Relics of Aether - Homebound (Sample)

Chapter 9

They both stood still, each anticipating the other's first move. Tension filled the room, every passing second feeling like an eternity. The dragon stood low, similar to a cat ready to pounce. With his sword in hand, the adventurer stood in an athletic stance, bravely facing his massive opponent. In a flash, a brief burst of flame appeared under his feet and he dashed to his right at shocking speed. Startled, the dragon followed his movements, trying to turn its body so it remained facing its target as the adventurer ran around the perimeter of the room at remarkable speed. With one arm outstretched toward the dragon, he released consecutive bursts of flame that collided with its icy scales, leaving small, black burn marks. With a growl, it quickly inhaled and released an icy blast from its mouth, further dropping the temperature of the room. The adventurer slid behind one of the pillars for cover and began to focus mana in his free hand. Marina couldn't see him as soon as the ice breath flew past the pillar and into the wall behind it. Once the dragon's attack ended it revealed the adventurer; his hand now engulfed in a furious flame. He jumped out and released a large, fiery blast straight into the dragon's face, causing it to rear back, roaring in anger.

Without hesitation, the adventurer began to sprint straight at the dragon, hovering his free hand near his sword's guard. As he ran, he lit a small, bright flame in his palm, and swiftly ran the blade through the blazes, igniting it. Placing both hands on the black handle, he lifted the blade over his shoulder as he approached the stumbling dragon and performed a powerful swing at the elbow crease in one of its front legs. The blade left a clean cut surrounded by charred scales, which caused the dragon to release a deep, rumbling growl as it shook its head to clear the smoke. It whipped around and angrily swung its other talon and, with another burst of flame from under his boots, the adventurer swiftly dodged, sliding under the dragon to deliver another strike to its stomach, leaving another gash. Annoyed, the dragon sped up its attacks, incorporating its wings and jaws as the adventurer dashed around, narrowly avoiding them. Whenever he saw openings he would either cause light wounds with his sword or unleash more fiery attacks from his offhand.

Marina watched in awe. His technique was impeccable. Every attack showcased exceptional speed while still maintaining power, each blast heating up the freezing room little by little. His already impressive agility was further aided by his use of his fire magic, as the quick burst of fire allowed him to quickly dash in different directions, making him a hard target. She looked at the dragon, her excitement dampening a bit.

It's barely taking any damage, She thought. Even with attacks like those, it still just looks more annoyed than anything. She noticed that it had some difficulty using the leg the adventurer struck. It looks like he did get a good hit on that arm, though. If he got the others... Leaving her thoughts for a moment, she watched the fight.

The dragon adapted to the adventurer's techniques, and was now keeping good pace with him, getting closer and closer to landing a blow. The adventurer was now on the defensive, finding no opportunity to fight back as he bobbed and weaved around attacks. He had sheathed his blade so he could use magic in both hands to aid in dodging. Marina's heart sank. It seems like he was only able to land that attack because he caught it off guard. Now it's not leaving anything to chance. Why is he here alone? Shouldn't he have a party? He barely jumped out of the way as the dragon lunged its head forward, snapping its jaw shut and frantically avoided the talons that followed. As he jumped to avoid a low sweep of a talon, the dragon spun, sending its tail straight for him. Airborne with nowhere to go, he held his arms up and braced as the tail crashed into him, sending him flying back into a partially broken pillar with a loud thud. It stood across from Marina's corner, and like some of the others in the room, this one did not reach all the way to the roof, as it had shattered about two-thirds of the way up. He leaned back on it for a moment, trying to recover. He looked up to see the dragon inhaling for an ice attack, and he quickly moved behind the pillar for cover. Seeing this, the dragon stopped, and instead charged the pillar. When it got there it reached around and stomped one of its massive talons behind the pillar, causing Marina to wince. It felt like a hole formed in her stomach.