Chapter 43: The Dragon Imposes Himself
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Chapter 43: The Dragon Imposes Himself
Doomwing scowled as he flew out over the sea. He had sensed power stirring near his territory, and that sensation had grown stronger with each passing moment. This was no ancient titan rising from the depths for a bit of air. This was most likely two ancient giants of the deep doing battle.
Normally, he wouldn't have cared. If the ancients of the deep wanted to kill each other, then let them. Perhaps they'd be spared a repeat of the Third Catastrophe that way. However, he did not want any such squabble near his territory. The last thing he needed was for the tiger-people village to be crushed after some kraken picked up a leviathan and threw them onto land.
He'd seen it happen before. Even setting aside the Lord of the Tides, the oldest and mightiest of the ocean's denizens were more than capable of radically altering the weather and landscape when they fought. He'd once gone looking for a bit of whale to eat only to stumble across a kraken beating a leviathan over the head with what appeared to be the remains of an island before the kraken flung a coral reef at the cephalopod.
It had not helped that Ashheart had been with him.
The other dragon had taken one look at the chaos and had promptly thrown himself into the melee with gleeful abandon. In the end, the kraken and the leviathan had gone off to lick their wounds while Ashheart lounged upon a newly made island.
And Doomwing?
He'd been forced to deal with all irate merfolk who'd fled the area only to return and find their homes destroyed, their coral reef imbedded in a new volcanic island, and a new volcanic island where open sea had once been.
And the worst part?The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))
He hadn't managed to get any whale.
Just the thought of the debacle deepened his scowl as he took note of the massive storm up ahead. The formerly clear skies had given way to a mass of towering black clouds, a thunderhead that promised wind, rain, hail, and lightning. The once calm surface of the ocean was now riven by clashing mountains of water that slammed into each other with fleet-crushing force.
He bared his teeth.
This whole mess was headed toward his territory.
The gathering storm parted before him as he drew closer, the tempest's rage meaningless before his might and his magic. Thousands of merfolk fought in the waters below him, their sleek, swift forms accompanied by giant sharks, manta rays, and octopi. More fought along the surface, riding on the backs of hippocampi, their tridents, spears, and swords flashing as they laid into their foes. Sea serpents roared and sent magic streaking up into the sky after flocks of sirens whose eerie singing threatened to rob them of their wits and lull them into a sleep they would never wake from.
And at the heart of the battle were the two giants of the deep he had sensed: a kraken and a leviathan. They were each bigger than him by a considerable margin although that said little of their power. By and large, the creatures of the deep grew larger than their terrestrial or aerial counterparts.
The kraken was mostly a dull brown, but her body was punctuated by rings of bright blue and green. Her eyes were a baleful orange, and her massive beak was exposed. Her opponent was a male leviathan of similar size. Dark blue scales covered most of his body, with twin streaks of green along his belly.
The kraken brought one tentacle down on the leviathan's head with thunderous force, and the impact sent rain flying outward. A bolt of lightning crackled down from the sky to strike the momentarily stunned leviathan, and it was joined by another and another until it seemed the whole storm was little more than an extension of the kraken's wrath.
But the leviathan recovered, and the waters around the creature trembled before the leviathan's head drew back and he unleashed a beam of water at the kraken. The sheer force of the attack was enough to shove the kraken away, and the gleaming barriers of magic the kraken conjured to fend off the assault shattered in quick succession.
Doomwing had seen leviathans pierce through islands and scour canals into the coast with attacks like that.
Not to be outdone, the kraken hurled herself at the leviathan, and the pair turned the already tumultuous ocean into a scene of utter devastation as they grappled back and forth, heedless of the lesser creatures caught in their path. Sirens were crushed in mid-air as a flailing tentacle swung wildly at a heavily armoured jaw. A pod of horned whales were sent flying through the air as colossal serpentine coils smashed into the water and tried to crush the life out of an island-sized octopoid.
Was there another undersea war going on?
Just as there were kingdoms on land, there were kingdoms beneath the waves. For obvious reasons, most kingdoms either paid homage to or were directly ruled by creatures like leviathans and krakens. Yes, the majority of the citizens would be merfolk or aquatic beast-people, but when push came to shove, krakens and leviathans were the ones in charge.
After all, what were merfolk or beast-people supposed to do when a living island showed up and started smashing everything? Their only real chance for survival would be to find a similarly huge and powerful creature to protect them. And although krakens and leviathans didn't have the same hoarding tendencies as dragons, they were fond of laying claim to vast swathes of the ocean.
Depending on who was involved, these wars could involve more than just two giants of the deep. It wasn't uncommon for the very oldest and mightiest krakens and leviathans to send their children into battle as well, creating battlefronts that could stretch across entire oceans, with each major clash punctuated by raging storms.
The duelling behemoths in front of him were not the very oldest and mightiest of their kind. Instead, they were likely two or perhaps three Ages old. It showed in the way they fought too all power and fury with little of the cunning and deceptiveness that was common of their older and more experienced kin.
Doomwing was about to announce himself the fools were so caught up in their petty squabble that they hadn't even noticed his approach when he caught sight of something that was equal parts baffling and endearing.
A water salamander hatchling was swimming through the battle, his foot-long form riding the crest of one wave after another as he continued to make his way in the general direction of Doomwing's territory. Either through absurd luck or impossible skill, the creature survived near-death experience after near-death experience as he paddled through the maelstrom, a silly smile on his face and a cheerful air about him despite the clash of weapons, the roar of magic, and the monumental thunder of the two warring titans.
Ludicrous.
Yet utterly typical.
True salamanders, like fire salamanders and waters salamanders, were perhaps the most exasperating creatures in the world. They did not raise their young for long. Instead, they looked after their young just long enough to ensure they could survive and then they sent their young out into the world.
Why?
"Doomwing." The leviathan arrived first. He was similar in colouration to the leviathan Doomwing had bested, but he was larger and less streamlined. Instead, his scales were rough and jagged, and dorsal plates rose up from his back like the peaks of broken mountains against the westering sun. "Release my son."
"He was one of yours, Torrentcoil?" Doomwing snorted. "With his lack of intelligence, I wasn't able to make the connection."
Torrentcoil had sided with them during the Third Age, turning against the Lord of the Tides. That was worthy of respect, and Doomwing had stayed out the leviathan's business ever since. It was a pity his son was a fool.
"He is a foolish whelp," Torrentcoil replied. "But he is still my whelp."
"Hmph." Doomwing released his telekinetic hold on the younger leviathan, and he wisely fled to his father's side. "This squabble is nearing my territory."
"That was not intended," Torrentcoil replied. "My battle is with "
His words were interrupted by the arrival of a second kraken. She was larger than the first and of a size with Torrentcoil. Her gaze went from the kraken twitching weakly upon the water to first Torrentcoil and then Doomwing.
"Stormbeak," Torrentcoil snarled.
The kraken ignored him in favour of tugging the smaller kraken to her. "You have harmed my daughter, Doomwing."
"And your daughter is a fool who should have known to retreat instead of trying to strike at me with the storm." Doomwing made a sound of contempt. "She is at least an Age too young to even think of trying that, and she was lucky it was me she faced. Had she tried that on Stormbringer, she would be dead."
Stormbringer was usually easy-going, but she took any attempt to strike at her with lightning personally. She considered it at insult and would generally retaliate by showing her opponent what lightning was truly capable of. And considering she was a primordial tempest dragon, that demonstration was generally fatal. Even Doomwing would think twice before throwing lightning at her.
Stormbeak glared at him, and he stared back. Both Torrentcoil and Stormbeak were powerful, and they were similar in age to him. But they were both highly specialised in how they fought. They had weaknesses he could exploit, and they both knew it. He was more well-rounded, and if need be, he could simply retreat up into the sky and rain magic down until they were forced to retreat. The battle would not be easy by any means, and he could well find himself in trouble if he was careless, but the odds would favour him.
Besides, neither of them would dare risk battle with their children around. The moment the three of them fought seriously, their children would die. They simply weren't equipped to handle a proper fight between three beings from the First Age.
"I care nothing for the wars you wage against each other," Doomwing said. "Fill the ocean with blood if you wish but do it somewhere else. You know the boundaries of my territory, and you know how close this battle is to intruding. I will not have your squabbles damage what is mine. Take your children and your followers and go."
They locked gazes with him for a long moment, and the very ocean trembled as their power stirred. He almost snorted. They were posturing, nothing more. They could not afford to look weak in front of their followers, but they also knew better than to push him. No doubt they could tell that his injuries had healed. Perhaps they'd have given him more trouble, maybe even tested him, if he had still been wounded, but they knew better than to challenge him when he was at full strength.
Without another word, they departed, leaving with their children and their followers.
Doomwing watched them go and then turned away, carrying the water salamander with him.
The tiny creature made a grateful sound, and Doomwing chuckled.
"Yes. I can fly much more swiftly than you can swim."
Xiang blinked as a strange creature waddled up the beach toward him and his family before making itself perfectly at home by the fire. It even had the audacity to creep forward and tug a fish off his plate before munching on it.
"What is that, father?" his son asked. "And is it dangerous?"
"I I'm not sure." Xiang wasn't sure if he should be amazed or wary of the creature's audacity. It was only a foot long, and he couldn't sense any great power within it. It was also oddly adorable with its strange half reptilian and half amphibian features. It also had a silly but endearing smile on its face as it ate.
"He is a water salamander," Brother Dragon said, padding over and inspecting the creature carefully. "And it would seem that your family is quite fortunate."
"A water salamander?" Xiang's eyes widened. He had heard of salamanders before. In fact, he'd encountered several of them over the years although they had all been significantly larger than this one, and none of them had been water salamanders although that would explain the more aquatic appearance of this one. If he recalled correctly, there was a legend about them seeking people out
"Yes. It appears that he has chosen your family." Brother Dragon chuckled. "You're stuck with him now."
"What does that mean?" Xiang asked. Realising that the creature was not a threat, his youngest child had decided to pat the water salamander on the back. The salamander made a happy sound and continued to munch away on his fish.
"This salamander has chosen you and your family. Protect him and raise him as your own, and he will repay your loyalty many times over. He may be small and weak now, but he will one day grow far more powerful than any tiger-person. When that day comes, he will look upon these days fondly and continue to protect and care for your descendants as you once protected and cared for him."
"Ah." Xiang's eyes widened. So the legends were true then. Setting aside his meal, Xiang gently lifted the water salamander up to eye level. "I am Xiang, little one. From this moment forward, you shall be part of my family. May our days together be prosperous."
The water salamander chirped and nodded before going back to eating his fish.
"He agrees," Brother Dragon drawled. "I'd prepare more fish for him too. He had quite the interesting journey on his way here."
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Chapter 43: The Dragon Imposes Himself
Doomwing scowled as he flew out over the sea. He had sensed power stirring near his territory, and that sensation had grown stronger with each passing moment. This was no ancient titan rising from the depths for a bit of air. This was most likely two ancient giants of the deep doing battle.
Normally, he wouldn't have cared. If the ancients of the deep wanted to kill each other, then let them. Perhaps they'd be spared a repeat of the Third Catastrophe that way. However, he did not want any such squabble near his territory. The last thing he needed was for the tiger-people village to be crushed after some kraken picked up a leviathan and threw them onto land.
He'd seen it happen before. Even setting aside the Lord of the Tides, the oldest and mightiest of the ocean's denizens were more than capable of radically altering the weather and landscape when they fought. He'd once gone looking for a bit of whale to eat only to stumble across a kraken beating a leviathan over the head with what appeared to be the remains of an island before the kraken flung a coral reef at the cephalopod.
It had not helped that Ashheart had been with him.
The other dragon had taken one look at the chaos and had promptly thrown himself into the melee with gleeful abandon. In the end, the kraken and the leviathan had gone off to lick their wounds while Ashheart lounged upon a newly made island.
And Doomwing?
He'd been forced to deal with all irate merfolk who'd fled the area only to return and find their homes destroyed, their coral reef imbedded in a new volcanic island, and a new volcanic island where open sea had once been.
And the worst part?The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))
He hadn't managed to get any whale.
Just the thought of the debacle deepened his scowl as he took note of the massive storm up ahead. The formerly clear skies had given way to a mass of towering black clouds, a thunderhead that promised wind, rain, hail, and lightning. The once calm surface of the ocean was now riven by clashing mountains of water that slammed into each other with fleet-crushing force.
He bared his teeth.
This whole mess was headed toward his territory.
The gathering storm parted before him as he drew closer, the tempest's rage meaningless before his might and his magic. Thousands of merfolk fought in the waters below him, their sleek, swift forms accompanied by giant sharks, manta rays, and octopi. More fought along the surface, riding on the backs of hippocampi, their tridents, spears, and swords flashing as they laid into their foes. Sea serpents roared and sent magic streaking up into the sky after flocks of sirens whose eerie singing threatened to rob them of their wits and lull them into a sleep they would never wake from.
And at the heart of the battle were the two giants of the deep he had sensed: a kraken and a leviathan. They were each bigger than him by a considerable margin although that said little of their power. By and large, the creatures of the deep grew larger than their terrestrial or aerial counterparts.
The kraken was mostly a dull brown, but her body was punctuated by rings of bright blue and green. Her eyes were a baleful orange, and her massive beak was exposed. Her opponent was a male leviathan of similar size. Dark blue scales covered most of his body, with twin streaks of green along his belly.
The kraken brought one tentacle down on the leviathan's head with thunderous force, and the impact sent rain flying outward. A bolt of lightning crackled down from the sky to strike the momentarily stunned leviathan, and it was joined by another and another until it seemed the whole storm was little more than an extension of the kraken's wrath.
But the leviathan recovered, and the waters around the creature trembled before the leviathan's head drew back and he unleashed a beam of water at the kraken. The sheer force of the attack was enough to shove the kraken away, and the gleaming barriers of magic the kraken conjured to fend off the assault shattered in quick succession.
Doomwing had seen leviathans pierce through islands and scour canals into the coast with attacks like that.
Not to be outdone, the kraken hurled herself at the leviathan, and the pair turned the already tumultuous ocean into a scene of utter devastation as they grappled back and forth, heedless of the lesser creatures caught in their path. Sirens were crushed in mid-air as a flailing tentacle swung wildly at a heavily armoured jaw. A pod of horned whales were sent flying through the air as colossal serpentine coils smashed into the water and tried to crush the life out of an island-sized octopoid.
Was there another undersea war going on?
Just as there were kingdoms on land, there were kingdoms beneath the waves. For obvious reasons, most kingdoms either paid homage to or were directly ruled by creatures like leviathans and krakens. Yes, the majority of the citizens would be merfolk or aquatic beast-people, but when push came to shove, krakens and leviathans were the ones in charge.
After all, what were merfolk or beast-people supposed to do when a living island showed up and started smashing everything? Their only real chance for survival would be to find a similarly huge and powerful creature to protect them. And although krakens and leviathans didn't have the same hoarding tendencies as dragons, they were fond of laying claim to vast swathes of the ocean.
Depending on who was involved, these wars could involve more than just two giants of the deep. It wasn't uncommon for the very oldest and mightiest krakens and leviathans to send their children into battle as well, creating battlefronts that could stretch across entire oceans, with each major clash punctuated by raging storms.
The duelling behemoths in front of him were not the very oldest and mightiest of their kind. Instead, they were likely two or perhaps three Ages old. It showed in the way they fought too all power and fury with little of the cunning and deceptiveness that was common of their older and more experienced kin.
Doomwing was about to announce himself the fools were so caught up in their petty squabble that they hadn't even noticed his approach when he caught sight of something that was equal parts baffling and endearing.
A water salamander hatchling was swimming through the battle, his foot-long form riding the crest of one wave after another as he continued to make his way in the general direction of Doomwing's territory. Either through absurd luck or impossible skill, the creature survived near-death experience after near-death experience as he paddled through the maelstrom, a silly smile on his face and a cheerful air about him despite the clash of weapons, the roar of magic, and the monumental thunder of the two warring titans.
Ludicrous.
Yet utterly typical.
True salamanders, like fire salamanders and waters salamanders, were perhaps the most exasperating creatures in the world. They did not raise their young for long. Instead, they looked after their young just long enough to ensure they could survive and then they sent their young out into the world.
Why?
"Doomwing." The leviathan arrived first. He was similar in colouration to the leviathan Doomwing had bested, but he was larger and less streamlined. Instead, his scales were rough and jagged, and dorsal plates rose up from his back like the peaks of broken mountains against the westering sun. "Release my son."
"He was one of yours, Torrentcoil?" Doomwing snorted. "With his lack of intelligence, I wasn't able to make the connection."
Torrentcoil had sided with them during the Third Age, turning against the Lord of the Tides. That was worthy of respect, and Doomwing had stayed out the leviathan's business ever since. It was a pity his son was a fool.
"He is a foolish whelp," Torrentcoil replied. "But he is still my whelp."
"Hmph." Doomwing released his telekinetic hold on the younger leviathan, and he wisely fled to his father's side. "This squabble is nearing my territory."
"That was not intended," Torrentcoil replied. "My battle is with "
His words were interrupted by the arrival of a second kraken. She was larger than the first and of a size with Torrentcoil. Her gaze went from the kraken twitching weakly upon the water to first Torrentcoil and then Doomwing.
"Stormbeak," Torrentcoil snarled.
The kraken ignored him in favour of tugging the smaller kraken to her. "You have harmed my daughter, Doomwing."
"And your daughter is a fool who should have known to retreat instead of trying to strike at me with the storm." Doomwing made a sound of contempt. "She is at least an Age too young to even think of trying that, and she was lucky it was me she faced. Had she tried that on Stormbringer, she would be dead."
Stormbringer was usually easy-going, but she took any attempt to strike at her with lightning personally. She considered it at insult and would generally retaliate by showing her opponent what lightning was truly capable of. And considering she was a primordial tempest dragon, that demonstration was generally fatal. Even Doomwing would think twice before throwing lightning at her.
Stormbeak glared at him, and he stared back. Both Torrentcoil and Stormbeak were powerful, and they were similar in age to him. But they were both highly specialised in how they fought. They had weaknesses he could exploit, and they both knew it. He was more well-rounded, and if need be, he could simply retreat up into the sky and rain magic down until they were forced to retreat. The battle would not be easy by any means, and he could well find himself in trouble if he was careless, but the odds would favour him.
Besides, neither of them would dare risk battle with their children around. The moment the three of them fought seriously, their children would die. They simply weren't equipped to handle a proper fight between three beings from the First Age.
"I care nothing for the wars you wage against each other," Doomwing said. "Fill the ocean with blood if you wish but do it somewhere else. You know the boundaries of my territory, and you know how close this battle is to intruding. I will not have your squabbles damage what is mine. Take your children and your followers and go."
They locked gazes with him for a long moment, and the very ocean trembled as their power stirred. He almost snorted. They were posturing, nothing more. They could not afford to look weak in front of their followers, but they also knew better than to push him. No doubt they could tell that his injuries had healed. Perhaps they'd have given him more trouble, maybe even tested him, if he had still been wounded, but they knew better than to challenge him when he was at full strength.
Without another word, they departed, leaving with their children and their followers.
Doomwing watched them go and then turned away, carrying the water salamander with him.
The tiny creature made a grateful sound, and Doomwing chuckled.
"Yes. I can fly much more swiftly than you can swim."
Xiang blinked as a strange creature waddled up the beach toward him and his family before making itself perfectly at home by the fire. It even had the audacity to creep forward and tug a fish off his plate before munching on it.
"What is that, father?" his son asked. "And is it dangerous?"
"I I'm not sure." Xiang wasn't sure if he should be amazed or wary of the creature's audacity. It was only a foot long, and he couldn't sense any great power within it. It was also oddly adorable with its strange half reptilian and half amphibian features. It also had a silly but endearing smile on its face as it ate.
"He is a water salamander," Brother Dragon said, padding over and inspecting the creature carefully. "And it would seem that your family is quite fortunate."
"A water salamander?" Xiang's eyes widened. He had heard of salamanders before. In fact, he'd encountered several of them over the years although they had all been significantly larger than this one, and none of them had been water salamanders although that would explain the more aquatic appearance of this one. If he recalled correctly, there was a legend about them seeking people out
"Yes. It appears that he has chosen your family." Brother Dragon chuckled. "You're stuck with him now."
"What does that mean?" Xiang asked. Realising that the creature was not a threat, his youngest child had decided to pat the water salamander on the back. The salamander made a happy sound and continued to munch away on his fish.
"This salamander has chosen you and your family. Protect him and raise him as your own, and he will repay your loyalty many times over. He may be small and weak now, but he will one day grow far more powerful than any tiger-person. When that day comes, he will look upon these days fondly and continue to protect and care for your descendants as you once protected and cared for him."
"Ah." Xiang's eyes widened. So the legends were true then. Setting aside his meal, Xiang gently lifted the water salamander up to eye level. "I am Xiang, little one. From this moment forward, you shall be part of my family. May our days together be prosperous."
The water salamander chirped and nodded before going back to eating his fish.
"He agrees," Brother Dragon drawled. "I'd prepare more fish for him too. He had quite the interesting journey on his way here."
Chapter 43: The Dragon Imposes HimselfDoomwing scowled as he flew out over the sea. He had sensed power stirring near his territory, and that sensation had grown stronger with each passing moment. This was no ancient titan rising from the depths for a bit of air. This was most likely two ancient giants of the deep doing battle.Normally, he wouldn't have cared. If the ancients of the deep wanted to kill each other, then let them. Perhaps they'd be spared a repeat of the Third Catastrophe that way. However, he did not want any such squabble near his territory. The last thing he needed was for the tiger-people village to be crushed after some kraken picked up a leviathan and threw them onto land.He'd seen it happen before. Even setting aside the Lord of the Tides, the oldest and mightiest of the ocean's denizens were more than capable of radically altering the weather and landscape when they fought. He'd once gone looking for a bit of whale to eat only to stumble across a kraken beating a leviathan over the head with what appeared to be the remains of an island before the kraken flung a coral reef at the cephalopod.It had not helped that Ashheart had been with him.The other dragon had taken one look at the chaos and had promptly thrown himself into the melee with gleeful abandon. In the end, the kraken and the leviathan had gone off to lick their wounds while Ashheart lounged upon a newly made island.And Doomwing?He'd been forced to deal with all irate merfolk who'd fled the area only to return and find their homes destroyed, their coral reef imbedded in a new volcanic island, and a new volcanic island where open sea had once been.And the worst part?The source of this content novelbinHe hadn't managed to get any whale.Just the thought of the debacle deepened his scowl as he took note of the massive storm up ahead. The formerly clear skies had given way to a mass of towering black clouds, a thunderhead that promised wind, rain, hail, and lightning. The once calm surface of the ocean was now riven by clashing mountains of water that slammed into each other with fleet-crushing force.He bared his teeth.This whole mess was headed toward his territory.The gathering storm parted before him as he drew closer, the tempest's rage meaningless before his might and his magic. Thousands of merfolk fought in the waters below him, their sleek, swift forms accompanied by giant sharks, manta rays, and octopi. More fought along the surface, riding on the backs of hippocampi, their tridents, spears, and swords flashing as they laid into their foes. Sea serpents roared and sent magic streaking up into the sky after flocks of sirens whose eerie singing threatened to rob them of their wits and lull them into a sleep they would never wake from.And at the heart of the battle were the two giants of the deep he had sensed: a kraken and a leviathan. They were each bigger than him by a considerable margin although that said little of their power. By and large, the creatures of the deep grew larger than their terrestrial or aerial counterparts.The kraken was mostly a dull brown, but her body was punctuated by rings of bright blue and green. Her eyes were a baleful orange, and her massive beak was exposed. Her opponent was a male leviathan of similar size. Dark blue scales covered most of his body, with twin streaks of green along his belly.The kraken brought one tentacle down on the leviathan's head with thunderous force, and the impact sent rain flying outward. A bolt of lightning crackled down from the sky to strike the momentarily stunned leviathan, and it was joined by another and another until it seemed the whole storm was little more than an extension of the kraken's wrath.But the leviathan recovered, and the waters around the creature trembled before the leviathan's head drew back and he unleashed a beam of water at the kraken. The sheer force of the attack was enough to shove the kraken away, and the gleaming barriers of magic the kraken conjured to fend off the assault shattered in quick succession.Doomwing had seen leviathans pierce through islands and scour canals into the coast with attacks like that.Not to be outdone, the kraken hurled herself at the leviathan, and the pair turned the already tumultuous ocean into a scene of utter devastation as they grappled back and forth, heedless of the lesser creatures caught in their path. Sirens were crushed in mid-air as a flailing tentacle swung wildly at a heavily armoured jaw. A pod of horned whales were sent flying through the air as colossal serpentine coils smashed into the water and tried to crush the life out of an island-sized octopoid.Was there another undersea war going on?Just as there were kingdoms on land, there were kingdoms beneath the waves. For obvious reasons, most kingdoms either paid homage to or were directly ruled by creatures like leviathans and krakens. Yes, the majority of the citizens would be merfolk or aquatic beast-people, but when push came to shove, krakens and leviathans were the ones in charge.After all, what were merfolk or beast-people supposed to do when a living island showed up and started smashing everything? Their only real chance for survival would be to find a similarly huge and powerful creature to protect them. And although krakens and leviathans didn't have the same hoarding tendencies as dragons, they were fond of laying claim to vast swathes of the ocean.Depending on who was involved, these wars could involve more than just two giants of the deep. It wasn't uncommon for the very oldest and mightiest krakens and leviathans to send their children into battle as well, creating battlefronts that could stretch across entire oceans, with each major clash punctuated by raging storms.The duelling behemoths in front of him were not the very oldest and mightiest of their kind. Instead, they were likely two or perhaps three Ages old. It showed in the way they fought too all power and fury with little of the cunning and deceptiveness that was common of their older and more experienced kin.Doomwing was about to announce himself the fools were so caught up in their petty squabble that they hadn't even noticed his approach when he caught sight of something that was equal parts baffling and endearing.A water salamander hatchling was swimming through the battle, his foot-long form riding the crest of one wave after another as he continued to make his way in the general direction of Doomwing's territory. Either through absurd luck or impossible skill, the creature survived near-death experience after near-death experience as he paddled through the maelstrom, a silly smile on his face and a cheerful air about him despite the clash of weapons, the roar of magic, and the monumental thunder of the two warring titans.Ludicrous.Yet utterly typical.True salamanders, like fire salamanders and waters salamanders, were perhaps the most exasperating creatures in the world. They did not raise their young for long. Instead, they looked after their young just long enough to ensure they could survive and then they sent their young out into the world.Why?"Doomwing." The leviathan arrived first. He was similar in colouration to the leviathan Doomwing had bested, but he was larger and less streamlined. Instead, his scales were rough and jagged, and dorsal plates rose up from his back like the peaks of broken mountains against the westering sun. "Release my son.""He was one of yours, Torrentcoil?" Doomwing snorted. "With his lack of intelligence, I wasn't able to make the connection."Torrentcoil had sided with them during the Third Age, turning against the Lord of the Tides. That was worthy of respect, and Doomwing had stayed out the leviathan's business ever since. It was a pity his son was a fool."He is a foolish whelp," Torrentcoil replied. "But he is still my whelp.""Hmph." Doomwing released his telekinetic hold on the younger leviathan, and he wisely fled to his father's side. "This squabble is nearing my territory.""That was not intended," Torrentcoil replied. "My battle is with "His words were interrupted by the arrival of a second kraken. She was larger than the first and of a size with Torrentcoil. Her gaze went from the kraken twitching weakly upon the water to first Torrentcoil and then Doomwing."Stormbeak," Torrentcoil snarled.The kraken ignored him in favour of tugging the smaller kraken to her. "You have harmed my daughter, Doomwing.""And your daughter is a fool who should have known to retreat instead of trying to strike at me with the storm." Doomwing made a sound of contempt. "She is at least an Age too young to even think of trying that, and she was lucky it was me she faced. Had she tried that on Stormbringer, she would be dead."Stormbringer was usually easy-going, but she took any attempt to strike at her with lightning personally. She considered it at insult and would generally retaliate by showing her opponent what lightning was truly capable of. And considering she was a primordial tempest dragon, that demonstration was generally fatal. Even Doomwing would think twice before throwing lightning at her.Stormbeak glared at him, and he stared back. Both Torrentcoil and Stormbeak were powerful, and they were similar in age to him. But they were both highly specialised in how they fought. They had weaknesses he could exploit, and they both knew it. He was more well-rounded, and if need be, he could simply retreat up into the sky and rain magic down until they were forced to retreat. The battle would not be easy by any means, and he could well find himself in trouble if he was careless, but the odds would favour him.Besides, neither of them would dare risk battle with their children around. The moment the three of them fought seriously, their children would die. They simply weren't equipped to handle a proper fight between three beings from the First Age."I care nothing for the wars you wage against each other," Doomwing said. "Fill the ocean with blood if you wish but do it somewhere else. You know the boundaries of my territory, and you know how close this battle is to intruding. I will not have your squabbles damage what is mine. Take your children and your followers and go."They locked gazes with him for a long moment, and the very ocean trembled as their power stirred. He almost snorted. They were posturing, nothing more. They could not afford to look weak in front of their followers, but they also knew better than to push him. No doubt they could tell that his injuries had healed. Perhaps they'd have given him more trouble, maybe even tested him, if he had still been wounded, but they knew better than to challenge him when he was at full strength.Without another word, they departed, leaving with their children and their followers.Doomwing watched them go and then turned away, carrying the water salamander with him.The tiny creature made a grateful sound, and Doomwing chuckled."Yes. I can fly much more swiftly than you can swim."Xiang blinked as a strange creature waddled up the beach toward him and his family before making itself perfectly at home by the fire. It even had the audacity to creep forward and tug a fish off his plate before munching on it."What is that, father?" his son asked. "And is it dangerous?""I I'm not sure." Xiang wasn't sure if he should be amazed or wary of the creature's audacity. It was only a foot long, and he couldn't sense any great power within it. It was also oddly adorable with its strange half reptilian and half amphibian features. It also had a silly but endearing smile on its face as it ate."He is a water salamander," Brother Dragon said, padding over and inspecting the creature carefully. "And it would seem that your family is quite fortunate.""A water salamander?" Xiang's eyes widened. He had heard of salamanders before. In fact, he'd encountered several of them over the years although they had all been significantly larger than this one, and none of them had been water salamanders although that would explain the more aquatic appearance of this one. If he recalled correctly, there was a legend about them seeking people out"Yes. It appears that he has chosen your family." Brother Dragon chuckled. "You're stuck with him now.""What does that mean?" Xiang asked. Realising that the creature was not a threat, his youngest child had decided to pat the water salamander on the back. The salamander made a happy sound and continued to munch away on his fish."This salamander has chosen you and your family. Protect him and raise him as your own, and he will repay your loyalty many times over. He may be small and weak now, but he will one day grow far more powerful than any tiger-person. When that day comes, he will look upon these days fondly and continue to protect and care for your descendants as you once protected and cared for him.""Ah." Xiang's eyes widened. So the legends were true then. Setting aside his meal, Xiang gently lifted the water salamander up to eye level. "I am Xiang, little one. From this moment forward, you shall be part of my family. May our days together be prosperous."The water salamander chirped and nodded before going back to eating his fish."He agrees," Brother Dragon drawled. "I'd prepare more fish for him too. He had quite the interesting journey on his way here."
