by Virlyce
“Why don’t we talk this out?” Minerva asked, her voice crisp. “Fighting is a waste of time.”
“Once I decide on something, I won’t stop until I have it,” Kondra said with a snarl. “That’s what it means to stick to one’s principles.”
“No,” Minerva said. “That’s called being stubborn.”
“Dragons are stubborn; what were you expecting?” Tafel asked, causing the two matriarchs to turn their gazes onto her. She pursed her lips and hunched her shoulders. When the two beasts looked away, Tafel pouted and muttered, “It’s true though.”
Emile grunted, his affirmation accompanied by munching sounds.
“Not all dragons are stubborn,” Lulu said. She was curled up behind Tafel, resting her chin on her paws. “I’m a very flexible person. I gave up on Vur, didn’t I? How about you let me rent him once a month? I can make pretty useful potions.”
Tafel snorted. “He’s my husband,” she said. “Stop asking.”
Lulu grumbled. “Who’s the stubborn one now?” She narrowed her eyes at the demon in front of her. “I bet I could take you on now that your runes were destroyed by my mom.”
“You sound like a sore loser,” Emile said through a beakful of corn. “Gracefully accept your loss, big lizard.”
Lulu growled at Emile, baring her teeth. “Does the tiny red chicken want to fight?”
Tafel’s mouth fell open as Emile swallowed the rest of the cob in one gulp before flying at Lulu with his talons outstretched. Sweat appeared on her forehead as she scrambled away, avoiding a breath of holy fire. Emile squawked and spewed phoenix flames, countering Lulu’s breath. Tafel wet her lips and snuck away while preparing a teleportation spell. “They’re like cats and dogs,” she muttered, watching the two phoenixes and two dragons clash with each other. Her horns flashed silver, and her surroundings distorted, turning into the walls of a city. Behind her, the streets were littered with food and drinks that the partygoers had left behind in their retreat. Ahead of her, flames filled the air, and Kondra’s and Lulu’s outlines stood out among the destroyed trees.
Tafel scratched her head. “Maybe I should’ve taken Emile with me,” she said to herself. She frowned at a spilled tankard of ale by her feet. “So much for Vur’s party. Where is he anyway?” She sighed and took a seat on the city’s walls, fiddling with her bloody clothes. Kondra’s talon had pierced through the leviathan armor like it didn’t exist. She rubbed her skin and sighed again. “At least I didn’t scar. Why am I so weak? I bet Vur could’ve beat her; I still have a long way to go.”
Tafel shivered before hugging her knees to her chest. She propped her chin on top of her knees and bit her lower lip. The fire in the sky was sending shivers down her spine despite their intensity, and every time Minerva switched places with her flames, Tafel’s forehead tingled. “Could I learn that?” Tafel muttered, her gaze locked onto Minerva’s form. Her fingers twitched, and she clenched her hand into a fist. “I definitely will.”
Tafel inhaled and closed her eyes. Her horns glowed red as flames spread out from her body, coating the city walls. She opened her eyes and looked around. “Is this it?” she asked and stood up. She touched the fire by her side and frowned. It was cold. “Hmm. Maybe—” She stiffened. Sweat ran down her back as she slowly tilted her head up. Four dragons, three silver, one black, were flying towards the city. Tafel’s horns flashed silver, and she appeared by Emile’s side, tackling him to the ground during the middle of his wrestling match with Lulu. She shouted at Minerva, “Mom! There’s another three holy dragons coming this way!”
Kondra laughed after breathing out a breath of white flames. “You lose, Minerva!”
Minerva snorted and let out a cry. “Children!”
Eleven phoenixes rose into the air from outside the battlefield. “Are we going to kick some butts tonight?”
“Yeah! We beat them in a cherry-picking contest; we’ll beat them in a fight too!”
“I want to fight Leo! Let me fight Leo by myself!”
The phoenixes cheered as they soared into the fire in the sky, heading towards the four dragons.
Tafel, Lulu, and Emile watched the eleven phoenixes as they disappeared into the blazing flames. Once Minerva and Kondra resumed their fight, Tafel glared at Lulu. “Look at what you started—a war between phoenixes and dragons. It’s all because you were thinking with your lady bits!”
“Hey! It’s not my fault your husband is ridiculously attractive!” Lulu snorted and crossed her front legs over her chest as she sat on her hind legs. After a second, she bit her lower lip and sighed. “Ah, it’d really be bad if someone other than you died.”
Tafel kicked Lulu’s leg. “It’d be bad if I died too!” She smacked Emile’s head, stopping his incessant growling. “Let’s try to get them to mediate.”
Lulu shook her head. “That’s not going to happen,” she said. “My mom’s really, really stubborn. But my siblings should understand the general situation. I’ll go talk to them.”
Tafel nodded and teleported onto Lulu’s head. “Let’s go.”
“Hey! What the heck are you doing?” Lulu asked, shaking her head like a dog. Tafel screamed, barely holding onto a crack in one of Lulu’s scales. “Not just anyone can ride on a dragon!”
“I can’t fly,” Tafel said through gritted teeth. “Stop shaking! Let me ride you just this once.”
Lulu paused. “Let me have Vur for a day once every three months.”
“No!”
“Then off with you!”
35
“Tafel…,” Emile said while panting. “You’re … really heavy.” He gasped for breath while pumping his wings as hard as he could, a demon hanging onto his legs.
“I saw you wrestle with Lulu! You can lift a dragon,” Tafel said, glaring up at the phoenix. “Don’t call me fat!”
Emile shut his beak and stared at the silver dragon flying ahead of him. “…You’re not aerodynamic.”
Tafel gritted her teeth. “I’m slim, dammit.”
“I’ll be quiet now,” Emile said as Tafel’s grip on his feet tightened. He followed Lulu through the flames that his mother created. The trio made it past the fire unharmed and hesitated at the scene outside. The phoenixes were hovering in front of the dragons, huddling around each other while conversing in hushed tones. Grimmy was at the head of the dragons, staring at the birds with a hungry look in his eyes. He swallowed once and opened his mouth, pretending to yawn.
“Grimmy!” Tafel shouted. “Is that you?”
Grimmy froze mid-bite and glanced at Tafel. His eyes narrowed at Emile, and he retreated backwards, closing his mouth before chuckling. “Hello, squirt,” he said. “Are these your friends?”
“Yes,” Tafel said, a shiver running down her spine. The phoenixes hadn’t even noticed Grimmy’s actions, still discussing amongst each other. “They’re my siblings now. I was imprinted by a phoenix.”
“Oh?” Grimmy asked, raising an eyebrow. “A phoenix. I see. Would she notice if one of her children went missing?”
An awkward smile appeared on Tafel’s face. “She would. Please, don’t eat them.”
“Ah! The dragon of darkness was planning on eating us!” one of the phoenixes shouted.
“Huh? But we were having our strategy meeting and called time out. No one’s allowed to interrupt a time out.”
“Dragons of darkness don’t play by the rules!”
“Calm down, guys,” Tafel said and sighed as she joined their group, still holding onto Emile. “We don’t have to fight them.” She let go of one of her hands and pointed at Vur, who was sitting on Grimmy’s head while waving at Tafel. “Look. That’s my husband. Bring me over, Emile.”
“You’re so bossy for someone so incapable, big sis,” Emile said with a sigh. He struggled through the air and deposited Tafel onto Grimmy’s head before making eye contact with the black dragon. “Can I sit too?”
Grimmy’s eyes glinted. “For a price.”
“What kind of price
?” Emile asked and tilted his head while Lindyss sighed and looked away from the red bird.
Tafel ignored their conversation and tackled Vur, burying her head into his chest. “I missed you.”
Vur patted Tafel’s head and hugged her. “I missed you too,” he said. His hand brushed against Tafel’s ripped armor, and he frowned. “Is that your blood?”
“Ah?” Tafel sat up and glanced at her shoulder. “Yeah. But I’m all better now thanks to Lulu.” She turned her head and stuck her tongue out at the silver dragon hovering beside Grimmy. Then she leaned forward and kissed Vur on the lips, snaking her hand into his hair.
Lulu’s eye twitched. “Oi.”
Tafel ignored her as she ate Vur’s face.
“Oi!” Lulu said again, causing everyone to turn their attention onto her. She shrank back and gulped. “Uh…, oh! Mom’s fighting the phoenix matriarch down there.”
“Mom? As in our mom?” Leo asked. “She should still be lecturing Dad for not watching the penguins that you stripped.” He coughed. “Sorry, defeathered.”
Vur and Tafel stopped their actions, their faces flushed. “You didn’t give me a chance to ask,” Vur said, his finger lingering on Tafel’s neck. “Who hurt you?”
Tafel lowered her head. “It was the dragon matriarch. She’s down there right now,” she said and pointed off to the side. Tafel winced as Vur’s hands heated up, and she raised her head. Vur had a black rune on his forehead with webs of light snaking down his body. She thought she heard a few screams coming from the tattoos on his arms and shoulder as the tendrils of darkness touched them, but she wasn’t sure.
“Lulu!” Vur said as he stood up and walked to the edge of Grimmy’s head.
“Vur?” Lulu asked. “Are you okay? You look a bit, uh, not okay.”
“Mana potions,” Vur said, glaring down at the ground. Kondra was still fighting with Minerva, her maw eating away at the flames surrounding her. Vur roared, and dozens of runic circles appeared in the sky. He staggered as his aura weakened.
“Here,” Lulu said, reaching behind her wing and pulling out a blob of green liquid. She funneled it into Vur’s mouth with magic. “I made some adjustments since last time, and you shouldn’t get as drunk.”
“Where did you pull that out of?” Leila asked her sister as Vur drank the concoction.
“Trade secret,” Lulu said, puffing her chest out. Her gaze landed onto Tafel, and she stuck her tongue out. “I guess we know who Vur relies on more.”
Leila blinked at the heated expression on her sister’s and Tafel’s faces. “Don’t tell me….”
“Fireworks!” Emile shouted. He pointed up at the runic circles in the sky. Dozens of meteors emerged from the runes, their bodies red and white. “They’re warmer than lava.”
The meteors fell past the dragons and phoenixes, descending towards the dragon matriarch on the ground. Vur leapt off of Grimmy’s head, transforming as he fell. Ocean-blue scales covered his body as he grew in size, twisting and contorting into the shape of a dragon. The rune on his forehead flashed, causing a black, slime-like substance to coat his scales. A pair of fairy-like wings sprouted out of his lower back, and his tail elongated while flattening into a blade.
“I didn’t know he could do that,” Lindyss said, standing on the edge of Grimmy’s head. “Should we help him?”
“I want to watch for a bit,” Grimmy said with a laugh. “When the time’s right, we’ll sneak attack that crazy old lady.”
Leila frowned. “Grimmy….”
“Shh!” Emile said, hopping next to Lindyss’ feet on Grimmy’s head. “It’s starting!”
***
“Kondra,” Minerva said, freezing in place. “Above you.”
“I won’t fall for such petty tricks, Minerva!” Kondra said. She roared and lunged at the phoenix, her teeth glowing with a bright white light. She sank her fangs into the phoenix’s flesh, but Minerva collapsed into a pile of flames before reappearing above her. Kondra growled and raised her head. “Even that won’t….”
A wry smile appeared on Minerva’s beak. “Do you see what I mean by above you?” she asked the petrified dragon. She waved her wing in front of Kondra’s face. “Are you that shocked?”
Kondra’s jaws snapped shut as her eyes narrowed into slits. “Nova! What are you doing in my lands!?” She sucked in her breath, her chest bulging. Minerva flew out of the way as a white beam of light pierced through the sky, slamming into the screen of red meteors falling towards them. A few meteors were directly vaporized, but there were so many that she couldn’t see the blue sky behind them.
“That’s Nova?” Minerva muttered as she hovered off to the side. “Odd. It feels more like Vur. Tafel did say he was Nova’s grandson….” She shrugged before spreading her wings and letting out a clear cry. The flames surrounding her and Kondra converged and condensed into an orange net which fell onto the dragon matriarch. “Good luck.”
Kondra glared at the phoenix, who was retreating, before biting the net. The orange material bent but didn’t break. When she released her jaws, the bent portions sprang back into place. Kondra spread her wings and leapt into the air, the net sticking to her and the ground like glue. She struggled, flapping her wings and soaring up, but the net extended like a stretched rubber band. An instant later, she shot back towards the ground as the elastic material snapped back into place. “Minerva!” Kondra shouted and fired a laser beam at the phoenix.
Minerva swerved to the side, but the light clipped her wing, causing her to tumble in the air. Blood poured from her wound, but she ignored it and flew towards the city. Even she didn’t want to be hit by the meteors when they fell.
Kondra gritted her teeth and spat on the ground. “You gave up your world of fire to pin me down? You thought a few meteors could defeat me!?” Her eyes glazed over, a silver light spreading outwards from her pupils. She raised her head and let out a soundless roar, causing dozens of runic circles to appear in the air above her but below the layer of falling meteors. From the runes, meteors of her own emerged, shooting upwards and colliding with Vur’s.
Kondra panted as she reached into a gap in the net and spread it open, sticking her head and neck through. Explosions rang out overhead as the meteors grinded against each other, cracking and exploding into tiny flaming particles. By the time the explosions stopped, she managed to slip both of her front legs and one of her wings out of the net. Her eyes widened as she raised her head. “There’s still more?”
Kondra ground her teeth together as her eyes glazed over again, filling with silver light. She summoned more runic circles which created more meteors which created more explosions and flaming particles. After another struggle, her other wing came free, the net’s hole tightening around her waist, still holding down her legs and tail. She stopped trying to free herself and glanced up at the sky. A frown appeared on her face. “Still three left? How much mana did you use, Nova!?”
Kondra roared and shot out a laser beam which crashed into the remaining meteors, causing them to explode into a cloud of dust. She snorted and wiggled her lower body, pushing the net down to her lower back. She froze mid-action as her eyes widened at a black, dragon-shaped figure, Vur, emerging from the dust cloud and plunging towards her. “You’re not Nova!”
Vur roared in response, barreling into Kondra. His jaw snapped shut, and his teeth sank into Kondra’s shoulder, causing her to howl in pain. She clawed at his eyes while lunging forward, biting Vur on his shoulder. She tried to smack him with her tail, but the net prevented it from reaching. Hot air shot out of Vur’s nostrils as he pulled his head back, trying to tear flesh off of Kondra’s shoulder. But her scales were too hard, her muscles too tough; instead of tearing off a chunk of flesh, Vur widened the wounds by a tiny margin.
Kondra growled, and her chest puffed up. White light spilled out of the corners of her mouth as her eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth as a laser beam engulfed the left half of Vur’s body, causing him to roar and release his jaws. Kondra sn
orted as she retreated as far back as the net would let her and tended to her wounds with mana. “You,” she said as her flesh stitched itself back together. “Why are you unharmed!?”
Vur glared at her with blood dripping from his maw. The bite-marks on Vur’s shoulder disappeared as the black aura filled in his wounds. Other than that, he was unscathed, the laser having had no effect. Vur snarled and lunged forward, tackling Kondra onto her side. He pinned her wing behind her with one of his legs and snaked his head in between her front legs, lunging towards her neck.
Kondra squirmed and pressed Vur’s head to the ground with her left front leg, but he slipped through like an eel, the black aura on his body acting like a lubricant. “Stop!” Kondra shouted as she arched her back, trying to create some distance between her neck and Vur’s teeth. White light poured out of her mouth as she fired a laser point-blank into Vur’s face. Her heart pounded as she willed the remainder of her mana into the strike, causing the light to shine brighter than the sun. Vur stopped moving, but she didn’t let up, forcing every last ounce of her mana into her attack. When her mana reserves began drying up, and she was about to relax, a sharp pain assaulted her. “I-impossible….”
The scales around her neck cracked and shattered as Vur’s teeth sank into her flesh. His golden eyes glared at Kondra, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She whimpered as her head fell to the ground, limp. Her front legs struggled uselessly. “How did you stop my attack…?”
Vur ignored her as he opened his mouth, releasing Kondra’s neck, and bit down again, creating another wound. Kondra coughed out a mouthful of blood. “At least tell me your name….”
Vur snorted as he released Kondra’s neck and prepared to bite down again.
“Vur, that’s enough.”
Vur blinked as Lindyss landed on top of his head. Grimmy landed beside him and pulled him away while Kondra’s children appeared by her side. Grimmy grinned at Kondra’s glare, and patted Vur’s back. “Good job. But dragons don’t kill dragons. At most, we rob them of everything they own, but we leave them their lives.”
