Dragon's Lair

At the same time, when things got more hectic in the military base of New York, Jake and his captor, the Wolf King, Shrektha, arrived at their destination.

The lair of the Dragon King, Drakaroth, and the ruins of California, the Sierra Madre mountains.

The once vibrant mountain range in the southern part of California, now desolate and abandoned, was crawling with various beasts and monsters.

The remnants of scorched land and fissures of black smoke, burned trees, dried ponds, and a lost civilization spoke volumes of the cataclysmic events that transpired in this place.

All that's left is at the mercy of the fire breathers and the lords of this domain.

The Wyverns, the lesser beings of mighty scales, were occupying the sky, while the Cinderfiends, fiery creatures with molten bodies, roamed the ruins on the ground.

Humans could be seen here and there, but it's not a pleasant sight.

The twisted and darkened flesh and bones were lying on the black sands. Readily cooked for the crows to eat, the leftovers were taken by the ants and worms to their nest. The rotten scent was too much even for the beasts who killed them, so most of their offenders were turned to ash while the rest were left as they were only to make them suffer.

In the skies above this dystopian hellscape, two figures, the WolfKing, Shrektha, and his uncomfortable 'companion' Jake took their landing in the nearby range of a giant scrap of a raven tree trunk.

Flying was one of the basic abilities of the King-type monsters. For that reason, even the Wolf King, with no wings whatsoever, was able to levitate in the sky using just his magical energy and aura.

Teleportation, however, needed complex understanding even for the Kings. Because of this, Shrektha, known for his cruelty and brute strength, was not able to teleport into a very far distance and was limited, mocked by his peers and that annoying dragon king, who always teased his intelligence.

'B*stard, he thinks his race is superior to mine.'

But today, he was not here to settle their rivalry against each other. He was here for a human who might be a possible candidate for the champion, the one Drakaroth was bragging about never dying, a sign the respective gods they serve, sought after.

'If a champion is found on earth sooner, Lord Thal'dor will be pleased with our service and welcome us back. I can finally go back to the lord Vexalis in the Gods realm,' he thought.

Bam!

After their landing, the giant wolf stood on a crater, exuding his aura without restraint or second thought, trying to alert the beasts in the vicinity of his mighty presence.

Wyverns that flew above, suddenly feeling threatened, noticed the King's presence and the human beside them. The monsters immediately landed in front of the King, kneeling and showing respect, one after another.

Even though the Wolf was accustomed to the winds in the sky and their resistance, it was not the same with Jake.

As soon as he landed, he threw up his lunch on the scorched ground. In the past, his stomach churned every time he took flight, so Jake can't be blamed for his reaction.

However, the Wyvern at the front, wings down, made a disgusted face at the human.

Jake was glad he took the advice of Gyrs, his friend, and wore double-plated armor, reinforced with magic. Otherwise, he could've been a pile of soup (of blood and skin), inside his suit.

'It was the worst experience.' he thought, remembering the last time he was on a plane.

"you!" Shrektha said, pointing towards one of the wyverns. "Where's that damn Dragon? I don't sense his aura."

The beasts cowered even more when they heard that.

"What is it?" the wolf King asked again, clenching the staff tighter on his hand, Trying to scope the area around him. "I don't sense any other dragon in the vicinity, either."

'Did that fool go somewhere with his army?' he thought. 'But there aren't any trials I knew of that would keep the dragons busy. Trial six will take place in a week, where is he, If not in his lair?'

He felt frustrated, leaving the post without permission when he thought about how much time he wasted.

The gods are not known for their leniency with their servants. If Thal'dor learns that Drakaroth is not in his lair, when the world system hasn't permitted it, he will be furious.

One of the wyverns, Gora, now decreased in size, similar to the seven-foot-tall Monster king in front of it, with horns, came forward.

/"My apologies, Lord Wolf. But please, there is something I need to show you. It's about the Dragon King."/ Gore said in Zoic Tongue, a beastial language of monsters.

*(Note: / " " / means, humans can't understand that language, speech, or text.)*

Jake blinked his eyes as he did not understand a single word uttered by that creature.

Shrektha narrowed his eyes, not expecting this. Even if Drakaroth had a valid reason for his absence, he could not escape punishment by the world system.

As much as he hated to follow in others' footsteps, the Wolfking followed after Gora.

As for Jake, he had a feeling that, after sighting numerous carcasses of what was 'supposed' to be human but left unrecognizable, it was in his best interest to follow after the King of wolves rather than stay where he was. The thought of becoming a savage dinner made his skin crawl.

'Get a hold of yourself!' Jake thought to himself, glancing at the sword at his back. 'I won't let myself be food without a fight.'

A few minutes passed, and Gora brought his two guests to an area that could only be described as a ruin of a bygone era. Because, though it didn't exist three months before, there was a giant fortress built by the Dragons, their stronghold, their nest.

At least, the last time Shrektha visited Drakaroth, it "was". But not anymore.

"What happened to this place?" he asked Gora, dumbfounded and struck by disbelief.

And Jake, who just caught with his captor, climbing stairs that had runes, and silver floors scattered all across, saw something at the center of the ruins that made his hair stand.

"That…" Jake was about to say something but was interrupted by Gora.

/"This is all that's left of our kin, Milford. The Dragons have been slain."/

As Gora made that statement, the Wolfking made a strange expression, focusing his magical energy to verify what was in front of him.

Even though he could see, what he saw was hard to believe. Even Jake took a step back, falling down on his ass, pinching himself, 'That's…'

There was a Humongous Crater on the ground. And several dead carcasses of dragons in it.

At the center, in the Colossal size as he was, Drakaroth was standing, a spear in his chest, his face pale, his eyes white, his body lay lifeless.

'That…' Jake thought, looking at the crater, '... What kind of Disaster do that?'

"Who killed him?" Shrektha asked Gora.

/"It was a human. And he was not the awakened either."/ Gora replied.

In the current world, not having awakened with at least one ancient god was like having no ability to fight monsters.

It was basically suicide!

But how can a non-awakened human kill a Dragon? Let alone their King?

Jake saw the hands of the Wolf king trembling at this sight.

'is he angry?'

But then…

"Hahahahaha…" The King began to laugh maniacally, scaring Jake for a moment.

Slamming his staff on the ground, he looked at Jake, trying to control the pleasure coursing through his brain cells.

The reason he laughed was, "Drakaroth is dead. And there is one culprit I can think of to explain my reasoning." Shrektha said, looking at Jake, smiling on his canine face, "Your brother… seems like an interesting man."

***

If you find any mistakes in the chapter please comment below so I can fix them as soon as possible.