Chapter 2: The Dragon Who Woke(2)
She stood there, stunned, barely processing what had happened, when a sudden wave of heat washed over her.
A hot wind rushed down from above, strong enough to make her hair whip violently around her face. Her heart leapt into her throat as a deep, rumbling presence filled the cave, pressing down on her senses.
Slowly, while trembling, she turned.
Emerald scales filled her vision the next moment as the person responsible for her disoriented hair slowly stepped into the sunlight, away from the darkness of the cave.
A massive head lowered from the shadows, crowned with sweeping horns, eyes like cut gemstones glowing in the dark. The dragon's sheer size dwarfed the cave itself, his presence overwhelming, exuding an ancient, and suffocating air.
' A D-Dragon?...'
Thud.
She fell to her knees.
Her forehead struck stone as she bowed deeply, her voice breaking as words poured out in a rush.
" Please I beg of you not to take my life, great one."
' Oh? It seems I can understand what she's saying.' Gidorah felt relieved by the fact that he didn't need to go about learning foreign languages again in this life.
' But why is she calling me Great one?' it took Gidorah a moment to realise that she was actually refering to him when she said such a title.
But on recalling what he now looked like, he guessed her actions were plausible since he remembered that dragons were unfathomable existences some would even worship in the games and anime he'd seen.
" I'm not–" Gidorah was about to speak but halted mid way.
' Wait a minute, since I'm now a dragon, shouldn't I act the part.' he thought to himself that who knew if she would return with some adventurers to slay him if he came off as weak.
Of course the idea of killing her crossed his mind but he didn't feel up to it right now. Since it was his first time seeing another human, he thought to himself that he might as well enjoy the moment.
" Take your life?" Gidorah chuckled, " I'm afraid you wouldn't even be worth up to an appetizer."
Sure the woman before him was quite meaty if he did think so himself, after all, even with a wondrous perky ass like hers, her thick thighs and succulent looking bossoms, he was far too big to see someone as her as a satisfactory meal.
' Of course that wouldn't be the case if I was a human again...' Gidorah felt the urge to gulp seeing such a tasty looking woman before him, she looked like one well over her 30s, in his former life, a woman like her would be called a Milf, if he recalled correctly, and such women were just his type. Alas, a virgin like himself never once got a chance to taste such a forbidden fruit before.
' Well I best send her away. I've at least gotten all I wanted, now that I know that humans are also present in this world, it should help me going forward. But first... I need a nap.' Even in this new body, his Innate urge to laze around seemed to be ever present.
Seeing him beginning to retreat into the cave, Mitsuki became distressed all of a sudden. "G-great Dragon… please… I beg of you. I know it's a presumptuous thing to speak of, but may you graciously lend me your aid."
Her hands clenched against the ground. While streams of tears fell down her eyes.
"My people are being slaughtered. Bandits, monsters in human skin, have descended upon our village. I barely escaped with my life."
"I understand that my request might not interest one as great as you, but I've heard stories about such dealings before. "
" Stories of mighty dragons such as yourself who answer the cries of the helpless. Please… if you truly are such a being—"
Gidorah blinked. ' Mighty? This lady sure knows her way with words. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's trying to seduce me or something.' he thought to himself.
' So that explains the blood' he thought, glancing over her torn, crimson-stained clothes.
He regarded her silently, the sound of his breathing echoing through the cave. From his point of view, she looked smaller than he remembered. More Fragile. Yet stubbornly brave to kneel instead of run.
' If it were me, I wouldn't have deared to speak to a dragon in the first place.'
"…Well," he said slowly, his deep voice causing her to flinch, " In light of your courage, I shall lend you my aid."
" But bear in mind that a deal will always make one offer up something in return."
' It would be nice to gather more information from the other villager's. Hopefully some of them have travelled far, which will save me a lot of time rather than going about myself. Not that I could in this form... People would definitely flee if they saw me like this.'
" I understand, we'll be sure to repay our depth afterwards." The woman said, more like stuttered but at least she agreed.
"Climb on," Gidorah added, lowering his massive head. "And don't forget to hold on tight."
Fear flickered across her face, but desperation burned brighter. With shaking hands, she climbed onto the rough scales between his horns, gripping tightly as his body shifted beneath her.
Gidorah rose and stepped out of the cave, unfurling his wings in a grand, thunderous stretch. The forest seemed to shrink beneath him as he spread them wide, membranes catching the light.
Good thing I tested flying the moment I woke up, he mused inwardly.
With a powerful beat of his wings, the ground vanished beneath them.
*****
In a distance location..
The village Mitsuki talked about was nearly unrecognizable.
Homes lay in ruins, smoke curling into the air as flames devoured wood and thatch. Screams echoed through the forest as fiendish men ran rampant, blades stained red, laughter mingling with cries of pain.
The bandits were a brutal, efficient pack. They laughed as they dragged women from their hiding places. Some pressing then down in the open and having their way with them, while others were dragged with regard to be gathered and sold later on.
They clubbed men who tried to fight back with farming tools, their weapons, real swords and axes, making short, cruel work of the pitiful lot.
Their leader, a bald man with a necklace of teeth, was busy looting the village heads house, tossing carved symbols of their god's aside for a small chest of coins.
"Hurry it up, you dogs!" he bellowed after walking outside with the chest. "Strip it clean! We burn what's left at dusk!"
" Yes Boss!!" Several bandits hollered with satisfaction.
Chaos reigned without rest, as the bandits themselves, continued on with their actions.
Then all of a sudden, the light dimmed.
A vast shadow swept over the land.
" What on earth..." The bandits slowed down to a stop. One by one, they all looked up.
Their laughter died in their throats.
Above them loomed a colossal being clad in glistening emerald scales, it's wings spread out like a living storm, allowing it's large form to hover in the air, it's jewel-like eyes gazing down upon them with a noble light in them.
Faced with the sudden presence of such a being, everywhere suddenly turned silent, non daring to utter a word, except for the fires that continued to crackle.