Taming Destiny - a Tamer Class isekai/portal survival fantasy.

We run as fast as we can, grimly determined to get out of this tunnel before the battle outside is definitively decided. Not only would that be terrible in terms of the loss of life outside that it would imply, but it would trap us in these close confines with a Tier three beast. As we run, my mind ceaselessly goes over the situation we’re in.

The main issue with the dragon at present is that it’s able to fight a three-dimensional battle, where we can only really fight a two-dimensional one. We’ve never fought an airborne enemy before, and now I realise just how difficult it is.

Yes, we have several beings capable of ranged attacks, but sticks and stones thrown at a dragon have limited effect, even if they’re sticks hardened and sharpened by a wood-shaper and laced in poison from a herbalist.

Only a few attacks have apparently drawn blood, and that only by the Tier two Warriors when on ground level, despite all of my Bound doing their best to be reactive and quick to close in when the dragon stoops and lands. Actually, Komodo seems to have been somewhat successful – too much so: in the last attack he bit its back leg and managed to get his teeth right in. The dragon reacted by launching him across the clearing to slam into a tree. He got up from it – after a couple of healing potions were poured down his throat – but he’ll need more healing for sure.

Everyone’s weapons are laced with the strongest poison Tarra was able to make, one which almost rivals the one they used on Kalanthia, though leans more towards the deadly than the incapacitating. Apparently those were stronger in their actual effects because of the time they’d spent brewing before the mission; this time, we didn’t have that luxury. Nor, really, did we know what we were walking into. A dragon, for heavens’ sake! I thought Kalanthia said there weren’t any dragons in this world!

The only way we might win this is to change the battleground to one that better suits us. I did consider clearing out of the tunnel and then ordering everyone to let the dragon through – its wings wouldn’t be much use in a tunnel. I decided against it, though, when Peace made a point: trapped in a tunnel, its greater bulk and acid breath would become far harder to avoid. Plus, when our greater numbers are our only real advantage against the much higher-level creature, restricting how many we can bring to bear at any moment is a strategic mistake.

Not to mention that once the creature is back down there, getting it out could prove to be pretty impossible, meaning that it’s a card which, once played, changes the whole game permanently. At least it’s a card which should remain possible to play for as long as the dragon is more interested in getting back down the tunnel than killing the rest of us.

There’s the same problem with retreat: even a temporary retreat to regroup will give the dragon time to dig itself in and make our job harder. I consider just giving up on the quest and leaving sleeping dragons to lie. It’s tempting and certainly the best way of us getting away from this almost unscathed. The problem is that some instinct is telling me that the consequences of failing the quest might outweigh the danger of battling even a Tier three.

Lathani does suggest getting her mother involved, but I am wary to do that for several reasons. Time is the main issue – it would take time to travel back to Kalanthia, and there’s no guarantee she’ll agree to help us anyway, meaning we could be wasting two or three days.

Another problem is that I’m not entirely sure how she’s going to react to me taking control of the village in the way that I have – and what she’ll ask as compensation for Lathani’s kidnapping and torture. While I certainly agree that some form of compensation is due – and have already started acting on that with my requirements of Tarra – trying to deal with that at the same time as asking her for help with this dragon doesn’t seem like the best strategy. Not knowing how she will react, I’m reluctant to throw the cat in with the pigeons – or the samurans – with so much at stake.

But it’s a back-up plan if the dragon is too much for us to handle. I hope I won’t come to regret deciding to give dealing with the dragon ourselves a good go. So far, no one has actually been killed, even if four Bound have been significantly injured.

We see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s a hellscape that presents itself instead of salvation. The majority of the breath mist has fortunately settled. Unfortunately, it’s settled into even more patches of acid ready to trap the ground fighters. The dragon itself has just been driven off, my outside Bound aware that we were approaching. It’s roaring above, clearly frustrated at being blocked from entering the tunnel once again.

By this point, I’m almost certain that they are indeed eggs below: why else would it be so determined to get past the defenders? Before leaving the tunnel mouth, I make sure that everyone knows what they need to do.

After quickly scanning the battlefield before us, we split into two groups. Bastet and her fighters, along with Fenrir and Lathani go off to the right; I run to the left, accompanied by the samurans. Weaver is exhausted, being half-carried by Peace and Iandee on both sides. River and I are a lot better off.

Immediately, the plan goes sideways. The dragon spots us and, if the scream of rage it makes is anything to go by, realises that we’ve been investigating its lair. Perhaps it fears we’ve done something to its eggs. Either way, it dives towards us, its mouth opening wide to spew forth acid.

Though the memory was scary, the reality is terrifying. A billowing cloud of vicious green mist billows towards us and I freeze for a moment. One of the samurans shoves me out of the way and I’m knocked out of my frozen state. Quickly pulling a wooden shield out of my Inventory, I hold it to protect our backs from the acid as we take off running. The other samuran – Iandee – is faster than I am, and half-turns towards me, agonised indecision in his eyes.

Wordlessly, I urge him to run to the trees, and he does. With fear making my feet pound the ground faster than I thought possible, I’m only caught in the very edge of the breath. My shield protects me from most of it, though I hiss in pain as a touch of the attack slips under my armour and brushes against the seam of flesh between my under-clothes and my boots.

Feeling like my skin is a mixture between burning and freezing, I immediately send mana into the area, aiming to heal the wound.

It’s not as simple as I hoped, and I end up just focussing on limiting the pain as I run for shelter. As soon as I’m behind a tree, and sure that the dragon isn’t following, I focus more on the wound. Connecting properly with the mana in my limb, I suddenly realise why it’s being so difficult to fight. It’s not just acid damage; there’s actual acid-mana in the wound too. At least, that’s the only explanation I have for the stubbornness with which the injury remains in place.

In the end, after sending another look around myself to check that I’m not about to be attacked, I dive into Medium Meditation to try to have a real effect on it. There, I see its influence even on my internal matrix: a malignant-looking greenish energy which coats several strands at the edge of my Core space.

Fortunately, after all the healing I did after my last visit to this area, I am far more familiar with dealing with such injuries, though I haven’t had to heal an actively malicious energy before.

Still, it proves not to be too hard to combat in this space: I pull mana from my Core to the area which is affected, then essentially use it to…scour my channels clear. Perhaps it’s another aspect of the fire-affinity that my mana has apparently taken, but I find that purifying and cleansing the area merely takes focus.

Pulling myself out of Meditation, I find that healing the physical damage is now as easy as healing anything else. Interesting.

My injury now sorted, I find the bands of tension around my chest loosening a little. I focus on sending a quick message to the rest of my Bound.

Do your best not to be hit by the breath attack. Prefer being struck by something else, if injury is unavoidable. Then, more privately to Tarra, Do you have potions for pain-relief?

I do, she answers quickly.

Then try to stop those hit by a breath attack from feeling the pain too much – hopefully I’ll be able to heal it after the battle, but I can’t do it now.

I’m already doing that, she answered, sounding slightly annoyed, perhaps that I felt the need to give the instruction. But I’d rather be clear. My healing potions are having limited effect on the breath weapon, she continues, sounding more worried.

I’m not surprised, I answer grimly. Just do your best. We need to get through this battle first.

She sends a wordless agreement.

How is everyone? I check a little belatedly. Responses come through from the ones who had run out with me – apparently I was the worst affected by the attack. I guess that the others didn’t freeze up, having the knowledge of how to react to an attack embedded in their bones. Only Iandee seems to have been licked by the acid attack like me.

Moving over to where Tarra signals she has the majority of the wounded along with the rest of the inside party who have regrouped there, I call for him to join me. As I move cautiously, I dare to try to see what’s going on with the wider battle.

The dragon has been deterred from following my small group by the trees. It’s unable to fly through the small gaps and it seems that its breath doesn’t have the same effect on trees as it does on flesh.

Instead, it’s making another break for the tunnel, its movements even more urgent than before. On cue, Shrieks and the outside Bound have piled into attacking it, dodging the small puddles of greenish liquid. Their numbers are reduced, and my heart drops into my stomach as I see the dragon lash out with its tail, knocking several of my Bound over. Immediately after, it turns to bite at the downed beasts.

Pain flares through the link and I feel one of my Bonds vanish. With everything gone on, I can’t immediately tell which Bond has just disappeared, but I know what it means: we’ve had our first casualty.

But it only gets worse. The dragon rears back and, despite my Bound all frantically attacking the points which should be vulnerable, doesn’t seem too bothered by the flies attacking it. Inhaling and expanding its chest far more than any attack it has done so far, I get a bad feeling about this.

Run! I shout, just as the dragon exhales.

Out of its mouth pours an acid attack like none I’ve seen so far either through memory or reality.

Instead of liquid or gas, it almost appears to be an amalgamation of both. Worse, it’s either alive or the dragon is capable of much more control over it than anything before. It rings the dragon like fire, tendrils snapping out to attack anything within range.

The smart ones among my Bound are already running; the less smart ones or slower ones are caught. Another Bond snaps, and then a third, pain shuddering across the Bonds as others are hurt, but not to the point of death.

Several of them run straight towards me, others towards safety in the trees on the other side of the clearing. The numbers are reduced even further than before.

Free of irritating attackers, the dragon heads straight into the tunnel, leaving three dark shapes on the ground behind it.