Prince of Fire | Dragonfire Book One

Capitolo Due

And thus did Eon discover the Shift from almighty and eternal creature to a near-mortal being. But not once did he give up his glorious wings.

~ Draconic Book of Songs

Chapter Two

The steel weapon in his hand vibrated as it clashed with his opponent's thick scales. A shrill screech pierced the air, but his opponent was more vexed than pained, because Dante had discovered a weak spot and had struck him. His opponent's pride had been damaged when he failed to parry the attack.

The maroon dragon whipped his spiked tail towards Dante, in order to send him flying and regain his respect. However, Dante foiled his opponent's plans and unfurled his wings so that he could lift himself off of the ground. He felt the hurricane-like breeze sweep under his feet as he hovered in safety.

As soon as his opponent lost his balance, Dante dove forward and jumped onto the dragon's back, his wings helping him with the height. He ran towards the top of his opponent's rearing head, maintaining his balance. The neck was the tricky part; It was long and thin, and covered with slick and armored scales. His opponent's seemingly enormous wings extended from his body, sending another gale that whipped the nearby trees. The relatively small trees splintered and crumbled from the force.

Suddenly, the creature's body shook as if his chest had expanded. Dante recognized the gesture and dropped to his knees, clinging onto the back of the dragon's neck. The dragon's neck twisted backwards, with his face towards his back, before he started to spew fire from his mouth. The familiar scent of fire flooded Dante's nose as the flames charged at him.

Dante flung himself to the side and went into freefall for a few seconds before his own wings extended to its full span to keep him from crashing into the ground. Instead, he landed gently against the solid soil.

Dante was impressed by the dragon's determination to get him off of his back but he knew that his opponent's fire wouldn't have hurt his own back. However, it could damage Dante in his half-form if it caught him off guard and if he didn't envelope himself with his wings.

From the ground, Dante watched as the dragon's fire halted. He knew it would take a few seconds for the dragon to recharge so he sprang forward and upwards, flying towards the head once more. Once again, there was an opening for Dante to penetrate. He flew just underneath his opponent's blind spot before sharply veering in his intended direction.

The dragon barely saw him as he sped past. Dante stepped on the side of the dragon's giant cheek and launched himself up to the top of his scaly head. Unable to be stopped by the dragon, Dante finally slammed the hilt of his sword on the dragon's head.

"Submit!" Dante commanded to his opponent, releasing a wave of his powerful aura. The rush of power inundated through him and leaked out.

The dragon collapsed under him, still unwounded because Dante had only used the hilt to attack his large body. Dante felt a tremble shake the dragon's body, informing him to jump off. The dragon curled in slightly before a shimmery haze covered him. Beneath the haze, the form Shifted.

The once enormous dragon receded and shrank, the scales disappearing and the head morphing into a more humanoid form. His wings also shrank, even though they were still large compared to his half-human form. Cracks and snaps sounded as his bones restructured themselves even further to his human form.

Finally, the Shift was completed. The protective and shielding haze lifted, revealing a completely naked man. The full Shift usually shredded any clothing that had been previously worn on the body. The man slowly stood up and bowed in Dante's direction, acknowledging his victory and venerating him.