"You would spare my life?" the dragon said, bewildered.
-"I would." Lyra said simply, looking up at the dragon. She did not see fear in its eyes anymore, but respect, and something else... devotion. The dragon lowered its head, until it's chin touched the ground before Lyra's feet. A universal sign of submission, or so it would seem.
"I accept. From this day forward, I shall serve you with the utmost devotion, master." the dragon then said. Which, naturally, caught Lyra quite off-guard.
-"Uhm... what?" Lyra said, looking down at the Dragon's head as it laid on the ground. The size of the head was so big it was essentially as tall as Lyra, and its eyes as big as dining plates. The same, massive eyes now looking up at Lyra, as if the dragon was a puppy.
"It is only natural. My kin values strength above all. If you have defeated your enemy, their lives are forfeit. Should you still decide to spare them, they now belong to you. As such, I will serve you to the best of my ability! That said... it likely won't be for long. My internal injuries are quite severe..." the large dragon said with a huff and a pained grunt.
Lyra sighed, but she sensed no deception from the dragon. Beyond that, it might not be a terrible idea to have a dragon companion, someone who could guard her home when she is away, or to teach her about the world. But, it all depended on if this master-servant bond could be trusted.
-"Your life is mine to do whatever I want with, until the day you die, is that it?" Lyra asked.
"Correct. I am yours to command, and I will fight to the death to protect you, master." the dragon respond, head still on the ground, occasionally wincing from the pain.
-"Very well. I accept you servitude." Lyra said, as she placed her hand on the head of the dragon. Then, she spoke the incantation: "Perfect Heal" and a bright yet warm light enveloped the dragon. In a few seconds, the internal bleeding was stopped, the broken bones in the hind legs regrew and rejoined to one another, and even the wing grew back in a matter of seconds!
"How... is this possible?!" the dragon said, standing up rather abruptly, looking down at itself. "I.. can stand? The pain is gone! And... MY WING IS BACK!?" then, she turned her eyes back towards Lyra, lowering her head again, only to sweep Lyra up with a massive claw, pressing the much smaller elf against her cheeks.
"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, master! I have the best master in the entire world! The strongest, the most beautiful, the most merciful and benevolent!" the dragon squealed loudly as it squeezed Lyra against her cheek, as if Lyra was some teddy-bear or children's toy. Lyra, on the other hand, was just trying to cope with this entire shift. The Dragon who had come to kill her and burn down her forest 10 mins ago, was now acting like this? However, the playful aura was contagious, and after a few seconds, she could not help but let out a laugh at the situation. She reached out and patted the dragon, as she said:
-"Alright, alright. What is your name?"
The dragon put Lyra back down on the ground, and sat on its behind like a dog waiting for food. A massive, multi-story tall dog. It then said: "Reina, Master. I am 247 years old, the daughter of the previous Patriarch of the Red Dragon Clan."
-"I see. Where does the clan live? Surely you must understand what I intend to do, by asking you this question." Lyra said, giving Reina the first test of her loyalty. The massive dragon however did not so much as flinch, and began spilling the beans instantly.
"Of course, master, I understand! They are all fools who must be punished for their transgressions against you! How dare they try and attack you and steal your lands!" The dragon began, speaking vividly, clearly animated and upset on Lyra's behalf... even though she had been in the attack-party. Lyra just watched and shook her head with a bemused smirk, before focusing again as Reina continued: "There is an old, dormant volcano up in the mountains, six hours north of here. That is where the Clan lives."
Lyra nodded, stroking her chin. She looked up at the dragon, remarking:
-"You know, you were amongst those who tried to kill me and burn down my home."
Immediately, the dragon threw herself on the ground before Lyra with such force the poor High-Elf nearly toppled over, as the ground shook. Reina laid flat on the ground, head into the dirt of the crater, as she spoke, voice low: "This insolent one begs your forgiveness, master. She was ignorant and did not know of your greatness or strength!"
-"Yes yes, it is fine now. Can I trust you to watch over this place until I return, Reina? And let me be clear... if anything happens to it, I will not be kind upon my return..." Lyra said, watching the dragon. She was still not entirely convinced, as Reina could be putting on an act, but she wanted to trust the dragon. Reina, for her part, sat up again and nodded firmly.
"I shall guard it with my life, master!" Reina said firmly, stomping a massive foot into the ground to drive her point across. And with that, Lyra lifted off the ground, floating up into the air, her dragon-scale cloak fluttering in the air behind her. She gave Reina a nod, before she turned to look to the north. Time to finish this, to put an end to these attacks for good. And with that mindset, she took off, flying north, leaving the Spirit Sanctuary behind in capable hands. Or... claws.
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5 hours later, during high-noon, with the sun just above her, she came to a halt over a large volcano, situated in the middle of the mountain range. Down in the calcified caldera, she could spot a few red figures moving about. Dragons, naturally. The wind whipped her hair and cloak, the air cold and chilly, but she was not too badly affected by the elements, all things considered. Her elven eyes looked down on the dragons in the caldera below, and she could see nods and pointing, up in her direction. Seems she had been noticed, but that was fine. She had not intended to be sneaky anyways.
So she began her descent, surging down towards the volcano, before landing in the middle. She was not afraid now, not when she had managed to take out 13 red dragons in a matter of seconds before. Now she knew, she could handle dragons. Not to mention, her stats had increased massively, with their deaths. Just a look at her "Status Window" was enough to boost her confidence. All of the dragons she had killed, had stats that ranged between 1000 to 2000. So she'd stolen on average 150 in stats across the board, from each dragon.
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Name: Lyra Lunarsong
HP: 37410 / 37410 MP: 39730 / 39730
Level: 83 (11,200,300 / 12,875,000)
Race: High Elf
Age: 26
Stamina: 3741
Strength: 3307
Agility: 2681
Spirit: 2448
Intellect: 3604
Job: Sage (All spells costs 50% less mana to cast. All spells deals 20% extra dmg. May communicate and form contracts with Spirits to use their powers as your own.)
Skill: Magic Creation (SSS) (The User may create spells with their own unique effects, the manacost is proportionate to the effect of the spell)
Available attribute points to spend: 80
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She nearly had 40,000 HP and 40,000 mana now, and her stats may even increase further before this day was over. Before long, she landed in the middle of the caldera, as she gazed out along the outline of the crater. There were various ridges along the outline of the caldera, where some Red Dragons had made their lairs. There was one cave entrance that seemed bigger than the rest, from which emerged the largest Red Dragon Lyra had ever seen. Using her inspect skill, she noticed this one had stats just touching the 2000 threshold, which still made Lyra the strongest.
"Have you come to finish the job, Dragon-Slayer?" the larger dragon said, loud enough for her voice to echo across the Caldera, as she slowly makes her way out towards the center. In a grim though, Lyra realizes this entire thing is set up like an arena. The champion of the arena becomes the champion of the clan. Interesting concept, though not very original.
-"I have, yes. Are you the leader?" Lyra answered, her Area: Translate spell working overtime.
"I am the Matriarch... and the older sister of a brother who now hangs from your back like a cloak...." the Matriarch responded in a low growl, still approaching the center. She added: "You have a lot of nerve, to show up here, still reeking of the blood of our fallen kin, wearing the carcass of my brother..."
However, Lyra would not be intimidated. She was not the unreasonable one here, after all, and she would be sure to let this rude dragon know:
-"Me? I have a lot of nerve?" she began, before letting out a laugh of disbelief. But her laughter soon died down, as she continued: "You lot are the ones who have attacked my lands out of the blue, and tried to kill me, twice now. So tell me, is that not a declaration of war from your kin, onto me? Therefore, may I not respond in kind?"
Lyra breathed in, and out, trying to stay calm, while her magical aura was leaking out, shimmering around her with untold pressure. The Matriarch came to a stop in front of Lyra, looking down on her. She was the Apex, the strongest of her kind... and yet, when she looked down at this small, squishy being, she was unnerved. Her senses were screaming at her, warning her of danger, but how could it be so? It was just an elf. Yet she knew what this elf could do. Still, old habits died hard. Even in the face of a god, she could not allow such disrespect.
"Have you come to challenge me, elf?" the Matriarch asked simply.
-"Originally I had come to kill all of you. But if fighting you is enough, perhaps I shall be satisfied with just that..." Lyra said, folding her arms across her chest, staring up defiantly at the big dragon.
"Your arrogance knows no limit. You think you could take on the entire Red Dragon Clan at once?" the Matriarch said, looking down at Lyra with disbelief.
-"MY ARROGANCE!? It is you who are arrogant, to dare to try and lay claim to MY lands, to dare to try and burn MY forest, and to dare and try to take MY life! I will beat some sense into you, since you all appear to be gravely lacking in that department..." Lyra said, raising her voice.
"Then, I shall take that statement as proof of your challenge! Now perish!" the Matriarch screamed, before lounging at Lyra, her massive claw slamming down on top of the elf with enough force to shatter the ground beneath them!