The sun hadn’t yet broken over the canopy of trees when Hana felt something soft brushing against her cheek. Her eyes snapped open, and her hand instinctively reached for the flint knife she’d tucked into the dirt beside her.

But it wasn’t a threat.

It was Raiden.

He was leaning over her, his pink hair and ears glowing in the pre-dawn light. He was using the tip of one of his tails to tickle her nose.

"Time to wake, Great Female," he purred, his green eyes scanning her exposed shoulders with that familiar, predatory playfulness. "The big lizard is already down by the stream, trying to wash off the smell of woodsmoke. He wants to look ’regal’ for the journey home."

Hana sat up, shrugging off the large leaf she’d used as a blanket. Her back felt stiff, the dual marks of the Dragon and the Fox pulsing with a low, warm energy.

Her instincts as a survivor from her old world had kicked in because she had still not gotten used to the fact that she had died there and woken up in this world.

Literally anything could be a threat to her life. But she really didn’t have much to worry about when she had two protective, or possessive, rather, beastmen looking out for her in her sleep.

> [DAILY LOG: Day 2 of 30]

> [STATUS: Pregnant (Dragon Bloodline)]

> [CURRENT DEBT: -1,241,480] (+20 for the skewers)]

"Twenty points," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. "If it’s like this, then it’s only sixty thousand more meals to go." She remarked sarcastically.

Caspian returned a moment later, his obsidian scales damp and shining. He looked refreshed, but his expression soured the moment he saw Raiden hovering near Hana’s bed of ferns.

"Pack the remains of the meat," Caspian commanded Raiden, ignoring the fox’s mocking bow. He turned to Hana, his voice softening a bit. "The climb to the peaks is steep. My den is safe, and my people... they will provide what you need."

"Your people?" Hana said, standing up and stretching. She didn’t bother covering her chest; she was too tired to care, and the two of them were going to stare regardless. "You mentioned they pay tribute. What kind of beasts are we talking about?"

"The Boar tribe, the Iron-Claw Bears, and the Wind-Wolves," Caspian listed, his pride swelling. "They bring hides, stones, and the best of their harvests to the foot of our mountain to ensure the Fire Dragons do not burn their lands."

"So you’re a mob boss then," Hana summarized. "Good to know."

"What is a mob boss?" Caspian asked, but Hana waved it away. She couldn’t care less if he was a bully, oppressing everyone because he is more powerful.

That is exactly how the world works anyway.

The strong rule.

"Do you want to fly on my back instead so we can get there faster?" Caspian suddenly suggested, and Raiden’s ear perked up from where he was packing the meat.

"Hm, fly," she thought about it.

But while it was an efficient method, it would rob her of her opportunity to earn points. What if, on the way, she was supposed to get a quest, and this ruins it?

Even if she doesn’t get a quest on the way and they end up walking in vain, it’s not too bad.

She needs to get familiar with her new environment anyway.

"No, it’s fine, we’ll walk."

Raiden gave a silent sigh of relief. If the dragon had shifted and flown across the sky, he already knew where his spot was going to be.

And that was hanging from his tail.

"Alright," Hana said, clasping her hands together. "Let us go,"

The journey up the ridge was grueling. As the air grew thinner and the trees turned into jagged pines, Hana’s survival instincts stayed on high alert.

Raiden moved ahead as the scout, his pink tails disappearing and reappearing in the bush like a flickering flame.

By midday, they reached the High Pass—the gateway to the Dragon Peaks.

Two massive figures blocked the path. One was a dragon man who looked like a smaller, wiry version of Caspian, his scales a duller charcoal grey. Beside him stood a woman in a tight leopard-skin wrap, her eyes yellow and slitted.

"Brother!" the younger dragon called out, though his voice held no warmth.

His eyes immediately went to Hana, traveling from her face down to her bare chest, and then to the mark on her shoulder blade. A slow, creepily appreciative grin spread across his face.

"A little birdie told me something interesting. I heard you found a female mate. I wanted to congratulate you, but I didn’t realize you found one with such... exceptional assets."

Caspian’s throat emitted a low, orange glow. "Vane. Watch your tongue."

Vane stepped forward, ignoring his brother’s warning. He reached out a hand, intending to lift Hana’s chin.

"She’s small. Fragile. Does she even survive a single night with you, Caspian? Maybe she needs a mate who knows how to be... gentle."

Sera, his leopard mate, scoffed, crossing her arms. "She looks like a hairless monkey. Where are her ears and tail? Why are we even letting her breathe our air?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Hana didn’t wait for Caspian to defend her. She didn’t have time for a soap opera.

As Vane’s hand came close, Hana didn’t flinch. She stepped into his reach, grabbed his wrist with a grip honed by years of wrestling supplies from desperate men, and used his own momentum. She turned her hips, caught his elbow, and flipped the dragon beastman over her shoulder.

CRACK.

Vane hit the rocky ground with a thud that knocked the air out of him. He lay there, staring up at the blue sky in absolute shock. A female had just put the Prince of the Peaks on his back.

Hana didn’t stop. She turned her cold, lethal gaze toward Sera, who had already let out her claws. Hana didn’t pull her knife. She just let out a low, guttural growl—the kind she’d used to scare off feral dogs in the ruins—and stepped toward the leopard woman.

"Piss off," Hana said, her voice as sharp as a frozen blade. "Before I decide, I need a new pair of shoes, and your skin looks like a perfect fit."

Sera froze, her yellow eyes wide with genuine fear. There was something in Hana’s gaze that wasn’t ’prey.’It was the look of a killer who had seen the end of the world and survived it.

Caspian, who had been ready to incinerate his brother, stood frozen in a state of pure, dazed adoration. He looked at Hana, then at his groaning brother on the ground, and a massive, proud grin broke across his face.

"That," Caspian rumbled, his chest puffing out, "is my mate."

Raiden, perched on a nearby rock, let out a delighted whistle. "Oh, I think I’m going to like it here."

He may hate dragons, but he would definitely like the female who treated dragons like crap.

> [MISSION COMPLETE: ASSERT DOMINANCE]

> [REWARD: +500 KARMIC POINTS]

> [CURRENT BALANCE: -1,240,980]