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“Hey,” Grimmy said, nudging Leila’s neck with his paw. “Looks like your mother got corrupted. Do you think her personality will improve? I’m thinking we should keep her this way.”
Leila rolled her eyes while Leo and Luke nodded their heads in agreement. Lulu glanced at her brothers, causing them to stiffen. Leila sighed. “My mom’s a teensy bit overbearing, stubborn, rash, fanatical, and self-righteous, but that’s what makes her my mom.”
“So we can’t keep her like this?” Luke asked. “I bet she wouldn’t nag me about sneaking out of the roost in her current state.”
Kondra, who was possessed by Breeze, coughed. “My host would like to inform you that she can still hear everything you’re saying and that all of you are going to be grounded as soon as I’m expelled,” Breeze said in Kondra’s voice. “But you don’t have to worry about that happening because I don’t plan on giving up my newfound body. Any last words, host?”
Kondra nodded in reply to her own question. Her head swiveled and landed on Vur. “Having defeated her and being the main cause of her downfall, the dragon matriarch wishes for you to free her from this curse of corruption. Completion of the quest will result in an increase in reputation with the holy dragons and one favor from the matriarch herself. As this is the main storyline quest, it may not be rejected. Lulu, show this righteous, pure-hearted dragon the reward tablet for prizes related to reputation amongst the holy dragons.”
Kondra scratched her head. “Those were some of the weirdest last words I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard a lot,” Kondra said. “Well, there you go. I apologize for interrupting whatever meeting you dragons were having. I’ll be off now if you don’t mind.”
“Vur,” Lulu said, sticking her head next to Vur’s side. “I don’t have the tablet, but I guarantee you’ll have enough reputation for my mom to offer me to you as a mate. That’s a really good prize, right?” She nudged his side with her cheek. “Go on, what are you waiting for? Shoot her with that purifying light you just learned.”
“Get away from my husband, you giant lizard!” Tafel shouted. She ran up to Vur and hugged him from behind. She glared at Lulu. “You said you gave up!”
Lulu shrugged. “I gave up fighting you,” she said. A grin appeared on her face. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t convince him to leave you. Who did Vur rely on during that last fight? Hmm? Hmmm? Oh, that’s right. It was me.”
Tafel ground her teeth together. “You, you…”
“Uh, guys,” Kondra said. “I’m really going to be leaving now. Is that okay?”
Leila placed her paw on Lulu’s head. “Did you fall for my nephew?”
“Your nephew!?” Lulu asked, sitting up straight. Her eyes widened at her sister. “That means he’s my nephew too! But we’re not related by blood, right? Right?”
“Well, no,” Leila said, “but—”
“Then that’s alright,” Lulu said and exhaled while patting her chest. “You scared me for a second.”
Leila raised one eyebrow and bit her lower lip. “You really fell for him?”
“What’s wrong with falling for me?” Vur asked, placing his hands on his hips. He snorted. “I’m handsome and cool. It’d be weirder if she didn’t.”
“Vur!” Tafel said, pinching his waist. Her face was bright red, and she was glaring at him like an angry lioness.
Vur frowned and pried Tafel’s hand off his side. “What? It’s true,” he said. “I am handsome and cool.”
“That’s not the point!”
“Oh,” Vur said and scratched his head. “Then what was it? It’s not weird to fall for me since you love me too.”
“I…, you,” Tafel said before sighing. She hugged him and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Never mind. Only I can be your wife and mate, understand?”
“Huh? I already know that,” Vur said, hugging Tafel back. She smiled and stuck her tongue out at Lulu while Vur wasn’t looking. Leila stared blankly at the two heated gazes between her sister and the demon.
Kondra coughed twice. “So, uh, bye.” She looked around, but no one was paying attention. “Anyone? No one’s going to send me off? I need some validation here.”
“Hey, Breeze, was it?” Lindyss asked, walking up to Kondra’s face. “Do you remember Vincent?”
“Vincent? Ah, yeah,” Kondra said and nodded. “He was a cool guy. Very strong. It’s a shame he was obsessed with a crazy witch. My lord, she was terrible. I thought…” Her voice trailed off upon seeing the aura rising out of Lindyss. Wailing souls and ghastly apparitions struggled to flee from the elf’s body, but they were sucked back into her skin by some unknown force. Kondra gulped. “Uh…”
Lindyss smiled as her body rose off the ground until she was hovering at Kondra’s eyelevel. “Remember me?” she asked and raised her arms in a lifting motion. Out of her shadow, two clawed paws appeared. They pressed against her shadow’s sides and wrenched it open, pushing back the surrounding dragons as her shadow expanded to the size of a small lake. A skeletal head with sharp teeth emerged from the shadow with a groaning sound that sent shivers down everyone’s spine. The skeleton had a reptilian skull, a long neck, two pairs of bone wings, four tower-like legs, and a bony tail with spurs. The ground shook as it scrabbled out of Lindyss’ shadow.
Kondra shrieked and retreated backwards by two steps. “It’s you! It’s really you! The undead! Stop summoning them!”
Lindyss smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Her shadow widened even further as another three skeletal dragons crawled out of it, each more imposing than the last. A fifth undead dragon emerged with glowing black runes decorating its bones. Its eye sockets glowed with a blue light, and it grinned upon seeing Kondra. A tongue made of shadows ran over its lipless teeth as it flew into the air, supported by dense dark clouds of mana underneath its skinless wings.
“You! You think I’m scared of you?” Kondra screamed as she flew into the air. She roared. “I’m a dragon now!” Mana from the surroundings surged towards her body, and her wings glowed with a black and white light. She shouted, “See if you can block my attack!”
Vur placed Tafel behind himself, ready to defend her from any aftershocks. The four siblings huddled next to Grimmy while the phoenixes flew away and hid behind their mother, who was approaching the battlefield. Lindyss flew onto the runic skeletal dragon’s skull and crossed her arms over her chest.
The mana accumulating around Kondra’s wings grew in intensity, forcing Tafel to cover her eyes. Kondra let out an earth-shattering roar. “Mighty dragon charge!” she shouted as she lunged and … flew away from Lindyss as fast as she could.
Lindyss glanced at Vur and Grimmy. “I’ll be right back. Stay here.” She patted her mount’s skull, and all the bone dragons chased after Kondra.
Grimmy scratched his snout before grinning at Lulu, Leo, and Luke. “She’s the best blessed warrior of light out there, don’t you agree?”
The three holy dragons nodded their heads dumbly as Kondra’s screams and whimpers reached their ears. “Not the face! Not the face! This is why I hate the undead!”