193 Dragon Fight
Roar...
The dragon, resembling a slimy blob, released a deafening roar that reverberated throughout the platform. It was astounding that a creature made entirely of goo could produce such a thunderous sound from its throat, but in Fragmental, a world of fantasy, anything was possible.
The Ice Dragon snarled as it confronted the two Darkness Dragons, looming before it. Its deep blue eyes scanned the peculiar creature, fixating on it with an icy cold glare, as though attempting to freeze it in place.
“...”
Leo scowled as he gazed at the two Darkness Dragons, his eyes fixated on the blob that was a clone of the original creature.
“He’s a prince...”
He muttered under his breath, his tone laced with a hint of disdain. In the world of dragons, a prince was a creature with the potential to become a king, provided it lived long enough. The king, also known as an Ancient Dragon, possessed the longevity to last for tens of thousands of years.
Princes possessed several rare abilities, such as the power to create clones of themselves or to warp between different realities and appear in various locations.
Leo cautiously pressed his body against the cavern’s wall, moving steadily toward the ledge. This fight had already spiraled out of control, and he knew that he would be doomed if he remained too close to a battling Dragon Prince.
.....
Huff...
Leo could feel his heart beating slightly faster than usual, but he forced himself to remain calm. Carefully placing his feet, he made his way to the edge of the platform without incident and began climbing once more.
Roar...
Suddenly, a deafening roar reverberated through the mountain, causing the slippery rocks beneath Leo’s grasp to tremble violently. He struggled to maintain his grip, barely managing to hold on.
“Shit!” he cursed under his breath.
The Ice Dragon seemed to hold on against the Prince, and quite a well, Leo noticed both of the
Suddenly, the two creatures burst out of the cavern and took their fight to the sky. Leo felt a twinge of regret – he could have stayed safely on the platform. But it was too late now. Descending the mountain was far more complex and dangerous than climbing it.
Thud...
As he ascended, Leo tried to ignore the aerial battle raging behind him. However, his senses suddenly screamed a warning, and he quickly casted ‘Shadow Protection’ above his head. Just in time, too – a rain of debris pelted the shield, causing Leo’s heart to race with fear. He knew that the shield could only block one projectile.
Suddenly, a Yeti stepped out of his Shadow. The creature used its muscular limbs to climb higher than Leo, and then gnashed at the cliff face to create a protective shield of meat.
“...”
Leo watched as the falling debris struck his Shadow, tearing at its flesh and wounding its body. Fortunately, the Yeti remained unmoved, blocking most of the projectiles and shielding Leo from harm..
Roar...
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the mountain as the Ice Dragon rammed the Darkness Dragon’s clone into the cliff just a few dozen feet away from Leo. The impact was so great that Leo lost his grip and fell several meters before managing to grab onto a ledge.
“Fuck!”
Leo cursed through gritted teeth, feeling intense pain shoot through his arm. He quickly used his other hand to grab onto the cliff, his right hand now numb and several bones likely broken.
He was even unable to drink a potion to heal his injury, as he now only had one arm left to use.
“...”
Leo took a moment to steady himself and dull the pain before beginning his search for a place to rest.
He spotted a small rock jutting out of the cliff just above him – if he could reach it, he could sit and catch his breath. However, the rock was a dozen feet away, and with only one arm, it seemed impossible to reach.
Gritting his teeth, Leo slowly raised his leg and placed it on the slippery edge of the cliff, pushing himself a few inches upwards.
He repeated this process, almost losing his balance several times, until he finally reached the protruding rock.
From his vantage point, Leo could see the three massive figures locked in battle in the sky.
The Ice Dragon had lost a significant portion of its azure scales on its side and had a deep claw mark on its right wing.
Meanwhile, the Darkness Dragon had a bleeding crevice in its chest, as if it had been punched. Even its clone was not as detailed as it had been at the beginning of the fight.
The Dragons continued to stare each other down with unhidden malice and clashed once more, but Leo barely registered the fight anymore. He quickly consumed a healing potion and resumed his climb.
As he ascended, Leo found that his bone blades were more of a hindrance than a help. He had initially thought to use them to grip onto the mountain, but it soon became apparent that the sturdy cliff was impervious to his strength attribute, making it impossible to stab the blades into the rock. The blades were now more of an annoyance than anything.
“...”
As he climbed higher, he could see the glint of white and azure scales reflecting light and realized he was nearing the top of the mountain. He slowed his pace considerably and focused on moving quietly.
The Dragons that awaited him at the top had been designed by the game developers to guard the entrance to the mountain from the summit, but they could be outsmarted. It was surprising that the Dragons had slept through the battle between their kin, but were known to be easily awakened by the slightest crunch of snow.
Roar...
Leo stole a final glance at the battling dragons and quickly snapped a picture of the Darkness Dragon. He knew that once the game progressed and the player base reached this point, he could brag about having encountered a Prince Dragon.
“Fuck this day!”
***
As soon as Leo vanished from sight, the Darkness Dragon growled lowly, fixating its murderous gaze on the Ice Dragon.
[ DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’VE DONE, HE WAS A CANDIDATE, I NEEDED TO KILL HIM!!! ]
its screeching voice echoed in the Ice Dragon’s head. However, the Ice Dragon merely shook its head, snarling at the Dragon Prince.
[ YOU ARE A WEAKLING, WHO DOESN’T DESERVE THE ABILITIES OF A PRINCE. WHERE’S YOUR PRIDE!?]
The Darkness Dragon bared its teeth, its dark scales glimmering in the sunlight.
[ I HAVE MORE PRIDE THAN YOU EVER WILL! YOU ARE A COWARD WHO RELIES ON TRICKERY TO WIN YOUR BATTLES! ]
The Ice Dragon roared in fury, its eyes glowing with a sickly green light.
[ I WILL SHOW YOU WHO THE REAL COWARD IS. ]
The two dragons circled each other in the sky, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Suddenly, the Darkness Dragon launched itself at the Ice Dragon, its clone following close behind. The Ice Dragon was ready, though, and it dodged the attack, swerving to the side and unleashing a blast of freezing cold air that sent the Darkness Dragon and its clone tumbling away.
The Darkness Dragon quickly recovered, however, and launched another attack. This time, the clone flew in from the left while the Darkness Dragon came from the right. The Ice Dragon was momentarily caught off-guard, but it quickly regained its composure, using its extra wings to dodge the clone and then turning to face the Darkness Dragon head-on.
The two dragons clashed in mid-air, their bodies slamming into each other with a force that shook the very clouds. The Darkness Dragon’s claws raked across the Ice Dragon’s scales, leaving deep gouges, while the Ice Dragon’s icicle claws scraped against the Darkness Dragon’s armored back. The two dragons roared in fury as they battled, their breath weapons – the Darkness Dragon’s black flames and the Ice Dragon’s icy blasts – colliding in a shower of sparks and steam.
[ CALLING ME A COWARD WHILE GANGING UP ON ME! ]
The Darkness Dragon’s clone was proving to be a formidable opponent, constantly harrying the Ice Dragon and distracting it from the Darkness Dragon’s true attacks. But the Ice Dragon was clever, and it quickly figured out a way to deal with the clone. Using its extra wings to maneuver behind the clone, the Ice Dragon unleashed a burst of icy wind that froze the clone solid. The Ice Dragon then shattered the frozen clone with a single blow from its mighty tail.
With the clone dispatched, the Ice Dragon was now free to focus on the Darkness Dragon. The two dragons continued their fierce battle in the sky, their powerful wings beating furiously as they circled each other, searching for an opening.
The Darkness Dragon lunged forward, its jaws snapping dangerously close to the Ice Dragon’s face. But the Ice Dragon was too quick, darting to the side and retaliating with a blast of icy breath that engulfed the Darkness Dragon’s head and neck in a thick layer of frost.
The Darkness Dragon roared in pain as the ice began to crackle and shatter, and it flapped its wings frantically, trying to shake off the freezing cold.
ROARRRRRRRRRR!!!
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