Roxy felt a familiar wave of nausea hit her.
Absolutely not. I risked death to save his species; I will not die of salmonella on his disgusting stone bed.
She took a deep breath, clutching the thick hide tunic tightly around her. She didn't understand the exact words he was using; it sounded like a complex, aggressive sequence of clicks, growls, and throat-clearing, but the intent was clear.
She hadn't used the universal language.
"No," Roxy said, crossing her arms over her chest. Her voice was firm, laced with annoyance. "That is raw. I am not eating that. It's disgusting."
Zarek frowned. His thick brown brows drew together, creating deep lines in his forehead. He did not understand the sounds coming out of her mouth.
They were high-pitched, chirpy noises that belonged to a weak forest creature, not a potential mate. He spoke again, his voice rumbling low.
"Food. Strongest. Eat. Now," he commanded, gesturing with a massive hand towards the boar. He slowed his speech, using heavy repetition, the way one would speak to a confused pup.
"Are you even listening to me?" Roxy shrieked, tapping her foot on the cold stone. "I said, you eat that, and you get parasites! And if I get parasites, your heir gets parasites! Do you want your heir to be a host for worms, Zarek? Because that is exactly what will happen!"
Zarek stared at her, the confusion mounting to an almost painful degree.
The sounds she made, pa-ra-sites, wo-orms, di-sgus-ting, were meaningless. His ancient Dragon brain processed her words as a frantic, nonsensical song. He saw her furious expression, her flailing arms, and her refusal to obey, and he felt his rage beginning to bubble.
He let out a low, challenging growl, clearly warning her. "Silence, Obey!"
Roxy froze. The low growl pierced her initial bravado. Okay, he's getting angry. I need to understand him, now.
She immediately dug into the system to start her search through her inventory.
[Ding! Critical Tactical Failure Imminent. Host language barrier detected!]
She scrolled desperately to her purchases.
[Advanced Skill: Universal Language (Permanent)]
She mentally slammed the activate the Button, wondering why she didn't see it sooner.
[Universal Language Skill activated.]
The moment the notification disappeared, Zarek spoke again, and this time, the clicks and growls in her ears were instantly translated into a clear, devastatingly arrogant command in her mind.
"I am Zarek, Lord of the Peaks. You are the source of the Bloodline. You will obey the command of the blood, or I will force the food down your throat!"
Roxy blinked, the fear giving way to fury.
The audacity of this man!
"Oh, you speak English! I mean, you speak! And you are still an asshole!"
Zarek paused, his eyes narrowing. "You understood? You understood the Language of the Clan?"
"I understood that you are a controlling, raw-meat-eating idiot!" Roxy countered, gaining instant leverage. "And you need to learn some manners. You are not eating that raw meat. I am going to cook."
Cook? What did that mean? Zarek wondered.
Roxy ignored his mounting fury and marched straight to the pile of hides and the small [Fire Starter Kit] she had bought.
"You want me to eat? Fine. You want me to eat for your heir? You will wait," she commanded, pointing a finger at his massive chest. "You will sit right there, and you will not move, and you will not eat that disgusting pile of shit."
She could feel his anger bubbling up, but she knew he couldn't do anything to her now that she was with his child.
He should best behave, if he wants me to birth this child!
Zarek watched, his fury muted by the sheer shock of her understanding his complex language. He was mesmerized by her strange actions. He was a creature who spewed from his throat, yet she was creating it with stones.
It was the most inefficient, yet the most captivating thing he had ever witnessed.
Roxy pulled a sliver of flint and iron from the System kit and began striking it over a pile of dry moss she found near the cave entrance. Sparks flew.
A small fire caught. Roxy carefully fed it twigs and small bits of dead wood, shaping a shallow fire pit in the stone.
"See, Zarek?" Roxy said, not looking at him. "This is civilization. This is why humans are better than dragons."
"That fire... it is small," Zarek rumbled, perplexed. "Why not simply breathe the flame?"
"Because control is everything," Roxy shot back, her tone sharp. "I don't need to incinerate the whole place to cook a meal. I need a controllable heat source."
She grabbed a sharp shard and deftly sliced off a thin slab of the boar meat. She didn't have seasoning, but she found a strange, salty white mineral clinging to a rock wall and decided to risk it.
She held the thin slice over the flames, cursing as the fat dripped and hissed.
Zarek watched in shock, most of the females he had ever seen always ran away or threw up at the sight of blood, leaving the males to do all the work.
She was the only creature, he saw ignore this.
The cave, was soon filled with the intoxicating aroma of roasting meat.
Zarek's nostrils flared. His head tilted, and his mouth watered. He had never smelled such delicious scent before in his life. His stomach roared to life.
Something that had never happened before.
"What is that scent?" Zarek asked, his voice strained with curiosity.
"That, big guy, is dinner," Roxy replied, turning the meat until it was still slightly pink but seared black on the outside. She slid the piece onto a flat stone. "Taste it. Don't worry, it's not poisoned. It's too valuable for that."
Zarek didn't trust it. He lowered his face, sniffing the cooked meat suspiciously.
"It is... changed," he mumbled.
"Duh. That's the point. It's called cooking," Roxy said, exasperated. "Now, open up."
She picked up the meat and held it right up to his mouth. For a beat, Roxy thought he might bite her hand off.
Instead, Zarek's golden eyes snapped from her hand to her eyes, and he gently opened his mouth.
He took the piece of meat. He chewed slowly, his mind struggling to process the sensation. His eyes closed in concentration.
The silence was deafening. Roxy held her breath, waiting for the verdict.
When Zarek opened his eyes, they were wide, shocked, and intensely focused on Roxy.
"It is... hot," he whispered. "And the taste... it is sweet..."
Roxy's eyes brightened.
He looked at the raw boar meat, then back at Roxy.
[Ding! Affection +5%! Target finds Host's 'Cooked Meat' to be delicious!]
Roxy grinned, triumphant. "It's called flavor, Zarek. And that, my King, is what you'll be eating from now on. You want a healthy heir? You listen to the chef."
Zarek stood, towering over the fire. His primal, possessive instincts warred with his shock at this new, superior sensation.
"You," he declared, his voice deep and absolute. "You are not just the vessel of my heir. You are the source of this... flavor."
He knelt by the fire, his eyes studying the delicate flame.
A flame that was not made by him but by objects from his own cave. This was new to him.
"I will continue to hunt the largest beasts. But you will remain here," he commanded, his gaze sweeping over her. "You will not leave. And you will teach me this 'cook'," he commanded.
"My first task for you is this: Teach me the ways of the Human. And then, you will make me more of the sweet meat."
The corner of Roxy's lip twitched. Was this a male lead kind of task? Perfect. I get to play teacher, boss him around, and use my full skill set.
[Ding! Host has secured 'Domestic Leverage' and 'Superiority Complex' (Positive Trait)!]
The game had officially shifted from survival to leverage. Roxy Bell was no longer just a prisoner; she was someone the Dragon King really needed right now.
His heir's mother, his tutor, plus a sprinkle of his mate.
"Deal, Zarek," she agreed, sitting down. "But first, you're doing the dishes."