Age of Dragons Online

Chapter 24: Dragon

Chapter 24

Dragon

Nadran took an involuntary step back at the sight of the dragon, then several voluntary ones, trying to put space between him and the giant dragon standing right in front of him. He was close enough to me that he could have easily grabbed me in his jaws and eaten me, Nadran thought as they grouped up at what they felt was a safer distance from the dragon, subconsciously shifting closer to each other to each other to reassure each other that they were not alone.

They stood there warily, expecting the dragon to attack them immediately, but instead the dragon stared at them for almost ten seconds, as though unsure what to make of them. "Why are you here, little ones?" it asked in a curious tone, then closed its eyes. The companions looked at each other in confusion, not sure what to do. Everyone, even the hugely overconfident Korath, was thinking the same thing at this point: Can we really defeat something like that?

Suddenly, the dragon's eyes snapped open, and he said "Ah, I see. Very interesting. Well, I suppose we should get started, then." With that, he leaped into the air with a grace that defied his bulk, and dove toward the adventurers.

Nadran was surprised at the dragon's eccentric behavior, but he had been prepared for the dragon's attack – albeit not such a fast one. He dived to the side, and the group scattered as the dragon landed where they had been not a second before with an impact that shook the cavern. Nadran whirled around to face the beast, drawing his swords and imbuing them with dark energy.

The dragon looked around at the players surrounding him, and his lights lit up as he looked at them all. "Wow, so many rare skillsets. This is most certainly an impressive party, although you do not yet have the experience or levels to back them up."

What is with this dragon? Nadran thought in disbelief. The way it talks is almost... human, and it even talks in gaming terms. Is this really just some NPC monster?

Sensing the question in the air, the dragon smiled (at least, that's what they assumed he was doing), and said "No, I am not from your Earth realm. I am, and have always been, an inhabitant of Nogard. This realm is home to many intelligent beings, and it would be a mistake to assume that the natives of Nogard are merely "computers" with no true intelligence, reasoning, or speech. I am not just a part of some "program," I am a dragon with free will, and I will not use random or predictable attack patterns like the bosses in the games you've played before ADO."

The companions were speechless. How could something like this exist? Nadran wondered in astonishment. Is it just a monster programmed to act like it has self-awareness, or is it something more?

"I'd recommend dodging," the dragon mentioned casually, then swept his tail in a huge arc, causing everyone to scramble out of his path. Lunalia quickly began to cast a spell, while Hadon started concentrating. Aria pulled back her bow, and the others charged toward the dragon, trying to put aside their misgivings. They all charged in and attacked to the best of their abilities, but the dragon nimbly dodged each and every one of them, not even getting touched by anything they tried. Lunalia and Hadon cast their spells, but the dragon merely sidestepped, chuckling.

The dragon suddenly inhaled, and everyone, recognizing a classic trait of dragons, ran away from his mouth. His mouth curled into what Nadran could have sworn was a smile, then he exhaled, and a blast of air caught the entire group, who were all blown off their feet.

"Now, I wonder what would have happened if that had been fire," the dragon said in a mock-curious tone. "Hmm, I wonder... uh oh, I think I feel a sneeze coming. Aaah, ah, aCHOO!" He exclaimed, simultaneously letting out a huge stream of fire. The blue-white flame illuminated the entire cavern, and the concentrated beam of dragonfire hit the far wall, burning dozens of feet through the solid rock, liquefying it, then evaporating it, until the dragon stopped his fiery breath. "Hmm, I wonder..." he repeated, smiling innocently.