Stuck as a Dungeon Mob

The hour had passed, it was finally time.

A vicious roar engulfed the atmosphere of the Bosque capital. Families were huddled together uniformly shaking in fear. There were tears streaming down the eyes of many, the quiet sobs turned the once lively Pith into a haunted city.

The wind blew fiercely that night but all it did was highlight the empty streets and blow terror into those that were unfortunate enough to witness it. Still, their mind lay elsewhere.

There was a monster in the sky, but not any old monster, a dragon.

Though the legends of old did not carry over to the present, the mountain of corpses Pyre left on his way over was enough to form a new legacy. The horror of the dragon race and more specifically the brutality of the fire dragon was announced to the world anew.

The people of the capital had been tormented with the news of what would happen to them beforehand. The Emperor's moves were both keen and cruel. Needless to say, he had the makings of a leader.

"Duke, how will we proceed?" Miller asked. The situation was dire, Samuel had not yet returned with the miracle potion. Plus, who even knew if Samuel would be a match even after the fact.

Duke Lansworth frowned. He was wheelchair-bound so all he could do was rack his head. But this was nothing more than wasted brainpower, the A-class water magician was smart but by no bounds a master tactician.

"We…" The Duke knew what he might need to instruct but he didn't want to do it. Their ultimate goal was to eradicate the threat of dungeons. That meant eliminating them entirely, or it could mean getting them under control.

For either of these goals, the Volcan emperor could be of use. If the goal was the latter, the emperor might be tempted by the benefits.

"We should negotiate" The problem with this plan was that the emperor had shown no interest in cooperating thus far. Mite Volcan had been so preoccupied with helping Pyre in his goal that he never even considered the possibility of him and his enemies sharing the same goal.

"What if they don't want to cooperate?" Flying a fire dragon over a city didn't suggest the warmest of intentions surprisingly enough.

"Hm… Then… I might have a way…" The Lansworth Ducal house has a history known only to the rulers of the family. What did it take to become the Duke of a kingdom? What kind of achievements must one exhibit? If not that… what backing?

Duke Lansworth's method might not be a guarantee, and it might not be immediate either. But it was their sole and only hope to overcome this situation in the case that Samuel was absent. If Samuel arrived but later fell in battle... they would still have a backup plan.

Miller Bosque could not help but inwardly sigh. He owed the Duke's family for taking him in, even if it was done out of self-interest. He was not loved by his father and his mother had never been happy to have him either.

Yet, even after all the care, he still felt short of being of any actual help. As a person with royal bloodline, he was an embarrassment.

The Duke was unaware of the thoughts running through the head of Miller, and the people were also unaware of the thoughts of their king. For them, there were greater worries, namely, the terrifying tension that manifested around the capital.

The mighty dragon continued to flap and hover over the city. It looked like a dark red speck in the sky. Was the Emperor having second thoughts? Why was it taking so long?

The tears of the people had run dry at this point and their throats hoarse from screaming. Part of the reason was that Miller and the Duke were not willing to initiate combat with the dragon.

After a couple of stressful minutes, a wind magician finally came to the side of Miller Bosque. They would now cooperate to get his voice across to the man on the dragon, and the army that surrounded the capital.

"Your Majesty, are you willing to negotiate?" Miller transmitted to the distant dragon and boy through the wind.

Unbeknownst to those on the ground, Mite formed a smirk.

"Did you say you want to negotiate? After I already scorched the earth on my way here?" Mite asked back from the sky. While his skills with the wind element could not be compared to his skill with fire, his mana manipulation was top-notch having been personally trained by a dragon.

That was what made Miller's face twitch when he noticed the disturbed look in the eyes of the guards and servants of the palace. How could the emperor of an empire make the mistake of broadcasting their low-key negotiation to the entire city?

"We the people of Bosque are amicable, as long as you are willing to compensate for your damage twice fold we can consider this water under the bridge" Miller said in reply against his better judgement.

If Bosque insisted on negotiating on equal terms after Volcan drew a black line towards the capital the people would be crushed. That was not good for the present and future of Bosque.

In the unlikely event that Bosque didn't fall to the dragon, the people would no longer respect the royal family. Many nobles might take that opportunity to create trouble and usurp the throne in that scenario.

Mite's venomous words were sowing seeds of doubt that would blossom into chaos and spread like weeds.

"HAHAHAHA! Pyre, you've heard the deal" Mite said with a morbid smile as he pointed towards the ground.

Without wasting a second, the dragon that was previously flapping above the city started to plummet. Pyre's wings cut through the air, the threatening sound was audible to all in the city.

Screams of all pitches resounded from every corner of the capital. Those brave enough picked up a broom stick and let out a battle cry, those brave enough and with capabilities cast their spells or lifted their weapons.

Regardless of how each citizen reacted, the fact was that once the dragon's mighty maw opened, and the fire in it crackled, a chill ran up their spine and fear crept silently into their hearts.

The dragon's might forced many to flinch even as flames began to shower the capital.

"Damn it!" Duke Lansworth cursed. The duke wanted to get up and retaliate against the dragon who could be seen burning the outskirts of the city but he was bound to his chair. Helpless, the Duke had to roar an order to his subordinates.

"Get all the water magicians to retaliate!" His orders fell and one of the servants ran off to delegate the news to the command center. As the capital of the resourceful Bosque capital, magical communication lines ran through many parts of the capital.

Commands to both put out fires and retaliate against the dragon rang out citywide.

"The gates! The gates!" But the Volcan army was not missing out on the fun. For these northerners, a decently warm fertile field was a luxury. There was a lot at stake for them in this battle. It wasn't about them, it was about their future generations and fulfilling the wishes of their ancestors! Who would willingly stay atop cold northern peaks?

"The south gate has fallen!" But although the Volcan army was making steady progress knowing what was at stake, for the people of Bosque, there was nothing to gain. Benefits were not at stake, but their lives and the lives of their acquaintances, neighbors, and more importantly family.

As the dragon blazed buildings to the ground, the people still burning inside were also burning with passion. Those with unyielding spirit would dash out of the flames and grab onto the nearest Volcan soldier.

"AAAAAARGH!!!" The sound of their dying screams coupled with their expressions of great suffering caused some Volcan soldiers to fall into a momentary shock. The flaming human dolls jumped on top of them wanting to go out in a blaze of glory.

The seeds of chaos truthfully did not need time to bloom. Miller was ashen. Even if he was labelled a coward, he should have pacified the beast.

The dragon was growing near but the beast atop it was what made Miller pale. How could such a young boy make such an expression while razing a city to the ground? How could his face curve into such a wicked smile?

"King Miller Bosque, illegitimate son and a thorn in my side" The voice of an irritated Mite reached the ears of Miller even as the servants of the palace screamed and ran from being face to face with a dragon.

Pyre snorted, a puff of black smoke covered Miller and even the Duke wheelchair bound next to him in soot.

"You made me come all the way here, but I'll give you a chance" Mite Volcan was magnanimous, he was willing to look past the sin of making him head over with Pyre to personally handle the matter.

"You are getting cocky kid" Pyre told Mite who only shot him a side wards glance. Whose side are you on!?!

"Ahem, surrender" Mite said solemnly quickly bringing the topic back.

"Surrender the throne or surrender your life but you must surrender" Mite's ultimatum, and Miller's ultimate decision.

With the cityscape noticeably on fire and the screams of the people still ringing true in his ear, Miller had to make a decision. Would he give up on this lost cause?

A drop of water rolled down Miller's cheek. It was raining.

A flash of lightning and not long after the obstructive sound of thunder, there was a storm fast approaching.

Looking at the fierce gales of wind, it was a tempest.