Clad in Azure

The Igneous Dragon stood before me. Even from several yards, I could feel the tremendous heat emanating from its thick hide. Beneath my newfound azure armor, I was dripping with sweat.

I had faced many of these creatures in my younger days. But back then I had always been accompanied by Sorius and Lagah. Tonight, I was on my own. I had no weapons. I had no magic. Only a mysterious set of armor stood between me and this raging beast.

"Say, that looks pretty good on you, Martin!" A nasally voice rang out through my helmet. The fairy I had called for had returned. Rudou hovered over my shoulder, arms crossed.

I still didn't know what exactly this fairy's role was in all of this, but she seemed to have a lot more knowledge than she was letting on. Somehow she had gotten her hands on the azure Knight Gem, and somehow she knew of my true identity. As she fluttered daintily around my head, I could see the smile she wore across her tiny face. It was a smile of relief.

She's glad I called out to her... It was all I could think upon seeing her expression. Whatever she was truly up to, I felt that I could trust her.

I smiled back, though the gesture was useless from beneath my helmet. "The heat isn't getting to you?" I asked.

"Magic can help out a lot when you're good at it," she answered with a smirk. Then she snapped her fingers. A cool sensation ran down my back. Within my armor, I could feel the temperature dropping. It was as if she had filled it with ice. "You made the right choice calling out to me. Now, what's the plan, O Great Hero?" Her teal eyes glistened with girlish anticipation.

"This dragon needs to go down right away. But there are plunderers, too," I declared, motioning to the group of armed men breaking their way through the storefronts just up the street. There were only about four or five of them. The lack of numbers and coordination told me that their intentions here weren't very serious. It made my stomach churn. Clairefield was just an extra stop on their vile campaign of destruction.

Rudou eyed them up. "Say no more. I can handle a few demonic soldiers!" In an instant, she zipped away toward the chaos.

I really hope she can handle herself...

The Igneous Dragon let out a hideous growl. Amidst its raging tantrum, it had finally caught notice of me. The shiny black creature took a step closer. Unlike the Sedimentary and Metamorphic variety, Igneous Dragons were bipedal. They varied in color and texture, but all possessed an imposingly tall stature. Most stood between sixty and eighty feet. This one fell right in the middle. With each ground-shaking stomp toward me, its growls lowered in intensity, until eventually it was breathing as slowly and steadily as old Monty would. The dragon folded its tattered wings and brought its arms in to its chest.  Its hideous fingers curled from a defensive stance into a neutral one. Its withered, steely talons tapped against one another.  A sound rang out like two clashing swords.

I lifted my head toward the beast. It lowered its own.

It's examining me.

In this moment, I needed to plot my next move carefully. The dragon had calmed down for now, but these creatures weren't stupid. It was simply curious. Once it established me as a threat, I would have next to no time to respond. One swipe from those talons and I would be mincemeat. Even with this armor, I wasn't willing to take the risk.

The Igneous Dragon scanned me with its pulsing black eye. Its head was only inches away from my own. Despite Rudou's handy cooling spell, I could still feel the heat from its breath testing the limits of my body. Under typical circumstances, no one would dare get so close to an Igneous Dragon. The temperature alone should have been enough to kill me.

I took a nervous breath, my eyes glued to the creature and its every subtle move. I noticed that its polished skin cast a reflection of its surroundings.

I could see myself, standing resolute before this arbiter of despair. I understood why it had taken such interest in me. The armor I wore was unlike anything I had ever laid eyes upon. From head to toe, it was cast in a dazzling azure metal. Not a single part of me showed through from underneath. Everything was concealed perfectly. At every joint, the pieces lined up with impossible precision, as if the suit had been cast specifically for me to wear. Its craftsmanship showed not one imperfection. The plating lacked even a single tool mark.

The helmet, however, was the most impressive. The vented visor through which I viewed myself was split into two pieces, taking the shape of sharp, imposing, yet asymmetrical eyes. One extended far beyond the top of my head, while the other reached down to the chest plate. Each came to a pointed tip, like the needles of two opposing compasses—one pointed northwest, the other to the southeast. If not for their aggressive shape, their enormous size would have seemed otherwise ridiculous. Crowned in the center of the forehead was the azure Knight Gem.

To think that a Knight Gem on its own could be capable of something like this... It was a thought I had never considered twelve years ago.

A westward wind lifted the thick black smoke blanketing the ground into a small whirlwind.

Though the dragon had fallen quiet, all around me the unyielding sounds of chaos threw my heart into distress. I clenched my fists.

Behind the dragon's neck, just under its dorsal fins, I could see that the skin was cracking. For a beast with such a shiny hide, a typical sign of youth and vigor, cracking of this size was out of the ordinary. It normally signified tremendous age. I could come to only one conclusion.

It must be sick.

A sick dragon was a vulnerable dragon. It disturbed me to think that all of this destructive power was only a fraction of what the healthy version of this particular specimen was capable of, but I knew now that I had an advantage.

As I considered this, a white, crystalline protective layer formed over the Igneous Dragon's eye.

It's getting ready to attack!

The dragon reared its head back. It spread its reptilian wings over the town square. The raging inferno behind cast an ominous shadow. From the cracks in its neck, a pulsating orange light was building in intensity. Any moment now, it would fire a ball of molten rock.

I was ready for it.

I bent my knees. The lingering pain from the past twelve years was entirely gone. I knew what to do. Despite the weight of the armor, I felt lighter and more agile than I ever had.

A deafening explosion propelled the ball of molten from the Igneous Dragon's throat! As it rocketed toward me, I leapt.

I found myself hurtling through the air. The fireball crashed into the cobblestone street beneath me.

Amazing!

I must have been more than two stories up! The armor hadn't only healed my wounds; it had also given me extreme physical abilities. My excitement was only momentary, however, as I got a good look at the town. From this perspective, I could see how unrecognizable Clairefield truly was. Fires raged on every street corner. Piles of rubble were scattered where storefronts once stood. The rows of small wooden houses that had once looked so picturesque in the glow of the sunset had been reduced to simmering ashes. It was horrible.

The dragon craned its neck in an attempt to spot where I had gone. But by the time it figured out what was happening, I was already on its back. My metallic boots clanged against its rock-solid skin. The surface was so hot that steam erupted with every step I took.

My next move was simple. I would target its cracking neck.

In a panic, the beast swung at me with its talons. Luckily for me, its muscly arms weren't long enough to reach its back. In desperation, the dragon began to toss itself back and forth in hopes of knocking me off. I grabbed tight onto a dorsal fin. Like raw meat on a freshly heated skillet, the plating on my hands began to sizzle. A cloud of steam erupted into the air. I was once again sweating beneath my armor.

The dragon lunged forward.

Finally, I lost my grip. I found myself sliding further up the creature's scaly backside, a jet stream of water vapor trailing behind me.

Before I could slide completely off, I managed to hook my fingers into one of the cracks in its neck. The beast howled and reached for me again. This time, I knew I was within grabbing distance. Hanging by my fingertips, I was at a complete disadvantage. The dragon refused to sit still. Violently, it thrust its neck in every direction. The constant motion left me nauseous. Beads of sweat rolled down my face. I was baking inside the suit. My focus was beginning to slip.

For a moment, I considered letting go. But that short time in the air would be all the Igneous Dragon needed to finish me off.

The talons swept at me from below. I felt them make contact with the soles of my feet. The dragon swung again. I lifted my legs in a shoddy attempt to dodge. Luckily, I was successful, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep this up forever.

Another swing. Again, I curved my body in just the right direction to avoid a direct hit. On the next swing, however, I wasn't as fortunate. The talon slammed into my shin. The impact was immense. I felt it disperse across every plate of armor I was wearing. The pain was sharp, but only momentary. I could tell from the sensation that I hadn't been cut. Peeking down to assess myself, I expected to at least see a dent. But there was no damage to be found.

This armor is indestructible!

Suddenly, the Igneous Dragon let out a frustrated cry. From the depths of its throat, I heard the genesis of a simmer. That simmer began to build in intensity. The crystalline protective layer reappeared over its eyes. It was preparing to fire another ball of molten!

For a moment, I didn't understand the reasoning. I was hanging from its neck. There was no way it would be able to hit me with an attack like that. But as the heat in its throat continued to build, I realized exactly what it was up to.

A threatening orange shimmer began to emanate from each of the deep cracks in the dragon's neck. As the core of molten within it strengthened, the excess heat was being vented. For a sick dragon, this was always a flaw. It meant it could never truly attack with its maximum output. But this clever bastard was using it to its advantage. Because hanging with his fingertips lodged in one of those cracks was me.

The heat intensified. It was becoming too much to handle. With all my willpower, I tried to hold my grip. But my body wouldn't listen. One by one, my fingers came loose, until I finally found myself hurtling toward the street below.

But I never hit the ground. With the force of a tumbling boulder, the Igneous Dragon slammed into me with the side of its head. I crashed full speed into one of the few buildings still standing. Pieces of its wooden frame fractured behind me as I burst through its wall. I came to a stop in a pile of crumbled bricks and mortar. I shook my head. The impact had left me dizzy. Now a reasonable distance from the dragon, my body temperature felt like it had dropped to subzero.

Had it really been that hot?

Looking at my fingertips, that question was easily answered. My indestructible set of armor may not have been as untouchable as I had thought. The fingertips were misshapen. The heat of the Igneous Dragon had melted them!

And in a short moment, my entire suit of armor would go the same way—reduced to an unrecognizable heap of blue metal.

Because barreling towards me was a sphere of molten rock.

As I found myself struggling to return to my feet, I knew that there was no way out.

I closed my eyes. I thought about everybody in Clairefield.

At least I was able to buy them some time. I hope they were all able to get away.