Chapter 378 The Stranded Dragon

POV Vesuvius:

The black, armored form of the dragon floated within the well of time like a pickle in a jar. His golden eyes absently stared at the streams of time and a small dark dot in the distance that was quickly approaching him.

Civilizations fell and raised right before him, skyscrapers and castles grew like trees in a forest before rotting away in rust to be forever forgotten, but he didn't even care, all his attention on the small black dot that quickly grew.

'How long was I even here?' Everything was dull to him, as all the time blended. There was no day or night. There was only time. However, he still saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

The small dark dote quickly turned into a small rock that flew through the liquified time like a meteor through space. Time flowed and moved around it, slightly brushing off its surface.

'Who would have thought it would work even here.' His domain overlapped with the liquified time around him, slowly but surely transforming his surroundings.

'The world always changes to accommodate the four balance races, shifting entire biomes over time. However, for it to work in this place is on an entirely new level.' Vesuvius watched as the boulder of his hope passed by him, traveling further and further away through the sea of time, orbiting around the dragon like a moon.

The streams of time gently caressed the stone. However, it remained intact even though it was supposed to dissolve into dust. It just flew by, not even a bit affected by the streams of time.

'It is only a piece of stone. However, it still exists here. It was born to exist here.' Right before his eyes, a new reality was slowly forming, a reality with its vector basis within time instead of space. Pebble after pebble, his domain was giving birth to new nature.

'Dimensions of space and time are separate but potentially interchangeable. They are so similar when one looks at them. They are just axis one can move through, only for the time it is much harder to stop or even change the direction of movement.'

The longer he observed it, the more he felt like it wasn't just a deadly trap but also an opportunity as his understanding of space magic and time deepened.

'In the end, I am still a dragon and dragons are life and nature. Nature always finds its way and life always evolve.'

He still didn't see a path out but could already see a way to survive and get stronger in the harsh environment. His eyes pulsed slightly with a new wave of vigor.

'When a biome forms around me it will generate elemental energy to support my growth. Which will mean more power and ability to move here, which means more options.'

One month later:

POV The Punk Player:

The chiseled stone chairs facing the glowing golden portal were all occupied except for one. They were all the leaders of all groups and sub-factions under the rule of the great dragon. A gloomy atmosphere of silence loomed over the entire chamber.

Finally, a ringing and feminine voice broke the heavy silence. "His Majesty is gone and we don't know where."

Everyone turned to the small but terrifying elven girl, The air warped and shifted under the energy radiating out of her like air warping around high furnaces in forgeries.

"What is your proposition, chief councilor?" An unusually tall kobold with long golden horns stirred on his throne, his metallic armor scraping against the stone.

"Isolation, first one. We have still overwhelming power in the form of the war draconids, our elite kobolds, and swarms of dracodactyls. On top of that, we have a large force of loyal immortals at our disposal."

Finally, the only player in the room joined in, his weird haircut looking out of place, "Yes, we don't know when will the boss return. They must have a good reason for being gone for such a long time. We should make sure to preserve our forces to not destroy all their hard work."

'Why was I even chosen to speak for players here? I would bet they just wanted to dump all the boring meetings at me.' PunkGuy was frustrated, but more importantly, he was afraid.

Their almighty and powerful backer was missing. They had already bet their futures on them, and there was no way to back out.

'As long as the absence of the dragon remains a secret we should be safe at least for some time.'

The world changed, and one had to fear for their life outside of LOMM as people were killing themself over grudges from within what was previously just a game.

However, their faction was still relatively safe.

Even though they weren't as large or powerful as the largest factions, no one dared to mess with them and risk angering their patron, known for their immense strength and vengeful character.

"What about our positions outside of the dungeon?" The kobold, the very first kobold created, pointed at the empty chair.

A silence fell again upon the room. It was a decision no one wanted to make. On the one hand, they knew holding it would diverge lots of their elite troops, but on the second hand, the dragon was still likely inside and ordered them to guard it.

They all turned to the highest-ranked person in the council, the scary elven girl.

'If anyone can make such a decision it would be her.', PunkGuy had doubts about their leadership. Just one look at the top officials was enough for him to know they were insane and dangerous, 'The mad scientist, the psycho who killed her own family, the knight talking to his own sword, and finally a bunch of fanatics.'

"Hold the position. If his majesty doesn't appear in a month, then we will retreat. We can't take their order on light, but on the other hand, we can't squander our resources."