by J. J. Pavlov
Kiamedras notices her from the corners of his eyes but doesn't feel compelled to stop trying to torch me first. So far, neither of us have shown that we could substantially harm him even when working together.
However, Asoko extends her tentacle arms and grabs the corners of his mouth. I instantly see what she's trying to do and pull out the bone arm lodged in his jaws. With a roar of exertion, she pulls his head back just in time, as the flames come out and overshoot me.
"Annoying creatures!" The elder dragon seems to have become enraged from being handled like that. I don't know whether we can exploit that as he'll surely make mistakes or he's just going to get serious and not give us any room to strike back.
He spins his body around and slams his back against a pillar to get Asoko off of him. I see that as an opening, but he already expected it, as his bludgeoning tail hits my side before I'm back on my feet again. The force sends me flying into a wall, and my form wavers from the impact.
That's when I see Hestia flying into the air while raising her arms as if casting a spell. From my angle, I can't see whether or not her mouth is moving, but if she does, the sound of it eludes my hearing as it always does.
Within her palms appears a black spirit spear, and I realize that she didn't see Asoko's spell fail to do any damage earlier. Kiamedras spots her approach, and I try to scream for her to get out of the way because he will scorch her alive.
But instead of breathing fire at her, he dodges preemptively as the angel girl releases her spell. He's too big to avoid it completely, so the spear explodes on his shoulder and scorches his scales. The impact throws my other half off, and she tumbles down a hill of gold.
Does this have anything to do with the elder dragon calling Hestia an angel? It seems her species possesses abilities that humans don't, and their magic is far more potent. In either case, that means she can fight alongside us.
"The black angel joins the fray, I see." Kiamedras doesn't sound too concerned even after he was hurt from that last magic attack. I was right, and he really is having fun. It seems that he isn't as reluctant to fight as he appeared to be earlier after all.
He stands upright on his hind legs and beats his gigantic wings, creating a powerful gust of wind that sends Hestia tumbling through the air. She catches herself in time, but the momentum causes her to slide across a mountain of coins. However, that wasn't the extent of his attack, as flames emerge from the slits in his throat, this time's target the angel girl.
"Asoko!" I call out to my other half while running across the room toward Kiamedras. She peeks out from behind a pile of coins in her human form with a confused look, then transforms into a vularen to bridge the distance to me better. "Hammer!"
"You sure?" She asks since our last attempt didn't work too well. But she complies anyway, trusting that I have a plan.
Hestia erects a sphere of darkness, a corrupted version of the light spell that was the MVP today, just in time to shield her from the onslaught of fire. But Kiamedras doesn't let up and continues to spew it at her waiting for the barrier to give out.
"Don't ignore us!" I jump through the air and catch Asoko in the middle of her transformation, to swing down at his wounded shoulder with all our weight and the aid of gravity.
But telegraphing my attack like protagonists always do in anime was a stupid move - who could have guessed? Kiamedras turns his head, and his breath of fire hits me straight in the face because I have no way to avoid it in midair.
From the surprise and pain, I let go of Asoko and instinctively hold my face. Unable to see, I roll across the ground and consciously try to mend my burns by replacing the scorched parts on the outside with new matter from the inside.
Another wave of heat assaults my whole body, and I quickly shrink in size while covering myself in a shell of bones. I read somewhere that bone can withstand fire to some degree, although I wouldn't count on it to protect me for long.
"Spiritia Sanctia, Servas Eon Circon Meas!" I chant as quickly as I can without fumbling the words. The barrier of light that was able to shield Hestia from the fire extends around me, and I feel the heat on my shell subside. Still, the exterior is burnt black and beginning to crumble. Good thing I could cut my sense of pain or that would have hurt like hell.
"Like a turtle in its shell." Kiamedras quips in an amused tone. "But how long can that hold out against the flames? Will you not become a baked turtle soon?"
"Shut up! Your existence is cheating!" I spit at him, quite aware of the irony of my accusation. Unlike his, my body defies many laws of physics, which even magic can't replicate. There are no spells to create an infinite inventory space like what the inside of me essentially is. And I can transform into anything down to the genetic level to the point where not even a saint can detect that I'm a demon - or space monster.
"So that is the extent of your abilities. How disappointing." My words seem to have made him lose interest. His eyes no longer hold that glint of excitement he had before, and he turns away. "Should I end it or... I see."
That sounded like he was talking to somebody only he can hear. Then I realize what it is that he saw; he turns to Hestia, whose barrier of shadows has disappeared. She is holding up her arms and speaking a longer incantation with her eyes closed, thinking that Kiamedras is still distracted.
"Hestia, watch out!" I scream when flames emerge from his throat. Then I spot Asoko from the corner of my eyes running past me while chanting the light barrier spell. She gets between the angel girl and the stream of fire just in time to block it for her.
Throughout it all, she didn't stop casting her own spell, as if trusting that we'll be there to support her. I breathe a sigh of relief, then consider scolding her for being so reckless later - after we defeat the dragon.
I sincerely hope that wasn't a death flag, though.
"Stop hiding!" It seems that being repeatedly denied the satisfaction of burning his targets each time is quite frustrating. I know from experience in video games that an enemy who blocks everything is no fun at all.
That's when Hestia's spell is finally completed. A massive flare of darkness appears above her and turns into a blade oozing with inky black streaks. I imagine that it would be radiant if she weren't corrupted, but that looks far more terrifying.
With a simple gesture, the blade comes down on Kiamedras, who beats his wings to quickly get out of its reach. The swing misses, but the black angel extends her arm forward, causing the sword of darkness to narrow into a spear that pierces right through his chest.
It seems that this powerful spell only lasts so long, as the black spear fades away after one attack, leaving the elder dragon with a gaping hole in his ribcage, which bleeds profusely. He lets out a painful roar and gets on all fours while glaring at Hestia with hateful eyes.
Then a half-translucent black membrane covers them from the side like the third eyelid of reptiles, and as if that was a switch, all the scales on his body seem to flip over starting from the head, turning black in a wave. The bony ridge that extends all over his back and up to his head lights up from the inside, starting from the tip of his tail. The glow travels up his back in stages while a pulse-like humming that grows louder accompanies it. When it reaches his neck, the very air seems to be vibrating from the noise, and his throat begins to glow from the inside as well.
Asoko stares into it like a deer does into the headlights of an oncoming car, but Hestia reacts by quickly erecting a barrier of darkness. It seems her chanting is faster than ours because it takes just a few syllables to complete the spell.
Pulled out of her stupor by the angel girl's quick thinking, my other half does the same and speaks the incantation just in time to overlay the angel girl's spell with her own, when a bluish-white beam emerges from Kiamedras' throat. It cuts across the ground and straight through both barriers before it ends as quickly as it was shot out somewhere halfway up the room's wall. All along its path, the gold has turned into slag, and even the stone has melted.
"H
ESTIA!" I scream, thinking that she was caught up in it. But when the steam and dust clears, I find that she has gotten out of the way just in time. Then I notice Asoko on the ground, the right half of her body gone and the massive wound bubbling to regenerate.
Even without me saying the word, the angel girl instantly starts healing her, while I run toward Kiamedras to stop him from potentially firing another one of those deadly beams. His black scales make him look far angrier than the golden ones did, and when the black membrane draws back to reveal his eyes, I see that they're glowing crimson rather than their previous yellow. It seems he snapped.
Before I get in range, the light starting from the tip of his tail reaches his throat once again, but he directs it at me this time. I wait until the second he shoots to roll sideways while at the same time shrinking myself to avoid the beam. Even then, one leg gets caught in it, and unimaginable pain shoots up through it. The heat evaporates it until nothing is left but a bubbling stump.
I have enough mass, so I regrow a new limb on the spot; if I stop here, I'll die in the next shot. Turning big again to bridge the last steps that separate me from the elder dragon, I dodge his snapping jaw and slide right underneath him.
But Kiamedras sweeps his wing around and performs a lariat to my chest, throwing me backward. He then spins his body, unexpectedly nimbly even though he has a gaping hole in his chest, and slams his spiked tail into me.
I block it with my arm but feel the bones inside get pulverized, and several spikes penetrate the arm and into my ribcage. It doesn't matter to me though, as I quickly melt the broken limb back into my body and form a new one with which I grab his tail. Mustering all the strength I have, I pull on it and try to swing his body as if performing a hammer throw.
But he bends his tail to remove the tension so that I can't move him and snaps at me with his jaws again. This time, I can't avoid them, and his teeth rip into my shoulder. I already expected something like this to happen and explosively grow bone spikes from all over my upper body. Even if his scales are as hard as steel, the inside of his jaw should still be soft tissue.
With a yelp, Kiamedras lets go, and I see that blood is flowing from his mouth as he glares at me. Then the black membrane closes over his eyes, and once again, the humming noise starts. The light travels from the tip of his tail up to his back, but while he's doing that, he's open for an attack.
I lunge forward, avoiding his claws by diving underneath him. He beats his wings to get on his hind legs so that he can shoot the beam down at me, but the gaping wound seems to affect him after all; his right wing doesn't have enough strength, and he lists to the side, exposing the hole in his chest.
Taking that opening, I ram a hand straight into it while chanting the fire explosion spell. Guiding it with my sense of touch, I place it right in his chest cavity, where it detonates at the moment the beam charge reaches the same position.
A massive explosion rocks him from the inside, and his entire back is blown open by a mixture of my flames and his own plasma breath. The ceiling and wall behind him melt under the immense heat, and he falls on his side with his wings and tail flailing wildly from the pain. His eyes are widened in surprise, jaws ajar in silent agony. The scales on his body quiver and switch between black and gold like a short-circuiting machine.
Drawing back my stump of a forearm, I quickly grow back a new hand, but I know that this battle is over. Kiamedras' movements slow down and then come to a halt, as his wings twitch and the scales stop changing colors. He still draws breath, so maybe one lung wasn't destroyed, but it's obvious that he'll die soon.
"Impressive..." With a rattling sound in his voice, he commends us even though we killed him. His expression softens as he looks at me, and I get the feeling that he's smiling. "Maybe... you can... do it..."
"Do what?" I ask in surprise, but it doesn't seem like he can hear me anymore.
"Go on... child of... the stars..." His speech slows down, and his eyes grow unfocused. "Consume me... and grow... stronger..."
Kiamedras trails off, and all life leaves his eyes as his body relaxes. His wings slacken and cause a small landslide of coins drenched in the blood overflowing from his corpse. A powerful urge to eat overcomes me at the sight of his remains, but I suppress it to give him a moment of silence. I'm not ruthless enough to revel in the death of such a majestic being and shouldn't think of it as food the moment it stops moving - especially since we were still talking to each other until moments ago. A part of me is sad that it had to come to this even though it was his will.
"Ohh, Kiamedras... I will miss you." A refined female voice suddenly echoes through the hall, speaking in a mournful tone. I look around in surprise, but it stays silent after. What was that?
Then I remember that there's something more important to think about right now: Asoko sustained a wound on the same level as I did from Aldebrand. Knowing Hestia, she already healed her, but I still need to check on her condition to make sure. Turning around, I find a child version of me standing beside the angel girl peering up at me. Her expression suggests that despite having been hurt so badly, she still feels respect for the elder dragon.
"Did you hear that?" I ask her and Hestia, but they look at me with confused expressions. Was it just in my head?
"Where are Adano and Kozii?" Asoko inquires in a higher pitched version of my voice while looking around. I get the overwhelming urge to cuddle her; you don't get to see a younger you every day. I was pretty cute back in my childhood, if I may say so myself.
"I haven't seen them since the dragon appeared." I reply with a shrug. The two disappeared behind some mountain of treasures right before the battle began, and I haven't seen them since. Hopefully, nothing happened to them.
"Will you eat him?" Hestia asks with an uneasy expression; she must have overheard him.
"That was his last wish." I lower my gaze and turn back toward him. Unlike with the sandworm in the desert when I didn't even have enough mass to form a full human body, Kiamedras' size is just so that when I spread myself as wide open as possible, I can take him inside me.
"I'll break him up inside me, and then you get half." I say to Asoko with a weak smile. This battle has really left a bad aftertaste, and I haven't even eaten yet.
By the time Kiamedras' body is dissolving inside me, I realize that in order to give it to my other half, I need to spit out the half-digested body. It already feels like desecration to eat his corpse, but this would be just too much.
"Sorry, sister." I mutter with a subdued expression, causing her to stare at me in surprise.
"Huh?" She doesn't understand when I just apologize like this, but her face tells me that she doesn't need to know the specifics to realize that I messed up somewhere. Otherwise, I would never speak like this.
"He's gone. Tee hee." I stick out a tongue and look away to avoid her judgmental gaze.
"You what?!" She flares up, then jumps up to try and bop me over the head. But she's too small to reach my head and instead hits my chest, which bounces from the impact. That seems to enrage her even more since her current shape is entirely flat. "What did I lose half my body for?!"
"At least have the template." I pick her up and seal her lips with mine while giving her saliva mixed with the dragon's blood. This way she'll at least have it saved for future use, once she gets back enough mass.
"Should I head back and eat the skeletons?" Licking her lips after our kiss, she seriously considers this option. Even though this is only the second time and the closest to selfcest we've come ever since the idea entered our minds during our first meeting, she doesn't seem to think much of it. I guess the situation doesn't set the mood very well.
"I doubt they'll give you much mass." I shrug and point at the door on the other side of the one we entered from. It appears to have opened on its own and reveals a corridor. "Let's finish this and get to a place where we can buy you food."
We start moving while looking around for Adano and Kozii. Maybe they already went ahea
d the moment the door opened, but that seems to be an unlikely explanation for them not trying to contact us after the threat has disappeared.
I'm also still bothered by the earlier voice. For now, I'll stay on guard in case there's another enemy ahead of us. Kiamedras said in his last breaths that I may be able to succeed at something. If he had been the final protector of the riches or the transportation circle, he wouldn't have used that wording.
The corridor has alcoves on either side where small wells are filled with fresh water. At the very last of them, the two dark elves suddenly pop up with drenched faces and hair.
"Woah!" I'm surprised by their appearance, and so are Hestia and mini-me. "What were you doing here?"
"We washed the soot off our skin." Adano replies with a smile. Something feels off about it, and the tone of that answer nags at the back of my mind, but I can't pinpoint it.
"It was good that you got out of the way of our fight." Asoko states with a nod. Kozii stares at her with big eyes but holds himself back from commenting about her sorry appearance.
"What is this...?" Hestia's shaky voice reaches me, and I see that she, wholly uninterested in our reunion with the dark elves, has walked ahead to open the door to the next area. Something on the other side seems to have shocked her.
"What did you find?" I quickly join her and peer over her shoulder. That's when I see what she's referring to; the hall before us is filled with lifelike golden statues. They stand, sit, cower or kneel, wearing expressions ranging from courageous to terrified.
I push the door open all the way and walk into the hall while looking around in a stupor at the sheer amount of statues. What kind of artist would put time into making such a collection?
