The mermaid was where the wyvern's heart should be. That being said, she could move through its body with ease.
Kokono glanced over the now airborne wyvern. She could see mana condensing all around it. Pulling on Randy's gauntlet, "You are a dragon, a dragon meant to be king, I can't be your song, but let me be your wings."
Randal gasped as his wee bird's armor flowed over his own. Unlike wielding the flames surrounding them… He felt the pulse of her fire. She was like a warm blanket tucking him in on a cold night. The pulses of her fire speeding up to match his heart beat.
"You are a dragon, dragons should fly, so if only this bit, let us claim this sky." Kokono whispered as she settled herself along his skin. His wings weren't strong enough for more than short glides. He was such a young dragon… too young for the responsibilities thrust upon him.
Kokono closed her eyes, surrounding his juvenile wings in her fire, then letting her golem body follow. Two black juvenile wings sprouted out of Randy's back, the webbing was coated in silver fire. Instead of using her body to fill out the webbing, red feathers were layered over the leather webbing, then continued to grow.
Randal kept most of his attention on the mermaid. The wyvern head reared back as its chest puffed out. With a curse he tried to get them out of the way of the mermaid's attack. His feet felt heavier than mountains, just when he thought they'd have to tank the hit a spiral of silver fire surrounded them.
The mermaid cursed, dodging out of the way as twisters of fire shot out of the column surrounding the dragon. She forced the large body to dodge out of the way, at the same time she dove at the column. Whatever was happening wasn't going to make capturing the dragon easier.
Dodging another dozen spirals of fire the mermaid braced herself for impact. Extending her wings and tail to sweep the dragon out of the fire. She could deal with any injuries after she interrupted their little armor melding.
Randal burst out meeting the wyvern head on. The flames were being absorbed by his armor, then coating him from snout to tail. He was as large as the mountain man now, gripping the wyvern wings in his claws he ripped through the water appendages.
Refusing to give up the advantage, Randal let loose his dragon's fire straight into the wyverns face. Using his hind leg claws he ripped the wyvern's left wing off. Biting onto the eel's neck he tore a chunk free before releasing more of his fire into the reforming water.
The mermaid screamed, swimming up the wyvern's neck to stab at the dragon with her trident. She needed to break away before she could reform her wyvern avatar. It was only a third her size!
Kokono saw the mermaid coming, without hesitation she loosed dozens of feathers. Coated in red fire they flew unwaveringly at the mermaid the moment her body left the safety of her wyvern avatar.
The mermaid retracted her hand, but not before a dozen of the flaming feathers pierced her armor, imbedding themselves in her flesh. Retreating long enough to yank the still burning feathers out gave the dragon enough time to rip off her wyvern's other wings.
Randal was a bloody mess, he may have gotten the jump on the wyvern, but it had put up one hell of a fight. The eel neck swinging around to take a chunk out of his hind leg while Kokono had attacked the mermaid.
Sensing more than seeing the danger, Randal kicked off the mutilated eel still snapping at him. The wings were… strange. Feathered wings surrounding his own. He controlled them the way he controlled a sword. The flexing of his wings beneath the layers of feathers felt like armor over his skin.
Kokono's body was now like a giant suit of armor over Randy. Her consciousness now a small bird of red and silver flame sitting on Randy's shoulder. She was using the cues of his own wings to move her feathered wings. It was a delicate balance of protecting his wings, while also being flexible enough for them to move.
Randal hadn't left a second too soon as half a dozen water spears shot out of the wyvern's body at them. "Wee Bird!" Randal barked as he loosed another breath of fire. His tail swung out to snap the spears before they could skewer him.
Kokono took control of Randy's wings, with a wind spell to assist their retreat she spiraled out of the way. The flame she'd left in the mermaid could only be used once, she needed to make sure it counted.
Randal had hoped the wyvern body would take longer to recover, but after just a few heart beats it was giving chase. The element of surprise no longer on his side.
Devlin had been knocked to the ground, wretched sirens were fast! Whoever told him sirens were basically mermaids was a damned liar! As he gathered his wits he saw… the strangest creatures he'd seen yet. An eel with legs and wings… and a half human, half dragon with feathered wings… he must have been hit harder than he'd thought. He only watched for half a moment but the eel breathing jets of water, and the dragon breathing fire had changed the very land beneath them.
Devlin let out a breath of relief seeing their area sectioned off.
Jaxon ran by, snatching Devlin by his leg to drag him out of the oncoming water spear. "Pay attention!" Jaxon roared tossing Devlin away.
Devlin quickly righted himself as he reactivated his enchanted robes of flight. There might be bigger fish, but he had to worry about the ones he needed to fry.
Randal gritted his teeth after their dozenth clash. While they had managed to dodge all of the mermaid's attacks so far, one good hit and he'd be land bound.
He needed an opening. Just seeing the dancing silver flames over the mermaid's fatal spots didn't mean he could reach them. This was also his first time flying. As much as he wanted to enjoy the moment, one second of inattention could get them both killed. Flying through another spiral of flames Randal decided he needed to go on the attack.
Randal barrel rolled, attempting to get behind the wyvern but it followed split second behind. More jets of water forcing Randal to spiral out of the way.
"I am a bird, one blessed by wind, even dragons need help, don't be chagrined." Kokono reminded as she put on a burst of speed, at the same time she sent dozens of air currents at the wyvern. It was a beast of the sea, while it was a better flier than her Randy, he was still young. He just needed practice.
"You are a dragon, don't fight the wind, find your stride, this is your domain!" Kokono encouraged as she returned control of their flight to Randy. He was learning fast, using his tail not only to help balance his body, but also whipping it across the wyvern when it was within reach.
Randal tried to feel the currents, but he was mostly brute forcing his body to move through the air. "Wee bird, I donna have time." His voice was almost a growl as he dodged two more jets of water.
"The problem not time, the problem the signs. You're ignoring the wind, treating like foe instead of friend." Kokono denied as she once again took control of their wings. Gently guiding him to feel the currents. The spirals of fire caused the surrounding air to shift. He could use that to his advantage because he was made of flesh instead of water.
The wyvern's body wasn't meant for flight. The only thing keeping it in the air was the blessing of a god. If Randy could take advantage of the air currents, they could force the wyvern to retreat.
Randal gritted his teeth as he put on a burst of speed, flapping harder to gain just a bit of distance. Learn the currents? Fine, he may be a stubborn arse, but he wasn't foolish. Tucking his wings close to his body he dove into a pillar of fire.
Letting the flames coat their bodies, he pulled up at the last second. The fires wouldn't hurt him, so if he couldn't dodge they would be painless obstacles. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the wyvern gave chase once again.
Randal breathed a small sigh of relief when the wyvern remained higher in the air. That meant he only had to dodge her long distance attacks rather than teeth and claws. Turning his focus back to the currents of air he darted around the pillars of fire.
Kokono kept watch, signaling with light bursts of fire so Randy could get used to dodging by feeling alone. Even the mermaid's attacks caused shifts in the air.
Randal couldn't spend forever on his little side quest, closing his eyes he felt the shifts.
Kokono wasn't discouraged when Randy still burst through the spirals of fire. Just a few heartbeats and he was able to move his body out of the way even if his wings and tail still made contact.