…
"Gyeah… that dragon is too powerful," said Sean while bracing as he holds Marco's hand.
"Is there… no way to beat him?" Marco muttered in pain. Being inside the mist is already a backfire to both him and Sean, either run now or die trying to fight the dragon.
"I… I can't…" said Marco hoarsely to himself. Sean glanced at the explorer. He watched his grasp trembling. "J-Just as what my d-dad told to me… the dragons are too dangerous to fight against…"
"What are you muttering about, ah? Aren't you the renowned explorer of Areda?" Sean said in irritated voice. "Indeed, I am just an explorer. Nothing else," said Marco replying in a downing tone.
"…heh. Heheheh…" Sean oddly giggled, "What are you laughing at?" Marco got confused. The dense fog of heat and dampened mist could've broken his sanity, so he thought. But the reality shoves differently.
"Boy! It's because you're an explorer, you should've been able to read the situation… although I myself could hardly do it, too. You fought against that fearsome demon general without hesitation, didn't you? And now in front of a dragon, a creature resembling a lizard, you tremble your foothold?!"
…
Marco comes into realization, "…what am I thinking…?" he said to himself. "You're right, Sean…" Marco wipes his already burnt face skin, despite being painful.
"All this time fighting so many creatures, I never set myself to be this miserable. That's right… I've got to fight back!" Marco regains spirit. "Sean… I've got an idea."
…
..
.
The dragon's mist blast has ended, though the mist remains in the area. "Vat art you two blurting about? In thy doorstep of doom, thy vant to send thy partings to one another, ja? Hahahaha, how touching."
"There's no way a mere human canst withstand against ze Geyser Splash, even if they wert elementalists. Ze heat of mine magic reaches 'zat point of where vater shall vapor. I am ze absolute winner!" thought Zeugen confidently.
*BOOF*
*SWOOSH!!*
"What ze—ow!" Zeugen suddenly got pierced. "Gerrghh… 'tis… arrow again?!"
Zeugen then saw a large emergence of light dots in front of him, "I-It can't be, z-zat ist…!" Shortly, a barrage of holy arrows barrages the lone dragon, piercing the surface of the dragon's skin, which wasn't covered by thick hide.
Tens of flickering light appears in the mist where Sean is.
"Guh… I canst believe 'tis," Zeugen tried to hold the pain. "I miscalculated a bit. I forgot zat human hadst holy magic."
*BOOF-BOOF-BOOF!*
Suddenly, three spears of light appeared above the dragon. Zeugen's eyes gazed instantly at those spears. He then attempts to evade, but alas, he's too late. "AARRRRGH!"
The spears pierced the back of the dragon all the way through, impaling it into the ground. A few seconds later, the spear disintegrates, leaving fatal damage to the dragon.
"Mrrgh… I shalt not admit defeat, yet!" Zeugen rises back in spite of his pierced body.
*RROOOOAAARRR!*
"Arrows of Light!"
Sean casted five missiles and dispatched them with high speed. "The same attack von't vork on me anymore longer."
Beneath the feet of the dragon, emerged four magic circle of green. Shortly, the dragon stomps one of the magic circle, causing a wind blast enough to stop the incoming arrows. The arrows deviate from their path and hit multiple trees.
"Tsk, now, you're getting serious, ah?" said Sean from the distance. "That dragon can withstand this heat he made. Unfortunately, for us… we must stop him from casting more of those hot blasts."
Another set of flickering lights flashed out from Sean's direction.
The dragon's mist might be shrouding the region, but Zeugen can see things as clear as day. Not to mention he's also invulnerable to his own magic.
Zeugen wonders, how come the humans he fought managed to hold out even inside the mist he created? It won't take more than five seconds to kill a lesser monster and it'll take more than a minute to kill a human. But he's anxious, why the humans were not dead yet?
Tens of flickering lights flashed out again in Sean's direction.
"Gah, vat art those flashy lights, by the way. Lately zat human creates it over and over, vat ist he up to?" said Zeugen in confusion. The dragon's eyes shocked, he realizes, "He might be plotting to cast a big magic… a high level magic… it must be it!"
A high level magic requires certain prerequisites to be achieved first before it can be casted in maximum. Zeugen believes that what the Holy elementalist is trying to achieve those requirements to cast a great magic.
"I von't let you!" Zeugen reflectively leaps from his initial position and rushes to the vanguard knight.
"What the fu—*BOOOSH*—kaaargh!"
Sean got flung off the hooks of the soil, "What the hell?! That dragon headed straight for me?" he thought in his mind. "Damnations, you crazy explorer, I'll smash your arse later for 'tis…!" Sean flips in midair and stretches his arms down. Shortly, a magic circle of white emerges from both of his hands. He then rotates his heading directly to Zeugen.
"Things gone out of your damned plan, Marco… I've got to use this! Take this, you damn lizard!" Sean yelled out loud.
Within seconds before slamming the ground, he then casts:
"Shining Nova!"
From both of his arms reeled out a stream of light. It is bright enough to light the area around him. As he touches the ground, the magic circle enlarges and then implodes into his hands. A second later, dozens of holy energy erupts from the ground and splashes forth like an avalanche.
"I was right, that human—
Zeugen got hit by the incoming holy energy. The holy energy explodes in blinding white color, shaking the ground.
Then… Sean gets up. He realizes that his arms are broken due to the impact of his landing. "Dammit… dammit… dammit all!" Sean forcefully raises his right hand sustained by the other.
Another tens of flickering lights emerged from his very hand.
…
…
Sometime earlier, Marco disclosed his idea of beating the dragon.
"Hah? Mana Perception?" asked Sean.
"That's right. If that big guy can attack us with no difficulties in watching our movements in this foggy field, there's a great chance that he has Mana Perception ability."
"How do you know?"
"Nina has the same ability. If that dragon has the same skill as well, that means there's no doubt the dragon cannot sense our presence if we snuck up behind him or from above!"
Sean thought about it. Marco's right, but there's also a possibility that the dragon could've had both the perception skill and mana sensing in the same time. He then gashed out, "Fuck it, I'll gamble on your plan! Spout all of your ideas!"
…
…
"This isn't going according to plan…!" he yells to himself.
The dragon emerged from the fading white explosion. Zeugen's body is messed up after receiving the holy magic attack entirely. Indeed, now he's badly injured, but he's yet to admit defeat.
"I underestimated them…" the dragon shakes his head twice. "Brrbrbr… I'm not defeated. It hast been awhile since I feeleth 'tis sensation of battle."
Sean flickers light again. Seeing this, Zeugen felt irritated. "Zat human ist going to blast me with his holy magic again?!"
"…
…wait. Somezing's not right…" the dragon mumbles. He realized something was off. "That human was flashing tiny lights… but not in my direction. To the north? Northwest? Northeast?" Zeugen tries to figure out what the human's up to.
He felt that the series of flash look familiar, but he couldn't remember what it is, "In patterns, aiming randomly, as if the human is aiming at a moving target," he thinks.
"A high level magic requires some things to be done first hand… but 'tis man…"
Zeugen then inspects his battered body in an instance. "…if zat human casts at least a Level 4 magic, I shouldst be a goner already. But the truth shows that I still stand."
The human he looked from beneath the dense mist flickers holy light intensely, as if he's desperate. "…vat am I thinking…? If he's attempting to distract mine attention, zen I shalt kill him now!"
Sean suddenly turned his sights toward the Steam Dragon, he then flashes out a blinding light. "Uwaaaugh!"
*ZZZZAAAAAP!*
"BAAAARRRGGRGRRRRRGRGRRRGH!!!" The dragon roars in pain. A series of yellow lightning struck on him, electrocuting his big body.
"—Thanks for taking his attention, Sir Sean!" Marco emerges already on top of the dragon's body with his dagger stabbed onto the dragon's back. "With this… we'll beat you to bloody pieces, Zeugen!"
"N-No way…!" Zeugen shouted. "Umpf?!" He then recognizes something from the flickering lights. "Those flickering lights wert…
…Morse Code?!"
…
The dragon can't believe he neglected the enemy's communication entirely. If in the last moments he realized it that would be too late. He screeches in anger, knowing that the humans used methods that he fails to notice makes him even far irritated.
"You should've known that your defenses are wide open, mate." Said Marco taunting, "You are a straight up 'big target' for us."
The dragon trembles after hearing the explorer's words. His body shakes unbearably, forcing Marco to leap off him and joins by Sean's side.
"Hehe, thanks for distracting him, mate." Marco stated jokingly. "Damn you, I wasn't supposed to be the bait, it was supposed to be you!" Seanr retorted angrily. "It can't be helped, right? A plan shall never go accordingly all the times, you know?" Marco replied. "At least we bashed him out of order, hehey!"
"…I'm not so sure about that, Marco."
"Grrrrrrrr! Zat's it!" he bellowed. "'tis is but an anomaly! I hath fought so many battles, yet I never felt this outsmarted and angered!"
"What is he babbling about?" Sean asked. "I don't know, whatever it is, we should finish him before he makes another move."
"Heh, your change is too sudden, Marco. Fine, agreed," said Sean confirming.
The dragon then widely opens his mouth again. Like last time, he sucks all of the mist around him intensely.
"Huhuh, is he trying to show us the barrier again?" Marco wonders with a smug face. "He's very desperate, huh?" Sean added with a serious face. "Oi, Marco, give me more of those high potions."
"Mm? Oh, here ya go."
Sean drinks the potion given, within seconds his broken arm heals back to normal. "Much obliged, Marco."
"You're welcome. Now let's finish the dragon!"
"Agreed."
The dragon closes its mouth instantly, making a roughly big clap sound. The mist has dissipated, yet the darkness remains. The dragon then shines blindingly, making both of his opponents cover their eyes.
"What in the world?!" Sean got shocked. "What is that dragon up to, now?" said Marco.
"Humans… I truly underestimate zee. Zee stated zat I am naught but a big easy target, ja? As a token of my gratitude, I shalt give zee ze true despair."
The large light covering the dragon fades away, causing the two humans surprised greatly.
"That dragon… transforms?!" said Sean in his mind. "N-No way…!"
Zeugen reverts to his human form. He now appears as a human with long hair and dragon horns. His body is now concealed within the usual red armor he wore.
"He transformed into a humanoid form?!" both Marco and Sean yelled simultaneously.
…
..
.
"That's right… in 'tis form, mine language is far more understandable—no, not that—mine magical energy is far more stable. Of course, with 'tis form I am far weaker."
"Then you're admitting defeat?" Marco asked. "Don't conclude so quickly," Zeugen's mouth corners expands, he smiles as if he's winning already. "With 'tis form, I can engage thee better in combat. Not only zat…"
"…'tis form allows me to use my trump card!"
The battle took onto a new phase. Marco and Sean cooperated from distances smartly, however they did not expect the dragon can transform into human form. The dragon now appears as a much more threatening foe, as he claims that his ace magic is now available for him to use.
"Zeugen…!" Marco gashes his teeth.
The night skies are shortly ending. The morning will come soon. Marco and Sean must defeat the dragon before the sun is high on the sky, or else they must face a threat of being surrounded from the sleeping monsters in the forest!