“BOOOOBBBBB!!!”
The door slammed open once more. Bob heaved a sigh.
“Londibni, I get that you’re stressed, but could you consider knocking? Or at least opening the door normally? Look, the hinge is about to break.”
“Not this time Bob! This time we’re dead! Really, truly dead!”
Adoel just heaved a sigh as she floated in the air unseen.
“I can only hope.”
Bob ignored her.
“And why are we dead this time?”
“Even you can’t do anything about this one, Bob. It’s over, it’s really over!”
“Even if you say that, I can’t react unless you actually tell me.”
“The Dark Lord ordered me to recruit the Ancient Dragon for his horde!”
Even Adoel’s eyes started to widen at that. Bob just tilted his head.
“Ok?”
“Ok? OK?! BOB! Do you understand what this means?!”
“That we need to go find and negotiate with the Ancient Dragon?”
“NO! Bob! The Ancient Dragon is the most powerful being in the world! And is known for being extremely proud and volatile! They’ve destroyed entire civilizations over minor slights! The Dark Lord himself refuses to get within the same continent as the Ancient Dragon! And we need to convince THAT dragon to work FOR someone else? We’re dead! We’re really really dead! This is definitely a play to get rid of me! The order is straight suicide! He may as well have ordered me to cut off my own head! That might be LESS painful, in fact!”
Adoel flew in front of Bob before he could speak.
“Bob, listen to me. I know you’re pretty smart and you’ve handled some dangerous situations before. Yes, your levels are growing and you have that concealment. But please, forget about this. This is different, Bob. Even us angels don’t mess with the Ancient Dragon. Only Most Holy Ione can command it. So please, find another way. You don’t need to do this.”
Bob raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t tell me you’re worried? Wouldn’t that be the justice you’ve always said is coming for me?”
“You stupid, evil hero! If you go I have to go with you! And I’m too young to die!”
In her shock and haste, Adoel had accidentally dropped her concealment spell. Londibni was just staring at her.
“Bob…who is this?”
“An angel.”
“An angel? Ah I see…WAIT AN ANGEL?! BOB! WHAT IS AN ANGEL DOING HERE?!”
“Helping me.”
“HELPING YOU?! WHY IS AN ANGEL…”
Londibni froze.
Man who came out of nowhere, who seems highly intelligent but sometimes lacked basic common sense.
Man who had strange ideas no one else had ever thought of.
Man who was impossibly competent yet had never been heard of before. Who seemed to be able to accomplish anything. Who leveled up at an alarming, almost impossible speed.
Who was accompanied by an angel.
Londibni began to tremble.
“B-Bob…y-you’re…you’re a-a…”
Bob rubbed his chin and then nodded.
“I guess it’s a good time. Technically I’m a hero or something like that.”
Londibni collapsed. She sat on the ground hugging her knees and rocking back and forth.
“I’m dead. I’m dead I’m dead I’m dead. There’s a hero in front of me. The Dark Lord is watching me. I’m supposed to go talk to the Ancient Dragon. There’s an angel here. No matter what, I’m dead. I’m dead I’m dead I’m dead.”
“Look what you’ve done, angel.”
“Me?! What I’VE done?!”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve said.”
“I! You! You…AAAARRGGHH!!!”
Bob just rubbed his chin and checked his books for any mention of the Ancient Dragon as Londibni whispered to herself and Adoel invented some new words that angels probably shouldn’t use.
Bob, Adoel, and Londibni hid in a bush on the side of a road. Londibni was still trembling and muttering to herself, so Bob decided to bring her along, for lack of a better choice. Adoel had joined her in the “we’re dead” chant. But Bob ignored them and kept his eyes on the road.
And there was his target, a merchant convoy led by a noble carriage.
Adoel heaved a sigh.
“Bob, I don’t really want to know, but what are we doing here again?”
“Scouting.”
She took a deep breath, but then relaxed and nodded.
“Ok, that’s good. Take a good look, Bob. And then you’ll realize that we shouldn’t be here. We can run away. Change our names. Start a new life.”
“I thought you wanted me to be a hero? Or to get punished?”
“You stupid, evil hero! I’m trying to save our lives here!”
“Quiet, you’re noisy.”
“You…..”
As Adoel grit her teeth, a shadow passed overhead. Armed guards began to notice and took up positions around the convoy.
And then a mighty roar pierced the heavens.
All the guards…and everyone in the convoy…paled and started to run. Or else ducked into the dirt.
A massive dragon landed in the center of the convoy. It sniffed the air several times, then walked over to one of the carriages.
It took the whole cart into its mouth and dumped the cargo down its throat.
Then it let out another roar and flew away.
Bob raised an eyebrow and passed around some healing potions. He had taken damage just from the roars and the gust of wind from the dragon’s take off.
Adoel exhaled her breath.
“Ok, you see now? THAT’s the Ancient Dragon. See? It can kill you just with its presence, even if it doesn’t know you’re there. There’s nothing you can do against it, Bob. Even you.”
Londibni clutched onto Bob’s arm, nodding with all her might.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“The foul angel is right, Bob! Let’s run away! Change our names, start a new life.”
“No.”
“No? No?!”
Bob smiled.
“In fact, I know exactly what to do. Come on.”
Londibni just started crying. Adoel gripped at her hair.
“WHY?! WHY DO I HAVE TO BE ASSIGNED TO THIS STUPID, EVIL, SUICIDAL HERO?!”
Londibni and Adoel were hiding in a bush, lying flat on the ground. They were in front of a large cave. Bob was strolling towards the entrance.
He didn’t even have his concealment on.
He looked back at the bush, raising an eyebrow.
The angel and the Eight General of the Dark Lord both shook their heads with all their might.
Bob shrugged and walked into the cave.
Adoel and Londibni glanced at each other.
“He’s dead.”
“He’s super dead.”
“...let’s make a run for it.”
“That will make us look like prey, we should hide here and hope it doesn’t notice us.”
“Easy for you to say! Aren’t you just going to run back up to heaven once he’s dead?!”
“That takes time! I’m not doing that in front of an angry Ancient Dragon! How about you?! Look, you’re a dark elf! You guys are the master assassins of the Dark Lord! Can’t you just lie in wait for a bit?”
“That’s stereotyping! I'm in a support role! I’ve never even assassinated anyone! Look, half my skills are in paperwork!”
Their conversation was cut short by a massive roar, the loudest they’ve ever heard.
They both paled and covered their heads.
They felt a massive amount of magic blasting through the air.
A huge bundle of power was quickly approaching.
They held their breath.
Something started to appear out of the shadows of the cave.
Their jaws dropped.
It was Bob.
With a dragonkin woman wrapped around his arm and smiling.
You did WHAT?!
You…what…how did you…I don’t even…
That’s definitely not supposed to happen!
Um…
…
Whatever, I’m just going to leave this here.
Title Gained: Ancient Dragon Tamer!