Kim didn't have time to think about what might have happened to Jonas. All she knew was that he'd been knocked away. Even as the magical volleys that she could tell were doing at least some damage diminished, she didn't let her attention shift away from the dragon.
She had managed to amputate a couple more toes from the dragon, which seemed to dissolve into nothing as it separated from the flames of the dragon's body, but she knew she had a long way to go if the kept on at that pace. It felt more like she was doing superficial damage rather than anything meaningful. Like the dragon would be able to heal those injuries easily somehow.
As Kim dodged a snapping maw after a swing of the dragon's foot, she leapt forward swinging her bastard sword, slicing into the dragon's chest. While it first seemed like it was going to be a clean, deep cut, when it struck the breastbone of the dragon, it almost felt like it had encountered a hard piece of metal that had her sword bounce completely out of the wound she'd opened up. Part of what felt so surprising was the fact how after it had burst into flames, cutting through its skin had started to feel easier. Where there wasn't as much resistance.
Kim quickly moved back before the dragon could strike again. She didn't know what happened, but she didn't think that she should try that again. Not with how her arms still felt like they were vibrating from that impact.
Kim watched the dragon carefully, not sure what its next move would be, but as another volley of a magical fiery column erupted on its back, Kim dashed forward, ignoring a burst of flame from the dragon's mouth, swinging her sword at the left foreleg of the dragon, feeling the blade slice through something that felt similar to muscle in the leg, although she couldn't be sure about what it was exactly.
As the blade completed the swing, Kim suddenly felt like the dragon was off balance. Not that she thought it would help her out much, given how it had three legs still that it could balance on. At least unless it took time to heal its other leg.
Determined not to give the dragon a chance to do just that, Kim ran up to the dragon's chest and plunged her blade as deeply as it would go into the dragon's chest. She didn't know where its heart or lungs might be located, but she was still confident that its chest was still where those would be. Where she had the best chance of doing some serious damage. Maybe even a way to kill it without have to drag this fight out much longer.
When the sword was stopped only by the hilt, Kim tried to pull the sword free, but it felt like it was stuck. She didn't know what else to do about it, so she let it go as the dragon tried to crush her by dropping its body at right where she had been standing.
Kim didn't like abandoning her sword, but it wasn't like she had much choice at the moment. She still had her short sword, but it wasn't like the sword that was still in the dragon's chest. The sword that was sitting in the dragon, like how the legendary sword Excalibur was in the stone.
As she retreated to just out of range of the dragon, Kim drew her short sword, hoping that she wouldn't get this one stuck in the dragon as well. While the dragon wasn't moving as fast as it had been, which Kim attributed to the blade of the sword causing a good amount of pain where it was positioned inside the dragon's chest, she could still tell that the dragon wasn't close to be defeated yet. Not with what damage she'd been able to deal so far.
A moment later, Kim jumped to the side before running at the dragon as it let out another plume of flame from its mouth. Even though it had used its breath a few times, Kim had already recognized that when it shot its flame out, that she had a moment where she could charge in and make an attack herself without worrying about the dragon being able to counterattack her.
As Kim swung the short sword at the dragon's neck, she wasn't surprised that the shortened length of the short sword didn't allow her to make up the difference as the dragon moved its head away from Kim's swing.
However, as she had a moment before she knew the dragon would attack again, she grasped the hilt of her bastard sword and tried pulling it, ignoring the pain of the searing heat from the metal, only to find it was still stuck. She was confident that she'd be able to free her sword if she could get enough time, only she doubted the dragon would allow her that.
She fell to the ground and rolled away as she heard the dragon's foot swinging towards her, where it barely missed her and slapped itself in the chest. Kim wondering if she should just give up on her word, since it would take too much time in this fight to free it. Time that she didn't have and would likely get killed before she could even start wiggling the blade.
However, as she came to her feet from her rolling, she couldn't help but be surprised as the dragon not only had lost it's fiery appearance and was how it had before it had burst into flames, but it was staggering, like it was dazed or in serious pain.
Then almost as if the dragon had lost all will to fight, it collapsed on the ground, not moving. The heat from its body still giving it an oppressive aura. To where Kim wasn't sure she should approach it. At least not until she was confident that it wasn't going to burn her as she did what she could to cut her sword out of the dragon.
"This wasn't how I expected to go," the dragon wheezed, surprising Kim that it was still alive, let alone able to talk.
"Why did you attack us?" Kim asked, not wanting to throw this chance away. If it could talk, then it could give them information.
"I knew that if I absorbed your systems, then I'd be able to fully become a fire dragon," the dragon answered, it's voice high and thin, like it was running out of breath to speak.
"Who are you?" Kim asked, feeling like she should know the answer. Yet, maybe it was because of the rush of the battle or because she was so tired at the moment, but nothing came to mind about the dragon.
The dragon made a sound that rumbled the ground a little. It almost felt like weak laughter. "I guess I didn't make that much of an impression on you," the dragon answered. "We met before and I told you I've been called 'Aquis' by humans before."
Kim felt like she understood a little, but for some reason, her mind refused to really work with that. Like she heard the words, and while she knew what they meant, they still held no meaning for her.
Maybe she took to long to say something more or Aquis had noticed her hesitation to say anything more, so he continued. "I'm sure you've probably guessed that not everything I told you was true. Such as how I didn't know how fire dragons came into being."
Kim shrugged. She really didn't care about that. She was only interested in dealing with the fire dragon mentioned by the announcer. While Aquis had seemed to become a fire dragon for a short bit, she doubted that this would count as completing the dragon to slay the fire dragon.
"Doesn't matter to me," Kim said simply. "Though, I would like to know why you were trying to become a fire dragon."
If she knew that, then maybe she'd be able to understand something else. She couldn't say what it would be, just that she felt like she needed to know. Like it would be important.
Aquis let out a labored breath, the weak rumbling laughter returning. "You may have already guessed, but I was given a system myself. There were three other dragons during that time who were also brought. I'm the last of those and I want to return to my world, but the only way would be to burn down the barriers between the worlds. My descendants don't care so much about doing that, while I can't let it go."
Aquis paused as his breathing grew even more labored for a moment before returning to how it had been. "Not all dragons can become fire dragons and I had to seek ways to get even more power in order to reach the thresh hold to become a fire dragon." As the weak rumbling laughter came again, Kim couldn't help but feel rather annoyed. "I was almost there. If I at those of you in your group, I'm certain I'd have at last reached the level I needed to become a true fire dragon. Not being on the edge, only able to be a fire dragon in spurts."
"So, what did you think you'd be able to do if you had managed to return to your own world?" Kim asked, feeling like this dragon had only allowed himself a half-baked plan.
"Then I would return to what I had been doing when I was first forced here," Aquis answered simply, his eyes starting to glaze over as his breathing started to get more and more shallow. "I would have… been able… to…"
Kim waited for a minute after Aquis stopped speaking, only to realize he'd died. Not that she was really upset about it, but she felt like she'd been robbed of some information that she might have been able to use. Even if it was only to find a way to be with Elin after they'd returned to their own worlds.
She didn't know if it would have been something that would help her, but it's not like it would have hurt, either.