I exhale a trembling breath as I prepare myself for what's to come.
The thick thorny rose vines part before me as I prowl through the lowest portions of the Wretched Overgrowth in my draconic wyvern form. I wasn't here to see the attack on the lands of Avi, and I'm trying my hardest not to think about the death toll that this maneuver of ours required. Surprisingly, it isn't too difficult. Not at the moment.
There are far more important things I need to focus on.
The explosive and roaring chaos of a ferocious clash between giants rings out from up ahead, and I carefully make my way towards it. My heart is hammering in my throat, my chest feels as if it's hollow, and my nerves are causing me to tremble. I hate it. I thought I'd be braver. I thought I'd be less anxious. I thought a lot of things about myself. But very few of them have proven to be true.
A thunderous crash booms through the night, and the sound of rose stems snapping echoes across the mountain range before a dozen more thuds follow. With a belligerent roar of abject fury, whichever draconid just got thrown aside takes flight. That particular clash goes skyward and the sounds fade somewhat, but there are several other battles that rage on down here.
For the moment, I pause, hunkering down low and blending into the darkness, allowing myself to be covered with vines as I take shelter beneath the Overgrowth. I close my eyes and go still, taking a deep breath as a dark magic incantation crawls across my tongue in a hushed whisper.
With that, I take flight as well. At least, my shadow does. My body has been left behind, safe where it lays, and I've taken on this second form, which is nothing more than a silhouette of me, which moves silently and can pass through solid objects. It's incredibly fragile and has no voice to cast magic, not fit for combat in the slightest, but perfect for reconnaissance.
The war rages all around me.
Vander the Black dives from above and slams into the red and yellow giant of a horntail dragon, his moth wings flared as he scatters piercing ice crystals. Four more Wretched draconids–Plutoryl, Haunt, Zagan, and Alabaster–are keeping the other four Legendary dragons busy.
Everything is going according to plan.
The only hitch is my part in it.
Returning to my body, I again take a deep breath and try to settle my nerves. I've never done anything like this, and I'm not entirely sure yet if I even have it in me. But I decided I would be here and I decided I would do this, so now the others are relying on me. If I back down, it compromises their safety. I can't do that to them. What's more, I have my own reasons for being here, and I have a Queen whose will I swore to see executed.
The only question that remains is…
Am I willing to kill for them? For her? For me?
"Stooorm!" Vander roars so loud the vines shake.
That's my signal. It's time. The choice must be made.
I hesitate. And then, I move.
Weaving through the Overgrowth's tangled web at breakneck speed, staying as low as I possibly can to obscure my approach, I split the air like a knife as I shoot out of cover. There is nothing in my mind. I'm acting on pure instinct. With a split-second adjustment, something I'm deeply accustomed to from my racing days, I tweak my course and accelerate.
The timing has become much tighter.
But I'm a master at what I do.
At full tilt, I snap my wings shut, then barely open the left one. The drag turns me to the left. Hard. Transferring much of my forward motion to rotation. My body turns. My tail whips. My dorsalblade swipes.
Legend Barrisel's throat rips open.
I expand my wings in full, stop my momentum, then redirect it. Just as quickly as I sideswiped him, I strike a second time. This one, a new form of my combative measures. I slam against his neck beside the gouge and sink my claws in as I bury my hooked talons deep. He will not escape this.
He will not escape me.
I curl my tail and jab my saber into the wound, stabbing his throat again and again and again and again until he begins to topple over. With that, I rip my claws and talons out, then race toward the clouds. With the flicker of visibility I have before reaching them, I see Vander decapitate him once and for all.
The giant has fallen.
I sound the second signal.
Red lightning explodes throughout the clouds, and violent shattering thunder booms over the mountains and the seas. I hit the apex of my climb and let myself float weightless, claws reaching for the moons and the white rings of Avi.
I killed Legend Barrisel. I killed him for them. For her. For me.
I'm a murderer. My white scales are stained with blood.
Why does that bother me less than I know it should?
I'll have to ask Umbra.
The Red Storm rages.
I am a bolt of lightning, following the path of least resistance. With the utmost precision, I drop from the clouds at damn near light speed and make impact directly on top of Legend Krellyx's head. Red flashes and thunder ruptures. The huge blue and green snubnose dragon lurches sideways but somehow remains standing.
For a few seconds.
The lapse in his guard is seized.
Vander and Plutoryl tear into him.
Another dead. More blood on my scales.
As Krellyx goes down and they finish him off, I blitz off to the right like a ballista bolt of red energy, driving my horns into Legend Greye's jaw with a headbutt of unimaginable force. The impact cracks something and his consciousness wanes as his eyes glaze over and roll back. Before he can regain his faculties, Zagan, Plutoryl, and Vander collapse on him.
Another dead. More blood.
And me, the bloodied.
I shoot to the rumbling red clouds again and recharge. Not that I need to. But I prefer to top off every chance I get. All so I'm never caught without. Besides, this fight isn't over. Two Legends remain. And my squadmates have made certain I never forget that it is never over until it is over.
Next.
Again, I pierce the clouds. This time, I land on Legend Lenaius's back, directly between his wings. The force slams him flat out on the ground, which surprises even me. He's three times my size, so I had no expectations of knocking him down. I must have hit him while he was already off balance.
Again, the Wretched descend.
Like a reptilian and draconic horse the size of the mountain, Haunt brings down his own white lightning, which strikes his horn just before he buries it into Lenaius's ribcage. The energy then discharges within the gray and silver dragon, making him shapely tense up and shake before going limp.
Dead. Not as bloody as the others.
One left. Nearly done. But not quite.
I hold position for the moment, sparking a chaotic din of red energy as I stare at the corpse beneath me. The others advance to assist Alabaster, and I'm left alone with the dead. I'm not unaccustomed to death. I've grown rather used to it ever since my parents died when I was young. However many times I come face to face with death, however, it is forever uncanny.
Not one minute ago, this was a person. A moving, breathing, thinking, living person. Now it's nothing but carrion. Meat, bone, and gristle to be decomposed. It's strange to me how something so easily taken for granted can come to an end within the span of mere seconds. And then that's it. And then that person is gone.
And yet, I will never be gone. I may die, but I won't end.
How strange is that? And only Umbra knows it.
"Storm!" Haunt shouts over the ridge.
I leave the corpse behind to rot.
In a flicker of red, I join the fight. It immediately ends.
My dorsalblade to her throat. I snarl, "Surrender, Chrysalis. Now."
The green and gold ramhorn dragon freezes, wings wide and her tail high. "No. No. I refuse. I will never surrender to you fell beasts. Never."
"You're all that's left," Haunt calmly explains, shaking out his white mane, which is streaked and sparking with yellow. "The only survivor. Barrisel, Lenaius, Krellyx, Greye… Done. Dusted. Do you know why we intend to spare you?"
"I'm not fucking stupid, Lumos, so don't treat me like I'm ignorant. It's because you think I'll go back with my tail between my legs and tell them all the horror story. You want me to be the Fell's vessel for spreading fear within the ranks. It isn't happening. I will die in the Goddess's holy name before I ever surrender to you."
"I'm afraid you won't have much of a choice in the matter. You've been chosen to survive by the Queen. As such, we will not be killing you. Alabaster, Plutoryl, Vander, you're all slow sluggish beasts, so get going. Crimson and I will be right behind you."
Without question or hesitation, the three of them retreat into the Overgrowth and vanish. I sink my talons deeper and press my blade to her neck harder. This part might get dicey. Chrysalis begins to risk movement so I emit a sharp growl, digging the blade in.
"Think this through, Chrysalis," Haunt warns as he looms over us both. "You're rather swift. For a dragon. The two of us are unfailingly faster than you. Before you even manage to cast a spell or lift your tail any higher, you will be disarmed."
"Disarmed," she spits, shaking her head. "Or what, you'll take my wings?"
"No, you need those to reach the Heavens and do as the Queen dictates. I meant your tail."
She growls a low, menacing rumble. "You're sick. Twisted. Dismembering any part of us draconids is a grievous sin. Not to mention a cruelty of the most foul."
"What is the concept of sin to a nonbeliever? Nothing much, Chrysalis. Nothing much. That should be enough time. Crimson."
I bolt over to him, latching onto his back.
"Farewell, Chrysalis. Go, and preach the word on high. Those who refuse to renounce their faith will be annihilated. Aurora's days are numbered."
"You dare–" She stops herself short, bring her fangs. "Fuck you, Lumos! And you! Rotblood! Small surprise you've betrayed the light! Filthy fucking apostate! The Goddess will see you and your ilk incinerated in holy fire! You tell your Fallen Queen that!"
Haunt ignores her and makes a break for the Overgrowth.
Holding onto him, I find my mind is blank. Cold. Empty.
I'm going home with my first major victory.
This time, I truly did earn it.