The dragon and snake

“All I can see right now, is darkness where am I?”

“A place far worse than hell itself it seems.” A woman in a blue uniform said in reply.

Just as the woman said those words…My fist raced towards her with murderous intent.

She dodged.

SMMAASHH!!

The area of the ground my fist had come in contact with exploded.

BAANNGG!

A blast of wind and dust covered the empty space of darkness, we were in.

A huge crater spanning several metres wide was left behind.

In the center of the crater was I the source of this destruction, glaring up at the snake eyed woman, she grins back at me.

“Ha! Not bad dragon girl. If you had actually managed to hit me I may have been hurt a little.”

The moment she spoke, it was as if time slowed down just for the two of us.

Her eyes widened as she noticed I was no longer in the crater but behind her, she turned back to meet my gaze but it was futile. Unable to react in time, my punch connected and the woman was sent flying.

She landed somewhere not too far from me.

Several seconds later the woman staggered as she got to her feet.

Her nose was bloody and out of place.

Upon fracturing her nose some of my anger subsided and I finally spoke.

“Elea and Frey… My two friends. W-Where have you taken them!”

“You little…Runt! Calm down, I’m not the one who—”

Before she could finish her sentence a sea of flames covered her whole body.

A violent scream followed.

—KYYYAHHHHHH!!!”

She was set ablaze by my breath of fire.

“It burns, it burns, it burns!!” She screamed in agony.

I can’t trust anything she says. She might look human but I can tell, she`s a demon.

In my human form the fire I breathe out isn’t nearly as strong as my dragon form, but it should be enough to kill even something like her.

I looked around all I could see was vast nothingness, I couldn’t tell where the darkness began or end.

Before I was brought to this empty void, she ran up to me and the others, that’s when that dark shadow thing swallowed us up.

The woman finally stopped screaming in agony.

I approached her burnt body and stood beside it.

She must have done it bringing us here. I just hope Elea and Frey are alright.

Killing her may have been a bad call; she was my only lead to finding them.

“You…Really should think before you act.” The burnt corpse uttered.

An arm grabbed my left ankle and squeezed.

CRRAACK!

The bones on my foot broke in response.

KYAAAHH!!

The woman’s skin instantly regenerated, her long blonde hair returned almost instantly, the green snake like eyes of hers glared my direction, and a massive grin followed as she tackled me to the floor and pressed me down.

Her body on top of mine, I was unable to move or over power her.

Something soft squished against my back!!

“Listen well dragon girl t`was not I that brought you or your companions here.”

I can’t trust anything she says.

“If I wanted to kill you, I would do so now.”

She brought her hand to my throat to better assert her dominance.

I have to ask her the question.

“I have only one thing to ask you, to see if I can trust you or not.” I said.

She sighed. “What?”

“Do you like Manchester? Answer me truthfully!”

Ah—Ah…? Seriously?”

“Seriously!!” I replied.

“I do not like, or dislike that word or anything associated with it. Satisfied with that dragon girl.”

So this woman is neither my friend nor ally…Okay I can relax.

I nodded my head and the woman got off me.

I wonder if she’s mad.

I hope she’s not mad.

She’s probably mad.

I should apologize it’s the thing to do when you’re wrong.

“Um...Sorry about um… punching you in the face and…Setting you on fire.”

She brushed aside some strands of her long blonde hair with her right arm; she let out an exasperated sigh.

“T`was nothing really. It’s not as if I`ve become so weak that I`d be a hurt by a lesser creature. More importantly…You can’t walk, can you dragon girl?”

She gave me a piggyback ride.

“Marine…My name is Marine.”

“I am,” She said triumphantly, “The legendary unrivaled unmatched all powerful demon Lamia!”

I don’t think I can remember such a long name. I think it was…

“Powerful unraveled demon legend Lamia. Where are we going?”

“Are you an idiot?”

“Huh…What do you mean?

I have great pride in my memory, not once have I ever forgotten anything… I think— I can’t remember.

None of you readers should get the idea that I’m one of those generic idiot characters.

“Just call me Lamia, dragon girl and we are looking for an exit.” She replied as she carried me onward.

Before she could take another step forward I said to her.

“In that case just let me off here. I`m not leaving till, I find them.”

“Them…You mean those two humans you were with?”

“Yeah their important to me…Because of them I get to enjoy school life, you known.”

“Can you be sure they feel the same way?”

Her question felt like it came from nowhere. What exactly is was the woman with snake like eyes getting at?

“You say that but can you even be sure that they would be willing to do the same for you. For all you know they might be trying their hardest to escape without you.”

She continued her onslaught of words.” Why not just abandon them their plenty of humans who could replace them.”

She’s not wrong I don’t know what Elea and Frey are thinking.

And there’s no way for me to truly ever know how they both feel…but.

“It doesn’t matter if they wouldn’t do the same for me. It doesn’t matter if they’d abandon me and it doesn’t matter if they don’t feel the same way as I do, because—”

Replace them as if I could, the time we spent in that clubroom is a precious treasure I could never replace, I`m not at all embarrassed to say this.

If anything I`ll proudly say it.

—their my friends. I`m not doing it cause I expect something in return, or cause I want them to do the same.”

I said it proudly.

“I`m going to protect them because I want to!”

“Ha! You really are a child aren’t you dragon girl, how old are you?” she laughed.

“Hmm… I`m Five hundred years old.” I replied.

“For you dragons the form you take resembles your state of mind. If memory serves that is the case right?” 

She asked as she carried me on her back.

“Yes— I guess in a way.” I replied

“That explains why your human forms appearance is that of a thirteen year old girl, you`re way to naive. Given the severity of the situation I wasn’t planning on a search and rescue—

She said these words so sternly that it could only be the truth.

— But it just occurred to me, that S.I.D protocols stipulate that I do my best to save as many people as possible in a crisis. Damn I nearly forgot I`m on the job.”

I don’t know what an SID is but...If she`s really going to help me find them I should…I should…I should thank her.

“Ms unraveled Thank you.” I smiled.

“No thanks are needed… I`m only doing so, because of my strong sense of duty… Nothing else.”