Draimon: Fracture: Erasend- Book 1: Deascension

Chapter 12: Explosion

I woke to claws gently grasping my body and a voice.

"How can you use core artes."

"Core what?" I asked, my voice droopy "well, I did so, yeaaaaaaaah, you can not tell me what to, I choose what me do, you stinky." I lost control of my body and dangled my limbs; I looked down to see a giant thorn and normal ones, too many to count. "Wow, you strong, that a lot of thorns."

"My, you are worse than I thought," I heard and felt something else, something curl around me.

 "Stay still and breathe; you do not have much elemental energy, so it will not take long to recover," I did what the voice said and felt my energy return.

"It that you, Thorn-wing? I asked, my voice still heavy.

"Yes, but stay still. If you used a slither more, your core would have shattered, and you would become a Core-torn," the Wyvern said.

"Huh, well, I am not going anywhere," I said, as Thorn-wing flew back to the battle and continued firing his thorns at the Wyrm-torn and dodging its attacks. I looked down and was shocked by thousands of Dragons, specks of green, yellow and brown, disappearing with swipes of the tentacles.

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Below the Dragons threw themselves at the titan Devourer, but to no avail. Those who went close lasting mere seconds at a time, their cores plucked from their shells by the blades along the tentacles. Their bodies became Core-torn, though they did not attack, instead walking into the Wyrm-torn. Their husked minds overpowered by the Wyrm Devourer's.

Those who did not die instantly sacrificed themselves their cores using their reaming energy and more to annihilate all flesh around. Those who stayed back, which many did were not safe. The thick tendrills were too long and could reach any Dragon. When they attacked, theirs were negated by the Wyrm-torn's own, overpowering every attack. The last Dragon to get close lasted longer than the others. The bipedal Dragon, one with only two arms, head, and tail, blocked the tentacles with an acid shield. The acid dissolved the flesh that touched it, but the mass quickly regrew the two-arm breathed a stream of green acid onto the Wyrm-torn, destroying it but the flesh constantly regenerating.

Arms fell upon the shield, but the Dragon did not stop; the Dragon only made it bigger and stronger. Not wanting the sever the tentacles and unleash them upon her cousins, brothers and sisters, she walked into the Wyrm-torn, the body regenerating behind her trapping her in as she destroyed it from the inside. After losing too many, the Dragons finally retreated, focusing on defending from the might beams fired from the heads along the body.

"We can not kill it; that is why Wyrms and our queen are coming. They have deemed this enough a threat to awaken," I heard Thorn-wing say, "though we need to weaken it first. If not, they may die."

"What are you planning then? I replied.

"Our cores contain raw, elemental energy, which you just used for that core beam. This energy flows through our bodies into a form we can use."

"Soooo," I said back, "how are we going to attack with it, "Thorn-wing grunted, dodging a large might beam and launching large thorns.

"We can half our cores and set the other half to be inactive, but we should be able to turn them volatile."

"So get everyone to split themselves, set them volatile, then drop them onto the Monster."

"Yes," Thorn-wing replied, "we could use core beams, but I feel having many massive explosions will be better."

"And the raw energy will blast through the might." Thorn-wing flew off, signalling for the others to follow, all being sure to avoid the tentacles and beams.

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I stood beside Baragon, all the other plant Dragons gathered around us to listen to Thorn-wing. We would not leave ourselves unprotected against this Monster, so a massive barrier of bark and vine encircled us.

"Everyone, split your cores and hand them to flyers."

"ONLY IF THEY DO NOT LOOK!" one objected.

"That is fine, but hurry, please. We can not hold it back much longer, but we will not need hatchling core halves. I saw my kind become a flurry of movement, and within seconds it ended. From what I saw, they made sure to hide their cores, giving them in closed claws.

"We need Dragons to remain here and fire core beams to weaken the shield, your energy may be halved but combine the beams, and it should be strong enough." An opening formed at the top, countless flying out with dim cores within their claws.

"Stay in the back with the other hatchlings Drydra, core beams are dangerous for hatchlings to fire.

"I know, I would be dead if Thron-wing had not saved me. I fought a non-Dragon one who could use fire magic," Baragon stared at me, puzzled.

"Fire magic? Core-torn can not use magic."

"This one could," I explained, "it came from the Devourer, and there is no telling how many more are in it. I don't even know if Thorn-wing was able to destroy it.

"I shall send a message to the others," he said.

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The Dragons soared through the air, the Dragons within the barrier drawing the attention of the Wyrm Devourer. Each released its raw elemental energy into the cores when they had flown high enough. Those inside the dome fired a massive beam of green, brown, and yellow, the energy rippling along the Core-torn's guard and forcing it to focus on blocking from one side. The cores were dropped and plummeted down, glowing brighter each mile they fell until they hit the mangled and exploded.

I saw the cores explode, their raw energy destroying everything they hit, the blasts were held back, as it was regenerating to hold them back, but it could not hold the explosions back for long, and they tore through every part of its body. The Wyrm-torn roared before its many heads faded away, its titanic body slumping over. Still. It tried to heal the flesh reforming slowly, but The Monster lost over half of its mass. We can do this, I thought to myself.

From the riving pile of flesh, I saw them emerge, pulling themselves out, strands snapping as they left the body. Cannibals. I saw the barrier crumble, and fear grew in my core. We had all used much of our elemental energy, and our cores were still recovering from being able halved, along with the beam the other fired. A group of them grew wings and flew after the Dragons flying above the Wyrm-torn.

The next thing I saw was bodies falling from the sky. The new Core-torn were not wild or sought out others of my kind to infect. They were given their cores and flew into the Wyrm-torn. The Cannibals rushed towards us; we did the same.

The Monsters countered us heavily; they exploded the air, shot purple lasers, sliced us apart with the air. They even turned the ground to stony earth, so we could not raise bark or vines. We fought back as best as we could. Their numbers were fewer, but their power was incredible, if they were smooth-skins, we could have killed them, but they now had our weakness, along with elements we were weak against. Baragon bounded before me and got to my side.

"We have to hold these things off for just a little longer. The Wyrms may be powerful, but they are large and on the outstretches of the kingdom. Just stop them from killing us," Baragon punched at one that came towards us, but it dodged and drove its claws into his chest. I flew up and saw hundreds of Core-torn and Cannibals plant our cores into the Devourer's body, it nearly restored. I fired a solar beam, it stuck a Core-torn, but it just kept running.

A winged Cannibal flashed through the air towards me and slashed its long claws at me. I let myself drop to dodge the attack, it was about to attack again, but a mighty roar burned through the air. I retreated to see that a thick green beam of acid fly towards the Wyrm-torn. The Cannibals run back to their master.

A swirling might shield blocked the beam and guarded its minions, the acid ran down the light brown field. None could see the Wyrm-torn, especially as it became covered with more acid. I looked up to see a Dragon of my species, the second I had ever seen, but this one was far larger than my mother. Its bright body green with purple swirling throughout; it had large hands in place of wingtips. My core ached with fear. Move your arrogant self out of the way, I thought; my feelings were true as nine thick beams of might broke through the acid coating the shield, them roaring through the air.

Each one smashed through the great Dragon's body, and it fell to the ground; as it did, the fallen Dragon's body rose, its roars thundering through the air. It came for us, and we had no choice but for all of us to run. It must have planned this, showing us we can not kill it, forcing us to core-bomb it, which would weaken us for its army to attack.

It took moments to catch up and start cutting us down, tearing our cores from our bodies. The ground shook and erupted, something rising from it holding the Wyrm-torn down just long enough for us to escape. I saw multiple massive heads and tendrills had risen from the ground; I also saw two of similar sizes: one with a green sap-like body and another with a head and eight tentacles.

"That is a Dweller, its core is underground, and it summons limbs to attack above ground. Perfect for Core-torn." Baragon said, the blades along the Monster's tentacles shredded the vines, along with the many heads and everything the Wyrm rose to fight Devourer.

Solar beams burst from beneath the ground, and from its new risen heads, all blocked by might shields, the solar beams from the ground destroyed the land. A pale tentacle slithered down the pit, and when it came out, it held a core so big the arms claws could barely hold it.

A mouth formed around the core and slammed shut. "Or. It. Could. Just do that," Baragon said, "it is over, the age of Dragons is over," three more cores of the same size were taken and eaten from the pit, along with the Dweller's now tainted flesh it fusing with the Wyrm-torn's. "Come Drydra, we all need to heal and lend Acidra our energy, we need her if we are to stand any chance."

As we left, I saw the Wyrm-torn roar and charge the goo Dragon. Its cores visible, the goo Wyrm sent parts of itself as tentacles towards its counterpart, the green dissolving the Wyrm-torn's body. It could not strike with its body, but of course, the might destroyed the acid of its body, which the Devourer used to reveal the cores and snatch them into its own body. The Wyrm's body then mutated into pale blood, which entered the body of the Wyrm-torn. The Wyrm Devourer glared at the last Dragon Wyrm, with it roaring and glaring at the Monster.

"YOU DESICRATE THE BODY OF MY BROTHER, LET HIS BODY REST!" it roared, it replied.

"Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieee aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnd sssssssssshhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal beeeeeeeeeeccome aaaaaaaaaaaaa gooooooooooooooooooooood."

 The Dragon charged the Core-torn, and the two titans clashed with their tentacles, but the Monster had far more, which it used to attack the main body. The Dragon freed its limbs and evaded the strikes from the other tentacles. The great Dragon then charged all its tentacles and spun around to destroy the Monster's body. Every blow deflected by might, the Wyrm then coiled around the main heads along with a portion of its body and squeezed using its charged limbs. It could not cover all the Wyrm-torn's body with the remaining dozens gripping and throwing the Dragon to the ground with a thunder of sound. Some of the Wyrm-torn's tentacles mutated their claws into mouths, which bore into the Dragon, searching for its cores. The Dragon, with few choices, left sunk into the ground, the tentacles unable to follow. I stood beside the massive head of Acidra.

"Tentagon needs to hold that thing back," she groaned. "I have fought Core-torn before, but none this powerful before." Baragon was holding his hands to her head, a white powder coming from his large hands, his eyes gazing the battle, myself doing the same.

"Not every year you can see a Wyrm fight a Great Devourer, truly a sight."

"yes, a sight that if it wins could wipe us all out... Baragon get some Dragons to travel to the fire kingdom."

"My queen, your core must be cracked."

"Send ancient bark Dragons, ones that can grow fire-resistant bark." Acidra's voice groaned, "during the mortal wars, I heard legends of Wyrm-torn that after their bodies absorbed surpluses of elemental energy they... Please send for fire, explosion, and meteor Dragons. We shall discuss what we owe after this battle. I will fight, but if I... Then burn it."

"At once, my queen," he said, charging off, his arms pushed against the ground. As the two talked, the Wyrm remained below the Monster, thrashing and pacing around the area. It roared, slamming its claws into the earth, might swirling down its many tentacles and flowing into the ground.

Pure ones burst out, smashing into the Devourer, throwing it off balance and knocking it down. When the Dragon rose, I saw that its body now matched the Monster, just without the additional heads in between the segments. The true Wyrm threw himself at the Wyrm-torn, tentacles thrashing, cutting through the Wyrm-torn.

Like the Dragon, before it could not fight back, the sheer power of the strikes and beams obliterating the flesh, with even the might not able to stop the assault. The titanic Monster did not fight back, instead focusing on putting itself back together when its limbs fell. "I WILL PUT MY BROTHER TO REST!" the great Dragon thundered during its blows. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnd, yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeet, wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttth, aaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll, yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,poooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, fleeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssh, ssssssssstttttttiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllllllll, faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllll."

"That is the thing!" the Dragon roared while its other heads fired solar beams, "we trained together, every moment, we never left each other, we went to sleep, and when I woke my brother was gone. Your kind truly is a disease, a miasma I have spent my whole time on the old world-destroying!" The Dragon thrashed its great tentacles "when you are destroyed, that miasma will vanish!"

"Finish it," Acidra grumbled, "that power surge can only last so long, "The Dragon thrashed all its tentacles, all blows intending to destroy it only, but the Monster had no kill points. Until one attack was not as strong as the others, and the Dragon stopped to breathe. For the last time. The beaten-down Wyrm-torn rose and drove its tentacles into three specific points. It must be able to deduce where the cores are located, with its battle knowledge. It tore out the first a mouth formed other the core and swallowed it; green lines sparked along its body.

"Shame, how much your kind struggles against the loose-biology of Devourers," what by Eldragoon was happening I thought, It ripped out and absorbed another Core, the Wyrm's body slumping. The blades along the tentacles retracted into the flesh. They then wrapped around the Dragon's flesh, its last face frozen with failure.

The Dragon was being absorbed when the tentacles uncurled it held the last core. With one bite, the massive core was gone. Vine and bark replaced the Wyrm-torn. It was being overwhelmed, but why did this not feel right.

The flesh turned to elemental, but it did struggle. It smiled, the heads in between the segments pulled into its body. The eyes turned bright green. It roared, and I felt its new power flow through the air. The thing lowered its body and slithered towards us. I sensed no murderous intent towards us. It reached us, its heads lowered themselves so that it could talk, not kill. Its lips lifted into a half-smile.

"Strongest leads the kingdom, is that not correct?"