Jumping out of my cave I flew up very high into the air, though the volcano was still thousands of feet above me. I flew toward the roars to see a group of three, what look like wyverns, flying toward my domain. I circled above them as they flew deeper into the woods on the cusp of the area I claimed as mine. Once they landed, I could see a few humans dismounting the wyverns.
My curiosity took over, so I dived down toward the group after seeing no others in the area. The three wyverns and riders did not notice me, as I dove toward them. The largest wyvern was reddish-brown and slightly more than half my size. The other two wyverns were smaller and of the same color. While the three humans each had only three things in common, their stark white hair, their pristine silver armor, and the sword strapped to their waists.
I landed right on top of the two smaller wyvern's necks crushing them to the ground, but leaving them alive for now. The larger wyvern jumped back in fright while releasing a torrent of fire at me, though the fire washed over me without any effect other than annoying me. In response, I let loose a roar that shook the ground below me as the wyvern bowed its head in submission and fear, due to its instinct to respect a true dragon. The three riders froze while one pulled his sword out as if he could hurt me.
"Humans, what are you doing in my domain?" I say while looking down at them with annoyance as the free wyvern is still bowing its head in submission. My words surprised the three riders just as the previous humans I met decades ago.
"The dragon speaks!" the one frightened rider says as the braver one stares me down with a look accepting death.
"Your domain? This is Valyria, the land of the greatest empire and we go where we please," the braver rider says and in response, my tail whips around and obliterates his body before any could react exploding his body to pieces that flew in all directions. The two other humans immediately fell to their knees bowing down just as the wyvern while shaking in fear.
'Seems these are the 'dragon' riders the other humans spoke of. These foolish humans think that lesser beasts like these are dragons!' I think to myself as my anger rises after being challenged by a human with no traces of magic capabilities.
"I met some humans decades ago that have come into my land without permission. They spoke of 'dragon' riders, tell me are you these so-called 'dragon' riders?" I ask the remaining two humans who are shaking in fear.
"Other humans?..." one of the riders says briefly looking up at me before looking back down in fear.
"My patience grows thin," I say as my tail whips the ground shaking it beneath everyone's feet.
"Yes your….grace… we are one of the many dragon riders of the empire of Valyria," the one human says while trying to think of what to call me, though I ignore that part.
'Fucking disgrace! These are no dragons!' I think while crushing one of the wyverns underneath me. It lets out a pained yelp as its head explodes in my clawed hand. The other two wyverns shake in fear but do not move as they are frozen in fear.
"THESE ARE NO DRAGONS!!" I growl at them as I'm very pissed at the humans for believing they tamed dragons, no dragon has ever willingly followed a human.
"These are… well I'm not too sure. They do have some identical blood of a true dragon in them, they look to be like a fouled mix of a true dragon and wyvern," I say while inspecting the creatures they rode here and see I've no idea what they technically are.
"Of course, your grace," the human who spoke earlier says trying to please me while both remain kneeled down, but steal glances at me every few minutes.
"...It matters not… As I asked before, what brings you to my domain?" I ask them once again and they both share a quick look before the same one who's been speaking looks up at me.
"As I'm sure your grace is aware, this island is extremely huge. Our empire may expand most of the known world, even though we currently are at war with the Ghiscan Empire once again for the fourth time this millennium," the human says and seems to have some hatred in his voice for this other empire that is at war with theirs.
(AN: For those who don't know that means the MC is in the GOT world roughly 5000 years before Aegon the Conqueror, the ruler of House Targaryen invaded Westeros and roughly 5300 years before the start of Robert Baratheon's rebellion.)
"I asked why you are in my domain, not the ongoings of your empire," I say with a growl showing my impatience. The human bows his head once again in fear but speaks back up.
"Sorry your grace, we are here because our Empire is looking to update the maps of its homeland. The emperor is also looking to take over all of the islands under his influence, we have heard this place is 'cursed' but now I see that it is not," the human says with his head bowed, while I think if I should kill them or send them home to inform their Emperor to leave my lands alone.
"I see," I say while contemplating the pros and cons.
'If I let them inform their Emperor it may lead to him sending more riders to force me out, though they will all fail since they did not conquer true dragons. Though it will become annoying having to constantly kill his riders and it is not in my nature to kill all those in the city since they are innocent,' I think as the two riders are still kneeling with their heads bowed in fear.
'Though if I kill them, the Emperor may forget sending more riders as a waste of resources when they are fighting a war… same could be said if I let them live,' I finish thinking having made my decision.
"I apologize, but like the past humans, I must kill you so I do not have to deal with your kind just yet," I say to them and whip my tail around to obliterate them before they can respond or move.
"May you rest in peace," I say after having killed the two humans and the one… wyvern, I will call them wyverns, they are not dragons. Plus it is a compliment to wyverns to call them wyverns and an insult to call them dragons.
"Now what to do with you two…," I say more to myself as I release the one wyvern from underneath me which remains still as the fear from my presence alone keeps them in line.
"Come with me," I say to them as I notice one is female and one is male. The two wyverns quickly follow behind as I fly away back to my cave.
'Seems they understand draconic to a certain degree, but can not speak,' I think while the two wyverns follow after me.
Once I land the two wyverns land nervously behind me and bow their heads in fear once again. Three kobolds run in hearing my return along with two other creatures, though the two wyverns growl threateningly at the appearance of the kobolds.
"Leave them be! They are under my protection, you are to not hunt them!" I growl to the two wyverns who immediately bow their heads as the kobolds inspect them from afar.
"Golden King, what are you going to do with them?" one of the kobolds asks me while looking at the wyverns.
"I'm not completely sure… though go as your clan leader if he thinks you can tame these as the humans did and ride them. Hunting would become easier, though you would have to breed them too. Luckily one is male and one is female," I say to the kobolds as one runs off the grab the clan leader.
I then spent the next few hours making sure the wyverns did not harm the kobolds as the kobolds attempted to tame them as the humans did. Once I felt the wyverns knew not to harm the kobolds, I ushered them out of my cave to find their own on the mountainside.
Time flew by with several centuries passing and with it, my entering adulthood. Though I missed a few decades from now each major stage in my life will be met by a prolonged sleep so my body and mind can transition to the new stage. Before my long nap, I ensure the kobolds successfully tamed the wyverns and they did. Plus by breeding them the kobolds are slowly amassing a small group of wyvern riders which only the greatest of hunters can attain.
The Valyrian Empire only sent a handful of more riders several more times before my prolonged nap came. Each time I would kill the humans and bring back the surviving wyverns to add to the kobold collection. Then I left my cave and gave it to the two original wyverns, as I've grown too large for it. I made my new permanent home inside the volcano itself. As I found sleeping inside the lava is most enjoyable. I woke up at the bottom of the volcano which was about a thousand feet below the surface, though for me it was like being underwater.
Once I left the lava, I found myself in my adult form, my scales became even more shiny with a deep golden color, though you could still see a silvery shin on them in certain light. I felt more knowledge enter my mind and the ability to shapeshift into any creature that is considered weaker than a true dragon. Though once I shapeshift I take on all the physical attributes of the average creature I become but keep all of my mental capabilities.
I found turning into a human the most enjoyable outside being in my real form, as unlike any other form I chose, this is the only one I can do magic in outside my true form. By becoming an adult not only can I shapeshift, but I learned many new spells. Though many could only be performed in my human form, as I needed the hands humans use in spell-making.
The spells I learned that can only be used in a human form are Prestidigitation, Fire Bolt, Mage Hand, Burning Hands, Flame Blade, Flaming Orb, and Heat Metal. The only real downside of being a human is I'm much extremely physically weaker and more easily hurt. I can see why humans wear armor and use weapons outside of magic. Though I remain immune to fire and poison in my human form. However, I can not be truly killed in my human form. If I 'die' in the human form, it will only force me to show my true form and I can die extremely easily in human form it turns out.
The other spells I learned and could use in either form were not many, but very useful. One is Gentle Repose, which keeps a dead body from decaying or being corrupted but it only lasts a day at most. The others are Detect Thoughts, only surface thoughts, Cure Wound, which only heals minor injuries, and Comprehend Languages which lasts several hours. With these abilities, I became much more relaxed in my ability to protect the clan and my domain from this Valyrian Empire.
The only real thing that changed outside me is I no longer recognize any of the kobolds in the clan, as there are now thousands of members spanning the inside of the volcano. Plus all the ones I once knew are long dead. The clan though now looks to me as their King, calling me King of Fire and Fiery.