Chapter 15: The Wounded Elder Dragon

Vito watched the sun begin its slow descent beyond the horizon. Brilliant colors began to dominate the sky. Streaks of orange, green, and purple stretched far and wide.

“Let’s head back and try again tomorrow,” Greye announced.

“How does an elder dragon hide in such an open space?” Delwyn fumed. “I swear to Ivalis, I’ll smite that thing myself.”

“To protect the innocent or to obtain the rare title?” Parsifal inquired in a bored voice.

Vito interjected before she could offer a retort. “You might still get your chance. Look.” He pointed to a plume of smoke off in the distance.

“There’s an abandoned mine in that direction,” Greye informed them.

“You mean the mine that should be too narrow for a dragon?” Vito inquired.

“Let’s go ask,” Delwyn led the charge to the dragon with a confident grin.

Greye sighed and followed behind with a weary smile. “Off we go.” He patted Vito’s shoulder, praising him for finding the smoke.

Smoke billowed out of the mine entrance. Vito looked around and tried to estimate how long the mine had been abandoned. A nearby cabin was in ruins. Tools lay rusted and forgotten next to it. No one had visited the mine in years.

“The entrance was gouged out,” Greye observed. “The dragon must have punched through so it could hide here.”

“Why? I don’t understand,” Iris asked.

“This is most certainly unusual behavior for a dragon,” Parsifal explained.

A large explosion rocked the ground around them, putting them all on the defensive. Vito drew his sword and stood in front of Iris to act as her shield.

An imposing dragon lumbered out of the mine. It was large enough to swallow a person whole in one bite. Vito noticed chips and gashes in its armor-like grey scales. It loomed over them as it stalked forward on all fours. “Level 52,” Vito reported to the group. The dragon took a deep breath and released a wave of flames at them.

Parsifal and Iris formed a barrier to defend the party from the dragonfire. Kaelyn broke away from the group and fell back. The flames singed her when she left the barrier’s protection. She banked to the side and drew her bow. “Starlight Shower!” A hail of explosive arrows rained down on the elder dragon.

The dragon’s flames ceased as it let out a pained roar. Vito, Greye, Delwyn, and Galien dashed forward to engage the dragon while it was stunned. Vito strengthened his body, letting him move faster, strike harder, and letting him endure more damage.

“First Blade!” Vito, Delwyn, Greye, and Galien called in unison. Their swords emitted a gentle glow as they cut into the dragon. Vito and Galien split up and went to either side of the dragon to slash its sides to distract it. Greye and Delwyn went for the neck to end the battle as quickly as possible.

All four cuts drew scorching hot blood from the elder dragon. Vito and Galien backed away to avoid the splatter, while Greye and Delwyn appeared unfazed as they continued their assault.

The dragon beat its wings and kicked up strong gusts of wind. The four swordsmen planted their swords in the ground to resist the winds. Their opponent took to the air and prepared to strike at them from above.

Kaelyn steadied her bow and conjured another arrow. “Falling Star!” She aimed at the elder dragon’s right wing and loosed the arrow. Like a shooting star through the night sky, the arrow left an ethereal stream in its wake.

The dragon let out another pained roar as Kaelyn’s arrow pierced its wing. Three more arrows struck and put more debilitating holes into its wings. The creature bellowed in agony as it was forced to land. Shining golden chains fired up from the ground and wrapped around the dragon. Its neck, legs, torso, wings, and tail were constricted by Parsifal’s spell.

Another stream of flames erupted towards them. Iris unleashed a torrent of water to clash against the fire. The area was blanketed in steam, obscuring the party from the dragon’s view. “I can’t maintain my spell for long!” She struggled against the dragon’s flames as best she could. Vito spared a moment to use Scan on her and confirmed that she was level 29, below the dragon.

Parsifal peered through the steam and released two magic bolts to blind the elder dragon. Iris dispersed her water and steam, revealing the pained elder dragon. Parsifal summoned more gains to bring the dragon’s head to the ground and seal its mouth shut.

Delwyn saw her opportunity to finish it off and took it. “It’s mine!” Her battle cry rang out.

Vito looked at Iris to make sure she was safe. She was uninjured, but her face was a mask of sorrow and discomfort. The kind-hearted mage looked at the dragon and felt sympathy for it.

“Wait!” Vito called out to Delwyn. He saw Iris give him a relieved and grateful look.

“What?! I already called the finish.”

“I know that, but this still doesn’t sit right with me,” Vito told her. “That thing was already injured when we got here. No villager or guardsman could possibly harm it, much less cause it enough pain to seek refuge in a mineshaft that’s too small for it to build a nest.”

“That’s right. This dragon could be a victim as well!” Iris argued.

“What…?” Delwyn was unconvinced.

“No one for miles could have injured an elder dragon so much,” Greye agreed. “Even so, it’s still a threat we cannot ignore.”

“All injured animals are a threat, especially when they’re pushed into a corner,” Vito told him. He walked toward the elder dragon and studied its wounded eyes. There were clear signs of intelligence and understanding. He used Scan once more and was glad to see it level up. His level 5 Scan allowed him to read emotions. The dragon before him, one whose name was written in a language he couldn’t read, was angry and scared.