Chrysalis

Chapter 1228: Anthony On Tour – Dragon Of Golden Clouds

Look, if I’m being honest, it’s not that easy to ‘steer’ when flying via gravity well. Manipulating the thing takes a lot of energy and focus; I’m basically doing something like controlled falling. It’s hard.

Now, in my head, I imagine doing a nice swoop and nimbly slipping away from the gigantic half-cloud, half-claw coming towards me, but in practical terms, it doesn’t work out that way.

Instead, I just slam directly into it.

The claws begin to close around me, but I’m not having that. With a mighty CHOMP, I bite deep, hoping the dragon isn’t too mad about having its digits munched on. Turns out I didn’t need to worry, because my jaws pass straight through as what had appeared to be solid returns to puffy cloud the moment my mandibles touch it.

Then I’m through, falling toward the gravity well and descending on the city like a meteor. I’m going to make such a big hole in that shiny golden roof, they have no idea what’s coming. I’m white hot with rage to the point I feel like my carapace is on fire.

My head is still filled with what I’m going to do once I get inside the cathedral that I don’t immediately realise that the dragon situation isn’t quite so easily resolved. The cloud that hovers around the city is swirling and dancing as the enormous monster forms and reforms itself constantly. As fast as I’m moving, the dragon is faster, much faster, and it doesn’t take long until I’m totally surrounded by cloud.

Hoping I can perhaps persuade this creature to leave me alone, I decide to broadcast a message. With a little luck, my reliable Anthony charm will allow me to talk it down?

[A member of my family has been captured and taken into the golden city! I’m just going in there to rescue her!]

There’s no immediate response, so I just concentrate on ‘falling’ as fast as I can toward my target.

[YES. I SENSE THE CREATURE YOU SPEAK OF.]

Oh shoot! So it knows I’m not lying or trying to attack the city? I feel a burst of optimism. I might not have to fight this thing after all?

[Hey, that’s cool then, right? You can just let me go down and get her, then I’ll leave. Won’t take more than a minute. Maybe two minutes. Three. Let’s say five to be safe. Then I’m out of your hair… clouds…. Okay?]

Rings of cloud twist around me, flashes of scales and claws appearing and vanishing as fast as I see them.

[IT WILL NOT BE SO, LITTLE ONE. MY MASTER ORDERS ME TO STOP YOU, AND SO I MUST.]

Wait. Orders?

[You’re a pet?!] I exclaim incredulously.

The dragon doesn’t reply, possibly not all that pleased at being described as a pet, as it shouldn’t, considering it’s tier eight, or maybe even tier nine. I can feel the incredible power radiating from the monster, so I know for sure it’s at least more highly evolved than I am.

That doesn’t mean I’ll lose, but it does mean I can’t win quickly. In this instance, winning quickly is the only thing that matters. At least I know there’s no chance I can reason with the beast. If it’s a pet, then it can’t refuse a direct order, no matter what. Even if the dragon and I end up being best buds, drinking tea and playing… whatever games friends play together, I don’t know, it won’t matter. If the Master says stop me, then stop me it will.

Or at least, it’ll try.

Clouds around me shift and reform. Suddenly, there are claws all around me, closing in fast. How in the heck does it do that? That’s so crazy! How is it fair if its body can be there sometimes and not there the rest? Where the heck does it go?!

VOID CHOMP!

I’m not messing around. I unleash my strongest bite, activating the Skill but not empowering it with the Altar. I might be topped off with Will right now, but there’s not a lot flowing into the thing with only ten thousand ants in range. I can’t afford to waste that precious energy.

The black mandibles of pure energy form and then slam shut with a ferocious howl, the void drawing the cloud-formed claws inwards before severing them all.

And, of course, they dissolve back into nothing, only for a new set to form a second later.

VOID CHOMP!

If I have to chomp all the way down to the ground, then I will! I’m not stopping!

I don’t see the tail coming. Of course I don’t. How the heck am I supposed to see anything with all of this darn cloud in the way?!

CRACK!

It certainly doesn’t feel like I was hit in the face with a nice puffy cloud, it feels like being hit in the face with a brick wall! The force of the impact rattles through my carapace and sends me flying backwards, but I maintain my grip on the well throughout. Once my momentum bleeds out, there’s only one way for me to fall, and believe it or not, it isn’t straight down.

It’s towards that blighted cathedral.

[DO NOT BE STUBBORN. IT WILL ONLY RESULT IN YOUR DEATH.]

[Look, I’m not trying to bother you or anything, or your Master for that matter, but a member of my family is down there, so I am going. If you want to stop me, you’re going to have to do a heck of a lot more than slap me around.]

It sounds good in my head, the dragon seems like a reasonable sort, it’ll understand where I’m coming from, but once the words are out there, I realise that the creature I’m talking to doesn’t actually have a choice in the matter.

[IF THAT IS WHAT IT WILL TAKE, THEN THAT IS WHAT I WILL DELIVER.]

Nice, Anthony. Real nice.