Of course, a shuttle crash, and a temple explosion, that attracts a lot of attention.
Then, add a gigantic dragon almost 70 meters high, it's not a dragon that size anymore. It's a titan. It's Godzilla! (Speaking of which...).
You spice it up with an end-of-the-world prophecy, and it's normal that the army is on the verge of battle. You give them 5 hours of surgery to make sure they're at your feet and as a bonus, you take for your own an earth dragon...
Ah, yes, I had cast the forgetting spell for those in the temple so they wouldn't make the link between the human self and the dragon self. Eva was supposed to be on Luna 1...
I was surrounded by humans and it stopped the army from firing. Quetza was untransportable. If he was cured, he was weak and on the verge of a lethal hibernation. He needed mana, strength, and to revive his body by rehydrating it.
Ideally, I would have taken him to Luna 1, but I couldn't jeopardize my mission to World!.
Besides, if they find out he's the Quetzalcoatl! A planetary national treasure!
And that I "Kidnap" him!
I've got to find a parade....
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
What can I do? What can I do?
......
I saw something shiny, an alliance ....
I was young too...
No, you weren't... No, not that!
....
I look at Volcano." Come here, you, call Razorback here! ...."
Priestess, do you hold traditional Inca weddings?
Priestess, bring all the cripples you know, we're going to throw a big party!
The Missouri aircraft carrier Missouri an army super shuttle carrier, floating in the air was nearby. I was their target.
I'd kept my little dragon size, and soldiers came in and surrounded us.
A blind girl, a child came to the tent where I was and I gave her a minor eye treatment and she regained her sight.
Then a paraplegic with prostheses, I put my claws on his back and he got up.
The Incas were super excited and some began to sing.
Blind people came in single file and I treated their incurable diseases and injuries.
Terminally ill cancer patients came and I cured their distress.
Then to top it all off, a marine soldier, who had had a leg amputated by a mine, came to beg me and I cast a spell of restoration and a light, his amputated limb reappeared.
I was exhausted and asked to go back to bed in the magma.
I dove in and fell asleep.
The military tried to disperse the crowd but I was in the middle of a miracle and Commander Sargos arrived from a shuttle and went to the scene.
"What the fuck is this???? Where's the Titan? The soldiers pointed to me floating half-floated in the lava. Sleeping."
He turned to the governor of Cancun and asked for an explanation.
"We had a shuttle crash and several hours after an explosion that ruined the old temple, a volcanic eruption and the appearance of a "Devourer", a titan over 70 meters tall. A planetary menace. And the Titan, is the red dragon that sleeps in the volcano..."
We're gonna try to wipe it out right here.!"
"No, look, the people worship it! She's a deity, she's cured a hundred people and even made a marine grow limbs back. She's kind."
"That changes everything. "
The priestess came forward and explained the legend of the devourer and how they met. In fact I had come to free them from Pedro who had killed and sacrificed members of the conservative council of the Inca culture.
I was a dragon who came to their rescue and prevented the crash of the shuttle that had been sabotaged according to Ricardo's words.
But the Incas worshipped the return of their Quetzalcoatl.
Sargos: "This is the Quetzacoatl?"
Priestess: "Yes! He's being cured by Vermithraxa! It was the dragon who saved him.
He's been tortured and mutilated for centuries and now she's in Titan mode, recharging her energy with fire and lava! She heals people and the Dragon.
But the poor thing, he's the last of his kind and the last dragon on earth. It's our most precious treasure. He's been crying for hours after the dragon!
He is the god of our people. At last, the last of his kind! But if he could be "married" to the dragon, we could save the bloodline."
Sargos: "Yes, but a Titan is a serious threat! It's more than a dragon! And this one, something tells me she's a badass!"
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Priestess: "She didn't kill or hurt anyone, and she even gave us back the weapon to kill the devourer. I don't think she cares. I think it was the guardian she was interested in, the winged serpent."
Then Sargos took a loudspeaker:
"Dragon Vermithraxa! Come out and surrender! Keep your head down and stay down.
I slowly came out of the volcano and did as instructed.
"Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me! I surrender! Please! Please!"
Sargos: "Are you the Eater of Legend?, A Titan?"
Me: "Yes!"
Sargos: "You know you're a threat to us?"
Me: "I haven't killed anyone and I don't intend to. I love the people, the land, its fruits, vegetables, and all its wonders! I love pizza and pastries... I wouldn't dream of killing such precious people!"
The atmosphere relaxed a little.
Sargos: "What do you want to do here then?"
Me: "To buy back the freedom of my people and be able to live in peace with humans and raise children."
Sargos: What do you know about humans, Dragon!
"Baby I was taken in by an old blind blacksmith who raised us with his niece and her knightly husband... We only fled persecution."
Sargos: "What did you do for it?"
"It's like the wolf. When two lords settle scores, we blame it on the dragons. We lived in the mountains, far away from the human passageways, we preferred wild prey, but from time to time we bartered with trappers, wine and spices for skins and game. Of course we defended our nests, but it was generally fine except for my father who was violent and provoked the stalking and extermination of the dragons. This because he was half human."
!!!!!!!
Sargos: "What????? half human??????"
"Yes, dragons can have children with humans. I'm 1/4 human! And it's my human soul and my human heart that makes me love humans and not want to devour them.
Just because my mother is a monster doesn't mean I'm a monster! I could never eat anyone, I could never eat anyone!"
Sargos remained pensive
Yeah, maybe having a Titan ally would be a good thing...
"Commander, I'm working as Outland project manager for World. I'm employed and emancipated. I have committed no crime!"
Sargos: "You destroyed the temple!!"
"It's a volcanic eruption. Pedro had planted lots of explosives and threatened to blow it up. When the lava came, I just made a hole in the ceiling to get out. Quetza and I were locked in!"
Cast out spell : (Persuasion...)
Sargos shook his head: "You're confusing me!"
"Priestess, has she been telling the truth?" asked the commander.
"Yes, she has!"
"The Quetzacoatl, what state is it in?"
Priestess :"Devastated, weak and traumatized. He's nearly dead."
A doctor ran up and said, "The winged serpent is not well at all! He freezes and it looks like he's petrifying.
I ran up to the feathered dragon and held it in my paws,
Hang on, Quetza! Here I am.
He cried weakly: Don't leave me! I'm afraid they'll come back to torture me...
I'm afraid of humans, they're so mean.
He spoke the draconian language and no one understood his grunts.
I turned to the priestess:
He's dying!
Priestess: What can we do?
"He mustn't see any more humans! He is terrified of centuries of awakening and forced hibernation and unheard-of tortures. He is broken!
He is dying because there is no magic left in this world. By slaying the last of the dragons, you have destroyed the sources of magic."
Sargos and Priestess: "But there you are!"
"It's not the same anymore. We have magic from Arcadia for Arcadia and in us! It's like the oxygen in the air we breathe in. And we breathe out CO2 and a little depleted oxygen. But that depleted oxygen is mana loaded and slowly fills the atmosphere. But when you kill a dragon, the mana in its bloodline suddenly disappears with it. The fewer dragons there are, the less life there is on a planet. In any case, magical creatures or creatures that depend on them die with them.
You don't have dwarves, elves, unicorns, gnomes and fairies anymore, do you? They've all had horrible deaths, the lucky ones, falling asleep, suffocated."
I went face to face with Quetza and at the same time gave him a tongue pass to transfer my mana, love and saliva. He squeezed my head with his paws. "I owe my life to you, beautiful dragon! I beg you, don't abandon me!"
A scene of tenderness took place in front of everyone who applauded.
Quetza: "I'm afraid of people..."
Me: "Listen, beautiful dragon, those who hurt you died thousands of years ago.
Everyone here loves you and we've all worked to heal you. If it wasn't for the surgeon's team, we wouldn't have freed you from that awful thing.
This is your world, your home now, and your people!"
"No, you are my people. I am a dragon! And I love you! You saved me and I cannot live without you."
"Oh, now the big words. "
The priestess asked me if I was all right...
Sargos: "What's he saying?"
"He says he's afraid, I reassure him and he gives me a love parade!"
Then, feeling his strength returning, Quetza injected colour into his feathers and circled around me,
He wiggled and lifted and lowered his wings and his neck. His neck and beard became red and the reflection of the sun made his feathers shine like a rainbow and a thousand lights shone.
He wanted to fly away but was too weak, but he started to dance and invited me into his dance.
He tapped his paws like a drum and a deep song came out of his throat...
He held out his wing to take mine and I held out my arm to him.
He raised his wings to the sun and roared like thunder. I did the same and began to dance. The men took drums and beat the rhythm of the dance.
We jumped like crazy, but every time we touched him, I injected mana into him, for he was making incredible efforts. He was madly in love with me and then he let himself fall backwards on my lap and said:
"My life is yours. Take me or kill me!"
I said, "Quetza, I kissed him and then I said, you know, in our world we're polygamous. Our species is being destroyed and we need to have as many genes mixed in as possible to keep our children from dying of deformities."
Quetza raged for a moment, but then he realized the problem. He turned his head to Volcano and Razoback, who had arrived in the meantime.
They were frightened by Quetza's power... Although Quetza was only one percent of his original form, his potential as an Alpha male was unquestionable.
Being the last of this world and representing this world, all the power of the planet was being felt in him in front of us landless people.
What I felt at that moment was a leader, a leader of all the tribes, the last of the mohicans, a saber-toothed tiger, a dragon, a god and a mighty eagle.
His cry, a roar was like an eagle dominating his territory. A piercing cry, made to cross continents.
Falkor looked like a Chihuahua next to his aura.
"Then take two mates, so they can protect you when I'm not around!
Will you marry me?," Quetza asked me emphatically.
I put my finger on his pretty snout..:
"It is tradition to get engaged before..."
Quetza: "You're a dragon! Not a human!"
I frowned and said, "Quetza Macho," and I grew 10 meters taller, 10 more than Quetza.
He was a little impressed.
I gained another ten meters. I was twice his height.
People were scared again. I turned to the commander and winked at him and said:
"He doesn't understand English, I have to put him in his place, he's from a macho world and I have to make him understand that women, too, have a say!!!"
The humans applauded!
"QUETZA, First of all, know that I'm not afraid of you! One !!! and two, women have the same rights and just because you're a male doesn't give you the right to decide for me.
Yes, I like you, and I don't mind doing a bit of travelling with you, but first of all, the people here are your people, you must love them and they will love you.
You have to protect them! I want a party for our wedding! And not an impromptu prank.
I want my whole family there! I want my family to be your family. And I want a world where we're happy and not caged animals.
So do you know how to count, too?"
Quetza... "No,..."
Do you know what they're saying?
Quetza... "No..."
"Then, Quetza, you've got a big problem... "
Quetza: "What?"
"Listen, Quetza, you're barely hanging on. You're threatening me."
"Nooo, I wouldn't dare, I love you, I love you Vermi, noonn, don't abandon me then he got down on his knees and started crying"...
"Momnnn, I don't have anyone anymore........."
I shrunk down and stroked him.
"Quetza, I'm not rejecting you, on the contrary. But you see, all these people, we owe them!"
I waved to Volcano, to act as interpreter.
"Quetza, we must repay the kindness of the people for having taken us in... Some don't understand it yet, but we're really working to buy back our companions. We're not really recognized as citizens, but hardly as alien immigrants. Some of us are emancipated, but that's because they went to school to be educated. If you don't want to end up in a cage like in the temple, minus the torture, you'll have to prove to the people here that you're not a threat to them. If you kill one, even by accident, they'll hate you.
You see that thing floating around out there, that's a floating castle. They've got weapons that will blow you away. Don't even try.
Dragons are outdated and a thing of the past. But me and a handful of them haven't accepted that fate and we're fighting for a new future. Do you understand what I'm saying?
Your value, you must not have it from your feathers, your dragon shape, or your cries and parries or even your breath and maybe even control the weather.
Your strength must come from your heart, from your intelligence.....
Prove that you are superior to humans by yourself, by your achievements, not by your innate."
Quetza: "What will become of me?", visibly frightened by the situation.
He realized that he was nothing more than a beautiful pheasant, a big bird...
Me : "Come, I'll introduce you to Razorback, friends and family!"
The dragon landed gracefully in the square where we were.
With Quetza's intimidating aura gone, Volcano and Razor were no longer afraid of Quetza.
They talked about the world they came from and the dragons they'd seen and especially the hot ones.
There were words I didn't want to hear but I felt they were talking about me when I was washing...
Now that everything was calmer I had to negotiate my freedom ... and his.