The dragon's harem

Chapter 970: Frozen Poison

Claug looked back, slowly turning her massive head inside the cramped cave. ”Gamond? Itʼs been over a dozen or so decades.” She quickly turned to look back at her crystal ball.

”Hmmm...” Gamond tilted her head, ”What are you watching?” She approached and Claug slowly moved aside, giving her some space to come and watch.

”The life of Prince Charlie of the Ruris kingdom. Heʼs been wooing this noble lady from the duchy of Greenhorn province to the north.” She pointed at the crystal where Charlie, Isdisʼs older brother was sitting on a marble table with a red-haired noble lady, drinking tea in the middle of a flower garden.

”What a sad little human...” Gamond giggled, ”Heʼll be very disappointed sticking it inside that rot hole.”

Claug giggled, ”I see you arenʼt aware of Charlieʼs game, are you?” She looked at her with a smug smile, ”He dealt with such a situation before, he knows sheʼs a devil in disguise. Thatʼs why I keep watching him, Iʼm waiting to see who shall win, the wit of humans or the cunning of devils.”

”I see...” Gamond smiled, ”They are moving...” They watched as Charlie and the woman separated and he went back to his carriage with his maid. After sitting down and when the carriage left the town, the maid asked, ”Who did it go?”

”Dude think heʼs smart.” Charlie giggled, ”What kind of woman say yes if I told her I have sex with my maids daily to train for my wife? Bro a devil, no doubt.” He couldnʼt stop giggling.

”Enough with your jokes, you tested him, right?” The maid glared at him.

”The detector?” He pulled a small crystal. ”Yeah, I used it before we even started speaking. Since I knew he was a devil, not even she, I started fucking around and trolling him. Wanted to make the little shitʼs life even more miserable.”

”Devils are everywhere... you were right, we must eliminate their influence from the kingdom.” The maid looked out of the window.

”See? Iʼm always right, except when it comes to cooking, thatʼs witchcraft.” Charlie waved his hand, ”I leave that to you.”

”How about the part about having sex with your maids?” She gave him a side-eye.

”The only lie was the part about preparing for a wife. Always mix truth with lies to form the perfect deception.” He stretched, leaning back on his seat. ”Whatʼs up for dinner?”

”Dried Ham, I donʼt want to cook out in the open while camping.” The maid replied with a passive face. She hates dealing with open flames and wind blowing ash everywhere. ”Ahh...youʼre angry at me, arenʼt you?” He cried with a sad face.

****

”I see...” Gamond smiled, ”Heʼs an interesting man indeed...but Iʼve found someone more interesting to play with. And I need your help with some poisons.”

”Who is your target? Poisons must be customized for the target to have the best effect. I hope you got at least some blood samples.” Claug turned toward her.

”Ah... I donʼt have any, getting some might be quite difficult. I was warned not to approach him ʼcause heʼs a bit too dangerous.” Gamond scratched her head, ”Canʼt you work without it?”

”Race, gender, age, element, size, and activity level if possible. What do you know about him?” Claug wanted something to work with. Without basic information, she canʼt be sure her poison would work.

”I know his name, Arad Orion...” The moment she said it, Claug burst laughing.

”I see, so this is why you warned.” She looked at her with a grin, ”Forget about poison, no matter what you try, Iʼm positive any other dragon than me would lose to him.”

”So you know him?” Gamond laughed at her, ”But arenʼt you mistaken about something? Iʼm stronger than you. There is no way I canʼt beat what lose to you.”

”I know you see him as nothing more than a male to mate with and eat afterward. Youʼve been disappointed multiple times, thatʼs the curse of being a powerful drakaina, no one ever reaches your level.” Claug sat down to keep watching, ”You think itʼs your win no matter what. If you win, youʼll take his child and eat him, if you lose, youʼll either get his child or get him as a husband straight up.”

Claug burst laughing, ”Arad is no ordinary dragon, heʼs a wild animal. Youʼd get beaten to a pulp, kicked across the room, and then heʼll leave into the sunset without even giving you a look let alone a child.”

”Have you gone mad? Do you know how powerful I am? If I donʼt keep my aura contained, Iʼll spark an ice age in this stupid mortal world.” Gamond had lived in the mortal world for around four centuries in the past. At that time she became a world power known as the ice tyrant. A powerful Ice drakaina that her mere presence would cause entire kingdoms to be cursed into an eternal winter.

To Claug, Gamond was like an aunt. Being a great wyrm cursed with power and unable to find a mate, Gamond had spent decades raising stray chromatic dragons and Claug was one of those she raised.

Only Koryʼs father had managed to impress her, but even he lost his fight against her and ended up eaten after mating.

”Huh...” Gamond, ”But...heʼs Arad Orion, I should expect at least some trouble at this stage.” She smiled.

Claug looked at her, ”If you know what Arad Orion is, then why are you trying to pick a fight?” Gamondʼs face paled, ”Wait...you know of Arad Orion? Mortals arenʼt supposed to know...” ”Taking me for a fool?” Claug smiled, ”Iʼve watched many lives, and I can pretty much guess the plot each time. Iʼve watched over Arad since he was a wyrmling.” She looked at her with a smug smile. ”Iʼve beaten you to the punch with him.”

”Youʼre a fool who couldnʼt get her humanoid form.” Gamond decided to strike a nerve. ”Itʼs so simple, yet never seem to understand.”

”Chromatic dragons canʼt get their humanoid form unless they directly worship Tiamat. Itʼs like saying itʼs an ability that only clerics and paladins get. Itʼs like this so the mostly evil chromatic dragon donʼt misuse it.” As Claug spoke, her body started smoking and shrinking,

From the mist, a lizard woman that was three meters tall walked out, with a skin covered with green scales, a draconic head, and claws dripping with poison walked forward, glaring down

at Gamond.

BA-DUMP! BA-DUMP! BA-DUMP! BA-DUMP! BA-DUMP! BA-DUMP! Claugʼs heart could be heard beating like drums as her glowing green eyes stared at Gamond. ”Donʼt underestimate the power of a shut-in drakaina.”

The cave started shaking violently as Gamondʼs magic gushed out, clashing with Claugʼs violent aura. The poor little kobolds in the back ran away, crying as the entire cave started to freeze and get engulfed with frozen poison.

Gamond turned around, ”Fine, do what you lie. Itʼs not like youʼre still a wyrmling. But at least Iʼve got some interesting info, see you later.” She disappeared in a gust of white mist. Glaug returned to her draconic form and sighed, ”What a problem...Can Arad beat her off?” Albeit Gamond was a great wyrm white dragon, unlike everyone else her power extended far beyond that of her age. Claug knew the extent of Gamondʼs might and how a fight between her

and Arad might end.

Arad had frozen into a solid statue of ice before he could even make a single attack...no, just imagining that scene seemed off to Claug, she couldnʼt help but imagine that Arad would tank Gamondʼs cold somehow.

She turned around to her crystal, waving her massive claws above it. Charlieʼs event had ended so she returned to watching the fight that had been burning for days now... as the image on her crystal ball shimmered, she could see clearly into the endless empty valley of stones.

Nina was nailed onto a massive cliff, covered in her blood as a woman sat on a mountain peak, staring toward her with glowing golden eyes.

****

Just a minute ago inside the Blue Ice Palace Isdis was talking with Isbert right after Gamond left. ”Unlike any other world, the cold can get far harsher here. The only other place that might get as cold as my world is Bellaʼs Silent Ice, but sheʼs more of a witchcraft expert, not a spellsword.” Isbert said as she looked at Kory, ”Take her on a tour around the capital first then bring her back here. Iʼll send her to her training afterward.”

”Wait! What training are we talking about?” Isdis growled at her, ”And why should I go look

around your castle?”

Isbert closed her fist and then opened it again, inside her palm a nut-sized red crystal had appeared. ”We call those heat crystals. I can create them, but most people need to recharge them with heat. Itʼs our currency.” The crystal in her hand turned as clear as glass. ”Itʼs filled when itʼs red, and empty when itʼs clear. Iʼll give you a million of them to recharge.” Isbert pointed at her window, ”Around ten thousand miles north youʼll end in the frozen sea of death. It gets so cold there that not a single animal or fish live there.” While in the outside worlds, the coldest it gets is around -60c {-76f}, inside Isdisʼs world it can get even colder, and where sheʼs sending Isdis to train it can reach a -130c{-202f} ”Youʼll sit naked and alone in the middle of the frozen sea of death and fill those million heat crystals. Donʼt worry, not even the residents of this world can survive such cold so no one would see you.” Isbert sat back on her throne. ”Unless you get attuned to the cold, there is no way youʼll manage to generate heat in such an environment.”