Chapter 42: Battle with a Dragon
In a vast, open valley, a series of roars echoed. A crimson dragon was skimming the ground, spewing dragonfire from its mouth, its target a single figure fleeing in terror.
The dragon let loose another gout of fire. The figure barely managed to dodge, then shouted to the mountaintop in the distance, "Help me! Why are you all just standing there watching!?"
The figure was, of course, Eirik.
After they had settled on the materials for the grimoire, Eirik had boasted that he would slay a dragon himself to prove his strength. This had not sat well with our Miss Serie. If she, herself, wasn't confident that she could kill a dragon, what gave this magic apprentice such confidence? And so, Serie had led the group to the territory of this rather famous dragon, giving Eirik a chance to show off his skills.
Looking at him now, it seemed he had bitten off more than he could chew.
"Is this really okay?" Norne asked, a little worried. As the person who had known Eirik the longest, he was naturally concerned for his friend's safety. The mountain of a dragon before them was terrifying enough in its presence alone, and its breath could melt solid rock. He seriously doubted his friend's small frame could take such a hit.
"Don't worry," Serie said with a glance, her tone dismissive. "Rhodes is here. The boy won't die."
It was true. Rhodes was currently holding a small magic circle in his hand. If Eirik were to look closely, he would see a nearly transparent magical barrier covering his body. It was an improved version of the elven defensive spell. Rhodes had fixed the bug that only allowed it to defend from the front, added the ability to cast it on others, and even strengthened its defensive capabilities. The price for these improvements was a twofold increase in mana consumption.
After hearing Rhodes's explanation, Norne's anxiety subsided, and he even found the time to start giving his friend pointers. "Hey! Eirik, here comes the dragonfire! Don't get burned!" he shouted, just close enough for Eirik to hear.
"You bastard! Why don't you come down here and try it yourself!?" Eirik roared back, managing to dodge another blast of dragonfire on instinct, not forgetting to glare at Norne as he did so.
"He can still talk back. Looks like he hasn't reached his limit yet," Norne remarked with a grin.
Seeing Norne's schadenfreude, Rhodes said a silent prayer for the foolhardy Eirik.
"By the way, why is the dragon only chasing Eirik?" Somme asked. They weren't far away; the dragon could see them as well. He had even prepared himself for battle, but for some reason, the dragon wasn't even looking their way.
"Because dragons are very sensitive to auras," Serie explained, a formless mana beginning to coalesce around her. "One is an unremarkable, weak creature. The other is an existence that poses a threat to its life. It will naturally choose to deal with the former first."
"So whose aura is it afraid of?" Somme asked, the answer obvious. Among them, Serie was by far the strongest. At this moment, she was making no effort to conceal her mana. It was clear who the dragon was wary of.
But before Rhodes could answer, Eirik's plea for help came again.
"Mr. Rhodes! A little help here!"
Since he had been called upon by name, Rhodes prepared to intervene, but Serie stopped him.
"Why isn't he asking me for help?"
Seriously? You're going to get jealous over this? Rhodes was a little dumbfounded.
Serie didn't intend for Rhodes to stand by and do nothing. She intended to take care of it herself. The mana around her began to solidify, the sheer power of it forcing the others to take a few steps back.
She was going straight for her ultimate move.
A pillar of light began to form in the sky. It wasn't the light-devouring spell Rhodes had created; that one required time to charge. Serie preferred spells that could be cast more quickly.
The crimson dragon, which had been chasing Eirik, suddenly skidded to a halt. Its massive head turned towards the mountaintop, its yellow eyes fixed on Serie. It had sensed a dangerous presence.
"ROOOAR!" The dragon let out a low growl, abandoned its pursuit of Eirik, and, with a powerful beat of its wings, rose into the air.
"See," Serie smiled. "That was not a wise choice."
Seeing the dragon finally leave him alone, Eirik collapsed to the ground, panting for breath. He swore he would never boast so recklessly again.
As the dragon charged towards them, Rhodes quickly told the others to get back, leaving only himself and Serie to face it. The dragon's breath was too dangerous. Only he and Serie had defensive magic that could withstand it.
"Here it comes!" Serie said in a low voice.
High above, the crimson dragon spread its massive wings, a torrent of dragonfire gathering in its throat. A moment later, it unleashed its fiery breath. Faced with a magical attack that could actually harm it, the dragon had chosen to strike first. This was its territory, and it would not spare any intruders. It had only chased Eirik first out of instinct, to deal with the weakest one.
The dragonfire and Serie's pillar of light collided, erupting in a dazzling burst of fire. In the next second, the pillar of light pierced through the stream of dragonfire and shot towards the dragon. The dragon beat its wings, barely managing to dodge the attack, and let loose another blast of fire. As a fire dragon, its breath was its magic. It could be used multiple times, and its power was immense, much faster to cast than Serie's ultimate spell.
But it had overlooked one crucial detail: Serie was not fighting alone.
Rhodes quickly cast a spell, and a triple-layered magic barrier rose in front of them. Somme hefted his battle-axe, and Norne drew his longsword. His own magic wasn't yet proficient enough to be cast at a moment's notice, but he could still fight as a warrior.
The triple barrier managed to withstand several blasts of dragonfire. Seizing the opportunity, Serie unleashed her light arrows to their absolute limit. Hundreds of golden arrows shot out at her command, raining down on the dragon.
The dragon roared and let loose its fire, not a single blast this time, but a continuous stream, forming a pillar of crimson fire in the sky. The pillar and the golden arrows collided in mid-air, exploding in a blinding light.
The dragonfire that was knocked from the sky fell to the ground, melting the surrounding rock into a molten slurry. Eirik scrambled away from the center of the battle. "This is insane!" he said, wiping the soot from his face, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.
But he still got to his feet and ran back towards the fight. He had to be a part of this.
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yo guys trying something new for Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter