Warning: Mentioning of violent actions, though not descriptive
Through a large storm, a shadowy figure sneaked through the large rocks and snow into the entrance of a particularly large cave into the base of a mountain. The dragon was quite silent through the howling winds of the winter storm, looking up to the sky frequently while entering the large lair.
The sight was particularly disturbing as her eyes quickly adapted to the darkness that lied below, several full skeletons of white dragons, frozen with an eternal smiling expression, as if laughing for their very lives. The white dragon couldn't hide her stress upon entering it, but soon she located her target, at the very center of the cave, a large block of ice, with a red dragon adult.
She quickly moved across the skeleton statues until arriving at the block of ice, pulling a scroll from a large bag on her neck.
'I hope this scroll does something against this magic' She thought.
After whispering the magical words, the white dragon launched a wall of fire into the ice, despite melting slightly, the block of ice seems to reshape itself, being immune to any fire damage, in case to specifically imprison the red dragon.
'Hells... This ancient dragon magic is too strong, well, I hope the plan B works…'
The white dragon begun to slash, claw and bite the ice, breaking it apart piece by piece. From its inside, the red dragon seemed to be aware of its presence, and tried to warm the ice, to no avail, leading to the white dragon just continuing to break the ice until it was free.
As soon as the red dragon's head was free, it opened his eyes and took a breath for the first time in a considerable long time. He begun to cough hardly.
"Hey you, cough more quietly, we are in danger here…" The white dragon snarled, as she stopped breaking the ice for a moment.
"Apologies? I am not sure what you are doing, but I am glad you are…" Launairk said, as he begun to claw the ice too, until he was practically completely free.
"I didn't think this would work…" The white dragon said, rather surprised at the broken pieces of ice.
"Well, I am glad it did… Why are you… Saving me?" Launairk said, scratching his neck.
"No time to explain now, we must leave this place." The white dragon snarled, disgusted at the sight of her fellow kin distorted into eternal smiles and laughing poses.
"Hey, hey… Whatever the reason you freed me, doesn't mean we are allies." Launairk scratched his neck.
"Just shut your mouth and follow me, you will get lost in the storm outside." The white dragon growled, as she and Launairk begun to move to outside, into the storm.
As they stepped outside, Launairk was blasted with the strong winds, pushing him as he flapped his wings, quickly losing the sight of the landscape.
"Hells! It seems winter has come strong!" Launairk yelped.
"Yes… I love this stormy time. Too bad for you." The white dragon laughed.
"I hope you have some shelter, right?!" Launairk roared, almost muffed into the howling winds.
"Yes… And also, take this" She took a rope from her large bag in her neck, "You might lose me from sight in this storm, its good for both of us if you don't."
Launairk grabbed the rope and slowly but steadily, they made their way through the storm; He kept his eyes over the dragoness, her scales being blueish barely appeared through the thick snow storm, but he couldn't stop wondering about her.
'This white dragoness… She is something else, she definitely wants something from me. But white dragons barely if ever talk! They jump to combat or retreat if too weak… This one is different, is she though? Well… An ally to defeat Landishura is a welcoming one… Despite being a white dragon.' He thought.
"By Tiamat's hellish fires… if I am any more cold, I might as well be an undead dragon already…" Launairk said, already trembling from the severe cold.
"Stand firm. We are arriving at the cavern." The white dragon said, as she stepped forward, soon reaching over a hill into the base of the mountain, opening her wings and flying over to the entrance of the cave, soon Launairk following her, with difficult to fly with his freezing wings.
"I hope you can warm yourself, red dragon, for I have no fuel to create any fire in my lair…" The white dragon says, as she welcomes the red dragon within her lair.
"I can…" Launairk says, as he shakes the snow and finally begins to warm himself, "Well, now that the worst has passed, I must know… Why you saved my great gracious red scales?"
"Don't overestimate yourself, Joke of the North." The white dragoness growls back at him, "I saved you because I need an ally."
"Ah indeed, an ally of the 'Joke of the North'?" Launairk smirked, though still hurt that even a white dragon knows of his infamous reputation.
"The matters of your reputation matter little to me, red dragon." The white dragoness responded, her tone always with screeches and growls.
"Hmm. Thank you, I suppose." Launairk commented, "May I know your name?"
"Azulthragas…" She snarled.
"I am Launairk…" He said as he noticed an expression change in her face, as if she already knew. "Yeah, I know what you may be thinking, I am the weird red dragon, the one who likes to talk and-"
"Spare me of introductions, red dragon!" Azulthragas roars, but then looks around and realizes they were both trapped here until the storm was to end, otherwise, Launairk simply can't go around in the cold. "UGH. Fine."
"I know. You are not the only weird here." She continues, "Most of my race scuffle me for my willingness to talk, 'white dragons eat or kill, all the rest is a waste' they believe, but I am… Different."
Launairk notices as her eyes, ever so coldly, change over to a sad expression, filled with regrets. Launairk stands up and says.
"My apologies to hear this." He says, with a soft growl as he slowly approached her, "I believe we could work some-"
"Stay back!" She hisses furiously, "I don't need your sympathy, only your obedience."
"Excuse you?" Launairk snarled back, "I serve only myself, white dragon. Your troubles aren't mine."
Azulthragas had no second thoughts in her decision, she jumped into Launairk, pushing him into the ground, clawing his neck and chest before he easily overpowered her grip and pushed her away, recovering himself from the ground.
"Well. I didn't wished to be like this, but your white brainlet only understands one language, strength!" Launairk roared as he charged against her, pushing her into the ground and pinning her down and having a tight grip over her neck, chocking her as she was unable to overpower him.
He stood his ground for a moment, before realizing Azulthragas would rather die than admit her defeat, as she to some extent ceased all resistance and just let him choke her, which he hold back for a moment, letting her have a big gasp for air.
"You would never win against me, Azulthragas, not physically, anyways." Launairk moves out from her body, slammed into the ground, "I hate Landishura as much as you do, her death will restore any reputation still left on me."
Azulthragas turned her body and tried to got up, slowly and growling, "Her death…" She takes a big gasp of air, "Is just the beginning."
"What do you mean?" Launairk turned back to her.
"The lesser races… They keep encroaching our land… My land." She snarls, getting progressively ever angrier, "Matriarch Icasaracht warned us long ago, but we didn't listen, they are too numerous and we ever fewer."
"You are no different from the others, are you? You only wants to bring death and destruction to the innocent folks of the Dale. And you think I gonna join you?" Launairk snarled, stomping into the ground as he finished.
"And you? You think you are different from any other red dragon?! You think yourself this moral champion to tell other dragons what they should or not do, even if all I seek to do is in self-defense!" Azulthragas roared back.
"There's no self-defense in slaughter!" Launairk yelped in near disbelief, "You massacre them, they will come back, with adventurers and metallic dragons at their side, back for revenge…"
"They already did." She growled, "I have escaped adventurers numerous time, moved from lair to lair, even when I did nothing to them, they still want my head, because THIS is the humanoid nature, they speak of draconic greedy, when they are full themselves!"
Launairk stood silent for a moment, he had no answer to this, for it was one thing he feared most than other dragons, the idea that adventurers would come for his head, not because he killed innocents, but because they wanted an easy target, one not known to be a fighter…
"I will VANQUISH them!" Azulthragas roared, "I want my hatchlings to have a safer life. Should they fight each other one day, I don't care, it will be their problem, but I don't want to lose them to petty human affairs."
"I see." Launairk muttered, "Well, I suppose this will make us enemies, then."
Azulthragas stays silent as she stared at him, but Launairk continued.
"So, truce? We have a common goal for now."
He extends his claw into a shaking hand with her, but she ignores it as she turned to the wall and resting on the ground for the time being. Launairk turned the other way, disappointed but rested on staring at the cave's entrance, into the storm.
For long he tried to sleep, ever so hungry or uneasy, thanks for his companion at his side, who deeply slept peacefully by now, but as well as during the night temperatures dropped further down. His eyes inspected the considerably small cave, big stalactites filled the upper parts of it, as well as deep further into it, a few frozen trinkets and treasures could be found, as well as a few goblins and an orc.
'Hmm. For such a hater of the civilized folks, Azulthragas seems to not be found of their main enemies in this region either, but why? Don't they seek the same goal? Ah well, goblins aren't exactly the smartest either to be honest, last time I heard of goblins, they were trying to domesticate an adult white dragon, well, stupidity is with goblins' Launairk lost in his thoughts.
As his eyes slowly but surely grew heavier and heavier however, he suddenly looked through the entrance of the cave and saw small lights moving through the storm, movement from… Giants.
"Hells…" Launairk snarled, he quickly got up from the ground and poked Azulthragas who annoyed growled.
"I hope you have an exceptional rea-"
"Giant party, just outside the entrance!" Launairk muttered, slightly loudly as he pointed to the entrance.
Azulthragas swiftly got up and peaked at the entrance, soon analyzing the situation.
"Hmm. They aren't numerous, we can beat them." She commented.
"Wait, you really think we should face them?!" Launairk yelped.
"Afraid of a good fight, red dragon? Because I am not…" She smirked at him.
"I suppose… We have no choice, should they uncover us, more will definitely come."
"No choice but fight, huh? Now you think the way I like, lets go!" Azulthragas jumped outside the cave and flew in their direction in the middle of the night.
"W-Wait! We needed… A plan… Be damned those white dragons." Launairk growled but then jumped outside as well, watching as Azulthragas released her ice breath into one of the giants, who defended with their shield as the others prepared their large hammers and shields into a defensive circle.
Launairk soon arrived in the battle and released his fire breath into the giants, who also defended.
'Frost giants… Strongest among them, fortunately they have no range weapons, they were not expecting such attack. But what are they doing here? Or rather… What are they defending?' Launairk thought as he circled the giants, then deciding to hard land on their circle.
With his strength, Launairk managed to stun the giants and desorganize their defenses, and soon Azulthragas flew by, releasing her ice breath on them, freezing one. In the chaos, Launairk stroke the giant he stunned and soon an attrition fight of strength between them.
Azulthragas soon landed and bite the head of one of them, once distracted and was unable to see her amidst the storm, pushing him into the ground and then ripping his head off, then looking at the next one near her.
"NOW, THAT IS HOW I LIKE IT!" She roared, laughing hysterically afterwards covered in its blood and going berserk against the remaining giants, as Launairk pushed them from the other side.
After encircling the giants, one them yelled sentences in giantish, causing the female of the group to run into the outside. Launairk and Azulthragas fought the remaining giants in the group, they swigged their swords and hammers against them, but after a good moment, both of them used their breaths against, making quick work of them.
While Azulthragas was busy ripping them apart limb by limb, Launairk brought his attention to the female running out into the open, she appeared to be carrying something and already in an unusual lust for blood, he unfolded his wings and quickly reached her while flying, landing in front of her.
He roared at her, with flames in his eyes, something told him he despised giants, as much as it told he hated metallic dragons, he stepped forward charging his flames, until the moment his eyes quickly caught a movement behind the female, almost fainting into the winds of the storm, a youngling was right behind her.
Suddenly Launairk felt his heart flinch, those giants, they were not fighting with the efficiency or strength of usual giant warriors, they were weak and felt desorganized…
'They were no warriors… Not even… A party searching for dragons to slay… They were just a family traveling southwards, and we… We massacred them.' He grew so wary and tired from the fight while in his thoughts.
"Giant! You got to go! I am letting you… But she won't, move FAST!" Launairk said, in common, which the giantess understood and quickly run past him.
It wasn't long before he looked back and saw Azulthragas was finished with the other giants and begun flying at the direction of the giantess at great speeds, so poised for her blood.
"Azulthragas! NO!" Launairk roared, but that wouldn't stop her, his mind raced into a conclusion and he decided he couldn't simple let them die. He swiftly unfolded his wings and flew upwards, slamming his body against hers causing both of them to fall into the ground.
Launairk suffered the heavier strength of the impact and was grounded hardly, he looked upwards, watching as Azulthragas painfully got up from the ground, she turned back her neck, staring at him so coldly. He noticed her pupils, shrinking to such a point she was on the borderline of considering him an enemy too, but swiftly turned her attention to the giantess.
The giantess was at that point, a long distance from them, running as fast as her legs could allow, but it wasn't enough to compete with Azulthragas' flight so silently over the howling winds of the snow storm. She however, could hear her roars, quickly looking around for any sighting of her.
Azulthragas surely wished for a spectacle and showed herself to the giantess, who released her son from the grip, yelling in giantish for him to run away, as she took her longsword and was ready to fight to death. Azulthragas snarled in annoyance at the sight of her sword and flew past her after her son, causing the giantess to yell in sorrow.
She charged her ice breath and blasted over the boy, freezing him in place with eternally a despair in display on his face.
The giantess roared in anger and sorrow, charging up against a now landed Azulthragas, piercing the scales of her arm, amidst her already open wounds from the fight against the giants moments before. She roared in pain and with a single tail swing, stroke the giantess into the ground while she removed the sword from her arm with her maw.
She walked slowly like a hungry predator sneaking up to her prey. In despair, the giantess now on the ground and severely hurt from the impact could do nothing, as Azulthragas reached her, stomping into her chest, making sure her last sight would be her bloodied smiling face, before opening her jaws and biting her head off and then devouring it.
Launairk approached her, angry but mostly deeply saddened at the sight.
Azulthragas turned to him, her anger finally decreasing, but not fully.
"You. Why did you tried to stop ME?! I was starting to… Enjoy you, the thrill of this fight, the blood everywhere, my chance to finally face those bastards with the cruelty they deserve… Dying brutally as they deserve." She snarled and growled and roared, all almost at the same time, deeply divided between her enjoyment and absolute disgust at Launairk.
"They were NOT warriors…" Launairk angrily snarled, "No wonder this fight was so easy… They were just an innocent family, traveling through this wasteland, not ready to fight two dragons…"
Azulthragas stomped into the ground, "That changes what?! I don't care who they were, only that they are dead by my claws. The fact that they were no warriors pleases me for an easy and decisive victory over their disgusting race."
"If you only knew what I have been through, you wouldn't think once in murdering those abominations…" She continued, while then turning back and walking to the frozen youngling.
"Well… Regardless, at least I got this little morsel as a nice meal for the morning." She said as she carefully put her talons over the frozen sculpture with the youngling inside, before taking him towards her lair.
Without much choice, Launairk followed.
The next hours were plagued by Launairk inability to sleep, with the thoughts of what he had done, if he never warned her, this family wouldn't have been murdered.
'Seems after all, I am good to only one thing more… Death, bringing it and more to the bipedals around me. Makes me realize how fine I was with being a joke, my reputation is something I can rebuild, but the lives I destroy, those aren't. Each passing day in the last ones that… I wasn't frozen in place, were ones of me betraying all my ideals, the peaceful ruler, the trading empire, my hoard growing ever larger with honest labour…' He lost in his thoughts, kinda reminding of the good moments just before all went downhill, how he was so glad and happy while flying over his realm, his subjects working tirelessly under watchful but fair eyes.
Now… Now he was stuck in this rather tightly packed cave with an ever rarer example of his polar opposite, the white dragon who has no second thoughts whenever she has to fight her way out.
He then turned at the frozen youngling, staring at its frozen sculpture, he somewhat wished she ate him earlier, so he wouldn't be able to keep staring at the monument of his failures, the despair, seemingly eternally frozen in his small face deeply disturbs him.
'I am… Sorry little one. I failed you, I know I could have done more but… Ugh, I am just a weakling, I accept it, the illusions are just breaking apart, nothing is left… Wait… Since… I am kinda supposed to be frozen within Landishura's cave, and… Everyone thinks I still am…' He kept thinking, as his face suddenly brighten up in excitement, 'I can move somewhere else and… Start a new life! Fight my way through it, terrorize the local population, find a mate and… And… Live up my life to the best I possible can! No more humiliation, no more mockery!'
For a brief, ever so brief moment, Launairk's face, so enlighten with happiness begins to fade. His betrayal of all his ideals in pursuit of his greedy and evil desires is all he wished to forever leave to others of his kind, but was ever worth it? Do bipedal, lesser being lives worth it? The worst thing has happened to him, he started to doubt, the before mighty, thoughtful, calm and slightly clumsy Launairk was disappearing in ever growing shadows of doubt and evil within him.
He turned to Azulthragas, sleeping so peacefully barely seemed she did anything evil at all, she was perfectly in peace with herself, something Launairk seemingly did not known the feeling ever since he was expelled from the lair of his mother.
Maybe… Just maybe… The partnership with her seemed not so bad after all...