Metal Mage 10

by Eric Vall

  “I know,” I admitted, “but I’m going to be very careful where I aim, okay? A dart couldn’t deliver enough tranquilizer or strike deep enough in these dragon’s limbs to be effective. One arrow won’t do too much damage compared to staying possessed.”

  The dragon’s scaly head nodded in understanding, and when she turned back around, she was already crouched to take flight as an ominous rumble echoed through her entire body.

  “Hold on,” I chuckled, and I pulled back on her spines as she let out an impatient snarl. “I know you’re chomping at the bit here, but we’re in battle dragon mode right now, and all good battle dragons find a balance between dragon instincts, and Deya’s common sense, alright?”

  Deya nodded once more, and she looked back at me for her instructions.

  “Timing is going to be everything here, along with not getting killed,” I continued. “If we tranquilize too many dragons at once, Shoshanne won’t be able to keep up with finding the bodies before the others finish removing the runes. So, let’s aim for one dragon every five to ten minutes, and try to herd them away from the jungle and the fortress so they land in the foothills. Most importantly, if you suffer any injury beyond a torn wing or a broken limb, break the connection immediately.”

  Now, the dragon let out a vicious snarl, and I smirked as I patted her scales.

  “I know, but I’ll be fine,” I assured her. “My Terra powers are at peak performance right now, and as much as I don’t want to do a death fall toward the ground, I can survive it. This is too dangerous a situation to not have a last-ditch plan in place, so I need your word that you won’t stay with me if you’re badly injured, deal?”

  I wasn’t too surprised when Deya casually looked away without giving me any affirmative signal, and I sighed as I nudged my boot against her side.

  “Deal?” I repeated, and the black dragon just barely grunted.

  I shook my head as I scanned the foothills, and two possessed dragons were already taking off toward the blackened jungles to begin their hunting. The more that left before Bobbie arrived, the longer this operation would take because we’d have to stick around until they returned, so I fidgeted with the barrel of my blowgun as I watched another two take flight and head south.

  It was only a few minutes later when Bobbie’s headlights glinted in the distance, though, and I waited until she was in position before I tightened my grip on the blowgun and braced my legs a little more firmly around the dragon’s shoulders.

  “Alright, it’s showtime,” I muttered. “Let’s try and keep a low profile as long as we can and steer our targets as far west as possible.”

  Deya didn’t hesitate to lunge from the mountainside the moment the words left my mouth, and she unfurled her wings to coast us out over the eastern foothills. Then she made a wide circle as two more dragons abandoned their posts at the fortress, and she adjusted our course so we’d intercept them before they reached the Nalnoran border.

  I had my finger poised on the trigger as we neared our targets, but when Deya let out a warning snarl and cut across their path, flames erupted from both dragons’ toothy maws.

  “Shit!” I yelped as Deya shielded me from the flames with her wings, but the maneuver caused us to do a barrel roll through the air, and I clung to her scaly back as the dragons came after us on both sides.

  The second we were upright, their flames jetted our way again, but when we dove out of range, I saw my opening as both their underbellies were exposed above us.

  Then I took my aim, and I gritted my teeth in trepidation before I pulled the trigger.

  Nothing exploded, though, and the arrow fired so fast the strength of the air rune almost threw me right off Deya’s back, but the screech of the dragon above assured me I’d hit my mark dead on. Then I adjusted my aim before the second dragon could get its jaws parted for another attack, and as the next arrow impaled his inner thigh, his wings jolted in pain.

  My heart pounded hard while I waited for the pair of them to drop, and I was just beginning to worry the dosing wouldn’t be enough when the flapping of their wings began to slow. Then they spiraled toward the ground, and they landed with heavy thuds in the shadows of the foothills below.

  “Hell, yeah,” I growled as Deya snarled in approval, and I gave her a sturdy pat to the scales. “Way to remain calm. Now, we just have to do that about a dozen more times.”

  The fact that improvising my newest weapon in a slapdash moment actually worked out had me brimming with pride, and I clutched the blowgun against me while I let this win wash over me for a bit. Not only was my production time on point lately, but my ability to use rune magic was steadily improving, which meant storming the ominous fortress that loomed in my sights wasn’t as far out of my skill set as I’d feared.

  It was only a matter of time before I got my opening where the Master was concerned, and with both magery and rune magic in my arsenal, I’d be more than ready if I had anything to say about it.

  A lethal grin came to my face as Deya circled above the sedated dragons, and Bobbie was already coming to a stop just beside them. Then Cayla and Raynor hopped out of the Mustang and paired up to locate the runes, and they swiftly set to work removing each one.

  Three more dragons were already heading straight south from the fortress, though, and I tightened my hold on Deya’s spines as she turned us around.

  “We need to herd them west before we tranquilize them,” I told her. “If they retaliate, we’ll be right in sight of those ogres on the grounds, so try to lure them toward Bobbie without pissing them off too much.”

  Deya picked up speed to catch up with the trio of possessed dragons before they reached the jungles, and at first, she tried steering them based on what I assumed was some kind of dragon flocking signal. They didn’t seem to notice her at all, though, and when they kept a steady course, I furrowed my brow.

  “Deya, get in front of them,” I ordered as I looped my blow gun around my back to free up my hands. “I’ve got an idea.”

  The black dragon dipped low before she rose up at the head of the flock, and I turned around as I whistled as loud as I could to catch their attention.

  “Hey, you guys hungry?” I hollered, and I pulled my sleeves up to flash a bit of skin. “How ‘bout some man flesh? What do you think? Nice juicy mage just sittin’ here waiting to be …”

  I trailed off as the dragons’ eyes all zeroed in on me in unison, and I could feel the full weight of their predatory stares as I froze with my arms still out.

  Then they lurched forward with their teeth bared.

  “Oh, fuck! Go!” I yelped, and I whipped back around to get a death grip on the spines in front of me.

  Deya took a hard right as she began to lead the dragons west, and I chanced a glance under my arm to find two hungry golden eyes leering at me on our left flank. The possessed dragons were gaining on us quicker than I’d expected, and they began snapping at Deya’s tail and legs as they overtook us.

  “Fly faster!” I bellowed, and the black dragon shot forward with all her strength as I pulled the blowgun around from my back.

  I could see Bobbie’s headlights not far ahead as Deya’s roar rippled through me, and she swiftly dove before she doubled back to bring us directly beneath the beasts.

  Then I aimed straight up, and I sent three arrows soaring into the dragons drive-by style. I couldn’t help laughing as they dropped one by one and landed in a tidy line for my women to handle, but the victory was short-lived.

  My grin faded on the spot as I turned my gaze toward the Master’s fortress, and I saw every dragon left in his armada heading straight at us.

  “Well … that got their attention,” I muttered.

  Deya let out an anxious screech as she hovered in the air and gauged our next attack, but I gave her a reassuring pat to the scales. If we could manage to drop them all in one spot, it wouldn’t matter how quickly we took them out, so I took a steadying breath as I mentally prepared to get stupid reckless.

&
nbsp; “Come on,” I finally growled. “Let’s show them what you’ve got.”

  I didn’t expect my words to amp her up so much, but Deya took off like a shot as blue flames spewed from her jaws, and I did my best to hold on as we flew headlong into the fray.

  I tried not to let the fact I was literally riding my woman into a dragon battle go to my head, but I ended up slapping her haunches to goad her on anyway, and I might have thrown a raucous “yeehaw” out there. I was honestly too caught up in the moment to be sure.

  Either way, my skin was practically peeling off my face from the speed we gathered as we flew across the foothills, and I had my finger taut on the trigger when we barreled into the mass of dragons.

  Three arrows quickly met their marks within a matter of seconds, but that’s when the shit hit the fan, and the other seven dragons closed in on us.

  Deya dove and looped between them while I fired every chance I got, and with one hand firmly locked around one of her spines, I let her do her thing as she wove us through torrential jets of flames and lashing talons.

  The slicing of jagged teeth echoed in my ears as the dragons snapped and snarled around us, but I took two more out before any flames managed to reach us.

  Then Deya shielded me with her wings, and I was prepared for the barrel roll this time as we broke away from the flock. We darted left and right with the last five dragons hounding us at every turn, and I sent another arrow into one of our pursuers before Deya plummeted toward the ground.

  “Shiiiit,” I growled as the wind whistled in my ears, but Deya swooped upward at the last second, and two possessed dragons slammed into the ground.

  I swiftly fired arrows into their haunches as we rose into the air with only two dragons left, and I had just managed to take one of them out when flames erupted over the jungle.

  Three of the dragons I’d seen leave to hunt were just returning, and all of them had their eyes set on Deya as they soared straight for us.

  “Watch your south side!” I shouted as the black dragon under me dodged the last dragon’s teeth, and I swiftly fired an arrow into his rear leg as he glided by. “We’ve got three heading our way.”

  Deya shifted her wings to whip us around, and I felt every muscle in her body tense at once as I checked my magazine.

  “There should only be four dragons left,” I assured her, but before I could add a few spare arrows to the five I had loaded, the dragons were already in range, and they abruptly branched off to surround us.

  Then they tore their bloody jaws open, and in an instant, flames streamed over us from all sides.

  Deya took a spiraling nosedive straight at the ground to escape the onslaught, and I would have just clung there screaming my head off if I wasn’t acutely aware I was the only one who could end this.

  So, I locked my legs as tight as I could despite the burns blistering my skin, and with one hand clutching a spine, I fired blindly into the jets of flames swirling past my vision.

  Relief flooded my veins as two screeches pierced my ears a split second later, and Deya unfurled her wings just in time to catch our fall. Shards of rock broke loose under us as she coasted and fought hard to regain some altitude, and the third dragon was hot on our tail while he let out a thunderous roar.

  I only had one arrow left in my magazine as I twisted around to steady my aim, and the toothy jaws of the beast were parted to take a bite out of Deya’s haunches when I pulled the trigger.

  Then the arrow impaled his leathery forearm, and his teeth sliced through air as he jolted in shock. He was so close to us, I could see his serpentine pupils rapidly dilating as his strength gave out, and his eyes finally rolled back as he began a silent drop toward the ground.

  “Holy shit,” I gasped, and I whipped back around to get a firm hold on Deya. “That was too close.”

  My rune was warring in my mind as the burns on my legs and knuckles healed themselves, and I could see Bobbie already barreling over the rocky terrain to get to the three beasts we just took down. I fumbled to reload my magazine despite the wind and the rolling of Deya’s muscles beneath me, and my breaths were coming shallow now because my rune still hadn’t quieted down.

  Then the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as the sense of some impending doom washed over me, and I had just finished securing the last arrow in the magazine when Deya abruptly changed course.

  I pitched sideways and nearly fell off as she took a hard turn, and when we came around, she was flying headlong at a massive purple dragon that was at least twice her size.

  It was the last of the four to return from the jungles, and his teeth were locked on a hoard of carcasses, but the moment his fiery orange eyes narrowed on us, the bodies dropped from his jaw.

  Then flames seemed to erupt from every crevice of his face as the light of the blaze illuminated the foothills for a mile around, and I scrambled to right myself as I blinked hard to regain my vision.

  “Deya!” I hollered in warning, but she didn’t slow her pace.

  I could feel her lungs swelling rapidly between my legs as she gained speed instead, and just when I thought she would collide with the beast, she dove. My ass rose right off her back as I clutched her spines for dear life, and then I crashed down hard as she swooped upward to bring us directly beneath the possessed dragon.

  He was already onto her tactics, though, as his keen eyes tracked our every move, and I had my blowgun aimed at his underside when he tore after us before I could blink.

  Three arrows missed their marks while Deya veered off as fast as she could, but she was too late.

  I readied myself to take a jet of flames straight to the face as the dragon parted its jaws on my right, but then his teeth closed around Deya’s wing instead, and a pained screech vibrated through me as the blowgun was jerked out of my hand.

  Chapter 20

  I struggled to keep my grip on Deya as the massive dragon threw her across the foothills, and she let out another shriek as the tattered leather of her right wing scraped over stone.

  She didn’t let herself crash to the ground completely, though, and her snarls grated in her throat as she fought to fly. The purple dragon was circling at our backs to prepare for another bite now, and I knew she didn’t have it in her to escape him.

  “Deya, break the connection!” I shouted as I prepared to jump to the ground, but she didn’t listen.

  She let out a vicious snarl instead, and before we could smash into an oncoming ridge, she twisted and caught the rocks with her talons. Then she propelled us straight upward just as the purple dragon dove, and blood sprayed down with every beat of her tattered wing. She managed to dodge his next attack, though, and as the possessed dragon narrowly missed colliding with the ridge, flames shot out from his nostrils and ignited every bramble in sight.

  “Break the connection, now!” I bellowed, and my fury mounted as she ignored my command again. “Deya, I lost the blowgun, get out of here! What are you doing?”

  The last of my words were drowned out by a deafening roar when the purple dragon gained on us once more, and Deya answered back with a vengeance as her scales heated several degrees beneath me.

  That’s when I realized her own instincts were being overpowered, and my gut dropped.

  Deya wouldn’t break the connection because her dragon instincts told her she had to fight this bastard off, and even though she was going feral now, there just was no way in hell I was about to abandon her in the fight.

  So, I pulled out my pistol as Deya reeled in her effort to keep flying, and the two of us crashed through the canopy of the jungle with the possessed dragon only yards behind us. Branches snapped against her and nearly took my head off while Deya snarled and tore through the jungle, and she spewed flames all over to ignite an inferno in her wake.

  Then the purple dragon broke through the trees ahead of us, but Deya kept right on going, and I fired three bullets in quick succession just before her teeth sank into the fucker’s neck.

  We rolled and
slammed our way across the jungle floor while she ripped into him with twice the ferocity she’d shown the sphynx, and even though the enchanted flames from my bullets were already devouring her attacker, Deya refused to let up.

  I was finally thrown into the air as the tortured screeches of her victim echoed around me, and I sparked my Terra powers just in time to soften my landing. Then I rolled about twenty feet through the blackened ferns before I came to a bone crunching stop against a pile of boulders.

  “Fuck,” I rasped as my rune chanted furiously in my ears, but I forced myself to my feet even though my legs could hardly support my weight.

  Then I limped ahead while I waited for the pain to stop, and I could see Deya tearing through the dragon with her talons now. Searing white flames spread to the trees and undergrowth around her while she ripped the fiery body to shreds, and I stared for a moment and couldn’t help but admire how completely badass my little elf dragon was.

  The flames were building, though, and my rune was already quieting down, so, I swiftly climbed to the top of a stump as I waved my arms high above my head to get her attention.

  “Deya, you got him, alright? Get out of there!”

  This time, the dragon’s violet eyes immediately turned to find me, but I could tell she wasn’t entirely willing to stop mauling the guy yet.

  “Now,” I ordered more firmly, and Deya took a last look at the bloody and flaming remains before she finally obeyed the command and turned away.

  Her black scales were charred and absolutely covered with blood when she got to me, and I let out a harried sigh as I sized her up.

  “Aurora was right,” I muttered. “You’re a maniac.”

  The black dragon tipped her snout down and gave a soft screech, and I chuckled at the sight of her suddenly acting apologetic when ten seconds ago, she was in full-on slaughter mode.

  “Oh, I’m still impressed,” I assured her. “Honestly. You’re a hell of a battle dragon, and that was beyond epic. Just look at this jungle … you fucking lit this place up!”