Bab 92: Chapter 92: The Attentive White Dragon Mother
Hiss! Two simple first-ring spells, Frost Rays, traced straight lines in the air, landing squarely on the faces of the two unconscious white dragons.
The cold magic was akin to splashing water on their faces, snapping them abruptly from unconsciousness as they struggled to move.
"What do you want to do?" the prime-aged white dragon asked as it managed to stand, feeling the searing pain of burns.
The burning pain was particularly unbearable for white dragons.
Its face showed fear, and its voice lacked its earlier confidence, now tinged with fear as it looked towards Garon.
Simultaneously, the adult white dragon also regained consciousness, its expression similar to the prime-aged one, filled with apprehension.
The brief encounter that had robbed them of their ability to resist showed them that Garon's true strength was far superior to theirs.
In the eyes of the two white dragons, Garon's spells seemed to teleport directly onto them.
Despite being on alert, they had no chance to react.
This made it clear that if the immense silver dragon before them wished to kill them, they stood no chance.
Dragons have never been united, with intra-species relations barely better, governed by the Dragon Gods unless deep grievances exist preventing random slaughter. However, conflicts between metallic and chromatic dragons are frequent, often leading to fatal outcomes.
The metallic Dragon God and the chromatic Dragon God have long been at odds, with other Dragon Gods taking sides, leading to centuries of internal conflict.
The two white dragons, mistaking Garon for an adult silver dragon, now feared he might decide to kill them.
Silver dragons are kind but relentless against creatures of evil alignments, and chromatic dragons are universally recognized as malevolent.
Facing two white dragons, Garon slowly lifted his claws, and several scorching fireballs materialized in front of him.
Seeing the fireballs, both white dragons turned pale, the pain seeming to intensify as they quickly said in Draconic: "Mighty silver dragon, we didn't know that was your territory, we meant no offense."
This time, under the threat of death, the prime-aged white dragon didn't argue that Garon was not the ruler of the icy cliff territory.
Whether it truly believed or was merely capitulating under pressure didn't matter.
"If you spare us, we can offer our hoarded treasures in exchange."
As they spoke of trading their treasures, both dragons hesitated, finding the words difficult to utter.
The thought of their years of accumulated treasures becoming someone else's property pained them deeply. It was undoubtedly the worst day in their lives, having gained nothing but ending up injured and possibly losing their treasures.
Garon, listening to the white dragons, remained silent.
The hovering fireballs, glowing menacingly red, did not seem to be retracting.
"I could kill you and then take your hoard from your lair."
"Coming to my lair to steal and offering treasures doesn't quench my anger."
He spoke coolly, his words carrying an implication of impending doom.
Garon didn't explicitly state he wanted to make the white dragons lair guardians. Revealing this could give them hope of negotiation.
To change the lock, first speak of breaking the door—a useful negotiation tactic in many situations.
As expected, hearing Garon's words laden with intent to kill, the two white dragons exchanged anxious glances, terrified of being burned to death—a torturous end for any white dragon.
After speaking, Garon waved his claw, and the fireballs arced towards the severely injured white dragons who could barely move.
Seeing the fireballs drawing closer and feeling the intensifying heat, the white dragons despairingly closed their eyes.
But just at the last moment, they felt only a flash of heat without the anticipated excruciating pain of burning flames.
Boom! A deafening explosion occurred not far from them, and the blast of hot air, like a hurricane, struck their white scales, causing their bodies to shiver as they hesitantly opened their eyes.
Behind them, a sea of fire appeared.
The adult white dragon was unlucky, its tail caught by the flames, turning red quickly as it hissed in pain and awkwardly moved to escape the intense heat.
At the same time, both white dragons looked up at Garon, who seemed contemplative under the moonlight, not immediately intent on killing them.
The prime-aged white dragon, quick to react, pleaded in Draconic: "Mighty silver dragon, anything within my power to extinguish your wrath, I will not refuse."
Following the prime-aged dragon's plea, the adult white dragon also begged for mercy.
"I will do the same!"
Garon looked at them, his voice deep: "I do not wish to encounter another theft at my lair. Considering this, I have decided to give you a chance to live."
"Please, tell us."
Both white dragons perked up at this possibility.
Despite the lingering pain and the
memory of being hit by fireballs and the blazing inferno behind them, they were eager to avoid death.
With their strength, they would not ascend to Tiamat's divine realm upon death; death was final.
"Renounce your desire for freedom, and under the witness of the chromatic Dragon God, swear to become guardians of my lair."
"Guard my lair for three hundred years, killing all who dare covet my treasure."
Garon looked at the scarred white dragons, speaking calmly.
They were initially stunned, then hesitated, but the charred ground and their pain reminded them they had no other choice but death.
"It is an honor to guard your lair for such a mighty being."
The prime-aged white dragon struggled with its emotions before sighing and resigning itself.
It did not want to die.
Serving as a lair guardian for three hundred years or until Garon chose to replace them still offered a chance for future freedom, a better prospect than death, as all intelligent beings fear death.
The adult white dragon's expression shifted as it heard the prime-aged dragon's response, realizing it had no other choice and nodding in agreement.
Indeed, as the prime-aged dragon had said, guarding Garon's lair was a significant honor.
Under normal circumstances, many young true dragons would volunteer to guard the lairs of ancient dragons.
Being a time dragon, a rarer existence than a Dragon God, serving as Garon's guardian was a distinct privilege.
Living near Garon, although not developing as quickly as him, they would still benefit from the flow of time, gaining faster advancement and longer life than their peers.
Following this, both white dragons swore by the name of the chromatic Dragon God, 'volunteering' to guard Garon's lair and surrendering their entire wealth to his service.
Upon completing their oath, both dragons felt a profound sense of destiny.
Violating this oath would bring a curse from the Dragon God, tormenting them even after death.
The chromatic Dragon God, as a deity of evil dragons, embodied their temperaments, being among the most brutal and savage of deities, often regarded as a malevolent god in many worlds.
Swearing by its name meant a fate worse than death if they broke their oath.
"Collect the scattered treasure and return it to where it belongs," Garon instructed the prime-aged white dragon.
Having two adult white dragons as guardians would prevent incidents like today's. If stronger creatures invaded, they could at least hold them off until Garon arrived, rather than letting them freely take his treasures.
The prime-aged white dragon, still puzzled, asked, "Are these truly your treasures? I thought the icy cliffs were Sulia's territory."
Garon's tone hardened, leaving no room for doubt: "It belongs to me now."
The prime-aged dragon's face stiffened, then, dragging its painful body, began collecting the scattered treasures.
"As for you, gather the treasures from your lair and bring them to my territory."
"Bring your kin as well."
The adult white dragon took off, flying shakily due to its injuries.
Garon glanced at the also slow-moving prime-aged white dragon and generously cast a spell on them.
A second-ring protective spell against pain.
Garon wasn't stingy with his magic, casting it several times to significantly improve the condition of his two new lair guardians, energizing them as if they'd been injected with adrenaline.
After completing these arrangements, Garon didn't wait around.
He set off back towards the icy cliff lair.
On his way, he encountered ferocious frost tigers and wolves that had followed him. Garon was pleased with them and signaled they didn't need to continue the chase.
Facing two white dragon thieves, these creatures, unable to fly, had shown some ineffectiveness, but their boldness in directly pursuing true dragons was enough to satisfy Garon.
The silver dragon soared through the night sky, with the massive evil wolf and tigers running on the ground, limbs moving swiftly. This scene caused the creatures of the icy plains to freeze, cautiously concealing their presence, not daring to stir.
A few minutes later, when Garon returned to the icy cliff territory, he was surprised to find the white dragon mother had arrived, idly waiting for him at the base of the cliff, playing with her tail.
Her timing was curious.
"Sulia, why have you come again?"
Garon folded his wings and landed beside the white dragon mother, frowning slightly.
Meanwhile, the white dragon mother brightened upon seeing Garon's silvery figure, assuming a posture considered quite proper and attractive among dragons.
She raised her upper body slightly, also looking upwards with calm breaths, her wings half-folded, and her tail straightened behind her, curving slightly at the tip.
It was a posture of elegance, fitting a dragoness of her age.
In contrast, she had always been quite inelegant in Garon's presence, her posture casual and
disheveled.
"What are you up to?"
"I've said before, don't come to my territory unless it's necessary."
Garon's tone was unfriendly, his wary gaze on the white dragon mother suggesting he suspected her motives.
The white dragon mother, upon hearing Garon's blunt words, instinctively wanted to retort harshly but strangely held back, nodding with a shallow smile: "Garon, I've been hunting recently and caught prey you like."
"I've had my fill, and Charles and the others don't like it, so I thought I'd give it to you."
She pointed to a frost-armored giant serpent frozen by her dragon breath.
The creature inside appeared vividly, injured but seemingly frozen alive under the white dragon mother's careful control, still quite fresh.
At the same time, inside the white dragon mother's lair, three white dragonlings looked sullen and listless, their spirits dampened by hunger.
Noticing the white dragon mother's unusual demeanor, Garon thought for a moment but didn't refuse, merely asking, "Is there something you need my help with?"
"Just a prey, although it suits my taste, it's not enough for me to solve your problems for you."
The white dragon mother maintained her dignified pose, her smile bright: "No, no, it's just a gift. I'm glad if you like it."
Garon eyed the frost-armored giant serpent, asking, "You're this generous?"
The frost-armored giant serpent was one of the hardest prey for Garon to catch. It excelled in hiding and burrowing under the icy plains, rarely emerging unless hunting. Garon had only tasted it once.
He didn't believe the white dragon mother would be so obliging without a reason.
"You once said that entering your territory has a cost. You could consider this as paying that price."
The white dragon mother blinked, her light laughter not hiding her motive.
Garon frowned and remained silent.
Subsequently, the white dragon mother continued chatting with Garon, undeterred by his cool demeanor.
Given that she had brought him something to eat, Garon felt it would be too harsh to send her away immediately, so he half-heartedly engaged with her.
At the same time, the prime-aged white dragon finished collecting the scattered treasure and returned to the icy cliff territory.
When it saw Garon and the white dragon mother, its expression froze.
The white dragon mother also paused, her long-maintained submissive posture suddenly faltering as she turned to Garon and accused, "Garon! You said you wanted to handle things alone when I proposed a partnership, so what's with this guy?"
"Why are you working with another white dragon but not with me? Do you look down on me?"
Garon: "This one and another white dragon were caught stealing my treasure. They have now voluntarily become guardians of my lair."
The white dragon mother blinked, skeptical: "Really?"
Garon, impatient, replied: "Believe it or not, up to you."
He turned to the prime-aged white dragon: "What are you standing around for? Put the things back where they belong, then find a place nearby to build your lair."
The prime-aged white dragon looked at Garon, then at the white dragon mother, and quickly diverted its gaze, moving to place the treasure inside the lair.
Simultaneously, the white dragon mother's doubts dissipated, her harsh tone vanishing as she resumed her smiling, appealing dragon demeanor.
Despite her youth, the white dragon mother was indeed a beautiful dragon, her form slender and curvaceous, her scales bright and white. However, her fickle nature and unpleasant character made Garon unappreciative.
Eventually, after making conversation for over half an hour, the white dragon mother reluctantly left.
The problem was, having seen how young Garon already had true dragons as lair guardians, her gaze towards him became even more problematic, causing Garon to feel uneasy, a tingling sensation on his scalp.
"Could it be that she finally recognizes my potential and wants to foster a good relationship, hence the change in attitude?"
Garon pondered the white dragon mother's logic.
A few minutes later, he was startled by a somewhat outrageous guess.
"Surely not, I'm only three years old."
Garon shook his head, dismissing the thought from his mind, and turned his attention to the group of kin brought back by the adult white dragon.
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