Ep 9. Pay Your Respects. (4)
Ksht.
Clang.
Thwack!
The frozen dragon turned out to be literally frozen to its bones; even its innards were completely encased in ice, and the temperature was even lower than it was outside. The only saving grace was that the ice were glowing brilliantly in blue, keeping the insides alit. Numerous icicles and pillars barred their path, making the area seem like a cavern more than a corpse.
But Raizel was fearlessly breezing past the jutting icicles and blocks of ice that were in her way. True to her title as a dragon of steel, even thick ice failed to leave the slightest scratch on her as she effortlessly shattered them apart.
‘Well, this is convenient.’
Serenis was trailing after Raizel some distance behind. With the metal dragon up ahead destroying what obstacles there were, Serenis merely had to be cautious not to slip on the frozen floors.
“Lord! Raizel! Wait!”
“Ugh, this damn ice!”
Following the only light glowing in the dark caverns, Ilias and Bruton soon trailed after them, joining Serenis’ side behind Raizel.
The dragonlord spared a glance towards the two, beaming an amused grin.
“Decided to follow in, did you?”
“Don’t look at me, it wasn’t my idea.”
“Oh come father, you can be a little excited! Aren’t you curious what lies at the end of a place like this? What if there’s treasure?! We could bathe in gold and silvers, just like the dragons in those storybooks!”
“…What sort of storybooks have you been reading?”
Among the dragonkin, Ilias was well-known for being versed in human affairs. She often visited cities and towns, frequenting various shops and establishments that caught her interest. But not even her own father knew that his daughter sometimes spent entire days holed up in a library reading children’s stories. There was a reason why children liked her.
While Ilias stammered to answer her father, Raizel interrupted from the distance. Her voice echoed throughout the frozen walls.
“Are we going the right way?!”
Bruton and Ilias looked towards their lord. Serenis rubbed her chin.
‘I actually have no clue. But I shouldn’t say that. And there only seems to be one way in anyways.’
For all she knew, they were walking along the dragon’s intestines. It just wasn’t obvious because the place was all frozen up inside and out.
“Just keep going, Raizel!”
“Alrighttt!”Stolen novel; please report.
Another loud smashing noise echoed as Raizel continued to pave their way inwards.
“Where exactly are we going?”
Bruton asked with a puzzled gaze. Surrounded by darkness and walls of ice, even he couldn’t figure out which way was left in a place like this.
Serenis shrugged.
“Deeper inside, I suppose.”
“…’Suppose’?”
“You didn’t actually think I know everything, did you?”
“Well, I…”
Kind of did, actually.
Bruton was beginning to suspect he’d committed himself to the wrong leader when his daughter budged in between them.
“Don’t worry, if a monster appears, I can handle it! I’m really really strong!”
“This isn’t a picnic, Ilias.”
“But it is a treasure hunt! Right? Right?”
“…”
Serenis chuckled at the young girl’s enthusiasm. Dragons rarely ever encountered something they could call a monster; more often than not, they were the monsters.
She never understood the source of energy amongst the younger brood, but the dragonlord appreciated it nevertheless.
And fortunately (?), a younger brood even more enthusiastic than Ilias was taking the lead at the forefront.
Schluk.
“Huh?”
The steel dragon came to a halt as she felt her entire body dipping in and out of a pool of water…except there was no such thing. She turned back around to see the empty air now flickering in waves, like the surface of a trembling lake. And it wasn’t just her that noticed the oddity.
“Is that…a barrier?”
“A pretty useless one, if I’m getting through this easily.”
The group came to a halt, with Raizel separated by the translucent barrier that she’d just crossed. Serenis raised her hand to examine it, but Ilias had other plans.
“Well, if you’re getting through just fine, it can’t be anything harmful…ack!”
Ilias boldly walked forward and could feel her body sink in momentarily, only to feel a pang of pain on her head and back as she was bounced back out. She rubbed her head, feeling her horns throbbing in pain.
“Hah. Is someone too weak to cross some water?”
“Hey, it’s not that! Something just…”
“Hm.”
Serenis touched the barrier’s surface as it rippled outwards. It really did feel a layer of water was in her way. She reached in further, and could feel her hand escape the sinking feeling as it appeared on the other side.
She took a couple steps forward, managing to get through the barrier without any resistance.
“Shame on you, Ilias. Even a little kid can do it.”
Ilias puffed her cheeks in anger and charged at the barrier. Her father reached out his hand to stop her, but was far too late.
“Ilias!“
Szzt!
And once again, she bounced right back out with a throbbing pain on her head and back.
“Ow, my head!”
Serenis studied the dragon as she was bounced out a second time.
“Hm.”
The barrier was clearly not materially concrete. If it were, it should’ve been blocking out Raizel and Serenis as well.
‘What’s different?’
Serenis exchanged glances between Raizel and Ilias, then her own self.
“Ilias, are you alright?”
“…My head hurts. Wings too. And my tail.”
Serenis looked at the youngling rubbing her head in pain. Her hands were rubbing against her horns.
‘Horns…wings, and tail?’
The dragonlord threw another glance at the steel dragon.
Aside from Serenis herself who had a human boy’s body, Raizel was the only one who’d hidden all of her draconic features.
“Ilias. Bruton. Withdraw your horns…and your wings and tail.”
“All of them?...But I can’t fly without my wings…”
“Just for a bit. Try crossing the barrier without them.”
Bruton studied his daughter and Raizel. If the barrier was discriminating based on physical differences, their dragon features were indeed the most noticeable difference. Raizel’s morphed form had neither horns, wings, or tail.
The elder dragon quickly withdrew his features, rendering him no different from an elderly man in appearance. He then boldly stepped forward, feeling his body sink into the barrier – then back out as he crossed it without any resistance.
“Hm. They were the discriminatory factor after all.”
Ilias grumbled as she withdrew hers as well. She quickly stepped across the barrier after her father.
“Racist barrier. Hmph!”
“…”
Ilias was right. The barrier was, for a lack of better words, racist – at least regarding physical features.
‘But why would a site at the home of dragons discriminate the dragonkin?’
Before Serenis’ thoughts could go any further, they were interrupted by Ilias who was frantically reaching over her own shoulders, tapping herself on the back.
“What is it now? Can’t scratch your back?”
“This isn’t funny, Raizel! I…”
“What?”
“I...can’t…”
Ilias’ hands then reached towards her head, then her hips. Finally, both of them fell down as dread swept across her face.
“My wings, I…can’t bring them back…my horns and tail won’t come back either…”