"Stay together, everyone!"
Raka shouted to the frightened escapees, their faces full of fear and dread. He didn't like that… No, he hates that expression.
The fear, the desperation to live. It reminded him too much of the embassy.
"Watch out!" He yelled. Grabbing an escapee who was getting too close to a straw water attack. Holding her tightly, he quickly brought her closer to the group.
CRASH
The sound came from the eagle's part of the battle. It was far away, so Raka couldn't see it clearly, but the collateral destruction the battle caused was easy to see.
Suddenly, a shadow covered him and the group, and a huge form landed behind him.
He panicked, thinking it was one of the Spino Dragons. Looking behind him, he saw a giant sail along with… a headless body.
It was a headless Spino Dragon.
The eagle must be winning! He realized.
Squinting his eyes, he finally spotted the eagle fighting off 2 Spino Dragons. There were five of them at the start, if he remembered right.
That means the eagle had already killed three of them! This was good news. He didn't expect the eagle to be so strong, but that didn't matter now.
Raka's eyes quickly darted between the eagle's battlefield and the refugees around him. Mina and Korin's voices echoed faintly through the chaos, their shouts barely reaching him.
They were in the air, skillfully weaving and darting between blasts of water.
Their last opponent, a particularly aggressive spino dragon, roared furiously, desperately trying to close its jaws around Korin's small body.
"Left, Korin!" Mina shouted. Korin swiftly shifted his eagle, narrowly avoiding a vicious bite. The Dragon, frustrated and injured, prepared another attack when its attention was taken by something that flew over it.
It was another dragon that was sent flying by the eagle.
Raka watched as the spino Dragon spun through the air, crashing violently through trees. Branches snapped, and splinters exploded in every direction. The sound reverberated, shaking the very swamp beneath their feet.
The Dragon's flight carved a clean line of sight straight to Nova's battlefield section.
Fuck!
/ - /
Nova stood mid-combat, breathing heavily, her eyes fixed warily on the two dragons circling her. She barely had time to react when a dragon crashed violently beside her, mud and water spraying to obscure her vision.
"Shit!"
She stumbled back, quickly bringing her hands to her face, trying to clear the grime off her eyes.
"Nova! Move!" Mina screamed.
Nova regained herself just in time, ducking sharply as one of her original two dragons lunged, snapping its massive jaws inches above her head.
She jumped back to regain distance, only to see one of the Dragon's throats glowing blue.
"Oh, gods—" she gasped, diving aside just as a torrent of scalding water blasted toward her.
The surge tore through the swamp ground, leaving a steaming crater where she'd stood moments before. Her relief lasted barely a moment; she didn't see the whipping tail of the third Dragon.
"Ugh—!"
It hit her brutally from behind, a merciless strike that tore the air from her lungs and sent her hurtling deeper into the swamp.
She flew helplessly, crashing through vines and ricocheting off trees before plunging headlong into the murky depths of a swamp.
"Nova!" Korin yelled.
She knew that once the Dragons realized that Nova was in deep water, they would have a harder time killing her.
After a hit like that, she doesn't know if Nova could get out on time. She could get dragged under before she could even recover!
Without wasting another second, she turned her eagle sharply toward the water, ignoring their nearly defeated Dragon.
Mina instantly mirrored her decision, abandoning their previous opponent. Together, they raced toward Nova's location, hearts pounding desperately.
"No, no, no," Mina whispered urgently, chanting another Accel Geist to boost her speed. She could barely see Nova's figure submerged below, still disoriented from the strike.
"The deep water," Korin muttered frantically, his eyes wide with dread.
They were about halfway to Nova's position when they realized their mistake.
In their desperate rush, neither noticed their abandoned Dragon, now ignored, twisting toward easier prey.
The escapees.
They stopped their movements only to see their previous Dragon running towards the group of escapees.
We messed up!
/ - /
Raka felt his stomach drop as he saw the twins' forgotten spino Dragon's eyes lock onto him and the escapees, a chilling hunger evident in its predatory stare.
The creature's muscles rippled powerfully with each step it took in its charge.
"Oh gods," someone whimpered behind him. The refugees were frozen in place like sitting ducks.
But unknown to him, Cora had walked to the front of the group, her eyes hidden beneath her robe.
If he had focused, he would have sensed mana gathering at the palm of her hands.
But he couldn't; he was afraid. His fear rooted him to the spot, paralyzing him.
"Klamli!"
"Deira!"
Despite the chaos, two shouts suddenly filled his ears.
His gaze shifted instinctively to the left, landing on two dwarves clinging desperately to each other.
The man shielded the woman with his body, arms trembling fiercely in a futile effort of protection.
They could run away, a part of his mind said. But he suddenly saw the bandage over the woman's knee.
She had trouble walking.
And the man wouldn't leave her behind, even if it cost him his life.
At the sight of this, the world suddenly slowed down in Raka's eyes. The man's protective desperation and the woman's trust in the man even amid overwhelming fear.
Someone's face appeared in his mind. Someone he tried so desperately but ultimately failed to protect.
Sarah... His innocent little sister.
…
…
…
He's never going to fail again.
Raka's eyes snapped to the charging Dragon, and a familiar heat enveloped him. Unconsciously, he took a step forward before breaking into a sprint straight at the Dragon.
His action shocked Cora, who tried to reach out to him. An expression of shock he had never seen before on her usually calm face.
"Raka! What are you doing?!"
He didn't hear her. No, it was that he couldn't.
He heard nothing but his racing heartbeat, saw nothing but the Dragon, and felt nothing but the burning sensation that soared through his veins.
The scar beneath his left eye glowed fiercely, a brilliant golden yellow spreading rapidly across his body.
The Dragon looked surprised to see a meal run straight at him, but didn't slow down.
The Dragon closed rapidly, its jaws opening wide in preparation to devour him. But Raka didn't back down.
Just as it was about to close its jaws, he forced his arms into the Dragon's jaws, gripping them tightly and holding them open.
The Dragon roared in surprise as its momentum suddenly stopped, their collision shaking the ground beneath.
It tried to close its jaws to no avail, no matter how much it tried, Raka forcefully kept it open.
The Dragon's eyes widened in confusion when Raka started to glow. But that confusion quickly turned to terror when it realized that the glow suddenly manifested into golden flames.
With a shout, raka let go of the Dragon's jaws. But before it could close them, he pointed his right arm straight into its mouth, and golden fire rushed into its mouth.
It roared in pain and desperately tried to close its jaws, but Raka shoved his hand into its mouth, not stopping even as it bites his arm repeatedly.
The fire surged relentlessly, engulfing the Dragon's insides as its body started to glow. Before its body could take any more, the flames erupted.
It only took a few seconds before it disintegrated completely, scales and bones dissolving into nothingness. The swamp steamed violently, trees around him b;ackened, and the water around Raka's feet seemed to have evaporated.
Everyone froze, even the eagle from far away widened its eyes at the sudden display of power.
"She's getting dragged into the water!"
Raka turned, eyes blazing fiercely toward the swirling, dark waters where Nova fought desperately to free her leg from the jaws of a dragon.
Mina and Korin quickly resumed running towards her, but were utterly shocked when Raka suddenly blurred past them.
Running towards Nova's position with blinding speed, leaving them in the dust.
/ - /
Nova's heart thundered violently as she plunged deeper into the swamp's chilling depths.
Darkness pressed against her eyes, the murky swamp water doing nothing to calm her panic.
Her captor, a massive spino dragon, clamped tightly onto her leg with crushing force, pulling her deeper into the murky waters below.
She twisted and kicked, fighting to free herself, bubbles escaping her mouth as she strained to hold her breath.
Her magic surged desperately to her fingertips, illuminating her hands faintly in the water.
But as her spell began to form, the Dragon whipped her suddenly, thrashing her through the dense, waterlogged vegetation.
The world spun uncontrollably, the sudden violence of the movement leaving her disoriented and dizzy. Pain flared in sharp bursts from her captive leg, scattering her focus.
Nova's lungs screamed for air, her chest tight, but she tried her best to stay calm. But that was getting harder to do as the water's cold grip relentlessly pulled her deeper.
Finally, the violent shaking stopped. Nova instantly noticed it; the pressure on her leg suddenly vanished, and her leg was released.
Nova wasted no time and swam backward to gain distance, preparing to release another spell.
However, before her spell could fully take shape, her eyes widened in horror as the Dragon's jaws slowly opened to reveal a sinister, glowing white light deep within its throat.
NO! She tried to rush her spell as fast as possible, but it was too late.
The Dragon unleashed its devastating sound attack. The water vibrated fiercely, rippling with invisible force, the deafening sonic wave slamming painfully into Nova.
Her body seized, agony reverberating through her bones, ears instantly ringing with excruciating intensity.
The impact shook all the muscles in her body, forcing air violently from her lungs in a helpless, bubbling scream.
She was paralyzed, unable to move as her consciousness teetered on the brink. Her limbs refused to respond, frozen in shock.
Darkness started to overcome her vision, and she helplessly watched through fading vision as the Dragon lunged toward her, jaws widening to deliver a final, crushing bite.
In that harrowing instant, Nova felt dread overtake her. She wasn't scared of dying, but she couldn't die here. She needed to get back to the escapees.
I need to move…
…
Please…
…
…
…
But then, just as quickly, a forceful tug disrupted the Dragon's assault, wrenching its massive body backward with a sudden pull.
The enormous creature was yanked away, its eyes widening in surprise as it vanished from her immediate view and was propelled forcefully toward the surface.
Nova blinked rapidly in the water, her nearly unconscious mind struggling to comprehend what had just occurred.
A faint glow caught her attention, then rapidly brightened—a radiant golden light slicing through the murky darkness and approaching swiftly.
Nova's eyes widened in disbelief and recognition as Raka appeared. The scars beneath his eye blazed fiercely with an intense golden hue, illuminating the dark waters around them.
He reached out to her, his powerful hands firmly grabbing her waist, pulling her urgently upward.
His movement was impossibly quick, defying the sluggish resistance of the swamp's depths.
Nova's mind struggled to catch up, the rapid ascent blurring around her as they accelerated, rocketing toward the surface.
They burst free of the swamp's grasp, breaking the water's surface with an eruption of spray and foam.
Somehow, Raka had swam fast enough that they burst from the water like a rocket, flying all the remaining dragons.
Nova coughed violently, choking in desperate gulps of sweet, life-giving air. Raka's grip tightened protectively around her as they soared through the air before crashing heavily back into the shallow waters near the swamp's edge.
Nova gasped raggedly, her vision swimming as she forced herself onto trembling limbs, water cascading off her body.
Her breathing was harsh, every inhalation painful as she hacked up the water that had gotten in her lungs.
The relief of not drowning didn't last long, though; it was swiftly overtaken by renewed dread as her blurry vision cleared.
Three spino dragons stood before them, their menacing eyes focused intently on her and Raka.
/ - /
Nova still hadn't fully recovered, still kneeling on the ground, but she could think and see clearly again.
Looking ahead, she saw the three dragons standing in front of her.
But she noticed something about their stances. They were wary.
Wary of Raka.
Turning her eyes towards him, now without murky water messing with her vision, she could finally accurately analyze his form.
His entire body was glowing a golden light, but she paid the most attention to his mana.
His horrifyingly potent mana that seeped through his body.
Even when she knew he was on her side, she could help but freeze at the sight. He looked nothing like before; now, he was standing in front of the dragons without an inch of fear!
Raka stared down the Spino Dragons intensely before his arms lit up with a golden light.
They immediately took notice, and Nova saw a flash of fear course through their eyes. The dragons hastily prepared their own attacks, with the mouths of the three dragons now glowing blue.
She was immediately alarmed and tried to stand and dodge, but as soon as she stood up, her body gave up on her.
"Raka, *cough* *cough* we need to dodge—!"
But her warnings fell on deaf ears, as Raka didn't break eye contact with them, and merely raised his right hand towards them.
Nova yelled one more time as the dragons let their attacks fly towards them.
Only for everything to turn yellow as Raka released his own.
The water jets evaporated almost instantly, and as the fire reached the dragons, they let out a roar of agony as their entire bodies were scorched.
Nova sat in shock as Raka didn't let up even slightly. Releasing a continuous blast of fire until no more sounds were heard from the dragons.
Finally, he stopped his spell. As the fire dissipates, Nova can finally see the sheer destruction left after Raka's attack.
An entire portion of the swampland was eviscerated, leaving the remaining water bubbling hot, as if it were boiling.
Entire clumps of trees were turned to ash, and the attack made it look as if there was nothing there in the first place.
Nova flinched as Raka suddenly turned towards her.
"Are you ok?"
It took her a few seconds before she could respond, her mind still in shock from what just happened.
"I-I will be alright, I know a few healing spells so this injury is nothing" She motioned to her leg, which had teeth shaped holes in it.
Raka sighed in relief, "Thank goodness, I thought you were a goner."
He extended a hand to help her up, which she slowly took, gaining a standing position with some effort.
He draped an arm over his shoulder for balance, and she looked back at the group, who stared at them in stunned silence.
The eagle stood next to Mina and Korin, "The fights are over now," Nova murmured, relieved.
But she silently glimpsed back at Raka, whose expression was still blank even after everything was done.
A thought passed through her mind.
Why didn't he just do this from the beginning?