The Hungry Dragon Cookie Company

by L. G. Estrella

  “I don’t like fire either, but we need to keep moving.” Timmy glanced at the statue again. “The longer someone like this has time to prepare, the worse off we’ll be.”

  They continued onward, disabling traps and dealing with a variety of different obstacles. As something of a connoisseur when it came to deadly traps, Timmy’s favourite was the array of ceiling-mounted spikes. It was a nice variation of the traditional spike pit, and most people never bothered to look up at the ceiling. He’d have to copy the idea later when he took over the castle. There was also a large pool of acid filled with a number of magical creatures that happened to live in acid. It was a deceptively dangerous situation. It wasn’t difficult to get across a pool of acid safely, but it was a lot harder to get across when there were octopus-like creatures in the acid trying to pull them in. Thankfully, a few stout whacks with his shovel, which he’d designed to be acid resistant, dealt with the largest of the creatures while Vicky and James did their part to discourage the other critters. It was a shame Timmy didn’t have a suitable container. He would have loved to bring one back to the academy for study.

  Finally, they reached a large, open space.

  “See? What did I tell you?” Timmy asked as he gestured broadly at the area ahead of them. “Behold –”

  If Timmy had truly been as much of a jerk as James routinely accused him of being, he wouldn’t have bothered to kick the other boy in the back – or maybe he just enjoyed kicking James in the back. He did have an eminently kickable back. Timmy could honestly say that at least half of his motivation for kicking James in the back was related to saving his life. The other half, well, he wasn’t about to miss such a wonderful opportunity. James stumbled forward, and the lance of incandescent heat that would have put a nice hole in the middle of his head instead struck the wall far behind them, melting a reasonable portion of it. Timmy quickly scurried behind Vicky. When in doubt, using the practically invincible person as a human shield was always a good idea.

  “Where did that come from?” Vicky asked. She gestured, and spheres of light spread through the hall.

  “You kicked me in the back!” James spat. “You imbecile!”

  Timmy pointed at the melted section of the wall. It was still glowing with heat. “Would you rather be missing your head?” James shut his mouth, and Timmy smirked. “I thought so.” He raised his shovel. “Get ready. I don’t think this guy is playing around.”

  Vicky’s question was answered a moment later. A large zombie – he had to be more than seven feet tall – strode forward. He carried a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, and his body was covered in plate armour. Timmy grimaced. The general was even bigger than his statue.

  “Can you do anything about him?” Vicky whispered. “You’re a necromancer, right?”

  Timmy wasn’t exactly keeping it a secret. Necromancy wasn’t presently illegal although it was frowned upon, but he wasn’t going around telling everyone about it either. Necromancers were not the most popular mages around. Too many of them were crazy, and too many of them had been caught skulking around graveyards and stealing corpses instead of buying them from an accredited and properly licenced corpse dealer.

  “No.” Timmy reached out with his magic. “See his armour? It’s designed to resist magic, so I can’t attack him directly with my necromancy.” His brows furrowed. “Whoever made that armour is good. Normally, I’d still be able to do something, maybe slow his movements down or stun him for a few seconds, but I can’t do anything at all. And if that attack was anything to go by, he hasn’t lost a step since becoming a zombie. The necromancer who made him was no joke. I’d say they were a Grand Necromancer or close to it.”

  James finally noticed where Timmy was standing and hurried to join him behind Vicky as another lance of heat threatened to cut him in two. “What do we do?”

  “You’re seriously asking me for instructions?”

  “Why not? You always have a plan, and you are a necromancer. What’s the plan?”

  “How about –”

  A beam of fire blazed toward Vicky, so bright that Timmy had to turn away to keep from being blinded. It would have hit her if not for the glowing wall of light that appeared in front of her. The resulting explosion and outpouring of heat melted part of the floor, and Timmy’s eyes widened in disbelief. Although her wall was in no danger of breaking, Vicky was actually being forced back. Her eyes widened in surprise for a split-second before she poured more magic into her defence. As the flame receded, the floor in front of them glowing faintly, a smile formed on Vicky’s lips. She’d found a worthy opponent.

  “That was very rude,” Vicky said. She glanced back at Timmy and James. “Stay here. I’ll deal with him.”

  “Uh, maybe we should work as a team…” Timmy trailed off as Vicky’s magic flared. She surged forward in a blur of motion, one arm drawn back and wreathed in light. “And maybe you shouldn’t just charge in…”

  The general fired several more blasts of fire, but Vicky batted them aside. Explosions rocked the hall as the attacks crashed into the far walls of the hall. She was using one of the first tricks she’d ever learned. Instead of creating a spherical barrier or a wall, she pulled her magic tighter, creating a much stronger shield across a much smaller area – her body. She had almost reached the general and was in the process of landing a blow that Timmy presumed would be enough to turn a hill into dust when there was a roar like the surging of a king tide.

  “Oh, crap.” Timmy looked around for somewhere, anywhere, to take shelter. “The inscriptions and statues didn’t say anything about him being able to do that.”

  The air in front of the general quivered, and there was suddenly water, a tremendous amount of water. The torrent slammed into Vicky with all the force of a tidal wave. Her magic kept the attack from breaking every bone in her body. It even stopped her from getting wet, but she wasn’t able to keep her footing. She was flung back like a sack of potatoes, and she tumbled end over end, bumping off a pillar and then spinning away as the surging waters tossed her into the air and then drove her back into the floor with bone-crushing force. Light flared around her body as her magic absorbed each impact. Chains of radiance formed and latched onto several nearby pillars in a bid to steady her. Her magic shifted, and Timmy shivered. Instead of simply using her magic to defend herself, she was now using it to reinforce her body, vastly increasing her strength and speed. With the help of the chains, she managed to steady herself, and the stone floor cracked beneath her feet as she dug her boots into the ground and simply refused to be moved. A glowing, wedge-shaped barrier appeared in front of her, and the water parted to either side of her.

  Timmy and James were less fortunate.

  James gawped like a fool before bursting into motion. He struck the ground at their feet with his coins as hard as he could. The magic protecting that section of the floor broke, and he tore shards of stone up and flung them at the general in a bid to distract him and hopefully disrupt his magic. It didn’t work, and they still had a river’s worth of water headed their way. Thankfully, the damaged section of the floor was no longer protected from Timmy’s magic either. He yanked his shovel upward, and a ridge of stone jerked up.

  “Move!” Timmy bellowed as he dove behind the makeshift barrier. “Get over here!”

  James scrambled to the stone barrier, and the water thundered past them, the sheer volume of it threatening to sweep away their meagre shelter until Timmy reinforced it with more of his magic. He bit back a curse. He’d met mages who could create water before, but this was crazy. As the water finally began to recede – there had to be drains scattered throughout the hall – Timmy stood back up and brandished his shovel. “Damage as much of the floor as you can,” he told James. “Otherwise, I won’t be able to use my earth magic on it.”

  James looked like he wanted to argue, but another flash of searing heat made him think better of it. “Fine! It’s about time you made yourself useful.”

  Vicky rolled her
shoulders to loosen them, and the chains of light faded away. Her jaw clenched. She could not afford to make another mistake like that. The zombie general’s fire magic was dangerous enough on its own, but his water magic made him incredibly versatile. She gestured, and several beams of light lanced toward the general. The general dodged most of them with agility far beyond any regular zombie and then raised his shield to catch the beam he couldn’t evade. There was a blinding flash and a sound like a giant gong being struck. The shield had somehow managed to absorb the attack. Vicky scowled and attacked again. This time, her beams shot past the general and then reversed direction to strike at him from behind. Timmy made an exasperated sound. Vicky’s magic was ridiculous. The general caught the attacks on his shield again, seemingly unwilling to let his armour take the brunt of Vicky’s magic.

  “We need to get rid of his shield,” Vicky said. “Can either of you two do something about it?”

  The general responded before either Timmy or James could. He fired another blast of flame at Vicky. She warded the attack off with another wall of light, but a river of water engulfed her, forcing her to deploy more chains to keep from being swept away. Water might not be able to pierce things as easily as fire, but it was perfect for pushing people back. Timmy’s lips curled. The general’s magic was perfect for controlling spacing in combat.

  “We need to find cover,” Timmy said as James continued to lob projectiles at the general with little success. His own makeshift barriers could barely stand up to the torrents the general was throwing around, and being swept away would most likely result in at least a couple of broken bones or worse. “We’re sitting ducks out here.” His gaze swept over the hall. No wonder the hall was so open. It was perfect for the general’s magic.

  Another lance of heat raced toward them, and James hurried to get behind the nearest object: a large, ornate pot that had somehow made it through the fight so far without getting knocked over.

  “Are you serious?” Timmy shouted. “Are you that eager to die? Find something better to hide behind!”

  James cursed wildly as another attack melted the pot and almost melted him too. He dove behind a pillar. “This should be –” He stopped mid sentence as a ray of heat pierced through the pillar, only a few inches from his head. “Or not.”

  “Move!” Timmy bellowed. The fact that the attack had gone through the pillar meant that either the general had put a stupidly large amount of power into it, or that the magic protecting this area was designed to let the general act freely.

  James broken into a ragged run, and Timmy grabbed hold of some of the stone rubble with his magic. He wrenched it upward and reinforced it with as much magic as he could muster on such short notice. A fresh volley of water and fire managed to break through the hastily constructed wall, but James managed to make it to safety with bruises instead of holes. Timmy thrust his shovel forward and hurled the wall at the general. The zombie growled and leapt over the barrier rather than use his magic. Timmy gestured again, and the stone turned into dust, swirling around the general in a bid to hinder his vision.

  “We need a plan,” Timmy shouted.

  “I’m kind of busy here, so I’ll leave that to you,” Vicky retorted.

  Somehow, despite the dust swirling around him, the general was still able to track her. He was alternating between blasts of flame and jets and waves of water. Vicky was dodging and firing back, but his shield was somehow able to withstand her magic. Only a legendary shield would have been able to withstand so many of her attacks, so Timmy was certain there was some trick to it. It was possible that the shield, which seemed to be connected to the magic protecting the tomb, was actually transporting her attacks somewhere else or dispersing the force of them throughout the ruins. He’d seen similar magic before although it had been used on the walls of a fortress to make them more durable. He would never have believed that it could be used on something as small as a shield if he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes.

  “Oh, this is stupid.” Vicky leapt over a wave of water and then gestured with both hands.

  Spikes of light ripped upward from the floor. The general was forced to dodge, but the spikes changed, turning into barbed chains that threatened to wrench his sword and shield away from him. The general staggered away, and Timmy and James lashed out with their own magic. They landed a solid hit, and the zombie flew back. However, he managed to land on his feet, and Timmy had the distinct feeling that the general would have smiled if he could have.

  “Good.” They all flinched as the zombie spoke. His voice was like low and hoarse, like gravel tumbling down a mountain. Slowly, he raised his sword. “You are worthy.”

  “I don’t like how that sounds,” Timmy murmured.

  “Neither do I,” James added.

  “I agree.” Vicky frowned. “He must have another trick up his sleeve. Otherwise, he’d be more worried that we finally managed to land a good hit on him.”

  “I wonder,” Timmy said. “He has fire magic and water magic. Do you think he can combine –”

  The general’s magic roared, and Vicky leapt in front of them. A gleaming sphere of pure light flared to life around them. “Watch out!”

  Timmy was good at chemistry, or alchemy as many people called it, possibly because he needed every advantage he could get. Being able to make acid with magic was all well and good, but he didn’t have acid magic. Likewise, being able to blow things up with magic in a fight was fantastic, but he couldn’t do that either. However, with the proper knowledge and the right materials, he could make acid and explosives. Throw in the right level of preparation, and he could take almost any opponent by surprise at least once, and once was often enough. It was the same reason he’d devoted so much time to learning about runes and seals. Not only was his master a sadistic monster who enjoyed heaping suffering upon him in the name of training but he also had a long, long way to go before he could match people like his master in combat. Necromancy wasn’t ideal for combat, and he needed his shovels to make his earth magic useable. He couldn’t afford to rest on his laurels. He needed to fight, scrape, and claw for every advantage he could get his hands on.

  Chemistry had taught him something very important. Steam, especially saturated steam, was extremely good at transferring heat. He’d seen it firsthand when his master had been driven back by a mage who could create steam. His master had been badly scalded, and the steam had no trouble sneaking in through the gaps in his armour or going over and around obstacles. Worse, the other mage had been able to create clouds of steam big enough to outrange his master’s magic. Tearing someone’s soul to pieces was usually great in combat, but steam didn’t have a soul, and his master had never gotten close enough to use his magic effectively. His master had still won in the end, but it had been due to his necromancy, rather than his other magic.

  This was going to be a repeat of that scenario. Only instead of clouds of steam, the general was able to focus all of his steam into a thin column that hit like a sledgehammer. Except unlike a sledgehammer, the steam wouldn’t simply break their bones and pulp their flesh. It would boil them alive. Lovely. Timmy also didn’t have an incredibly powerful and incredibly evil master swordsman/necromancer on his side.

  But he had something better.

  He had Vicky.

  The blast of steam would have instantly boiled him and James, but Vicky’s light held it at bay. He could see the effort it took, and the sheer quantity of steam was unreal. The condensation from where the steam hit Vicky’s shield was beginning to flood the area. Timmy reached out, groping for anything that could help. He found a loose piece of rubble and tossed it with his earth magic. It clipped the general’s side, and the steam receded. Vicky shoved the remnants of the attack aside and lunged forward. Her hazel eyes had been replaced by limitless pools of illumination. She was done playing around.

  “Aim for the joints of his armour!” Timmy shouted to James.

  The other teenager didn’t hesitate – fear of impending death
was great for cooperation – and chunks of stone and metal coins sliced through the air. The general tried to ward the attacks off, but Vicky was relentless. She batted his sword aside, and her fist threatened to shatter his shield as she landed a devastating blow that had him skidding back. She didn’t give him any time to regain his footing, following up with a punishing series of punches and kicks that dented his armour and hurled him first into the ceiling and then into a nearby pillar and then the floor.

  Vicky poured on the speed and kept one step ahead of the general’s desperate counter attack as James finally managed to strike some of the joints of the zombie’s armour. The armour creaked, and the general growled as one of the shoulder joints got stuck. Vicky seized the opportunity and grabbed hold of the breastplate. There was a hideous shrieking sound as she simply tore the breastplate in two. The general tried to bring his sword to bear, but Vicky wasn’t having any of it. She crushed the zombie’s wrist in one hand and then drove her other fist into the general’s exposed chest. There was an eruption of light, and the general disintegrated. Not even a zombie of his calibre could stand up to so much blunt-force trauma combined with so much light magic.

  “Finally.” Vicky turned to them. “We’re taking his stuff, right?”

  “Damn straight we are,” James hissed. “He almost killed us. His armour, sword, and shield are the least we deserve for our trouble.”

  Timmy walked over to the shield and prodded it thoughtfully with his shovel. “I have a feeling his equipment won’t be as effective once we leave this place. I think it only stood up to Vicky’s magic by taking advantage of its connections to this place and the magic in this area. I’m not saying we shouldn’t take it. We definitely should. If we can replicate it, think of how useful it would be for defending fortresses and other important locations.” He reached into his cloak and pulled out a sack.