The third order.
The next day within this hidden city of stone lost from history with no record of its existence. Waking up heavier than normal, I searched to find the source. To my left was a sleeping dragoness, comfortably laying on my chest. 'Wha?' I thought trying to remember the events that past. It took some time, but I remembered with clarity. It was Saphira. 'Yeah that's right, she fell asleep in my arms.' I felt a smile grow on my face knowing that I now have a 'technical girlfriend.'
I didn't move. I let her have some needed sleep. My internal clock is telling me that it is very early in the morning, maybe around six or seven? Letting her sleep in gave me some much-needed thinking on a matter of, everything. This city, the machines, the legend of humans as being a nightmare to dragons, and most importantly; how to seduce a dragon. This city and everything inside is something I can learn if I search hard enough. The fact that most of the upper districts are so well preserved, I should find something eventually. It's the fact that I don't know what is considered proper dragon courtship behavior. I don't want big daddy dragon try to kill me for being 'me.' I should ask later when I have the time.
A shadow flashed by causing me to go into full alert mode. 'Something is here.' I thought slowly moving my hand over to my sword. Saphira jumped awake searching frantically for the unknown presence. She looked at me for a silent answer knowing that sound could bring whatever was out there. I gestured for her to stay low while I checked it out. Putting on my armor and preparing my gear. I carried Lupus in my right using my left to put on my helm. We were in a simple one story house made of stone. It was not like anything could just smash shit to get in. I had the doors and windows barricaded with whatever I could find. I checked out the window where the shadow came from.
I peeked outside through a crack in the wood. Outside was a plaza that must have been used for a market. Various run-down stalls barely able to be recognized as one. Tattered cloth flowed aimlessly though the wind created by the vortex of the bowl we are in. I didn't spot anything just a strange looking statue that was more vibrant than the usual gray stone. 'Wait...thats not...' I calculated before the statue moved. The thing moving closer looked like it was small. Smaller then even Saphira.
"Saphira, stay down," I ordered.
"Why?" she asked.
"Trouble," I replied.
Before for me was what I wasn't expecting. Just a few feet in front of me stood a black samurai downing black plates for protection over a red kimono along her thighs, her shoulders, and breasts in the wolfish theme of the city. Her face was covered by a mask, also of a wolf. The only thing I could use to tell it was a girl was from her tomboyish figure and hair reminding me of Gajeel from an anime I used to watch, scruffy, big, and down to her waist. Against her right side was a revolving drum of some kind. From where I was standing, I could tell the slender simple drum acted as a barrel for interchangeable blades for her katana.
The vibe I was getting from her wasn't what I was expecting. The air smelt of danger, strength, and a carnal desire to hunt. I was her prey within her walls. From the first sight, I knew she was full-on human. She carried herself well, unafraid of the foe before her. I had my questions as to how she exists. The only thought that could prove how she came to be was that her lineage somehow survived the test of time. The girl actually made me nervous, but not so much that I had to pull out my cheats. 'Does she see me as a threat though?'
She pulled out a blade from her selection using a modified hilt to attached the blade too. The motion was perfect from the draw. This little information from my over-active brain told me she clearly better with a sword than me. No amount of practice in my spare time could get my draw as fast as that. My scythe wasn't going to help in this fight, nor my eyes. I threw my Lupus back into the house where Saphira was hiding and switched my left eye to green. Sensing Saphira talk hold of Lupus, I made sure she stayed out of the way, before drawing Nix from her sheath.
We didn't need to say a word to each other. We both knew what was going to play out. She was an unkillable dragon slayer, and I was the dragon. She may be the last of her kind, unchanged from the forces of this world, but she has a purpose. A purpose to battle far bigger things than I. Though we may hail from the same place, she gives me the impression that the thought isn't mutual. She brought her sword in front of her pointed upwards from her waist, starting the game of circling of one another. I did the same following every movement. I counted every second, calculating when she strikes, but this count didn't last long. With blinding speed, I only had the time to block the first of many yet to come.
Hours. It has been hours. Ever since we started our duel, I knew from the first strike that this wasn't going to be easy, but fucking hours worth of non-stop fighting to the point where we were destroying the city with each clash, her bringing out her trump card making her grow a tail and ears, becoming ten times more powerful than before. The fact that I had to keep up as best as I could to gain from this experience, utilizing my emerald eye to recording all the techniques she displayed to learning how much I could push my dragon half. This bitch wasn't going down so easily. I managed to take off her mask while she decimated my armor to scraps. I had to put on my first look as a dragon. My black trench coat, black leather collar, military boots, and a full matching suit. She had a pretty face, one that I could get into, but for the amount of time, fighting it might not happen. Her expression turned from calm acceptance to why won't you die already. She was becoming more and more frustrated as the passage of time went on. Now standing on a crumbling building looking over the burning city searching for her next attack. I spot Saphira running for the spire with all the gear we acquired.
She was out of harm's way giving me no need to rush in and save her. The ever changing she-wolf, however, didn't like to stop fighting for too long. Standing on top of a watch tower glaring with dark intensity, she check on her remaining blade supply. She had one left within her barrel sheath. She was hesitant to equip it like it was a last choice. I gave her a chance to back down by sheathing my own sword so that we could come to an end of this madness. She saw this chance not as what I hoped for. She equipped the blade she didn't want to use just to spite my offer. Once the blade left the holster, cast aside for more mobility, I saw why she didn't wish to use it. The blade exploded into a frenzy, enveloping the she-wolf in a cocoon of shadow. I pulled Nix back out from her rest and prepared for her final form. The spell ended as fast as it started. The she-wolf transformed into the wolf equivalent of a diamond dog, but with some major differences. No oversized for arms, no big hind's, and no need for hunching over. Her arms were the same as before but with more fur and paws for hands. Her new hind's didn't consume her mobility, but adding a more delicate grace animalistic yet still human. Her spine didn't force her to lose comfort when walking straight upright, a common problem for diamond dogs. The color tone of her new appearance didn't take much away from reality. Her hair stayed the same jet black, but the rest of her fur was a soft carbon gray. She grimaced to her new look. She must know that this change was permanent.
Once she accepted the fact that she will now be forever be labeled as a diamond dog. She got back in her usual stance readying herself for the final round. I did the same. Buildings crashed to the ground from the fire growing in intensity, eating the once colorless city. The machines that protect the city were removed from this world in the crossfire. The only recognizable structure left that wasn't burning or crashing to the ground from the tremors of the re-awakening volcano was the spire-like tower at the center of the city. The building I saw Saphira take shelter in.
The she-wolf took one step forward and vanished. I jumped to the right swiping the air, hoping to hit something. 'I did.' The she-wolf kicked my gut with immense speed, sending me flying into the spire. Crashing into the twelveth floor, blocking a flurry of attacks from the she-wolf, I managed to catch up. Only to get pummeled halfway through my flight into the spire, being sent back down the floors I passed the 'hard way.' I know my scales protect me from almost everything, but the impact of crashing through every floor to ground level, made me wish I wasn't going to feel that in the morning, but I know I will.
I landed on the ground flat on my back right beside Saphira. The she-wolf wasn't far behind. I saw her land at the base of my feet ready to go for the killing blow. I looked over to trembling Saphira hoping for some help of some kind. 'I didn't happen.' She was paralyzed in her spot just like me, but my reason was from the pain of falling through solid stone, her's was from terror that her life was going to end. I Smiled at my opponent with a cheeky grin. This made her jump back searching for a hidden trap that wasn't there. I got back up slowly dusting myself off, Nix back in hand.
I lunged while she was still in search mode giving me a slight advantage. She didn't see me coming despite her frantic search for nothing. She jumped out of the way before I could land the hit. The miss made me trip, something that I haven't done. I was starting to realize that I might actually lose this fight. A prospect that filled my twisted sense of how a battle should be with joy. The girl didn't give any chances for recovery. She grabbed me by the collar, throwing me back outside. I had enough of her cheating, so I thought it was time fore some of my own. 'Let us see if I can make a storm inside a volcano.'
Remembering the old spell I made a while ago, I focused my neutral magic using my wings as a unicorns horn, and sang my little song, recovering mid-flight from the throw. "Musica Ex Magica."
"Vortex verio tonitrui murmur pluvia a torrent ex fulger facere autem ventus acendent altus autem caelum Facere id pluvia apud aqua dolor hoc tempestas numen erit potens autem ventus numen ascendent." I sang till I was out of juice. Releasing the spell inside the volcano was exactly what I was hoping for. The miniature thunderstorm, the lightning being sent out from the thunderheads, and the gale force winds, made it impossible to see, hear, and move from the uplifting debris fire and bone drenching rain. The vortex was so powerful, I had to jump on a flying building just for basic footing. My enemy had the same idea.
Jumping from building to flying building using the wind as a speed booster, made my life much easier. The she-wolf and I were back on equal terms again, attacking each other with precise blows, strikes, and parries, but we didn't have much time left till the volcano erupts. She lunged at me with one more blow. I dodged her attack, followed up by a roundhouse kick to her gut sending her along with the storm. I used this chance and teleported back to Saphira. She was over-joyed of my return, but we had little time to speak. I sheathed Nix and grabbed Lupus in one hand and Saphira in the other, leading us up the spire.
It took us a few minutes climbing the spire, only to reach the top to find the she-wolf and a new face. 'Come one!' I could care less about the other human wearing only see through white silk dress that only covered her crotch and tits, thus I chose to cheat. Just by looking at this women I could tell she was the bad guy and that she was using the she-wolf as a tool. So being as tired as I was, I turned on the eye of dreams and froze them both before they could do anything. This didn't work on the blond angel. Taking a better look I could see that one eye was pink, it was the left eye. 'Nope.' I thought to myself. She thought my attempt was amusing, so I did the next best thing. I turned on golden-eye while she wasn't looking and torched the bitch with hellfire! I knew that was the eye of Lust! From the pink and that she couldn't be frozen. She died instantly making the eye of chaos she wielded to transfer over to me. I grabbed the frozen she-wolf carrying her over my shoulder and flew into the eye of the storm with Saphira while the volcano erupted behind us, erasing all traces of that place from this world.