I stared at the greedy bear and nodded. Such ambition was something that should be nurtured, not shunned.
Besides, four new loyal subjects who would serve me for generations wasn't a bad thing.
Still, I couldn't help but be surprised by his ambition. Dragon blood was rare, something even the most loyal retainers would never see in their lifetimes.
Such greed would even put some dragons to shame, but I did not mind.
I set the wooden ladle on the table next to my bowl and walked towards the front of the two bears.
My sister followed behind me, a bit reluctant to leave her soup, but decided that being by my side was more important.
To give something a name is to give it power. An identity, Niles carved out a name for himself as the mountain lord, his past life as a summon eroded by the long rivers of time. I was confident he would survive his transformation as one of my kin.
Yet because I was so confident, a strange thought entered my mind. I had Hathor, and I would have Leah, should I give this one to Tiamat?
I looked at her, my younger sibling who was trying so hard to appear regal, with her chest puffed out, her head upturned, and her eyes filled with the dignity of a ruler. Her red shimmering scales looked especially majestic in the dimly lit cave. Even her horns, which looked like a naturally formed crown, gave her a sense of nobility.
The scales that adorned her neck were the colors of the elements she possessed, they made her stand out from the average dragon.
[Would you like this one?] I pointed towards Niles, drawing her attention.
My sister turned to face me, her head tilted, while her big, round eyes blinked repeatedly.
[Me?] she asked, with an absent look on her face.
She flinched before speaking.
[And draw blood?] She shook her head in fast succession.
[No way!] Her response was quick and adamant.
Was my dear sister afraid of drawing blood?
She will grow out of it eventually.
Hopefully.
I nodded to myself.
I looked at the still kneeling bear, his head bowed, while his wife stood beside him, a hand on his shoulder, her eyes pointed downwards in a bow.
Yet while I was confident of their survival, it was still important to test their resolve.
[You may rise.]
Hathor spoke for me, "My lord has allowed you to rise."
Niles nodded, standing up and wiping the dust from his knees, he looked at his wife, his eyes smiling as he held her hand.
I looked into Niles' eyes as I spoke, even if my words would never reach him.
[You may die; your wife may die. Think twice about accepting my blood.]
"My lord asks if you are both still willing to receive his blood, even if survival is not guaranteed."
Hathor interpreted my message, his chest puffed out in pride of being dragon kin.
Niles and Leah looked into each other's eyes.
His fog-like eyes burst with love, his lips curved upwards as he looked into his wife, ember-like eyes. Who also returned a smile, he held the back of her head and placed his forehead against hers.
He then looked towards me, his eyes filled with determination, while his hand held onto his wife's.
He squeezed her hand before speaking.
"Yes." He nodded, and he let go of her hand.
He roared and pounded his chest.
[Good.]
My words didn't need to be translated, instead, I looked at him
I pricked my finger with my claw, and a drop of blood spilled out before my wound was sealed. I used my mana to hold it in the air. The blooddrop containing my essence pulsed, the blood boiling the air around.
Niles stared intensely at the drop of blood. His eyes narrowed, as his mouth pressed into a thin line.
He looked more serious than when he fought me and my sister.
The droplet slowly moved towards Niles' forehead, who accepted the blood.
His staggering form, hunched over his blood vessels visible as they bulged, a chrysalis of mana surrounded him like a cocoon as he staggered over and fell. The mana resembled a shining light that blinded whoever looked at it.
His fall elicited a yelp from his wife, who looked at him with worry in her eyes.
Heat started to surround him, even the stone beneath him burned, the white light changing into a fiery red, while a rocky brown competed, both sides each taking a half as they fought for dominion.
An egglike structure surrounded him, half of it brown, the other a burnt red. The egg started to crack as a claw that was on fire burst out.
His claws, alit with flames, tore through the egg, as he roared towards the heavens.
The first thing on his face that drew my attention was his eyes. The previous fog-like eyes were now an orb of smoke chasing fire. The scar that was once hanging over his eye faded,
His brown coat was now littered with auburn, which matched his wife's. Platinum scales all around his neck.
On his forehead, small horns started to sprout.
I focused my eyes on him.
[Niles The Dragon Bear Lvl. 18]
[Niles, the father of a family of five, once a disgraced mountain bear who lost their summoner, now a proud member of the Dragon horde]
I nodded, his level increased by eight, and now he was the same level as Hathor. Although I didn't know what that meant. A new, stronger retainer was always welcome.
He clenched his fist, feeling the new power in it.
Hathor nodded at him, respect towards another dragonkin.
[This power] He spoke in draconic, his mouth curved upwards into a barely present smile.
[Thank you, my lord.] He kneeled once more, his head touching the floor. His previous disdain for us was nowhere to be seen.
[Rise.] I motioned for him to stand straight.
He did so, before turning to face his wife, joy present on his face.
"With this power," He touched her cheek. His eyes were glossy, as they moistened. "I could protect you and the kids better." Her lips curved upwards as she looked into his eyes, words leaving her lips as she nodded lovingly, "Yes, my love." She placed her hand on top of his. "With our new lords, we have nothing to fear".
She let go before turning towards me.
She nodded. "I'm ready." Her eyebrows furrowed as she stood upright. Her face relaxed, her lips pulled upwards, while her eyes softened.
I pricked the same spot, the droplet as powerful as ever, burning and pulsing with power.
I looked into her eyes as the drop made its way to her forehead.
Unlike Hathor and Niles, she didn't fall over, nor did her veins bulge; instead, the chrysalis of mana covered her, with no obvious discomfort on her face.
Was this because we had a certain affinity with each other?
The mana surrounding her burned bright, appearing as a white-hot flame. The ground around her became scorched, even forcing her husband to retreat further away.
The egglike structure covered her, this time a bright red bordering on yellow, with blue flames at the top.
The egg started to crack, gently, a white, dainty hand pushed the egg apart. It crumbled around, revealing a woman in a fur robe. It was a gorgeous woman who couldn't be more than twenty-five. Auburn hair that flowed to her waist. Red burning eyes, with a flame that looked eternal. Her face seemed to be sculpted from clay.
Her collarbone was littered with platinum scales, and she had small horns sprouting from her head.
Polymorph? Did my blood help her that much?
I squinted my eyes while looking at her.
[Leah The Dragon Bear Lvl.20]
My eyes widened, but I quickly reeled in my shock.
She had the most monumental jump out of them all. I felt like it had something to do with her already being a creature of flames.
Was twenty, the level where creatures go through polymorph?
I knew that Dragons acquired the ability to transform when they grow into adulthood, but this information helped me greatly.
Maybe building a kingdom in this realm wasn't so farfetched.
This would require further investigation.
Her first action was to kneel.
I motioned for her to rise.
She got up from her knees with help from her husband, who stared at her with wide eyes and a raised eyebrow.
"Wife?"
"Yes, my love?" She responded, her fiery eyes softened as she stared at her husband, before she hugged him.