-Midday - Ancient forest west of the Ragefire volcano - Nefiru's POV-
After spending time in casual conversations, the wooden fort acting as Lair becomes visible by the third quarter of the morning where the sun is high up in the bright blue sky, and wind lessened at ground level in the forest. The siblings assisted in completing the lair made of intertwined horizontal stacked tree logs, thick enough a grown man can't put his arms around it which they helped carry, reaches five meters tall by fifteen wide and thirty long. The three of us sleep in the enclosure built in our spare time, but also as a means to keep bored dragons busy, and not disturb me during my practices which have extended duration now.
We approach our dwelling place from the southern dragon trail built for ease travels while Shaila tries to make me reconsider experimenting with Mip particles due to health risks.
"Hmm... I wasn't going to use them yet, but in that case, I can start on things that won't get ripped, or dislodge Mips easily...like the bones, and my Core. As for the quantity... it's more efficient buying slaves with collars, then we filter out who's trustworthy, and the rest can go away. The Spirit obstructions won't be an issue either with Magic channels besides the circulatory system, digestive system, and oral cavities." I describe the alternatives.
"I suppose that's better." Shaila approved. "By the way, isn't it uncomfortable having a core this size in your chest?" She asked probing with her magic.
"Nah! It's too small compared to my body size." I shook my head denying.
I guess it doesn't need to grow much past the golf-ball mark while I'm still two and a half meter tall. I recall my height after living as a dragon in this world for 233 days.
"Oh, okay." She acknowledged. "Still, you will need my help since dragging Mip crystals with Magic inside the body is no easy task, and even harder getting them into your bones..." Shaila points out.
"Well... A thin laser will help with obstructions, and further magic to deal with the damage, but the bones are going to be tricky without compromising the structural integrity." I announced the intricate process.
"One step at a time?" Shaila confirms.
"Indeed. Still, if we at least could buy more Mana crystals. The ones Faust gave me are almost all dust inside the bottle." I said recalling the location of the bottle in our Lair.
"Sadly, there isn't much revenue in our house during winter, so we'll have to wait for spring to get enough," Shaila affirms.
"It would be nice to do this before that time though," I muttered in discontent. "Whatever. Here we are." I said approaching the corner of the log wall.
A saw would have helped...it was no easy task even having a surplus of magic to cut the trees by freezing a layer and using high voltage to make the wood brittle enough for Reylus to crash it down. I recalled the wood chopping method.
"Uh... You spent a lot of time building this, and it's a decent structure, but what's the point if the entrance is wide open?!" Shaila appraised the rectangular construction.
"It offers some isolation, and peace of mind since our combined lingering scent discourages some beasts from getting near," I replied turning right around the edge.
I stop my advance at the entrance of the enclosure where my siblings come into view, sleeping under the shade at the back while sunlight is passing through the foliage beams down forming swinging bright spots on their gray bodies.
"Wow! These are your siblings!" Shaila exclaimed getting up on my back to get a better look. "The big one should be your bother, and sister on the right." She confirmed.
Reylus, with almost four meters in height, is taking auramancer classes from Marlo, but he would learn the first step faster without trying to eat his teacher. Raiga barely passes the three-meter mark and sleeps on the right corner with the glass bottle containing mana crystals which aid her practice as she is almost Rank 1 already.
"Yes, these...are the locals. Notice how lazy they are...it's midday!" I scoffed at their habits.
The two lizards woke up alerted at the sound of our voices from being used to the constant danger of invading magical beasts, or perhaps my surprise electrocutions, then Reylus laid back down after realizing it was just me. Raiga, on the other hand, recognized the identity of was the little person riding on my back after sniffing and hurried to my side before giving Shaila an appraising look.
"What's with the little human?" Raiga inquired looking at Shaila.
"This here...is my companion, Shaila." I introduced. "I took her out on a walk, and to meet you guys..." I answered the reason.
"I don't understand... What do you expect from her? She's not like us..." Raiga questions my judgment.
"Oh, how I wish she were, but I still expect great things from her." I declared nodding proudly.
"Hello~" Shaila greeted waving.
"G-greetings, human Shaila." The dragoness stuttered after being discovered.
"So... How's my favorite dragoness today?" I greeted as well.
"You know other dragonesses?" She asked looking at me.
"Well...there's Mother..." I replied lowing my head.
"Do you know where Mother is?" Raiga inquires the whereabouts.
"Not exactly. She came from the west, traveling east, and continued that way after leaving the volcano, but I'm not sure why, or where is she now." I shook my head denying my head.
Big Green was not searching aimlessly... Perhaps in a mission? Her wind affinity could explain why she dared take a risky journey despite being low ranked, but what or who is in the East that's so important reaching? Also, it seems we were a pitstop. I wondered our mother's motive.
"Raiga, can I pat you?" Shaila requested.
"...I'm not your pet. Brother told me what you humans think of us." Raiga turned her down.
"Aww... Maybe your bother will let me!" The white-haired girl declared before jumping down.
"Shaila is my most trusted individual, and she's important unlike the other two humans who are expendable." I rebuked while slapping her rear with my tail.
"...I'm behaving by not attacking the humans you bring, but I still don't want to let them touch me carelessly, and having this thing on my neck is humiliating enough," Raiga announced her viewpoint.
"Nothing wrong with that pride...you are a dragon after all. But one must also have a backing ability or connections, and you have neither. We ultimately obey the rule of the strong whether it's a community or an individual." I advise judging her environment.
"Grr! What about brother then? Have you no pride being a pet?" She questions looking at the collar.
"I favor obtaining benefits, but I still do what I want when it's possible, and only follow necessary rules, though it's different when it comes to her," I informed pointing at Shaila with my head.
We watch Shaila unhurriedly approach the gray dragon attempting to nap while trying not to get her shoes dirty by the soft black dirt from our constant activity. Reylus once more became alerted of the white-haired girl and sniffed as well before slowly getting up while observing her which displayed his impressive size.
"Brother, can I?" Reylus asked switching his gaze between Shaila and me with his tail raised in challenge mode.
This simple beast! Just because her scent is on me doesn't mean she's the dominant one! I rebuked Brother's misunderstanding to challenged the girl.
"NO KILL!" I sternly warn the excited Reylus approaching from the left.
"What!? What did you say? Can I pet him?" Shaila turned her head behind to ask, puzzled of our interactions.
"Sure. You just need to beat him up." I said pointing behind her with my left paw. "Surprise fight Pikachu! I choose you!" I revealed at the puzzled girl.
The gray dragon started duel rushing a few meters before swinging his neck left to headbutt the frail-looking girl in blue pants and pink shirt.
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"Wait, wha--ACK!!!" Shaila spoke confused before the impact threw her away forming an arc around four meters through the air.
"Ohph!... Oghh..." Her thin body crashed onto the southern log-wall and fell face-down on the soft black dirt.
SHAILA...!! I called alarmed forgetting she is tougher than she looks.
"Urrghh..." She groans on the ground.
Ah! She's okay... She's a rather sturdy flat loli without superpowers because of all the magic close to Rank 6 that's making her body more cohesive than regular humans, but her reflexes were worse than I thought... I asserted after watching her freeze on the spot.
"STOP!" I growled at the charging lizard. "Recover," I instructed to wait for her to continue the fight.
Reylus obediently halted while a smirk formed on his face as if relieving stress with a new toy, and waits for her to stand back up
"This is so like you...to make others fight something far stronger," Raiga commented with spite.
"The girl needs to undergo battles, but she doesn't take me seriously..." I explain the trick to experience danger.
This doesn't work when she just stares inside my mouth if I try to bite her, but she has no sense of danger because everyone spoils her too much...including me. Still, how long does she intend to stay down? I wondered before calling her out.
"GET UP!" I shouted which made her body twitch. "Shaila... No matter how painful, and hopeless, do not give up until you are a corpse..." I encouraged harshly.
"Guhooh!..." The sprawled girl on the bare soil coughed a few times, and her body glowed on the affected parts for a moment.
Ah, it seems she was preparing to treat the injuries, but they weren't so severe and should've preserved Mana... I concluded watching Shaila getting up staggering.
"Good girl! I know you can do more than flying through the air, so make me look good!" I recognized while jesting.
"Ugh! Hic...!" Shaila turns to me on the left while her face twists in pain as she's about to cry.
"The tears won't help anyone; they only prelude further despair." I reproved. "Sighs... I believe in you! There...I said it. Now, go get him!" I spoke giving her confidence.
"Sniff" She nodded wiping her face with a hand before facing the dragon.
"You already have the skills to deal with the situation." I remind her of light usages before addressing Reylus. "GO!" I commanded to resume the fight.
Reylus approached quickly and coiled his neck back before launching a bite with his jaws tilted clockwise a little.
"EEEK!!" Shaila shrieked at the approaching maw and sprinted right.
The jaws snapped in her previous spot as she runs on counterclockwise around the gray dragon.
Oii...! She can't survive that bite! Ugh, he's a little too excited not being the punching bag for once. I determined before preparing lightning to stop Reylus.
The big lizard lost his target, then noticed the little person running on the left flank, and whipped his tail to intercept which Shaila blocked with her palms, but was unable to stop the scaly mass aiming for the belly.
"Ough!" She was blown away once more while her body twisted like a rag doll.
"Kyaah!" Shaila screamed as her ass slides on the dirt for two meters before the back touched down.
Reylus is big, but slow enough for her to dodge...except the tail which she could at least parry after teaching her everything I recalled about martial arts...if only she knew how to apply during a fight. I analyzed before advising.
"Bad posture...retreat, recover, then find a way. Also, don't scream 'kyaaa' unless it's to alert of your impending demise." I say shaking my head.
"It's THAT kind of situation!" Shaila angrily yells getting up to dodge the approaching paw. "I told you...I'm not ready for this!" She complained running under Reylus
"You are ready enough... Magic isn't just ranking up, and this appears effective...just look at you run!" I declared looking at her thin figure running in front with a dragon trying to bite her.
"...Unreasonable jerk!" The girl cursed while dodging the incoming maw.
"That's good. Anger's better than fear, but isn't about time that you start using magic arts?" I pointed out.
Shaila runs in circles inside the enclosure while Reylus struggles to do sharp turns with his big frame to chase the girl that learned how to dodge the repeated tail and paw attacks, but her body suddenly vanishes by the eastern wall.
Ah! She's starting... I tune my eyes to see her. A loli fighting a four-meter-tall dragon would go viral... I carefully observe their fight unfold.
Noticing the disappearance of his target, Reylus relies on his nose instead and starts sniffing the air when a light burst blinded both of his eyes, then retreated a few steps while shaking his head in annoyance. After finally detecting the scent, the gray dragon twists his body, and does several tail swings at the front until it connected with the girl, but this time...
"HA!" Shaila uttered as she adequately blocked with a stance keeping the center of gravity low.
The white-haired girl's body slides on the ground while leaving two carved trails before the shoes broke, and both feet sank into the soil until she finally stopped the tail which Reylus retracted immediately to initiate another attack. Shaila crouched to avoiding the scaly whip, then runs out of range gripping both fists for a few seconds before stopping in front of the lizard recovering his vision, and extended both arms towards the target.
Two thin yellow beams coming from her palms moved through a cloud of dust as she adjusted her aim, but startled the dragon when they landed on his body and rushed ahead to pressure whatever preparations the little magician was making. The girl grew impatient as time was running out, and after confirming the aim using the weak lasers, she let out stronger ones following the same trajectory. Two shiny balls of light appeared in the center of her palms from which the high-energy beams as thick as a finger came out while other rays of yellow light intermittently shone in different directions.
*Zzzziiiiip!* The two lasers pierced through the cloud of dust before landing on Reylus neck and right shoulder. *Ksssssshh~!* The sound of frizzling scales reached us before a smell indicated reaching the flesh below.
"GUAH!!?" Reylus cried out in alarm and dodged the visible ray of light before it did further damage.
Ohh! The leakage looked pretty like charging a Kamehameha on each hand... Too bad we couldn't see better because of the angle, but the accuracy looked terrible to deal substantial damage with a short, high-powered laser and probably panicked when she used the same wavelength as the marker. I analyzed her attack while laying down next to Raiga.
"You have to increase the number of photons on a lower wave for more intensity, preferably UV so the target can't see it either, and need to focus damage on a spot or get closer for more accuracy. Think like a light magician!" I lectured watching brother inspect the damage she caused.
"GRRR" The gray dragon growled in anger, feeling hurt in more than one way, then pounces.
"I know--GAH!" Shaila said crossing both arms to defend the incoming paw.
The Dragon's right paw overwhelmed her stance and threw Shaila towards the northern wall before rushing to stomp her with the same leg, but she rolled on the ground to dodge.
*Thud!* He smacks the ground leaving a paw print.
"Losing concentration in battle will make your body flatter." I mock her imperfect camouflage.
"Huff... Stop--Huff... talking!" She complained at the two of us comfortably watching the spectacle
Shaila gets up with the hair no longer white from black dirt painting most of her body, then runs to Reylus right flank as he follows trying to bite, but changed his mind, and used the tail. The girl used her palms to parry the tail above her head and becomes invisible again, but the dragon swung his tail several times around until it connected.
"Ough!" Shaila cried out from an impact on the waist that knocked her down.
The gray dragon quickly approaches the downed target when another flare near his eyes appeared, but he shut them off to avoid having his vision impaired, and stood still for a moment. Shaila noticed she failed to blind him, grips the black dirt while biting her lips and rushed to the dragon instead. Having the opponent running straight for him, Reylus twist his neck to the side, open the jaws wide to bite down the rushing girl, and his fangs sank without resistance before the body disappears into his mouth.
Aaand she died... mauled by those needlessly big teeth...it's not like I envy them or anything! I commented after watching the image while sister on my side switched her gaze confused.
*KssSSSssshh!* The sound of frying meat reached us along with an intense burnt smell as smoke rose from Reylus's chest
"GHUAAH!!?" Brother cried in agony while gripping the previous inflicted wound with his left paw, and stepped back towards the northern wall.
After the grey dragon retreated, Shaila appeared panting on the spot, holding her knees from exhausting her magic reserves, then sister on my side continues clueless trying to understand the situation.
She used an optical illusion to get to his chest and used two more lasers on one spot without too much leakage, then pierced deep into Reylus while remaining invisible. Damn! Even I can't do that level of magic multitasking... I admire nodding at her efforts before getting up.
"Congratulations! That was impressive." I praised, noticing the big dragon approaching her again.
"Huff!... Tired--I couldn't win--Omph!" She replied breathing loudly before getting stomped by Reylus foreleg.
"RELEASE!" I growled him to relinquish the girl.
However, the dragon glared back in defiance, and anger from having a burnt hole in his chest while keeping the foot pressing Shaila on the soft black soil. Sister got up, and followed on my side, then inspected the results from the fight to understand what happened in the end.
Sighs... I shook my head slowly walking closer.
I glared up at the more prominent dragon before using several tens of lighting circuits in the right muscles, effectively locking them in place which made his body tremble, then forced the paw away from Shaila who breathed in relief.
"Imagine what people would say if that become your tomb... Here lies Shaila...the girl stomped to death." I mocked while lightly pinching her body with a claw.
"Owi, Ow, ow..." Shaila grimaces in pain from my poking. "Stop that! Everything hurts...I feel my body broken..." She complained.
"Well... There are several bones broken, so don't move anymore." I revealed my inspection at her insides.
"Hmph! You can be a huge blue jerk sometimes." Shaila said pouting upset.
"And you earned a title... The girl who dances with Dragons!" I declared.
"Ugh... Just get me on your back already. I want to go home and lie in bed, then ask for a healer." She ordered.
"I'll need to scoop your body off the ground then..." I retorted before sinking my claws around her.
I gripped her body with my right paw and raised it to my back where she accommodated herself between the wing and central spines, then Raiga approaches.
"Isn't that enough? You put him up to this, and he held back as much as he could." Sister pleaded to release the shaking dragon.
"He likes being electrocuted! Also, Shaila could've blinded him forever, or aim at his heart." I said glaring at the dragon statue.
That's enough punishment since the muscle pain from that is immense. I affirm, releasing him.
"A high rank...Shaila." Raiga stares at the unmoving dusty girl on my back then looks at the frozen snake carcass between logs.
"URGh..." Reylus slumped to the ground and massaged his chest with black traces across his scales; then Sister brings him the snake that was meant to be my meal.
Erm... I was going to eat that... Whatever, he's pretty bashed up. I concluded turning around to walk out of the enclosure.
"WUUUOOOOooooo~" A wolf howl comes from nearby, and I suddenly stop moving.
"Ow... Don't suddenly stop! It's painful enough with your steps..." Shaila complained.
"Trouble is coming. That sounded closer than usual... Ugh, and I just disabled Brother..." I revealed turning to the dragoness next to our brother.
"Raiga. If the wolves get too close... take the road south and meet up." I instructed watching her nod.
"You didn't win the fight, but you probably won Raiga's respect...a little." I said leaving the lair.