The moment I heard the Obsidian Dragon’s screeches, I thought something was wrong. Not that I was an expert on dragon screech, but this one sounded twisted. Warped with anger.

I doubted very much that lobbing a bomb into the ravine would’ve done that. I was actually more worried the thing wouldn’t even hear it.

At least my worries were unfounded. I braced myself, gripping the rock I’d practiced throwing a hundred times while waiting for Aerion.

I wasn’t a crack shot. I wasn’t even a good one. But a small mountain of bombs, all clustered together? That, I could hit any day.

I hadn’t used all the Bolts for the trap, though. I’d sprinkled several dozen around the area, just in case. Blowing all two hundred at once was overkill. Which was another way of saying it was wasteful. Better to keep some handy for insurance. Besides, maybe we’d get lucky and the dragon would stomp on one.

I readied myself, knowing I wouldn’t have much time after Aerion burst through the woods into the small clearing. We’d chosen this site because it’d be a tempting target for the dragon to land. That also meant I had to get my timing exactly right.

If I hurled the stone too early, the dragon would be too high when the bombs detonated, ending in failure. And our deaths. Too late, and the dragon could chomp Aerion or me, just like it did with the poor woman whose shield I now wielded.

I took a deep breath, ignoring the smoke that filled my lungs. I wasn’t going to mess this up. I was not going to mess this up.

I waited, mind calm and ready to throw. I couldn’t have been more prepared. I had this. I was sure of it.

I became less sure as the seconds ticked by, going on a full minute. Still no sign of Aerion.

Worse, I could hear the dragon, and it wasn’t approaching. Ordinarily, that would be a good thing—who’d want to get face-to-face with that nightmare?

Except, we were trying to lead it to a trap, and if it wasn’t taking the bait…

The dragon’s shrieks sounded painful and hurt. How Aerion could’ve hurt the thing, I had no clue, but what mattered more was that the volume of those shrieks grew and faded. Like it was flying around aimlessly, getting closer before fading farther away.

I waited another minute, agonizing over what to do. The sane thing was to stay—if Aerion burst through the bushes, I needed to be here to detonate the bombs, or she’d die.

Then again, if the plan had gone to hell, Aerion could be dying. She might need my help. Waiting could kill her.

“Ahh, fuck it all!” I roared. This indecision killed me. I’d rather die knowing I tried to do something than wait out the possible death of a friend.

I grabbed my shield and ran to the mountain of bombs, scooping one under my arm.

Then I took off. Into the smoke-filled forest. After Aerion.

I held my breath for as long as I could, but when my eyes started burning, I had to take a breath. I fell into a fit of coughs and hacks, but I kept my legs moving.

My dedication paid off, and I broke through the edge of the forest into the clearing that led to the ravine.

There was no sign of the elf.

I looked up and found the pitch-black dragon, flying erratically in the sky above.

“The… fuck?”

It wasn’t really flying. It looked more like it was writhing in agony, twitching this way and that.

It didn’t make sense. Other than my pile of bombs, nothing we had could do that sort of damage to the dragon.

The dragon flew closer. I resisted every temptation to duck for cover. It wasn’t after me. It hadn’t even registered me.

And as it flew past, I understood why.

Aerion.

The crazy elf knelt atop the dragon’s back, hacking at it with the sword she’d found.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me.”

For an instant, I just stared. The sight was so surreal… So badass, that I just gawked. Delusions of taming and riding around on a fantasy dragon flitted through my head.

But only for a moment. To try and do something like that here was suicide. We weren’t nearly strong enough to get it to submit. We didn’t even have the strength to fight it. Not to mention the Essence I didn’t have, and a myriad of other reasons.

And Aerion… I hadn’t known the elf that long, but she didn’t strike me as someone who’d do something so reckless.

Which meant that something had gone horribly wrong. She’d been forced to activate [Reave], despite my warnings. It was the only explanation. Both for why she was on top of the dungeon boss’ back… And for how she’d held on for so long.

I knew. The only thing keeping her attached to that dragon’s back was the +60 Dominion she got from [Reave]. I couldn’t even imagine the grip needed to hold onto its scales as it rolled, dived, and juked in midair.

The moment her Essence ran out, she’d lose both her strength and her consciousness, and that would be the end of her.

A fall from that height would kill anyone.

Shit!

Think, Greg. Think! What can you do? What do you have?

…Nothing. I had two hundred explosives, stacked in the forest and another on my person. I had shiny, fire-resistant armor. And an equally shiny shield.

What I didn’t have was a light beam that could kill the dragon. Even if I did, getting the dragon to crash would kill Aerion just the same as a fall.

I really needed a way to force the dragon to land. I wished my gear had a ‘Charm Animal’ ability. That would have made this so easy.

I stared at the shield the woman had left behind. If only it were a bow and arrow. I couldn’t shoot for shit, but at least I’d have a chance of hitting the dragon.

The shield turned slightly, forcing me to cover my eyes. The description hadn’t lied—it was incredibly shiny. It might even work as well as a magnifying glass on a hot summer’s day.

I snorted. At least we wouldn’t have trouble staying warm once we got out of here. Even if we were broke, we’d at least have a fire.

Wait… A magnifying glass?

The realization dawned on me like a hammer blow. I thought back to all those times I’d pissed off my friends by flashing light from my watch at just the right angle on sunny school days. Incredibly annoying when you position them just right.

Yeah, I had plenty of practice in that subtle art.

The shield was no different. In fact, it was even better. It was way bigger than a watch, and it even had the [Mirrored] ability. Which meant…

I drove the shield into the cracked clay earth and tilted it back, angling it to the sky.

“C’mon… C’mon…” The sun wasn’t the brightest, thanks to the smoke from the wildfire that was quickly encompassing the entire island.

But here? In this clearing where there were no trees? I could see the sun.

And with its ability, I could turn my shield into a big-ass mirror. One that might even get the attention of a rampaging dragon. I’d heard of stories where stranded people used signal mirrors to do the same to planes.

Planes were like dragons, right? There wasn’t any reason to believe this wouldn’t work. And with my unnecessarily shiny mirror, this might just work.

I worked the shield’s angle constantly, activating the ability. Without a visible reaction from the dragon, I couldn’t be sure I had it right. So I kept trying. And trying.

It didn’t work.

I was about to give up when the dragon twitched. I couldn’t tell if it was because of me, or Aerion, but the timing made me hope.

I worked the shield again, jostling it back and forth.

The dragon roared this time.

I wasn’t imagining things.

It saw me. It saw the shield!

I kept it up, and the dragon’s screeches grew increasingly desperate.

Dragons were prideful creatures. The Apex Predators of their worlds. They didn’t like being annoyed. Between Aerion on its back and me flashing it, I couldn’t imagine how angry it must’ve been.

And that gave me an immense advantage.

A few flashes later, the dragon turned, roaring in rage.

It was now headed straight for me.

Perfect.

---

Okay, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all.

My knees shook as the dragon approached, growing larger as it descended.

I realized that it was a stupid, stupid idea when the dragon opened its mouth and a small ball of black flame formed within it.

“Oh, crap!”

I abandoned my position and ran straight into the woods.

I’d have fared better if I’d just hunkered down behind the damned shield.

The dragon’s fire breath hit me like… Well, like melting skin. My exposed sleeves instantly caught fire, searing my arms. It was agony on a level I didn’t think possible.

I screamed. I screamed so hard that my voice went hoarse and I lost track of time and reality.

Luckily, the pain forced me to roll on the ground, dousing the flames that ravaged my arms. But the damage had already been done.

By the time I regained enough self-control to sit up, the dragon had landed. Aerion was nowhere to be seen—I had to assume she’d somehow made it off the dragon’s back safely.

I couldn’t worry about her right now. I just wanted the pain to be gone.

Reaching into my cuirass, I grabbed my waterskin and uncorked it. My cuirass’ padding was the only thing that had kept it from getting squashed. I poured half of it onto my burned arms and legs, and I downed the rest.

The relief was immediate. My skin repaired itself in front of my eyes, and the pain disappeared.

Without it, I’d be dead. Now, I was back in the running.

The Obsidian Dragon was just a few feet away, flaring its wings and opening its mouth for another fire attack.

My body acted before I could think. I grabbed my shield, drove it into the dirt, and hunkered down behind it.

I don’t know if I can explain what happened next. I imagine it was similar to being in a modern forge, with fire blasting all around me. But not in front of me. I saw the edges of the shield melt as the Obsidian Dragon’s breath consumed the world in black flame.

There was no escape from this nightmare. All around me was death. My shield was getting so hot, it began to glow. I could feel it through my gauntlets. It was only a matter of time.

Congratulations! [Steel-Plated Tower Shield]’s Ability [Mirrored] has leveled up to F - 2.

Congratulations! [Steel-Plated Tower Shield]’s Ability [Mirrored] has leveled up to F - 3.

System Messages popped up and minimized in droves. There was no time to look at them. I had nowhere to run. Nowhere else to hide. If this shield failed…

It was the dragon fire that ended first. Maybe it’d run out of mana—or Essence—I didn’t know. I didn’t rightly care.

My surroundings cleared, and my shield—now white-hot and painful to even touch—had survived.

I didn’t pump my fist. I didn’t celebrate. I yanked my shield up by its leather straps and ran.

The forest, as it turned out, offered excellent protection against the dragon. While its size and flammability made it dangerous, it also prevented it from pursuing me through the trees and the brush.

Not that the dragon didn’t try. The thing chomped a tree in two and blasted me with its fire breath again… But I was too far. It couldn’t hurt me in the forest.

I ran for the clearing, hoping it’d see me when I arrived.

I felt stupid for worrying.

By the time I arrived, it was already there. Landed and waiting.

I rolled out of the way of its fire breath just in time—my body reacting before my mind registered the sight.

Acting on pure adrenaline, I leaped to my feet and ran. I didn’t bother attacking the dragon or attempt to hurt it.

There was only one weapon that could. And our enemy had graciously walked right into our trap.

I sprinted across the clearing to where I’d kept my pile of rocks. Primal fear drove my movements, making me somersault the last few feet in desperation.

I grabbed a rock, turned, aimed… and didn’t throw.

The dragon was no longer following me. It wasn’t even close by.

No, it’d turned, and was currently at the edge of the ring of bombs, facing the other way.

Facing Aerion, who was fighting viciously, slowly pushing it into the kill zone.

Problem was, even her boosted strength wasn't enough.

“Goddamnit it all,” I cursed. “Aerion, run!”

She didn’t hear me.

The dragon opened its mouth. In just a few seconds, scorching black flames would spew out, and that would be the end of the elf. Nothing would remain. Not a blackened body. Not even hair. Just ash and soot.

Detonate the bombs and risk hurting Aerion? Or wait for the dragon to vaporize her?

That wasn’t a choice at all.

“Fuck you, you overgrown lizard.”

I hurled my stone.

It sailed through the air and detonated the mountain of explosives, triggering a chain reaction of sonic glory.

That was to say—there was no visual explosion at all. Instead, my eardrums ruptured. I felt the blood burst out of my ears as all sound was replaced by an incessant ringing.

The throbbing of my heart… The blood pulsing in my body… All those sounds disappeared in an instant.

Obsidian shards went flying as the dragon was pulverized. It was made of glass, after all. Very susceptible to this sort of attack.

I was about to pump my fist, but when the shards stopped falling, I realized I’d messed up.

The dragon wasn’t dead. It hadn’t been in the center of the ring of fire. It’d been on the very edge.

We’d blown off a wing. We’d denied it its ability to fly. But that was all.

The dragon screeched in rage and turned.

I knew, in that moment, that we’d failed. That I’d failed.

I fell backward, my legs turning to jello under me. What could I do now? I’d blown our explosives. We’d lost the only weapon capable of killing this thing. Maybe we could flee. Maybe we could escape.

But what then? The forest was on fire. We had no way out. There was no way out.

The dragon stomped up to me, taking its time. As if relishing every moment of its victory.

And why wouldn’t it?

Dragons were prideful beasts. It’d take pleasure in killing me. Maybe it’d add my shiny shield to its horde.

As I stared up at death, my fingers felt something solid. Something cold.

Something metallic.

One of the bombs I’d kept in reserve.

Past Greg had figured things might not go according to plan. Past Greg figured two hundred explosives was probably overkill, and that keeping some around might help.

Past Greg was a fucking genius.

The dragon opened its mouth. A pearl of black fire coalesced inside, growing larger.

My hand wrapped around the bomb.

“Initialize.”

I hurled. It fired.

I was faster.

The dragon chomped down on the bomb.

Initialized [Aural Siege Bolt] met dragon maw. The Siege Bolt won.

The dragon didn’t scream or roar—it never had time to. Not when its head exploded into millions of obsidian shards like a grenade.

My shield was luckily in front of me when it did, stopping most of me from getting shredded.

The moment passed. The dragon’s body stood frozen for a moment before crumpling with a great crash.

I just stood there for a moment, my mind refusing to comprehend what had just happened.

Then, slowly, my fist rose into the air. In victory.

We’d done it. We’d won.