"Good to see you made it, Ash," Anna said, pushing herself away from the wall. "We were starting to think you got lost."
Ashton rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Fortunately, I did, Anna, and I had some last-minute training to finish."
Otiga laughed, suggestively shaking her hands in a to-and-fro motion. "Training, huh? Is that what you're calling it these days?"
Ashton shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "You know I'm not interested in that kind of thing, Otiga. I'm here to do a job, nothing more."
"Right, right," Otiga said, still smirking. "Just remember, Ashton, all work and no play makes for a dull life."
Ashton opened his mouth to reply, but Kass called out to them before he could say anything. "The ship is ready to go, guys. We should get moving if we want to make it to our destination in time."
Anna nodded, her expression serious. "Right. Everyone get on board. Let's get this show on the road."
The four of them quickly made their way onto the spacecraft, strapping themselves into their seats as Kass piloted the ship out of the hangar bay. Ashton couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement as the engines roared to life, propelling them into the vast expanse of space.
It wasn't a new occurrence. Whenever he left the Tower to explore the vast space, Ashton always felt how inconsequential their lives were in front of the universe, yet they were there, trying to make a difference.
[No need to get all philosophical on me now! Damn, I miss your stupid self.]
***
The sleek ship cruised through the starry void, its occupants gathered in the cockpit as they flew towards their destination. As soon as they were all strapped in, Otiga began the briefing.
"So, the monster we're going after is a Drakonian," she said, her voice grave. "They are one of the most dangerous species in the galaxy and are known for their incredible strength, agility and robustness.
They can literally survive in space for centuries without drinking or eating, just to tell you how pesky those gigantic serpents can be."
Ashton leaned forward in his seat, his attention entirely focused on Otiga. He was always eager to learn more about the monsters and aliens they encountered on their missions. Especially if he was going to inherit their abilities.
"Drakonians are, as you can guess, reptilian in nature, with scales covering their entire body," Otiga continued. "They have long, sharp claws and teeth capable of tearing through even the toughest materials. And their tails are incredibly strong, capable of crushing anything to dust with just one swing."
Anna and Kass exchanged worried glances while Ashton's expression remained stoic. He had faced numerous deadly monsters in the past, and a Drakonian didn't seem anything he wouldn't expect from a mythical monster.
"But that's not all," Otiga said, her voice dropping even lower. "Drakonians also can breathe fire. And not just any fire, mind you. Their flames are said to be hotter than the sun and can incinerate anything in their path."
"It doesn't matter the type, as long as it's 'fire'; I can take care of it," Ashton confidently nodded.
Ashton was confident as Seraph's crystal embedded in his hand granted him complete immunity to fire, no matter if it was regular fire or hellfire.
Although Anna, too, had some resistance to fire, she did not have immunity which meant Ashton would have to face the beast alone. As for the rest... well, it was better if they supported Ashton from a safe distance.
Moreover, Ashton was already looking for creatures he could use to merge with Drakon to strengthen the chimaera, and a Drakonian seemed perfect for the job.
[Heck, considering their names, it almost feels like this was a fated encounter.]
"However," Otiga said, her tone becoming slightly more optimistic. "Drakonians also have a few weaknesses. Their eyes are their most vulnerable spot, and a well-placed shot can blind them temporarily. And their underbellies are also softer than the rest of their scales, making them easier to penetrate."
"It shares the same weaknesses as any other dragon?" Anna pointed out.
"It does. But a Drakonian has a far superior healing ability than any other known draconic species. They can heal their wounds instantaneously, and that is what makes them so formidable."
Ashton nodded, taking in all the information before smiling. It almost felt like he was born to kill a Draconian as he had an answer for all the creature's 'fearsome' abilities.
The Drakonian's Flames couldn't hurt him, and as far as its healing ability was concerned, Ashton had two solutions for it.
First was the werewolf skill [Aggravate] which would literally make the Drakonian endlessly, and no amount of healing factor would be able to save it.
The second and final method was using [Scorch Rain]. The fiery-acidic could negate any type of healing ability.
'Now imagine what would happen if simultaneously used both skills?'
[A quick yet painful death. Although, you'd need to be careful about that tail of it. It wouldn't be surprising if the creature began thrashing around in pain. You know what I mean?]
Ashton nodded. Astaroth was correct. Although he would be fighting off the Drakonian by himself, he wasn't necessarily alone. Otiga, Kass and Anna would be there or at least somewhere nearby and getting them hit wasn't an option.
"Okay, everyone, let's get ready. We're almost there." Kass's voice broke through the radio.
"Got it," Ashton replied as they all strapped themselves to their seats, "I think it'll be better for me to take this Drakonian on by myself."
"What? At least I can help-" Anna immediately shot the idea down, but Ashton cut her off.
"You are strong and have resistance to fire. I know that... we all do. But this isn't ordinary temperatures we're talking about here." Ashton made his point clear. "As such, I'm not letting you anywhere close to that thing, and that's final."
Visit freewe𝑏n(o)vel.𝑐𝘰𝑚 for the best novel reading experience