Day 21: Battle
Fire licked up Danny's arm and he screamed, inhuman harmonics curling around the edges of his voice. Windows shook. A few broke. Danny bit his tongue and dropped several yards. This was strategic, not involuntary.
He had a clear shot at Aragon's belly, now. It would still be difficult. The scales were softer on the dragon's underside, but not nonexistent, and Danny's left arm was out of commission. He couldn't make it move at all, and he was trying very hard not to look at it.
(Ectoplasm, even Danny's, did not always act like flesh. His arm was dripping, bubbling, melted, singed around the edges like cheese left in a hot pan.)
There wasn't anymore time to think. Danny built a charge of ice up in his right hand, forming it into a long spear. He launched it up at Aragon. The dragon keeled sideways, and the spear pierced one of his wings instead of his stomach.
That was fine, as far as Danny was concerned. Ice would spread from the spear as long as it was stuck in the wing. It was a trick he had learned from Frostbite. Unfortunately, it wouldn't do anything to Aragon's ability to fly. Aragon was a ghost, after all. He didn't need wings to fly any more than Danny did.
It also didn't seem to be doing anything to Aragon's ability to dive after Danny. Danny dropped a few more feet and then jackknifed up and away. He'd been trying to move the battle out of the city since the beginning. There were too many things here that could be broken. Too many people who could be hurt. Out in the countryside, he could use his stronger, more dangerous, powers, like his wail.
The problem was that up until this point, Aragon hadn't been quite angry enough to follow him, instead taking his temper out on Amity Park.
This had changed. Danny had finally wounded him enough to keep his focus.
Danny flew well above the buildings, even though it would have been easier to stay ahead of Aragon if he flew lower, wound around the buildings, used them as obstacles. The goal was to keep Aragon's attention, not loose him.
Then they were out of the city, above the woods. Danny turned, grinning, but his grin faltered as he saw fire burning between Aragon's teeth and he realized that the dry, summery forest was probably not the best place to fight a fire-breathing dragon.
He hastily threw up a shield of ice. When Aragon inhaled again, Danny climbed, circled, so that he was between and above Aragon and the city. Then he wailed, no longer holding back.
Aragon was forced to the ground, knocking down trees and plowing a furrow into the ground. Danny dove, zeroed in on the back of Aragon's neck. The clasp to the amulet, the source of Aragon's transformation, was there. He fumbled at it with his one good hand and some desperation.
(He still hadn't looked at his arm. No time.)
Danny was not going to last if this fight was dragged out much longer. Not with his arm the way it was, not with how much energy he had spent already. The only reason he had beaten Aragon last time was because Dora had helped him. This time, even Sam and Tucker hadn't been able to help much.
It seemed to take forever, but Danny finally got the clasp loose. He yanked the thick chain the rest of the way off and threw it, hard, into the forest. He didn't look to see where it landed. He was already pointing the thermos at Aragon's rapidly shrinking form, the cap held against his body with his elbow. He hit the capture button as soon as Aragon's base, humanoid, form became recognizable, and blue light poured from the thermos, sucking Aragon in.
The only sound left was the wind in the leaves and Danny's (unnecessary) breathing. Danny sat down heavily in the dirt. He shut his eyes. It was time look.
He looked. Blinked. That wasn't so bad. It was just kind of... Melted. He leaned over and threw up, which was somehow even less pleasant in ghost form than it was when he was human. When he was done, he reached for his phone.
Danny's phone was an ancient flip phone. Tucker claimed that it was practically unkillable. So far, the claim had held out. He pressed the speed dial button and held it to hie ear.
"Hey, Jazz. Yeah, I need you to get the ecto-dejecto and the first aid kit... I'll try to get to the day camp. Uh, Newman State Park? Yeah. Um, the green one. Also, I think that might be in shock..."