Chapter 75 Intruder
On the way there, Brian discovered the Frost Tiger was female. He pondered how it would find a mate, given its size.
Savage beasts were rare; Brian had only encountered a few, with this Frost Tiger being the largest.
Upon returning to Ice Cliff territory, under Brian's command, the Arctic Ice Spirits constructed a large crystal cage, imprisoning the Frost Tiger.
Brian reinforced it with Frost Breath, ensuring the severely injured Frost Tiger couldn't escape easily.
The two young bear cubs curiously approached but were frightened back by the Frost Tiger's glare. They then started provoking it while hiding behind Brian's back.
Brian shooed away the cubs, and once the Frost Tiger's condition improved, he unleashed Dragon's Might again.
Despite trembling under the Dragon's Might, the Frost Tiger refused to submit, glaring fiercely back at Brian.
Unfazed, Brian instructed the Arctic Ice Spirits to watch over it, then flew away.
A week later, he reappeared before the Frost Tiger.
Now starving, it gnawed on the Frost Breath-fortified cage, its ovements sluggish.
While it might have broken free at full strength, doing so in its current weakened state was impossible.
Brian placed a limb of a Linmen mammoth outside the cage, watching its intently.
The scent of the meat drove the Frost Tiger wild with hunger, its jaws drooling as it anxiously eyed the food, growling lowly and looking continuously at Brian.
Again, Brian unleashed Dragon's Might.
Weak and starving, the Frost Tiger's survival instincts overwhelmed its, and it finally lowered its head, avoiding Brian's gaze.
"I preferred your defiant attitude," Brian murmured with a smile, tossing the mammoth limb into the cage.
Voraciously devouring the mammoth limb, the Frost Tiger seemed to understand Brian's words, standing with renewed vigor though showing submission toward Brian.
When he opened the crystal cage, the Frost Tiger roared fiercely.
The bear cubs trembled in fear.
Freed, the Frost Tiger turned to Brian, bowing its head and cautiously approaching.
Brian petted its head, firmly ruffling its fur, relieved to finally have a pet he could touch without caution.
Within two days, fortified with food and restored strength, the Frost Tiger was ready for dragon-blood transformation.
Using a significant amount of dragon blood, Brian initiated the transformation.
A dragon-blood subordinate comprehends commands better and exhibits greater loyalty. Brian would have undertaken this earlier if the Frost Tiger hadn't been weakened.
After bathing in dragon blood, the Frost Tiger collapsed into slumber.
'A dragon-blood savage beast... Finally, a powerful subordinate,' Brian thought, flying back to his lair to sleep.
Time flew by swiftly. Another week passed.
Brian, awakening, sensed a strong presence with a faintly familiar dragon aura nearby.
Leaving his lair, he flew into the sky, turning toward the source.
Below, a white Frost Tiger stood, its sharp claws and thick fur covered by scales, with sturdy dragon horns on its head.
Though its size remained unchanged, its power clearly improved, bringing joy to Brian as he descended to greet it.
The dragon-blood transformed Frost Tiger nuzzled Brian's claws affectionately.
Excitedly, Brian patted its dragon horns and scaled fur.
His claws lightly scratched at the scales until cracks appeared, stopping just before breaking through.
'The scales provide some protection but are inferior to dragon scales,' Brian mused, instructing the Frost Tiger to demonstrate its abilities.
To his surprise, it sneezed a few times before releasing a frost storm with sharp ice crystals from its jaws.
Its power, rivaling a third-level spell, fell short of Dragon's Breath but was impressive for a savage beast.
'With dragon-blood enhancement, the beast's spell-like abilities and combat instincts are formidable,' Brian thought, pleased.
Days later, Brian dispatched the Frost Tiger to hunt magical creatures. Its performance surpassed Arctic Ice Spirits and ogres, bringing more preys.
It even brought back a three-headed frost serpent lizard, a large magical creature with power comparable to a young white dragon and greater than a mature northern berserk bear.
Thanks to the powerful subordinate, Brian enjoyed more high-quality prey, shortening the time needed for his next evolutionary hibernation.
...
In the gloomy and dim sky, the sun was obscured by dark clouds. Rumbling thunder was heard and the air pressure was much lower than usual. The wind howled chillingly, and heavy rain poured down.
Rain was uncommon here.
In the far northern ice field, it only occasionally rained during the summer. Most of the time, it snowed, making rainy days particularly rare.
Brian loved sleeping during these rare rainy moments, listening to the sound of thunder and rain.
Just as he was about to drift off, an overwhelming Dragon's Might swept toward his lair.
The pure, genuine Dragon's Might indicated a natural and formidable dragon's presence, catching Brian's attention.
Eyes narrowing, Brian turned his gaze outside his lair.
Under the dark clouds, an entity, standing about five feet, ignored the dragon's presence, coming directly into Brian's Ice Cliff territory, emanating the powerful Dragon's Might.
She said, "Salia, come out. I need to speak with you."
Brian heard a clear, elegant voice.
'Is it looking for the White Dragon Mother? Could it be one of her sisters?' Brian thought.
