Chapter 103 - Dragon Fight

"It's so yummy!"

"Glad you like it little guy, that one's also Ikarus's favourite"

'Last carrot cake as well... that's a damn shame but sharing is caring or whatever that stupid expression was... It doesn't help I've been in this same exact position before'

Back at this inn we seem to like so much, all the family and Petra are around a table at a booth. If it isn't obvious, Minos is currently enjoying the joy that is human food, he hasn't had anything like this just yet so seeing his face so happy is kinda cute... despite the fact I'm still not great at sharing with anyone other than Petra.

I'll round nearly everything said because having a long conversation with the family can be a little tedious at times. Nothing else is new between these lot and father is still under curfew having to return to mother's side every night, gave them some updates about what we've been up to keeping a few things that don't need explaining hidden and also the reason for them visiting. They seriously couldn't give anything more other than they just wanted to pay us a visit. That's not a complaint, just deciding to go explore the human world for a time is definitely odd and extremely worrying.

I'd say it should be alright but mother has already gotten the 'subtle' stare from a few men passing by, it's a good thing father is under curfew otherwise I can already see some of them becoming unfortunate casualties. Enough of that though, I'm hoping they leave quickly just simply because I really don't want to have to deal with more work. If they behave, they're more than willing to stay as long as they want... although I doubt father will want to remain in human form longer than needed. Sighhh, let's just move on, everyone's got their quirks I guess.

"So this is where you've been living little one? It's not exactly a worthy place to call a nest... although the lack on wyverns around this area is definitely a positive"

"Yeah... you really will have to learn to deal with them one day dinosaur"

"Hmph, over my dead body I will"

"*Sigh*... Dermakvar..."

Also should add we managed to scrounge up some clothes for them as well. Father has a bad boy vibe to him with the sleeveless jacket and grey top he has on, for mother we had to find the biggest shirt available and even that wasn't perfect so had to find something else. Mother basically just has a white 'shirt' tightened with a belt around the waist and a dark skirt on, the shirt is more just a modified bedsheet if we're being honest. Last but not least, Minos. Kid clothing is cute and kinda posh in this world so he has shorts, a little shirt and a tie ribbon thing going on.

Is there really much else to discuss right now though? In all honesty, I'm hoping we can split so me and Petra can do our work for today even if that means I can't watch to make sure father doesn't go off his rocker. At lease it now seems mother has something further to ask, I have already given a pretty good update after all.

"So then Ikarus... is there anything else you care to tell me? Anything new that you may have purposely forgotten to tell?"

I can't help but sweat and subconsciously gulp then, mother's fake smile has come out clearly from something I 'forgot' to tell. Even though there's no angry aura behind it, it's terrifying regardless.

"W-Whatever do mean mother..."

"What I mean my sweet and clearly, not innocent child is that there's a different distinct smell on you and Petra that your father this time around hasn't corrected me on... it lingers a surprisingly long time if you don't know how to remove it"

"I'd congratulate you little one but I'd rather not get the smack today"

Crap... how should I play this then? It's not exactly like I can blame nor do I even feel that bad about it... fuck it, let's just not care.

"If you're expecting an apology... then you may be further disappointed... I seriously regret absolutely nothing!"

Petra actually facepalms from me basically not giving a shit about what we've done. I've always tried to be honest even if it can land me in trouble but it's not exactly like I'm a child, I'm closer to twenty-six than I am twenty-five now and I've done all this type of thing as a human back on Earth before. Well... obviously it's still way different as a dude but the point still stands!

"*Sigh*... as long as you're happy, then nothing else matters really..."

Thank the Gods I have a mother who can be open minded about this.

"... I'd still like to know the details on what actually happened though"

"NO!... Ahem, sorry mother but I've already told you that ain't happening!"

At least my insistence on being private has gotten a smile out of Petra, why must I share the intimate details of our love life though? Especially with your own mother, it just feels way too weird to me. Also, Minos is right there! Even if he's still mentally a bit young to understand nearly all of this and is stuffing his face in sweets right now. Heh, he really isn't great at using a fork yet.

"Fine then Ikarus, have it your way. Me and your father would like to stay for a little while over here if that's okay though..."

Father doesn't even need to speak to tell that what mother says isn't true, sometimes it's better for the old guy to just accept his situation and just deal with it.

"... Other than just see our lovely daughter, there is another reason for coming over here"

"Really? What's the reason then?"

"Well... seeing that you don't want to share intimate details about your life, then me and your father shall do the same"

Seriously mother? That's a little petty but it's not exactly impossible to figure out what they might be doing, it's probably something like a refresh or a holiday, they do spend more than enough time away in the cave or forest so the change of scenery is long overdue. I doubt it's an anniversary thing simply because I'm pretty sure the dates don't match up, at least from that time I first received that dragon curse that's now long gone.

"Fine then... should probably give some heads up though, me and Petra will be leaving soon as we've got business in the capital"

(Petra) "Yeah, it's unavoidable unfortunately"

We need to try and get this trip down within a few weeks, a month at tops. Progress when it comes to smelting cannot be ran at full efficiency without us two running the helm so the longer we leave it, the less money we can make. That of course only applies when we're away but we definitely need to sort the exchanging issue out quickly otherwise things will go slightly messy. There's also the issue of where to spend or invest it but me and Petra both have some ideas that we can leave with Marcus when we're gone.

Mother of course seems a little down about this news but nothing we can do about it I'm afraid, they've picked a bad time to visit unfortunately and even though I'd rather not leave them alone, it should still be alright I guess, I am pretty noteworthy for worrying a little too much. Father does have something else on his mind though.

"Hmm... do you reckon you have some time for something different though little one? It won't even take the length of a meal"

"What do you have in mind?..."

__________

"You can't actually be serious Dermakvar! You want to fight with our daughter!?"

<It's not fighting dear, it's sparring, it's the only true way of judging one's power and we use to do this all the time>

"Yeah but I was always the one to make sure it didn't get out of hand; you've never been in control of the sparring Dermak"

<Hmph, have a little faith in me darling>

Back out in the woods that surround the settlement, me and the parents are out here alone while Minos is having some time quality alone with Petra. She seems to be quite happy babying Minos so nothing wrong with that while we 'fight'.

Why we're out here is for a simpler reason. You see, father wants to get an idea on how powerful I've gotten and I'm more than happy to give him a scratch or two, obviously if I can even land a hit. This actually reminds me of those old myths where the Gods took down their fathers... obviously the exceptions being no one is planning on dying right now and I ain't no God.

"A word of warning though old lizard, it should be obvious I can't use any of my insane attacks, you've already heard two of them"

There's three of them really which are off limits for something like this though, the nuke, supernova and aspect of gigantomachy. We're looking to train, not actually cause one another to die... although Petra did say Ariza would be close by if something went wrong and I've always got healents on me. Seriously doubt they'll need to be used though.

<Don't worry little one, I'll also be holding back a lot as well... You plan on staying in that mixed form?>

If it isn't obvious by the 'speech', father's returned into dragon form when we first came out here. It's going to make things more difficult for me but I really don't expect him to fight in that disgusting body as he describes it.

"Of course, the speed disadvantage is pointless when you can swing a blade"

<Hmph, I'll be the judge of that little one... let's begin then!>

As soon as father initiates the battle, a smile appears on his face while mother still in human is off on the ground turning away. The old lizard immediately flies up away from me causing me to also spread out my wings to chase him. Armed with a blade and flame in the other hand, it's time to hunt some dragon!

Sure, he obviously is still a fuck tonne more powerful than me but he'll switch it down a lot, we've already discussed that. Something I don't expect is the pure speed of him in battle, there's no chance I'll be able to chase him so I'll have to go in for counter attack opportunities.

<Watch out little one, this might hurt if you don't>

High above me, he changes his flight direction and turns back around. Then, he rapidly swoops down from above trying to catch me like a dinner wolf, there's no chance I'm giving him the satisfaction so just as he tries to grab with his paw, I dodge flying to the side swiping at his paw as I avoid the capture.

<Funny, a little scratch, you'll have to try harder little one>

"Stop talking and get on with it already! You too old to fight properly or something?"

<Hmph, fine then>

This really isn't what I was expecting from a duel with father, it honestly just seems like he wants to practice his capturing skills right now. It doesn't matter how fast or agile a flying dragon can be, he isn't going to be able to defeat me as easily as that.

Once again, father repeats his attack motion but this time around, he's using the sun for cover as he makes the ascent back up. While waiting for him to come back down, I start to charge up a fire tornado attack I've neglected to use in a pretty long time now. I'm ignoring star blaze simply because visibility is bad enough looking up already, that covering fireball always makes seeing harder.

Now that I've gotten the incredibly fast dragon staring from above, it appears he's actually trying to eat me! He's seriously looks like he's about to catch me his mouth charging back down but you're still underestimating me lizard!

As soon as he opens his mouth to swoop me up, I release a fully charged fire tornado attack towards his mouth but sensing this, he switches his falling direction ever so slightly completely avoiding me and making my dodge easier to attempt. Despite this however, that attack still lands making contact with his neck.

<You've definitely got agility on your side little one and that burn was a nice tickle, it won't matter if I just crash into you next time though>

'So father's going to use himself as wrecking ball? Curious to see if my attack even did anything, status'

[Name: Dermakvar | Species: Dragon | Level: 522]

[Health 28,666/30,500]

[Stamina 48,087/50,000]

[Magicka 50,000/50,000]

'Shoulda expected that, dragon scales are strong even on the neck... Aesa-'

[<Magicka reserves are at 78%>]

'Thanks for answering before I even asked... I feel like father still isn't taking this seriously though'

Unfortunately for me, this is when I realize I'm fully mistaken. Unlike father going up and doing a routine attack, he appears to do something completely new and unexpected.

Without even giving me a second to think, he's already right in front of me smashing his wing into my airspace. Even during the status check, I was paying attention to him but this attack is something I haven't even got the chance to dodge, avoid or counter, all I can do is brace for impact.

And just like that, I find myself slapped getting thrown midair falling into the canopy of the trees below me. Fuck, that hurt!

"Ikarus!"

<Shit little one! I thought you'd be able to avoid that!>

I hear the faint voice of a concerned mother and father's concerned telepathy still inside my head. Despite the pain from the smack and now being covered in leaves, I'm still flying and nothing is broken... I think.

'Damn fucking lizard, status'

[Name: Ikarus | Species: Phoenix | Level: 182]

[Health 32,791*/40,000*]

[Stamina 19,222*/20,000*]

[Magicka 40,000*/40,000*]

[You currently have 16000 unassigned points]

'I'm not ending this till I repay the favour... Aesa, activat-'

[<Negative... -user- is not the right frame of mind currently. Aesa withdraws all access to abilities until -user- regains full composure>]

'The fuck is your problem!? He'd obviously survive it so just allow me'

[<Negative>]

'Urgh...'

I think it's safe to say that last attack has annoyed me a little and Aesa can clearly tell I'm frustrated, I want to give the old dinosaur a taste of the pain he just inflicted on me, I really couldn't care it was accidental or not. I'm still not angry though.

Without even giving me a chance to think how else I could go about landing a different attack, another dragon enters the sparring session while I'm flying up back out of the trees. It's safe to say, mother is really fucking pissed right now.

<I'm ending this! Both of you are taking it way too seriously! Dermakvar! I told you to control yourself!>

<Apologies dear, I thought little one would avoid it>

Mother, the world ender fully appears in her true form having a go at father, normally I'd agree with it but right now all I want to do is repay the favour he inflicted upon me.

<You shouldn't be apologizing to me... and Ikarus, you have bloodlust leaking out, you need to cool it down and relax otherwise you'll do something you regret>

That's a bit ironic coming from the dragon who destroyed an entire continent... she might be right though; I could've gotten carried away there. Sure, I love father and all but I did seriously want to harm him... yeah, I'm fine now. Whatever that bloodlust thing is, it's basically gone.

This reminds me a little of back when dealing with the pirates, I don't feel anger nor rage, just a desire to inflict pain... I'm unsure if I'm getting better or worse with this, I've had this thing for a while now but it always seems to be more faded when Petra is around. Sighhh, I've really got to be careful, Aesa actually did me a favour there.

Just as our spar is fully coming to an end and my bloodlust is cooling, we just so happen to have an onlooker watching that battle. Unsure how much he saw but the reaction is expected regardless.

"E-Erm..."

'The fuck is Marcus doing out here?'

Standing like a dog with a tail between its legs is the terrified leader of this settlement. That analogy sucked but it's not everyday you get to witness two dragons and a feathered human flying about; I can see why he'd be stressed out witnessing such a random scene, did give him the warning two large 'birds' might be visiting.

"What are you doing here Marcus?"

'P-Petra said to c-come collect you f-for a meeting'

I don't know whether to facepalm or laugh, he even has the same stutter Nathan gets around dragons. I'm unsure why Petra sent him over like this, maybe she thought father would stick to human form to fight but it's not that big of a deal really. I'll just explain that he's my father and leave it at that, I'm pretty sure he's trustworthy at this point and it's not exactly like he's got anyone to snitch to. Who gonna believe he just so happened to come across two mythical dragons out in the woods anyway?

<That trembling little mortal is making me hungry>

"That's not funny Dermakvar"

"You're not funny old man... just give me a sec Marcus and I'll come with you..."