Chp.42: The dragon win!

"I have to admit that dragon's fighting skills are extraordinary" Thornag murmured as he watched as Haku forced the lindworm down. "He understood his opponent's weaknesses early on and exploited them to bridge the gap between their strengths. He is undoubtedly an extraordinary fighter…"

Marcus sighed. He knew his old friend well, and he knew that when something interested him, he would start talking to himself. "Dragons are the ultimate apex predators, and when they are born they quickly learn how to hunt and fight. Even if that dragon is only half a year old or so, from his point of view it equals years of experience. He is a truly killing machine"

"I fully agree with you, your majesty" Thornag said. "Such fighting ability isn't found even in some of our best trained soldiers. Such technique and speed of reasoning... incredible"

Marcus crossed his arms over his chest as he watched as Haku wrung the lindworm's neck furiously. Due to their position the beast couldn't free itself, so it called upon its mana and generated a wave of heat from its scales, forcing the dragon to retreat. The two opponents moved to a safe distance and began to turn around like two dogs ready to tear each other apart. "Here we are" he said. "From this moment don't lose sight of the dragon"

"I haven't done that even before, your majesty" Thornag replied. Even though his eyes didn't seem very attentive to the fight, the king knew that the warrior was observing everything in minute detail.

That was the moment the king had been waiting for, the moment the lindworm would start using mana. As long as it was just physical strength, then the dragon could have won on his own. Marcus certainly didn't underestimate Haku's abilities; that dragon had still killed a hydra, moreover one transformed into a calamity, and even if he had done it using objects and potions he had still had to use a lot of intelligence, resistance and strength to succeed in such a task. Marcus had no doubts that in a purely physical fight with the lindworm Haku would emerge as the absolute winner. And in fact he had dominated the fight from the very first moments, immediately subduing his opponent and almost killing it.

But if mana came into play, then everything changed. Marcus wasn't ignorant of dragon matters and when he was informed of Haku's capture he had also done a good refresher: he knew that until they reached ten years old the dragons couldn't use mana, even if they had it in enormous quantities in their body. Therefore, to win, Haku would have to use another way. For example... the runes.

Marcus remembered the words of the priestess, who had told him to do his best to bend the dragon to his will. However, Marcus didn't want to use too extreme methods like torture with him. If Haku had a bright future ahead of him, then there was no point in torturing him, as he would definitely never give up and never swear allegiance to the Jurao Kingdom. Marcus only risked giving him reasons to hate him and his nation; even if the priestess had said that the dragon wouldn't be his enemy, but rather he would help him one day, the prophecies were still very cryptic and one had to be careful in listening to them. Therefore, Marcus had very slyly decided to set aside the more brutal methods of torture. However, he certainly had no intention of giving up the numerous information and magical knowledge that Haku could provide him; after all, he had to pretend that he wanted to bend him to his will, so he could use that excuse to gain something, right?

The easiest way to get someone to reveal his secrets wasn't torture, or even deception or befriending him: it was to put him in a situation where he would be forced to reveal his secret without realizing it. Just like the one Marcus had created for Haku. Now, if Haku was to survive against the lindworm, he would have to use one of his tricks. And obviously, he was there to see it and learn it.

Marcus had created a dead end situation for Haku, and thanks to that he would get at least a small piece of his knowledge. And in the meantime he would also offer some entertainment to his people, which certainly didn't hurt. Seeing a dragon fight wasn't an random event after all.

Then suddenly Haku turned to him. He stopped looking at the lindworm and looked at the king instead. Marcus felt a slight shiver run up his spine as he felt the dragon's murderous gaze settle on him. But despite that, he smiled. "He understood it"

Thornag was surprised by those words. "Your majesty?"

"He understood that I want him to use the runes. He knows that fighting is only a means to an end" the king explained. "That murderous gaze leaves no doubt"

"How can you be sure? That dragon has many reasons to be angry with you" Thornag pointed out.

But Marcus shook his head. "Members of the same kind recognize each other immediately, my friend" he replied. "Those are the typical eyes I get when I notice a clever power play by my opponent, or a superb strategic maneuver by a neighboring nation, or a well-cooked plan by the noble faction. They are the furious eyes of those who know they have been treated like a pawn and have no intention of bending to the rules of the game"

Thornag didn't understand much about politics; he was a soldier, and as such he was an expert in strategies and the art of war, not power games. But he knew that his king never talked nonsense. "If he has seen through your scheme, then what do we do?"

"What are we going to do? What questions! Absolutely nothing, of course!" the king replied with a wider and wider smile. "Why should we intervene now that the show is starting?"

Marcus had to admit he was excited. That dragon interested him more and more. Now he was curious to see what he would do. How would he manage to get out of an apparently dead-end situation? What stratagem would he devise in order not to reveal his secrets so easily? They were all fascinating questions, and the king was eager to know the answer.

Then something strange happened. The lindworm resumed attacking, but Haku didn't react: he continued to back away, but he did them in a strange way, using only three paws, while with the fourth he slipped a finger into his mouth. While the dragon didn't seem fatigued moving on three legs, it was clear that this limited its abilities. Marcus didn't understand the reason for that behavior, but suddenly Haku took his finger out of his mouth and opened his jaws; from them emerged a jet of fire that fully invested the lindworm.

Marcus nearly spat out saliva. Something was wrong: dragons couldn't breathe fire until they gained their domain. Haku was still too young. How had he done it?

The lindworm let out a painful cry, but immediately closed the scales and they formed a sort of insulating armor that prevented his skin from being burned. Therefore, the beast didn't suffer severe burns. Haku seemed to notice this and stopped breathing fire, to put his finger in his mouth again. At that point Marcus understood. "What a son of a bitch..." he laughed. "He's carving runes inside his mouth"

"Yeah, I figured that too" Thornag said grimly. Since he was a skilled soldier, he immediately understood Haku's trick.

Marcus rubbed his chin in amusement. "Were you able to see the rune when he opened his mouth?"

"No. The dragon moved to turn his back on me when he used it" Thornag answered.

"Could another of our men have noticed it? We have several guards scattered around the arena" Marcus asked again.

But again Thornag shook his head. "I doubt it. There was barely a second of time between when the dragon opened his jaws and when fire emerged from them. Anyone who was able to see what was inside his mouth would have been dazzled by the light of the flames before I could even glimpse it" he replied. "That dragon thought of everything. He knew I was the only one whose senses were quick enough to see the rune. He knows that others aren't a problem because of his speed"

Marcus grinned. "Yeah, he's thought of everything" he said. "Good job, Haku, you didn't let me down. You are really skilled"

Thornag was confused. It was clear that at least for that day the dragon's secrets would remain secret, but the king seemed pleased nonetheless. Or rather amused. "Okay, I'll give you the win for today" Marcus continued speaking as if Haku was standing in front of him. "But the match has just begun, and we will have many rounds available"

Sometimes Thornag really struggled to understand his king. "Do you want us to stop the fight, your majesty?"

"Why? The audience is having a good time. And I'm having a good time too. Let them continue" Marcus replied. "But you can relax now, you don't need to control the dragon with your hawk eyes. Just enjoy the show"

While they were talking, Haku and the lindworm had started walking side by side again, ready to jump on each other at any moment. Haku was continuing to carve something into his mouth, and when he finished a jet of cold air emerged from it and froze everything it hit. The lindworm immediately began to sizzle its scales, making them very hot to counter the icy jet. However, he didn't realize that he was just playing into his opponent's hands. As soon as the icy jet and the red-hot scales met, a cloud of steam was generated.

Very soon this steam became so thick that it was impossible to see more than an inch from one's nose. At that point Haku stopped using the icy jet and very silently, taking advantage of the cover of the steam, approached the lindworm. The steam prevented the beast from seeing, the smell of the sizzling scales covered his own, and Haku knew how to move without making any noise. As soon as he was close enough, he leapt at the lindworm from behind and before it could react he opened its mouth and reactivated the fire rune, sending a jet of flame straight down its throat.

The lindworm wriggled desperately, but Haku held it very steady. The dragon had the advantage of the number of legs: while Haku could use two of them to hold the lindworm's mouth open and two more to hold it still, the lindworm could only use two legs to try to free itself. The ending was practically obvious: when Haku extinguished the jet of fire, the lindworm rolled on the ground gasping, with the inside of its body completely charred. It would die very soon. However, Haku wouldn't have condemned it to die in a slow and painful way: since by now the lindworm could no longer react, he grabbed it with his claws and with a sharp blow he completely twisted its neck, breaking it cleanly. The lindworm fell to the ground and it never moved again.

There was a moment of silence, then the people on the steps erupted in a cacophony of cheers and boos. "What an incredible fight!" the little man from before, who had reappeared in the middle of the arena who knows how and when, exclaimed. "The dragon has clearly demonstrated who is the apex predator!"

Haku ignored the man's comments and walked away, walking back to where he came from. Now that the fight was over he could leave, right? Well, if the king had something against it, all he had to do was stop it with the collar. If not, he could go away. He was starting to really get annoyed but all that sound.

When he re-entered the room adjacent to the arena, he found a familiar figure waiting for him. Thornag was there. Haku remembered seeing him next to the king; evidently he had abandoned his position as soon as the fight was over and rushed there. As soon as the iron gate closed behind Haku, Thornag advanced towards him and without too much preamble opened his jaws with his arms. But what he found was only a small wound on the left side of the palate. Despite the situation Haku found the strength to laugh in his face. "You really didn't think I wouldn't erase them, huh? I tore off the flesh where the runes were drawn as soon as the battle was over and swallowed it"

Thornag was clearly peevish. "I thought so, but I still asked his majesty to let me try" he said, then he rubbed his hands together. "Do you know why I did it? Because now we are out of his sight. And I can afford to teach you some respect. For example, I can teach you what happens when you mock me or his majesty"

Before Haku could reply, a punch landed straight on the dragon's left cheek. The blow was so strong that Haku fell to the ground and after a moment of confusion he passed out completely.