...

When Asher had walked into the guildhall today, he was expecting it to be the same as it had been. He had just finished looking at the still empty job board, taking a step towards the crowded table to grab something to eat. It was at this moment when the Guild Leader made the proclamation about their new job.

To go to Era and slay a dragon, of all things! To say that such a decree took him by surprise was an understatement. He had been praying for any sort of job to come through soon. Dragon slaying though? Perhaps his prayers were more effective than he ever thought before.

With the guild master jumping up on another table, Asher blinks, still taking in the momentous news. He swipes up one of the remaining sandwiches, before speaking up. “To think that we go from a week of nothing, to going to slaying a dragon…” He bites into his sandwich, swallowing before adding. “I guess that old expression of “go big or go home” really suits this situation.”

About time. Their Guild Master, Torys has officially returned from wherever she went to. Before Gwen could talk, she broke down into dismay when Torys literally told them to go back to Era, at least for her and Liliana.

Gwen saw a new face after all the commotion, from her stripping and reprimanding from her superiors. She approached the boy and her skin was touching him. At the very least Gwen's demanding clothes.

"Hey new guy, your clothes or I'll beat you to pieces- sike. It's not nice to treat new members like this, from now on, you're part of my squad. I don't care if we just met but trust me, with my magnified judgement, you can fulfill your full potential. Now come with me and go dragon hunting!"

She immediately called Liliana via her phone.

"Hey. Wanna go back to Era? DRAGON HUNTING BITCH!!"

Gwen shouted to the full.

"Ria, Luke, Lavinia. I need you three."

---

His master was once again acting in a manner not befitting her age, though she brought some interesting news. A dragon about to attack people. "That's bad," he softly spoke. People getting hurt is naturally a bad thing to him, so he's ready to go right now. He followed after one of the resident S-classes of the guild, Grasidia, and waited for her to create a way to get over their as soon as possible.

He crouched in front of the vehicle growing with curiosity in his eyes. The way they grew like that in an organic way was like watching grass grow in a sped-up manner. Since he can derive enjoyment from watching grass grow at a normal pace, something like this would obviously be fun for him as well.

Though there is a glaring problem with this operation. A burning question sitting in his mind the moment this sudden mission sprouted up.

"What's a dragon?" He asked Grasidia who seems like a knowledgable, and well-traveled individual. Due to his amnesiac state, he knows not even myths about dragons.

Ah, so clearly their young-at-heart guild master wanted them dead. Well, now was a good time as any to beg the council to take him back in.

Joking aside, the sudden return of Torys had been accompanied by some amazing news indeed. The week long drought of jobs seemed as though in preparation for this sudden storm of events. Their guild master certainly knew how to pick them. What happened next though, would be crucial. He'd never fought a dragon before - plenty of demons, a handful of dragonslayers (artificial or otherwise) and even a trio of godslayers, but no dragons. He knew how to fight them in theory, and even that felt like a daunting task.

Typically, only a dragonslayer could, well, slay a dragon. Their magic was specifically meant for it after all. Dragons were nigh impervious to magic, fiendishly strong, and their own brand of magic would match a Wizard Saint for power on average. Even in his prime...

Bah! No sense overthinking it. They would either do this or not. Now the question was how to go about- and they were splitting into teams already. Well then.

He shrugged and approached Zenith.

"Ah, looks like you'll be working with the old man, Zen," he said with a grin. Turning towards the rest of the throng, he hollered: "Holly, Felix, Leon? What say you?"

He didn't really have a plan for this team. It was chosen mostly on a whim, with whoever was left over, but it wasn't a bad composition by any means. Zenith was a capable fighter, Fenix was a talented youth, and Leon tried his best- erm, that is, he was the only one asides from Ria that specialized in supportive magic, which was invaluable in team excursions. There wasn't much that needed to be said about what Holly brought to the table.

Hmmm... he'd need to prepare himself as well, if he didn't want to slow them down. It's been awhile since he'd exerted himself in combat.

With the arrival of the other guild members, the small handful of mages which pretty much comprised the entire guild, Fenixtear took on a certain liveliness. Leon, immersed in the frivolity, chuckled at Zenith’s dismay over the state of the kitchen once Lorelai was done with it.

“Yeah yeah, when have I ever not cleaned up after their messes?” He sighed, watching as his little pixie fluttered back to the bar with a sugar cube clutched within her arms. Felix asked Leon about the guildmaster, to which he would receive a casual shrug.
“Not sure kid, you’ve probably got the right idea.” Heck, if Torys was out there finding them some work, then at least Leon might be able to earn some money to pay back his student loans. The mere thought of his accumulated debt almost made his croque madame repeat on him.

Holly made a point to scold Leon for Lorelai’s conduct, as he had been anticipating. Though he didn’t expect her to question his own training. It hardly seemed relevant and only served to mildly annoy him.
“They aren’t puppets.” Leon mumbled, turning his face away from the armoured mage. “They’re my friends. I can’t just order them around. No amount of training will change that.” He was already painfully aware that he was the weakest link of the guild; he didn’t need another reminder. And then the offer to spar was made.
“Are you messing with me?” Leon’s shoulders tensed up, turning back to Holly with a furrowed brow and clenched jaw. Though her gentle touch reassured him that her teasing was only friendly. He relaxed a little, feeling somewhat embarrassed over his reaction. His inadequacies were always a sore subject. Though before he could apologise for being a bit touchy, Torys had seemingly slipped in from nowhere and demanded the S Class’ attention.

Not long after Torys had finished speaking with Holly and Grasidia, the Guildmaster loudly proclaimed that their assistance was needed in Era in dealing with a dragon threat. Leon’s gulp was quite audible. His first large scale mission; defeating a dragon. Not to mention the cherry on top that was returning to the city that hosted his former school. How mortifying it would be to run into some of his old peers after dropping out. No doubt the elitists among them would milk the opportunity to berate him for every last drop.

Leon was hesitant, but that tinge of worthlessness that had briefly tugged at his spirit when talking to Holly spurred him to his feet. Codex at the ready, he held his finger out for his pixie to perch on.
“Sorry Lor, I’m going to need to conserve my energy for this.” Lorelai’s wings drooped down to her side at his words, but the little pixie happily complied and returned to the aether like the snuffing of a candle. When Marduk approached him about teaming up, the young man placed his fist across his chest and stood with shoulders square.

“Yes Sir, I will not let you guys down.” His eyes shifted briefly over to Holly, and then the other members of the group. More than anything, this was an opportunity to prove that he could be a valuable member of Fenixtear.

---

Ria's response did not discourage the boy, many people had their reservations about fighting a kid, not that he could blame them since he wasn't exactly the most powerful mage in Fenixtear. Felix simply sighed in disappointment and prepared to head out to begin his daily training.

And then the inconceivable happened, the guild had miraculously secured a Job. And this was not a small job like clearing out a rat infestation or anything, they were fighting a real live dragon. To say, Felix was excited was a massive understatement the boy was practically jumping around in anticipation. "All right!", Felix exclaimed clearly giddy at the news of getting out of the Tavern. "This is going to be the best mission ever!, as Felix bolted towards the door, heading outside for Grasidia. The boy stopped in his tracks when he heard Marduk's request to work together, Felix was not a team player but any means but even he knew that it would take a team effort to slay an actual dragon."I'm down to team up, it seems to better to do this as a team then run around like headless chickens trying to take it down by our selves."

Then a thought popped into Felix's head,"Gramps after we go and defeat this dragon, can you spar with me? I usually don't ask people this old, but desperate times call for desperate measure". Also, we're ranked the same so I shouldn't get completely destroyed".

Lavinia's eyes sparkled with devilish glee. At long last, her plans had come to fruition! After that sudden announcement, there could no longer be any doubt: the Guild Master had been driven completely insane!

Her lips curled into a wicked smile. With this, her fellow guild members would doubtless lose faith in that silly old Torys, and find themselves looking for a new leader. This was her chance to take over for real, to kick out the old Master and rebuild Fenixtear in her own image! Standing up tall, she began: "Oh dear me! It would seem that..."

She trailed off, sputtering a little, and then tried again. "It would seem..."

This didn't make any sense. Torys had just waltzed in and told everyone to go and fight a literal dragon. It was the most reckless, foolhardy, and utterly raving bonkers suggestion Lavinia had ever heard.

SO WHY ARE THEY ALL TAKING HER SERIOUSLY?!!

She paused for a moment, standing there all menacingly and looking quite awkward. Then her victorious expression deflated a little, and she shuffled quietly across the hall to join Gwen.

"...Would seem that you're desperate enough to ask for my assistance," she finished. Then sighed dramatically. "Oh, very well! I'll lend you my power... but don't think that it comes for free. You owe me now, oh yes..." She tried her best to make that last part sound all spooky and Machiavellian, but really she had no idea what she'd ask in return, if anything at all. This morning had been going so well, and now everything was spiraling out of control.

Just what the hell have I gotten myself into?

Despite the tensing up of Leon, Holly remained perfectly calm. She had triggered a slight nerve, and she was a little apologetic for that however she did not let that show, especially as he calmed himself down; she had a reputation to maintain, and as well he had to learn not to take things at heart, especially not the simple offer of a sparring match. Even if there was a power difference, there was a lot that could be learned from fighting an opponent a lot more powerful than yourself. If you were overpowering every opponent, you failed to learn survivability against those who could crush you at their whim.

Before Holly could speak further on the matter their Guild Master, whom Holly had not noticed entering the Hall, called for the attention of both herself and Grasidia. Doing so hinted to Holly already that something big was going to happen, as nobody called for the attention of the two S-Class mages unless they had a big reason to do so, either a bad reason or a good reason. From the look on Master Torys' face, Holly could tell that this was going to be some good news, something that Holly was grateful for after eight days of nothing - she figured that the rest of the Guild would also be grateful.

Holly's suspicions were proven correct - and shocking. Thankfully, her armour and helmet hid her shocked expression at the Guild Master's revealing of the situation. A dragon? Holly thought. She turned her head to look amongst her Guildmates, trying to decide who would be the most helpful against the Dragon, and who she might have to leave behind to ensure their own safety - and very quickly, she decided that there was not a single person that she wanted to leave behind, not a single person that she wanted to exclude from the spectacle that they were going to give the world. Their Guild may have been small, inconsequential compared to the larger guilds that were out there, but that was going to change. Holly believed in Fenixtear, in every individual that stood in the hall, from the young Felix to the old Marduk. Soon, Fenixtear was not going to be a small, inconsequential guild. They were going to be known for slaying a dragon.

"We will not let you down, Master," Holly says, and she believed it. Grasidia seemed to immediately make her way outside to prepare their transportation, but Holly took her time, as she knew the Guild would be going berserk, and at least one of them had to tame the hype that the Guild Master had released, else they would all be fighting the dragon in their dreams rather than physically. Taking her time also meant she could listen properly to what the rest of the Guild was planning - which seemed to be dividing into teams, one of which she was quickly invited to. She thought it a good idea, particularly since the team that she was invited to contained some of the newer or less experienced of them. Both her own and Marduk's experience would even out that of Felix, Leon and Zenith, and so she agreed - and her agreeance of the team would practically set it in stone. "Myself, Marduk, Felix, Leon, and Zenith," Holly states, giving a nod of her head. "That sounds like a workable team."

Holly turned to the door, starting to make her towards it once more. She pulled her sword from it's sheath, twirling Shadowbane twice, and then slipping it back in it's sheath in a singular, fluid movement. "Felix, just remember that you'll be as old as Marduk one day. And a man like himself definitely has a few tricks up his sleeve." She gave a little nod of respect to Marduk. She took a moment to think about how strange it would be to see an old version of Felix, before vanquishing the thought for her own sanity. "Let's go," she says simply, stepping outside and near Grasidia.

"No theatrics," Holly says quietly, loud enough so Grasidia would be able to hear. "As much as this is a great opportunity, I don't want our Guildmates getting hurt. Let's do this cleanly."

"Extra cream and sugar, got it!" Zenith hopped to his feet and went over to the back of the bar to grab the pot of coffee that had been brewing in the back. He poured Marduk his cup around the same time that Forys announced the guild's current mission: slay a dragon. Do you want this for to go instead? He asked nonchalantly, not even looking up to ask. The young man did not even wait for an answer; he poured the coffee into a thermos with cream and sugar and tossed it to the elderly man. It was almost a little weird how calm he was in the face of what Forys had asked of them.

Oh he was aware how absolutely insane this mission was, but he was not one to go against the orders of his superiors. The guild was young, scrappy, and hungry to make a name for itself and enter the public light after months of obscurity so he sure as hell was not going to chicken out. He would certainly would not mind the income boost considering that they pound down food like a fat man at a pie eating contest. Not to mention the prospect of taking over a dragon is such a rare opportunity that if they someone make it out alive, he sure is going to come out with a hell of a prize. That is if he is even able to get a chance at all.

Teams were being decided by the more senior members of the guild. It looked like Zenith was not going to get a say at all in who he is paired up with. Wait, was Holly serious about bringing Felix? The kid was too reckless for a mission like this no matter how strong he was; he is going to get himself killed. Hell, he could trust Leon, the weakest and most inexperienced mage of the group, to not run in head first like a complete immature kid with way too much power for his age and protagonist syndrome!

"Wait, Holly!" He rushed through the door after the armored woman. "We can't bring Felix to fight a dragon. No matter how strong he is for his age, he's still just a kid for god's sake!" For someone in the guild that tries to act like the voice of reason, she sure is taking way too big of a risk on bringing him on. Someone in this guild has to be responsible for the child and think of what is good for him, even if it will piss Felix off for the longest time.

---

Crash. Ria flinched when she finally heard the racket from the kitchen. There'd been a pixie summoned, right? Oh no. Right. That was going to be quite the mess. Well, then she would be helping Leon clean the mess. After all, the poor boy couldn't be left to take care of the dishes used to make everyone lunch; those weren't his fault. She was about to reassure Leon he wasn't going to be alone in cleaning when the guild master drew attention.

Wait. Era? A dragon? She looked at Gwen, trying to gauge how her sister felt about having to go back. Not good, but then again, it was to go after a dragon. Geeze, a dragon. That was both terrifying and amazing. She'd read plenty on dragons and the wars mages waged with them, about their strengths and weaknesses, the special skills slayers possessed in order to defeat them. It would be great to see one in person, but if it was angry enough to attack the city's capitol - the Mage Council of all things - then it was likely not something to be taken lightly. She couldn't let herself get distracted.

"Wait, what?" Ria blinked, realizing that was exactly what she'd done. She heard her name called by Gwen, and...They were going? They were all seriously going to take on the dragon because Torys intercepted a distress call? It would get the guild some recognition, something they needed given how slow it was getting any kind of business for their various minor enterprises, but this was a bit crazy.

Which was exactly why she needed to go. She couldn't just leave any of them to an uncertain fate. Not when she could help protect them from serious injury. "Okay."

She turned to Torys with a smile. "I hate to leave the guild in such a state, but it seems like one of Leon's pixies make the kitchen into quite the state. Leon and I will take care of it all when we get back. I recently placed up some more fliers so if anyone comes to register for the matchmaking service, could you please have them fill out one of the forms? There's a stack behind the bar. Standard rate is seven thousand jewels per form, up front, and I have a folder under the forms for filled out registrations."

That was when she heard Zenith protesting Felix coming. While the younger mage didn't need defense, he also didn't need doubt. "Why should his age matter?" Ria asked with a blink. "We're supposed to encourage growth in each other. Benching him when he's capable and anxious for a fight only stifles that growth." It wasn't like they were sending Felix to fight by himself. She wasn't going to point it out aloud for Felix's sake, but the guild proper was going to be there. They would make sure he didn't die. Getting hurt, well worst things could happen.

Sandwich math done again, she made sure to collect another two sandwiches since Felix didn't want his. They still had a few members that needed to eat. As she passed Holly, she offered the armored mage one before continuing out to join what was the rest of her 'team'. She offered one to Lilliana and the other to Cloven. "Here, you two should eat. Lilliana, I know you must be hungry after just getting back. Cloven, always good to have something in your stomach to give you energy for a fight, and you should team up with us."

---

Felix was surprised when Zenith has protested him going on the mission, it wasn't that he didn't appreciate his concern, it was just that his concern did not quite make sense to him. He had gone on several missions by himself before, and Zenith had never batted an eye. So the question naturally came to Felix's mind, "How could this be any different", Felix knew that this was a dragon but he never actually fought one, so he did not know how dangerous a dragon truly could be. In his mind, this was just a harder mission which would require all of us, was the risk of death really that high? "Zenith, if all of us are working together no one should get hurt, we can do this". Besides, we have a supportive mage on our team if I somehow get caught it out I should be just fine because Leon can always shield me". Felix's tone was not annoyed or pissed off really, he was just genuinely curious for the reason of why he could not go and help slay the dragon, it would be really good practice for him anyways. He was just about to head out when he heard Ria beginning to defend him.

Not many things pissed Felix off, Ria's maternal instincts were greatly appreciated even if Felix had not ignored them, but Ria had crossed the line, she had insulted his honor and pride. Felix turned to her, his eyes glowing with determination and as he spoke he pumped up his fisty."Ria, I understand you wanting to stand up for me and all, but you have to let me fight my own battles. My dad was just my age when he completed his first deadly quest, and I want to be just like him. All my life, all I ever wanted was to meet him for the first time because I wanted to know what was so great about being a mage that he would go and abandon his own son. But the only way I am ever going to do that is if I stop relying upon others for things like this. Do you really think he became a God of Ishgar, by letting others fight his own battles? Of course not!". After his short speech to Ria, he turned back to Zenith and exclaimed "Besides, why are you getting mad at Holly for? It was Old Man Marduk who decided to bring me along anyway."

He then grabbed his backpack and bolted through the door, his face full of determination ready to prove himself to everybody.

Holly was quickly confronted with a question from Zenith about taking Felix along. She understood his concerns, agreed with them even, however she had also heard the Guildmaster clearly - it was a job for all of them. If Felix was not to come, Torys would have said so. So, unfortunately for Holly, she had to accommodate him somehow, and that was helped by having Leon within the same group that Felix was going with, both to help him and just in case the kid got injured. Thankfully, Astoria gave Zenith a reason, meaning Holly did not need to - her silence was agreement, even if she didn't accept the sandwich from Astoria that she was offered after. While the sandwich looked good, and she would have accepted it had she been staying at the Guild, eating it would require removal of her helmet. Because they were just about to leave, Holly did not have the time to hide herself away and consume the delicious snack.

There was still concern, however. Holly knew that Zenith would not be pleased with that answer just as much as she, and so she wished to make her own movements to comfort herself as well as the other concerned. She moved from where she was stood beside Grasidia and walked her way over to Felix. "I will not lie, Felix, I am also concerned about you coming along. However, as you know, I'm not one to disregard the Guildmaster's wishes. I want you to remain safe throughout the inevitable fight that is going to happen. That doesn't mean I'm going to hold you back from fighting, as I know how much you wish to do so, however if the public sees us placing someone your age in harm's way throughout the fight, it will never blow over."

Holly turned, searching, before she saw the person she was looking for. "Leon! I want you to prioritise Felix's safety throughout the conflict. Try not to let him come to any harm." She turns back to Felix, and after a moment, gives him a nod. "Don't let me regret not just telling you to sit at the back. I'd rather we be known for beating a dragon, not throwing our youngest members into the fire."

This was absurd. There was no way that the Forys is seriously telling them to bring Felix to fight a dragon and yet, no one is blinking an eye at it. Hell, he was even be asked why his age was a big deal if he was capable of fighting. Even Holly admitted her doubts of bringing him along, but did not wish to go against their guild master's wishes. And then there was Felix who was trying to sound responsible and smart when he had no possible idea how large of a threat a dragon was.

There were so many things he wanted to tell Felix; that he was not like his father, but just a child with too much confidence in himself. That there is a real chance that he will actually die in this mission if he decides to charge head first into danger, but nothing he could say will reach his ears and no one was going to stop him from coming along, god fucking dammit. Zenith's jaw was clenched though his body relaxed as he sighed as he realized that there was no point in fighting a losing battle anymore if they were so dead set on having the entire guild participate."Fine, if you want to be treated like an adult then I will, but you better be ready to accept the consequences like one too."

He just dropped the subject; there was no more time to debate whether or not the boy would come along. All that Zenith could hope for is that the boy would not do anything stupid and that they could all keep him safe from harm and himself.

---

As the two leaves continued to grow, Grasidia looked over her shoulder at Luke after he approached and asked what a dragon was. She squinted her eyes at him briefly before returning her attention forward. "A monster," was all she explained to him. Really that was all she knew about them anyways. Some kind of powerful creature of legend. She had certainly never seen one but she had heard they were big and could fly. Grasidia didn't dwell on it long though as she glanced over her other shoulder to see what the rest of her guildmates were doing. General preparations, planning strike teams, it seemed pretty disorganized still to Grasidia. They're foolish, but I'll keep them alive.

Each leaf was quite massive now, each one easily big enough to seat ten people. This meant that everyone could split up onto the two leaves and have plenty of space between each other to be comfortable. With the travel preparations complete, Grasidia turned around completely to face the rest of the guild. "Get on," was her simple command, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for everyone to step onto their leafy green ride. As she waited a third leaf began to grow out of the ground beneath her, stopping at a much smaller size than the other two. Just large enough for Grasidia to stand on it with very little room to spare. Despite being so much smaller than her it bore her weight without budging after she stepped onto it. She waited a moment longer for everyone to be on the leaves but she didn't quite wait for everyone to sit down.

She held her hands out to her sides and then raised them up, commanding their leaves to fly. "Eden! Leaf Caravan!" And with those magic words they began to float straight up from the alleyway, slowly ascending above the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. Grasidia gave one last look to the ground, spotting Torys standing at the doorway to the guild hall. Upon being seen the guild master cracked a confident smirk and held out a thumbs-up to her guild. It was reassuring that Torys thought they would be able to handle this challenge but Grasidia just drew her gaze forward. The three leaves all soon rotated so that they were all facing the same direction, pointed towards Era. Then, without any additional warning, Grasidia pointed her arms forward.

The speed at which the leaf caravan shot off surely surprised most of her guildmates. The ones seated would find no trouble from the sudden g-forces but if any were still standing they likely wouldn't be now. Grasidia herself was able to remain standing easily as she could cling to her leaf quite easily, she made the thing after all, and she pulled ahead of the two larger, heavier leaves. They took a flying V formation as the entire guild raced through the clouds. Only after a moment of flying did Grasidia make sure to look behind herself to see if anyone fell off, though it looked like nobody did. We're heading right to the Council's doorstep. If we get there and the dragon has already been defeated then we might get Torys in trouble if we're noticed... With this in mind Grasidia increased the altitude that the guild was flying at, so they would be harder to spot from the ground on approach just in case they had to turn back.

---

It would take a few minutes but the time seemed to pass quickly for Grasidia. First she saw smoke on the horizon, then she saw the outskirts of Era, then the burning buildings. Then the dragon. It was a large creature with many spines along its back and limbs, all its scales black, with a massive wingspan and long tail. Even from such a long distance she could see its glowing white eyes as it gazed around in admiration of its own destruction. The sheer size of it just reinforced how daunting of a task this truly was, that thing could swallow anyone whole. Just one of its claws had to be the same size as a human. Grasidia watched in awe as they approached, though she was snapped out of it when she noticed an orange glow from within the beast's jaws. It let loose an inferno upon a regiment of, presumably, Rune Knights that were fending it off. She could see a magical blue glow from their shield spells defending, but surely they couldn't block everything. The regiment scattered in retreat after the flames cleared and the dragon turned its sights toward the Magic Council headquarters.

Okay, they definitely need us, Grasidia thought, now finally lowering the leaves as they approached the city. But while the two larger leaves maintained the same speed, Grasidia's began to speed up. Hers was more agile with less weight on it and she kicked it into full speed. She knew that meant she would get there just a bit before everyone else but they didn't have a moment to spare. The dragon was so large that it took no time to reach the pavilion before the Council. She could see another regiment of Rune Knights were before the dragon, hopelessly prepared to defend against its assault. Alright, Torys, you want us to show the world that we're here... The orange glow from the dragon's mouth began to radiate again as it lowered its head and aimed its open jaws at the knights ahead of it, who braced themselves for what surely appeared to be certain death.

Just as the flames began to erupt from its throat, Grasidia came shooting out of the sky like a meteor and delivered an axe kick to the top of its spiky head. The impact forced the dragon's jaws shut and slammed its head into the ground, sending flames out the sides of its mouth and kicking up a large cloud of dust and rubble. The shockwave from the impact pushed back the nearby Rune Knights briefly, who all stood in shock at the miracle salvation before them. Grasidia remained airborne, her momentum from her kick carrying her forward to put herself between the dragon and the humans. That was strange... she thought to herself as she began to face the dragon. It almost felt like- Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the creature's massive tail reaching around its body and swinging straight at her. She was still in the air and it was too big to dodge. In the split-second before impact she brought her arms to her side and curled her legs up, braced for the inevitable.

The dragon's tail flicked her aside like she was a mere housefly. The impact was powerful, sending Grasidia flying uncontrollably to the ground where she bounced several time before crashing into the marble staircase behind the Rune Knights. Dust and debris scattered from the impact, briefly concealing her from view as the Rune Knights all turned to look. After the dust settled they could see Grasidia sprawled out on the ground with blood trailing from her head and lips, eyes closed and unmoving. Panic began to settle in as their apparent savior was dispatched, prompting the knights to all flee from the dragon and retreat into the Council building. The vibrations in the ground as they ran past her unconscious body made Grasidia stir, slowly opening her eyes as she regained her bearings. Well, at least the humans didn't die, she thought to herself, her gaze settling on the black dragon. It hadn't moved at all since she last saw it, and if she didn't know any better it looked like her surprise attack didn't hardly faze it.

But then she saw her two giant leaves closing in. The rest of her guild. And almost as if the dragon could sense that she was looking behind it, it turned its head to see her incoming guildmates. Oh no. Its spiky black wings began to unfurl, stretching out to its full wingspan. Oh no you don't. Grasidia leaned forward now, propping herself up on one arm and holding the other out with her palm facing the dragon. The massive beast flapped its wings a single time, creating a terribly strong gust that further shocked Grasidia. So strong that her leaves carrying her guildmates were whipped around, sending everyone crashing to the ground. But before its wings could make another stroke and let this monster take to the air, Grasidia commanded her curse. "Eden! Greenhouse!" The grass around the pavilion, beneath the dragon, rapidly grew upward and formed thick vines that quickly began to wrap around its feet and its wings, quickly pinning its wings to its sides and binding it. Other tendrils of plant matter reached out to catch her falling guildmates, at least the ones that didn't seem to have a way to survive the fall.

While she focused on setting her guildmates down at a safe distance from the seemingly pissed dragon, it muscled its way free of the vines that held its feet to the ground. Her vines around its wings managed to hold, but now the dragon could move again. Stupid humans, Grasidia thought, spitting some blood from her mouth onto the side of her crater. Standing in front of this thing like wheat before a scythe. I should've let them die. She slowly picked herself up, burdened by the pain throbbing through what felt like her entire body. Then I would still be in top shape. This thing is powerful, but less than I thought it would be. We can still win this. More vines continued sprouting from the ground, attempting to tangle and trip the dragon though it was strong enough to break through every time they managed to snare. But even if it only bought a few seconds of immobility at a time, anything helped. If any of her guildmates, with their frail human biology, took a hit like she did they might just be done.