With my sister now awake, I stopped playing around with the text. Instead, I focused on a singular tab.
[Party]
Now that she was up, I wanted to test the party feature, but how would I do such a thing?
I looked at her as she stretched, her wings flapping, before lazily returning to her side. She strutted around a bit before stopping and looking around, trying to spot me.
'How do I invite her to a party?'
I stared at her intently, the muffled text still there.
Her face finally turned towards me, her half-closed eyes staring straight at mine, confusion evident on her face. She walked towards me before sitting beside me.
She rubbed her eyes with her dragon claws and opened and closed her mouth to taste the air.
A mighty dragon yawn escaped her mouth, as she adjusted her posture to be more noble.
I had no idea if Diana and I were the only ones who could gain XP, but I assumed it was something unique to those from a version of my planet.
If I got too strong, I was afraid my sister would harbor some unnecessary jealousy; besides, good things were meant to be shared.
Although I doubted any dragon thought that way. As someone who swore to protect their sibling, I had to strengthen them as well.
I tried something unorthodox, but as someone with no knowledge, I was forced to experiment.
[Join me.] The words left my dragon lips as I desperately summoned the thought to invite her to a party.
[You have invited Tiamat Lvl.1 to join your party]
Thankfully, my first attempt succeeded, as I had no clue where to go from there.
Her head cocked to the side but otherwise nodded.
[Yes, brother.] Her sleepy voice escaped her lips as she looked at me with her big, round, doe-like eyes, her red scales shimmering in the dimly lit cave. Her tiny head tilted to the side, wondering why I even had to ask.
How could a dragon be this cute? My hand instinctively reached for her head, which I only patted once.
[Tiamat has joined your party!]
She nuzzled into my hand before retreating when I removed it.
What exactly did that entail? I only remembered the vague description; did it mean every time I ate something, it would also share it with her?
I nodded to myself; the thought of sharing XP with my sister and facilitating her growth pleased me. Even if I had no clue what the levels signified. I could only assume bigger numbers were better. Of course, it also depended on the species; otherwise, how could I defeat Jaskier, a Level 15?
With that simple thing done, I walked out of the deep end, my sister trailing behind me.
After a small amount of walking, I spotted Hathor, who in turn spotted me. His eyes lit up with a joy I had only witnessed when he gazed at his daughter.
[My lords, you have awakened from your slumber.] His voice was a bit too excited for only a night of absence. His deep silver eyes stared into mine, his pupils glowing with accomplishment.
[I have pleasant news.] His voice was practically shaking with excitement. [Your forces have taken over a large portion of the forest.] He bowed his head, his tail wagging behind him as he spoke.
[The other life forms, in this forest, now know your mighty name.] His eyes shone with pride, his head held up high as he spoke.
The text rang with notifications that I ignored. A glance told me it was about all the lesser species that have declared me as their sovereign.
The wolves were more impressive than I thought. As I was about to commend Hathor, my thoughts were interrupted by the mysterious text, this time appearing before my very eyes.
[Your quest progress has updated!]
[60% completed]
I nodded with satisfaction as I listened to Hathor speak.
[But that isn't all, my liege] He paused before looking further out into the cave, [My daughter] He spoke the words with pride dripping from his voice. [Has been scouting the other Mountain lords and has determined when to attack the weakest.] He finished talking, his eyes gleaming in anticipation, looking forward to our reactions.
[Quite impressive for a singular night, Hathor, you and your pack must be commended.]
I raised my head and spoke with pride, the words dripping with praise.
[A singular night?] Hathor stared at me in confusion, his wolf eyebrows raised, and he lowered his head before tentatively speaking. [My lord, you and the young miss have been asleep for a week.]
[A week?] The words slipped from my mouth; I looked at him with incredulity.
It made sense, after all, I felt so refreshed. A singular night would not have had the same effect.
[Yes, my liege] He bowed his head as he spoke.
Damned dragon genes, I closed my eyes, and a week passed. What would happen if I spent a year in slumber, and my subordinates died while I was asleep?
Better yet, what if Diana had encountered an emergency?
I decided not to think so pessimistically and instead find a way to resist the allure of sleep.
I shook my head, dismissing my thoughts, and resisted the urge to sigh.
[No matter.] I looked at him with satisfaction evident on my face. [All in a week is still impressive, the need for commendations still stands.]
[How fast can we move on the weakest Mountain Lord?] I continued to speak.
Truthfully, all that was needed was me, my sister, and Hathor.
[As soon as nightfall, my lord, my daughter has made it abundantly clear that it would be best to approach the bears as soon as dusk breaks.]
The bears? I nodded at him; that was also the best first choice. I was mildly impressed by his daughter and her decision-making.
[Then at night, if their answer is not to my liking, we move.]
I couldn't outright attack them without warning. Jaskier was fine since he made the first move, but it seemed my nature leaned towards righteousness.
[For now, I must speak with their leader to see if we can come to terms.]
The first step before war was diplomacy.
[My lord, if I may inter-] His voice was tinged with worry.
It was obvious he was about to disagree.
[Do not question me, Hathor.] I spared him a glance before walking past him. My sister, who was barely listening, nodded and followed closely.
[If I may.] The words died in his throat; he hesitated before bowing his head.
[Apologies, my lord, then I will join you to ensure that your communications run smoothly.]. His ears drooped down as he followed behind me.
How arrogant. Did I or did I not kill Jaskier with my sister? Who was leagues stronger than his previous self?
Didn't he mention that they were his equivalent before his upgrade?
This sneaking around didn't fit a dragon.
I shook my head and cleared my thoughts.
The pride deeply instilled in a dragon's blood was shifting my thoughts. Regardless, I didn't think much differently.
Why sneak around when I could win with overwhelming force?
I still allowed him to follow, as my sister and I still hadn't learned the universal tongue.
After walking for a while, we made it to the entrance of the cave.
My wings flapping, as I ascended into the sky, my sister following behind me. I turned to look at Hathor, who stepped onto ice forming beneath his feet.
I turned back to the other mountain, which wasn't so far. I flew towards the other cave, landing on the ground with a thud.
My sister then landed beside me, and Hathor followed suit.
I waited for someone to show up, but after a while of inaction, my patience started to run thin. If they were strong, they would have noticed my arrival. It was obvious I was being ignored.
I sucked in some air and then bellowed out.
[Come greet your Lord!]
My words were simple and echoed loudly into the cave; in reality, I could have said anything, as the bears wouldn't be able to understand.
No response?
I then roared loud enough for them to hear. My sister followed my actions, and soon two roars rang inside the cave.
Someone finally decided to come out, I could feel the ground shaking as something approached, a massive bear entering into the light, his fur brown, and his eyes gray. A long scar over his eye.
He stood upright, his eyes glaring down at me.
[Niles Lvl.10 Mountain Lord]
[Niles, the father of a family of five, a disgraced mountain bear who lost their summoner, once blessed by the earth, now hides in a remote mountain with his family.]
A hint of rage bellowed in my chest, but I ignored it, suppressing my instincts as a dragon.
How dare this insignificant bug look down upon me?
[Lower your gaze] Surprisingly, it wasn't I who spoke but my sister.
Of course, the idiotic bear wouldn't be able to understand our tongue; not every creature was as gifted as Luna.
"Is that a red lizard barking at me?" The bear's voice was as thunderous as his appearance.
'Oh no'
I could feel her dragon's breath charging beside me.