"Shit! Dragon!" Saiga shouted, his tongue clicking in frustration as his grip tightened around the hilt of his sword, the skin on his knuckles starting to go pale due to the grip.
At the same time, his heart pounded violently within his chest, every beat echoing like a war drum thumping within him.
It was as if his body itself recognized the overwhelming danger before him.
Heat surged through his veins, rushing and travelling across every vessel.
It spread through his arms,
through his legs,
through his very finger tips,
until each and every muscle fiber within his body felt like it was igniting with fire.
With action.
Adrenaline.
His breath became even more faster now, shallow at first—
then deeper, controlled, and steadying.
Yet the most prominent feature of all.
Were his eyes.
They held no trace or sliver of fear.
They were sharp, focused, and ignited with determination that burned against the looming threat above him.
Saiga quickly flicked his gaze towards mentor, asking for guidance on what to do next.
"What do we do now!?" he shouted through the resounding noise of wing flaps of the dragon, his voice filled with urgency as any moment, the dragon might attack.
But Veryda replied promptly,
"What do you think!?" she shot back, her tone commanding and snapping.
In that same breath, her body exploded into motion—
*BANG!
bursting upward in a blur, sabers flashing as surged towards the dragon with ruthless speed.
And at that moment.
At the second Saiga saw his mentor move.
Saiga didn't hesitate.
His legs flexed, muscles coiling in power as if they were springs—
*BANG!
before he kicked off the ground with all his strength.
He launched himself skyward in pursuit, his form streaking upward as his cloak cracked behind him.
His fingers clenched on the hilt of his sword even more tighter, as its blade gleamed under the glow of the night.
*FWOOOOOOOSH!!!
The wind lashed powerfully against Saiga's cheeks as he launched himself upward towards the dragon.
His arms tensed.
Sword angled.
And every muscle fiber coiled and ready to strike,
ready to snap at any given moment.
He was ready to give it all in this one singular strike,
with every ounce of his strength.
But before he could even close in the distance—
*FLAP!
The dragon's wings snapped forward with a single thunderous powerful flap.
The force was overwhelming as a crushing surge of wind slammed against Saiga mid air, completely stalling his momentum and pushing him back as if the very air had rejected him.
"Kurghk!" he grunted as he started to fall towards the ground with great speed.
*ROAR!!!
"Rebels!" the beast roared powerfully, Its voice shaking the nearby dead trees and the accompanied snarled that rattled the air and ground.
Then,
Black mist hissed between the dragon's jagged and corrupted teeth, sizzling like acid as it continued to coil around its jaws.
The reek of decay poured outward, whirring with power.
It was unmistakable—
the dragon was priming for a powerful breath attack.
Saiga's eyes widened in realization, his legs coiling to dodge towards the side.
But before the dragon could perform its attack, Veryda's blades flashed.
*SSSSSSSSSSSSSSK!
In a single sweeping cross, she unleashed a blazing X shaped wave of powerful runic energy.
The twin arcs streaked through the mist like burning light—
*CRASH!
smashing into the dragon's scaled body.
Sparks flew, yet the strike ricocheted completely.
Veryda's attack did nothing at all.
But that wasn't her goal at all.
It was enough to stall the beast as its impact was enough to make the dragon's attack falter and make it flinch.
"RAAAGH!" the dragon's roar ripped through the area as its wings flapped violently.
Then with one powerful swipe of one of its arms, the dragon struck Veryda with great power, hurling her body across—
*Crash!
and finally crushing into the trunk of a tree.
The force of the impact completely shattered the wood as it splintered, before sending up a thick explosion of dust.
Saiga's breath caught.
For a moment he feared the word.
But as the mist settled, Veryda's figure emerged.
She stood tall amid the broken tree, her grey hair swaying against the wind.
Both sabers gleamed in her hands, their runes shimmering powerfully with ancient energy.
Her body bore no wounds, nor did she falter, her stance was steady.
It was as if the dragon's strike had been nothing more than a simple shove.
Unscathed.
Unyielding.
Her eyes narrowed as they locked back into the beast once more.
The dragon's burning gaze fixed on Veryda, its eyes narrowing with recognition.
*FLAP! *FLAP! *FLAP!
With a violent flap of its wings, it descended from the skies—
*Boom!
landing onto the ground with a thunderous impact.
The earth trembled beneath its colossal weights as its massive body loomed over Saiga and Veryda, its dark corrupted flesh pulsed faintly ever so often as it exhaled waves of necrotic stench.
A low, guttural growl rumbled from its throat, vibrating through the clearing.
"I know you…" the dragon rumbled, its voice venomous and ancient.
Its glowing eyes never left her figure.
"Yes… I remember. You were there. One of the warrior mortals who dared fight against us during the great war… the gryphon rider."
*ROAAAAAAAAAAR!!!
Its roar split the forest as an ear piercing snarl of fury escaped its maws.
"I'LL KNOW YOUR FACE ANYWHERE, YOU DAMNED WORM!"
Veryda flipped her sabers with casual precision,
*fwhip! *fwhip! *fwhip!
"Oh? I never knew I had fans." she said sarcastically.
The beast's massive frame shook as dark necrotic energy began to spark across its body.
Black smoke oozed from its flesh as if they were like tar.
Every breath it took and exhaled was dripping with corruption as it snarled.
"How could I forget?" the dragon bellowed with disdain, its voice trembling with old rage.
"You were one of the soldiers who served the traitor—Aurelyth."
"YOU WERE THE ONES WHO HAD SLAUGHTERED MANY OF MY KIN!"
Then with a violent surge—
*Vwooom!
the dragon's body erupted in a burst of necrotic energy.
Its frame is completely swallowed by a swirling necroting aura.
The very ground itself blacked beneath its talons, cracks spreading like veins or rot, and the air thickened with decay until every breath felt like swallowing ash.
Its presence, once suffocating—
had now turned overwhelming, more dangerous than before.
Then it spoke again, this time with smugness.
"But that damned wretch is already dead," it said, its voice laced with recognition.
"And you—without your gryphon… you are nothing but a worm waiting to be crushed."
"Hah! Are you going to keep flapping that mouth of yours, or are we actually about to do this!?" Veryda snapped back, her blades gleaming as she dropped into a low stance.
She bent her knees, ready to spring as the runes etched into her sabers pulsed in ancient rhythm, as if eager for battle.
"Gladly," the dragon sneered, its chest swelling as its throat whirred with black power, a breath attack building—
ready to disintegrate everything in its path.
But before the beast could unleash it, Veryda's voice cut sharply through the air,
"NOW KID!"
"On it!" Saiga roared back.
From his arm, radiant chains of white flame bursted forth, spiraling with furious heat and light.
*rattle! *rattle!
They cracked through the air like whips before finally latching onto the dragon's corrupted flesh.
One chain snapped across its wings
*clank!
Two to its legs,
*clank! *clank!
And more wrapping mercilessly around its neck and arms.
*clank! *clank! *CLANK!
*ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!
The dragon roared with fury as its necrotic aura started to weaken, the corrupted energy dimming as if the chains were drinking it dry.
The white flames surrounding the chains, seared with powerful heat, sinking deeper into the scales of the dragon.
"T-THIS POWER!?" The dragon roared, thrashing violently,
*Thud! *Thud! *FWOOSH!
Its wings slamming into trees and sending shockwaves through the area.
Then, its glowing eyes locked onto Saiga, narrowing with sudden, violent realization.
"YOU… YOU!!!" It bellowed, voice trembling with disbelief, fury, and realization.