8 I want you Kid...

"Wait... a dragon?" Still reeling from the shock, I stammered out a reply, trying to sound polite despite the tremor in my voice. "Lady, if I'd met a dragon, I wouldn't be standing here. Talking to you."

She fell silent, her brow furrowed in a contemplative frown. What her thoughts were was a mystery. The silence stretched, broken only by the chirping of crickets and the rustling of leaves in the night breeze. It was an awkward, unsettling silence, and I used it to my advantage. Very slowly, very carefully, I started inching away, hoping to melt into the shadows.

But just as I thought I was about to slip away unseen, I felt her gaze on me again. She was grinning, a wide, unsettling smile that sent shivers down my spine.

"Can I go now?" I asked wearily.

Her grin widened further, stretching across her face like a predator savoring its prey. "Hmm, interesting. This wasn't quite what I expected to find..." Her gaze swept over me again, this time a curious glint replacing the amusement. "Is everything alright, kid? You seem a bit jumpy."

"No, ma'am," I replied, snapping to an awkward salute. "Everything's fine."

"Good," she said, her hand reaching out to poke me. I flinched, but she seemed to take no notice. "I just woke up and it seems I stumbled upon something more... intriguing. Kid, I want you."

"Huh?" Confusion fogged my mind. The woman seemed to be talking in riddles, and my heart hammered against my ribs in a frantic rhythm.

Before I could get another word out, a deafening roar ripped through the forest. Trees swayed violently, and the earth trembled beneath my feet. Birds scattered in a flurry of panicked squawks, and small creatures scurried for cover. Ahh so that's why I didn't encounter any monster. They were clear hiding from that. Luckily I didn't get acquainted with it.

If I just could get away from here it would be great.

"Ah, so that's where you were hiding," the woman muttered, her amusement returning.

"Let's go, kid," she said, before the world tilted on its axis. I found myself whisked away in a blur of movement, the woman carrying me like a ragdoll.

We arrived at a clearing, and there it was – a magnificent, terrifying dragon, scales shimmering in the moonlight as it unleashed a torrent of fire, earth, and wind. The woman watched it with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Huh," she mused, "You want me to leave... what if I don't? What are you gonna do about it?"

" If there will be a problem how are you gonna solve it?"

"Why did you're claw just move what are you tryna get into?" The woman continued with what seemed like a self monologue (which sounded familiar for some reason)

"Anyway hurry up and give it... " She stretched her hand towards the dragon."Your life that is... " She continued as she spoke seriously different from her earlier playful attitude.

The dragon roared again, a sound that shook me to my core. It breathed fire towards the woman, but a strange thing happened. With a nonchalant flick of her wrist, she conjured a giant spear of ice. It soared through the air, seemingly unaffected by the dragon's fiery breath, and pierced straight towards the beast's mouth.

The ice spear shattered against an invisible barrier with a deafening crack, showering the clearing in a glittering rain. But the dragon wasn't there. In its place, smoke and steam rose, obscuring the creature from view. My heart hammered against my ribs, fear a cold fist squeezing my lungs.

Then, a figure emerged from the swirling mist. A tall, muscular man with scales shimmering like obsidian armor covered his body. His face, though human in form, was unmistakably draconic – sharp cheekbones, a strong jawline, and piercing red eyes that burned with arrogance and pride. A pair of curved horns protruded menacingly from his temples. He was a fearsome sight, a perfect embodiment of raw power.

"You could've just left," the dragon-man boomed, his voice a deep rumble that echoed through the trees. His gaze fell upon the woman, a flicker of something akin to amusement crossing his features. "Why insist on bothering me? Now you must die." He paused, a predatory grin splitting his face. "Though, I can offer you a way out. If you can... please me." His words dripped with a sickening lust, completely ignoring my presence, which was fair – I was a fly on the wall compared to these titans.

The woman threw back her head and laughed, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. "Dragons," she scoffed, wiping a tear from her eye. "Always with the grand threats and boasts you can't back up. Well, as expected of a glorified snake with legs." With a flick of her wrist, she didn't materialize one sword, but a dozen, blades glinting with an otherworldly light as they materialized in the air around her. They flew in unison, a deadly whirlwind of steel, aimed at the draconian man.

"A useless attempt," he scoffed, raising a hand. A small, crackling ball of condensed energy formed at his fingertip, radiating heat that shimmered the air around it. "This technique condenses heat so much it becomes comparable to a small star it can..."

"Why tell an opponent about your attack?" the woman interrupted, a playful glint in her eyes.

Confusion flickered across the dragon's face for a fleeting moment before his arrogant smirk returned.The dragon-man snorted. "Wrong for you to be an opponent. This has to be a fight, or a spar."

"You're right," she said, her voice hardening. "This isn't a spar. And I'm not an opponent..." She trailed off as the swords met the energy blast in a blinding flash of light. " It's an execution..."

An explosion ripped through the clearing, the force of it knocking me flat on my back. A wall of ice materialized a few feet away, shielding me from the brunt of the attack.

I peered through the rapidly thickening ice, gasping at the scene before me. The entire area surrounding the woman and the dragon-man was frozen solid. Trees stood encased in ice sculptures, their branches reaching towards the sky like frozen fingers. Even the ground crunched under a layer of frost.

The woman, seemingly unharmed, stood in the heart of this frozen wasteland. She raised a hand, and a spear of ice materialized in her palm. In a blur of motion, she launched it at the dragon-man, the spear piercing straight through his open mouth and erupting out the back of his neck.

He stumbled, a look of disbelief etched on his face. But before he could fall, another gesture from the woman sent the spear twisting. It elongated, forming a rigid pole that speared through the dragon-man's skull, exiting through the top of his head. A final flourish, and a glowing red orb materialized at the tip of the spear, emanating a fierce heat. The dragon-man's body convulsed, then went limp.

With a final gesture, the woman willed the spear away. The red orb vanished, and the dragon-man's body crumpled to the ground, a lifeless husk. The only sound was the crackling of ice as the temperature slowly began to rise.

The fight was over. The woman, the one I had thought to be a whimsical adventurer, had dispatched a ten-star dragon with an ease that bordered on carelessness. As she turned towards me, some words echoed in my mind: Flawless victory.

" You woke me up with your excited tantrums... Taking my sleep from me ... meaning you stole from me... your life should be enough for compensation right?"

'The fuck did she just kill a dragon cause it woke her up?' I was shocked

She then turned to me, her eyes unreadable. "Kid, you have a name?"

"Raven..." I squeaked nervously.

"Raven, huh?" She wrinkled her nose. "Shitty name. Doesn't matter, I'll change it later anyway."

The audacity of this woman! I puffed up in indignation. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way," I snorted inwardly, "And what do you mean you'll change my name? You can't just do that!"

"Oh, can't I?" she smirked. "Looks like we have a lot to discuss, Raven. Now come on, we're leaving."

Leaving? Where were we going? And how could I possibly refuse this crazy, powerful woman? As much as I wanted to argue, the memory of that ice magic was still fresh in my mind. I looked back at the dragon carcass, wondering what she planned to do with it.

"Oh, that?" she said, following my gaze. With a flick of her hand, the creature's body burst into flames, disintegrating into a pile of ash before my very eyes.

My mouth gaped open in awe. Wasn't he some sort of fire dragon,where is the fire resistance? Could this woman be powerful beyond imagination. Then again it's not like I had seen much either of this world. Maybe she was not even that great. Nah...she gave of that badass milf energy.

Before I could protest further, she scooped me up again, not unlike a sack of potatoes, and leaped into the air. We soared through the night sky, the wind screaming in my ears, and the ground shrinking beneath us. This was insane, terrifying, and strangely exhilarating all at once. I clung to her back, desperately trying to orient myself, wondering what the heck I was getting myself into.

The woman, my mysterious captor, remained silent, a silhouette against the moonlit sky. As we soared higher and higher, disappearing into the vastness of the night, the question echoed in my mind: who was this woman, and what fate awaited me?