A Better World (Record of Ragnarok x Reader)

Chapter 17 - This damn forest

Why the hell did she reveal her whereabouts?

It was completely unlike her to be this reckless, or maybe not. But considering the current circumstances even she should have understood the significance of keeping her presence unknown. And yet, the moment she beheld the staggering creature, more specifically the viciousness behind his feline white eyes, her legs began moving on their own, her mind rendered powerless to the force pulling her to the being.

Was it curiosity or his majestic presence that beckoned her to come closer? [Name] honestly didn't know, because as of the moment, it was not her brain that controlled her muscles, but the ache of her heart that grew stronger with each step, her ragged breathing becoming heavier. All she knew was that she wanted, no, needed to be near him.

And there he stood, the reptile-like creature with white and gold scaly skin that shined in the sunlight. He turned his snake-like head and clutched his strong jaw letting out a menacing growl. His eyes which consisted of large white irises and vertical pupils, enveloped in a golden sclera turned to look at her, evaluate her. Judge her.

Dignified, ferocious and intelligent beyond comparison to any other animal. That was the ancient creature before her. His sharp claws ripped at the basilisks below him, almost as if readying to bring her down with them. But she did not flinch under his ferocious stare or the sharpness of his strong teeth. She did not cower as he brought his face closer to hers, a puff of hot breath exiting his nostrils making her hair blow with the wind.

The corners of her lips tugged as she slowly, and carefully, so to not alert the creature, laid her hand on his head, callus skin connecting with the leathery texture of his scales. He had at fist hissed at her, but soon enough, a sense of tranquillity overtook him as controlled pulses of fire emitted from her hand to his brow. She was like him, in a sense.

But before [Name] could as much as muster a word, the sound of thunderous feet nearing them became more apparent. They were everywhere; on the ground as creatures with reptile-like attributes, in the waters, slithering like snakes, and circling them like hawks in the sky. The dragon and the human were trapped, but nevertheless, they remained valiant.

[Name] looked the beast closest to her in the eye, its dark pupils contracting in surprise. Because she was still standing, breathing. Alive. [Name] smiled. When she had been told about their unique ability to kill with a single glance, she had covered her body in protective wyrdmarks so not to fall victim to such a pitiful death. Her boots touched the grass below, crunching it while the emerald whorl of fronds from the trees susurrated in the breeze. The corners of her lips widened, her callous nature making an appearance - she could fight these beasts to her heart's content without any restrictions.

From lurking behind plants earlier she had acquired some knowledge of their fighting style, mainly due to the way they moved. Their bodies swung heavily with each step, which made them slow and their accuracy poor. Hence why they suffered such difficulty landing a single strike on the dragon in the sky. However, that did not mean that they were to be underestimated. The thickness of their skin and the multiple scales across it aided them in their defence, partly resulting in their dangerous nature. She looked at the half-dead prey on the ground. The basilisks were undoubtedly strong, and their poison lethal. Considering how hard they bit when injecting their venom into her small form the spidersilk in her clothes would be rendered useless to their bite. She needed to find their weak point.

Her steady pacing turned into a pelt rush toward the still-shocked basilisk. However, he soon recovered from his earlier trance and did the same. They would have headbutted if she had not jumped on its back, piercing a dagger through his tough skin. It cried out and tried to wiggle her off itself, but she brought yet another dagger through its neck. A putrid breath escaped its mouth, withering the plants around them and incapacitating the now-dead prey on the ground. She blinked. The men had not told her about this. Her gaze returned to its form. The basilisk had a sticky texture to its skin, poison. If she were not covered in clothes almost head to toe, she might have died from that touch alone.