“A dragon?! I thought they’re extinct!” exclaimed Raine as he stayed away from the dragon’s breath and its claws.

“They certainly did not!” said Aranis. “Although you will never find a dragon’s nest in the middle of an abandoned town. This is not supposed to happen!”

“Are you sure this beast is a dragon?” asked Karkas.

“It’s reptilian, it has wings, and it breathes fire,” replied Aranis, as if stating the obvious.

“That thing’s clearly not reptilian. Where are its scales?”

Aranis looked at the dragon and understood what Karkas meant. The dragon had all the features of one except for some unusual facts. It had no scales. Its body was only covered in flesh like elves and humans, though it had grey-colored flesh instead of cream. Its wings were nothing more than the limbs; the membranes had rotted away, leaving behind traces of it, which was foul smelling.

She quickly thought the worst; the dragon was also a resurrected corpse. However, she couldn’t sense anything that would indicate necromancy or even Aether-based necromancy. The dragon was alive, though not as well as one would expect. The dragon was an abomination, and not in a good way.

It was also hurt, clearly caused by the unfortunate ones that encountered it while exploring the tunnels. Without its scales, it was only protected by its flesh, and thus could be injured by non-enhanced swords and even guns. Even those could not fully penetrate its flesh. What really caused the injuries, however, were the contraptions that were fitted on it. It was collared by metal, which was too small for it and had started digging into its unprotected flesh. It dug too deep, making the collar part of its body now.

The worst part of its torture was the screwed-on shackles on each of its limbs. They were unnecessarily cruel and painful to look at. Those screws caused its limbs to constantly bleed, and clearly, after several years, even a dragon’s immune system could not prevent infection that permanently warped its limbs. Shakiri also noticed that one of its front legs were gangrened. It was useless now, seen by how the dragon could barely use that leg as support. The rest of its limbs, even the wings and tails, had the same shackles screwed onto them. Only the collar was spared this treatment, clearly due to it being fatal.

“That’s…horrifying,” said Sakiri, who couldn’t hold back her anger. “The goddess of the hunt will never condone such suffering!”

“You don’t need a goddess to tell you how fucked up that is, lady,” commented Raine. “Does she tell you to end its suffering.”

“Evidently! But how? It’s on a rampage!”

Aranis, who was behind Karkas’s barrier when the dragon let out a stream of fire towards them, said, “I wish we are able to talk it into sense.”

“Talk it into sense?! You mean, like talk talk? That thing’s a beast!”

“They are not simple beasts, Karkas. Let’s just say it’s like you: a beast race. They are the oldest beast race known in history.”

“It’s good to know they have a history,” said Karkas. “But that thing’s long gone! The bastards who thought it’s a good idea literally screwing its legs screwed with its mind and now it’s going to burn us and this town to crisps if we don’t do something!”

“Well, I never thought you’d have your way with words, Kar.”

“Isn’t it…wait, what?!”

Narati’s voice caused Karkas to turn. He found the Fa’ar smiling at him while carrying his dreaded weapon.

“You idiot! I am casting a barrier!”

“Yeah, I know. Felt a little woozy when I went through the barrier,” said Narati.

“Then why did you do it?! I thought we made it very clear that this is dangerous for a Fa’ar!”

“I can’t stay back watching my friends getting hurt, not when I can help it.”

“If you’re talking about the axe, then forget it!”

Narati groaned. He had enough of Karkas complaining about the axe.

“What’s your problem with the goddamn axe?! Sure, it’s excessive, but your reaction to it is ridiculous! It hurts what it needs to hurt, and it’s certainly not your eardrums!”

“Nara, every time you turn that thing on, someone or something will die horribly, and I don’t mean dying in a normal sense. When you use that thing, you spray blood everywhere!”

“That’s the point!”

“Not always!”

“Enough!” said Aranis, who slammed her feet. “This is no time to argue about the unusual contraption. If the Fa’ar wants to help, then let him help! We are not dealing with anything that can poison him, so he’s free to help if he wants to.”

Karkas was going to say something else but could not help but agree with the elf. Right now, they were in the middle of a fight against a dangerously crazed dragon. If an axe that viciously eviscerate its opponents and create a terrifying sound could help them, then they should do it if they really wanted to take the town for themselves.

“We are still taking the town, aren’t we?” asked Narati.

“Not when we can’t even touch that dragon!”

Karkas’s answer was evident from where they stood. Raine and Sakiri could barely reach the dragon even after showcasing creative, acrobatic fights that awed Narati. Raine, as usual, was untouchable as he weaved, dodged, and even rolled away from the dragon’s claw attacks. He even managed to jump just as the dragon used its tail to sweep Raine off his feet, enabling him to stab the dragon’s tail. The dragon barely felt it. What it did feel, however, was Sakiri’s attack.

Raine’s sword was deceptively sharp despite of being made out of scrap metal. However, that could not compete against properly smithed weapons such as Sakiri’s daggers. The s-curved blades were enhanced by her mastery over air magic, which she could control so accurately. As she kicked the ground to dash towards the dragon, a burst of air propelled her forward. It did not stop there. She jumped higher than any Chitra would, reaching the dragon’s head in a single leap. She landed on the dragon’s neck and continued towards its head, attempting to stab its head using her enchanted daggers.

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The dragon, however, was already aware of her and tried to shake her off its back. Sakiri was forced to grab hold onto its collar when she lost her footing, which ripped off parts of its decaying flesh, causing it to roar in pain. Sakiri released her grip and landed on the pavement. She became disgusted.

“Give this prey a quick death,” murmured Sakiri, now sympathizing with the dragon. “Please, Kashasi. Spare me its suffering.”

The excitement and awe were quickly robbed away by the disgusting act. They started to realize that they were killing a dragon doomed to die as its body had started to decay before it could die. It was more of a mercy kill than a glorious dragon slaying.

“Maker’s mercy,” said Narati. “How is that dragon still alive?”

Nobody had a concrete answer to it. The mana in the air could be the only thing sustaining it, or it was yet another orphaned spell, perhaps an ancient forbidden one that persisted after the caster’s death. Those were the things Aranis could think of for an answer, something that even she could not be sure of.

Raine and Sakiri regrouped with the rest of them. Their attacks could not kill the dragon fast enough and they had not time waiting for it to die. The dragon did not notice them pulling back, though it would certainly find them, so they had no time.

“Any plan?” asked Raine.

“We need to hit it hard and fast,” said Aranis. “Your skills are formidable, yet against a formidable creature, it will take more than that to kill it. None of our weapons can do that.”

“Not even your arrows?” asked Raine.

“I must be close enough for them to be effective. I may be able to draw more of the forest’s energy, but it will take some time.”

“Then do it. We’ll distract it the best we could. In fact….”

Raine glanced at Narati. “This time, that weapon of yours might be useful.”

“You’re saying as if it isn’t useful from the beginning,” said Narati.

“I’m not…sorry, bud. Okay, how about this, then? You and I are the distractions, Sakiri will weaken it, Karkas will be our point guard, and Aranis will make the kill shot. You make some noise with your grenades and that axe while I confuse it. Sakiri, you’ll focus on weakening it. Karkas, keep your barrier up and while you’re at it, give us some protection. Aranis, do what you have to do, but don’t take too long. The dragon may be dying, but it’s still on a rampage. Everyone got it?”

There were no objections. They all knew Raine was the one with a solid plan as he was aware of each of their skills, especially with those he had worked the longest like Narati and Karkas. He only needed one glance to know what Sakiri was capable of, while Aranis’s age and wisdom meant that she had the most experience, though she would gladly defer judgement to Raine as he was a knight with leadership experience. They all nodded, agreeing with Raine.

“Then let’s get to it. Nara, on me! Kiri, go up there, now!”

The three of them ran towards the dragon. It had noticed them by now and, apparently sensing their renewed determination to kill it, let out a defiant roar as it began its attack. Before it could, however, Narati threw a flash grenade, one that he made from metal-oxidant powder he found in the desert. It exploded upon impact right in front of the dragon’s eyes, causing it to be temporarily blinded and giving time for Sakiri to climb on the dragon’s back and tried stabbing it again. This time, she specifically targeted its eyes. The Chitra stabbed its left eye with her wind-enhanced dagger, then quickly rolled to the other side to stab its right eye. Her quick attack caused the dragon to be blinded, but not out. Narati used this opportunity to draw the dragon’s attention by switching on his loud grinding circular saw axe. The noise certainly drew the dragon’s attention towards Narati. It attacked the Fa’ar based on the noise, which was not a very effective attack as Narati’s small stature made him able to duck below the claws. It wasn’t perfect as Narati was protected by Karkas’s barrier spell. Without it, he would certainly lose a chunk of his arm. He ran around while carrying his axe, disorienting the dragon after he noticed its damaged, bleeding eyes. While he was at it, he threw another grenade, which caused an explosion that further disoriented the dragon.

Raine kept attacking the dragon from the side alongside Sakiri, trying their best to tire it down while also keeping it away from Narati. When he noticed that the dragon was going to breathe fire at the rat person, Raine rushed towards the Fa’ar and used his counter spell to deflect the fire, this time back at the dragon. Without its scales, the dragon was unprotected, and the countered fire burned its head. It, however, also burned Raine’s arm and hand, as the fire was too strong to be completely countered. The burn was so severe that he grunted in pain as he lost grip on his hands.

“How much longer?!” shouted Raine after turning his head towards Aranis.

“I am ready! Give me an opening!” shouted Aranis.

Narati, however, was already doing so. Against his better judgement, he stopped in place, knowing that it was very risky. He then exclaimed, “Hey, you! Come here, you big, stupid dragon!”

The dragon might not understand what Narati was saying, yet it certainly heard both his voice and the grinding saw noise. With a roar, it ran towards Narati. The Fa’ar, however, did not budge from where he was. Karkas noticed this and immediately buffed his physical resistance, using everything he could to resist the dragon’s attack. He did not hesitate despite knowing how it would affect the Fa’ar. Narati also did not care, as he knew that he would be crushed or fatally injured without the barrier.

The claw found Narati and stopped by Karkas’s barrier. The dragon was relentless, however, and kept pushing through the barrier. Narati started to feel the effect of the spell on his body: his consciousness started to fade, and he felt he could throw up any time soon. Yet, he held on, even turning his weapon towards the dragon, and started cutting through the dragon’s claws and limb. That, however, was not enough to penetrate its thick flesh.

This, however, was the moment Aranis was waiting for. With the dragon stopped in its track, the elf had several seconds before Narati was overpowered. She managed to gather enough of nature’s energy, focusing everything on the arrow tip. She took aim and checked her breath. She only had one shot.

Relying on elven eyesight and an archery skill honed for hundreds of years, she released her arrow once she found her target. The arrow, enhanced with nature’s energy, zipped through the air at a speed beyond what any bow was capable of. Its speed was faster than even a sniper bullet, as it reached its target in less than a second.

It did not stop there. Aranis intentionally overflowed the energy imbued in the arrow as she was not sure if it was enough. The overflowing energy soon penetrated the dragon’s skull through its eye, went through the brain, and exited through the other side of its cranium. The energy exploded inside its head when it was momentarily stopped, causing extensive damage that caused the dragon to stop in place.

There was a moment where it did not move. Then, it fell on its own weight. Narati managed to get away before it crushed him. Sakiri, climbing off the dragon’s back, prodded its head cautiously several times before she made a conclusion.

The dragon was dead. Aranis’s arrow finished the job. She exhaled, knowing the plan worked.

“We did it,” said Raine upon seeing the dragon’s dead body. “Holy shit, we did it! We killed a dragon, just like in the legends! I can’t believe it!”

“Even if it’s a sick, dying dragon?” commented Narati.

“I know it’s not going to pass into legends, but it’s still something to brag about,” said Raine. “Now that’s what I call teamwork!”

Narati agreed, as did Sakiri. The three of them were elated and proud to have fought and defeated a dragon, even if it was dying. It was far beyond anything they had ever faced before, and they felt satisfied. Sakiri, however, made sure to pay her respects towards a formidable prey.

But all the proudness and elation soon turned to dread and horror when Narati heard another noise. It sounded like a squeak, which made the Fa’ar thought that someone survived and was asking for help. He even asked Raine to check for survivors from the earlier attempt to hunt the dragon.

To the Fa’ar’s horror, it wasn’t the squeak of a Fa’ar. Rather, it was from another beast’s attempt to vocalize.

And that beast was…another dragon.