<Author's Note: This Chapter is NOT in first person from Valerie's perspective>

 

Draconis was ecstatic!

  Valerie had done better in the first few rounds of the tournament than he’d expected. He wished he would have spent a little more time on skill training, but she was a natural fighter. But that's what monsters did: They fought for the glory of their trainer! Of course, she’d be a natural, that was just the nature of a monster.

“Draconis, ID number 02234?” A smaller, younger dragon asked from behind. He was half Draconis’ height and a pastel teal color with fins where his ears should have been. He was a humanoid-form dragon with wings stretching out from his back but still had a dragon’s head. Some called them half-dragons to be racist, but their blood was 100% pure. Wyvern-type dragons got the same hate.

“Yes?” 

“Your presence has been requested by Tyrannus, ID #00001 if you wish to accept.”

Draconis’ jaw dropped. Tyrannus was the founder of the Monster League! Said to be the first Dragon! A living legend!

“Oh, of course!” Draconis straightened, prepared to follow the attendant. “May I ask what about?"

“Master Tyrannus has a unique monster breeding opportunity to share with you and your Superhuman.”

Draconis pondered that. Wouldn’t Tyrannus have his own humans? They made their way from the main lobby and ascended one of the arena towers that was flight-only. A restricted area unless you had clearance to be here. 

There was a gap of time before the top eight battles would commence. They would be setting up another, larger arena to host the battles. That didn’t matter much to him at this very moment. A breeding opportunity with the founder of the Monster League? That was the opportunity of a lifetime. Not only was he the founder but Tyrannus held the record for consecutive wins in the Monster League!

They flew in silence, Draconis flying a couple of meters below the smaller teal dragon. The tower was nicer than anything Draconis had known, and he was no slouch for comfort. The walls turned to a silver metal set with rubies halfway up the tower. Purple-stained glass depicting Tyrannus followed them all the way up the tower. 

Draconis wondered if the stories were true. It was said Tyrannus had never been defeated outside of the Monster League. He was the one who created the Dust Bowl with a single breath of fire, an area in the south once known as the Grand Basin. He was the unchallenged head of the Council of Dragons.

“Here we are,” the teal dragon landed on a loft near the top of the tower. “Tyrannus’s league office.”

The doors were a gunmetal blue set with a comically large keyhole under the Monster League logo that took up the top half of both doors. It was a huge grayscale dragon head. It used to be red before they changed it to represent all dragons, no matter their color, Draconis remembered. 

The attendant pushed through the doors and Draconis felt a little awkward, dumbfounded, and awestruck all at once. This level of extravagance was beyond anything he knew. The floor was covered in a plush carpet of red, the fibers so soft and inviting that one couldn’t help but want to sink into it. The air smelled of strudel and spice, and the light was soft and just right. Another attendant, a cyan humanoid-type dragon, sat at a small desk beside another set of double doors and buzzed us through.

“Be careful not to touch anything,” the teal dragon said. 

The office itself was a further grand display of opulence and luxury, a space fit for a king. The first thing that caught Draconis’s eye was the row of glass monster pens that lined the wall of the left side of the room. Twenty of them.  The tanks were filled with exotic monsters, many of which Draconis had never seen in person.

The center of the room was dominated by a huge desk, made of the finest obsidian and inlaid with gold. The desk was immaculately clean and organized. Behind the desk, a large tapestry depicting Tyrannus was hung, adding a touch of intimidation to the space.

The ceiling was adorned with intricate moldings and a stunning crystal chandelier that sparkled and shone, casting a warm and cozy glow throughout the space. In one corner a small bar was stocked with the finest spirits and liquors, ready to be served.

“Come in,” a deep voice bellowed. A red dragon twice Draconis’ size lounged behind the beautiful obsidian desk. Tyrannus. 

“Y-yes sir,” Draconis stepped into the room and took it all in, “You wanted to see me?” He felt like there was this immense weight on his shoulders that he couldn’t shrug off.

“Yes, yes. Your human,” Tyrannus dragon tapped one huge claw against the desk. “I wish to breed it.”

“Breed it? Right now?”

“Yes, right now,” Tyrannus snapped his huge clawed fingers, and the same attendant as before set a bottle on the desk. “With this extract, your monster will instantly produce eggs for a short time.”

Draconis recognized the product, an expensive extract from an Angeknight, a monster so rare that there were said to be less than 10 left in existence. One of the first monsters to ever exist. Draconis was a new generation of Dragon. Long past were the days of going on adventures and catching strong wild monsters. Everything was regulated now. Wild Monsters were rare outside of the Restricted Area, a forest that no Dragon returned from alive.

Some of the earlier monsters like Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs were too strong, grew in masses too fast, were too rebellious in large groups, and far too strong. Dragons raised armies of monsters only for them to revolt and pose a danger to the public. Now you might see one of those every once in a while, but there were bans and limits on many of any type of monsters you could own and breed.

Draconis, like all dragons, emerged from the Soul Realm in their permanent form, given their first monster, and told of how the world worked. Dragon on Dragon violence was prohibited! All disputes were settled via the Council of Dragons and monster battling. No going into the restricted areas.

To be successful in this world you needed strong monsters or a massive hoard. Draconis felt lacking in both, and many of the strongest monsters were too expensive to purchase outright and would never be in rotation again. Most Dragons, like Draconis, got most of their monsters through the Egg Lottery. There were different tiers and they weren’t cheap. Draconis had saved all his tournament winnings for months to get his hands on just 2 of them. He’d gotten lucky on the second egg with Valerie.

“Ahem,” Tyrannus cleared his throat. 

“Sorry, I was just admiring your collection! I’ve never seen a real live Elf or Orc before,” Draconis gestured to the side towards the collection.

“Yes, I have had quite some time to collect them all,” Tyrannus said. “Normally I would just offer you an obscene amount of money for your human, but the law prevents me from owning more than two.”

“Haha, I see,” Draconis gulped. He was glad that was the case because turning down a dragon of Tyrannus’ stature could be his ruin. 

“Anyway, take your pick,” Tyrannus waved his hand toward the left side of the room. “In exchange for breeding your human with a monster of my choice, I will allow you the same.”

“Any?” Draconis asked.

“Of these,” Tyrannus gestured to the cases along the wall.

Draconis hastily moved to the left of the room to get a better look. He had the usuals: Minotaurs, Shadopus, and a Magmouse, but also rare ones like the Elf, Orc, and Treemight. Draconis already knew which one he wanted the moment he’d entered the room. “Angeknight,” he pointed to the six-winged angel in gleaming armor with twin diamond swords. The Deviknight was a close second choice. 

For the briefest moment, Draconis thought he saw hesitation before Tyrannus spoke. “Sure, if it will. It’s not been that friendly to other monsters.”

The Angeknight was twice the size of Valerie. He didn’t look up when Draconis approached the case. The enclosures were a lot simpler setup than he had, just two bowls and a sleeping area for each of them. More like a prison than a habitat, Draconis thought. At least his had amenities, right?

“But you said you wanted to breed which one with her?” Draconis asked. 

Tyrannus pressed a button on his desk that opened part of the wall in front of Draconis, revealing a glass case as large as he was. Inside, a hulking metallic behemoth stood at shoulder height to Draconis. 

"Giga Mecharex!" Draconis gasped.

The metal dinosaur-type monster towered over every other monster in the world. Covered in thick, tarnished metal plates, each one etched with battle scars that told of the creature’s incredible power and ferocity. But it was the jaws that were truly stunning. Massive. Capable of crushing steel and bone alike, and lined with razor-sharp teeth.

It was hard to believe this creature was made of metal, not flesh and blood. Its movements were so lifelike, so powerful. “Reximus!” Draconis was floored by the sudden appearance of the monster, “Your sixty-eight times world champion?”

“Precisely. Your Superhuman’s traits will help it survive the breeding process,” Tyrannus explained. “As you know, if your monster dies while breeding you have to start over.” His eyes briefly looked to the side of the Giga’s case, where there were two other Humans. 

Inside each of the boxes was a human similar to Draconis’s, and yet different. The first was taller than Valerie with orange skin and fire for hair. Her leg was missing, and replaced with a simple prosthetic. The second human was pale with raven hair, a huge fresh scar running across most of her midsection. One of her crystal blue eyes was faded and looked unusable. 

Draconis was terrified. But more excited. The trait that made the Giga Mecharex so powerful was Sheer Force, an ability that amplified his power. Nobody except Tyrannus knew exactly how it worked. There was the chance that Valerie could pick up the skill using One From All, and Draconis was more than willing to put her in harm’s way for that. 

“I see,” Draconis nodded. It made sense. Valerie could heal with Rain Armor, had resistance to basic damage with Thick Skin, and had the Resilience trait. She was very durable. The Giga Mecharex didn’t have any breeding options outside of Humans. It was one-of-a-kind. However, Humans could breed with any monster.

Draconis scanned the other two humans again and their injuries. “It’s not, uh,” Draconis paused, “too dangerous?”

“We’ve had a few close calls but we know better now,” Tyrannus’s teal attendant assured. “The humans can take it with the Aura of Elasticity.” 

Draconis nodded. For a few minutes during and after laying an egg, a monster’s body would become stretchy and malleable. The plan was simple. Put her with Angeknight first and use the extract. It would last for 15 minutes, plenty enough time for two breeding sessions. As soon as the Aura of Elasticity was active from the first egg, they’d put her with the Giga Mecharex. Tyrannus was doubtful about the first part but was surprised when Angeknight took to the human after just a few minutes of staring at each other. His twin golden rods pulsed to life inside of her.

“What a rare occurrence,” Tyrannus said, “this will be the first time Angeknight has willingly bred with another monster. Your human must be quite exceptional.”

Draconis noted the eagerness with which Valerie climbed onto the Angeknight. He wasn’t surprised, she seemed to like this sort of thing. She makes the cutest sounds and faces, Draconis thought, she must really enjoy it. Why wouldn’t she? Battling, training, and breeding were what monsters liked. He was mesmerized, watching her bounce up and down on Angeknight, both of his huge radiant cocks penetrating her in perfect synchronization.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Even with the lid on the glass container, you could hear it. The only thing on Draconis’s mind though was Valerie’s One From All trait and what she’d get. That’s why he picked Angeknight. It even had an ability that let it go over level 50! He didn’t know what that ability was, but the Angeknight was level 72! Draconis had never seen a monster over level 50, and there were no tournaments with monsters over level 50. 

They continued while Tyrannus’s attendant brought over a parcel to Draconis. “You will need to administer this, then these later” The attendant slid four vials over to Draconis. “The first will refresh all her cooldowns, more specifically Rain Armor and the Resilience trait she used earlier. The other three are max healing tonics that you’ll want to administer as her health drops.”

Angeknight finished with Valerie a couple of minutes later, pumping both of her holes full of his seed. Her stomach grew larger instantly, inflating like a balloon. Valerie fell back against the floor of the enclosure, a golden light pouring out of her. An egg the size of a watermelon berry stretched her wide. She cried out as she pushed. The golden shell peaked out slowly, inch by inch as Valerie struggled against it.  

Pop! 

The egg came loose and rolled safe and sound between her knees. Valerie lay out of breath, panting heavily from the exertion on her body.

That didn’t stop the attendant from grabbing her and strapping her into a small bed with stirrups and a harness. 

“What are you doing with that?” Draconis asked.

“Time is of the essence,” the attendant said, tightening belts and straps around her wrists, ankles, and midsection with her legs up in the stirrups. “It’s designed to hold her at the right height and angle for the Giga Mecharex to breed and minimize her risk of sustaining an injury,” the attendant answered.

Draconis was starting to have second thoughts about this. The Giga Mecharex was way larger than the Angeknight or anything she’d taken so far. It was a thick steel drill of a cock. Literally.  “You need to keep Rain Armor up,” he told her, injecting her with the first blue liquid, “and this will refresh your Resilience.”

Draconis knew that she could understand him because every monster was enchanted to understand their language. It was the same enchantment that allowed them to visually see their stats, traits, and skills. It was called the Owner’s Mark and any monster that came out of an egg bearing the mark would also pass down the mark to all of its eggs. It didn’t give him complete mental control over a monster, but a compulsion to act in the given directive.

Valerie struggled when she saw the Giga Mecharex. Draconis didn’t blame her, but he couldn’t go back on a deal with somebody like Tyrannus. He hoped she wouldn’t end up like Tyrannus’s Humans, and he definitely didn’t have hope of returning to the tournament after this.

Who knew how long she would need to recover?