C23: Frostheart

Behind me, the icy stairs shatter piece by piece into a dark void.

"Frost blast!"

With the last drop of mana I have left on my hands, I blast the dragon which shoots towards me from behind once again.

[Warning! You must recover your mana now! You can no longer cast spells!]

The system warns me. But I don't stop to drink the mana recovery potion now. I am almost at the end of the staircase which will lead me to the highest floor of the Ice Palace.

"You're running out of mana, Elf! You can't be saved now! Give up!" Connor's voice resonates behind me.

I don't even take a moment to gaze over my shoulder.

I see the light shining through. It'll let me exit to the highest floor of the Ice Palace. Exactly where I want to go.

"Destroy him!" Connor's command resonates within the crumbling palace. I can feel the last crimson dragon of Connor chasing me from behind.

There's only one left. Or is this not all he has?

'Finally,' I think, leaping out of the icy staircase into the slab of the palace. I slide across the icy slab as the staircase crumbled down to the void underneath.

I lay on the slab like a wounded prey.

We're at the highest point of the castle now. The massive clouds surround the entire sky, hiding everything below it. I struggle to grasp a breath of peaceful air. The wind is strong here. If I am any more lighter, it may just blow me away with it.

The Dark Knight steps out into the icy slab, his metal boot cracking the slab upon the first contact.

The last crimson mana negation dragon wraps itself around Connor's metal armor.

"Should've just handed the princess over, huh?" He asks me, his red eyes gleaming with killing intent. "I got another dragon with me. You move your hand to grab a single potion that you carry with you, I will order this dragon to bring you to your demise."

Upon hearing this, I could only let out a chuckle.

"Kid. You're 300 years too early to beat me." I direct my hand toward the empty skies that surround us.

Beneath these clouds, I know, he is waiting for his next meal.

"Rise, Frostheart. It is time for your supper."

Cling! Cling! Cling!

Beneath us, the sound of breaking chains resonates.

"What the fuck was that?" Connor demands, pointing his blade at me. "Whatever you're doing, you should know that you have lost! Dragon, eat him!"

The mana-negation dragon lunges toward me. I spread my arms wide, with no intention of attacking. The dragon crashes into my body, and I feel a rush of energy within my veins.

[You can no longer use mana for the next 20 minutes! ]

I stumble to the ground, unable to stand properly.

"You're done for, fake elf!" Connor steps forth and –

RWAR!

He steps back.

The booming roar of the dragon behind me freezes him in the spot.

Badum. Badum. Badum…

His heart begins to race as his eyes meet the gigantic Frostheart that hangs in the air right behind me, dominating the sky. With a grin drawn on my face, I stand back on my feet. Then, I turn to my dragon.

His eyes gleam with a bright blue spark, and his massive jaws breathe gusts of icy mist. His silvery pale scales, his remarkably long claws, and his massive four horns would strike fear in anyone at a glance.

It strikes fear in me right at this moment.

"The Frostheart. It is my dragon. Something given to me, in all honesty. Why would you think I would not have a trump card up my sleeve, Connor? That's where you went wrong," I chuckle, gazing at the dark knight over my shoulder.

He stands there like a frightened child.

He knows he has no power against this.

The Frostheart. The Dragon passed down to every Prince of the Frostheart family. Even though I did leave Dad and his damned kingdom, I could not leave my pet. He is simply too powerful.

The knight drops the cleaver from his hand and falls to his knees. There's a deep feeling of remorse within him. I can sense it.

"I'm sorry, Princess." He whispers under his breath.

"Connor," I call out his name. He gazes up at me with his dark crimson eyes.

"What?"

"There is a way to escape the Dragon's Judgement," I say to him and direct my hand towards the dark knight as if to greet him. "This. Enjoy your supper, Frostheart."

Rawrrrr!

A bright blue spark shines behind me as the Frostheart opens its jaws.

Zeeng!

A blast of ice freezes every inch of Connor as the Dragon breathes out the icy blast right upon the dark knight. The mist clears up, and inside a deeply frozen architecture of ice, he kneels with one arm attempting to cover his eyes.

I walk toward the iced knight, shaking my head. "I'm sorry. But I had to steal the virginity from your Juliet, Romeo... or wait -- you never had a chance to love her in the first place."

With that, Connor is no more.

RWAR!

The dragon roars behind me, and I shift my head to the Frostheart. He's bringing his claw down towards me. We never had a good relationship, after all.

"Chains." I chant with a simple word.

Before the 10-meter-long nail reaches my face, a chain wraps around the dragon's limb.

Rwaarrr~

Cling! Cling! Cling!

Chains fly from the clouds beneath me, grasping the dragon before it can claw me. The next moment, it's dragged underneath the clouds once again, disappearing back to its prison.

I gaze back at the frozen knight.

'He had potential. Too bad he had to get iced.' I say to myself, snapping my fingers. 'Mana Domain, remove.'

The Ice Palace. The magnificent skies before me. Everything disappears at the snap of my fingers, and I come right back to the alley I stood upon, facing the dark knight.

The neighboring alleys are noisy, but this has an eerie silence. A rat crawls along the road. The night wind graces the lonely road where two dead drunks lie. There's only one notable difference now.

A dark knight no longer stands there.

"Haa…" I breathe out, leaning against a wooden wall. "Finally, I can catch a fucking breath."

I fall at the foot of the building, leaning my head against the wooden wall. There's no mana left in me. Nor any energy.

No guards are coming toward the alley. If I do not hurry and some do arrive here, I will be guilty of the dead bodies lying there in the middle of the road.

And, there is the Princess who is waiting in my room to have the best night of her life.

"Got to get myself together now…" I groan, grabbing a potion from underneath my cloak.

I gaze at the potion as the label arises above it.

[Energy Buff Potion: Lvl 4]

"This is the perfect potion."

I remove the lid of it and gulp down its contents. A rush of energy runs across my veins.

[Energizing your body…]

[Your energy has been recovered!]

[Your body is in its optimal condition now!]

[This effect shall last for the next 2 hours!]

I feel a refreshing feeling within me. Even though my mana has still not recovered, due to the effect of the mana negation dragon, I do not lack the energy within me to physical activity. After all, now, I have a different fight now.

A battle in bed.

I don't need mana for that one.

I push myself back to my feet. I feel a rush of blood down my crotch, making me incredibly horny. That buff potion has already started to do its wonders.

"Reya should be thankful for me," I grin, walking out of the dark alley towards the Hollow Lodgings.