Chapter 9: Battle at the Giant’s Maw
The red dragon opened his maw wide, biting down hard on the dragon head’s neck.
His razor-sharp teeth pierced through the chimera’s scales and tough skin, embedding deep into the flesh.
Blood spttered, and the head jerked back, letting out a desperate howl, the fierce stream of fire halting abruptly.
"Awooo—"
The chimera’s dragon-like wings fpped wildly as it tried to asd, while the sharp, muscur lion cws swiped at the red dragon, aiming for a terattack to escape its predit.
Cassius released his grip, nimbly dodging the swipe, and fpped his wings, veering above the chimera.
The tables had turned, and with a triumphant roar, the red dragon swooped down toward the chimera’s back.
"Roar—"
In mid-air, the chimera’s mismatched body was no match for the streamlined form of the red dragon.
The chimera couldn’t dodge; it filed its wings, turning its heads back to watch helplessly as the red dragon drew closer.
"Got you."
Cassius spread his wings wide, grabbing hold of the chimera’s wings with his powerful cws.
The chimera, panicked, lost its bance, filing its wings wildly as all three heads twisted back, snapping at the dragon ging to its back.
"Bull’s Strength!"
The red dragon roared, eling the spell’s power through his heart, pumping strength into every muscle. His already-massive limbs bulged, emitting steam.
Cassius felt a surge of strength.
His cws tightened around the chimera’s wings, nearly crushing bone and flesh.
"Where did you get the audacity—"
"To fly before a true dragon?"
"Get down!"
Cassius spat out.
He folded his wings, eling his full weight and strength downward—the red dragon demanded a decisive victory.
The chimera, oruggling defiantly, was utterly powerless under Cassius’s absolute might.
It could only await its fate, defeated.
"Owooo—"
The chimera’s desperate struggles weakened as the red dragon’s weight forced it from teers above to crash into the ground.
"Boom!"
The earth rumbled.
Dust rose, stones scattered, and the ground cracked, leaving a shallow crater.
Ihe chimera, battered and bruised, its wings almost torn apart.
"Now, let me show you true fire."
The red dragon pressed down on the half-dead chimera, jaws slightly parted as scorg heat gathered in his throat—the air visibly dist with the fire’s iy.
"Submit."
"Or die."
Cassius fixed his gaze oerrified, submissive eyes of the lion head and spoke, emphasizing each word.
The chimera, though fierce, still g to life. Moreover, its dragoage pelled it to yield to a stronger dragon, to bee a servant to evil.
Faced with death, it quickly made its choice, all three heads l in submission, baring their vulnerable necks aing out a low whimper.
"Awooo..."
In the face of power, all were equal—such was the brutal w of the wild.
"Submit... Master..."
The chimera mao utter a few words in crude Draic, though brokenly.
Only then did Cassius release his hold, direg his stored fire breath mere inches from the chimera’s side.
In an instant, the intense fmes scorched the ground, splintering rocks.
The chimera, still trembling, looked at Cassius with newfound reverence, realizing it would not have survived a direct hit from those fmes.
The chimera crawled out of the crater, wings folded and body covered in wounds, l its heads, not daring to meet the red dragon’s eyes.
Cassius perched atop the t rock outside the cave, looking down and r in Draic:
"From this day forth, this shall be—
"Cassius’s ir."
His voice echoed far and wide, reag creatures within miles.
Be it feasting gnolls, thieving ogres, or slumbering bear goblins...
Perhaps they didn’t yet realize that the territory had ged hands, but Cassius was fident they would soon learn by any means necessary.
He then leaped down from the rock, shifting his gaze to the chimera awaiting orders, and said casually:
"Remember my name from now on and never defy me. Lead the way."
"Yes..."
The chimera bowed slightly, leading Cassius deeper into the Giant’s Maw Cave.
I was warm, likely due to abundant fire elements within the mountain, making it fortable for the red dragon.
As they vehrough the winding passage, Cassius noted bones scattered throughout: a giant’s skull, wyvern wing bones, and even humanoid skulls with horns.
"A cambion?”
"No, probably a tiefling."
Cassius thought.
Following the chimera, they moved deeper through the narrow passage, entering a wide space easily big enough for a fully grown red dragon.
Remnants of past meals y everywhere, with various tunnels leading off in different dires.
As they passed a particur pile of bohe chimera hesitated for a moment but quickly resumed walking as if nothing had happened.
It was deliberately steering Cassius inward.
Sensing this anomaly, Cassius called out to the chimera, his tone icy:
"What are you hiding? What’s in there?"
"N-No..."
"Nothing..."
The chimera turned, whimpering, its heads lowered in a gesture of surrender.
Cassius cwed through the pile of bones, revealing a hidden passage. Gng down, he saw hundreds of gleaming gold s, faintly shining in the cave’s shadows.
The chimera, iing a dragon’s greed, had amassed quite the treasure. Gathering such a wealth of s was a rare feat.
"By dragon , I’ll take half."
"But if you ever hide anything from me again..."
"There won’t be a ime."
"Yes… Master."
The beast bowed all three heads low.
Cassius g it before entering the hidden chamber uhe chimera’s anguished gaze.
With a sie, he devoured hundreds of s—
—the bulk of the wealth the chimera had amassed through years of plunder and bloodshed.
