"Mortal, was it you who summoned me?"
The Red Dragon's voice didn't just carry through the air; it vibrated in Li Ke's very bones. Her gaze was sharp, laced with a suspicion that felt as heavy as her dragon form. "If so, return me at once. I have a vital mission to fulfill."
She studied the man before her with growing confusion. In her ancient perception, his aura was a jarring contradiction—he carried the unmistakable, primordial scent of a Titan, yet he stood there so pitifully weak that even her frailest, newly-hatched whelp could have crushed him into the Minecraft dirt. It was a bizarre, impossible riddle standing on two legs.
Li Ke's Titan aura was undeniably pure, but his weakness was just as undeniable. It was a jarring contradiction; anything associated with Titans was usually a being of immense power or singular cosmic purpose. She began to suspect that her displacement from Azeroth to this strange world was somehow his doing.
"Well... whatever you were dealing with before, it had nothing to do with me," Li Ke replied, his lip twitching as he watched the prismatic World Power begin to coalesce around her. "Actually, I'm a victim here too."
It was obvious that the monsters who had "hitched a ride" with this newcomer had all been vaporized by her breath, causing the resulting World Power to gravitate toward her.
The Dragon Queen noticed the shimmering lights as well. Frowning, she reached out with a hand encased in a metallic claw-glove and gently tapped the prismatic glow with a fingertip.
In that instant, a flood of information rushed into her mind.
She saw worlds being invaded and corrupted; the desperate, final struggle of a dying realm; the "Candidates" summoned to manage the crisis; worlds shattered in the collision of two dimensions; fragments of reality scattered to the winds; and the Candidates themselves, pulled halfway through the void only to be flung in all directions when the world broke...
In the moment she touched that light, she understood everything.
"So, this entire mess was caused by a world's desperate plea for help?"
Alexstrasza frowned. While she harbored a deep love for all living things, she found it hard to remain composed in the face of such sheer absurdity.
Had she been summoned to answer a legitimate cry for help, she would have had no complaints; as the Life-Binder, she never begrudged the use of her power so long as she was able to act. But this situation was beyond ridiculous. To pull people halfway through the void only for the world to self-destruct due to its own clumsy maneuvers? To leave them scattered across random dimensions? It was preposterous.
How am I supposed to get back now?
Her brow furrowed deeper. She could feel it clearly: even though she had purged the monsters from the other realms, she was still an "outsider" here. There was a fundamental disconnect. Not only was she unable to replenish her mana from the local elements, but she suspected she wouldn't even be able to sustain herself with normal food.
As a Dragon Aspect, she didn't rely heavily on eating, but in the long run, even she would eventually wither and die. More importantly, she had urgent matters back in Azeroth!
Otherworldly monsters were invading her home, and Deathwing's shadow likely loomed over the chaos. She had to be there to protect the world. Her sudden disappearance would throw the entire Red Dragonflight into a panic, leaving them vulnerable to a literal scorched-earth ambush by Deathwing.
"I am Alexstrasza, the Life-Binder, Queen of the Red Dragonflight," she announced, her voice regaining its regal weight. "Mortal, do you have any information on how to return to our respective worlds?"
The Red Dragon Queen who was once imprisoned by orcs to lay eggs?
Li Ke had never actually played World of Warcraft, but he certainly knew of the Red Dragon Queen—just as he knew Jaina, Yrel, and Tyrande. His "knowledge" of them came from the same place as his familiarity with Tifa, 2B, and D.Va.
In short, for reasons he couldn't exactly discuss in polite company.
He stole a glance at the massive crater she'd left with a single claw-swipe—the ground was still glowing as literal molten lava. Li Ke took a moment to think.
True, the red-haired beauty standing before him had an absolutely explosive figure. Her aura was a perfect blend of "nurturing mother" and "adorable lady," and her outfit was so flamboyant it crossed the line into pure fanservice. But if she decided he was the mastermind behind this mess, there was no "easy-going" Rias Gremory here to save him!
The only reason he'd been so bold with Rias was that he knew he could escape with a single thought. But here? He was stuck.
He didn't know much about Warcraft lore; he only knew this "big sister" usually had three distinct, beautiful character models. The woman in front of him seemed to be the ultimate version—combining the best traits of all three.
Her vibe and outfit were a dead ringer for her original, slightly low-res game model, while her curves—specifically her chest and hips—reminded him of her more "mature" second iteration. Yet, her face had the soft, youthful glow of her latest high-definition model.
Combined with her regal presence and those impossible proportions, she radiated the aura of a supreme ruler. She looked mature, captivating, and like someone who wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger if needed.
Li Ke's survival instinct kicked in immediately: he folded.
He decided to play dumb and hide the truth for now. He needed to gauge this Dragon Lady's personality first; the last thing he wanted was for her to think he was lying—or worse, that he was the mastermind behind her kidnapping—and swat him into a human pancake.
"Well, even if you ask me... there's not much I can do..." He tried his best to look like a man with a clear conscience, but...
"Hmm?" Alexstrasza stepped closer, pressing her hand directly against Li Ke's chest. Her expression instantly sharpened.
"You're lying to me?"
Can you read minds too?! Li Ke stared at her in shock. He felt like every powerful woman he ran into lately had some kind of telepathy. The Dragon Queen, however, simply shook her head and gave him a knowing smile.
"I cannot read minds. But the rhythm of your heart and the scent of your soul cannot be hidden from my sight. Besides, you seem to despise lying; you're a good boy at heart."
Li Ke's acting wasn't bad, but she could judge a mortal's sincerity through sheer intuition. When Li Ke denied knowing a way home, his confidence wavered—a telltale sign of someone who generally values the truth.
Beyond that, she had lived for tens of thousands of years. Even the most polished mortal performance was transparent to her. As a Dragon Aspect tasked with guarding Azeroth, she possessed numerous mystical abilities, including the power to discern truth from falsehood. It wasn't a power she used often, but it was certainly necessary now.
"Tch." Li Ke sighed, defeated.
It was true—he hated liars and irresponsible people. His "strategy" with women had always been total sincerity, which meant he never bothered to learn how to put on an act.
"I can tell that your method of sending people back might be... easily misunderstood," Alexstrasza said, her eyes warm and sincere. "But do not worry. Speak freely; I will not be angry."
As she studied him, the Titan aura emanating from him became even more distinct. It sparked a deep curiosity in her, and her gaze softened into one of maternal affection. After all, her very power and status as an Aspect were gifts bestowed by the Titans.
"Fine. Since you put it that way." Li Ke gave up. He couldn't fight her, he couldn't run, and she was a living lie-detector. Total honesty was his only play left.
"To get you home, we have to... mate. Once we accumulate enough energy, I can send you back to your world. You can use your hands or other methods, though the energy gain will be much slower. One session generates maybe a few dozen points? It depends on your feelings toward me, so..."
He laid out his [Endless Traveler] mechanics completely. Alexstrasza's initial apprehension vanished, replaced by a calm resolve. She cut him off before he could finish.
Both her supernatural intuition and her millennia of experience told her the same thing: Li Ke was telling the truth. She thought about it for a mere moment before making her decision.
"It's not such a demanding method after all."
She let go of Li Ke's chest and immediately began to undress. As her fingers trailed lightly over her skin, the crimson armor simply slid off and hit the dirt, revealing the dazzling, ivory perfection of her body.
"Come. Let us be quick about it; I have urgent matters to attend to. We should strive to finish three hundred rounds today. That shouldn't be a problem, right? I can feel the power of a Titan within you—surely you can handle a small task like this?"
Alexstrasza looked at him with total deadpan seriousness. In her mind, anyone with Titan energy should be a biological machine capable of infinite stamina.
Three hundred times?!
Li Ke's jaw practically hit the floor, his lip twitching uncontrollably.
"Uh, I really can't do that. And three hundred... isn't that a bit..."
"Well, you did say the energy gain is unstable," Alexstrasza said, her fierce, regal aura suddenly melting into one of pure, nurturing warmth. "And it doesn't have to be three hundred, does it?"
She glanced at Li Ke, her eyes softening with a maternal glow.
"I can sense two other girls in the house behind you. Their auras are different from yours; they likely need to return home as well. In that case, I shall take this burden upon myself. Oh, I forgot to ask—how much energy do you personally need to leave this place? You can leave, right?"
She gave him a tender, radiant smile and pressed her hand back against his bare chest. Li Ke's eyes twitched again as he dejectedly muttered the answer.
"Two thousand points."
"Then we'll aim for five hundred rounds. It shouldn't be a problem."
It's a huge problem!
Li Ke opened his mouth to protest, but the Dragon Queen reached out, took his hand, and guided it directly onto her breast. She let him feel the searing, rhythmic heat of her heart, her face shining with the magnificent light of a holy matriarch.
"Don't be shy," she whispered. "Just think of me as your mother."
That makes it an even bigger problem!!