“Grr… end me, little insect…”
Blood gushed from Obus’s throat, a crimson tide spilling over scales.
Richard had pierced the dragon’s heart and slashed its throat.
The mighty beast’s life ebbed away, each heartbeat a countdown to oblivion.
How could this be?
This wretched, vile, frail little insect… how dare it—how could it—slay me?
Obus strained, lifting his massive draconic head, his gaze locking onto Richard and the two female insects skulking in the distance.
One was a blur, her white hair and dragon horns marking her as a dragonblood sorceress, no doubt.
The other, likely a priestess, cloaked in divine aura.
They had crept in, invisible, aiding this miserable pest.
Worse, they’d sealed the dragon’s lair, chaining Obus to the ground, robbing him of the sky.
Forced to fight in his own den, he faced this unkillable insect while they worked sly, insidious spells from the shadows.
Argh!
If I hadn’t slept on my claws and numbed them, I’d have ravaged those females right in front of this insect’s eyes!
Great torrents of dragon blood poured from Obus’s neck and chest, staining the stone floor.
Richard, battered and bloodied himself, raised his dragon-slaying sword, its tip aimed at Obus.
“Reveal the chamber holding the princess,” he said, voice steady despite his wounds.
“Do it, and I’ll grant you a swift end. Refuse, and we’ll find her anyway.”
Princess?
What princess?
Why did these insects always come yammering about some princess?
No matter!
This lowly bug dared to bargain with me?
Calm yourself, Obus.
You are the greatest, mightiest true dragon in history.
You will prevail.
Obus’s teeth ground together, a grating snarl.
He drew a deep breath, lowered his head, and growled, “Fine.”
At his will, the lair shifted.
The rocky wall high above dissolved, revealing a marble platform.
A gilded birdcage hung there, a crowned figure standing within.
Below, heaps of gold coins and glittering gems sparkled in the dim light.
The white-haired dragonblood sorceress cried out, “The princess! And the treasure!”
Obus’s head snapped up.
His stomach churned, and from the depths of his throat, dragonfire stirred.
Sparks flared from the gaping wounds in his neck and mouth—the prelude to a devastating breath.
Richard, exhausted from the grueling battle, hadn’t noticed the deep inhale, the telltale sign of a dragon’s breath.
Too late, he realized Obus still had fight left.
Hatred burned in the dragon’s eyes.
If they came for a princess and treasure, let them burn to ash!
“Stop!”
Richard’s shout echoed as he raised his holy sword and leapt forward.
With a mighty swing, a sacred slash struck Obus’s head, knocking it aside.
The dragon’s breath erupted, a conical blaze veering wildly, scorching the far wall where a sign marked “latrine” hung.
Flames roared within the cave, and a stench vile enough to choke the living burst forth.
A dozen beastman janitors, aprons singed and bodies aflame, screamed as they fled the blazing latrine.
Obus could hold on no longer.
With a thunderous crash, he collapsed.
Richard, leaning on his sword atop the dragon’s head, gasped for breath.
“At last… justice has triumphed over evil.”
But his victory was short-lived.
“What?”
Richard pressed a finger to his ear, receiving a message from his companions.
“The princess… is an illusion?”
Obus, though fading, grinned wickedly.
“Grah… grah… foolish insect. You’ll never match… my unparalleled… wisdom.”
His dragon eyes, wide and unyielding, fixed on the insect daring to stand atop him.
His nostrils flared, drawing in Richard’s scent, committing every detail—his face, his form, his essence—to memory.
“I’ll savor your flesh,” Obus rasped, his voice a dying ember.
“Crush your bones… defile your women.”
“You’ll rue this day, insect… Richard… Richard… Richard.”
He chanted the name as dragonfire burned within, consuming his vision.
A true dragon’s noble form, a trophy for an insect? Never.
Darkness closed in, death’s shadow enveloping Obus.
Yet he felt no fear.
Only weak, short-lived insects like Richard trembled before death’s embrace.
For a true dragon, death was merely a nap.
With a prepared egg, Obus would rise again.
In time, he’d return to his peak—and Richard’s nightmare would begin.
In dragon circles, many knew the secret of rebirth.
Slayers often sought the egg, smashing it or cursing its vitality to ensure the dragon’s end.
But Obus was no ordinary dragon.
Others hid their rebirth eggs in secret lairs.
Obus?
He hid his in plain sight, among the treasure hoard.
The most dangerous place was the safest.
No one would suspect a true dragon’s precious egg would be so carelessly placed.
And Obus, ever cunning, had planned for every possibility.
What if his slayer, ravenous with hunger, mistook the egg for food?
A sign hung beside it: “Rare Ostrich Egg. Value: 10,000 Gold Coins.”
The black dream ended.
Obus opened his eyes to sticky darkness.
Rebirth! Success!
My unparalleled intellect crushes mortals!
Richard, you’ll regret crossing me!
Eagerly, he broke through the eggshell.
Light flooded his vision, and a face—etched in his memory even as ash—loomed before him.
Richard’s face.
That wretched insect who dared challenge and slay me!
Obus glared, his newborn eyes blazing.
Richard looked haggard, dark circles under his lifeless eyes.
He cradled the egg, staring at the red-scaled hatchling poking out.
Beside it hung the sign: “Rare Ostrich Egg. Value: 10,000 Gold Coins.”
A booming voice rang out—an elderly auctioneer, fervor in his tone:
“Last call! Truly the final call!”
“A rare ostrich egg, valued at 10,000 gold coins by the ancient dragon Obus himself!”
“Now, just eight gold coins!”
“Eight coins to own a piece of the greatest dragon-slaying saga!”
The crowd jeered, their patience worn thin.
“The great dragon-slaying where the princess died in a latrine?”
“Not even a single dragon scale to show for it!”
A sharp-eyed bidder called out, “Look! The egg’s hatching—a dragon!”
All eyes turned to Richard, the egg, and the sticky, red-scaled hatchling within.
The white-bearded auctioneer spun around, elated.
“A miracle! The gods themselves pity noble Richard, burdened by debt!”
“They’ve gifted him a dragon—a true heir of the infamous Obus!”
He leaned in, whispering, “My lord, don’t just stand there!”
“Place the egg on the block. This is your chance to rise!”
“No one’s ever auctioned a live dragon!”
Richard and Obus locked eyes.
Richard hesitated.
“But… it’s a sentient being.”
The auctioneer scoffed.
“You call it ‘it’ yourself!”
“Red dragons are born evil—beasts, nothing more.”
Richard’s voice wavered.
“It’s… still a child.”
Pity?
This insect dares pity me?
And sell me like chattel?
Fury surged in Obus.
With a kick of his tiny hind legs, he lunged, shark-like teeth sinking into Richard’s forearm.
“Argh!”
Richard yelped, leaping back.
The egg shattered on the ground.
He shook his arm, but Obus clung tight, dangling in the air.
The crowd gasped in unison.
The auctioneer seized the moment.
“Behold! What vigor in this young dragon!”
“A treasure for the fortunate buyer!”
He leaned closer, whispering, “Will you sell this little monster?”
Richard, grimacing, nodded.
Panic gripped Obus.
He released his bite.
Richard bent down, seizing the dragon’s jaws with one hand.
The auctioneer called, “Fetch a rope!”
No!
To be the first true dragon sold like a common beast?
I’d never face my kin again!
In his desperation, Obus glimpsed the holy sigil on Richard’s chest.
A paladin.
A bleeding-heart fool who helped others.
In short, an idiot.
And idiots could be outwitted with his unparalleled intellect.
A spark of genius flared.
Obus would transform.
As Richard readied the rope to bind his jaws, red light enveloped the hatchling.
When it faded, a small, naked girl sat on the ground, yelping as her backside hit the stone.
Dragon horns sprouted from her head, a tail flicked behind her.
She looked up, baring shark-like teeth at Richard.
To terrify the insect, she raised her hands, fingers curled like claws, and growled in a cute, childish voice,
“Grah! Bet you didn’t expect me to turn human and escape!”
“Sell me, and I’ll eat you!”
She thrust her “claws” forward, her adorable face inching closer.
Richard froze.
The crowd gasped, “Oh?”
Obus preened, her dragon’s majesty undimmed.
She’d once cowed an empire’s guards and made an emperor kneel.
She eyed Richard’s neck.
Stunned, was he?
Perfect.
She’d snap it.
Her slender legs tensed for a pounce.
But Richard, face flushed with shame for nearly selling her, dropped the rope.
He tore off his sky-blue cloak and wrapped it around her.
Obus lunged, teeth bared, only to land in the folds of the cloak.
Richard scooped her up, striding away as her tiny feet kicked wildly, peeking from the fabric.
“Vile insect!” she shrieked. “Release me!”
The crowd stirred.
A portly gentleman, cheeks flushed like a schoolgirl’s, cooed, “So adorable!”
Shouts erupted: “I’ll buy her!” “Auction her now!” “Don’t leave!”
Richard didn’t stop.
The auctioneer hurried after him.
“This is it! A dragon girl!”
“The gods reward the virtuous!”
“Set a price, pick a day—the news will spread across the continent.”
“Buyers will swarm!”
“Enough,” Richard said.
“May the Lord forgive me. I won’t sell a person.”
“She’s no person—she’s a sentient beast!”
Richard shook his head.
“She looks human, sounds human, moves like one.”
“She is human.”
The auctioneer pressed, desperate.
“Will you bear the stain of ‘the dragon-slayer who drowned the princess in a latrine’ forever?”
“Gold won’t erase your shame, but it could win you the emperor’s pardon!”
“You’re a laughingstock, Richard—the only dragon-slayer drowning in debt!”
Richard paused, clutching the squirming, shouting bundle in his arms.
From within the cloak came a high-pitched “dragon’s roar.”
“Grah! Release me, or I swear I’ll bite you to death!”
Richard sighed.
“I haven’t fallen that far.”