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Dryadic Dragon Chapter 2: State of Affairs
🕑 Added 2025-05-21 08:22:23 +0000 UTCChapter 2: State of Affairs
A wide, elongated, plush dining table was in the middle of House Buné’s dining room, illuminated by a palatial, ornate chandelier hovering above it. The table itself was constructed of a gleaming, drab stony material that delightfully reflected the overhead light.
It created a shimmering, obsidian-like surface to complement the royal purple, silk-woven tablecloth set over the exquisite piece of furniture. The table was laden with profuse silverware, all etched with the symbol of a horned dragon skull into its framework to represent the Buné Emblem.
Rows of throne-esque chairs paralleled the sides of the table, each cushioned with the finest of fabrics a Pillar holding the rank of Marquis could procure—imported directly from the Sitri Clan’s silkworm farm, who were famed in the Underworld for all things nature related, overshadowed only by their even greater feat of producing the current Satan Leviathan.
At the farthest end of the table lay a chair that was slightly more elevated than the others. It had a wider armrest and a top section carved out with House Buné’s emblem, also carved onto its surface.
A chair with the privilege of belonging to a man whose presence stretched the farthest in the Buné Domain, someone who could command undying respect even if their status was that of a mere commoner.
He was a middle-aged man, or at least that’s what his appearance suggested, with wild, ash-gray colored hair cascading down his shoulders all the way to his upper abdomen. His eyes were a striking, silvery ice-blue with slit pupils that were reptilian in nature, ones which instilled an overbearing sense of dread into anyone unfortunate enough to peer into them.
And atop his head, rested the part of his image he took the most pride in. A pair of dark, backward-facing curved draconic horns—something a Buné only obtained upon performing a successful awakening ceremony. A crucial event for any Buné with enough innate talent to properly awaken their Clan Trait—Dragonification.
He was the current Buné Patriarch, Marquis Sebastian Buné. The only Buné to have fully tamed their Dragonification other than the Clan’s founding ancestor—Selvaro Buné, who was one amongst many Devils of noble blood to fall during the Great War.
A good chunk of his reputation could be attributed to that most impressive accolade, that all the Buné Clan members before him had failed to achieve by succumbing to Draconic Deviation. There was a reason the house lacked a grandpa or grandma Buné like most other pillars.
It was because of his Dragonification mastery that his strength reigned supreme by far among everyone in his generation, be it Duke Zeoticus Gremory, Marquis Rival Phenex, Prince Sigrid Sitri—even the Blaze Meteor Devil-Dragon himself Tannin. His might eclipsed them all, in a world where might meant everything.
He was also the man responsible for training the current Rating Game Emperor, Diehauser Belial. A fact which he initially wished to keep under wraps, but one that had been disclosed by Diehauser himself out of his good intent to praise his master—even if said master only trained him because of the once youthful Diehauser’s insistent pestering.
“How’s the search going?” Sebastian questioned the woman sitting perpendicular to him while they awaited the arrival of their youngest son, Alduin, whom they had sent the Head Maid to go and promptly fetch. “Do we have any promising prospects for Alduin yet?”
“The options are there, but I’m of the opinion that pursuing the ones that are currently available won’t end well.” She replied vaguely, running her fingers through the side of her grassy-colored locks. Her radiant, leafy eyes conveyed a sense of discontent.
She was Sebastian’s second wife, Martha Buné, a woman originally hailing from the near-extinct Sallos bloodline. Known for their Dryad Clan Trait which enabled them to seamlessly connect with flora and fauna, including that of carnivorous plant-life and portentous demonic beasts that dwelled in the Underworld.
Consequently, they had a knack for resonating with natural energy, granting them access to a unique source of power called Ki. Making them practitioners of Senjutsu, an art form that involved learning to control the ebb and flow of one’s lifeforce. Furthermore, they could also tap into a rare form of Elemental Magic—known as Wood Manipulation.
After Sebastian’s first wife, Gilda, fell into a coma from being afflicted by one of the Underworld’s most feared ailments—Sleep Disease, he had remarried Martha because of the believed compatibility of their bloodlines. Nothing more. The belief being that the positives of her Dryad blood, would even the negatives of his Dragon blood.
Draconic Deviation, was a condition where a Buné’s psyche fell under the weight of the inherent, berserker-like wrath that came with the Dragonification ability. It could afflict one both during the initial awakening ceremony, where a Buné consumes Dragon Blood to stimulate the trait once they’re deemed ready, and it could happen afterwards while they’re using/training their power.
It was said that once you gave life to your Dragonification, you also birthed a separate entity in your mind, with one mission, and one mission only.
To make you lose control, and burn your own lifeforce until there was nothing left of you.
Until you managed to crush the entity in your mind and make it submit, you could not claim to have mastered your Dragonification. Among the living, that honor belonged solely to Sebastian Buné.
“Oh? And why’s that?” Sebastian continued, idly sipping from a glass of exotic, throat-burning wine that he had been gifted by the Phenex Clan. Thanks to his tight-knit relationship with its Patriarch.
“Taking Alduin’s, disinterest, in academic matters into consideration.” She paused, choosing her words carefully. “It’s unlikely that pairing him with the Sitri, Agares, or Astaroth girls will end fruitfully for us. We both know how impulsive he can be, especially accounting for his constant brawling with Riser. If anything, trying to push an arrangement between them would only result in conflict kindling with those houses and the hampering of our family’s reputation.”
Much of House Buné’s current prosperity could be attributed to Martha’s efforts. For example, she was the sole reason they had secured a pact with the revered former Dragon King, the Blaze Meteor Dragon Tannin. Who currently ruled over an exclusive territory in the Underworld known as Dragon Mountain.
Tannin was responsible for supplying them with Dragon Blood, which was not only essential for their awakening ceremony, but played a huge part in a Buné's progressive strengthening of their Dragonification. Prior to Tannin’s involvement, Sebastian had been required to fork over an exuberant sum of money to obtain Dragon’s Blood through market means.
In exchange, Martha frequently visited Dragon Mountain—using her Dryad abilities to greatly bolster the growth of Dragon Apples in the territory. A resource Tannin valued more than anything, since a great deal of dragons under his care required them to survive.
Furthermore, having a close relationship with Tannin was a great boon in general for a bloodline that used Dragonification. Sebastian had received a great deal of insight on his own powers from the former Dragon King—using his wisdom to bolster his own, already freakish strength, even further.
The amount of money House Buné had saved by not needing to buy the already limited supply of Dragon Blood available on the Underworld’s market, could not be exaggerated enough. It was like a boulder had been lifted off the Clan’s finances, allowing them to actually invest more into their territory and commercial ventures without having to penny pinch every step of the way.
“I see your point.” Sebastian replied calmly, warranting Martha’s immediate suspicion. “I wouldn’t want to stir up any of those families either, especially not when two of them are tied to a Satan.”
He was the one who had been exceptionally adamant about ensuring that Alduin had a marriage partner awaiting him, especially since he was turning seventeen soon—which by the Underworld’s standards, was apparently the time to put a ring on.
And now out of the blue, he was perfectly content with hearing that Martha had no partner in store for their Heir. Clearly, something was awry.
“How’s Ladora’s treatment going?” Before Martha could question him further, Sebastian shamelessly decided to change the subject of the conversation.
Before having Alduin with Martha, Sebastian had a son with Gilda, named Ladora. Who was originally the Clan’s Heir, but had almost failed his awakening ceremony. Partially succumbing to Draconic Deviation during the process, and only narrowly bringing himself back to reason thanks to the extensive preparation Sebastian had given him.
Unfortunately, the Buné bloodline had no concept of leniency. Even though he hadn’t burned enough lifeforce during the time he spent in deviation to perish, he had still lost a substantial chunk of it. His body now looked frail, and thin, almost skeletal to an extent—and he had little more than a decade of his lifespan remaining, from a base that should’ve at minimum reached ten thousand years.
After being reduced to such a state, expecting him to be capable of leading House Buné was naught but a pipedream.
Nowadays, he served as the Rook to the highest-ranking Pillars, the Bael Clan’s Heir—Sairaorg Bael. As much as Sebastian wasn’t a fan of the Great King Faction, he firmly believed that Sairaorg wasn’t going to turn out like his father, and especially not like his Ancestor—Zekram Bael.
Moreover, being in the Bael Clan’s company meant Ladora had access to high-quality medical services at all times. Martha was also using her Senjutsu to treat the damage done to his lifeforce, but at the end of the day, that’s all it was—treatment, not a cure.
The Buné lineage had searched for one since its founding, but to this day remained unsuccessful. Hence why Sebastian had switched his goal from curing, to prevention. Mixing his blood with Martha’s in hopes that hers’ would naturally allow Alduin to fight off the deviation.
“Currently, Ladora’s capable of using Dragonification for a little under a minute.” She narrowed her eyes, uninterested in letting go of the previous topic. “Judging by how composed you are, I can only infer that you’ve already found someone for him?”
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Sebastian’s mouth. “No matter how stone-faced I remain, you’re always capable of seeing right through me.” He praised while reaching for a letter that had a red seal on it, adorning a crest Martha wasn’t expecting to see. “Have a look.”
Slowly, Martha carefully began to examine the contents of the letter, her expression growing increasingly more aghast with each word she read.
“This doesn’t make any sense!” She bellowed, her fingers tightly clenching the sheet of paper. “Are you sure this is even real?”
“I talked to the woman myself, I assure you it’s real.” He chuckled dryly. “While it may not appear plausible on the surface level, it makes significantly more sense once you take her intentions into consideration. And besides, you said it yourself—the more orthodox options won’t work for him.”
Sebastian contentedly rested his cheek against his fist, clearly satisfied with whatever was written in the letter.
“Don’t tell me—! Is she looking for a merger?” Martha’s eyes expanded in realization.
“Almost, but not quite. She’s more interested in a status change.” For some reason, he couldn’t help but grin. “Thanks to her performance in the Rating Games, she’s garnered enough influence to overpower the stubborn old guard in her family. Now, she wishes to use our Alduin to take her long-awaited leap forward.”
“And you’re fine with this?” She asked in disbelief.
“Why wouldn’t I be? Isn’t that how all marriages start for us? We all want to use one another for something. As long as the balance is right, there’s no reason to refuse other than needless pride.” He confidently folded one leg over the other. “She needs a foundation for her ambitions, and our son needs a suitable wife. We’re both getting what we want this way.”
“Still, this doesn’t—!”
Sebastian put a finger over his lip, gesturing for her to remain silent.
“—I can hear his footsteps, I’d rather keep this from him for the time being. I don’t want them to meet before he’s completed his awakening ceremony.”
Comments
Accel14
Perchance. 🗿
Son-Of-Scorn
I'm guessing it's Roygun? Kinda wondering how the dryad stuff is gonna work but I'm sure it'll be cool, not a fan of the Bune explanation since there's already a nice and tidy canon explanation that would work fine, the Rampage mode that dragons have would work fine, also nice to see where Ladora works out in this story, shame about his lifespan but that can be fixed surely, worst case scenario Alduin just needs to grab the Sephiroth Grail and that should help out
