"This plan is insane," I announce, standing in the massive Underrealm cavern with my four lieutenants. "Just so we're all clear on that point."

  We've spent the entire day preparing, gathering specialized forces and planning our approach to the crystal drake's lair. Now, with our strike force assembled and ready, the enormity of what we're attempting hits me all at once.

  "All most effective battle plans contain element of calculated madness," Nerk observes, his evolved form inspecting the final preparations of his elite hobgoblin squad. They're equipped with specially crafted net-launchers designed to entangle the drake's wings.

  "There's calculated madness, and then there's 'let's try to tame a crystal-breathing dragon that's killed almost thirty people,'" I counter, running my hand through my hair.

  Gorthal tests the edge of his fragment-enhanced axe with one metallic thumb. "Risk proportional to reward. Dragon lieutenant would provide aerial capabilities, crystalline defenses, significant magical power."

  "Fifth bond completes command structure," Morkath adds, his root system temporarily disconnected for mobility in these underground chambers. "Makes Monster Lord's army unique force on continent."

  They're not wrong. A dragon would perfectly complement our existing command structure, giving us aerial superiority and a whole new type of monster to potentially recruit. But still...

  "I've never attempted to bond with something this powerful," I admit. "Or this intelligent. The drake might just tell us to go screw ourselves."

  Morrigan steps closer, her evolved form somehow even more impressive in the crystalline light of the Underrealm. "The bonding process has evolved with your power, my lord. The fragment lens enhances your capability." She nods toward the crystal hanging around my neck. "And our presence will amplify your strength through the existing network."

  I take a deep breath and look around at our assembled forces. Fifty elite hobgoblins under Nerk's command, equipped with specialized restraint gear. Thirty blood-warriors led by Gorthal, their weapons enhanced through fragment-powered rituals to penetrate crystalline defenses. Twenty trolls directed by Morkath, their regenerative abilities our best defense against serious casualties. And a dozen evolved hagravens with Morrigan, prepared to counter the drake's magical capabilities.

  Plus one very nervous Monster Lord who's questioning his life choices.

  "Alright," I say finally. "Let's go catch ourselves a dragon."

  The approach to the cultivation chambers is eerily beautiful. The tunnels widen into a series of connected caverns where crystal formations grow in organized patterns—or used to, before the drake took up residence. Now many are shattered, their carefully cultivated structures reduced to glittering rubble.

  Thrazz points to deep gouges in the cavern floor. "The drake's territory markings. We are close."

  I signal for our forces to move into the first phase formation. Nerk's hobgoblins spread out in a wide semicircle, keeping to the shadows of larger crystal formations. Gorthal's blood-warriors form our central wedge, while Morrigan's hagravens take elevated positions on rock outcroppings. Morkath's trolls remain behind as our reserve force.

  The central cultivation chamber appears suddenly as we round a corner—a vast cathedral-like space with a domed ceiling at least a hundred feet high. Enormous crystal columns stretch from floor to ceiling, many snapped or cracked. At the center lies a depression filled with smaller crystal formations, arranged in what might have been a beautiful spiral pattern before something large and destructive made it into a nest.

  The crystal drake is there, curled among the glittering shards. It's even more impressive than the projection showed—thirty feet of sinuous reptilian body covered in scales that seem to be made of actual crystal. They catch the ambient light of the cavern and reflect it in dazzling patterns across the walls. A ridge of transparent crystal spikes runs from its head down to the tip of its barbed tail. As it breathes, wisps of crystalline vapor escape its nostrils.

  "Remember the plan," I whisper to my lieutenants. "Nerk's forces pin it down, Gorthal's warriors keep it distracted. Morrigan suppresses its breath weapon. Morkath's trolls provide backup where needed. I'll attempt the bond once it's sufficiently restrained."

  Simple in theory. Probably a nightmare in practice.

  I give the signal, and the operation begins. Nerk's hobgoblins move with coordinated precision, launching the first volley of weighted nets toward the drake's wings. Simultaneously, Gorthal's blood-warriors charge forward with a unified battle cry, their weapons glowing with crimson energy.

  The drake awakens with a screech that physically hurts my ears, crystalline harmonics resonating through the cavern. It rises in one fluid motion, wings unfurling to reveal wingspan nearly twice its body length. Some of the nets connect, entangling one wing, but it tears through them with terrifying ease.

  "Secondary volley!" Nerk commands, and his hobgoblins launch a second wave of heavier nets, these treated with Morrigan's binding magic.

  The drake inhales deeply, its throat glowing with internal light.

  "Breath attack!" Morrigan warns, and her hagravens spring into action, creating a shimmering magical barrier just as the drake exhales a stream of crystalline particles.

  The breath weapon strikes the barrier and refracts, splitting into dozens of smaller streams that crystallize patches of ground and wall instead of our front-line forces. But the barrier visibly strains under the assault, cracks spreading across its surface.

  Gorthal's blood-warriors reach the drake now, forming a semicircle and jabbing at it with their enhanced weapons. Each strike draws a screech of pain and surprise from the creature, apparently it's not used to anything being able to penetrate its crystalline scales.

  The drake lashes out with its tail, catching three blood-warriors with a sweeping blow that sends them flying across the chamber. They hit the wall with bone-breaking impact, but immediately struggle back to their feet, metallic skin having absorbed much of the damage.

  "Maintain pressure on flanks!" Gorthal commands, himself engaging directly. His fragment-enhanced axe actually manages to chip one of the larger crystal spikes on the drake's back, drawing a roar of genuine fury.

  The battle intensifies as the drake realizes it faces a serious threat. It launches itself skyward, powerful wings creating a downdraft that nearly knocks me off my feet. From this elevated position, it unleashes another breath attack, this one wider and more powerful, sweeping across our formation.

  "Shield arrays!" Morrigan calls, and her hagravens reposition, creating overlapping barriers. Even so, some of the crystalline breath gets through, instantly transforming one hobgoblin into a statue of crystal. Another catches a partial dose across his leg, which freezes mid-stride in glittering perfection.

  This is going badly. The drake is too powerful, too mobile. We need to ground it.

  "Morkath! Ceiling assault!" I shout.

  The troll lord signals his forces, who have been waiting for exactly this moment. Ten trolls with specialized climbing gear launch themselves at the cavern walls, scaling the crystal columns with surprising speed. When they reach the ceiling, they begin hacking at key support structures Nerk identified during our planning.

  Large chunks of crystal and stone rain down, not aimed at the drake directly, but strategically positioned to limit its aerial maneuverability. The ceiling doesn't collapse—we're not looking to bring the whole cavern down on ourselves—but the calculated damage creates a field of aerial obstacles.

  The drake banks sharply to avoid a falling crystal column, and that's when Nerk's hobgoblins launch their third and most important volley—nets weighted with fragments of the black metal from Gorthal's axe. The material seems to disrupt the drake's crystalline energy, and when the nets connect, they actually stick, entangling its wings properly this time.

  The creature crashes to the ground with an impact that shakes the entire chamber. It thrashes violently, crystal scales scraping against stone with a sound like a thousand fingernails on chalkboards. Three more blood-warriors go flying, and one of Morkath's trolls loses an arm to a bite before regeneration kicks in.

  "Now!" Gorthal shouts. "While grounded!"

  His blood-warriors execute the most dangerous part of our plan—they rush in with restraints made from the same black metal as the nets, attempting to secure the drake's legs and tail. The casualty rate is horrific. One warrior gets completely crystallized by a point-blank breath attack. Another is crushed beneath a massive clawed foot. A third is impaled on a tail spike and tossed aside like garbage.

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  But they succeed. The drake, though still thrashing, is now effectively restrained, its most dangerous weapons temporarily neutralized.

  "Morrigan!" I call.

  She swoops down beside me, her evolved form radiating power. "Ready, my lord."

  "Suppression field!"

  Morrigan and her hagravens form a circle around the drake, channeling a specialized spell designed to temporarily dampen its magical capabilities—particularly that crystallizing breath. The air between them shimmers as the spell takes effect, and the glow in the drake's throat diminishes visibly.

  This is my moment. The crystal lens around my neck pulses warmly as I approach the restrained but still very much dangerous crystal drake. Its eyes track me—intelligent, furious, and something else I can't quite identify. Fear? Curiosity?

  "Hold positions!" I call to my forces. "Maintain restraints but don't harm it further!"

  The drake's head snaps toward my voice, jaws opening to reveal crystalline teeth that could shear through steel. It makes a sound—not quite a roar, more like a complex series of harmonic tones that vibrate through my chest.

  I stop just beyond snapping range, meeting those alien eyes directly. The fragment lens grows hotter against my skin, responding to the crystalline energy of the drake. Through it, I can sense something I couldn't before—a resonance between the drake's essence and the fragment energy flowing through our bond network.

  "I think it's fragment-touched," I say to Morrigan, who stands protectively at my side. "Its crystalline nature might come from exposure to a fragment, not natural evolution."

  The drake makes that harmonic sound again, and this time I swear there's a pattern to it, almost like speech.

  "Can you understand me?" I ask it directly.

  Its eyes narrow, head tilting slightly.

  "I think it can," Morrigan whispers. "Dragon species possess innate intelligence far beyond normal monsters."

  I take a calculated risk and step closer, now definitely within biting range if it lunges. "We don't want to kill you. We want to offer you something."

  Another harmonic sound, this one questioning in tone.

  "Power," I say simply. "Evolution beyond what you are now. Command of your own forces. A territory to rule."

  The drake's pupils dilate slightly.

  "I'm a tamer, but not an ordinary one. I don't seek to control you, but to enhance you. To help you evolve." I gesture to my lieutenants. "Like them."

  The drake's gaze shifts, studying each of my evolved lieutenants in turn. I can practically see the intelligence working behind those alien eyes, assessing, calculating.

  I reach for the crystal lens, lifting it slightly. "This fragment energy already flows through you in some form. That's why your scales are crystalline, why your breath transforms matter. But it's raw, unrefined. I can help you master it, expand it. Become something greater."

  The drake's next harmonic utterance is longer, more complex. It shifts position slightly, the restraints creaking under the pressure.

  "Careful," Gorthal warns, readying his axe.

  But I wave him back. Something's happening here. The drake isn't trying to escape, it's adjusting to face me more directly. Its eyes haven't left mine.

  I take the final step, close enough now that its breath ruffles my hair. "I am the Monster Lord. I offer you a place as my fifth lieutenant. A partnership. Power for power. Will you accept?"

  Time seems to stretch as the drake considers. I'm acutely aware of how precarious this moment is, one wrong move, one misinterpreted signal, and those jaws could separate my head from my shoulders before anyone could stop it.

  Finally, the drake does something completely unexpected. It lowers its head to the ground in what can only be described as a bow.

  "Holy shit," I whisper. "I think that's a yes."

  I reach out tentatively, placing my hand on the drake's snout. The crystal scales are cool and smooth beneath my palm, vibrating slightly with that same harmonic energy I'd heard in its vocalizations.

  The moment of contact triggers the bonding process. Energy flows from the fragment lens, through my existing bond network, and into this new connection. But unlike previous bonds where the power flowed primarily from me to the monster, this feels more like a circuit completing, power flowing in both directions, my fragment energy enhancing the drake's crystalline nature while its ancient draconic magic strengthens our entire network.

  The effect is immediate and dramatic. The crystal scales across the drake's body begin to shift, rearranging into more ordered patterns that catch and reflect light in mesmerizing ways. The spines along its back grow more pronounced, now resembling perfectly faceted gems rather than rough crystal shards. Its wings, still partially entangled in our restraints, expand noticeably, the membranous tissue between bony supports becoming a translucent crystal that somehow remains flexible.

  Most dramatically, the drake's eyes transform, the pupils reshaping into multifaceted structures that seem to see in more dimensions than should be possible. Intelligence and awareness visibly sharpen in that alien gaze.

  Through our new bond, I feel the drake's consciousness touch mine. Not with words exactly, but with concepts, images, and emotions that translate into understanding. It—no, she—is ancient, over three centuries old, relatively young for a dragon. Her name, or at least the closest approximation I can comprehend, is Crystallis. She came to the Underrealm following the resonance of what the Azurites call cultivation chambers but what she perceived as a fragment-like energy signature.

  "Release the restraints," I command, absolutely certain now that she won't attack.

  My lieutenants hesitate only briefly before complying. The nets and bindings fall away, and Crystallis rises to her full height, stretching wings that now span nearly seventy feet from tip to tip. The evolution triggered by our bond has increased her size by almost a third.

  She releases a harmonic cry that shakes loose crystals from the ceiling, not an attack, but a declaration. Through our bond, I sense her satisfaction, her awareness of the power now flowing through her, reshaping her into something beyond what any crystal drake has been before.

  "The fifth bond is formed," Morrigan announces, genuine awe in her voice. "The Monster Lord's command structure is complete."

  Crystallis lowers her head again, this time bringing it level with mine in what I sense is a gesture of respect rather than submission. Through our bond, I feel her curiosity about the other lieutenants, about our army, about what this new alliance means for her future.

  I place my hand on her snout again, marveling at the perfection of her evolved form. "Welcome to the Monster Lord's army, Crystallis. As my fifth lieutenant, you'll command our aerial and crystalline forces. You'll have territory both here in the Underrealm and in our surface domains."

  Her pleasure at these words resonates through our bond, along with something else, a fierce loyalty that surprises me with its intensity. Freely given, a dragon's decision to align with power she respects.

  I turn back to my other lieutenants, who approach cautiously to meet their new peer. "We did it," I say, unable to keep the wonder from my voice. "The fifth bond."

  Nerk bows formally to Crystallis, who returns the gesture with regal precision. "Tactical capabilities expanded exponentially," he observes. "Dragon commander provides aerial superiority, crystalline warfare options, ancient knowledge."

  Gorthal studies her evolved form with professional appreciation. "Bond network strengthens with fifth connection. Can feel power flow stabilizing, enhancing all existing pathways."

  Morkath's ancient eyes reflect respect as he communes briefly with Crystallis through their shared connection to me. "Swamp and stone. Water and crystal. Complementary domains. Good balance."

  Morrigan approaches last, her evolved form almost matching Crystallis in natural majesty. "The magical resonance between fragment energy and draconic power creates unique synergies. We will explore these together, sister-lieutenant."

  Through our bond, I feel Crystallis's approval of her fellow commanders, her assessment of their strengths, her calculation of how her own capabilities complement theirs. Already she thinks like a lieutenant, like a commander of forces rather than a solitary predator.

  "The Overseer will be pleased with our solution to the dragon problem," I say, unable to suppress a grin. "Though probably not in the way they expected."

  Thrazz, who has been observing from a safe distance, approaches with what might be the Azurite equivalent of cautious optimism. "The drake is... tamed? It will no longer disrupt our cultivation chambers?"

  "She," I correct. "And yes, Crystallis is now my bonded lieutenant. She'll require some territory here in the Underrealm, but I'm sure we can work out an arrangement that benefits everyone." I glance at the dragon, who sends confirmation through our bond. "She's particularly interested in establishing a proper lair with access to crystal formations, not your cultivation chambers, but perhaps a nearby cavern system?"

  Thrazz's skin patterns pulse rapidly, clearly calculating the implications. "This... could be workable. The Overseer will want to discuss specific boundaries."

  "Of course," I agree. "And we're still interested in those mining rights and trade agreements we discussed."

  As Thrazz departs to inform the Overseer of this unexpected development, I take a moment to truly appreciate what we've accomplished. Not just defeating a crystal drake that had been terrorizing the Azurite cultivators, but turning that potential enemy into our fifth lieutenant. Completing our command structure in dramatic fashion and adding draconic power to our already formidable monster army.

  Crystallis lowers herself to the ground, a clear invitation to mount. Through our bond, I sense her desire to demonstrate her capabilities, to fly with her new lord.

  "Seriously?" I ask aloud, both terrified and thrilled by the prospect.

  She makes that harmonic sound again, and this time I swear it carries amusement.

  "Go, my lord," Morrigan encourages. "The bond strengthens with shared experience. We will handle the diplomatic arrangements with the Azurites."

  Against my better judgment, I climb onto Crystallis's back, finding a natural seat between two of the larger crystal spines. Her scales are smooth and surprisingly warm now, the evolution having changed their properties in subtle ways.

  "Just don't drop me," I mutter, gripping tightly as she rises.

  With a powerful surge of her hind legs, Crystallis launches upward, wings spreading to catch the air currents that flow through the massive cultivation chamber. The acceleration pushes me back against a crystal spine, and I let out an involuntary yelp that echoes embarrassingly through the cavern.

  But then we're flying, soaring in wide circles beneath the crystal-studded ceiling, and fear transforms into exhilaration. Through our bond, I feel Crystallis's joy in flight, her pride in her evolved form, her excitement at the possibilities this new alliance presents.

  The Monster Lord on a crystal dragon, I think with wonder. Now that's something they'll be talking about from the surface to the deepest reaches of the Underrealm.

  As Crystallis banks into another turn, crystal wings catching the light in a dazzling display, I finally let myself laugh, the sound of a regular guy from another world who somehow became the Monster Lord, complete with the most badass dragon lieutenant anyone could imagine.

  Not a bad day's work, all things considered.