FLAP! FLAP! King Baltos sat on a chair at the highest tower of his castle, watching the sky with unease. Arad was a powerful dragon but still held the boundaries of dragons, a manageable threat. But now that he can blow the whole kingdom into the sky in the blink of an eye, it's getting harder and harder to think of a way to defend against him if he turned against them.
"It was the right decision back then," He mumbled, remembering the noble that Arad killed after he tried to Attack Mira. "A twilight emperor, with an opal star of death. I still remember him munching on a cow leg like a black marmot on a carrot."
"You're highness, they'll be here soon," Kin approached from the back, bowing as she looked forward with one eye, her vision piercing the clouds, spotting Arad and the dragons in the distance. "I say, an hour at most. He's carrying people in a carriage."
"What's Gin doing?" Baltos turned, asking.
"Making sure no one dares to cause trouble. The last thing we want is Arad getting enraged and blasting the whole capital to ash." Kin replied, "We ratted everything out and made sure the whole wedding ceremony was guarded with triple the force that was at your wedding."
"Arad, Isdis, and all of their guests make sure we don't have a reason to worry,"
Kin went back into the castle, leaving Baltos alone, watching the sky. In the past few days, he had made sure everything was ready. Food was enough for all the dragons, enough seats, and protection. He didn't leave a single thing he could think of without planning for it. All he can do now is hope, nothing goes wrong.
Time passed, and he could see Arad and the dragons show above the mountain, parting the clouds as they approached. He stood with a smile, "Better get ready to greet them," He was about to head to the castle's courtyard where he prepared a massive landing platform, coupled with a band of bards to greet them.
He stopped, sweating. ^Why are my senses tingling,^ He looked back, seeing Arad and the dragons slow down before entering the city's air, hovering right outside the wall.
"HOI! Don't land there!" He cried. "I understand the chromatic dragons, but not you, Arad!"
Arad slowly lowered the carriage to the ground until its wheels touched the ground, and he landed, followed by the chromatic and Metallic dragons behind him, blotting the forest as they sat down.
The metallic dragons quickly shifted into their humanoid form to save space, while the chromatic dragons and Claug found empty places where they could sit without smashing anything.
The guards of the walls rushed out in a panic, they were notified that Arad and the dragons were coming, but they had prepared for them in the castle's courtyard, not here.
"Surround them! Prevent any citizen from approaching, especially adventurers!" The head guard screamed his lungs out, looking around for a certain idiot that just returned to the capital.
"HO! HO!" A buff man cried in excitement, "How beautiful! It's the most dragony-looking thing I've seen in my LIFE!" He stood, black flames burning from his eyes.
"Calm down," A woman sighed beside him, "That's the king's guest. We were told not to make troubles."
"But!" The man turned toward her with the biggest smile ever, "Look at IT!"
"That dark purple scales and glowing eyes, it's majestic, I agree," The woman replied.
"NO! I'm talking about that green one in the back. Look at those thick arms and legs," He pointed toward Claug, "Is it wrong that I want its children?"
"No. But I would prefer the purple one." She giggled, "The guild also said we should keep down for now,"
"I'm not keeping down," The man lunged forward, burning like a black meteor.
Claug head turned rapidly, spotting the adventurer flying at her with a raging lust. "The hell?" She dodged by twisting her neck, smacking him in the back with her front left claw, and sending him to the forest.
The adventurer hit the ground, digging a trench before coming to a halt. He gasped, opening one eye and looking at her, "AH! That felt amazing,"
"Human, what is your problem?" Claug stared at him, confused for a bit, but in the back of her head, she already knew what the idiot wanted.
"Attacking out of nowhere," A blue dragon growled, "Let me smash him down,"
"Let him be," Claug growled at the blue dragon, "My prey, and he isn't Alcott, so it's not a problem."
Alcott looked out of the carriage, "I'm not such a problem."
"You are," Kinryuu stared at him, "We can take anyone down except you. It's been a rule among the metallic and chromatic dragon that no one is to fight you alone unless they want to die."
The adventurer stood, barely injured, as he pulled two daggers out of his magic pocket. "S-rank, level 145, titled the black flame and still single at the age of 35 years old. Nice to meet you, beautiful lady."
"You remind me of that excited random idiot going after the princess of the Western Republic even though he knows she's already married." Claug walked forward, her claws leaving marks on the soft ground, "Seen a lot like you, I'm not interested."
"Not only beautiful and stunning, but intelligent as well. Let's make a family!" He approached, his arms open.
"Listen, I'm stuck as a dragon, and you're stuck as a human. It won't work." Claug sighed, "And, you being an S-rank means nothing,"
"Dragons love power!" He took a stance, "I shall prove myself your way. Let's fight," He lunged forward, swinging his dagger at her face.
Alcott sighed in the carriage, "Going for the head is stupid. He should've gone for the front left claw." He noticed that Claug's nose was between her eyes and the claw, making her reaction to attacks in that location a bit slower, and should've given the adventurers a better chance at landing a hit.
CLAP! Claug smacked the adventurers back toward the forest with her head like a giraffe.
Arad sighed, "Why do people think they can take on a dragon head-on, just because Alcott can?" He turned toward the wall, seeing the other woman waving her hands, chanting in an unknown language.