Chapter 26 – Aerial Combat

"Finally… sweet, sweet bird body! That kid body was beyond terrible"

All three of us awaken back by the fountain, both Nathan and Charlotte have extremely confused looks though.

"What just happened?"

"You killed her just like that?"

Is she still going on about that? I'll just answer Nathan's question then.

"Did you two not figure it out by me killing her? Ah, I guess it wasn't that obvious. That entire place was designed to mess with you"

"Was it? how did you figure it out then Ikarus-sama?"

"Yeah?"

Should I come up with some absurd funny reason? Nah, I'm still in serious Ikarus mode right now, I'll lighten back up in a little while.

"Honestly… the second Aesa said she was wrong; something wasn't sitting right with me. I don't think she's ever been wrong before, you still with me Aesa?"

[<Affirmative>]

"Ah good, back onto what I was saying. Everything in that world just seemed to be made to cause confusion or something similar like plot twists. If we had continued to listen to Aesa or followed our own path, stupid stuff would've kept happening"

(Nathan) "How did you figure out killing her was the solution though?"

(Charlotte) "…"

"Because it was pointless, killing her wouldn't have made a lick of difference, that's why I did it. The place was made to be confusing…"

Both of those two-look confused by my explanation but I understand the idea behind it, that place was designed for an odd mind like mine to figure out. I actually doubt those two could have figured it out.

"… That dungeon was the type of place where we end up spending years in it and end up kicking ourselves when we eventually find out the Rebecca woman has become all powerful and it becomes a massive power struggle to defeat her. I bet Aesa would've been given another book as well to read from as well to confuse us even further"

There still not going to understand my reasoning but I understand my madness at the very least. That's all that matters really.

(Nathan) "Well… anyway, should we get moving? This place is just as cold as when we left"

(Charlotte) "Agreed"

Oh, yeah, it's basically the exact same time as we entered, maybe a few minutes have passed? I have no idea; I'm not figuring out the maths on how much time has passed, I can't be bothered this time. Hang on, I've forgotten something.

'Wait, did we get a reward for completing that place? Aesa?'

[<…>]

'Why are you being silent? Do we seriously not get anything for completing that place?'

[<-User- could consider fountain as a reward>]

'…'

Well that… was fucking dreadful. What a colossal waste of time, at least with that shitty bikini armour, it's still a reward even if I never plan to use it. Is that fountain seriously considered the reward or is Aesa mocking me? Fuck this, I'm leaving the place now.

I'm getting some concerned looks from my party as well from my visible anger, there's no point in even mentioning the lack of a reward since those two will be fine with it like with everything else.

"*Sigh*… just give me stuff to carry and I'll chuck it all inside my ring, it's too cold to stay on this island for much longer"

"Okay Ikarus"

"…"

Is Charlotte sulking at me or is she a little depressed? I can't tell.

It clearly is about me for killing that woman without giving it a second thought, she wasn't a real person though. Actually, thinking about it, I don't think that would have made any difference to my decision making if she was real or not. I might need to be a little careful otherwise I might end up viewing killing nothing more than a chore, killing bandits is perfectly fine though. I do still need EXP after all.

She should get over it eventually, I got us out of there after all.

I do wonder what happened with the other people sent by the empire though, we never found out in there. My best guess is that they died before even getting to the dungeon, it's the only thing I can think off, guess that's might be a mystery that never gets solved. It's not really that big of a deal though.

Now that everything has been packed up or stored away, it's time to leave.

"This bird is ready to take passengers!"

__________

"Erm… what the hell is that?"

(Nathan) "E-Erm…"

As we were flying across the freezing cold island, something in the sky caught all our eyes. Something that looked similar to the creatures that could end the destruction of the world.

"Is that… a dragon?"

A white dragon was flying a distance away heading towards us. As it starting getting closer to us, I couldn't help but notice something.

'It's, quite a bit smaller than father'

The dragon looked very similar to father except it has a colour similar to an ice white and was a fair amount smaller, it made me want to check out its level.

I just need to wait a little longer, than it will be in range.

…

'Bit longer… there, status!'

[Name: Shydazir | Species: Dragon | Level: 291]

[Health 25,000/25,000]

[Stamina 18,926/22,750]

[Magicka 25,000/25,000]

'Despite the priestess being level five hundred, this dragon's stats are somewhat comparable. How many points does this dragon have compared to Charlotte, system?'

[<10250 higher>]

'Oh, it's higher than I first thought'

As I stop communicating with Aesa, I get a much closer look at the dragon and quickly realize something might be wrong.

"Erm… does that dragon look a bit pissed off?"

(Charlotte) "She doesn't look… best pleased"

(Nathan) "I-It'll be f-fine though, r-right?"

The dragon has a slight nasty aura to it as well, I'm thinking it might be pissed at us trespassing so I quickly try and calm the approaching beast.

"Dragon! We don-"

Before I have to chance to speak to the white dragon, it opens its mouth and speaks.

"Ike-fall"

"SHIT!"

A huge chunk of ice shoots from the dragon's mouth towards us, I have to quickly swoop to the side otherwise it would have hit me.

"Oi, you stupid bitch! We don-"

Same thing happened, it ignored my words and attacked again.

"Ike-braze"

This time, the ice was like a whirlwind charging towards us, I have to fly and dodge off to the side again.

"Ikarus-sama, it isn't listening to reason"

"Yeah, I know"

"D-Do we f-flee?"

I thought about what the stuttering Nathan asked but it won't work out.

"There is no way I can outfly a dragon… priestess, use everything you have at your disposal"

"Of course Ikarus-sama, it just might be a little difficult to hit while flying"

"That's fine, just kill it somehow, okay? I don't even care about EXP right now, not dying is more important!"

I wanted a challenge but something with reasonable difficulty at the very least, this white beast is way out of my level range. Even the priestess might struggle with this fight, I've got to be the perfect attack pilot right here and position myself perfectly.

"Summon"

"Ike-fall"

While the priestess is summoning her blade, the winged beast sends out another ice chunk attack. This time, the attack is leading in front of where I'm going to fly so I have to switch up my direction with a sharp turn.

"You two still alright?"

(Charlotte) "All good"

"Y-Yeah"

They are grabbing clutches of my feathers to hold on, that's good. I shouldn't have to worry about any of them falling off, it feels like I'm being pinched but that isn't a concern I can afford to have right now.

I fly closer to the dragon in preparation for Charlotte's attack and before I even get in really close range, her orbital laser appears without warning. She must have already prepared the sword attack; it has more range than I thought it would.

"Argh!"

The laser makes contact with one the dragon's wings but she still remains in the sky.

'Status'

[Name: Shydazir | Species: Dragon | Level: 291]

[Health 18,906/25,000]

[Stamina 18,923/22,750]

[Magicka 23,000/25,000]

Thank fuck for this priestess's cheat skill, this would have been an impossible encounter to survive without it.

"Priestess, that took out nearly a fourth of its health, do you reckon you can do that a few more times?"

"I can definitely try Ikarus-sama, my magic is more than high enough right now"

"Y-You can d-definitely do it Lotte"

Unfortunately, it's time for the return attack.

"Ike-stake"

As soon as the dragon speaks, a small beam of ice shoots towards me. This time however, I'm not quick enough to react. It hits me.

"Damn! Stupid bitch!"

"Ikarus-sama, you okay?"

"I-Ikarus?"

The little blade of ice pierces my breast but thankfully doesn't go all the way through. I'm still able to keep my altitude with the shard of ice sticking out of me.

"Yeah, just ignore me. I'm going in really close this time. Charlotte, do your thing and Nathan, throw this"

I get out a weapon I had in storage and it appears on the top of my back, a spear that looks similar to a javelin.

While I'm heading really close to the dragon, I need to check my health.

'I'm unsure if it's bleeding or not, status'

[Name: Ikarus | Species: Phoenix | Level: 24]

[Health 2,902/5,000]

[Stamina 3,411/3,500]

[Magicka 2,782/3,500]

'That hit did over two thousand HP and I have frost resistance!? Ah forget it, focus!'

"Ike-fall"

Another dragon attack comes in as I'm getting really close. Thankfully, it's another ice chunk attack, I can avoid them without much issue just by moving quick enough. Now that I'm where I want to be, I start charging a smaller version of my fire tornado attack under my breast while those two do their attacks.

"Pay for your sins and repent foul beast!"

"A-Ahh!"

Another orbital laser attack comes in while Nathan hurls the spear as hard as he can at the dragon, the laser attack hits the back of the dragon while the spear crashes into its neck.

"ARGHH!"

'I thought it might survive that, it's my turn now'

I've charged my attack and put most my magicka into it, this better work. I release my fire tornado at the staggered dragon and it crashes into it causing a good amount of damage, I think at the very least.

The dragon is still alive and flying though.

'Damn it, status'

[Name: Shydazir | Species: Dragon | Level: 291]

[Health 3,217/25,000]

[Stamina 18,918/22,750]

[Magicka 22,250/25,000]

'Just die, you stupid bastard!'

The nasty aura around the dragon turns even worse now, she really is angrier than she ever was before. Judging by her magicka, I don't think she was taking this fight seriously, she most definitely will now.

"W-What is she doing?"

"Dear Lord…"

"Fuck…"

A white power starts radiating from the dragon, this isn't good. It's getting bigger by the second.

She's clearly powering something up now; I have to dodge this at all costs. I start flying away from her trying to get some distance between us.

[<-User- must avoid this attack>]

'I know Aesa'

"Ike-ridden…"

Then the charged attack partially realizes, a force comparable to my parents' voice shakes the area and even staggers us in mid-air, it's that strong. After this, I get a view of the incoming attack.

Sharp blades of ice form all around the dragon pointing towards me, the issue is the size or power of it, it's the pure amount of them. It's almost as if thousands of swords are all being pointed in my direction, there's no chance I can avoid or block this.

"Priestess! I can't stop this!"

"I know, just fly towards it and I'll stop it!"

"Fine fine"

I've got no time to be questioning anything, I fly back towards the dragon for a suicide attack, this is how it seems at the very least. I'll put my faith in her, it's the only thing I can do right now.

"Ike-relace!!"

"Repent!"

At the same time, the blades of ice all fly in sync towards me while Charlotte uses something completely different. Similar to a flash bang or a bright white screen, everything in front of us goes completely white. The incoming blades of ice disappear as well.

"What's going on?"

"L-Lotte?"

"…"

She doesn't give a response only waiting for the attack to finish. Once it finishes, everything all of a sudden comes back and the aggressive dragon can be seen falling from the sky with shards of ice surrounding it falling also. Charlotte hasn't given up now though.

"You will repent beast in the afterlife, the Lord will make sure of it"

She points her sword forward once more summoning another orbital death laser and that collides into the falling beast cutting a hole and killing it mid-air. After a few more seconds, the dragon falls into the forest of the island.

…

Me and Nathan both have shocked looks, I can already tell his is more admiration for the woman he loves compared to mine which is just pure shock.

"What the hell was that attack priestess!? You could off just used that in the beginning!"

She's been keeping secret such a powerful stun attack, why didn't she start the fight with it? I have a right to be a little pissed as well as shocked

"No, I couldn't Ikarus-sama, there are rules and conditions to everything. The Lord wouldn't have allowed such a thing"

How much control does he have over her? I would feel sorry for her if it wasn't for the obliteration she's able to cause.

"Even if you couldn't use it, why didn't you say beforehand? Were you hiding it or something? The orbital death laser is overpowered enough and you have even more!?"

"I'm not hiding anything Ikarus-sama, that death laser as you call it is the Lord's weakest attack. The others are much stronger but I can only use them when God permits. He permitted it this time, I'm unsure on what the holy light is called though"

"That attack was definitely… surprising Lotte"

"Your throw was good as well Nat"

Okay, she's broken, I can't even focus on those two getting chummy again because of what she just said. There are other abilities that are even more powerful than that? Seriously, I can understand why father is afraid of her, she might even be stronger than him.

I'm starting to believe she might actually be blessed by a God. I'm not complaining though, shit got really dangerous there.

Why did that dragon even attack us though? She seemed a little out of it, I know we might be trespassing on her island but she could have least given us a warning. I might need to make a quick stop to my parents and ask about it in the future, they might know. Since I'm putting the dungeon hunting on hold for a little while once I speak to the prince, I should have the time soon.

While all of us are still calming down our adrenaline from the fight, I forgot about something.

'Oh crap, I took some damage, am I bleeding system?'

[<Negative>]

I look down and notice the ice has melted, shouldn't I have a hole in my breast from the attack if it's melted though? Ah forget it, this is a pointless question. I don't need to use my fire to seal up the wound so I'm all good.

'What about my frost resistance, did that actually work then?'

Losing two thousand health in the blink of an eye was extremely dangerous, that hit didn't even hurt that bad.

[<Affirmative, -user- would have taken 4080 HP without frost resistance>]

Okay, dragons are extremely effective, I wonder if it's all related to level though. The higher level you are, the more damage you put out. It would explain why my kick has improved its damage and why Charlotte's attacks are so powerful.

'Aesa, is there some hidden mechanic that effects damage with higher levels?'

[<Unsure, -user- does have interesting idea though>]

I'm sure she said originally levels do nothing when she first explained how this system works though, I think even she is unsure on the ins and outs of it. I can't blame her though, she's working with basic information that sometimes seems to be in really in depth, other times, the information is non-existent.

She says it's interesting so I might be onto something here, just for future reference, be extremely careful around high-level enemies or run away.

Looking back down to where the dragon has landed, I can't help but think of its body being wasted. I can't let such a good opportunity go to waste.

'I wonder… what would dragon taste like?'

[<Seriously -user-?>]

'It's not like I'd be eating a family member and it's not cannibalistic since I'm a phoenix… I bet it tastes like chicken'

[<*Sigh*>]

Ignoring Aesa trying to curb my cannibalistic tendencies, I make my plans known to my party members.

"Hey, I know you two are probably cold but I really need to loot this dragon for some stuff"

"…"

"…"

I get no response and I'm assuming two faces of pure disgust from the party members on my back, it's obvious the adrenaline from the fight is now gone so the cold must be setting back in again.

"Don't look at me like that! I was perfect in my dodging there; this is my reward! Just stay close and I'll keep using the last of my magic keeping you warm, I won't be long, promise"

[<-User- really can be selfish>]

'They won't freeze to death, I'm sure of it… I think'