Dragon's Roar

"Gods, Emir Maciej has been eaten too!" "N-no, it can't be..." "He was a noble Kapikulu, one of the Grand Sultan's personal guard!" "Lord of Flames above, the rumors were true! That really is a Genie-Devouring Dragon!" "Th-that is an apostle sent by the Lord of Flames to punish the wicked! He has come to chastise us!" Seeing Maciej engulfed and devoured by dragonfire without putting up any real struggle, the efreet atop the ramparts cried out in horror, their courage utterly shattered. Their battle-hardened Emir had been "eaten," the flame drake cavalry wiped out before even clashing with the enemy, and the magical ballistas rendered completely useless—everything unfolding before them had far exceeded anything the efreet could have imagined. The efreet were indeed a fanatical and warlike race, capable of ferocious valor on the battlefield, yet they were not fools eager to throw their lives away. Faced with such a scene, nearly every efreeti made the same choice: Flee! Get away from here immediately! Escape this place claimed by the terrifying "Genie-Devouring Dragon." "Run!" "That dragon is sin incarnate!" "To the City of Brass! We must get out alive and report this to the Grand Sultan!" The efreet cast aside their full-length silk war-robes and shed their bloodstained brass armor. Dissolving their lower halves into plumes of gray smoke and cinders, they took flight in desperate panic, while many others began chanting teleportation spells. As the masters of this domain, the efreet numbered only about five hundred within the City of Black Iron. Yet within the city dwelt nearly forty thousand slaves of various races hailing from different planes, virtually all captured during efreet raids. Across the city, salamanders, fire dwarves, magmin, and even human and giant slaves looked up in unison, the scorching chains binding them clattering noisily. "That's..." "By the gods... it's the efreet!" "Th-they're fleeing! That dragon is devouring the genies!" In days past, these slaves had toiled day and night beneath efreet fire-whips, whipped raw and covered in burns every single day. Yet against these elemental beings of immense physique and mastery over magic, they stood no chance at all. Over time, some slaves had even come to revere these efreet as inviolable deities, branding subservience deep into their souls. Yet at this moment, that entire worldview came crashing down. "So these genies aren't invincible after all!" "They run too!" "They can die!" The efreet who had once walked tall, imperious and arrogant, now scattered in wretched panic like lambs hunted by wolves. Not a shred of their majesty or pride as a "higher race of fire elementals" remained. The massive red dragon ascended to the top of the ramparts. Planting his talons upon a spire cast of brass, he unfurled his vast wings, reared his head, and let out a resounding roar. "Roar—!" "Efreet! You shall pay for your hubris!" "You fancied yourselves the masters of the Elemental Plane of Fire, the darlings of flame! Your long indulgence has made you forget how to revere a dragon!" Cassius bellowed these hastily improvised lines with ferocious bluster, then eagerly wrenched his cavernous maw wide. Boom! With a ripping screech like tearing silk, torrents of flame surged from his maw, rapidly expanding until they engulfed more than half the sky. "L-Lord of Flames!" "What is that?" "No—!" The efreet fled in wild panic, yet they could not outrun the blisteringly intense tongues of fire sweeping behind them. These genies, who had torched countless homes of others, finally tasted what it was like to be incinerated, meeting their demise wrapped in dragonfire. Cassius beat his wings with all his might. A scorching gale howled into being, whipping up a terrifying wingstorm that swept across the surrounding area. A sea of fire raged across the heavens. Houses and buildings on the ground were overturned by the dreadful gale, driving terrified slaves to huddle into corners. Boulders, gravel, ash, and metal shards swirled through the air. Floating in midair, the efreet struggled and wailed; exhausting every trick at their disposal, they were still dragged backward by that immense force. "Such terrifying strength!" "This gale..." "No, no! I am an efreeti!" The red dragon's lips curled into a vicious grin, and he opened his cavernous maw once more. Surging seas of fire swallowed the efreet whole once again. A black-hole-like magical vortex formed within his mouth, siphoning those precious elemental spirits into his body. "This trip to the Elemental Plane of Fire certainly wasn't in vain. I've already amassed seventy to eighty percent of the energy needed for my next slumber," Cassius mused, licking his sizzling lips. Yet his goal was far more ambitious than merely plundering energy. Just dozens of days ago, the "Prince of Sacred Fire," Zaaman Rul, using secret tunnels excavated by fire dwarves, had led elemental archons in a sudden raid on the City of Brass, liberating over a hundred thousand slaves. Shocked and enraged, the Grand Sultan had dispatched nearly his entire military might to quell the uprising. The Grand Sultan petitioned the "Prince of Evil Fire," Imix, securing the all-out backing of that wicked fire elemental lord. Yet Zaaman Rul remained undaunted. Time and again, he raided efreet cities, freeing long-oppressed slaves from their heavy chains. Vast multitudes of enslaved fire dwarves, salamanders, magmin, elemental archons, and humans were ignited by that unquenchable holy flame, rallying beneath the banner of this good fire elemental prince. Even gold dragons, solars, and astral devas from the Upper Planes, moved by his righteousness and unyielding resolve, came to his aid with the tacit consent of the deities of the good alignment. Holy flames illuminated the Elemental Plane of Fire. The realm of the Efreeti Grand Sultan seemed on the verge of collapse. Yet Cassius knew that under the machinations of Kossuth, the Lord of Flames and a greater deity, this war between good and evil would never truly end; neither Zaaman nor Imix would ever attain victory—just like Kossuth's own eternal, unquenchable fire. This was a golden opportunity. Under normal circumstances, his present might was far inferior to that Efreeti Grand Sultan, who was suspected of possessing quasi-deity traits. Yet under the threat of the Prince of Sacred Fire, the Grand Sultan dared not act lightly, nor did he dare set foot outside the City of Brass. Cassius's decision to enter the Elemental Plane of Fire at this pivotal juncture of the Burning War was precisely aimed at carving out a share of the spoils from this chaotic efreet realm amidst the colossal upheaval stirred by the Prince of Sacred Fire's rebellion. "Heh..." "Two Emirs dead, hundreds of efreet extinguished... The Grand Sultan in the City of Brass probably won't be able to sit still much longer..." "In that case, let the storm rage even fiercer!" Cassius narrowed his eyes, firelight glinting within his golden pupils. With that thought, the red dragon kicked off the ramparts and took to the sky. Gazing down upon the scarred, ruined city, he slowly beat his massive wings and let out a roar that echoed throughout the City of Black Iron. "Roar—!" Instantly, the gazes of every slave in the city were drawn toward him—among them fire dwarves, salamanders, and even half-orcs. Eyes radiating flame, eyes pitch-black as coals, and eyes clouded and amber all turned in unison toward the dragon high above, their varied pupils reflecting the blaze. "I, Cassius, Emperor of the Cinder Empire, solemnly proclaim!" "Submit to the Empire, and I shall grant you the status of permanent freemen!"