Chapter 153: Parry This You Filthy Casual

The Nexus. Near the Geographic Center of the North Rythian Forests. Just Outside the Dragon’s Lair. Local Time: 2130 Hours.Emma

We stood ready. Or more accurately, we ready atop our respective mounts not really feeling it.

With Ignalius’ understrengthened scouting party flanking either side of us, we were poised to enter the moment the shatorealmer finished his inspection of the surprisingly perfect archway that constituted the newly opened cave entrance.

The bat was quick to fly around, tapping and knocking on several key points of the entrance, pressing his ear against the rockface as he did so, before giving Ignalius the go-ahead with a deferent nod.

“Structure is sound. Scouting party, move in!” She screeched out.

We entered without much fanfare, as I observed the tons upon tons of rock that’d been shattered into finely cut rhomboids, each having slid neatly sideways, finding themselves nestled off to the side.

The whole drilling operation was, admittedly, a pretty theatrical affair, the moment the rocks slid apart in what could only be described as an opening credits moment.

Though just as theatric was the dark that loomed within.

But thankfully… Thalmin and I had solutions for this expected encumbrance.

[NVG STATUS: ACTIVE]

Ignalius' compatriots, meanwhile, seemed to have to make do with torches, albeit admittedly ones that more resembled flashlights.

The motley crew of elves, baxi, and satyrs followed Greer’s commands as they carefully moved into what the EVI was quickly rendering before my HUD-filled eyes.

What stood before me… made me briefly what it was cave divers risked their lives for in their death-defying adventures. ‘Brief’ being the operative word here. Because in front of me was a cavern so… it at first reminded me of some sort of a massive amphitheater, or the inside of a silo, or even some sort of a reactor with how many stalactites poked down from the ceiling — resembling control rods in varying states of descent.

There was an undeniable natural to this place, and were I a rock nerd or geologist, I bet I’d be absolutely out of my mind at the whole scene.

Alas, this wasn’t a sightseeing trip, as the EVI was quick to remind me.

We rode in slowly, trailing behind the forward group as visible elements of the cave were quickly being mapped and charted.

The entrance we started off from quickly descended into a sharp down into the depths of said ‘amphitheater,’ resembling the grand foyer to some subterranean hall.

From there, we arrived at a round, cavernous clearing, with no obstructions all the way up to the stalactite-lined roof of the cave.

Though it was here that we were met with our first real challenge.

“E-erm, Chief Greer? Which way do we go from here?” A particularly skittish Katiya questioned, her tail curling up around her legs and her ears flat against her skull.

“I count three tunnels—” The dwarf began.

“Four.” Only for Thalmin to interrupt him, confirming that he truly on my level, at least when it came to sensors.

“There’s one half-hidden behind a pile of loose stones over there.” He gestured, much to the dwarf’s annoyance.

“Right right, four’s four.” Greer acknowledged under a disparaging breath. “Alright then, lads, we’ll split up into three parties—”

“No.” Thalmin urged. “Splitting up — as a friend once so colorfully described — is the thing you can do in these situations. Moreover, I think that —” He paused, pointing to the half-obstructed entrance. “—is probably where we should be looking.”

“?!” The dwarf guffawed. “Tell me, … would you have my men digging around all night? I’ll have you know we’re not some second-rate manual laborers!” He bellowed out, garnering a series of nods and nervous affirmations from the group.

“Do you want to get out of here alive or ?” Thalmin countered bluntly.

managed to jolt the rowdy band of mercs to attention. Their expressions darkened as Thalmin’s thunderous warnings echoed throughout the cavern’s vast stone chambers, each would-be spelunker looking warily for a flag to rally to.

But that flag, unfortunately, proved to be too stubborn to bend.

“Do as you will, . My men and I will be searching through the more passages.” The dwarf spat back stubbornly.

“Amethyst dragons in uncompromising terrain.” Thalmin stubbornly defied. “Or did you forget we had to blow a hole to get into its—”

“Enough!” The dwarf interjected. “Enough. There’s a reason why the Captain assigned to lead this expedition.” He paused, making an effort to gesture towards himself. “A cave is a dwarf’s domain, or were you so sheltered that you forgot that are the preeminent authorities on this particular subject?” Greer was quick to draw the line in the sand, crossing his arms as his men gathered behind him. “And as with any cave, I can assure you that every path will eventually converge upon each other.” He spoke with a smarmy, self-assured grin before gesturing for his men to split up. “You can waste your time dilly-dallying in front of that blocked-off passage. Meanwhile, we’ll sneak at it from behind.” The dwarf added as he turned his back on Thalmin, raising a hand and gesturing back to the prince flippantly. “Until then, .”

Thalmin allowed the dwarf to eventually walk out of sight before turning towards me with a frustrated snarl.

“.” A scoff was quick to follow that remark. “Not a lick of subterranean twang in that topside-dwelling accent.” He growled. “No self-respecting dwarf would refuse an opportunity to dig into unknown tunnels. What a complete mockery of dwarven heritage—”

[Alert! Minor Seismic Activity Detected!]

“Thalmin.” I spoke through Thalmin’s work-in-progress earpiece.

“Yeah?”

“It’s close.” I warned. “ close.”

Dragon’s Lair. ‘West’ Wing. Local Time: 2145 Hours.

Uthril the Daring

The boss had ordered us to split up between the three passages.

Fine by me.

All we had to do was after all.

And if there was one thing Uthril was good at, it was—

“Erm, Lipo, you hungry or somethin’?” I turned to my Satyr partner, only to find him frozen in place.

“Erm, Lipo? You alright there bud—”

“Run.” He whispered out under a stuttered breath.

“Eh? Lipo, buddy, you aren’t even pointing your torch at the dark—”

I lifted my torch to shine behind Lipo’s ear, hoping to find just more bare rock—

…

But what I saw instead was my own shocked expression, reflected back at me through a single slitted eye.

My whole body ran cold.

Then, I screamed.

“RUUUUUUUU—”

!

Dragon’s Lair. ‘North’ Wing. Local Time: 2147 Hours.

Ganthril the Disparaging

“And then I said, ‘Oh no no no, this cheese is far too intense for me!’ Because frankly, I couldn’t care less for the stinky ones. Now the ones, yeah, that’s much better. Way less funky and much more—”

“Ganthril, shut up for a mo…” The elf moved to close my maw shut, causing me to jump back, slapping his hand away.

“What the hell, Arlin? Don’t you dare fucking touch my snou—”

“I said, !” Arlin seethed as he began shining his flashlight in all directions. “I thought I heard something.”

“Something like , Arlin? Oh, let’s hear it again for the elven ears and your ability to sense way, more than my poor, scaled, earless head ever coul—”

…

My heart stopped as my eyes shot every which way, peering back and forth at the long and uninterrupted passage but finding .

“W-where the fuck is that coming from?!” I shouted, to which Arlin could only respond with the face of a dead man.

“The walls. It’s coming the wa—”

CRASH!





Dragon’s Lair. ‘South’ Wing. Local Time: 2150 Hours.

Greer the Brave

“. Heh, who does he think he is? Telling a how to navigate through caves?!” I chuckled boisterously, turning back to see my small troupe nodding in equal measure.

“Yeah, the way I see it, Dreadwolf’s just some rich kid playing adventurer. I give him two minutes before he folds. Too scared to be alone in the dark, no doubt. He’s probably crying up a storm now while clinging to his little golem bodyguard!” My second in command scoffed.

“You see it too, don’tcha? I betcha those scars aren’t even real! I tell you, these rich adjacent realm merchant houses need to start raising their brats to do what they’re bred to do — sell wares. Don’t give them flighty ideas of or worse yet . I swear, ever since that damned book was published, we’re seeing more and more of these spoiled brats coming out of the wetwork and marring our good name as mercenaries!”

“Hear, hear, boss!”

However, no sooner were those words uttered than our new greenhorn baxi raised her tongue. “E-er, ss-sirs, I think I hear—”

“What’s that? Speak up! Can’t hear ya over yer trembling tail!” I shouted back boisterously.

“I think I hear—”

“Louder, girl!”

“I HEAR SOMETHING COMING, SIR!” She yelled out, her eyes filled with genuine fear.

Though frankly, all I saw was yet another annoying anxiety-ridden episode of the nerves.

“Well, I don’t hear nothin’.” I shrugged. “Do you, Puri?”

“Nah, boss. Must’ve been the wind or somethin—”

“There is no wind in caves!” The baxi interjected, her voice growing more manic by the second. “I… I can’t stay here. I can feel it coming! You have to believe me! The Captain chose me for a reason. I can things—”

“Yeah, you do.” I turned to dismiss her before shooing her away. “Get lost then, but know I’ll dock yer pay if you decide to dismiss yourse—”

The baxi had turned heel and sped off before I could finish my sentence.

“Ugh. These greenhorns are somethin’ else, Puri. Honestly, I’m considering an early retirement because of this crap…” I groaned in frustration, only to be met with an uncharacteristic silence.

“Puri? Ya good there, mate?” I turned back, only to find the elf standing completely still while staring down an offshoot corridor. “Whatcha find down the—”

I stopped mid-stride as my boots against a thick liquid oozing across the floor.

I raised my axe and, with another hand, shot off a beam of light into the dark passage Puri was facing.

My eyes widened in disbelief, then horror, at the gear the beast had spat in front of both me and Puri.

Chainmail, swords, daggers, and even .

All… bearing the Captain’s insignia.

“Damn you—!”





Dragon’s Lair. Central Cavern ‘Foyer.’ Local Time: 2153 Hours.

Katiya the Coward

I ran.

I ran faster than I ever did in my life.

Faster than when I fled the family farm.

Faster than when I fled that burning ship.

Faster than when I’d met the Duke, Duchess, and—

I ran face-first into Dreadwolf. My heart as I turned up to face what was potentially the child of a noble who could’ve so easily be rid of me as—

“Whoah whoah whoah. What’s going on?” The lupinor questioned.

“I— I—. There was! Ah. Ahhhhh! DRAGON! DRAGON COMING! THE DRAGON’S COMING, SER DREADWOLF!” I .

“Okay.” Was Dreadwolf’s only reply as he nodded once towards his golem, who’d since produced what I could only describe as a modified lance.

“This is going to be tricky…” Dreadwolf sighed out, turning to his fancy pocket clock. “The team topside needs about five more minutes to assemble the trap. How far did you say this dragon was—”

“Nevermind. Alright, we’ll have to buy time, we’ll head on out. So for now…” Dreadwolf paused, moving up to mount his terrifying kelpie before lending a hand down towards me. “... you’re riding with me.”

I felt my heart pound against my chest, either out of shock, fear, or something else entirely.

But before I could process anything—

—the dragon… .

There was no warning, no great fanfare nor entry, not even the crumbling of rock nor the destruction of passageways.

Instead, the great beast had simply itself into existence, as if rock, dirt, and the barriers of the flesh were its concerns.

Though that was far from the thing seemingly beneath its concern. Because despite its shorn scales, half-broken crystals, and otherwise battered form… it still remained resolute in its fury.

The slow and purposeful taunting, through the of its last victim still hanging in its maw was proof enough of that fact.

“Wrap your arms around my waist. This is going to be a bumpy ride.” He commanded, and I obliged without hesitation.

I shut my eyes, lips pursed but tense, mustering as much wavering willpower as I still had to do the job I was hired to do — to scout and report.

My faint manastreams scrambled to tug on the sending stone I carried, blurting out mentally a message to the masters.

From there, having done all I was good for, I could now only watch as chaos incarnate unfolded.



The lupinor-golem pair worked in tandem, starting slowly at first by encircling the dragon that’d found itself in the middle of the cavern.

Slowly, methodically, and unnervingly, they traced a circle around the beast, the gem-encrusted creature snorting soot from either nostril, its head craning left and right, as if taking the time to decide to go for first.

Seconds swung by slowly, until—

—the dragon went for the golem.

What unfolded next was a dance of dragons, as the beast surged forwards only to be thwarted by two opposing elements.

The element of at the whirring of the golem’s bitreader and the element of surprise at the daring attacks by Dreadwolf’s kelpie.

Tendrils of seaweed lashed out at the dragon, reaching for one of its limbs as it bound and , forcing the creature to stumble in its step, resulting in it tumbling head over heels into one of the passageways.

The boom of its crash echoed throughout the cavern, engulfing the dragon in dust and debris for but a second before its furious form erupted from the haze with a warbling roar, going for another towards the golem.

The kelpie took initiative, trailing path upon path of watery grime across the smooth rock surfaces of the cave floor. I couldn’t process it was doing this, until memory of my unfortunate stint as a tavern server hit me.

Dreadwolf was attempting to corral the dragon into even more stumbles and falls.

I gripped the lupinor’s waist even tighter, my breath hitching as the dragon seemed just as distracted by the golem as its master before finally it fell into the lanes of slippery muck and grime.

…

But despite the kelpie’s best efforts, it horrifically.

Even though its stampeding form went through the trap, its wings for just a moment, more than enough to use the momentum of the slick track to , closing a wide distance between it and the metallic golem.

Dreadwolf pulled at the kelpie’s reins to heel before uttering some unknown commands to his ‘expensive bodyguard.’

The dragon’s form lowered, still giving chase. And I was already imagining the terrifying fate of the golem should its pursuer open its maw. But my panicked thoughts of the golem’s fate was sharply interrupted.

“HYAH!” With a snap of the reins, the kelpie sped off as Dreadwolf commanded; my grip around the lupinor’s waist could not have been any tighter. When I saw that the steed was rather than retreating, my grip held

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHY ARE WE GETTING CLOSER?!” I yelled with a panicked hiss that would have earned me scorn from civilized company.

Dreadwolf’s response came with a flippant brandishing of his sword as its blade began to freeze over with a cold breeze. “You need not panic! We have this all according to plan!” I could barely make out if the lupinor made a cackle or if the blade sounded off a crackle, but one thing was for sure — I wasn’t in civilized company; I was in mad company instead.

My eyes remained open as I was forced to go into danger and nigh possibly death, noticing the golem’s stride on its bitreader now being more erratic, needling through rock spikes and gem clusters to forestall the dragon, only meagerly delaying it from fully catching up before—

Dreadwolf swung his sword in the air, sending icy slashes that hurtled towards the tunnel-visioned dragon, hitting their marks as it froze over the dragon’s eyes.

Just in time for the golem to swerve and turn away from a rock pile… that the dragon could not see.

!

Another gust from rattled debris and churned stone blanketed over the dragon’s form, the golem’s bitreader whizzing away.

Dreadwolf reined in the kelpie to a stop. The both of us stared at where the dragon had fallen. And apart from the noise of the wheeled artifice, all was silent…

It seemed like… the dragon was—

‘’ My face contorted into a look of sheer terror. The dragon’s sudden rise blew rocks and debris flying, some hurtling towards us. The kelpie’s rising tendrils and Dreadwolf’s swift swordsmanship shielding us from the worst of it.

But that wasn’t what I was afraid of…

What I was was the dragon’s craning head and its rising claw that brushed off the ice over its eyes… eyes that now

I wasn’t the most devout, but if there was any time to start praying, it would be when this thing began to open its maw, showing a purple light that quickly glowed brighter and brighter…

Before the dragon slowly halted and just… stopped? No, it tilted its head towards—

Towards the sounds of the bitreader, now from way across the cavern. Its… almost challenging hisses catching the dragon’s attention… how could an artifice even hiss?

The gem-scaled beast lumbered around to face the golem, letting out its own guttural growl then raising its maw to snarl, its calls echoing from its side of the cavern.

Whilst high-pitched, otherworldly and resonated from the other.

No one flinched.

Not even Dreadwolf himself.

As the tension in the cavernous space could be shattered by a pin drop.

Then, and without warning—

I watched as the bitreader surged forwards, rushing head-on towards the oncoming dragon, lance firmly positioned forward as if ready to the beast.

Then at the last possible second, lights brighter than the sun itself pierced through the unyielding dark, blinding the dragon and even me. I pressed my face on Dreadwolf’s cloak to shield my eyes.

Eventually, my vision adjusted as I watched the golem seizing this second of disorientation to its advantage.

It surged leftwards, dodging a headbutt from the beast, as it soon became clear its target wasn’t the beast at all… but a rocky ramp with which to—

“NOW!” Dreadwolf yelled, the kelpie’s tendrils shooting to once again distract the dragon, disorienting it further and allowing for the golem to ramp off that rocky outcropping unimpeded, flying high into the air… before on the dragon itself.

From there, the golem its bitreader sideways, as if to stop and gain purchase, before then abruptly mid-stride.

What happened next… was something would ever believe. The golem forwards, its heels into the dragon’s back even as it started to sway back and forth, until it towards an amethyst-rich patch of its back, grabbing what appeared to be an artifice lodged firmly within.

“Got it?!” Dreadwolf yelled, receiving a nod but not much else from the golem, whose backpack proceeded to as it tried its darnedest to remain on top of the raging beast.

“Right, it’s time we go—”

The dragon bellowed out once more, now for the cave entrance.

“HOLD ON!” Dreadwolf yelled as I did everything within my power to keep myself on the dashing kelpie’s back.

Dragon’s Lair. Central Cavern ‘Foyer’ en Route to Cave Entrance. Local Time: 2159 Hours.

Emma

“HOLD ON!” Thalmin yelled as I did everything within my power to keep myself on the rushing dragon’s back.

I crawled forwards, gripping crystal after crystal for purchase until I found myself near the nape of its neck, sitting in what I could only describe as a perfect position… though without of the control that should’ve come with it.

It was at that point that I that I was just here for the ride, as I gripped onto two crystals firmly, doing everything in my power to let go, until finally—

“THERE IT IS! RELEASE! RELEASE!” I heard Ignalius yelling, realizing that was my stop.

As a luminous net unfurled at the makeshift cave entrance and the dragon’s form careened into the bindings. I promptly let go, landing with a foot, a knee, and a fisted against the ground in what could only be described as my superhero pose of the night.

The first, being the sideways motorcycle slide down the dragon’s back, was a solid I’d saved for posterity. Though the — the sandworm climb — was up for debate.

It took a moment for me to reorient myself and a second more for the EVI to assess the extent of any injuries or damage sustained.

[PROXIMITY ALERT!]

The armor leaped and rolled away from a gem-spiked tail that slammed down onto where I was a second ago.

Control returned as I turned my head towards the amethyst dragon, its legs and talons clawing against the net, screeching in anger and frustration.

ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 500% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS

The air around the dragon began to go hazy and shimmering, and the crystals around the dragon glowed in tandem. Only for it all to fizzle into sparks in the air.

ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 600% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS

It glowed and hazed and shimmered again, roaring with defiance only for another fizzle. It had the same effects as when it apparated, only it was failing.

The EVI detected more people coming in — the trapper team specifically. Baxi, dwarf, and satyr workfolk all manically rushed past me, hurriedly securing multiple parts of the net. Soon to follow was the loquacious Ignalius atop his armored alicorn, looking overhead above the cave entrance. “SECURE THE TACKLE! SEAL THE SELVEDGES! QUICKLY BEFORE IT ESCAPES!”

The commands of their Captain were loud, loud enough against the screeching warbles of the writhing dragon that the trapping team did as instructed, most of them pulling thick ropes while the rest were dangerously closer, magically sealing up the edges of the net. But the thrashing beast was too strong — it raised its wings and flapped against the binds, throwing some of the sealers off balance and knocking their bodies against one line of rope-pullers.

Following which, I sprinted to a sliding halt at the unmanned rope, gripped hard, and Pulling harder than the combined strength of those prior, I was NOT about to let all our hard work fly away quite literally.

Despite the net tightening ever more from the others’ efforts, it was still slack enough for the dragon’s neck to turn and crane its head towards me, its slitted pupils piercing with fury and an almost sizzling hiss escaping its jaws… jaws that were widening, and its mouth starting to glow an awfully bright purple hue.

It didn’t take a Castles and Wyverns players to realize what was about to happen. Freeing a hand, I reached for my holster, ready to—

ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 350% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS

“Huh?”

A certain shatorealmer appeared from above, and a glowing gauntleted fist slammed and the amethyst dragon’s head.

The dragon gawked out, but more so in annoyance than in much actual pain. It was enough to catch its attention. But before it could snap back or continue what it was about to unleash…

ALERT: MULTIPLE LOCALIZED SURGES OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED

Gauntleted mercs from the perimeter SEC forces rushed in, laying into the dragon’s head from multiple sides, downing the beast with pained and disoriented shrieks. The satyrs didn’t look too happy doing it either. Fear was evident in their faces, and I couldn’t help but turn my head back to Ignalius, who seemed all too eager to watch this display.

I narrowed my eyes in thought. But I focused on the task at hand, as those that were downed were starting to come to, resuming their objectives until finally, the net was sealed, the ropes were secured, and the dragon was unceremoniously knocked out.

Following which, I finally breathed a sigh of relief as I ordered the armor to stand before leaning my body to relax, now awaiting the return of both the V4c and Thalmin.

Dragon’s Lair. Cave Entrance. Local Time: 2159 Hours.

Thalmin

I’d made sure to grab the spoils of Emma’s travails.

One being the bitreader, and the other… being a sizable crystal she’d managed to off the beast on her ride to the cave entrance.

. I thought to myself as I turned to the baxi girl, taking stock of her condition before making our way back towards the cave entrance. “You alright back there?”

“Y-yes.” She responded with a nervous hitch in her breath.

The stutter carried over into her gaze, as she seemed hesitant to maintain eye contact, breaking and regaining it with every other twitch and breath.

This prompted me to breathe in deeply before calling her to attention with an insistent breath.

“Allow me to be forward — merc life doesn’t seem to suit you, nor would adventuring for that matter.” I announced firmly, finally managing to gain of a consistent gaze from the baxi. “Have you ever considered another line of work?”

“I… I’ve tried… a lot of things, S-Ser Dreadwolf. B-but nothing ever bore fruit…” She spoke dourly.

“Then keep trying. It’s better to be a harvest cut short by the sickle, than to have a life cut short by the blade.” I warned sternly. “If you have any sense at all, then you would take today’s close brush with death as a rare gift, one which many a soldier, mercenary, or adventurer is rarely bestowed — a warning, for what have been.” I paused, leveling my eyes with the would-be mercenary. “I advise you leave this life behind, away from this dysfunctional troupe, before it’s too late.” I advised sternly, before letting out another sigh. “However, I likewise understand the… of getting off a carriage in motion. So once all is said and done, if you do decide to heed my words, then I shall offer to at least point you in the right direction.” I ended off my tirade with a hint of compassion, one which was reciprocated in kind by the swooshing of the baxi’s tail, causing Aquastride a great deal of annoyance.

“Er, stop that, please. Aquastride’s not broken in yet. She… doesn’t like guests on her back, so I wouldn’t tempt her resolve.”

“Ah! E-er, sorry, Ser Dreadwolf.” The baxi responded with a nervous affirmation, before going silent once more.

A silence which felt after a tirade which I feared was perhaps a bit harsh.

“Listen, how about you have a bite to eat to calm your nerves.” I offered, pulling out one of those cheese and cracker morsels from earlier. “There, I didn’t touch mine, so—”

“I can’t.” She shook her head firmly.

“Oh? Never heard of a baxi who was allergic to milk.”

“It’s not that, Ser Dreadwolf. It’s… I don’t…” The twitchy feline trailed off, her gaze shifting to the side, as if unwilling to divulge what should’ve been a simple explanation.

“I won’t get offended if you refuse, you know.” I clarified.

“I-It’s not—” She stopped herself, before finally letting out a sigh, her eyes locking onto my own as I turned back to face her. “Back in my village, we have a cardinal rule. Do not eat from the dead.”

Those few words caused me to stop Aquastride in my tracks, my attention now firmly locked onto the baxi.

“What are you saying?”

“I… well… the cheese was not part of our original rations. It was… , acquired by .”

I narrowed my eyes. “Vacant goods? From a dead man?”

“Y-yes, Ser Dreadwolf. My mast— er, the Captain found a merchant’s cart full of cheeses during his flight down to scout ahead. He said the dragon probably attacked him. B-but I didn’t see any fire, so maybe it was bandits, but I… I don’t know. All I know is that I’m probably a bit too picky for a greenhorn to be turning down such treats—”

“Was the merchant a kobold?” I asked bluntly.

“I think so?”

“Scale color?” I snapped back.

“Brown, Ser Dreadwolf.”

I felt my gut twist for a moment as I clenched my fists tight around Aquastride’s reins.

“Is… something the matter, Ser Dreadwolf?”

“No.” I responded bluntly. “Let’s… just finish this job.”

There was no doubt in my mind as to precisely had happened.

This was outside of the Amethyst Dragon’s behavioral motives, and there was likewise not a bandit to be seen out in the open roads, not in the short time frame between our departure from the cheese merchant. Which left suspect in this entire debacle.

I felt a seething rage simmering within me as we trotted forwards towards that cave exit. A feeling which only intensified as the flickering lights of the murderer’s men casted their tainted shadows deep into our short march forwards.

“Did you catch that, Emma?” I spoke under a carefully positioned spell of silence bubble, relaying my findings through the strange conch wrapped around my ear.

“Yes.” Was Emma’s only reply. Though the of its delivery was more than enough to fill in what was lacking in words.

I could feel my sword hand clenching as we finally made it through the oppressive dark, returning to meet the disingenuous light of a dead man walking.

“A performance! Truly!” Ignalius beamed out, clasping his hands while gesturing towards the squirming yet silent dragon. “Your golem is truly something else, Dreadwolf. Quite a remarkable find! Though yourself, having survived an encounter with a dragon? My my my, I think we have a new adventurer on our hands!”

“A job’s a job, Captain.” I sighed out in exhaustion, allowing the wariness to mask the seething indignancy within. “Now comes end of the bargain.”

“Oh, of course.” The elf acknowledged as he turned to the shatorealmer, who promptly a crystal from the incapacitated dragon before throwing it in my direction.

“If ya want more, give me some time. I’m still securing the catch.” The shatorealmer offered.

To which I gave no response in kind.

“Oh, and Katiya?”

The baxi’s whiskers seemed to straighten from the sudden acknowledgement. Quickly, she dismounted from Aquastride and presented herself with a bowed head. “Y-yes, Captain?” She responded, her words anxious.

“I must say, congratulations are in order for all! But you, in particular, earned yourself quite a specialty.” The man grinned as he bade a hand for her to come. The baxi girl turned back to me with a look of confliction before bowing her head back and walking forwards.

“Not one word spoken in this troupe goes unnoticed by me, so I know quite well how your compatriots regard you. Katiya the , yes? And yet, their bodies lie hewn in the depths while you stand in the light, having done your duty no less! Without your warning, we could not have planned accordingly and secured the dragon. I’d say a new title is in order!” He almost sang the word out, grasping Katiya’s shoulders firmly while the girl herself seemed barely able to keep from shaking.

“T-thank you… you are too kind, C-Captain…” Katiya responded, following Ignalius down the hillside, where she eventually found herself behind one of the stagecoaches.

The next few moments were marked by an uneasy relief on the part of Ignalius’ men, as background chatter faded ever further into the clinking of chains and the insistent micromanaging shrieks of the shatorealmer behind us. Though to his credit, this micromanaging effective, as they hauled the offending beast down from the hill in reasonable haste.

This was set in stark contrast to the silent and stoic visage I wore as instead of any relief washing over me, I found only a growing uneasiness intensifying with every passing second.

Thus I watched silently as the Nexian made his way towards his awaiting alicorn at the foot of the hill, every fiber in me for what was to happen next.

I could feel myself yearning for justice.

But Emma’s cautious words prior to this, her call for no bloodshed, still held true.

The mission had to come first.

We couldn’t draw more suspicion if we didn’t need to.

Though… part of me — the Havenbrockian prince within — that the elf would finally shed his facade, draw his blade to match his ego, if only to fulfil Emma’s draconic ‘rules of engagement.’ In order to serve the righting of wrongs, here and now.

“You know… I say that I met two freelancers — one if you don’t count the golem — along this journey.” He began in his signature singsong voice, almost so. “I didn’t mention whether or not they the dragon encounter.” He quickly added before raising a wand in our direction.

“LOSANTIA!”

…

And there it was.

The call of hubris.

I watched as time slowed to a crawl and as a surge of pure, focused mana surged forwards towards the both of us.

There was no question as to what it was.

The fool had given me warning with that novice’s call and provided me with even more time to react as he brought that wand — his crutch — to bear.

But while his pace of conjuring was burdened by his inherent shortcomings, the wand at least fulfill its purpose. That surge of mana… was admittedly .

…

By standards, that is.

And provided one had neglected to use that generous pause to prepare a sufficient counterspell.

The pure magical attack slammed into our position as a tidal wave would against rocky shores, as the impact was without a doubt… .

Blinding waves of reverberating mana against the manastreams, making it difficult for any chosen one or non-mage to the immediate effects of this daring offensive.

To Ignalius and his men, these first few seconds would’ve looked indistinguishable from a successful assault — a complete of manafields and aura alike leading to a violent end by harmonization, or mana sickness, or perhaps even a forceful untethering by the sheer force of said attack.

Indeed, the sounds of awe from these lowlives proved that the ensuing seconds was yet another spectacular display of complete and utter dominance from their dear Captain.

But then, the fantasy faded.

And in its wake… was the harsh realities of a mage scorned.

Dragon’s Lair. Cave Entrance. Local Time: 2200 Hours.

Emma

I knew it.

ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 500% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS

.

The next few seconds proved critical as a beam of concentrated mana surged forwards, poised for the both of us.

Thalmin stood still, and so did I as I observed an equal rise of background mana radiation—

ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 400% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS

—but this time, from Thalmin’s end.

The EVI’s wand imaging systems practically in an instant, as what had been weather-vane-like visualizations devolved into utter static at the chaos of the two pure-magic spells crashing against one another.

It took a second for the ‘dust’ to settle, but in that second I’d wasted no time in warming up my counteroffensive.

One which was days in the making.

[RAILGUN CHARGE NOMINAL. CHARGE CAPACITY 100%.]

With the external mics still turned off but broadcasting solely to Thalmin’s earpiece, I spoke with a reluctant malice.

“Hey, Iggy. I cast gun.”