21

The tension of the quiet surroundings was disturbing. The group of humans that were following me around in their little Humvee weren't helping. Sure electric Humvee were much quieter then their old time alternatives, but that didn't make them quiet. They were still heavy oversized vehicles that really didn't do stealth well. It made sense really since they were practically tanks.

The models that Calen had were some of the old new portal types. Their armor wasn't made from earth materials. A combination of armored beast hide melted down with powerful beast cores, and poured into molds just like metal. The main difference was how volatile the armor could become when exposed to certain types of beast core. This model Humvee quickly fell out of favor due to its tendency to explode if you transported the wrong type of beast core.

Not a big fiery explosion like in the movies either. Concentrated elemental mana spewed out in every direction. Creating in instant lake, inferno, or lightning storm depending on the type of core used. The worst example of one of these explosions would have to be the black armor type. It was the rarest type of this model Humvee.

Only one ever exploded before they were all recalled. Rumor has it that you could still visit the crater where some of the remnants of the toxic black smock still continue to eat away at the edge. The leftover mana from the explosion triggered some sort of domino effect. The black smoke consumes the mana in the air, and continues to spread slowly as it's effects weaken. When I'd looked it up in school before all this dragon business the reporters thought that the black smoke would fade completely by the end of the decade.

I guess that meant there were about five years left now. My wings tensed when I spotted movement. Completely derailing my line of thought. It was the only movement that was headed toward me. I froze mid stride.

Nothing was going to attack me. Nothing that had half a brain anyway. The Humvee went nearly silent. I flared my wings, and growled at the movement. My muscles tensing despite the pain.

I wasn't ready for a hard fight yet. My tail slapped the ground as I prepared to fight whatever was coming toward me. Cutting into the soil like a hot knife through butter. My strength didn't falter. Even if it felt like my bones were creaking.

I smiled slowly. Showing a massive amount of teeth as my growl rattled them together. It was a habit of mine to keep my teeth hidden around the humans so bearing them now would draw their attention faster then any sudden movement. I wanted to test these new teeth more then I cared to mention. The spider leapt out of the grass like a grass hopper.

It would have been an amusing display if it weren't for the fact that the damn thing was as big as a motorcycle. I smacked him out of the air like the bug he was. He hit the ground, and rolled so he was right side up once again. Hissing, and spitting at me like an angry snake only to lose his entire front section to a single stomp. Spraying green blood in a splat pattern on the ground.

I chuckled at the spat as I rubbed the goo off into the grass. A second one tried to attack the group of humans while they were busy watching me kill the first one. My tail wrapped around its middle before it could get to them. Holding it up in the air above the Humvee as the coils of my tail slowly tightened around the spider. Drawing it in closer to my body as more of my tail made its way around him.

It exploded like water bottle when squeezed too tight. Green blood spraying out it's mouth, and spinnerets like a water gun. If it weren't for the chunks that were mixed in you'd think that it was just one of those goo toys. I tossed the body aside easily. It didn't look anywhere near as threatening as before now that it looked more like a raisin with big hairy spider legs.

I scanned the grass again. My spatial awareness meant that my eyes weren't really required for searching the area, but that didn't mean I didn't like the thrill of the chase that laying eyes on my prey gave me. I just couldn't give up the thrill of hunting. Just killing those two weak spiders had excited me enough that I'd almost forgotten the stiffness in my limbs. My body started heating up slowly as the excitement welled up in my chest.

I snarled when I spotted more movement. Practically prancing on the tips of my fingers as I waited for the spiders to make another move. I wanted to slaughter them. I wanted them to come to me, and then I would do what I'd learned to love since the beginning. My maw slowly extending slowly as lolled my tongue out like an excited puppy.

The spiders tried to rush me again. Only to be crushed by my sheer strength easily. I understood that I was going overboard. I knew that none of the spiders near me were mature. I didn't care.

Some cheap XP, and stress relief. That was all I wanted for now. I lashed my tail through another three. Slicing them all in two with the sheer speed, and strength. I stayed out there until the spiders stopped coming.

When all was said, and done I was surrounded by over fifty spider corpses. Varying in size from the size of a small dog to the size of a full size motorcycle. Their number, and size wasn't a problem for me. I was so happy slicing them up that I hardly noticed my mana restriction. Pure muscle was enough for these small ones.

"You can keep the cores if you want them," I laid down in the grass, and started cleaning the blood off my scales.