The thin mist still moved like ghostly breath when Strax returned to the center of the cave—the egg nestled in his arm, pulsing with a slow, hungry glow. He ran his thumb over the cold surface, and the egg vibrated slightly, like a frosty kitten trying to purr.
"Yeah, you like warm mana, huh?" he murmured, almost laughing. "You'll turn into a glutton…"
The egg gave another hungry pulse.
Strax sighed… and smiled. But then his eyes lifted. The entire cathedral still glowed. And there was… a lot there. A lot indeed.
He straightened his posture, adjusting the egg against his chest as if holding a fragile artifact, and took his first step among the mounds.
And the mounds were…
Wealth. Absurd wealth. Wealth worthy of a dragon that lived before civilization decided that gold was currency.
"Wow…" he hissed. "But you were QUITE a hoarder, weren't you, old man?"
