The dragon's harem

Arad and Tempo landed at the end of a long gate, staring at a massive dungeon-like gate, the ruins of a long-forgotten civilization. The three approached the gate and Tempo illuminated the place with his burning flhair, he stood there like a torch, his eyes dripping fire as he inspected the place.

"Those are old; even I don't know what those writings are." He said, looking at Arad. "Do you feel any magic around here?"

"Not just magic, this place has more than the elvish capital. If mana was heat, we're getting closer to the heart of a volcano." He touched the gate. "Flatail, do you know anything?"

"This door separates the seal's room from the outer world. Beaver monks are sent inside with food and supplies for a month and they maintain the seal. They do switch each month, but it's tiring work."

"Beaver language, you're already getting closer to humanoid level." Tempo smiled.

"We are the smartest." Flatail said with pride, "But, I don't know how it happened, but we need to get inside." He looked at Arad with a worried face. "That guard said the seal is about to break, but this place is too quiet like it was a flash alarm."

Arad threw his hands at the gate and started pushing, "Let's get inside and look for ourselves." The veins on his arms bulged as he pushed with all of his strength, and he started sweating. The door was refusing to budge.

"I'll help." Tempo jumped in and started pushing, yet both of them couldn't get the gate to open, the harder they pushed, the more useless it seemed, raw strength alone wouldn't open it.

"Con, Arad push, push harder! Are those muscles just for show?" Flatail called from above Arad's head, waving his tiny arms.

"Cand push if you know how to speak." Arad growled at him, and Flatail looked away, sweating beneath his fur. "Well, I didn't pump my wood lately…I doubt I'm in shape."

"Come! Give it a try," Tempo looked at him with a large smile. "We'll figure a way to open it. It seems stuck to me."

"I can just break it." Arad mumbled, "But I might kill the beavers inside and destroy the seal, so that's not an option."

Flatail stood before the gate, took a deep breath, and planted his tail on the ground. "No dam is built without breaking any teeth." He threw his small arms at the gate, and growled, "GAAAA!"

CLAP! The gate slammed open so fast it startled Arad and Tempo. Flatail froze in place, unable to believe his eyes as dust rushed out and the cave shook.

"Was it made so only a beaver could open it?" Arad said and turned toward Tempo.

"Those things aren't common, but they do exist." He replied with a smile.

Flatail turned toward Arad and Tempo with a proud face, "Did you see that? My suprpower." He burst laughing.

From the dust rushing out of the gate behind Flatail, a beaver appeared with a stick in her hand. She approached Flatail and stabbed him in the tail, "You idiot! It's still a week off the tof opening!" She growled.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Flatail cried, "What was that for?!" He spun around holding his tail. "My precious tail." He cried, clenching a fist. "What do you…" He was about to swing at her, but the moment he saw her face, he froze in place.

"Speak for yourself?" She growled at him, "Why did you open the gate?"

"Ah! Well…" He started stuttering, "What should I say… thank you?"

"Ha?" She tilted her head, confused. "What's your problem? Why did you open the gate before it's time?!"

"Isn't the seal breaking? Bevalina sent us." Arad said as he approached them, "We need to check the seal."

"It's only a matter of making it bigger, that's all. Why call strangers here? Get out!" She shouted.

"She's right! Right!" Flatail cheered with her. "Get out!" He yelled.

Everyone looked at him. "You cwith us." Tempo sighed.

"You brought them here." She stared at him with a disappointed face.

"Well, well, Milady. I've only chere to check on your wellbeing, hearing that the seal was growing weaker, by beaver heart couldn't just leave you here to suffer alone." He said with a smile, his tail still bleeding.

"What's wrong with you?" She growled and turned toward the inside. "Leave and don't return! You're disturbing our work."

"Wait!" Flatail called with a gasp. "We need to get inside."

"I said leave. That means you aren't welcome." She glared back at him. "I don't care what you're up to, but I know for a fact you're only increasing our workload."

"Arad…" Flatail looked at him, "We need to get inside. We can't leave her… I mean the beavers inside."

"You were just switching sides. Pick one…" Arad stared back at him, "Which one are you with…"

Flatail looked between Arad and the lady beaver. "Look at her, such beautiful face, teeth, fur, and tail. I've never seen a beaver with such beauty, but I can't help but notice." He looked at Arad with sparking eyes, "They are dull and chipped, her teeth and claws. I want to help her, stop this cycle of beavers burning their life and talent to keep an old rotten seal. But I know a single beaver can't change the course of a river alone. I'm far too weak." He smiled.

"But, a dragon can change its course. Will you help me? Please?"

As the closing gate reached them, Arad stopped it with both hands. "If this gate only opens to beavers, then I'll becone."

The lady beavers stared back with a gasp, "You're a druid? And what did that beaver say?"

Arad's eyes flashed purple as the muscles on his small beaver arms bulged and the door slapped open with enough force that the hinges shattered.

"I'm not a human, nor a beaver." His body started expanding, "This door is meant to only allow beavers in, but it shall not stop my kind."

His arms turned into massive legs with claws and jet-black wings expanded from his back. The cave couldn't hold his massive body so he started sucking whatever touches his scales into his stomach. Doing that, Arad expanded the cave enough for his draconic body, and only his snout could fit through the gate.

Flatail and the beaver lady cried tears and snot rushed out of their noses as they crawled away, "It's huge!" She cried, "Mommy! I'm scared, why is he so big!" Flatail crawled faster than her.

"Let's see who's the bigger monster,or that thing you keep sealed."

Powerful, arrogant, magnificent, and immense, dragons are one of the strongest creatures in the natural order and are like natural disasters. You can't yell and tell them off, they'll go wherever they want.

Tempo patted Arad's chin. "Beautiful and smooth obsidian scales dripping with magic and youth. For a dragon this size, you're fairly young, but at the sthave a denser presence than most wyrms. I bet the Titans would panic if you showed up uninvited to our land."

Arad shifted back into his human form. "If you understand, then get out of the way." Arad glared at the beaver lady as he walked forward, and Flatail barely managed to follow behind him.

"Don't worry, he doesn't bite." He said to the beaver lady with a scared smile. "Con, let's go." He extended his hand to her.

"What is Lady Bevalina thinking about?"

"They've detected that the seal is breaking so they called for help to the surface. I was tasked to bring druids, but I ended up finding a dragon druid and…" Flatail looked at Tempo. "A volcanic titan."

"A what? A titan and a dragon? Aren't they at war?" She gasped.

"Those two seem to be friends."

As the beaver lady and Flatail tried to forget fear by talking, Arad and Tempo started their own conversation as they headed toward the seal's room.

"Do you really intend on fighting the abomination in the seal?" Tempo asked with a worried face.

"You said I'm an idiot and I might agree. But I'm not dumb." Arad replied, "I only care about my wives. I can't put them in danger, and I can't let myself die and harm them." He turned with glowing purple eyes. "We'll check the seal and I can tell after sensing the magic coming from it, whether it's a fight we can win or not, or if it's worth it." He looked at Flatail and the lady beaver in the back. "It's sad, but my wives are more important than sbeavers."

"The abomination is a threat to the world." Tempo nodded, "Will this change your stance."

"I've got this strong in less than a year. It'll be wiser to let the beavers hold the seal for a few more months or years before challenging the abomination, just to make sure our victory is guaranteed."

"This abomination could hinder my plans of peace between the humanoids and the Titans." Tempo smiled, "Would you help now? It's for the greater good, at least for me, a friend."

"You said it; you're a friend, not one of my wives. I'll not help; the Titans can deal with it."

Tempo laughed, "Well, I have an older sister, care to check her out?"

"Selling your sister to kill a monster?" Arad stared at him, lifting an eyebrow. "And aren't we on war? The dragons and titans don't get along, do they?"

"Just as we two can talk like this, peace among the races is possible. I plan to create a world where everyone can live shoulder to shoulder, where the Titans move the mountains and the humanoids carve them, a world where dragons change the weather and morph the ground, everyone works together to create a massive nation of every race."

"That's a ridiculous goal."

"Father said the sthing."

"Then listen to him."

"But aren't you achieving what I'm dreaming of? We Titans cto you with peace, humans, elves, and even monsters live in harmony on your land." He smiled. "Sister shares my thoughts; I'll introduce you to her after we finish this abomination."