With Nadia at their head, the mages unleashed their freezing magic, turning the high-temperature mud pits into giant clumps of ice. The dragon, still not completely free, let out a roar, its attempt to remove its legs and body only resulting in a rubber-band effect, causing its head to slump to the ground.
Linus took off the moment it happened, unleashing a moon ore arrow, sharp and powerful enough to pierce even steel. At the same instant, the dragon opened its mouth—lined with spear-like teeth—and let loose a gust of wind with a roar, blowing the arrow off course.
“Damn it!” shouted the archer. “Not going to make it easy, are you!”
Linus leapt away and out of danger like a bounding hare, but as the dragon kept its gaze on the archer, it left an opening for others. While it was occupied chasing the lithe archer with its eyes, giant spears of ice and earth shot up underneath the dragon. While they were not hard enough to pierce its skin, the impact of them sent the beast’s head rocking. Then, as Linus’s follow-up arrow hit the dragon directly in the eye, it let out a growl.
“Damn, he’s good!” shouted an adventurer, whistling in admiration.
Alec and the vanguard were not sitting still while all of this was happening. They quickly closed in on the dragon and took to its tail with their swords now that it was frozen to the ground. Alec and Ludger, their swords alight with flames, began shearing at the dragon’s scales. The scales acted as armor against both magical and physical attacks, but while they were strong against attacks that came from above, they were significantly weaker against horizontal slashes. This weakness of scales was something Alec had learned when he’d fought the jormungands, and he was glad to find that it was just as successful against dragons.
“Wow! This feels great!” said Ludger, shearing away some scales.
As soon as the scales were clear, Zack brought his greatsword down upon the flesh of the tail with all the power he could muster. The sickening sound of blade rending flesh met their ears as blood sprayed up into the air, coating Zack in red. The dragon howled, thrashing wildly. The swordsmen, of course, had leapt out of danger as soon as they’d thrown their strikes.
A cracking sound quickly filled the air—the icy clumps keeping the dragon down were fracturing. When the dragon could not pull itself completely free, however, it let out a frustrated roar.
“Just as we thought,” said Zack, grinning as he clenched his blood-drenched sword. “It’s going to take some work. But we’re on the right track! Let’s lop off that tail while we can!”
The vanguards around him cheered, but all knew that it would not be easy. A slice from Zack’s greatsword was usually enough to sever bone from flesh. He had launched a strike with everything he had against the dragon, but had yet to even reach bone. Just how many times would he have to hit the tail to cut it off completely? And would the dragon simply lie there and let him do it?
We might only get one more shot...
Alec’s instincts proved right, and the moment they sheared away more scales, the dragon let loose a roar. Its legs began to bubble, and then the ice around them turned once more to mud. The air wavered, and the dragon’s chest expanded. It was a feeling that pressed upon the skin, and Alec knew what was coming by the unique sensation.
“It’s expelling its magical power! Everyone, stand strong!” he shouted.
A low roar rumbled behind his words, and the wind swirled as magical energy left the monster. It plunged Alec into darkness—a feeling like an icy hand gripping a hold of his mind and his heart overwhelmed him.
“Hrngh...!”
The darkness threatened to drown one in despair, and Alec grunted through gritted teeth. He felt trapped suddenly in the depression of his younger days. As Rurii and Bla rolled along the ground from the force of the expulsion, Alec spied Shiori standing in place, her arms wrapped around herself. He wanted desperately to run to her and hold her, but the circumstances would not allow it.
Violid stood in a low stance and on guard, the wrinkles at his nose and his bared fangs telling the story of his heart—it bothered him to be thrust once more into the loneliness of his past.
“Second wave incoming! Block your ears!”
The earth rumbled together with the roar, inspiring fear in those gathered around the dragon. The effects stretched even as far as the knights on standby—some couldn’t bear the pressure and fell to their knees, while medics dragged away those who had crumpled into unconsciousness. Many of the adventurers had soaked a cloth with stimulants so they did not faint, but all the same, their morale was shaken.
“Drink your stimulants!” shouted Nils harshly.
Listening to the herbalist’s words, the adventurers gritted their teeth and reached for their pouches. They imbibed the liquid in the small bottles Nils had prepared for them, tasting the slight bitterness that was followed by a sweet, refreshing aromatic mint rushing through their nostrils. For many, this soothed their anxiety and nausea, but it was still not enough for some, and these adventurers were carried to safety by Rurii and Bla.
The effect of the dragon’s attack on the mental faculties differed for everyone. Some were more receptive to it than others, and even one’s condition on the day could sway the impact. And for those for whom the load was too much to bear, a loss of consciousness was the only way to cope—such was the sheer weight of what the abyssal dragon expelled. In its magical energy was loneliness and despair—anyone who knew these feelings well was hit especially hard.
Alec quickly surveyed the battlefield, and saw Nadia helping Clemens to his feet. Zack stood firm and at a glance appeared unfazed, but he was pale and frustration was etched into his brow. He had been made to reconnect with tragic memories from twenty-six years ago, and they still weighed upon him.
“Are you okay?” Alec asked Shiori, his eyes still on the dragon as he retreated slightly, while his lover was catching her breath.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied. “It just came as a bit of a shock.”
She always tried to play things down; all Alec could do was mutter with a bitter grin.
“Just ‘a bit,’ huh? I know I keep saying it, but don’t push yourself,” he said.
In the single minute since the attack that had left the adventurers dazed, the dragon had emerged from the muddy pools at its feet. It looked down at the scrambling humans around it, but showed them little regard as it took two steps to the northeast—the direction of the Krystale Plains.
It was trying to leave for a more inhabited area.
“Tch, so we’re not good enough for you, huh?” Alec spat.
“Fine by me,” muttered Zack, his voice building to a roar as blood dripped from his hair, a fierce grin stretching across his features. “If the beast has eyes for someone else, we’ll have to work all the harder to get its attention!”
His voice echoed across the battlefield, buoying his comrades.