The dragon's harem

The sword disappeared into thin air. Arad couldn’t catch it, no one could, because it wasn’t anchored in time. The sword didn’t know whether it existed in the past or future; it didn’t even belong to one timeline, so it was useless.

“Don’t bother; if it has any value, it would one day find its rightful owner.” Mary stood beside the anvil and lifted her fist, gathering a swarm of radiant light particles. She then swung down, smashing the anvil into pieces.

As the entire place shook and trembled. The walls cracked, and soon a massive metallic throne room appeared out of nowhere. The burning sparks of the shattered anvil became her burning throne, the shockwaves became the walls, and the light particles decorated and illuminated the place.

“Arad, this is the Queen.” Kinryuu walked forward and stood aside.

Arad lifted an eyebrow as he looked at the old man’s face, then shifted his gaze to Loki. None of them had seen what had happened earlier.

“Ah, that was weird.” Alcott growled, “Did you stop time?” He glared at the Queen, and suddenly, a black sword was in his hand.

“I didn’t stop time. I removed it whole.” Mary replied, “I forge my weapons outside of time.”

Her eyes shifted to the sword in his hand, “Her void, I see. The blade itself isn’t that powerful; what’s scary about it is that she can see right through it.”

If anyone attacked Alcott, Violet would immediately know about it and swoop down to save him. So if the Queen started a fight with Alcott, she’ll end up facing Violet instead.

“What’s the difference? Both are a pain to deal with.” Alcott sighed and pulled a bottle of water from his pocket and drank it whole. That little moment felt like a month.

“Difference? It’s obvious. You came while I was working. If I were intending to harm any of you, Violet would’ve been here fighting me right about now.” She sat on her throne and looked back at Arad, “We don’t have that much time. So let’s keep this short.”

Arad smiled and stood, waving his hand to summon his trusty large chair that Mira had made for him. He took a seat and looked at Mary, “So? What do you have to say?”

Mary had a lot to say; her Metallic dragons were the best suppliers of metals in the world. With her and the Metallic dragons help, Arad’s supply of iron, steel, copper, and even gold and silver would never run out. Arad would never have to worry about the mines running out; all he needs is to pay a dragon to make the metals for him.

Even with how amazing that looked, Arad was more excited about the copper and other rare metals than the common iron or steel, for one reason. He had the core of a dead star inside his stomach, the one he collected from Euri’s world. That entire thing was massive and made of pure iron.

Another service the Metallic dragons usually offered to the kings of the world is protection. But not in the normal sense of sending a whole army to assist in a war.

The metallic dragon sends a few of their own to live among the royal family to act as guards. That was the case with Gin and Kin, who lived with the Royal family of Ruris.

But that also comes at a small cost, privacy. Most of those guards report back to the Metallic Queen, either directly or through someone, which gives the dragons eyes and ears in almost every humanoid kingdom in the world.

Arad already knew about that, since Kin and Gin report directly to Kinryuu, who relays the information back to the Metallic Queen. Right now, the Queen had no ears in Arad’s private quarter, and he would love to keep it that way.

The Metallic Queen also didn’t waste time before showing how much she tries to compete with the Chromatic Queen. Just an hour into the long discussion, she informed Arad that she had prepared a thousand Metallic drakainas to migrate into his small world.

When Arad tried to refuse, she justified it, saying that she must keep the balance between the Metallic and Chromatic dragons inside Arad’s small world. This text is hosted at NoveI[F]ire.net

Arad somewhat understood what she wanted to say. So he didn’t bother refusing and just let her get those drakains ready for him. Which left one problem: to whom would those drakains reply?

Arad had only one metallic wife, Malina. She can’t command a thousand drakains; many of them were great wyrms.

It didn’t escape the Metallic Queen that Linda was already inside Arad’s stomach. But she didn’t intend for any of those drakains to serve Linda; she was powerful enough to care for herself, and she was always a loner who hated being around people.

The last time the Metallic Queen tried to force some servants to Linda’s service, she ended up with corpses rotting in the shadows. The fact that Linda isn’t killing everyone inside Arad’s stomach was a miracle, a miracle that the Queen knew as Kali.

It was then that the Queen informed Arad about what she had talked with Bahamut about besides the orcs.

Arad frowned as she told him, “What do you mean by the unstable heavy ones?”

The Metallic Queen went on to explain how she was one of Bahamut’s weakest daughters and how the only reason she was as powerful as she is was her husband.

She also went on to explain that the most powerful of Bahamut’s spawns were locked away in their worlds. She didn’t know much about them, not even Bahamut had cared to look toward them much because they were unstable, always rampaging and causing destruction.

Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, had sealed them away to make sure they don’t become a second problem besides the abominations.

“I can’t see how some metallic dragons could become a problem.” Arad shook his head, but he immediately remembered how Tiamat died in the past, “No, I can see it.”

Alcott sighed in the back. He was sitting silently and listening for a while, but the conversation had already bored him. “So, how would that help in any way? If they were a problem and Bahamut dealt with them, then why are you bringing them out?”

That was the same question running across Arad’s mind, and it was then that the Queen sighed. “One of them escaped, and she is looking for Arad. No one knows how she escaped or found out about him, but I’m certain that her mere presence here would kill everyone in the world.”

Arad laughed, “How bad is it? Like Linda, or a bit worse?”

“Remember the cursed metal no one could even approach? That’s Uranium.” The Queen leaned forward.

“A Uranium drakaina, one of a kind, is on the loose and hunting you. What father said is even scarier.” She frowned. “She doesn’t want to kill you. She wants you to kill her. She wants you to eat her.”

Arad froze, “Wait, a Uranium drakaina? Since when were they a thing?”

“Since ancient ages, we’re Metallic dragons. If there is a Metal out there, there is a decent chance a dragon that can control it exists.”

Alcott was only now starting to take this seriously, “Good, she wants to die. Let her come, Arad won’t mind eating her alive.”

The Queen shook her head, “She is extremely radioactive, cursed. The moment she appears, the entire world will die of radiation.”

The Queen went on to explain that this Uranium drakaina wasn’t the only one out there that might look for Arad. Her father, Bahamut, was certain that most of them would seek Arad specifically, but didn’t give an explanation for why.

All that they know is that out there somewhere in the vast universe, there is a powerful, highly radioactive, physically and mentally unstable drakaina that doesn’t want to exist anymore and sees Arad as her way out.