Ep 11. Pay Your Respects. (6)

  Raizel pinched her own nose as she was momentarily engulfed in venomous gas. The ice around her became instantly discolored before seemingly beginning to rot away, though Raizel’s skin seemed indifferent to the effects of the toxin.

  “They really do try hard.”

  Quite some time had passed sihe steel dragon had elected herself to take the lead once more, advang at least several steps ahead of the rest of her group. She’s been careful not to wield unruly viole i icicles now, but the floors and walls had still been littered with traps.

  Raizel threw her gaze behind her, specifically towards Ilias who had been examining the structures of the cavern ever more carefully. Not for traps, but for secret doors that would supposedly lead her to fulfillireasury dreams.

  “Wanna take the lead there so you find yold faster?”

  “Huh? Uh…no thanks.”

  Serenis took a deep breath, relieved that the metal dragon still had the spirits to joke.

  Despite her snarky tone, Raizel had no iion of letting anyone else take lead. Most of these traps had beehal – even for Ilias, who she ko be much strohan the average dragonkin.

  “Hah. Seriously, are these traps ever going to…”

  Another spell circle shoo beih Raizel’s feet as she took her step. The circle that had first been the size of her foot expao engulf her entire body, momentarily emitting a blinding light.

  “What is it no…w?!”

  As soon as the spell circle faded, Raizel felt her body growing heavier – and it wasn’t just her perceiving so. The ice beh her rapidly began to crack. Just moments after, the ipletely gave away to reveal a long pit beh, leading down to a pool of sizzling va.

  Having lost her footing, Raizel reflexively cwed at the pit’s walls. Her nails barely mao to the reinforced ice, holding her body weight literally by her fiips.

  Normally, the metal dragon would have no problem pulling herself right out using one finger if she had to; she was born as a metal dragon, and her physical capabilities had long adjusted to pensate for her weight. But right now, the hand that kept her from falling was madly shaking. Raizel’s body slowly began to desd as her amplified weight dragged her fingers down through the ice.

  “…Raizel?”

  Noting the dey, Ilias quickly dashed forth a few steps to find her friend struggling to keep herself from falling in. The red dragon gripped her friend’s wrist with both hands, finally realizing why Raizel hadn’t climbed back out by herself immediately.

  “What in the…why’re you so heavy?!”

  “Kh…if I knew, I wouldn’t be stuck here!!”

  Bruton and Serenis soon followed after, looking dow that had opened up to find their metal dragon hanging above a pool of deathly heat. Bruton frowned as he noticed what it was beh them i.

  ‘Lava? In a pletely frozen cavern?’

  “…Hey, are you still fine if you touch that? It’d be a lot easier if I just brought over an ice pilr for you to climb out…”

  “NO! Pull her back up, Ilias! She’ll melt!”

  “Ugh…fine…!”

  Meanwhile, Serenis couldn’t help but notice how Ilias was struggling to pull Raizel out of the pit. It should’ve been a trivial task for the red dragon; she’d already demonstrated that she could knock her friend down at will.

  ‘That spell circle earlier…was it a gravity curse? That would expin why the floor suddenly gave away…’

  Ilias tightened her grip. Raizel could swear she heard a g noise snap out of her wrist.

  “Hey, you could loosen up a tad bit…!”

  Raizel’s pints were drowned out by Ilias’ scream as the red dragon practically swung her friend in a full half circle, throwing the metal dragon behind her into the air. Raizel nded on the ice floors with a gigantic thud, though this time the ice thankfully didn’t crack opeh her. Ilias fell ft unto the floor afterwards, gasping for air after the physical strain.

  Bruton rushed towards the metal dragon’s side, kneeling down to examine her.

  “Raizel! Are you alright?!”

  “…My wrist isn’t.”

  “…”

  Serenis made her way to Raizel and hovered a hand over the metal dragon to examiate. True to her suspis, a curse had been inflicted on the youngling.

  “Bruton.”

  “Mm.”

  The elder dragon nodded as he, too, took notice of the curse afflig the youngling. He likewise hovered his hand over the metal dragon, eling an overwhelming amount of mana that coursed through Raizel’s body to snuff the curse out of her.

  “Fix my wrist while you’re at it, old man.”

  “I…would if I could.”

  “Damnit all.”

  Raizel slowly rose back to her feet, shaking the wrist that Ilias had gripped. Her hand was still attached to it, but it was just that – attached. She couldn’t feel her hand beyond the broken bones.

  She shot a gre at Ilias who was still lying ft on the ice. When their eyes locked, Ilias shrugged.

  “You could say ‘thank you’, you know.”

  “I could also say ‘did you have to break my wrist’.”

  “I did. As father said, you would’ve melted if you fell in there. And you ’t even transform in this pce either…”

  “Tch.”

  Approag the pit that was now blog their way forward, Raizel k down as she put a hand against her footing’s edge. Large streaks of metal slowly slithered forth from her palm, g against one another as they joie the gap of the pit. She rose to her feet a to tinue on, but was stopped as the elder dragon put his hand over her shoulder.

  Bruton shook his head, pulling the youngling back towards him.

  “Raizel. You are NOT taking lead in that state.”

  “Are you volunteering? Be my guest, but you would’ve died ten times over on our way here.”

  “No. I will from hereon.”

  Serenis stepped forward, eyeing the elder and the youngling.

  “Do not pit yourselves to further danger. I…ot guarantee anyone’s safety.”

  Bruton looked up ahead. His eyes still couldn’t make out the end of this eldritch tunnel.

  “I admit I know hardly anything of our old s, but I would guess that standing by as one’s lord puts themselves at danger is not a endable course of a.”

  Bruton took a brief moment to focus his mana. He held out his hand as a dark, shimmering figure came to form.

  Standing before the elder dragon was a shadow of himself, standing on its two feet.

  “Go.”

  The shadow turned around and began te forward across the bridge Raizel had made. The elder dragon exged gnces with the three others, only to notice the determination in their eyes.

  “I’d once again advise you all to turn back, but…I don’t believe that’ll be of any use.”

  Raizel shook her head, and Ilias rose to her feet to join her friend.

  “Nope.”

  “Not a ce.”

  Serenis looked to the side, guilt gnawing at her from the inside.

  “…I apologize fing you all in here.”

  Anh escaped the elder’s lips. While Serenis ologizing, it was clear that the dragonlord had no iion of turning back either.

  Bruton soon turo follow his shadow double.

  “Then we only hope this corridor reveals its end soon.”

  Raizel quickly paced after Bruton. Ilias began to follow after the two, but stopped momentarily as she noticed Serenis’ stare.

  “Lord? Is something the matter?”

  “…It’s nothing. Let’s be off.”

  “Okay!”

  Serenis began to walk alongside the dragons. Her eyes were first fixed on Ilias, then on Raizel.

  Even in the past, Serenis hardly knew of any kin that could do what Ilias had just done in their human form.

  ‘If she swing a steel dragon affected by a gravity curse…that’s no lo a level of simply being ‘strong.’ But more importantly…’

  Up until this point, they’d been able to break through most traps by the virtue of Raizel’s toughness. She’d genuinely assumed that Raizel’s affinity would allow them to ignore any traps this dungeon could possibly pose – until they entered the gravity trap that almost dragged Raizel down into a pool of scorg va.

  ‘…It’s like the trap was designed specifically to kill dragons with steel affinities.’

  The dragonlord internally hoped her suspis to be a mere ce as the four tio make their way deeper into the cavern.