novelraw Chapter 95
Chapter 95
Aiden rose to his full height. He strode to the pile of logs, his claws making quick work of the task. With a few deft slices, both vertical and horizontal, he reduced a thick trunk to a neat stack of firewood. He bent down, scooped the wood into his forelegs, and dropped it before the long stone rack.
Clatter.
Crouching low, he began methodically stuffing the firewood beneath the skewers of meat, creating a dense bed of kindling. Soon, a neat row of wood lay ready beneath the roasting rack. All that remained was the spot reserved for the gnoll.
He gathered another load of wood and piled it beneath the spit from which Garruk was suspended. At the sight of the kindling being laid for his own pyre, the gnoll's struggles became truly frantic.
Aiden stood back, admiring his handiwork. Everything was ready. All it required was a spark.
He glanced at the gnoll. Huh? He's thrashing about with such enthusiasm. A thin, cruel smile touched his maw. It's for the best. All that movement will help the Flamepepper infuse the meat more deeply.
Aiden's jaws parted slightly, a flicker of crimson flame dancing on the tip of his tongue.
Whoosh.
A sudden gust of wind from the cave entrance extinguished his nascent flame. He snapped his jaw shut, turning his head toward the sound.
A blue silhouette, clutching a massive stone cauldron, flew into the lair. Her powerful hind claws touched down with a solid, certain landing as her wings folded slowly against her back.
As Azure steadied herself, Aiden extended a claw, pointing toward three flat stones he had set up earlier.
“Place the pot there.”
Azure followed his gesture. Her slitted, blue eyes took in the simple, sturdy stand. With a slight nod, she walked over and carefully set the heavy cauldron upon the stones. Then, she lifted her head and gazed deeper into the cave.
A flash of white caught her eye. It was Bianca, her back to them, her tail swishing from side to side as she muttered to her treasure. Even from this distance, Azure could hear the cheerful litany.
“One, two, three… nine, aow!”
The sound was bright, almost giddy. Azure could just make out the glint of gold and silver coins, with several magical items laid out neatly beside the hoard. The little fool did well for herself, she thought, a flicker of pity in her gaze before she looked away.
Her attention settled on the other spit. A gnoll, still alive. She had sensed its presence as she approached the lair, but seeing it trussed up like a pig for slaughter was another matter. Where did that come from?
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Aiden walked to the cauldron, his great red head dipping down to inspect its contents. Seeing him approach the soup, Azure's tail stilled, her blue eyes watching him intently.
The water level in the pot was high. The wild onions and a host of colorful mushrooms floated on the surface. The onions looked clean enough, but the mushrooms… they seemed more vibrant than she remembered. Is it because they've been washed? Or is it a quirk of this world's flora, that their colors brighten in water?
Aiden's brow furrowed for a moment, then smoothed over. It matters little. They are merely for flavor.
He reached a claw toward the pot to scoop out some onions, then paused, noticing his claw was covered in a black, sticky residue from the firewood. The problem was trivial. He retracted the claw, opened his maw, and let out a brief, controlled puff of dragonfire.
After the flame vanished, all that remained on his claw was a thin layer of black soot. He gave his claw a sharp shake, and the soot flaked away, turning to dust before it hit the ground. His claw was once again a gleaming, immaculate crimson.
A look of pure satisfaction crossed his face. Fire is, indeed, a convenient tool.
His now-clean claw plunged into the water, emerging with a dripping handful of wild onions. He turned to Azure, his red eyes meeting her placid blue gaze.
“Take these,” he commanded, extending the offering. “Feed them to the gnoll. For extra seasoning.”
Azure reached out and took the onions. He didn't notice the mushrooms were replaced,
she thought, the knot of tension in her stomach finally loosening.“Aiden,” she asked, her voice a low rumble. “Where did the gnoll come from?”
“I have no idea,” Aiden answered dismissively, his back to her as he reached into the pot for more onions. “Bianca brought it back.”
Azure glanced toward the back of the cave. Should I ask the fool? The thought died as soon as it formed. The answer would be uselessly simple. ‘I found it on the road, so I grabbed it, aow.'
She turned her gaze back to the gnoll on the spit, her blue eyes narrowing in thought. Gnolls were pack creatures. One gnoll meant a tribe was nearby.
A gnoll tribe(clan) posed no threat to Aiden. The memory of the sub-plane resurfaced: Aiden, then merely a high-tier wyrmling, single-handedly hunting a three-star Geocrag Worm despite the elemental disadvantage. In that battle, she and Bianca had been little more than distractions.
Now, Aiden was a one-star dragon. She had yet to see his full power, but she had no doubt he could contend with a four-star creature.
A tribe, however, was a definite threat to her and Bianca.
No, she thought, a plan crystallizing in her mind. This is an opportunity. We must find this gnoll's tribe and lead Aiden to it. A settlement will have treasure, gold. Aiden will surely be interested.
She walked to the spit and stood before the frantically struggling Garruk.
“Gnoll,” she said. Her voice, a youthful, melodic chime, was utterly at odds with the chilling ultimatum it delivered in the Common Tongue. “I suggest you open your mouth and eat these, or I will carve open your belly and place them inside your stomach myself.”
The thrashing on the spit stopped instantly.
“You have three seconds,” she continued, though her gleaming claws were already drifting toward his abdomen.
Garruk's long snout gaped open as wide as it could possibly go.
Azure shoved the entire clump of wild onions into his mouth. The gnoll choked, his eyes watering, but he dared not spit them out. He chewed the strange, pungent plants with desperate haste, forcing it down his throat.
Once the last of it was swallowed, Azure did not leave. Her blue eyes bored into him.
“Gnoll. Where is your tribe(clan)?”
Garruk's throat worked, swallowing the last of the bitter greens. He answered immediately.
“Great Blue Dragon, my clan is not from these lands! Please, I beg you!” His green eyes were wide with a desperate, pleading hope. “Do you have need of a servant? Garruk is strong! Garruk can do many things for you!”
He knew, with the certainty of a cornered animal, that if he was to live, this blue dragon was his only chance. The white one's eyes held only hunger. The red one looked upon him as an ingredient.