Alora hovered in the air, her scales glistening in the rays of sunlight peaking over the horizon. In her front right claw, she was holding a limp man with a green face. She frowned at the man and wiggled her claw, shaking off droplets of vomit from the tips. “Stop puking. It’s gross.”

“I can’t help it,” Zyocuh said through labored breaths. “I get motion sickness.”

“What am I? A carriage?” Alora snorted before squinting down at the landscape below. “This is where you wanted to go? All I see is…, oh. That’s a pretty big person.” Underneath her, there was a meditating red giant, its stomach expanding and deflating with every breath it took.

“Yes, we’re here,” Zyocuh said. He was suspended facedown, his legs and head dangling while his torso was supported by Alora’s claws. “That’s one of my creations. There should be three of them.”

“And how is this going to let me get back at my uncle?” Alora asked, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s simple,” Zyocuh said. “Throw me into it.”

“Huh?” Alora tilted her head and brought Zyocuh close to her face. Her nostrils wrinkled, and she moved him a bit further away. “You want me to what?”

“Throw me into it,” Zyocuh said again.

Alora furrowed her brow. “Are you sure…?”

“Yes.”

“Won’t it be dangerous?”

“I promise I won’t hurt you.”

“What?” Alora reared her head back. “Hurt me? Won’t the one getting hurt be you if I throw you inside? What do you mean hurt me?”

Zyocuh blinked. “Why would you care about my well-being?”

Alora blinked. “Because I’m a nice dragon?”

“You stabbed me with your tail regularly to prevent my healing process,” Zyocuh said. “I don’t believe that for one second.”

“Hey. Do you want me to help you or not?” Alora asked. “I’m doing you a favor right now; shouldn’t you at least pretend to act more grateful?”

“Please, drop me into that giant,” Zyocuh said. “But don’t get too close, or it’ll start attacking you.”

Alora squinted at the bald man in her claw. “What happens when I drop you inside? If you don’t tell me the truth, I’m not going to do it.” She nodded. “And though I may look like a young dragon who’s gullible and easily fooled, I’m not, okay? Telling the difference between the truth and a lie is even easier than telling apart my annoying triplet siblings when they stay quiet.”

Zyocuh sighed. “Alright,” he said. “Once you drop me inside, I’ll absorb it and forge a new body for myself. If I can absorb the other three as well, then I’d be strong enough to defeat that evil dragon.”

Alora tilted her head. “If that’s the case, then why haven’t you done it already?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, became strong enough to defeat an evil dragon by absorbing these things.” Alora gestured at the giant with the claw she was holding Zyocuh in, causing a green hue to appear on his cheeks. “Oops. Anyways, why wait until now to do that? If you did it before, then my aunt wouldn’t have nearly killed you.”

Zyocuh swallowed down his urge to vomit. “It’s complicated.”

“I won’t drop you in unless you spill,” Alora said, beating her wings a little harder. The giant seemed to be getting further away with every pump.

“Alright, alright,” Zyocuh said and sighed again. “My blood magic relies heavily on the blood of relatives. It took an extremely long time to create three empires worth of people who’re closely related to me. If your aunt came just a day later, I wouldn’t have been trampled by her. I was going to take over my niece’s body, but then I saw that dragon boy and wanted his instead since he was stronger. And once that was done, I’d come back and absorb the three giants to become the strongest person in the world.”

Alora blinked. “And then what?”

Zyocuh furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s say you become the strongest person in the world,” Alora said. “Then what?”

“…Then I get revenge on the black dragon who subjected me to torture for several decades.”

“Okay.” Alora nodded. “Let’s say you do that too. Then what?”

“Then I….” Zyocuh’s brow furrowed. “You know, I never really thought about it. After I get my revenge, I’ll figure it out from there. I told you what would happen if you dropped me inside and explained why I didn’t do it earlier, so will you please drop me in now?”

“Um, I don’t want to.” Alora shook her head. “You see, dragons have this complex, you know? We don’t like it when there are things stronger than us out there. Knowing that there’s something out there that can kill you really ruins your sleep. And if we can’t sleep for decades at a time, then what’s the point of living?”

“…What if I swear to never harm you once I become the strongest person in the world?”

Alora grinned at Zyocuh. “How about this? Tell me how to absorb that giant, and I’ll become the strongest dragon in the world. Then I’ll punish my uncle appropriately for you. Sounds like a good deal, yeah?”

“That’s not possible,” Zyocuh said. “Weren’t you listening earlier? My blood magic can only tie people who are closely related together. Your body will reject the blood, and you’ll die instead.”

Alora shrugged. “Then I guess neither of us are getting stronger and my uncle wins.”

“I’m sure there’s some kind of compromise we can work out,” Zyocuh said and swallowed. “How about—”

“Dragons don’t compromise,” Alora said and shook her claw up and down. “You can help me and we both get what we want, or you can not help me and we both lose. The choice is really obvious if you’re not dumb.”

“It’s not a matter whether I want to or not, it’s a matter of whether I can,” Zyocuh said, a pained expression on his face. “Please stop shaking me.” His green face turned even greener, and a stream of liquid came out of his mouth. “Okay, I yield! I’ll help you become stronger!”