Vic saw a scaly green hand singed from finger to shoulder with mana burns reached down to her. She took it, pulled herself off the ground, and saw the bloodied smirk of her half-dragon companion. "You were about to beat me to a pulp there."

"You would've been fine." Vic assured.

Vic lurched back as Piper tackled her, burying a teary face into her chest. Vic returned the embrace, carefully enveloping the small girl in her arms. Piper looked up, as though a light went off in her head and hopped away. She came back pushing a dreadsteed from behind all the while saying, "Valor, go on! Meet Vic!"

"Valor?" 

Vic marveled at the dreadsteed, it was the size of a full-grown horse but not the same size as her father's two dreadsteeds Wrath and Fury. The foal's head bobbed up and down as it approached her. She put a hand on his head and brushed two nubs where the horns will one day grow as large and fiery as his parents'.

"Everything was a little blurry," Vic playfully grabbed his snout and gave it a gentle slap. "but I distinctly remember you knocking me out. I owe you one." 

Valor nickered and rubbed his head against her horns. It was hard to believe she now owned a dreadsteed. A creature of the Abyssal Depths born and bred to wage war. Scores of them had perished in the final stages of the Demon Wars; Septus saw to that when he launched a desperate offensive to retake Raisvayel only to be decimated by Felucian siege machines. She would not have him suffer that same fate.

"Vic," Taisha approached from behind, wiping away tears. Vic frowned. There were numerous splotches of mana burn across the webbing of Taisha's wings. It was clear they had fought a fierce battle, and her grim expression informed Vic the fight wasn't over. "Draxis flies south. Aura may be able to hold him at bay for the moment, but we need to hurry."

Deena raised a hand. "Draxis about slaughtered us three times over. How we gonna kill him?"

"I have a plan. But I need you all to fight even if the mana burns you from the inside out." Each of Vic's subordinates nodded, each willing to lay their life on the line. "Then let's go kill a dragon."

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Nothing but moonlight and cinders illuminated the field. Just behind them was the Royal Cassun, and beyond that was the rest of the kingdom. Aura needed to buy time.

"Ohohohohohoho!"

"Grrr… what trickery is this? You have stolen from me the skies, and think to have me encased in this prison?!"

Shade, Eve, and Sarrul were nearing their limits holding up the barrier. Sweat poured down their face and the perspiration that dampened their clothes exposed them to the frigid evening winds. Aura provided them with magical buffs to strengthen their spells, but their stamina was waning.

"My apologies. What do they call you again? Draxis the Caged? Harbinger of Help-I-am-Trapped-and-I-Cannot-Escape!"

"This will not hold me for long. You merely delay the inevitable coming of my—"

"Unfortunately, you shall not be heralding anyone in there. Ohohohohohohohohohoho!"

"You are insufferable!"

"I am Aurora, Princess of Cassun and the Guild Master of the Adventurer's Guild. You are a trespasser, and as such must be dealt with accordingly."

"This nigh infinite font of mana… you are the antithesis of Septus?"

Aura approached the black dragon with a scowl. "You invoke a dead name that should no longer hold meaning."

"We have both been played for fools. So long as the spawns of Septus exists, the Abyss will inevitably open. Then, not even the Draconids will be safe."

"What… are you saying? The Abyssal Depths cannot be opened. The only demons that remain on the surface are the remnants of Septus' foolish endeavor to pry open death itself."

"Release me elf, and I may spare you yet."

Aura turned and walked away without another word to the dragon. She exhaled a stagnant breath as fear caught up to her, shaking her to the core. Theradis caught up and offered a hand to steady her steps.

"Time wears thin, Princess." He gestures to the ailing mages. Shade and Eve had fallen to their knees, but continued to hold the barrier nonetheless. "Allow me to do battle with Draxis. My staff's power should be able to pierce the dragon's scales."

"Kishishishi…" Aura was suddenly filled with energy. "The patient are always rewarded, my dear."

Just then, a dreadsteed's howl echoed from the forest. Wrath howled back in the response.

"Aura! Now!" 

The Princess took a deep breath and called as loud as she could, "Ladies! Slay this wretched dragon in the name of your Princess!"

Four voices echoed back, "By your command."

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Taisha and Vic rode atop Valor, bringing them right up to the barrier containing the dragon. His eyes seemed to burn into them— particularly, Vic. Deena came in after with Piper bouncing on her back, and behind them a number of horse-sized boulders hot on their trail.

A wealth of mana surged into their bodies a second time, the context of Aura's Command compelling them to see through one thing: kill Draxis at whatever the cost. Their bodies burned, they bled from their nose and ears, they had to keep fighting otherwise they may lose consciousness the moment they stopped moving.

"Valor, keep circling Draxis." Vic ordered, then called to the Princess. "Aura, drop the barrier!"

The orange shield around Draxis shimmered, and like ice on a hot surface, melted away. His wings unfurled. He tried to take flight, but ghostly bindings held him to the earth. 

Vic leapt off Valor and mounted the dragon's back. He tried to shake her off, but she clung to him like a leech. Deena circled around as Draxis reared his head back, a halo encircled his jaws.

Azure magma began to drip from his mouth when a large boulder slammed into his snout, interrupting the dragon's breath. Draxis whirled his head back as another barrage of stones smashed into his skull.

Draxis raised his wings and summoned a mighty gust that knocked Piper from her feet and Taisha off Valor's back. Vic clung tight even as the dragon kicked and bucked, holding fast against his rage.

Deena finally closed the distance and drew Draxis' attention. A massive claw swiped at her. She caught the attack but a claw cleaved into her abdomen. The other claw closed in, but golden chains yanked it away.

On the other end of it, Valor and Wrath held taut the shackles that bound Draxis' other arm. Golden spears crashed down from above, pinning the dragon's wings and narrowly missing Vic.

"Master Vic!" Theradis threw his black staff, and Vic caught it in midair at its tail end. It's powers burned into her hands worse than the mana burns spreading across her body. The black mist surrounding it seemed to latch on and dig into her arms. She lifted the spear and plunged it deep into Draxis' neck.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" 

Draxis' blood curdling scream echoed across the Wealds. The physical form of the staff evaporated into the black miasma, wrapping airy tendrils around the armored neck. Pristine black scales began to bubble and steam, withering away the once impenetrable hide.

Vic fell from Draxis as he began to thrash in what looked like a rabid beast's desperate and unrestrained act of self-preservation. The entire span of his wings tore like paper against Sarrul's golden spears. Wrath and Valor struggled to hold him at bay, Deena was launched away from the claw, and the chains were beginning to come undone. 

Theradis helped Vic and Deena up and stared in horror. "For a dragon to survive pure Abyssal energy…"

"No time to stand in awe, Theradis." Vic yelled to everyone in the vicinity. "CHAINS!"

Ethereal chains lit up the battlefield. Everyone who could, held onto one and lent their mana to keep Draxis steady. Itsuki lifted the half-conscious Piper from the ground, lending his sword's power so that she could continue to weave spells.

Vic bonked Deena on the head, jolting her awake. "Dragon hunter, now's your time to shine."

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Deena came to consciousness from a fist clonking her head. "I'm bleeding here, man. Give me a break."

"Don't you have a dragon's throat to tear out?" Her Captain smirked. For some reason, hearing Vic say that fired her up. It was almost as if Vic didn't think she could do it.

The mana burns on her arm were getting itchy. Deena scratched at it, tearing pieces of her flesh and scales away. Everything was hurting so fucking bad. She'd never experienced pain like this before. But there was one pain more unbearable than this— the memory of losing her family and home.

"You give me an opening, Captain, and I'll rip his throat out faster than a manticore mauling deer."

"Attagirl."

"So what's your—" Deena couldn't even finish her sentence before Vic took off running. "What?!"

Captain Vic dodged past two swipes and a breath of magma, shot up from under Draxis' head, and cracked his lower jaw with an uppercut. "Deena, go!"

She clapped her cheeks, dropped low, and leapt. She closed the massive gap in a split second, propelled by the Aura's bountiful gift. Her feet found purchase on his back, and climbed up the rest of the way to his neck.

Deena spat into her palms, rubbed the spittle dry, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Brittle scales crumbled at the very touch. She put pressure on her arms, feeling the veins underneath the muscles pulse in protest.

"Vermin… aberration! How dare— haghh…!" 

Draxis began to thrash even more, swinging his neck with such force she almost lost her grip. She saw ahead of her Vic, who was holding onto another chain attached to the base of the dragon's neck. Deena continued to hold on, digging her claws into the flesh. Blood began to gush out from whatever must have been severed beneath, and the dragon's movements grew sluggish. 

"I am Draxis, Harbinger of Calamities! I am the herald of my—"

Her muscles swelled and tore as her blood mixed with the dragon's own. Deena started laughing. Through the pain, she cackled loudly so Draxis could hear. She squeezed and squeezed until a gruesome crunch silenced Draxis once and for all.