Loch swung Onyx as he jumped off the cliff. The glowing axe head slammed into the scales of the large dragon. It roared, twisting to dislodge its new passenger. Holding onto Onyx with one hand, a spine along the dragon’s ridge with the other, Loch swung down onto the creature’s neck.

He couldn’t believe it. He was fighting an actual dragon. Granted it wasn’t huge, but it was still a dragon. The Mossy Forest Dragon was twenty feet tall, forty feet long. No wings, the thing resembled an enlarged Forest Drake but with a shorter neck and body, both stockier, and spines running down its back to the tail. Long horns curled up from its head with a mane that looked like it was made of leaves that moved in the wind flowing through the cavern.

The tail slammed into the wall, small pieces of rock falling to the ground, as the dragon tried to throw Loch off. He shrunk Onyx, making the axe disappear, needing both hands to hold on. The others ran around the feet and body of the dragon, attacking where and when they could. The jabs with sword and spear, bashing with a giant club, just made the beast react wildly, making Loch’s job holding on harder.

Bolts of silver energy slammed into the dragon, a large inkdrake flying around and attacking with claws and tail when it could.

Loch had held out for the entire Dungeon, letting the others do the fighting, but when they’d discovered that the boss was a dragon, he couldn’t help himself. It was a dragon.

With all the mythical creatures and races they’d so far encountered, this was the first dragon. They existed. The ultimate fantasy creature. Something everyone playing fantasy games wanted to fight. He knew it was truly life and death, but Loch couldn’t help it. He was enjoying himself.

A dragon.

If there was one, there would be more. How many? Did they all exist in Dungeons or were there some roaming free? Were there some like the dragons from the stories? Magnificent creatures of pride, power and destruction?

Reaching up, Loch grabbed a higher spine. Setting his feet on the writhing neck, Loch started pulling himself up the creature’s back. The spines were close together, giving him easy hand and foot holds. It was not a climb he could have made pre-Connection, but now it was relatively easy. The only hard part was the constant movement of the dragon’s neck.

The neck bent down, almost throwing Loch off as his feet slipped. He hung in the air, holding onto the spines, as the beast’s mouth opened. A glob of something shot out, landing on the ground.

“Look out,” one of the twins yelled.

“Is that acid?,” the other replied.

“D’oh, it’s a green dragon idiot,” the first said.

“Isn’t it black dragons that breath acid,” the second yelled out.

Loch lost the sound of their bickering as the dragon roared. The ground shook, making the dragon stumble a bit. Loch managed to get his feet under him, continuing his climb up the dragon’s back. He could hear the leaves of the dragon’s mane rustling in the wind which came from a tunnel in the back of the cavern.

The boss cavern was similar to the others they’d come across. Large, filled with pools of water, covered in moss and glowing lichen. The dragon’s was just larger.

It roared, the sound echoing off the stone walls. Larger pieces fell from the ceiling, splashing in the many pools of water. Loch heard some yelps as the people below dodged the falling stone.

Grabbing onto one of the horns, Loch stood on top of the dragon’s head. It had paused its thrashing, feeling the human on top, wondering what it could do to knock him off. It started moving the head to the side. Loch saw the cave wall coming closer.

Summoning Onyx, he Activated Cleave, letting go of the horn to use a two-handed swing. The axe bit deep, cutting through scales and bone, down into muscle. The dragon spasmed, the whole body shaking as it roared in pain. The head dropped suddenly. Loch was already moving.

He jumped off the descending head, Activating Windstep. Flashing across the distance, Loch appeared on the ground, his momentum carrying him into a puddle. It wasn’t deep, the ground under weather slippery, but he managed to keep his balance and slide to a stop, the water splashing up and over him.

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Loch coughed, spitting the foul tasting water out. Still dripping, he turned back to face the dragon, seeing bright flashes of different Abilities being used.

The dragon’s head was low, barely off the ground, green blood pouring from the wound. It was shaking its head, drops of blood flying everywhere. When they landed, they hissed and sizzled, melting into the ground. The others were dashing around the body, striking where they could, avoiding the acidic blood and thrashing head.

Loch pulled his arm back, summoning Onyx. He lined up the shot and threw. The axe spun end over end, slamming the bladed head into the dragon’s eye. It roared in pain, breathing a blast of acid into the cavern’s roof.

“Look out,” Loch shouted, making everyone scatter as drops fell down, along with more stone.

HIs people avoided most of the falling obstacles, the dragon did not. The acid splashing against its scales did nothing, but each blow from a falling rock made the body shake and the dragon groan. He threw Onyx again, aiming for a leg. The axe bit in deep, more acidic blood falling. The dragon stumbled, right into a swing from Brian. The head was rocked back, an audible snapping noise from the neck.

The dragon’s head flopped to the ground, the neck no longer able to lift it up. The thing still breathed, each breath labored as it fought to move. The twins kept stabbing it along the side, each jab with a spear drawing more blood. Elora came running up its back and along the neck. Leaping into the air, she drove her sword point down into the dragon’s skull. It pierced the scales, pierced the skull, sinking deep into the monster's brain. The dragon didn’t even spasm, the last breath leaving it.

Elora tried pulling her sword out, struggling as it had gotten stuck. As the multi-colored sparks drifted out of the body, Brian climbed onto the head. He tossed his club to the ground, grabbing Elora’s sword with both hands. Setting his feet, Brian yanked the weapon out. He handed it to Elora, jumping down and picking his club up.

The sparks flew around the room. There were a lot of them, all the different colors. Each person got a decent amount. Loch could feel the Spirit Experience filling his mental bar. It was so close to hitting Level Twenty-Seven. A couple more fights would do it, and they weren’t even done with the Dungeon, there was still the real boss left. The dragon had just been a mini-boss.

“What did we get for loot?,” Loch asked, finally stepping out of the puddle.

He could feel the water squishing in his boots. It was not a good feeling. Not that much water, the boots were good. But he needed new ones. The hiking boots he’d been wearing since the Connection had seen better days. They’d been expensive, and he was really surprised they had lasted as long as they had. An upgrade was needed.

The scavengers had been bringing back a lot of shoes. A lot of people didn’t have good shows or needed new ones. There was a whole collection. Maybe he’d be able to find a new pair there. Probably wouldn’t be as good as his old trusted pair.

Brian dragged over a decent sized worn looking wooden chest. He popped it open, pulling out some jewels and coins, handing them to Piper, who promptly stashed them in the Spatial Bag. He started pulling out the good stuff. Loch could see that the twins were a little disappointed. The chest wasn’t big enough to hold a spear.

The first thing the big man pulled out was a pair of leather boots. Calf high, with fine golden stitching along the brown leather.

“Those go to Elora,” Loch said, after using Evaluate on the boots.

WORLD STRIDER BOOTS

INCREASES THE WEARER’S STEALTH BY 10%. ALLOWS THE WEARER TO MOVE OVER ALMOST ANY TERRAIN WITHOUT LOSING BALANCE OR TRACTION. INCREASES MOVEMENT SPEED BY 5%.

“Thank you,” Elora said, taking the boots from Brian.

She moved back from the others, sitting on a rock and taking her current boots off. Picking up the new pair, Elora examined them, running her fingers over the stitching. She had told Loch that because of her rank in the Silver Bark, she hadn’t been allowed to keep any loot she got from kills. It all went to those above her and what they couldn’t use might be passed on to her, but most likely would be giving to some other member of the Clan that had a higher standing. She just got the cast-offs and handed down items no one wanted.

Getting a brand new magical item was not something she was used to.

“These are yours,” Brian said, drawing Loch’s attention back to the loot.

He held another pair of boots. Leather, but sturdier looking, calf high, with metal plates on the front and over the foot. The metal looked like the same kind as his Challenger’s Armor, looking old and worn, like they had seen numerous battles.

BATTLE LINE BOOTS

INCREASES THE WEARER’S TRACTION AND BALANCE ON ALMOST ANY TERRAIN. ADDS +2% TO ATTACK POWER AND +2% TO DEFENSE.

“I’d just been thinking I needed a new pair,” Loch said, smiling.