The Homeseeker: An Elemental Adventurer LitRPG

Chapter 47 - Broken Dragon

Zalan felt many things happen at once that he didn't fully understand. The first was the new sensations running through his body. He felt strangely relieved and realized that the claw was no longer holding him down. He was free from Hatewing's grip and had more than enough strength to stand up. He hopped up as fast as he could to escape from the dragon before it put its arm back down. As he ran, he grabbed one of the swords that he used to attack Hatewing earlier, it having fallen away from him when he crashed into the stone floor.

The second thing he noticed was the distinct lack of ice engulfing Rep. Zalan was certain that his friend would be frozen by now, but instead Hatewing had targeted the ceiling for some reason. Hatewing had decided to deliver a combination between an attack and an odd roar. Shards of ice fell from above him and Zalan shielded himself as best he could, taking a few light cuts in his arms. He was surprised by how little his arm hurt, when he was pretty sure it was broken only moments ago. Now it only felt very sore, like he needed to give it some rest and it would be fine.

The floor was littered with dead Roaches, none of them still standing after the sudden explosion of power emanating from Zalan. He was originally rushing toward Rep to help him escape the dragon's next attack, but a deep squeal came from the dragon and he couldn't help but see what was happening. When Zalan turned, his eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped.

Hatewing was missing an arm, part of its jaw, and half a wing. The same arm that had been holding Zalan down had been obliterated, revealing a fleshy red interior to the otherwise black and purple scales on Hatewing's hide. Its head was swinging around in pain as it cried out with its unnerving sounds. Zalan stared in amazement as he realized the bizarre roars he was hearing was Hatewing experiencing pain. Zalan struggled to pull his attention away from the scene, but he soon overcame his astonishment and turned to assist Rep to his feet.

"What happened?" Zalan asked him as they both stared at the Elemental Dragon.

"You happened," Rep said, surprised that Zalan hadn't already picked up on it. "You gained a Level."

Zalan's eyes went even wider. He was told by Fran and Gorb that gaining a Level at close proximity could be enough to kill a Giant Gargoyle, but he never expected that it would do this to a dragon. How did he even gain a Level when he was pinned down? The answer revealed itself at his feet. In killing the series of Roaches, Zalan had gained enough Experience to go up a Level. He hadn't even meant to do that. If he realized he could, he would have done it much sooner.

He could have saved Fran.

Suddenly, Hatewing let out a new, sharp cry. A golden arrow was protruding from its exposed flesh. Yelsa was making her way across the room, tears freshly brushed from her cheeks and a determination in her eyes.

"We can hurt it now," she announced confidently, firing another arrow into what little remained of Hatewing's arm.

"Kill it!" Gorb demanded vociferously. "Show it all the mercy it showed Fran!"

Zalan threw a bolt of lightning at the exposed part of the dragon's jaw and got a slight exhilaration at seeing the Elemental Dragon squirm in pain. He could hurt this thing! He threw more lightning as Yelsa increased her firing of arrows. Even Rep was able to blast fire far enough to do a slight amount of damage, but it did the least damage of all.

Hatewing's menacing aura had disappeared. It no longer commanded the treasure chamber. Instead, it now looked like a terrified creature inching itself away from the incoming travelers. It tried to open its wings and escape, but with only half a wing it couldn't even get a good enough flap to lift its body anymore. Its eyes weren't spinning with intent to attack, and the party took it as a good sign to continue their onslaught to the open wounds.