An empty lair

Like this week's had passed, I went around slaughtering dragon cave after dragon cave, but the cave I was now in was special somehow.

It had all the characteristic the other cave had as well. The entrance that was covered in various animal bones to scare of muggles that tried to venture the caves.

The amazingly high ceilings that let small dragons train flying in a secure environment.

The constant warmth that came from the floor almost like underfloor heating.

The holes in the ceiling to let fresh air in.

The sandstone walls that were melted in shape to allow an easy passing for the biggest dragon of the cave, while in this cave much larger than usual were still intact as they were supposed to be.

But somehow the sulfuric smell that usually was always around in those cave was not there.

Walking further I noticed other oddities, under normal circumstances a dragon should already have spotted me.

While they could tell that I would come because of my magic power never before had they managed to hide like that.

It wasn't of course like I never visited empty caves before but at that times I had just assumed that they had been raided by another wizard. But this layer felt entirely different.

There were many claw marks on the ground usually the dragons cared very much about their layer and would avoid any damage it might take.

This layer however looked like the dragon fled from something with all the scratches and crushed treasure it was like something or someone had tipped them of.

Wandering deeper into the cave I now saw that they left all of their treasures behind who could persuade dragons into leaving their treasure behind.

That should be nearly impossible those creatures were among the greediest he had ever met and yet someone had managed to do so.

That itself would have been an incredible feat, but I got even more amazed as I went for the next lair. The next cave was also completely empty this greatly unnerved me even my killing spree that had gone for several weeks had come to an end now, but these dragons were not nearly enough for the ritual to be carried out.

How did the dragons manage it to organize themselves ? And where did they hide ? It was not like that their joint effort could take me down, so I just needed to find them, and maybe I would have enough to safe my wife and unborn child.

But how could I do so tracking a dragon was usually not that hard, but I had not heard of huge dragon movements. Considering how massive they were someone had to see them, but there were not even rumors about it.

Because of the absence of information about them, I knew that wizards had helped them to escape. That was also unnerving this had to be a large wizarding organization in order to move so many dragons. Also, the power of said organization had to be tremendous moving dragons was not an easy job after all.

Who could have enough power to pull this of ? How did they even know that the dragons were attacked. I need new information, I have to find the spot where they were hiding otherwise it was all for naught.

On my hunt for information I appartate to the next dragon lair maybe some old dragons left behind could give me a lead. Standing before another hole they called home I let my magic run rampage if this lizard knew of my power maybe I don't need to torture it.

While it was unlikely I still had hope of finding a lizard who knew of the location. Walking through the collapsing cave, watching how enormous treasures get crushed by the stone ceiling falling down I continued to walk deeper into the layer I had not yet found what I was looking for. Walking for twenty minutes deeper down, while also cleaning the rubble that got in the way.

I now stood before the biggest dragon I had yet encountered the head alone had the size of a small house, but it still cowered before me.

"Tell me, where your race is hiding and I won't kill you"

"You puny human whose mind is eroded with magic will get nothing from me"

"You better tell me now, or you won't like what's going to happen next."

"That human is where you are wrong even if you have lived for many years it does not seem like you gained any wisdom. Let me tell you as your elder dying can be a relief and I will rather die than to betray my own kind"

I reacted not fast enough as soon as the dragon said those words he shifted his magic core to its brain killing it instantly and destroying its soul. I had gotten nothing but empty words out of this damned lizard. But this damned thing probably knew where the others went, so I just had to look for other clues.

Thinking about my problem and the now dead dragon before me, I had a new idea. The dragon before me should be very old and should have descendants. That meant that I could track them with his blood. While this need a large amount of concentration this should not be a problem for me.

I'm drawing a ritual circle with the dragon blood I start with the ritual but something is of. I don't seem to get a good connection to the dragon I just get the general direction, but even the direction didn't please me at all. There were not that many wards that could obstruct my blood ritual even if it was just by a small amount this was enough for me to know where those beasts were hiding and now I also had an idea how they managed to communicate with those pests.