I Only Tame Dragons

The heat of the desert air pressed against the group, the land stretching endlessly beneath a blazing sun. Sand swirled in the wind, whispering secrets of ages long past.

Aeloria, Theron, Liora, Trisha, and Cedrick from the Kingdom of Stars marched forward, their eyes scanning the distant dunes for any sign of the monolith. Their footsteps left brief imprints in the sand, only to be swept away by the wind moments later, as though the desert itself was trying to erase their presence.

Aeloria was the first to pause, her hand raised slightly, signaling the others to stop.

Theron, ever vigilant, instinctively placed a hand on his staff.

"What is it?" Cedrick asked, his voice low, yet sharp, his gaze flicking from Aeloria to the vast expanse ahead.

Aeloria's silver eyes scanned the horizon, the unrelenting sun casting long shadows across the vast desert. The wind whipped at her cloak, stirring the sand at her feet, but it did little to distract her from the gnawing feeling that had settled in her gut.

The desert stretched before them, an endless expanse of golden dunes, their peaks rippling in the heat like waves on the ocean.

But something was off, something that didn't fit, and Aeloria couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that crawled up her spine. Continue reading at empire

Her sharp gaze flicked to her companions, noticing how their faces held the same tension, the same unreadable expression.

Theron was standing tall as ever, but even his usually confident posture was marred with suspicion, his hand resting lightly on his staff, his muscles tensed and ready.

Liora had already begun scanning the sand around them, her brow furrowed as if she could sense the very air changing.

Trisha had her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her lips pressed into a thin line. Cedrick had his eyes on Aeloria, waiting for her to say something.

When she finally spoke, her voice was low, barely above a whisper, but her words were heavy with the weight of realization. "Something's wrong."

It wasn't a dramatic declaration, but the tension in her tone cut through the air like a blade, and her companions instantly perked up, leaning in, hanging on her every word.

"What is it?" Trisha asked first, her voice laced with a growing sense of alarm. "What's wrong?"

Aeloria's gaze narrowed, her focus sharpening as her fingers brushed the delicate pouch hanging at her side, a subtle movement that none of them missed.

"The orb," she said quietly, her voice steady despite the weight of the revelation. "It shattered."

The silence that followed was profound.

It wasn't just any orb—it was the [Illusion Orb], the artifact they had spent a fortune acquiring. The one they had used to weave the intricate illusion that had masked the desert.

The orb had been a rare, priceless artifact—the linchpin of their strategy. Its powerful illusion magic was crafted to thin out the competition, turning the harsh desert into a maze of mirages and false leads.

It had worked as intended, culling countless weaker guilds and lone adventurers, leaving them disoriented and wandering aimlessly until they gave up or fell prey to the desert's perils.

But in the end, it seemed to have only weeded out the bottom ranks, leaving the true threats—elite guilds and top-tier contenders—still very much in play.

The illusion had been near perfect, a seamless web of deception that had made the desert appear empty, barren, uninhabitable—a place where no one could survive for long, let alone venture deep enough to find the monolith they sought.

They had hoped that by weaving it here, in this deadly desert, they could force the weaker guilds to turn back, to waste their time searching in the wrong places, while they themselves would remain undisturbed, free to pursue their own goal.

But now . . . now the orb was shattered, and the illusion had collapsed.

Theron was the first to react, his eyes flashing with concern. "Shattered? How?"

Aeloria's jaw tightened, and she looked away, her expression darkening. "I don't know. It shouldn't have happened. The orb was designed to hold for days, maybe even weeks. It was supposed to remain intact, concealed within the magic we wove into the desert itself." She paused, letting her words sink in. "But something—or someone—broke it."

Liora's gaze drifted to the horizon, and she began pacing, her boots leaving faint impressions in the sand. "We've been in this desert for two days already. It's been our shield, our advantage. If it's been shattered, then we've lost the one thing that kept us safe from the other guilds, from anyone else searching for the monolith."

"It's not just that," Cedrick interjected, his tone suddenly serious. "Whoever destroyed the orb . . . they knew exactly what they were doing. They didn't just stumble across it. They broke it intentionally."

Aeloria nodded sharply, her silver eyes narrowing as she turned to face the others. "It's not a coincidence. They've seen through the illusion, and now, they know that someone must have set that up."

The illusion had been their safety net, the powerful magic that kept them hidden from view. Without it, they were exposed.

The group consisted entirely of mages, but they weren't the typical spellcasters who could be easily overpowered by melee fighters.

Each of them was a master of combat, blending powerful magic with precise battle tactics. They had honed skills and spells that made them lethal at both close and long range, turning them into a formidable force on the battlefield.

And despite their prowess, they never shied away from using any means necessary to gain an advantage in this ruthless competition.

Trisha took a deep breath, her gaze flicking from Aeloria to the endless dunes around them. "This isn't good. If someone has the power to break the illusion, they must be one of the top-tier guilds. No one else would have the skill to do it."

Aeloria's expression darkened further as she turned her gaze back to the horizon, her mind working quickly, processing everything. "The first-tier guilds. It has to be one of them."

Her voice dropped lower as she spoke, her words filled with a quiet fury. "Only the Brotherhood Legion or the Wingless Valkyries would have the power to break something like this."

The group fell into a heavy silence as the weight of Aeloria's words settled over them. Both guilds were titans in the competition.

The Brotherhood Legion, known for their overwhelming physical strength and ruthless tactics, had been a constant threat since the beginning.

The Wingless Valkyries, on the other hand, were masters of both physical and magical attacks, their ability to manipulate the battlefield with deception second to none.

Between them, they controlled the fate of the competition, their power unmatched by any other.

"How do we handle this?" Theron asked, his voice steady but tinged with a sense of urgency. "We can't let them find us before we locate the monolith. We have to reach the exit."

Aeloria clenched her fists, her thoughts moving like a whirlwind. "We have to change plans. The illusion is gone, but we're not powerless. We've eliminated most of the weaker guilds and independent players, but that only means the competition is about to get much tougher. These first-tier guilds will stop at nothing to claim the prize for themselves, and they'll do whatever it takes to knock us out of the race."

Liora's eyes glinted. "So we're back to the original plan, but with more caution. We need to stay one step ahead. We can't afford to be caught off guard."

"Let's find that monolith," Cedrick said, his eyes narrowing with determination. "We're close, I can feel it. We need to hurry before the others catch up to us."

By now, everyone knew how to advance to the next region, each guild having discovered their own unique methods to fins the monolith and gather information.

It had become a fierce race to reach the exit first, with less than eight days left on the clock. Time was running out, and every second counted.

The group nodded, understanding the urgency. With the illusion shattered, their magical barrier no longer held back the competition.

Without hesitation, they sprinted forward, racing against time and rival guilds. The desert sands kicked up beneath their feet as they pushed onward, knowing that claiming the monolith first and reach the other region was the key to victory.

=== 🐲 ===

Horizon lowered the skeletal bazooka, the bone construct crumbling into dust as the Dracolich's essence faded.

The group staggered, panting heavily. The weight of exhaustion hit them all at once.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Fiora, leaning against the rock, gave a weak smile. "You did it," she whispered.

Horizon straightened, breathing heavily. He glanced around, taking in their surroundings. The endless desert seemed to stretch on as before, but the air felt different—lighter, less suffocating.

"We broke the loop," he confirmed, his voice filled with relief.

Seraphina nodded, wiping the sweat from her brow. "But we're not out of the woods yet. Whoever set this trap will know it's been broken. We need to move quickly before they have a chance to regroup."