It had been a while since Ryan was ambushed–and by ‘a while’, he meant ten days. His definition of ‘a while’ clearly needed work. Ten days had been just enough time for him to let his guard down for another prank from Seffara. Ryan pulled hard against his rope bindings. Then he shook his head.

  “Really round two?”

  “The fuck? How’d you know it was me?”

  The feminine voice that was decidedly not Seffara nor Clara made him move. Ryan took his soulsword out and sliced the ropes apart. He tore away the black hood and glared at a pink-haired dragonslayer. She was sitting on a chair with its back facing him. Like how an interrogator would in one of those old movies. The girl in a too-skimpy ninja outfit grinned at him toothily, displaying rows of sharp teeth. Blood dripped from her maw. The stench of copper filling the air.

  Ryan wasn’t impressed or scared, he just crossed his arms.

  “You know, you could just call back or visit. This is rude. You’re getting blood on Seffara’s nice carpet.”

  The dragonslayer got up from her chair, her body moving in an almost snake-like fashion. Pinkie stalked around Ryan as she grew larger, scales forming on her skin, fingernails sharpening into claws. Her voice took on a crackling reverberation as she grabbed his shoulders and spoke into his ear.

  “you really aren’t ssscared are you? At your age? With your experienssss? What sort of madness do you have that pushes you so? When did you ?” She sniffed, “Why do I smell such expensive wine on you.

  Ryan turned and gave the large predatory pupil a cold smile. It turned out that even the smell of the alcohol had carried over across dimensions, following his soul. Ryan wasn’t sure he wanted to know what Gamielle considered expensive.

  He gave Pinkie a grin and patted the large scaled claw on his shoulder.

  “Gamielle’s already done this before. All of this doesn’t compare to what she does–also she told me you ran to her and cried into her tits.”

  The massive eye, now almost as large as Ryan’s head, blinked in surprise.

  Ryan had never heard of a drake dragonslayer before. The species had come with the Sector Seven expansion. Not only were they more alien than the other species, they didn’t seem to fit anywhere else. Weaker than orcs, stronger than humans. Tougher than elves but less agile than humans. Most importantly, they didn’t seem to have any advantages in class evolutions. No tendencies towards desirable classes like [Chieftain] or [Elementalist].

  Without it, very few were willing to change into such an alien species.

  Now it seemed like drakes had something else entirely.

  Ryan was able to appreciate the energy that was shifting in Pinkie’s body, to whatever body part was transforming. As far as he could tell, she wasn’t just shifting her body, her energy channels were changing with her. Switching from a more magically focused body into a qi focused one.

  What terrifying control. Ryan got lost staring at the endlessly mutating channels and wondered how that was even possible. All his experiments with enforcing aura channels into his arm indicated that it should have been permanent.

  His curious stare into her channels seemed to make Pinkie uncomfortable.

  The draconic head turned away and shifted back into a normal pink haired human that blew at her hair. Her energy channels had completely disappeared in front of Ryan’s eyes. Pinkie made a disgusted face at his continued peering into her body.

  She ignored him and started pacing around him, muttering to herself.

  “Damn Gamielle. Stealing all my best gags like that. No, no, no of course, that’s just like her, she likes to prep her people.”

  Of course, Gamielle hadn’t actually posed as a draconic monster to scare him. The situation just reminded Ryan of both the times that Gamielle had startled him when he was in a dark room alone.

  The frustrated Pinkie kept pacing around him, biting at a fingernail, completely ignoring his existence.

  “Have to think wilder next time. Not being able to threaten friends and family is an interesting restriction. Too basic anyway. No, what I should do is bring in people that look like-”

  “Okay, I’m going to stop you right there. You’re terrifying okay? I really was scared.”

  Pinkie stopped her pacing then shook her head.

  “Bad liar for a [Rogue]. Stupid brute just like Ella said.”

  “Gamielle told me that too.”

  The dragonslayer’s hand snaked for his throat, then it pulled back, hesitating. Pinkie went back to pacing around him. Something about her tone unnerved him. There was a layer of unrest that she hadn’t had when she’d ambushed Ryan on the plane. Back then she had appreciated his backbone before.

  Not as much now.

  “I’m assuming you’re here because I called your number?”

  The apprehension in his voice seemed to placate the monster a little. Pinkie relaxed as she stopped in front of him and went back to acting like a regular person. She nodded her head and smiled at him, teeth back to normal.

  “Yes I am. And nice work on Lazhen by the way.”

  “Huh, you’re the first person to actually tell me I did good work. Thanks, I’m sort of proud of it.”

  The previously frantic dragonslayer seemed calmer now. It made Ryan’s [Dangersense] tingle.

  The dragonslayer sighed fondly.

  “I remember the first town I destroyed. Using a beast tide is interesting but it lacks a personal touch. Too much chance of being offered a beast taming skill instead of a proper skill.”

  Ryan leaned back, trying to keep casual.

  “You’re talking about a town in the Trials, right?”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “”

  Pinkie kept up the fond smile as she took in his expression. The dragonslayer seemed to enjoy the fact that he felt uneasy. No longer agitated, she took a step back onto his bed and exposed her neck, then gave him some slow eye blinks. Ryan assumed it was supposed to be seduction.

  He was just too distracted with his [Dangersense] screaming at him.

  She sat with a sultry smile and then uncrossed her legs, relaxing further. Her legs slightly spread apart. Her short skirt would show a lot–if he dared to look.

  Not that he would, Ryan had fallen for this trap before. He kept his gaze firmly locked on the dragonslayer’s eyes.

  Then he realized that Gamielle really had prepped him for this.

  Pinkie seemed to enjoy the conflict dancing on his face. She gave him a seductress’ look, or what he assumed she thought was a seductive look. Her eyes were slits, like a cat’s but there was a distinct shock of electricity going through her pink pupils.

  It took a moment before Ryan realized that her eyes weren’t catlike but draconic.

  Pinkie’s voice rumbled and crackled.

  “So why did you call me here? It can’t have been an innocent call if you were looking for someone like me.”

  Ryan was shocked that she thought this would attract him. Pinkie seemed to have picked up on his mood too, she frowned and switched her eyes to a more human look. Her voice normalized and she sniffed.

  “If the only thing you called me for is to launder your realmcoins then I take my pound of flesh.”

  Ryan had a feeling that if he told her that was exactly why he’d originally called then she would literally take a bite out of him. There was a dark excited look behind Pinkie’s eyes. Ryan was connecting the dots. He remembered her saying she’d teach him and from what he’d seen she was definitely a master of energy control.

  The timing was off. If she’d shown up earlier then he would have gladly learned from her. Unfortunately he’d already made up his mind.

  Ryan shook his head.

  “I do want that but it’s no longer my priority,” Ryan stood up from his chair and stepped closer, his gaze locking into hers, “Now I want something else.”

  He stepped in between her spread legs, then he looked around at the room.

  “Nobody can see us right?”

  “No,” Pinkie breathed heavily, “Not even the Witch can listen in on me.”

  The dragonslayer was excited now. Her face flushed as she spread her legs just a little more. Her breasts expanded as he got closer. Ryan put his head to her ear and her teeth sharpened into shark teeth once again.

  She was about to bite down–until Pinkie saw his face. Ryan was grinning right into her maw, unafraid. Knowing this was all a trap.

  He sprung his trap in return.

  “Pinkie,”

  The dragonslayer blinked, shuddered at the question and went furious in one quick sequence. Her hand was on Ryan’s throat as he slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the room–faster than he could blink.

  Pinkie snarled.

  “You’re cute when you’re daring, but I don’t like delusional idiots that don’t know what they’re talking about.”

  Ryan would bet everything in his negative bank balance that she had some sort of enhanced hearing. Pinkie could tell that Ryan truly believed in what he was saying.

  His grin grew manic.

  “And I don’t like it when dragonslayers try to honeypot me. But unlike your offer, mine is very real.”

  Her grip tightened around his throat and Ryan let out a chuckle.

  “You know, Gamielle’s done this too. Why don’t you just hear me out.”

  The dragonslayer narrowed her eyes and let go. Ryan coughed and massaged his bruised throat. Pinkie didn’t back away. Her human form was shorter than he was but it still felt like she was just looming over him.

  “Speak. When you fail, I bite. Promise on that.”

  There were no rows of shark teeth. She was being completely serious.

  “It all depends on how strong you are, Pinkie, and how crazy you are.”

  The dragonslayer sneered.

  “I’m the craziest fucking bitch alive. Also the strongest Trialist underneath the Tyrants. There is no contest. Not even Mezhar is stronger than I am, not alone. That I promise.”

  He had expected her to be in the upper echelons of dragonslayer might. Being stronger than even Mezhar? Now that was a surprise. But a welcome one.

  “, then you know the tournament that’s coming up? The Witch Tyrant’s clearly baiting me in. She knows my past, she knows I want to show up no matter what. But what if I don’t sneak in? What if…”

  Ryan spoke of the plan he’d been whipping up for a few days now. It was an idle fantasy, a mad daydream while he was being coddled in a peaceful sect. If something went wrong they’d both die. If they succeeded? Well, an S+ achievement would be the minimum he expected from her. It was something he’d tucked away, just in case Pinkie did come calling.

  Just in case the Witch Tyrant’s top enforcer was as strong and as crazy as he expected her to be.

  Ryan could lie and say that the conversation with Gamielle had been the straw that broke the camel’s back. The conversation that told him the Witch Tyrant was still plotting hell from the shadows. That would be an excuse.

  The truth was, he would do it anyway. He wanted to get stronger, not on the Witch’s terms, but his own.

  Ryan finished speaking. The only thing that could be heard was the heavy breathing from Pinkie. Her pupils turned into a draconic slits. Fingers turned to claws. She was unable to contain herself as she leaned in closer to him.

  “You absolutely are crazy,” A long tongue licked his ear. “And now I actually am turned on.”

  Ryan coughed, staring at a giant half lizard. One that was crackling the air in excitement.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t really like whatever this is. Can I ask you to be a little more human?”

  It had to be stated that this wasn’t even a drake form. Pinkie loomed over him, twice his size and looking more like a dragon than a humanoid with scales. She chuckled, crackling the air.

  “HehEheHe, maybe not quite a dragonssslayer in mentality after all. That’s fine, little [Rogue]. I will see you soon. ”

  The half dragon jumped out the window. Shattering the glass and taking flight, making Ryan wince.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?!”

  A spinning sapphire axe went flying at the draconic monster. Pinkie snatched it in midair then brought the weapon towards her mouth. The soulweapon was recalled right before the draconic teeth crunched down on the enchanted metal.

  Ryan sighed. Well, he wasn’t planning on keeping his plan a secret from everyone anyway.

  –

  Gamielle stalked across the open lands, traveling hundreds of miles in blinks. Crossing the sectors of vastly different worlds until she came across a single location. Somewhere near the boundary of the ninth and twelfth sector. She sighed as she saw the singular figure sitting in her little cottage.

  “Mom, I’m home.”

  It used to get a hopeful rise out of her mother. Now the Witch Tyrant didn’t even look her way.

  “Welcome home, Gamielle.”

  Gamielle was about to say something until her eyes focused on the table. On it were two scenes being played out. One in the emerald hills and the other when she was chatting with Larix and Ryan.

  “”

  Welp, that was a good way to put her on the backfoot. She stomped up to the small circular table and slammed her hand down on the illusions, shattering them.

  “Witch, I’ve come to bargain.”

  Two more illusions played above her hands. One was of her flaunting her ban on food and drink and the other…

  Both scenes played in loops. Gamielle waved a hand, raining down little meteors on the images and smiting them prejudiciously. The explosions were in bad taste and the Witch Tyrant tilted her head at her daughter.

  “You wish to request something of me? After what you’ve said and done?”

  “I’m not here to argue or play your little games. Name your price, .”

  The Tyrant pursed her lips.

  “I thought I had taught you better than to come so woefully unprepared,” she sniffed the air, “you still reek of alcohol too,” the Witch finally looked at her daughter closely, “You’re actually drunk.”

  “How many threads are you using right now that it took you this long to notice? You know that’s a fatal mistake for any [Mage].”

  Gamielle might have been nothing more than a remnant from her mother’s skill but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get drunk. Something her mother apparently hadn’t known. The Witch waved her hand as the buzz of alcohol washed away from her.

  [Dispel Poisons]

  “Hey I was enjoying that!”

  “Shameful. Do I need to actively monitor your punishment?”

  “Well consider this my rebellious period, I never really had much of one when I was younger after all.”

  The Witch Tyrant’s eye twitched at the statement of absolute true fact. Gamielle had totally been the epitome of a well behaved girl when she was younger. Yup.

  She crossed her arms.

  “So, what’s the price?”

  The grand woman in her white robes looked upon the ghost of her daughter with disappointment.

  “You may do as you wish.”

  Gamielle’s head snapped up. “Really? Maybe I do need to drink more.”

  The Witch raised a finger as the guillotine came down, “However considering the level of destruction, you need to appease the [Secretary] yourself.”

  Gamielle slumped. “Aw.”

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