The once-grand capital city lay in ruins, a sprawling landscape of devastation and despair.
Smoke billowed from the charred remains of once-proud buildings, casting a dark pall over the cityscape. Flames licked at the rubble-strewn streets, hungrily consuming everything in their path.
The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning wood and stone, mingling with the metallic tang of blood. The cries of the wounded echoed through the ruins, a haunting representation of pain and suffering that seemed to permeate the very air itself.
Everywhere one looked, there were signs of destruction. Buildings lay crumbled and broken, their shattered facades serving as grim monuments to the horrors that had befallen the city. Debris littered the streets, blocking off once-familiar thoroughfares and trapping survivors in their makeshift tombs.
Amidst the chaos, the charred remains of what was once a bustling marketplace stood as a stark reminder of the city's former glory. The stalls lay overturned, their wares scattered and trampled beneath the weight of destruction.
The smell of burning spices and roasted meats mingled with the stench of death, creating an unsettling tableau of destruction and decay.
In the distance, the ominous silhouette of a dark cloud loomed overhead, casting a shadow over the devastated cityscape. It seemed to pulse with malevolent energy, a harbinger of further destruction yet to come.
And, the figures who loomed there… the malefactors of this tragedy… they simply stared down on the chaos.
All, without exception, donning a smile on their faces.
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"Humans. Look at them sprawling around like Maggots—pathetic in every way."
Kar'en uttered those words as she stared down on the desperate men and women who were clinging to life despite the catastrophe that had befallen them.
"You would think we, as a superior species, would have matured beyond the need to show these creatures any attention. That, after establishing our dominance in every way, we would have eliminated them by now…" She said, as a wide smile began creeping up on her face.
The grin was unnatural, It covered most portions of her face—a literal grinning from ear to ear. It made her humanoid form appear monstrous.
"Yet, it seems there's something about trampling these insects that brings us so much satisfaction." Licking her lips, she narrowed her gaze at the innocents.
The suffering of children—particularly infants—brought her the most satisfaction.
Kar'en wanted to see more of it.
"Lady Kar'en, we shouldn't forget the details of the mission." One of the men behind her said with a slight bow.
In the Dragon Empire, the hierarchy existed—perhaps in one of the strongest ways. In their civilization, it was easy to determine where the other party scaled in the pecking order.
Their horns told all the story.
Four to Five Horns were Dragon Generals. Five to Six Horns were Lords. The Seventh belonged to one; the undisputed strongest of the Dragon Lords.
Then, standing at the apex was the Dragon Lord who had nine.
A Horn represented power. Just as Fairies boasted of their strength through the color and beauty of their wings, and the Elves did through the intensity and fragrance of their scent, Dragons had horns to prove it.
Maturity and strength were measured in horns, giving rise to an inevitable hierarchy where those with the highest number of horns reigned superior.
And so, even if he looked much taller and physically stronger than Kar'en—at least, in humanoid form—the one known as Amu'ra bowed to Kar'en and spoke in the most reverent tone.
"Of course, I haven't forgotten about the task. There's no need to be so tense and overly formal all the time."
Everyone knew Amu'ra as the party pooper; the strict Dragon who didn't know how to have any fun. Even if he smiled every now and then, it wouldn't be long before he went on about serious matters.
Still, this quality meant he was a loyal and by-the-books Dragon. He followed orders to the letter, and his competence far exceeded most Dragons.
Among the Dragon Commanders, he was the most powerful.
The thundercloud that covered the capital was made by him, and he had a lot of attacks that could cover a wide distance; useful for AOE damage.
"I-I apologize." Amu'ra said, once again bowing.
Kar'en sighed and nearly slapped her palm on her face the moment she witnessed his awkward and stiff behavior.
It seemed he would never change.
"It's fine, dude. As for the Dragon Lord's orders to investigate, we're on it at the moment." Kar'en said with a knowing smile.
The Dark Dragon of the Black Mountain had given Kar'en and her team a task to investigate the death of a Dragon Commander whose last recorded location was within the Alliance Capital.
According to him, "I find it strange that the humans have someone capable of such a feat, yet they would rather he stay in the Capital and not the front lines. Incompetent as Jer'ard was, Dragon Commanders cannot be killed by humans at their current level."
With their team investigating, it was pertinent that they find the cause of death of one of the Dragon Lord's many progenies.
It wasn't the most difficult task, considering how easy it was to deal with humans, but Kar'en thought they would have some fun first.
"If we cause enough destruction, whoever or whatever killed Jer'ard will show up. It's as simple as that." She said with a shrug.
"Isn't that a bit reckless, Lady Kar'en?" Once again, Amu'ra bowed while speaking formally.
A rumbling sound from his thundercloud echoed in the distance.
"Reckless? Are you scared? Don't worry, I'll protect you from whatever secret weapon that the humans have against us."
Kar'en chuckled loudly, clearly making a joke of the matter.
Unfortunately, Amu'ra did not take it that way, and ended up bowing before her in gratitude.
'What a square…' She nearly sighed as she shook her head.
"So, should I go with another volley, Lady Kar'en?"
Once Amu'ra said this, she nodded to herself, glad to see the Dragon Commander had quickly redeemed himself.
Once more, Kar'en would get to see the sufferings of more innocents.
"Hehehe! You should!"
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Thanks for reading!
Mass Release is over, so we're gonna go back to formula (3-4 chapters a day)
Enjoy!
