After successfully dodging three fire pillars in a row, Randal couldn't stop a toothy grin from escaping. Flight. Real flight. He'd been dreaming of this day for as long as he could remember. Of course, he thought his first flight would be more leisurely.
Kokono warned Randy of another incoming projectile. The spell itself wouldn't harm her favored, but the impact would still affect him. In perhaps another twenty years, spells under the seventh tier would be of no consequence, until then he had to be careful.
Randal kept his eyes closed as he felt the air currents shift. At the last second he tucked his wings for a sharp aileron roll rather than a wider barrel roll. The lightning bolt missed him by a feather's width.
"Come now young dragon, with me a bird of pride, let us show this fish, why we rule this sky." Kokono said with a savage grin as she watched the false wyvern. It was starting to glow.
Randal opened his eyes, smoke escaping his jaws as he grinned. "Aye wee bird, I be thinken the same." It was strange how natural this body felt. He could already control his wings like they were new arms. What were his usual hands felt more like legs, while his tail… he didn't have a human equivalent.
He felt more balanced, more centered… more like this is what he should be.
"You are not alone, more than me at your side, now with your heart, on the greats you can rely." Kokono reminded as the pillars of fire doubled in size. The wyvern was caught off guard, crashing through a pillar she should have been able to dodge.
Randal dove into the largest pillar, using the pillar to ascend in a spiral of silver fire. Allowing the flames to fill each feather like thousands of tiny sails catching the winud. The pillars weren't just bigger, their fires were hotter.
The mermaid was quick to recover, shirking the wyvern's size to increase its durability. She didn't see the dragon, so it was clearly coming after her. He was too arrogant for his own good.
The mermaid wasn't really surprised when the dragon burst out of the pillar of silver fire. Meeting the clash head on she unleashed a frost spell over her wyvern. It might slow her down, but it would harm the dragon.
Randal crashed into the wyvern, forcing them both into a free fall as he clawed at its chest. He was small enough to fit between its much larger wings, biting between the wing and neck he tore a mouthful of water away. Before the mermaid could replenish the water, he blew fire into the opening.
Kokono spread the fire evenly over Randy, keeping the frost at bay. Hardening his armor as the wyvern claws tried to pry them off. Kokono clenched her talons as the longer they were in contact with the wyvern, the more of her feathers withered away. If Randy wasn't a dragon, the spell alone would have covered the ground for miles in frost.
Randal could feel his wee bird straining, they didn't have much time left. Neither did the mermaid if her dulling armor and scales were anything to judge by. He realized that the enchantments over almost two thirds of her armor were gone.
Slamming his spiked tail into the wyvern's wing, he ripped it to shreds. Before he could do the same to the other wing, the eel head managed to bite his tail.
The mermaid whipped the wyvern's head, flinging the dragon away. It's claws doing more damage as she ripped him free.
Randal tumbled through the air as he forced himself to ignore his burning tail, righting himself as he took off before the wyvern could catch them. Randal passed through several pillars of fire as his wee bird slowly warmed his tail. Because his tail had frozen all around the wyvern bite, his flight was unstable.
Kokono removed all the frost before healing the wound. Blood was dripping through her armored shell. She couldn't force Randy to believe, or to rely on others. Making her way back to his shoulder, she absorbed as much of the fire as she could.
Randal could only quickly glance over his weary bird. She couldn't endure much longer. He needed to end this. Seeing the much smaller, still damaged wyvern he was relieved that the mermaid was looking green around the gills.
Kokono leaned against the crook of Randy's wing. Her flame wasn't as strong as when she'd first shared her wings.
Randal dodged two bolts of lightning. His wee beastie had shrunk by half. Closing his eyes as he passed through another pillar of silver fire.
I donna ken if ya ken hear me beast gods, but even if me body canna endure… even if I have to reveal meself… Please… aye beg any who will listen. Donna let her regret fighten by me side.
Seeing Nix land on Caius's shoulder… he gave one more silent prayer. Donna let her fire die…
Randal inhaled the raging fires surrounding them. He wasna alone. Heating the fire in his stomach they turned to face the wyvern. This would be their last clash, one way or another.
Swallowing the heat down, Randal aimed for the mermaid hiding behind the wyvern's chest plate. They crashed into the wyvern again, its body turning to steam where his claws made contact. The fires burning brighter as the mermaid screamed.
The mermaid stabbed her trident into the dragon's chest, it ignored her to continued clawing at her as they fell. Directing the wyvern, its head snapped around.
Randal screamed as the eel head bit him just under his left wing. The distraction loosed the fire he'd been building. Forcing his head back down he released the rest of the fire into the wyvern's chest.
The mermaid screamed as her body started to blister. The flames were causing the wyvern body to boil! Gritting her teeth she pushed forward, stabbing the dragon with her trident.
Randal braced for impact. Digging his claws into the wyvern, thankfully their smaller body was on top as they hit the ground. His wee bird had slumped against his wing.
"ROOOOOAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!!" Randal felt the feathers withering away, revealing his leathery wing. Slamming the wyvern back down as it tried to roll onto its side, Randal loosed another breath of dragon fire into the open wound. Ignoring his claws that were also burning as he widened the hole to reach the mermaid.
The wyvern's tail smacked along his back. The eel head biting onto the elbow of his wing, shaking its head, tearing at his wing like a rabid dog. And it was his wing… his wee bird couldn't even lift her head anymore.
Randal finally reached the mermaid. Forcing his head and front claws into the wyvern's chest he slammed his claw into the mermaid's tail.
The mermaid had burns up her arms and over her chest, but she never let go of her trident. Stabbing the claw piercing her tail she unleased a frost spell. If she used lightning now, she'd hurt herself more than him.
Randal grunted, then used his free claw to slash at the mermaid's exposed upper body. He'd hoped to rip her into shreds, but she was still a guardian grade beast. Blood gushed from the bone deep wounds, giving him enough time to prepare another dragon's breath.
The mermaid started to panic for the first time. Uncaring of the injury it would cause herself, she cast a sixth tier lightning at the dragon's opening maw. Striking the unprepared dragon bought her enough time to withdraw her trident, stabbing the dragon in the chest.
Randal's body shook, gritting his teeth he ignored the trident protruding from his chest only for the eel bite to break his wing. "GHAAAAA!!!!! ROOOOOAAAARRRR!!!!!" Again he wasted some of his precious fire as he screamed, clawing at the mermaid he managed to redirect his fire into her face.
The mermaid flinched as she was bathed in the dragon's fire. Worse, its claw had knocked her trident away! Screaming as she released half a dozen precast spells even as the claws continued to gouge out clumps of her flesh!
Randal had never been so grateful for his resistance to mana before. While two of the spells were sixth tier, blasting away half his armor and even some of his scales, he was still alive. Raking his claws over the mermaid's chest he reached her core! Over the blue core was a tiny silver and black flame.
Kokono opened her eyes as she activated the tiny flame she'd left behind.
Randal instinctively poured the last of his mana into his dragon's breath. Directly into the tiny flame.
"KYAAAAAAA KYAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" The mermaid screamed as the miniscule flame absorbed all of the dragons fire, engulfing her from the inside out in the silver black flames.
Randal kept clawing at the mermaid even as his head started to ache from the lack of mana. He'd never emptied his reservoir before, hopefully he'd never have to do so again.
Randal thought of anything but his injuries. Not the four broken claws, not his broken, limp wing, not chunk of flesh missing in his side. He refused to even think about the bloody mess his chest had currently become.
Even as another of his claws broke he continued to rip the screaming, burning mermaid to bits. Chunks of burning mermaid scales were flung to the side until she finally went limp. Chest heaving, Randal bit the females head, jerking it from side to side more like a dog than like a dragon until he finally ripped it free.
Swallowing the bloody, scaly head he released a roar of triumph! "ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Flaring his wings as the wyvern body melted into puddles of water. The steam hiding their bodies.