The Dragon Returns

There was something in the air. Berus couldn’t quite tell what it was, but the sky darkened quickly, as if the spell he had prepared actually summoned a storm. Which obviously wasn’t possible, since he lacked the right magic spells for that.

“I’ll just try this once,” he said quietly.

“Hm?” Mikkah looked at him. “What are you doing?”

“Just testing a theory,” he said.

And with that, he fired three lightning bolts in quick succession, which caused a low, straining pain as his mana drained out of him.

“Heh. I doubt it’ll work, you dummy,” Ki-Rai said.

But she still chose to share her mana sight with him, and he could see that something changed in the cracks, albeit so slightly that it didn’t make much of a difference. His lightning bolt crackled along the barrier’s cracks, with the sparks dancing until they fizzled out.

“Hmm,” Phorok grunted. “So there’s where you fell through.”

“That’s right. And while we have a hole there, I doubt we can get through it. So I think I’ll just chip away at it with my lightning bolts.”

Once more he looked at the sky. “But probably not today. I don’t like this storm coming.”

He had a bad feeling in his stomach, or at least in his soul stomach. Something was going on, something that he couldn’t put his finger on but that was definitely happening.

The familiar rumble that came from the forest grew louder, together with the storm coming closer and closer. The wind picked up and tugged at their clothes. But what was most curious was its temperature. Instead of the air growing colder, it got hotter instead. It was a heat that came alongside the stench of smoke and sulfur. A stench they knew all too well.

Mikkah and Berus exchanged a glance.

“The dragon?”

“That can’t be,” Berus argued immediately. “Why would it stay here? Its home is far away from here.”

“Really? Is it a dragon?” Iuria glanced at Phorok for some reason.

Phorok looked at the sky with furrowed brows. At least he took them seriously.

The rumbling grew even louder, the loudest it had ever been. From the forest, swarms of birds escaped to the skies, the sound of their cries full of panic.

“We should hide,” Mikkah urged them.

“It could be another monster,” Berus said. “While their smells haven’t been implemented in the game, there was that Sulfur Beast, which I think should, well, smell like this, or maybe an Ancient Magma Spirit, or…”

“By Lucine, just run!” She yanked him forward.

Of course, he was stronger than her. He could have resisted her touch, but in that moment, he simply followed her. And that movement also made Iuria and Phorok run toward the house. Out of the corner of his eye, Berus could see a giant shape emerge from the dark trees.

They entered the little house not a moment too late. When they looked outside the window, they could see the dragon’s shadow darkening the grass around them. The chickens had all fled into the coop. The wind was pressing down on the grass, and the flap of the dragon’s wings alone was enough to rattle the glass in the windows.

The dragon circled the little farm, as if it tried to get into the barrier. It even swiped at the magical dome, but Berus couldn’t see what it was doing. It clearly wasn’t successful, as it landed barely outside of the barrier, which sent a shockwave through the ground around them. Then, the dragon sniffed.

“Hmmm… A Red Dragon Fledgling…” Phorok muttered.

“You’re quite knowledgable about dragons,” Berus immediately said.

Phorok glanced at him, but nodded. “I am. I’ve fought others of his kind, back when I was… an adventurer. You fought against him, then? He seems to be blind in one eye.”

“We fought him,” Berus corrected him. “I doubt I would have been able to do anything without Mikkah.”

“That’s not true,” she muttered. “By Lucine, if you weren’t so reckless, we… The shard would’ve broke. And the dragon would have eaten us.”

“But it didn’t. I still don’t understand why it’s still here.”

Phorok snorted. “Why would it leave you? You hurt it, and you’re still alive. Red dragons are vengeful beasts.”

“Hmmm.”

That was something he hadn’t known. Of course, in the game, the dragon was restricted to its area, and there weren’t others like it. It was easier, in a way, but…

“I guess it caught my magic signature, from the lightning bolt,” he thought. “Maybe we can use that to break the barrier?”

“Then we would have a bigger problem,” Phorok said. “Or are you going to try and fight that dragon again?”

For a moment, they were all silent.

“Do we have another choice?” he asked.

“We could make the dragon break the barrier, right,” Phorok said. “But then it might just target us. What about using you as bait?”

“Phorok! No! We can’t,” Iuria argued, immediately.

He glared at her. “Your safety is more important than his life.”

“That’s not true! Without Berus and Mikkah, we wouldn’t know about the outside, or even have a chance of escaping.”

“But…”

“With the right modifications, I should be fast enough to outrun the dragon,” Berus said. “That would be fine, right?”

“Again, I can’t just modify you without the right materials,” Mikkah huffed. “By Lucine, you’re too focused on getting those modifications.”

“You would be, too, if you could get super speed.”
“I don’t even know what that means!”

“We’re getting off track,” Phorok said. “The dragon is here now, and we have to deal with it one way or another. That much is clear.”

“But… it sounds dangerous.” Mikkah crossed her arms. “You’re a fighter, just like Berus. But are two enough to take down a dragon of that size? You have experience, right? Tell us.”

“It’s not realistic,” Phorok immediately said.

“It’s stupid and dangerous,” Berus agreed. “But we still have to try.”

Mikkah rolled her eyes. “Then at least let us prepare as best as we can.”

“I agree. If we have to fight it, we should do it in the best condition.”

Phorok opened his mouth.

“I will stay as safe as I can,” Iuria continued before he could say anything, “But you can’t expect me to do nothing. This concerns me as much as anyone else here.”

“I… alright.” Phorok took a deep breath. “I’ll keep you safe. That’s a promise.”

“I know, but… thank you.” She smiled at him. “And thank you two as well, for helping us.”
“Lucine help us…” Mikkah muttered. “It’s a matter of life or death. We should prepare as best as we can.”

Berus nodded. On the inside, he could already tell that Ki-Rai was going to be elated. But they really had to do more than just refine his punching technique if they wanted to have a chance against the dragon.

“Then, let us get ready.” Berus said.