I saw what I had long dreamed of seeing - the nest of Pyronax. Or rather, it was not exactly a nest, but rather his refuge, his safe place, where he hid from people and other creatures. Majestic and inaccessible, it was spread out among the arid savannas, in low mountains, scorched by the hot sun. The mountains were not as high as the White Mountains of Orkvalia, but still impressive, rising above the desert expanses, like frozen waves.
From a great height, this place resembled a wasp honeycomb. Numerous caves gaped in the rocks - black holes hiding dark secrets. It was there, in these caves, that the children kidnapped from the people of Orqualia were kept. This entire structure seemed carefully designed to remain invisible from the ground and inaccessible to those who would dare to challenge Pyronax. This dragon had created a lair for itself, surrounded by eternal silence and horror, a place of no return.
I did not know how among a thousand caves I would find the one where the blacksmith's daughter Mila was being held. But there was no doubt that she was being held by force. Whatever the conditions of Orkvalia, this place was devoid of any hospitality. Hundreds of kilometers around stretched dry savannas, making it almost impossible for an unprepared person, especially a child, to survive. Without water, without food, without weapons for protection - any fugitive was doomed to a painful and long death if he decided to flee.
I did not understand Pyronax's plan. What was the purpose of the dragon who created this remote refuge, where the kidnapped children could not escape? There were many safe shelters in Orqualia, why did he choose such a hard-to-reach, inhospitable place? Perhaps for the dragon, it was a symbol of power and control - a place from which it was impossible to escape, a symbol of complete submission. But there was another thought, more disturbing: perhaps here, in this harsh lair, the dragon was preparing something much worse. Something that no one knew about yet. Perhaps Pironax himself could tell about his plans.
From a distance, he resembled a heavy strategic bomber, slowly flying, accompanied by two dozen "fighters". However, the fighters were not machines at all, but those toothy birds that I remembered from the day of the attack on Mila when we first met. Now these birds accompanied the elder dragon, diving and circling him like guards.
The dragons - the elder and the younger - exchanged loud cries, as if passing on important information. I noticed that Pironax was not alone: his sides were dotted with clusters of creatures, small in size, barely larger than large dogs. And on his back sat the servi - his servants, armed with bows and arrows, ready for battle.
I couldn't help but grin.
"Was such support directed against me alone?"
But then a new thought occurred to me.
"How did Pironax know that I was pursuing his brother?"
I was sure that I had remained unnoticed. Maybe Cryonax noticed my pursuit when we were flying above the clouds, and warned his older brother from afar that I was flying to visit him?
Not understanding how I could win in an air battle, I was in no hurry to let go of Cryonax's tail. I had not yet had time to fully recover from the long flight. My wings, although strengthened by a short rest, remained vulnerable. The dragon skin suit reliably protected the body from burns, but my angelic wings, consisting of soft, fluffy feathers, could burn instantly upon contact with fire. This was a weak point, and I knew that it would not be easy for me in the air. On the ground, I had the advantage in strength and skill, but my speed in flight was my only chance of catching up with the dragons. If my wings were damaged, I would have to fight on the ground, where I would be slower. This was a danger.
One of Cryonax's heads turned towards me and spat out a cold, icy mass. I had to instantly break away from the dragon's tail, flap my wings, and circle it, avoiding the blow. At that moment, toothy birds and creatures similar to large bats - gargoyles - attacked me. Their sharp claws and ferocious screeches warned that the air battle would not be easy.
Pyronax was approaching his brother, and his archers took up a convenient position to shoot. I knew that there was no more time to think. The arrows fired by their strong hands could damage my wings or even pierce my armor. I had to act.
"Chiquita!" I brought the sword closer to my face, feeling the warmth of righteous anger spreading along the blade. The spirit of the dragoness, contained in this blade, seemed to respond to my words. - "We have entered into a decisive battle with you. Our future depends on our joint efforts. I am avenging you! For your mother! For hundreds of children deprived of parents and a happy childhood! For the fact that the cruelty of dragons turned me into a merciless beast!"
With these words, I rushed towards the nearest bird. It tried to pierce me with its gaze and bare its toothy jaws, but I was already ready. With one blow of the Righteous One, I cut off its large wing, and the creature, crying out pitifully, began to fall into the void, unable to support itself in the air. I did not waste time and rushed at the second bird, shouting:
"Torberio!"
The spell stunned her, and she spun around in the air, losing altitude. However, the gargoyles, resembling huge bats, pounced on me from all sides. Their tenacious paws grabbed my armor and wings, limiting my maneuverability.
Feeling myself being gradually pulled down, I realized that fighting in the air was becoming increasingly difficult. In aerial combat, the advantage always belongs to the one who is higher than his opponent, and now my position is getting worse with every second.
A real carousel played out in the air, consisting of dragons, toothy birds, gargoyles, and me.
I was satisfied with the presence of these chaotic opponents. Their chaotic movements prevented the archers from aiming, and several gargoyles had already been killed by their arrows.
I tried to stay close to Cryonax, hoping to avoid a direct attack from his older brother.
Suddenly, seeing the right moment, I spun a complex feint in the air and, gaining speed, landed right on Pyronax's back. It was an unexpected move, and the archers were confused. Chiquita, anticipating a fierce battle, vibrated with excitement in my hand, so I almost dropped my sword. If the Righteous One fell, I would remain unarmed for a long time - a situation I could not afford.
I pierced the first archer with my sword, causing him to freeze in shock before he finally collapsed. I immediately turned and hit the second soldier standing behind me. He folded but was unable to fall, tied with a belt to the dragon's back. Pyronax skillfully protected his riders, allowing them to maintain balance even during dangerous maneuvers in the air. But now this foresight turned against them. Two dead bodies dangled from the dragon's sides, making things difficult for the others. The archers were quick to cut the straps, freeing their fallen comrades. The bodies fell, falling into the void as the fight continued.
Somewhere in my subconscious, silent gratitude flashed to Laverna for the fact that the old dragoness had given me dragon armor. The arrows fired by Pyronax's servuses could not penetrate my defense. I wasted no time, methodically exterminating the soldiers one by one.
Soon Pyronax's back was empty, and I rose into the air again, determined to kill Cryonax.
The dragon, sensing my attack, turned sharply. Both of its heads opened their mouths at the same time. Just a few days ago, I had practiced something similar in the air, only it was "shadow boxing" - the enemy then had only one head. Now the space in front of Cryonax was divided between the searing flames and the ice wall. I knew that if I made a mistake, neither my body nor my armor would be able to withstand it.
With a sharp flap of my wings, I shot up to get out of the attack zone. The dragon below seemed to have shrunk to half its size as I folded my wings and swooped down, hoping to pierce both of its heads with one blow from the Righteous One. But I missed it. Instead of heads, the base of its right-wing appeared in front of me.
"Well, that's a good target too!"
The Righteous One sank into the main bone of the wing, cutting it in two. Cryonax let out a plaintive roar, its body staggered, and it began to descend rapidly.
"Why didn't you scream like that when you attacked Chiquita's mother," I thought maliciously, trying to gain altitude again.
Hearing its pain, and seeing it lose control of its flight brought strange satisfaction.
My wings refused to obey, each flap was given with such force that it seemed that they would break off at any moment, and I would fall like a stone. With each blow of the sword, the number of toothed birds and gargoyles around me became fewer and fewer, but this did not make me feel any better.
I rose higher and higher, and with the height, so did the danger - being above Pyronax, I turned into an ideal target for his fiery breath.
Obeying an invisible signal, the birds and gargoyles flew away sharply, and at the same moment, Pyronax released a scorching stream of fire at me. I covered my face with the sword Righteous, but the fire scorched everything around me, and I felt like I was in a furnace. The blade of the sword was white-hot, but the hilt remained cool - Chiquita, as best she could, protected me even now.
The hot wave crashed down on me with incredible force, but I survived. Experiencing a sudden feeling of deep gratitude to Chiquita, I realized: that she, even after her death, continued to protect me. However, the feathers on my wings burned away, leaving only bare bases. Now I could only helplessly wave my bare rods, unable to hold me in the air.
To slow my rapid fall, I straightened my cape, the same one that protected my neck. It tensed like a wingsuit, allowing me to slow my fall slightly. But I was still falling.
I was falling with Cryonax, who was spinning around, desperately trying to stay in the air with his one good wing. A dragon's wounded wing regenerates quickly, and I knew I didn't have much time to take advantage.
I glided down, landing on Cryonax's back between his two heads. Here, in relative safety, I continued to fall with him.
Pyronax, jubilant from his successful attack, quickly realized my maneuver. As if eager to end the fight as quickly as possible, he began to circle us, preparing another fiery blow. Everything around me was boiling with tension. I felt the dragon's heat approaching closely, but suddenly everything changed.
The world around me shook deafeningly as the third dragon, Bladrock, rushed into the fight. It came at Cryonax like a hurricane, smashing into his body with incredible force. It was so unexpected that even the air around us seemed to freeze in silent horror. Bladrock's claws, sharp as butcher's knives, pierced all four of Cryonax's hearts at once as if it were a well-planned attack that left no chance for survival.
Cryonax let out a deafening roar of pain. His two heads arched like snakes, writhing in agony. It seemed to me that all the fury, all the ferocity with which he had just attacked me was now being turned against him. I could feel the life quickly draining from his body. This mighty, icy beast that had easily brought fear to entire cities was dying before my eyes.
Bladrock showed no remorse. His attack was brutal, but filled with cold calculation. He knew where to strike, and he struck without hesitation. His eyes burned with icy anger - the anger of a father who had come for retribution.
Pyronax let out a thunderous roar that seemed to shake the air. His gaze was no longer focused on me - now all his fury was directed at his new opponent. Bladrock, like a ghost of vengeance, cut through the space, rushing towards his enemy with unyielding determination. Pyronax caught between the lust for battle and the impending danger, adopted my tactics: he began to circle the body of the falling Cryonax, trying to avoid the attack of his new opponent.
I felt dizzy from weakness and my muscles refused to obey. With each passing moment, I grew weaker. The ground was still far away, and without wings, I felt as helpless as an insect in flight.
In desperation, following an unknown impulse, I plunged the Righteous into the flesh of Cryonax. Then, pulling it out of the wound, I leaned down and drank from the warm blood flowing from the source. I don’t know what was driving me at that moment – perhaps it was the instinct of survival, or perhaps Chiquita herself was telling me what to do. But the dragon’s blood infused me with new life. With each sip, I felt my strength returning, like the dark waters of a river flowing into a dry canal. I was ready to continue the protracted slaughter.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
At the same time, I felt a strange burning sensation in the area of the mark left for me in the mysterious cave. I pressed my fingers to it, and a stream of incomprehensible but powerful power gushed into my body. It was alien and wild, but at that moment I did not try to figure it out. I used it.
While I was absorbing this power, all my attention was focused on myself, and I noticed Pyronax too late. His huge paw, crowned with sharp claws, rushed towards me like lightning, ready to tear me to shreds. The only thing I managed to do was jump to the side, landing right on the fluttering wing of Cryonax.
At that moment, the instinct to attack kicked in in my body. I threw both hands up and shouted with all my might:
"Torberio!" — and a powerful kinetic strike burst from my fingers, hitting Pyronax with such force that his body staggered like a boxer who had been knocked out.
Without wasting a moment, Bladrock rushed forward. Like a wild animal, he grabbed Pyronax, tearing him into small pieces with his claws. He could no longer resist — his fate was sealed. In a whirlwind of claws and blood, Pyronax was quieting down, and I knew that soon the end would come in this fight.
Dead Cryonax fell to the dry ground with a dull thud, raising a giant cloud of dust around him that obscured the horizon. I was thrown upward by a powerful shock wave, and like a doll, I flew to the side, but, rolling, I quickly rose to my feet, clutching the red-hot Righteous in my hands. My gaze turned to the battle above two dragons, like two fire gods, exchanging deadly blows. Fire burst from their mouths, burning the air, and the thunder of their wings drowned out all sounds around.
Pyronax fell a hundred paces from the body of his younger brother, and his fall raised a second cloud of dust, mixing with the first.
Bladrock, triumphantly soaring upward, filled the sky with his roar. He threw himself at the surviving birds and gargoyles, scattering them like sparrows. I did not wait for the dust to settle completely and rushed to the prostrate Pyronax, who was helplessly floundering on the ground. His body was covered in small cuts, burns, and wounds, but I saw how they quickly healed, almost instantly. I knew - we must not let him recover. If he rose again, no one would be able to stop him.
Gritting my teeth, I raised the Righteous and began to mercilessly chop. The sword crunched into the flesh, and in the first instant, I cut off the dragon's front legs. The huge limbs fell heavily to the ground, and I did not stop. Pyronax wheezed, but he could no longer scream - he had no strength left. Then I cut off his wings as if depriving him of his last hope of rising into the sky. Another moment, and I walked around him from behind, aiming the sword at his tail. One swing - and he fell, leaving behind a scarlet stripe on the scorched earth.
"This is for Chiquita!" - my voice thundered when the first paw was cut off.
"This is for her mother Perina!" - the second paw fell into the dust.
"This is for the burned village of my girl Uliya!" - the bones cracked under the blow.
"And this is for the children driven into slavery!" - I said, cutting off the last limbs. Pyronax wheezed weaker and weaker, bleeding and losing his former strength.
Bladrock, noticing that the dust had cleared and that someone was fussing around his fallen enemy, decided to land on the ground with a deafening noise. His clawed paws tore up the dry soil as he landed not far from Pyronax. The dragon looked at the quartered body of his opponent, and approval flashed in his eyes, but when his gaze fell on me, standing with a sword in my hands, everything instantly changed. His pupils narrowed, and his face distorted with rage.
Suddenly, taking a full breath, Bladrock released a stream of fire in my direction. I barely had time to duck and hide behind the immobilized body of Pyronax, feeling the heat rush past, scorching the ground.
"Damn!" I cursed under my breath. - "I just wanted to reunite father and daughter!"
"Hey! Calm down! I mean you no harm!" I shouted, trying to reach the dragon's mind, but my words were useless. Bladrock did not stop, his rage uncontrollable. He leaped at Pyronax, desperately trying to close the distance between us. I did not want to raise my sword against him, but when his clawed paw shot into the air, flashing like a knife, I had no choice.
If he reached me, I would become a piece of chopped meat. Without hesitation, I swung my sword, and the Righteous cut through his limb with the precision and power that had never failed me.
Bladrock roared in pain, and his eyes flashed with hatred again, but he was forced to retreat. Pain shot through his body, and for a moment he weakened.
Without wasting time, I gathered all my energy and cast the spell: "Torberio!" - pointing both hands at Bladrock.
The force of the kinetic strike knocked him off his feet, and the dragon, hitting the ground with a dull thud, flew to the side. He lay motionless, and for a moment I thought he had lost consciousness. Still, despite his impressive strength, Bladrock was not as strong as his fiery opponent.
I stood over the fallen dragon, the sword still in my hands, and my heart beat in unison with the dull sounds of the world collapsing. I had to stop and understand what had happened.
I decided to talk, although words might be superfluous at this moment. Pyronax, wheezing, tried to raise his head and finally said:
"Stupid worm! You do not know what trials you condemn your kind to. For a long time, I protected you from the invasion of monsters living in the swamps. What people gave me was the price for safety. You people have always been weak. You fear us because we are strength. We are your destiny. You live in fear, and this is what keeps you in obedience. Your miserable life depends on our will!"
"Fear?" I exclaimed, trying to contain my anger. "Your fear is only your weapon. But it broke! I destroyed your family, and now you have lost your power. You will not be able to keep people in subjection anymore!"
The dragon, tossing and turning heavily, let out a loud, dull roar.
"You think that by killing us, you freed the people? Naive! You do not know how to live without us. Your freedom is just a mirage. Who needs you when there is no one to protect you? Without dragons, you will plunge into chaos!"
I took a step forward, unclenching my fists, ready for any attack.
"Perhaps the people do not yet know how to live without you. But they must learn this, create their own rules, build their cities, and rule their destiny!"
"Destiny?" Pyronax said with a grin. "You do not understand what you need? People are a flock that requires a shepherd. We only maintained order in your unreasonable world. Without us, you will again kill each other for a piece of bread!"
I froze, feeling how his words wavered in the air. There was a grain of truth in them. Perhaps the dragons considered themselves protectors of people, and their cruelty was just a way to maintain order. But it was impossible to turn a blind eye to this.
Pyronax chuckled, but there was something else in his eyes - not just rage, but pain.
"You don't understand! I was forced to do this to prevent the worst. The dark creatures in the swamps are far more terrible than we dragons. I kept your world safe, and you should have realized it! We could have made peace."
"Peace with murderers?" I countered. "You continued to kill, and it was not a defense. I will not allow you to continue to rule by fear. If you wanted peace, you would have learned to live with humans as equals!"
I stood before Pyronax, feeling the rage boiling inside me.
"You say this because you lost. In the village of the blacksmith Maleus, when you killed the little dragoness, you spoke completely different words."
He chuckled, his eyes flashing like a predator who had captured his prey.
"You mean that stupid little thing that crawled out on its own so I wouldn't burn this worthless village?"
he said with disdain, and at that moment I felt rage fill me up. I was ready to chop off his head, but a thought arose inside me: I need information. I understood that the dragon was not only a predator but also a politician who had his strategy.
I watched as he tried to rebuild himself, growing back his lost limbs. A new tail was already growing, and his hind legs were beginning to take shape. His wings and front legs were still in their infancy, but time was on his side.
"The little dragoness is the daughter of my enemy! I was taking revenge on Bladrock, not on humans. And what do you care about the dragoness if you humans hate all dragons?" Pyronax said with disdain.
"We only hate those who are hostile to us," I replied, trying to remain calm. "The little dragoness is my friend, my adopted little sister. I'm not sure you wouldn't have burned the village if the dragoness hadn't come out to meet you..."
Pyronax rolled his eyes as if he didn't want to accept my words.
"Friend? You don't understand, fool. Dragons and humans will never be friends. We are born as enemies, and you cannot change that."
"Perhaps, but your hatred leads to destruction!" I said, unable to contain my emotions.
"Every time you kill, you only deepen the hatred. You do not protect people - you burn the bridges that could connect our peoples."
I looked at Pyronax, and a strange feeling arose in my heart.
"I would spare you if I were sure that our meeting changed you, and instead of hating humanity, you will feel something like gratitude for the fact that its representative gave you a chance to live life in a different capacity. Not as an enemy, but as a friend and protector. As a kind gesture, you can return the object you swallowed - a small pyramid."
Pyronax smirked, his eyes shining, full of contempt.
"I've eaten a lot of meat in my life, a lot of animals and people. But I've never swallowed, accidentally or not, any objects or creatures with an unknown purpose."
My thoughts were confused. I didn't know how to react to his words.
"But Nix said..."
At that moment, the dragon roared:
"You know Nix?!"
His voice was full of rage, and I felt adrenaline fill my body.
"Where is this worthless thief hiding? I have to kill him. And you too!"
Without waiting for him to take a step towards me, I reacted instinctively. He jumped to his feet, intending to catch me off guard. I didn't have time to ask him about Nix, although I understood that there were irreparable gaps in this story about the pyramid that he swallowed.
Dodging his attack, I cut off Pyronax's head in one movement. His headless body, like Cryonax, hurried away from me.
I knew this wasn't the end, and I needed to make sure the dragon wasn't lying about the pyramid.
With speed and determination, I began to chop him into tiny pieces, severing limbs and tearing flesh to look into the dragon's stomach.
"Where is that pyramid?"
I repeated to myself as I continued my work, searching for even the slightest hint of what might have once belonged to me.
Each time my sword entered his body, I felt both gloating and confusion. The hatred I felt for this creature mixed with bewilderment with each blow.
How could it be that the dragons that once ruled over men were now dead, and I was still searching for answers to questions that remained unanswered?
I reached Pyronax's hearts, and in the silence broken only by the sounds of torn flesh, I began to cut each of them into four pieces. I knew that this was the only way he could never come back to life.
As soon as I finished, a thought flashed through my mind:
"Never again will dragons rule over humans!"
This feeling was some kind of wild relief, but at the same time, it did not bring me joy. I looked at his severed parts, expecting that something significant was about to happen.
When I reached the stomach, disappointment overcame me. There was nothing in it except half-digested meat.
"So he told the truth?" - Doubts arose in my mind. But how should I now evaluate everything he said about humans? About Nyx?
Questions swirled in my head, and I felt confused as if someone had turned my world upside down. I was mentally rehearsing our conversation as I examined Cryonax's body.
I remembered how he had treated people with contempt, how he had tried to justify his actions. But every time I thought about it, hatred for dragons grew within me - not all dragons, but those who instilled fear and pain.
Approaching Bladrock, I noticed that Chiquita's father was still unconscious. I had hit him hard. But I did not want to kill this dragon. He had done nothing bad to me. Perhaps in the future, if my hopes were not fulfilled, I would do the same to him as I had done to his brothers. But for now, let him live. I had to find Mila, the daughter of the blacksmith Maleus.
Gargoyle. [https://i.imgur.com/B9dk5X2.jpeg]