novelraw Chapter 62
Chapter 62
A shared glance was all the confirmation needed: neither dragon was going to help.
Together, they turned their attention back to the swirling cloud of sand.
Within the dust devil, the tide had turned. The white dragon was now pinning the black beast to the ground. In terms of rank, the high-tier(☆☆☆) Aridfell leader was superior. But it had made a fatal error at the outset: it had chosen to engage a dragon in a close-quarters battle of stamina. If it had used hit-and-run tactics, it might not have been overpowered so quickly. But an Aridfell was, in the end, a creature of low intelligence.
Perhaps even Bianca was smarter than the Aridfell leader.
Her white maw opened, two rows of sharp dragon teeth glinting in the light. She struck like a viper, her jaws locking precisely onto the beast's neck. A savage light flared in Bianca's eyes.
She bit down.
CRACK!
“Nnngh…”
The light in the Aridfell leader's round, red eyes began to dim. Its black claws, scrabbling weakly at the sand, slowed their frantic movements, then stilled completely.
Bianca released her grip and threw her head back, her blood-stained maw opened to the sky.
“Haha! I'm so strong!”
That stupid dragon, Aiden thought, pushing himself to his feet. The battle was over. It was time for the next step.
The young white dragon lowered her head, seized the dead Aridfell leader by the neck, and began to drag it toward the red and blue figures, carving a long furrow in the sand as she went. The three wyrmlings soon stood in a triangle. Bianca dropped the heavy head onto the sand.
“Aiden! Azure! Look! I killed it!” Her bright eyes shone with pride, like a child who had just won her first fight.
Aiden's gaze roamed over her body. A large patch of white scales on her back was shattered. A section of her tail was similarly damaged, the red blood already clotted. A deep scratch ran down the middle of her round, white head, also sealed with dried blood.
Fine, he thought. I'll praise the fool.
“You did well.”
“Ehehe! Of course! How could a mere vile breed ever defeat me?” Bianca puffed out her chest, her head held high.
Aiden was speechless.
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“Right!” Bianca continued, “With all this food, we'll be set for a long time! So, now we just take it all back to the lair and go to sleep, right?” She looked at Aiden, her eyes shining with anticipation.
Aiden met her gaze, his own expression cold. “We're not going back.”
“Why not? Aow? Isn't sleeping in the lair good?”
He looked at her blissfully ignorant face. This fool, who knows nothing of our peril, is truly carefree.
Azure, meanwhile, had turned her head, her gaze sweeping the horizon. This desert was not as quiet as it appeared.
“We are going to continue hunting,” Aiden said. “If you have an objection, we can hold a vote.”
Hearing the word ‘vote', Bianca's white head drooped. She didn't want to vote. Azure would never support her; Azure always sided with Aiden.
Aiden watched her deflated posture. She's matured a little. I don't even have to trick her anymore.
He lifted his gaze to the low mountain peak where they had rested earlier. It was about 300 yards high. A decent spot. It could serve as a temporary base.
Azure caught his line of sight. “So? Do you have a plan?”
Aiden nodded. “You and Bianca, pile these Aridells up.”
With that simple command, he spread his red wings. With a single, powerful beat, his claws left the ground. He flew up to the mountain, stopping to hover at a height of 200 yards before a sheer, black cliff face. This will do.
Two crimson rings of power materialized before him.
“Burst!”
BOOM!
“Burst!”
BOOM!
Grey dust and smoke billowed out. A cascade of shattered rock tumbled down the mountainside. Aiden beat his wings hard, the powerful gusts of wind clearing the dust to reveal his handiwork.
A gaping hole, about thirty yards wide. It was wide enough, but it didn't look very deep, perhaps only ten yards. He wouldn't be able to stretch out properly. He imagined himself curled up uncomfortably. No. I'll expand it. Deeper.
He cut the flow of mana, and the two red rings shattered. New rings began to form. This time, there were three. They pulsed with a soft, crimson glow.
“Flame Pillar!”
At his command, the gathered elements erupted into a pillar of red fire that poured into the newly formed cave. Aiden slowly swept his head from side to side, and the Flame Pillar moved with him. The interior of the cave glowed cherry-red as the black rock melted like wax under the intense heat. The cave deepened. Ten yards, twenty yards, thirty yards.
Aiden opened the arcane panel in his left eye. His mana value had dropped to 300. The spell was excellent in every way, except for one: its mana consumption was astronomical. A few moments of use and he was nearly depleted.
He eyed the cave. Thirty yards deep should be enough. I can curl my tail if I have to. It's only a temporary lair, after all.
He stopped the flow of the Flame Pillar. The three rings shattered, their red motes of light drifting upwards before vanishing. He focused on the other ring in his vision, the one that tracked his progress. The red bar within it remained stubbornly motionless, still at about a quarter full.
It seems the whole killing-monsters-for-experience thing was just my own wishful thinking.
Aiden angled his wings, turning back toward the ground. His gaze fell upon the sand below. The white and blue wyrmlings were standing on their hind legs, each carrying an Aridfell in their foreclaws as they walked toward a small mountain of carcasses they had already piled up. They've done a good job.
Whoosh.
His claws hit the sand. He slid forward for a couple of yards before coming to a smooth stop, folding his wings. The other two dragons looked up at him.
“Let's go. The temporary lair is ready,” Aiden announced. “First, we move the food.”
The commotion on the mountain had not gone unnoticed by the two wyrmlings. Though they didn't understand why Aiden was building a new lair here, Bianca's eyes lit up.
Lair equals sleep. And that was good enough for her.