Chapter 8 - A Twist of Fate

"All it takes is a nosey and stubborn attitude. The ability to pry into other people's problems and make it your business. To not look away when things get ugly. To stay and follow through, no matter how hard the problem gets. That's all it takes. Nothing special really"

-Field Priest Verkan.

The young girl opened her eyes as the first rays of sun struck her in the face. Nina spent the night in vigil since she was unable to sleep; the horrific memory of her close encounter with the northmen was still fresh in her mind and would probably give her nightmares for a long time.

The sunlight also awakened her newest companion, who spent the night right next to her, resting against her shoulder and sharing their body heat. The dragon quickly stood up and stretched his back and limbs, making a loud crunchy sound.

Nina felt a little embarrassed, it was the first time she had spent the night with anyone other than her close family. Even if it was only due to circumstances outside of her power that left the poor girl with no other choice. It was a stupid rule anyway, she thought.

-"Good morning" the young girl greeted the dragon.

-"I thought you would be sleeping" the creature replied surprised.

-"I couldn't" the girl replied.

The girl could only roll her eyes in annoyance at the dragon's antics. She couldn't blame the dragon for his lack of touch or manners but she would probably have to get used to them. Nina closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. She knew it wasn't the creature's fault, he only meant well and she was extremely grateful to him for saving her life but couldn't help but wish that her savior was a dashing knight in shining armor instead.

Not that she had anything against Rudo, as the girl named the creature that saved her, but a girl can dream, right? Nina was looking forward to paying the dragon back with a decent breakfast, not only for him but also for herself. Her stomach was desperately calling for a meal, growling loudly, she hasn't eaten anything since yesterday.

-"Too bad" the dragon replied, interrupting her thoughts.

-"You only slept for a couple of hours" the girl commented.

-"Yeah, but those men that were looking for you are gone now" Rudo pointed out, matter of factly.

-"Really? How can you be so sure?" Nina asked hopefully.

-"I can't smell them anymore" the dragon mentioned.

-"Can you really smell that far?" the girl asked astonished.

-"Sure, you can't?" the beast asked back nonchalantly.

-"Of course not, I can only smell your horrid breath" the young girl replied half-joking.

The dragon just smiled in return. Nina couldn't help but also smile. Rudo then jumped down the cliff, much to the girl's shock, she quickly went to look for him from the ledge he jumped from, taking particular care not to fall headfirst while looking down. She could see the dragon deep down, sniffing the area around, much to her relief.

Nina started to feel slightly better after hearing the dragon say that the northmen were gone. Perhaps they gave up after they were unable to find her; after all, there was no way the Clan warriors could have missed the sight of the village burning in the night.

Unless the warriors were busy elsewhere, of course.

Either way, she would try not to get her hopes up in the case this wasn't over yet, trying to keep a cool head as much as she could.

She quickly retreated back from the ledge when she watched Rudo leaping back to their refuge, landing exactly on the spot where Nina previously has been looking at him from. The dragon informed her that the area was secure and that it was safe for the moment. He turned his back towards her, and the girl slowly climbed on top of him, positioning herself in a comfortable way before letting him know she was ready.

The creature jumped down the cliff like it was nothing, Nina could feel her heart racing as they descended, beating hard against her chest. She felt as if floating in the air, even though the fall lasted less than a second. They landed over a giant rock on the ground and the dragon absorbed the blunt force of the fall with his powerful legs. Maybe it was because she was holding onto him very tightly, but Nina could barely feel any ill effects from the sudden deceleration and subsequent impact that would certainly have killed any other person.

This creature is definitively something else! she thought while descending from the dragon's back. The girl felt a little pain from the impact of the dragon's rather prominent spine against her sternum, although it was not something she should worry about, there were more important matters that required her attention right now.

Like breakfast, for example, poor Nina was starting to feel very hungry by now. Since yesterday's lunch, she haven't had anything substantial other than some slices of bread that her mentor and friend Verkan shared with her and the soup they had for dinner at the village, that she threw up when the then-unnamed dragon decided to play the surgeon with the poor rodent he had captured.

Speaking of which, she still had the remaining rodent from last night in her possession. The girl had wrapped it up in a filthy piece of cloth to bring it with her. Nina exposed the dead vermin and showed it to Rudo, much to the creature's sudden delight.

-"I still got that rabbit you brought last night, I can cook it if you want" the young girl offered.

-"Cook? What's that?" the dragon asked in confusion.

-"Let me show you" Nina replied smiling.

However, her smile quickly vanished when she looked up and saw the dragon completely bare, covered with absolutely nothing. She couldn't see anything last night due to the darkness but she could certainly see everything now that the sun was rising.

-"Please cover yourself!" Nina demanded furiously all of a sudden.

The girl freaked out for a brief instant but calmed down a bit after watching the confused reaction from the dragon. The memory of her close encounter with the raiders last night was still fresh and Nina began to cry again just by remembering it. The poor girl tried her utter best to calm herself down and stop crying. The cold and rational part of her mind concluded that the dragon probably had no clue and didn't mind walking completely nude. He probably didn't mean any harm.

Nina could only stare dumbfounded at the confused creature for a few seconds before snapping off her trance. She shook her head and took a deep breath then unwrapped the dead rodent that would soon serve as their breakfast. The girl unfolded the filthy piece of cloth and extended it with a violent motion; she then walked towards the dragon carefully and quickly tied it up around his waist, much to the creature's consternation.

-"You shouldn't go walking around like that!" the girl reproached the dragon in embarrassment.

-"Why not?!" Rudo asked confused.

-"Because that's not nice, you dummy!" Nina retorted fiercely to the creature's understandably irritated reaction.

-"Hey! I'm not a dummy!" the dragon countered defensively.

-"Yes you are! You are just as rude as you are dumb" the young girl lashed out at her perplexed companion.

-"Take that back!" the creature growled aloud.

Watching the dragon baring his teeth caused the girl to relent a little bit. Nina realized she was being not only childish and immature but also unfair. She took another deep breath to calm herself down and had to be reminded by her own stomach growling that she hasn't eaten anything yet.

The dragon most probably never interacted with other people other than the Imperial slavers and, as a result, he had absolutely no taboos like nudity, no concept of personal space, no education, and no manners whatsoever.

-"Sorry, I didn't mean it" the girl apologized, lowering her head.

-"I'll make our breakfast, to make it up to you, if that's okay" Nina offered after calming down.

-"That sounds good" Rudo replied calming down as well.

Nina was astonished at how surprisingly fast the dragon was able to dismiss the argument they were having previously and forget the whole thing as if nothing happened. By this point, any other people would probably have at least some degree of distrust or resentment, but not him, strangely.

The girl gathered some old branches and dry leaves from the ground to improvise a bonfire in which they could cook their breakfast. Rudo knelt beside her and watched her in silence as the girl struggled with a pair of rocks trying to light the firewood.

It wasn't until she resorted to the small knife that her mentor Verkan had given to her last night that she finally succeeded. Nina made a small victory gesture with her arms and gave the dragon a smug look as he watched her in awe.

The young girl instructed her new companion on flaying and eviscerating the animal before putting it in the fire. To be honest, Nina wasn't too eager to see the insides of the poor rodent again but she convinced herself she would be able to handle it now. This was her first time cooking anything. Better keep those fingers crossed Nina!

The pair didn't have to wait long to taste the end results, but Nina's culinary skills were, in her own words, disappointing, to say the least. Not bad for a first-timer, however. Even though the vermin's meat was hard and unsavory, at least it was edible, and she needed all the energy she could get out of it.

She probably was going to need it.

The dragon, however, was very enthusiastic about their meal. Between the rodent's raw flesh and the overcooked one, he would gladly choose the latter. Nina ate until she was full and Rudo finished the rest until only the bare bones were left.

Nina decided to return to the village that was attacked last night. Even if it was extremely unlikely, the girl needed to make sure if there were any survivors left. The northmen would probably be on the move and would not stay in the same area for much longer. And if Lord Nero and his warriors just happened to appear, it would be most likely there.

With that in mind, Nina undertook the perilous trip through the forest and back to the village. This time, however, with some much-needed backup. Rudo would bodyguard the girl, driven in part by the promise of delicacies, and to fulfill his part in the arrangement. Besides, the boy secretly wanted to make sure that the girl didn't run into trouble again.

Rudo offered his back for Nina to climb on to again, which the girl accepted after some hesitation. The dragon then raced off through the forest with incredible momentum, at a speed she didn't think was possible. The creature was running faster than any bull, strider, or any other beast that she was aware of, much faster indeed, and navigating through the woods and the difficult terrain with such breathtaking agility that Nina was having a very hard time trying to keep a hold on to him. His feet and long claws gave the creature impressive traction even over the most slippery of surfaces. Nina could feel her own heart beating like crazy inside her chest at almost the same velocity they were moving, which made the whole world around her a blurring mess. The girl found the experience both terrifying and exhilarating.

This is something else!

The pair reached the edge of the forest after a few minutes of dragon-riding that would have taken hours otherwise. Rudo came to a sudden halt that took the girl by surprise, and both of them crouched under the tall grass to avoid being spotted by anyone, just in case that there was someone hiding in the burned down remains of the village.

The dragon began to sniff around the area but couldn't smell anything other than ash and charred flesh. When both of them began to slowly approach the village, the young girl's mood quickly shifted to a somber one, and Nina began to feel intense dread and a sickening knot in her stomach. Her gut feeling was telling her that something was very wrong, something deeply sinister in nature. The girl grabbed the dragon's arm instinctively trying to stop him but the creature kept walking at the same pace undeterred, dragging the poor girl behind him.

They left the protection the tall grass provided and spotted what was left of the village just a few hundred yards ahead. At this point, the scent of the burned bodies was so strong, even for Nina that she had to cover her nose and face with remnants of her torn clothes. They walked the remaining distance and slowly entered the desolate place, walking past the razed buildings. The girl didn't notice it at first, but after a brief examination, she could recognize the charred skeletal remains of both the villagers and the fallen northmen that only made the uneasiness grow in intensity, filling her heart with sadness, dread, and distress.

The odd pair walked into the village's central square only to find it deserted, except for a single dead body lying in the center that has not been desecrated by the flames. Nina's heart stopped. She felt an acute ache in the middle of her chest and tears running down her cheeks as she stared at the lifeless body in the middle of the plaza. The anguished girl's deepest fears were ultimately confirmed when she recognized the signature long leather tunic of the priests and finally broke down crying.

-"VERKAN!"

Nina cried out her mentor's name and raced towards his body as fast as she could. The girl collapsed on her knees and began to cry violently over the old man's corpse, letting out an anguished wail, along with her tears and all the by this time well-known pent-up feelings of pain and despair. She knew that her mentor and friend had perished last night, the poor girl had already cried and mourned him once, but the sight of his dead body lying on the ground was just too much for her.

All what Rudo could do was watch his companion crying her heart out, completely at a loss of what he was supposed to say or do in this kind of situation. The boy was already used to this sight, having witnessed it countless times, but it has never been someone he cared about or even knew. This time, however, it was different; even if he has known this helpless girl for less than a day, watching her hurting like this, hurt him as well.

The dragon sat on the ground next to the tearful girl and just stared at her, trying in vain to somehow comfort her. He looked at the old man whom with he now shared the name and noticed something exceedingly striking to him; for someone who has fought to the death, there were no wounds or marks on his body other than a small orifice on his forehead. After examining the corpse in detail, the boy noticed a similar perforation in the chest that the girl inadvertently covered under her arms.

This isn't good.

-"Is this the priest you talked about?" Rudo asked.

The distressed girl did not reply, but made an asserting noise between her sobs that the dragon interpreted as a yes. The boy could just shrug it off in response, not knowing what else to do.

-"I guess these things happen" he commented.

At this point Nina was crying silently and heard the dragon's untactful comment; she couldn't help but find it both disrespectful and extremely infuriating.

The girl held her breath for a moment, aware that the lack of finesse from the boy's part probably wasn't on purpose. She wasn't exactly in the best mood right now and looked at him straight in the eyes before asking him in return:

-"Have you ever lost someone you loved?"

The fury behind the girl's words made the dragon relent a little bit. He could understand why the priestess' was so upset but deep in his heart, he was unable to fully connect with her pain. How could he? No one ever cared about him, nor did he care about anyone before.

-"No, I never had anyone" he replied honestly.

The pair stared at each other, and even though Rudo looked confused and Nina was still in tears, they were looking at each other eyes as if looking into a metaphorical mirror. And despite their hearts were hurt in completely different ways, there was an understanding in that gaze. Empathy.

-"I'll help you bury him" the dragon offered.

-"Please" the girl replied.

It was now that she calmed down a bit that she also noticed the strange wounds on her mentor's chest and forehead. Her logical mind overtook her all of a sudden and a scientific curiosity awakened. His body didn't have any other type of wounds that would be normally expected in a swordfight. And what was even more striking; Verkan was not dragged inside the blazing buildings to burn like the rest of the villagers, as she read it was customary by the northmen. In fact, his body wasn't even touched; they left him on the exact spot where he died, with his sword still in hand.

The only explanation she could come up with right now was that either the northmen feared him that much or they thought he was cursed. It didn't make any sense! Even respected enemies they fought against would be burned like the rest of the common folk, as it was their custom. The northmen didn't do it disrespectfully.

-"What kind of witchery is this?!" Nina complained loudly.

-"It's a kind of magic" a rough yet calm voice replied.

Nina gasped loudly and both of her and Rudo turned to find an unknown man wearing fancy clothes and a mask covering his face, standing alone at the village's entrance, a few yards away. Rudo was unable to smell the unknown man until now due to the strong scent of the burned corpses masking the man's otherwise perfumed fragrance, allowing him to take both of them by surprise.

-"I knew you would end up coming back, little Priestess" the lone man commented.

-"Who are you!?" Nina demanded furiously.

-"My name is not important" the unknown man replied.

The girl couldn't help but feel slightly more infuriated by the unknown man's elusive reply. Seriously, what is with everyone without names! the girl complained in her mind.

-"Why did you do this?" she asked.

-"Pretty rude to assume it was me, this was northmen's doing not mine" was the unknown man's response.

-"Then why are you here!?" Nina asked back.

-"I came for you child, come quietly and nobody will get hurt" the man replied, making his true intentions clear.

Rudo bared his teeth and adopted an aggressive stance after hearing the unknown man's reply, but after a gesture with his hand, several other men slowly appeared behind the buildings, one by one, surrounding the pair, making the poor girl's heart race in despair. Still, Nina found the courage to ask yet another question.

-"Are you the one who killed Verkan?!"

-"The old man? I gave him a warrior's death" the man replied.

-"Why!? He did nothing to you!" the girl demanded, breaking down in tears again, fueled by righteous anger.

-"He stood in the way, and the same will happen to anyone that does the same" the man threatened, making her heart skip a beat.

-"Now come..." he commanded.

The girl could feel cold sweat on her face and tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She was paralyzed by fear; her knees became weaker and threatened to collapse at any moment. Her body was shaking hard when loud shouting suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

-"NO! I won't let you!" Rudo countered fiercely.

-"A dragon that talks?! Now I've seen everything" the man replied.

-"If you understand, then this doesn't concern you kid, step aside and I won't have to kill you too" the unknown man threatened.

-"Go to hell!" the dragon responded.

-"Rudo! Please don't! There's too many of them!" Nina begged the dragon to stand down.

-"But... Nina!" the dragon complained.

-"I don't want you to die too! Don't you see?!"

-"Listen to the girl kiddo, this isn't your fight!" the masked man interrupted.

-"You shut up!" the dragon growled angrily.

-"What's the matter? Are you also that eager to die?" the unknown man asked menacingly, taking a single step towards the pair, sending chills down the spine of the poor girl.

Perhaps it was thanks to the adrenaline that right now was flooding her system, or maybe the sheer anger she was feeling at the moment that allowed the normally shy girl to stand up against her mentor's murderer. She could feel her heart beating inside her chest like never before. Was she ready to fight? What could she possibly do against several armed men by herself?

That was when it hit her like a ton of bricks.

The sudden realization brought her heart to a halt. Nina could not move, she could hardly breathe; the girl now understood how the unknown man standing in front of her was able to kill a warrior of such legendary status as Verkan so effortlessly and also why the northmen refused to even touch his dead body. Now it made perfect sense. She could recognize the man's stylish hat and the fancy choice of clothing by the stories she has been told and connect the dots.

The man in front of her was a wizard.

Nina collapsed on her knees, feeling hopeless and defeated. Why this has to happen to her?! Why were the northmen after her? Why now a freaking wizard shows up? The dejected girl looked at her companion next to her already prepared to fight and saw no point for the poor boy to risk his life for her. As fast and strong the dragon was, not even him was a match for a wizard.

-"Rudo… it's ok"

-"What?!" the dragon asked baffled.

-"I'll never forget what you did for me" the girl commented forcing an obviously sad smile at him and crying down a single tear.

-"You don't have to waste your life away for me! I don't want to watch you die!"

The dragon was left stupefied by the girl's response. What could have scared her like this? Was she going to give up now all of a sudden, just like that?

-"Leave the dragon! Take the girl!" the man commanded his men, interrupting his thoughts.

-"He'll be a good boy and stay put"

The men surrounding the pair began approaching them at a slow pace, walking past Rudo who remained motionless, looking at the ground perplexed and confused. They took Nina by her arms and gently lifted her from the ground and onto her own feet. The girl turned her head towards him, giving the dragon an apologetic glance one last time before closing her eyes to avert his gaze, walking away slowly and surrendering to her fate.

The dragon kept thinking about what just happened. He had done everything in his power to help the poor girl out, only for the girl to suddenly change her mind and submit herself to the men she was running away from. He kept thinking about the girl and her possible fate. He kept thinking about what little time they had shared, the vermin they had eaten, and the small rift they had shared together. Even though she proved to be rather difficult to be with most of the time, he came to the realization of one thing above everything else.

This little girl has been the only person in his entire life that showed him kindness.

There was no way in hell that he would desert her. Especially not now, that she needed him the most.

-"I won't..." the dragon mumbled, raising his head just slightly to look at the girl, which made her look over her shoulder and meet his gaze again.

-"I won't waste my life for you, little priestess..."

-"They will!" Rudo yelled.

Nina's watery eyes widened in shock when she realized what was about to happen next. The pair of mercenaries escorting the girl looked at each other astonished for a moment before trying to react.

It was too late; one of them released the girl's arm and tried to reach for his sword when he was rammed in the chest by the furious dragon and hurled away several yards against the remains of one of the burned down buildings, causing the entire structure to collapse over him.

One less.

Rudo had counted a total of eight men plus their leader before propelling himself forward with a powerful jump for the first attack, taking everyone except their leader, completely by surprise. The other man restraining the girl remained motionless, holding the girl against his body to shield himself from the rampaging dragon, having just witnessed the beast passing right next to him at an astonishing speed.

The rest of the men wasted no time to draw their swords and charge at the dragon. Rudo took advantage of the momentum of his previous attack to slide across the ground, knocking down another foe in his path. The dragon stood up with a quick movement and kicked the downed man in the stomach, making the unfortunate man throw up violently and knocking him unconscious.

The dragon then propelled himself into the fray, dodging the attacks thrown at him with amazing ease, speed, and agility; striking back with demolishing force and knocking the attackers down one after the other in rapid succession. The boy was restraining himself from outright killing them, as these mercenaries had not tried to hurt her like the northmen in the forest. But still, with kicks and punches capable of mangling limbs and break bones this was barely a comfort.

After watching such a breathtaking display of power and bravery, Nina found the courage to fight for herself again. She took advantage of the commotion to crush the toes of the man that was restraining her using the sole of her boots, causing the man to flinch in pain and lose his grip on her enough for the girl to get a hold of his arm, bite his hand and free herself from his grasp. Nina jumped out of his reach; the man tried to restrain her again quickly but was sent flying against a building with a powerful flying kick in the face courtesy of Rudo, taking down the last remaining foe and ending the fight.

Except for a single one.

The dragon then extended one hand to help the girl stand on her feet; the pair looked at each other for a brief instant before they were interrupted by a distinct clapping sound.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

-"Not bad kid! Not bad at all!" the unknown man spoke awestricken, congratulating Rudo and clapping slowly.

-"Those men were the best of the bunch, and yet you wiped the floor with them, I'm impressed!"

-"But enough of games" the man changed his tone to a sinister one, producing a strange-looking device out of its hip holster, sending chills down the spine of the frightened girl.

-"Rudo!" the girl reached out to her companion with a breaking voice.

-"H-He-he's a wizard!" the priestess warned him, overtaken by panic.

-"A wizard?!" the dragon asked, surprised.

-"A mage! A fire mage! Verkan told me about them! He wields powerful magick!" Nina explained frantically.

-"There is no thing called magick" Rudo replied.

-"I'm giving you one last chance kid, don't force my hand" warned the wizard.

-"Rudo, take me on your back and run! Please don't try fighting him!" the girl pleaded.

-"I'm not running Nina; I'll finish this!" the dragon replied sternly.

-"Rudo, please! Let's get out of here! He's way too powerful!" the girl objected, trying desperately to prevent the fight.

-"Even you don't stand a chance against him!" the girl warned him again, but the dragon kept ignoring her warnings.

-"He can kill you with a single spell! Just like he killed Verkan!" Nina tried to warn him again.

-"There is no magick Nina, and I will show you" Rudo replied just before turning to face the wizard.

-"YOU DON'T FOOL ME, FAKER!" the dragon yelled, much to the mage's surprise.

-"THAT'S NOT MAGICK! THAT'S A MACHINE!"

-"A... machine?" Nina asked, confused.

-"Do you have the slightest idea of what are you talking about?" the mage asked, frowning in annoyance.

-"I know what I'm saying!" the dragon growled in return.

-"You see that thing in his hand? I know what that thing is, it's not magick!" he turned towards the girl to explain.

-"It's a weapon! Just a weapon! It goes bang very loud and throws small balls through that tube really really fast!"

-"But it can only do that! After he spends them all, it's useless! And without it, he is just a man like everybody else!"

The girl was left speechless after hearing this revelation. It was like her world has not only been completely tumbled but also turned upside down. It would mean that everything she had read and known about magick, rituals, spirits, and everything else was wrong. Her mind went into a wild whirlwind about the possible repercussions of this. If the dragon was right about magick, could he also be right about the Gods?

-"How do you know that?" the mage asked, intrigued.

-"I've seen it before!" Rudo countered.

The unknown man pondered for a brief moment about what the boy has just spoken. The mere fact he was facing a talking dragon had already awakened a spark of curiosity, but now after hearing such a deep yet simple explanation on how his magick worked completely changed his perception of what was, until now, just a talking animal. The fact that he has completely decimated a group of seasoned mercenaries by himself only increased his interest.

This thing is something else!

-"You got me kiddo, I'm impressed! But don't underestimate me; I can still kill you with one shot" the mage threatened, aiming the strange-looking device towards the dragon.

-"Only if you can hit me" Rudo boasted in defiance.

-"Bullshit! You think you are faster than a bullet?!" the unknown man asked back in disbelief.

-"No! But I'm faster than you!" the dragon replied.

-"Then make my day!" the mage responded eagerly.

The dragon and the mage stared at each other for a moment that seemed like an impossibly long minute for the poor girl watching, her heart pounding so loudly that she wondered if any of them could hear it beating. Nina knew her fate was at the stake and tried her best to prevent her companion from fighting such a formidable foe without success. It was rather evident that both Rudo and the wizard were more than eager to best the other.

She mentally cursed the dragon for this massive exercise of stubbornness and futility for they could have easily just run away with her in his back and leave their pursuers behind with that breathtaking speed of his. But No! The fool has to choose to face him instead!

Please, Gods! Help him!

Rudo leaped towards the mage, with such explosive force that he left behind a giant cloud of dirt and dust; he flipped his body mid-air to connect the mage's body with the mightiest kick possible only to be left awestruck when he hit nothing but thin air. The mage anticipated an attack like this and contorted his upper body out of the path of the speeding dragon, dodging his attack in the nick of the time.

Their eyes met for the briefest of instants, and the dragon saw in them the confidence of someone who knows exactly what to do. He landed several yards away; nailing his claws on the ground and drifting across the dirt to reduce the momentum and come to a halt as fast as he could, creating yet another cloud of dust in the process. Through the corner of his eyes, the boy saw the mage pointing his weapon in his direction, much to his shock.

A deafening thunder echoed through the deserted village, making the poor girl jump in the air from the sudden thrill and fall flat on her butt, scaring her soul out of her body. Rudo could hardly react to it, tilting his head out of the way with lightning-fast reflexes, dodging the mage's fiery projectile just barely, still feeling it grazing his cheek.

It was exactly at this moment that Rudo realized that he might have committed a big mistake.

This guy is something else!

The boy charged again at full speed, changing course every few steps to make aiming for the mage as difficult as possible. Rudo used one of the still-standing stone walls of one of the razed buildings to propel himself against and surround his foe. He landed right behind the mage, but he had already turned towards the dragon and aimed his weapon towards him with amazing quickness and precision.

Another thunder echoed through the buildings after the wizard fired, making the girl watching the fight almost wet herself again. Rudo could duck in the last instant and dodged the blast, feeling it pass right over his head, this time, however, he was left with enough leverage to charge undisrupted. He changed direction again after a few paces just in time to avoid a third blast that barely grazed his tail.

The dragon leaped again for another attack against the mage, who jumped out of the way with a quick movement, managing to avoid the blow launched by the creature for just a few inches. The mage then turned and fired three shots in rapid succession when Rudo was still airborne and unable to move. The boy saw the flashes and the smoke created by the blasts and contorted his body violently in such a way that made him spin mid-air, feeling the fiery bolts dangerously graze his body, only missing their mark by the most stupid amounts of sheer luck.

The wizard aimed his weapon after Rudo landed a few yards away, but a loud metallic click alerted the boy that the mage's weapon was now empty. The dragon charged headlong again but the mage pulled out another weapon from his back with outstanding speed and pointed it at him. The boy's quick reflexes saw the imminent danger and he tried to come to a desperate halt, carving the ground under his feet which formed a giant cloud of dust, launching innumerable amounts of debris towards his foe, disrupting his aiming. Rudo jumped above the dust just in time to avoid the mage's blast that hit the ground he was standing on just a moment ago. The wizard looked surprised, perplexed; not only had the dragon evaded all of his attacks, but he also wasted all his shots and was left in a very disadvantageous position, with the dragon right in front and above him, and ready to attack.

He was now completely at his mercy.

The young priestess watched the whole battle without batting an eye, trembling in anguish, holding her breath, and praying to the Gods. Now she could finally see a spark of hope as victory was near. Rudo twisted his body and hurled his mightiest kick yet aimed directly at the man's head, having anticipated a gory result.

The momentum from the kick was so brutal that the boy made a complete spin in the air when he missed his target after the mage had moved his head out of the way in the last second, yet the gust of wind created by the kick was so strong that knocked the hat out of wizard's head. The dragon landed violently over his back, flinching in pain and creating yet another cloud of dust, the mage grabbed his foe by the arm and put a boot over his neck, completely restraining him.

Nina's heart stopped.

The wizard then holstered his main weapon and step by step, he opened a small port in the device, ejected a small metallic cylinder out of it, produced a new one from his bandolier, and inserted it in the same place where the expended one used to be, all in incredibly quick succession using only a single hand. The mage then took the device out of his holster and slid the rotating mechanism against his forearm to index it in the correct position. He then pointed it at the boy who could only stare back at him in disbelief.

-"Did you really think you could win?!" the mage asked loudly.

-"You're not the first dragon I've fought!" he shouted.

-"The first one that talks though!"

Rudo tried his hardest to tell the poor girl to escape but the wizard pressing his foot over his neck and chin prevented him from speaking. The mage managed to trick him into thinking that the boy had the upper hand every moment when it was the other way around in reality. Rudo fell head-on in his trap and now the bastard had the dragon exactly where he wanted.

And now, he was about to pay the ultimate price.

-"You're good kid; I have to admit I'm surprised" the mage spoke.

-"But I must take the girl... and this... has to end" he continued, changing his tone to a somber one and pulling a small lever from the device with his thumb, getting it ready.

-"I'm sorry... nothing personal"

Clank!

The dragon heard the bluntest metallic crack imaginable and immediately felt the mage's grip on him loosening all of a sudden.

The mage fell on his knees, holding the back of his head with his hands due to the excruciating pain. A second, much louder clank sent the wizard face-first right against the ground, unconscious. Rudo immediately pulled himself up and sat, desperately trying to catch the breath that the wizard deprived him of when he stood over his neck. He then looked up to find out who his savior was, only to find a fearful, shaking girl standing right next to where his foe was laying, holding an iron cauldron that she had salvaged from one of the razed buildings just moments ago on her trembling hands and on the verge of tears.

-"You… saved me!" the dragon spoke, still trying to catch his breath.

The girl dropped the cauldron and quickly walked around the wizard's body, wasting no time to kick the strange-looking device out of his hands as far away as possible, she then turned towards the boy with a concerned face.

-"Are you alright?" the girl asked.

-"Yeah, thanks to you" Rudo replied.

-"I'm so glad!" Nina replied, throwing herself on top of him into a tight hug, the girl let the waterfalls open and finally broke down in tears of relief.

-"Why did you do that you damned fool! You could have died!" the girl berated him for his stubbornness, whimpering and struggling to correctly pronounce the words.

-"What I'm supposed to do if something happens to you?!"

-"A spit shake means you never break your word, remember?" the dragon recalled, looking down at her, confused and embarrassed in the same amount by her sudden reaction, unable to decide whether to hug the girl back or not.

Nina was deeply moved by his noble yet childish, almost stupid willingness to uphold his promise no matter the costs. If last night the boy proved his courage, now he also had her complete trust.

-"Please don't do that again!" Nina pleaded crying.

The girl kept crying for a few minutes more, embracing tightly with the creature that she could now dare to call a friend. Together, they accomplished something that many people, including her, believed impossible: defeating a mage in combat.

As she looked at said mage twitching in the ground, trying to awake and regain consciousness, a single question remained in her mind.

What the hell do they want from me?

She was going to find it out soon enough.