Queen Safira, the powerful Dragon God Beast, stood before a group of bandits, her white eyes pulsing with power and focus. "So, it's time to test your power and skills," she declared, her voice echoing through the forest. "Don't worry too much, I'll hold back my strength to 5% so you all have a fighting chance."
The bandits looked at each other in fear, knowing that even at 5% power, this Dragon in front of them could level towns. They all nodded at each other, speaking a code to each other, one they had made up long ago when they started the gang. But then they heard...
"Ah. Ah. Ah. Tsk, no running now. We can't have that. Don't make me extremely mad after I just offered you all a deal. I don't want to destroy 500m of this area in one blast. You took me away from my peaceful playtime, so it's only fair you play with me," Queen Safira spoke, not stopping her glare at all of them.
The bandits' faces turned completely pale as they realized she had read them like a book. There was no escaping, only death awaited them now. So, they faced it.
One bandit started begging for mercy, "Please, great one, God Beast of the dragons, so beautiful and glorious. We won't do it again, I swear on my mother's grave. We will change our ways and become better beings."
She stared at them blankly, not saying a word as she unclipped her sword and threw it to one of her royal guards, who had dropped down and was now guarding the elders. The other one tended to their wounds.
"Don't test my patience or take me for an idiot. I'm an Ancient God Beast, not some baby born yesterday. Now, prepare yourselves, children, to be punished for all you have done. Karma has finally flipped on you and is here to cash in," Queen Safira put one hand behind her back and lifted the other in the air...
She didn't even wait for them to speak again and moved, lightning shooting out of her fingers as she hit two bandits in the legs that tried to run. She then stabbed one through the chest with her claws as her duplicate killed another two by making their heads roll on the floor.
One bandit swung his sword at another bandit, killing him, but he was under an illusion she had cast on him. The earth shook as another two bandits got impaled by spikes made from earth and rock. The real Safira blew fire, killing four bandits in one quick breath, and then the duplicate ripped one bandit into two pieces.
All this happened in four seconds, that's how fast she moved. The bodies fell to the floor, only once she was done. Some bandits were still alive, but they were already dead. They watched in slow motion as their demise occurred, but the fact was, they were already dead.
As the last bandit lay on the ground, burnt and screaming from the lightning that had struck him, he surveyed the scene of carnage before him. His gang members lay dead, their bodies scattered around him, having been brutally massacred in a matter of seconds. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Was this truly the power of a God Beast?
Safira had said she would only use 5% of her maximum power, yet this was completely absurd. How could anyone fight her? The thought of it sent shivers down his spine and he wet himself as he saw her walking towards him, fear gripping him as he thought about his impending death.
Queen Safira, covered in the blood of three different colours - green, red, and blue - fused back with her duplicate and twisted her hands, flicking off some of the blood as she walked towards the burnt bandit on the floor.
The elders and children, even Fenris, stood in absolute disbelief, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed. The fight had been over so quickly, all they had seen was blood and smoke, with no sounds of fighting or resistance.
"That's 5% of her power?" one elder finally spoke, his voice trembling. "How does one fight that kind of power?"
A guard shook his head in disbelief. "No, that was only 2% power tops. I would say her duplicate was the 2%, the rest was nothing."
The elders turned ghostly pale, realizing the true extent of Queen Safira's power. No wonder all the lessons they had been taught about never messing with Gods. One elder even began to pray, begging to be spared from death.
Safira arrived at the last bandit and placed her foot on his chest, pinning him down with her claws at his neck. She looked at him with disgust, noting that he was an elf. "You spit in your ancestor's faces with what you're doing. Only Dark Elvin or Elfs resort to nasty and evil deeds like this. So why are you here with your beast-summoning power? You should be at least an Inner Warrior, maybe a Core Warrior of a clan," she said, shaking her head in disbelief.
The elf, sweating and wriggling in pain, coughed up blood as he tried to speak. "I was taken as a child and sold. I was a slave for years, then trained by them to steal. I had no choice. They would starve me if I didn't, or hurt me when I did something wrong," he said, tears rolling down his face. "Please, I don't want to die. Spare me, please. I am innocent."
She looked at him and made a tsk sound. "Tsk tsk. You all truly do take me for an idiot, don't you? The tears were impressive, I'll give you that, but your heartbeat is way too fast and your mind is so easy to read. You're such a pathetic elf," she said, her disgust clear in her voice.
The elf tried to wriggle free. "You fucking ugly bitch. Why don't you go back to your domain? You filthy beast. This isn't your business, so piss off and leave," he said, swinging his arm towards her leg with a knife in it.
But she remained completely still as the knife came towards her leg. As it touched her skin, the entire blade snapped, unable to even pierce her skin.
"You truly are a fool. Your universe's metal can't even scratch my skin, idiot. You should know better. A runaway elf should have some knowledge. What couldn't you handle? Being treated badly?"
The elf let out a deep exhale, his face contorting in pain. "I killed my parents and sister in their sleep," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "They loved her more. Her talent for summoning was better. They never even looked my way when I did something. But look at me now, I'm a king." A twisted smile played on his lips as he spoke, the weight of his actions evident in his eyes.
The elf's eyes then gleamed with a sinister light, as memories of the night he murdered his own family flooded his mind. He had always felt overshadowed by his sister, whose gift for summoning was highly coveted among their clan. But he couldn't stand the thought of living in her shadow any longer. So, he took matters into his own hands, snuffing out the lives of his family in one fell swoop.
As Queen Safira listened to the bandit's words, her anger boiled within her. "You showed them nothing, you coward," he sneered. "Killing someone in their sleep? You couldn't even face them awake. You aren't a king, just a pararoch."
With a fierce determination in her eyes, Safira lifted her leg and smashed it down, crushing the bandit's head with all of her rages. "Disgusting roch, die for your sins," she spat.
But as she heard clapping behind her, Queen Safira's anger dissipated, replaced by a warm feeling in her heart. She turned around to see a young boy, clapping and saying her name, and Fenris, her loyal companion, also clapping for her.
Queen Safira smiled at the boy and Fenris and took a bow. A guard rushed over with a jug and towel, allowing Safira to clean up the blood on her face and hands. The guard then washed her wings, which were also covered in blood.
The elders, who had been watching the scene in awe, couldn't stop staring at Safira's majestic body and beautiful face, even in her dragon form. The elder who had rushed to ask for help had already checked on the children, and they were all hugging him and some even crying, including Mira.
Safira approached the elders and asked, "Hello, which one of you is the main elder here?"
The elders quickly bowed and the one who had cut off the bandit's hand spoke up, "Your Highness, I am the Grand Elder Cona. I would like to thank you for your help and kindly repay the enormous debt we owe you for saving all of our lives."
But Queen Safira simply smiled and replied, "At ease, please. You don't owe me anything. Seeing those children safe and sound is all the debt I need." She then asked, "Is your chariot functioning fully?"
The elders relaxed but still kneeled to show respect to the God Beast. The children also kneeled, which made Safira's heart ache a little, but she knew the elders might scold them if they didn't.
"Your majesty, the chariot is fine, just the protection seals have been damaged," the Grand Elder Cona said.
Safira thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, you guys stay in front of us and we will escort you to the main city. That is where you're going, right?"
As Cona stood before the powerful god beast Safira, he couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude and relief wash over him. "Yes, your majesty, thank you so much for your protection," he spoke quickly, not wanting to anger the god beast. "We will pay you once we arrive. The Patriarch will be so happy his children are safe and sound."
Queen Safira smiled warmly, "No payment is required so long as the children arrive safe and sound. I will be super happy then."
As Queen Safira walked towards her chariot, where Fenris and the mysterious boy are waiting, she paused and turned to Cona. "Grand Elder Cona, could you help me with something, please? Do you know where this boy might come from or what race he belongs to?"
Cona jumped up, rushing to Safira's side as he looked at the boy she was pointing at. He examined the boy thoroughly for a minute, his expression a mix of amazement and confusion. "Your majesty, I'm so sorry, I don't. I know all the races on this planet, my beast knowledge is about 80%, and monster knowledge is 100%, but no one on this planet looks like that, especially those extraordinary-looking eyes. Amazing, I've never seen eyes like that. Please forgive me for not being of help," he bowed to her.
Safira shook her head, "No need to apologize, I've learned a lot more now. And there's no need to forgive you, it was worth a shot. Thank you."
With that, she opened the door and scooped the boy up into her arms, kissing his cheek before handing him to Fenris. She then turned and walked away, heading to change before departing for the main city with her chariots.
...
As they made their way back to civilization, Cona couldn't help but wonder about the mysterious boy. Who was he? Where had he come from? And what secrets did those extraordinary eyes hold? Only time would tell.