Enter Kimora

“Mylo~, I finally found you!” a voice said. It was a seductive, yet innocent and playful voice.

Kanie and co. looked up. They saw a figure come out from the same grove the doglike animal had emerged from moments before.

It was a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties. She had a tall, elegant stature and a voluptuous bust. Her long hair started as indigo-colored from its roots and blended seamlessly into a pinkish-red shade. Two pointed black horns sat atop her head.

The woman’s outfit consisted of a multicolored form-fitting bodysuit adorned with a white fur collar and various ornaments. She wore fingerless gloves with golden handguards and textured leggings that showed off parts of her thighs.

Her eyes were a bright magenta, and she wore a matching pair of geometric, triangular-shaped earrings. From her body radiated a molten ember-colored energy. The energy was so powerful that it appeared to warp the environment around it.

“Woah, she’s levitating. … Who is that?” Kanie exclaimed.

A lewd look spread across his face.

Well, I don’t know, but she’s really hot, he thought.

Next to him, Eric had cast a spell. His staff’s jewel pulsated with a teal-colored light.

“I can’t get a read on her,” he said. “Scout Magic tells me absolutely nothing!”

“Seriously???” Kanie asked. “But, you’re an S-ranked adventurer! Nothing’s ranked higher than you here—right?”

“Oh, where were you, my sweetie~? I was worried sick about you!” the woman cooed. She pet the animal, allegedly named ‘Mylo,’ before shifting her attention toward the adventurers.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“… Oh, no! Humans!?” she exclaimed. “This is bad! So very, very bad!”

She put some distance between herself and the adventurers, but it was too late.

Strings of smoke started to pour off of Aurora and her three party members—Kale, Enzo, and Skye. Their eyes were aglow, and they were clutching their throats with both hands. Burn marks appeared on their bodies.

“C-can’t breathe,” Aurora choked.

“So hot…” Kale wheezed. “Someone… Please help us…”

Enzo and Skye were clawing at their throats—they were unable to even speak. Smoke leaked out of their open mouths.

“… Oh, shit,” Eric said. “They weren’t acting this way when the salamanders were around or even when that animal appeared. It has to be that woman—her presence alone is so strong that it’s literally burning them alive!”

“There’s got to be something we can do!” Kanie said, panicking.

He stood guard in front of Aurora and the others, but it did nothing to improve the situation.

“I have an idea,” Eric said. “O’ Vhendrath, Sagacious One, bestow upon me the power of hydro!”

The jewel atop his staff changed to a deep blue color. Up above, clouds started to form, blocking out the afternoon sunlight.

“Hydro Magic: Mystic Geyser!” he shouted, aiming his staff at Aurora and her party.

A powerful, continuous blast of water erupted from the staff, drenching the adventurers like a garden hose.

But Eric didn’t stop there. He gathered magical energy into his free hand.

“Defense Barrier!” he shouted.

He pointed his outstretched hand toward Aurora and the others, one by one. Shields formed around them, encasing their entire bodies in protective spaces.

Eric twirled his staff in preparation to cast one final spell.

“Healing Magic!” he said.

The sound of a single heartbeat echoed from his chest. A shower of loving light embraced Aurora and her teammates. They started to cough and sputter out gushes of water—but they were breathing again.

Eric watched as his HUD showed their health meters slowly start to increase.

Alright, he said. Looks like we’ve sorted that out for now.

“Goddamn, are you powerful,” Kanie remarked. “’Infinity Mage’? More like God Mage, if you asked me.”

“My magic supply isn’t infinite,” Eric reminded him. “My meter restores itself fairly quickly, but still—can’t afford to be totally reckless, or I might be out of magic in a dire situation.”

“… Thank you!” the woman said. “I have no idea who you are, but you saved me from toasting four innocent people just now!”

“Still, though—”

She drifted toward Kanie and Eric until her face was right before theirs. There was a curious look in her eyes.

“You two are the first humans I’ve met who can stand in my presence without melting away,” she said. “… Who are you!?”

Cracks started to form on the shields surrounding Aurora and the others.

Eric watched the shields’ health bars deplete rapidly.

“You’re too close!!! You’re way too close!!!” he shouted. “Please, back up a bit!!!”

The woman freaked out.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry~!” she said, waving her hands about and looking every which way.

She moved away until she was once again floating beside Mylo, the giant doglike animal standing in the distance.

After Eric restored Aurora and her party’s shields, he introduced himself.

“My name’s Erika. Erika Chandler,” he said. He pointed toward Kanie.

“This is Kanie Misawa. We come from another world.”

The woman smiled.

“Hmm~. It’s so good to meet you, Erika Chandler, Kanie Misawa,” she said. “My name is Kimora.”

Eric’s eyes lit up as though something had suddenly clicked. He looked over at Kanie.

“Kimora…” he said. “—Kanie, she’s the one Nyle said we should look out for here on Rogus Path!”

A ‘ding’ sound came from the locket in Kanie’s pocket. He took it out and opened it.

Inside, an icon had appeared with Kimora’s face on it. Above the icon was text reading, ‘Kimora: Dragon Queen of Fire.’ Next to Kimora’s icon was an empty bar displaying ‘0%.”

“… Eric, that woman is one of the five dragon queens Nyle told us about,” Kanie mused. “Which means—”

They looked at each other in sync.

“She’s one of our romance targets!”