Chapter 49: I'll Never Lose Who I Am - Part 2

Dense shadows flickered around her, things like humans but with far too many limbs, and they pounced upon the dragon's corpse to dissolve its flesh into purple-black vapor.

This cloud spun through the air and sank into her body as the dragon's body rotted to nothing.

Now, as Gus had a minute prior, Maladia grew in stature.

Black lightning crackled across her body as she rose twenty and then fifty feet high, and a halo of darkness shone behind her head.

"A dragon's body holds quite a lot of power!" she cackled. "Enough that only Durri Del's full immunity to curses can protect him!"

"No," he whispered.

All this had happened in a few moments.

The others stared up at the witch, but could do little more than take deep and ragged breaths.

They were all too beaten-down and broken.

Hudson was clearly slipping out of the rage which had allowed him to save the party during the dragon's last attack.

Shudon's face was blank, as though she had given up hope.