Chapter 16: Die

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‘What happened?... Ugh my head kills… What’s happening?... Where’s Austin?... My body hurts so much…’

            Ellie opened her eyes to see Austin stood brave an alone in the middle of the square. Blood flooding from his arm and dripping down his face with the Ground Dragon making its way towards him. She watched as it reared its head and as Austin stood there powerless against it.

‘He did it again… He saved me again… Well, he tried anyway… If only I was stronger… He wouldn’t have to save me every time… I would be able to help him… I would be able to save him… I want to kill that Ground Dragon… I have to kill it… To save him… I want to kill it…’

‘Get up.’

‘… I have to get up… I have to kill it…’

‘Get up.’

‘I am!... I’ll kill it… If it threatens Austin… I’ll kill it…’

            With heavy arms and faded vision, she pushed with all her might to lift herself up. It took all her energy just to pick up her bow and stand on her own two feet.

‘Get up!’

‘I am up!... I’m going to kill it…’

‘Kill it!’

‘I’m going to!... I’m going to kill it!’

‘Kill it!’

“Die…”

            She couldn’t even feel her arms as they pulled the final arrow from her pouch and drew her bow. It wasn’t her doing it. She took her aim and her body followed her orders letting an arrow fly towards the only target that made any sense. Like a bullet it whizzed through the air and pierced the Ground Dragon’s eye. Another high pitch shriek was let out as it stumbled to the side and slumped down. Having used all her power in her final attack Ellie fell to her knees and smiled briefly.

‘Ha… hah…’

‘We failed…’

            The Ground Dragon suddenly perked back up and turned towards her giving a deathly glare with its remaining eye and produced a roar filled with hatred and aggression. For a mere moment it forgot about Austin and started making its way to devour Ellie instead.

‘Ava…’

‘Austin… I-…’

‘How much of your power would I need to kill that thing right now?’

‘…50% at the most… But that’ll kill you as well.’

‘I’m gonna die from blood loss anyway… And I said I don’t plan on losing… Not that I don’t plan on dieing…’

‘Hah… You really are an interesting human…’

            The Ground Dragon was only able to take a few paces before it was stopped in its tracks by Austin. Out of nowhere, he let out the most enormous war cry he could manage with enough ferocity to halt a Ground Dragon. That alone is no easy feat, but Austin’s howl had surpassed the point of psychotic and into the deep, dark depths of demonic as blood sprayed from his mouth with the shout. Ungodly. He grabbed hold of the dragon’s tail and swung it over his shoulder. A look of horror filled the dragon’s eye as it felt its own body get ripped from underneath it and slammed back into the ground with such force it broke many of its external and internal bones.

            Austin could feel the changes happening to his body as he calmly walked alongside the toppled beast. He could feel the skin on his left arm stretching and contorting and then the skin on both his arms thicken and harden almost as if it was developing into some sort of hide or… scales. He felt his breathing become aggressive and raspy like every breathe he took created a monstrous growl. And he watched as his eyes began to see differently, with more colour and precision, it was as if he could see the intricate details of everything and all the vital spots of his opponent. But above all else, he could feel Giddenavya’s power flowing through him, he could feel her strength flowing through his muscles and becoming his own. It was like he was being enhanced some sort of super drug.

            He stood at the head of the Ground Dragon with one foot pushing down on its throat and looked down at it with his piercing, blazing blue eyes. Pressing down slowly more and more on its throat he watched as its struggle to breathe turned into a gargle, grasping desperately for air. He released the pressure, stood completely on its throat and pushed its jaw closed and its head up with his left foot. The dragon could do nothing as it watched the silhouette of a titan appear behind Austin as if the two were linked. Just the sight of it… The tides had changed completely, the Ground Dragon had accepted its death.

“… Die.”

            The titan reared its arm back as Austin did and they produced an earth-shattering punch that sent a shockwave throughout the entire town. Broken bone, torn muscle, chunks of brain and blood… lots of blood. Austin stood tall next to the remains of the dragon with its blood dripping from his jagged hand as unfamiliar faces began to appear from all around.

‘…How are you not-’

‘Did I forget to tell you? I also don’t plan and dieing yet.’

Of all the faces that appeared there was only one that Austin wanted to see. He looked over his shoulder at Ellie with the same burning look in his eyes and was greeted by a warm, loving smile. He felt Ava’s power dissipate throughout his body and began to feel human again as he stumbled over and fell to his knees in front of her. Ellie pressed her head against his and wrapped her arms around his neck as Austin wrapped his around her waist.

“Am I safe now?”

“You are.”

“… If only you weren’t so covered in blood right now.”

“I think a bath might be necessary when we get back then…”

            After returning to their usual inn and having a slightly more intimate bath than usual the two went to eat their usual slop before indulging in a drink. Back in the public eye they received nothing but dirty looks and backhanded whispers. The rumours had already begun. It didn’t take long for the two to decide it would be much easier if they just went up to their room and drank there instead.

“Oh, by the way, I think I found my teacher that you were on about.”

“So I heard. How is he?”

“Stroppy.”

“Yeah, I also heard that as well.”

“… So what do we do next?”

“Well, after enjoying some well deserved beers and a bit of rest. There’s only one thing we can do and there’s a limited time we have to do it.”

‘What do you mean?’

“Larax wants to know what you mean by that.”

“Hah! I guess they’re both unaware.”

            Austin sat up and calmly took a sip of beer before turning back to Ellie.

“2 years from now… Their reawakening.”