Their eyes widened and they shrank back under the unwavering stare of the dragon's blue blazing eyes.
"Wait. It can talk?" someone asked behind Jared.
Jared looked at the ground with an implacable expression. He never thought he would come face to face with an ancient creature. Why he was being targeted by it, he couldn't even guess. But he would not let it conquer him! As it had said, he was Jared Airbrock, the Divine Humane. He raised his head, mutinous eyes staring into those of the monstrous beast.
"You know my name. Tell me, dragon, why are you here?" Jared asked, holding his injured chest.
The dragon lifted his head to the sky, above the smoke he created.
"That, I can't say, Airbrock. Now leave before-"
"Before what?" Jared interrupted.
The dragon rolled its eyes down to him, then extended his neck towards the armoured man, until he was face to face with Jared. How insignificantly tiny the defiant Jared seemed in front of the dragon's humongous face!
"Don't test your doom." the dragon said in an orotund tone.
Jared could see his bloodied and battered body reflected in the dragon's pupils. My doom? he thought.
"Be gone!" The dragon said. Opening its mouth wide, a single, strong breath from its massive maw lifted them from the mountain, sending them flying amongst uprooted trees, blown away by the same dragon wind.
"Ahhhhh!!" Jared and his men shouted as they flew away from the mountain. Realizing what was happening, Jared immediately twisted his body, gestured his hands backwards, and produced an air current from his hands that pushed himself forward, towards the dragon.
"I won't go down without a fight!" Jared shouted.
"I know," the dragon said. It bent its head back like a viper about to strike and loosed a giant fireball at Jared.
Jared pushed the air around him, dodging the fireball which then exploded in midair. In a single swipe of his arms he repelled the remnants.
"If our potency can't defeat you our strength can!" Jared exclaimed as he clenched his fist, pushing the air around him towards his right arm. With a great force, his arm went straight into the dragon's forehead with an impact that pulled the remaining half-destroyed trees around them from their root.
On the edge of the crevice, the teenaged boy was still gripping hard on the rock, sweating profusely, he looked up, vision obscured by fog and smoke that seemed to glow in flashing oranges, reds, greys, and blues.
"What was that?!" He looked down at the girl, still dangling, unconscious, from his hand, "What have I gotten myself into?!"
-
"Potency. So that's what you people called it now," the dragon said.
Jared stood on the dragon's forehead, horror struck. That was my strongest move, how is it still standing? Jared thought.
"Airbrock. So-called Divine Humane. You are on the wrong side of the story."
Jared hit the dragon's forehead again the same move, over and over and over and over again. He stopped, inhaling and exhaling heavily. Unfortunately, it made no impact on the dragon. He truly might as well be an ant.
The dragon shook its head. "You are nothing but a fraction," the dragon said.
Jared jumped away from the dragon as quickly as possible. "A fraction??...." Jared clenched both of his fists tightly, the air around him surrounded both hands, enhancing his fists. The blood from his wound mixed with the whirl of air around him and his fist. "If I go down, you're going down with me!" he sputtered.
"Hmmm. You may wish it to be so." the dragon taunted.
Jared shouted, causing a miniature hurricane on the mountain as he floated in the sky.
Hmm. He is actually breaking his limits. the dragon thought.
"You! Dragon, I am going to destroy you for what you have done to my people, especially Sniffia!" Jared yelled, charging towards the dragon with his arms over his head, set to strike the dragon's forehead.
The dragon suddenly vanished in front of him.
Jared blinked as he fell to the ground. Where did he go? he thought.
The dragon appeared behind him.
Jared landed hard, arms first, on the ground. The earth shook violently at his landing.
The teenage boy lost his grip on the trembling rock. He was falling, falling, his grip on the girl now a death grip as they descended through the thick fog.
They splashed into a lagoon.
Immediately, Sniffia sunk as the teenage boy lifted his head out from the lagoon. Looking up to the mountain, rain, lightening and thunder filled the skies above him.
"Comfirm!!!" He commented at the incredible sight above, then he shook his head looked around, "Where is she?!" He dipped his head under the water, narrowing his eyes to try to see through the darkness. He squeezed his body tightly, the green glow returned to his skin. He could see her blood floating upward in the pale green light. He widened his eyes and swam downward, reaching for Sniffia. He grabbed her hand and swam towards the ocean shore. Placing her gently on the sand, he brushed her blonde hair from her face with his fingers. There was the wound on her head from where he'd seen the rock hit, he also spotted a scratch on her belly.
He shook his head. "Not good." He dropped his small orange bag on the sand, looking at the mountain. "I can't believe my eyes. A dragon?!"
On the half destroyed mountain, Jared was kneeling down with both arms on the ground as steam rose from inside the crater he'd created by the impact of his blow, the blow meant for the dragon's skull, breathing heavily under the drizzling rain.
That was… I reduced the impact of my hit before I reached the ground… Sniffia, I hope you are alright! He thought. He tilted his head, looking up at the dragon. He stood up, suddenly, he staggered, holding his chest, blood flowed from his eyes, nose and mouth.
"Why now, why are you attacking us?" Jared squeaked, what strength he'd been able to muster now flowing freely from him.
"You know why." the dragon answered.
Jared's eyes widened. "You mean the boy?" he said. "But he's inhumane!"
"Hmmm. Remember white is not always light and black is not always dark." the dragon quoted the old wisdom.
Jared took a step, then fainted.
"Hmmmm…" the dragon wondered. He spread his wings and flew to where Sniffia and the boy were.
"Peirce Wande," the dragon roared as he stepped onto the water.
The glowing boy looked at him and swallowed. "Yeeeesss?" he whispered.
The dragon walked on the water towards him like it was a thin ice. "How are you doing?" the dragon asked.
"I'm… I'm doing okay... I guess." He looked at Sniffia, the dragon noticed his sadness.
"The flower you took from them can save her," the dragon said.
Pierce's eyes widened, blinked, then looked from the girl to the dragon, but, to his surprise, the dragon was nowhere to be found! He looked around in wonder while scratching his head, then stared at the small orange bag beside his feet.