The green in the air was almost visible, as if nature itself breathed in the picturesque scene.


    No signs of disturbance showed in the surrounding forest, having the typical aura of an untouched spot of land, no evidence of civilization anywhere in this forgotten land.


    *Crack!*


    Once more the sharp noise broke the ambience, causing a disturbance in the air of the otherwise peaceful meadow. As if roused by this foreign element, a slight breeze rose, rustling the leaves of the trees, bending the high flowers and flattening the grass. Hopping down along the treeline, a rabbit nibbled on the greenery, staying near the stream to avoid stronger creatures that hid in the long growth.


    Unlike its smaller cousin, the rabbit sported a sharp horn on its forehead, yet it still posed no threat to anything bigger and meaner. Even smaller creatures posed serious danger to a lone rabbit; if the rabbit was outnumbered, that is.


    The small animal continued on its path, filling its small belly with all sorts of herbs, flowers, and grass; unaware of the sharp pair of eyes fixated on its white fur.


    *Crack!*


    Startled, the rabbit dashed into the opposite direction, abandoning all precaution.


    Behind it sat a small nest in the grass, hidden at the base of one of the many great trees that made up the forest.


    The nest, made up of weeds, long grass stalks, and tiny branches, held four eggs consisting of a white shell with small specks of red, green, black, blue, yellow, grey, and brown for the greater part of the respective shells. Three showed signs of hatching, the fourth already revealed cracks over the surface, ready to hatch.


    The cracked egg squirmed away from the others and rolled towards the edge of the nest. A bloodied arm reached down and stopped the rolling egg before it fell outside and shattered. Another pale arm also reached down, to place the egg back into the center of its small sanctuary.


    The owner of the arms donned a black and red cloak, the original colour reminding of a deep black, and the dried blood added its own flair. Each of the eggs exceeded the size of the mysterious traveler¡¯s torso, which wasn¡¯t small by any means.


    Glancing at the other eggs, he judged that he didn¡¯t have much time left. He wanted to get back to the path before the eggs hatched.


    Suddenly, much like the rabbit, the head beneath the cloak jerked up and scanned the surroundings. The calmness in his eyes quivered slightly, giving the impression that his gaze alone could destroy the forest. Suspicion rose inside the cloaked man. Treading lightly, his leather boots inched forward without making a sound, as he tried to catch what felt off about the forest. Nothing in his range of view was out of place, despite the fact that his intuition rang all alarm signals. The metal decorations on his boots never rattled, like he wasn¡¯t walking at all.


    Leather pants, adorned much like his boots, gave a slight rustle as the man got down on one knee. The man flinched as a new red flower bloomed on his mantle, which shined with a scaly luster, despite the dirt and encrusted blood.


    Unable to see this anomaly anywhere close, but sensing it, a small headshake belied the silent and calm demeanor on display. A ring of air spread out, a small pulse in the air, discernible and centering around the cloak that lifted off the hooded figure. It pressed down on the grass and small scared animals in the vicinity. Unlike the breeze, the ring did not move, but spread at a steady pace. Rippling through the narrow valley, it crossed over the small stream and passed a few trees on the other side ¨C suddenly, the ring broke and created a strong gust, destroying the picturesque landscape.


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    An older adventurer cowered against a tree, panic in his eyes, waiting for the inevitable attack as a magic broke the illusion magic [Water Screen] that concealed him. He identified the distinguishable ripple in the air as a spell from the wind system of magic, but identifying the precise name wasn¡¯t something he could do. Sweat glistened on his temples, his eyes darting in the direction of the cloaked man, waiting for the rush of motion that signaled the start of combat between mages.


    A sharp hissing sent shivers down his back. A sound based attack rated at least seventh rank, the same rank he was. At best they were evenly matched, at worst his opponent was just probing the area, therefore he would be a lot stronger than seventh rank. But no attack struck. The cloaked traveler never moved, but the hissing continued.


    Unable to understand why the enemy hissed at him, and unable to properly gauge the strengths of all parties involved, he waited for the other side to make a move. As none of them showed any indication to move, genuine silence spread through the valley, only the stream ever uncaring, continuing to rumble along in a quiet manner.


    As he prepared to break off into a sprint, a low voice rose on the other side of the stream, but the adventurer couldn¡¯t understand the language. Shaking his head, his bewilderment showing on his face, and smiling bitterly he was amused that his lack of knowledge might get him into a fight in his old age. Yet, once again the low voice reached his ears, this time asking in the common adventures tongue, ¡°Who are you, and what are you doing here¡±. Despite the sharp inquiry, the man¡¯s voice sounded tired, about to the same extent as his cloak was torn.


    Without giving the adventurer chance to answer, the tired traveler said, ¡°Nevermind, I don¡¯t want to deal with you. Leave, you¡¯re not allowed to be here. Leave and live, or force me to cross this brook and make sure that you can¡¯t tell anyone about this place permanently.¡±


    Neither forceful nor loud, the voice instilled terror into the old elf adventurer. Not because the voice that carried over promised a violent reaction. Nor because it was powerful in its own right. But because it held a finality, a promise that the words were truly absolute.


    Not forced to comply, he had a choice.


    He could choose to either turn around and run, or stay and regret.


    Fleeing the scene, his mind picked up upon the hint that the cloaked traveler let slip up carelessly. That he wanted him gone from this place, this place specifically.


    Something remained here, something important enough to force him to raise his bloodied body once again. It might be something minor, it might be something major, but it definitely was something.


    Not willing to offend the cloaked traveler, he hesitated, the warning issued stayed present in his mind, prohibiting him from telling others about this incident.


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    Under these circumstances, obviously the importance of silencing him paled in comparison to other matters the cloaked figure had on hand. Such as: the possibility of the bloody figure being pursued by others and wanting to recuperate, or maybe he placed importance on peace and quiet, this was the border to the wilderness after all.


    The cloaked person might  have cleared a field dungeon as well and obtained valuable treasures. Formed by the natural power of the earth, field dungeons contained strong monsters, traps, and valuable ores and herbs. The stronger dungeons would contain a boss monster on the last floor as well, which would usually leave behind better rewards, if you manage to slay it, that is.


    This was of course something explorers found out through trial and error. Even though the reasons why dungeons appeared remained largely unknown, yet it was quickly accepted as commonplace by the populace. Thus the occupation of explorer and adventurer was born, with the adventurer guild becoming one of the most prestigious and oldest guilds, regardless of which kingdom one was from.


    Seeing someone so strong heavily wounded, a struggle against a stronger dungeon boss would explain the sorry state of the mysterious traveler.


    Clearing a small dungeon in this part of the wilderness by himself, and going head to head with Eldrin¡¯s magic would put the stranger at the seventh rank at least, which represents an admirable feat in itself. And Eldrin did not want to fight over the others spoils of war.


    Depending on the rank of the dungeon, he, himself, might get injured as he embodied a rank 7 adventurer before he retired, his mithril tier guild card one of the last items he still carried with him.


    Thoughts rushed through his mind as he rushed through the forest, getting away from the  the cloaked traveler as fast as possible.


    Once again feeling a sense of confirmation regarding the stranger being at least as strong as himself, Eldrin assured himself that he made the right decision when he fled the scene. In his younger days, fighting over a powerful artifact or mage weapon would have been a possibility, he was a hot headed fellow after constantly getting into fights in bars and having a fair share of enemies. Thankfully he calmed down, after he had incurred enough injuries through meaningless fights, and even more so after he retired and got more in touch with his nature as an elf, enjoying the regular quiet forest domicile he borrowed from a friend.


    Alerted by a disturbance in the forest near his dwelling, Eldrin elected to check out the situation. If a strong monster wanted to claim the area for itself, the situation called for a report back to the kingdom, putting up a request at the guild for help, or clearing the danger himself.


    And as age welcomed him more and more, he wasn¡¯t sure if he still had the ability to fight at the level he reached as an adventurer.


    As the excitement left his body, his breathing became rough and he crouched down to calm himself down. Through his panting he chuckled quite a bit, the moment he contemplated being too old for this, his body gave him confirmation, he was definitely too old for this kind of adventure. Walking back into the direction of his cottage, he compared the stranger to any strong monster he knew of, as the vilest monsters roaming these lands would certainly not lose out to the danger level of a rogue mage or powerful warrior intent on causing damage.


    Yet the unknown traveler had not chased after Eldrin, or immediately attacked him on sight. If he truly got pursued by someone else, the problem might solve itself.


    Pondering upon this fact, that the chasers might be even more dangerous by their nature, he kept the incident in mind, while he kept in mind to take extra care around this area, but not willing enough to offend the stranger by going back after his strong worded warning.


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    The cloaked man settled down once again near the nest, looking over the eggs within. While the first egg already had some scales shining through the cracks, the other three also had their first fractures forming. As the role he played in this mission neared its end, he left some slabs of meat, the first meal for the future alpha of the pack. He didn¡¯t bother separating the pile, as the fight over meat would prove as an excellent training exercise and lesson, everything had to be taken through conquest. And if one of the inhabitants of the eggs would be gluttonous enough to tear through all of the meat, that would simply be proof of strength and not a problem for the traveler.


    Checking one last time for dangerous entities in the valley, he set off to return to his home and master, looking forward to the future.


    If any of the young ones survived, they would become strong, if they died it would be because they had been weak. The race his master belonged to did not place special importance on caring about their offspring, and his relation with this race came only from his father¡¯s side.


    Still, he incurred many injuries to take care of the task that his master had given him, as he cleared the valley, the mountain, and even a bit of the forest around them for any beast stronger than rank 5, and everything above rank 3 in the valley.


    He wasn¡¯t weak, and even arrived at the lower limit of the 8th rank, but fighting against hordes of monsters still took a lot out of him, and he planned to slow down on the return trip to recover his injuries. And at the end of the day, the appreciation of his master still outweighed any hardship.


    Reminiscing for a moment, he missed his moment to make a swift exit and saw the first eggshell break apart. A small, scaled body, with deep black scales that shifted into a vermillion red tip made up the main part of the body. Stunned at the sight of a member belonging to the same race as his master, he lingered for a moment longer, hesitating for a second. Certainly, at the moment this small scaly creature represented the weakest living being in this valley, but he knew its heritage, this assessment would change very rapidly, if they manage to survive and avoid being preyed upon.


    Still lost in thought, he watched the scaly little hatchling sniff the breeze with its nose held high and eyes still closed. His scent must be the thing the little one picked up, as the lizard tilted its head in his direction. The moment he prepared to set off, the closed eyes of the first born hatchling opened. Even its scale¡¯s unique colours did not prepare the hooded man for the amazing and unusual spectacle he saw, a pure golden iris with small black rifts in it, surrounded by a pure black pupil. As the iris started to get used to the light, the other eggs also started cracking apart, but at this point in time, no one remained in the vicinity.


    Special thanks to Chiisutofupuru for helping me set up this story and editing my first rough draft.

 Chapter 2: The First Hunt

    First cracks appeared on the egg, a result of relentlessly scratching and bashing against the all encompassing dark walls.


    The inhabitant of the egg struggled to leave the confines of the dark prison that held it as long as it has been awake, but so far it was unable to muster the power required to achieve freedom. As time passed, the physical strength of the small beast grew in proportion to its size and intelligence. Unlike the first time it had awoken, it was now curious to see the things that laid beyond the weakening shackles binding it here.


    Even then, it improved only slightly above pure instinct, comparing it to the curiosity of an infant combined with the cunning of an apex predator would not be wrong.


    A blinding light flooded the inner sanctum the eggshell represented, which couldn''t overpower the small hatchling, as its eyes have not opened, not quite ready to face what the world had to offer.


    In the endeavour to break free, instinct demanding an escape, a small growl escaped its throat for the first time, the first trial to face, consequently the hardest to come until now.


    The cracks grew wider and a wave of power washed through the openings of the aegis that protected the young life form up to this point. Terrified by the pure amount of the overpowering might, the scratching and cracking of the egg came to a halt, scaring the hatchling into silence, not knowing if a stronger predator would force its teeth through, following the trail of the overbearing piercing power, going beneath the protective scales covering the newborn.


    Eat or get eaten was not something someone would teach you in the wilderness, nor could you learn it on your own. If someone had no natural instinct regarding this iron law, he or she probably would be very dead very soon.


    Following this manifestation of power in the form of the probing skill from a strong hunter, the only course of action suggested itself to the victim: Hide until the hunter found a prey and then make a run for it.


    For ten breaths it waited, no steel or teeth impacted the egg or pierced through it¡¯s body, and readied itself for a sign that would stand for the opportunity it should take to escape. Fortunately it hatched before something could swallow the egg it grew in, or death might have claimed the new life before it could be born.


    Fading from the egg, the energy from the earlier searching pulse dissipated, and the current situation presented itself as the best time to make a swift escape.


    A final slam broke down the remaining shells, sending yet another flash of light on the shiny, scaled body, feeling the warm touch of the bright morning sun for the first time.


    Despite experiencing mortal danger a second before, a strong surge of joy spread through every bone, every blood vessel, every scale and every fiber of the newly born child from exposure to the world for the first time.


    Inhaling a cold gasp of air, the hatchling became aware of the slight breeze blowing over the edge of the nest, clashing against the remains of the eggshell, creating a hollow sound. The air contained a wealth of new information, the earth giving a heavy but profound fragrance, the small stream cutting into it, almost leaving a real trace of moisture in the small nose. The trees supplemented the scent the forest released, ranging from a harsh medicinal aromal to a flowery, syrupy aroma, which doubled combined with the aroma released by the actual flowers - as well as the sweet smell of another creature, slightly similar to its own fragrance, leaving a dissonance compared to itself. Aware of the relation, but unable to make a connection how the other presence it perceived differed from the tiny lizard. Behind the smell of a relative, there was a foreign one, drifting along the wind, weakened by the distance to the source. Neither a feral or wild stench, nor a forest aroma of a flower, plant or animal. The newborn lacked the experience to make a connection with a living creature, the small scaled animal needed more information on the situation. The next option to make another impression posed another sense - one not used so far in its whole life.


    Pain shot through the head of the small one, followed by a myriad of colours. Opening its eyes for the first time, another world opened up, and a pair of slit pupils contracted and dilated to process the new stimulus. Vibrant green, a bit of brown and black, a blue seam, the red glow of heat, combined with information provided by the diverse scents, the world unveiled itself in front of its newest resident. And yet, the stimulus was not over. The details of everything in near proximity and great distance converged inside of its eyes and crystallized to a clear view from the large swaths of colour from before.


    In close range to the newborn lizard, another smell roused its instinct, provoking it forward to satisfy its urges. Raw meat managed to dispel the fear of the unknown predator and its prey in the mind of the young one. The rest of the shell fragments forsaken, the lizard captured its first meal by gouging it''s tiny white teeth into a slab of muscle left in the nest. Its pearl white claws separated small mouth sized bites, spilling blood in the process. The ravenous hunter filled its stomach with raw nourishment, spreading a warm feeling of satisfaction inside.


    After a large amount of fodder vanished, the fed creature flinched, startled by the other eggshells breaking apart, revealing the other small reptiles, mirroring the appearance of the first born.


    A sleek build, small claws of pure white, scales covering the entire body, and hungry eyes, set upon the mountain of meat. Their respective colours were an earthen yellow, a pure azure and a deep emerald, differing from their first born sibling, who had a mix of colours. Dropping down on all four of their limbs, a rush started, to cover the small distance towards the rations left by the oldest. Dividing their remaining shares, three scenes repeated themselves, ripping and tearing at red muscle to split up mouthfuls of food, replenishing their energy to prepare the first major event happening in the life of the new pack, formed by their circumstances of birth.


    Leadership was at stake, a fight for supremacy.


    Cause for fighting to break out revealed itself in the form of the last bits and pieces of the edibles. Not much was left for them in the first place, and after everyone had a share, the final portion belonged to the one who could take it for himself - the strongest, the future leader of the pack.


    Even when they just hatched, their respective strengths and attributes influenced the upcoming fight. Relying on their natural scale colour, the youngest three possessed one element each, the Water, Earth and Air attribute respectively. The eldest possessed the Fire attribute, as well as the darkness attribute, granting them different strengths and a temporary name responding to their colouring and element. A childish competition for food did not warrant a great fight, Little Flame strode over to the other three, a roguish glint sparkling in its eyes. Explosive speed belied the lazy stride as it ran to the other side of the nest, and sent a white claw straight towards Little Breeze, Little Terra and Little Stream.


    Little Terra turtled inward, blocking the strike with its scales, embodying the defense of a boulder, and shielded the other two. The yellow lizard guarded them like an imposing knight, boasting the natural defense of thick scales akin to armored plates, warding off the blow and counterattacking with a claw strike of its own.


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    Very well aware of the following struggle, the black lizard assumed Little Terra wanted to take care of one threat first, before the struggle escalated - unfortunately the course of action differed from its predictions.


    Exerting a little force Little Flame used a black and white claw to break through the thick scales of its sibling with a swiping attack, drawing blood and overcoming the strong defense of the protector. Breaking through the scales of Little Terra represented a win for Little Flame, and the first clash already removed a contender from the competition.


    Wary by the assault, Little Stream and Little Breeze took a common side against the aggressor. Emphasizing on speed and evasion, Little Breeze shifted its yellow limbs to the side, waiting for a moment to intervene in the conflict between the two siblings, securing an advantage.


    Little Stream on the other hand had a tendency for trickery, preparing to parry a blow, and hoped to get a chance to counterattack.


    Continuing with the charge Little Flame engaged Little Stream first, bringing the body of the blue lizard between itself and the third sibling. The low stance of Little Stream offered not much of an opportunity to strike, but Little Flame did not care for the low chances of a successful attack. Recklessly charging in, another swipe of the dark claw broke the stance of the waiting competitor. Not giving any chance to retaliate Little Flame drove another claw in, wounding the enemy slightly, the damage mitigated by the defensive bearing of Little Stream, incurring lighter damage than Little Terra with only a few scratches and a thin line of blood trickling between the scales. Satisfaction spread through Little Flame, a second win secured.


    Left with only Little Breeze, the suspense from the small scuffle died down. The same mischievous glint from the start of the skirmish glowed brightly in Little Flame¡¯s eyes, as they had similar speed, but one relied on explosive strength, while the other underlined evasion and fast, but weaker attacks.


    Nevertheless, the matchup that held the least suspense had the longest duration, under the watchful eyes of the two defeated combatants. Chasing around the yellow flash, Little Flame grew impatient, almost catching the fleeting figure, yet still not able to hit a clear blow. The black lizard only chased it''s nimble sibling who evaded most of the heavy hits and warded off any faster and lighter hits.


    In the end, the fight concluded in the expected situation. Unwilling to get injured by a superior opponent, Little Breeze backed off and conceded defeat, raising its head and bared the throat.


    Joyful from winning the simple competition, Little Flame did not immediately consume the spoils of war, and growled in a low pitch towards the others, raising their attention and motioned them to follow.


    The horned rabbit returned to the valley, scared away by the earlier clash between magicians, it gained enough courage to return the grazing session. Regrettably this did not mean that the rabbit was safe now, as the new leader of the pack caught a glimpse of their first hunt.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The horned rabbit in question was the lowest monster available in the first rank. From eating grass containing just the slightest hint of the energy all living beings want to acquire, it developed its horn as soon as it gained enough power, so it could hunt other small animals and devour their energy as well.


    After it got chased away by the strong clash between terrifying enemies earlier on, the alluring smell of meat now lured it back in the direction of the original strife.


    Devouring the corpse of the defeated may yield enough energy for the rabbit to gain another rank, increasing its survival chances and offensive power.


    All creatures in this world yearned for eating anything containing natural or spiritual energy, meat that was rich in spirit gained flavour, and high ranked beast meat would sell for a high price in human kingdoms as a luxury, and even a low ranked herb would gain great effects if its spiritual energy cumulated and grew over a long period of time, even common weeds that grew in a mountain spring rich in spiritual energy would be a priceless cultivation treasure for mages of all ranks and highly coveted, but also protected by a formidable beast that would be drawn in by the precious spiritual location as well as other treasures more suited for a warrior beast that relied on the natural energy instead of spiritual energy.


    Drawn in by the fragrance of blood and meat in the air, the horned rabbit didn¡¯t even notice the gazes of the hunters setting on itself, hopping along the hillside and the stream. Little Flame and the pack had no experience how to hunt anything so far, they waited and crouched down in the nest until the prey closed in, peeking left and right, looking for possible dangers.


    Taking the initiative to charge out, Little Flame led the others in the direction of the horned rabbit with an explosive charge, Little Terra lagging slightly behind, lacking the speed to keep with the burst of movement. Little Stream occupied third place, slightly behind Little Breeze who barely kept up with their leader, their builds suited to fast movements.


    The hare turned around and dashed away, trying to avoid getting cornered by a bunch of predators, bolting deeper into the forest, up the hill and away from the stream. In a normal situation the horned rabbit would have never dared to make an escape in this direction, this was the territory of one of the strongest beasts in the area, but it was willing to take a chance for survival, if the ruler of the cave up ahead would charge and kill the pursuers instead it had a chance to make it out of this predicament.


    Unexpectedly there was no presence in the cave left, the place desolate. As a result of the rabbit unconsciously slowing down when approaching the dominion of a strong monster, Little Flame caught up by chance and bit down on one of the rabbit''s legs. Sharp teeth penetrated deeply into the flesh and hit the bone, rooting it in place. Little Breeze and Little Stream weren¡¯t slow either and went for the neck and body of the snared game. When Little Terra finally reached the others, the struggle was already over and it could only lower its head in shame for being too slow.


    Little Flame divided the rabbit then, taking one of the legs for itself and ripped of the other legs too. It gave one to Little Breeze and one to Little Stream before turning towards the remaining hunter, who awaited punishment while looking down. Their leader ripped off the last remaining leg and paced over with a fierce glare and stopped right besides the scared reptile.


    The glare changed to a devilish twinkle as Little Flame toppled Little Terra over and dropped the hind leg of the rabbit on top and went back to pick up its own meal. Everyone devoured their own portion of their first hunt, even if it didn¡¯t taste as well as the supple feast back in the nest they started off from.


    With the first hunt concluded, their little pack took notice of the small cave that opened up into the hill and headed in together.

 Chapter 3: Life in the Wilderness

    After the cloaked man set down the eggs and left a first meal, he succeeded the mission his master gave him, and began his long trot home.  He was to report back and get a reward for completing such a difficult assignment. Travelling with any official merchant caravan or guild expedition was not an option, since his mission wasn¡¯t lawful, even in his homeland. His task involved to leave the hatchlings a first meal and clear out the area of any dangerous beast which still showed the consideration his master had for other members of his own race. He wouldn¡¯t simply kill off any potential rivals, but he couldn¡¯t let them stay in their own country either. He couldn¡¯t quite understand the plight of his master, because they were not from the same race after all, however he understood the need of such actions and was prepared to do this for him.


    His master taught him the most basic insight into the path of cultivation over and over again: ¡°The gods are impartial to everyone¡± and left him to ponder upon it when he was accepted as a student. When he was called to bring the eggs away, the traveller was once again instructed to apply his insights on this truth onto the current mission and report back what he surmised.


    Reflecting about it for the whole duration of his journey so far, and after witnessing the newborn life shedding its shell and taking a first breath, he had gained another insight.


    His first impression of the saying was the notion: no one had a say in his fate, and talents and blessings granted by the god were not influenced by who you are, but simply by luck and willfulness on the part of the gods.


    But another interpretation represented the action his master took with the eggs: everyone was granted equal chances, and the greatest mercy one could gift another being was to bestow them the chance to make their own choices and create their own path.


    A sense of enlightenment bloomed within him, and he hastened his steps to rest in a wayside inn at the main road connecting the capital of this kingdom with other areas.


    An inn like this wasn¡¯t fancy or particularly high class, but a place where weary travelers rested in a solid wooden bed or drink away the road dust with a cold mug of ale while enjoying a warm meal.


    Elated by the progress in his training and insights, the cloaked traveller opened the door to the inn and headed over to the wooden counter, glancing at the smiling owner, dressed in a woolen shirt and leather pants, who was polishing a mug behind the bar counter. One other traveler was already tearing through a portion of the grilled boar and drinking in the bar, a lady dressed in a deep blue robe, who unlike her refined appearance devoured the meal at a rapid pace. The conversation between the two stopped when the door had opened, and after the woman appraised him with a long gaze, the owner gave him a wide business smile and asked, ¡°Hello sir traveler, do you want to stay for the night? A single room is 60 copper, the common room is 15 copper. A meal would be 10 copper, how about it?¡± The friendly demeanor and educated speech was uncommon for a simple inn owner, but many nobles lost their family title and had to start over from scratch, so it wasn¡¯t especially uncommon either. Granting himself this bit of luxury, the traveller opted to stay the night here and placed a single silver coin on the counter. ¡°One night stay, single room and a meal for me,¡± he said.


    The smiling owner wasn¡¯t particularly upset over the blunt reply and tried to make some small talk instead,  as he handed over the change of 30 copper. ¡°You¡¯re not from around here, are you? The sharp S does sound like you¡¯re from the same place as my other guest, although she refuses to tell me where exactly that is. Some sort of lizard tribe in the hills?¡± Taken aback by the questioning from someone who tended to a bar by himself, the wary traveller sharply rebuked him, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure why you would associate me with some sort of lizard tribe, but I¡¯ve been on a mission for my master and we have nothing in common with lowly lizards! It¡¯s not your place to ask me about it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, not everyone wants to gossip as much as you do.¡± The woman made her entrance into the conversation, an impish glint in her eyes when she addressed the owner. ¡°Have you heard about the Smiling Devil recently? Apparently the remains of his work were sighted in this kingdom recently.¡±


    ¡°The Smiling Devil? Is this a named ranker per chance? I don¡¯t think the humans had someone like him in their sphere of influence during the recent times.¡±, commented the hooded traveler, his interest was piqued by someone with a title. A status like that couldn¡¯t be acquired through effort alone, fame was needed for it to be coined as such. Humans always had the fewest named rankers among them, even though they had numbers to make up for it.


    The woman brushed back her blond hair behind her ears and said, ¡°It¡¯s true! No one knows what he looks like, although there is a rumour the last thing you ever see is a smile so wide you don¡¯t even see his eyes anymore!¡±


    Unease crept along the back of the traveller as he tried to recall where he spotted such a person. Suddenly all of his senses screamed danger and he tried to move away, but a dagger had already burrowed its way into his back and a strange sensation spread from the wound. Poison! He turned his head with great difficulty. The inn owner no longer held that friendly face, but instead a grotesque mockery of a human face. The smile stretched from ear to ear, and his eyes were only slits while the owner was directing the rage in his face at the woman in the robe.


    ¡°Why would you try to trick me into doing your work. Clearly you wanted me to put him down when you started talking about my ranked name. I hope you do know that employing me is a very pricey task, and I don¡¯t take getting used too kindly myself.¡± The chill emanating from the man who posed as the owner of the bar wasn¡¯t any weaker than the feeling of life seeping out of the dying traveller¡¯s back, and while the clothing he had before dissipated into smoke and revealed a deep black suit beneath it. His whole demeanor changed from friendly and inviting to a deadly and insane chill.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not trying to rip you off, you are repaying the favour to my master, who told me about you in advance. With this, you can consider the debt paid. The man you just killed has something in common with me. We share the same master, and my mission was to prevent him from disclosing any information regarding his mission ¡­¡±, a luscious smile spread on her lips, her hips shifting in a more comfortable position, ¡°and before you ask who our master is, I do have to tell you I¡¯d be deeply offended if you put him on the same level as me if you regard him as my equal. This servant was meant to carry out a mission in secrecy, and would have been rewarded if he accomplished it, and yet he gave out information that could be tracked back to us.¡±


    With his final breath the man bleeding on the floor realized another insight in the phrase he pondered earlier, ¡°The gods are impartial to everyone.¡± His master was prepared to either reward or punish him, regardless of the outcome of the mission. The only thing that mattered were his choices, and in his hubris to not be grouped with a lizard tribe he disclosed information his master forbid him from exposing. His choice brought about his death, and the only one to blame for that was his arrogance, the gods had no hand in this. Whether someone committed a good deed or dealt an evil blow only depended on perspective and individual choices. He had made his choice and now paid the price for failing the test.


    His dying breath left his lips, which warped into a smile for the last time.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    A year passed since the four little reptiles moved from their nest to the cave they discovered in their first hunt. The cave had been the base of a strong panther beast before the hooded stranger had cleared out the area of any strong beast that may threaten the eggs he had in his care, and he took the corpse away after slaying all of the panther¡¯s followers and the panther, leaving the hideout without an owner.


    Not long after that the chased rabbit had tried to shake off the hunters by passing through the domain of the panther, but had been caught instead, revealing the location of the cave. When the pack finished eating their fill of rabbit meat, they curiously explored the unknown den, hunting for more tasty meat.


    Although they had not found anymore things to devour, the cave itself was a place where the energy of the heavens and the earth congregated, which also was the reason why the panther beast dug its lair here in the first place. Satisfied with the feeling of power welling up in the different rooms the pack settled down in this cave, feasted upon the remaining meat and fell asleep in the deeper rooms of the cave.


    The next morning came rather abrupt, as something else intruded into the main entrance and loosened a roar, challenging the new inhabitants of the cavern. A life in the Wilderness was a fight every day, and today was no exception.


    Little Flame led the others to charge against the first challenger of their new territory, a descendant of the original panther beast with green fur that lived here before and returned after hunting in the forest. When it discovered the absence of any familiar aura from the other panthers, it lunged inside the cave without a second thought, confronting the murderer of its kin. Not shrinking back from a battle, the new dwellers of the cave surrounded the intruder, baring their fangs and claws towards the meal that had delivered itself to their doorstep.


    Faced by the encirclement, the panther had no choice but to lash out at one of the assailants, and it chose to attack Little Breeze first, who in turn tried to evade the lash by jumping back, but the superior speed of the assaulter guaranteed that the hit connected. Little Flame took the opportunity, tensed the muscles in its legs, and jumped towards the back of the panther and clawed at it. The fur on the back of the panther was too thick and hard to get cut, but it¡¯s attacks broke the scales of Little Breeze, drawing blood. Excitement flushed through the pack, as the fight heated up the instincts of everyone, igniting the desire to struggle, to claw, to tear apart the enemy and gouge themselves in the flesh of the fallen.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.The scene repeated itself, the panther lashed out at one of the surrounding lizards and the lizards retaliated in turn, a delicate balance of attack and defense formed. Little wounds accumulated on the reptiles, while the beast only endured the shock of the impact, without it¡¯s fur or skin broken. The reason why it endured in this sort of encirclement laid in the different ranks of the fighters, the panther beast was at the peak of the second rank. The pack had mostly hit the first rank after eating the meat that got left behind and the prey hunted yesterday, and resting in the den brimming with energy further helped breaking through into the first rank.


    Reaching the first rank wasn¡¯t very hard, but signified a great change. The body started accumulating the natural energy of the earth and opened up new paths for the aurai, enhancing the muscles, skin, bones and everything else. One could run longer and faster, attacks would hit harder, the reactions would get faster, and turned normal animals into magical beasts and humans into cultivators.


    Little Flame and its siblings achieved this rank and the defense of their scales as well as the sharpness of their claws increased. With the natural advantage of a monster''s body they were able to split rocks with a claw strike and withstand another monsters attack of the same rank.


    The second rank was harder to achieve than the first rank. All one needed to do to achieve the first rank was getting a feel for the natural energy of the heavens or the earth and take it into the body, reshaping body and mind to a degree and stepping onto the path towards immortality. The second rank required one to fill the whole body with aura and expel all of the impurities in the body, elevating the advantages gained by one whole level. This lead to the first and second rank being called the Initiation and Purification stage by adventurers.


    The panther beast on the other hand was a monster of the second rank, faster and stronger than the siblings. Its strikes easily sliced through metal and had no problem with splitting the scales covering their bodies, albeit not with ease. The natural defense of the tiny lizards was higher than the attack of the panther beast to begin with, so a higher rank didn¡¯t mean it could easily breach their defense, it couldn¡¯t get a fatal blow with ease. Further adding upon that was the intelligence of the siblings, which allowed them to ward off blows instead of taking them full force.


    How far and how fast a magical beast could go along the path of cultivation relied on the intelligence and luck heavily of the beast. A smart beast gathered energy faster through cultivation than a mindless monster that only ate others of the same rank, gaining a bit of their energy with each meal. Additionally there were beasts that developed their mana rank as well, granting them additional mental strength and capacities.


    Humans and other races had cultivation techniques and relied on meditation and exercise primarily to gain more mana and aura, although they also hunted magical beasts for their meat and their core. A core would form after reaching the sixth rank in any magical beast or monster, granting them an innate ability if they are lucky. Magical beasts in turn lusted for any human with a strong mana rank, eating the flesh of magicians was especially tasty and enhanced their survival chances greatly, while monsters generally hunted anything.


    Lethal combat served as a great opportunity for Little Flame to get a feel for the new powers granted by attaining the first rank. Together with the other siblings, the fight grew more coordinated and they got a feeling for group combat. Instead of just lashing out every now and then they took turns attacking, bruising up the back and sides of the panther. The downside to this stalemate laid in the exhaustion and little wounds that piled up as the fight went on. Honed by the mortal reminder Little Flame felt something close to awakening after dodging a hard jab, akin to taking a fresh breath after holding the breath for a very long time, fresh air rushing through the whole body. In addition to to gaining the first aura rank, Little Flame also established the first mana rank, gaining a strong sense of self awareness to distinguish itself from animals and the whole world lit up within its eyes, glowing in different kinds of colours. The panther beast suddenly had distinct glowing lines running through the limbs and the neck, connecting the different parts of the body with the head.


    Acting on instinct it applied the new power that welled within its soul to its claws and swiped at the neck of the struggling panther. With a red trail the claw sliced right through the fur and skin of the beast, drawing blood and crippling its movement, severing the glowing lines, drawing the end of the fight nearer, when the parts that were formerly connected with the glowing lines stopped moving. While Little Terra and the others blocked the attacks and death throes, Little Flame striked again and again to kill the intruder and sink their teeth into delicious meat. Through the newly discovered [Flame Enhancement] it covered the sharp claws with fire elemental mana that could easily slice through the body of an opponent one rank above, who lacked a defensive art or body technique. The encirclement proved its worth after the defense of the panther was broken, as even after being wary of the red lizard who could hurt it, the other reptiles also could tear at the open wounds and cause it to suffer. In the end the panther succumbed to the constant rain of claws and wounds, and the pack continued to tear at the meat and stripped the whole carcass until there was nothing left but the bones.


    Little Flame suddenly knew the words for the beast - ¡°Forest Panther¡± - although the exact meaning behind the term wasn¡¯t clear yet. Other words that surfaced were ¡°meat¡± and ¡°meal¡±, giving birth to a strong craving for more of the tasty feast, although it still couldn¡¯t compare to the first delicacy they had in their life.


    With their first group fight concluded Little Flame took out the others to hunt more strong beasts, looking for delicious meat and honing their abilities. With a rudimental understanding of most basic words, Little Flame instructed the others on archaic [Elemental Enhancement], leading by example and practicing while fighting.


    After the year passed with constant struggle, changes began to happen in the cave, deviating from the monotone routine of hunting and resting every day. Under the nourishment of the mana in the air of the cave, Little Breeze, Little Stream and Little Terra all gradually achieved their first mana rank and a simple understanding through words was possible, albeit the others still had no instinctive knowledge regarding the new language, so Little Flame slowly and steadily had to teach them the meaning behind words. With the emergence of the stronger self awareness, each of the lizards occupied their own room, observing the changes that happened to them. One night a strange thing occurred. Little Flame awoke to an object lying near the pile of leaves used as bedding, a piece of delicate cloth laid near a chunk of ore. Puzzled by the new object that appeared out of thin air, Little Flame nudged the objects with the nose, trying to get a feel for them. The cloth and the ore didn¡¯t react in any way, but the feeling of softness from the textile fibres felt very good to Little Flame. Content with the new treasure, the cloth was swiftly incorporated into the bedding. Afterwards the pack leader checked upon the members, who either found some herbs growing in their rooms or a chunk of ore. No one besides Little Flame found a piece of cloth, which puzzled them for a bit, but it didn¡¯t deter them from going out to hunt today yet again.


    The materialization of items signified a change in the status of the cave. By being occupied with strong cultivating magical beasts the natural mana and aura found a way to manifest in a physical form. Even before the pack achieved the first mana rank, veins of ore appeared in the walls of the cave, but without the mental capacity and awareness to recognize the potential treasure or the ability to mine the veins it went unnoticed.


    The concentration of natural energy released by the cave increased after the inhabitants not only achieved a rank in aura, but also in mana, creating a field dungeon. Every strong monster had the chance to create one and adventurers often were tasked to clear these lairs, harvesting the precious items that most monsters horded. These dungeons could be qualified with the use of a status stone and the right incantation, revealing the rank of the natural energy contained in the air. The lowest ranked dungeon usually only contained common iron ores or low ranked herbs, while a higher ranking dungeon produced increasingly rare veins of ore or precious herbs. They were not bound to produces treasures of the same rank and could very well contain items well below or above the rank, but the common view held the dungeon rank proportional to the items found within, although some adventurers struck it rich when they found a piece of equipment well above the level of dungeon they conquered.


    Throughout the year the cave was filled with various types of ores, either in the form of chunks or veins in the walls, and herbs growing in the chambers or already dried up and bundled, ready to be compounded by an alchemist. Little Breeze traded most of the ores and herbs for silky clothes, building a whole nest to sleep in, while Little Stream was very fond of gems and aromatic herbs. Little Terra''s room was different, hoarding precious metals and and ores, sleeping on a mountain of iron, silver and gold. Only in the furthest room in, the room Little Flame lived in, different items would seldom appear, sometimes a dagger, sometimes a piece of clothing, sometimes tanned leather in the form of armour. Once a complete set of armour appeared, and the new owner was highly interested in what these interesting shiny pieces of metal had to do with each other. Occasionally they would find an item dropped after killing a beast on their group hunts, and Little Flame was highly interested in exotic items, trading them with the ores and herbs that appeared in its own room.

 Chapter 4: Looking for followers

    Ten years passed since the den changed into a dungeon. Every day was a struggle, fighting for food, defending the dungeon and splitting the spoils of war. The four little lizards grew a lot, reaching the height of a large lion and acquired higher ranks in both mana and aura cultivation. While the four siblings had been hunting as a pack, each of them acquired different features along with their progress in cultivation. As a group they were regarded as a local power, feared by other intelligent dwellers of the forest.


    Little Breeze changed the most, the small emerald lizard grew two feathered wings, and the small tail grew to almost twice its body length. The fast attacks of the air element transformed into terrifying sweeps from the airborne dragon; when Little Breeze arced down onto other small birds or preyed upon small monsters in the forest akin to a green flash.


    Little Stream changed from a small lizard into a long amphibian reptile. Through playing and hunting near the river for a long time, gills started growing near the throat of the azure salamander, and fins grew near the claws matching the hue of the azure scales. Although it loved lazing around in the lake downstream from the cave, there were no other creatures that could beat the swimming and diving speed of that lazy waterdragon.


    Little Terra didn¡¯t develop any new parts, but fortified its already heavy defenses. Its whole body got densely covered by earthly yellow plates, with spikes growing along the spine and from there to the backside of each limb. Almost no enemy was currently able to break the armored plates and most of them simply had to succumb to the heavy charge of the armored wyrm, ripping them apart with sharp spikes.


    Little Flame kept the dark scales with vermillion tips, looking quite sinister. From all of the siblings, the dark dragon looked the most like a typical dragon. Teardrop scales, four strong limbs, a muscular yet slender body, two wings with a leathery membrane and two horns on top of the head. Like the other dragons, Little Flame had slit, snake-like pupils, whose iris took a golden shade with small black rifts running through.


    The strongest defense belonged to Little Terra, the fastest speed was claimed by Little Breeze, the greatest agility was claimed by Little Stream.


    Nonetheless, if you asked any of the magical beasts around the area who the strongest being here was, everyone would agree on the black dragon. Even if Little Flame couldn¡¯t beat the other siblings in their areas of expertise, matching their greatest strength wasn¡¯t a problem at all, furthermore it also excelled in one area.


    While the cave nourished aura and mana cultivation, the black dragon¡¯s aura aspect gained proficiency much faster. At first Little Flame could only use the [Dragon Breath] with the power of the third aura rank, a bright red flame imbued with the flame element. Little Flame did not develop the attack through trial and error, but remembered the spell upon breaking through the third aura rank despite never having used it. However another breakthrough to the second mana rank changed the properties of the attack, the red flame stream changed to a sinister black colouring, the newly fiendish flame gained a corrosive attribute that even Little Terra was afraid of.


    A strong mountain bear had once challenged the siblings for the right to rule the cave along with the surrounding area, hungering for the rich amount of energy in the air. Little Terra, Little Stream and Little Breeze worked together to try to get rid off the intruder, but eventually were unable to win against the strong rank 4 beast, as the steel black hide of the bear was as hard as iron. If the grizzly was any faster the pack would have incurred heavy losses by the heavy strikes that could smash stones. They only incurred light wounds by warding off the majority of the blow and taking a small hit from the remaining energy.


    The whole situation turned around when Little Flame returned to the cave after a hunt and dropped the prey it carried in awe. Looking at the the wounds and desperate situation, rage took over and the furious Little Flame unleashed a mighty [Black Flame Breath]. The attack was mixing the aura of the [Flame Breath] with the corrosive nature of the Dark attribute, giving birth to this new kind of technique. The [Mountain Grizzly] couldn¡¯t put up a defense against the devouring force of the black flames, since monsters who were only proficient in aura lacked defense against mana. The hard fur and thick skin of the beast crumbled under the heavy assault and the flames burned the flesh of the bear, filling the air with the scent of sizzling fat.


    The siblings happily ate away from the carcass, recovering their wounds and savouring the tasty meat of a strong and aura-rich fiend.


    After this incident, the ¡®Dragon¡¯s Dungeon¡¯ was soon acknowledged as a strong local power.


    Magic beasts were quite rare to begin with, so the siblings found it hard to break through further mana rank without mana-rich meat in their diet. Additionally most of the magical beasts were smart enough to respect the domain of the dragon pack, trying to stay on friendly terms and not antagonizing them, so their diet lacked mana rich flesh. The fairy forest to the north and the harpies on the mountain to the west in fact formed friendly relations with the dragon den when their queens visited the dungeon after the dragons proficiency in hunting grew enough, along their ranks, to warrant concern, and the dragon¡¯s ability to speak developed into making communication possible. The original purpose was to ask the dragons not to hunt any members of their tribe, yet the queens were pleasantly surprised by Little Flame gifting them valuable herbs and textiles. The fairy queen and the harpy queen returned from time to time to trade spirit liquor and exquisite monster meat respectively whenever there was an excess or they were in need of the treasures growing in the cave.


    Thus unable to rely on mana rich meat to hasten their progress, the little dragons only depended on naturally accumulating mana to advance in their cultivation, and only Little Flame achieved the third rank after a full 10 years. Similarly the black dragon was also the strongest in regards to aura, reaching the peak of the fourth rank while the others barely stepped into the fourth rank this year.


    The ability to communicate with other beasts also provided the opportunity for the dungeon to change from a simple hollow cave into a prestigious dragon den.


    As Little Terra was exploring caves on the nearby mountain and hunting for its daily meal it stumbled upon a tribe of [Grey Gnomes], who were naturally gifted in stoneworking and turned a big cave into a primitive village. The tribe had nearly perished after they had dug out deep mine shafts in the search of iron ore, breaking into a deeper set of tunnels in the mountain. A group of [Spider Weavers] had emerged from the depths of the mountain, immediately driven by the urge to kill and devour the gnomes. Little Terra trampled upon the younglings who had reached rank 2 but had a longer fight with the broodmother. She had a higher rank than her children, but was unable to pierce the heavy plates of her opponent, while Little Terra had issues with the high speed and agility of the spider, who kept dodging the dragon¡¯s incoming rush attacks. Little Terra settled the fight by smashing the spider against the wall with its full body weight.


    Grateful for the help, the leader of the gnomes entered into a servant bond with the saviour of their tribe, which allowed a small telepathic bond. Over this bond Little Terra was taught bits and pieces of the common adventurer tongue. The tribe of grey gnomes followed Little Terra back to the dungeon and settled there under its protection. With constant instruction and guidance from the wyrm the gnomes transformed the original earthen cave into a skillfully carved and stone-furnished lair, constantly providing maintenance. Additionally the gnomes greatly expanded the small cave in the hill to a great set of halls and rooms, while each of the four biggest rooms belonged to one the four rulers of the dungeons, albeit the rooms differed in nature.


    By excavating precious ores, Little Terra¡¯s room was the one that resembled the original cavern the most. Decorated by precious gems and metals, the walls gave the impression of a place deep below the earth, radiating earth type energy and giving the [Grey Gnomes] as well as Little Terra a comfortable feeling. Situated below Little Terra¡¯s room was another room, or a large hall to be correct. Inside this hall grew a city of stone, hosting the tribe. The earth type mana and aura welling up inside the wyrm¡¯s lair above the gnomes helped them improve their growth speed. After the bed made of leaves got replaced by a pile of gold and silver, Little Terra mostly lazed around and directed the gnomes by the telepathic bond in  construction and renovation work around the cave


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    Little Breeze befriended the daughters of the harpy queen and invited them to stay in its chamber. Collecting various animal furs, Little Breeze and the two harpy sisters gathered shiny items, regardless of rarity or value. Borrowing the work force of the grey gnomes, the outer parts of the hill also underwent some changes. On top of the hill a stone tower appeared, connecting the cave with the outside, allowing the flying lizard and its playmates to soar straight into the sky. From spring to autumn the surrounding monsters would spare careful glances to the sky occasionally, fearing a fast dive of nimble claws ripping a life from the forest. In the winter furs covered the entrance of the stone tower, creating a warm cave for the holed up harpies and Little Breeze.


    The other change to the outside of the hill was the stream of water running from the hill and out of the cave towards the small river in the forest. Watching closely, steam could be seen rising from the new water source in the early morning or the evening. Indeed, while digging for precious ore nodes the grey gnomes unearthed several hot water veins in the hill. Little Stream expressed the wish to have these veins redirected to its own room, eventually forming a hot water basin leaving the chamber half flooded, while the excess water exited the cave through a drain leading to the main room of the dungeon in an attempt to warm it, and flowed in stone channels out of it. The other dragons would come over from time to time to soak in the hot water, but Little Stream used it as a bed and resting place. After years of improving and working on the dungeon foundation, stone pipes ran through the whole place, heating up the cave in winter and providing another business opportunity for the lizard siblings. Splitting the hot water veins created an open air bath surrounded by later built stone walls at the backside of the hill, and a small forest started growing in the surroundings of the second stream leaving the thermae. It could be used by the visiting harpies, fairies as well as the dungeon¡¯s smaller inhabitants, while the room of Little Stream was for the personal use of the rulers of the cave only.


    Lured by the appeal of a hot water source, a small group of Fairy Nymphs settled in the meadow and borrowed the help of Little Stream to build a small village, in exchange for working as service attendants in the newly opened hot spring. The head of the tribe, a beautiful [Water Nymph] entered into a servant bond with Little Stream, and started living in the inner water chamber, serving meals or alcohol for the different dragons that came to soak in the hot water, and submitted her tribe to the rule of the water dragon. Before she came to live here, she had no hope to survive with her tribe on her own, as her aura rank did not surpass the peak of the third rank, and she had attained the first mana rank only by chance. The fairies were providing her tribe with a place to stay, but the lure of a hot water spring and the friendly relations between the Fairy Forest and the Dragon Den made it possible for her to resettle her tribe peacefully under the protective reign of the amphibian dragon¡¯s domain, allowing them to live as an independent village.


    Spring came again and marked the beginning of the tenth year since the mighty siblings claimed the place for themselves, but Little Flame wasn¡¯t particularly happy. The biggest room belonged to the master of the cave, and the dark dragon had lots of precious items laying around. After achieving the second rank in mana cultivating, it became possible for the dragon to store precious items directly in a soul space after infusing them with mana, so the amount of items lying around only represented the smallest and most common amount of goods in its possession. Despite the dragons getting stronger as a whole, things like armor or weapons only appeared in Little Flames room, never in one of the others. Herbs, ores and other resources appeared in everyone''s places, but something was special about the refuge of the leader. Little Flame couldn¡¯t use any of the armors, weapons or clothes, only stored them away in the large space existing within its own soul.


    Furs and other trophies of strong prey decorated the walls, gems were adorning the frame of the bedding in the back of the room, while the rest was made of silk and other precious fabrics. Recently there wasn¡¯t even a need to hunt anymore, as the tribes under their control gained enough strength to provide their masters with meat and similar


    delicacies, and other powers nearby also exchanged that kind of things for the goods of the Dragon Den, so Little Flame had little to do besides providing the protection of the area against strong monsters and lazing around in the sun. By living in the dungeon and not moving around much, the frequency where the dragons had to eat also lessened, the energy in the air somewhat sustaining them as well.


    The dragon siblings used to hunt together, fight against monsters and spirit beasts together, discovered new enemies and new allies all together. Every day was filled with thrill and adventure, chancing upon new things and sharing joy and meals together. In the recent days it was rare for all of them to get together, soak in the hot water as a group or simply huddle together to sleep like they first did after discovering the cave. Each of them had responsibilities, things to take care of and organize.


    Little Terra had a folk to govern and was taking care of the masonry, constantly inspecting and improving the residence. Preparing the excavated ores and precious metals, refining the raw ores with a dragon breath, constructing new residences and improving the den took up a lot of time.


    Little Breeze was in charge of trade, exchanging goods and developing friendly relationships with domains in the vicinity, as well as transporting everything that was to be bartered. Together with the two daughters of the Harpy Queen it commanded some forces of the Harpy Tribe which would likely break away from the main tribe and form an independent second tribe around the stone tower, a good living ground for any airborne race.


    Little Stream took care of the internal affairs, the storage of items and the entertainment of guests, taking time to groom the nymph tribe into capable hosts and attendants of the Dragons Den. After talking things through with the Water Nymph, both of them worked together to cultivate a field of herbs near the forest of the nymphs, producing more wares to trade with.


    Unlike the others Little Flame did not acquire something to do yet. There was of course the duty to keep the domain safe, act as a head of the pack, but besides lazing around and collecting strange items there wasn¡¯t anything else left to do. Feeling lonely and bored, Little Flame left the main chamber for the first time in several weeks. The water nymph was surprised to see the black dragon emerge, it had been a while for her to see even a hint of the dark red and black scales.


    ¡°Master.¡± Hastily bowing down and calling out to be respectful, the nymph didn¡¯t wish to tarry, as the other servants who delivered food into the chamber had been speaking of a dark vibe gathering around the sullen dragon, the light seemingly vanishing as soon as it hit the black scales. The scared nymphs also reported a foul mood spreading, inviting chills to creep up their backs and frightening them badly whenever they delivered food.


    Little Flame glanced at the dutiful woman before responding in the common tongue, a language used by adventurers from all over the continent. By associating with all sorts of different races, the dragon siblings also picked up some basic understanding of the language, which was useful in negotiating directly to the interlocutor, instead of using the telepathic bond between the servants who spoke the language.


    ¡°Going out, tell others if they seek me. Won¡¯t be back for while,¡± the moody dragon said. Just a moment before, the gloom was visible in the air, but the thought of going out and finding a project on its own or a tribe to govern changed the whole atmosphere into a cheerful glow, a draconic smirk sneaking itself onto Little Flames face.


    After walking through the busy main hall, Little Flame spread its wings and flew away, leaving the busy grey gnomes to their work currently consisting of inlaying all of the stone ornaments with metal intricacies.


    The Water Nymph made a mental note to tell the other rulers of the absence of the master, and sent some of the servants to clean the now vacant chamber. She had no idea what could move the solemn black dragon into being this enthusiastic, but as the head of the maids and servants she most likely wouldn¡¯t get to know, and asking a dragon about their matters was a good way to get a little dragon breath in return.


    Thanks to Tyxev for editing

 Chapter 5: Human Interaction

    At a great distance of the Dragons Den''s sphere of influence, a forest housed the camp of an adventurer party. Consisting of two human mages, three human warriors and two elven knights, the fighting strength of this expedition was very well distributed.


    The human mages were brothers, and descendants of a noble house of this country, although not in the direct line of succession for the throne. Born from a noble father and a maid, their status of nobility was the lowest possible, considering as well that their father was only from a branch house.


    Nonetheless they showed good talent regarding their cultivation of mana, reaching the third rank in less than 25 years. To sustain their rather frivolous lifestyle they had to go on adventurer¡¯s missions from time to time, and taking their household knights along reduced the amount they had to share from  the overall gain. The knights approved of this practice since the main house was paying their salaries, and the brothers were usually taking along one or two maids to cater to their needs in the field, passing the unfortunate girls around the men to enjoy themselves after they had first ravaged the maids deep in the forest. There had been one or two maids who were especially defiant that unfortunately fell prey to a sudden monster attack and did not return home, but the main house turned a blind eye when it came to mages of their own household. Losing two maids appeared negligible opposed to the prestige they were receiving from nurturing the two brothers into capable mages, and possibly introducing them to the royal academy as teachers. Two or three commoner lives every few turns were seen as trifling compared to prominence in noble circles.


    The warriors had refused at first, but gave in to their lust after roaming the forest for a week. Taking turns with the two cute maids almost beat the rush of a death fight against powerful monsters ; and their harvest hadn¡¯t been bad on this expedition with either activity.


    Ten years ago, a strange incident had happened, the episode latter known as the ¡®Monster Wave¡¯. From deep within the forest emerged numerous strong monsters running side by side with some magical beasts, rushing into the territory of the defenseless humans, destroying farms and rampaging through fields, which finally drew the attention of the kingdom. Surprisingly it appeared that a few rank 5 and 6 monster kings were participating in the assault, forcing the kingdom to ask the adventurers guild for help. A group of class A adventurers stood at the forefront of the defense, composed entirely of named rankers: the Herald of the Earth in the front, protecting the two women behind him, namely the Fiend of the Bow and the Blazing Skies. At the rear were the other members, the Protector of the Light and the Snake Tamer. Consisting of a paladin, an archer, a mage, a priest and a beast tamer, the party was considered top class even in the adventurer''s guild, and many young talents yearned to be like them,the pinnacle team of the human kingdom.


    The defending human side stood its ground against the monster surge, pitting the rumored rank seven team against monster kings and their armies.Thanks to their marvelous  teamwork and intense focus they managed to kill a big amount of monsters, and chased back the rest of the scarred foes into the forest.


    Ten years later the party of the noble brothers stumbled across the carcass of a magical beast, a [Flaming Python], and scoured its remains. Luck had it that the monster was probably heavily wounded in the Monster Wave and only managed to crawl back into the forest, where the party found its body in a hidden grove. Most of the leathery skin was damaged and could not be salvaged, and the meat had been already consumed by other monsters, but the real treasure was hidden beneath the decomposed body : a longsword forged of black orichalcum and leather armor tailored out of a magical beast who was between the fourth and fifth rank. Bringing back these treasures and selling them after getting both of the items enchanted would most likely enable the party to gain enough money to take it easier for one or two years. High class weapons were a prized commodity, and being able to slay magical beasts outside of a labyrinth was unusual, so the demand for this kind of good was always higher than the supply. The risk originating from trailing into the inner part of the forest, source of the Monster Wave, definitely paid off this time. Feeling satisfied with their gain from the expedition, the two brothers sat down on roots beneath a tall tree, taking out some alcohol from their storage items and chatting with each other while the last remnants of the day were fading and night fell.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Unbeknownst to them, Little Flame had landed a while before and was roaming through the woods. Looking for followers was quite difficult in the sphere of influence of the Dragons Den. The fairies forest and the harpies nest left nothing to take control of, despite their ruling over the territory still left areas unmapped, yet they belonged to one or another''s sphere of influence. By going out of the power base the three dominions established, Little Flame had a chance to encounter a tribe of monsters or magical beasts and bring it back to the den to rule over them. After passing through several enclaves of other rulers around the same strength, the forest started to dim and the little dragon reached the outer scope of the Wilderness, where no one had yet claimed a specific area. While aimlessly flying through the dusk, a campfire sparked the interest of Little Flame, proving the existence of some sort of living being nearby. Taking caution not to draw attention of whatever creature was camping here to itself, the dragon landed and secretly approached through thickets close-by. The encampment of this unknown species was composed of one group in the camp, and two more of them a bit out of sight on the roots of a tree. Strange items covered their skin, very much alike to the things appearing in the Den back home. Something was off about them, some were talking to each other in a language Little Flame did not understand, drinking things kept in sparkling objects and tearing meat off a skewer above the fire, while a second bunch further away were huddling together like wailing animals, giving off sounds of suffering and pain. They were two, with waist-length hair, while all the others had shorter hair.


    Little Flame could not recognize the bottles of alcohol or understand why the two maidens were crying, or even differentiate a male human from a female human; but the power dynamics were clear : the first group, the short-haired ones had done something wrong to the moaning pair, or maybe stolen something from them. This reinforced the wariness Little Flame felt towards the cheerful bunch, those creatures must have had some sort of power to assert their dominance over others.


    Leaving the main camp behind, the dragon rather decided to observe the two short-haired with whom no one in the first group talked.


    Usually adventurers would surely notice the threat of a black scaled animal prowling around their camp, but unfortunately for them, after  they had soiled the maids earlier and began celebrating the discovery of the treasures with meat and ale, which caused the vigilance they had adopted whenever they went near the Wilderness to drop drastically. After all, this was only the outer skirts of the dangerous area, and whatever nightmares roamed this green hell was supposed to stay deep within.


    Looking closely at the two humans who gave off an imperative feeling, as if they didn¡¯t want to mix with the others, Little Flame detected the same sparkling objects the other short-haired had, and from the close distance  the content released a stinging smell in the air.


    The language they were speaking with  each other was foreign to Little Flame, the human''s tongue was not something anyone in the proximity of the Dragons Den could speak after all. They hadn¡¯t been drinking for long and soon noticed that someone was blatantly staring at them, and used a simple mana pulse to easily discover where the intruder was hiding. The pure wave of energy couldn¡¯t be even be called a technique and it made Little Flame very interested when the wave bounced on its scales, the black animal tilted its head sideways in curiosity.


    The two brothers however had a very different reaction when the mana revealed a pitch black, blood-red-tipped scaled creature in a hedge close to them. They had not noticed when it crept upon them, and the sleek tongue tasting the air, laid between sharp teeth, which could easily penetrate and rip off a limb with their dagger like appearance scared the hell out of them.


    ¡°It¡¯s a wyvern! Get ready to fight,¡± screamed one of them, while the other started mumbling an incantation. Earthen mana condensed into a defensive ring around the two of them, while the camp bursted into motion, knights and warriors unsheathed their swords and readied their shields.


    Even though Little Flame didn¡¯t know humans¡¯ habits in particular, the hostility they emitted was very familiar. Whenever the pack was out on a hunt and cornered a monster with no way out, they would  lash out regardless of the injuries they would suffer in return. Fighting that kind was more trouble than the meat was worth, so each of the dragons picked up stealth methods to track a prey without alerting it.


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    In this situation Little Flame didn¡¯t have time to think of the best option and fled directly opposite from the shouting mage, in the direction of the main encampment. Faced with warriors and knights in the front and mages behind it, the black beast came to an abrupt stop about halfway between them and turned to the side. It started running again to gain enough speed for taking off and to fly away.


    One of the brothers casted an earth type spell [Earthen Chains] in response, the bindings slithered through the air at a fast speed and entangled the black scaled wings, increasing their weight and preventing flight, slowing down the fleeing creature.


    Unable to fly away, the dragon turned around to face the creatures armed with what appeared to be metal fangs in one hand and shiny scales in the other. This was not the first swords and shields it was seeing, they had materialized  in the room back in the den a few times, and were neatly stored away in the soul storage space. However, the only explanation that had come to its mind was that the strange tools were metal replications of teeth or claws, and the shield that of a sturdy scale.


    Little Flame had no idea how to use most of the items that were cropping up in the room, and no other magical beast in the vicinity used these type of equipments either. The fairies naturally were too small to wear the average human sized equipment, and were cutting up the clothes and leather to sew fitting clothing out of it, which therefore didn¡¯t resemble the original item anymore.


    Similarly the harpies used the softer metals to form bracelets or rings on their claws. Sometimes rings would be traded over from the Dragons Den, building up the prized collection of precious metal rings of the harpy queen.


    Rejoining with the mercenaries, the two brothers started shouting, both of them trying to convey the same message. ¡°Don¡¯t let it escape! It¡¯s a black wyvern! Forget about the sword and the armor, if we manage to bind that monster to us, we can get at least to S rank status! S rank! Don¡¯t kill it, we need to bind it!¡±


    Despite being having trouble to speak the adventurers¡¯ tongue, Little Flame had no problems understanding the words the human male shouted to the elven knights and human warriors and the objective of these screaming fellows was very clear. Unwilling to get captured and sold off, or worse, enslaved, the dragon seriously prepared itself to resist, turned around and suddenly lashed out against the warriors. The forest wasn¡¯t particularly dense, allowing a straight slash against fighters running after their newly-found prey between the trees. Like a sharp sword, the restrained creature tore a deep gash through the line of three warriors who were lowering their swords while running. The slash started from the shoulder of the warrior on the outer right side and ran straight through the knee of the fighter on the left, spilling the first blood.


    Luck gave them a small grace as the man in the middle had been reacting fast enough and had raised his sword in time to lessen the force of the blow. Only the adventurer on the right fell to the ground, his blood spilling from a severed artery. Although the other two¡¯s lacerations were painful, they weren¡¯t fatal, contrary to their bleeding friend on the ground. The party had no one specialised in water magic or life magic and aura was much harder to use to heal someone, so his fate was sealed. Anger welled up in the remaining adventurers, they knew of the danger in the Wilderness, yet losing a comrade still didn¡¯t suit them well.


    The knights had to stay back and escort the two mages who couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed of someone training in aura, and most people couldn¡¯t be bothered to train both types of energy, relying on either mana or aura to get recognition. While it was true that mages were rarer than body refiners, most of them still elected to get at least a few ranks in both cultivation paths to try to keep up with their counterparts.


    When they arrived at the battleground, Little Flame had already taken off the head of the left adventurer with a vicious bite, resulting in a harsh conclusion : the slash on his leg did impede his movement after all.


    The remaining adventurer was quite relieved, he had been having a hard time defending against the feral creature, barely hanging on in face of the rampage caused by the thoughtless taming attempt. On the way to the battlefield, one of the brothers handed over the treasure blade to one of the knights, putting their resources at use. With a weapon able to pierce the skin of their foe and injure it, the fight should go back under their control once the movement of their target was restricted. ¡°Circle him and wear him down, once the wyvern calms down we can capture him¡±, commanded the same mage. The death of the warriors didn¡¯t particularly bother the remaining party, apart from the humiliation they suffered from being played around by a beast, they had simply needed to fill their ranks with additional hands for manual labor from the adventurer''s guild, and if they managed to tame the monster in front of them and awaken it into a magical beast they would gladly sacrifice a hundred rank three warriors in a heartbeat.


    The knights complied with the orders and flanked the remaining warrior on both sides, encircling the struggling beast. In the meantime one of the mages was sustaining the [Earthen Chain] spell while his brother looked out for an opportunity to bind and tame their opponent with a magical formation once the fighting died down.


    The situation was slowly turning around, whenever Little Flame assaulted one of the knights or adventurer, a shield would block the bite or claw swipe and the high-ranked-sword wielding knight would use the opportunity to attack and inflict a wound on the dragon. Being at a higher rank protected the black lizard from the normal steel swords, but the Dark Orichalcum Greatsword was leaving deep tears in the scales of its flanks.


    Frustrated over the limited success of simple claw strikes and fueled by the pain resulting from a sword biting its skin over and over again, Little Flame allowed it''s animal instinct to take over its actions. It inhaled a deep breath and suddenly unleashed a  destructive [Dark Flame Breath], flooding between the shields of the knights, burning the adventurer partly and accurately hitting the mage channeling the [Earthen Chain] right onto his front, killing him instantly.


    Shock appeared on the faces of all surviving party members, and the living mage shouted excitedly: ¡°He¡¯s a dragon! A black dragon!¡±. Wyverns happened to be a rare species, but it could be said that if someone searched long enough near cliffs and mountains he could eventually discover one, or stumble upon one when it wandered between territories by chance. They could sell for a high price as a flying mount and monster companion. The distinction between dragons and wyverns laid in their abilities and intellect, causing the wyverns to be called [Lesser Dragons]. Only dragons were capable of using a genuine Dragon''s Breath.


    Most of the dragon race resided at the edge of the continent and their country had the strongest military and a great amount of influence over all surrounding kingdoms and cities. No one dared to trespass their underground city or mountain lairs, so the probability of obtaining a dragon familiar was close to zero.


    In the Wilderness however, feral dragons appeared sometimes as monsters, and a mage who had managed to tame one was guaranteed to make a fortune selling it to a mighty aura practitioner as a bonded beast, after awakening it to a magical beast, or would gain one of the mightiest guardian beasts possible, ensuring anyone that possessed the treasured being at least an SS ranking, not to mention the ungodly amounts of prestige their family would gain from obtaining a dragon.


    Not even the death of his blood-related brother managed to extinguish the excitement of discovering a wild dragon.


    The excitement, however, slowed their reaction time when the black dragon turned around and ran away again, as the chains and extra weight slowing it down had disappeared when the mage casting the spell had died. Unwilling to let it escape, both knights sprinted forward in an attempt to inflict a wound serious enough to make the beast stay, but only the knight brandishing the rank six weapon managed to leave a deep slash on Little Flame¡¯s neck running to its chest, making crimson blood starting to flow at a rapid pace.


    The adventurer had been screaming loudly when the flames had begun to corrode his body, tearing into his flesh and causing him to suffer an agonizing torment, desperately imploring others to help him, heal him from this excruciating pain, when a wind spear swiftly pierced his heart from behind. This was a young dragon ! Taming a dragon was very difficult, but there had always been exceptions. A young dragon who had yet to awaken into a magical beast could easily be forced into an enslaving spell, as smoothly as any other monster. How could the mage possibly leave any witnesses behind, if the adventurer were to survive this situation, countless adventurers would swarm the forest in search of the dragon as soon as the writhing adventurer returned to the city to tell his tale and recruit a team on his own to hunt his nemesis down.


    Dragons might be beasts by birth, but these humans had let greed turn them into monsters by choice.


    Thanks to Tyxev for editing.

 Chapter 6: The Day of an Elven Magician

    In the morning the first rays of sunshine fell through the large glass windows of a rather large cottage on the slope of a mountain. The warm beam of light slowly crept through the the room until it finally hit a lavish bed made out of dark wood engraved with delicate carvings.


    When the glow finally touched the covers on top of the bed, the man resting under stirred slightly. Woken up by the warmth on his skin he brushed aside the silken blanket he had wrapped around himself the previous day and ran his hand through his long white beard matching the colour of the hair on his head.


    After stretching his arms to get rid of the cold stiffness in his joints, Eldrin reached out for the linen robe flung above a nightstand made and carved with the same patterns as the bed.


    In the same way his hair and beard were undoubtedly signs of old age, the hand grabbing the piece of clothing revealed wrinkles decorating his skin like a fine net of of spider webs.


    The unadorned linen robe was standing out in a harsh contrast to the surrounding display of wealth, reminding Eldrin once again that the manor was not to be called his home. He lived here for the time being, true, but it was not the place he belonged to. That being said, it did not prevent him from littering the place with his personal belongings. Picking up his undergarments from the closet, he slowly rummaged through the various clothing articles strewn about the room as well as over the furniture to find some trousers to go with the robe.


    The majority of the clothes he could spot in the chaos all around were either of a dark gray colour reminding of a blade¡¯s steel, while the remaining attire was made of the finest materials similarly expensive to the furnishing put on display throughout the cottage, with official crests stitched on the right side of the chest. All of Eldrin¡¯s clothing pieces were displaying a seven-pointed star made out of silver thread that accentuated the blue colour of the silken fabric.


    The first kind of attire, the rough ones, had stains all over them, yet the fibers showed no sign of tearing and remained solid and robust looking, despite no one having cleaned them for a long time.


    The official looking apparels were spotless, yet they were still wrinkled and could not be acknowledged as presentable, because of having been thrown thoughtlessly throughout the room. Some of those were even gathering dust from being neglected for long periods of time.


    Looking at a particularly dusty official robe, Eldrin  snorted in contempt and finished changing into his favourite robe. It belonged to neither type of clothing, slightly higher in quality than most but not formal in form nor shape.


    No tear or stain was revealing itself on the turquoise textile as the elderly elf took very good care of this single robe, and it would have been hard to find another outfit in such a good condition in his belongings. The seven-pointed star was embedded on the right of the chest like on the formal get ups, however on that one the threads used were capturing multiple shades of a sky-blue colour and that effect closely resembled that in the eyes of Eldrin.


    After getting dressed he headed out to the central room of the dwelling, a magnificent living-room adorned with several leather layers, arranged into several sitting groups, with a giant fireplace in the back, spanning the whole width of the house, and squared stairs in the front leading  onto the ground floor. Doors opened on both sides as Eldrin walked alongside the corridor, but none of those bedrooms could compare in lavishness to the chamber Eldrin claimed as his own.


    Because the mansion sheltered only one inhabitant, most of the rooms were staying empty and thus were looking like dark caves, or the inside of the belly of a dying beast¡­  But the silence that accompanied the dusty atmosphere didn¡¯t especially bother the elf; he had asked to keep watch over this place after all. Pacing through the quiet house the elf marched from the hearth to the stairs, without paying attention to the various works of art displayed on the ever present dark wood furnitures.


    Arriving at the stairs, he contemplated the too long descent that separated him from the kitchen, and turned his drained gaze to the way out of the house. Each step he took on the way down amplified, bit by bit, the throbbing sensation in his bones, and the old man reminisced himself how his joints were one year ago. Feeling the age creep up upon him he helplessly sighed to himself. This was the life he had wished for, yet it didn¡¯t give him that sense of fulfillment.


    Discarding this line of thought the elf came down to the first floor without showing any external signs of discomfort and headed straight into the kitchen on the right side of the stairs.


    White marble lined the walls of the kitchen, each of the appliances also built from pure, immaculate stone and shaped into convenient forms. This was the second room that looked occupied, as seasonings and dirty dishes were filling the counters beneath cupboards on the wall. Eldrin opened a cabinet and pulled out ingredients for his breakfast while collecting some of the remaining clean tableware.


    He cracked open two eggs with one hand and fried them while pouring mana into the magic tool heating the cooking plate. When the eggs were frying, Eldrin had prepared some bread and salt to go with and had poured some milk into a mug. He would have to bake again soon and catch a few of his cows to milk them, his stockpile of ingredients was dwindling as weeks piled on each others, and he was replenishing it usually on the day of light.


    Without his guild card Eldrin would find it difficult to keep track of the flowing time, but before leaving the city to come to live in the woods he got interested in one of the newer enchantments and had asked a friend to cast it on his card. From that time, the guild card was able to state what day and hour it was without the need for its owner to carry a watch around. Regardless, Eldrin also carried a golden pocket watch in his robe and performed thorough maintenance on it every other night.


    Finishing up his cooking work Eldrin carried his concoction into the ridiculously huge room while casually picking some side dishes and snacking on them.


    When the King was still residing in the mansion, servants were taking care of the meals, from cooking to serving. Now the old elf had to do everything on his own. He wasn¡¯t particularly bothered by making his food or taking care of the residence, it was the place where he had chose to stay, and someone else cleaning up after him wouldn¡¯t sit well with him either. Periodically, Eldrin¡¯s son was visiting and bringing goods hard to come by in the wilderness. Especially the salt was running low recently. Luckily the scheduled trip had happened just a month before, and he could therefore waste spices and sugar again, livening up the bland food of the past quarter turn.


    The main room where Eldrin had enjoyed the remainders of his breakfast was assuming the role of the heart of the house. The reason for this showcased itself as a large painting of a map hung on one of the lounge¡¯s wall. Filling the whole space from side to side and top to bottom the picture flaunted a very detailed replica of the surrounding area. The particularity of this item laid in the enchantment the late King had specifically requested.


    A legend rank mage as well as a legend rank warrior had been invited to create this hunting ground for the former King who had only ever reached the sixth rank as a warrior. The process of crafting the precious article involved the warrior inscribing pillars with a ward pattern and the mage enchanting the pillars with a scrying spell. Linking the two effects together allowed the creation of a high ranked item combining aura and mana with a special effect of the artifact class.


    The whole hunting grounds were depicted on the painting and any living being was registered as a small dot moving through the projected forest.


    The second effect repelled all monsters and beasts above the seventh rank from entering and hid the resting area by diverting the non-human creatures¡¯ attention away from the pillars surrounding the habitation boundaries.


    The original owner had handsomely rewarded both the mage and the warrior for this exquisite craft, and had been visiting the cottage in the hunting grounds each turn, where his own magicians had casted enchantments and knights had carved inscriptions onto everything that had been used to construct the dwelling, turning a simple mountain hut into a high class lodging fit for a king and his court. This was also how  Eldrin came to know of this place, as he accompanied his father-in-law to this cottage numerous times.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Nowadays Eldrin used the observation device to keep track of the herd he got the milk from, instead of picking worthy monsters to hunt, and if the late King knew the new purpose of his favorite toy he would turn around in his grave. Enjoying the leftovers of his meal the old man spent this time to study the map on the wall behind the large table as he did every morning. Generally he just needed to locate his group of [Sapphire Cows]. Most of them had grew up to be rank two monsters so he wasn¡¯t very worried about losing many of them to wild animals, nonetheless he still had to be careful about the herd wandering into the den of a monster or beast above the fourth rank.


    Despite the task already being routine for Eldrin he still earnestly checked the situation every day, for the loss of the animals would cause his daily meals to become even blander.


    He had been checking the map daily for a very long time now and today something seemed off about it. Studying it closely while he poked around in his meal, he finally noticed the difference. A nest that used to belong to [Stone Breaker Trolls] near the far end of the hunting grounds now housed a different Aura that he couldn¡¯t recognize, albeit it felt slightly familiar.


    Something that forced a band of monster between the third and fourth rank certainly was an existence fairly dangerous, yet Eldrin wasn¡¯t worried much. The inscription on the pillars ensured that nothing above the seventh rank could invade his land, and as a mage of the late seventh rank himself he did not have to worry about the roaming monsters and his skills enabled him to live in the Wilderness all by himself. The place was fairly unique, allowing someone to live all alone in an environment full of unfriendly creatures, as it would usually require a whole community to survive the roaming hunters and defend a village to thrive in.


    Eldrin opened the door and picked up the staff he had carelessly thrown next to the entrance as he prepared himself to move out and check on his herd. The staff was radiating a faint blue mana tone, emitted by the sapphire mounted on its top and a dim swirl traced along the intricate inscriptions on the dark wood. The expensive-looking cane had laid on the ground throughout the night and though it didn¡¯t seem particularly well maintained, it didn¡¯t show any signs of damage either.


    Today he needed to drive the cows closer to the house, look for additions to his table and finally investigate the suspicious animal that had intruded into his domain.


    Therefore, armed with his weapon and donned in his favourite robe, Eldrin set out into the hunting ground, leaving the cottage behind to inspect his little realm.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    High in the sky the sun blazed down on an old man closing in onto the former stone-breakers¡¯ den he had observed through the magical item the morning. He had finished his chore of gathering the [Sapphire Cow] herd by placing a small formation on the back of each cow via light taps with his staff while passing among them.


    The formations would use a small charge of Eldrin¡¯s mana to guide the cows in the direction of the cottage, and when they would reach their destination, the sigil of the formation was supposed to dissipate. The only other way to dissolve a formation sigil was to exhaust the mana it contained, but a simple task such as guiding something was not very mana-consuming, hence the herd was successfully gathered back at their enclosure near the cottage.


    Satisfied with the completion of the easier of the tasks he had arranged  for the day, the elf prepared himself to do the second thing on his list, which was significantly more complex, to the point it made a bead of sweat trickle down slowly on his wrinkled forehead. Reinforcing his limbs with a bit of aura allowed Eldrin to remove the dull pain in his joints as he was closing in on the now vacant den of the [Stone Breaker Trolls].


    To his surprise no signs of a fight could be seen around the entrance of the cave the trolls had dug out. Eldrin had indeed expected at least some dead trolls laying around, especially if someone had forced them to abandon their abode. Surveying the area closely he beheld a single trail of blood leading deeper into the cave. A family of trolls wouldn¡¯t abandon their safe space without putting up a fight unless something seriously scared them, basically, if the trolls had no hope in fighting the intruder.


    As an experienced adventurer Eldrin avoided barging straight into the resting area of a wounded monster or beast that had strength or attributes impressive  enough to scare away a whole den of third rank monsters, along with their [Iron Eater Troll Leader] at the fourth rank. Guided by his centuries worth of experience, the former explorer first used the connection to nature he had nurtured over the years as a wood elf to meld his mana with the surrounding trees¡¯ sap and check for signs of danger in the forest. This was the unique wood-elf version of the [Searching Wind] spell, Eldrin was using a water variant of the spell combined with his strong racial affinity for fauna. This allowed him to use small amounts of mana to spread through the plants around him, quietly mapping out the forest and acknowledging all lifeforms within a big radius. Normally one wouldn¡¯t be able to scout such a vast area, yet variant abilities were in a whole other league on their own. A deviant spell possessed great power, but its drawback laid in its creation. Indeed, changing a spell could only occur thanks to an inborn attribute or a blessing. Just because someone had an idea of creating one didn¡¯t mean he could.


    His caution quickly paid off, as he noticed a group of adventurers moving through the area, apparently looking for something. Based on the proximity with a wounded monster, Eldrin easily guessed that the two events had something to do with each other, especially since the general public, and even most of the noble families did not know about the location of the royal hunting grounds. Monsters and beasts were not supposed to know about it either, high ranked kings of the forest had merely some knowledge about the barrier that didn¡¯t let them pass. Despite that they were not very interested in the secluded territory, no stronger beast than them lived in there and it was unlikely to contain a natural treasure as no strong aura or mana welled from the interior space.


    To guard against the party and search the monster hiding in the cave, Eldrin casted a [Water Wall] in front of the grotto entrance, camouflaging it as another wall of stone. A casual water wall was ranked as a spell of the fourth rank and any water mage learned it as they reached the corresponding level. The magic the elf used, however, did not appear as some random floating wall of water, it actually matched the surrounding grey boulders. The spell had taken shape over years of meditation and insights in the water element, which had increased its power and effect, creating a more complex and personal version of a common spell. This wasn¡¯t quite a variant spell, most people would call it a modified spell or by the original name. To avoid revealing his presence he also called back the mana he had spread throughout the trees, ending the scout spell, and headed deeper inside the cave.


    After the warlock vanished into the darkness, the former monster den¡¯s entrance looked like any other stone wall on the side of a hill, without a single thing out of place. But something was amiss : Eldrin had forgotten to cleanse the trail of blood, which thus led straight into a solid rock wall.


    With this blunder, the ordinary day of the elven magician came to an end.


    Thanks to Tyxev for editing

 Chapter 7: Confrontation

    The remaining members of the human party were trying to track down the dragon that had killed over half of their members. The human adventurers had all died, leaving only one of the human mages and his household elven knights alive, dragging along the two sobbing maids. Breaking up camp took the most time, even though the mage Ashton of the house Silverwood ordered to leave behind the belongings of the deceased. He didn¡¯t want to waste any time in chasing down his chance at prestige, glory and power. Of course Ashton was somewhat sad about the death of his brother Edmund, yet this was the opportunity they had been begging the gods for, to obtain a real dragon as a contracted beast.


    As they rushed along the beast¡¯s tracks, he tried to recollect the things he knew about dragons.


    The High Dragons had formed their own country at the Shrine of the Dragon God.They had been trying to protect all of their race members from getting enslaved, bound, by mages and warriors of other species. Ashton had never seen an adult dragon below the seventh rank roaming the Wilderness alone or even appear inside towns. And even on the rare occasion he could see one of the mighty beasts in a town or at the capital, they had surrounded themselves with an entourage of moon elves, a tribe solely dedicated to serving their protectors and masters, the High Dragons.


    Their father once told Edmund and Ashton the tale of a barbarian horde slaughtering their way into the mountains housing the dragons kingdom and abducting several young dragons of the third rank. The ten thousand barbarians then managed to go back to the kingdom the two brothers were born in, Leander. Boasting about their exploits and slandering the reputation of the dragons for failing to protect their dynasty¡¯s borders, the murderous band claimed a spot of land near the edge of the kingdom while attempting to sell one of the little creatures they had snatched to some nobility and enslaving the others.


    The story had finished with the demise of the barbarians, when a group of twenty human figures marched into their encampment and boldly asked the young ones back. The savages laughed at the small number threatening them and charged at them, expecting a quick obliteration of the impudents.


    On that day infernos and ice storms were unleashed on earth from the sky. The twenty pursuer turned into indomitable dragons to correct the puny beings that had abducted their precious children.


    Lastly their father had warned them to never offend the High Dragon race, as he had personally witnessed the tale when he was young.The twenty dragons able to shapeshift  should have been at least of the legend rank, if not higher. No country on this continent had the ability to resist the Raezar Dynasty, but luckily it had never showed ambition to conquer more than their tiny mountain range.


    The ability to rain destruction upon the enemy played no small part when Ashton and his brother had chose to become mages. Together they had reenacted the story often as children''s play, and their plan was to become a famous team once they stepped into the legend rank together.


    In any other situation, losing his brother would have deeply tormented Ashton, as the siblings had always heavily relied on each other. A wild dragon, however, was the one thing they had always dreamed of. After attending the royal academy for warriors and mages the brothers had researched this matter thoroughly and asked a teacher about it. They had pestered the instructor in charge of the library until they were given an answer, and even then had they only grasped one of the numerous ways to subdue a dragon into a contracted beast. The dynasty protected all of their subjects, so the only way around their safeguarding was to find a wild dragon. The king of the dragons himself had indeed once guaranteed a king of another country that there would be no persecution from the Dynasty after the discovery of a dragon¡¯s egg by anon-dragon species. From then on wild dragons were officially unable to  enjoy the same protection as High Dragons born on the mountain, and therefore counted among the rarest monsters and beasts, and the dynasty obviously couldn¡¯t prohibit anyone from claiming wild monsters and beasts.


    As long as Ashton could capture and subjugate the wild young dragon that had slain Edmund with the [Dragon Breath] ability, that proved the identity of an authentic high dragon from lesser monsters of the so-called dragon family, he could carry on their dream to enter the legend rank, and this thought alone managed to suppress all grief he might have felt over his brother¡¯s death.


    As Ashton was reminiscing over the past, the knights collected the belongings of their master and their own, extinguished the fire and ushered the crying maids to follow  outside of the perimeter of the camp to shut them forever.


    This woke him up from his ponderings, and he raised his voice to stop them from disposing of the witnesses. ¡°Wait! We¡¯ll bring them along ¡­ as bait. After receiving a wound like that the dragon should be craving for fresh meat.¡±


    Chasing the fleeing dragon turned out to be an easier task than the knights had thought. The blood trail left from an authentic dragon drew out a considerable number of monsters from their resting spots, and allowed the elven members of the party to somewhat sense it through their close connection to nature. Running across the forest in a line, the only thing keeping them from catching up were the maids who barely qualified for the first aura rank.


    Heading deeper into the dark woods allowed the elven knights to use their racial advantage, maneuvering easily their path between congestions of monsters thanks to their increased perception, while their master was prepared to slow down any beast that had spotted them as they rushed through. His backup plan consisted of injuring one of the maids and leaving her behind as a lure for a beast, outrunning any monster while the trail the savage scaled beast was leaving was still fresh. Thinking of the the dragon increased his desire and he unconsciously sped up again.


    He had ordered both of the knights to use their affinity to keep an eye on the surroundings and look for unusual elements. Ashton had no idea how long the chase would go on, so sparing their power would allow them to remain on the traces of their prey longer. After running throughout the night, their vigilance paid off the next morning when the knight on duty sensed a strong life sign on their path disappear. The overall mood drastically improved when they guessed that their hunt came to an end and hurried over to the place the knight last felt the life sign.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    After Eldrin had covered up the entrance to the cave with his [Water Wall] he headed deeper inside the rock shelter, following the single blood trail. The corridor leading deeper into the cave curved slightly to the left after the entrance. After a first few steps the shaft opened into a wide, but crude hall ran through by small cracks, lighting up the place, and possibly the living place the [Stone Breaker Trolls] occupied before they got evicted from their home.


    The blood trail had formed a more or less straight line so far, however the pattern changed. The continuous splatters of blood were drawing a zigzag pattern of separated puddles on the bare floor, as whatever was leaving the blood had increased its speed drastically and flown to the back of the cavern. Cautioned by the sudden difference in the marks on the ground, Eldrin circulated his mana in his body and prepared a defensive spell, slowly advancing further towards the origin of the disturbance. The eery stone rubbles and ragged ceiling made it difficult for him to catch a glimpse on whatever was currently creating loud cracking sounds at the far end of the room. Startled by the gruesome noises he also gathered some more of his mana into the pattern around his staff, slightly lighting up the gem set on top of the staff in a soothing pale blue shimmer.


    With that many preparations he was ready to confront whatever foul creature had claimed this lair as its own and preyed upon the former powerless inhabitants. Usually he was refraining from meddling in the relations between different monsters and beasts in the hunting grounds, but this one was powerful enough to send a whole band of monsters between the third and fourth rank fleeing, and therefore represented a potential threat for the land¡¯s peace. As Eldrin was walking along the rough edges of the stone wall, the light emitted by his staff caused him to notice a slight gleam in the blood puddle on the ground. He hadn¡¯t  detected it as first, but the thin glow in the darkness of the cavern contained a deep dark red and black hue, barely distinguishable from the sanguine liquid.


    Stepping slowly from behind the shadows, Eldrin confronted the wounded predator, trying not to make any harsh or fast moves that would incite the other party to attack. His first impression of the situation quickly became full of pity because of the pond of blood the wretched creature was pouring around itself. His second judgement turned this notion around when he appraised the supple scales and lean muscles covering the limbs and body of the beast dwelling in the obscurity, blending into the darkness by cladding its own body with blood and night. When the monster looked up from its meal, the old elf got instantly stunned by the golden eyes piercing throughout the twilight of the grotto straight into his eyes. Instead of charging at him, the golden-eyed hunter tilted its head slightly, appraising him in a similar way Eldrin did before. A feeling of familiarity passed through the unique gaze pinning him in place, prior to resuming its feast. The motion caused a slight trickle of scarlet to seep out of nasty wounds covering its torso and neck. Looking carefully,  Eldrin was able to detect a dim grey and black sheen covering the wounds and recovering them at a slow pace.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    He had seen this extraordinary being before and it had been showing no signs of aggression at the time. However the elf had to quickly abstain himself from releasing his defensive spell or the mana swirling around the enchantment patterns on his staff when he suddenly identified the thing the dragon was ripping to pieces and devouring as a [Iron Eater Troll]. The elf had assumed that there only lived [Stone Breaker Trolls] in this den, ranging from the third to the fourth rank. Ranking up to the fifth tier signified a major change, and most [Stone Breaker Trolls] evolved into [Iron Eater Trolls], becoming therefore the leader of the pack. Much like their strong fists on the previous tier, tough teeth embodied the prominent feature of a Iron Eater Troll and their name gave a good idea of what could be their favourite meal apart from meat. Working together, a pack of [Stone Breaker Trolls] would dig the lair, while their leader would eat any iron ores they could find, taking advantage of his higher rank to control and command the others into a type of slavery.


    Eldrin had recognized the large, yellow teeth protruding from the ragged jaw of the dead body, but the thing that astonished him was the condition of the body. Apart from the meat missing on the torso of the monster, no other signs of injury were visible besides a large tear almost separating the fallen troll¡¯s head from its neck, while the wounds¡¯ shape on the scaled fiend did not match either of the claws or fangs of the troll.


    The surroundings lacked the traces of a fight too, enabling the elf to easily deduce that a single assault was all it had taken to settle the confrontation, and the winner was currently rightfully tearing apart the loser.


    This gruesome spectacle caused the elf to consider the fast and strong predator with all the respect it deserved, but still fearlessly. For one, he was stronger than most creatures that were able to pass through the warding borders of the hunting ground. Furthermore the old elf also had a pretty good grasp on what kind of beast the black and red dragon was. Despite that he hadn¡¯t seen it in quite a while and the fact that it had the skills required to kill a monster in the early stages of the fifth rank in one move still surprised him.


    Before the chance to call for the creature came, a frown appeared on his face as someone forcefully tore down the [Water Wall] he had covered the entrance with. With a grim expression, he turned his back on the large animal and waited for the other unknown force to make their way through the short path into the main room of the cave. The creature behind him also jerked its head in direction of the entrance, alerted by something. It stopped eating and slowly walked up to the two-legged helper¡¯s side. The cuts on its neck and torso had ceased bleeding a short time ago, albeit they still showed the raw meat and muscles beneath the scales.


    Eldrin had hoped to avoid a meeting with the trackers of the beast, even more so if they were the ones responsible for its injuries. He was not the kind to play the hero or stand up for an injured monster, nonetheless he was at least acquainted with the dragon. When the party moved into the central hall, he couldn¡¯t help but tense up a bit and straightened his back, in spite of the tinge of pain due to his old bones. In order to avert a too violent reaction from the intruders, he waited in silence while fighting down the urge to stroke the head of the golden-eyed statue besides him.


    His attention was unfortunately slipping as he watched the smooth and rippling muscles of the little adorable one by his side and got lost in the beautiful spectacle. When his defensive magic lightened up, Eldrin jolted out of his trance ¡°What the -¡±


    Two bodies impacted the [Water Circle] he had set up before facing the possible fiends since his body couldn¡¯t quite keep up with the requirements to move at a rapid pace under aura enhancement anymore, and rebounded from the water mana back into the stone wall behind them.


    He immediately enhanced carefully  his brittle bones with earth aura, converting them into cold steel, a single slip up would be all it takes to break more than just a leg. And with only the cultivation of the fourth rank in aura he knew couldn¡¯t keep the enhancement up indefinitely.


    Looking closely at the assaulters, he noticed that their hands were bound and their mouths gagged, and even their cultivation in either mana or aura didn¡¯t exceed the first rank. Eldrin puzzledly pondered who could do such a thing and in his bewilderment he missed the heavy steps of plated boots ringing quietly behind them.


    Two elves in silver armor emerged from the corner with their weapons drawn, a steel longsword and a shield in the hands of one knight, a long black two-hander wielded by the other. Shielded by the bodies of the two knights stood a young human male, wearing the grey robes of a mage seamed with a red hem, exhibiting his status as a noble.


    ¡°The monster didn¡¯t take the bait? The plan failed?¡± The young noble swept his eyes over the situation with a perplexed look on his face as he addressed his knights, raising a hand to stroke his pale blue hair in confusion. Instead of answering, they tensed up, eyeing with utmost unease the man standing besides their prey.


    When the young mage realized his plan had failed, he noticed Eldrin for the first time and a short expression of disdain flashed on his face, quickly replaced by a bright fake smile.


    ¡°Old fellow, move away from that wyvern. It was the companion monster of my brother, but he sadly ran away after his death by the hands of bandits. We¡¯re here to capture it and bring it back to our house.¡±


    Hearing this youngster brazenly lie to this face, the thin but numerous wrinkles on Eldrin¡¯s skin distorted as he frowned. He knew how much of a temptation a wild dragon was and a younger version of himself would have done everything to contract such a rarity. In a way, he could understand the young noble. But they had tried to sacrifice a pair of helpless humans to gain a small advantage against the dangerous beast they hunted.


    Acts like these had driven Eldrin to leave the capital and wish to live the rest of his days alone. Instead of acting as a protection for common folk and taking it as a part of their noble duty, those so-called ¡°elites¡± trampled down on the commoners and destroyed their lives on a whim.


    Lying, deceiving, cheating, betraying, plotting, assassinating ¡­ all of these despicable acts were a common occurrence for any noble in the kingdom and yet they still dared to believe themselves to be better than the common man, and looked down on him as they stole his money through heavy taxes, and never lost an opportunity to fool those they thought to be inferior in any way possible.


    The boy in front of Eldrin was thinking his opponent to be a weak old man because he couldn¡¯t feel a shred of aura or mana emitting from the frail body, despite the staff in his hands, instead of getting wary like the knights forced into serving his whims. In any other situation he would have try to avoid getting caught in human relations or disputes.


    But today he had catched a glimpse of a place he had wanted to leave behind so much that he was left with nothing but an endless waiting for his own demise.


    Today the inhuman nobles wouldn¡¯t take anything else from him.


    Today Eldrin would fight back.


    Thanks to Tyxev for editing.

 Chapter 8: Getting to Know Each Other

    When Little Flame had broke through the encirclement of the adventurer party it had incurred heavy wounds. Blood was dripping down the slick scales, adding more depth to the crimson dress of the fleeing dragon.


    Unable to understand why the short haired creatures had reacted like this when they saw itself, the little dragon fled as fast as possible, desperately reviewing its last battle for clues on any possible misbehavior.


    Faced with the choices of either getting enslaved or fight back the party, Little Flame swiftly dispatched the first strike and was able to directly take out two of the shortears wielding weird-looking metal teeth and iron scales.


    As individuals they were weak and frail, making them no opponent at all for the ferocious beast, yet they had intelligence and used it to arrange themselves in a formation to fend off the swift blows and heavy slices of their fiend¡¯s claws. Chomping down with its dagger-like teeth, Little Flames took  them by surprise and one of the short-haired lost his head. In spite of that the longears and the slower shortears who had arrived quickly after Little Flame were about to win the confrontation, preventing any fleeing. The situation truly turned around when one of the long-ears took out a black metal tooth glowing with a light similar to the one emitted by the lines surrounding the shorthairs that had been biting into its skin over and over again, leaving small wounds slowly piling up.


    Frustration accumulated and the power used by the short ears with the wooden stick (instead of a metal tooth) weighed down the body of Little Flame, preventing flight, and therefore escape, and decreased its speed and strength considerably. The combination of the human fighting formation with the decline of its ability  had already angered Little Flame, but one of the long ears even dared to inflict pain and add wounds on the dragon''s skin and scales. Thinking about a way out of its predicament, Little Flame felt its heart burn in hatred towards them. For hurting it. For attacking it without reason. For taking away its strength and speed.


    Losing its mind to the battle instinct pulsing through its veins, Little Flame wished to hurt them like they had hurt it. Unleashing a [Black Flame Breath] happened as a reflex, but took the short-haired creatures by surprise and killed the one that had casted the constraints binding the black wings and limbs. As soon as the short hair died, the restraining feeling disappeared and the beast took the opportunity to turn around to flee. Unfortunately the longear with the black tooth used the momentum to hit a strong blow on its neck region, opening a long tear that constantly dripped blood.


    A low growl escaped the wounded beast¡¯s mouth as the cold air stung on its exposed flesh. Flying just above the treetops strained the scaled beast whose power had tremendously reduced. The night progressively turned into a blur around the exhausted Little Flame and it had to eventually land in a glade and continue on foot. The remaining images of that night and the following morning appeared somewhat obscure in its mind, only focusing on certain objects. A pillar glowing with two kinds of luminous threads intertwined. A clear spring, quenching the burning thirst somewhat. Fleeing monsters. A scent of blood. Following the scent. A cave entrance. Entering the cave. More blood scent. A different fragrance. A stronger kind. Promises of sweet nourishment. A strike. A relaxing feeling flooding over the wounds, washing away the fatigue caused by the blood loss as well as the pressure of the escape from the hateful short-haired.


    Regaining a semblance of self-control Little Flame first noticed the carcass it was feasting on. Unlike the green-gray trolls in its memory, this one was donning a dusty green hide and the top of its short fur was gleaming with a metallic luster. Its two front paws lying on the torso of the big monster, the flying beast wasn¡¯t soaked by the lake of the creature''s blood, and was effortlessly ripping out chunks of flesh to devour them, enjoying the cooling sensation intensifying, as it was influencing the long slash incurred earlier.


    Instead of a deep gash, all that remained of the grievous wound after the miraculous healing was a shallow cut, slightly dripping with blood, adding a smaller steam to the growing lake. Each time a piece of meat vanished into the gluttonous lizard¡¯s stomach, the cooling sensation appeared to take away another part of the pain, soothing and repairing any damage done, even slightly regenerating the scales.


    The small trail of blood leading to its position had already dried. The dead monster had signs of injury, small tears and lacerations all over it. Thinking back about it, the bloody smell had tempted Little Flame to walk to this direction, and the delicious taste of the leaders meat was fully worth the slaughter of the place¡¯s chief, who was most likely exhausted from an earlier fight and was therefore resting to recuperate from his wounds.


    Ironically another strong predator showed up when Little Flame was busy replenishing its energy, imperceptibly shifting the stale air in the cave. Over the distinct raw smell of the items the trolls had forcefully left behind as they were fleeing the cave, a delicate earthen smell rose, coupled with soft steps of leather lightly tapping on stone. Raising its head, Little Flame saw the silhouette of a small creature surrounded by glowing streaks, and holding a straight line with two kinds of lights, releasing a stronger pressure than the prey the dragon was chewing. A vaguely familiar smell calmed the nibbling dragon, and it directed its gaze back on the meal before its eyes.


    After having gulped down a few more slices of flesh, Little Flame saw the strange one flinch and turn around, as more footsteps walking down the corridor could be heard. The feeble breeze carried new smells into the cave, and the animal quickly recognized the odours¡¯ owner as the short hairs that had tried to capture it. Unfortunately, fleeing was impossible for the cave only had one exit.


    On the other hand the familiar smell at its side was radiating a calming presence, and the other party had lost the one who had taken away Little Flames¡¯ speed and weighed it down. In a confrontation between the two opposing parties, it was confident on its own ability to come out as a victor.


    The enemy sent forth the weakest members first, a scheme that Little Flame had seen before in monster tribes. The two longhairs crashed into the small shorthair with long ears protecting the black lizard, and the small longear¡¯s power swiftly repelled them. A sharp sound resounded through the cave, sounding strangely similar to the noise the bones of the meal beneath Little Flame made when they broke. When the weak creatures finally stopped moving, the rest of the enemy party appeared, talking in the adventurers tongue. The two shiny longears donned again their metal teeth and iron scales and the dragon carefully eyed the black metal tooth, especially as they stepped between itself and the remaining shorthair in a covering posture.


    The conversation between the enemy and the longear near Little Flame went on, but it couldn¡¯t understand many of the foreign words since it had never heard them before. Nonetheless as the discussion continued, the blinding threads around the longear shielding the beast coiled denser and grew in volume. Little Flame was able to estimate that the whole enemy party couldn¡¯t measure up to the longear based on the pressure they were respectively emitting.


    When the longear started shouting Little Flame strenuously shifted to a better position to run, in case the enemy was to start fighting with the kind longear, despite the cuts on its neck and torso that were bleeding again. At the very least they didn¡¯t hurt as much anymore and weren¡¯t impeding its movement at all.


    The sudden movement focused the attention on itself again, and prompted the frightening longears to brandish their iron teeth in Little Flames direction and they began to charge while shouting something in another language. With all its muscles tensing, the scaled lizard was ready to counter the charge, and struggle for the way out of the cave, when longear roared at the charging enemy in the same foreign language and used his power again to form a giant snake, coiling around him and the tensed dragon. The water snake wasn¡¯t truly sentient and kept on circling around the longear and Little Flame, guarding them from their claws-wielding opponents who had stopped their attack and were retreating back to the side of the remaining shortear.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The enemy party regrouped and the sheltered commanding one said once again something at longear before they slowly made their way out of the cavern, leaving behind the two longhairs with broken bones on the ground. Once they had left the area, the water snake dissipated, washing away the blood stains on the ground and leaving small puddles on the uneven parts. Glancing back at Little Flame, longears picked up the two unconscious longhairs and walked towards the exit of the cave. Turning around for a last time, he glanced at the black and red lizard.


    ¡°Follow me if you like.¡± With this parting remark he reverted his position and left.


    Two choices presented themselves. The attackers had hunted Little Flame, injured it and they had even tried to enslave it in their greed for a dragon. This very dragon would prefer to not let any issue unsettled, in case they returned later, a lesson it had harshly learned. The thought of hunting them down  was providing the little dragon with satisfaction and peace of mind. Additionally one of the shorthairs had shown that he could use a power, so his flesh would definitely taste exceptional.


    On the other side the longear had invited Little Flame to follow him, and he was interesting. The creature had never seen anyone of his kind before, and he was way stronger than itself, wielding a spectacular power that was able to summon a giant water snake. Furthermore he had helped Little Flame out when it was cornered by a bunch of other shorthairs, telling them off according to its grasp of their conversation.


    If it was to come along him now, maybe he could teach the curious creature many things. Why the enemy party chased the little dragon so desperately. What the shiny things on the shorthairs before were. What the treasures it kept finding in the Dungeon¡¯s Den were.


    Forced to make a decision before the scent trail of longear disappeared,  the black and red beast exited the cave through the corridor and headed off in the direction of the interesting scent, as curiosity gained the upper hand. Sadly, this particular route was opposite to the path smelling of enemies, sabotaging Little Flame intention to take care of both matters at the same time.


    Advancing on the path, the prying beast crossed a small stream and passed many rocky areas as the thin road slowly winded through ascending terrain. The density of the trees dwindled and the soil on the ground increasingly contained rocky patches. Many smells gave off the location of different monsters nests and dens, yet the track never crossed through one of the lairs. Little Flame was deeply impressed by the longear¡¯s knowledge of the area and his ability to avoid any troubles, even if he was certainly stronger than the various monsters living here.


    After a walk of about three hours the trail stopped ascending and arrived at the edge of the woods; On the slope of a mountain, large fields of greenery surrounded a large strange nest and formed a clearing. The fields were full of a kind of monster with dark blue short fur, lazing around on four legs and nibbling on the grass. Although they did not have a high cultivation, the large amount of meat they carried around looked alluring to Little Flame. When the beast appeared at the edge of their meadow, the cattle felt its presence, and they scattered around, clearing the path to the exotic dwelling set half into the mountain side.


    As it was advancing through the grass field, the little dragon noticed a second smaller lair alongside the first exotic dwelling, hidden even deeper inside the mountain, only revealing a large entrance as well as a few quadratic openings above in the stone wall. Instead of a single fabric, or even the same material as the stone wall it was set in, the nests exhibited a mix of different colours and structures, stone, wood and other items unknown to Little Flame.


    It had difficulties discerning all of the different materials because they glowed in different hues and luminosities, lighting up the the whole scope and therefore revealing the hidden second lair.


    Walking up to the bigger building Little Flame noticed the stick longear had been carrying on the ground and used this opportunity to closely examine the peculiar object. Instead of a simple stick like any other that could be found in the forest, this one had a smooth surface with fine lines carved onto it, wreathing around the whole length of the wood, and  converging into a shiny red sphere at the top. The thing was still reeking of energy and it fascinated the lizard even more. Apparently it had some sort of use for the longear in unleashing his power, something Little Flame had never seen before.


    Perceiving a small vibration in the air and hearing that typical sound of leather on stone, the small dragon backed away from the stick and turned its attention to the entrance. The longear had came back and was sighing in exasperation.


    ¡°You¡¯re a troublemaker, aren¡¯t you?¡± He mumbled to himself in the elven tongue before smiling slightly and then addressed Little Flame once again.


    ¡°That¡¯s a magic staff, the gem on top of it helps me to channel mana. There is also an enchantment on the cane containing a rank 5 spell. Go ahead and look at it.¡±


    Tilting its head somewhat, the little dragon looked at longear, trying to appraise his intentions. His deep and clear voice together with the reassuring smile he wore on his face only expressed tranquility and friendliness, convincing it to go ahead and admire the lustrous staff once more. Little Flame liked the new word ¡®staff¡¯, and went to its investigation right away, touching the fancy item carefully with a front paw. Upon contact a small amount of mana was drained from Little Flame and flowed into the staff, lighting up the swirling lines of energy around the staff anew. Elated by the reaction the small dragon continued to pour mana into the staff, circling it around the rod and playing with the brilliant lights.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you more of a cat than a lizard?¡± Startled by the sudden remark and the low chuckle Little Flame realized it had completely forgot about longear and had even lowered its defenses. Now wary of the strong power user, the small creature jerked back and adopted a defensive stance while giving off a low growl.


    Contrary to the lizard¡¯s expectations, the chuckling longear started laughing, to the point of holding his stomach. After the bouts of laughter had died down he managed to explain what was going on to the confused dragon.


    ¡°Not only do you act like a cat, you sound like one too!¡±


    Getting compared to one of the big monsters that had been occupying the Dragon¡¯s Den when Little Flames and its siblings first arrived, caused the scaled beast to feel indignant and it started to sulk a bit, restraining itself from playing with the staff and avoiding eye contact with longear with proud manners.


    Looking upwards, the eyes of the little dragon fell on his body, which was covered with something similar to the treasures that Little Flame had liked to collect in the Dragon¡¯s Den, covering most of his skin. A sky blue garment was on his upper body, hiding another set of gleaming threads in it. Compared  to the blazing light in his body, the patterns on the robe hardly stood out, yet they were appearing akin to the lights and carvings on the staff.


    His pants and shoes were made out of animal skin, a material quite familiar to Little Flame, but were showing cracks and folds like those on an aged tree, matching the condition of the old elf¡¯s skin.


    Straightening out himself from the laughter the cheerful longear resumed the rather one sided conversation.


    ¡°My name is Eldrin. You understand me, right?¡± With a minor smile on his face Eldrin introduced himself to the dragon who was still sulking. Little Flame nodded it''s head slightly, admitting its understanding of the spoken words.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are still somewhat exhausted from your wounds, so you can rest up first. I¡¯d offer you a secluded place to stay in the stable, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re scaring the cows. Come with me, I¡¯ll give you one of the rooms,


    but don¡¯t tear the sheets! I¡¯ll be sewing my fingers to them again like the last time I tried to fix them!¡±


    Thanks to Tyxev for editing.

 Chapter 9: Living Together

    When Little Flame walked into the house for the first time, the radiance of several items startled it badly. Prior to encountering Eldrin the scaled beast had only seen two types of glows. Most of the monsters the dragon had seen so far were emitting a glow proportional to their strength, and it had helped the lizard avoiding strong enemies in the past.


    That kind of glow had been spreading out a strong feeling of vitality, and was usually clad around the beast¡¯s limbs, permeating slightly into their surroundings.


    That peculiar gleam of vitality didn¡¯t have a distinct color and only gave off a feeling of vigor. If Little Flame had to match it with a hue, it would most likely answer something like a mix of light red and deep green, yet it was neither of these.


    Furthermore there were small distinctions between the energy from different elements, a flame type monster would give off a ferocious flickering aura, while a water monster would exude a smooth, flowing atmosphere.


    The curious dragon had long ago learned to pair these types of energy with a corresponding element, but monsters with affinities other than fire, water, wind and earth were extremely rare.


    The second type of glow could be described even more easily by Little Flame, as each type had a really different color. The first time Little Flame saw that particular type of shine was on its siblings. Indeed, additionally to their elemental vitality, their inner being had began to contain a soft glow in the hue of their scales after living in the cave for some time. When the queens of the fairy and harpy tribe had visited, the dragon observed the same internal glow in each of them. The fairy queen carried a pure white tint, while the harpy queen radiated a green tint like Little Breeze.


    Through sparring with other distinguished beasts in the vicinity of the Dragon¡¯s Den, the first master of the Dragon¡¯s Den learned to identify almost all variations of the power-wielders colors. After getting familiar with the different kinds of vitality, it had found simpler to recognize the colours of the different elements.


    The room contained items of all sorts, made out of wood or stone, that glowed in different hues of vitality and power. From the brightest radiance to the dimmest shimmer, almost any furniture alone could blind Little Flame.


    Trying to put aside that feeling, the overwhelmed creature managed to adjust a little bit, blocking out most of the lights. With this major inconvenience solved, the way deeper into the house was available for the proud animal as it followed behind Eldrin who had waited at the beginning of the path up into the upper layers of the nest.


    Blinking a few more times to get rid of the lingering pain caused by the brightness, Little Flame finally made it to Eldrin and carefully treaded in the room, its claws ringing on the wooden steps.


    In the upper floor Eldrin had quickly prepared a room next to his own for the injured dragon to rest, laying some of the blankets meant to be used for beast companions on the bed, remnants of the time when the hunting grounds were still a pastime for the late king. Drowning in a fluffy bedding comparable to the one it was possessing back in the Dragon¡¯s Den, Little flame fell asleep.


    Greeted by the rising sun in the morning, the refreshed dragon woke up. At the sight of the unfamiliar room, Little Flame was startled, right before remembering the events of the last day. Especially the impulsive decision to trust Eldrin without second thoughts, which couldn¡¯t be explained by a simple excuse such as being tired and injured ; and the majestic dragon even went as far as to follow him inside an unknown nest and falling recklessly asleep without doubting his intentions. The embarrassed creature curled up into a ball beneath the blankets and scolded itself for having acted so foolishly.


    Wiggling back and forth until it fell on the ground, the blanket landing on its head, the flustered beast finally decided to walk down to the lower floor.


    Sitting on a wooden object, Eldrin was studying one of the few things that did not light up in Little Flame¡¯s perception of its surrounding, while eating an unknown substance contained in a stone bowl. The smell reminded the dragon of the chickens the [Grey Gnomes] liked to rear as livestock back in the Dragon¡¯s Den, enticing enough to have its stomach utter a small growl.


    The old elf looked up as if he had only noticed the guest watching him. He chuckled imperceptibly and pointed towards the side of the table, where another two big stone bowls were placed on the ground, one filled with a white liquid, while the other contained chunks of meat.


    Carefully eyeing its host, the hungry lizard stepped  past the nest¡¯s owner and prudently probed the meat, anxiously gnawing a bit off. The results came as ¡®no trace of powers used on the meal¡¯, and ¡®satisfying taste¡¯.


    Moving onto the white liquid, Little Flame licked a small amount from the surface with its tongue, conscientiously tasting it like it had done with the meat. Surprised by the unknown flavour,the lizard stared at the delicious beverage, wondering what kind of drink could have this aroma.


    As the dragon was examining the food closely, Eldrin stopped chuckling and beamed with a wicked smile at the cautious creature.


    ¡°It¡¯s called milk and comes from the monsters outside. Is it to your liking?¡±


    Faced with the mean smile of the elf, Little Flame proceeded to meticulously take little bites and sips from the meal offered by him, glancing up from time to time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know your name, but based on your manners I think I¡¯ll call you Nibbles.¡±


    The remark felt wrong to the dragon. Although it didn¡¯t know the meaning of Nibbles, the malicious glint in Eldrin¡¯s eyes and mischievous smile on his face caused it to sulk again, albeit the meal still got steadily consumed in small portions.


    Having teased his guest to his heart¡¯s content, the old elf was returning to his own breakfast, when Little Flame deeply shocked him, retorting to his comment.


    ¡°Name ¡­ not Nibbles. I¡¯m ¡­ Little Flame.¡±


    The astonished elf dropped the metal sticks in his hand and abruptly turned around, taking a very close look at his speaking guest.


    ¡°You¡¯re able to talk? How is this possible?¡±


    His astounded voice slightly scared the dragon,  making it shrink back from the inspection, and wish it hadn¡¯t spoke up.


    Forcing itself to ignore the inquisitive gaze, the scared lizard resumed the meal, nibbling on the meat and taking many small sips of the milk, while Eldrin continued to look at this scene, his own meal forgotten.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The beast sitting in his house embodied a true enigma for Eldrin. When he had encountered the dragon in the [Stone Breaker Trolls]¡¯s burrow, these mesmerizing golden eyes had given him the impression that they were containing a strong intelligence. After giving the noble¡¯s party a piece of his mind through his status as a lord, he chased them away.


    Before taking the maids the party left behind with him, and who got injured because of the [Walls of Wind] spell that had been enchanted on his favourite robe by his deceased wife, he had tested his intuition and offered the dragon to follow him, talking in the adventurers tongue, or common tongue, spoken by most monster races.


    Luckily the beast had understood him, and when he returned downstairs without a sound after using [Fountain of Life], a rank 5 healing spell of the water system, on the two maids to help them recover from the wounds they incurred from the defensive spell on his robe, although it was unable to fully cure them since his understanding of healing magic wasn¡¯t sufficient, the dragon was in front of his door, staring at his staff. He wasn¡¯t very worried about the curious beast breaking the staff, and used this opportunity to carefully observe its appearance.


    The creature was standing at around half his height, similar to one of the [Sanguine Lions] that most of the kingdom¡¯s elite knights were raising, but it was releasing a pressure slightly stronger than the rank 4 cat-kind beasts.


    Cladded in a beautiful dress of night-like black scales with vermillion tips, each of the dragon¡¯s slender limbs seemed lithe, but Eldrin had already witnessed the strength concealed within them, rendered obvious by the remains of the [Iron Eater Troll]. Furthermore, a silvery white line ran along the backside of each arm and leg, gathering near the spine, and ending at the beginning of its nape. Pearl white claws and teeth offered strong weapons to the dangerous animal to rip apart and shred the enemy.


    As a result of ranking up and desiring power, monsters and beasts often gained beauty in proportion to their strength and objectively the small dragon could be called exquisite. A mix of elegance and raw power, fusing together to create an enticing picture of the perfect predator.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Yet the golden eyes were by far more captivating than the beast¡¯s wild beauty, gazing at the world with a profound awareness of its surroundings, a deep intelligence hardly hidden.


    Deliberately making some noise, the black head shot up, looking interrogatively at him, glancing back at the staff, then him again. Eldrin grumbled to himself for a bit, before smiling at the anxious beast.


    ¡°That¡¯s a magic staff, the gem on top of it helps me to channel mana. There is also an enchantment on the cane containing a rank 5 spell. Go ahead and look at it.¡±


    Wagging its long tail in happiness, the dragon started playing with the weapon on the ground as soon as the elf finished talking.


    To his surprise the dragon controlled its mana skillfully enough to send it into the staff, lighting up the magical gem at the top and filling the [Lightning] enchantment with the energy required to use the spell.


    Seemingly fascinated by the sparkling lights, the lively beast continued to circulate mana through the staff, poking and experimenting to create more lights.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you more of a cat than a lizard? Not only do you act like a cat, you sound like one too!¡±


    Eldrin addressed the playing dragon, unable to suppress his amusement anymore, and started laughing so hard he had to hold his stomach.


    The beast in question had immediately begun sulking at once and looked away, causing the elf to ponder on how cute it behaved, and at the same time could as well understand much more than the common beast.


    After introducing himself, he prepared a room for his guest to recover from its wounds and headed out a last time to gather and lock away the [Sapphire Cows] into the stable inside the stonewall next to the cottage.


    Dyed in the red light from the sun setting on the horizon, he thought about the maids and his new mysterious guest; tomorrow should be one of the most exciting days he would experience in a long time.


    With this final thought Eldrin went back to his room, took off his shoes and flung his pants into a corner. Then, he folded his robe with utmost care before placing it on the nightstand and went to sleep.


    Before sunrise, on the next morning Eldrin had already headed out into the stable. He milked the [Sapphire Cows] before letting all of them but one out into the grassy field and collected the eggs from his [Ice Chickens].


    Afterwards he butchered the cow that was left behind. Due to the fact that his usual diet didn¡¯t include much meat he hadn¡¯t enough stored in the cold room and therefore decided to prepare additional supplies.


    Placing the remains of the cow in his soul space for the time being, he moved to the kitchen and cooked some food for the maids, his enigmatic tenant, and himself, taking into account the preferences of each individual.


    As the sun sent its first warm rays of light through the window, the old elf started cleaning up, froze the remaining meat, and took a broth along with some tea to the room in which the injured maids were staying.


    Based on their posture, the two of them hadn¡¯t moved or woken up since Eldrin brought them back from the troll¡¯s cave. The spell he had casted on them had healed most of their wounds, but they had been heavily injured - broken bones and heavy concussions. He wasn¡¯t very proficient in the theory of healing magic and had no idea when or even if they would awaken. Eldrin carefully fed them with a bit of the broth and the tea, before leaving them alone again, as there wasn¡¯t anymore he could do for either of the girls.


    On his way back into the kitchen he passed by a store room and retrieved two of the stone dishes meant to be used by a familiar, as the gentle rays of the morning sun should soon awaken the sleeping dragon. Putting food and drinks in the dishes, he prepared the big table in the main room of the first floor for himself and his guest.


    Waiting for his visitor to start his meal, he studied the big painting on the wall once more, looking for new sources of trouble, and discovered one of the elven knights, camping in the forest not far from his current location, keeping watch on the cottage from a dense thicket in the north.


    Suddenly a loud rumbling right above his head startled Eldrin, causing him to drop his fork. Visualizing the layout of the upper floor, an amused smirk passed through his face as he realized who had fallen out from its bed.


    Suppressing the cheerful expression, the old elf returned his attention to the painting, listening to the sound of claws jingling on the wooden steps.


    Giving the dragon some time to consider the situation and observe him, Eldrin waited for its next move. However, as the cautious creature didn¡¯t make any decision, he shifted his sight to the annoyingly patient lizard, gazing directly into the dazzling golden eyes.


    To avoid scaring the guarded beast, the elf only pointed at the stone dish at his side. He had already been extremely puzzled when it decided to sleep at his place, but exhaustion was likely to have played a part in that. By sensibly approaching it, gaining trust through feeding it and playing the role of a mindful host, Eldrin hoped to have a chance to convince the dragon to stay a while longer, which would certainly liven up his days.


    Though it glanced one more time suspiciously at him, the beast passed by him and arrived at the bowl, somewhat lowering its defenses against him.


    Eldrin watched the little dragon peck at the milk and meat after having scrutinized it once more, taking one bite of each to taste it.


    ¡°It¡¯s called milk and comes from the monsters outside. Is it to your liking?¡±


    Seeing the beast stare at the milk, he encouraged it to continue eating. The comedic sight of a black scaled beast suspiciously savoring a new taste cheered Eldrin up, and reminded him of a peculiar scene of the past.


    When he was still living in the capital with his wife, she had nursed one [Sanguine Lion]¡¯s cub that had lost his mother.


    Because the small thing had a habit to chew on everything he could get his paws on, she named the little guy Nibbles.


    Recalling this scene of his past because of the little dragon, who carefully consumed the meal bit by bit, Eldrin had an impulsive idea.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know your name, but based on your manners I think I¡¯ll call you Nibbles.¡±


    Satisfied with thoroughly teasing the cute little thing, he returned to his own breakfast, thinking about the matters he had to take care of that day. He would have to check on the maids one more time, maybe try to heal them again. The knight of the noble disturbance was keeping watch on the lodging, so he should set up a [Water Wall] to present the illusion of him being alone in here, hiding the dragon ; he should also check the storage rooms for more items fit for familiars, maybe the dragon could have a use for some of the leftover articles.


    While being lost in his thoughts, a soft, silvery voice plunged his reflection into chaos.


    ¡°Name ¡­ not Nibbles. I¡¯m ¡­ Little Flame.¡±


    Forgetting everything else, he sharply turned around and stared at the improbable creature.


    He already knew that the little dragon was awfully perceptive and could understand the common tongue more than it was supposed to, based on its reactions when he invited it inside the house or teased it. But never in a million years would he have imagined that it was also able to speak the language. As a matter of fact, most monster races had their own language and were able to understand at least a bit of other tongues, such as the common one. Yet there had never been a case where a beast or monster had been able to voice words, before reaching the legend rank that is.


    Thrown into bewilderment by the unexpected development, the elf could only blankly stare at Little Flame, unsure how to react to the incredible revelation.


    The dragon on the other hand squirmed uncomfortably at his reaction, unsure if it made him sad and tried to comfort him.


    ¡°Call me Nibbles ¡­ if you want?¡±


    Recovering from his shock somewhat and admiring the good natured fellow, Eldrin tried to push the issue to the back of his mind.


    ¡°Certainly, if you¡¯re fine with it¡±


    Hiding his shock, the old elf took up the offer with a fiendish smile and giddy tone,  striking the worried dragon with a realization.


    It had just been tricked into being called Nibbles !


    Thanks to Tyxev for editing.

 Chapter 10: Turning Point

    Little Flame was currently lazing around in the room where it had been sleeping.


    After the breakfast in the morning, Eldrin finally got over his shock, and he had left to deal with various matters, abandoning the bored dragon alone in the house.


    He had advised it not to depart from the house at the moment, for one of the so called ¡®knights¡¯ was outside, watching it.


    Understanding the reasoning, but still annoyed by the unlucky developpement, Little Flame had nothing to do but try to discover the wonders hidden inside the many different rooms of the strange nest.


    Its first destination was right across the table, the origin of the delicious smell behind the door. The adventuring beast arrived in the kitchen, lured by the smell of different herbs drying on the wall, but mainly by remains of meat forgotten on the counter.


    White tiling was covering the room and different pieces of furniture made from that same ivory material were scattered throughout the kitchen. Running up to one of them, the small dragon stretched its head and placed its front paws on the console to use as a lever in order to see what things laid  on top of it.


    A row of stone dishes were lined on the counter, most of them had been filthy for an eternity, some still clean, and a few of them were used to hold ingredients. Above the counter hung a row of cabinets, but the dragon had no way to reach them without creating a mess in the large kitchen.


    Plundering ingredients and herbs made Little Flame quite satisfied, especially after it tried one of the red fruits from a bowl next to the herbs.


    Chewing on the sweet fruit, the curious creature continued exploring the other rooms of the floor, walking in a long hallway behind the kitchen.


    A layer of dust was covering the floor, yet a trail of footsteps was clearly visible on the ground, running from the cooking room to a door at the end of the hallway.


    Following this path Little Flame carried its expedition forward and arrived in front of an open door. Advancing bravely in the unknown territory, it stumbled across mountains of treasure and junk. Stacks of innumerable different items and objects filled the room to the ceiling, some of them broken while others sparkled with a bright radiance in the dragon¡¯s eyes.


    All of these had awakened its interest, so Little Flame wisely decided to dive straight into one of the mountains, digging through the goods in search of new and exciting oddities.


    Unfortunately the towering mountains of items had started to move dangerously as a little invader had clawed its way through their insides, eventually alerting the small dragon, but still a tad bit too late.


    With a thundering rumble, the swaying turned into falling, and buried Little Flame in an avalanche of various equipments.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Placing several [Water Walls], camouflaging the house to make it appear like no one was present, had exhausted Eldrin, and he took a small break to recuperate, sitting on a rock in the grassy field of the clearing. He had thought about different ways to deal with the knight hiding nearby, and the best solution he could think of at the moment was to smuggle the dragon outside while the illusion was in place.


    In spite of the breach of the safety concerning the beast, the elf would truly hate it if such an interesting creature was to leave.


    Most monsters knew one monster languages upon birth and were able to communicate with other monsters of their kind through growls and barks. Additionally some familiars that had been belonging to warriors or mages were occasionally returning to the forest after their master¡¯s death and could pass down their understanding of the common language to their brethren.


    Grasping the adventurers tongue was therefore possible with a bit of training, although the degree of comprehension depended heavily on the monster¡¯s intelligence, and most warriors and mages would have relied on the telepathic bond with their familiar to order them around.


    As far as Eldrin was concerned, there hasn¡¯t ever been a case of a beast or monster speaking the adventurer¡¯s tongue or another ¡®civilized¡¯ language before a breakthrough into the legend rank, a feat only a few particular familiars and rare powerful beasts might achieve. The vermillion tipped black scaled lizard was a mystery to him.


    The old elf contemplated on the topic for a while, bathing his skin in the sunshine, feeling the warmth seeping into his old bones. Unable to find a satisfying answer to  the black and red enigma, he stretched his ancient body and slowly returned to the cottage, admiring the peaceful scenery on his path.


    As he opened the door, a grime-covered bolt passed from the kitchen door through the main hall and up the stairs, leaving obvious paw-shaped footprints behind it.


    Unsure on how he should react, Eldrin checked the kitchen first and discovered a trail of dirt coming from the entrance of the former servant quarters.


    Following the claw marks in the dust, he arrived at the storage room at which he had taken the familiar dishes, only to encounter a chaotic mess where boxes and items had been neatly stacked in the past.


    A set of recognizable paw prints seemed to enter the room, and a stream of dirt exited it, which combined with the appearance of the flash passing by him earlier allowed Eldrin to assess what had happened with certainty. Sighing to himself, he casted a spell of the first rank, [Water Ball] and guided it along the stains, back into the main room and up the stairs, all the way to the entrance of the guest room Little Flame was staying, and currently hiding in.


    Inside the room a disgustingly filthy tail peeked out from a bulging blanket on the bed, curling around the cover and shivering slightly. With an impish smile, the elf dropped the first [Water Ball] containing all of the dirt out of the window, and immediately casted another one, approaching the bed sneakily, suddenly dropping the ball on top of it. With a yelp, life returned to the small bundle of scales, a head appeared, turned around and stared accusingly at the elf that had dared to soak it to the bones.


    A single word escaped the mage¡¯s lips as he watched the drenched dragon.


    ¡°Punishment.¡±


    After that enjoyable abuse, Eldrin left to check on the unconscious maids once again, and then started the cleanup of the storage room, where he would make sure to enlist the help of a black and red helper.


    The rest of the day hence consisted of a certain animal playing around while an elf tried to teach it how to clear out the mess it created.


    It took the larger part of the week to wash and restore the storage room, and as they worked together to get rid of the mess, Eldrin taught various new words to Little Flame, availing every discovery of an interesting thing in the different heaps of items to name it. He encouraged the learning lizard to repeat the words to become more fluent with the adventurers tongue, holding everyday conversations when they weren¡¯t cleaning up.


    Additionally, Eldrin was taking the dragon with him when he was visiting the maids who were still immersed in a deep slumber, despite their physical wounds having  healed under the repeated use of the [Fountain of Life] spell by the elf.


    The dragon showed great interest in the healing spell, observing as it closed the wounds incurred from the collision with the rock wall, and cured no small bruises at a rapid pace. Trying to imitate the incantation and mana flow it attempted to cast the same spell, yet its first attempt was inconclusive and disappointing.


    On the third day, the black shadow Eldrin had last seen in the [Stone Breaker]¡¯s Den, repairing a certain dragon¡¯s slender flesh, appeared under the repeated effort of Little Flame, eating away the remaining visible wounds on the maid¡¯s bodies.


    This accomplishment impressed Eldrin to no end, although he had seen the spell before, consciously using a power was usually requiring a long period of training, at least for a beast. Little Flame had not reached the fifth rank and formed a monster core yet, so there was little to no chance that the black shadow could be its innate ability either.


    To avoid slaughtering too much of the [Sapphire Cows] Eldrin raised, the small lizard had decided to head out and hunt its own meat. After discussing it with Eldrin for a bit, Little Flame was allowed to head out early every morning and the vicious little creature was killing everything from [Horned Rabbits] of the first rank to [Armored Bears] of the fifth rank, nearly making it a contest to shock Eldrin anew each day, displaying the amount of meat it could carry around. On the fifth day after their encounter , Eldrin had to ask the proud lizard to stop its slaughter, as the storage room of the kitchen was completely filled with meat.


    Starting at the seventh day, Little Flame got comfortable enough with the elf to sneak into his room at night and slip under his blanket, curling up right beside him. At first the old elf was a bit confused as to why the beast trusted him so much, since he had kept to himself a particular night.


    Bringing up the recurring event in a conversation, Eldrin learned of similar episodes happening between Little Flame and its siblings when they were still alone in their Dragon¡¯s Den.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.The small dragon wasn¡¯t exactly saying  it out loud, but from the pained expression on its face ¨C Eldrin managed to get a good grasp on the various emotions it conveyed ¨C the beast was missing its siblings and was simply feeling lonely.


    In the following night he petted the dragon¡¯s head until it nestled itself right next to him under the blanket. He had came to consider it as an eleven year old kid missing its family.


    On the morning of the ninth day, Little Flame left the room in a hurry, but didn¡¯t display any dissatisfaction about their conversations or mentioned their sleeping arrangement, although it didn¡¯t quite look the elf in the eyes either. They spent the rest of the day inside the mansion, because of bad weather approaching and in the evening a heavy rain had started falling, talking about various matters as they finished tidying up the store room.


    With the cleaning of the storage room having been taken care of, the two of them found some useful things in between the piles of junk.


    Eldrin was surprised to discover how many high ranked clothes made out of fine silks ranking up to the 5th rank were had been left behind in the storage room when the previous inhabitant had abandoned the cottage. Silk itself was a luxury good that could not be produced in the kingdom of Leandar, but could only be imported by merchants¡¯ houses, or sometimes even by the adventurer¡¯s guild, from the far away northern kingdoms. In contrast to the kingdom Eldrin lived in, located far in the west from the designated central mountain, these nations weren¡¯t nurturing neither knights nor magicians; they were practicing a way based around a codex of honor, calling themselves ¡®warriors of the divine path¡¯.


    As one of their specialities, the Yukedo kingdom was raising a specie of [Titanic Dire Silkworms] that didn¡¯t appear anywhere out of their area of control. From a merchant friend that was trading silk in the capital, Eldrin had learned that these silkworms were hard to rear. Even though, the thread from their cocoons could be woven to produce a textile called [Heavenly Silk] and their queen worms were at the fifth rank, making the most precious of those fabrics of the fifth rank as well.


    A single piece of such clothing could amount up to 50 gold, yet the two of them noticed several crates of differently dyed vests, dresses and trousers, all tailored in different styles.


    Eldrin unceremoniously picked some of the silken pants for his own use, as their quality, soft under the fingers yet durable, was making them perfect to wear. The elf wouldn¡¯t have been able to buy trousers like these by himself, but seeing as they had already been abandoned by their previous owners, he helped himself without second thought.


    Little Flame also felt excited, and snatched some dresses and vests away, building a small cradle of silk right in front of the fireplace. The newly erected sleek nest reminded it of its bed back in the [Dragon¡¯s Den] and provided the dragon with a place to laze around.


    Having taken out a bottle of his most expensive wine, Eldrin spent the evening in front of a blazing hearth, sitting in a padded armchair, and exchanging stories with the small dragon, who was enjoying the heat of the fireplace up close, muffled in several layers of fabrics.


    Over the course of this evening the elf learnt more about the relationships between monster tribes, and how the siblings were governing their domain. It took some time for Little Flame to explain him the principle behind the hot bath, since the dragon didn¡¯t know the specific word for such a thing, and as Eldrin came to understand, the existence of a hot spring in the wilderness astonished him, especially as this one was created by monsters. Thinking about it, the concept wasn¡¯t that unbelievable, the little lizard in front of him was looking so delighted, enjoying the warmth of the burning wood, that it was faintly purring, so creating a form of hot water reservoir wasn¡¯t impossible especially considering its high intelligence.


    Eldrin on the other hand was describing things like ¡®a city¡¯ or ¡®nobility¡¯ to the curious creature, who had three new questions for every answer it was given.


    Eventually evening became night and Eldrin departed from the hall for his bedroom, leaving the fire to die. Little Flame didn¡¯t add anything and just followed him, not even pretending to go to the guest room it was supposed to live in, and simply laid down in the bed while the elf was preparing his clothes for the next day.


    Compared to the picture his chamber was depicting a week ago, the current room could have been described as spotless. No more clothes lying around, all of the furniture free of dust and even the bed was properly made.


    The shy-acting Little Flame faced the wall, yet still waited for him to lie down and sleep. Eldrin smiled wistfully, he had decided long ago not to tease the dragon for missing its loved ones, since he perfectly understood that very emotion. He took out his golden pocket watch and placed it on the nightstand.


    Kindly looking at the lizard, he spread the blanket over both of them and gently stroked the warm scales on the top of its head. Raindrops were hailing onto the roof, inducing a hypnotic melody, and he fell asleep like this.


    During the tenth and eleventh day, a heavy thunderstorm raged outside the cottage, and the two friends thus spent their time eating and conversing in front of the fireplace. Little Flame eventually ran out of things to tell Eldrin and could only listen to  his story, how a young and bold elf grew up in Cilyra, the forest kingdom of the elves.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    He was born as the second son of a rich merchant and had spent the first 50 years of his life as a spoiled child, never working for even a single day. This had changed soon after he came to be consider of adult age by the elves, when his father¡¯s trading house fell into ruin and disappeared without leaving anything behind for his older brother and him.


    Trained as the successor of the house, his brother quickly got accepted as a trader into another rich noble house. Forsaken with nothing but his own two hands, Eldrin knocked onto the doors of the adventurer¡¯s guild and had to accept the lowest level of available quests, trying to make a living. Without an education in  craftsmanship, or as warrior or mage, he could barely fight [Goblins] and [Horned Rabbits].


    His fate changed when one of the guild¡¯s receptionists took notice of his hard struggle, and introduced him as a guide to a visiting group of adventurers from the human kingdom Leandar. As they were conversing together, they learned of his history and the archmage of the party, seventh rank in mana at the time, took him in as a disciple.


    A giant [Shadow Walker] at the eighth aura rank appeared near the elves home, and no one from the guild had the fitting light element to put a fight against it. As an emergency quest, the human party got commissioned to take care of the creature,and Eldrin went along to enjoy the spectacle.


    The scene of his teacher casting volley after volley of [Holy Cross]¡¯ on the monster to restrain its movement, and dispel so many of its [Dark Shields], while the remaining party, consisting of a knight, a summoner and an assassin of the same rank as the archmage, cornered and executed the monstrosity inspired a deep feeling of reverence in him.


    Driven by a will to become as strong as them, Eldrin deserted the kingdom that had been  his home for a long time to follow his teacher, even after being taught the basics of spell casting and being able to live properly from an adventurer¡¯s job¡¯s incomes.


    His teacher was pleasantly surprised, he didn¡¯t have any issues with the elf following him to Leandar, and set up a place for him to live when they arrived. Within the next 100 years he quickly became the most powerful disciple of his master and took over his spot as a court magician when he died.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    At this part of the story Eldrin stared into the fire for a while, with Little Flame curiously watching from the side, waiting for the rest of the story.


    Eventually Eldrin let out a long sigh, emptied his wine cup and turned back to the little dragon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed, shall we ?¡±


    With a slightly sad smile, he stood up and, leaving the rest of his past unsaid, as he headed for his room.


    Reading the atmosphere somehow, the little lizard followed him and coiled itself around one of the arms of the elf when he laid down.


    Patting its head again, Eldrin took a long look at the golden pocket watch on the bedside table, going through the last part of the story in his mind.


    Using the hand the cute beast was coiled around the old man caressed the softer scales on its stomach, causing its tail to wag, and a small purr escaped its lips as the red and black dragon drifted off into a dreamland.


    With the morning of the twelfth day the rain clouds departed and the sun shone down on the field of grass in front of the cottage.


    But clouds of a different kind appeared on the horizon as the first sunrays showed that the knight that had been camping out behind the hedge was gone.


    Thank you Tyxev for editing.

 Chapter 11: Calm After the Storm

    Little Breeze smirked slightly and answered the Harpy Queen with its chirping voice.


    ¡°True, it is indeed a shame that Little Flame isn¡¯t here today. Are there any other matters to take care of today, Madame?¡±


    The madame in question smiled at the green dragon and took another strip of the roasted meat on the stone table, using both of her wings to pick it up. The fat of the meat would never cling to her white feathers and could only drip cleanly off the immaculate wings.


    The dragon had no choice but to wait for the queen''s reply. It was well acquainted with her two daughters, and she was also more powerful in mana and aura than its siblings and itself. Nonetheless Little Breeze did not mind waiting for an answer, since their domains were maintaining friendly relations through trade of goods .


    Little Breeze didn¡¯t know about the classification of the power into different ranks and was merely comparing different strengths of pressure monsters gave off individually. The oldest sibling Little Flame was stronger than itself, yet Little Flame also felt stressed in company of the two harpy and fairy queens, who were often visiting. Talks like these were usually taken care of by the red and black dragon, so Little Breeze felt a bit strained from the negotiations with rulers of other domains, but it also knew they wouldn¡¯t take unfair advantage of the [Dragon¡¯s Den] after many years of coexistence. The answer of the harpy pulled the green dragon back from its wandering thoughts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so formal, we¡¯re almost family after all. How are my daughters? Do they still love to play pranks on you?¡±


    The human face surrounded by a ring of feathers was showing the dragon a kind smile, the harpy trying to induce some small talk, the business having been taken care of. She was as well impressed by the progress the emerald lizard had made in the beast language they both spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind. And the two of them are fine, they are currently out hunting for prey, just like Little Flame. I think they¡¯ll return later today. And it appears that the two of them grew out of playing pranks on me.¡±


    Indulging in the idle chatter with the harpy, Little Breeze bent its head down to snatch a piece of meat too. From Little Breeze¡¯s remembrance of the head maid¡¯s report, this should be the meat of a [Slender Cinder Panther], a monster barely weaker than itself.


    The meeting continued in such a fashion until the Harpy Queen finally took her leave. With a sigh of relief, Little Breeze went back to the deeper part of the the den to find the [Water Nymph] who assumed the position of the head maid. Her strength had increased slowly but steadily since she moved in, and she had came to be only a single step beneath the three younger dragon siblings.


    Their strongest brethren had gone out five days ago, and had notified the nymph before heading out. The green dragon couldn¡¯t handle all of the politic decisions without its sibling¡¯s help, and neither could Little Terra nor Little Stream. Their older relative had walked out of the hideout and it had missed several meetings with other dominion¡¯s managers since then, something that had never happened before. As one of the wilderness¡¯ power, the young dragons were recognized amongst animals, and they themselves held positive impressions towards the various domains¡¯ leaders because of their lineage and strength, as well as their tolerance. Indeed, even thought that as dragons they would grow up to be an even more powerful force to be reckoned with, currently, they were about one or two steps below any strong monster or beast holding a certain influence in the area, and the presence of their black and red leader was solely assuring that the [Dragon¡¯s Den] had the same status as stronger creatures¡¯ territory.


    The other siblings were already talking to the nymph in front of Little Flame¡¯s chamber when the green dragon arrived, inquiring once more about the exact words their leader had left behind. The nymph was repeating the words her master had pronounced before its departure to the other two, so Little Breeze didn¡¯t have to waste much time.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go out and pursue the faint trace left behind. If I¡¯m not back in two days, come out together to search for us.¡±


    After having heard these words again, the emerald beast retired to its own chamber, forgetting the two harpies who usually accompanied it everywhere.


    Fending through the air, Little Breeze focused on its own power to reveal traces of other power-users who had passed in the area before. Although it couldn¡¯t see the lights Little Flame could detect, the flying dragon was able to perceive different kinds of smells. Within five days this skill wouldn¡¯t work on the other siblings¡¯ trails, since quite an amount of the monsters passing by shared their attribute, but the feeling associated to its black and red sibling was fairly unique, and Little Breeze had failed to ever encounter another living being with a similar scent.


    Circling the [Dragons Den] once, the emerald animal found a small reaction of the heavy and musky fragrance belonging exclusively to Little Flame, and flew in that direction.


    Whenever the indication of the proper path disappeared, the emerald dragon had to search the area to find it again, and subsequently after a day of tracking its older sibling, it was able to discover where it had landed. On the ground the signs of a battle were visible, as well as traces of blood from three different species, and three corpses.


    Enraged by the sight of its beloved family member¡¯s sanguine fluid, Little Breeze trashed the remains of the dead creatures, who were already showing signs of having been ripped in pieces by smaller animals. Luckily no larger animal had claimed the delicious flesh rich in vitality so far, or the dragon would have had no idea of who was responsible of Little Flame¡¯s absence.


    After having calmed a little, the raging beast stored away the corpses in its soul space, and looked for more clues. Unfortunately, the path leading to the red and black beast didn¡¯t only continue in the air, but traveled through some patches of the forest, preventing Little Breeze from pursuing the tracks anymore. The presence of blood stains on the ground revived the hope of finding its older sibling in the emerald dragon¡¯s heart, but it lacked the affinity with water to keep on chasing its target. Unwillingly, it realised that it had no choice but to turn around and return to the den, to fetch Little Stream and maybe Little Terra, to rescue the injured Little Flame. With this resolution, Little Breeze marked the location in its mental map and took off again, to the [Dragons Den].


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The noble mage Ashton stormed back into the city after his elven guards had warned him not to fight the ranker called [Water Serpent].


    When he wasn¡¯t even born the old man had supposedly already made a name for himself attending the royal court, and his skills as a high ranked adventurer were also well-known.


    Ashton however couldn¡¯t feel a single speck of mana on that old man, only the high class enchantments on the exquisite staff and on the sturdy looking robe the elf had been wearing, making him quite dubious on the matter. On top of that, the old man had the audacity to tell him off, calling him a spoiled brat and threatening to remove him from the surface of the earth if he didn¡¯t turn back.


    Replaying the conversation in his head over and over again, the burning anger setting his bones on fire slowly turned into a cold and calculative rage, composing a plan to pay back that sack of old bones and obtain the young dragon for himself to gain ultimate glory and fame.


    Instead of returning with his knights to the Silverwood house straight away, he left them in an inn of a village close to the border of the Wilderness and arrived alone at the gates of the capital, bribing the guard to let him in without registering his guild card. Ashton took the main street to the noble district, passing the other two gates without any trouble as the guards recognized his mage emblem on his grey overcoat. Upon reaching the third sector, also called the noble sector, he turned into a cramped alley, averting the main path to the Silverwood family compound.


    Avoiding the primary entrance, he entered the main family¡¯s building through the servant¡¯s door and quickly hid in one of the hallways for retainers to work behind the scenes running throughout the mansion.


    Soon after, an attendant entered the corridor where he was standing, and Ashton pulled him aside, pushing a silver coin and a sealed notice into his hand.


    ¡°This is for you. If you manage to deliver a message to Cedric Silverwood, there are more rewards for you.¡±


    Trusting the servant with this job, Ashton moved through the hidden staircases until he arrived at an abandoned meeting room on the third floor. A fire had broken out in a previous meeting there, and the chamber had yet to be refurbished.


    Taking a seat on one of the remaining unscorched stairs, the mage waited for his cousin. As an important warrior of the main house who was receiving various resources and a lot of attention in regard of his potential, meeting at any given time with him wasn¡¯t possible for Ashton. Based on Cedric''s fifth warrior rank strength alone, he couldn¡¯t be eligible to receive this much care, however he had bought an lottery egg from the guild store when he had wanted to acquire his first companion at the age of twelve and luckily managed to obtain a [Bloody World Hellhound]. The monster grew up to be at the seventh rank, and through their master-servant bond, he was collecting refined aura at a faster rate.


    After the hellhound had fully grew up and rumors had begun to spread throughout the branch houses, the head of the main house had decided to consider its owner with utmost interest as he would reach the status of a level seven powerhouse in the near future, since his companion already had.


    Edmund and Ashton had been jealous for a long time of their cousin¡¯s luck, but later managed to drown their sorrow and forget about their bad luck in picking monsters from the lottery when it had been their turn a year later. As part of a branch family they did not have the resources to keep on buying mystery eggs and hence decided to purely focus on the path of a mage, before succumbing to the allure of alcohol and fleshly pleasures. Nevertheless the two brothers had been able to maintain a somewhat cordial relationship with their cousin, so the message he had passed to Cedric was likely to grant him at least the favor of a meeting.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    After the amount of time needed for Cedric to display his superior position had passed, but not long enough for Ashton to take offense, the door opened and the warrior entered with an amiable smile, without his monster as the hellhound had grown big enough to require a sleeping spot in the stable.


    ¡°Greetings, cousin. Your message said it was urgent, what can I do for you? Also, don¡¯t worry about the servant, I already paid him for his services and reminded him to keep quiet about this ¡­ meeting.¡±


    Ashton managed to return the smile, although he would have liked to frown. By paying off the servant Cedric already did him a small favor, putting him in an even worse position for negotiation, however he was still sure that he would convince him with his plan. Nothing would ever prevent him from realizing his dream.


    ¡°Long time no see, Cedric. I¡¯ve come to see you today since Edmund and me ran into a ¡­ certain problem, you could say.


    During our exploration of the Wilderness we ran into an old man, who we invited to share our campfire and stay for the night. He turned out to be Eldrin, the Water Serpent, the former court magician and he had just discovered a high ranked dungeon sheltering a wild beast. Since we treated him so well, he invited us along to explore it with him and promised us to share the spoils.¡±


    Ashton closely observed the reaction of Cedric who had sat on another one of the broken down chairs as he was telling his tale, looking for a sign of warning that he knew Eldrin or any other signs of distrust. But to his relief, the warrior only motioned him to continue his story with a hand sign.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to reveal what kind of beast we encountered, it was however an A class existence. With the help of the elf, we managed to defeat it, Edmund however got injured and Eldrin broke his staff by saving him. He now demands payment for the staff and won¡¯t hand over any of the items we looted from the beast, keeping Edmund as a hostage, but we can¡¯t pay up. I hoped to borrow your [Bloody World Hellhound] to ambush him in secret, he¡¯s only at the seventh rank, so together with Edmund, your beast and me I¡¯m one hundred percent sure we can take him down.


    Naturally, if we succeed we¡¯re willing to hand over the elf¡¯s share of the spoils and half of the valuables he has on him.


    Do we have a deal?¡±


    Cedric¡¯s fingers drummed thoughtfully on the table as he was contemplating on the offer. Based on his doubtful countenance, he knew he couldn¡¯t trust Ashton¡¯s story word for word, since he would have just needed to appeal to the main house openly if someone had abducted one of the household¡¯s members. He probably thought that the two brothers had accompanied Eldrin and were now greedy for his part of the spoils, or maybe that there was no beast at all and they simply stumbled upon his home in the Wilderness and wanted to rob him. Yet all these speculations were still within the scope of Ashtons calculations, he had especially dropped the hint about a mysterious beast to incite caution on the side of his possible accomplice, and wanted him to take precautions against getting swindled.


    With a smile, the warrior presented his terms to the mage.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll lend you my hellhound. However I have no interest in a beast''s remains. How about this, your brother and you can take all of it, and I will in turn take all of the mage¡¯s possessions. I think that¡¯s fair since the biggest part of the fight will be done by my monster anyway.


    If you can¡¯t even tell me what kind of secret beast this is about, your surely won¡¯t make a loss from this deal. And to make it fair, I¡¯ll owe each of you a favour in the future, how about it?¡±


    Presenting an innocent smile Ashton reached out his hand for a shake to seal the deal, the negotiations didn¡¯t take long and went along his plan. With this agreement Cedric gave up all rights to the dragon, and even if he wanted to complain he couldn¡¯t go to the family head and publicly admit that he agreed to murder a court magician through a hidden deal.


    ¡°I¡¯m prepared to make a trip to train on the day of earth, so I¡¯ll take my monster with me in 5 days and meet you outside the gates. Where do you want to meet up?¡±


    Faced with Cedric¡¯s inquiry, Ashton was slightly unsure if his cousin would keep his word on the agreement and just lend him his monster obediently, without following the other party to take all of the spoils himself.


    Still, this was a risk he had to take in order to obtain a legendary class beast, a dragon.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m staying in Silverburg with my knights, I¡¯ll meet up with you in front of the main inn on the day of earth then. I¡¯ll head back now before anyone recognizes me.¡±


    With their talk over, Ashton quickly left the capital again, rushing back in the direction of his desires.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    After being stuck inside the house for two days Little Flame was able to enjoy hunting once again on the thirteenth day.


    Hiding in a tree it watched the large [Mad Yellow Spider] building a serie of strings on the ground to create a trap for other monsters. From its conversations with Eldrin it had learned a lot about local monsters and their habits, so today Little Flame had set out to hunt something different dinner.


    Waiting for the monster to place itself right below its claws, the black and red dragon sealed its presence, silently peeking down at the bizarre creature, appearing to the outside world as a set of golden eyes in the darkness of the tree crown.


    When the perfect moment to strike came, the beast dropped straight onto the carapace of the spider and dug with its claws into the yellow back. The spider tried to put up a fight, but Little Flame used its special vision to sever particular spots, corresponding to some of the glowing lines within the body of the spider, and the latter half of its legs collapsed. Unable to fight off the predator, the yellow arachnid stood no chance and entirely fell on the ground after the dragon struck its back over and over again, stripping away its protective armor and exposing the tender flesh beneath it.


    Satisfied with its haul, Little Flame collected the dead body into its soul space and slowly returned to the clearing where Eldrin''s house was situated.


    During the long rainy days the elf had introduced a new concept to the curious creature, a system called ranks, to help it understand strength better. After the scaled beast had described the two different energies it could perceive with its eyes to Eldrin, he had tried to move both of the things Little Flame mentioned around in his body. Upon confirmation that these were indeed the phenomena the dragon was talking about, he had named them with an incredulous look on his face. The vitality he moved first was a thing called aura and virtually any creature could train it like their muscles, after having taken it in its body a first time.


    The different feelings the dragon grasped from these auras should correspond to the various elements.


    The second type of power was called mana, and likewise the multiple colours were revealing the element they represented. Training mana was also harder since the air and earth contained much more natural aura than mana, and required meditation or eventually cultivation resources to advance faster.


    As for the different strengths wielders, humans or other humanoid species such as the elves cultivating aura to battle were called ¡®warriors¡¯, while mana users prefered the title ¡®magician¡¯. The two types of energy were existing everywhere, and kingdoms highly valued strong practitioners of either type.


    Animals on the other hand were usually called monsters, however if they managed to achieve the first mana rank they would earn the appellation ¡®beast¡¯.


    The creatures Little Flame had named ¡®power users¡¯ so far should have all been beasts. The ability to see these powers was something even Eldrin couldn¡¯t explain.


    As a rough evaluation the old elf had guessed that the dragons rank in aura should be around the peak of the fourth level, while its mana should have advanced to the third rank a short while before their meeting.


    With this as a base, the scaled beast estimated the spider it had hunted this day to be a monster of the fourth rank, yet it was still weaker than itself. Puzzled by this difference, it decided to return earlier than usual to ask Eldrin more about ranks, aura and mana, something the dragon had been taking for granted, without even thinking that the strength could have been ranked in different classes . None of the dragons and residents in the [Dragon''s Den] ever questioned the might of a power wielder or put a name on the strength of an individual, each and every animal possessing the natural instinct necessary to tell if someone was weaker or stronger than itself.


    When Little Flame arrived at the clearing, a loud roar shook the trees and the protective [Water Screens] around the house shattered, revealing the elf sitting in front of the house, carving a piece of wood with his knife.


    Alarmed by this turn of events, the dragon guardedly looked for the source of danger as the elf picked up his staff and circulated mana around the enchantments on his robe and the weapon.


    At the other side of the clearing, where the longear knight had been hiding before the storm, a group of three shorthairs walked out into sight accompanied by a large flaming red monster.


    From its interaction with Eldrin, Little Flame knew that two of the shorthairs were called elves, while the third one should be a human, but no matter how much questions the scaled beast had asked during the storm, Eldrin had been unwilling to give any answers regarding their goals, only saying that he was stronger than them and there was no reason to worry.


    However in Little Flames perception, the aura of this monster didn¡¯t lose out in any way to Eldrin¡¯s mana, and there were three additional enemies.


    Today a calamity had arrived.


    Thank you very much for editing Tyxev.

 Chapter 12: Calamity

    Todays chapter is somewhere else, my story moved from my blog to a site called Gravitytales.


    http://gravitytales.com/a-dragons-curiosity/dc-chapter-12/</a>


    Thank you for reading so far, I really appreciate the support and kind comments I''ve received and hope that you''ll also read my story in the future on gravity tales, hopefully as I grow as a writer and continue to entertain you.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Here''s to hopefully a lot of future chapters!

 A Public Apology

    Hello my readers, I''m sorry if you are disappointed that this is not a chapter,


    Since posting my last chapter, number 12, it has come to my attention, that linking to the site where my story has moved is inacceptable. Against the personal admission of a royalroad moderator to put a link to the site where the story has moved in the last chapter one posts, as well as the synopsis, has been considered a serious offense in my case and has since been removed. I''m sorry for trying to exercise the farewell that is granted to every author besides the one that move to the site I did, and also apologize for the readers for having to have seen this despicable act of posting a link.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I''d like to offer my thanks to my readers once again, and I''d tell you where I moved to keep those interested in my story updated, but the administration decided that this is detrimental to the whole of you.


    Farewell, it has been a fun time


    Chunwa

 A message from RoyalRoad

    Hello Chunwa and readers of "A Dragon''s Curiosity".


    I''m here to clarify a few things.


    Censoring links isn''t due to Chunwa''s behavior, it was from the authors of the website he''s planning on releasing his future chapters. Not only did they come to RRL to post someone else''s work - complete plagiarism - but the ones who posted originals simply stopped posting chapters and instead posted only links to their website''s. They even replaced older chapters, removing their content and adding a link to the other website.


    Not sure if you''ve noticed, but RoyalRoad is "home of webfictions", not "home of links to websites who can''t get readers on their own so they try getting from other websites", as that would be an obviously too long slogan. We have a hard time maintaining this website without being used as advertisement platform and not being paid for it.


    [I want to take this opportunity thank our sponsors</a> for all the help they''ve been giving us]


    That still wasn''t all of it, they also broke our rules about donations. Rules that were set to protect readers from blatant extortion, things that happened here and happen in said website.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Again, it''s not about your silly, childish attempt to make us look like bad guys saying we didn''t allow you a farewell. It''s about protecting our users and authors from people with bad intentions. You can see how it works since, five seconds after your post and telling the owner of said website that it was censored, he came beg us to have it lifted. He even threw his authors under the bus, saying he had nothing to be blamed for. Seeing as this happened with not only one, but three authors from his website, I can say the pattern is pretty obvious, he was to be blamed.


    If that''s the kind of person you want to work with, be my guest.


    Regardless of your decision, I wish you a bright future.


    Kind Regards.


    Curvinho, RoyalRoadL Admin.


    PS: If you''re still in contact with the owner of that website, tell him I''ll forward the bill for all advertisement he made on RRL.