This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

As the group ascended higher into the dragon's mountainous domain, the oppressive aura of the dragons seemed to grow thicker with every passing moment. Yet, as they flew, the air around them stirred, and a new commotion arose.

From the distant cliffs and hidden caves, smaller dragons emerged. They ranged from the size of large horses to small houses, their scales gleaming in vibrant hues of red, black, green, blue, or white and the voices emitted from them sounded child-like.

"Young dragons," someone muttered.

The smaller dragons, clearly much younger compared to the massive adults, flew out in chaotic patterns, their curiosity piqued by the unusual sight of humans and unfamiliar spiritual creatures flying in their skies.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The young dragons began to approach the group, their glowing eyes filled with a mix of mischief and curiosity.

One bold red dragon swooped closer, its wings stirring the air as it circled the humans like a predator sizing up its prey.

Considering that all of them were weaker than their group, Kain could only say that they were very bold to consider the blue-grade spiritual creatures in the group as prey. Or should Kain say it's fitting of the notoriously arrogant dragon clan…

"They're green-grade... maybe some are yellow-grade," Cassian murmured, his sharp gaze sweeping over the rowdy crowd of young dragons.

The young dragons didn't seem particularly disciplined. When two of them accidentally bumped into each other, a fierce scuffle immediately broke out, claws slashing and tails whipping wildly in the air. The scuffle ended just as quickly as it began, with the defeated dragon slinking away sulkily.

Kain's Vespid Guards trembled slightly, their buzzing wings faltering whenever one of the young dragons came too close, afraid of a fight breaking out.

Similarly, the majority of people's contracts put in extra effort to avoid even grazing these hot-tempered children.

Meanwhile, Cassian's gaze was locked onto the young dragons with an intensity that could melt iron. His eyes gleamed with an almost hungry light as he examined each dragon, clearly assessing their potential.

One perceptive blue dragon, its scales shimmering like a clear summer sky, noticed the fiery gaze directed its way. Its flight wavered for a moment, and it flew slightly farther away from Cassian, muttering in a low, panicked voice, "This lord blue dragon is so beautiful... that human couldn't possibly be having strange, dirty thoughts about lord blue dragon, right?!"

The other dragons ignored their panicked companion, too engrossed in their squabbles or too fixated on the humans to notice its plight.

Their red-scaled guide, soaring ahead of the group, cast a glance back at the rowdy juveniles but made no move to intervene. It had long grown accustomed to their antics—this was how all young 5-coloured dragons were. Even many of the adults weren't much better…

After what felt like an eternity, the guide veered sharply upward, heading toward the tallest peak of the mountain range. The juvenile dragons, sensing the change in direction, immediately straightened their flight patterns, their unruly behaviour more subdued.

Kain assumed based on the appearance of this tallest peak and the more restrained behaviour of the dragon children, that this was likely the home of their leader.

As they neared the peak, and the clouds covering it cleared, the impressive features of the leader's cave became more apparent.

The mountain's peak shimmered with solid polished gold.

The entrance to the nest was a massive, arched tunnel carved into the gold-covered mountain. The walls of the tunnel were studded with gemstones of every size and colour, their brilliance casting kaleidoscopic patterns across the interior.

The juvenile dragons gazed longingly at the gemstones, their eyes going hazy with envy and greed.

One bold white dragon, unable to resist temptation, tried to discreetly use its claws to pry a large purple gemstone from the corner of the tunnel wall.

Another smaller red dragon, thinking itself unnoticed, hid behind the group and began gnawing on a bright yellow gemstone embedded near the ground.

"Hmph!"

Before anyone could react, a loud, domineering sound echoed through the tunnel.

The sound carried such immense pressure that it felt like a physical force, slamming into the group and their spiritual creatures. Every person and spiritual creature, including the young dragons, collapsed to the ground in a trembling heap.

Even their red-scaled guide, though managing to stay upright, had its legs visibly shaking under the oppressive weight of the sound.

The pressure receded as quickly as it had come, leaving the group gasping for breath as they climbed to their feet.

The juvenile dragons, clearly chastised, abandoned all thoughts of stealing the gemstones. They followed the group in a much more subdued and obedient manner.

The group continued deeper into the tunnel, the walls becoming more intricately decorated with gems the further they went. The shimmering light cast by the stones illuminated their path, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.

Honestly, Kain found the overuse of the jewels to be gaudy, but based on the glittering eyes of all of the dragons, this was clearly to their taste.

Finally, at the tunnel's end, a massive figure perched on a massive hill of gold, jewels, and other treasures came into view.

The young dragons stared at their leader perched on the pile of treasures in awe.

This is how a dragon should be! Not discretely hiding away their small collection of jewels and gold from their greedy parents who would confiscate it in the name of 'taking care' or 'guarding' it for them.

A real dragon must have a mountain of treasures to sleep and lounge on! A real dragon must be so domineering and rich that they could decorate every inch inside and outside of their cave with jewels to show off, but nobody would dare to steal them!

The eyes gazing at their leader became hot and misty as they set him as their future goal.

Sensing the shift in their gaze, the leader slightly puffed out his chest and stayed on top of the pile for almost a solid minute longer than he'd intended, wanting to imprint his majestic image into their young minds.

Eventually, feeling as though he'd postured enough, the massive red dragon, even larger than their guide, dismounted from his glittering "throne."

His scales gleamed like molten lava and his golden eyes seemed to burn into each of their souls as he scanned them all.

The pressure he exuded was suffocating, far beyond anything they had felt from their guide.

Discover more stories at empire

"I am the Red Dragon King," he announced, his deep voice reverberating through the tunnel. "We have been waiting for you, humans."