Evan POV:
We moved away from the fighting until we were out of earshot. The air was filled with the sounds of violence, but we found a moment of peace in the midst of it all.
Ruby took in a deep breath as if preparing herself and carefully choosing her next words, “I don't know if you know this. But I'm a Dragon-kin.”
I knew she wasn’t human because of her eyes, but I didn’t know she was a dragon-kin. “Well… I, Uhh, know now? What’s that supposed to do with the war that’s going on right now?”
She looked at me a bit surprised, “… That's not exactly the reaction I expected, but that's beside the point. What I wanted to say was that, as a dragon-kin, I can transform into a dragon if I’ve absorbed a good amount of mana in a small time.”
“Woah, hold on. You can turn into a dragon? The giant lizard looking ones with wings right?”
She nodded her head, “Usually that’s an impossible feat, but I saw and heard about how you threw so many mana balls like it was nothing, so it is possible to do it if you don’t feel any bit of mana-deficient and feel like you can do the same thing again a couple of times. I honestly don’t want to even try it since there is a chance I might accidentally kill you by mana deficiency.”
I couldn’t help but make a devilish grin.
You underestimate my powers.
{Author Note: Don't Try It.}
“Do it, though I doubt you’ll be able to suck me dry.”
Her face became serious and it was almost as if she became upset over my attitude, “Please be serious! You have no idea how much mana I need to turn into a dragon.”
“True,” I retorted, a mischievous glint in my eye. "but do not forget, my dear friend. You also have no idea how much mana I have."
Just in case, I reactivated my Gaia’s sentiment skill again for the increased mana regen and capacity.
Ruby looked conflicted with what she was about to do so I tried hurrying her up a bit, “you know that every second we waste here, increase the chances of the soldiers dying, right?”
Ruby shook her head and looked at me with determined eyes, “Then please excuse me.” She suddenly walked up to me and bit me on the nape of my neck.
It was a bit ticklish but aren't you acting like a vampire? I checked my stats and got a debuff on me called ‘Mana Leech’. Ruby started slowing leeching off my mana, so slow in fact, that not only did I start regenerating mana, which doesn’t happen when you’re using/losing mana, but also that I was recovering more than I was losing.
A minute had passed and the battlefield had turned even more chaotic. I heard commands being laid out followed by screams, and as much as I wanted to jump in and try to help out, Ruby was still draining my mana. I wasn't counting how much she had drained, but I guessed it was a couple hundred or maybe even a thousand mana points by now.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally let go of my neck and gasped. She then grabbed her head in pain like it was about to explode and fell, curling down into a ball before starting to twitch. "Woah, you okay?" I asked, as I saw some buffs and debuffs popping up below her health bar.
Emotional Frenzy: Doesn't know what to do.
Psychopath: Will Attack anyone.
Mana Frenzy: Ten times increased mana capacity in exchange for halved defence.
Dragon-Born: Turned into a dragon. Major increase in all stats.
I saw her skin start turning into a dark purple color as dark and purplish scales started growing on her body. She also started growing. “Ah, shit. Everyone! Move out of the way!” I tried warning everyone nearby just in case, The archers nearby heard and ran out of the way. Obviously, I had to give Ruby space as well.
Ruby grew so much that her black clothes ripped apart but that didn’t matter as she was completely covered in scales. She got on all fours as head turned into that of a lizard’s or a snake’s, her nails turned into claws and two wings popped out from her behind. She screamed in pain and her voice already sounded animalistic.
Ruby's metamorphosis seemed painful. Her clothes, once black, stylish and fit for a guild leader, were now torn and shredded, revealing black scales with a hint of purple, that covered her entire body. As she got on all fours, her head elongated into that of a reptile, her eyes turning from a mellow red to blood red. Her nails sharpened into claws, and two leathery wings burst from her back with a sound like thunder. When she screamed, it was not a human sound, but a raw, primal roar that echoed through the whole kingdom.
I looked in awe, “Wow. She just turned from girlfriend material to ex's material.”
“EVANGELINE!” I heard Daisy’s scream and looked back to horror, hoping to god she didn’t hear what I just said about her friend.
The others, namely Daisy and Elizabeth, the Queen of Elves, found out about her turning into a dragon Daisy sprinted towards me for answers, but Ruby's powerful wings generated gusts of wind, kicking up a storm of dust and debris which made Daisy pause, which was just enough time for Daisy to soar up higher, growing with each beat of her wings until she completely transformed into a magnificent dragon.
She looks like a western dragon, just what I expected. I guess I expected that because of the Betsy dragon boss you fight later on in Terraria.
Ruby had grown to the size of a two-story house and let out a deafening roar, high in the sky, which took the attention of everyone nearby.
“You!” I tore my eyes away from Ruby’s transformation when I heard daisy’s angry voice only to find her standing in front of me, her small hands clenching the collars of my armor. Despite her size, her grip was strong, and her voice was filled with fury. "What did you do to her?!" she demanded, her eyes blazing with anger.
“Don't look at me like that. This was her plan.” I said as I shrugged my shoulders. Daisy looked at me like she couldn’t believe me. I heard the shoulders shouting about a dragon and looked with worry as I realized they might accidentally start attacking Ruby.
I spawned the speakers and mike again but they were much smaller this time, so I don’t rip away everyone’s ability to hear, “Don’t attack the dragon! She a friendly!”
I’ll have to admit, I didn’t feel dizzy this time, but it was still unpleasant to hear.
The soldiers turned to me, their faces a mixture of fear and desperation. Ruby, now towering over them, swooped down and glided just above the ground, spewing molten lava from her gaping maw onto the horde of goblins. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as we all heard the goblins scream.
“Shit! The soldiers might get caught in the crossfire!” I figured out as I ran to the edge of the wall to look down and survey the battlefield. I saw both Trish and Rudolph commanding all the soldiers to retreat inside the kingdom walls so they wouldn’t get caught in the cross-fire.
I was relieved that they knew what do to do in this situation, then again, they're the leaders for a reason.
I checked the event completion bar and about 30% of it was completed, One volley of Ruby’s attack had single handily completed 20% more than what me and everyone else had spent the last half-hour doing.
I looked into the distance and saw Ruby flying low and spewing hot magma everywhere. The forest was going to burn down, but so will the goblins, so I think this is a win?
…I’ll let the dryad patrol here later and regrow the forest.
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… 50.3% complete.
… 80.9% complete.
… 99.9% complete.
*The Goblin Army Has Been Defeated!*
And that's 100% Done! … The forest was also 100% done as it was completely on fire looking like a scene from hell. But that was a complete massacre. I do see hundreds of sweet loot spread across the whole battleground, and the only thing stopping my gamer mind to not jump down and collect everything was because the ground was still burning, that and well, everyone will look at me weirdly.
“Well, Congratulations Daisy. We have Won the battle.” I said to her who was standing beside me and watching the battlefield.
She looked at me weirdly and just said “Huh?”
“Ruby wrecked everything, there’s not a single goblin left, and those who are still alive are either fleeing or burning down in the liquid state of matter.”
“N-no I didn’t mean that, Look at Evangeline! Isn’t she acting weird?”
I raised an eyebrow at her and looked towards the MVP who was sitting down on the burning ground far away at the very edge of what used to be a forest, She was staring at us for no reason, though she too far too accurately tell what kind of a face she’s making.
Is that weird? What’s weird about it?
Suddenly, one of her debuffs popped up.
Psychopath: Will Attack anyone.
…
Welp. What can I say Except~♪ We’re fucked~♪
Ruby inhaled greatly as her mouth, throat and belly expanded before she spewed out a giant blazing magma ball that arched straight towards me.
WHAT DID I DO THAT YOU’D HAVE A BEEF WITH ME!?!
Even if I block it with my invisible Shield, Daisy and the Others, heck, even this Kingdom’s wall won't survive the magma ball!
Before I could do anything, Daisy suddenly stood in front of me and conjured up a giant blue bubble on ourselves that covered up a portion of the wall as well. Though most of the soldiers just opted to make a run for it.
The Magma ball collided with Daisy's shield and shattered, sending fiery fragments flying in all directions and causing the bubble to shake violently.
"I am a queen for a reason!" Daisy exclaimed, sweat pouring down her face. Her protective bubble suddenly popped and she was now standing unsteadily on her feet. I tried helping her up but I saw Ruby flapping her wings, gaining altitude before suddenly glowing with an otherworldly energy. With a fierce cry and another strong flap of her wings, she streaked towards us like a rocket. Breaking the sound barrier at the same time
The soldiers had already fled, leaving us alone to face the wrath of the dragon. I picked Daisy up under my arm and then I grappled us away to safety. Ruby's massive frame slammed into the castle wall. Bricks and debris rained down at the poor soldiers who didn’t know what was going on behind the wall, Ruby then quickly took to the air, leaving a deep crevice in her wake.
I didn’t notice when but Trish and Rudolph were also on top of the wall, “What’s the situation! Trish and Rudolph screamed, their voice overlapping each other.
“Short version, shit went from a zero to a hundred.” They both looked at me confused, as I conjured a 20 MP mana ball and slapped it onto Daisy's cheeks. Color returned to her face, and she panted before standing up on her own. "The long version is that our target changed from goblins to that dragon.”
“Wait, no!” Daisy said as coughed up for a bit, “That’s Evangeline! I don't know what happened but she's not an Enemy!”
“She just tried to barbeque us, and let’s not forget that hole over there,” I said as I pointed at the crevice Ruby had left.
"There's got to be a reason!" Daisy cried out in frustration as her hands trembled, "How did she turn into a dragon?" The group fell silent as all eyes turned to me, waiting for an answer.
“I don’t like how you all immediately suspect me for this.”
“Incoming!” some random soldier shouted as we all looked up to see Ruby dive bombing straight down at us, probably thinking of squishing everyone and the wall here.
I gotta knock her away!
Daisy got ready to make another Bubble shield which would ruin my plan so I stopped her by using her face as a stepping stone and jumping up high.
“HEY RUBY, YOU WANNA PLAY CHICKEN!?” I screamed at her, but she looked at me as if I wasn't even worth her time. I activated my Eye of Cthulhu shield's charge ability, and the previously invisible shield became visible in my off-hand. The inanimate shield looked like it came alive as it bared its monstrous teeth at the dragon above without hesitation. Ruby's lizard-like eyes opened wide as if sensing danger. She opened her maw to bite me, but I wasn't worried. As soon as her fangs touched my shield, a shockwave formed, and Ruby was knocked back into the fiery battlefield. I, however was knocked back a couple steps.
I landed gracefully at the crumbling wall while Daisy looked at me with hostility and a red shoe-print on her face. “Sorry about that. But there was no other faster way of stopping you.”
We all quickly went to the edge of the wall to see how Ruby was doing, she writhed in the flames, cracking the charred trees with ease. To our surprise, the fire didn't seem to harm her. She rose to her feet, emitting a fierce growl before spreading her wings and taking flight. As she ascended, the flap of her wings extinguished the raging fire around her, leaving only smoldering ash in her wake.
As Ruby rose higher and higher, I turned to others and quickly made a plan, “Okay, here’s what I think. If we just beat enough sense into her, then just maybe, she'll wake up.”
Ruby let loose a fiery torrent of molten magma, sending it cascading down towards us like a waterfall. But Daisy was quick to act, conjuring a bubble shield that shimmered in the heat. As the magma poured down upon the translucent shield, it warped and curved inward, creating a concave barrier that kept us safe as the molten rock melted everything unfortunate enough to be in its path.
While in the bubble I started think up a strategy, “Firstly, I don't think that people have evacuated yet so we have to fight her outside the castle. Secondly, Elizabeth, if you can somehow bind her down towards the ground using your vine magic then the warriors can ambush and beat some sense into ruby.”
Elizabeth and the others nodded firmly. “Okay, I'm going to get her attention and try to steer her away from the kingdom. The rest of the archers and the magicians needs to cover me. Trish relay the information to everyone else who’s not here.”
“Wait!” Daisy stopped our planning, “Are you sure that will fix her?”
Daisy was hesitant because this was her friend we’re talking about but she needs to face the facts, “Every second we waste here means a huge chance for another soldier to die, if we fail then not only will the kingdom crumble down, but also the refugees that are trying to escape right now.”
Daisy opened her mouth like she had more to say but stopped and shook her head, “No, You’re right.”
“By the way,” I had something to ask Daisy, “ Can I freely move in and out of this bubble shield you made?” Daisy nodded to my question and just then, Ruby had stopped spewing lava when she noticed that her attack did nothing to us.
Perfect chance!
“Elizabeth! Throw me at her!”
Before I could react, a massive tendril shot up from the ground and ensnared me, lifting me up and launching me through the air like a human missile.
“I’m coming at’ cha bitch!” I screamed like a madman. Fear flickered in Ruby's eyes as she spit out a small ball of magma at me in a desperate attempt to knock me down.
I shape-shifted 20mp into a giant hand that was half the size of Ruby and punched the molten ball out of existence. My translucent giant hand and the magma ball both shattered into a million pieces as I flew closer to Ruby and readied my shield.
As I soared towards Ruby, I shape-shifted a massive hand, infused with 20mp, that towered over her menacingly. With a swift punch, the molten ball she had spat out was obliterated. The resulting impact shattered my magic hand and disintegrated the fiery projectile into a million shards, I still closed in on the winged beast, brandishing my trusty invisible shield.
Once I got close enough to her, I used the charge ability again and the shield was visible again for a moment as I slammed into her torso.
-36
Now that’s quite a lot of damage, but she has like 10K Max hp.
…Wait, we really did just switch from fighting a 10K goblin army to a dragon with 10K health… Should I treat every hit point of her as a small goblin?
My mind wandered off to some strange thoughts while Ruby was knocked back to same charred ground she landed in before.
I took in some fall damage as I landed down on the same battlefield with a stumble. I was gonna taunt her or something but a series of fireballs, lightning bolts, boulders and a few more colourful spells whizzed past me and towards Ruby.
-14
-12
-22
-18
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-19
The damage was not that much but the sheer quantity of attacks was worth it.
I quickly turned around to give a thumbs up to the wizards on top of the wall for giving out some great support. It was out of habit since it’s a golden rule in gaming that you should always thank the supports, but When I turned back to look at Ruby, I didn’t see the wincing dragon but rather it’s tail swinging at me with full force.
3rd Person POV:
{Author note: Bruh, Evan got hit so hard, it changed the POV from 1st person to 3rd person.}
The dragon's tail struck Evan with a sickening thud, sending him flying backwards as if he was hit by a truck, and into a couple of charred trees which snapped like a twig on Evan’s impact.
Everyone saw the spectacle that happened there right in front of them, worried about the life of their dear friend.
The dragon looked towards the onlookers, choosing her next victim when she felt movement coming from the pile of charred tree ash where Evan was buried. Ruby put her guard up and faced Evan who somehow emerged out of the the pile of ash without so much a scratch. He couldn’t help but give her the middle finger.
Everyone was relieved to see Evan still alive and kicking. Two shotguns materialized into his hands out of nowhere as he fixed the black aviators on his face before he started monologuing to himself, “Looks like it's time to chew gum and kick ass.” He paused for a moment as if adding a dramatic effect, “And I'm all out of gum.”
Everyone tried their best to hear what he was saying but he was too far for his friends to listen, But that wasn’t going to stop him from being himself. "That was sick!" Evan thought to himself as he started playing a random hip-hop song in his mind, before he tried luring the dragon away from the kingdom. The dragon was already mad at Evan, firstly for hurting its pride as the apex predator and secondly for beating it down senselessly, it wasn’t going to let go of Evan until it knew he was dead.
The others panicked of losing Evan so they also rushed down the kingdom’s walls.