Dragon 2 Chapter 22

I checked out the two remaining shamans. They didn’t seem especially tough. “I’ll split them with you.” I called out to Morgana as I charged in, attacking the one I thought was once Charles.

My steps grew heavier as I shifted, adding more weight to the hit as I tackled Charles.

He held up well to the tackle, surprising me with the strength he had. His swampy green skin bulged with hidden muscle. “Yes. See this muscle? I have real strength now.” He wasn’t even talking to me, calling over to Sir Benifolt. I was somewhat offended that he wasn’t paying more attention to me, instead seeking his former master’s approval.

So, I gave him something to write home about and swung a heavy right hook into his face, knocking him off his feet and smashing him into the wall. I smiled. That should get his attention.

Charles shook his head like a wet dog, his jaw cracking back into place. “Idiot. You dare challenge a shaman? Burn!” Flames leapt from his fingers, shooting a jet of fire straight at my face.

Trolls with magic? Okay, that might be a problem.

I let it wash over me, enjoying the warm sensation. I wondered what it would feel like to soak myself in fire. It honestly sounded relaxing, like a nice soak in a hot tub.

The flames cut out, and besides the collar of my clothes burning, I was completely untouched.

“What?” Charles looked at me, completely startled, like I was a freak. It was a little odd coming from a person that was green and had tusks sticking out of his mouth. Which, really, didn’t even seem hygienic. I couldn’t see a way for his mouth to be able to close around them - enough of that.

“I actually like fire.” I smirked as I discreetly shifted my hand into golden claws, flashing them out in one swift mood as I raked them across his gut.

Blood splattered to the floor, and his intestines threatened to spill out. Charles screamed and clutched at them, trying to stuff them back into his torso.

Charles was visibly healing like the trolls I’d fought, his skin closing tightly over the wound even as I watched. I moved to follow up my hit with another, but before I got to him, he’d muttered some quick chant. I was stopped; it was like someone blew a soap bubble around him. The barrier was solid and pushed me back as it expanded.

“Magic is far stronger than any paranormal talent.” Charles said haughtily, straightening his back despite his bleeding stomach. “Nat’alet has gifted us his magic along with the attributes, so we can defeat those who dare push us back. Are you going to stand up to a god?”

“Apparently.” I said, keeping my hand shifted. My dragon eyes could see the magic itself. There was a single point from where the magic was pouring out, and it wasn’t within the shield. It was on the surface.

Slamming a fist into that point, the shield popped and the force of my punch rippled out from the impact.

I’d expected Charles to look surprised, but he was unperturbed. Instead, he wove his hands through the air with the gleeful look of a child with a new toy. It made more sense when I was blasted with a beam of pure red energy.

I was lifted off the ground and hurtled through the air. I just barely managed to protect my torso with scales before I crunched into a concrete wall.

My body groaned from the impact, but the armor had protected me from most of the damage. That was definitely more effective than the fire.

“It would be nice if you didn’t continue destroying the hotel foundation I am working to keep together.” Sir Benifolt spoke, not even looking up from his work.

But his voice startled Charles out of his laser focus on me, pivoting it to his former mentor. Charles’ face was lit with a red glow, casting wicked shadows across his face as he pooled more of the same red energy into his palm.

Not sure if the old man would be prepared for an attack, I jumped between Sir Benifolt and Charles to take the hit. Scales crept up my arms under my sleeves as I moved, and I smashed my feet into the concrete floor as I blocked Charles’ attack.

The red beam broke up on my crossed arms, the red light spilling around me in beams too small to do significant damage. The concrete under my feet cracked as I used it to hold myself still and wait out the attack. But it didn’t stop. The beam continued to pound into me.

I took a heavy step forward, pushing myself through the force and planting my foot once again into the concrete floor, anchoring myself before taking another step.

I slowly made my way across the concrete, pushing through Charles’ attack. My sleeves had burned away, and the scales on my arms were starting to grow red hot under the pressure of his attack.

As I got close to Charles, another red beam shot out at me from my side. I couldn’t react in time and still block Charles’ hit. I braced for the impact.

But just before it hit me, it surprised me and bent to the side, nearly hitting Charles, but breaking up his own attack for just a second.

I only needed the moment. My legs burned with exertion, but I ignored them, pushing forward. I launched myself, taking Charles to the ground.

He sputtered and slapped at my face to push me off. It became clear that he had put all of his eggs in the magic basket. He had no combat training.

Grabbing his chin, I lifted his head slightly, raising it six inches and slamming it into the concrete. A spray of stone shards and blood hit me as I buried his head a foot into the foundation.

He’d be down for a good while, if not longer, so I quickly pivoted to see if Morgana needed help.

She was standing with a feral smile as she slowly fileted her troll shaman. Based on where they were standing, I assumed that was the troll that had tried to blast me from the side.

Morgana’s blades danced in the air like a pair of silver wings as they diced through the troll and its rapid healing. For a moment, I wondered if that’s where her surname came from.

Morgana Silverwing. Honestly, she was more like Morgana Bloodybutcher, but who was I to judge an elven surname. It really did look like she was carving up the troll shaman like a butcher would a hog.

Morgana finished and flicked her blades clean, making eye contact with me. “I wonder how our templar friend has fared?”

But as she said that, Jared flew through the space between us on red beam propulsion. He’d been injured from cutting the magic circle, and it seemed those injuries were enough to make him lose his edge.

The troll shaman he’d taken stepped out of the dust and saw his two fellows. There wasn’t a moment's hesitation before he drew a stone from his pocket. “We didn’t finish, but we should have more than enough!” He crushed the stone, and the red glow coming from below the foundation grew blindingly bright for a moment.

I had to shade my eyes, given the intensity. When the light faded, the three troll shamans were gone. I stayed alert, scanning around, but they’d really vanished. “What was that?”

The glow beneath the hotel’s foundation abated, and the only light remaining was Sir Benifolt’s magic circle and Jared’s burning blade.

Turning to Jared, I looked him over as he pushed himself into a standing position. He looked like a mess.

Jared scowled at me as he came out of the dust, covered in blood. He clearly hadn’t held up his part of the burden, but at least it looked like he’d put forth a decent effort.

“It seems we failed.” He declared, as if it had been a group failure.

“Na. Just you. We both killed our trolls.” I brushed off his attempt to lump us into the responsibility of them getting away.

“I don’t see them.” He gestured broadly to the empty basement. “Looks like we can’t confirm that.”

Morgana scoffed. “Face it templar, you lost to a troll. It seems templars aren’t what they used to be.”

Jared hefted his burning sword over his shoulder and tried to pretend like his wounds were merely flesh wounds. To me, it looked like his left arm had been nearly severed. “It isn’t like Sir Benifolt has succeeded, either. And he’s directly responsible for training them.”

I turned, knowing the old wizard likely wasn’t going to take that.

Sure enough, Sir Benefolt spoke up. “You had best curb your tongue, little boy. This was the machinations of an old forgotten god. It would appear my former disciple has been toyed with, and it went unnoticed by The Church.”

Jared bristled at the accusation, pointing his sword at Sir Benifolt. “Or are you responsible for this whole thing? After all, it seems you’ve let yourself be deluded by demons. You think I didn’t notice?”

Sir Benifolt stood up from his work, the runes he’d drawn glowing in the darkness. Luckily, whatever he had done seemed to be holding the building together. The basement had stopped shifting after the shamans had left.

Sir Benifolt stared down the burning long sword. “Jared, I think it is best that you be perfectly clear when you speak. What exactly are you accusing me of?”

I was curious as well. It was clear they were blaming each other for the mess, but I couldn’t figure out where demons fit into the picture.

I turned to see if Morgana could clue me in, but I went quiet when I saw her face. She looked calm and collected on the surface, but I could tell she was just as clueless as I was. Always nice to be on the same page as your partner.

Jared stabbed his sword into the ground, sending a wave of bright light over our group. I braced for an attack, but nothing hit me. As the light dissipated, I looked around.

Morgana looked untouched as well, but Sabrina recoiled as her form wavered and then shattered. Or at least, the illusion that had been over her shattered.

Sabrina was not human. She was still wearing those loose robes that hid everything, but her sinful curves were trying to bulge through, regardless.

Now standing in the basement was a demoness. Polished black horns rose from the blush colored skin of her forehead and curled back over purple hair that was so rich, it might as well have been black.

Like a fountain of midnight, her hair cascaded down her back to her bottom, where her robes lifted in the back and a tail swayed. The tail’s spade pointed tip flicking from side to side as she stood there in wide-eyed shock.

Sir Benifolt looked on with a neutral expression. “And your point is?” He didn’t seem phased at all by the sudden revelation.

Although I had no doubt that if Jared could see through the illusion, Sir Benifolt must be strong enough as well.

Sabrina turned her stunned expression to her mentor. “You knew?”

“Of course I knew. You think you could have walked into my workshop and I wouldn’t have picked apart every magic on you? But I’ll give you credit; your illusion is fantastic.”

The demoness blushed an even darker red on her cheeks. “I just wanted to learn.”

Jared sneered, “No, you worked to fool one of the greatest wizard minds for yourself. I bet this whole plot had you at the center of it.” The way he spoke, it was clear that Jared was biased against any and all paranormal. He practically spit as he spoke.

I eyed her, replaying everything in our interactions, and adding it with the trust Sir Benifolt clearly had in her. I had no reason to think she was anything more than a bystander who tried to help. Feeling firm in my opinion, I turned to Jared. “She had no involvement in the trolls.”

As I said it, I leaned into my instincts to confirm, and they came back with a resounding confirmation that she couldn’t have done this. “And those are strong allegations to be thrown around. I recommend you get more proof before trying again, because I’ll fight you if you point that sword at anyone else in this basement.”

Jared sighed dramatically. “You’ve all been fooled by this little demon hussy. I’m disappointed in all of you.” His eyes raked over Morgana and Sir Benifolt, ignoring me.

The old wizard crossed his arms. “She’s a fantastic student. That she’s paranormal makes no difference. It was clear to me that she had the will and power to learn, so I taught her as I would any wizard.”

Sabrina’s eyes were wide, tears misting in the corners. For a moment, I thought she was going to cry. “I’m very young for a demon. They guard their knowledge. Since I had an opportunity, I took it. I wanted to learn all that I could.”

“I could tell. The best students are those that understand the value of what they are learning.” Sir Benifolt shifted to stand between Sabrina and Jared. “I’ve done my best to teach you regardless of the differences.”

I nodded, stepping forward to stand alongside Sir Benifolt. “Jared, I think you should rethink your position. She’s just another paranormal. That doesn’t make her inherently dangerous or evil, just different. Judge her by her actions, not her existence.”

Morgana joined us as well, putting her hands back on her blades as the three of us faced off against Jared.

I knew that Morgana and The Church had a truce, so that made her actions that much more important. If Jared pushed the issue, it could break that truce.

Jared paused, eying the three of us. I could see flickers of pride in his eyes. He didn’t want to stand down, but he knew he was outmatched.

In the end, he sheathed the burning sword, putting out the flames and submerging the basement in near darkness. The only remaining light was the magic circle keeping the foundation together.

My eyes took only a moment to adjust, but after just a split second, I could see the basement in full detail. Jared seized what he believed was an opportunity and leapt forward towards Sabrina.

I wasn’t going to let that happen. Jumping forward, I intercepted his movement and tackled him. We went down into a tussle.

The basement lit back up, one of the two wizards creating the light.

“Get the fuck off him.” Morgana shouted, but I wasn’t sure which one of us she was talking to.

Either way, I knew killing Jared wasn’t the right move. It wasn’t worth bringing the wrath of the magi and The Church down on us.

“This ends now. You need to get your shit together.” I pushed off of him. “There’s a bigger mess going on upstairs. We need to sort out.”

“I must agree with the youngster. And know that I won’t tolerate you taking another go at my apprentice. Now, let’s move upstairs; there still might be a troll problem.” Sir Benifolt glowered down at Jared, who winced as he sat up.

I noticed that the tabard Jared wore was decked out in as much magic as his sword. It seemed to be passively healing his torn shoulder, which had gotten worse after our bout on the floor. His face had turned red, and he was glaring at me, his pride clearly wounded.

Ignoring him, I turned to head out. I heard Jared grumble behind me. “Fine.”

But as a light blossomed behind me, I knew Jared had drawn his sword again. The idiot really didn’t know when to quit.

I spun my leg, sweeping out behind me without even looking. Morgana had ambushed me countless times in the name of training, and it looked like it hadn’t been useless, because I caught his legs.

He fell as I spun full circle in a crouch. My legs burned as I pushed out of the crouch, using the strength of my entire body to slam him in the chest with the mother of all uppercuts.

He was no Morgana, that much was clear. Jared wasn’t able to dodge or manipulate space. He simply flew through the air, back into the basement, his sword clattering to my feet.

I was fed up with him. He was so lucky that he had strong ties to the magi. “Really? I get ambushed by a drow vampire everytime I try to take a shit. You may consider turning off your nightlight next time to be at least a bit more stealthy.”

Morgana covered her mouth and snickered into her hand.

I bent down to pick up his sword.

“Don’t touch that!” He said through a cough.

I paused. His fear seemed more than just wanting to keep the obviously valuable weapon. “Why?”

“Because, that is a sword blessed by Raguel, the archangel of justice. Only those deserving can wield it. The white fire it puts out when I hold it? That’s a sign that I’m one of the most worthy to hold it. It would smite an unworthy monster like you.”

I raised a brow at his words. Worthy wasn’t the word I would use to describe him. Prick seemed more appropriate.

I stared at the sword, wanting to pick it up even more. If it lit up for me, that meant I wasn’t a monster. Well, I might still be a monster, but a good one. Maybe even one that on the scale of an archangel’s judgement was worthy to mete out justice.

And the beast inside me was pretty into the shiny sword. I was already planning a nice little spot for it in my hoard.

Reaching down, I clasped the hilt. My hand closed around the grip, and I braced. But nothing happened. I smiled, raising it up to eye level to check it out and sniffing it. “Is this silver?”

My comment was met with silence as Jared stared at me. “Impossible.”

A moment later, prismatic flames burst out of the sword. They flooded the whole basement, scouring it but doing no damage because I intended no harm.

“Stop being so showy.” I flicked it, and the flames went out in an instant. I looked back at Jared. “Looks like it likes me well enough.”

Jared tried to get up, but his injuries had added up. He slumped to the floor, his mouth and eyes wide. “You can’t. It—”

I cut him off. “Looks like I can. I’ll leave you alone despite you ambushing me, which is more than you deserve. But I’m taking this as my prize.” I turned to Morgana. “It’s silver, I like it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Heaven forbid we ever see a gold sword.”

“There’s gold ones?” I forgot about Jared for a moment.

“No. To the angelics, gold is gaudy, Silver somehow is leagues better. Don’t ask me; they have strange tastes.”

I nodded. Gold was best, but silver would do. I stroked my new shiny sword.

“You, can’t do that. It’s my sword. Gifted to me by the church.” Jared whined, pulling himself up.

Sir Benifolt laughed. “It seems he can and will. Maybe you aren’t deserving of it anymore.”

Either way, I didn’t care. I could give it a test drive hacking apart trolls. I expected there would be more upstairs, ones we needed to deal with. “Let’s go. Attack me from behind again, and I won’t be as lenient.” I scowled at Jared, who stayed slumped against the wall.

“Lead on. But it sounds quiet upstairs.” Morgana said, her pointy blue ears tilted towards the exit.

“Quiet might be worse.” I grumbled, throwing the sword over my shoulder and marching out of the basement.

AN- Dragon see shiny sword? Dragon take shiny sword.