The red dragon opened his bloody maw wide and sank his teeth viciously into the neck of the dragon head without hesitation.
His razor-sharp fangs pierced the chimera's scales, tore through the tough hide, and sank deep into the flesh.
Blood splattered in all directions. The head jerked upward with a piercing wail, cutting off the raging cone of flame breath instantly.
"Awoo—"
The chimera flapped its draconic wings frantically, struggling to climb into the air. At the same time, its thick, sharp lion claws slashed toward the red dragon in midair, desperate to counterattack and break free of its predicament.
Cassius released his bite, deftly evading the incoming swipe. With an agile beat of his wings, he banked diagonally above the chimera.
Now the tables were turned. The red dragon let out an exhilarated roar, stooping into a dive and hurtling straight for the chimera's back.
"Roar—"
Compared to the grotesque monstrosity below, the red dragon's streamlined form held an undeniable advantage in flight.
Suspended in midair, the chimera was utterly powerless to evade his maneuvers. It could only flap its wings in vain, watching helplessly as the red dragon's silhouette closed in.
"Got you."
Cassius flared his wings and clamped his powerful talons directly onto the chimera's wings.
Thrown into a panic, the chimera lost all balance. It flapped wildly while all three of its heads snapped backward in unison, thrashing in a desperate attempt to dislodge the red dragon from its back.
"Bull's Strength!"
With a furious roar, the magical energy surged into Cassius's heart and pumped out into every fiber of his muscles. His already massive limbs swelled dramatically, steam hissing into the air.
Cassius felt a dramatic surge of power course through him.
His talons locked around the chimera's wings in an iron vice, threatening to crush flesh and bone alike.
"Who gave you the courage—"
"To fly before a true dragon?"
"Get down there!" Cassius snarled viciously.
Folding his wings tight, he bore down with all his weight and strength—the red dragon demanded a crushing victory.
Under this absolute display of raw power, the chimera had no room left to resist. It could only wait in despair.
"Owoo—"
The chimera wobbled in the air for a brief moment before plummeting straight down from more than ten meters above under the red dragon's overwhelming force.
Boom!
The ground thundered with a deafening crash.
Dust billowed, shattered stone sprayed in every direction, and the rock collapsed inward, carving out a massive, shallow crater.
Lying in the pit, the chimera looked utterly wretched—battered with wounds, its wings on the verge of snapping.
"Let me show you what real fire is!"
Pinning the half-dead chimera beneath him, the red dragon parted his jaws slightly. Scorching fire elements gathered deep in his throat; the shimmering, warped air curling from the corners of his mouth betrayed the terrifying potency of the breath to come.
"Submit."
"Or die."
Cassius fixed his gaze upon the chimera's lion head, staring into eyes wide with terror and stripped of any will to fight, delivering each word with deliberate weight.
Though chimeras were vicious and aggressive creatures, they still valued their lives. What was more, its draconic bloodline naturally inclined it to submit to a mightier dragon and become an evil minion.
Under the threat of death, it hesitated no longer. The dragon, lion, and goat heads all drooped wearily, exposing their vulnerable necks and letting out low groans of submission to the stronger beast.
"Awooo..."
Before raw power, all were equal—such was the simplest, most brutal law of the wilderness.
"Submit... Master..."
The chimera could actually speak crude Draconic, though the words came out stiff and halting.
Only then did Cassius release the claws pinning the chimera down, unleashing his gathered flame breath onto the ground less than a meter from its side.
In an instant, the searing fire scorched the earth black, shattering the surrounding rocks.
The chimera shuddered with lingering dread, now filled with even greater reverence, well aware that had it taken that blast directly, it would have been killed outright.
Only then did the chimera slowly haul itself out of the shallow pit. It tucked its injured wings tightly behind its back, propping its battered body up with trembling limbs. Its three heads remained bowed, not daring to meet the red dragon's gaze.
Cassius leapt onto the towering rock wall outside the cave. Looking down from above, he roared in Draconic:
"From this day forth, this place is my—"
"Cassius's lair!"
The roar reverberated across the wilderness, audible to countless creatures for miles around.
Whether gnolls gorging on meat, ogres ambushing travelers, or bugbears fast asleep in their dens...
Perhaps they had not yet realized that the territory had a new master, but Cassius was confident they would learn soon enough, one way or another.
Leaping lightly down from the cliff, he turned back to the chimera, which stood with its heads bowed awaiting orders, and said casually:
"From now on, remember that name well. You are not to disobey me. Lead the way."
"Yes..."
The chimera gave a slight nod and walked ahead, leading him deeper into Giant's Mouth Cave.
The cavern was pleasantly warm, likely because the mountain was rich in fire elements, making the red dragon feel thoroughly comfortable.
As he walked down the deep passage, Cassius noticed skeletal remains scattered across the floor: massive giant skulls, the wing bones of wyverns, and even horned humanoid skulls.
"A cambion? No, probably a tiefling," Cassius thought to himself.
The red dragon continued following behind. Passing through the deep outer tunnel, the space opened up before him into an expansive cavern, spacious enough to house a full-grown adult red dragon with room to spare.
Leftover carcasses and bones still littered the ground, with smaller tunnels branching off in various directions.
As the chimera passed a particular pile of bones, it hesitated for a brief moment, then hurried forward, deliberately pretending not to notice it.
It was trying to steer the red dragon further inside.
Sharp-eyed as ever, Cassius caught the abnormality immediately. He called out to halt the guide and asked coldly in Draconic:
"What are you trying to hide? What's over there?"
"No..."
"Nothing..."
The chimera turned around with a whimper, lowering its heads in an attitude of begging for mercy.
The red dragon brushed aside the pile of bones, revealing a hidden opening beneath. Peering down into the hole, he saw over a thousand gleaming gold coins glittering faintly in the dark cavern.
Bearing draconic blood, the chimera had inherited a dragon's greed; plundering and hoarding treasure was its second nature. Even so, gathering this many gold coins was quite an impressive feat for a beast like this.
"By the laws of dragonkind, I shall claim half."
"However, if you ever dare hide anything from me again..."
"There won't be a next time."
"Yes... Master."
The beast's three heads sank even lower.
Cassius shot it a glance, then stepped into the hollow under the agonized gaze of the chimera's dragon head.
With a single gulp, his gaping maw swallowed several hundred gold coins—the greater share of the chimera's accumulated spoils from years of slaughter and pillaging.
Chapter 9