Ch.33

(Talrit POV)

The 'Red Waste' was a very vast land of nothing but red sand. For hundreds of miles in every direction, one could only see the red sand, even from the height I was flying at. Though I wanted to find the main den of the Gnolls to see if there was anything I could learn from them. They would not attack me simply from the fear of me alone, leaving me the ability to learn more about them.

As I traveled for a few days covering thousands of miles that would take humans months of travel, I saw many things below me. I saw these giant worms called 'Purple Worms' from my old world. As the same suggests they are huge worm creatures, about 20ft (6m) long and 10ft (3m) wide. They had thick purple scale-like hides, several rows of spikes sticking from their body, and a mouth filled with fangs.

There were also many other giant creatures roaming around, like scorpions, ants, and desert spiders. With packs of giant hyenas that usually were ridden by Gnolls, giant lions, rhinos, and many other animals that all appear to be a much larger size than they normally would be.

'I can now understand why the humans avoid this place as it is infested with creatures that would kill any weak human,' I think while flying over the red sands.

Eventually, I see a ruin that was once a human city a few hundred miles ahead of me. Though from the appearance it does not appear to be abandoned. At first, I thought it was the stone men that lived there, but then I noticed large groups of Gnolls coming and going.

'Seems I have found the main den of the Gnolls,' I think with a hum and go to land beside the ruin.

As I dive down toward the gnoll's main den, I sense draconic energy in the air. Which makes me stop my decent as a dragon is nearby. One that is not something I sensed before to know what type of dragon, but I know one is here. The overlord of the gnolls most likely and only a chromatic dragon would lord over gnolls.

As I search below for the dragon, I saw a large blue dragon come out from the largest destroyed building in the city. Most likely the palace of this city long ago. It seems the blue dragon sensed my presence as well and looked up to see me. As we made eye contact I could tell the blue dragon was readying for a fight.

'Seems they have no idea how much older I am than him,' I think with while seeing it fly up to meet me and from my height in the sky I do appear smaller. Though I can see this blue dragon is around the ancient phase, reaching around 85ft (26m) long with a wingspan of maybe 100ft (30.5m). Overall a tiny thing compared to me.

I dove back down to meet it, as I got closer the blue dragon then realized its mistake seeing just how large I was. The fear wreaked off it and was very displayed on its face as it dove back down to hide in its home. Blue dragons love to barrow in the ground and live under the ground where they store their treasures.

However, before it could reach the ground I caught up to it, catching it in my one hand. Then I landed on the ground with a thud shaking the area like a small earthquake came. The ruined city crumbled from the impact that I had since I was not able to fully stop my descent, as I was focused on catching the blue dragon.

In a panic, the blue dragon released its electric breath at me as blue lightning raced across my hand, that it was trapped in. I felt some pain as dragons can injure one another no matter the size or age difference, the damage just lessens the bigger the difference in both age and size. To me, it felt like my hand got all tingly as if it fell asleep. Not that much pain at all, just some which annoyed me so I growled at the dragon.

The ground shook at me growl and the blue dragon feel quiet in fear. While the entire ruined city of Gnolls stood still in fear too as my natural aura leaked freezing them all in fear. An eerie silence took over as only the sound of the wind was heard after my appearance and growl.

"I will release you young one, but if you try to escape or attack me, I will ensure you die," I say to the blue dragon which stares at me as I slowly open my hand and stare at it with a neutral look. It just nods its head in fear, but I can see the defiance and pride in its eyes as all true dragons have.

"Answer my questions honestly and I will not harm you. I will stick around for some time, to learn more about these creatures as they have caught my attention. I want to see if there is anything else I can learn about them," I say to the blue dragon that just stares at me waiting for my questions.

"First what is your name?" I say to the blue dragon.

"Onthren," the blue dragon says to me with the same pride and defiance in its eyes. Though the fear of me alone keeps him in check, as the voice suggests the dragon is male.

"You are male correct? Do you have a mate?" I ask curious to see if there are other blue dragons in the area.

"Yes, I am a male, no mate yet," Onthren says to me.

"Are there others in the area that you are courting?" I ask him since each dragon has their own way to find mates and the rituals behind getting one.

"No it appears I am the only blue dragon in this vast wasteland," Onthren says with some happiness, but sadness at the same time.

"I assume you have taken over as the leader of the gnolls," I say looking at the still frozen-in-fear gnolls.

"Yes, they hunt and find me treasures," Onthren says while I eye him knowing they have hunted humans from the trophies around the ruins made from human bones. Though that is a custom most nonhuman beings do, it makes trophies of their hunts, and even humans do too.

"How did you arrive here?" I ask wanting to know how he came to this world.

"My old lair was attacked by some sorcerers. I was able to kill most of them, but not all and they were able to complete the ritual they were casting. The spell sent me through another plane which I was able to escape by finding another portal there. The next thing I know I am in this red-sanded wasteland. That was over a millennia ago though," Onthren says to me and I can tell he is being honest so I nod my head.

"Interesting," I say with hum while thinking about the possibility that other dragons have been brought to this world. My excitement rises at the thought and I look forward to exploring the rest of the lands in this world.

"Can I ask your name, esteemed one," Onthren says to me while bowing his head respectfully and I can tell it took all of his self-control to be respectful to me.

As blue dragons can be even more prideful than red dragons at times, especially since they are looked down on by most other true dragons. The most looked down on true dragons are white dragons, which many consider being more beast than dragon. Blue dragons are the next least like true dragons among our kind.

"Talrit young one," I say to him with a chuckle to myself since he is an ancient dragon, but to me he is still a child.

"I will stay here and learn more about gnolls. I will not intrude on your daily activities unless you commit an atrocity. Then once I feel I learned all I could about gnolls I will move on. Should only be a few weeks at most," I say dismissing the blue dragon that looks like it wants to attack me in annoyance.

"You are more than welcome to stay Elder Talrit," Onthren says with very well-hidden contempt and anger in his voice.

For the next few weeks, I sat outside the ruined city that is home to Onthren and the gnolls. I would stop the gnolls that come and go regularly to learn more about their culture and daily activities. The first few days I would have to cast 'Comprehend Languages' to speak with them, but eventually, I learned the language as I am a very quick learner. Plus it helped that the language was very simplistic.

At first, I thought maybe the gnoll's nature and customs would be more than one originally thought. But I found out they are very simple creatures, living only to hunt, sleep, and reproduce. The only real customs they had there was the rare handful of shamans that lived in the ruined city. They would do weekly rituals to empower the hunters and place sketches to ward off enemies. The shamans seemed like very basic magic casters.

The shamans also appeared to be the storytellers of the gnolls and history keepers. From what I gathered they were the 'elders' of their clan, though gnolls did not live long at all, which explains their high reproduction rate. The average gnoll life span was thirty years.

After spending a month among them, I felt I could learn no more from them. Even in my few forced conversations with Onthren, I did not learn much more. I then decided to continue to head west to see what else this world holds.

If I continued west I would hit the 'Great Sand Sea' which is an even larger wasteland than the 'Red Waste'. The Great Sand Sea would lead me to the 'Bleeding Sea' which is a very large lake in the middle of the desert. At the furthest west, I would reach the 'Grey Waste' which unlike those found elsewhere in the world, reports from those few that have explored around its edge seem to suggest it is a cold desert of ice and dust rather than sand.

The Grey Waste was also the border between Essos and the 'Yi Ti' Empire. The Grey Wastes held the 'Five Forts' that the Yi Ti uses to defend from the raids that happen in the grey waste a few times a year.

Just south of the grey wastes is the 'Shadow Lands'. The Shadow Lands is an area of extensive mountains, hills, and uplands, drained by several large rivers. The area is covered by ghost grass, a form of white grass that kills other living things and prevents them from growing.

From what I read and heard is that the Shadow Lands have a reputation as an area of mystery, intrigue, and sorcery. People of the Shadow Lands usually go masked when amongst others, and tend to refer to themselves as 'of the Shadow'. They also tend to be covered in tattoos. Although often linked due to their proximity, natives of the Shadow Lands are distinct people from the 'Asshai'i', who go unmasked in public. According to myth, dragons still exist in the Shadow Lands, and mighty feats of magic, like 'shadowbinding', are possible there.

'So much to see and learn! I wish I left home sooner and seen what this world has to offer. Though my clan was not yet prepared for my departure,' I think while standing up and informing Onthren I was leaving.

"Just remember Onthren, that should you try to devastate anything for no reason. I will hear about it and I will ensure you face justice," I say leaving one last threat to him since he might just attack and destroy a city of innocents for no reason other than the enjoyment of it.

"Safe trip Elder Talrit," Onthren says to me with the same look of anger and contempt that he thinks is hidden from me. I just snort at his response and fly towards the Great Sand Sea, then decide where to go from there.