TL;DR - Wanting to connect a little more with Bazithrax, Warez takes him on a trip. Bazithrax isn’t too happy about being there and walks out into a bad snowstorm and ends up almost drowning. Somehow someway Warez picks up that Bazithrax is in trouble and ends up saving him.

Instead of wanting to always roll with the punches, literally, Warez decided to make an effort to try and bond with Bazithrax for once. The demon was disgusted hearing what his master had suggested and refused to come along on the trip. Knowing this would be the case, Warez even promised to give him back one of his abilities for tagging along. Intriguing the demon, he knows if he wants any chance of getting back to full power someday, he’s gonna have to take every opportunity as they present themselves. So after a begrudging thought process, Bazithrax agrees and Warez takes them on an adventure to find a dungeon hidden deep in the frozen biome near his home growing up.

Throughout the journey, Warez would try to make light conversation with Bazithrax, but the demon was having none of it. He only viewed it being an annoyance, even more than having to be in the same vicinity as him. As they continued to bicker and trek through the snow, Warez knew that a snowstorm would be coming in soon so they took shelter in a nearby cave that he knew of to wait for the blizzard to pass by. After getting a fire going, the dragons took some time to rest and get away from the cold and Warez would try again to get to know more about the big guy. However it wouldn’t last long as Bazithrax would get up with being on this trip he decided to storm out of the cave convincing himself anywhere else, even in the icy hell, is better than staying in this cave with Warez. The pleas and warnings of a coming blizzard from Warez still wouldn’t sway the demon’s decision.

Despite the advice that was given to him, it wouldn’t take long for Bazithrax to not only lose all sense of direction but also end up getting trapped right in the snowstorm. Even in the predicament he’s in, he still refuses he was wrong for not bringing a coat as Warez suggested. He would fold his arms trying to keep in his warmth as he trudged along for what seemed like hours. The inevitable frostbite soon began to set in as the snow continued to whip him in the face clouding his vision to the point where he couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face. Not knowing where he stepped, he miscalculated and ended up slipping down a small cliff face leaving him pretty banged up and dazed from the fall.

As he lay on the snow coming back to his senses, he thinks all is lost until a ray of light hits his face as the sun begins to peak through the clouds and the storm starts to dissipate. Bazithrax slowly stands back to his feet as a small smile appears on his face thinking that things are beginning to look his way. But that happiness would be cut short after taking a few steps and hearing the ground beneath him starting to crack. Trying to not move a muscle he starts to panic and tries to figure a way out of this. But before Bazithrax knew it he found himself falling through the ice and struggling to climb back on the surface. The frostbite and pain really begin to show their effects as his movements become very sluggish and weak to the point where he can’t pull himself out and begins to sink into the cold abyss.

Fighting for his life to swim back up, his oxygen reserves diminish second by second before inevitably breathing in a dangerously large amount of water. He closes his mouth before the fear really begins to set in as he starts to panic feeling the tightness in his chest become greater. The demon tries his best to hang on as long as he can but his body instinctively opens his mouth again begging for air but instead bringing in pools of water to fill his lungs. As his body contorts from the pain, he looks up to the surface in his final moments, begging for anyone to come and save him.

“Is this really how it ends, I can’t die like this.” Bazithrax would say.

Meanwhile, Warez has been worried about Bazithrax since he left and couldn’t stop thinking about him and wondering if he’s ok. But all of a sudden he gets a chill in his bones that something was very wrong. He simultaneously felt a pressure building in his chest and briefly saw descriptive visions of what Bazithrax had been going through up until this point. Even through the quick bit of pain and from what he saw, he swore he heard Bazithrax in his head asking for help. At that exact moment Warez without even thinking teleports to Bazithrax, somehow knowing his exact location and helping him get back to the surface. Bazithrax would soon begin to cough up all the water in his system before looking over to Warez.

“What the hell are you doing here? ” Bazithrax asked. Warez would ponder about that for a moment and try to figure out how he did end up here.

“If I’m being honest, I’m not too sure. It all happened so fast.” Warez said in response before hearing Bazithrax snarling from his lackluster response. Warez tries again to add more to what he has just said.
“Though, I’m pretty sure I heard you asking for help and you called out to me somehow. Next thing I know I’m in a frozen lake pulling you out.”

“I didn’t….call out to you. I’d rather die…than get your help.” Bazithrax said still wincing from the icy pain. Ignoring what the demon said, Warez reached down to help heal and remove the frostbite but Bazithrax smacked his hand away.
“I SAID! I, don’t, want, your, help!” Bazithrax restated. Now Warez knows much more about the negatives of having frostbite compared to Bazithrax and needs to remove it right away or else he’s gonna lose more than his pride. So the yellow dragon did as he was told, beginning to walk away and leaving the demon there suffering on the ground. But the caring conscious of Warez wouldn’t allow him to leave Bazithrax there so he came back as Bazithrax began to pass out.

Knowing that coming in contact with Bazithrax siphoned his powers away he needed to be quick. With Warez’s expertise in ice magic, he would trade his warmth in place of Bazithrax’s frostbite, understanding he could deal with the negative effects, unlike the powerless demon. As Warez is finishing up, Bazithrax wakes back up and pushes Warez away before reiterating what he said before not wanting his help. But instantly he felt that his body was restored, no longer freezing cold and free to move his limbs as he saw fit. He looks back over to Warez who now has areas of his skin a dark blue from what he just did. Instead of being thankful or appreciative of the help, Bazithrax would call him names, saying he was an idiot for doing this before finally walking away. Warez already expecting this sort of outcome just smiled and looked up at the clouds.

“I’m so g—glad that y—y—you’re ok.” Warez would say shivering from the cold. Bazithrax hearing this would briefly stop walking and take in what his master just said. He thought to himself for a bit and knew it was game over if Warez hadn’t shown up unexpectedly. He thinks about why this guy time and time again lets him get away from being a jerk but also is willing to help him when need be. It was so sickening to think that the guy he wanted to destroy the most, was also the one who ended up helping him when he needed it most. Well, he’s not gonna let his master show him up anymore and decides to turn back around to get Warez. To the yellow dragon’s surprise, Bazithrax picks him up and begins to walk back once more. Warez would look at Bazithrax with a smile before seeing him puff out his cheeks and look away to not make eye contact.

“Don’t think I’m doing this to be nice or anything. I, uhhh, ummm, I only need you to tell me how to get back that’s all.” Bazithrax said trying to hide his true nature.

“Of c—course, thanks,” Warez said quietly.

“Hey! Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m only doing this cause you owe me one of my abilities so don’t you forget that,” Bazithrax added. Warez not wanting to say anything else to ruin his moment, just nods and points in the direction of where they have to go. They might not have made it to their true destination, but Warez thinks that this time together might've been a step in the right direction getting to to know the demon.

🎨  oliverdog 🎨 was the incredible one to make this piece for me!