One week later:
POV ???:
A carriage was bouncing up and down, rolling down the rough mud road with a speed of a sportscar. Its whole structure was enchanted, and its horses were draconified. Their bodies were covered in hard volcanic stone, their eyes glowing in a dim golden light. The draconic energy burned within them, giving them force and speed far beyond their size.
More carriages followed behind, all of them moving down a valley with tall cliffs on both sides.
“Where do you think we are going?” A young man looked away from the window, his gaze sweeping through the carriage’s interior, noticing the weird passengers of the carriage. His eyes stopped at a richly dressed nobleman and a bulky blacksmith covered in soot sitting next to him.
‘Nobles, workers and even merchants like me… what do we have in common.’ his eyes moved towards an immortal cultist in brown, ‘they are even some cultists travelling with us.’
“I don’t know, but we are moving north. I saw the mountains.” The nobleman spoke as he looked out of the window.
‘Maybe the legendary city of dragons?’ It was no secret that their new government wasn’t content with the current capital, preparing to move it somewhere north.
There were rumours of a massive city built around a volcano, constructed entirely out of dark volcanic stone with rivers of magma flowing everywhere, making it look like a city belonging to hell, not Lorenia.
He turned back towards the window, not worrying for his life, ‘If they wanted us dead, then we would have been executed long ago.’
POV Vesuvius:
The draconic knight stood in the middle of the burning valley. His wings brightly glowed on his back, contrasting with the blackness of his armour.
Giant blobs of magma hovered throughout the valley, condensing diamonds within them, glowing like stars under the dark clouds obscuring the sky.
The colossal dragon observed the minion from a distance while thinking about the message that his minion had delivered.
‘As expected, there will always be some fools that simply can’t help themself from attacking me.’ Vesuvius wasn’t a fool, already expecting someone to attack him or his kingdom.
‘So it is the church of light. They are preparing for a holy war against me. Staging such a large war isn’t easy. It will take from months all the way up to years. They have to secure provisions, muster men and form their logistic and command structure. It all takes some time.’
The last time he underestimated it, but now he decided he would make careful preparations, ‘It is not just about my ability to defend myself. It is about protecting what is mine. My territory, my minions and my property.’
The dragon flapped his wings as he looked at the knight’s mount. The huge black armoured beast with magma flowing around its body quietly rested on the nearby peak, its golden eyes closed.
‘I doubt that I will face only mortals. There would be these weird light constructs, and they may even open heaven’s gate.’
A terrifying grin formed on his face, showing his long, sharp teeth and the immense hot depths of his throat, ‘And then I will unleash my own swarm!’
With the whole country’s resources, his wyvern breeding program expanded to an unprecedented scale. The wyverns were nesting through the entire mountain range.
‘No, they are enough for small fries. But I need something better and stronger to deal with more dangerous foes. Something like drakes, drakes empowered by my blood and marrow.’
“Go, my minion! Find me and bring me a drake!”
“Yes, master!” the minion dramatically saluted and spread his wings as he shot up towards the sky. He flapped his wings again, flying straight towards his awaiting mount.
‘How is he growing so fast? Just through the war, his power multiplied. He is like a different being now.’
The dragon stood up, the ground shaking under his weight, his colossal body rising like a submarine from under the sea. The blobs of magma dispersed into thousands of tiny droplets revealing small diamonds within them.
Seeing that his minion had left, Vesuvius returned to what he was doing, quickly confirming the choices for two more evolutions.
Ding!
//
Dragon Lord Aura (LV 15) –> Dragon Lord’s Disruptive Aura (LV 15):
Description: The terrifying aura belonging to a true dragon lord. It weakens lesser and weaker enemies around the dragon even more. Every mortal will feel fear, their bodies trembling in terror.
The aura is charged and filled with turbulent mana currents, disrupting the casting of enemies and their mana-powered abilities in close proximity, slowing down casting and increasing the chance of failure for strong enemies while preventing weaker ones from even constructing basic spells.
The effects of the aura will change depending on the relative strength of an enemy.
The range and power of the aura scales with MAG and DIV stats.
//
‘If this can mess with the powers of my enemies, then it is worth it. It is better to be ready to counter some weird powers. And it also fits nicely with all of my defences, basically adding another active layer to them.’
Ding!
//
Dragon Lord Voice (LV 15) –> Dragon Lord’s Voice of Soul (LV 15):
Description: The voice of the dragon lord, carrying its will and might. Its coercive and mind-controlling properties are even stronger. It can command both living beings and also magic and elements.
The voice of the dragon lord can speak straight into someone’s soul, travelling through the soul space instead of the physical world.
//
‘Weird and, for now, kinda meh, but the soul attribute sounds interesting. Maybe it will turn into something interesting in the future. It isn’t a super crucial ability, so as long as it does its job, it is worth gambling it.’
Vesuvius heard many stories of how useless and weird evolution led to overpowered and mysterious powers in the future. The whole forum was filled with such stories, most fake or trolls, but a few were still genuine.
‘Well, I need to test all of these powers in combat. Dungeons should be optimal for that. They are discreet while still offering rich rewards.’
The dragon spread his crystalline wings as he shot up towards the sky, the shockwaves created by his wings sending ripples through the lake of magma while cracking the stone around. His body raised high about the clouds just in a second, his golden eyes looking towards the nearby mountains.
POV ???:
A shadow slipped out of the drainage hole in the road, moving with the speed and elegance of the wind. It was a figure fully covered in a cloak with a hood, two red eyes glowing in its shadow. It slowly walked up an abandoned dark street. Tall buildings were throwing their shadows, all of the lights fizzling out as the being walked by.
The being crept quietly, only the commands of its master present in its mind, ‘The dragon must survive. The dragon’s kingdom must also survive. Build me a hidden army, the army hidden within the dragon’s territory.’
“Who is that?” a voice came from behind the corner of the street, armoured steps approaching the being.
The next moment it vanished in the gush of the wind, vanishing as if it never even existed.
POV Vesuvius:
The dragon flew through the sky, winds loudly howling around him, each flap of his swings throwing small electric arcs while creating swarms of blue and gold electrical sparks.
A large white moon shone above him, its white radiance reflecting and refracting within the crystals growing over his body.
The dragon folded his wings, diving head-on straight down. His body was like an arrow darting towards a black, swirling and whirling darkness under him. He passed through something invisible, the world around him twisting and warping-
The whole world vanished, replaced by the sudden influx of darkness.
The next moment he stood in the middle of a sheer endless desert, the rainbow portal flickering behind him. The yellow sand dunes reflected the heat, and light radiating out of a massive purple sun in the sky went as far as his eyes could see. The purple sun baked the whole dungeon, turning the entire desert into a giant oven, its purple light giving everything an unnatural purple hue.
Ding!
//
You have entered the dungeon: The Endless Dunes.
Recommended level: 50-65
Type: One-time (Semi-stable)
//
Vesuvius looked around, seeing nothing but sand, ‘What can be an objective here? Well, at least it is a semi-stable one, so I can leave and return whenever I want, as long as it is not cleared.’
The dragon flapped his huge wings, causing the sand to fill the air as he launched upwards, his body rising above the vast desert. He looked around, seeing nothing, but his hearing heard movement.
Something was moving, moving under the sand. It was moving everywhere, ‘There are dozens if not hundreds of some beings hiding there.’
It sounded like a nightmare for anyone without wings. Just the thought of something suddenly grabbing one’s leg was enough to send creeps down anyone’s spine.
‘Enemies are hiding everywhere, and the harsh environment makes this truly a dangerous dungeon. Well, but I am a dragon.’𝔬𝓋𝔩𝒩xt.𝑐𝑶𝑀