If David inherited his mother Pafila's robustness and the domineering nature of the Red Dragon bloodline, then his younger sister Tania had, even more so, inherited their father Attilicia's intelligence and beauty.
Combined with the fact that she was fundamentally a Silver Dragon in bone and bloodline, Tania, whom David had transformed using his Authority power, 'Skin-Change,' now possessed both the wildness of a Red Dragon and the intellect of a Silver Dragon. Simultaneously, the loss of her homeland and her relentless efforts to reclaim it imbued her with a vulnerability and a sense of brokenness. This, in turn, made her radiate an indescribable charm and beauty from within.
That was why Tania, simply standing there, was already a stunning sight. However, as a Red Dragon, leader of the Chromatic Evil Dragons, and possessing a terrifying size second only to David's, dragons of similar age lacked the courage to even approach her for a chat—they were liable to get thrashed.
Dragons actively intercepted by Tania would initially be startled by her Red Dragon appearance. However, any male among them, once captivated by her beauty, would halt their hurried pace and listen patiently to the battlefield mercenary tasks she offered.
"Elariya?"
But the majority of them felt their courage falter the moment they learned the job was actually on a main material plane. After all, planes designated as main material worlds were typically 'High Magic Planes,' possessing relatively complete and advanced rules. The same event within such a plane could have far more developmental possibilities. This also meant that main material planes teemed with powerful beings and served as the faith larders right under the noses of the deities.
It wasn't that legendary figures roamed everywhere, but take the continent of Ferren in Toriel for example—you couldn't maintain control without at least one or two prominent legendary figures. And which recognized main material plane wasn't renowned far and wide? There was Krynn, which fostered the myth of the Dragon Spear; the Oerth plane of Greyhawk; Abeir, the planet separated from Toriel to another parallel plane by the God Above Gods; Eberron, which had melded magic and technology to a steampunk level; and Athas, already disqualified as a main material plane due to the "Cataclysmic Remnant Sun."
Within these main material planes, dragons were largely relegated to the fringes. Krynn was an exception, where they held a relatively significant position in myths and religious belief, but in other planes, they were merely marginal figures.
Consequently, when the dragons—influenced by recollections concerning Pafila, the newly ascended and powerful War God—remembered that Elariya was a main material plane recently elevated due to the divine war, the mere mention of confronting High Elves made them even more apprehensive. The High Elves were currently migrating to Elariya en masse and dispatching troops; their ambition to restore their nation and revitalize their race was known to all dragons.
Hadn't the Chromatic Dragon Queen just recently announced she would end the shackles of The Slaying King Star, that source of dragon frenzy? In their view, that was an event twelve years in the future. The main battlefield would still be the Toriel Plane, focused on ensuring the complete destruction of The Slaying King Star. Going to Elariya to cause trouble for the High Elves at this juncture? That was like a Moon Elf prancing through Dragon Territory during a thunderstorm—courting disaster!
The War God had just lost his position as a greater god with the tacit consent of the other deities, and his 'Planar Estates' were too numerous to count. Furthermore, with the Dragon Queen's divine oracle backing them, it was a wiser choice to follow the main host and bully the backward natives on those lesser planes. As for the main material planes, it was best to let the veteran legendary powerhouses wade into those murky waters; they could just follow and pick off the defeated.
"So, if I were to accept, what are your strategic expectations? And how about the mercenary fee?"
"I hope that with the help of your dragon mercenaries, we can reclaim my brother's territory, which was also our mother's homeland—the Katjana Mountains. As for the mercenary fee..." Tania seemed somewhat embarrassed by her lack of riches, her tail tip drooping as she truthfully admitted, "I don't have much in the way of treasures at the moment. If a young dragon like you were to join the battle, I could only offer one hundred pounds per month as a standing battlefield commission. However, for Basic Potions, we could procure them at the lowest prices from the Evil Scale Fortress. If we successfully reclaim Katjana..."
By this point, most dragons would have politely excused themselves, finding a diplomatic reason to decline; this was the choice most of them made. After all, one glance at the map—damn! The Elves had already drawn their border all the way to the edge of The Dark Mountains. Reclaiming the Katjana region meant directly punching through most of the Skanis Continent, and she hadn't even hired a single legendary figure. That was like a Brass Dragon becoming a follower—all talk and no action!
But the dragon Tania happened to approach this time was a young Black Dragon, thoroughly smitten. He immediately showed an indecisive expression, as if to say, If you show a bit more interest, maybe I'll consider it. He even began fantasizing about heroic scenarios: saving the beautiful Red Dragon, or her being captivated by his brilliant stratagems.
Before the Black Dragon could even voice his thoughts, a dragon tail tapped his neck—a gesture considered an absolute provocation and extremely rude among dragons. He whirled his head around angrily, but the sight of a young Red Dragon at least three times his size made him instantly swallow his fury. He managed a strained smile, about to step aside. "...After you."
But before he could move, Tania knocked him flying and then bolted straight towards David's chest.
"Brother David!!!"
David, who had twice before experienced Tania shattering his ribs with her headbutts, extended one claw. He braced it against Tania's head to absorb the mighty force of her charge. With an adept 'catch, neutralize, and redirect' maneuver, he turned her pounce into an affectionate head-nuzzle, greeting the long-missed Tania.