Wrath of the Dragon 4, page 4
“Incredible,” Ruby breathed. “This really is an awful trap.”
“That’s why we stay focused,” Cyra said. “Losing your bearings will get you lost forever. Luckily, you have an expert on the team.”
The fire angel shot Ruby a half-smile, and I had a feeling she was starting to warm up to the Elite Throne angel.
We flew on in silence for what felt like hours while Cyra carefully kept herself heading in a strict direction, and the angels frowned with determination as more and more whiteness consumed us. Every passing second brought us further into the aimless abyss, and I worked hard not to let the thought get to me.
“Sooo,” Brooke said after ages of silent flying. “What kind of powers do you have now that you’re elite?”
“The prophecies are one,” Ruby said as her crystalline wings flapped behind her. “But I have combat crystal powers, too. It involves hurling sharp, heavy weapons out of thin air.”
“That’s amazing,” Nisha moaned. “I wonder what our skills could be like if we change!”
My imagination ran wild with the possibility of their fire, water, and night powers being amplified. Our battle skills could be seriously upgraded if they became elite.
The only issue would be having to return to lands we had already saved to make it possible. Would it be worth spending time searching through the Water Lands we had been to so recently? I had a feeling looking for a small gift in the Night Lands would be especially hard. That place was a gothic wonderland of darkness.
“Have you had any other visions?” I asked the crystal angel.
“Not yet.” Ruby shook her silver head. “The one about a returning god was actually my very first. I have been an Elite angel for some time, but the prophecy visions only come very rarely.”
“Look,” Nisha gasped and pointed ahead. “The color of the void is changing!”
I glanced down and saw a tinge of warmth to the whiteness, and everything around us started to become orange as we flew further. There was a burning smell that drifted to meet us as a prickling warmth ran down my spine.
“It seems like we’re close,” I said. “Cyra? How long do–”
My thought process was interrupted by the sound of something screaming at the top of its lungs. It was like a howler monkey had found a megaphone, and Brooke winced as it echoed through the nothingness.
“What was that?” Nisha groaned. “That hurt my ears!”
“Something angry,” I said. “I have a feeling that might be the awful sound of some new type of demon. It’s certainly torturous enough.”
A horizon suddenly appeared in front of us, and it looked like we were about to fly out into the fiery pits of hell.
We slowed down as we neared the edge of the void, and my eyes had to adjust to the sudden eruption of color.
The sky was orange and filled with smoke, and there seemed to be flames everywhere throughout the land that laid before us. Houses and hills burned as the red-hot fires spread before our eyes. It truly looked like someone had just set the entire world ablaze.
But the most alarming part of it all was the creatures.
I could finally see what the fuck had made that noise.
The sky was absolutely filled with flying animals, and they were attacking each other in a screaming flurry of chaos. Some were demons like the scout we’d killed, but there were animals that were clearly residents of this land adding just as much noise. Beings with eagle heads and bull bodies were zipping around on leathery wings. There were creatures that looked almost human except for their red skin, and I could even see birds with streams of flames coming out of their feathers.
“Hooooly shit,” I breathed as I watched a literal wall of flame cascade down from a feathered being.
“Home sweet home,” Cyra muttered. “Welcome to the Fire Lands.”
“It’s… nice,” Brooke said weakly as her blue eyes darted from demon to beast.
“Hmm,” was all Ruby offered.
“There’s a lot going on here…” Nisha mumbled with some concern. “I’m not… I don’t really know where to start.”
“Yep,” Cyra sighed and crossed her arms.
I stared out at the burning mass of land, and I knew we were about to enter a whole new level of insanity. It looked like the residents might be just as chaotic as the demons, and the entire land was literally burning before our eyes.
We had never seen this much destruction before.
Chapter 3
The residents of the Fire Lands were fighting back against the demons, and that gave me hope. They hadn’t given up or gone into hiding. Clearly they cared about their home, and I respected the hell out of that.
Fighting demons was no easy task, but these guys were giving it all they had.
We’d had to convince so many other creatures that they needed to step up and fight, and I had a feeling that might not be as much of a problem here. Their main issue was the obvious lack of an attack plan. Creatures were diving left and right with feral howls, and there did not seem to be an ounce of communication between the creatures.
Just flames, sparks, smoke, and utter fucking chaos.
But I felt a deep determination inside me, and I knew my purpose was to fix this hellish landscape. I now had four angels alongside me who would do anything for the cause, and we had already proven how well we worked as a team.
Cyra scowled as she surveyed the state of her home, but I knew she was ready for a fight. I took a deep breath as I studied the land to decide where to head first. There didn’t seem to be a single square inch that wasn’t near a fire, but we would work it out. We always did.
Maybe I didn’t fully believe I was destined to become a god, but I knew I was here for a reason. It was my destiny to help the people of Dracoria, and it was time to save the Fire Lands.
“Any ideas on where to start?” I asked Cyra, and she shrugged as blood-curdling screams rang out through the burning sky.
“It’s even worse than when I left it,” she said. “It wasn’t this… on fire?”
“Really?” Brooke asked as she tilted her head. “This is kind of how I pictured it. All dramatic and burny.”
“There’s obviously always been fire,” Cyra said. “But it used to be contained. There were spots with huge bonfires built up in cordoned-off areas. They were surprisingly levelheaded about it all.”
“So, the houses weren’t always burning?” Ruby asked gently.
“No,” Cyra sighed. “The houses were definitely not burning. All the creatures here have always been hot-headed–”
“I would never have guessed.” Nisha smiled as she nudged her friend.
“But they weren’t like this!” Cyra scoffed. “This is a whole other level of crazy! They’re fighting demons in the sky!”
“I think that’s very noble,” Ruby said as she straightened her shoulders and nodded with approval. “It shows character.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “It’s good to see a land that’s not going down without a fight. That’s going to make us rallying up an army so much easier.”
I had a suspicion that it might in fact be more difficult to organize a group this chaotic, but I wanted to try and give Cyra some good news. My ears rang from the constant noise as flapping wings, crackling fires, and vicious howls filled the air. Something nearby exploded, and a new bunch of tall flames erupted from a two-story building as if a bomb had gone off.
“Great,” Cyra said dryly. “They’ve got firecrackers.”
“What are those?” Brooke asked.
“Little balls of danger,” the fire angel sighed. “They’re wood laced with concentrated burn fluid. If you light one before you throw it, then it can break out in a fire big enough to spread through a whole house.”
We watched a group of red lizards scuttle out of the flaming building as they raced off into the distance. There was so much smoke everywhere that the creatures vanished from sight in just a few seconds.
I had a lot of questions about these manic beings and their weapons, but I wanted us to find somewhere away from the mayhem to coordinate things. It didn’t seem likely that we’d be able to pass through the madness unseen, so we had to be ready to fight. We would need to take down some demons along the way, but I was hopeful that some of the fire beings might lend a hand. They would surely recognize Cyra, and it was usually easy to get folks on your side once we slayed a few demons in front of them.
“What about those hills?” I asked as I gestured with my snout. “They look slightly less… on fire.”
“They are for now,” Cyra said. “But they’re active volcanoes. I actually know a nice spot in there where we can hide.”
“Lovely,” Brooke squeaked. “We just have to make our way through all these violent creatures first.”
“Everyone, have your weapons ready,” I said. “We’re not getting through without having to slash a few demon throats.”
The angels pulled out their swords, and I studied the burning skyline to navigate our route. We would be traveling over sharp spires and too many flames to count. Cyra and I would be immune to the dangerous heat in our fiery forms, but I would need to keep a close eye on the other angels.
It was going to be a deadly assault course to get through without being burned, but I would throw myself into the flames before I let my angels get hurt.
“Let’s do this,” I growled. “Stay close to me!”
“Throat-cutting time.” Nisha grinned as she eyed the demons.
I shot out of the edge of the void into the chaos of the Fire Lands. The sound of crackling flames was everywhere along with the rabid screams of the fighting monsters. But we soared straight down toward the outskirts of the ruined city ahead as heat prickled every inch of my scales.
“Whoooa,” Brooke cried. “This is hot!”
“Good thing angels don’t sweat,” Nisha said.
A demon noticed us immediately, and it dove down to try and attack Nisha. It was the same species as the scout had been, and its gangly limbs swiped manically toward the angels. I thought it was trying to speak for a moment as garbled noises spat out of its snout, but it wasn’t any language I understood.
“I’ve got it!” I yelled. “Watch out!”
I raised my head to meet the oncoming demon, and I opened my mouth as wide as I possibly could. The beast tried to swerve away, but I clamped my powerful jaw right onto its leathery wings.
A horrible taste of burning ash filled my mouth as my teeth ripped apart its fleshy membrane. Then I threw it back up into the air, and the demon howled as it realized it could no longer fly. Its wings had been reduced to torn-up messes, but I grabbed it back into my mouth before it could plummet to the ground.
My jaw clenched around the beast’s long body, and I bit down with all my might. There was a series of loud crunches as every bone broke, and the demon fell limp in my mouth. Then I spat the bastard out as blood dripped down my chin and trickled down my throat. The taste was putrid, but it was worth it to watch the crumpled corpse of the demon plunge downward into the fiery abyss below.
“Gross,” I grunted as I spat out blood.
“That was amazing!” Cyra snorted. “I’m guessing it was tasty by the look on your face?”
“Delicious,” I said. “I would highly recommend chewed-up demon bones.”
“That was icky,” Brooke pouted. “But somehow also super attractive. You’re just so strong, and brave, and–”
Another winged being flew at us with a howl, and it took a moment to realize it wasn’t a demon. The creature had the body of a big brown cat, but its head was that of an eagle covered in orange feathers. Massive wings flapped on its back, and it had thick talons that reached out threateningly.
“Fire Griffin!” Cyra yelled. “They’re usually pretty friendly!”
But I could tell that this creature was not heading over to greet us. The screech that escaped its beak was nothing short of feral as it dove down. It snapped viciously as it hurtled toward Cyra, and the fire angel swung her sword at it.
“Hey!” I yelled. “We’re on your side!”
“That’s your angel!” Brooke snapped. “Show some respect!”
“I know who she is,” the Fire Griffin snarled. “Traitor!”
The beast tried to snap at Cyra again, and the other angels shot over with their swords ready. I didn’t want to kill a resident, but I soared over with my talons ready to grab this fucker right out of the sky. There was a chance the Fire Griffin was just worked up from all the fighting, but it seemed to be hell-bent on getting to Cyra.
I knew not all beings had a good relationship with their angels, but this seemed like real malice.
“Get back!” I warned. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you give me no other choice.”
“She’s a traitor,” the Fire Griffin hissed again. “Bring her down! She deserves to die!”
“You’ll have to get through us first,” Nisha snapped.
“Nobody hurts our fire angel!” Brooke yelled.
Ruby was still and silent, but her emerald eyes followed the Fire Griffin’s every move.
Then I slammed my tail around before the creature could attempt to pass the angels and get to Cyra, and my golden scales smacked into its eagle head. The beast howled as it was launched across the sky by the brute force of my tail. It was still alive, but that injury was going to take a while to recover from.
“Are you okay?” I yelled at Cyra, and she nodded silently.
Her amber eyes were wide as she watched the griffin go flying, and I could tell she hadn’t expected that reaction from her residents.
I was even more surprised than her. It felt bizarre to have just attacked someone who was also against the demons. Didn’t these beings get that we had to work together to kill all of these evil fuckers?
“Hey,” a voice called out. “What’s she doing here?”
I readied myself for another fight, but the group that approached didn’t look like they were on the attack.
Four small beings shot down toward us, but they kept their distance as they eyed us warily. They were humanoids about four feet tall, and their skin was smoky gray. Little wings buzzed behind them in a black blur as their yellow eyes studied us each in turn.
I had seen a lot of fairy-like creatures in my time in Dracoria, and I had learned not to underestimate small beings.
“Burnlings!” Cyra said as flew closer. “You’ve always been friendly. We’re just looking to pass through.”
“It’s good to meet you,” I said. “I hope you’re keeping safe during all this fighting.”
The Burnlings whispered to each other as they stared at me and pointed to all the angels.
“Nice to meet you,” Brooke said brightly. “Your land is, um, very brightly colored!”
“A dragon,” one of the tiny beings said slowly. “A dragon and four angels have entered our realm.”
“It makes no sense,” another one muttered. “Dragons are creatures of the gods.”
“Creatures of the gods,” they all echoed in agreement as they nodded their small heads.
Screaming chaos carried on nearby as demons and fire creatures fought, and I could see the other angels were itching to carry on to the hills. But I wanted to see what these Burnlings could tell us, and they were the first beings who hadn’t tried to kill us since we’d arrived in the Fire Lands.
“This is Ryan,” Cyra said hurriedly. “He’s the one who freed other lands from their demons. The Water Lands, the Crystal lands, and the Night Lands.”
“He killed the demons,” one of the Burnlings mumbled. “That cannot be.”
“Cannot be,” the others mimicked. “They are too powerful. Too big. Too much.”
“It’s true,” Nisha insisted. “You can see he has the power of the dragons, and he has come to Dracoria to save us all!”
“I have killed demonic kings and queens,” I told the gray-skinned group. “We crossed the void to help your people.”
“He’s here to help,” a Burnling said. “A dragon who is a killer of demon kind!”
The Burnlings chattered to each other excitedly, but the happy moment didn’t last long. Three more demons spotted us and began to fly as fast as their leathery wings would carry them.
“Get out of the way!” I called to the Burnlings. “We’ve got this!”
The small beings zipped behind us as the demons approached, and I roared as smoke drifted from my nostrils. I felt smug as my warning cry made the fuckers halt in their tracks and glance at each other warily.
“Let’s kill these fuckers,” I hissed, and I decided it was time to switch forms.
My fire dragon body would protect me more from the flames, but I needed a strong attack method to work on a whole group of fiery beings.
I concentrated on my night form as my body began to change. Golden scales were replaced by midnight ones as my form became more streamlined and slender. My snout elongated as I switched, and the demons snarled as they watched the transformation.
“He is changing,” a Burnling hissed from behind me. “Ryan has more than one dragon body.”
“More than one,” the others whispered. “Never have we seen power like it! Never!”
I felt a tickle build in my throat as I dove toward the demons, and I breathed a cloud of darkness right into their ugly faces. They shrieked as their long limbs flapped around in confusion, and then I dove straight down toward the mist.
One of the demons emerged from the cloud as it coughed and spluttered, and I grabbed its head inside my strong talons. I squeezed as hard as I could, and the creature’s skull exploded like a balloon. Then blood and skull fragments erupted everywhere as I dropped the headless body back into the cloud of darkness. The corpse whacked against the others before it tumbled straight down to the ground below.
One of the other demons screamed as it managed to shoot out of the cloud, but it flew right into the path of Nisha and Brooke. The two angels swung their swords at its neck, and dark blood splattered their faces as their blades cut deep from either side. Then they pushed their blades right to the bone as the demon made a rattling screech.
