I am Ignatia, a proud ancient fire dragon. I rule as Queen of all dragons and stand at the apex of this world.
There are but a handful of beings in all existence who may stand as my equal, and I bow to none save Aethra herself, the Spirit Queen of Fire. As sovereign of flame, she has bestowed upon me her sanction and granted me authority to command fire as she does. By this blessing, I have been raised far above my draconic kin. For while they merely wield their elements, I can command fire with the authority of a Spirit Queen.
I respect Aethra. I truly do. She is magnificent, powerful, and worthy of my loyalty.
However, she can be rather hot-tempered and impulsive. She is a prisoner to her whims, which in turn makes me a prisoner who shares the same dungeon cell. Her capricious nature has consequences that inevitably affect me.
This is precisely how I ended up in this state.
I am currently inhabiting a smaller, considerably more... adorable form. The indignity of it all. Yet here I am, protecting a young human child as my Spirit Queen commands. The child's name is Yuki, and she hails from another world entirely. An otherworlder.
I am tasked with her protection because she is key to approaching the person named Wright.
I have met Wright. Once. Briefly. And that single encounter was sufficient to understand the truth of him.
He is powerful. Extraordinarily, monumentally powerful. The kind of power that makes even one such as myself consider submission merely from his presence alone. Standing beside him was one of Genbu's descendants. A tortoise, though unlike his progenitor in size. I fought Genbu once, ages ago. We battled for three days and three nights, and neither of us could claim victory. He was formidable, and that accursed shell of his was impenetrable. We ended in stalemate, both acknowledging the other's strength.
I wonder if Genbu would be shocked or proud to see one of his bloodline serving as a... companion to this person.
Person. I call him person, but he is assuredly something far more than a simple mortal. His eyes hold depths that speak of ages beyond counting. His presence feels ancient. More ancient than myself, more ancient than even Spirit Queen Aethra. What he is, I cannot say. But he is no mere human, of that I am certain.
Regardless of these musings, we are currently traversing a dungeon. A tedious affair, truly. I am charged with guarding young Yuki, and I take this duty seriously despite the mundane nature of the task.
The child is weak by my standards, but capable for a human. I observe her as she fights alongside her companions, utilizing magic and her familiars to dispatch monsters with commendable efficiency. She possesses intelligence, I will grant her that much. The shadow carbuncle amplifies her dark magic considerably. She uses its abilities cleverly as well, teleporting her spells to strike from unexpected angles. Strategic and effective.
Her frost bee queen, that diminutive creature with crystalline wings, enhances her ice magic substantially, allowing her attacks to penetrate these monsters' hides with ease.
The monsters themselves are laughably weak in my estimation, though they are vastly stronger than these children. Fortunately, the young ones have other guardians. Several high elves accompany us, along with an angel and Genbu's descendant, who apparently goes by the name Donny. With such protectors present, my intervention should prove unnecessary.
I shall simply stay alongside them and observe.
---
We have reached the boss chamber on the third floor of this dungeon.
The boss is designated as an Earthshaker Wyrm. Pathetic. This creature cannot even be called a dragon. It is an insult to dragonkind to share any classification with such a worm.
Nevertheless, it appears to be giving the group considerable difficulty. The high elves look genuinely fearful. The angel's expression is tense. Even Donny seems wary.
They fear this... worm? How disappointing. How weak.
The battle intensifies. The worm unleashes a blast of molten stone, superheated rock fragments propelled with impressive force. That attack does appear dangerous, I must admit. Lethal to these soft-bodied humanoids.
I prepare to move, to intercept the attack before it can reach Yuki, but then something remarkable occurs.
The young human called Aiko summons a peculiar box-shaped construct that materializes to block the blast. The molten stone crashes against it and simply... stops. Completely negated.
That structure is extraordinarily sturdy. It reminds me of Genbu's shell. I am not entirely certain I could crack it, even with my full strength applied.
Impressive.
I sense Yuki's emotions through our bond. Fear. She is frightened. The battle is overwhelming her, despite her companions' protection.
I sigh, a small puff of smoke escaping my diminutive nostrils. It is time I fulfill my duty as her protector and end this farce.
I release my transformation, my true form expanding from the small, cute shape into my genuine, regal draconic body. My wings unfurl, each one spanning wider than the chamber. My scales gleam like molten rubies. I tower over the pathetic worm, which suddenly looks even more insignificant than before.
Yuki's shock and awe pulse through our connection. I can feel her amazement.
Good. Let her witness true draconic majesty.
I inhale deeply, gathering power, and unleash my breath. Fire, true fire, blessed by Spirit Queen Aethra herself, roars forth in a concentrated stream. I direct it carefully, ensuring it engulfs only the worm and nothing else. I have no desire to incinerate the entire chamber and everyone within it.
The worm's scream is brief. Very brief.
It is done.
I retract my form back to the smaller size and float back to Yuki's shoulder, settling there with dignified grace.
She stares at me with wide eyes, clearly reassessing everything she thought she knew about me.
As she should.
---
I am currently seated within the peculiar box-shaped construct that Aiko summoned before. She calls it a "camper van," which means precisely nothing to me.
Everything inside this space is utterly foreign. The furnishings, the mechanisms, the strange glowing panels. I have existed for millennia and traveled across continents, yet I have never encountered artifacts such as these.
And the spatial magic. Magnificent. The interior space is far larger than the exterior dimensions would suggest. What an extraordinary skill this child possesses.
Wright will be visiting today. We are embarking on some manner of journey. A trip to hot springs, I believe. The Goddess herself will be accompanying us.
Spirit Queen Aethra has been... restless this morning. Relentlessly so. She has been bombarding me with messages. Her deliberation rises and falls in endless repetition. For one who commands all flame, she displays remarkable difficulty in choosing a single course.
If you wish me to speak, then command it plainly, my Queen. Cease your pestering.
There is a knock at the door. At last. That must be him.
The door opens, and Wright steps inside. But he is not alone. Someone follows behind him.
That is... the Goddess.
The Goddess.
The Creator of this world. The divine being whom all worship. She is here. Standing mere paces from me.
I immediately bow, pressing my small form as low as I can manage. To meet the architect of existence itself, to be in such proximity to pure divinity, this is the highest honor imaginable.
Spirit Queen Aethra, however, is in complete shambles. Her voice erupts in my mind, panicked and chaotic.
[Aethra] "This is too soon! What do I do?! Ask him! No, wait, don't ask! Actually, ask! No, retract it! Ask! Retract! Ask! Retract!"
Her indecision batters against my consciousness like waves against stone.
Make up your mind, my Queen. Please.
—
Yuki speaks to me. She is asking me to serve as a mount for the journey. To carry passengers on my back.
How... humiliating. I am the Queen of Dragons, not some common beast of burden.
But then I process the full implication. The Goddess will be riding upon my back. I will be a divine mount, carrying the Creator herself.
That... that sounds considerably more acceptable. Dignified, even.
I agree with appropriate solemnity.
---
Spirit Queen Aethra has been sending me messages incessantly since this morning. Constantly. Without pause. And she still has not made a decision.
How insufferable. This is extraordinarily annoying.
Make up your mind, please. I beseech you.
I can feel my irritation building, a heat that has nothing to do with my elemental nature. Yuki senses it through our bond. She can feel my agitation, my growing frustration.
She inquires about what troubles me, her mental voice concerned.
I explain my woes. The Spirit Queen's indecision. The endless stream of contradictory commands. The maddening back and forth.
Yuki becomes angry. I can feel it surge through our connection. She is genuinely furious on my behalf.
What an angel. She understands exactly what I must endure.
She declares that she will ask Wright and the Goddess on my behalf. She will petition them to allow Aethra to join.
No, no. We must wait until Spirit Queen Aethra makes her decision. I cannot simply act without her permission. That would be improper.
Yuki insists. She is quite adamant about this. She states that it will be fine, that Wright is a good person who would not refuse such a reasonable request. She adds that the Goddess is very kind and understanding.
I remain hesitant. Despite Yuki's assurances, approaching beings of such magnitude seems presumptuous.
Yuki does not accept my hesitation. She physically drags me along to Wright's room, my small form offering no resistance to her determination.
She asks him. Simply. Directly. Without ceremony or complex explanation.
And it works. Wright agrees without hesitation. The Goddess relents and agrees with him.
It all resolves itself in moments.
Yuki is amazing. Truly, genuinely amazing.
---
I am reclining beside this tepid pool while Yuki and Spirit Queen Aethra converse nearby.
The water is barely acceptable by my standards. I prefer magma, or at minimum, water heated to above-boiling temperatures. This is pleasant for mortals, I suppose, but rather underwhelming for one of my constitution.
The Goddess departed yesterday evening. Wright is currently engaged in discussions with the Demon Lord.
Spirit Queen Aethra is attempting to convince Yuki to allow her dragonkin followers to relocate to their village. She is being rather pushy about it, truth be told.
Yuki responds with admirable bluntness.
[Yuki] "You should ask Wright yourself. Don't push these things onto me or Ignatia."
Yuki. You are magnificent.
I look toward Aethra and allow myself a small, satisfied smirk.
The power hierarchy is clear, and it amuses me greatly.
Aethra answers to the Goddess. That is established and undeniable.
The Goddess defers to Wright. I have witnessed this personally.
And Yuki can sway Wright. She has influence with him, genuine influence.
Therefore, by transitive property, Yuki holds more practical power in this arrangement than Spirit Queen Aethra.
Becoming Yuki's familiar was absolutely the correct decision.
I settle more comfortably by the pool, content with my position in this grand hierarchy, and utterly pleased with my young human companion.
She will go far, this one. And I shall be honored to accompany her on that journey.