Chapter 109: Copper Dragon
Within the canyon, there was a slight tremor.
It felt like a minor earthquake, not very obvious, but this vibration was real and pulsed steadily from beneath the ground, much like a heartbeat, rhythmic and filled with cadence. The residual earth elementals in the canyon seemed to remain stagnant for a while before gathering together and then burrowing into the ground by the altar, not knowing where they had entered underground.
About several dozen kilometers away from the canyon, on the edge of the Emerald Mountain Range, there was a dragon lair built on a cliff.
The locations of dragon nests are often steep and dangerous, serving as the first line of defense for the dragons. Normal paths are hard to reach, as they are surrounded by sheer cliffs. This point is often exaggerated in tavern tales, where heroes walk straight to the dragon’s lair; in reality, accessing a dragon lair usually requires climbing hundreds of meters of steep cliffs, necessitating numerous tools. Heavily-armored warriors find this particularly challenging, as without the assistance of spellcasting professionals to provide the Flight Spell, it can take a considerable amount of time just to ascend.
Geographical factors are just the first trouble; there are also many traps around dragon lairs, including deadly magical traps.
If luck is against you, you might discover that the interior of the dragon’s lair is a small maze guarded by a number of monsters, which are the dragon’s servants, providing it with labor and food. However, most of the time, only elderly dragons will have monsters guarding their nests, while younger dragons do not possess enough confidence to control their servants at all times.
This was the lair of a copper dragon.
There were clear signs of artificial modification around the dragon lair; the dragon had flattened the stone walls near the peak, making them vertical at a right angle of ninety degrees. Creatures that cannot fly find it incredibly difficult to approach. In front of the lair was a large platform; dragons need space to take off and land, and flapping their wings to fly can be strenuous, as they hunt by diving and then soaring up in a graceful arc.
A massive copper dragon lay curled up in the nest.
It looked almost indistinguishable from the legendary dragons. The only notable feature was its sturdier front limbs, and its pupils were very light, akin to turquoise. The physical characteristics of dragons are crucial, as they represent the deadliest physical attack methods. Dragon breath is not the most lethal; many spells can withstand it. Shields can block it as well, and experienced high-level adventurers know that what is more dangerous than dragon breath are the Dragon Wing Strike and Dragon Claw Rend.
This was originally a sleeping dragon, but it was now awake.
It lay atop a treasure hoard nearly half a level high, dazzling gold gleaming everywhere, its fierce dragon head gazing towards the canyon. Dragons awaken from sleep extremely hungry, and at this moment, they become more aggressive. It extended its long, crimson tongue and wrapped around a metal ore the size of a basin, crunching it like it was chocolate. Sharp fangs easily crushed the hard ore, and in just a few seconds, the copper dragon had devoured a piece of the ore, then licked its tongue across its teeth and slowly said, “Which fools have awakened the spirits of the earth? Do they not fear the wrath of the earth?”
After consuming a piece of ore, the copper dragon regained some energy, stretching its enormous wings and walking out of the lair, where the platform in front spanned several dozen meters wide. However, upon stepping outside, it still felt confined. The copper dragon stood atop the hundreds-of-meters-high steep cliffs, surveying the land before it; this was its territory. The copper scales reflected the sunlight, and this fierce, savage yet elegant creature lifted its head, then suddenly leaped off the cliff. After plummeting for several dozen meters, it flapped its wings and soared into the sky, in the blink of an eye reaching over a thousand meters in altitude.
An invisible pressure spread out, causing animals that had migrated nearby during the dragon’s sleep to flee in a panic.
It did not even glance at those pitiful insects, flapping its wings as it headed towards the plains a hundred kilometers away, where strong split-hoofed bovines resided—a variant of rhinoceros. Weighing around three tons, they would be enough to fill its belly.
In a dark underground world.
In a certain dark red cave, a grotesque creature resembling a meatball slowly opened its eyes.
The walls around it were dark red, seemingly made of some mineral. The awakened creature had many eyes; it first opened the enormous central eye on its head. Then it opened the many eyes on the tentacles around its head. Its eye stalks were segmented like earthworms, and its body had a diameter of around five meters, with no part of it touching the ground, yet its entire tumor-like head strangely floated in the air. Dozens of tentacles, each covered in eyes, were densely packed, giving a disconcerting impression.
“The spirit of the earth has awakened!”
Its huge mouth filled with sharp fangs scanned the surroundings with a cold and ruthless gaze, before it floated out of the cave. It had been asleep for over a decade. The newly awakened Eye Demon felt hungry; it had spent too much energy on its recent mutations and had even consumed its original servants as food. But that was of little consequence; as long as it wished, it could soon charm more servants in the underground world.
An invisible sensory net began to spread.
Whether it was an advanced Eye Demon Elder or a Giant Eye Tyrant, it was definitely a legendary Eye Demon that flew out of the lair, soon detecting a team of grey dwarves within its range. It silently floated over, not making a sound; one eye on a tentacle shot out a beam of light, instantly piercing the head of a grey dwarf. The remaining grey dwarves let out terrified cries; those attempting to flee were instantly obliterated by the ray, while the rest fell to their knees, trembling.
The massive Eye Demon swallowed half of a grey dwarf’s corpse, and as it chewed with its gargantuan maw, drops of blood and flesh fell as its central eye coldly regarded the survivors. With a flicker of magical light, those remaining grey dwarves had dazed expressions, kneeling respectfully before it and saying, “Master.”
The dazed gazes gradually regained clarity, the mind control mark from the charm spell now taking effect.
The grey dwarves’ eyes began to clear up, yet they respectfully lifted the bodies of their companions, starting to serve their new master by feeding.
…………
Soren and his party made their way back along the same path.
The halfling was still gleefully counting the gems, while Gloria gently tucked her long hair behind her ear and looked back, her expression appearing somewhat odd. Just before leaving, she seemed to sense something; it was an energy fluctuation coming from the underground. Soren, carrying Vivian, walked behind. Suddenly, he felt something, the hairs on his body standing on end, his hand instinctively gripping his curved blade as he looked up at the distant sky. The halfling had the same feeling. Aladdin dropped the gems he held in his hands, instantly drawing his short sword.
Gloria stiffened momentarily, subconsciously casting an energy shield before seriously gazing into the distance.
A grotesque yet massive figure streaked through like a shadow!
Soren’s complexion changed slightly as he said in a low voice, “Copper Dragon!”
It was an adult copper dragon, completely unaware of the tiny humans cloaked in Invisibility Spell below. Just awakened, it was extremely hungry; its primary desire at that moment was to catch an adult male split-hoofed cow for a feast. The entire party was startled by the passing dragon. All creatures within the range of dragon pressure were affected, the only one seeming relatively normal being the little girl on Soren’s back, who looked up at the giant dragon overhead, mumbling, “It looks so majestic!”
Vivian’s little head was also filled with unknown thoughts, and a look of longing appeared on her cute little face.
However, at that moment, no one paid attention to her.
It wasn’t until the dragon flew past that others relaxed a bit and Soren quickened his pace. The halfling stowed away the gems and jogged ahead to catch up with them.
This was an adult dragon.
With a legendary challenge level, they did not wish to encounter such creatures right now.
Behind them.
The tracking druid suddenly stopped in his tracks; he pulled a feather from his tangled hair and quickly began to chant a spell, transforming himself into an eagle in an instant. The eagle soared hundreds of meters high, glancing toward the direction the dragon had left before flying in the opposite direction. The adult copper dragon that had awoken near the Emerald Mountain Range was news that needed to be reported to Your Excellency the Earth Walker. Even if metallic dragons had relatively kind natures, they were still very dangerous.
All dragonkind can be somewhat capricious!
Upon seeing a living giant dragon fly past, no one intended to linger; they traveled through the night and finally returned to the original elven village the next day. The village remained very peaceful; no creature would dare attack elves, for that would invite the wrath of the Elven Patrol.
Dissuading enemies requires not only formidable military power but also some cruel methods!
There was no elegance in elves when it came to revenge; their treatment of foreign enemies was just as bloody. Otherwise, the nearby ogres, half-blood orcs, and wild monsters would not have all migrated elsewhere. The members of the Elven Patrol were stained with blood, having slain creatures no fewer than those of Soren now. Every race has its share of cold-blooded warriors, distinct from ordinary civilians, with their mission being nothing but battle and slaughter!
Finally, Soren and his party returned to the tavern, where the halfling eagerly began distributing the spoils.
Soren received forty percent, Aladdin thirty percent, Gloria, apart from the initial two crystals, only received three elemental cores, while even Vivian got around ten gems. The little girl, with a satisfied expression, lifted the gems before Soren, her small hands unable to hold so many, yet her face displayed an adorable look of offering. Soren gently patted her little head, instructing her to collect the gems herself. She cheerfully stowed them into the exquisitely adorned dimensional bag, which already contained many things.
Once the distribution was complete, Soren finally had the opportunity to examine the legendary item!
…………(To Be Continued ~^~)
