Dargon. (Original Fantasy)

Field trip to a local village is a go!

Dargon 1.3: Diplomacy


You are a dragon, and you are about to engage in diplomacy.

Or whatever passes for one, anyway. Prideful specimens of greatness that you are, there was certainly a lot of posturing in between dragons. So much so that most of them just get bored and go straight to the point. The point being fighting.

It's once again another one of Grandmomma Kiryu's nuggets of wisdom. Another reason as to why she always proclaimed that it was easier dealing with mortals, before going back to her building-sized abacus and calculating the profits that her hidden 'ventures' in mortal territories wrought.

Grandmomma Kiryu was weird. Everyone knew that, but no one wanted to deal with her for extended periods of time. Save for you of course, which was why you're entertaining the thought of diplomacy to begin with.

Soaring over the skies of this little, unnamed village, your eyes detect a blur soaring over the nearby mountaintop, headed straight towards your position. Not that you were feeling particularly stealthy of course – the point was you wanted to be seen – but it was nonetheless a bit annoying to see the… little dragon…

Hm. They were not little. That could be a problem should you come to blows.

"Leave, little dragon." Hey, that was your line! Or at least, that was supposed to be your line, before the other dragon all but met you in the air and showed you the huge disparity in size between the two of you. "You meddle with forces that you do not understand."

…

Riiight. There was that draconic diplomacy that you so liked. With a heaping dose of sarcasm on the table. You let out a huff, arms moving into a dismissive cant, and the other dragon apparently had enough of your insolence.

Their white scales shimmer with a layer of gold, just as a blast of fire erupts from their maw. Heat shimmers across your scales for but an instant, but you were already gone, your four wings definitely coming handy as you danced past the gout of flame that the other dragon unleashed with contemptuous ease.

As you flew past, you could feel the heat trying to fuse the rest of your scales along with your skin, trying to follow you in the first few seconds after your initial dodge. It cuts off as soon as you arrive by the other dragon's back, a clear shot right at the point where their wings met the rest of their body…

… But you don't take it. Even if by all means, you should've. After all, you were here for diplomacy. Even if the other dragon wasn't exactly looking for it.

Besides, just from your little interaction, you could run circles around this other dragon for days. That little display should bring the other dragon to the negotiating table. Or you could just blast them with starfire at the end of the day if they feel like being difficult.

"… Speak, dragon." The other party growls, facing you with another flap of its two wings (two!). Your eyes narrow at the gouts of flame that drip down from their maw, and you can't help but lower your opinion of this other dragon further than it already was. Of all the things that they could neglect, they leaked out their flame.

Sure, it would be intimidating if you're a puny mortal… but you're not.

"Quite the quaint little village that you're protecting." You begin, a lazy drawl to your voice. You could see the moment wherein the other dragon flares its snout, a spark of flame rising forth from their maw… but they hold it in. Which was good progress, no doubt. "Is there anything that might be of use inside?"

"Nothing that you could use." The other dragon snarls back, wings flaring in defiance as another golden shimmer courses through their white scales. "The child's destiny is foretold. None can block his growth… not even the likes of you."

Ooh, how scary. You respond to the other dragon's provocation with a grin, starfire ready to be unleashed with but a whim, watching their reaction so that you could make the first move.

[] Fight. You can take this other dragon, this 'paragon' and wannabe mentor. Maybe you could even pry out whatever plans this dragon had for this 'child' on their final breaths.

[x] Warn. A dragon wanting to protect a child for whatever reason they might have? That was fine. But there was certainly something to be said about the way that they tried to keep themselves hidden.

[] Write-in.

Warning the other dragon's a go!

Dargon 1.4: Warning


You are a dragon. And frankly, you are about to do something stupid.

Granted, you're currently able to punt this other dragon should they get uppity, but the word to be stressed there was 'currently'. No doubt that you would go for a different approach should the disparity between you and this other dragon were a little… different.

"Oh, I'm sure I can render your little ward to slag, even with your 'protection'." You drawl, causing the other dragon to let out a snarl at the threat. "Have you ever considered that your skills in keeping your 'child of the prophecy' hidden is simply atrocious?"

"You dare–"

"I found your little project by just listening to the mortals chatter about in the nearby villages." A snort coming from your snout. "That means any dragon with the capability and will to disrupt your little ward's growth would be able to do so without issue, so long as they keep a search out for rumors around this area."

"And you think you have both?"

Laughter roars from your maw at that, meeting the other dragon's gaze with a grin.

"Try me."

Wings flare. The other dragon roars, surging forward in a burst of speed, but you were already moving, diving down like a rock and dodging the first blow. A hand lashes out, raking across the other dragon's flank, and you roar back in triumph as your claws wrench out a long line of scales throughout the other dragon's body.

The other dragon replies with a roar of pain, its tail swinging like a club to counterattack, but you were already moving once more, starfire bubbling in the depths of your maw before unleashing it in one horrid blast.

For what it's worth, the other dragon tried to change its trajectory with a flap of its wings. But two wings working in concert could never outmaneuver four, and so your breath rings out in a supersonic blast, a wave of superheated air following in its wake that scorches the scales of the other dragon's crown, staining the once-white scales a solid black.

Another flap of your wings sends you back a respectable distance, looking at the other dragon with disdain. Bad enough that they chose to meddle in mortal matters, but they didn't even have the power to back it up. There was a reason Momma Konnto always said that you should stay away from dragons that fancied themselves as protectors.

Now, not that it stopped you from all but provoking this particular dragon over here, but they didn't even know magic! At this rate, they were going to get themselves killed. Well, them and whatever little mortal that they've been grooming up for whatever purposes that they might serve.

"Have I made my point yet, or are you going to charge at me again like an idiot?" You ask in a dry tone, arms crossed over your chest as you watch the other dragon slowly come to a stop. An ungainly, rough stop that has one of their arms clutching the crown of their head, all but snarling a few words in Draconic that you were sure were curses. Oh, if Momma Konnto was here to see this idiot…

"You… You have made your point." The other dragon snarls back in turn, shaking their head and fixing you with the harshest glare that they could muster. Frankly, they look like a miffed puppy, but you're not going to mention such observations now. "Now leave this space."

"And how are you going to make me do that?" You drawl in return, genuinely curious as to how the other dragon was going to handle this. If you were a more… unscrupulous dragon (ha!), then you would've already killed the other dragon, find their lair, and be done with it. No, you have the moral high ground here – as much as dragons had any sort of moral high ground – and you were going to milk it for what it's worth.

… It's not bribery. Definitely not. And the other dragon is definitely not staring at you with some measure of disgust. "You are quite the manipulative, greedy, little weasel."

"This 'little weasel' could blast your little project to pieces without breaking a sweat." You snap back, "Now what do you have in your lair that you could use to pay me off?"

The other dragon lets out an aggrieved sigh, and you can't help but be a bit giddy as the tension leaves the shoulders of the other dragon. "Follow."

Now, there was a chance that this might be a trap. But then again, what kind of an idiotic dragon would stash anti-dragon traps in their lair, where it could be used against them? So really, everything was fine.

You follow the other dragon back into his lair, making sure that you always lagged behind just in case they tried something. You also kept a wary eye on the ground as well, waiting for the other shoe to drop… but none came. Thank goodness that this dragon liked to stroke their own moral superiority.

With a flourish, you land alongside the other dragon in the middle of their lair, close enough to ensure that any nasty effect that might hit you would affect them as well. Your wings retreat with nothing more than a thought, and the other dragon flourishes an arm towards an array of magical trinkets, their own little wall of treasures.

"Take one, and get out." The other dragon grunts. "If you get more than one, I'll know."

And you're not stupid enough to piss off another dragon while inside their lair.

Still, shinies! There's a few things in here that caught your fancy…

[] Floating crystals held together by rings of gold? That could give you a few ideas for your flying lair.

[] A gold-encrusted scroll that's entirely made up of crystals… It would make for a good conversation piece.

[] Who makes dragon-sized halberds? Well, apparently they exist, and they're here in this dragon's lair. It should be fun to master this kind of thing.

[x] Packets of white crystals held in watertight skins. Something about this niggles your memories…

[] Take more than one. You're pretty sure you can dump the other dragon if they get uppity. Besides, they took you directly to their lair. What kind of dragon was stupid enough to do that?
- [] Which artifacts are you taking?

[] Write-in.

Robotninja said:

Drugs? Just what would a dragon do when high?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

The other dragon's storing it there for safekeeping, actually. Though I imagine that the drugs would have the same effects as catnip.

Ergo, not good for minimizing collateral damage.

Anyway, onto the tally!



... I certainly didn't expect this.