Chapter 43: Main Quest
There are only a few who would bow to a dragon, much less to a dragon hatchling.
The power of the dragons and their might is now a talk of the past.
They used to be strong and rare... but somewhere in the course of history, it changed.
Various races use dragons for several purposes. They breed and interbreed, conducting experiments to create hybrids for various activities.
Most of them are branded with slave symbols and are thus the lowest of the lowest, without any freedom.
She too was one of them.
"Your highness, the Supreme One, I have been searching for you."
The shaman's robes had fluttered and had remained behind as she bowed. Her face had come into view.
She was wearing a white mask which was quite similar to that of Pebbles', except it had childish drawings in crayons.
If not for the mask, Azeth could have readily told who the shaman was.
Pebbles just wanted to confirm it, especially since he could see those silver scales that gave off a faint glimmer in the moonlight on her hand.
It was the same hand from which the glove had come off during Azeth and her confrontation earlier.
"Take off your mask." Pebbles kept his composure and demanded this.
The shaman hesitated for just a second. Her eyeballs wandered left and right but then she calmed down.
She gave a brief nod before placing her hands on the mask, right after which it came loose.
The mask just fell right onto her hands as she then raised her head.
Pebbles' pupils constricted the moment he glanced at her face.
There were scars which Pebbles didn't know about, and they were brutal, just enough for the shaman to keep her mouth shut about it.
Her scales seemed peeled off as the flesh at many places was visible.
There were wounds from various weapons that had been left permanent, and there were many more burn marks too.
Pebbles could only gulp at the unimaginable pain she must have gone through.
But he showed no more signs of sympathy.
Azeth did. Pebbles could faintly sense the emotions Azeth was giving off.
His face had turned a bit red when she revealed her face. It was both because he blushed when he looked at the horns and her silver scales. He was mesmerized by her beautiful eye, albeit she had only one.
In his mind, he had already started forming poems but could hardly find anything to compare her eye with... He was attracted to her and so, he blushed. But soon the red was because of rage as her entire features came into view.
While Azeth was having such emotions, Azatoth was confused and had mixed thoughts.
"I've been fighting a fellow dragon-kin?" he was muttering under his breath after he glanced at her.
He could see a few wounds that had come from him. One of her eyes was missing. Instead, a simple stone sat there.
A great wave of guilt and remorse washed through him.
Pebbles shook his head and sighed.
There were far too many beings that were bowing at him and he had barely even scratched level ten. Surely, there was a misunderstanding, right? Especially when they were calling him the Supreme One out of nowhere?
Azeth and Azatoth had also not called him that earlier. It was only now, after the shaman said that, when both of them too bowed. They flinched too and Pebbles knew that they were perhaps unaware of this.
However, he couldn't tell what their thoughts were and what they felt, except the kneeling that made it seem that they considered themselves extremely low when compared to him.
So naturally, he spoke in a higher tone while activating his Pretender skill.
"I want to know a few things."
To sound dominating, it was necessary to have a deep voice and speak only a few words at a time.
The shaman raised her head, "Yes, Supreme One?"
"Your purpose. The reason for your fight with Azatoth and uniting goblins..."
She nodded her head and said a few words herself all while kneeling.
"It's all for but one purpose, Supreme One. Liberation."
"Liberation?"
She gave another nod, "Everyone is aware how the dragons' power has plummeted over time. Now, we're just slaves that drag wagons for merchants or some plaything for nobles and entertainment for the common lot. We are prey to many, way many... and are also served as food items in taverns... I can't help but feel my blood boil when I see all this, Supreme One."
Azeth raised his head slightly and Azatoth almost stood up.
"I want to liberate the dragon race, O'lord. I want to make them free... I want our former glory back, I want..." her voice had softened as a few tear droplets fell down from her eyes.
Her voice had been soaked with sadness and she could barely speak further. But she spoke just enough.
"Ah, I knew it." Pebbles sighed and stared at the system screen in front.
[Main Quest has been generated.]
[Quest: Former Glory]
[Description: Fight for your right. Fight for your beliefs. Fight for your friends. Fight for your people. What is a ruler that doesn't stand when his people are oppressed?]
[The quest will have five phases]
[Phase 1: 3 missions]
[Mission 1: Build an army.]
[Task 1: Unite the goblins] [incomplete]
[Task 2: Unite the Orcs] [incomplete]
[Task 3: Unite the lizardmen] [incomplete]
[Rewards: Skill (S) x1; Boost card x5; Potion Inventory x5]
[Mission 2: Reinforce the army]
[Task 1: Recruit dwarves] [incomplete]
[Task 2: Establish a powerful territory] [incomplete]
[Rewards: 50,000 Merit Points; 500 Karma Points; 50 Stat Points]
[Mission 3: The attack]
[Task 1: Destroy 3 human villages.] [incomplete]
[Task 2: Kill 500 below C grade adventurers] [incomplete]
[Task 3: Destroy 1 human kingdom] [incomplete]
[Rewards: 300,000 Merit Points; 2500 Karma Points; 100 Stat Points.]
[Phase 1 Rewards: Immunity x1; Life +1; Skill (S) x1]
Right now, only phase one and its missions were shown and Pebbles knew what he must do now and what his path was.
Though, he required good planning because he had many things on his plate simultaneously.
He sighed and sarcastically thought, "Yeah, let's conquer the world."
But he thought this a bit too loudly.
While he didn't notice because he read and re-read the missions in his mind, all the dragons and goblins, even those who were on the trees, could only stare at Pebbles with their mouths agape.
They all gulped down chunks of saliva while chills ran down their spines. The shaman's eyeball shook as she raised her head in both awe and admiration...
"Conquer the world..."
That became a dream for all of those present here and the goblins would just be happy to become an asset in this matter.