The dragon's harem

Arad carried Amber in his arms and slowly trailed up the stairs, with Merlin following shortly after. "It's getting colder," He opened his palm to ignite a small flame beside Amber.

"You don't need to worry about me," Amber looked at him, "Carrying me is enough. I'm the only one with decent clothes, after all,"

Even with her rob's left arm burned and having a massive hole at its side, it still amounted to far larger coverage compared to the topless Arad and the one shirt Merlin.

"It's frozen up there," Arad looked at her, "Once we reach it, you stay put beside the heat while we clear the layer,"

"I know, you don't need to remind me,"

Merlin stared at them, "You aren't fighting either, Arad," She climbed the stairs a bit faster, getting ahead of Arad, "I'm the one clearing the layer. You two have already taken enough damage,"

****

"We're here," Arad put Amber down and created a small flame with a fireball at her side. "Wait a bit,"

He opened the door, and a burst of cold wind rushed out, causing the two women to flinch, "I'll be back,"

After a minute, he walked back in with a handful of branches from the jungle, "Those should do," He threw them into the flame, increasing its heat until they dried and started burning like proper firewood.

Merlin smiled, "Wait by the flames," She walked toward the door, stepping outside for a few seconds.

Arad kept looking at the door, and she quickly rushed back in, shaking like a dancer on a stage.

"Want me to come with you?" Arad stared at her, and she looked away, "If you please,"

He smiled, "I told you it's too cold there," He walked to her side, lifting his palm to create a tiny fireball, "You need someone to heat you up, at least until you get magic from the apes."

"I hate it that you're right," She growled, "A half-naked woman in the freezing snow, my toes would necrose with frostbite before I get to fight any monster."

Arad turned toward Merlin and carried her, "You won't walk in the snow until we find an ape," He smiled.

She giggled, "Aren't you a gentleman?"

"What does that even mean?" He started walking toward the door.

"Just how it sounds, a man that is gentle."

"Then you're horribly wrong. I am neither a man nor gentle," They walked outside, "You're dealing with a violent dragon,"

Arad walked with her into the forest, and it didn't take them long to hear a loud scream akin to a woman's howel of death.

"That sounds like a cougar," Merlin looked a the trees, "No, it's a yeti,"

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Arad looked back, seeing a large shadow slowly walking behind the trees. With each step, the ground quaked. "It's one with the big feet,"

CRACK! Arad jumped back the moment his senses ticked, barely dodging a rain of stones from the trees. His eyes glared up, "You bastards are too silent," He smiled, seeing the six armed asura baboons glaring down at him with stones in their hands.

"Babbons, apes, chimps, and even weird-looking monkeys," Merlin growled, "There is more than one type of demon apes there,"

SWOSH! Arad swung Merlin to his back, giving her a piggyback ride. "Hold tight. And don't forget to steal any magic you can," Arad lifted his arms as Merlin held to his neck.

He opened his mouth and screamed, pounding his chest to mimic what he had seen from the monsters here.

The demon apes stared at him for a moment in silence and then roared in rage.

BAM! From the woods, a yeti lunged out like a raging gorilla, swinging his massive fist at Arad's face.

Arad blinked, seeing the yeti's fist clenched. It knew Merlin would absorb the magic of their claws.

Arad bent down, dodging the strike and swinging his quarterstaff at the yeti's head.

ROAR! The yeti opened his jaw, biting the staff and twisting his body backward, pulling Arad with ease.

[Fire Bolt] A bolt of fire rushed out of Arad's left hand, hitting the yeti's throat and forcing him to let go of the quarterstaff.

CRACK! Out of nowhere, Arad could see a massive foot approaching from the side of his vision. Instinctively, he lifted his left arm and blocked.

Thwack! Arad's body flew across the forest, rolling with Merlin on the snow.

"I wondered when you would come out," Arad looked forward, seeing Bigfoot standing beside the yeti, smiling.

"A puncher and a kicker," Arad stood with Merlin clinging onto his back.

PEW! PEW! Stones flew at them at a blinding speed, but Arad swung his staff, deflecting them and swatting one toward the yeti, gazing at his face.

Arad giggled, "It's simple, isn't it?" He pointed the staff at the yeti and Bigfoot, "Punching, kicking, and throwing stones, primal aren't you?"

He lifted the quarterstaff, pointing at the sky, "Big stick," BAM! BAM! He then pounded his chest, growling. With the last pound, he opened his fist, extending two fingers out with fire cracking between them as he lowered his hand to his side, leaving a trail of fire.

"And fire," Arad looked at the apes with a grin on his face.

"OOO! OOOOOOOOOO!" The yeti screamed, and so did Bigfoot, glaring at Arad as they pounded their chests.

"OOOOOOOOOAAAA!" Arad screamed back at them, doing the same.

Merlin stared at the back of Arad's head as she clung to his neck, ^He's fighting them on their own ground. Arad might have been a dragon before, but he's a human now.^

"Arad, don't fight them head-on, you're a human now. Primate muscles are several times denser than humans, you won't win especially since they're larger than you," She said, but Arad didn't reply.

All reason got thrown out of the window. Arad's goal isn't winning, it's forcing one of the monsters to swing its claws. He got a big stick, he got fire, and he got muscles and height. His mind is slowly trying to mimic them, stealing their violent fighting style.