The Gears of Fate

A flash of Radiance linked the black dragon Bamas to the young man before him, whose short Shattered Gold hair, high-bridged nose, and blue eyes made him instantly recognizable. Shrunk to roughly the size of a panda, Bamas lay on the ground, his belly heaving as he panted. His wounds slowly began to heal.

As a demigod-level Primordial Black Dragon, Bamas had signed plenty of Contracts: the Lesser Dragon Alliance Pact, the High Dragon Alliance Pact, the Dragon Bloodline Pact, and the Call of War Pact. But he had never signed a Slave Pact.

Curious about this kind of Contract, he had readily agreed when the vibrant young man before him demanded that they sign one.

The great Black Dragon Bamas certainly had not submitted to a threat. Besides...

As if a mere mortal's Contract could enslave the great demigod-level Primordial Black Dragon Bamas. Dream on.

Once I get back, I'll offer treasure and ask the Chromatic Dragon Queen to send down Divine Power to break the Contract. No Contract in this world is eternal... Bamas lay on the ground, his dark eyes flickering with pain at the thought. Asking that greedy Evil Dragon God, who was forever eyeing the great Black Dragon Bamas's wealth, to break the Contract meant giving up a great deal of treasure.

One-fifth of my treasure should be enough. No, a tenth. A twentieth should do, actually. Hmm, a fiftieth ought to be close. A merciful dragon mother would surely show special favor to her beloved child. I'll offer a hundredth... Bamas counted on his claws, trying to work out how much treasure it would take for the Chromatic Dragon Queen to send down Divine Power.

The more he calculated, the more it hurt. In a daze, he seemed to see countless treasures sprout wings