It wasn't like Sam didn't know dragons existed. Meg and Darian had told her all about them, and apparently Theo had defeated one in his first ever battle. But nothing could prepare her for seeing one in the flesh.
Staring at the whole thing made her head feel like it would explode. So she tried to seize onto smaller details. Its claws gleamed like polished opal. Iridescent colors rippled across its wing membranes. Jagged crystals lined its back like spikes, fringed its head like a crown.
It was insane, but Sam's first thought was that she had never seen a more beautiful creature. She might have happily designed something similar for a game boss, though cuter of course.
Then the dragon opened its mouth, revealing teeth as long and sharp as its claws, and Sam forgot all about admiring it. Helped along by Ryllis grabbing her arm and dragging her back.
But the dragon wouldn't let them get away that easily. With a flap of its wings, it summoned a gust that slammed into Sam like a speeding train and sent both her and Ryllis flying. The prison streaked past her in a blur until she hit Ryllis' armored chest and went tumbling to the floor.
"Ow." Groaning, Sam climbed to her hands and knees. It felt like every muscle had been run through a meat grinder.
Ryllis had already leaped in front of her, much more graceful. She dropped into a ready posture, spear pointed, but beneath the dragon she looked tiny as a toy soldier.
"What – what – what even is that?" Sam cried out, shrill and breathless.
"A crystal dragon." Meg stepped up to her side. "They're quite rare. I'm impressed the Ensons managed to capture one."
"Praise them all you want after we defeat it," Darian said dryly, giving her rapier an idle flick.
Defeat it, really? It could swallow any of them with just one bite. But it wasn't like they had a choice. And if Theo had defeated a dragon, so could Sam.
"Hey Ryllis, you're a monster hunter, right?" she called. "Got any tips?"
"Tch." Ryllis twitched. "I never fought dragons. Can't take them alone. Smartest thing to do is stay out of their way."
"Good thing you aren't alone now," Darian said. "Let's go!"
With that, she charged the dragon head-on. Ryllis jumped after her, Lodo hot on her heels, and Ivo led the fighters on the ground with a great war cry.
The dragon drew back its wings, ready to flap them again. "Shield!" Meg shouted, and Sam scrambled to cast a shield spell alongside her. The two spells flared in front of the fighters just as the dragon thrust its wings forward.
The wind slammed into the shields, making the Levia crackle in Sam's veins. She clenched her teeth and tried to pour more power into it, but too late. Both shields shattered into sparks of light.
But they'd done their job. The wind dissipated, scattering throughout the hall. With it gone, the attackers rushed forward.
Lodo leaped at the dragon's underside, claws flashing with red light. Ryllis landed behind the dragon's head and drove her spear into its scales. When it glanced off, Sam's heart flipped around.
Well, she'd just have to help Ryllis. She cast a sharpening spell, and Ryllis plunged her now-glowing spear into the dragon's neck. This time, it sank in a little.
Sam didn't have time to cheer before the dragon swept its tail toward the ground fighters, scattering them like bowling pins. Ivo crashed to the floor right in front of Sam.
"Ivo!" Sam yelled.
"I'm fine," Ivo growled, hauling himself upright. But Sam didn't have time to focus on him, not when Ryllis was still on top of the dragon. She was crawling toward the dragon's wing, Darian fast after her.
'That's it!' The wings had to be the most vulnerable part of the dragon. Crippling them would make things a lot easier.
Not that the dragon was just going to roll over and let them. It writhed and twisted, trying to snap its teeth at Ryllis and Darian, but it couldn't reach them. And it had to deal with the other fighters, too.
Lodo clung to its belly with his claws, biting and snapping. The ground fighters recovered and charged again. When the dragon swept its tail out, this time they ran to avoid it, but one managed to jump onto the tail and cling to the end as the dragon swooped up into the air.
By now, Ryllis and Darian had reached the dragon's wing joint. As the dragon raised its wing, Ryllis thrust her spear forward.
Sam didn't waste any time casting a sharpening spell. It was like music to her ears when the glowing spear tore through the wing membrane.
The dragon twisted its head and screeched. Sam's ears rang, but she wouldn't let something like this intimidate her.
Bucking and thrashing, the dragon dislodged a few of the fighters clinging to it. But Ryllis didn't let go, dragging her spear forward and slicing through the membrane like a knife through canvas. Sam wouldn't sit back either. Ignoring the dragon's shrieks, she pumped Levia into the sharpening spell.
The dragon flapped its uninjured wing. The blast of wind caught Sam by surprise, knocking her back against the wall. Squinting through it, she saw Ryllis sailing through the air, and her heart just about stopped.
Ryllis twisted around midair, aiming her spear downward. When she landed, the spear pierced the floor with enough force to send cracks spreading around it. Ryllis clung to the shaft, gasping for breath.
Relief swooped through Sam. She opened her mouth to shout Ryllis' name, but an enormous boom swallowed her voice.
The floor heaved. People yelled and scrambled out of the way as the dragon came crashing down. It kept flapping its uninjured wing, but its other wing dangled like a flag.
Score. They'd grounded it.
Sam couldn't get the breath to thank Ryllis, but she was sure Ryllis sensed the gratitude pulsing in her Levia. And they hadn't won yet.
Snarling, the dragon hauled itself up on all four feet. On the ground it seemed even huger, looming above the fighters like a small hill. It slowly turned its head, orange eyes smoldering with fury.
The fighters advanced, their weapons drawn. But as they approached, Sam sensed a change in the dragon's Levia. The pressure deepened, hardening in the air like concrete.
Then orange light flooded the hall. Not from the lamps, but the dragon's crystals.
As the crystals glowed brighter, the dragon reared back and opened its jaws wide. Sam squinted. Was it her imagination, or was light gathering inside the dragon's mouth?
No, it was real. The light intensified, swelling into a sphere. Rather than orange, it rippled with a rainbow of colors. Beautiful, in a terrifying way.
The dragon's Levia deepened as the sphere expanded. Whatever was coming next could not be good.
The fighters were already scattering, clearing a wide space around the dragon. Meg stepped forward, hand raised. "Sam! Wide-range shield, now!"
"Ah, right!" Sam scrambled to gather her Levia. This shield spell had an intricate diagram with a lot of fiddly details, but she'd learned it recently so it was still fresh in her memory. When her Levia surged and heat bloomed beneath her feet, she knew she'd succeeded.
Opening her eyes, she saw two massive diagrams glowing in front of the dragon – one her mint green, the other Meg's scarlet. But she didn't have time to admire them before the dragon reared back and blasted a beam of crackling light out of its mouth.