Metal Mage 10

by Eric Vall

  Deya and I both turned to eye the flaming trees at her back, and the trail of fire led north as it illuminated the path of destruction she’d caused on our way here. The giant ferns were flattened while the low-lying branches were all strewn across the fiery jungle floor, and Deya’s haunches wiggled a bit while she admired the view.

  Then she sent me a glinting look, and I rolled my eyes.

  “Go on, get it out of your system,” I chuckled. “Then we’re taking a look at that wing.”

  The black dragon dipped her head low as she let out a playful snarl, and she flattened another dozen or so ferns when she pranced full circle in an oddly adorable and humongous victory dance. Her poison-tipped tail flicked back and forth as a little spurt of flames shot out from between her teeth, and I was laughing my ass off by the time she reined it in and trotted back to me.

  “Yeah, you did good,” I chuckled, and I gestured for her to turn so I could reach her right wing. “Now, let’s see what the damage is.”

  Deya happily crouched down while she shifted to extend her wings, but she kept taking a few playful nips at me despite the blood still dripping from her, and I smirked as I batted her snout away.

  “How are you so peppy when you’re in pain?” I snorted, but when Deya shook her head, I immediately furrowed my brow and looked more closely at her wing.

  I could have sworn the bone along the upper ridge had been snapped down the middle when the possessed dragon threw Deya across the foothills, but now, it was completely straight as if it never happened, and the torn leather of her wing was healing itself right before my eyes.

  “What the … ” I muttered as I trailed my fingers along the leather, and at first, I thought it might be Deya’s elven genes helping her heal quickly in her dragon form. Except I knew elves didn’t heal at this fast a rate, and as I kept my eyes on the shredded bits of leather, I caught the faintest glimmer of purple as they fused together.

  Then I grinned.

  It was the same purple hue as the gem on Shoshanne’s healing staff, and I realized she must be healing Deya’s body back at the Mustang. The fact that this in turn healed her dragon form was just about the coolest thing I’d seen all day, though, and the two of us watched in awe as the last bloody bits of her wing slowly healed.

  Then Deya flexed her fully restored wing and gave it a flap that made the undergrowth around us rustle, and she was working her way through another victory wiggle when a dagger flicked right past my nose.

  I yelped and ducked just before another one coursed over my head, and Deya abruptly froze in confusion.

  “Seriously?” I growled, and a third dagger whizzed within an inch of my shoulder. “Five fucking minutes. We’ve been here five minutes, and there’s already daggers flying at my--”

  Deya snarled as another dagger came my way, though, and I bolted at a crouch to mount her back before the next one could get me.

  “Go, go, go!” I urged before I’d even gotten a firm hold, and Deya lurched into the air as I watched two more daggers flick through the ferns.

  Then we broke straight through the canopy above us as her wings scattered broken branches in every direction, and I fired two bullets into the blackened jungle below just because.

  “I hate Nalnora,” I sighed, and Deya grumbled beneath me, but I didn’t apologize for the sentiment.

  For all I knew, those daggers came from the warriors of House Orrel, and I silently hoped my stray bullets happened to hit any one of them while I scanned the upcoming foothills for a sign of Bobbie.

  I saw her headlights gleaming blue beside the body of the last dragon we’d taken down, and Cayla and Raynor were stooped near the dragon’s shoulder while Aurora stood on the Mustang’s roof waving to us.

  “Bring us down right over there,” I hollered above the wind, and Deya swooped into a wide circle to begin her descent.

  Once we landed, Shoshanne was the first to reach us before I’d even jumped down, and she dragged me back to the ground by my boot.

  “Are you okay?” the healer asked while she anxiously patted me all over, and I chuckled as I pulled her into my arms.

  “Of course I am,” I replied with a cocky grin.

  “I was so worried,” she murmured.

  “Of course you were.”

  “Deya screamed louder than I’ve ever heard anyone scream, and then there was blood all over the backseat, and I almost crashed Bobbie I was so scared and--”

  “Woah, back up,” I cut in as I sobered. “What happened?”

  “Her arm was gushing blood all over the place, Mason,” Shoshanne explained, and I could tell how pale she was in the moonlight. “Her muscles were torn right off, her bones were broken, she was screaming in agony, but she wouldn’t open her eyes. I was worried someone at the fortress would hear her, and both of you were gone with that dragon coming after you. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “Damn,” I muttered. “That sounds scary as hell.”

  “It was,” the healer admitted, and I tightened my hold on her to comfort her a bit.

  “Well, you must have handled it well, because you even healed the dragon,” I told her. “I saw it with my own eyes. Her wing was shredded and snapped in half, but you healed it.”

  Shoshanne looked as shocked as I’d been. “From here?”

  “Yeah,” I chuckled as I gestured to the black dragon at my back. “See for yourself. That right wing is the one the dragon caught us by. Deya’s connection when she transmutes must work in both directions.”

  “It must,” Shoshanne agreed. “Her injury in her dragon form affected her body here, and my healing her body restored her dragon form.”

  “That’s so amazing,” Aurora mused, and she nuzzled her cheek against Deya’s bloody scales.

  “And concerning,” Cayla pointed out from where she was slicing into dragon flesh. “If her connection works in both directions, then we need to find a way to ensure the Master doesn’t possess any more dragons. Otherwise … ”

  “Shit,” I muttered as my fingers turned cold, “you’re right.”

  “What do you mean?” Shoshanne asked.

  “Think about it,” I replied. “If Deya transmutes with one of her scales, but the dragon she connects with has been runed without us knowing it, then she’ll be possessed in her elven form, too. The connection works both ways.”

  We all turned to look at the black dragon behind me as the gravity of this sank in, and Deya let out an affronted snort of blue sparks. Then she promptly took flight and left us all in a cloud of dust as she headed toward Mors Pass.

  “She probably thinks you’ll never let her transmute again,” Aurora snorted.

  “No, I wouldn’t do that,” I admitted. “She’s so, so awesome as a dragon. Those maneuvers she was pulling off blew my mind, and I just watched her maul that purple guy while he was already going up in flames. He was twice her size!”

  “She mauled him?” Aurora asked as her eyes went misty with adoration, and I nodded.

  “Then I suggest you start coming up with a way to block the Master’s attacks out here, too,” Cayla sighed.

  “I’ll add it to the list,” I mumbled. “How are we doing with the groundwork, though?”

  “This is the last dragon,” Cayla replied, and she stood to come join us while Raynor continued the work. “His skin is thicker than most, though, so it’ll be a little while longer.”

  “You guys managed to keep up with all of that?”

  “Yes, and it was so fun,” Aurora chuckled. “Shoshanne’s driving is kind of like her sex style. You’d think she’d be all cautious and dainty, but then out of nowhere, she’s bangin’ around rougher than--”

  Shoshanne loudly cleared her throat as she sent the half-elf a disapproving look, and when she tipped her head toward Raynor, Aurora clamped her hand over her mouth.

  The old guy was tactful about it, at least, and even though there was no way he didn’t hear that, he studiously kept his focus on removing the rune to spare Shoshan
ne the embarrassment.

  “Anyways,” I chuckled, “I’m glad everything was handled. You guys did a fantastic job, and none of us died, so I think we can call this mission a complete success.”

  “We should celebrate,” Cayla said with a coy smirk.

  “Baron style,” Aurora added. “If Mason has it in him, anyways.”

  I raised my brows at the challenge in her voice, and all three women blushed and giggled when I sent them a roguish grin.

  “You’re gonna regret that,” I informed the half-elf.

  “Good,” she purred, and this time Raynor couldn’t help chuckling quietly to himself.

  Then I cleared my throat and headed over to give the old guy a hand with the dragon.

  “How’s it going over here?” I muttered as I squatted beside the old healer.

  “Not bad, not bad,” Raynor rasped. “Don’t suppose you’ve got a sharper blade on you? These scalpels are dulling fast on account of the dragon skin.”

  “I do!” Deya called as she climbed out of the Mustang, and the sight of her looking like an elf again made my heart flutter a bit.

  She was so petite and scantily clad with her violet eyes shining in the moonlight, and to look at her, no one would guess she’d just mauled a full grown firebreather without remorse.

  Deya smiled sweetly as she handed one of her Halcyan daggers to Raynor, and then she waved at me when I just sat there staring at her.

  “Sorry,” I chuckled as I rose to my feet. “How are you feeling? Is your arm okay?”

  “I feel fantastic!” Deya assured me, and she looped her arm in Aurora’s as the half-elf came over.

  “The way you flew straight into that mass of dragons was incredible,” Aurora fawned. “Were you scared, or just feeling so dragony that you liked all those flames and teeth coming at you?”

  Deya let a silvery giggled fall from her lips. “I wouldn’t say I liked the teeth, but I certainly love flying Mason around.”

  The two women eyed me up and down, and I awkwardly scruffed the back of my head.

  “I might have gotten a little caught up in the moment once or twice,” I admitted. “So, sorry about the whole … smacking you like a horse thing.”

  “I liked it,” Deya said with a shrug. “You’re cute when you’re riding into battle. Normally, I only get to watch from far away, but being there with you makes me happy. I feel like we could slaughter all of our enemies if we only have each other.”

  “Aww, me too,” Aurora admitted. “Fighting with Mason is probably the most fun I’ve had since I came to Illaria.”

  “Just wait until you get to come up against a whole army,” Cayla told the beautiful elf. “Mason starts murdering everyone in sight without a second thought. It’s incredibly sexy.”

  “Mmm … and burying them in the ground with a wave of his hand,” Shoshanne mused.

  I stared in silence while the women began discussing whether they liked it more when I slit throats or blew people’s brains out, and once the conversation shifted to me splitting skulls open with tungsten axes, I casually backed away and returned to Raynor’s side.

  Then the old guy raised his wiry brows at me, and I sent him half a grin.

  “Bet you wish you were back at the pub,” I mumbled, “instead of peeling dragon flesh next to the Master’s fortress.”

  “Not at all,” Raynor chuckled as he continued slicing away. “Don’t think I’d like to go slitting anyone’s throats, mind, but this is alright. Feels good to be helping out, protecting these creatures and such. They sure are something, aren’t they?”

  “Yeah, I think I’ve come to appreciate them much more.”

  “’Course you won’t catch me ridin’ on one,” he said as he sent me a pointed look. “No sir, I’ll keep my feet on the ground, thank you.”

  “Don’t worry,” I chuckled as I clapped him on the shoulder, “I won’t drag you out dragon flying, I promise. I really appreciate your help, though.”

  “Anytime,” Raynor rasped as he smiled and nodded, and he carefully peeled back a thick slice of scaly skin.

  It took both of us grabbing from two sides to finally get the Master’s rune removed, and the first few dragons we’d sedated were just waking up now. They stumbled around the foothills like drunk dogs at first, but then they took flight on wobbly wings, and they headed back to Mors Pass like it was any other evening.

  Deya assured Aurora the baby dragons were not all eaten when she brought the black dragon back to her nest, too, and the pair of them began rambling on and on about their first official mission while they circled the sedated dragon and studied him closely.

  It really was kind of cute how they couldn’t keep from sighing and petting the enormous beast like he was a sleepy cat, and even Cayla scruffed the guy’s scaly chin with a little smirk on her face.

  Raynor and I were cleaning Shoshanne’s surgical tools for her when Aurora suddenly called my name, though, and I looked up to see my half-elf hopping up and down on Bobbie’s roof while she frantically pointed toward the woods.

  “Mason, there they go!” she exclaimed, and I stood up as I craned my neck.

  That’s when I saw my fleet of snatchers racing into the foothills, and their gems glowed ahead of them to illuminate a herd of grimy mages desperately attempting to flee back to the fortress. The mages started dropping like flies while my fleet fired on them with marked precision, and Venkman set to work bagging up the bodies while Egon and Ray rounded up the last mages like wild hogs.

  “Yeaahh!” I cheered as I threw my hands up. “Who you gonna call, bitches?”

  Then Deya popped up from behind the sedated dragon and let out a proud, “Ghostbusters!”

  I instantly clutched my heart as my knees went weak, and my love for the woman in that moment just about made me woozy.

  “Get over here,” I groaned, and Deya pranced over with a glittering smile so I could wrap her in my arms. “Out of all the realms or universes with elves in them, you are the absolute best elf. And the best dragon. I want you to know that.”

  Deya giggled at the praise, but then she looked a little self-conscious as she bit at the corner of her lip.

  “Even though I eat griffins and sphynxes?” the elf asked.

  “Well … what you do in your dragon time is … we don’t have to talk about those things,” I said with a shrug. “You just enjoy yourself, alright?”

  This immediately cheered Deya up again, and she snuggled happily against my chest.

  “I will,” the beautiful elf murmured, “but know that I would gladly eat anyone for you, Mason Flynt.”

  I grinned. “I know you would.”

  Chapter 21

  Raynor had a bit of a bounce in his step as he headed down the lane toward Flynt’s Pub, and I was glad the old guy was having some fun helping us out. He was a damn good barkeep, but he also never hesitated to drop what he was doing and lend a hand or a scalpel, and I was incredibly grateful for the old healer as I watched him merrily disappear into the night.

  Then my women began insisting I join them on our bridge, and when I came over, my grin spread from ear to ear.

  “Kurna, you’re a good man,” I chuckled.

  The brawny mage must have found someone to fill my moat while we were gone because it was teeming with water now, and the best part were the eels in it. Big ones, too. I didn’t see a single one under three feet long, and the eels snapped viciously like my own little army of water spawn while I slid my arms around Cayla and Shoshanne to admire them all.

  “I’m gonna name every last one of them,” I decided.

  “Good luck,” Aurora snorted. “There has to be fifty eels down there, and they all look the same.”

  “No, they don’t,” I countered. “Look. That one has red eyes, and the one he’s fighting with has black eyes. There’s one with a spot on his nose, too, that’s distinct.”

  Aurora cocked a brow, but I ignored her.

  “Their papa knows how to tell them apart,” I cooed
as I looked down into the moat, “isn’t that right, little guys?”

  Four eels shot out of the water with their razor-like teeth chomping at the stone of the bridge, and even though all four of my women screeched and hopped back, I let out a happy sigh.

  “Damn, they’re cute.”

  “Is this how strange it is that we like dragons?” Aurora clarified, and both Shoshanne and Cayla nodded in response before they quickly turned to head up to the mansion.

  I would have stood there all night smiling my ass off, too, if not for the sudden giggling of my women, and I finally dragged myself away from my water spawn to join them near a heaping pile of gifts waiting outside our door.

  “Mason, it’s you!” Deya giggled, and she lovingly stroked the biceps of a miniature me sculpted entirely from a single chunk of ruby.

  “Holy shit,” I breathed.

  It really did look exactly like me, but with a bit of devilish flare thanks to the creepy red face and eyes, and I had a revolver in each hand as I held one poised to fire. It was basically a three-foot-tall Mason Flynt shrine worth who knew how much money, and I couldn’t imagine what I would possibly do with a ruby statue of myself.

  “It’s perfect,” Cayla purred as she dropped to her knees to admire it more closely. “The Elders of Aurum have the most excellent taste.”

  “Do they?” I snorted, but the women all nodded in approval.

  “It’s exactly what we need to complete our mansion,” Shoshanne sighed.

  “Let’s put it right in the entryway,” Deya suggested, and Aurora gasped with delight.

  “Then everyone will be able to admire it!”

  “No,” I firmly decided. “I’m not putting a ruby statue of myself in my entryway. I’d rather drag that giant penis statue out and mount it on my bridge.”

  The women all looked at me like this wasn’t a bad idea, though, and I was still stubbornly shaking my head to their protests when I heard Haragh clear his throat.

  My women immediately turned icy at the sight of the half-ogre sheepishly approaching, and they promptly tipped their noses up as they stalked into the house without another word.