Caesar gazed afar, his dragon eyesight piercing through the mists of the damp basin. Within his view, there slithered an Amethyst Serpent, its body shrouded in iridescent scales that dazzled like gemstones. At sixteen meters in length, its slender form wound gracefully through the earth.
As it moved, dragging behind was the massive form of a Wildland Behemoth Bear, with no visible wounds upon its brown fur, suggesting it had met its end with little resistance.
In the Karl Mountains, such a bear would sit high atop the food chain. Rare within Caesar's own domain, yet to this formidable Amethyst Serpent, it was mere prey.
This was indeed a sixth-tier beast, with a lineage that could trace back to the legendary serpents themselves. Even the most esteemed among the human ranks would hesitate to confront such a magical creature—a testament to its vitality and the near-impenetrable defense afforded by its violet scales, not to mention a level of intelligence far surpassing any mere beast.
The sight of this female serpent charmed Caesar well—her sleek, bright scales, gemstone-like eyes, an agile and well-proportioned body, and those lethally sharp fangs captivated him. By any dragon's aesthetic standards, she was a bewitching presence, her allure eclipsed only by that of a female dragon of his own kind.
"If only I could learn her name..." Caesar mused to himself, the impulse welling up within him. Diana and Aurelian were gravid, and idle days were not to his liking. This female serpent appealed to his taste in every way.
Moved by his thoughts, Caesar, cloaked in invisibility, soared on powerful wings to hover before the Amethyst Serpent and issued his invitation: "Before you stands the future Red Dragon King, the Finality of Wings, the King of All Kings, the Lord of the Karl Mountains—Caesar Sargeras."
"Beautiful lady of serpentine grace, do you entertain the notion of becoming my consort?"
Dragons court with straightforward simplicity: a straightforward declaration of desire, a common trait among sapient magical creatures. No convoluted humanesque rituals for them.
The Amethyst Serpent gazed back with a hint of bafflement before narrowing her eyes, taking stock of the red dragon gliding down from the heavens above. Her tongue flickered out, forked and pink, "Red Dragon? A lustful young drake, indeed. Perhaps if you were fully grown, my answer might differ. But for now, you're but a whelp. Leave my realm, and do not disturb my repast."
Her tone was dismissive, with an undertone of jest—as if she were a queen of high status, her demeanor imperious and fierce. In her eyes, Caesar was viewed as inconsequential, not even worthy of consideration.
This view stemmed from her own heritage.
Sylvana, bearer of a lineage hailing not just from any legendary serpent but that of the distinguished Serpent King, demanded a habitat akin to the dragons of the green flight—her encounters with them frequent, even besting a ninety-odd-year-old green dragon on the cusp of adulthood, which had cemented her lofty pride.
The notion of a juvenile Red Dragon seeking courtship was far from flattering in Sylvana's eyes.
At her retort, Caesar felt his draconic visage freeze over, a volcanic rage igniting within. To be so underestimated?
How dare a mere sixth-tier serpent look down upon the grandeur of a Red Dragon?
With an eruption of draconic fury, Caesar unleashed his might, a fearsome aura that would leave lesser creatures quaking in terror—stupefied, weakened, even stunned—not unlike an avalanche of despair. This sovereignty was a dragon's innate deterrent against swarming foes, rendering countless lesser beings helpless against the might of the dragon.
Surprised by Caesar's formidable display, Sylvana's heart missed a beat—not that she had ever encountered a Red Dragon before, but the intensity of this juvenile was unlike anything she had felt from a green of comparable age. It became clear why Reds held the title of the Sovereign of Dragonkind, yet she retained her composure, her bearing unyielding.
"Is that all you have?" she retorted with a confident sneer, her legendary lineage granting her a certain immunity to such shows of brute force.
The moment that followed saw the tables turn.
The mighty red drake lunged, met with the swift elegance of the Amethyst Serpent. Scales clashed, shimmering scales flying in all directions as the two titans engaged in a ferocious melee. Sylvana's prowess in close combat far outstripped Caesar's, her superior life essence tilting the scales heavily in her favor.
The bout quickly became a barrage of elemental spells. "Exploding Fireball," Caesar summoned, his pride stung. The battlefield was set aflame with the unleashed sorcery befitting a dragon of his rank—a spell wrought from the crucible of fire, harnessing power to vanquish. As the orb formed—a boulder bathed in dark crimson, lined with fractures seeming to pulse with destructive intent—it hurtled toward Sylvana with apocalyptic force.
In an answering flare, Sylvana shed her serpent guise, taking up a demi-human form—tall and slender, her coils now a tail of regal stature, her body veiled by a diaphanous purple gown that concealed while accentuating her curves.
Illuminated by the inferno's glow, her wild allure was undeniable—a charm laden with a haughty arrogance akin to a monarch, irresistible as if touched by a constant spell of enchantment. And as she moved, the fabric that hugged her contours seemed to dance with the flame, casting entrancing ripples.
In truth, the troll shaman Sax had been mistaken—Sylvana's heritage was not of serpent, but of Serpent King.
Each of her three forms had its specialty; the serpent for battle, while her current demi-human was a bastion of magical potency, the speed of her spells enhanced.
As the Exploding Fireball neared, Sylvana quickly raised her defenses. Serpent King's Amethystine Barrier—a fifth-tier spell of her own creation—surrounded her as the onslaught approached. Sylvana's might was evident as she wielded magic with the ease and authority of one born to rule, her quick incantations a testament to her victory over the nearly mature green dragon.Arrayed in purple, she was a being of both beauty and undoubted power.