“I need to know more about the dragon,” I said. We had a couple plans for what we could do to aid Riala, but we might need more. It would be a shame if she died. “Is it resistant to only elements, or magic in general?”
The pink skinned woman was clearly eager to be going after the creature. She wasn’t going to tolerate much questioning. “Highly resistant to elements. Somewhat resistant to general magic.”
“Of course,” I said. I was already reaching into my pockets, ignoring the fact that I hadn’t gotten all of them properly in the right spot with Disguise. Riala probably already knew too much, but I didn’t even like hiding things. “In case it tries to chomp you, I can provide some Stoneskin.”
Over the course of my time in this world, I had learned at least the basics of magic. Targeting and area were common between different disciplines. I could manage the hand signs for such with a single hand, and by adding verbal components I could approximate almost a quarter of what Stoneskin needed to be. That wasn’t great, but… I think Riala was more focused on the plastic baggy I had pulled out.
“What’s that?”
“A special component pouch made out of organic compounds.” That was all true. I poured the stuff into my hand and distracted her by sprinkling the powder on her as I did my magic.
It came to mind that directly rubbing the material onto the skin might actually be better somehow. A sort of ceremonial component. Would that matter? Mostly, the spell just ate the components and applied the effect to a person. That was why I wasn’t concerned about getting it into her hair.
Riala let me do my spell without resisting, thankfully. “The material inside is…?”
“Granite and…” I didn’t know how to say diamonds without saying diamonds. Not in this language. “... mineral dust.” Saying diamonds would potentially lead to questions like ‘aren’t diamonds expensive’ and ‘why do you have a jacket full of diamond dust’. Even if the answer was basically the same one- these ones aren’t and that's why I have so much. “We can’t help much beyond this,” I said. “But we’ll do what we can.”
Inasyah was the next most proficient at magic after Midnight and myself, though that was almost by default. Malaliel’s innate magic wasn’t really helpful here, and everyone else had no prior experience. That included Evija, of course. She offered what she could. “I might be able to blind it with darkness magic.”
Speaking of blinding, I needed to get better at light magic.
“I’ll try to open up with a bolt of lightning,” I added. If it was resistant to all elements, might as well do that one. “Assuming that won’t scare it off.”
Riala shook her head. “Just expect it to fly high and bombard anyone attacking it. Most of you should seek out cover.”
“We can help!”
The call came from Graciana, though the rest of the teens were with her- despite Malaliel’s clear annoyance.
Graciana held out a small leather pouch. “Take this.”
I hefted the pouch. I didn’t open it, but I could feel some sort of loose material inside. “And do what with it?”
Meter had the answer for that. “Cast Gift! You know those modifications we talked about? Feed that to the dragon.”
I made a face. “The spell really isn’t good at transporting anything dangerous. It should only work for food if you’re using it like that… and that’s pretty debatable.”
“It is food!” Graciana protested. “Dragons probably eat leather all the time… and inside is also food.”
“Flour?” I tilted my head.
“... concentrated chili powder,” she said. “I made it myself.”
That was food to me, but would it be food to a dragon? I supposed it was worth trying.
“I want to hit it with a javelin!” Ramen said.
I shook my head. “If it gets close, you can do that. Aim for a wing. But hope it doesn’t approach your group." I turned towards Ayat. “And you?”
She shrugged. “I just wanted to participate. Even if I could fly, I doubt I could do much except… draw it away.”
“... Keep that in mind in case it’s necessary.”
Riala wasn’t willing to wait any longer to intercept the dragon. Fortunately, it seemed to be flying along the road for some reason. Was it drawn in by the enchantments like people on the ground? That would imply it was weak to mental magic. Or maybe it was just looking for prey out in the open.
Most people remained with the wagons, turning off the road to hide under some trees. Midnight would be there for magic support as necessary. Keeping the horses calm might be troublesome, but at least the Extra agents would be there to protect the teens. Malaliel too. If it came close, she would fly up to cut it down, regardless of what that would give away.
I knew Spatial Step, and with only a little bit of cheating I cast it on myself, Inasyah, and Riala. The dragon was moving at a leisurely pace towards us, but we wanted to catch it further from our group if possible. Just hiding would have probably been the best option, but Riala wasn’t going to let it go. And I wanted to fight another dragon.
It was hard to look at. That became more and more apparent as it got closer. It wasn’t really red so much as an impression left behind on your retina that was something no longer there. Riala had said something about a Sower of Chaos. Too bad we couldn’t have just dealt with a Burning Calamity- I was so good at protecting against fire! Even weird fire.
Spatial Step was still a weird way to walk, though it felt most normal on a regular road. It was more like being on fast forward there, instead of more varied terrain where it was very clear I was skipping segments.
Soon we were near the dragon. If they could resist elemental magic, I really needed to do the best I could. Within reason. My fatigue limit was 25.5. I’d only ever done a couple spells near my limits when they were slightly less, but they were difficult to control. With the magic I was using, it was better to settle for something near the normal limits of Advanced Energy Magic. That would be 13… but that was too low. I pushed closer to 18 to account for magic resistance.
I hoped Riala had durable eardrums, because the sound was ear shatteringly loud. Fortunately I was protected, and Inasyah should be to some extent. Then again, it might balance out for her because of her werewolfness- which would sadly not help against the dragon. She at least completed her spell first, darkness settling around the dragon’s head. Probably.
My lightning spell basically doubled as a flashbang, and I just barely saw it go straight through the dragon. If I was asked if that was a good thing… it was not. Probably for the best I hadn’t put even more mana into it.
The dragon didn’t fall. Why would it? After all, my lightning went through it… not into it. It continued flying without a care in the world, as if it hadn’t been touched- which might be the case.
Though it was a bit angrier. Or hungrier. Hard to say, as the roar it made didn’t seem like words. I wasn’t even sure if local dragons were sapient.
I could feel the mana it was gathering. Riala was already rising up into the air. The dragon was going to strike with lightning as well. I wasn’t sure about the target… but I could tell it would originate from the dragon. There wasn’t anything to do but perform an inverse Energy Ward. Another reason I was glad I hadn’t quite maximized my previous magic, or it would made me a bit less stable. There wasn’t a strict limit to the mana I used in sequential spells unlike the individual fatigue limit, but if I was pushing beyond my limits I did feel it.
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Inasyah was the target. She was smart enough to have already been splitting off to the side anyway, her first spell complete. Lightning dropped from the skies, but not nearly as much as there would have been without.
Riala’s opening assault with her telekinetic spears aimed at the wings, even as the dragon was pulling higher. It was difficult to look at, but either she successfully damaged its wings or managed to provoke it. Either way, it stopped rising at least for the moment.
The dragon roared again, opening its maw wide. The magic it was using now was… less familiar. I couldn’t resolve it to an element or anything familiar. Maybe a mix of energy types?
A few hand signs and a half finished chant, and my next spell was Gift. Because as unlikely as it was to work, I had to try the kids' plan before the dragon was out of range.
I tried to focus on the fact that the Sower of Chaos had no hands. Thus, it would hold things in its mouth. That was where gifts of food should go. And… it worked. Out of the black blob that was Inasyah’s darkness spell- still sticking to the creature for the moment- came a bunch of powder. The bag must have both arrived and been punctured.
The dragon let out a single cough, but its mana flow was disrupted for that moment. Riala didn’t let up for even a moment, flying even closer- presumably to improve her control or power- as her spears stabbed at the creature. I heard the sound of spears clashing on scales, and I could see bits of blood raining from the sky.
I was preparing more magic, but I had to stop myself when Riala and the dragon overlapped in space. I could easily hit her with offensive magic. As far as I could tell, they were a blur of teeth, claws, and spears.
The fight didn’t last long after that. The whole mass of clashing energy fell towards the ground. Inasyah leapt upwards as I tossed out what I had- Mage’s Reach. I could actually see the dragon now. It had spears sticking through its eyes and out of the roof of its mouth- from the inside. That was the only thing keeping Riala intact as razor sharp fangs threatened to bisect her. That, her armor, and Stoneskin.
The dying dragon’s jaws clamped down strongly, as I tried to pry open the mouth with two floating hands Inasyah managed to wrestle Riala out without causing too much more damage. Then the two of them crashed through the canopy of a tree- but it was far better than impacting the ground with the dragon’s jaws around Riala.
The dragon twitched. I had about half of my maximum complement of mana gathered, twisting it into a Sleep spell. I had no idea if the dragon was actually vulnerable to such magic or if it was already basically dead, but it stopped moving. Its horrible visual effect had faded, and there was blood everywhere.
I took hold of my staff and swung it at the end of one of the spears, driving it deeper into the eye socket. Compared to the size of the creature I barely moved the spear, but it didn’t react.
“Hey! You alright?” I called towards Inasyah.
She groaned. Which meant she was totally fine.
Meanwhile, I was improvising a divination spell to tell if the dragon was still alive. I managed to do that, and the answer was… barely. And fading fast. I watched carefully until I was sure it was dead.
It was very fortunate that Riala was unconscious. Malaliel rushed over after seeing the dragon fall from the skies. She had a bit of healing magic, and combined with a healing potion we found on her she at least stopped bleeding. Inasyah had ripped her out of the dragon’s jaws somewhat inelegantly, so there were still a few teeth in her guts. Or shards of teeth, some of which were up to a foot long.
“Wow,” I said. “She’s so reckless.”
The two angels gave me a look. I didn’t know why. They probably shouldn’t even know about half the times I almost died working for the Power Brigade.
-----
Riala woke up half an hour later, as people were working on unstabbing her from the various teeth. She waved us off and alternated between telekinetically yanking them out and stitching up her own belly. Though she did ask for help on her back where she couldn’t see.
The women helped with that. I could vaguely hear what was going on, but they’d had to take off Riala’s armor so she was presumably immodest at the moment. “I have some poultices,” Graciana said. “They can help with the scarring… or at least minimize new scars. I can’t match the actual potency of your potions, though.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Riala replied. “Don’t worry about it. Or the scars.” She grunted. “Glad we got the dragon.”
“You almost didn’t,” Malaliel chastised her. “How could you be so reckless? I’m certain you could fight better than that.”
“Not against something like that. I had to go for the kill right away. Guarantee bringing it down.”
“Hmm. You truly care for the people,” Malaliel commented. She would know the truth, of course.
Ramen was comparing his javelins to the spears and wounds on the dragon. He shook his head. “I couldn’t have hurt this thing, huh?”
“Not without magic weapons and far more training,” I agreed.
Midnight climbed onto my shoulder. Riala was distracted, so he took the opportunity to contribute to the conversation. “I would have cast Enhance, of course. But it would have only improved your strength to a certain point.”
Relatedly, all of Riala’s spears were definitely enchanted. And some of them were broken. Hopefully dead dragons were valuable.
When Riala was finally done, she couldn’t even sit up straight- despite her stubbornness to make the attempt. She also had splints on one wrist and a thigh, though that damage was from the fall.
I was glad I’d at least contributed Stoneskin. If we’d been so worried about our cover that we let a steadfast battle companion die, we wouldn’t be great people. Though it was also difficult to justify risking the lives of the teens- which every strange detail might do.
-----
“... Huh.” That was all that I could really say upon seeing the capital. So far, most of the terrain had been pleasant, but it came to mind that we might have chanced upon the tamest approach into Aidura. “The dragon sure wouldn’t have mattered if it was going this way.”
Obviously Riala had been concerned about it flying off to random villages, not the capital. After all, I was certain that the volcano fortress could handle a simple flying guy. Especially since I could feel one of their spellcasters already.
We could barely see the top half of the volcano. Concentric walls seemingly going all the way around, making up a multi-tiered city. At the top was an impressive castle with grand towers. And someone strong. So strong I almost suggested we just leave.
Riala chuckled. Then groaned, as she strained her side. “It’s fun to watch people who have never seen The Capital before.”
Eyes Focused on Grandeur was an appropriate name for the city. Also, the casual way we’d previously talked about the capital hadn’t had its name mixed in. I was getting used to the sense of layered sounds as I spoke this language more. I wasn’t sure it was possible to speak without magic.
I couldn’t sense any from the locals, but maybe it was small. Or maybe their vocal chords were special.
The Capital had been slowly revealing itself since that morning. In the end, it took us several days to reach where the walls began, climbing the slope of the mountain. Without the roads, it likely wouldn’t have been possible with wagons. Or even off-road vehicles. And I wasn’t even counting the lava pools.
I was pretty sure even active volcanos didn’t have random lava pools around. I also kind of understood why the humans thought the residents here were demons. It kind of looked like hell. At least, until we entered the city.
Inside, it was… nice. Really nice. Was there a lot of black stone? Absolutely. Some of it was certainly obsidian or directly carved from the surroundings, but there was also white marble mixed into the other stone. Not in the walls, though. They were almost entirely without ornamentation- except for spikes that would make it more difficult to climb them.
Not all the walls were precisely the same. We passed through several layers- Riala led us into the city without trouble. We passed layer after layer until finally reaching the second one. I was glad we stopped there, because I wasn’t sure I wanted to get any closer to the king. It had to be him, right? He didn’t feel any weaker from up close. It honestly didn’t matter if there was some sort of enchantment advertising his presence or if that was all natural- he was absolutely strong. Would anyone from Earth be able to match him alone?
Doctor Doomsday might, but probably not in a direct fight. Though ultimately my thoughts were pointless, as it would depend heavily on the matchup.
It was obvious Riala was important. It had been from the beginning. But getting us into nearly the highest section of the city and being given rooms there didn’t even take her any effort. They barely even inspected us. I would say it was a glaring security hole in the city… but maybe it didn’t matter.
I didn’t see the library we were supposed to visit until Riala pointed it out. It didn’t look that impressive, but that was only because it intentionally melded into the surrounding buildings. Inside was another matter. The entire city was warded, but the library was perhaps even more so. I was kind of nervous to step inside in case it disintegrated non-locals, but Riala handed us entry tokens. Specifically myself, the two angels, and Evija. Midnight would have to remain outside. Though I did notice how Riala had looked at him.
All we needed was a way to undo the curse. Then we could leave. I was pretty sure the wards wouldn’t stop us from Teleporting out. Well, the city guards probably wouldn’t stop us from just walking out… and by the time they even noticed the Gate spell we would be through.
Though that would only solve the problem for the teens. Preferably, we would save everyone from Earth that was still alive. As for those that had already perished? If we could at least confirm their deaths or easily retrieve the remains for family, we would. But I wasn’t holding out much hope for the latter.
