Dragon’s Fang Unleashed

Cavern walls pulsed with sulfurous heat beneath Worldfair City's north spire, jagged stone glistening like a beast's maw. Walenciusz dangled in chains, gray-and-black fur matted, amber eyes narrowed to slits as bandits circled like vultures. His tophat—his tophat—spun mockingly in the scarred leader's grip, feather drooping like a taunt. Beyond them loomed a dragon, midnight scales gleaming, wings pinned by iron, its crimson eyes twitching in restless slumber. Air thrummed with menace, and Walenciusz's whiskers bristled—he didn't like this one bit.

"Key to glory, huh?" he rasped, chains clinking as he tested their give. "You lot couldn't unlock a barn door with a battering ram." Bravado masked the ache in his skull—chloroform lingered like a sour ale—but Scar-Face just grinned, twirling that cursed horn etched with blood-red runes. 

"Big words, puss," the bandit sneered, stepping closer. Dagger flashed, slicing Walenciusz's flank—a shallow cut, crimson trickling free. "Dragon's picky. Only wakes for cat blood. And you're the famous one—perfect bait." He smeared the blood onto the horn, runes flaring like embers. "Rise, scaly terror! Smell the prize!" 

Ground quaked. Roar split the air as the dragon's eyes snapped open, crimson blazing with primal hunger. Chains groaned, then shattered like glass, iron shards raining as wings unfurled—a storm of leather and bone. "Cat…" it rumbled, nostrils flaring, drinking in Walenciusz's scent. "Mine." 

Scar-Face's smirk faltered. "Wait—hold on—!"

Too late.

Dragon's claw lashed out, pulping him into the stone floor. Bandits screamed, bolting for tunnels, but the beast roared into a whirlwind—jaws crunching one in half, tail smashing two into paste, dark flame roasting the rest until cries turned to ash. Cavern trembled, stalactites crashing as the dragon reared, free and furious. 

Worldfair City shuddered above. Streets cracked, airships wobbled in their lanes, brass spires swaying as the roar thundered through the undercity. "Dragon! It's loose!" dockworkers screamed, hawkers abandoning gadget carts as steam vents hissed in panic. Beast erupted from the cavern mouth, wings beating a gale that toppled cranes, shadow swallowing dawn. 

Walenciusz, now half-free, smirked beneath his reclaimed tophat. "Oi, scale-breath! I'm no snack!" Last chain broke—just as the dragon's talon swooped, snatching him in iron claws. "Not again!" he yowled, thrashing as the beast soared skyward, city blurring below in terror. 

Surface chaos greeted Gorrick, Alice, and Lissey, pounding through Worldfair's streets, guided by Lissey's pendant and Alice's glowing map. Ground bucked beneath them, screams piercing the air as they skidded to the north spire's edge—a gaping hole where the cavern once hid. 

"We're too late!" Alice gasped, broom sparking uselessly. Gorrick's fists clenched, Excalibur gleaming. "That blasted cat—snatched again!" 

Lissey's emerald eyes tracked the dragon's ascent, pendant thrumming against her chest. "He's bleeding—I smell it," she snarled, tail lashing. Then—movement. Gorrick roared, "Whiskers, take it!" With a mighty heave, he hurled Excalibur skyward, starlight blade spiraling into Walenciusz's outstretched paw as the dragon banked toward the horizon. 

Beast soared over Worldfair's trembling spires, veering toward Enchanted Woods—a dark sprawl of twisted oaks and mist beyond the city's glow. Walenciusz, dangling in its claws, smirked despite wind whipping his fur. "Bad call, lizard." Excalibur flared, and with rogue's finesse, he slashed—blade slicing through the dragon's claw like silk. Black blood sprayed, talon severed, and Walenciusz plummeted. 

Branches snapped as he crashed through the canopy, twisting midair with feline grace. He hit forest floor in a crouch, rolling to his feet, Excalibur clutched tight. "Heh, eight lives left!" he quipped, brushing off his cloak with a grin. Old cat myth held strong—Walenciusz wasn't out yet. 

Above, dragon shrieked, circling treeline, severed claw dripping fury. "Walenciusz!" it roared, voice shaking woods, leaves raining like a storm. "I'll kill you for this, you bastard!" Crimson eyes locked on him, rage boiling as it banked for a dive, smoke curling from jaws. 

Worldfair teetered on collapse below. Brass spires groaned, airship lanes buckled, citizens fleeing as dragon's shadow lingered in memory. 

Gorrick, Alice, and Lissey stood at cavern's edge, staring skyward in shock. "He's… gone," Alice whispered, broom limp in her hands. Gorrick spat, kicking rubble. "That idiot cat—nabbed right under my nose! And with my sword, no less!" 

Lissey's ears twitched, pendant pulsing as she sniffed wind. Husky voice cut through din, low and grim. "No good." Gorrick and Alice turned, faces paling, city's terror mirrored in wide eyes. "Walenciusz and that dragon flew off to Enchanted Woods," she said, glass dagger glinting as she gripped it tighter. "Nobody returns from there." 

Trio froze, weight of her words sinking like lead. Worldfair quaked around them, gripped by fear, while woods loomed distant—dark, alive, ravenous. Walenciusz was out there, alone with a vengeful dragon, and their tale veered into a storm none could claw back.