Flashback: Fheldin and Arla (2/4)

Hearing this, Arla beamed with joy and pulled out her satchel. Apparently, she gets ideas rather randomly, and she likes to have something to jot her thoughts down on before they fade from memory.

And so, she slid her notebook across the table, and Fheldin idly leafed through it.

He saw schematics for new types of measuring equipment, strange recipes for cough medicine, and many other mundane things. However, every now and then, he'd find a page etched with some rather… peculiar ideas.

There were entire pages dedicated the best way to produce mana conductive ore, and more efficient ways to harness natural energies to manufacture mana stones. There was even a plan to hook a dragon into a harness and naturally harvest the ambient mana that constantly leaks off their hot scales.

Fheldin actually chuckled when he saw plans to make the perfect inflammable material. She wanted it to be soft and squishy so that she could make a mattress off of it.

Really, the only reason she wanted to make a flame proof bed was so that she could go to bed in a hot furnace.

What? Felkin feel more comfortable when it's hot.

Finally, towards the end of the notebook, he saw plans on how to artificially create children. For this project, Arla was planning on collecting sperm and eggs from willing donars and using alchemy to grow them together.

"What's this about?" Fheldin asked the young phoenix, who was eagerly awaiting his feedback.

"Oh, I've just heard of couples who are unable to have children together. I was thinking that this would be a great cure," Arla replied.

… Though, this young Felkin was a little nervous about his question. Since he hadn't asked her about any of her projects until now, she was wondering if there was something wrong with that page.

"So… what?" Fheldin asked. "You just dump both party's genetic material in a cauldron and grow a baby yourself?"

"Is… it too farfetched? I could work on simplifying the idea, if you want." Arla actually let her nervous feelings peek through her voice.

"Ha…" Fheldin chuckled light-heartedly. 'This woman remained calm when a dragon was threatening to kill her, but she suddenly gets nervous when she feels like her work is getting criticized. That's kind of funny.'

Suddenly making up his mind, Fheldin slammed the book shut and handed it back to her. "Your ideas sound interesting. As long as you can make children for me with this technique of yours, I promise that I'll bring you back with me and give you all the funding you want. No need to worry about giving your body away."

"Um… Isn't using magic far less efficient than just finding a couple of pretty ladies?" Arla asks with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't you missing out on the fun part?"

Arla almost added, "Isn't mating the only thing dragons care about?" However, she rightfully restrained herself. This dragon just barely offered to give her what she wanted. Now wasn't the time to insult his race.

"Meh," Fheldin shrugged. "My father had a huge harem of women. I've seen far too much petty drama for a lifetime. I mean, I'd like to have kids, but I don't want to deal with clingy little girls who think that I owe them my attention."

Plus, his own mother got murdered over petty jealousy. He's particularly averse to the idea of collecting wives, like many other members of his race.

So, meeting a random alchemist who has the plans to solve all of his mating problems… of course he has to take her away!

"Pack your things," Fheldin said as he gestured with his head toward the door. "I'll pick you up in the morning."

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Arla was expecting the dragon to sneak in through her window or something and carry her away during the dark hours of the morning.

However, she waits hours and hours, yet the dragon wasn't showing up.

Just when she despondently thought that this man had forgotten about her already, or perhaps changed his mind, she felt a searing heatwave sweep across her village.

All of the elders in her village all screamed at the younger ones – especially Arla – to stay inside. The fighting should be left to the stronger, older coven sisters!

Meanwhile, Fheldin was casually fighting his way through towards his prize. Frankly, he could've swept all of these meddlesome tweeties into the Death Realm, but he decided against it.

'I can't just kill all my in-laws,' Fheldin thought sullenly. 'Wait, in-laws? A-anyway … do I ignore their attacks and move on? I mean, it's not like their attacks are doing anything.'

After a moment's thought, Fheldin shook his head. 'No! I'm a dragon! Dragons are righteous and chivalrous!'

'THAT'S RIGHT!' Fheldin realized happily. 'kidnapping the bride is an ancient marriage ritual passed down from the Goddess herself!'

It seems that Lord Fheldin had subconsciously started thinking of Arla as his bride, instead of his personal alchemist…

'Anyway! These little tweeties are just cooperating with the marriage by trying to resist me. I can't kill them when they're being so helpful. In fact, I should help them feel a little better about themselves…'

With his mind made up, Fheldin dropped most of his defenses, and he started acting like he was a lot more tired than he really was.

"He's almost defeated!" the Coven Matron yelled at her fellow phoenixes. "Don't let him leave alive! We can't let him tell his dragon friends where we live!"

Fheldin smiled as he let his scales get blasted from his body, and his skin burn and scar.

Yes. Even when he takes Arla away, they won't feel TOO bad about themselves. They'll get to go to sleep that night – thinking that they at least got to give old Fheldin a scar.

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Needless to say, Fheldin plodded through the village without resistance. He ripped the roof off of Arla's house, and he plucked her from her bedroom.

"BUT MY THINGS!!!!" Arla shrieked with tragedy in her voice. That stupid dragon just took her without thinking, and all of her alchemic supplies were still waiting on her bedroom floor – still neatly waiting in their packed up bags.

"Oh, I'll buy you better ones," Fheldin shrugged.

This appeased the girl, though she started to panic again when she saw a pair of phoenixes flying towards them.

"MOTHER! GRANDMOTHER!" Arla yelled out to the Felkin flying in after the dragon. "It's all right! It's all just a misunderstanding! I offered to go with this dragon to be… er… his personal alchemist!"

Seeing her youngest and cutest granddaughter clutched in the evil dragon's claws and cawing out this nonsense, the coven matron felt tears brimming in her eyes.

"It's all right, my little sweetie!" the matron cried out helplessly. "You don't have to act so brave!"

In the matron's mind, her little Arla was trying to diffuse the situation and get her family to back off. Clearly, Arla didn't want her family to die fighting this dragon.

Arla's mother was thinking the same thing.

"Arla!" the mother cried out, "You don't have to sacrifice yourself for us! Mommy and Grandmommy will get you back! Or… we'll die trying!"

"But I'm not being kidnapped!" Arla shrieked at her mother and the matron. "I'm…!"

Her voice was cut off when Fheldin covered her head with his thumb. "Oh, my little treasure, you ARE being kidnapped. Your little thoughts towards your family is commendable."

He then turned towards the Felkin, who were all gathering around him and waiting anxiously. The dragon had a hostage in his hands, and none of them dared attack recklessly.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Fheldin roared out his challenge as he held Arla up in the sky for everyone to see. "I have your youngest and cutest coven member in my hands. TAKE HER IF YOU CAN, YOU LITTLE WEAKLINGS!!!!!"

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And so began a long and disastrous chase across the world. Both the dragon and the flock of phoenix left a devastating trail of fire in their wake. Even the humans down below thought the gods were angry at them when they saw the sky turning red.

For the first time in millennia, Fheldin had fun toying with lesser beings.

Arla, on the other hand, was stressed out of her mind at first. However, when she realized that her employer was just having fun, and that he wasn't actually hurting any of her family members, she calmed down and let herself be carried away.

In the end, the flock of Felkin had to give up on their chase when Fheldin flew into an untamed world gate. His body was certainly strong enough withstand the turbulent space, but the chasing Felkin couldn't say the same about themselves.

Seeing the evil dragon disappear into the Gate, the matron's wings drooped in grief, and all her family shared a tear of sadness.

As far as they all knew, their youngest and cutest member was about to suffer terribly at the hands of a draconic tyrant.

…And there was nothing they could do for little Arla anymore.

And thus, the "tragedy of little, lost Arla" became yet another cautionary tale that older Felkin would tell the youngsters – warning them about the evil nature of dragons.