The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

Toriel's Prime Material Plane, Ferren Continent, deep within the Anauroch Great Desert.

On the east coast of the Shadow Sea, elevated by a 'Y'-shaped range of scimitar peaks in the north, a tribe of Bedouin barbarians was stationed at the shore, extracting water with their camels, which were essential to their livelihood.

The Shadow Sea was originally an inland sea within the ancient Neisser empire, gradually turning into a desert due to the devastating impact of the Phelinom Moak catastrophe in early years. Now, it had become a saline lake, yet this group of Bedouin barbarians was distilling the seawater in a clay pot. A piece of linen attached to the inside of the pot lid collected droplets of distilled water, which were then wrung into water bags. Repeating this process yielded the precious fresh water so vital in the desert.

It is said that this method of fresh water extraction was passed down from the ancient Neisser empire.

And that these Bedouins had stealthily learned it from the earliest surviving descendants of Neisser.

So much so that even a thousand years later, beastmen, whose heads were supposedly filled with muscle, were forced by survival to mimic this practice.

It could be said that this very method sustained up to half of the population of the Anauroch Great Desert.

They planned to rest at this fresh water supply point for the night before heading to the edge of that perilous ancient battlefield to dig for Neisser's relics from beneath the sands.

This was one of the main sources of livelihood for the majority of Bedouin barbarians.

Indeed, it was thanks to this practice that most Bedouin gathering places gradually developed into small marketplaces, where visitors from beyond the desert would travel thousands of miles to 'treasure hunt' and trade food, crafts, tools, and other items for the "junk" the Bedouins found.

This work was undoubtedly dangerous, whether from sandstorms, tunnel collapses, or the various arcane constructions that could be triggered underground and claim lives at any moment.

But compared to plundering merchants traveling on the 'dark routes', this 'scavenging' was undoubtedly much more stable, especially considering the clients with whom they traded included not only the business groups that scattered like rabbits upon seeing them in earlier years but also many Spellcasters.

Especially those Mages from the East, dressed in red robes with shaved and tattooed heads, were very generous. Sometimes they would even place advance orders for items discovered in the ruins.

Eventually, many Bedouins became their guards, sending their children to the far eastern land of Sayer to grasp the opportunity to learn the arcane arts.

Even though it was said that the red-robed Mages' promotion system was extremely harsh, it still represented a rare chance for the Bedouin barbarians to change their destiny.

Next month was the appointed time for them to deliver goods to that red-robed dignitary. They were ready to seize this opportunity to possibly secure it for some of the children of their tribe.

But just as dawn was nearing, and this group of Bedouin barbarians was preparing to head to the ruins before sunrise, somebody suddenly noticed an unusual patch of shadow gathering in the night sky before them. Unlike the ordinary darkness of night, this shadow seemed to consume the surrounding light, causing even the stars in the sky to dim.

In that moment, not only did these Bedouins feel something was amiss, but the living creatures inhabiting the vast Anauroch Great Desert also sensed unease. They all stopped their activities and looked up at the expanding shadow in the sky.

"L-let's go! We have to hurry!" a Bedouin barbarian shouted in terror, trying to lead his trembling camels to flee.

Suddenly, a blinding purple crack flashed from within the shadow as if the very fabric of reality was being torn apart. From the crack, a strange energy surged, swirling in the air and forming a giant vortex. The desert winds became ferociously wild at this moment, whipping up a maelstrom of sand and a thunderous storm.

It was as if the world itself was resisting this intrusion from another plane.

As the Bedouins watched in horror, in the center of this energy, a colossal city slowly emerged. Its outlines became clear within the purple crack.

'Ghost Soul City', an ancient city that had vanished in the Shadow Plane a millennium ago, now abruptly appeared above the Anauroch Great Desert. Its towers and grand structures cast immense shadows in the darkness, with only sporadic lights flickering within.

This city was inherently shrouded in an aura that seemed to stem from hell, as if it were the epitome of death and shadows.

At the city's center, a towering spire stood, emitting powerful energy that rippled through the air, making the Bedouin barbarians on the ground feel oppressed, despairing, and suffocated.

Facing this city that had miraculously appeared in the sky, amidst the vast thunder, the Bedouin barbarians finally disregarded their fleeing camels and, frightened, fell to the ground en masse, murmuring continuously, "God of the Storm above!"

The natives wholeheartedly believed that the Divine Realm of the Storm God Talos had descended upon the world.

But just when their souls were about to be reaped by destruction, the terrifying storm and the endless shadows abruptly vanished.

With the thunder ceasing, the sudden silence enabled some to finally dare to look up. Then, they saw...

The sky was falling.

No, it was that city floating in the sky, tumbling down from above...