POV Vesuvius:

As the dragon watched his minions and waited for their reaction, something suddenly moved on the very edge of his domain.

His senses sharpened as he felt it quickly close towards him, the air ringing and vibrating from its speed. It was still far, but it was quickly closing.

His eyes pierced into the distance.

A human ran at a speed of a sporting car through the green mountains valley. Glowing crystals protruded from his body as if they spouted from his flesh, and stains of crystalized blood covered his ragged clothes.

His eyes were nothing but pieces of crystal that glowed like a pair of lightbulbs.

'What the?'

Suddenly the human stopped and looked straight into the dragon's eyes as if he could see through all the clouds and smoke between them.

'Nope, this is not a human... at best it was a human.'

The being turned to run again, sprinting straight to him, the glowing crystals in its eyes brightening.

An inhuman, high-pitched screech came out of its fully opened mouth, "Griiiiiiii!". It didn't sound human, but more like crystals or glass scratching against each other.

In the meantime, in the distant mountains:

POV Grug-Ghar:

The orange, flickering light of the fire shone from the clearing in the middle of a forest, the red light from the moon passing between the leaves of the tall, ancient oaks.

The muscular orcs with green skin rhythmically drummed and sang as they sat around giant pyres while the weak humans they had captured quietly sobbed in the cages hanging from the tall oaks around the clearing.

"Huga buga! Huga buga!"

"Huga huga we want meat!"

The unnatural red glow of the sky shone on them.

"The sky bloody the is coming!"

Grug watched the blood-red moon, the craving for war awakening within him, 'The red means blood, and blood means war.'

A voice came from above them, "Orcs! Submit to the rule of your new overload!"

The festivity stopped, and silence fell upon the forest.

A fire blazed in the sky, revealing a monster hovering high above them. Its three pairs of wings slightly waved, keeping it in the air. The heavy dark armor covered in glowing red tattoos screamed at them with warning of imminent danger.

All the orcs jumped up from the ground, their eyes shining with bloodthirst as the monster's fiery aura soaked into them. Yet instead of fear, roars of excitement resonated through the night.

"Monster! Fight!"

"Looks strong, means fun!"

"Submit? Submit without a fight?! Hahahaha!" Grug rose from the ground, his huge body ripped with muscles towering his head above the rest of his clan.

'Challenger!'

Grug-Ghar grabbed his axe with his giant hand that looked like it could crush a human head like a ripe peach.

"Graaaah!" With a roar, he hurled the axe through the air. The wind whistled around it, its shiny metallic blade glowing with red light as it quickly closed toward the monster.

A bang resonated as the winged being swung its fingers ending with long crystal claws and swept the axe out of its path, accompanied by sparks.

"You are truly warriors worthy of their Majesty's attention."

Grug felt pride ignite in his heart as it was an honor to be praised by a powerful foe.

"You, fight me!" He raised his hand, and a light flickered in the darkness, and the next moment his axe returned to him.

The warrior monster turned as it landed right before him, accompanied by a shockwave. It was tall, with its golden eyes staring right into his from beneath the dark lizard-shaped helmet with horns so dark it looked like a night.

Its wings folded on its back threateningly twitched.

"Make space!" He roared, and all his tribesmen stepped back, forming a cycle around them.

It was one thing to mercilessly massacre weaklings, but strong warriors deserved the right to a duel. It was the law, and it was the correct way.

"Fight!"

"Fight!"

Grug's body itched with a thrill of a battle as he raised his axe high above his head. Its red glow brightened up as the energy of his ancestor warriors made his muscle bulge and his blade sharpen.

"Attack me."

The ground exploded beneath his feet as he launched forward with the wind howling around him. Everything slowed down as his focus grew, and the joy of war flowed through his veins.

He could see every strand of grass in detail; he could hear and feel the vibrations of his heart and the cracking of his bones.

The challenger didn't even move, standing there unmovingly like a tree, the feeling of disappointment filling Grug.

'Weak, can't react. Was I wrong?' Grug felt confusion as the aura of his foe was terrifying, yet now it couldn't even respond to his attack.

The red-glowing head of the axe was already only a single step away from the dark armor. He could already feel the break of his enemy, and the radiating out of it made his skin burn and itch, yet he didn't budge as he could feel his victory.

Yet he didn't feel any joy, as his opponent was weak, not even worthy of taking its skull.

'Warrior, nonetheless. It stood, it fought and stood. It makes a warrior.'

The next moment the axe fell to the ground, and blood splurted from the remains of his arm. The warriors claws dangerously gleamed, the green blood dripping from them.

The growls and chears of his tribe resonated through the night, celebrating the fight of honor.

"Graaah!"

"Hugaga!"

'The speed, the strength!' Grug felt joy as he was wrong. In front of him was a foe with the power to truly fight him.

He clenched his remaining hand into a fist and threw the punch toward the warrior's head, the ground crumbling and cracking beneath him as he put the force of his entire body into the attack.

The armored hand moved with the fluidity of the wind and caught his fist, pain erupting through it as the pressure grew, threatening to crush his fist into dust.

"Enough of this!" The armored warrior's vortex of fire and lightning exploded, the shockwave throwing him backward, his skin burning even more as it turned charred.

The tribesmen retreated as the soil blackened and grass became cinders under the raging inferno. Sparks were flying everywhere, and the night turned day beneath the bright light of the lightning and fire.

"Submit to the new ruler!"

Grug fell on his knees, he lost, and he knew it. He was the champion of the tribe, their strongest, and as he lost, the tribe was not at the mercy of the warrior.

He pressed his head against the blazing hot soil covered in ash, and all his kin followed right after him.

He lost in a duel in an honorary way. It was only natural to join the stronger.

It was the law of the world followed by everyone.

Yet now he was worried for the first time as he recognized the armor as that of humans, which made him almost spit in disgust at the cowardly and dishonorable race.

'Humans, no honor. They fight not to fight, not to eat, not for glory. They fight to kill and slaughter.'

"They call you dumb and barbaric, but I see that you and your people are actually smart and know when to fight and when to not."

The black silhouette slowly walked through the flames without any damage before it stopped right next to him, "From now on you will serve the great king and lord. Enjoy it as you will be uplifted and become stronger."

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