As I tore through the so-called shield surrounding the city, a screeching whine filled the air before it finally split apart and vanished. I soared over the city below, where mortals gazed up in a mixture of fear, awe, and trembling devotion.
My voice thundered across the sky.
"My name is Tiamat! I am an ancient dragon! From this day forward, this city shall be mine! Those who refuse my rule have two days to leave!"
With my declaration echoing through the heavens, I turned and flew toward the elven woman to deliver the news of a job well done.
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At the forest clearing where the elven elders had summoned him, the woman stood alone, calm, composed, and bathed in moonlight. It was as though she had been waiting for the success of the dragon with whom she'd forged a pact through a magical contract.
Suddenly, a booming force rippled through the air. A breath later, a colossal dragon hovered in the air above the woman, its vast wings blotting out the moon that glowed faintly in the early, starless night sky.
"It is done," the dragon said simply, as though what he had accomplished was no more troublesome than taking out the rubbish.
The elven woman's voice was cool and distant, carrying the serene detachment of a moon goddess.
"I know. The contract between us informed me. You should have been aware of that, so why come back to tell me personally?"
"I came to claim my side of the deal," he replied. "I want to cash it in."
"So soon?"
"Yes. I want the city."
For the first time since their meeting, the woman's aloofness cracked with surprise.
"Why the city? I thought a dragon and especially an ancient one, would find ruling mortals beneath him."
The dragon hesitated, his gaze distant.
"I need the city... and its future prospects. That is all."
The woman regarded him for a long moment before finally nodding. "Very well. If that is your wish, then I agree."
The contract between them glowed faintly, light blooming from their chests before dissolving into motes that drifted away on the wind.
As the immense dragon prepared to take off, the ethereal woman's soft voice carried after him, carrying gently on the night breeze.
"My name is Luna, by the way."
The dragon's long, sinuous neck turned, his eyes glowing like molten rubies.
"Tiamat," he rumbled. "I think we'll get along like a house on fire."
With a powerful whoosh, his wings beat once, twice and then he vanished into the night sky, leaving only swirling clouds and displaced air behind.
Beneath the silky veil and dim glow of the moon, Luna's lips curved ever so slightly. She smiled lightly.
-----------------
As soon as I returned above the city, an eerie silence greeted me. The streets were empty, and the people hid inside their homes, too afraid to step outside now that a being of unimaginable power, in their eyes, after what I did, ruled over them.
With a deep exhale, my colossal form began to shrink, scales shimmering as my body compressed until I stood roughly the same size as I had in the cavern. I descended toward the grand church perched high above the city, like some silent sentinel of faith.
"System," I muttered, my voice rumbled low. "How much faith do I have left?"
"Host, you currently have 10% remaining. You used 5% today."
"Five percent... just on that?!" I sighed as I made my way toward the massive, ornate double doors of the church.
'I need to start building faith. Even if I can't ascend yet, I'll need it when the time comes. And since I carry the Godcore of the old Dragon God, as long as it has faith, I can use the powers I did today more often and I'll need every drop of it in this dangerous world.'
'If I had faced that human Aura user without the Godcore's power, I would've been the one lying dead.'
The doors creaked open with a low groan, revealing gilded halls overflowing with gold and grandeur. Murals of the human gods adorned the walls, their painted gazes filled with a glory that had long since faded from this world. A crimson carpet stretched forward toward a vast open chamber lined with marble pillars. Beyond it, a pair of doors led into what appeared to be a lush, well-tended garden.
Then, footsteps. Hesitant, echoing softly behind me.
I turned sharply. What I saw made me pause, it was a human man, dressed in clerical robes, stood trembling slightly in the middle of the walkway flanked by pillars of marble. He had golden hair and clear blue eyes, and yet he didn't seem entirely paralysed by fear.
"And who are you, little mortal?" I say trying to keep the bravado of an ancient dragon.