The first thing Naya saw was the bright red lights coming from the air near the top of the door. But It wasn't a light. It was two dancing balls of flame, large and red as blood.
--Impossible... --Lia sounded horrified.
An elongated skull inched through the gate with menacing, curved horns that stretched outwards like wicked scythes. Though now bone, the rows of jagged teeth lined its gaping maw.
The red lights of fiery crimson blazed within its eye sockets, casting an eerie glow across its skeletal features.
[A dragon...]
"How?"
Sophia and Naya asked simultaneously.
Naya broke from her stupor.
[Stupid!]
She instantly exploded into action and with a pull on her Arcana, a small orb formed and launched toward Verala with tremendous speed.
But she didn't stop there; Naya moved immediately after letting the ball go.
--Stop, jump back!--
Naya felt it, too, and aimed her hand forward instantly with a purple explosion to propel backward.
She stopped at the base of the altar, right where she started.
Above where she would have landed, a 3-foot spear made entirely of bone pierced the altar up to its end. She hadn't even heard its descent nor its impact. It left the ground and floated toward Verala, yet with no sound.
A quake shook the chamber.
The elongated claws of the undead Dragon became visible as it slammed its foot outside the gate. Its steps alone seemed to cause the chamber to rumble.
The Dragon corpse was moving forward.
Eventually, Naya saw the bones of its long neck.
--She actually... That's a Dragon child corpse... --Lia was having difficulty forming sentences; her voice carried her horror.
Naya couldn't even imagine it.
The appearance of an adult corpse caused her own isolated people to move. Yet Verala had a child at her call in the underground chambers of a random human city.
[Not only did she manage to get the corpse of an Elf, but even a Dragon's child? ]
--There's no way this was her doing... she can't even make fully functioning undead yet.--
Another slam into the ground; the Dragon was moving slowly, but each step filled Naya's heart with trepidation.
[The Kingdom supposedly helping Witches...]
She had dismissed it as not her problem, but if the help went to the extent of even giving her a corpse that valuable...
--It has to be an Empire that can turn its head from such a fantastic power... But think about it; if the Necromantic Witch matures, that would be just as valuable.--
[That's why she hid in Rozen. ]
It would normally be a place where she could gather her power slowly. If she could get a funnel of bodies from what Naya assumed was the war-town western continent, then she'd be able to rise to a world-class threat.
[Why would another Witch betray her?]
The entire situation didn't make any sense.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing..." Sophia muttered.
"Is that a Dragon?" Rula asked in horror.
The top half of the Dragon's corpse was now visible.
The maw was stretched open, its head pointed toward the ceiling as if attempting to roar, but no noise came out. It was a sad sight; a majestic creature turned to that.
It continued its slow advance.
"Can you teleport it?" Naya returned to Sophia's side and asked.
Sophia shook her head, "That red fire represents an artificial soul, which counts as some form of will; it won't enter my gate."
Naya's brow quirked slightly, but she turned her head back to the corpse. [What is an artificial soul?]
--Last I heard of it was when it was a new field to create smarter puppets for dollmasters. --
[So... The power is an attempt to create an intelligent Dragon undead.]
If she could mimic even a fraction of the power a living Dragon was said to have, she would be catastrophic.
One more ground-shaking step.
The Dragon's body was now on full display, or at least, the shell of what it once was.
Even the boned frame was massive, with its head reaching the ceiling of the chambers. Naya guessed its height about 50 feet into the air. The bones of its wings ended in a sharp tip, with the tops serrated as well. The spinal column had jagged edges running from the top of its head down to the tip of its tail.
"Good luck with this guy." Velara giggled. She was resting on a seat made entirely of bone, rubbing her wounded neck. Floating behind her were 3 more bone spears. The 4th floating before her.
Those spears weren't there before, and Naya noticed 4 cylinder holes in the altar.
--I can't imagine what kind of attacks it has.--
[It doesn't appear to want to attack us yet...]
But that was a good thing.
For now, it was just slowly moving its massive head around the room. It behaved like a hatchling, experiencing the world for the first time.
"So that's it; a new artificial soul," Sophia spoke in realization. "She was found out too early." She whispered the last part.
Naya didn't know how they worked, and Lia didn't know of them past their basic idea. Still, it was self-explanatory.
[A way for mortals to play gods.]
--It has better applications than just... this. --Lia spoke absentmindedly, clearly still in awe over the Dragon's corpse.
If what Sophia said was right, they literally had to be raised like a child. Naya didn't like the sound of that. The puppetmaster Elf she knew got the same lifelike effect with her own powers.
The atmosphere was tense.
Naya didn't want to haphazardly attack the beast, lest she force them to face the full brunt of a Dragon's rage.
However, a big part of her also wanted to keep the Dragon bones fully intact.
The titanic figure started moving again.
One big swing of its legs forward sent a gust of wind billowing through Naya's hair. The ground rumbled as it took a steady step forward.
"Rula, move back to the entrance." Naya turned her head back, commanding without taking her gaze away from the Dragon.
"I can still-"
"No, you won't even be able to scratch its bones," Sophia interjected before Naya could. "Go to the gate and use Morp to keep yourself safe."
"What about you guys?!" Rula's tone was panicked and helpless.
"This is a battle even we did not expect to happen in our wildest dreams," Sophia said stoically.
"Rula, now," Naya commanded; her tone was also icy.
Rula harrumphed but patted Morp's shoulder. "L-let's go, Morp." It sounded like she bit back a cry.
Morp complied, turning its body around and sauntering back to the entrance. Rula didn't take her eyes off Sophia and Naya. Naya could feel her burning stare.
"What do you wanna do?" Sophia asked, standing beside Naya with her arms crossed.
"Keep its corpse intact."
--You're crazy... but I understand. --Lia spoke in resignation.
The Dragon was still looking around the room unhurriedly, allowing them plenty of time to strategize. Naya wasn't in a rush; she had no clue how to fight the creature. Her magic likely wouldn't even scratch those bones even at full power.
Dragon bones were considered mystical because they were the world's strongest material. They were used to create powerful artifacts, cast the most potent spells, and create the most deadly weapons. Of course, there were many more applications she wasn't taught of.
"The legends state that only a Dragon bone can cut another Dragon bone." Sophia then sighed regretfully. "It feels both terrifying yet disappointing at the same time."
"What?" Naya looked at her.
"I mean, we're seeing what was once the ruler of the skies, the most powerful creatures to ever exist... but in this form." Sophia had a regretful tone, but the trepidation in her voice was not hidden.
--It's truly such a waste. --
While the form was daunting, it was far less scary than seeing the whole body. The bones did wonders for showing what it once was. The serrated edges all over the bones, the scythe-like horns, the long claws, and the tail stretched back to nearly the room it came out of.
The form was daunting, but it seemed to move very slowly.
[Dragons aren't strong physically; their power lies in magic.]
--Right, they usually create their own laws within the area around them. They're the closest thing to a natural god.--
Naya glanced back toward Verala.
She had a patient smirk, with her legs crossed and her hands resting in her lap. When she caught Naya's stare, she waved.
Finally, the Dragon's head turned toward Verala, tilting slightly.
Naya's face became grave. Any moment, it would attack.
The Dragon's head tilted slightly in both directions, but Verala never glanced at it.
It would almost be cute had it not been a harbinger of destruction.
Then, it turned its head toward Naya and Sophia.
Its maw opened in what would have been a roar, but it had no vocal capability.
The bone wings unfurled, showcasing what was once a massive wingspan with just bone.
Two of the columns of bone on its wings started shaking.
"It's starting," Sophia commented.
Naya jumped back, as did Sophia, though not with as much force.
The red flames in its eye sockets brightened, and the two shaking columns of bone detached. They were massive, given the wings' size, and they both floated to the front of the Dragon.
Naya pulled on her Arcana; she knew it would be fruitless to try and break the Dragon, but she could at least use the force to redirect whatever bone it threw at them. Or to dodge, which was her more expected route.
She conjured two orbs and filled them with Wild Arcana, barely holding on to their stability.
[Damn my luck, I keep encountering physical-based magic...]
Her ability to cancel magic couldn't stop the force behind the bone projectiles, even if she did have the defense to touch them.
--You just need to touch the eyes!--
[Do those actually house the magic? ]
--It will at least shatter the artificial soul, allowing Sophia to move the corpse to her Void.--
[But then Verala would just control the Dragon directly.]
One option was better than the other; Naya doubted Verala could very well control a corpse of that magnitude.
The columns of bone began to separate into tens of smaller chunks. Though a corpse, the Dragon clearly held on to the arrogance they were said to have.
--The only thing the body has going for it is its indestructibility. It can fuel other spells, but Verala is a witch, so it shouldn't be an issue here.--
[You curse me with those words.]
"Plan?" Sophia asked, now beside Naya again, though it took her a bit longer to do so.
Neither of them took their eyes off the columns of bone separating slowly.
"I will hit its eyes."
"And destroy the artificial soul," Sophia spoke in immediate recognition. "Good plan! If we can even get all the way up there."
There were now tens of massive chunks of bone floating around the Dragon, like a belt of boulders. It stared at Naya and Sophia for a moment longer.
--The one thing Dragons loved doing was showing mortals their folly. It will wait for you to attack, then crush any hope you have. Very similar to the Elves, you guys are cut from the same cloth.--
Naya wanted to rebuke, but she had done that exact thing many times. It was literally the nature of her powers.
"It seems like it wants us to attack first." Sophia smiled.
Naya didn't understand how it maintained some mannerisms from when it was alive. [Perhaps it was just engrained into its very bones.]
"I won't disappoint." Naya burst into action.
She pushed one foot backward and launched forward with all the momentum she could muster.
A gust of wind in her wake, using her newfound physical strength to boost her movement speed.
She quickly arrived below the head of the beast, yet it didn't even take a glance downward.
An explosion of purple Arcana below her and Naya propelled into the air.
To the left, a massive boulder of bone that had separated from the wings rushed toward her.
But that wasn't all.
From the right, another. Then one above, then another below.
The Dragon wanted to crush her in one go.
Naya let go of her hold on the two spheres she had formed earlier, and they launched toward the Dragon's snout. At the same time, she fired another burst from her front.
She catapulted backward.
A resounding impact, as if massive boulders collided against each other with extreme force.
[They didn't change direction.]
However, the shockwave sent Naya hurtling backward even more.
An explosion akin to a clap of thunder shook the frame of the Dragons snout, even sending its head slamming into the chamber above.
Stone and rock fell from the ceiling, and a crack formed, threatening to spread further.
Naya used more Arcana to stop her backward momentum, then another to lessen the falling impact.
She landed gracefully.
A moment later, another bone boulder forced her to hurriedly use more Arcana to launch herself backward.
The noises and shockwaves of the impact threatened to burst her eardrums.
They were too big to dodge manually; she had to keep consuming Arcana in a steady stream for instant, fast movement.
But it still didn't stop.
Each bone boulder was like a hammer, coming up and smashing into her area with resounding explosions of stone and dust.
Her lines had lowered to her elbows.
The Dragon was stunned from the earlier hit, not because it was hurt but seemingly because of the audacity to attack it.
Its head moved down slowly, and the red flames in its eyes roared in fury.
Two more columns broke off from its wings and, this time, separated quickly.
Naya was already having difficulty dodging the tens coming at her nearly all at once.
If she was a fraction slower, she'd be dead.
The shockwaves alone shook her body to its core, and the noises were making her wish her ears didn't get enhanced.
--I can take your hearing if you give me permission!--
[No!]
It would help, but she never wanted to feel a part of her body leave her control.
Another slam into the ground before her, stone shards whizzing through the air around her.
Naya had to move in unpredictable ways, mainly at angles that would launch her into the air and in a random direction.
Sophia was helplessly watching as the Dragon now had its entire attention placed on Naya.
This was precisely what Naya wanted, and it allowed Sophia to devise whatever plans she could.
Another deafening impact to her right, and Naya nearly slammed right into the bone.
Which sparked an idea.
That bone immediately rose into the air, and the next was already in its place.
Rather than dodge, Naya used a timed burst of Arcana to launch herself above it.
A more minor burst moved her, and she landed on top of it briefly after it had impacted the ground.
The roar of bone slamming into stone, the stone and dust it launched into the air, and the inability of the Dragon to see everything let her quietly land atop it.
Looking down, Naya saw tens of impact craters dotting the chambers; she had pretty much dodged all around the chambers now. At least the top half of it.
In less than a second, the bone rose into the air.
Then It froze.
It gently bobbed up and down in the air, awaiting its following command.
Naya looked out through the cacophony of brutal explosions as bones slammed into stone.
She had made it a point to navigate toward the far right side of the chamber.
It seemed the Dragon was attacking blindly, slamming bone into the ground as if a hail. But that would have been more than enough for anyone but her.
The extra two columns of bone circled around the Dragon's neck, likely to stop Naya from advancing toward its head. They were even smaller than the ones slamming into the ground. If she were to go near, it'd launch into a hurricane and tear her body to pieces.
It probably eagerly wanted her to try.
Naya wasn't sure how she would advance, but she did realize something else.
[Verala can't give it orders, then.]
--Otherwise, you wouldn't be up here.--
Soon, the hailstorm of bone started to lessen, and each bone began to hover gently in the air one by one. Shortly, all of them were floating peacefully.
The Dragon's head tilted downward, swiping its gaze around the myriad craters dug into the ground. Some of them were quite deep.
It's head tilted in curiosity.
[It can't feel its bones, either.]
--Nor is it intelligent enough to think you'd be on top of one.--
[I get it now.]
The Dragon couldn't control each bone at once, given how many it had; it willed them to float in a specific place.
Naya would have no hope of surviving if they all launched at once.
However, it could quickly switch command to a new bone and will it in a direction with extreme force. Then, it lets momentum do the rest.
The bones were all stationary in the control zone around the Dragon.
--Every Dragon has a control zone; normally, even entering it would be instant death. --
Within the zone, each bone would hover until the Dragon took control.
It showed Naya how a real Dragons abilities may have worked.
--Correct.--
The Dragon had its neck lowered, bringing its head close to the ground to investigate each crater.
It didn't help that hills of stone and rock were scattered all over the chambers. It wouldn't be able to tell if Naya died because of that.
[Wait, the Dragon's control zone commands each bone one by one.]
--You would have to wait for each bone one by one, wait for it to take command of it, then touch it to shatter its control.--
When the bones weren't impacting, the control zone was a blanket magic that only kept them hovering. However, when it took control, it became a direct spell. If it worked how Naya expected it to work, she could cancel it.
--You need to let me help you filter out any Arcana you get.--
The Dragon finally raised its neck, but its attention went toward the front of the chambers, where Sophia stood with her arms crossed.
It raised its head in another soundless roar.
The Dragon was switching targets.
Naya had to move now.