Ryu and Leo stared up at the impossible, monstrous figure of the Purple Dragon. Its scales were like dull, polished obsidian, and its eyes burned with a primal malice. The creature looked down at them with slow, terrifying amusement, knowing they were trapped.
Without a second thought, the dragon unleashed its weapon: a devastating torrent of Purple Flame. The flame wasn't just fire; it was a pressurized stream of caustic, toxic energy that hissed as it burned the very oxygen around them.
"Scatter! Move!" Leo roared.
Ryu and Leo launched themselves in opposite directions, moving in a continuous, erratic zigzag pattern. The Purple Flame was powerful, but difficult to track quickly, especially against two fast-moving targets. They relied on pure reflex, ducking under the corrosive jets and leaping over the sizzling craters the poison fire left in the earth. The constant, dizzying movement ensured the Dragon could never lock onto a single target long enough to incinerate them.
In a brief moment when the Dragon tilted its massive head back to recharge, Ryu utilized his full superhuman strength, converging on the beast and delivering a single, focused heavy punch to the Dragon's snout. It wasn't intended to injure, only to stun. The Dragon bellowed, momentarily disoriented, and the next stream of Purple Flame it shot was wide, missing Ryu completely.
Leo, seeing the opening, hit the Dragon's colossal body with a burst of blinding speed, distracting it further. But the dragon was merely annoyed. It shook its head, its devilish eyes fixing on Ryu with lethal precision.
"Ryu, we can't defeat him easily! We have to escape!" Leo screamed, his voice strained as he barely avoided a swipe of the dragon's massive, razor-tipped claw.
Ryu stood his ground, parrying a blast of residual flame with the flat of his dagger. "How? He won't let us go! And we came all this way for Gargi!"
Leo dodged another wave of fire and retreated to Ryu's side, his breath ragged. He looked around—at the destroyed forest, at the impassable chasm, and then past the dragon towards the deeper Purple Goblin territory. He saw a brief, raw image flash through his mind: the sight of Green Goblin families weeping over the charred bodies of their loved ones. Leo had made a silent oath to those people; he would see them get justice, even if it meant his life.
"Listen to me," Leo said, urgency and finality in his tone. "I'll distract him, use everything I have, and make a breach. You escape, find Gargi, and get the antidote! We have to do this for humanity and for the goblin people who are counting on us!"
Ryu stared at him, his face etched with hesitation. "No! I won't leave you to fight this thing alone, Leo! It's suicide!"
Leo offered a strained, genuine smile, his eyes sparkling with an almost mischievous confidence. "Believe me, Ryu, I'm not an ordinary boy."
Ryu looked into the resolute eyes of his companion. He knew Leo possessed immense, largely untapped power, often cloaked by his bookish, worried demeanor. Ryu forced a grin, nodding in agreement. "I trust you, you idiot. Don't die on me."
With that, Leo erupted into action. He focused his energy, and his movements became a blur of enhanced speed, zipping around the dragon's head and neck, forcing the beast to track him frantically. The Dragon, enraged by the persistent buzzing pest, forgot Ryu and turned its full attention and fire upon Leo, creating a path for Ryu to escape the immediate zone.
Ryu darted into the thick underbrush, putting distance between himself and the terrifying battle behind him. I have to find Gargi as fast as possible, he thought, guilt warring with determination.
He increased his speed, running deeper into the Noisiop territory.
He knew he couldn't fight every guard, so he moved with the silence of a shadow, managing to capture and isolate two unsuspecting purple guards. Through a brutal, fast interrogation, Ryu extracted the location: Gargi was being held in heavy chains at a rudimentary military outpost atop a low, desolate hill.
Ryu located the hill, shrouded in mist and guarded by dozens of purple goblins. He slipped past the perimeter, his senses heightened, and entered the crude stone structure. There, in a damp, cold chamber, was Gargi.
She was unconscious, her powerful body wrapped in thick, heavy chains of dark iron. Her skin was badly bruised, and she bore several severe injuries.
Ryu, remembering the nature of Zatana's magic, had been cautious; he had prepared some general restorative medicines and salves during their initial preparations. He didn't know the extent of the poison, but he had to try.
Ryu carefully broke the chains and lifted the chieftain in his arms. Her size and strength were overwhelming even in her unconscious state. He carried her out of the encampment and down the hill toward a hidden, shallow lake he had spotted earlier.
As he gently laid her down by the water's edge and began applying the balm to her wounds, the sight of her impressive physique—now completely unrestrained and partially exposed due to her damaged armor—hit him. It's even bigger than the status one! his inner pervert screamed. No! Control, Ryu! Control! Focus on her pulse! You have to work on your urges!
Ryu took a deep, shuddering breath, splashing cold lake water on his face to regain control. He quickly and competently finished applying the medicine to her worst injuries, knowing time was running out.
Miles away, the sound of the dragon's continuous, venomous roar was still tearing through the night air.
Back at the chasm, Leo was utterly exhausted, weaving on sheer adrenaline. The Dragon, sensing its prey tiring, gathered an immense amount of magical energy. It opened its cavernous mouth and prepared to fire a final, catastrophic blast—a colossal, concentrated Purple Flame direct hit that would leave nothing behind.
Leo closed his eyes, accepting his fate, when suddenly, a brilliant, towering wall of vibrant crimson flame erupted between him and the Dragon, blocking the lethal purple fire just milliseconds before impact.
To Be Continued