Dragon Conjurer 4, page 22
“Is anyone else antsy to get the fuck out of here?” Nick finally asked.
“Yeah, we need to go,” Nala agreed as she took off her ear protection and goggles. The dark-haired girl came over to me and ran a finger up and down my spine. “I need a kiss for courage, Dylan.”
“I can’t argue with that,” I said, and I kissed my petite girlfriend’s supple lips.
They were slightly sticky from some sort of gloss that tasted like cherries, and I had to keep myself from moaning in front of Nick as I practically licked Nala’s lips clean.
“So, I need to get your guns ready,” the nymph said with a smirk once I resurfaced. “Some of us have business to take care of.”
“I’m taking care of business,” I chuckled.
Nick snickered as he headed off to clean and tag the weapons for our trip, and the moment his back was turned, I stole another taste or two from Nala’s warm lips.
The AIMM staff was great about providing everything we needed when we traveled, and all we ever had to do was bring clothes. They gave us winter gear, camping gear… anything I could come up with, AIMM had thought of first.
I couldn’t believe we were about to get on a plane for an hour, and then we’d be tracking a Hydra. I’d always considered it one of the most badass monsters I’d learned about, and half of me was fascinated by the prospect of finally seeing a Hydra in real life.
And the other half of me was just plain adrenalized.
I wasn’t scared, exactly, since we’d already fought so many gigantic monsters, and our recent training had shown me how much stronger the team had gotten. We hadn’t fought a monster who produced its own toxins, though, and this was going to present a whole new challenge. I thought we had the right idea bringing the assault rifles so we could put some distance between ourselves and the beast.
We headed back to our rooms to change out of our uniforms, and I considered exactly what I wanted to wear for this mission.
“How long do you think we’re going to be gone?” Nick asked me as I gazed into my footlocker.
“Burkhard didn’t make it sound like we were going to have to track it for a long time like the Wendigo,” I mused. “Silva is supposed to drop us somewhere fairly near that lake from the photos, so I don't think we need suitcases, though I bet they’ll give us packs on the plane just in case.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” the nymph said as he contemplated his own clothing selection. “Let’s see, it’s going to be chilly up in those mountains, but I don’t think we’re going to be high enough to see snow. At least, I hope not.”
“It wasn’t snowy when they took the picture,” I reminded him.
“The mountains can surprise you, dude,” Nick responded with a shrug. “But, yeah, at least the pic was bright and sunny.”
“The Cascades are so fucking gorgeous,” I commented as I started to change. “We need to get up there before that asshole of a Hydra destroys the whole mountain range, not to mention kills a bunch of people.”
“I’m wearing these tactical pants and shirt,” my blond friend decided as he pulled out an army-green outfit. “This top is pretty warm. If there’s going to be bad weather out there, they’ll have coats and stuff for us on the plane.”
“It’s a gorgeous fall day here, though, so I’m sure it will be fine,” I said as I glanced out the window and started to change my shirt. “There’s not a cloud in sight.”
Just then, there was a rap on the door.
“Shit, it must be the girls,” Nick swore. “How are they done already when we’re still getting dressed?”
“I have no idea,” I chuckled. “I’ll go let them in.”
I walked over to the door to the common area shirtless because I couldn’t resist a chance to show off my tattoos to my women. When I swung open the door, I wasn’t disappointed by the expression on Steffi’s face.
“Ooh,” the pink-haired girl purred as she stroked the dragon on my chest. “Looking good, Dyl.”
“People, we need to go,” Nick announced as he crossed his arms from the other side of the room. “Dylan, you and your ladies are holding me up again.”
“I’m coming, I'm coming,” I protested as I threw my arms up in the air. “It’s not my fault they showed up when I was changing… and they liked what they saw.”
The girls were wearing similar clothing to me and Nick, and their long-sleeved, skintight, zippered tops showed off every inch of their curves. I tried not to stare at the outlines of their bras through the form-fitting fabric or imagine the way their asses looked from under their baggy pants. They’d all dressed in camo green like me and the nymph, but the drab color somehow suited each of them.
“You got snacks?” I asked Nick as we headed out to the common room, and he patted the pockets of his cargo pants.
“I have so many protein bars, you have no idea.” The nymph smirked. “It’s enough for at least an hour or two.”
“Good work,” I chuckled. “Well, let’s head down to the hangar.”
When the five of us made it to the jet, Silva actually greeted us with a grin, and he patted Nick on the shoulder as we boarded the plane.
“I saw all the firepower you’re all packing,” the pilot said and pulled up the ramp. “I assume that was you, Walters.”
“You know me too well,” the blond nymph sighed.
“And you have not one, but two massive tranquilizer guns,” Silva continued. “How many monsters are you expecting to fight?”
“Don’t jinx it,” I chuckled. “Lately, the number we’re up against is a total wild card.”
“Yeah, but mostly, I just couldn’t resist that JM Special.” Nick settled his lanky body into the plane’s second row of seats. “Hey, guys, I’m gonna let the four of you sit up there today. Right now, this is Nick time. I need to get in the zone for this monster.”
“Alright, man,” I said as I looked at my three girlfriends. I was hoping I wasn’t going to have to make a decision, and I was relieved when Elisabeth grabbed me by the arm.
“I would love some time with Dylan,” the redhead said as she looked imploringly at Nala and Steffi. “If that’s alright with you girls?”
“Of course,” Nala replied with a kind smile. “Steffi and I will sit over here and discuss fighting tactics.”
“Thanks, Nala,” Elisabeth said in a grateful voice. “You’re such a good friend.”
I settled into the seat next to the window, and Elisabeth curled up next to me. Once we were all strapped in, she interlaced her fingers with mine and flashed me a huge smile.
“You ready, kids?” Captain Silva’s voice boomed from the cockpit. “You know the drill. The most important part of my speech is when I tell you to go fuck yourselves, so let’s go straight to that. We’ll be in the air for less than an hour, so don't get too comfortable. Oregon, here we come!”
The captain started to flip more switches than I could count and pressed a series of flashing buttons, and I gulped as I contemplated the upcoming flight.
“Are you going to go to sleep?” Elisabeth asked as she nestled her head into the crook of my neck. Her long, red hair was partially up in a braid, and it was unbelievably silky and soft against my cheek. The redhead smelled like she’d walked straight out of a shampoo commercial.
“I always do,” I said as I gripped the armrest next to the window with white knuckles. “Just something to help me pass the time.”
“I get a little motion sick, too, you know,” the French girl whispered in my ear as she squeezed my hand tighter. “I think it’s cute that you're so tough, but you don’t like planes.”
“Thanks,” I laughed as I settled myself even closer to my newest girlfriend. “I appreciate that, and I also like to sleep because you’re so snuggly. It’s partially your fault I’m tired, Elisabeth.”
“Non, you always sleep,” the redhead said with a teasing smile. “But I’ll stop talking so you can get your rest.”
Elisabeth kissed me on the neck, and I drifted off with thoughts of getting some quality alone time on my mind.
Soon I’d started to envision a Hydra, but it had Dr. Hastings’ head at the end of each of its serpentine necks. I didn’t want to decapitate the beautiful doctor, but her grinning face was getting closer and closer, and her lips looked so tasty while her giant claws…
“Fuck!” I muttered as my head jolted upward. The plane had started to vibrate and roar even louder as it descended, and even though I hadn’t been asleep for long, my heart was pounding from the strange dream.
“Are you okay, Dylan?” Elisabeth asked in a sleepy voice from next to me.
“Yeah,” I yawned. “I was having the weirdest dream. Dr. Hastings--”
I was cut off when a huge bump made my stomach jump into my throat, so I stopped talking and waited for Silva’s instructions.
“Okay!” The captain finally shouted out to us. “Go ahead and grab your packs from the cargo hold. You have sleeping bags, rations, and other gear in case of an emergency, but I’m hoping you radio me long before it comes to that.”
My four teammates and I all hopped up out of our seats, and I wobbled my way back to the cargo area to grab the pack with my name on it.
Nick took the black canvas bag containing the guns and ammo, slung it across his shoulder, and grinned at me.
“Are you ready for this mission?” the nymph asked as he patted the sack of automatic weapons. “I’m ready to blow a Hydra open.”
“I’m going to lower the ramp if you’re ready over there,” Silva called out. “Good luck out there.”
The pilot released the ramp, and my teammates and I looked around at each other.
“Here goes nothing,” Nala shouted over the howling of the wind. “I’m gonna surf the earth. Hey, that almost rhymes!”
A huge slab of grass and dirt appeared in front of the dark-skinned girl as if she’d pulled up a strip of sod from someone’s lawn, and then, before I knew it, she’d hopped aboard and was headed down.
“You see that pine tree?” Nick pointed. “Meet you there.”
In a flash, the nymph was gone, and Steffi followed him on her wings.
I glanced at Elisabeth and reached out for her small, soft hand.
“You riding Ky with me?” I asked the redhead as I pushed up my sleeve.
“Oui,” she answered with a nod and a smile. “I’m ready, Dylan!”
“Exokyzo!” I shouted, and right as my ice dragon burst from his tattoo and sailed out of the plane, I grabbed the French girl and placed her down onto his broad, scaly back.
The wind stung my eyes as we descended, and Elizabeth’s coppery braid kept slapping me in the face. Nonetheless, the ride was exhilarating, and the feeling of the French girl’s body pressed against mine kept my mind off the upcoming battle. Her hair gleamed like a brand-new penny in the late afternoon sun, and I squeezed her tight and buried my face into her shoulder for a moment to smell her sweet perfume.
As Ky got closer to the clearing below, my heart started to beat faster and faster. We’d been through this before, but the last major beast we’d fought had been in the training room. I had a picture in my head of a creature the size of a brontosaurus, but I hoped I was just letting my imagination get the best of me.
When Ky, Elisabeth, and I fully descended, the dragon plopped down somewhat ungracefully on the forest floor. Our three other teammates were waiting with disgusted expressions on their faces, and Steffi pinched her cute little nose while her golden eyes bulged.
“Do you smell that?” the fairy-girl gagged.
“I think I’m gonna throw up,” Nala moaned as she clutched her stomach. “This Hydra is nasty.”
The horrible odor in the forest was definitely sulfuric, but there was a fumy, chemical edge that reminded me of paint. My eyes had already started to burn and water a bit in the few seconds I’d been on the ground, and I understood why Heracles had needed to cover his face.
The smell contrasted with the perfectly scenic clearing and the golden light of the beautiful fall day. All the deciduous trees were painted in shades of red and yellow, and they stood out from among the tall, deep green pines and ancient redwoods. I could hear the quiet sound of a running stream, though, and that reminded me we were looking for a lake.
“What do you think, Ky?” I asked my dragon as I hopped off his back and offered Elisabeth a hand. “Can you find the Hydra for us?”
“Just follow the smell,” Nick groaned.
“I think I’m gonna send the dragons out as scouts,” I told the group. “There’s no sense in us wandering around and randomly looking for this thing, and I’d really like to give them more time to stretch their legs now that they’ve gotten bigger. What do you think, Ky? Are you up for it, boy?”
I could have sworn the huge blue beast nodded.
“Bianxifa, Sokisaseru!” I called out, and Beyblade and Goldie slipped out from under my skin and stood in front of us.
I’d gotten semi-used to summoning dragons, but damn, they really were magnificent.
Goldie’s white scales gleamed like pearls and contrasted with the golden accents on her body, and Beyblade’s scarlet body glowed like burning coals. The huge red dragon snorted and stomped a huge, clawed crimson foot as a small puff of smoke emerged from his gaping nostrils, and Goldie pawed the ground in a ladylike fashion.
Ky was still the biggest and looked to be nearly twenty feet long from nose to tail, but Goldie and Beyblade were pretty close, and I was incredibly proud to be their master.
Nick had started to fuss with the black canvas bag of guns, and he finally managed to unzip it. Then he sorted through the AK-47s inside, and he pulled out five magazine pouches and got to work filling them for us.
“Gonna get you guys all loaded up,” the nymph grunted. “Here, grab your guns. Do you want to carry the M60, Elisabeth?”
“No, I am good,” the redhead laughed as we all armed ourselves. “Thank you for your kind offer, though, Nick.”
“Okay, guys,” I said to my three dragons once I had my rifle and ammo on my back. “You have good senses of smell, right?”
As if he could understand me, Ky wrinkled his nose and sneezed.
“Bless you,” I laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes. I want the three of you to stick together and help us track this Hydra. We know it’s not far from here, as I’m sure you can tell, and I’m sure you’ll like having a little freedom again, anyway. If you do locate the monster, send just one of you back to alert us, and the other two, keep a sharp eye on the beast. Protect each other out there, though. If it’s too dangerous to stick around, I want you all coming straight back to me. Got it?”
The dragons looked at each other with big, intelligent eyes, and then they started to sniff the air. My three scaly beasts circled the clearing a couple times while we waited for them to get a heading, and then Ky led them down an overgrown animal trail. The posse of dragons demolished sticks and bushes as they plowed through the woods, but I couldn’t help but look after them with a smile as they walked away.
“They’re so beautiful,” Nala said, and when I looked over, she was grinning at me. “I saw you watching them. You’re like a proud father.”
“I can’t believe how much they’ve grown,” I responded. “And they’re so good at fighting now. I remember the day I first summoned Ky, and he was so small… yeah, you’re right. I do sound like they’re my kids.”
“They’re pretty badass kids to have,” Nala said as she grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Definitely cooler than your average toddler.”
“Yeah, really…” I trailed off as I looked around the clearing.
It wasn’t close to nighttime yet, but the sun was getting lower through the trees. I thought I’d get used to it, but the horrible smell seemed to get worse and worse the longer my team and I waited for the dragons to return. It was hard to think of anything to talk about when we were under this terrible olfactory barrage, and the five of us milled around and stared up at the trees and sky.
After only ten minutes, a loud crashing sound emerged from the direction the dragons had disappeared, and a huge red form came rolling back into the clearing.
“Beyblade?” I asked. “That was fast.”
Beyblade growled under his breath and looked back to where he’d just come out of the trees.
“Do you want us to follow you?” Steffi whispered. “Did you find the Hydra?”
Beyblade growled nice and low in response.
“We better go,” I muttered. “Looks like it’s time to fuck up a Hydra.”
“Lead the way, Captain,” Nick said with a nod.
Beyblade headed back down the overgrown trail with the five of us at his heels, and though I wouldn’t have thought it was possible, the smell kept getting stronger and stronger. The path kept winding uphill as I followed the huge crimson dragon, and just when I thought I couldn’t take the smell any longer, a beautiful view opened up in front of me.
Well, it would have been beautiful, if it weren’t for the Hydra’s destruction.
There was a lake about fifty yards away, and the water was the gross, murky green we’d seen in Burkhard’s photo. Goldie and Ky were standing in front of the vista, and we stood behind them and tried to stay silent as we peered into the next clearing.
Then I saw the Hydra for the first time.
It seemed to be floating on top of the water in the center of the murky lake, and the beast was the same pea-green as the water.
I was shocked when I realized the monster was more the size of an alligator than a brontosaurus, and its body was lean and wiry. Its skin appeared slimy instead of scaly, and, although I was pretty sure it was a trick of the light, its greenish skin appeared to be melting into the pool of water.
Despite its size, it was still creepy as fuck to look at.
The Hydra had around a dozen heads emerging from long, snaking necks, and when it heard the sound of Beyblade’s crunching footsteps returning, each head turned, and they all hissed in unison.
My jaw tensed as the reptilian eyes roved over the hillside.
