“Tonight, I dine on turtle soup!”

So vowed Vainqueur Knightsbane, as he rose up with a dizzy head and a heart full of wrath. Dirt and grass covered his beautiful scales, the trail his landing had caused going on for hundreds of meters.

The Tarasque’s blow had sent him flying for miles, his golden theater a distant glow collapsing on itself; which angered him even more. The dragon noticed a cloud of dust moving at full speed towards that goblin’s city, far away from Vainqueur himself. The beast would not take its mind off its target, leaving its enemy behind to return to its deadly course.

To a dragon, being ignored numbered among the greatest of insults; right behind having their hoard turned to lead.

Vainqueur almost took flight to chase after the giant in his fury, before stopping himself. Their last clash had shown the dragon that while stupid and lacking in finesse, the beast could match him in brute force. Even his mighty [Geomancy] and a [Charged Attack] could not put it down for long.

Vainqueur needed a strategy.

Should he recall Manling Victor and make use of his [Master’s Shield]? That dinosaur cheated with its regeneration, it would only be fair to return the favor. The idea was tempting, but the dragon quickly decided against it. Minions existed to make his triumph greater; to admit that he needed them to win his battles would be shameful. Also, the Vizier had already been given a mission, to find that cursed fairy Mag Mell and end his meddling once and for all.

Also, he would only receive a golden shower if he won a duel.

No. For the sake of his pride and income, Vainqueur would win this battle on his own.

What else could help? The Emperor oversaw the battlefield, noticing the fragments of powerstones left behind by the mountain’s destruction. These shards had empowered his breath and geomancy both; they even helped send a rocket to the cursed planet Moon!

A magnificent idea crossed Vainqueur’s mind.

Quickly, before the Tarasque had enough time to outpace him for good, the dragon flew and grabbed every crystal he could get his hands on. Vainqueur selected only two kinds, for he had standards: the red ones, as beautiful as his own scales; and the green ones, to complement the other color.

These ones glowed a little and made him a little sick, but certainly, they couldn’t damage his health. He was a dragon after all.

When he had his arms full, Vainqueur chased after the dinosaur. He waited for his ring to cast [Hasten]... but it never did.

“Ur-Ring, quicker!” the dragon ordered his trinket. Having been hastened itself, the Tarasque now moved faster than Vainqueur could follow. “Quicker I said!”

[Ring of the Dragon Ur-Pharaoh] can only cast [Hasten] once per day.