It was a calm morning. I was hard at work exercising when a red star came crashing down in front of me. I jumped out of the way as fast as I could, but there I saw him, a masked man garbed in red and gold armor with wings engulfed in flames. He was taller than me by 5 feet, and he simply stared at me.

  Masked man: So you do survive, child of Crimson.

  Raven: Who the hell are you?

  Masked Man: Ah, so something did happen to this horde. Hmm, troubling.

  Raven: With you saying that, it tells me you're well-versed in Reagle Dragon Customs, so this is a guess, but are you a prime elemental dragon?

  Pyris: Correct, I am Pyris, the Prime Elemental Dragon of fire, and I have come to check on my right hand.

  Raven: Can you explain?

  Pyris closed his wings and explained that the Four Prime Elemental Dragons each have Vassal houses that serve under them. My Horde serves as his offensive hand. His left is to the east of this area. They are the Praespero Flame. Pyris was very clear that my Horde served as the military might while the Praespero Flame served as his spiritual counsel.

  I was a little puzzled by this. Pyris explained it as a counterbalance. Pyris is strong but is also incredibly spiritual and devoted to the god of Fire, and he even joked that his flame was powered through faith.

  Though knowing him, it probably wasn’t much of a joke.

  Pyris then asked for a tour of my temple, and I was happy to provide it. We were still renovating, and the temple was mostly empty. Pyris explained that a dragon temple is like a small city, and the fact that my temple was so lacking spoke volumes.

  I asked Pyris what I could do, and he told me that I had four options. The first was to gather servants and procreate; the second was to call out to nearby dragons by creating a draconic spire and having it burn for a month.

  The third is to travel to Dragon Communities and try to sway any of them to my Horde. The last option and most unique is to hunt down and challenge the leaders of Dragon Caves.

  The last one seemed unique and fun. Pyris would then tell me that normal dragons are greatly swayed by greed, and as such, they form small-knit groups dedicated to hoarding treasure. Pyris was kind enough to give me a map of the known Dragon Caves in the area.

  I honestly think he was encouraging it.

  As Pyris and I were talking, Desdonna came towards us. She was initially happy until she noticed Pyris. She then got on her knees and bowed.

  Pyris: Is your first Servant a Dragonborn?

  Raven: Yes, this is Desdonna; she is the daughter of the Prime Elemental Dragon of Water Dragon.

  Pyris: Ah, my sister’s child then, hmm.

  Pyris mumbled something under his breath before taking his leave. I then helped Desdonna off the floor, and she looked so happy.

  Desdonna: Why was Lord Pyris here? Was it a special occasion?

  Raven: Well, he was just checking in on us, but yes, in a way, it was good news anyway. I’m going to be heading out. I’m going on a mission.

  Desdonna: I see my lord, but may I ask one thing?

  Raven: Anything for you, Des.

  Desdonna: I ask that you bring me a flower that reminds you of me.

  Raven: Of course I need to prepare, but I shall return, my beloved.

  Desdonna and I soon went our separate ways. I suited up in my armor and grabbed my best sword. I then left Freznic in charge of the temple. I then followed my map to the first dragon cave. It was about a twelve-day journey; either way, I was prepared for it.

  Along the way, I heard tales from the local communities, both Fae and human, about the Dragon Cave. Apparently, the leader is an Earth Dragon named Grel; he apparently has three heads and the body of a tortoise.

  I was also informed that dragons who succumb to their greed become mindless monsters and are unable to change from their true form. Following the advice of the nearby residents, I found the cave; it was incredibly large, and sand was flying out from it.

  I soon went inside, and no sooner than I arrived, I ran into Grel’s underlings. They were poorly trained, so disabling them was incredibly easy. This proceeded as I traveled through the cave, and soon I felt a strange feeling. It was like my entire body was filling with sand, like an hourglass. It was slowly starting to pass, but then I realized something: this was Draconic Greed.

  Due to my heritage, I was able to shrug it off, but if this is how Grel is feeling, no wonder he went mad. For me, it was only for a few seconds, but it was an unbearable few seconds that made me want to die.

  I am, however, curious how a dragon first gets consumed by their greed in the first place; I guess we’ll see.

  Soon I came to the heart of the cave, and then I heard it breathing. I looked around and saw nothing, and then I looked up and saw him. Grel Dropped from the ceiling with a mighty thud, his three heads were connected to his body by three long snake necks.

  Grel: Fool, you dare come trying to steal it all that is mine? How dare you?

  Raven: You mean that mountain of treasure, hehe? Nah, that’s just a bonus. What I really want is to challenge you, big guy.

  Grel then began to laugh.

  Grel: A fire dragon, wishes to do battle with me. Grel Deacon of the Sandstorm Oh, you jest.

  Raven: Hehe, looks like someone’s not sure of themselves if they have to boost their confidence with false titles.

  Grel: Fine, you can die here.

  Grel soon summoned a swirling sandstorm to form around us. It soon became blinding, and I have to say Grel is the size of a small mountain, so this is some David and Goliath-like antics. Oh well.

  I soon started to focus my mind, waiting for Grel to make the first move. Soon, one of Grel’s heads came lunging at me, fangs ready to bite me. I jumped out of the way and slashed at his neck. He didn’t bleed, but he screamed.

  Soon Grel was causing sand to fly at me, and the speed at which they flew was enough to hurt. Damn, this is going to be fun.

  When the next stream of sand started to make its way to me, I countered with a wall of fire, transforming it into glass within seconds. I soon created a barrier of fire and charged my way towards Grel. The barrier rendered Grel’s sand useless. This only frustrated Grel, who resorted to lunging bite attacks, all of which burned him, being burned by my Fire Barrier.

  Once I was underneath Grel, I created a massive explosion of fire that really did some damage. I soon readied myself for another attack. Grel chose then and there to use Terramancy to handle me with my bare fists. I shattered all the stone and earth he threw at me.

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  I was getting pumped. Grel threw more complex Terramancy techniques at me, and soon I found myself cornered, but with my own pyromancy, things got even better.

  I soon engulfed my blade in fire and threw it at Grel; it hit his middle head in the eye. This caused Grel to scream in agony. Grel soon fell onto his stomach in too much pain to continue the fight.

  I retrieved my sword and chuckled.

  Grel: I yield to you, young dragon.

  As he said that, a golden mist flew out of his body like a geyser; he also began to drastically shrink. He then reverted to his anthropomorphic form, which was a short, rotund, balding Dragon with copper and topaz-colored scales. When I turned around, I saw that Grel’s underlings were looking at me with a look of amazement. They then bowed.

  I then heard Grel begin to stir; I turned to face him and saw that Grel rose to his feet; he had a dazed look on his face.

  Raven: You okay, old man?

  Grel: Just about, though I do have a pain in my left eye.

  Raven: I see, but you're a tough old coot. Now, then, you will join my horde.

  Grel: Such a demanding dragon, but wait, you're not going to kill me?

  Raven: Why would I do that?

  Grel: It’s just tradition; any dragon who succumbs to draconic Greed and loses a challenge must be killed.

  Raven: I am Raven Pyras, the Regal Dragon of the Crimson Flame. I am not killing anyone who shows talent like you do. Now get your old ass up and come with me.

  Grel was greatly confused by this but soon stood up and bowed. It was at this point I noticed that Grel was dressed in brown monk robes with gold tassels on the sleeves.

  Grel: I see. Well, my lord, since I have no choice, my companions and I will join your horde.

  Grel and his companions soon followed me out of the cave, and Grel sealed the entrance behind us with some terramancy. I then looked to Grel’s companions and saw that their clothing had changed. When I first saw them, they were clad in crude armor; now they wore tan and brown robes similar to Grel’s robes.

  We all then traveled to the next cave. Along the way, we were accosted by several people. Grel actually proved to be useful because he possessed great healing magic along with his companions. I was incredibly grateful.

  When we made camp the following night, i learned more about Grel

  In the past, Grel was a monk in a horde of earth dragons. He prayed to the Dragon Mother and acted as a healer. His companions were his closest friends and clergy.

  But after a series of tragedies, the faith of his horde greatly declined, and they banished Grel along with his friends. They had to resort to thievery, which was the catalyst for him succumbing to Draconic Greed.

  Raven: Sounds like you had it rough, old man.

  Grel: Yes, I did terrible things. I only ask that the Dragon Mother forgive me.

  Raven: Well, by aiding me, you might be able to repent.

  Grel: That may be the best course of action, Raven. You just inherited your title, correct?

  Raven: Yes, it’s been an interesting time.

  Grel: I see. Hmm, well, I look forward to serving you, my lord. Do you have a set role for me?

  Raven: What do you mean by role?

  Grel: I see, so like in a human noble house, there needs to be staff to help manage it. In this case, I think it would be best if I serve as your chaplain.

  Raven: So you're just going to pray day and night when we get back?

  Grel: You really are new to this whole thing. A Dragon Temple Chaplain does more than just pray; they can also organize missions to either gain new horde members or rare resources.

  Raven: That sounds impressive. Is there anything else a chaplain can do?

  Grel: Hmm, well, this is solely my contribution, but I can also aid you by using healing magic, and my 5 companions will be happy to assist.

  Grel and I bonded as we arrived at the next Dragon Cave. His companions made gathering intel easy. This current Dragon was named Kresa.

  He’s a Dark Elemental War Dragon; some claim that he has five arms and he possesses the strength of a god. He is also well-versed in magic.

  Grel was quick to inform me that War Dragons are incredibly brutal fighters capable of taking down 20 armies single-handedly. This was going to be fun. Grel also stated that fighting hand-to-hand might be the best option.

  We arrived at the cave without a moment's delay. Grel advised his companions to wait outside; they each took a seat around the cave entrance. Grel and I then delved further into the cave.

  The interior of the cave was as black as night; even my flames were consumed whole by the darkness, but Grel’s senses served as a great way to find Kresa’s underlings. I disabled them, but it was an incredible challenge in order to do so.

  Soon Grel and I made it to the heart of the cave, and like before, a large pile of treasure stood in the center of the room, and then he appeared: Kresa slithered from behind the treasure.

  He was a jet black color with the head of a triceratops; the horns were the color of cobalt blue, and his eyes were blood red.

  Kresa said nothing and simply started his attack at the tip of his tail, which was a scale fan with a red diamond pattern, and the tips of the fan stretched into a series of razor-sharp tentacles.

  I sheathed my sword and ran in, fists flying. I was able to grab each of the tentacles and redirect them, but they just kept coming and coming.

  Grel saw me struggle and created a sandstorm that was able to cloud Kresa’s aim.

  I heard Kresa hiss in full rage. I was then able to punch, slam, and wrestle Kresa into submission, but Kresa was merely playing with me. He soon unleashed his shadow manipulation, causing a series of explosions that was incredibly draining, but with one good fiery punch to the face, I sent Kresa crashing into a wall, but somehow he refused to give in. I was growing frustrated, and I soon wrapped my arms around Kresa’s neck and began to apply pressure.

  Soon the golden mist began to fly out of him, and Kresa reverted to his anthropomorphic state. I then loosened my grip. Kresa still had his Triceratops head; only his shield-like head had a blue and pink diamond pattern. His body was very meek and slender; he possessed the dress shirt and jacket of a composer and silver bell bottoms with flat shoes.

  I then noticed that the darkness that had engulfed the entire cave vanished without a trace. Soon, Kresa broke free from my grasp and stood up flustered.

  Kresa: Damn, damn, damn, how long have I been like that?

  Raven: Hard to say; I just now put an end to your madness.

  After a brief moment of rest, Kresa reunited with his 2 companions, and he agreed to join my horde. The final cave was a good bit away. I then asked Kresa about his dragon heritage, and Kresa groaned, saying that he hates his classification as a war dragon. He hates war; in fact, he even hates fighting.

  Kresa’s main interest is crafting. He went on and on about how he loved making weapons, armor, tools, and anything; in fact, he’s mastered a special crafting technique that utilizes the power of darkness.

  He calls it Shadow Forgery. Grel honestly seemed impressed. I knew then and there that Kresa would be my Forge Master.

  Our group eventually came to a lake with the Dragon Cave resting on an island in the center. I was getting pissed when Grel created a bridge made of stone for us to walk on.

  But he needed to stay behind in order to maintain it. Damn, I decided to take Kresa with me. He objected, but I’m his lord. As we stepped inside the Dragon Cave, I was incredibly worried because this time there were no welcoming communities to warn me about this next dragon, so I knew nothing. If they have the water element, I’m screwed.

  Soon we encountered the underlings of this dragon cave. Kresa possessed a unique spell called Shadow Stitch; it basically traps enemies in a bind made from shadow magic, so I didn’t need to lift a finger.

  Kresa and I soon started to notice that the air was getting colder and colder. When we arrived at the heart of the cave, we saw that we were standing on a frozen lake of ice. Encased in the ice was enough treasure to buy the entire world, and in the center of it was a purple and white dragon with a body type similar to a horse, but she was wearing strange armor.

  She opened her eyes and screamed; she then sent purple-colored wind our way, and it was intense. I soon realized that she was a mage dragon; they are incredibly rare and can manipulate mana as easily as they breathe.

  Kresa and I were brought to our knees instantly. There was nothing we could do to counter this, but then I heard Desdonna’s voice, and suddenly I felt a surge of energy take hold of me. I then charged towards this mage dragon and unleashed a blast of white fire right in her face. She screamed loudly.

  When I finished my attack, I saw that the Mage Dragon was now in her anthropomorphic form on the ground. Did I just burn the Draconic Greed from her? Awesome.

  The Mage Dragon had smooth pink and faded cyan-colored skin; her attire looked like that of a tribal shaman; it was also incredibly revealing.

  I carried her out of here, and Kresa freed her 4 companions. We all made it out to the mainland without incident. Grel was able to help this Mage Dragon recover, and through talking with the companions of the Mage Dragon, we learned that this lovely dragoness was 14000 years old.

  Damn, but soon the Mage Dragon woke up incredibly shocked after we got her to calm down and reassured her that I wasn’t going to kill her. She said her name is Wenona and she has lost her memories. Grel spoke up then and said that Draconic Greed can cause memory loss if the dragon has been in that state for a long time. With that done, I asked Wenona if she wanted to join my horde.

  Wenona not having many options Agreed, as I led the large group back to my domain, Wenona wasn’t sure how she could contribute to our horde since she had lost her memories. I then asked if she could remember her abilities.

  Wenona was able to recall all her abilities; somehow she explained that Mage Dragons are essentially wild cards; they can utilize every elemental magic type; they can also increase the density of Mana in an area while also being immune to the effects of Mana Density.

  It’s strange. I told Wenona we would sort it out when we arrived. The trip home gave us all a chance for the group to bond even closer. Kresa was able to draw up designs for a new set of weapons and armor that really suited my style; I was impressed.

  Grel and his companions were hard at work muttering something to themselves. I listened in a bit; they seemed to be talking about how they could best serve my horde.

  I was happy to see that they were so willing to be of assistance. We soon arrived at the Crimson Forest and made our way to the temple. Freznic was amazed by the large group I had brought, but I soon realized I didn’t fulfill Desdonna’s request. I began to panic, but then I looked over and saw a beautiful blue and pink flower with purple leaves sitting in the middle of the orange grass. I gently picked it up and rushed inside to find Desdonna.

  I found her in her room sewing. I smiled and presented her with the flower. Desdonna smiled and happily accepted my gift. We would then share a soft kiss before walking to the throne room and performing the rite to make our new allies members of our horde.

  Like before, their dominant skin color would change to red, and they would gain the fire element. Freznic was able to help me find a role for Wenona; she was going to serve as our residential sorceress. Apparently the role of a sorceress is basically a professional fixer and assassin.

  If any threat or problem should arise, a Dragon Temple Sorceress can solve it. The only thing that prevents Dragon Temple Sorceresses from being more common is that Mage Dragons are incredibly rare, and the Dragon Sorceress Profession is strictly for Mage Dragons.

  Within the past months, our temple has become incredibly lively. Grel has taken the role of chaplain, and because of him, we have more Drake soldiers, Wyverns, and even a midwife, as well as some temple maidens. Kresa, or as he likes to be called, Kresanton, has a fully functional Shadow Altar where he forges all of our equipment as well as tools with the aid of his companions.

  Wenona is doing quite well; she has bonded with Desdonna, and I am incredibly happy for them. Some of the companions of Grel Kresanton and Wenona are female, and Freznic was adamant about me fathering all of their children.

  Desdonna was fine with it, mainly because it was tradition, so after a week-long session of passion, the hatchery was full of eggs being tended to by Sariel, our midwife. She is a pink wind dragon with a star pattern on her smooth scales.

  Sariel, however, didn’t want to have a hatchie; her reason was that she was born barren, so she decided to tend to the eggs of others.

  So for the most part, things are good. The Temple seems more like a community now, and it’s a whole new experience. During my whole childhood I was an outcast; now I’m accepted by everyone, and I have love as well as a family. It’s all incredibly new, and I’m slowly starting to accept it.

  End of Episode