We arrive at the meeting spot outside the city walls and find Annette together with two large vehicles. They have several guns mounted on them and look to be able to easily carry a few dozen soldiers each.

“So you two finally arrived, so what do you think? These are the prototypes for a new war machine our research teams have been developing. They are large tanks doubling as transport vehicles, the Theta and Iota. While they are smaller than most of the others in their class, they are outfitted with more firepower to compensate. Think it will be useful against Hiquahazull?” Annette asks.

“Whether or not they’re useful depends on if they can take a hit. Regardless of the effectiveness of those machines, they will shorten our travel distance considerably.” I say.

“Guess we will have to wait and see if they’re any use in battle. For now, lets just hop in and get moving.” Annette says while beckoning us into the tank with her.

Contrary to their appearance, sitting in the Iota is rather comfortable. I wouldn’t have thought to put cushioned seats in a military assault vehicle.

The tank begins to vibrate as it’s engine roars and within moments we are on our way to the Golden Summit.

As Annette takes a quick glance at her watch before she turns to face us, “at our top speed we should reach the mountain in about one hour.”

“I know I should have asked this before we went on this dragon slaying mission, but do we know what kind of dragon we are dealing with? I mean is it a Spirit Dragon or a Celestial Dragon?” Irina asks.

“I don’t know. What’s the difference?” Annette asks.

“If it is a Spirit Dragon, we can probably just talk this whole thing out since they are typically more willing to do things peacefully despite generally being the stronger of the two. But if this dragon we are going to see is a Celestial one then this will be troublesome. While I have never seen one myself Rere has told me about them before and given me several warnings to stay clear of them. Although there are generally weaker than the Spirit Dragons, Celestial Dragons tend to be far more aggressive. On top of that, if handled poorly it is very possible to be cursed. But he never told me what the curse was.” Irina says.

“Did Akkre ever tell you how to tell the two apart?” I ask.

“Yeah. Spirit Dragons have long serpentine bodies with shorter arm and legs. Most noticeably, Spirit Dragons don’t have wings, while the Celestial Dragons do. The Celestial Dragons also have much larger bodies and limbs.” Irina explains.

To me, it sounds like Spirit Dragons resemble the dragons from the far east, while the Celestial Dragons resemble the dragons from European tales.

“Well? What kind of dragon is this Hiquahazull, Annette?” I ask.

“From your description Miss Irina, it seems that Hiquahazull is a Celestial Dragon. Based on the reports, he has a large body with four wings and golden scales.” Annette says.

“I see. We are both lucky and unlucky at the same time. Since he only has two sets of wings that means he hasn’t fully matured yet. A fully grown Celestial Dragon has three pairs of wings for a total of six. However, the very fact that Hiquahazull is a Celestial Dragon means we need to be extra careful.” Irina says.

“You're being unusually serious today, Irina.” I say.

“Mhm… well, I need to be. I know full well how powerful dragons can be. As a part of the Military Training Program, we went to spar against the Ice Dragons far more than that one time you went. And it wasn’t just the young ones we fought against. It was the adolescents and the fully matured ones too. While we were eventually able to win consistently against the young ones and occasionally managed to not get destroyed by the adolescents, the fully matured dragon is one we could never fight with. The entire class against a single fully matured dragon and we couldn’t win. There is a reason why dragons are amongst the strongest of the magical beasts and on that day everyone in the MTP learned first hand why. Thanks to Rere’s blunder while he was drunk the other day I know that I’ll be fine, but I don’t know your future Eillim. As your friend, I don’t want to watch you die.” Irina says.

“Thanks for your concern, Irina. But if you made it through this ordeal then I’m sure I will too.”

So I say, but against a dragon, I’m not completely certain we will come out unscathed. Based off of what Irina said we should be able to win since Hiquahazull isn’t fully grown. Since Irina makes it out of the fight then I should be able to as well, but there is no way there won’t be any casualties… specifically from the Lucia reinforcements.

“Why don’t we put together a plan of attack? It’s better than going in blind. So Annette, are there any records of how Hiquahazull fights from Lucia’s previous engagements with it?” I ask.

“Yes, I made sure to look them over before we left. According to the records, Hiquahazull tends to use its massive size to just overpower us. And when it comes to the machines we use, it tends to shoot off a high energy beam of light from its mouth when it registers our tanks. We have also noticed a small downtime in which Hiquahazull can’t fire the beam after using it once, but it only lasts a few seconds. Taking our past failures into account the Theta and Iota have been equipped with an energy shield that should be able to block the beam in theory, but it can only withstand a few shots. We won’t be able to keep the shield up when firing the main cannons.” Annette explains.

“I see… I think I more or less have a plan in mind. First, we should have Irina try to immobilise Hiquahazull with her pure ice which will ideally keep it from forcing us down with overwhelming strength. After Hiquahazull uses its breath attack we barrage it during the downtime and hope that between Irina, me, and your cannons we have enough firepower to take the dragon down. Although I don’t expect things to go as planned.” I say.

“But is there a backup plan?” Annette asks.

“… I didn’t think that far ahead. In the likely case, our first plan fails then just use your best judgement. Formulating plans isn’t my strong point. Although if we can keep Hiquahazull’s attention off of me for long enough I know a spell that should put an end to the fight, if it fails to finish the job then I won’t be able to keep participating in the fight.” I say.

“At least it’s more eventful than Rere’s strategy of ‘stare at it until it dies’.” Irina says jokingly.

We spent some time talking about random everyday things until we come to a stop.

Annette takes a peek outside and says, “we’ve arrived at the base of the mountain. From here on it’s best if we hop out and travel on foot, our knights are doing the same from here on as well. If we are inside the tanks and Hiquahazull shows up it might be too late by the time we leave the vehicle after all.”

Following her suggestion Irina and I leave the Iota with several of the knight infantry. We begin to move shortly after with the Theta and Iota leading the way through the mountain pass.

As we travel up to the summit I notice lingering traces of energy. And before long the air is practically shaking as a large dragon descends down on us.

“I am Hiquahazull, the lord of this mountain! Turn back now or die!”

Hiquahazull gives out an ultimatum as his powerful voice carries throughout the air.

“Is it not possible to talk this out!?” I yell up to him.

“No, it is… you, human. Your scent. It is reminiscent of him. Servant of that wretched Keeper of Eternity who bound me to this land. I retract my previous statement. I will end your lives here!” Hiquahazull roars as he swings his claws down towards us.

Irina and I are able to jump back before impact but the knights have been decimated. Goddammit Akkre, just how in the world did you manage to upset this guy so much.

“Irina! Plan A. Immobilise him!” I shout.

As Irina pulls out her throwing daggers the knights regroup and begin shooting at Hiquahazull with their rifles, but they do little more than ricochet of his golden scales. Although some managed to hit some sensitives spots as Hiquahazull opens his mouth briefly, pushing him back. This gives Irina an opening to get a clean hit on his left arm, freezing it to the ground.

With Hiquahazull regaining his bearings we notice the signs of a breath attack, as the rifle shots vaporise as they near his mouth. In a hurry, we all scramble to get behind the Theta and Iota as they launch their energy shields.

Having successfully blocked the attack, we once again take an offensive stance as we resume our assault. Irina jumps up close to get a good hit in with her spear but is thwarted as she collides with Hiquahazull’s tail. The knights continue their volley, aiming for the more vulnerable spots on the dragons face. Hiquahazull swings his wings towards us blowing half our foot soldiers away with a strong gust of wind while freeing his arm from the frozen ground. Just as he takes to the sky the Theta and Iota fire their main cannons and pierce through, creating two gaping holes in Hiquahazull’s right wing causing him to fall back to the ground.

Hiquahazull’s body begins to shimmer, sensing the danger Irina yells, “put up those shields! Everyone quickly, take cover behind them!”

Moving as fast as I can I dash to take cover behind the Iota’s energy shield with Irina, as we see Hiquahazull’s shimmering body glow brighter until a massive burst of energy comes flying out. As the light calms down we see the Theta’s weapon and defence system has been destroyed and all the knights who couldn’t make it behind the shield have disintegrated leaving nothing behind but the charred ground outlining where their bodies once stood.

Upon seeing all the dead I can’t help but get a little nauseous. The mangled bodies from the initial attacks litter the ground around us while the scent of blood and burnt flesh fill the air.

“Your free to mourn the dead later but right now you have to focus. If we fall here who will be left to tell the tale of these brave men and women who stood up to a dragon. Now get ready Eillim, lets give their deaths meaning and take this dragon down!” Irina says before jumping back into the fray.

I thought I was prepared for this, but I suppose no amount of mental preparation can truly ready me for this bloody sight. But Irina’s right we can’t let the knight's deaths be in vain.

I stand up once more and under the cover of the Iota, I begin the incantation for my strongest spell.

“Oh king of the sky, ruler of the ocean, guardian of the land, preserver of the flame, lord of thunder, heed thy call…”

****** Irina Icrwl ******

Looks like Eillim’s got her head back together. And that incantation… so you're prepared to give up that much for this, in the end, it’s better than dying.

“If your truly willing to give up that much for this Eillim then I will accept your resolve and buy you as much time as you need!” I yell.

She does nothing but gives me a sorrowful smile but it shows no signs of regret.

Although the Theta has been destroyed the Iota continues to fire on Annette’s orders. Creating a hole in the dragon’s left wing this time. Now with him being unable to take to the sky I dash up and lunge with my spear into his right arm. Piercing through his arm into the ground, encasing his arm in ice and leaving it frozen to the ground. Using my spear as a platform I jump off it towards the dragon’s back leg. While I glide underneath Hiquahazull I throw some daggers up, freezing his stomach before falling short of his back legs.

Before getting the chance to get up, Hiquahazull manages to free himself once more and kick me towards a nearby boulder. While in the air I managed to throw out some more daggers and using them as a catalyst I create a slope of ice that launches me back at Hiquahazull. While flying back at the dragon I dematerialise my spear and quickly materialise it once more just before I get knocked back again by his tail, but not before I get a cheeky hit in that freezes his tail. I try to stand up again after having collided with the Theta, but fall back down to my knee.

Annette quickly runs over to my side to help me up. With her support, I am able to move into the safety of the Iota’s shield range as the remains of the knight troops keep Hiquahazull busy.

“Doesn’t look like I’ll be able to keep on fighting but it seems my efforts paid off. His frozen limbs limit his mobility greatly allowing even the worst shot here to get a good hit in on the eyes, and with those holes in his wings he can’t take to the sky.” I say before taking a glance at Eillim. “Moreover it seems she has nearly finished her incantation.”

“… I offer up mine self to the powers the govern nature, grant me the power to smite thine foe! Wrath of Nature!” Eillim yells.

With her incantation finished Eillim’s right arm begins to disintegrate as a ritual sacrifice for the spell. From the tips of her fingers to the end of her shoulder, all that remains is the connective joints in her shoulder with blood spurting out. Thankfully it doesn’t take long for her sacrifice to bear fruit. The trees warp and twist, coiling around Hiquahazull like a snake. The ground begins to shake and splits from underneath the dragon with a pillar of flame rising from beneath, as dark clouds fill the sky before unleashing a flurry of lightning bolts down upon the beast. Before long the clouds dissipate and the ground closes as Hiquahazull finally collapses, shaking the ground on impact.

Cheers erupt from the remaining knights and Annette falls to the ground as her legs finally give out under the pressure, adrenaline no longer able to get her up. I go over to help Eillim up and get that hole in her shoulder closed up.

Together with Eillim we help each other walk over to Annette, but we feel a sudden burst of energy coming from Hiquahazull as Eillim yells out, “everyone get out of the way!”

In a panic, everyone is able to clear the path except me and Eillim, since neither of us are in any condition to move quickly. Before I can react Eillim shoves me out of the way before she gets enveloped in a beam of light coming from Hiquahazull.

“I have not the strength left to… finish off the servant of the Keeper. But forever more… she will bear… the curse… of… the… dragon…” Hiquahazull says on his last breath.

In a fit of rage and with the last once of my strength I throw my spear at the dragon's corpse completely freezing it.

I begin to crawl over towards Eillim to check if she is alright. With my head laying on her chest I confirm that her heart is still beating, but she is still bleeding from the loss of her arm. If too much time is wasted she’ll die from blood loss.

“Annette! Please help!” I scream.

“Don’t worry I’m already on it!” Annette says while giving out various orders to the knights. “Lieutenant, get that stretcher over here this instant! And someone help Irina back into the Iota.”

With everyone on board the Theta and Iota, we begin our return to West Lucia’s capital.

****** Millie/Eillim ******

Although my sight is still hazy I awake to the familiar sight of the medical bay in the palace, and Irina sitting by my side with her head resting in my lap. But it doesn’t take long for it to feel like something is off. My right arm… from the shoulder down, is wrapped in bandages. I should have lost it when I cast my spell but I can still feel it and move it around.

Feeling my movements Irina wakes up and rubs her eyes, “hmm… ah. Your up! Are you feeling okay!? How is your arm!? Hold on, I’m going to get Annette!”

“No need I could hear you from across the hall. I take it she finally got up?” Annette says as she walks into the room.

“How long was I out for?” I ask.

“Nearly 47 hours. The sun just rose recently, but that's not important. How is your arm?” Annette asks.

“It feels fine. Even though I know it shouldn’t be. Just what did you do? You give me a new arm or something?” I ask as I begin to take off the bandages.

“Well… you certainly have a new arm. But I wasn’t the one who gave it to you.” Annette says.

“What do you mean…” I say right before taking a look at my arm. “What the hell!”

An arm covered in hard scales, with sharp claws. It’s like a dragon's arm.

“About that, while you were sleeping I got in contact with Rere and he said it’s a result of the dragon’s curse. You are currently dragonising, the process of turning into a dragon. He said that there isn’t a way to revert the change but there might be a way to halt the process and that he asked Raziel to find out how.” Irina says.

“I’m not sure how I feel about this. On one hand I think this is kinda cool but on the other hand, I’m freaking out and a little terrified.” I say with a wry expression.

“Just trust in Rere, I’m sure they’ll figure something out. Besides he mentioned that the dragonising is a slow process so you should have some time… as long as your not injured.” Irina says.

“Yeah, I just hope they can stop this whole thing while I still think it’s cool.” I say.

“Ahem. Sorry to interrupt but I’m sure you’ll appreciate it. You two won’t have to do anything for the rest of the day and you have free reign within the city. To put it simply you have a day off, but I would like you to come back here later Eillim. I want to get an x-ray of your bone structure, it might help the dragonising but it won’t be until later tonight. Here some money so take some time to have fun.” Annette says, handing us each some of the local currency of about 10 gold coins each.

“Alright.” I say as Irina and I leave the medical bay, after wrapping my arm back up.

Guess I finally get a real chance to see the city without getting interrupted. Might as a well enjoy this time off.