Master of Monsters

At last, the flames came to a temporary halt. Whether it was done deliberately or because his breath reserves had run low, the red dragon remained poised high in the sky, looking down coldly at the wyvern below. By now, the wyvern was charred black all over, battered and wretched, bearing not the slightest trace of its former blustering arrogance. Yet its innate recklessness and aggression kept it from thinking of flight even while wounded. Instead, its humiliation turned into burning rage. "Roar—" With a near-frenzied bellow, the wyvern beat its wings with all its might and surged straight toward the red dragon above. Its thick tail curved slightly, muscles instantly tensing, the sharp tail stinger primed to thrust forward and inject lethal wyvern venom the moment it drew close. Just as it lunged— Just as it was about to reach the red dragon's scales— *"Thunderwave,"* Cassius uttered in Draconic. *Boom!* A clap of thunder cracked beneath the clear sky. Centered on Cassius's body, a powerful wave of sound rippled outward. The invisible shockwave blasted the unprepared wyvern several meters away in an instant, throwing its wings out of balance and sending it plunging uncontrollably downward. Below, the spectating goblins clutched their ears. The more cowardly among them scurried behind boulders, too terrified to lift their heads. As the wyvern plummeted from the sky, Cassius continued to test his spells. *"Witch Bolt."* A blue spear of crackling magical energy shot from the red dragon's maw, streaking toward the nearby wyvern. Helpless to evade, the wyvern took the incoming spear of energy dead-on. Lightning crackled across its scales, plunging its already battered body into excruciating agony. Yet that was not the end. A sustained arc of electricity formed where the spell struck, linking the red dragon to the wyvern and constantly channeling lightning, wreathing the beast in faint arcs of power. *Crash!* The wyvern slammed into the ground, scorched smoke rising from its body as it rolled feebly across the dirt. "It—it's crashing down!" "Help!" "Run—!" The goblins were frightened out of their wits and scattered in every direction, but a few were still crushed beneath the wyvern's massive bulk, ending their lives. Cassius paid them no mind, descending with easy grace. He walked up to the wyvern, one step at a time. He already had a dozen wyverns submitting to him. This particular one was not indispensable; on the contrary, it made an ideal example to cow the rest. "Awoo..." The wyvern struggled to lift its head, letting out a feeble wail in a desperate bid to surrender at the final moment. Instead, the red dragon extended a powerful talon, planted it against the creature's slender neck, and pressed down hard. *Snap.* The sharp sound of breaking bone rang out. The terror remained frozen in the wyvern's eyes, but all breath had left it. The dozen or so wyverns that had arrived with it were seized with dread. They hurriedly took flight and gathered around the red dragon. They bowed their long necks and lowered their grotesque heads, low whimpers issuing from their throats—a display of absolute draconic submission to the strong. *"Cassius Claudew Norixius, your master,"* he declared in Draconic. "Roar—" The red dragon planted his foot upon the dead wyvern and roared toward the sky. The remaining wyverns took the cue, throwing their heads back to screech in chorus. Their harsh, raspy cries sounded like a raucous celebration of a new king's rise. Only after a long while did the red dragon step off the dead wyvern and order the flock to take up residence in the stone caves along the valley's cliffs. "Sever its head and hang it from the wall." "Extract the venom from its tail and coat arrows with it," the red dragon casually instructed. "Yes, my mighty master! Your power is unmatched!" The hobgoblin stood by awaiting orders, flattering him eagerly before driving the goblins to get to work. "M-Master, what if it's still alive?" The goblins shrank back, not daring to approach the massive corpse. "Useless trash!" "What good are you!" Duoluo's naturally red face flushed even darker with fury, and he lashed out with his leather whip. Under the barrage of curses and lashings, the goblins were forced to conquer their terror and step forward. From deep inside the cave, the chimera watched the dead wyvern from afar, a flicker of lingering dread in its eyes. Langpu gazed at the wyvern's corpse, marveling at the red dragon's might and rejoicing over this effortless victory: "Master will surely conquer this world." Beside him, the ogre Datou leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Boss, that big lizard has so much meat. Can the boys have a bite?" "Ow!" Another cudgel strike came down on him. Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys had proven remarkably effective—even if this particular chicken was rather oversized. The translucent blue screen unfurled before the red dragon after a long absence. [Achievement Unlocked: Master of Monsters] [Master of Monsters: "You could never imagine what I saw. I crept into its lair; there was no legendary treasure, only shattered bones scattered everywhere. This is a graveyard for adventurers, but a paradise for monsters." — From the testament of an unknown adventurer.] [Passive Trait Acquired: Monster Chieftain] [Charisma +2, Leadership Proficiency +8] [Gain an extraordinary aura; your might compels monsters to submit.] [You obtain the Bloodline Boon ability, allowing you to influence creatures within your territory and create bloodline kin.] A wondrous surge of power coursed through Cassius's body. His Charisma had increased. Here, "Charisma" was not merely the superficial appearance referred to by humans; it was better described as "influence." Even if one were short and hideous, so long as one possessed an extraordinary leadership aura capable of making soldiers follow to the death to conquer the world, their Charisma attribute would undoubtedly be very high. In the magic-steeped world of Elezerg, if Intelligence represented internal faculties such as memory and logic, and Wisdom represented external reception such as perception and divine influence, then Charisma represented outbound influence—whether swaying others through eloquence or altering the world through innate spellcasting. Cassius's spellcasting as a sorcerer relied on this very attribute. By virtue of his connection to the world, he exerted influence upon the Weave, reshaping reality through sheer willpower. The red dragon could keenly sense that his bond with the surrounding elements had grown closer and his impact on reality more profound. An invisible thread of destiny seemed to link him to his kin, as though every gesture he made could effortlessly alter the world. He let out an exhilarated roar, spread his wings, and flew back into the depths of Giant's Mouth Cave. He looked down upon his vassals below. Stirred by his roar, the ogres laboring away hoisted their massive logs overhead and cheered at the top of their lungs. The panicked goblins stared blankly upward at the sky, as though gazing upon their personal god. Even the chimera peering secretly from its cave could not help lowering its heads, subdued by an overwhelming aura that compelled willing submission. Such was the terrifying influence of the Master of Monsters. Farther off in the subterranean mines, kobolds seemed to feel a sudden summons; dropping their pickaxes, they drifted involuntarily in that direction. In their shadowy encampment, lizardfolk lit bonfires and began a primitive dance. And deeper still within the caverns lurked a monstrous creature, slithering across the ground in the dark...