This dragon is truly massive, its body alone is nearly a thousand meters long, but its leathery wings with cracked, sooty scales dwarf even that. Its tail swishes through the air with a shriek of displaced wind and it's emitting an aura that seems to absorb the very life around it.
We're so screwed.
The sound of gunfire has fallen silent, nothing around me is moving at all. Even the defenders are prostrate, face down on the floor. Not just the elf like beings, but their mounts too. Karl lands beside me with a quiet thud and looks down at me with a grimace of sympathy and determination.
The air seems to twist once more and more figures appear around us. Behind us are the top 6 commanders from the Seattle base. In front of us, 5 lithe figures in ornate black and gold armor with black cloaks.
Then a final figure shimmers into being in front of their kneeling semi circle. A small black dragon. It's clearly a projection, I can see right through it to the forces behind, but its aura nearly drives me to my knees.
Behind me I hear all the commanders fall under the pressure, and Karl's bones seem to be creaking with the strain as he pours mana into himself to remain upright. His cultivation might be stronger than mine, but he mostly enhances his magic, not his body.
"You two stink of death. The deaths of your own and the deaths of my people. How many must you kill to gain such an aura?" The booming voice of the projection echoes through the area.
I look at Karl who looks back at me. Should we tell this being we just blew up one of our own cities, killing nearly a million politicians and bureaucrats? No. Definitely Not. No idea how that might go over.
Karl shakes his head at me, showing he's on the same track.
"I feel your essence on the wards Mage. And it's your bloodlust I sensed in the ruins of the helicopter Lycan. You are definitely the ones who leveled the city of Washington this morning and shattered my scales so."
Oh, it's not normally like that? Wait, that means this thing took a magical nuke to the face and then flew over here to talk to us about it? How tough are these actual dragons?
"As angry as I am to be injured like that while I was bringing my plan to take over this continent to fruition. I am impressed not only by your initiative but by your raw power. I am Kal'Thunil, avatar of the Dragon God of Death for the planet Llialos."
That must be what the dragon riders call their home world.
The self proclaimed avatar of a god continues "In honor of your tribute to the Death God whose name must not be spoken, I have come to honor you with an agreement."
Now things are looking up. Totally thought we were all dead for trying to blow this thing up.
The air around us twists and a second figure joins the giant black dragon in the sky. A bronze dragon, dripping tarnished green looking blood all over the city as it circles, and a second ethereal dragon's form joins the Avatar of the Death God in front of us.
"Good to see you could join us Kal'Bar." The booming voice snarls with what seems to be disgust.
"What did you do to yourself?"
The figure apparently created by the giant bronze dragon responds with more than a hint of anger.
"I was doing the work of the gods, replacing the President of this nation to remove threats using the laws of the land. I was about to speak before their senate when the entire city was destroyed with a single strike. The others with me were young, they didn't make it out."
Maybe we really are going to die today.
The image of the black dragon laughs uproariously "You survived that? Who knew that a mere messenger of the God of Laws could survive a strike that wounded even me."
Looks like they don't really get along.
"The God of Death offers a proposal to this young planet, burgeoning with promise. This city will be a free trade zone, under the protection of the Dragon Gods, where your people and ours can meet and exchange knowledge."
"Priests and Priestesses will be raised among your people who most embody the aspects of the Gods, bringing them to heights never before imagined." The bronze projection continues where the other left off, still apparently dripping blood on the ground.
"Well, our initial plan was to just use a hundred attacks like I leveled against Washington until the portal was buried in rubble or collapsed" Karl lied smoothly and the black dragon's face took on an odd grin.
Is this thing actually smiling at the thought? I see why it serves the Death God.
"This sounds more agreeable in the long term, why don't we discuss your proposal?" I cut in.
I guess it'll be me and Karl making deals with Dragons from another planet, on behalf of their gods, since nobody else can even move from the ground under the increased suppression of the second dragon.
"I have one here, blessed by the God of Law, once this contract is signed it will hold full force of the Gods. Anyone who violates it will face divine retribution."
I look over at Karl to take in his reaction, and actually take a good look. His clothes are frayed, there's visible wounds and tears and he's nearly covered head to toe in black and red blood, like some sort of carnage camouflage.
Then I look down at myself.
There is no visible skin, even wiping my hands on my pants just trades one set of blood for another. Not the most professional I suppose, but it'll have to do. The dragons don't seem to mind.
The contract floating in the air is surprisingly straight forward. There are laws against theft, violence, slavery and a few other points. The Law God's disciples are appointed as local police, the Death God demands death for death within the city, so murder is a capital crime. Land ownership in the city will be split by current occupancy. Tariffs are covered, to fund the city. Export of magical and non magical artifacts are regulated too. All in all, it's a comprehensive and fair document. I'm actually impressed, I thought this was going to get messy. Well, more messy.
"I thought this would be more difficult, but the document looks fair to all parties"
The Bronze dragon hands us both small silver daggers and motions that we should sign with our fingerprints. As we cut a single small drop of dragon blood falls from the sky onto the parchment, marking the left side. As such, we both cut our finger and place our marks to the right.
"By the blood of the contractors and of their enemies, the agreement is made. May it stand forever" The black dragon image intones with a booming echo that shakes the leaves on the trees as far as I can see.
"Before today, the Gods did not respect the inhabitants of this young world enough to offer a deal, they simply sought to take the planet through politics. But as the Death God has chosen followers here, your planet comes under the purview of the Gods and must be treated by their laws."
"The Death God chose followers here?"
The black dragon image nods. "Obviously yes. How could she not be impressed with the damage and bloodlust you two have shown this day?"
The dragon image forms a pair of black runic symbols in its hands and they float over to myself and Karl. They're strangely beautiful, looking like a dragon trapped in a teardrop shaped spiky rune. After a moment's hesitation they settle onto our bodies, on the left side of our chests, Karl's replacing the Tattoo that was already there, visible through a rip in his shirt.
"Welcome High Priestess, High Priest. Our God is most pleased with your offerings."
With that last sentiment of the black dragon, both images disappear, leaving behind the city contract and the two giant dragons in the sky.