The Kingdom To Kill For

Chapter 10- The Serpent-Dragon

The halls of the academy were not as crowded as the weekdays. It was the first real weekend for the students to go out and have fun in the city center, and Jethro finds himself alone in the halls. No laughter, giggling, gossipings, loud kinds of music, or banging along the hallways. It's all quiet. He decided to stay and roam around the academy with several students who linger, too. But most of them are seniors or introverted ones.

"Are you sure they didn't find the golden horn from that dragon?" It was one of the seniors who asked his companion as they passed by Jethro.

"I don't know, but golden horns are arduous to find these days. But, the wait is getting long. The red dragon might be in trouble,"

Jethro heard them clearly as they disappeared into the other halls.

He has an idea about the red dragon they are talking about, and it was the first-year student who happens to turn into a dragon. So, until now, no one ever finds a solution to make him back to normal. And about the longhorn, he remembers that Ryuujin did rescue Persis' friend, and no one questioned him about any of it. Does it mean he took along the golden horn, and Sekhmet knows about this?

As the siren broke through the academy, his heart jumped into his throat.  His brain registered the meaning of the jarring racket. He quickly headed to the main entrance.

The mood of the students swirled in, seeing chaos beneath the dark surface of their faces. There wasn't a single smile or expression of doubts, but panic and frightened yelps.

Emergency medical services and other uniformed first responders came behind to assist everyone, especially to those who were injured. Ahead, could be heard the blades of the aircraft and wings of dragons. They take it to the air with their first responders onboard towards the city.

The authorities are on high alert and are planning to have a lockdown on the premises.

Jethro scanned the crowd, he suddenly realized he could see no sign of Persis. He started to move amongst the students, his eyes darting more wildly with each passing second, noticing a long blue-haired girl, hoping it was her friend.

He quickly grabbed her, spinning her around to face him. "Hey, you, where's Persis?" he asked, panic raised in his voice. But his heart sank the moment it wasn't the girl who his cousin was with this day.

"I'm sorry, you are looking at the wrong person," Her face shows that she was frightened.

Jethro let her go. "I'm sorry, I was just worried about my cousin,"

"I'm sorry, too," she said, head down. She quickly walked towards another senior who is looking for her with a worried face and hugs her.

"Shilna! You're alright!"

"Yes, thank the Gods that I'm alright, there are ogres are going rampant in the city, and I got it out before they are destroying every building they pass through,"

Jethro's eyes fly wide, and the only thing in his mind right now is to look for Persis with himself. He can't let her be in that city before the academy is on the lockdown at any minute.

*

Her body ached as she lay on the ground. The world seemed to spin around her, and a sharp, throbbing pain took hold of her. The dirt was soft with thick grasses, twigs, and wet at her back.

She vaguely hears footsteps thudding towards her, accompanied by shouting.

"Are you alright, lady?"

Still, her vision refused to focus, and the only thing she could identify around him was the grey expanse of the trees and sky.

"Where am I?" she muttered.

No answer, but slowly she is towed upward to the daylight above.

*

"Sekhmet! Where are you?" Persis was shouting at the top of her lungs despite the sickening pain shot through her stomach. And she was looking for her several minutes ago.

She keeps cutting her way through the dense, suffocating undergrowth, fighting through the very air, which hung thick, moist, and still. She was worried using her elemental power would drain her before anything happens. Thankful enough that she carries her dagger all the time.

This forest was tremendous and flourishing. Trees tall as cathedrals surrounded them, and a strange green light - almost holy - shimmered through the vast canopy of leaves. And twinkling lights bursting through their crowns allowed for a diversity of bushes to reign the crunchy layer of leaves below.

A cacophony of sounds, belonging mostly to bird songs, filled the air. Completely stifled the rustling of the leaves and branches of the treetops in the wind.

"Sekhmet! It's me, Persis, where are you?" she called again. But still, no answer. It pisses her off every time she remembers what the ogre did to them, throwing them off to this forest that she's even familiar with. And her Saturday is ruined!

She stops the moment she feels the ground shaking. She spun around the trees and heard the loud and rasping breathing. She feels the dull panic that can grow or fade on what she does next, gripping her moderately short, thin, straight blade that of silver. It was from her trainer, a perfect weapon to block attacks and slice enemies into tiny, little pieces.

She turns to swat an insect. In that moment of distraction, an enormous creature rises behind the trees and leaves before her, spreading its ribs to make its regal hood.

Its greenish-yellow hue helped it to blend with the forest ground and leaves. Bright slit yellow eyes sit dreadfully within the creature's flatted, soft skull, which gives the being a rather menacing looking appearance. Several tendrils sit atop its head, just above its short, angular ears. A row of tendrils runs down the sides of each of its jawlines.

From the earthy floor to its head, it stands fifteen feet tall, with another twenty disappearing behind it. Other than the violet cream of its lower jaw that extends a big way down his gullet, it is green like a camouflage. Its bottom is covered in massive scales and is colored much darker than the rest of its body. Four thick limbs carry its body and allow the creature to stand elevated and imposing.

The creature's gaze fixed on Persis, a dark violet tongue flitting into the air every few seconds, tasting the fear, the cologne, the sweat. Persis froze. She imagined before that maybe it was just rabbits or something she can handle, but this one is way impossible. And the only thing Persis could think of is to run away from it. It might be difficult from these trees to use her wings, but what other choice does she have left? She meets a green serpent-dragon in the forest!

Persis tiptoed backward as silently as a ghost in November, her heart in her mouth and stomach churned. This green serpent-dragon eats only fish and small animals. That was what she learned about yesterday in their class. All she can do is to stand tight and pray that this creature has better things to do than take her as a meal.

The dragon remained where it was for a few seconds, and then its reptilian body slithered away towards her.

"Oh, s**t,"

As the creature rushed to her, Persis' wings exploded into violent motion, and she dashed behind the trees cutting anything like big branches using her blade to slow down the serpent-dragon. Then she fled.

Its greenish-yellow scales shimmered with hot anger along with it's dark, cold yellow eyes. It roared and hissed as it accelerated its speed to catch up to her. Its huge long body crushes the trees on the way in one swoop down, making an easy way towards the meal.

Persis tried to stretch out her arm and face the palm on the creature. She let out a large ball of a whirlwind, blowing it to its face, only to be blinded on its way and slow it for a second. The monster was so strong that there wasn't even a scream from the creature from Persis' attack, just the running of blood and a slithered form on the ground.

Her eyes widened.