Zhi studied the landscape ahead of her. She stood at the edge of a mountain. She looked back at the others who followed. They all clung to the walls as best they could.

  “You all did not have to come with me.” Zhi addressed them. “It is not too late for you all to leave and join the rest of our comrades.”

  “My lady, it is our honor to travel with you as the vanguard of our Legion!” Moro replied with enthusiasm.

  “Isn’t that right?” Moro asked the rest of the regiment that followed her.

  They all howled with excitement despite their precarious situation. They all stood on the edge of a mountain with hard rock on one side and a precipitous drop on the other. The path that they followed was not natural. Zhi had created a large enough foothold on the side of the mountain to allow them to walk around. She adjusted the path to be wide enough to fit the larger weapons the Legion brought with them. One of many instances in which Zhi and the Onsiel’s magic abilities benefited the Legion outside of combat.

  “As long as you understand what you are getting yourselves into.” Zhi said.

  “Lady Zhi, it is our honor to follow you on this mission!” Moro replied. “When our Goddess tasked you with leading a wing of our army around Bukulkan’s domain, I knew I could not sit behind and miss this journey! Our success will ensure that Bukulkan’s position is encroached on two fronts and that no further Giants come to his aid from his south!”

  “You conveniently left out the part about the Leviathans we expect to encounter on our journey,” Zhi replied.

  “I have yet to witness a Leviathan with my own two eyes! To see one and face it in combat stirs my heart with passion!” Moro replied.

  Zhi remembered her own experiences with Leviathans. Her very first was her encounter with Arandu, an encounter they barely escaped intact. Even now, the encounter stirred fear deep within her.

  “Encountering a Leviathan will definitely stir something within you. Whether that is fear or passion, we will see.” Zhi replied.

  “Combat stirs-”

  “Dragon!” Kadus yelled overhead, cutting off Moro.

  “A Dragon!? Where?” Zhi yelled.

  Moro and the furtives scanned the skies looking for the dragon. Zhi did the same. Everywhere she looked above, she could not see the Titan.

  “He’s coming in low!” Kadus yelled.

  “Where!?” she yelled.

  “Ahead, he’s following the path of the river!” Moro yelled.

  Zhi turned to look at the river and saw the Dragon. He flew close to the surface of the water. The massive creature spanned the width of the river with its wings. He was much closer to the furtives than Zhi would have expected.

  “What?! Impossible!” she exclaimed.

  The dragon came fast at them. In an instant, the Dragon abandoned its low profile and quickly gained altitude. He adjusted his flight path and now kept his body close to the side of the mountain.

  “Alright, you damned beast!” Moro yelled with excitement building up. “Let us settle this! Riflemen at the ready!”

  Zhi heard the cocking of rifles as they aimed at the incoming creature. All the Legionnaires were ready for the fight. It was time for her to prepare herself.

  He will most likely adjust his flight and attempt to strike us with lightning. I shall preempt that, and we shall then press the attack!

  “Prepare for a quick detachment from the Titan, and then we shall strike!” Zhi yelled as loud as she could.

  “You heard the High Onsiel!” Moro barked at the Legionnaires.

  Zhi charged the surrounding air; when the dragon attempted to strike them with lightning, she would preempt the attack and redirect it toward him. Their combined attack should destroy the Titan in a quick strike.

  Zhi felt the air around the dragon charge as well.

  Good! He’s falling for it!

  The dragon was now nearly upon them. He coiled his wings, a sure sign he would peel back from the attack.

  This is it! He’ll pull back now!

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  The dragon spread its wings but did not pull back. He continued flying below them.

  What?!

  With incredible speed and strength, the dragon pushed his body into the side of the mountain, using his wing as a massive plow and tearing into the side of the mountain.

  “AAARGH!!” The dragon roared in pain and anger as his wing crashed into the side of the mountain, tearing chunks off the mountain. The dragon carved the mountain with its wing at a furious pace.

  He doesn’t mean to pull back and attack! He means to destroy the ground from under us!

  “Furtives, hug the-” Zhi yelled but could not react fast enough. The massive wing destroyed the path she stood on.

  As she fell, Zhi looked back to the others and saw them plummet as well.

  “Hold on to whatever you can!” Moro yelled as he himself was caught up in the chaos.

  As Zhi tumbled in the air, a sharp pain shot down her left shoulder. She looked and saw Kadus’ talons clawing into her skin.

  “I’m sorry!” Kadus yelled.

  Stabilized, Zhi could see the falling furtives. She reacted quickly, summoning a large gust of air beneath her falling comrades. The legionnaires floated in midair.

  “I never thought-”

  “Do not let go of me!” Zhi commanded Kadus as she continued her focus on the floating furtives.

  The dragon was on the far side of the river now.

  I have little time to act!

  Zhi froze the river below them in an instant and weakened the gusts holding the Legionnaires, trying to guide them down to the frozen ground. The dragon was high in the sky now.

  “Death!” the voice above them yelled. The skies darkened quickly as storm clouds gathered.

  “Now let go of me!” Zhi commanded Kadus. “Do what you can to distract it!”

  In an instant, Kadus let go of Zhi and flew straight at the Dragon.

  Zhi fell down toward a large ice chunk and crashed into it. Searing pain tore through her body, but within an instant all her wounds healed.

  She looked up to see explosions blowing away from the dragon. Powerful gusts of wind would blow away the various devices Kadus launched towards it. But he continued flying around the Dragon doing everything he could to distract the massive Titan.

  Zhi shot out a large red lightning bolt towards the sky, but the dragon deftly avoided it. The dragon smashed into the side of a mountain, sending showers of rocks flying out, and grabbed a large boulder. He flew away with the boulder and prepared to launch it at the furtives.

  “Fire!” Moro yelled.

  The surrounding area thundered with the sound of gunfire hitting the dragon. Hit by the shots, the dragon lost his grip on the massive boulder. The boulder fell into the river and sent enormous waves splashing out.

  “Reload!” Moro ordered.

  Looking down, the dragon saw where the fire came from and maneuvered around it. It suddenly closed its wings and began plummeting towards the furtives who continued firing at it.

  “Prepare for impact!” Moro yelled. “Move!”

  The dragon crashed near the firing furtives, breaking apart the ice with his massive body and sending furtives flying all over the place. Some fell into the water, never to be seen again. The dragon stayed submerged.

  Zhi focused on the affected furtives. She did all she could to rescue them.

  “He’s beneath you!” Kadus yelled at Zhi.

  She looked and saw a large black mass underneath her growing larger with every passing instant.

  She reinforced the ice beneath her, trying anything to slow down the fast-raging creature. But the ice cracked. The next moment, she tumbled through the air.

  Tumbling, she saw ice crystals floating all around her and the Dragon. She reached out her arm and created a frozen whip that tied itself around the Dragon and connected to her arm.

  “AAA ARGH!” The dragon yelled in rage as it felt the ice form around its body. It flew up, bringing Zhi along with it.

  With one hand frozen onto the whip, Zhi conjured up a crimson fireball in her other hand and tried to aim at the creature. She moved too much, leaving her unable to aim, but she launched the fireball. The fireball grazed the dragon’s leg, but it still left a large scorched mark.

  The creature yelled in anguish and looked back at the source of the fireball. Upon meeting Zhi’s gaze, the creature’s eyes welled with rage.

  “You damned furtive! You are a maggot!” It yelled at Zhi in anger.

  Zhi prepared another fireball in her hand, but the dragon could see the bright flames in her palm. To avoid the fireball and to lose his unwanted passenger, the dragon flew erratically, but no matter how much it tumbled in the air, Zhi would not let go.

  “Curse you!” The dragon shouted at her.

  Desperate to lose his unwanted passenger, the dragon flew into the side of the mountain, hitting it hard with its massive body and spraying rocks all over the place. Zhi saw the wall of stone quickly approaching and braced herself for the impact. She enveloped her body in a thick armor of ice that absorbed most of the impact, shattering completely.

  “AAAH!” Zhi screamed in pain. The impact reverberated through her with such force that she was not sure she was still whole. But her body quickly mended itself, and the searing pain that shot through her let her know she had all her extremities.

  “Zhi!” Kadus cried out.

  “This foe is mine!” She yelled back at him.

  “You fool! Your death is at hand!” The dragon shouted at Zhi.

  Perched on top of the mountain, the dragon darted at Zhi, with its maw wide open.

  Damn it, he’s too fast!

  Zhi hardened her body, but a loud blast erupted.

  As the dragon lunged at Zhi, it was suddenly hit on the side, sending it crashing into the mountain.

  “Reload!” Moro yelled from beneath her.

  “Your death is at hand!” Zhi shouted as she charged a large red thunderbolt in her hand.

  The dragon tried to claw its way out of the mountain, but it was not fast enough. The thunderbolt flew from Zhi’s hand, striking the dragon and going straight through him into the side of the mountain. Behind the dragon, a large hole was blasted in the mountainside. The creature’s face lost all expression. The dragon tumbled down the side of the mountain until it fell into the river below.

  Zhi saw the massive creature being carried away by the river.

  “Kadus!” Zhi yelled from the mountainside.

  The sparrowling grabbed her from a perch on the mountain and brought her down to the other furtives.

  “Lady Zhi?” Moro asked with concern in his voice.

  She looked at the furtives. They were in various stages of distress, but they all looked at Zhi trying to process what had just happened. Her mind raced with what had happened, but they looked at her, waiting.

  “Our first dragon kill!” Zhi announced in triumph.

  The furtives quickly echoed her. Shouting in victory at their triumph.

  “Our first dragon kill!” The furtives echoed.

  “To the High Onsiel! She who leads us to victory!” Moro added.

  “The High Onsiel!” They shouted.

  Zhi raised a hand, and the chanting ceased.

  “This victory was not won by just me.” She began.

  “This was a victory for all of us. Without your help, I would not have succeeded. I want to dedicate this victory to all of us, to the furtive Legion!” Zhi shouted.

  “To the Furtive Legion!” The shouts reverberated across the icy riverbed.