The Glyph of Warding had already spent its explosive runes, but Bennett noticed another rune tucked into a crevice in the rocks, linked to a chain trigger—an Alarm spell.
"It's an Alarm!"
"Dammit! This is supposed to be a dragon's lair—why is it littered with spells like a wizard's tower?"
"Could it have foreseen that we'd hide here?"
"That's impossible."
At the thought, Bennett's expression darkened.
His breath hitched, and his heart hammered wildly against his ribs as a horrifying possibility dawned on him—
This was a spellhoarding dragon.
And it had likely foreseen that their party would seek shelter here, preparing every countermeasure in advance, just like any meticulous wizard.
This was no land of fame and fortune; it was a deathtrap laid by an evil dragon mage!
And they were the prey that had walked right into it!
Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing Bennett's churning dread.
"Retreat..."
"Fall back, everyone!"
"The red dragon is coming!"
Bennett roared, waving his staff. He had no desire to die out in the wilderness and end up as monster chow.
Yet he realized his companions were rooted to the spot, staring blankly up at the sky, sending panic coursing through him.
"What are you standing around for? Move!"
Ivan stared up into the sky, his voice trembling.
"I think..."
"It... it's already here."
Bennett felt a massive shadow engulf him, cold sweat dripping down his cheeks.
He turned his head stiffly.
"Gods above..."
What kind of red dragon was this? Fully fifteen meters long, its colossal frame rivaled that of an adult red dragon.
It was covered in brilliant golden-red scales. Motes of pure energy drifted around its body like thousands of tiny astral fragments, and beyond that shimmering veil, blinding lightning crackled in rings.
Behind it, roiling dark clouds and violent gales trailed in its wake. Bathed in blinding light, the red dragon slowly beat its wings in their midst, like the undisputed lord of the storm.
"Damn northerners..."
"Your intelligence..."
"You fucking call this... a young dragon?"
Bennett wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand, muttering under his breath.
He recognized the spell shaping the sky—it was the 8th-level spell, Control Weather. His mentor had once demonstrated it to him, and it was certainly not something an amateur like him could ever cast.
The red dragon in the sky wore a faintly mocking sneer.
"Humans, how dare you..."
"Tread upon my domain!"
His voice rumbled like thunder, leaving their ears ringing.
Then, the red dragon swooped down, slowly parting his jaws as a dazzling radiance gathered within his maw.
"Look out!"
"Dragon breath! Brace yourselves!"
Only then did the party members snap out of their stupor and scramble into combat stances.
They were seasoned adventurers after all; despite being intimidated by the staggering spectacle, they quickly recovered and braced for battle.
Tristan, the paladin, stepped to the front with his dragonscale shield raised, triggering the item's spell—an aura against dragons—instantly bathing them in a faint glow.
"Wall of Force!"
Bennett chanted the incantation. A massive invisible barrier materialized before them to ward off the incoming breath weapon—a dependable defense.
Vincent silently unslung the black longbow from his back, drew an Arrow of Dragon Slaying from within his cloak, and nocked it to the string.
Ivan gripped his longsword, muscles coiled tight. His thumb brushed over the emerald scales embedded in the blade as he muttered a fervent prayer.
Boom!
Incandescent, searing fire erupted from the red dragon's maw, its terrifying heat distorting the air in a fiery cone.
The blazing torrent crashed against them like a tidal wave, held at bay for the moment by the twin magical wards of Wall of Force and the aura against dragons.
It seemed like nothing more than a probing strike.
Yet sweat beaded on Bennett's brow once more; he could feel his spell already straining under the pressure.
*Such horrifying flames...* he thought to himself.
Ivan roared, "Stand here, and we'll be burned to cinders! Attack! Charge with me!"
The veteran warrior broke off to the flank, circling clear of the fiery breath. Watching the oncoming dragon loom nearer, he vaulted several meters into the air.
Yet before he could even touch the veil of energy fragments shielding the dragon's scales, the crackling lightning lashed out, sending violent spasms and numbness coursing through his body.
Body of Storm's Echo!
Before he could recover, the red dragon casually swiped a claw across him.
In an instant, lightning surged through the warrior's body, while a bolt as thick as a bowl crashed down from the storm clouds above, striking him dead on. Ivan was illuminated until he was practically translucent, every bone etched in stark relief.
Reduced to a charred husk, he plummeted to the ground.
Ivan was dead just like that, but he had bought his companions a precious opening to strike.
Twang—!
Vincent released the bowstring. The black Arrow of Dragon Slaying flew straight for the red dragon's heart.
Engraved with magical runes designed to harm dragons and soaked in dragon blood, it was an arrow forged expressly for slaying dragons.
Firestride Exhalation!
As the last wisp of energy left his mouth, the red dragon's colossal frame dissolved into a roaring blaze.
The black arrow shot straight through the flames and dropped limply in the distance, failing to inflict the slightest scratch upon the red dragon.
"Where is it...?"
Vincent muttered grimly, seeing nothing before him but blazing flames.
Even a rogue's keen instincts failed to reveal where his enemy was.
"Stay alert!"
"Dammit, what is that?"
The next moment, the flames before the adventuring party shifted violently. The inferno coalesced and solidified at blinding speed, reforming into a gigantic draconic silhouette.
A thunderous roar erupted from the blaze.
"How dare you stand against me!"
The red dragon tore out from the flames!
His massive frame, wreathed in crackling lightning, shattered the invisible Wall of Force in an instant, making Bennett shudder in terror.
The adventurers' warriors shot volley after volley of arrows, but the shafts were all repelled harmlessly by the energy fragments orbiting the beast.
Dark clouds swallowed the land as lightning crashed from the heavens, striking down at the panicked adventurers as if guided by an unseen hand.
"Scatter! Scatter!"
Tristan hastily held the dragonscale shield before him, shouting at the top of his lungs.
The companions behind him scattered in all directions.
Yet the red dragon gathered his power for a fraction of a second and spat several short bursts of flame, striking the party member right behind Tristan—Vincent, the rogue.
Bang!
The frail rogue crumpled to the ground, his charred corpse blending with his scorched black cloak, all signs of life extinguished.
In the next instant, a bolt of lightning as thick as a bowl struck down from the sky directly onto the paladin's head. His dragonscale shield could ward off draconic harm, but it could not deflect the lightning.
"Aaaagh—!"
Tristan let out an agonized shriek.
Clouds choked the sky with flashing lightning and rolling thunder, while fire and lightning tore through the ground below in utter devastation. Moving as if completely unopposed, the red dragon tore violently into their formation, dismantling the adventuring party with contemptuous ease.
Gazing at this hopeless sight, Bennett raised his staff with trembling hands, pouring every ounce of strength into the spell he had prepared so long for.
"Hold Monster!"
A streak of crimson magical light shot forth.
This was supposed to have been their trump card for slaying the dragon; who would have thought it would now become their only hope of escape?
Yet what happened next left him dumbfounded. A hazy, shimmering barrier enveloped the red dragon. The surrounding Weave was forcibly smoothed out, rendering any spellcraft futile.
"Globe of Invulnerability..."
Despair swallowed Bennett whole. He had never been more certain of his deduction:
This was a goddamned spellhoarding dragon!
Chapter 63