I Only Tame Dragons

Seraphina noticed Horizon's far-off look and frowned slightly. "Are you okay?"

Horizon snapped back to the present, his expression hardening. "It's none of your concern," he said curtly. But then, he softened his tone, realizing she didn't deserve his anger. "Sorry. It's just . . . it's complicated."

"Complicated usually means unfinished business," she remarked with a light chuckle.

"Maybe," Horizon admitted. "But right now, let's just focused on getting out of here."

Seraphina nodded. "Agreed."

Horizon stared into the fire, the crackling embers mirroring the resolve burning inside him. Whatever debts Trisha and Travis owed him for their past actions, he was determined to collect the payment in full—along with the interest they deserved.

The night stretched on, silent but heavy with unspoken promises and looming threats. For Horizon, it felt like the calm before a storm.

As the first light of dawn crept over the sky, the makeshift camp stirred. The cold desert night was slowly giving way to the warmth of the morning sun.

Horizon was the first to rise, as always. He sat up, brushing off the thin layer of sand that had settled on his cloak. His undead minions were still standing vigil, as motionless as ever.

It was clear they had not relaxed their guard even for a moment throughout the night.

Across the camp, the girls began to stir. Seraphina was the next to wake, her eyes immediately darting to Horizon's position.

For a brief moment, she watched him, gauging his mood and intentions. Despite the tension from the previous night, he hadn't made a move against them. If anything, he seemed more preoccupied with the journey ahead than any lingering suspicion or hostility.

Aria, Velvet, Dawnfire, and Fiora soon joined her, the four of them rising from their shared tent. They exchanged quiet glances, each of them visibly relieved that Horizon had kept his word and hadn't attacked them in the night.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to make them slightly more inclined to trust him—or at least not consider him an immediate threat.

Velvet stretched, casting one last wary glance at Horizon before giving a small nod of acknowledgment. "I have to admit, I'm surprised," she said, her voice laced with a mixture of relief and a tinge of sarcasm. "I half-expected to wake up surrounded by your undead minions."

Horizon gave a small, amused smile, brushing off the comment. "If I wanted to harm you, it would've been much easier to do it before dawn," he replied simply. There was no malice in his tone, just a plain, matter-of-fact statement. "Besides, we still have a common goal."

Dawnfire huffed, crossing her arms. "For now, at least," she muttered under her breath, but there was less venom in her voice than usual.

The group quickly packed up their camp. The sun was rising fast, and they wanted to make as much progress as possible before the heat became unbearable.

Their destination was clear—the towering monolith that marked the path to the next region. They could feel that they might reach it now.

It was their gateway forward, but also a source of potential danger. Everyone knew that reaching it wouldn't be easy.

As they set out, the morning air was still cool, a brisk breeze sweeping across the sands. They moved in silence, each person lost in their own thoughts.

Nyx, perched comfortably on Horizon's head, let out a small yawn, her tiny wings fluttering as she looked around with sleepy eyes.

The journey across the dunes was deceptively long. From a distance, the monolith had seemed closer than it actually was. The vast expanse of the desert played tricks on their eyes, making it difficult to judge distances accurately.

The sun rose higher, the temperature climbing with each passing hour. Soon, the cool morning breeze was replaced by the dry, scorching heat of the desert.

They had been walking for a few hours when Velvet, who was scouting ahead, suddenly raised her hand, signaling the group to stop.

"Hold up," she whispered, crouching low behind a dune. The others quickly joined her, peering over the crest to see what she had spotted.

Horizon's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene before them.

Below, in the basin of a large dune valley, was another group of players. But this wasn't just one guild—they could see the emblems of at least three different guilds working together.

Their combined forces formed a sizable party, maybe a dozen players in total. It was a coalition, something rarely seen unless a significant threat was involved.

In the center of the group stood a massive creature—the Guardians of the Desert. It was a towering beast, at least twenty feet tall, with a body that seemed to be made of shifting sands and cracked stone.

Its eyes glowed with a fierce, amber light, and its movements were heavy and powerful, sending tremors through the ground with each step.

The Guardian's form was imposing: a humanoid figure with long, jagged arms ending in massive, claw-like hands. It was surrounded by a shimmering barrier of sand, swirling around it like a protective vortex.

The players were spread out in a semicircle, coordinating their attacks to pierce through the Guardian's defenses.

Aria's eyes widened as she took in the scene. "Three guilds working together?" she whispered. "And they're all focused on the Guardian. They must be trying to clear the way to the monolith."

Seraphina nodded, her gaze fixed on the battle below. "The Guardian of the Desert is one of the strongest obstacles in this region. But defeating it isn't our priority right now. Looks like those guilds didn't know yet that the way to the next region is by simply touching the monolith."

Horizon observed the players carefully. He didn't recognized any of them—must be low to mid rank guilds.

He could see mages weaving powerful spells, archers firing volleys of arrows, and warriors clashing directly with the beast, trying to find any opening in its defenses.

"They've been at this for a while," Horizon noted. "Look at their positioning. They're fatigued, and their formation is starting to slip. If the Guardian pushes back now, they could be wiped out."

Velvet's eyes glinted with a calculating light. "If we wait and let them wear the Guardian down, we could swoop in and go for the monolith," she suggested. "It would save us a lot of trouble."

Seraphina gave her a sharp look. "You're suggesting we make the three guilds bait? That's a good way to make a lot of enemies." Continue reading stories on empiren/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Dawnfire shrugged. "It's fine. We already have plenty of enemies. What's three more guilds added to the list, right?"

"It's a risk," Aria admitted, "but it's also an opportunity. If we let them handle the Guardian, we might get a chance to slip through to the monolith—just like Horizon did last time."

Nyx, now fully awake, stretched and yawned lazily, clearly uninterested. "That big, shiny thing? Looks boring. Wake me up when we're in the next region."

"You're not helping at all," Horizon muttered, casting a sideways glance at her.

"Excuse me, I'm the one who navigated us here," Nyx shot back, puffing up indignantly.

"Mostly Fiora did," Horizon countered. "You were napping half the time."

Nyx rolled her eyes, letting out another exaggerated yawn. "It's not my fault this desert is so warm and cozy. It's like a giant heated bed. Makes me want to nap forever."

Ignoring her, Horizon turned his gaze back to the Desert Guardian. "We've got a problem," he said, eyes turning to slit. "Our plan won't work."

"What do you mean?" Dawnfire asked, suddenly worried.

"Yeah, it worked for you before," Velvet chimed in, recalling Horizon's previous stunt. "Why wouldn't it now?"

"Because back then, it was just me and three of my undead with stats in the 400-500 range that could zoomed passed in without a problem. Now we've got a party of nine plus Nyx, and the Guardian will notice us immediately," Horizon explained, his tone clipped.

Seraphina nodded in agreement. "Horizon's right. Charging ahead would be reckless. Either we'd draw the Guardian's attention with our numbers, risking one or two of us being left behind, or those players would turn on us the moment we made our move."

"So what's your plan?" Aria asked, her concern evident.

Unlike before, they couldn't afford any sacrifices. Losing even one person now would leave them vulnerable, and the rival guilds would seize the opportunity to wipe them out.

Fiora, who had been quiet until now, hesitated before speaking up. "What if . . . we propose a temporary alliance with those guilds to take down the Guardian together?"

"No," Horizon said immediately, shutting down the idea. "Taking on the Guardian head-on would be suicide. We'd just burn through our HP and MP for nothing."

"He's right," Seraphina added, nodding in agreement.

Velvet shot her a sharp look, raising an eyebrow. "You're awfully agreeable with Horizon today. Since when did you start taking his side on everything?"

Seraphina ignored the jab, but a faint blush crept up her cheeks.

Velvet huffed in frustration. "Fine. Then what's the plan, genius? We're wasting time."

Horizon fell silent for a moment, scanning the battlefield, his mind racing through possibilities.

Finally, he exhaled a long breath. "There's only one option left," he said, his gaze steely with resolve.

The group leaned in, ready for whatever crazy scheme he was about to propose.