Seizing the moment, Saron unleashed a vast rupture spell, engulfing every minotaur warrior in its destructive wake. It was a costly move, sapping much of his magical strength.
Boom and rumble—the warriors, still reeling from Saron's Primal Scream and with their magic yet unsettled, were dealt another crushing blow. The aftermath was a scene of death and grave injury.
Kruk, caught and pinned by Saron's mighty claw, was immobilized and bleeding. "Release Winnie, you beast!" he spat blood and demanded, fixing his gaze on Winnie in Saron's grasp.
"She is my prize of war!" Saron dismissed his rage with disinterest.
"I'm sorry, Kruk. It's all my fault," lamented Winnie, clutched in Saron's hand and covered in dust, her face streaked with tears.
"Shadar, lock these fools up!" Saron commanded, turning to the stunned Shadar at his side.
"By your command, my master. Your majesty has utterly awed me," Shadar responded with manic fervor.
"Enough, get on with it," Saron turned away, impatient to examine his captured beast-eared girl.
With a powerful beat of his wings, Saron took flight and soon reached the entrance to his lair. Carrying the despairing Winnie, he walked into the cave and set her down.
"Lord Black Dragon, please, release Kruk and the others. It's my fault," Winnie pleaded as she stood up, her body aching from Saron's tight hold.
But as he hadn't devoured or killed her immediately, Winnie sensed a chance for negotiation.
Saron looked upon Winnie's pitiful figure and said bluntly, "I will not release them."
"What will it take then?" Winnie asked, her voice a soft whisper.
"I want you to become my followers, to serve me!" Saron was direct about his desire.
"Lord Black Dragon, I... I can commit the Rose Tribe to your cause, but Kruk and the others are minotaurs, stubborn by nature, I..." Winnie stuttered nervously.
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In a world where strength reigns supreme, Saron had proven his might, so submission was preferable to death for Winnie. But then there was Kruk...
"How can someone as weak as you decide the fate of your tribe?" Saron eyed the beast-eared girl.
"Uh, I'm actually not weak..." Winnie mumbled in frustration.
Her talents were among the top in her tribe, her gift for assassination making her a formidable assassin. That's why, after the unexpected death of the previous chief, she had been elected to lead temporarily. But Saron had turned out to be her nemesis, immune to her stealth attacks and breaking her special abilities with his roar.
Saron, for his part, hadn't expected her to have so many thoughts. He found the minotaurs rather interesting. "These guys are a bunch of stubborn oxen!"
"Heh, I used to love soy-braised beef!" Saron chuckled to himself, remembering the taste fondly.
"Please, Lord Black Dragon, don't eat them! I'll do everything in my power to persuade Kruk!" Winnie, terrified by Saron's comment, immediately knelt down, her mind racing with fear at the thought of her companions being eaten one by one. The dread of the chromatic dragons was indeed overwhelming.
Seeing her reaction, Saron found it amusing; he had no real appetite for such humanoid creatures, having been a human in a past life. It was similar to how some people in his previous existence were repulsed at the thought of consuming monkeys. He would only eat them as a last resort...
He lowered himself to look at Winnie. "Call me Lord Saron, and I'll give you that chance."
"Thank you, Lord Saron!" Winnie felt the warmth of his breath as he hovered over her, too frightened to even lift her head.
"Then, take me to your tribe tomorrow," Saron expressed his interest in seeing the other beast-people.
"Lord Saron, the situation in our tribe isn't great at the moment..."
Through Winnie's explanation, Saron began to grasp why the beastmen, who usually kept to themselves and away from the forest trolls, would think of invading the Sunset Forest. Winnie explained that their land was once serene, and prey was plentiful. However, about half a year ago, meteors fell from the sky onto their mountainous terrain. The beastmen were familiar with such an event; their records spoke of meteorites bringing rare materials. So, they sent warriors to investigate.
But before the warriors could even reach the site, they fell ill, vomiting continuously and suffering from severe skin lesions. Those who returned died in agony, with their flesh necrotizing from an unknown toxin. The tribe's healers couldn't identify the cause. Winnie stopped further expeditions, hoping the situation would end there. Yet, after some time, the local wildlife either disappeared or fled, plunging the beastmen into a food shortage. Winnie directed her people to forage plants for sustenance, hoping this was temporary. But a month later, the vegetation withered, and some tribe members started showing the same symptoms as the warriors—skin lesions and hair loss. Without intervention, the tribe faced an uncertain future and possible extinction, prompting them to seek a new home in the Sunset Forest.
After hearing her story, Saron felt it sounded like a viral contagion—possibly a strange virus spawned by substances carried by the meteorites. The fact that it also killed plants was unusual. Uncertain of the cause, he resolved that a personal investigation was necessary. His robust constitution should protect him from the virus, he reckoned.
"Why the Sunset Forest?" Saron inquired curiously.
"The south is claimed by the beastmen empire, the east holds a powerful human city-state, and the meteors' effect was too widespread. We had no choice but to come here," Winnie explained.
"The beastmen empire? Why didn't you go to the beastmen empire?"
Winnie hesitated before responding, "Because we're all descendants of exiles. Going back means death..."
Decades ago, the beastmen empire had undergone a failed coup, leading to the execution of its key members. Winnie and her people were their descendants, meant to be executed as well. However, for some unknown reason, some within the empire chose to spare these weaker survivors. They escaped and founded their own tribe, naming it the Rose Tribe due to its composition of the elderly, women, and children, though the outside world still referred to them simply as the beastmen tribe.