“Captain, I do not wish to add, for lack of a better term, fuel to the fire.”

  “Too soon, Sherlock. Too soon.” I replied with agitation.

  “Apologies, I am running out of descriptives that don’t align with a way that you have been injured or maimed. I do need to inform you that the Drake seems to have Kaj in a rather precarious position. His arms and wings are bound by the beast’s claws, and he cannot free himself. Ses has moved the drones into position, and they are currently attacking the lower legs, but seem to be having little effect. I am afraid I know the answer to my query, but do you have any semblance of a plan?”

  “I have eyes, Sherlock. I can see that Kaj is currently completely immobilized and I also see that my drones aren’t really doing anything but pissing that thing off.” I replied as I accelerated toward the fleeing Drake.

  “How do you manage to respond to my question without providing an answer? It’s both idiotic and simultaneously genius. Oh! I just realized that this is how you handle nearly every situation in life! You are a master of the subtle art of deflection. I applaud your expert use of the tactic, but I am afraid I require an answer with some actual substance.”

  “I have a plan, Sherlock.” I snapped.

  “Do you care to share this plan, or should I just grab some popcorn and sit back and wait for the inevitable injuries you will sustain?”

  “I’m gonna kill that thing. Is that enough of a plan for you?”

  “No, that is not anywhere near a well-thought-out plan of action. Did you seriously think that would suffice? Dear god, man! Do you just let sounds fall out of your mouth without the slightest activation of that brain in your head?”

  “Sherlock! Shut up and hold my beer, daddy has a dragon to kill!” I shouted excitedly as I pushed my thrusters to maximum and fell in behind the Drake. “Kaj, I’m coming in hot! When that thing lets you go, are you still gonna be able to fly, or are you injured?”

  “I believe I am uninjured, Captain. The beast is simply transporting me. I assume I am meant to be sport and a meal for its offspring; it would not want me to be injured.”

  “That is a wild way to go out. Let’s make sure we stop that from happening.” I replied.

  “Yes, Captain. It would not be an ideal ending. I advise you to hurry with whatever plan you have.”

  “His plan is simply to kill the Drake, Kaj,” Sherlock interjected. “Our dear captain doesn’t seem capable of thinking ahead.”

  “Captain, you have no plan? Do you even know how to kill the beast?”Kaj asked.

  “I figured I would shoot it or stab it. Seems to work on most everything else.” I replied defensively.

  “Dear god,” Sherlock groaned.

  “Captain, it seems that the drones are having little effect. The Drake’s skin is not taking damage from the plasma rounds. Should I disengage?” Ses asked.

  “Fine! Kaj, what is this thing’s weak point?” I asked.

  “There is a spot under the beast’s chest. The hide is thin, and there is a sack that contains the fluid it spits. The beast cannot be burned from the outside, but it can burn from the inside. You must pierce the sack and set it ablaze.”

  “That’s all? Damn, you guys made it sound like this was gonna be hard!” I groaned.

  “The beast is nearly impervious to attacks anywhere else, Captain. You must get under it and attack the sack.”

  “We will discuss your descriptions later, Kaj,” I said. “Okay, I am gonna fly up under the thing and look for its weak spot. Ses, I need you to get its attention so it doesn’t explode me again. Can you do that?”

  “Diverting the drones now, Captain. Advance when ready.” Ses replied.

  Ses moved the drones up to the drake’s head and started peppering it with plasma rounds. The rounds weren’t doing much, but it was definitely getting the things’ attention as it banked and roared, trying to avoid the pesky drones.

  “Going in! Kaj, get ready!” I shouted as I dipped below the greyhound bus-sized drake and came up under its belly. I zipped past Kaj, who was unable to move but nodded to me as I passed. I continued to fly, flipping over with my back toward the ground to try and find the weak spot. I quickly spotted it, a pale area of hide that protruded slightly directly under what I thought was the sternum.

  “I see it! Now I just gotta figure out how to attack. Hold tight, I have a plan.” I said.

  “This should be entertaining,” Sherlock mocked.

  I extended my arms to the side and mentally transformed them from the elbow down into thin lines of cord with spear-like appendages at the ends. I shot them out, piercing the drake’s hide to each side of the sack, then pulled myself toward the sack. I morphed the tips of my feet into hooks and hooked them into the hide beneath the sack.

  “Ha! I did it. I’m latched on!” I celebrated.

  “Bravo, Captain. How do you plan to actually attack the drake with all of your limbs rendered useless?” Sherlock questioned.

  “Well, shit. I didn’t think that far ahead.”

  “The utter shock, you didn’t think ahead? That is so unlike you, Captain.” Sherlock feigned disbelief.

  I was attached to the underside of the drake’s belly, upside down on all fours. I couldn’t use my arms or legs to attack, but still, I felt like I was making progress. I just needed to pierce the sack and figure out a way to set it on fire.

  “Kaj, any tips from my wise teacher?” I begged.

  “This was not an advisable plan of action, Captain. From what I can see, you are nearly completely immobilized.”

  “What do you mean, nearly?” I asked with more than a bit of concern.

  “Well, it seems that you can still move your hips. Are you capable of forming a weapon in that area?”

  “OH MY GOD, I cannot believe this is about to happen! This is the best day ever!” Sherlock exploded giddily.

  “Kaj, what are you talking about?” I asked.

  “Captain, if you can use your armor’s morphing ability to fabricate such a weapon near your crotch, you can then thrust your hips into the sack of the beast and end this. I do not understand what the issue is.” Kaj said.

  “You don’t understand the issue? Optics, Kaj! Optics!” I moaned.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “Captain, Optics should not be a concern in battle. Simply use the weapons you have at your disposal to create an advantageous outcome. Now, can you create a weapon in your crotch or not?!”

  “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would witness this. I am, for the first time, at a loss for words. I will, of course, be recording this to share with the crew.” Sherlock was absolutely losing his mind at the current situation. “Ses! Bring one of those drones down here so I can get a third-person view of this! Believe me, we are gonna want a couple of angles.”

  I groaned with indignation as I focused and considered what type of weapon to form my armor into. I needed to pierce the drake’s sack, and even though this was the weak spot, that didn’t mean it would be easy. I had managed to latch on with my arms and legs, but could tell by looking that I didn’t manage to penetrate the hide completely. I needed something that was more than just a sharp point.

  “Alright, hold on, Kaj, here goes nothing,” I said as I focused on the armor around my groin. “Sherlock, let me be clear. If C.J. sees this, I will find a way to uninstall you. Is that thinking far enough ahead for you?”

  “I’m sorry, Captain. I fear that part of my responsibilities is to document the adventures as we are in them. I cannot shirk my duties.”

  “Fuck. You.” I replied through gritted teeth as a massive black chainsaw formed between my legs.

  “Ouch, are we compensating for something, Captain?” Sherlock asked with an approximation of a clicking tongue.

  I ignored his jab and tensed every muscle in my body, thrusting savagely into the drake’s fluid sack. Disappointingly, I only did minor damage, not piercing the hide. Nonplussed, I activated the chainsaw’s blades and began sawing into the flesh, with some success as the tip dipped below the surface.

  “I think it’s working, but I need to get deeper!” I grunted.

  “Story of your life, right?” Sherlock chuckled.

  YES, CAPTAIN! That is it, Thrust with those powerful hips! Pierce the beast’s sack!” Kaj shouted encouragingly.

  “Ses! Are you getting this?” Sherlock asked.

  “Yes, Sherlock. I have an excellent angle directly behind the Captain’s posterior. This will allow us to see when he pierces the hide completely.”

  “What the fuck, Ses! I thought you were on my side?” I moaned.

  “I am not opposed to documenting the results of your foolhardiness, Captain. Perhaps after reviewing the footage of this, you will consider a more measured approach to combat in the future.”

  I groaned and got back to the task at hand. It seemed that I wasn’t strong enough to thrust completely through the hide, so I needed to pivot. I gave it one more shot, thrusting with all the strength I had in my body. The tip of the chainsaw went deeper, but still not deep enough to pierce the sack. This thrust got the Drake’s attention, though as it roared and began descending toward the tree line.

  “Captain, I would caution you to hurry. It seems the beast is aware of what you are doing and plans to scrape you off on the trees. We are running out of time!” Kaj shouted.

  “I’m on it, Kaj! Just hold on!” I considered my options. My thrusts weren’t doing the trick; I needed more power, but I was at my limit. Then it hit me that I had complete control over the layout of my armor, which meant I could move my thrusters from my feet to somewhere else to add a massive amount of power to my thrusts.

  “Okay, here goes nothing! Kaj! Get ready!” I shouted through the comms as I mentally adjusted the positioning of my thrusters. In a blink, the thrusters were repositioned to my backside. I grunted and thrusted again, while simultaneously pushing my thrusters to max boost and activating the chainsaw blades. I yelled with exertion as the dragon roared in pain. My chainsaw pierced the sack as the green napalm-like fluid poured out onto me.

  Two things happened in an instant. First, the Drake released its grip on Kaj, who quickly fell away before spreading his wings and recovering gracefully. Secondly, and the part I failed to foresee, the napalm fluid covered me completely, matriculating around to my thrusters and exploding like a bunker buster. I awoke several hours later in a safe room, lying on a cot in the common room, surrounded by the crew.

  Tiff and C.J. were hovering over me as the rest of the crew sat in the common room around a viewing panel.

  “Wh-what happened?” I asked groggily.

  “Well, you got blown up, apparently. Kaj found us as we were coming through the gate to the second floor and said you had been injured. Tiff and I came to help you, while Kaj helped the rest of the crew fight through mobs to find the safe room.” C.J. said before wandering out to the rest of the crew, who were talking with Kaj.

  “You have been out for around 10 hours. I was getting worried.” Tiff said as she ran a hand through my hair.

  Michael walked over with a smile, shaking his head. “Heard you fought a dragon? What the hell, little brother? You leave us for a few hours, and you get into a fight with a mythical creature!”

  “Yeah, Sherlock and Ses said they got the whole thing on video. They didn’t tell us anything else, but we are all setting up now to watch it. It’s been a long day, so we are all excited to see you and Kaj in action.” Tiff smiled.

  I shot up on the cot they had laid me in. “No! Really, it’s not much of a story. Nothing exciting at all. I can just tell you guys about it.” I begged.

  “HAHAHA, I heard C.J. chortle from the common area. “Are you telling me the dragon squirted on him?! ANDY! You have some explaining to do, you dirty dog! Tiff! Tiff! did you hear what Andy did to that dragon?!”

  I reached out and grabbed Tiff’s soft hand. “Girl, please don’t watch that video. Let’s just hang out in here. okay?”

  “HE HAD PROPULSION ASSISTED THRUSTS AND A CHAINSAW DICK!!!” C.J. shouted excitedly.

  Tiff looked at me and shrugged. “Afraid I gotta see what all the fuss is about,” she tapped me on the nose. “Don’t be shy now, seems like that dragon was more than satisfied.”