Chapter 60 Catch.

Chapter 60: 60 Catch.

That afternoon, Ayra deemed it safe to use magic to heal our tattoo marks, so she expertly treated the affected zones.

Sure enough, there was no pain, no itching, no scarring or peeling, after that and the ink looked perfect.

That was the good news. But now it was time for the nightly chore.

The day went by too fast.

Even worse, the nights were cold, and they were only going to get colder as the weeks went on.

Soon we’d be fighting evil monsters in snowpants and parkas over platemail, which sounded... really dumb.

But there we were, standing in the open field, weapons ready.

Ayra hefted her war hammer while I rolled my shoulders.

My sword felt more and more like a natural extension of my arm since the Return Blade skill had unlocked a few days ago.

Elsa, naturally, had claimed a viewing stump a safe distance away.

She sat upright with her hands resting primly on her knees, legs crossed at the ankles.

She looked more like a dignitary attending a jousting tournament than a participant in any battle.

"Remember," she called, "once we identify what it is, I can tell you its weaknesses!"

"Assuming you’ve seen one before," I replied, never taking my eyes off the shimmering air where the portal was forming.

"Hmph! I am familiar with most creatures from our world," she insisted haughtily. "My tutors were quite thorough."

Next thing I knew, the portal ripped open, crackling like lightning.

The ground beneath us rumbled as something massive pushed through the interdimensional tear.

I wasn’t sure how that worked—the rumbling before anything had even laid a foot on our soil, I mean–but I appreciated the forewarning that something big was coming.

First came a wedge-shaped head, then spiked shoulders, followed by a long body covered in gray-black scales that looked like burnt tree bark.

The creature was big, at least twenty-five feet long from snout to tail tip.

It had no wings, but the claws on its six stocky legs looked capable of tearing through plate armor like tissue paper.

"Ashscale ground dragon!" Ayra yelped, her tail instantly going stiff over her skirt.

"Bad news!"

"Very bad," Elsa confirmed, suddenly looking less comfortable on her viewing stump. "But they’re vulnerable where the plates meet their necks, however!"

The dragon instantly fixed us with glowing ember eyes.

Its nostrils flared, releasing twin jets of smoke.

"Any other weaknesses?" I asked, trying to sound casual as the beast seemed to be sizing us up.

"I think they hate water," Ayra added helpfully, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"That’s not going to help us much unless you’ve been hiding a garden hose in your cleavage," I muttered.

It charged without warning, moving with surprising speed for something so bulky.

Ayra and I dove in opposite directions as the beast plowed through the space we’d occupied a split second before.

"Flank it!" I called as I rolled to my feet.

The ground dragon skidded to a stop and roared a sound like waaay pitched down nails on a chalkboard.

Its claws tore furrows in the earth as it slid.

Next, it whipped around to face me, jaws opening to reveal rows of jagged, serrated teeth.

Instead of fire, it spewed a cloud of superheated ash that billowed toward me like a burning fog.

"Dodge!" Elsa squawked, like the idea wasn’t going to occur to me.

I threw myself backward, but not before feeling the searing heat against my face. "Shit! It breathes burning ash, not fire!"

"Hence the name!" Elsa shouted from her stump. "Do try to avoid it, darling! I’d never recover if you were slain!"

"Gee, thanks!" I spat back, circling the creature warily.

Ayra charged in from behind, swinging her hammer in a wicked arc.

It connected with the dragon’s hindquarters with a sound like a sledgehammer slamming into concrete.

Scales cracked, sure enough, but the beast seemed more irritated than injured.

The ground dragon whirled, lashing its tail out like a whip. Ayra took the hit square in the chest and went flying, landing with a painful thud twenty feet away.

"Ayra!" I shouted, momentarily distracted.

The dragon seized its opportunity and lunged at me with jaws agape.

I barely managed to dodge in time, feeling the wind of its assault as it snapped at empty air.

My sword slashed almost on its own, striking its neck but mostly glancing off the armored scales.

"The soft spots!" Elsa reminded me. "Between the plates!"

"Easier said than done," I muttered.

The dragon backed me toward the tree line. Its massive body blocked any obvious escape routes.

I feinted left, then darted right, but the creature anticipated each move.

Its tail swept low, catching my legs and sending me sprawling. I hit the ground hard, launching my sword from my grip.

The monster loomed over me. Ash billowed from its nostrils as it prepared to deliver punishing blast.

"Grey, catch!" Ayra’s voice rang out.

I looked up to see her hammer spinning through the air toward me.

I caught it by the handle, the weight almost pulling my arm from its socket, but I managed to swing it upward just as the dragon lurched forward for its own attack.

The hammer connected with the underside of its jaw, snapping its head back with a horrible roar.

I scrambled to my feet and rapidly scanned the field for my missing sword.

"Return Blade!" I commanded, reaching out my hand.

Once I spotted it and could extend my hand to catch it, my sword picked itself up instantly, spinning through the air back toward me.

The dragon didn’t see the blade coming, probably since it was still reeling from the hammer strike.

I caught my sword and brought it down deep in the creature’s shoulder joint, right where the scales formed a natural gap.

The beast howled in agony, and muddy blood seeped from the wound.

It thrashed wildly, dislodging my sword, which sent me stumbling backward.

I recovered quickly.

"Again!" Ayra shouted, reclaiming her hammer. "Hit it again!"

We coordinated our attacks.

Ayra distracted the dragon and taunted it while I searched for vulnerable points.

The dragon was slowing down—the plan was working.

In real time, its movements became more and more sluggish as its wounds accumulated.

"You have it on the defensive!" Elsa cheered. "Finish it swiftly!"

The ground dragon backed away, sensing its disadvantage.

It reared up, preparing for a final, desperate attack.

Ash and embers swirled in its throat, building to what was sure to be a devastating blast.

I met Ayra’s eyes across the battlefield, and we reached a silent understanding.

She nodded, then slammed her hammer into the ground with all her might.

The impact created a shockwave that momentarily staggered the dragon, making it rear its head and lose control of its charged attack.

In that precious second of vulnerability, I hurled my sword with all my strength, guiding it with newfound precision.

The blade spun through the air with a whistle, then struck true—piercing the exact spot where the dragon’s neck plates separated.

"Return!" I commanded.

The sword ripped back free of the dragon’s throat, severing vital connections as it returned to my hand.

The creature gave a strangled cry, then collapsed in a heap.

I watched, breathing hard, as its glowing eyes dimmed to dark coals.

"Guess I can add ’dragon-slayer’ to my CV," I quipped through staggered breaths.

"That was MAGNIFICENT!" Ayra shrieked, vanishing her hammer.

Before I could react, she launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist.

Her lips found mine in a series of victory kisses, and I sensed her kick up one leg and everything.

"Mua! You were amazing! Mua! The way you called your blade back through its throat! The precision! The power! Mmmmua! The—"

"AHEM." Elsa’s voice ripped through Ayra’s enthusiasm like a chainsaw.

She had gotten up from her stump and was stomping over.

If I had to guess, she was not pleased with this display of affection she hadn’t initiated or been invited to.

By the time she reached us, however, her face was flushed from the exertion of moving quickly across the field.

She bent over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"You... lewd hound... how dare you... monopolize our champion’s... victory kiss," she wheezed, clearly having overexerted herself in her haste to intervene.

Ayra, still clinging to me, stuck out her tongue.

"I was here first, Princess. Besides, you really shouldn’t excite yourself too much. Your Constitution score is much too low to handle Master."

Before Elsa could put together a response, a blue window appeared in front of me:

[ VICTORY! ↓↓↓

XP Gained! Level Up! Level 18 achieved.

You have one new skill point and one new attribute point.

Would you like to allocate them now? {YES / NO}