The guild fell into silence, and for a moment, it seemed like time itself had stopped. Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, the tension rising. Then, one by one, they scoffed, some of them laughing under their breath.
“Dragons?” Bram grunted, rolling his shoulders. “We’re in a ruin, not some dungeon. Don’t start pulling our legs, Xander.”
Raina shook her head. “Dragons don’t just show up in the middle of nowhere Xander. You’re telling me there are dragons here? In the ruins?”
Xander shook his head vigorously. “No! Not in the ruins, but outside in the sky.” his eyes wide with panic. “There’s around four of them.”
There was another brief pause, and then Lyra let out a low whistle. “Five dragons? Outside? The hell? You can’t be serious.”
Before Xander could respond, a second, even louder roar shattered the air.
Grahhhhhhh
The sound was so immense that the very ground beneath their feet seemed to crack slightly. The guild members staggered slightly, adjusting their footing to maintain balance as the roar echoed through the halls like a terrible wave crashing through the ruins.
“You see! I’m not joking,” Xander said. “This isn’t some false alarm. I—”
“Enough,” Caldris interrupted. He stepped forward, his gaze intense. “Let’s check it out. If there really are dragons out there all we have to do is get rid of them.”
“You guys should stop making a big deal about it.”
“I guess you have a point guildmaster.”
“Let’s head out then.”
With that they slowly exited the ruins.
As the guild members emerged from the ruins, the cool night air hit them, but they barely spared a glance at the dark sky above. The moment they saw the dragons, however, a collective sigh of exasperation rippled through the group.
“five dragons,” Bram muttered, rubbing his neck. “What a pain.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Lyra said, crossing her arms. “Typical. We can’t even catch a break on a simple mission.”
Raina squinted up at the dragons, all circling lazily in the night sky. “Guess Xander wasn’t completely off his rocker.”
“At least they’re not attacking yet,” Xander said.
The guild members started to shrug off the earlier tension, knowing this would be another job for them to get rid of the dragons. Although this would be their first time going up against dragons they were certain with their exprince with fighting other giant class monsters, they wouldn’t be a problem.
“Big deal,” Caldris said, stepping forward, the look in his eyes suddenly became intense. “Dragons don’t scare us. It’s just another job to get through.”
He scanned the sky, his eyes narrowing as they focused on the closest dragon, on top it’s head stood a white-scaled beast dragon.
The sight of it was strange because it looked strangely small and humanoid.
Caldris eyes narrowed, a dead look appearing In his eyes. “That one on the white dragon must be their leader,” he said.
Just as he spoke a golden talent window materialised,
Monster: Dragon Overlord (Candidate) Rank: SSS+
Class: Medium
Total Combat Power: 236,812 (SSS+ Rank)
System remark: A descendant of the ancient Dragon God, a being that once shook the cosmos. It is the absolute ruler of all dragon kind, a regal being even the celestials fear. Although the reason is unknown, it is believed that wherever the Overlord goes, darkness follows.
Caldris let out a low whistle as he read the golden talent window hovering before him. His expression darkened slightly, though he maintained his composure. “This… might be a bit of a problem.”
“Problem?” Bram snorted, cracking his knuckles with a cocky grin. “Come on, guildmaster. We’ve taken down giants and abominations before. This is nothing we can’t handle, right?” Caldris turned to face his guild, a faint, yet almost sinister smile, appeared on his face. “I suppose you’re right. We’ve faced similar odds and walked away with the spoils.”
A murmur of agreement swept through the group, their confidence bolstered by the guildmaster’s calm demeanor.
“Alright, everyone,” Caldris said, his voice rising. “Get ready to-”
“You intrude on the lands of my people, then proceed to raise your sword at me? Is this supposed to be bravery… or just outright disrespect?”
A voice, sharp and resonant like the clash of steel, rang out from the white-scaled figure atop the dragon.
The words cut through the guild’s murmurs, silencing them in an instant. The voice carried weight… One that demanded attention, each syllable seems to have this… Small yet commanding fury to them.
The guild members froze, exchanging glances.
“Did… did that thing just talk?” Raina whispered.
“Monsters don’t talk,” Lyra muttered, her hand tightening around the hilt of her weapon.
“Do they?”
Xander swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the white-scaled figure. “This… this isn’t just a monster. It’s something else entirely.”
Caldris’s eyes remained locked on the figure, he wasent the least bit shaken. He took a step
forward.
“Good, it seem you are intelligent. We didn’t come here to disrespect anyone. But if you’re looking for a fight, we’ll gladly oblige.”
The white-scaled figure, Alister, tilted his head, as if considering Caldris’s words. He and the human locked eyes, almost as if both were sizing each other up.
Alister’s sharp, draconic gaze lingered on Caldris. The faint glow of his white scales
shimmered in the moonlight as his lips curved into a chilling smile.
“Surely my ears do not deceive me, was that supposed to be threat?” Alister tilted his head
slightly, his piercing eyes never leaving the human.
Caldris crossed his arms as he stepped forward. “It’s not a threat.”
“It’s a promise.”
The guild members behind him readied themselves, gripping their weapons tighter. Caldris motioned with one hand, signaling them to hold their ground.
“You may be strong,” Caldris continued, “but even a monster like you should be smart enough to see the reality before you. We outnumber you. Five dragons, and what-one white- scaled creature leading them?”
The guildmaster’s smile was razor-sharp. “If you choose violence, don’t expect to leave this
place alive.”