The air shimmered with heat waves rising from the sandstone formations that dominated the harsh landscape. Massive pillars of weathered rock jutted skyward like the fingers of buried titans, their surfaces carved smooth by centuries of wind and sand. The ground beneath was a mixture of compacted sand and exposed bedrock, cracked and broken in places where tectonic forces had reshaped the terrain.
Exiting the magical portal leg first, Jeff, then Alicia, stepped onto the terrain. The sound that hit them first was deafening—the roar of combat, the crash of magic against scale and stone, the ground-shaking impacts of a massive creature in battle.
Before them, perhaps two hundred yards distant, an enormous dragon dominated the battlefield. Its body was a nightmare of blackened armor plating interspersed with crystalline formations that jutted from its hide like geological growths. Red, orange, blue, yellow, and black crystals emerged from various points along its spine, shoulders, and flanks, each one pulsing with visible magical energy. The creature stood easily forty feet tall at the shoulder, its wingspan—when fully extended—capable of creating devastating windstorms.
Already engaged with the beast was the armored figure they'd seen on the broadcast. The warrior wielded a massive battle axe, his armor gleaming with magical enhancements. As they watched, he slammed his gauntleted fist against his chest plate twice in rapid succession, then swept his right arm forward in a wide arc. Lightning erupted from the sky, striking multiple points along the dragon's flank with thunderous cracks. Without pause, the armored warrior planted his feet shoulder-width apart, raised his axe overhead with both hands, then brought it down in a chopping motion—not striking anything physically, but completing the gesture. His entire body converted into crackling electricity that shot forward, reforming beside the dragon's foreleg where his axe appeared mid-swing, crashing against the armor plating.
"We're doing this," Jeff said, his adrenaline rising. The irises of both his dark brown eyes turned glowing neon yellow, the pupils remaining black.
Alicia nodded, her hands already moving through the beginning gestures of a spell preparation, her fingers splayed and rotating in small circles at her sides.
Jeff performed his tongue simultaneous triple-fold. White feathered wings appeared attached to his back, the appendages flexing and spreading to their full span. He tested them with two powerful downward strokes, lifting himself several feet off the ground before settling back.
"Jeff, we hit it together—coordinated strikes on the wound points!" Alicia called out, already running toward a better vantage point, her eyes scanning the dragon's body for the glowing spots where previous attacks had damaged its armor.
The dragon's attention snapped toward the newcomers, its head swiveling with terrifying speed. It made some of its armor plate flaps open into standing positions much like when an animal's hairs start standing, several of its red-orange crystals began glowing more intensely. The creature reared back its head, then opened its massive jaws. Jeff's eyes widened as he saw the glow building in the back of its throat.
Jeff briefly locked his double-jointed pinky finger into a specific bent configuration. A powerful gust erupted around him, catching his wings and launching him skyward just as a torrent of blue flames scorched the ground where he'd been standing. He controlled the wind's direction using his left thumb like a joystick, guiding his aerial trajectory away from the flames.
The armored warrior took advantage of the dragon's focus on Jeff. He dropped to one knee, slammed his fist into the ground, then drew a quick symbol in the air with his index finger—a jagged line representing lightning. Electrical energy coursed through the earth, traveling up through the dragon's legs and causing its muscles to spasm momentarily.
Alicia reached a crystalline formation jutting from the sandstone, glowing with orange and red hues. She drew a large circle on it with her finger, placed both hands flat against its surface within the circle, fingers spread wide, and pushed hard on a specific facet. The crystal's magic activated, and she angled the pressure point with her hands, directing a concentrated beam of orange-red energy from the opposite side of the crystal formation. The beam lanced out, striking the dragon's shoulder joint where armor plates met.
Jeff soared upward, his wings beating in powerful strokes. Both his hands generated spheres of black energy courtesy of his cursed ring, each one pulsing with destructive potential. He hurled the dark orbs at the dragon's eyes.
The dragon twisted with surprising agility for its size, one wing sweeping up to intercept. The dark orbs impacted against crystalline spikes protruding from the wing membrane, shattering two of them in explosions of fragmented crystal and dissipating shadow energy.
"Its heart area has a barrier!" the armored warrior shouted. He pointed toward the dragon's chest where a faint shimmer of transparent magical energy flickered whenever struck. "Concentrated fire there!"
Jeff adjusted his approach, diving lower. He locked his double-jointed ring finger on his left hand into a hooked position. The tattoo on the back of his neck—the halo—began glowing, the intensity increasing with the amount of magic building up. Frost originated from his hands and spread rapidly across the creature's back where fire attacks had superheated the armor, causing it to glow red-orange. He controlled the frost's spread using his left thumb like a joystick, directing it to cover the heated areas precisely. The sudden temperature change created stress fractures with audible cracking sounds.
The armored warrior didn't waste the opportunity. He raised his axe overhead, spinning it in three complete rotations, then pointed it directly at the frosted areas. His lips moved rapidly, speaking particular words—his audible utterance. Lightning streaked from above, targeting each frosted section. The combination of thermal stress and electrical assault shattered portions of the dragon's armor plating, leaving several open wounds that wept glowing blue ichor.
Alicia sprinted to a new position, her breathing controlled despite the exertion. She found another crystal formation, this one with dark blue and purple hues. Again she drew a large circle on it with her finger, placing her hands on it within the circle, she pressed hard while dragging her palms in opposite directions across its surface within the circle. The crystal's magic activated, and water began appearing in the air around the dragon's head, droplets forming and coalescing rapidly, directed by the angle of her hands against the crystal.
Jeff flew in close, his sword drawn from its sheath at his side. The blade absorbed magic from him, becoming magical. He briefly unlocked his ring finger and re-locked his double-jointed index finger on his left hand. As he slashed with his blade, he exhaled sharply through his teeth—a quick "tssst" sound—and wind energy flowed through the metal, extending the cutting edge with compressed air. The enhanced strike bit deep into one of the open wounds on the dragon's flank.
The dragon roared, the sound physically battering them with its intensity. It made some of its armor plate flaps open into standing positions and its black crystals began emitting visible dark auras, shadows thickening around them. The creature planted all four legs wide, claws digging into stone, and began gathering power. Its eyes blazed with malevolent intelligence.
"Get clear! It's charging something big!" Alicia warned, deciding she should leave the crystal as she prepared to move.
The armored warrior slammed both fists together, then spread his arms wide while stomping his right foot. A barrier of crackling lightning formed in front of him, a defensive lattice of electrical energy.
The dragon's massive form began to radiate an ominous glow, every crystal formation on its body pulsing in synchronized rhythm. The red and orange formations blazed with building heat. The creature reared back its head, then its jaws opened wide, internal light growing brighter with each passing second.
"MOVE!" the armored warrior bellowed.
A massive beam of concentrated blue and cyan energy erupted from the creature's maw, directly in Jeff's flight path. The air itself seemed to tear apart from the sheer destructive power channeling through space.
Jeff's eyes widened. Too close. Moving too fast. No time to—
Lightning struck him.
The armored warrior had pointed his axe directly at Jeff, traced a quick zigzag pattern in the air with his other hand, and shouted a single sharp word. The bolt hit Jeff square in the chest, not to harm but to launch. The electrical force flung Jeff violently sideways, his body tumbling through the air away from the beam's path.
The dragon's beam scorched through the space where Jeff had been a fraction of a second before, the heat so intense that the air shimmered and distorted in its wake. The beam continued past, striking a sandstone formation in the distance and reducing it to molten slag.
Jeff crashed hard into the canyon wall, the impact knocking the wind from his lungs. He slid down several feet before catching himself with his wings, breathing hard, his chest aching from both the lightning strike and the collision.
The irises of his eyes shifted from glowing neon yellow to glowing orange.
"You... you could've warned me!" Jeff shouted at the armored warrior, anger rising in his voice.
"No time for warnings in battle!" the warrior called back, already moving to engage the dragon again. "You're alive. Focus!"
The dragon's attention fixed on Jeff, its massive head tilting with what might have been amusement. "Fragile creatures."
Pushing off from the wall, Jeff locked his double-jointed middle finger into position. Flames erupted from his hands, channeling through his sword's blade. He directed the fire's trajectory with his left thumb, sending a spiraling column of flame toward the dragon's face.
The dragon simply closed its eyes, its armored eyelids deflecting the flames harmlessly.
Alicia reached another crystal formation, this one glowing bright yellow. She used her finger to draw a circle on it, pressed both palms against it within the circle, fingers splayed, and pushed hard on an upper facet. The crystal responded, firing a concentrated beam of yellow electrical energy from its opposite side. She adjusted the angle by shifting her hands, directing the beam to strike one of the dragon's rear legs.
The electricity coursed through the limb, causing the muscles to seize. The dragon stumbled slightly, its weight shifting.
The armored warrior saw the opening. He gripped his axe with both hands, held it horizontal at chest level, then thrust it forward while speaking three sharp syllables. A massive bolt of lightning descended from above, striking his axe and channeling through his body into the ground beneath the dragon's compromised leg. The earth exploded upward in a shower of rock and electrical discharge.
The dragon roared, lifting the injured leg. Jeff flew in close again, his orange eyes blazing. He slashed with his sword, the fiery blade cutting deep into an exposed wound. Blue ichor sprayed across his arms and chest.
The dragon's tail whipped around with devastating speed, the movement creating a sonic boom. Jeff barely managed to pull up, the tail passing inches beneath his feet. The wind from its passage spun him in a complete rotation before he regained control.
"Jeff! Its left wing joint!" Alicia shouted, pointing. "There's a gap in the armor!"
Jeff adjusted his flight path, but the dragon was faster than he anticipated. One massive foreclaw swiped through the air, talons extended. Jeff twisted, his wings folding partially, but one talon caught his left wing's edge. Feathers scattered—some white, some now black.
Pain lanced through Jeff's wing. He dropped several feet before recovering, his flight now slightly uneven. His eyes flickered, the orange glow intensifying, and more black feathers began appearing among the white.
He locked his double-jointed thumb into a specific configuration while keeping his middle finger locked. The tattoo on his stomach—the yellow outlined smiley face with the red tear drop—began glowing. Dark energy and fire combined in his free hand, swirling together into a volatile sphere. He hurled it at the dragon's wing joint.
The attack struck true, exploding against the gap in the armor. The dragon shrieked, its wing joint compromised. The limb dropped, hanging at an awkward angle.
The dragon made several of its armor plate flaps open into standing positions, and its blue crystals began glowing intensely. It turned toward a large crystal formation nearby—one pulsing with blue and white light.
The armored warrior recognized the danger. "It's going to use the crystal! Stop it!"
The dragon pressed its foreclaw against the crystal formation, drew a circle, claw pressing, cracking its surface within the circle at an angle. A massive beam of blue-white energy erupted from the opposite side, sweeping across the battlefield in a horizontal arc.
Alicia dove behind a rock outcropping as the beam passed overhead, superheating the air. The armored warrior converted to his electrical form, dispersing into crackling energy that scattered in multiple directions before reforming in a safer location.
Jeff flew upward hard, wings straining. The beam passed beneath him, close enough that he felt his skin burning from the radiant heat. Several more feathers—now a mix of white and black—singed and fell away.
His eyes shifted again. One iris glowed orange, the other glowed red.
The dragon turned its massive head toward Jeff. "Perhaps I should have devoured you first."
Jeff locked his double-jointed pinky and ring finger together in a complex configuration. The tattoo on the back of his neck—the halo—began glowing intensely, the ink blazing with light. Wind and darkness combined around him, creating a vortex of cutting air and shadow energy. He directed it with both thumbs now, the power requiring more precise control.
The vortex slammed into the dragon's face, the wind blades cutting into its snout, the darkness corroding where it touched. The dragon's head snapped back from the force, and several scales cracked and fell away.
Alicia saw her chance. She sprinted to a red-orange crystal formation, drew a large circle, pressed her hands against it within the circle, and pushed hard while dragging her left hand downward across its surface. The crystal fired a concentrated beam of superheated energy from its opposite facet. She angled the beam by adjusting her hands, directing it to strike the dragon's damaged snout precisely where Jeff's attack had exposed flesh.
The beam burned deep. The dragon's roar shook the canyon, causing smaller rock formations to crumble.
The armored warrior charged forward, his axe raised. He leaped high, spinning in midair while tracing a circle with his axe's blade. As he descended, he brought the weapon down in a powerful overhead strike enhanced with lightning. The axe bit into the dragon's shoulder, electrical energy coursing through the wound.
The dragon thrashed, its injured wing flailing uselessly. Its tail swept in a wide arc, catching the armored warrior and sending him crashing into a canyon wall with enough force to crack the stone. He slumped to the ground, struggling to rise.
"Two remain," the dragon muttered, blood dripping from its snout.
Jeff's eyes changed again—both irises now glowing red, the pupils still black. More of his wing feathers had turned black, all of one wing's feathers now black.
"Alicia, get him to safety!" Jeff commanded, his voice tight with barely controlled rage.
Alicia ran toward the fallen warrior, but the dragon shifted its bulk, blocking her path.
The runes on Jeff's forearm spread further up his arm—new runes appearing that hadn't been there before, crawling across his skin like living script. He unlocked all his finger configurations and locked his double-jointed fingers in a different, more complex pattern that required both hands working in coordination.
Massive spikes of ice erupted from the ground beneath the dragon's feet, piercing up through the gaps in its armor. The creature roared, trying to move, but Jeff wasn't finished. He adjusted his thumb positions while maintaining the finger locks, and lightning—not his normal magic, but something darker, tinged with shadow—struck down from above, hitting every ice spike simultaneously.
The combination of piercing cold and corrupted electricity caused the dragon to thrash violently. It managed to break free from several of the ice spikes, blue ichor flowing freely from the wounds.
The dragon's eyes narrowed. It turned toward another crystal formation, this one glowing with green and yellow hues. It skillfully drew a circle on the crystal and pressed against the circled part with its tail, and angling it. A beam of green-yellow energy erupted, aimed not at Jeff but at Alicia.
Alicia threw herself to the side, rolling behind cover. The beam missed her by inches, striking the rock she'd been near and dissolving it into a puddle of steaming liquid stone.
Jeff's eyes shifted again—the white parts of his eyes turned black, the irises remaining glowing red.
Jeff was no longer in control of his own body.
Jeff's body moved with inhuman precision and speed. He dove straight down toward the dragon, his wings—now completely black—folded tight against his back. At the last second, he spread his wings wide, creating a massive gust that kicked up sand and debris, temporarily blinding the dragon.
He landed on the dragon's back, between its shoulder blades. His sword plunged down into one of the open wounds, and he channeled everything through it—fire, ice, wind, lightning, and darkness all at once. The magical energies poured into the dragon's body, wreaking havoc on its internal organs.
The dragon bucked and twisted, trying to dislodge him.
Jeff's face was smiling.
He wrenched the sword sideways, expanding the wound. The dragon screamed, a sound of genuine pain and fear now instead of rage.
Alicia, seeing the dragon distracted, ran to the fallen armored warrior. She checked his breathing—still alive, but unconscious. She dragged him behind a larger rock formation, out of immediate danger.
Jeff pulled his sword free and drove it into a different wound, this one closer to the dragon's spine. He unlocked his finger configuration and formed a new one with just his right hand, his left maintaining his grip on the sword. The black runes on his forearm now covered his entire left arm.
A sphere of pure shadow formed in his right hand, dense enough that it seemed to pull light into itself. He pressed it against the wound where his sword pierced, and the darkness flowed into the dragon's body like poison.
The dragon's movements became more frantic, more desperate. It rolled onto its side, trying to crush Jeff against the ground.
Jeff's wings beat once, powerfully, launching him clear. He hovered in the air, his black-and-red eyes fixed on the creature. His sword was still embedded in the dragon's back.
"Fragile creature," Jeff's avatar said.
He locked all ten of his double-jointed fingers into a configuration so complex it looked painful. His tattoos that had glowed earlier now blazed with light—the halo on his neck, the "yellow outlined smiley face with the red tear drop" on his stomach.
The air around Jeff darkened, shadows gathering from every direction. Lightning crackled through the shadows, purple and black instead of blue and white. Ice crystals formed in the air, each one wreathed in dark fire. Wind howled, carrying all these elements together into a swirling maelstrom of destructive power.
The dragon tried to rise, tried to reach a crystal formation for one more beam attack. Its foreclaw stretched toward a nearby blue crystal—
Jeff brought both hands down in a chopping motion.
The maelstrom descended.
Everything—shadow, lightning, ice, fire, and wind—slammed into the dragon simultaneously. The creature's remaining armor shattered like glass. Its scales peeled away. Its flesh burned and froze and electrified and cut all at once.
The dragon's scream cut off abruptly.
When the maelstrom dissipated, the dragon lay still, its body a ruined mess of torn flesh and broken crystal formations. The magical energy that had pulsed through its crystals flickered and died.
Jeff hovered in the air, breathing heavily. His eyes remained black with red irises, his wings completely black. His tattoos that had been glowing still glowed, though the light was beginning to fade.
He descended slowly, landing on the ground near the dragon's head. He walked forward, his movements being controlled.
The dragon's eye opened slightly, barely clinging to life. "You... "
Jeff raised his hand, fingers beginning to form another configuration.
Jeff's breathing slowed. The black in the whites of his eyes began to recede, color returning gradually. The red glow in his irises flickered.
Jeff's hand lowered.
Jeff's eyes returned fully to glowing orange, the black receding from the whites of his eyes. His wings began showing white feathers again among the black. Able to control his own body again, Jeff turned away from the dragon.
"Jeff!"
Alicia stepped out from behind the rock formation, leaving the unconscious warrior safely concealed.
Jeff's wings trembled. His eyes shifted from glowing orange to glowing neon yellow, then began to dim.
Jeff's legs buckled. Alicia rushed forward, catching him before he fell.
"I've got you," she said, supporting his weight. "I've got you."
Jeff's eyes completed their return to non-glowing dark brown. His wings—now half white feathers, half black feathers—drooped with exhaustion.
"The warrior..." Jeff managed to say.
"He's alive. Unconscious, but alive," Alicia assured him.
The armored warrior groaned from behind the rock formation. Alicia helped Jeff over to him, both of them exhausted...
To Be Continued .
("Jeff's eyes automatically turn the "glowing colors" ""neon yellow"
and/or red" under particular conditions. Jeff's eyes, as soon as Jeff's
adrenaline level is 25% above my usual adrenaline level,
automatically "turn ""glowing neon yellow"" and remain that way"
and then turn "non-glowing dark brown" as soon as Jeff is relaxed, it's one of the wishes Jeff had made in one of his lives because he always wanted
glowing neon yellow eyes, his wish granted by a wish-granter. Ever since Jeff got the cursed ring, Jeff's eyes,
when he get somewhat angry, automatically "turn from ""glowing
"neon yellow"" to ""glowing "orange""" and remain that way" and
then turn "non-glowing dark brown" as soon as Jeff is relaxed, Jeff's
eyes, when he gets a little more angry, automatically "turn "glowing
"orange" to ""glowing "red"" and remain that way" and then turn
"non-glowing dark brown" as soon as Jeff is relaxed, and then Jeff's
eyes, when he gets "completely angry", automatically "turn
""glowing "red" with the white part of Jeff's eyes turned black"" and
remain that way" and then turn "non-glowing dark brown" as
soon as Jeff is relaxed. Jeff's eyes, when he is ""almost completely"
angry", automatically ""glow different colors, one glowing "neon
yellow" and one glowing "red"" and remain that way" and then
turn "non-glowing dark brown" as soon as Jeff is relaxed. When Jeff is
""almost completely" angry", ""more runes automatically start
spreading up Jeff's left arm and then the runes remain" and then
such extra runes "unspread and vanish" as soon as Jeff is relaxed",
and Jeff's wings, when Jeff is "completely angry", automatically
""change from white wings to black wings" and remain that way"
and then turn to white wings as soon as Jeff is relaxed, and my
wings, when Jeff is ""almost completely" angry", automatically
"change to """one random wing black and one random wingwhite" or "a random mix of "black and white" wing feathers on
both wings""" and remain that way" and then turn to white wings
as soon as Jeff is relaxed. But ""the whites of Jeff's eyes" and "Jeff's eyes'
pupils"" "always remain normal ""unless, in the future, ""Jeff wishes for otherwise in some way" whereby such gets "granted via a wish-granter""" or
"unless, in the future, Jeff's eyes get changed by other magical means".
Jeff's cursed ring is only one of "such cursed objects that parts of "Eric's sections of information" explain about".)