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Mary exhaled and climbed to her feet, the turtlesnake aura around her body receding into her skin. The blood on her armor had dried, adding a brownish-red tint to the black metal. Mary tilted her head to the side, cracking her neck. She tilted her head to the other side, causing another cracking sound to ring out. Her arms moved in circular motions, and she kicked out her legs a few times. When she was done stretching, she stared at the mercenaries who had been captured and forced to pick grapes. “Are there dragons here?”
Keith bobbed his head up and down. “All of us present were captured by dragons,” he said. “We aren’t deserters; I’d like to point that out before you punish us for failing to do as you asked. As for why we haven’t left this place, we’ve been cursed by a cursed dragon.” He pointed at the ceiling. “If we leave the area illuminated by those stones, our souls will leave our bodies, and according to the cursed dragon, it’ll be very hard to put them back inside.”
Mary nodded. “Dragons, you said?” she asked. “Plural?”
“That’s right.” Keith scratched his head. “There are two baby dragons, a grandmother dragon, and probably Grimmoldesser. I’m not sure if there are any others, but just those four dragons alone should be enough for you to change your mind about slaying Grimmoldesser. It’s hard enough to deal with one as is. Trying to fight four at once? I don’t think you’ll be able to pull it off. We’re a lost cause, but those mercenaries who’re still with you don’t have to suffer the same fate as us.”
Mary furrowed her brow. She turned her head towards Joseph. “You’re the one who led your party during the dragon slaying. What do you think? Is there a viable way to kill Grimmoldesser?”
“And live to tell the tale?” Joseph asked. He shook his head. “No. If you’re not afraid of dying after killing him, however, there might be a chance.”
Mary crossed her arms and stared up at the ceiling. After a bit, her eyes narrowed. If she couldn’t protect the people—or in this case—animal that she wanted to protect, then what good was living? It wasn’t that she was so close to Mary Jr. that she was willing to die for the turtlesnake; rather, she was willing to fight to take control of her own life, even if it meant dying in the process. Mary lowered her head and stared Joseph in the eyes. “How can I do it?”
“Isn’t it simple?” Joseph asked in return. “Find a way to lure Grimmoldesser out by himself. Shoot him full of ballista bolts. Cut off his head. It’s the same plan; the difficulty lies in getting him to come out by himself. If another dragon makes its appearance, the ballistae won’t be able to contain both of them. One can easily free the other.”
Mary stroked her chin. The method of slaying Grimmoldesser really was simple, but the difficulty was quite high. “How would you lure Grimmoldesser out by himself?”
Joseph shrugged. “We were able to isolate the dragons we killed because they weren’t in the right state of mind.” He nudged Keith with his elbow. “You’re good at coming up with strange plans. Why don’t you give her an idea?”
“Are dragons prideful?” Keith asked. “What if you challenge Grimmoldesser to a one-on-one duel?”
“Wouldn’t the other dragons want to watch, especially his children?” Danielle asked. “That won’t work.”
Keith furrowed his brow. Upon seeing Mary’s expression darkening, he tapped his finger against his thigh and brainstormed more ideas. “How about luring him out with his favorite food? Leave a trail of meat leading to the ambush point.”
“Can you think before you speak?” Danielle asked and snorted. “Do you really think a trail of food would work on a grown dragon? In the first place, how would you even know what his favorite food is?”
“I don’t see you coming up with any ideas,” Keith said and grumbled. His eyes lit up. “Why don’t you insult his mother? Infuriate him into coming after you.”
“Are you trying to lure out Grimmoldesser or his mom?”
“Damnit,” Keith said, glaring at Danielle. “I’m doing my best, okay? You don’t have to shoot down every suggestion immediately.” He closed his eyes and exhaled. After a second passed, he opened his eyes and nodded. “I got it. Worship Grimmoldesser. Make offerings to him. After you gain his trust, tell him you have a gift for him, but you aren’t able to bring it in here because it’s too heavy or some other reason. Make him curious enough to go outside to take a look. Tell him it’s something private, so he doesn’t bring any of the other dragons with him.”
Mary raised an eyebrow. A plan like that could work, but she’d have to send someone else to do the worshipping. After all, Grimmoldesser already knew who she was. Luckily, there were plenty of mercenaries outside who she could use to bait the cursed dragon out. “Which way is the exit?”
“It should be over there,” Keith said and pointed in the direction Mary had come from. “Are you really going to try to kill Grimmoldesser despite knowing you’ll die afterwards? I imagine we won’t have a very good outcome either if you succeed. Is this turtle of yours really worth it?”
“It’s not about the turtle,” Mary said. “And it’s worth it.” She turned around, not waiting for Keith’s response. She followed the direction he pointed in, the land shrinking underneath her feet as she walked.
Danielle furrowed her brow upon seeing Mary leave. “Is it just me, or do her steps curve a little when she walks?”
“No, I noticed it too,” Keith said and scratched his head. “Well, I doubt she’ll get lost. There’s only two ways out of this place, and one of them leads straight to the dragons.”