Chapter 98:Drake.
The carriage didn’t stop but continued forward despite the rocking ground. Broken roots shot out of the ground the vibrations becoming too much for them to remain underground.
Despite all this, Lilith never commanded the carriage to stop. Atheline leaned a little outside to look.
"This place is far worse than the normal corruption zone," he said quietly.
The smell of death and rot had gotten worse with each shake.
"Yes," she acknowledged.
Her gaze was still on the left side beyond the dead forest.
The carriage rolled forward for just a few seconds then the horses shrieked.
The entire carriage lurched violently, throwing the balance off just enough for the wood to groan.
Something heavy brushed against the outer side of the carriage enough to shake it a little.
Lilith was already moving. The door wasn’t open; her shadows swallowed her, and then she was standing outside.
Atheline leaned in looking through the other window but was still straining just to see past the forest since it seemed to be coming from her side.
At first, he couldn’t make sense of it. He knew it was something large, too large, moving between trees that fell with each step.
It stepped forward enough for him to get a better view through all the corruption. Its steps were uneven as though drunk.
Atheline exhaled quietly.
"That used to be a mountain drake," he mumbled quietly.
Even corrupted, the shape was still there, it was eaten away by the spreading rot.
Its spine was now split in different places and the cracks leaked corrupt aether in waves like clouds.
It was clearly rotting from the inside out.
Its forelimbs dragged slightly, their long claws digging deep into the earth.
The wings were the most affected. One side was larger than the other with bones exposed where membranes should have been.
Atheline wondered how it even managed to keep balance with such proportions.
Its head lifted and there was nothing inside the eye sockets, just plain darkness.
"Don’t lean out."
Her commanding voice cut through the thundering noise, it felt close despite the distance between them.
She was standing at the front of the carriage as a barrier between them and the drake.
"A mountain drake shouldn’t be here," he said quieter now, more to himself, " they stay in highlands or rocky regions, how did it even end up here and corrupted?"
Although corruption destroys the mind and consciousness, instincts remain unless something provokes them.
A corrupted drake would look for a mountainous zone, which was why it was surprising.
"It didn’t come here on its own," she answered flatly.
The drake tilted its head a little then its eyes locked with the carriage, Atheline exactly.
He could feel the slimy gaze from that monstrosity.
’Don’t tell me it’s here for me’
"It’s not even looking at you," he said to Lilith.
She nodded in response to her fierce gaze on it.
It moved.
Its body dragged forward, the disjointed legs holding its weight as its body moved.
Each step sent a wave of earthquake that shook the carriage almost violently.
The ground cracked under its weight. Branches scattered as it pushed forward its gaze still on him.
Its destination was clear.
That was enough. Lilith disappeared.
One moment she was standing in front of the carriage the next she was already in front of it.
It dwarfed her. She looked so small in front of the monstrosity.
The drake couldn’t stop. The momentum carried it forward, right into her.
It didn’t reach her.
Darkness bloomed. Numerous magic circles appeared under and around it.
Darkness poured out of them. Shadows rose from the spell circle and bound the drake refusing to let it go despite its violent struggles.
Its front limbs buckled mid-motion, the ground beneath them sinking.
A low distorted vibration tore out of the Drake’s broken voice cords.
Lilith stood there unmoving, one hand slightly raised but she looked totally relaxed like she wasn’t even trying.
She seemed to be toying with it and was clearly enjoying it.
The drake thrashed violently against the shadows. One of its limbs tore free from the binding and swung towards her.
She didn’t dodge but vanished again. The limb slammed heavily onto the empty ground.
She reappeared above it already moving. Her hand came down and lightly touched it.
Darkness spread through the point of contact. The spell circles under the drake widened and its limbs suddenly vanished leaving only its main body convulsing on the ground.
She chuckled softly at the bizarre scene. With each little attack, she was making the corruption worse since it was a different form of dark aether.
Behind her, the carriage remained unaffected.
Atheline watched on, admiring her since she rarely fought except while playing with him.
"You’re overdoing it," he said in an almost conversatory tone.
For the first time, she paused and slightly turned to look at him.
"Is it inefficient to prolong this?"
Atheline shook his head.
"Not that," he replied then added, "you’re using too much force for something already dead."
Her gaze lingered on him for half a second then she looked back at the dying drake.
"Then I’ll end it."
She raised her arm and folded it. The magic circle expanded until it merged with the others and encompassed the whole drake.
The drake disappeared just like that without a chance to struggle, not like it could.
The forest immediately fell silent.
She stood on the empty space for a moment then her gaze moved towards the forest, where the drake had come from.
"The timing is too precise, "she quietly said, more to herself, "too precise."
Behind her, Atheline stepped out of the carriage and heard her mumbles through the wind.
He leaned on the Carriage side and exhaled softly.
"So not bad luck then," he said to himself.
Lilith turned towards him. Her eyes found him immediately.
"No," she answered quietly, " someone arranged it."
She stepped forward and disappeared again then appeared beside him.
Atheline noticed her eyes were slightly dilated, clearly from adrenaline.
Her hands cupped both his cheeks and pulled him down for a kiss.
Atheline responded immediately and pulled her towards him.
After they separated she lightly rubbed her thumb on the corner of his lips.
"You knew what it was," she stated.
Atheline nodded.
"A mountain drake," he paused," or what’s left of it."
Her hands tightened around his robes.
"It shouldn’t have targeted you."
He ran a hand through her smooth hair.
"And yet it did."
Even though Lilith had subdued it, the drake had not taken its gaze off him. He was clearly its target.
’It seems assassins are becoming useless’