THIS IS PART II, REPEAT PART II. If you haven't seen part I, I would kind of recommend it that's how part 1 and 2 works.
"OOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
Perseus dashes off, kicking up dirt as he gets his body as low as possible, pushing his body to its max speed as he begins the first line of his magic. The Green dragon telegraphs a swipe with its front claw, forcing Perseus to slide under it just as his magic activates, the deadly talons centimetres away from ripping his face off. But he had dodged the first attack, the first mini battle went to him.
Distracted by the attack, the dragon looked down as it saw the small adventurer dash underneath its body. With its attention drawn away, Brant takes advantage. The man lowers his sword into a slicing position as he sprints towards the giant beast. With a horizontal slash, his sword crashes into the green scales, sending sparks flying everywhere.
Brant cursed under his breath as he saw the minimal damage he caused and now he had drawn the ire of the monster. With a snarl, it readied its front left limb but was swiftly stopped as Perseus slammed his fists into its back knee, the blunt force forcing the dragon to use its other limbs to stay balanced.
It seemed Reg had the same idea as Percy, activating his skill Ardigalea and leaving his shield on his back, two-handing his War-Hammer. As the Dragon slightly wobbled, the Dwarf roared towards the leg the monster was just about to use to swipe at Brant. Just as it landed, Reg thrusted his War-Hammer into its shin, a satisfying crunch showing that Blunt strength was the way to go as a few scales fell to the floor, a bit of the monster's flesh was already exposed.
The first 5 seconds of the fight was over and the initial fight had gone the way of the adventurers. All had connected an attack and none had been hit. If this was how the fight would play out, then it would only last another few minutes. But the Green Dragon was the strongest monster on the middle-floors.
This Green Dragon in particular had been guarding this tree for 3 years. This was on the account that this treasure tree was incredibly hard to find but also that the few unlucky few that had managed to come across it had not survived to tell of its location.
While the three adventurers had all connected an attack, it had done little. The most successful was Reg's who barely touched it and the Dragon recognised this. It once again snarled as it stared down at Reg and Brant, the blood-red eyes narrowing at the one that had scratched it. They back-stepped away, with Perseus leaping behind the beast onto one of the giant roots, barely out of reach of its tail. He considered activating his other two lines of magic but thought it was best to save his mind for a few more seconds.
All four combatants now understood what this battle would be. One of endurance. For the adventures, it would be death by a thousand cuts to take down the mini boss. For the Green Dragon, it saw the way the first adventurer frantically dodged its attack and how the other two jumped away at the sight of danger. All it would need was three clean hits and it was game over.
While the monster had assessed it was by far stronger than all of its enemies, in terms of pace it held little advantage, except for one of them. It had calculated that the smallest one was the fastest and the tall, skinny one would be fast enough to annoy it for a few seconds. But the bigger one had taken a bit longer to close the distance. The Dragon narrowed its blood-red eyes and with a huff of hot air blowing from its nostrils, it surged forwards.
Reg was slightly caught of guard as the monster made a b-line towards him. For its size, the speed in which the dragon closed the distance was frightening, only giving Reg enough time to reach behind and grab his shield from his back.
The dwarf managed to tense his muscles just before the dragon's ferocious claws dug into the steel of his shield. If it wasn't for his skill and experience, he would've been knocked back, instead his boots dug into the dirt was he was pushed back. The dragon didn't wait for the dwarf to compose himself as it brought its other front leg into the fray, directly heading for the man's skull.
"Grggh!"
It was quickly met by Brant as he grunted at the intense strength he had blocked with his claymore, his boots digging into the ground as he too was pushed back. From behind, Perseus took the opportunity for an attack. He leapt from his root, using his magically enhanced legs to make the gap as he landed on the dragon's scaly back and begin sprinting up to the head.
Noticing the person on its body, the dragon thrashed about wildly. Perseus was not prepared for the strength and speed of the monster's body and was thrown from its back, crashing into the floor, managing to roll into a crouching position, only for his eyes to see a flash of green enter his vision.
It was because of his instinct his head was still on his shoulders as the dragon's whip like tail sailed over his head, smashing the branch near him into pieces but it didn't stop there. The monster had relieved Brant and Reg from their separate duels, only to continue spinning its body around and to crash its tail into the duo.
Brant managed to roll out of the way, his lack of armour and his sharper senses gave him just enough to avoid the attack. The heavily armoured, veteran dwarf had no such luxuries. His combined defence of his armour, his shield, his strength and his skill was rendered useless as the green whip smashed into the smith's side.
Perseus and Brant saw a gulp of blood spurt out of the metallic helmet and then Reg was no longer their as his body flew into the thick Tree's maze like branches.
The two didn't get chance to cry out for their friend as the Dragon gave them no rest as the monster now faced Perseus and immediately slashed its two frontal claws at the boy. If Reg struggled to hold off one, the only hope for Percy was to avoid at all costs.
It was only his magic that kept him alive as if it wasn't for the extra stat boost, he would not have been fast enough. Perseus managed to mutter his second line of magic, just in case he was forced to take a direct attack but his magic had been cracked when fighting Minotaurs, what chance did it have against this monstrosity,
Brant watched as his pupil was being cornered but he could not do anything to help. The overwhelming strength of the monster allowed it to fight on two fronts. It seemed to be able to swipe at Percy, slowly pushing him back as the boy desperately dodged out the way of the deadly talons all the while its even deadlier tail swung behind it, keeping Brant at bay.
No matter how close Brant tried to get, the Dragon manoeuvred its body so Brant was always facing the tail. It was infuriating. Brant was almost considering going off to find Reg and get him back into he fight but that would leave Percy on his own to face a level 4 monster. Who knows what kind of mental strain that would put on the boy, seeing his teammate up and abandon him. Brant couldn't do that, not to Percy.
So the man kept fighting back, taking swings at the tail whenever he could. He tried to make himself as annoying as possible, darting in different directions constantly, threatening to jump on the monsters back.
"KID!" Brant cried out as he watched the boy leap out of the way of one attack, practically scrambling on the ground as a claw dug 6 inches into the ground where the boy had just been, smashing a rock into dust as it continued its attack. And Brant was still helpless, all because of this fucking tail.
'I'm going to cut this fucking thing off if it's the last thing I do!' He screamed in his mind as he continued his mad dashing around, trying to find an opening. But then a few seconds later, Percy had another close shave as he stumbles away but this time he wasn't fast enough. It was just the edge, the smallest bit of the claw but that was all it took and now blood was pouring out of the top of the boy's arm.
"-aaarrrrgh!" Percy cried out in pain as he jumped out of the way of another attack. That was it for Brant. It was the first time had seen Percy cry out in pain like that and that made Brant pissed, even more so than he already was.
With little regard for his life, the man raced forward, running as fast as he could. He bent down under one of the tail swipes, rolled under another and when a third came to decapitate him, Brant held up his claymore with both hands.
It made him stumble to the side, his legs crossing over each other as the absurd strength the tail generated made Brant's bone vibrate, but the sight of Percy dodging for his life kept him upright as sparks cascaded around him as the steel of his sword clashed with the green scales.
Brant was now under the belly of the beast; he had breached the first line of defence and now took the direct route to the front.
The dragon growled in anger at being beaten and seeing it was getting little success with the young adventurer in front of it, it decided to switch targets. With a burst of speed something of its size shouldn't be capable of, the dragon dug its left claw into the ground and clawed it through the dirt as if it was farming a field. It kicked up rocks and dirt as it was on course to hitting the annoying man underneath it.
This did allow Perseus to jump back and gulp down much needed breathes of air but the boy watched with wide-eyes as Brant was little more than a sitting duck to the monster's attack. The man saw it coming, his eyes widening too at the terrifying speed the appendage was coming towards him. All he could do was raise his Claymore, but it was a meagre defence and just before it made impact, the Dragon raised its arm, pulling its four razor sharp claws out of the ground. The bits of dirt burnt Brant's eyes as he desperately tried to keep them open but it mattered little.
Brant felt like his bones had shattered just at the impact of the dragon meeting his Claymore but that only lasted for a second and soon, Brant joined Reg. Perseus watched on in horror as Brant cried out as he was flung into the air and into the giant quagmire of roots and branches, swallowed up by the giant shadow of darkness that blocked most of the natural light.
Percy's blood ran cold, his body began to tremble. He slowly brought his head to face the dragon, hesitantly raising his eyes. The sight almost made him throw-up as steam poured from the Green Dragon's mouth as it curled up into a sadistic smile, the scarlet eyes staring right back at him.
'Run!' his body commanded and the boy didn't wait even a second to question it, obliging instantly.
"CRRRRRSSSSSHHHHHH!"
The sound of the giant tree root exploding behind only made me pump my arms faster. I was keeping my mind occupied on my breathing, keeping it steady as possible to distract myself from the creature hunting me down.
My muscles in my legs burned as I willed them to move faster, my magic pushing me passed my limits. I had disabled my light armour, straining every bit of my mind into my enhancement magic.
I bounced off the thick trunk to another one just before a giant green claw ripped it into pieces. I felt my boot struggle to keep balance but I couldn't slow down. If I fell, I died and that wasn't allowed, so I stayed up right and pushed on into the thick jungle.
I didn't know where Brant was, nor Reg and currently I couldn't think about them right now. All my blood was pumping around my body and all the oxygen I gulped with each breathe went straight to my heart, I had very little time to think.
I continued hopping between different trunks, hoping to shake the Dragon. If I broke line of sight for even a second, my Stealth skill should activate but the monster wasn't letting that happen.
It cared little for the blockade of bark as it bashed right through it all. I had darted left and right several times but the monster always followed, its terrifying speed kept it on my heels. At times, I felt its hot breath on my neck.
The last time I had run like this was when I faced that Irregular ape monster. Coincidentally that earned me my first level-up but I barely managed to survive it, hopefully I could do the same here.
It was a small glimpse of hope, one that was quickly dashed as a Green whip entered my vision. That single thought, that minor distraction, that was all it took and I was a sitting duck. The giant tree root I was running on only went in one direction and it was about a 20ft drop to the ground. I had nowhere to go. I held up my right arm as a meagre defence. This was it.
But nothing happened, no impact. My eyes quickly darted around, and I saw the Dragon had missed. It had clearly gone for a tail whip attack, as the side of its body was facing me, but the tail hung limply by its side.
"Oi Brat! Go for it!"
I looked down and saw Brant appear from between the dragon's legs, a bit of blood coated his Claymore.
'He must've cut its leg,' I think as hope once again poured into my heart. I don't waste a second, listening to my commander's orders is what a good party member does.
As the Green Dragon roared in fury at being injured, baring its fangs at Brant, I leapt onto an adjacent trunk and pushed my legs at full pelt. Clenching my Galva-Knuckles shut and my stealth skill now active, I leapt forward at the unsuspecting monster.
Bringing both my armoured fists down at once, I landed a clean blow on the Dragon's skull in between the two horns. It felt strong as the giant head fell down, almost hitting the ground. I wanted to go for another blow, spinning in the air and readying a kick. Thankfully I decided against my cocky action as the monster turned its head around and snapped its jaws at me.
The bite was so hard, I was pushed back slightly from the force it generated. Now the Dragon was clearly pissed off and its eyes stared down at me but me and Brant weren't scared, in fact we both held the same sly grin on our faces as our party re-united again.
"RAAR!" Reg smashed his giant War-Hammer into the same back knee I had hit at the start of the fight, his War cry adding extra strength as the Dragon buckled under the pain and lack of balance.
This time, we wasted no time. We gave the monster no mercy and began pummelling it. If it's going to be death by a thousand cuts, so be it. Using our size to our advantage, we dashed in the thick foliage before leaping out at a different moment.
I burst out from behind a thick plant and connected my left fist into the back left ankle. The dragon roared in anger but before it had time to retaliate, Reg then appeared and drove the sharp side of his War-Hammer into one of the monster's claw.
Flinching in pain, it stumbled back and Brant shot out and drove his sword at the same place he had injured earlier. It was a bombardment of attacks. I attacked most frequently, my stealth skill giving me an advantage at sneak attacks. I intentionally stayed in view for an extra second to draw the monster's attention, making it vulnerable to one of the other two.
The Dragon tried to get to a clearer area but every time it adverted its attention, we all attacked at the same time. Blood began trickling out of a few places. My punches had slowly broken at least 20 scales by now and Reg had inter-changed his attack pattern between blunt force to quick stabs.
However, me and Reg were diversions as Brant was doing the most damage. Sparingly appearing and staying hidden most of the time, he let us make the dragon angry at both of us before he spotted an opening. Darting out from a new position each time, he focused the same spot he had cut through, slowly but surely making the gash deeper and deeper.
The dragon understood what we were doing but we gave it no chance to escape, no option but to tank this damage. Every time it decided to charge one of us, the other two would just jump out but this time we knew about its deadly tail.
It was gruelling work and the roars of pain and bloodlust from the Dragon were horrible to listen to but if this won us the fight, there was no complaint from me.
"URRRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAA!"
The Dragon let out another roar of fury as Brant once again made a decisive attack on its weak spot. It followed up with another roar of frustration as Brant once again disappeared and I leapt from above it, landing another strong duel punch onto its spine before hopping away.
Suddenly, the creature began thrashing about. It was clearly doing this in anger but it was more wild than usual. I decided to hang back, unsure of what was happening. Its tail swung violently behind it as it began jumping up and down, crashing into the ground, sending tremors across the battlefield of crushed tree roots and uprooted rocks and thick grass.
"Youngin?" I head Reg whisper near me, I speed crouch over to him.
"Yeah?"
"Stay back, somethin's 'appening."
Reg was clearly nervous at the actions the monster was taking. It was almost having a tantrum at how viciously it was smacking its four legs into the ground. Eventually it stopped, the monster seemingly having calmed down. I readied myself to restart the fight but Reg put his arm across my body, stopping me.
"Stop... listen."
I was confused but tilted my head towards the dragon, listening more intently. I heard something weird. The dragon's breathing was getting heavy and stronger, like it was out of breath. Surely that was a good sign. Judging from the worried look Reg was giving, I guess not.
"It can't be, surely. Its entire job is to protect it... it'll destroy it," Reg muttered to himself, his voice filled with dread.
"What... what's happening?" I nervously ask, my voice getting shaky at Reg's concern. I swivel my head back to the Dragon, only to see steam begin to pour from its mouth.
It had done this before, either when it was angry or it had landed a hit on one of us. But it looked different. The smoke looked thicker and darker. Steam began to float from its nostrils again. Then it opened its mouth.
"BRANT, SCATTER!" Reg shouted. I saw the dragon tilt its head back before releasing a stream of fire. The increase in temperature was immediate as the dragon roared a cascade of red and orange onto the very flammable landscape. It threw its head around everywhere, covering the entire arena.
Now I knew what Reg meant. The Green Dragon's job was to protect the Treasure Tree. Maybe that was why it hadn't breathed fire before, hoping to not damage what it was meant to defend. But now, now it had discarded that role. And that was terrifying because that meant it was willing to do anything to make sure we didn't make it out of here alive.
"MOVE!" Reg yelled at me. "WE HAVE TO MAKE IT TO THE CLEARING!"
It was horrifying. I began sprinting as the flames began spreading rapidly all around us. How easily the tables had been flipped. We had spent so long keeping the dragon from escaping. Now it was our turn to attempt to flee. And unlike us, the Dragon was impervious to fire and now it was its turn to go on the offense.
The fire had quickly created smoke and ash. I began to choke on the air and my eyes began to sting as I raced through the smoke, I could barely see a thing. The dragon held no such weakness.
It may not be able to spot me but what it could see was the shiny steel armour that covered Reg. One moment, Reg was running next to me, keeping his head low as he tried not breathing in the toxic fumes. The next, and a pair of razor sharp claws appeared through the smog and shattered through his armour, slicing through the dwarf's thick skin and sending him flying. I didn't have enough breath to even scream his name, my tears being extinguished as soon as they left my eyes. All I could do was continue to run. The sooner I escaped, the sooner I could fight and kill this monster.
I could make out the thundering footsteps nearby but I couldn't pinpoint it. It was like I was running blind as my enemy had a clear view and it was only a matter of time before its deadly claws tore me to shreds.
I began panting, the air burning my lungs. I didn't know where I was or where I was going, I just continued to run. Tears streamed out of my eyes as my entire body burned, my clothes having been tinged by the fire that had now engulfed the entire battlefield. The Dragon had destroyed everything its life revolved around just to kill us.
I tripped over a small root that spurted out of the ground, I couldn't see it due to my lack of visibility. I scrambled to my feet, my hands getting burnt from just touching the ground as I kicked away burnt plant life.
This was the worst feeling, not knowing when it was going to happen. Why hadn't it hit me, maybe it didn't see me, maybe Brant's injury had slowed it down enough.
The wait was excruciating, why couldn't it get over and done with. I can't stand this, please just let me escape. I continued to breathe in the smoke and fumes, my lungs continued to be on fire.
Maybe it was a delusion, caused by my brain being deprived by oxygen but I thought the fire was lessening. I used valuable energy to wipe the water from my eyes and looked around. There it was! The clearing. If I just made it there, I'd stand a chance. It was within sprinting distance. I was so close, I...
"FWWWWWWHHHHPPPPPP!"
The dragon's tail cracked into my side. The air rushed out of my lungs instantly as I began hurtling through the air. I saw the opening that was so close fly away, my vision being clouded by hell once more. It didn't take long though for me to hit something. My body smashed into the colossal Treasure tree, my head smacking against the rough surface before I fell to the ground.
I was in a daze. The entire right side of my body was searing with pain. It took another 10 seconds for me to regain the ability to breathe and that made me realise my ribs had been shattered as each gulp of air felt like drinking fire, probably because I was.
My right arm hung limp, my shoulder piece no longer covering anything as it had been smashed into pieces. My Galva-Knuckle had spared my wrist from breaking but as I slowly brought it up, it fell of my arm, splitting in two.
I tried putting my left hand on the ground, hoping for some support. I was met with burnt leaves and bits of glass. I realised that my potions must've smashed on impact.
Blood began coating my vision as it trickled down from a gash on my forehead. I felt my back burn; it was probably my Pain resistance skill kicking in. I can't imagine what I would be feeling if I didn't have that. I'd probably be unconscious from the pain as even with it active, my head was swirling. I felt bile conjure up my throat as I tried to concentrate.
As I finally regained some semblance of my vision back, I wished I was unconscious. I couldn't help but let out a weak whimper of despair as I stared up. With fire dancing around as if we were in the depths of Tartarus itself, looking down at me, its toothy mouth curled into another grin, the Green Dragon bore down on me with all its evil ferocity, the flames flickering around its demonic figure.
All I could do was hold my broken arm as I curled in on myself as the Dragon slowly made its way closer. It would be the longest 100m of my life.
'It's my fault. I dragged Brant and Reg down here and now they are dead and I'm going to be dead and it's all my fault.'
A Giant branch fell to the ground, engulfed in flames as the wood had charred black. Splitting the pathway between the dragon and myself, it grabbed me out of my self-loathing.
I hung my head, closing my eyes. I heard the dragon begin making its way towards me. It could've breathed fire, burning me instantly but it hadn't. It was taunting, gloating at me. It was revelling in its victory.
"Vict- *cough* tory... what victory. *cough cough*"
I sluggishly raise my head, placing it on the blackened wood of the Treasure Tree.
"Who says... you've... won... huh?"
I had been here before, more than once. The climb, the Minotaurs, the fall, Irregular ape, the swarm of killer ants... the goblin. I had been here before.
I felt my back burn and I could tell the difference from the flames. The dragon couldn't see the small smile forming on my face as it stamped on the fallen log, crushing it to cinders.
I flailed my left arm about, grabbing onto a bit of bark as leverage as I dragged myself up. Fire continued to dance around me as blood spilled from my body, matting my hair.
The dragon had shown its party trick... now it was my turn. I would make sure it would come to regret keeping me alive for this long.
I unlocked my left Galva-knuckle, letting it drop to the ground next to its fallen brother. My movement was noticed by the monster as it halted its advance, the blood red eyes narrowing.
"Yeah... you... best look." I mutter as I wipe blood from my mouth.
'My turn.'
"Bestow upon me the... strength to beat my foes."
I see the dragon snarl as it watches the magic vein wrap itself around my body, the lightning blue visible through the charred parts of my clothes.
"Gift me... the power to withstand their attack."
The dragon restarted its advance, a bit faster this time. But it was too late. I felt my back blaze as Warrior ignited, the surge filling my body with energy.
"Absorb their strength and make it my own."
The dragon had now picked up the speed as it closed the distance quickly. It lunged at me, the two rows of death gnashing at me.
The dragon shot its head around, looking for the enemy that it had let slip through its grasp. It didn't take long to spot the small adventurer. It saw how the flames it had created now reflected off something that covered the adventurer's body and it also quickly noticed something new.
The blue veins had now turned white as they swarmed around the boy's exposed body. Perseus clenched and unclenched his left fist, leaving his right arm to dangle. His magic wouldn't fix that.
He took a deep breath as it looked down at the dragon from on-top of a still standing branch, though it was quickly being consumed by the fire. Each breathe burnt his lungs, just like before. But each time he felt the pain rake his body; he felt his strength surge alongside it.
The dragon anxiously watched as the adventurer walked over to where its flames had begun to dismantle the thick branch. The adventurer was too high for it to reach, it would have to wait for the wood to turn to ash and drop the boy into it's grasp. But its eyes only narrowed more as the adventurer didn't stop at the flames.
Perseus put his right leg into the fire. It quickly ate away at his skin, a burn rash forming. The pain was excruciating but he saw how his glistening white enhancement magic pulsated stronger with each heartbeat. It was almost intoxicating.
The Dragon, for the first time in this fight, felt wary. The adventurer stared back down at it as it removed its leg from the fire, this time with a psychotic smile on it.
Perseus was now on a high. His body was tilting between complete agony and a feeling of energy and strength that was boarding on addicting. The black-haired boy had to control himself to not inflict more pain on himself.
"I told you it wasn't your victory."
The dragon watched as the adventurer dropped off the branch before it snapped from its place. The giant log covered the human's escape. The dragon swirled its head from side to side, not knowing what was going on.
Suddenly, Percy leapt out from a wall of flames, not caring about the damage being done to his body. He caught the monster by surprise as he smashed his bare fists into its front right thigh. The impact was immediate as the dragon staggered backwards at the strength inflicted.
The dragon roared in pain as it was forced to put strain on its wounded ankle. Perseus took advantage of this, running underneath the creature and delivering a shin kick to the swollen red injury.
"UUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRAAAAAAAA!"
The dragon stumbled once again as it cried out. Once again, it was being held at a standstill but this time it was only one of them. It swung its head forward, letting out a river of flames as it covered the entire ground. It worked before, not now.
Perseus burst out from behind a burnt log, running head on through the newly generated flames as he once again connected his fist with another thigh, his strength and speed only increasing. By now, he had surpassed the level 3 barrier. This time the dragon almost fell over.
Its flames were useless, it wasn't fast enough to defend and now it had a weak spot. But the Green Dragon wasn't considered the strongest on the middle floors for nothing.
Percy desperately jumped out of the way from the monster's tail that thrashed around so fast it dispersed some of the fire. Percy couldn't afford to waste time though; he was now running on borrowed time.
He was running on a high right now, pumped by adrenaline. That wouldn't last for much longer and with all three lines of his magic activated, his mind was running out. He had long run out of potions, either using them or losing them to his impact on the giant tree.
But the boy smiled as he dodged another attack from the dragon's whip, as he had one advantage the dragon would never have. He wasn't on his own.
"Make me stand strong... and face the flame. Burn away all im-mpurities as I am placed on the forge..."
The dragon turned around at the chant, only to see a second adventurer join the fray. It was nothing like it had been when the dragon had attacked it last. Half of the armour had disappeared; some had even melted into the dwarf's skin. But that didn't matter, not to the smith.
His Giant War-hammer in one hand and his shield in his other as he roared out his final line. A flaming branch smashed down behind him, the inferno swirling behind him
"SET MY SOUL ABLAZE... IGNITE!"
Perseus watched as Reg was doused in flames. He went to cry out, not wanting to see his close friend go up in flames but the boy quickly realised it was the exact opposite. Reg's magic had encompassed him in fire. His muscles flexed as the dwarf cracked his neck, the feeling of power re-invigorating his soul.
What was even more amazing to Perseus was how the flames that danced around the dwarf's area now began to draw towards his body, as if he was sucking in the fire. The dragon though, didn't seem to like this, negating its main attack. It roared at the dwarf and raced towards him.
Reg opened his eyes, his working amber eye ablaze as he pushed his fire onto his War-Hammer just as the dragon got within swinging distance.
With a roar of his own, Reg crunched his Hammer into the dragon's face. Blood flew from the impact as even a few teeth were thrown out of the monster's mouth. Reg didn't give the beast a second to recover as he immediately brought his hammer back, the pick side penetrating into the monster's neck.
"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
Using all his almighty strength, Reg pushed his weapon down, tearing through the Dragon's scales as the monster flailed about in agony.
As Reg let it go, the Green Dragon staggered back, almost falling over. It desperately tried to regain its balance, not knowing where the next attack would come from. It was now in a 2v1 with its opponents having gotten strength boosts out of nowhere, having bested its fire.
Its neck felt weak as it started to breath more ragged. It began whipping its tail around, its main weapon was still functional and it was still breathing. As its head whipped between Reg and Perseus, neither making a move as they watched the dragon slowly back away.
Its tail was still a massive danger, even with both of them having increased their strength and defence, one hit from that would be game over, Perseus's limp right arm was proof of that.
It happened in a flash. One moment, the dragon was thrashing its tail about, using it as a shield to keep the adventurers away, the next it was fluttering on the ground in a pile of dead, burnt leaves, detached from the monster.
The dragon roared in pain as Brant wiped his Claymore of the blood, smirking as he did so.
"Told ya I'd get that tail."
After being blasted by the fire, taking a direct hit from it, Brant had gone unconscious. He woke up a few minutes later, engulfed by flames from all directions. He called out for Percy and Reg but got no response. He was in excruciating pain, nothing like he had felt before. Not even the injury Hedin Selland had given him was like this. He raised his hand to his face and it burnt just at the touch. His clothes had singed away, leaving him almost half-naked as drabs of fabric hung off his body.
But then he heard fighting and knew it wasn't over. All that mattered was that he had his weapon, even if the handle was at a searing heat. Brant gritted his teeth as he picked up the sword, almost welding the handle to his hand to stop him from letting go and he raced off.
He ran through the flames, not caring about the fire as caring would slow him down. He jumped on roots, trying to get a better look but most of them had already burnt down. But as he got near the fight, he saw something that hadn't burnt down.
Brant clambered onto the gems that were sticking out, climbing and leaping around the circumference of the giant tree, using the quartz and lapis as stepping stones. He quickly made his way to the fight, dangling above the smouldering battlefield. He saw how Reg had activated his fire magic and Percy was glowing white and both had almost cornered the dragon. Now it was his turn.
Letting go; Brant began plummeting to the ground. He fell through burning logs and fire but he didn't care, his hate bellowing in the wind as it struggled to stay on his head. Readying his Claymore, he only had one target.
"Told ya, I'd get that tail."
Brant stepped back, being joined by his two companion's. Reg had a massive gash across his stomach, which was bleeding profusely. He had also lost half his armour and his bad eye had swollen up from all the smoke.
Percy's right arm was completely broken, dangling limply next to him. He had also lost his Galva-Knuckles and judging from his raspy breathing, he was on death's door.
"What happened to you two?" Brant asked.
"'bout to ask you the same thing," Reg smirked back. Most of Brant's body was covered in sores and burn rashes. Bits of his skin had almost turned black but it was his face that was the prettiest. The entire left side of his face had been burnt black. Somehow his eyes weren't injured enough but his left one was opening any time soon.
"Can we... get this... done with." Percy managed to say through his charred lungs, his magic surging through his body as his Warrior ability was eager to continue the fight.
"Sure... why not," Reg said in a cheeky tone before the three grinned at the dragon. It wasn't until now the monster realised just how crazy and deranged adventurers could really be.
"Imma enjoy this," Brant muttered before he pointed his Claymore at the monster.
Perseus raced forward at a tremendous speed, leaving a dust cloud. The Dragon stood upright just in time to tense its muscle to weaken the punch to its front right thigh. It quickly diverted its attention to the dwarf that was running at him next but it stumbled. Percy hadn't fled like all the other times, instead he continued his onslaught of punches. The boy had lost all sense and now the word retreat, or logic, didn't exist in his mind.
Reg leapt up, bringin his fire encased War-Hammer down on the monster's skull. It was blocked by a raised claw, only for Brant to leap above the dwarf and bring his sword down. The dragon tried to move its neck out of the way, but the wound inflicted from Reg made it slow and Brant expertly caught the area Reg had injured, making an even deeper cut.
Landing, the man jumped back. Reg stood at the front, pouring his strength into his shield as it was his turn to take on a barrage of attacks. His skill and magic kept him stationary as the dragon roared with fury as it poured all its might into slashing away at the dwarf but the tank and his shield wouldn't budge.
This gave time for Perseus to push off the ground and sucker punch the monster in the stomach. This stunned the dragon, allowing Reg to swing his hammer down once move, this time destroying two claws.
Reflexively, the dragon slumped to the ground, hoping to dislodge the small bug biting at him. But Percy didn't budge, he readied his two fists and just as the dragon's stomach landed on him, he jumped up and punched into the dragon once again. The boy used so much strength; it flung the dragon's giant body upwards, sending it crashing into the Treasure Tree.
"UUUUUUOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The dragon roared in rage. It began making the chemical chain reaction in its stomach to once again breathe fire but for some reason, it struggled to move, like an invisible hand was weighing down.
"Now!" Brant shouted as he held up his hand, having used his Force Hand magic. Reg didn't need a second invitation.
"UUUOOOOOOAAAAAA YA'SELF YA GREEN BASTARD!" Reg shouted as he slammed his War-hammer down, completely shattering one of the Dragon's knees. A bone sickening crunch bounced around as the monster once again roared in pain but Brant could only hold the dragon for a few seconds and the dragon flung its other claw at Reg, sending the dwarf flying backwards.
But with Reg gone, Percy took his place and with Brant as back-up, the Dragon could only sit back and take the damage head-on. Losing its mobility it could do little but thrash out. It desperately tried to stand up but every time Perseus went for an attack, it raised its front leg for a block, only for it to be stopped by Brant's magic. Using this opening, Perseus landed a direct hit, square on its jaw before pushing away just as the beast escaped from Brant's magic grasp. However, the force of Percy's attack always knocked the dragon down, making it start over.
Soon Reg re-joined and him and Percy took turns battering the dragon as Brant continued to hold it in place for a second at most. But now the adventurers were getting tired, their magic having eaten away at their minds and their bodies on the verge of collapse.
Sensing this, the dragon opted for one final hail Mary as it breathed a constant stream of fire, igniting the wildlife on fire once again, sending the battlefield back into an inferno. Reg was forced to hold still. While he could deal with the fire, the strength the dragon was vomiting it out was overpowering.
Brant could do nothing but crouch down behind an already burnt log as the fire encircled him, slowly eating away at his cover. But the man glimpsed movement to his left and smiled.
"PERCY... CATCH!"
Brant peeled his Claymore from his hand, taking skin and blood with it as he hurled his weapon at the boy who was running through the onslaught of flames. His white veins were pulsating like crazy, as if the boy was about to explode as the constant stream of pain gave him more and more strength. He was now moving at high level 3 speed, his strength just as comparable. Combine that with Warrior and the boy only needed one chance.
Practically galloping, Perseus leapt through the fire and caught the weapon. The hilt burnt his hand but that only gave him more power as he ploughed through the fire and flames. The dragon was still dispersing its fire but it was getting weaker as most of the monster's strength had been used up.
As Percy pushed off his left leg, jumping into the air, he swivelled the blade in his hands. He envisioned the way Brant had done it, how the man had failed to properly damage the Dragon's scales.
But Percy learnt from his past fights. For his level-up before, the Irregular ape was impervious to his fists, so he found a weak spot. A weak spot that every monster has.
Perseus crashed through the onslaught of fire, Brant's Claymore piercing through the air as the boy hurtled towards his target. The Dragon had no time to react as the boy speared the black Claymore through the dragon's right eye, twisting it as he dug deep. Blood squirted out as the dragon writhed around but Perseus only pushed the sword in deeper. Eventually, the movement stopped and Percy let go.
Perseus fell to the ground; his body having exhausted itself. The last thing the boy saw was the Giant Green Dragon turn to ash as his mind went black.
Wooh, it is done. I sure hope that is enough for our boys to get to level 3.
I made this a two parter thing because if it wasn't, it would be 16k and thats not fun for me or you. I had planned stuff to go into the water capital but that was too much and for a later time me thinks.
Review:
JonnyBoboThe1st: (A lot of reviews, damn... much appreciated)
Review 1:
1. Bell was always going surpass Percy because he is the MC, but only in stats. These 10 years won't mean nothing. Also I'll try to spoil less in my author notes, apologies
2. Percy dislikes Hera and Zeus more than his twin brother but who knows how he will react when he sees him for the first time, especially with how fast Bell levels up.
3. Percy isn't a bad hero, its just compared to someone like Bell who has MC powers to save everyone, it makes it seem bad. One of the big points of this story is to depict a realistic view of Orario and the dungeon and Percy has already saved two people from the dungeon, which should be considered on the same level as the 9 circles of hell. Saving just one should be applauded and thats the point. Suffering and loss is a part of an adventurer.
4. I don't enjoy torturing Percy, I just can't imagine things going another way without making it either boring or very plot convenient. Shit just happens like this when you are dealt the wrong cards, nothing seems to go right for you. Of course the guild won't be happy with him hiding his identity and basically avoiding paying tax for x years. And a lot people die in the Dark days and the Astrea Familia die in canon, who knows what will change with Percy around.
5. I also enjoy the fights and thanks, I do try.
Review 2 - Alise is still young when she did that to Percy, as Astrea noted it was a learning experience for her. Alise didn't mean to emotionally manupilate a 6-year-old because she's never dealt with one before an she immediatley regretted it.
Review 3 - Thank you for wishing him a happy birthday
Review 4 - Well I wonder what his stats would be like after this fight. For his first one, neitehr him or Penia fully understood the Falna and how it works, now they do and that means deadly things.
Review 5 - Thx man
Review 6 - The plan has been done accordingly... somewhat.
Review 7 - I enjoyed describing the Great Tree Labyrinth so im glad that followed through and yh, its good for Percy to be a bit self-aware
Roland Tepes - Yep, he is an odd ball but he is our odd ball.
Cloudman3011 (1) - Sorry but this just ain't gonna be an AIz fml story, but she will be definetly utilised, I agree their dynamic will interesting to see.
Cloudman3011 (2) - I'm glad the exposition felt natural and I'm glad you got a nice surprise, and that you enjoyed :)
Fanficer234 - Yeah, my other story, while I love it, was my first one and I look back at it and see things that I hate. Not gonna change cause it needs to stay there for me to learn from.
I really enjoy the chapters like chap 16 where we see everyone else living as I think it fleshes out the world more, those types of chapters are some of my favourites. As for my favourite, the most recent chapters always have biased and I did really enjoy this one but as for not this one, either the one involving Freya or the one you mentioned.
What I am most looking forward to writing is definetly the meeting with Alfia and the dark days getting very dark and gritty. Very close now.
ARK786 - So Percy got a falna on his 5th birthday. It took him 9 months to get to level 2. This chapter happens just under 11 months after his level up, meaning he has had a falna for 20 months, and is 4 months from his 7th birthday. In terms of in story time, there is at least another year until the great feud. In terms of chapters, maybe 2-3 max, probably not even that.
KorviD - That is a sick idea for the Galva-Knuckles. It is a shame that they were broken in this fight, if only Percy knows someone to give him new and improved ones ;)
As always, thanks for reading. I'll see ya next time, Peace!