Exhausted and nearly killed by a Longsword's Spirit Helm Breaker, Nergigante wearily returned to its lair. The crystalline pillars of its nest looked as if they had been gnawed by a dog. Seeing these marks, it knew that the little pest had just been here. Of course, given the current situation, it couldn't say this was entirely a bad thing. At least the creature wouldn't come flying back to keep tapping incessantly, allowing it to finally get some rest and recover from the fatigue of battling hunters in waves.
However, just as it lay down in its nest, which was strewn with shattered glass-like crystals, and sleep had barely begun to take hold, an eerily hypnotic sound resonated through the countless crystal clusters, amplified by their resonance. These clusters, which Nergigante had deliberately arranged to form a sort of sonar radar to amplify sounds from outside the cave and detect the subtle movements of prey, now became a terrifying harbinger of doom. For the young dragon, having just flown back to put away its haul, believed that such a rare opportunity might never come again and decided to tap away for some extra reserves.
The giant crystal, realizing that nothing it said could sway the creature, shifted to a new method of temptation. It began incessantly playing scenes of another world's landscapes, the fate of burning out and plunging into complete darkness, and, most prominently, the ecology and current state of the dragons in that world, seemingly to pique the Valstrax's interest. However... it was all showing things that the Valstrax found utterly uninteresting—though some information left an extremely deep impression, such as... "Ding, ding ding ding, ding ding; ding ding ding, ding ding ding ding!" (Please imagine this segment with the sound effects of Chocobo's Theme.)
"Roar!" The young dragon's cry somewhat resembled that of a certain yellow creature, as its dragon throat had not yet fully developed, and it couldn't produce the wind pressure of a roar. Of course, this also had to do with it being a female dragon. Unlike male dragons, it didn't need to rely on roars, robust pectoral muscles, a powerful and thick tail, or menacing horns to declare the superiority of its genes and its masculine charm. In most animals, it's the males that boast beautiful feathers, fur, and clear, pleasant calls, while females tend to have a more inconspicuous appearance.
So, from the perspective of female dragon aesthetics: Do you have pectoral muscles two meters thick? No? Then get lost! Do you have horns or a jawline a meter long? No? Get lost! Do you have a tail five to six meters long and two meters in diameter? No? Then still, get lost! Therefore, whether it's humans or other creatures, they generally don't fall into the category of what female dragons consider handsome. Conversely, from the perspective of human or other creatures' aesthetics, most of the visually striking dragons are males—the most typical example being that male Rathalos have much more vibrant colors and patterns than female Rathians.
Thus, the young Valstrax, which had not yet reached sexual maturity and was not releasing female pheromones, was seen by other wyverns and its kin as... well, a handsome boy, lacking femininity, somewhat like a tomboy. However, in the eyes of humans, it was a rather beautiful creature. Once it reached sexual maturity and began releasing female pheromones, it would swiftly transform from a handsome boy into an adorable girl.
Due to its exceptionally large and elongated wings and flying speed, it proclaimed its genetic health and charm as a female from the side. In simple terms, it was the kind of ice queen that was hard to pursue but would attract a multitude of reckless male dragons eager to challenge it. Whether they would end up facing a barrage of missile-like attacks from insect-like hunters in a peak aerial battle between generations two and three was another matter. After all, the courtship and mating rituals among dragons were like this: if you couldn't even defeat a female dragon that was slightly smaller in size and strength, what right did you have to claim mating privileges? (Unfortunately, the still youthful Tia had nearly the same size as a mature male Tia dragon, and it was no problem for her to overpower the latter.)
When Nergigante finally emerged in exasperation, it paused for a moment. The little pest was not perched on the crystal clusters, using its tail to smash them. Instead, it had found a large piece of wood from somewhere, tied an Aether light to it, and fastened a chain in the middle. It looked like a tool meant to restrain a molten dragon. The little creature was now slowly circling above the crystal clusters, constantly preparing to strike downwards like a battering ram, smashing the crystals everywhere. This left Nergigante, whose flying height was insufficient, helplessly watching as this creature, flying high, created noise without restraint.
After smashing enough crystals and seeing Nergigante almost climbing to the top of the crystal cluster, ready to launch its bone spike attack, the Valstrax swooped down and knocked it off the cluster. It then skillfully maneuvered through the gaps between several massive tilted crystal pillars, swiftly grabbing a large chunk of dragon crystal it had broken off with its hind claws, and soared away with a roar.
"Roar! Roar~!" Nergigante's bellow echoed across the land, startling large swarms of Acid Glavus and Scentwing. However, this had nothing to do with the victorious Valstrax returning home. It needed to store these "crystal salts" and process them with other minerals to create various seasonings. As for the fact that these substances were highly toxic to humans... well, it was their own fault for not having the ability to excrete these toxic substances through their wing membranes. These substances, mixed with dragon crystals, would continuously sinter into feather-like structures at the edges of the wing membranes. However, overly long feather-like structures would hinder the mobility and flight capabilities of most Valstrax, so once they grew to a certain length, the dragons would find ways to break them off and allow them to regrow.
This was why the wings of a typical Valstrax resembled layers upon layers of stacked shells, rather than the neat, beautiful, bird-like feathers or some sort of deformable ternary vector deflection structure seen in young dragons. In fact, because the wing plates had grown too long, some had even extended to connect with the body's armpit area. This meant that if the dragon were to fold and bend its wings in a manner similar to a human running, the wing plates would completely seal the gap between the wing propulsion section and the body.
The dragon's triangular body formed a "W" shape, with the wing panels at the midpoint extended for propulsion, the proximal section completely closed, and a gap left at the distal end for maneuverability. Transitioning from pure brute-force rocket-like propulsion to relying on body and wing surface lift for floating was more efficient for it at super high speeds and altitudes. This posture conserved energy, as relying on wing surface lift allowed it to shut down one set of propulsion systems, significantly reducing stamina and fuel consumption.
However, this also meant losing the characteristic flight posture of the Tia dragon, which featured fully articulated wing surfaces. It could not perform many rapid posture changes and subtle flight adjustments typical of its kin in short-distance, high-speed scenarios. In exchange, it gained energy-efficient flight and higher speed and agility at high velocities. In other words, in more confined airspace and during close-quarters combat, it could not compete with most dragon species. Its wings, due to their structure, were too heavy to execute the rapid strikes and slashes of other dragon species, nor could it quickly pivot 180 degrees for a dive, accelerate to a sudden stop, and use high-speed wind pressure combined with wing strikes to deal damage to its foes.
In open airspace and at high altitudes, however, no kin could match it. The rugged wing surfaces and oversized propulsion systems of its relatives forced them to rely solely on dragon energy for floating, which did not conserve stamina and increased drag. Even when adopting the same flight posture, they lacked the elongated, heavy wing panels to close gaps, resulting in a loss of lift and power that left them unable to catch up with the young Tia dragon.
Moreover, during a dive or when further accelerating, it can adopt a posture similar to crossing its arms, folding the ends of its wings, leaving only the mid-section in a trapezoidal shape. When combined with the numerous leaf-like fins on its body, it forms a wing structure almost indistinguishable from that of a human fighter jet. However, due to the insufficient lift and inability to maneuver (it lacks a rudder), this posture can only be used for straight-line acceleration, such as when swiftly passing through narrow spaces. Overall, its flight posture and methods are entirely different from those of its kin, making it difficult to say which is better.
(Roughly speaking, a typical Valstrax is akin to a VTOL helicopter or a Pelican, while it resembles a variable-wing fighter jet with vertical descent capability.)
Furthermore, during prolonged high-subsonic flight, to balance heat, the small horns on its dragon ears have become flat and elongated, covered with heat-dissipating ducts to accelerate heat loss. The same cooling systems are distributed throughout its body, especially on the leaf-like fins, which emit a red glow during high-speed flight, just like other Valstrax. For hunters, seeing these parts of the Valstrax glow red is a signal to immediately perform a series of evasive rolls. Otherwise, in the next second, they will face a supersonic charge, wing blade strike, or being lifted high into the air—even with painkillers and hardening drugs, they'll be sent back to camp in one hit. For it, however, this means something far more terrifying: you'll be instantly knocked away or sliced in two by its wing blades before you even hear the roar behind you. There's no chance to escape—not even a faint hope.
The wing blades of other Valstrax are akin to blunt weapon strikes, while its wing blades are standard, deployable, and sharp-edged slashes, comparable in power to a hunter's spirit blade slash or even surpassing it, especially when combined with gunpowder acceleration. In a game context, its wings would essentially guarantee a 100% deflection rate and instantly turn your blocking weapon into a red mode. If this creature were to appear in Monster Hunter World, it would likely become the new "Gundyr the Teacher" — a monster so punishing it could drive players to quit!
Another entity equally intrigued is Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal, who often drags young dragons into dreams to show them the landscapes of Eorzea. As the combined soul and consciousness of the planet, and one of the two poles of the soul's circulation (in the Final Fantasy series, crystals represent the planet's soul and consciousness, as well as the collective soul of all living beings on the planet), Hydaelyn is, in theory, omniscient and omnipotent to some extent. Yet, she has never encountered such a creature before. The young dragon's method of dealing with things it dislikes is...
"Initial D!" Accompanied by explosive music and the sound of a ramjet engine, the dragon weaves through the space, creating bizarre trajectories as it skims past the floating crystals of various sizes. "What in the world is that?!" The Black Mage hurriedly held onto their tricorn hat. Having just retrieved a crystal from a mysterious figure and entered this space, they hadn't even had time to break free from the kaleidoscope-like soul projection illusions when a roaring sound jolted them awake. They saw a high-speed triangular object zip past the nearby crystals and disappear behind the Mothercrystal.
"Looks like it's some kind of dragon! Move aside, you're blocking my view!" The petite Lalafell White Mage hopped about, trying to get a glimpse past her two towering companions. To her, the burly knight and the equally strong human warrior were as solid and wide as two city walls.
In battle, she could focus entirely on chanting spells behind them, leaving any stragglers for the tall Miqo'te bard to handle. But at that moment... her companions' wall-like defenses were quite annoying. Even the dragonkin mage who was supposed to be her ally towered over her—though he was considered quite short among his own kind, he still felt like a giant compared to her.
"That's definitely a dragon, and it's flying really fast—like, really fast!" The Miqo'te girl gazed into the distance at the soaring Valstrax, while her human companion, the classic blank-faced guy, rummaged through his backpack. "Hey? What are you doing?"
"Looking for a reins! With such a cool mount, it would be super stylish to ride it. Plus, I wouldn't need to open the Ether currents to fly with the aether stream, right?" The reasoning was rather flimsy but convincing enough, as her companions, after a brief moment of surprise, began searching for various tools to capture a mount.
"It's coming!" "Watch me!" The warrior pushed off the crystal with all his might, using the bard's magic to leap toward the passing Valstrax. He landed squarely on its back and immediately grabbed its neck. This move caused the young dragon immense panic, as for a female dragon, being jumped on from behind... was akin to a human woman encountering a skirt-lifting pervert, especially since he had also grabbed its neck. After all, strong male dragons often bite the neck of a female to suppress her resistance during mating—so...
In the dragon's world, this was roughly equivalent to being assaulted by a predator. And no creature, regardless of species, likes having a heavy load suddenly on its back—except during mating, of course. So... the warrior was treated to the most intense aerial performance of his life.
The dragon shot upward, frantically pulling into a vertical climb, then flipped and dove, spreading all its wing surfaces wide. It spun wildly around its own axis, and when it realized it couldn't shake the intruder, it flipped over completely. Unlike most dragons that rely on wing flapping to fly, this one could fly upside down, back-first, scraping the rider against the crystal blocks.
By this point, the warrior had abandoned any thought of taming the mount. He was simply clinging to the Valstrax's neck for dear life, desperate not to be flung off at high speed, until the dragon gradually dissolved into particles and vanished... "Ugh~" Though his ether-formed body couldn't actually vomit, the warrior still leaned on his companions, retching uncontrollably. "I... I... I don't think I'm cut out for this kind of mount~ It's too, too intense! Even wilder than riding an imperial airship through the clouds!"
"Ow! The young dragon woke up in shock, in its cognition, it is almost like a complete nightmare, and the human hit the "Rape Demon" dangerous expression, decided that the next time anyway, directly drag a piece of crystal to death, and must see the city meat paste to rest assured, too terrible, just the dream!