The drakaina turned toward Lydia, “Crushing her should force him to show his face,” She walked toward her.

Jack extended his artificial arm forward, aiming at the drakaina’s collar. BAM! He fired the hook, pulling his body up.

The drakaina heard it and turned her head, opening her jaw to breathe fire.

CLICK! Jack released the latch of the hook and fired another one at her wing, pulling himself to the side and avoiding the flames.

SWOSH! The drakaina reacted immediately and swung her tail at supersonic speed like a whip.

Jack already expected such an attack and was ready to pull down with a third hook.

CLANG! The tail hit the rope, and Jack’s body swung around it, flying into the sky and landing on the drakaina’s neck. “Get into the sky. I will release your bindings.” He whispered, and the drakaina paused for a second.

BAM! Jack fired his cannon at her head, “Die, your dragon!” He shouted, “You don’t want that purple one to hear us, so get **ing flying,” He whispered again.

The drakaina spread her wing and blasted into the sky, her whole body burning with crimson flames.

Jack noticed that the flames aren’t burning below him, and he smiled, plunging his artificial arm into the drakaina’s collar keyhole. “This bastard needs a dragon-sized key. It will take a while to pick it up,”

The drakaina nodded, flying left and right as if she was trying to shake him off. But she kept her neck steady so he could work.

“I hope you’re open to helping us kick that purple’s ass,” Jack said with a smile, feeling a cold sweat down his back.

****

Down on the ground, the purple dragon looked up at the drakaina’s taking flight, “Such unsteady moves. Reds are really uncivilized.” He growled, looking at Aella, smiling, “Don’t you think so? Daughter of Deianira?”

Aella pulled her steel bow and fired three arrows at the dragon’s head. Ting! The arrows bounced off his scale, their shafts cracking.

“Mere arrows can’t penetrate a dragon’s scales unless you use your magic, that is,” He smiled, “Come on, show me what you can do.”

^I wonder if her blood is as strong as her mother’s. If not, I would have to gamble again with her children.^

Aella aimed again, charging her arrow with as much wind as possible. Air Blast BAM!

The purple dragon lifted his head, blowing a faint gust of plasma forward and melting the arrow.

BOOM! The compressed air exploded when heated up with the plasma, sending a blast of hot wind and igniting the ground. “Look at what you did. Is that all you can do?” He smiled, crawling around Aella, “You’re wind magic is far too weak compared to her.”

BAM! Aella jumped back and ran toward the walls. She was an archer and must maintain a long distance between her and her target.

The purple dragon didn’t bother chasing her. To him, she was like a snail trying to get away from a human.

Aella took a deep breath, and Isdis stared at her, “Get into the city! We’ll fight him with Balistas!” She shouted.

“That won’t work,” Aella growled, aiming her bow at the purple dragon, “This size, he can stomp the wall with ease.” She took a deep breath, “I will hold him here. Evacuate everyone from the city,” She shouted.

With a swift move, Aella reached to her quiver and pulled an arrow, and dragged it to her bow. BAM! She fired in the blink of an eye.

BAM! BAM! BAM! Her firing rate slowly increased to an inhuman level, releasing about four arrows a second.

The soldiers at the wall pulled their bows, “Fire with the archery captain!” One of them shouted, firing an arrow.

The purple dragon looked at the sky, seeing a rain of arrows coming down. “Numbers don’t really matter here,” He swung his wing, deflecting the arrows back at the city and igniting them ablaze.

“The arrows!” One of the guards cried, looking back at the burning arrows falling on the houses and setting them ablaze. “They are burning the city!”

Aella looked back, shaking, “Why did you fire after me?” She cried. Images of the burning elvish city flashed in her mind as she saw the people screaming.

“Look at what you’ve done,” The purple dragon could smell the hesitation on Aella’s face and used the chance. “You’re kind always bring doom. If you surrendered from the start, no one would have to die by burning,” He giggled.

“Shut up!” Aella shouted, charging her arrow with wind and firing it at the purple dragon.

The dragon smiled, “Look,” He ignited the arrow and deflected it at the city, causing it to explode in a storm of flames. “More damage because of you,” He started walking toward the city. “You’re going with me, and you better surrender before the whole village dies.”

CLANG! A loud sound cracked in front of the gate. The purple dragon looked down and saw Lydia standing there, and her scabbard was stabbed into a stone.

“You shall not pass,” She growled. The healing potion Jack poured on her was enough to wake her up, and if she was awake, she isn’t going back on her protection oath.

“The one who dragged my daughter on the ground. Do you think you can stop me?” The purple dragon smiled. “Or do you intend to cause the people in the city more suffering like that elf did? You don’t even have a sword,”

“I don’t care,” Lydia growled, “It’s their fault for not running yet,”

Aella looked at Lydia. Something was off about her. “Lydia! Run away It’s futile,”

Lydia stood there in silence, holy magic oozing from her body like a beacon of light.

Aella closed her eyes. ^No, she is right. Arad said it before, but I cast magic after him.^ Aella pulled a dagger from her waist and smiled. .

^Why should I care?^ She remembered the dead elves, ^One days, I will join you. It might even be today.^

The purple dragon smiled, feeling the wind magic spiraling around Aella. “That’s it, let your blood boil. The more concentrated it get, the better,”