Dragons of the East were benevolent. They brought the rain, gave sage advice, and battled the enemies of the Cathay people. Gravity was just a suggestion to them; their long serpentine bodies filled the sky. With no wings, they ruled the heavens. But this one was grounded. It had turned its great power upon the land. Even upon the mountain where it sought refuge, it wrought destruction. In the East, this creature was benevolent, but in the West, dragons were evil as Abaddon is from Kyrios, the father of epsilon.

Lex made a few assumptions about the storm's power, its damage to the mountain, and the lack of competition. Why were there only three cultivators vying for this top-tiered familiar? Well, there could be many answers. This Dragon could be evil and sanctioned by the church for extermination. But he knew what he saw; this was a dragon of the East; it had no wings, clause, or aura of sin. His eyes didn't lie; Lex saw both when he saw it land and at the effects it wrought. Rain, lightning, and gravity were the powers of an Eastern Dragon. Not only that, but he felt an immense heat radiating from the beast that could only be yang raja erupted with the storm.

That energy mixed with the yin raja he collected. More qi than ever poured through his meridians. Here in this storm, it was a holy land of cultivation. With every step, his cultivation grew stronger even as his body threatened to buckle.

He couldn't enjoy this boon. If Artus claimed the beast first, Lex would be further behind. So, he moved faster even as the storm grew worse, and every step felt like he'd collapse. Everyone had their limit, and he was finally reaching his. Golden blood covered his body until it became a protective cocoon. Lightning bolt after lightning bolt smashed into him. Every couple of steps, he fell to the knee and shook. When the shaking stopped, he struggled back to his feet and took one more step.

He kept pushing; when the next step seemed impossible, he took another.

When rage wasn't enough, he used pain to drive himself forward and convinced himself that if he stayed still, he'd die. Hail tore into his body, ripping through the barrier of dried blood and digging deep into him. Let's spell onto his hands and knees kowtowing to the mountain. All the while, lightning, shards of hail the size of heads, and ever-increasing gravity pushed upon him. If he remained, he knew that in time it would destroy him. His only hope was to move forward. Lex crawled first like a dog, then an infant, and finally on his belly like a worm. Finally, he reached the eye of the storm and the peak of the mountain.

The weight upon him lifted. His cultivation cycled faster than ever before. Once free of the storm's pressures, he began to recover and then surpassed his former self. The lightning, the hail, and the gravity had tempered him. A transformation erupted through his cultivation base. The qi in his Danton deepened, and he emerged to the fifth stage of qi condensation. Cracks erupted throughout his body, his meridians lit up, and they glowed brightly one by one until they resembled the stars themselves on a canvas of gold.

Like a zombie, he walked forward; unaware of himself or the world around him, he tripped into a crater. He tumbled down into a spring of blood.

It was as deep as his ankles and filled the crater. This crater is where the Dragon landed, the natural eye of the storm, and its source. Down in the center of the crater, in the very heart of the mountain, the Dragon licked its wounds. Titanic, humongous, or gigantic hardly gave the creature justice; it was perhaps hundreds of meters in length, its scales weren't crimson but a rich sky-blue almost azure. The beast's blood-stained it's scales. While it was hundreds of meters long, it had been split in two halfway up its body like a great ax splits a log. Shattered bones jutted out of places, long streams of guts piled in the crater, and the beast itself bled almost endlessly.

He didn't know how it lived. Whatever attacked it had dealt a lethal blow. The storm and the gravity were the efforts of a dying beast. It had been mighty once, but its time was ending. Even now, Lex could feel its powerful heat dying. He'd come here for a familiar; he scaled the peak to battle Artus, but Artus wasn't the source of the breaths. They were labored, growing shallow, and soon they'd die. He wanted to wait and listen to them go out; Lex knew it would soothe some darker side of himself.

Lex approached the beast, and it glared at him. The diameter of its reptilian eyes was larger than he stood tall. Though weakened, Lex knew it could snuff out his life in an instant. While the storm had been powerful, a dragon's greatest weapon was its breath, and he had yet to face that. For a moment, it regarded him.

"Why did you come here? Is it to boast at a once-mighty Dragon bleeding to death in a foreign land? Go ahead, jeer at me. Tell me that I'm a foolish creature whose pride led to his demise. But, look at me and know, I do not fear the end." The Dragon said. Just like that, this seemingly immortal creature had earned his respect. All thoughts of satisfying his darker urges and listening gleefully as this Dragon drew her last breath felt petty. That didn't mean he wouldn't do it, but he'd feel bad about it later.

Lex shook his head. "No, this was just a mistake. When I heard the breathing through the storm, I thought. Well, it wasn't the case." He charged up the mountain to fight Artus. But unfortunately, that guy was nowhere to be seen. He'd been wrong. "I don't find your situation funny or even amusing. If it makes you feel better, I'll probably die similarly." Lex said. It was the truth; cultivators didn't die happily in their beds surrounded by family; their deaths were all through torture, betrayal, or poisoning.

"So, you came here by mistake. I don't believe that if you are here, then it was your fate to be here. Surely, you must have a great destiny. Is there a goal you're striving for?" The Dragon asked.

"I want to get a familiar, I want to free my girlfriend from her prison, and I want to kill my traitorous former friend Artus. As for a great destiny, no, that's my nemesis. Artus is the son of Gunther and the rightful heir of Britainia. But, unfortunately, your breathing technique is the same as his." Lex said.

"So, you want to kill a king. I'd advise against it; it's normally more trouble than it's worth. Look upon me and know your future; my sister was taken from her nest and forced to bond with you pink-skinned monkeys. No offense. When I flew to rescue her, some hero interfered and did this to me. He claimed I was an evil dragon." The Dragon hissed and fell into her pool of blood. She groaned and entered great I narrowed onto him, "It won't be long now; what are you still doing here?"

Lex sighed at the Dragon's sorry state. He wasn't sure what use she could be as a familiar now. This Dragon was clearly on its last legs. He approached the Dragon and placed a hand on its side. He doubted the massive creature even felt his touch. Even the mighty fire it possessed when he first approached had dwindled since their conversation began.

"I had a chance to get a good familiar from a squire. I broke that kid a leg so that he couldn't chase me up the mountain. Then, I battled a deacon, and once he fell, I took his boots and kicked him rolling down the mountain. Finally, the noble lady Elizabeth, I left her on her hands and knees like a dog." Lex shook his head. "If you happen to have a miracle technique that will save your life, now's the time to use it," Lex said.

The Dragon laughed. "And do you happen to have any miracle pills that can heal a Dragon from being split in two by a hero's enchanted weapon? I'd be eternally grateful if you give it to me now. Becoming familiar and guarding your family line would be the least of the boons I'd give you." The Dragon said.

"Hel's puffy pink and blue nipples, I wish I'd known before. I wouldn't have given them away to the other dragons I passed on my way up here. But I have another idea; I'll use my mastery of necromancy to bring you back to perfect health." Lex snorted. "But seriously, is there anything I can do to help you or make you feel more comfortable." He had known the Dragon for long, but he felt like he could relate to the creature. It felt strange.

"You could form a familiar bond with me until I died. It could allow me to pass on some of my techniques to you. For example, my breathing technique is much better than the one your former friend has." The Dragon said.

Lex laughed. "I'm not ignorant. A familiar bond wouldn't ease your pain without giving some of it to me. You might be able to last a little longer by draining my qi through it." Lex said.

The Dragon chortled again with a deep throaty laugh. "Indeed, you wouldn't give me much more time, but I'll take more if I can get it. You would still get my techniques, and the bond would enhance your potential. So why don't you bond with me? So help me, if I had a little more time, I might be able to heal myself." The Dragon said.

Lex started to wonder where that dragonslayer ran off to; hopefully, they were far away. Didn't it see his job was unfinished? While he could relate to the Dragon, its little attempt to trick him didn't go over very well. Tricks from much more knowledgeable and ancient sources weren't the type he wanted to fall into or any trick for that matter. But she tempted him; that half-dead Dragon tempted him. He wanted her techniques, the gifts, and the increased potential that came with bonding with the Dragon. She tempted him by Hel's purple and pink nipples; he was very tempted.

She was fading fast and if he wanted to do this, then now was the time. Familiar contracts were similar to those of demons, only more varied. Death of a party, a line, or a regime ended the contract. There were many advantages in making one with many downsides. She could drain him dry forever. It all depended on the contract, and he was dealing with a Dragon, that wasn't honest.

He needed help, and he was pretty sure he knew who could help him. Hel’s mark was on his shoulder. Lex sent out a silent prayer to Hel. There wasn't a summoning circle, any power in the prayer, or much hope in an answer. But if he was going to attempt something so reckless, he'd like the daughter of the trickster in his corner. Before he opened his eyes, the air chilled.

Standing in all her glory glowing with a frosty light was the goddess of death and ruler of Helheim. She was taller than before, powering at nearly 4 m in height. Her body glowed with ethereal grace. On her head was a crown of antlers, she dressed in garb befitting a queen, and when she stepped onto the lake of blood, it froze.

His eyes widened in shock. Hel was magnificent, she stood boldly, and most of all, she presented herself as a goddess. "One goddess in your corner as you wished. Now, what is this about a familiar contract with an Eastern Dragon?" Hel said.