The Deal with Dragons

September 21st Part 2

            Over wide shoulders, powerful legs, and a heavily muscled body was a head topped with orange hair. He stood about fifty feet from them, eyes locked onto Kevin. Standing frozen, he stared at the newcomer for a long moment. Then he raised his arms and began chanting something rapidly in a language Leah couldn’t understand.

            She turned back to the other man to find him running towards Kevin, arms outstretched. Her friend remained where he was, the only sign he’d seen the man was the increased speed of his chanting and the widening of his eyes. “Why aren’t you blasting him, idiot?” she snapped, running forward the few steps it took to put her in front of Kevin.

            His chanting got even faster as she felt her adrenaline kick in. A second later the man was in front of her. She shot her arms forward, one grabbing him just under his elbow, pulling him forward and off balance. She stepped in, jamming her elbow under his armpit. Stepping back and around so her back was to him, she flung him over her shoulders with forward snap.

            He landed heavily on his back, breath exploding out of his lungs. She spun, using her momentum and weight to sink a hard elbow drop into his stomach. His body convulsed in for a moment before red tinged puke bubbled out of his lips. She leapt back to avoid the vomit and any retaliation.

            As soon as she was clear, Kevin darted in, closing his hands around the man’s shoulders. Shimmering blue welled up around him, engulfing him in a wavering egg of liquid light. It grew brighter and brighter until, in a flash, it disappeared.

Leah blinked the tears out of her eyes, turning to Kevin for an explanation. She took in his pale skin, the beads of sweat sliding down his face and his trembling hands. She lunged forward and was able to catch him before he collapsed. He was heavier than he looked. Far heavier. She couldn’t hold him up and was forced to sink to the ground with him. She lay him gently on the grassy strip between the road and the sidewalk, feeling her muscles protest slightly at the strain.

A whistling croak made her look up. Razor sat in a tree, watching them. Catching her gaze, he flicked his wings and tail at her. She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just stay there and keep a lookout okay? Call if anyone dangerous looking heads this way.”

He gave her the high trilling call she’d come to know as his agreement noise. She nodded and turned her attention to Kevin, who was panting slightly, pupils only the faintest of lines in his yellow green irises. “Are you alright?”

He nodded his head forward slightly before hissing, as if the movement had caused him pain. She frowned. “What happened? Why didn’t you do that prisony spell before? And where’d he go? Should I try and move you to your apartment?” Catching her voice rising, she stopped herself and took a deep breath.

“No. I will rest here. I need a few minutes to replenish my energies enough to be able to move. I sent him to my allies, to be questioned. I did not use the spell earlier because it was incomplete. If I had stopped casting mid-spell it would have rebounded on me. That would have been…bad,” he said, closing his eyes, breathing slowing slightly.

“But why did you stand there chanting for so long? When you fought that other one you were throwing spells immediately,” she said, sliding her backpack off and digging around inside it with one hand.

“He was a battle type.”

Her forehead creased as she pulled out her water bottle. “What do you mean battle type?”

Kevin opened his eyes to look at her. “He is the battle type of dreigun. They are much larger and stronger than the magic type. But we are faster and we are able to use high level magics. Battle types only have power for the lowest level of magics though they have an increased magical immunity as compensation. They rely on their physical prowess for combat whereas we rely on spell casting.”

“So like one of the Harry Potter types of dragons as opposed to the Spirited Away kind that you remind me of?” she said before handing him the water bottle. “Here. Drink this.”

He flipped the top open and dragged his arm over to his mouth so he could grab it in his teeth and tilt his head back. She watched his throat work rapidly, draining the bottle without pausing for a breath. Finished, he let it drop out of his mouth. “I believe that the Harry Potter dragons are inspired by the battle type of dreigun, yes. I do not understand the other reference.”

She shook her head before snaking an arm forward and grabbing her water bottle. “Never mind. I’ll show it to you some other time. Are you going to be okay? You’re still pretty pale.”

He nodded without wincing. “I will recover. The spell I was forced to use takes much energy. And I am afraid I may have…rushed it. You must know that it is very dangerous to engage a battle type in a physical confrontation. They are very strong.”

Leah sighed. “I’m a black belt in judo. I’ve been doing it since I was six. Trust me, I know how to fight and how to pick my battles. He was concentrating on you and wasn’t expecting any kind of resistance from me. And I know how to use an opponent’s strength against them. It’s why no one at school ever tries to touch me.”

“It is still very dangerous. I would prefer if you left such fights to me,” he said, carefully levering himself upright.

She grabbed one arm and helped pull him into a sitting position. “You’d have gotten squashed if I hadn’t stepped in. I wasn’t about to let that happen. And to be honest, I think I could kick your ass so I’m probably going to step in again. If you look like you’re in trouble.”

He held her eyes for a long moment, like he was studying them. She met his gaze steadily, grey eyes looking like steel. He sighed and looked down. “I would prefer you not to endanger yourself but I cannot pretend that your help is anything but needed. May I ask that you allow me to handle as much as possible?”

Leah nodded. “That works. Now come on, let’s get you upstairs and in bed. You look like you need a long nap.”