Chapter 35: Mine Collapse
That afternoon, the entire volcano was still immersed in its usual tranquility. Livia lay at the deepest part of the nest, having just settled the three little dragon cubs, intending to take a steady afternoon nap. The fatigue from managing the territory, training servants, and caring for the little ones over the past few days gradually welled up.
But not long after she closed her eyes, a sharp and chaotic noise suddenly rushed up from the foot of the volcano.
It wasn't the usual cheerful cheering or the shouting during training, but a panicked sound mixed with screams, wails, and desperate cries, each more urgent than the last, piercing the afternoon peace.
Livia snapped her eyes open, her golden pupils instantly tightening with alertness.
She scrambled up almost immediately, flapped her wings, and rushed out of the nest in a flurry, looking down from a height toward the bottom of the mountain.
Below the entrance of the dragon's nest, the Kobold Chieftain was kneeling on the ground, covered in dust and looking miserable, his face streaked with tears and grime. Seeing Livia appear, he seemed to grasp at a final lifeline and cried out hoarsely:
"Dragon Queen! The mine has collapsed! The mine collapsed! Seventeen of our tribesmen are still trapped inside!"
Livia didn't hesitate for a second. Without saying a single redundant word, she immediately spread her molten-gold wings and dove swiftly toward the foot of the mountain.
At the foot of the volcano, at the entrance of the Rocky Canyon, the originally open and level mine entrance had completely changed its appearance.
A massive rock had come crashing down from the cliff above, perfectly and tightly sealing off the entire mine entrance. This giant stone was at least five meters high and three meters wide, weighing well over ten tons. Like a small hilltop, it sealed the entrance airtight, not letting even a sliver of light through.
Dozens of Kobolds gathered in front of the giant rock, in a state of chaos.
Some knelt on the ground wailing loudly, while others frantically clawed at the edges of the stone like mad, their nails splitting and blood dripping onto the ground. Yet, the hard rock remained unmoved.
Every second of delay meant more danger for the tribesmen trapped inside.
Just as Livia landed steadily, three small figures followed closely behind.
Kalendil flew the fastest and steadiest, looking eager to help; Aetheriel still flew crookedly, his wings flapping incessantly, looking like he might fall at any moment; Valerion came running all the way, panting, his round body covered in sweat, with half a piece of uneaten stone still in his mouth.
"Mother!" Kalendil was the first to rush over, his small face full of tension. "What exactly happened? Why is it so noisy down here?"
"The mine collapsed." Livia's gaze was fixed on the giant rock blocking the entrance, her voice steady. "Kobolds are trapped inside; we must get them out immediately."
Hearing this, Kalendil immediately puffed out his small chest and stepped forward voluntarily: "I'll do it! Mother, let me blast it open!"
Without waiting for Livia's response, he immediately took two steps back and took a deep breath, his small chest expanding rapidly. Sparks flickered between the gaps of his scales, and the surrounding air instantly heated up.
The next second, he opened his mouth abruptly, and a concentrated, powerful pillar of fire erupted, accurately striking the center of the giant rock!
"Boom—"
The flames burned the rock frantically, and the surface instantly became glowing red-hot, with stone chips crackling and falling off.
The Kobolds surrounding them instantly broke into a cheer, thinking the entrance would be cleared immediately.
But the cheering lasted only three seconds before coming to an abrupt halt.
The high temperature caused the rock to expand rapidly, affecting the already loose cave walls. Small stones began to rain down from above, more and more, larger and larger. Then, on the cave wall above the giant rock, several sinister new cracks appeared, threatening a secondary collapse at any moment!
"Stop!" Livia was quick to react, grabbing Kalendil and pulling him back forcefully with one claw.
Kalendil hadn't realized what was happening yet, looking bewildered: "Mother? What's wrong? I'll be able to burn through it soon!"
Just as he spoke, a giant rock the size of a millstone crashed down from above with a thud, hitting the spot where Kalendil had just been standing, smashing a deep pit directly into the ground.
The Kobolds' cheers instantly turned into screams of terror.
Seeing that his brother had failed, Aetheriel immediately volunteered and rushed forward: "Then let me! I'll use electricity!"
Sparks in his left eye and arcs of electricity in his right eye danced frantically, red and blue light flashing alternately on his small body. He concentrated all his spirit and struck a fierce arc of electricity at the giant rock!
"Snap—Rumble!"
The arc struck the rock, exploding into a large cluster of sparks, but the rock still didn't budge.
Instead, the cave wall above was affected by the vibration of the electric shock and began to tremble violently, with rubble raining down like a torrential storm.
"Stop too!" Livia acted again, quickly pulling Aetheriel back as well.
Aetheriel was pulled so hard he did a little somersault on the ground. When he scrambled up, he hadn't controlled the power within him yet, and he shocked himself until the tip of his tail smoked. He looked innocent: "Why, Mother? I also wanted to help save them..."
Just as he finished speaking, a fist-sized stone landed right where he had been standing, knocking off another small patch of fur from the tip of his tail that had finally grown back a bit.
Aetheriel looked down at his once-again-bald tail and remained silent for a full second.
Then he looked up and defended himself in a small, righteous voice: "Mother, I really didn't do it on purpose..."
Livia had no time to argue with him now. She frowned, staring at the giant rock before her, her mind racing.
Burn it with Dragon Breath? No, the high temperature would cause a larger-scale collapse, completely burying the Kobolds inside instead.
Strike it with electricity? No, the vibration was too great, just as dangerous as the fire.
Dig it out bit by bit with claws? The stone was too big and hard; they might not even finish by tomorrow morning, and the people inside couldn't afford to wait.
Just when everyone was at their wits' end and pacing anxiously.
A small, round figure silently squeezed past Kalendil and Aetheriel, walking steadily, step by step, to the very front of the giant rock.
It was Valerion.
He didn't shout any slogans or show off; he just looked up and glanced at the giant rock that was several times larger than him.
Then, he lowered his head and gently pressed it against the cold, hard rock.
"I..." he said in a muffled voice, the words squeezing out from between his teeth with a strained tremble, "I am strong... You... you go in and dig... save them quickly..."
Livia was completely stunned.
This giant rock weighed over fifty tons, a weight that even a normal young dragon would have to treat with caution. Valerion was only three years old, less than five meters long, and round. Usually, he couldn't even fly high. No matter how strong he was, it was impossible for him to withstand such terrifying pressure.
But he was actually propping it up.
Using his small head, he firmly propped up the giant rock, his four limbs digging hard into the ground, his back arched with force. Every single scale on his body stood up due to the excessive exertion.
The terrible weight bore down on him, and his limbs began to shake uncontrollably. The scales on the edges of his back began to crack one by one, and bright red blood seeped out from the cracks bit by bit, dripping down his body.
But he did not move.
He didn't retreat a single step.
Kalendil stood in place, completely dazed.
He looked at Valerion's small but exceptionally determined back, at those cracking scales, and at the blood dripping down. He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
All those previous words of mockery, teasing, and disdain were stuck in his throat.
Aetheriel was the first to react from the shock. Instead of trying to show off with electricity again, he suddenly turned and rushed toward the mine entrance, which was now only a small gap due to the giant rock's weight. As he ran, he shouted: "Don't just stand there! Kobolds! Follow me! We're going in to save them! Hurry!"
The Kobolds were stunned for a second, then snapped out of it. They followed Aetheriel into the narrow gap and began a frantic search and rescue.
Livia still stood in place, staring unblinkingly at Valerion.
His limbs shook more and more violently, and more and more blood flowed from his body, slowly forming a small, eye-catching pool of red on the ground. Yet, he still held on firmly, his teeth clenched, his gaze stubborn, refusing to relax in the slightest.
"Three more... left..." His consciousness had begun to blur, but he was still murmuring, "Three more... and they'll all be here..."
Livia wanted to say something, wanted to make him stop, wanted to tell him she would find a way, but all the words were stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say a single one.
She could only stand there, watching him use his small body to carry a weight that he shouldn't have had to bear.
Time passed exceptionally slowly.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
From inside the entrance came the constant sounds of Kobolds crying, cheering, and moving stones, mixed with Aetheriel's youthful but exceptionally serious commands:
"Over here! Hurry and carry him out!"
"Be careful! There's someone still alive over there!"
"Slow down! Don't hurt them!"
One by one, the Kobolds were successfully rescued.
Five, eight, twelve, fifteen...
Valerion was still propping it up with all his might.
His eyes were half-open and half-closed, his consciousness blurred to the extreme, yet his mouth still repeatedly murmured: "Three more... left... three more..."
At the seventeenth minute.
Aetheriel rushed out of the cave entrance, covered in dust and drenched in sweat. His face was streaked with black and red, looking extremely disheveled, but his eyes were incredibly bright, filled with the excitement of a narrow escape:
"Mother! They're out! All seventeen have been rescued! Not a single one died! They're all alive!"
Livia's heart, which had been hanging in suspense for a full seventeen minutes, finally relaxed.
She no longer hesitated, instantly rushing forward and striking the giant rock with a heavy claw!
Her molten-gold scales instantly lit up with a dazzling red light. The full-force strike of a young Red Dragon was incredibly powerful!
"Boom!!"
The tens-of-tons giant rock split into two at the sound, rumbling as it rolled to both sides. The cave entrance was completely cleared.
Valerion still maintained the posture of propping up the stone, swaying in place, his body as soft as a heap of mud.
He could no longer hold on; his body leaned forward, looking as if he would fall into the pile of rubble.
Livia immediately rushed over, gently grabbing the scruff of his neck with her mouth, carefully dragging him out of the rubble, and tenderly placing him on the level ground.
His body was covered in cracks and bloodstains, and the wounds on his back were deep enough to see the bone, looking shocking. When he was set down, his eyes were still half-open, his consciousness blurred, and his mouth was still mechanically murmuring:
"Three more... left... three more..."
Livia looked down at him, at that small face covered in blood and grime, at those bleeding scales, her voice slightly hoarse:
"They've all been rescued. Seventeen, not a single one died. They're all safe."
Valerion's clouded eyes moved slightly as he looked with difficulty at Livia.
Then, he smiled.
It was a very simple, silly, and pure smile. His mouth pulled wide, revealing that small baby tooth that was missing because he had been chewing on stones, looking clean and satisfied.
"Am I..." he asked weakly, but word by word, "Am I useful... Mother..."
Livia opened her mouth, her heart aching and her eyes stinging slightly.
She gently extended her tongue, tenderly licking away the blood and grime from his face, her voice firm and gentle:
"You are useful."
"Very useful."
Valerion smiled even more happily, his small tail gently tapping the ground.
The next second, his eyes closed, and he fainted peacefully.
Beside them, Kalendil remained frozen in place, motionless.
He looked at the unconscious and wounded Valerion, at those eye-catching bloodstains, and at the body of the younger brother he had once mocked, which had now carried everyone's hope.
His mouth opened and closed, opened and closed. His eyes were red, and after struggling for a long, long time, he finally squeezed out a very small, soft, yet incredibly serious sentence:
"...I'm sorry."
Livia turned her head to glance at him.
Kalendil didn't dare look up; he lowered his head and quickly ran away, his small back filled with guilt and regret.
Aetheriel squatted obediently by Valerion's side, sparks in his left eye and arcs of electricity in his right, staring intently at his unconscious brother, refusing to leave for even a moment. After staring for a while, he looked up at Livia and asked softly:
"Mother, will he die?"
Livia gently shook her head, her gaze tender and firm: "No. He is very strong. He will survive and become even stronger."
Aetheriel nodded as if he half-understood, and continued to quietly guard Valerion's side.
In the distance, all the rescued Kobolds knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly toward Livia and Valerion. The Chieftain knelt at the very front, kowtowing while weeping, murmuring words of gratitude and awe.
Livia didn't listen to what they were saying.
She just looked down, quietly watching the sleeping Valerion in her embrace, looking at his small face covered in dust and blood but still endearingly simple, and at that missing baby tooth.
The sky gradually darkened, and the sunset painted the volcano in a warm orange-red.
Livia gently picked up Valerion in her mouth, spread her wings, and flew steadily toward the nest at the crater.
The panic and cries below gradually receded, leaving only the gentle wind by her side.
She knew that after today, some things had quietly changed.
Her little dragon cubs were growing up bit by bit, in ways she never expected.