I was pleasantly surprised to find I could sense Cami’s excitement for us to leave. I hadn’t realized that she’d started developing an appropriately great love for gold—not that I could fault her for it.

  Vox gave us the directions to where she believed Iskaldurdauoi’s lair would be found. Then Cami climbed onto my back and we were soon flying towards the mountains. Her best estimate put the lair deep in the mountain chain, more than 300 miles away. But even facing a headwind from the mountains, it wasn’t that long of a trip at my top speed.

  The sun hadn’t even reached its zenith before we found ourselves approaching the location Vox had suggested. It turned out to be harder to find than I’d hoped, but after a couple hours more of flying in circles, I spied a layer of worked stone in the side of one of the mountains. It seemed that Iskaldurdauoi had claimed a dwarven stronghold for his lair. I might have had to destroy him, but I still applauded his decision to drive out a clan of those thieving dwarves.

  Ultimately, a dead giveaway was the layer of unnatural ice over the stone.

  Cami spoke up, “Take another circuit around, please. I think I saw something down there hiding in the ice.”

  The urge to rush in was powerful, but she was right. We had the time to be patient. The best gold was the gold won in battle, and it was time to collect my spoils.

  No sooner had I turned to loop around the mountain peak than I felt a small stinging pain. I roared in outrage. What had dared to bite me?

  I sped up and turned hard to come back around. When I came around, I saw a group of ogres manning some type of arrow built into the stone. Walking out from the cave behind them was a much larger monster with bluish skin—a cursed frost giant.

  Chapter 8 – Blue is My Color

  I hated frost giants. What true dragon wouldn’t? They dared to let their skin be a pale and ugly imitation of my beautiful scales. I could suffer blue tropical birds their plumage, because at least they could fly. But these massive brutes were the definition of ground-bound.

  Everyone knew that blue was connected with lightning and not ice. These frost giants had no respect or sense of propriety. Blue was my color.

  I growled as I spoke to Cami. “Leave the frost giants for me. You can take out the ogres.”

  “Okay… but why can’t we just work together to battle the Frost Giants?”

  “Because they dared to be blue. It’s not even a proper blue but more of a washed out, faded imitation.”

  I sensed Cami’s hesitation. She obviously wasn’t thinking clearly. It didn’t matter, though. I dove straight at the foremost of what now appeared to be three frost giants.

  As I did, I began casting.

  Cami practically yelled into my head. “No, Nico! We have to take out those arbalests first.”

  I knew she meant well, but my might would carry the day and erase this affront to dragons’ artistic sensibilities.

  She must have finally accepted the necessity of removing this affront because before I was even halfway through my dive, she’d Shadow Stepped and suddenly appearing beside the ogres manning the mounted weapons.

  Time always seemed to slow down in the middle of combat. I was sure that some of it was my significantly increased Mind stat. It enabled me to perceive more details than ever before. It even allowed me to realize how foolish I was being.

  Destroying the frost giants was a necessity, but I was more than a brute. Still, I longed to feel their flesh give way before my claws and to exult as their blood ran between my teeth. Narrowing my focus, I pushed aside thoughts of holding back. Even as I did, I saw Cami swing her spear at an ogre.

  She was marvelous—human or not.

  My bonded, moving with the grace of a dragon, cut the metal band which the arbalest used to hurl the metal spears it attacked me with. Flames burst forth from her blade and her back stroke removed an ogre’s hand. She was doing fine, which meant I could focus on dealing with the giants.

  Dragon Fear rolled off of me, causing the ogres and giants alike to tremble. The Dragon Dream, as well as my recent battle with giants had revealed that Dragon Fear would gain me a second of advantage, but that it wouldn’t be enough to immobilize true giants—at least not for long.

  The lesser ogres were altogether another matter. They were paralyzed with fear. I was sure Cami would thank me later for my help.

  I’d already cast Sphere of Controlled Speed and Resist Energy: Cold, but just before I reached the lead giant who’d raised a heavy mace, I activated one of the abilities I’d gained from the dragon hatchlings.

  Darkness

  A sphere of absolute, magical darkness appeared around the giant’s head. It covered both head and shoulders, but the nature of this draconic ability allowed me to see through it easily enough, while completely blinding the brute. That was all it took.

  Blind and fearful, his strikes became panicked flailing. With my control of the speed around me, it was simple to knock these aside and then land upon him.

  My forward moment drove my front claws deep into his chest. The mail armor he wore slowed me only for a moment while my jaws seized his neck. Biting down, I felt his pulse. Flexing my neck with a quick ripping motion, I left only a tiny portion of his neck attaching his head to the rest of his body.

  He fell limply to the ground even as I tasted his chill, thick blood on my tongue. This was what it meant to be alive! For far too long, I’d let myself think and fight as less than my full self.

  Learning about human power was useful, but I was a dragon. Nothing could stand against me.

  My momentum again carried me forward and I knocked the other two giants over. As I did, I realized that calling them giants was an overstatement—they weren’t even a fifth of my length. No, giants was the humans’ term for them. To me, they were more like frozen dinners.

  I couldn’t bring myself to think of them as truly being blue.

  The force of my dive carried me forward into the cave, where I realized there were a dozen more frozen dinners… hmmm… I supposed that they weren’t really dinner until I killed them. But frost bugs wasn’t quite the right term… frost pests? Oh well, I could think of a term for them after they were all dead. Dead, I would have called them a late lunch, except that like all bipedal creatures, they didn’t taste as good as beef on the hoof.

  The inside of the cave was covered in thick, ice-covered stalactites descending from the ceiling, which had to be a good sixty feet high. There wasn’t enough room for me to fly in here, though I didn’t have to worry about bumping my head. I might even be able to pounce on my foes.

  It was time for Master Edgar’s training to come into play.

  I pounced into their midst like a cat amongst baby rabbits. Dragon fear froze them for just long enough that they weren’t able to move out of the way. I moved swiftly, becoming—as far as they were concerned—a flurry of claws, tail, and teeth. Each move was an extension of my balance, which had only grown under Master’s Edgar’s tutelage.

  Forget two legged martial arts, this was true mastery. When I noticed one of the sickly cerulean casters start casting a spell on the far side of the cave, I roared and let loose my lightning breath attack. A thick bolt of super-heated plasma burst from my mouth and blasted through his robes into his chest.

  I was almost disappointed at their inability to pull together a coherent defense. Frost giants were supposed to be more organized than this. Perhaps it was the absence of their master?

  That, I could understand. Minions were lost without their dragon.

  I needed to focus. The cramped space here favored the frost pests. One of them even managed to climb onto my back. Of course, that was when I chose to activate Shocking Aura.

  The sound of his bones straining as his muscles spasmed hard enough to warp them was almost musical. I whirled around to find more of the giants storming out of a second entrance to the cave. They were small, but there were quite a few of them—not that I was worried.

  I savored the feeling of battle, the cold of the damp cave wrapping around me in a chilling embrace. A thin layer of mist covered the ground, making the atmosphere feel almost mystical. The muted glow of the ice walls reflected the refracted light from the entrance and cast eerie shadows which danced with my every movement. It was a scene worthy of my majesty—even if all those currently witnessing it would soon be dead.

  From this new entrance, a second group of frost giants rushed forth. Their boots left heavy indentations in the slush of the cavern floor, emitting odd squelching sounds. Unlike the thundering herd of frost pests, my methodical and synchronized footsteps produced an ominous rhythm that resonated throughout the cave.

  As my new foes got closer, I smelled the metallic tang of their chainmail armor mixed with an earthy musk.

  A shaman in their midst began chanting, his voice a low, rhythmic drone that echoed, adding another layer to the cave's aural atmosphere. The cadence of his voice and the use of a language foreign to my ears made the spell seem even more mysterious. Yet no magic could ever be truly hidden from a dragon.

  I might not know the words of his spell, but I could watch the tendrils of magic form as the spell took shape in the air. I felt a growing sense of excitement; there was still nothing to fear, but at least this shaman would put up a decent fight.

  When the shaman’s spell was complete, an aura of power settled on each of the giants near him. They were immediately shielded from Dragon Fear and I noted how their limbs stopped trembling. They were further enhanced, each of them swelling in size with the infusion of power.

  I retaliated immediately. Drawing deep from within, I cast Burning Sphere, allowing the fiery wheel to take form and roll towards the group. Fire lacked the elegance of lightning, but for fighting creatures empowered by cold it was the right tool for the job.

  The flames of my burning sphere licked and danced, casting a flickering red and orange light that contrasted sharply with the cool blue of the cave. The frost giants, being weak to fire, attempted to scatter. Their heavy bodies moved clumsily, struggling to escape the oncoming sphere. I tasted ash and sulfur wafting off from the sphere, the heat cutting through the otherwise chilly environment.

  Before my spell could strike home, one of the frost giant shamans countered with a spell of his own. With an upward motion of his hands, a shimmering wall of ice formed, blocking my Burning Sphere. The sphere hit the wall with a sizzle, steam rising as fire met ice.

  Fine, if they wanted to fill the air with steam, I would add something to it. Opening my mouth, I exhaled a cloud of poisonous gas. It melded with the steam and spread to the giants, who were soon coughing. Their lungs blistered as they filled with toxic gases.

  Not content to let this bunch regroup, I focused on the shaman. He wouldn't be able to counter my spell as he was too busy hacking his guts out.

  Fireball

  The pea sized sphere of compressed force and flame streaked towards them. I only had a second to grin before the fireball exploded. The force was well beyond anything I’d expected and it was at that moment that I learned a green dragon’s poison cloud was highly flammable.

  The entire cave shook. Stalactites above swayed or fell down. I had to focus on making sure I wasn’t skewered by one of the falling ice-spears. Meanwhile, the concussive blast sent both groups of giants flying. They lay sprawled across the floor of the cavern being eaten from the inside out by the poisonous gas while their skin cooked and they burned alive from the outside in.

  Flames lingered in the air for no more than a trice of seconds, but during that time, most of the frost pests lost their faux blue skin as it was flayed back by my spell’s flames. Other frost giants lay shredded by diamond like shards from the icy walls, frozen shrapnel having been scattered across a good portion of the rear of the cavern by the force of the fireball.

  The conditions combined to scatter my foes before me. Giants lay strewn all over the cavern floor in a gruesome collage of the dead or the dying. I surveyed the field of battle, looking for any remaining challenges. When I didn’t immediately see anything, I stared down at my own chest.

  My noble blue blood leaked from several small cuts. The force of the exploding gas cloud has been enough to drive bits of rock and ice through the scales upon my chest. I shook my head. It was probably for the best that no one else had been here to see my mistake. Note to self: fireballs in enclosed spaces were not a good idea.

  Lesser Regeneration

  I breathed a sigh of relief as the healing magic started patching me up. It was less that any of my wounds were serious, and more that they’d been self-inflicted. When I turned around, to my dismay I realized that the cave entrance had been closed off by falling rock and ice.

  Ugh… that meant Cami was trapped outside and I was trapped inside. Taking in the size of some of the rocks which blocked the way out told me that even my great strength would be put to the test.

  When I felt a slight sting on my right flank, I quickly realized that while I had focused on the aftermath of the fireball’s explosion, one of the shamans had launched an ice shard spell at me. The cold bite of the ice quickly spread from the point of impact, coating a dozen scales.

  Without hesitation, I cast Thunder Clap to deter any further attacks. The sharp crack that followed was so loud that the stalactites overhead trembled, with some breaking loose and impaling the frost giants beneath them. The sheer force of the clap caused a couple of frost giants—who I had initially taken for dead—to clutch their ears.

  Their roars of pain echoed in the vast cavern. Apparently, Thunder Clap was another spell, I shouldn’t use inside. Who could blame me, though? It wasn’t like I had many memories from the Dragon Dream about dragons fighting indoors.

  As I prepared to deal a final blow to the closest of the fallen giants, I sensed a sudden surge of energy from one of the shamans. Looking over, I saw him channeling a spell with a desperate intensity. His hands glowed a bright blue as the cold in the cave intensified tenfold. Moisture in the air began to crystallize, and I soon felt the onset of a freeze spell start to slow me down.

  Chapter 9 - Scolded

  My Soul Seer ability came alive as I realized the shaman was burning his very life-force to power magic beyond his normal capabilities. While I applauded his devotion to protecting the hoard of his now dead master, I didn't like my odds if his spell went off in the middle of a sealed cave.

  With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I watched the frigid tendrils of the spell forming before the shaman, making the very air shimmer with cold. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but knew it was powerful—something which would fill the entire cave with solid ice.

  My first thought was my new spell, Volley, but I quickly rejected the idea. The space was still too small for that.

  The mist that had hovered several inches above the ground transformed into a dense frost, creeping and crackling, as if the cave floor was overcome by a wintry tide. Icy fingers of frost reached for me, numbing my scales, and attempting to sap my strength. The chill bit deep, making each movement a challenge. It felt like I was pushing against an unseen force.

  I considered Anti-Magic Pulse, but I couldn’t be certain the spell wouldn’t survive and simply reform afterwards. If it was a question of which spell lasted longer, though—that, I knew I could do something about.

  I immediately willed Anti-Magic Pulse to upgrade to Anti-Magic Domain. Without bothering to read the notifications, I sank the 65 DKP into it.

  Anti-Magic Domain

  It pulsed out in all directions from me. For one hundred feet all around, I felt as magic was locked down. No magic could exist in my domain but mine. The shaman’s spell gave the briefest of struggles, but how could his magic possibly compare to a dragon’s? The magic of Ileria flowed through me.

  I felt the most bitter sensation. It was like death rolled over my back. I was suddenly sick to my core and couldn’t even throw up. The sensation lasted for just an instant, but all around me magic locked down. I realized that this discomfort was what happened as the domain had rippled through my body. It reminded me how tied we dragons were to the magic of this world.

  I would have to consider the ramifications later.

  The metallic taste of my own blood now mixed in the back of my throat with the taste of stale air. My nostrils flared, taking in the scent of the shaman’s spell—a mingling of sharp, frosty ozone and some ancient essence of the deepest cold from Ileria’s forgotten past. Then it was gone.

  The magic broke. Cold lingered in the air, but it was just the natural, if bitter, cold of this desolate place.

  Remaining time for Domain: 56 seconds

  The shaman whose spell my domain had shattered choked and I watched as his overly strained soul departed his body. Such a spell was a suicidal attack. Now, though, he’d know despair as he traveled to wherever it was that frost giant souls went. He’d faced Nicosandumas the Blue and paid the price for it.