Wrath of the Dragon 5, page 20
There was a murmur of agreement as everyone eyed their fellow soldiers.
“Look after each other,” I said. “These mutant bastards can come from any direction, and we need to have each other’s backs for this to work. We are all on the side of the Jungle Lands, and we can slaughter these demons if we stick together.”
“Yes!” Odge howled as he threw a rustling fist in the air. “They won’t know what hit them!”
“The angels will be spread out to help you,” I said. “Call for help if you need it, and remember that you are fighting for your homes, your family, your lives, and for the angel who’s brought you this far!”
The gnomes whooped and whistled as the tigers roared mightily up to the ceiling.
Fianna’s hazel eyes met mine, and the fire and love I saw there nearly knocked me off my feet. It also caused the hunter in me to stir deep in my bones, and I grinned as the huntress’ people cheered until they were hoarse.
“I’ve got chills,” Nisha breathed as she studied the ferocious crowd. “They’re all ready, Ryan.”
“We move out now,” I said firmly as I raised my voice above the din. “It’s time to reclaim your home, and get rid of every evil piece of shit that has infected your realm. For the Jungle Lands!”
“The Jungle Lands!” the crowd echoed, and I turned to leave the temple with adrenaline shooting through my body.
The steady stomp of the army behind me reassured me that we were going to win this fight. Fianna had kept her people’s wild spirit and fight alive, and I was finally leading them to their ultimate battle.
My huntress angel guided us through the trees as the sun began to set above the canopy. Even the humid air couldn’t stop our swift march into the depths of the jungle, and I glanced over my shoulder to see my army had already started to organize themselves into mixed groups.
Tigers carried gnomes on their backs, and howlers swung along the branches beside us. The slashers soared silently above with their sharp beaks ready to tear the flesh off of demonic bones, and the tribes folk strode with purpose in every step.
It was a group who were filled with feral fury, bravery, and determination, and they were ready to follow me into battle to free their lands at last.
I had never lost a war against demons yet, and I didn’t plan on starting now. Maybe the demons really were all connected and working together, but that wasn’t going to stop me. Not now that I had such powerful dragon forms pulsing beneath my skin, waiting to be unleashed.
Cyra grinned at me as she flexed her maroon wings, and I couldn’t wait to fight alongside my newest Elite angels.
Whoever was waiting for us inside the vine walls was going to meet a fucking gruesome end.
Chapter 14
Fianna moved silently over the lush ground as she led us deeper into the Jungle Lands. I could feel all my five dragon forms were eager to be released as we drew nearer to the lair of the demon king. Every sense was heightened as we hurried through the humid lands, and I was prepared to do whatever was necessary to bring down the evil rulers that had terrorized this realm for so long.
There was no telling if we would find the overlord at the same time as the king, or if he would try and escape again like he had done in the past. If that was the case, I might have to chase the winged fucker down before he could fly back through the void, but he wasn’t going to get away again.
I was prepared to do whatever it took.
My angels had their heads held high as they strode along beside me, and I smiled as I glanced down at Nisha’s new star tattoo. We had all come so far and grown so much.
Don’t get me wrong, being a dragon god had come with a shitload of problems, but the rewards were worth every second of danger. I was unbelievably proud having watched my celestial beauties grow and flourish alongside me.
And we were only getting stronger.
A sound of rushing water echoed out through the trees as we got deeper into the jungle, and I peered through the trees on my right to see the wide river of the jungle flowing beside us.
“Fianna,” I said quietly. “Does the river run beside the lair?”
“Right through it,” the huntress said over her shoulder. “We’ve already seen the demons start to infect it, so I bet there’s even more of those water vines waiting for us.”
“Probably,” I said. “But we have a badass water angel who can help with that.”
Brooke flicked a golden curl over her shoulder as she smiled at me, and I remembered the wild wall of liquid she had summoned back in the Crystal Lands. She might not have found her Elite gift yet, but she still had powers that we could use to up our game.
“What do you want me to do?” Brooke asked. “Will I even be able to use the water if it’s been taken over by demons?”
“I bet you can,” I said. “You’ve had no issues sensing things through the water up until now, so you seem to have access to it. If so, then maybe you can tear those fuckers apart with the force of the water. It’s hard to give exact instructions when we have no idea what this lair looks like, but I know you’ll be able to harness your powers to do something amazing.”
“I can break those plants into pieces.” Brooke nodded. “I won’t let you down, Ryan!”
“Of course you won’t,” I said gently. “That’s one thing you could never do.”
The water angel smiled at me, and I wondered if she was feeling left out from watching her fellow angels’ powers advance so much. She was always so supportive and excited for her sisters, but I knew she must be desperate to unlock her own Elite status.
I was determined to find her gift once our battle was won, and she could become the angel she deserved to be. Even if I did have to travel from land to land to find her item, it would be worth it.
“We’re close,” Fianna said as she slowed down and flexed her emerald wings.
“I can feel it,” Ruby said as she glanced up to the canopy. “Evil is just oozing in every direction.”
“It’s like it’s in the ground,” Nisha said as she stepped carefully over a branch. “Their powers have soaked into every inch of the soil.”
“How are you all feeling?” I asked. “This must be draining you…”
“I feel the weight of the evil,” Cyra replied. “But it’s not as dizzying as the bloodstones were.”
“Either the evil in this jungle isn’t as potent as the stones,” Ruby mused, “or we’re getting stronger.”
“Could be both,” I said. “But let me know if it’s getting to be too much. We can have our fighters help you in the fight.”
“We will,” Nisha agreed.
I spotted black moss dotted along the branches of the trees, and there weren’t any birds singing nearby. There was an eerie silence that was somehow more terrifying than if the sky had been alive with screams. The jungle was a vibrant, loud realm, but this part of it felt like a graveyard. Even the river was quiet, as if the water had slowed down or become thicker.
Then we passed through a dense area of trees that opened up into a wide clearing, and we stopped in our tracks.
A pulsing wall of thick vines blocked our path, and the plants inside it moved slowly like lazy snakes. The structure towered right up to the canopy and stretched out on either side of us. I was hit with a wave of feral fury as the sensation of being so close to demons crawled inside my chest.
My army stopped behind me, and I turned back to see every pair of eyes fixed on the vine wall. I silently nodded, and tigers bared their teeth while gnomes prepared their bows. Venomous arrows had been passed between groups, and the tribe folks stood tall and proud as they poised themselves to fight.
I believed in the power of the jungle people, and I was ready to bring down the evil that had claimed their home. Their old god might have abandoned them, but I was going to lead them to victory.
“Cyra,” I said quietly. “Ready to burn this thing down to the weeds?”
The fire angel nodded with determination as she spread her wings and glared up at the towering structure.
“Then let’s do this shit,” I breathed, and I focused on my dragon powers.
I shot into the air instantly as the heat of my golden scales rippled over my body. Powerful limbs and wings crashed out of me as my heavy tail swung at my rear. The hatred I had for the demons only increased the blaze of fire in my throat, and Cyra flew into the air beside me just as I unhinged my jaws.
Then I roared as I unleashed hell onto the barricade of hellish plants.
The powerful stream of golden flames blasted into the vines, and a pained scream echoed out louder than ever before as they were set alight.
My fire angel raised her hands and sent a red wall of heat at the mutants, too, and our fires quickly consumed the plants in a wild blaze. The vines swung violently around as they melted into foul-smelling goop, and the wall started to fall apart.
I flew further up and kept the stream of golden fire pouring out as I blasted the structure into oblivion. Vines flopped down limply as they became twisting strings, and ash rained down onto the forest floor. The protective wall tumbled from all sides as the connected vines screamed in pain, and our presence had officially been announced.
Then the lair of the demon king was revealed to us, and I was met with a sight that straight-up looked like hell.
The vast area once protected by the wall was covered in demonic hybrids that crawled and grew along the ground. Water vines swung from the wide river that ran through the middle of the lair, and trappers snapped their drooling jaws. Some of the wide-mouthed plants were rooted, but others had their tendril legs carrying them along over the dead leaves that covered the ground.
Vines with black veins swung down from the nearby branches and moved across the floor with snake-like hisses. Kangaroo mutants leapt around on their powerful legs, too, and red-eyed birds cawed as they flew with black moss covering their wings.
Still, I knew the demons’ army would’ve been a lot worse if Fianna hadn’t kept her jungle as locked down as she had all this time.
Then I noticed a huge black bud that sat in the middle of it all like a flower waiting to bloom, and I knew the king must be inside. But there was something else to worry about before I could focus on the leader.
The overlord who had fled the firelands hovered over the black bud, and he looked like he had been consumed by the plants. It was as if he had been bound by the creatures of this realm to make something even more horrifying.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
His leathery wings were covered in rotting leaves and dead flowers, and his wide body was speckled with dark green. The overlord’s eyes were bright red, and his talons had flies hovering around them like a dead body. His legs were held by vines that rose from around the black pod as if he was a huge puppet being controlled from the ground.
It was clear that he had binded with the demons of the jungle to create something even deadlier than before, either by force or not.
“Brooke!” I yelled. “Create a barrier with the river to block off some of these fuckers!”
The water angel soared forward with her hands held up, and the river water began to rise around the thrashing vines and block off half of the lair. If we could attack these bastards in two sections, then my people would have more time to be accurate with their shots.
“Spread out!” I yelled. “And kill fucking everything!”
My army howled, roared, and screeched as they stormed the lair with blades and arrows flying. Then the overlord moved with an awful howl, and he crashed through the water barrier that was quickly towering higher and higher. The vines around his ankles stayed in place as he swung through the river, and I realized that he was being controlled by them.
Was the king really swinging him around like a demonic pawn?
I shot forward and unhinged my jaw as I breathed godly fire at the enormous beast. Heat consumed my bones as the golden flames flew from my mouth and collided with the demon’s torso.
“Nooo!” he screamed as he flailed back through the wall of water. “Nooo!”
His voice was cracking and low as the liquid extinguished my flames, and I knew I had to change into another one of my bodies.
The crystal dragon seemed to choose itself as my next weapon. My golden scales rippled into silver ones as I gave into my primal instincts. It felt like my body had automatically known what I needed in this moment, and I seamlessly shifted forms as I opened my jaw once more.
The overlord was swung back through the wall of water at the very same moment. His giant body was scorched along the chest, with dark blood oozing from the blackened wounds.
I spat my jagged golden projectiles at the fucker’s face as he tried to swing for me, but I ducked down before his talons could scrape my scales. My sharp weapons tore at the overlord’s flesh, and he howled as one of his eyes was blasted apart into red jelly. Then I hurtled at the fucker with all my might as he struggled to remain upright.
My powerful frame smashed into his belly and caused him to buckle over in pain.
“Dragooooon!” he hissed in agony. “I will consuuume your angeeeels!”
He slammed a hand down onto my back, and I felt two of his sharp talons drag over my spine.
A sharp pain jolted through my skin, but I reared my head around and blasted more gold straight into his face. They pierced his skull like bullets and blasted the top of his head clean open. Skin and bone fragments went flying as the overlord’s brain was exposed, and I slammed my body into the fleshy tissue once more to finish him off.
Brain matter went fucking everywhere.
The overlord convulsed as he died, and his huge body toppled backward into the wall of water that now towered high into the canopy. His massive frame laid lifeless below, but the vines around his ankles snaked back and retreated to the black pod.
“Yes!” Cyra yelled. “You killed the bastard, Ryan!”
I turned back to my army to see that they had grouped off and spread out just like I had instructed them to. Tigers leapt at kangaroos with their claws swinging, and venomous arrows launched into the open mouths of trappers. The tribe of the deep lake smashed their deadly blades into vines and cut them in half easily. My angels soared over the battle and rained down their attacks while Brooke held the barrier steady.
“Keep it up a while longer!” I called to the water angel. “You’re doing amazing!”
Brooke grunted with the effort of exerting her powers, but she held the wall up as it swirled violently like a watery hurricane. No plants from the other side were daring to pass through, so our enemy forces were cut in half for now.
Then Brooke moved one of her hands down so a heavy wave of water slammed onto one of the river-bound vines. The impact of her attack made the plant crash onto the ground with a powerful thud, and it broke apart in an eruption of black veins and gooey innards.
“Fucking amazing!” I yelled. “I’m so proud of you!”
The water angel grinned as she moved on to the next vine, and I flew back to help slaughter what was left of our first half of demons.
Nisha aimed her palm down at a moving trapper, and her silver stars flew into the bastard’s open mouth. The plant’s jaw was shredded apart with the sharp weapons, and it howled as its tongue exploded with blood.
The night angel sent another stream of stars at the hybrid’s stalk, and the thick body was cut in half. Its head tumbled to the ground and crushed a passing vine, and Nisha sneered at the fallen enemy.
Ruby was launching a similar attack on one of the kangaroos that had tried to corner a gnome. The crystal angel shot diamond spikes from her hand into the hybrid’s back, and the creature convulsed as its spine was pierced a dozen times over. Then a gnome sent a venomous arrow into the demon’s neck and cheered as the beast fell down dead.
Two of the demonic birds had managed to fly through Brooke’s barrier, but the slashers launched at them with their sharp red beaks open. There was a flurry of blood and feathers as the jungle creatures bit down around the necks of the demons, and bones snapped loudly as the hybrids were killed.
I flew down toward a ridiculously thick vine that was covered in sheets of black moss. It had broken free from underneath the ground, and it looked like it was connected to the same thing that had controlled the overlord.
My powerful jaw opened and grabbed the middle of the plant before I bit down with all of my strength. The vine broke apart as I slammed my sharp teeth together, and a gross mess of congealed liquid filled my mouth. Then I spat it out onto the ground as the vine flopped lifelessly, and an almighty scream filled the air.
Our first half of demons were almost dead, and the ground was littered with the corpses of hybrid plants and animals already. Fianna’s arms were moving at an insane speed as she shot arrow after arrow perfectly into every moving plant she could see. The huntress’ hazel eyes were focused and gleaming as she soared over her people. She was already ridiculously impressive by only using tools, and I wondered what kind of powers would develop within her while she spent more and more time with me.
My thoughts were distracted as Odge smashed his club down into the final vine that snaked along the ground, and the plant was turned into a puddle of mushy insides.
“You’re all fucking awesome!” I called down to my army. “Keep this shit up, and we’ll move on to the second half of these bastards! Steer clear of the black pod, though! I have a feeling that’s where the king is lurking.”
I flew back to Brooke, and the water angel looked over at me with her blue cheeks flushed in effort.
“It’s time to drop the barrier,” I said. “You’ve been so strong, and we’re ready to pass through.”
Brooke nodded as she slowly lowered her hands, and the hurricane of the river splashed back down into place. Then the rest of the lair was revealed to us, and the hybrids behind it screeched as my army began to charge.
Gnomes were carried by leaf people as everyone leapt across the watery barrier and dead vines. Tigers and stiker beasts raced across the flowing liquid and immediately began to tear at everything that stood in their path.
