I flew straight for my old home where I can calm myself down and relax in the spring on the cliff. At least, I thought I did. But when I looked around...

This does not look familiar... Am I lost?!

I looked back to see that I can still spot the town in the distance. Welp, at least I'm not lost.

I was about to turn around when I saw light approaching from the back and some heat which reached me. I swerved just in time to dodge it, but it only changed its direction back to me, which I then used some wind magic to create a shield to make it disperse, only for it to reform again behind me.

What the hell is this thing? Is it alive?

I then launched a water beam into it, making it transform into steam.

What the fuck was that?

If god was a trickster, he'd be using all his tricky shit on me right now, as earth bullets started to shower me from down below. I managed to dodge or shield most of them, but some grazed me, creating some scratches on my scales with some deep enough to draw some blood.

WHO IS DOING THIS??

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It has been quite long since I've travelled somewhere on foot. A week ago, I had a breakthrough in my career, succeeding in exterminating a whole village of goblins who kept attacking buildings in the capital and stealing stuff from there and crops from the farm. The capital's high defenses were being used to do an annual checkup of all the other areas of the kingdom, so it is such unfortunate timing for the goblins to start attacking, and the knights weren't able to track them to their lair.

The king then made a ransom of 200 gold for the first person to be able to stop the goblins, and I was luckily already in the city and was the first to sign up for the job. As an elite adventurer, I was immediately accepted and started on my new quest. It wasn't even a dozen hours before I found their lair which was hidden behind illusion magic behind vines next to a river. It wasn't an easy fight, but it certainly wasn't the hardest I've done. Not long later, I got the 200 gold. Totally worth the time and effort. It was enough to last someone nearly a year! So I took a break but then found that I needed the adventure and thrill of my job to enjoy life. So, here I am, adventuring again to different places for quests and missions.

I decided to go on foot to the town of Univ, which I heard now has rising monster problems. I quite like the forest and I've done this many times, so I'm familiar with maps and such.

Although, when I almost arrived, I saw something purple flying in the air in the distance. The closer it became, the more details I see. I then realized that it was a dragon. Probably a lesser one. But what got me surprised is, it's purple!

Maybe if I subdue it, I could bring it to the government for profit! Or I can kill it and it'll most probably give me some money too if there is a quest on killing it. Why else would it be so close to town other than giving trouble?

That's when I cast some fire and manipulated it to get the dragon by surprise, but it surprised me instead by dodging it, then using wind magic to try and disperse it. By the third time I used the fire, I thought I got it, but it also had water magic in its arsenal as it made the fire disappear with it.

Impossible!

That's when I decided to take it seriously and casted my earth barrage. AND IT STILL CAME OUT IN THE SKY.

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I looked down to see that the source of all this mess is a man in some black metal plates wearing a brown jacket and wearing a tunic with a lighter shade of brown. He was well bearded and was bald. He was holding a sword in one hand while casting magic in another. He's looking mad.

WHY IS HE ATTACKING ME? I THOUGHT EVERYONE IN TOWN KNEW ABOUT ME ALREADY! Unless... he's not from town!

Suddenly, a rock twice the size of myself came flying at me, which I thought I dodged, but it then curved to me again.

FUCK

It crashed into me, forcing me to start falling to the ground. I was somehow uninjured, but the impact did a number on me as I started breathing raggedly when I slowed down my landing a bit with my wings. But it still hurt.

"Gotcha." That is the only warning I got before I quickly moved away to the left to dodge a sword slash. But he dashed forwards and did a second slash at an inhumane speed. It sent unimaginable pain to my front-left leg and my whole body to crash to a tree, sending another jolting pain through my spine. I tried to shriek in pain, but I was breathless.

I tried to stand up but was unable to do so. The best I can do now is apply pressure with the air to my amputated leg, which took all my will to keep as it hurt even more. Tears started to roll down my snout.

I had bullies when I was in high school, but they then started learning to keep away from me. Every time they went too far with their words or started to hurt me physically, I would snap and without thinking, I would start beating them up instead. I got into trouble a few times when I got some bullies bruised jaws or blue eyes. One got one of their spines nearly broken.

The same thing happened now, as I looked at the man approaching with the sword.

Adrenaline coursed through my body as all my emotions except for rage disappeared. The pain numbed as I subconsciously stood up again, somehow.

================================

I had enough, that lizard is going down. I thought as I manipulated some earth to create a small boulder and used more earth magic to launch it in the air and tried my hardest to curve it as it tried to dodge. It started falling down.

I approached the place where the dragon had fallen and saw the purple reptile try to slow down its landing, but it still sounded hard. "Gotcha." I slashed my sword at it and did a second one with muscle memory reflexes which then chopped off its leg and launched it to a tree. It fell on its side.

I think it's the end for you. But you made a great fight for your species.

I noticed that the amputated leg stop bleeding. Then the dragon looked at me with a look of pain before changing quickly to that filled with anger.

The dragon's eyes contracted nearly into lines as it started standing up again, its glare never leaving me. In all of my career, I've never met a small creature that strikes fear in me. This one did for a moment and a feeling appeared in me that told me to run. But I shook it off, It's just a lesser dragon! Do your job properly!

But I panicked when it became an orb of fire and dashed at me. I swung my sword to the position I thought it would be attacking me from, but it changed direction twice to avoid my sword and crashed to me with unbearably hot fire. I didn't fall to the ground, but I shouted in pain as I instinctively tried to put out the fire on my clothes. The dragon took advantage of my move to launch earth bullets at me. I quickly conjured an earth shield, but one passed through and I lost my pinky and ring finger on my left hand. I groaned in pain. And for the second time, another jolt of fear passed through me as I saw the dragon flying over me and trying to shoot more earth bullets at me.

That's when I decided to use my signature move. One that nothing has ever dodged before and has always been successful for the kill.

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My thoughts were all a haze as I reacted all based on instinct, reflexes, or quick thinking. I only wanted to beat this guy up for what he did to me.

I put myself inside a fire orb and crashed to the man while dodging his sword, setting some of his clothes on fire. As expected, he's focused on trying to take out the fire. I grinned maliciously as I started raising earth bullets from the ground and launched it at him. I growled when I saw that he had a shield big enough to protect him 180 degrees, but was partly satisfied when I heard a groan of pain.

Gotcha~

I flew over him and shot more earth bullets. But I noticed it's fewer than the last time I did it and noticed again the pain, and the fatigue from using all that magic.

Aww shit, I've ran out.

The fog of anger in my mind started disappearing as I started to think more clearly and being more attentive. I saw something glowing on the ground. I looked back, eyes starting to tear again from the pain from before.

Erghmghm... What is this pain?!

I focused back on the glow and saw the man in a pose like he's about to slash. His sword started to glow white too. I was asking myself what the hell he was doing, but in the two-second thinking time I got...

He's about to... NONONO SHITTTT

I panicked and tried to create a quick earth shield in front of me with all the floating earth bullets, but in my panic, it was misshaped and wouldn't cover me if he was aiming for my right side. But it turns out that it was really what I needed.

The glow disappeared and travelled towards my shield in a speed the naked eye cannot see. I managed to cut nearly all of my 2-metre thick shield in half.

I... survived that?!

The man's face then turned into one of disappointment and fear as I glared at him again. I wanted to attack him again, but I struggled conjring anything. That's when I realized that I might've finished my magic reserves.

I won't win in a physical fight in this condition. I'd have to go back and find someone to heal me before I get blood loss. I looked back at my amputated leg, which still has the air pressure on it with all the magic I have left, but it is leaking some blood. I looked back at the man and snarled as I used all my willpower and energy to fly back to town while trying to keep the air shield on my paw.

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I-it-t survived my move? I thought as the dragon conjured a shield just thick enough to block my signature sword magic.

It glared at me again as I prepared for an attack from it. But part of me said I'm already hopeless. The move is created as the metal of my sword is imbued with a light magic crystal that allows me to do that, but takes a lot of my magical energy. It just ran out when I used it.

If that beast can still fight like before... Well, it was an exciting life.

It snarled and I took a parrying pose, but instead of attacking me like I thought it would, it flew away.

It also must've exhausted itself. Just my luck.

I collapsed to the ground. After a few seconds, I started laughing loudly.

That was a very close fight. A tie even. Heh, raise a toast for the purple beast! Heheheh... Huuh. I wonder how it became that strong.

I then felt something on my left hand, reminding me of my amputated fingers. I sghed and ripper a part of my jacket with my right hand and tied it around the fingers, applying pressure to the red holes.

I'll need to get to Univ quickly to get this healed, I thought as I grabbed my backpack and half-limped my way to the town due to exhaustion.