Jack froze in place as the red drakaina glared at him. She was far bigger than Arad or the red very young dragon they fought before. He knew winning wasn’t an option.

“Kill or eat them. I don’t care as long as they don’t get in my way,” The purple dragon growls as approaches Aella.

“GRRRRRRRRR!” The red drakaina growled like a lion stalking a rabbit, a faint gust of flames gushing out of her nose as her head approached Jack.

Jack stood still, sweating from heat and pressure. Lydia was dying at their feet as a red dragon prowled at his head. All his instincts told him it was over, but something else crawled into the back of his head.

SWOSH! Out of nowhere, Jack swung his arm, pulling on his cloak. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared with Lydia, and the drakaina growled, glaring around.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! Out of the village wall, the only four baristas in the whole place fired at the same time. The knights who helped Jack set the traps started at the red drakaina with smiles.

The drakaina lifted her wing and smacked the bolts aside as if they were nothing. Such mundane weapons didn’t have enough power to scratch her scales.

Thud! The drakaina heard something in the distance so she glared in that direction, seeing Lydia’s body drop to the ground. “DGAKKK GARDOOM. (That rogue abandoned her).” She growled.

BAM! A fiery explosion blasted from the ground below the drakaina’s wing, knocking it up slightly as she looked down in annoyance.

“GAHDROM? (Traps?).” The drakaina looked around, searching for Jack. She knew he didn’t just give up. Since otherwise, hitting her with a trap would have been meaningless.

CRACK! A branch cracked, and the drakaina swung her tail at full speed. The snap happened in a fraction of a second, like whipping last and ripping the trees off the forest.

“Human!” The drakaina growled, “Do you think I won’t sense you?”

BAM! A mental ball hit the drakaina head beside her left eye, leaving a dent in her scales.

She growled, staring around, but she couldn’t find where Jack was hiding. Even focusing on her nose didn’t help. The place reeked with goblin stench it masked anything human.

Thud! Jack walked, his body dripping with goblin blood beneath his invisibility cloak. ^I don’t have enough firepower to damage a dragon. All I can do is buy time,^

The drakaina twisted her neck around, trying to find Jack. It was then that she noticed something strange. Lydia was missing her sword.

BOOM! ROAR! The drakaina growled as something exploded beneath her hind legs. She lunged back, staring down to see her left hind leg bleeding.

“You bastard human, where are you?” The drakaina growled, staring at the ground.

Jack walked silently, watching each step as he tied Lydia’s blade to his artificial arm with steel wires. He walked beneath the drakaina, approaching her front right leg.

In the blink of an eye, he swung the sword and fired a shell at the last moment to accelerate the cut, aiming at the soft underneath of the dracaena’s scales.

The purple dragon stared back at the drakaina, “You useless lizard, how are you having a hard time with a human? Hurry and kill him. Burn the whole place if you need,”

The drakaina growled, glaring back at the purple dragon. It wasn’t like she wants to fight here. He chained and dragged her here. Her red draconic blood was boiling, and she would attack him given the chance.

The drakaina lifted her wings up and looked at the ground, flames gushing from her jaw. “Burn to ash,” She mumbled as fire breath burst forth.

Jack ran away dragging Lydia away and rolling behind the hill, panting as he glared at the fading blast.

“There you are,” The drakaina stared at him, “Fire exposed the rat. Wouldn’t it be better if you died already?”

Jack smiled, pulling a yellow potion from his stomach. “I was keeping this for Lydia or Arad, but I guess I have to use it.” She downed the potion.

“It isn’t designed for a weak rogue like me. Usually, only fighters, barbarians, or paladins use it,” He threw the empty bottle on the ground as black veins bulged on his skin.

“Berserker potion. Temporarily increase stats and reduce pain.” The drakaina stared at Jack as he giggled, “It also jumbles the mind, something a rogue won’t like,” She circulated around Jack, getting ready to bite him off.

Jack stumbled forward, dragging Lydia’s sword in his hand as his vision blurred. His body could barely function with the potion, he didn’t have the stamina or the constitution to process it and respond properly.

^This is it,^ Jack could feel his heart shaking inside his chest, ^I’m about to die, I lost this gamble,^

For a second, Jack looked at falling on his face, and the drakaina swung her claw at him.

Thud! At the last moment, Jack’s body tilted to the side and leaned on the sword and the drakaina’s strike missed him.

The drakaina stared at her claw, ^I missed it, was it luck? No, I can feel something magical running inside him.^ Her senses could pick two magic sources heating up, the artificial stomach and Liver implanted inside Jack’s body, they started breaking the potion down and stabilizing his blood.

Jack started giggling, and the drakaina stared at him confused.

“Yo, gods.” He mumbled, “Lydia once told me, that you’re the ones granting people holy magic. Can’t I have some, I’m trying to protect one of your paladins, right?” He barely managed to stand.

The drakaina glared at him with an amused face, “The gods won’t respond. They barely reply to those who pray to them, let alone a rogue. I’m sure you’re an eyesore, standing beside their valant paladin.” She swung her claw at Jack, but he suddenly disappeared. 𝙚𝙙𝙤𝒗𝒆𝒍．𝒄𝙤𝙢

The drakaina stopped her claw, “Where did he go?” She gasped for a second, thinking that he actually got some power, but she couldn’t be more wrong.

Jack stood still in his place, only invisible thanks to the cloak.