Wild Dragon of Rome 12 (Patreon)

I needed to make a decision about how to handle her exhaustion. I could see that it was not just about her physical exhaustion but also a lack of mana. 

I touched the small box that was hanging on my chest, wondering whether to give her the dragon heart so she could recover. It would increase our survival chances significantly, but also it would give her a pretty good incentive to betray me. And, I needed to make a decision quick, because the battle was winding down even more. 

“By the way, we still don’t know each other’s name,” I said, trying to. “My name is Marcus. You know my family name, but just assume that you don’t,” I said. 

“Lillian Malone,” she responded, still looking down, ashamed of her condition. She certainly should be ashamed, as she was literally the worst mage I had ever seen, but it ceased to be a surprise once I heard her name. 

Malone family was a minor noble family with little renown, with no notable military names or political figures. What they had was a large wetland rich with mana toward the North of Britannia, making them a notable supplier of various water-aligned materials. 

It wasn’t too shocking for them to raise even a daughter to the rank of mage. Money and a proper supply chain was enough to solve a lot of problems. 

Unfortunately, it also meant that, she would almost certainly recognize dragon heart, which might be an extremely rare magical wonder, but its descriptions were far more common. 

I walked toward her, ignoring the way she looked. Well, trying to. Even under mortal danger, it was hard to ignore her long legs, coated with water droplets, her silk undershirt barely covering a couple inches below her hips. I was glad that I gave her my shirt because I might not be as successful in hiding my reaction if she didn’t have my large, baggy shirt to cover her other assets. 

“Hop on, I’ll carry you,” I said as I turned my back to her, delaying the decision about the dragon heart for the moment. Ultimately, we needed to be in a safer location for her to absorb it properly, and staying in the cave was not an option. 

“Are you sure?” she asked. “Maybe if I push myself—” she said as she forced herself to take a step, which was successful. The second, less so. Her leg gave under her as the exhaustion caught up with her. I covered the rest of the distance with a large step and wrapped my arms around her waist to prevent a painful fall. The last thing I needed was a head injury to complicate things even further. 

“I’m sorry,” she gasped, but I was more interested in the way her fingers landed on my chest, naked after giving her my shirt, and she caressed it. “So many scars,” she muttered absentmindedly as she traced one, but she didn’t sound repulsed. 

In a way, it was good that I wasn’t the one having thoughts that were wildly inappropriate under the circumstances. On the other hand, it was bad, because it made my thoughts go in dangerous directions. Directions that were best left unexplored while under mortal danger. 

With that in mind, I crouched down. “Hop on,” I ordered her again. It was the only way I could carry her while leaving my hands free. She did so, her arms around my neck, and her legs around my waist. I ignored her beauty, just as I ignored how easily she could kill me from that position, and started walking. “Don’t use any spell unless I expressly ask you,” I ordered her. “We’ll be going deeper into the island, and will pass near territories of the third-order beasts.” 

“Are you sure that there are third-order beasts here?” she asked. “The island is a bit small for it.” 

“Almost certain,” I said. “Either that, or they have one of the beasts that move around as a group, which is not any less dangerous than a solitary third-order beast.” 

“I see,” she said before falling silent, and we continued to move deeper into the island. The downpour was both a blessing and a curse in terms of avoiding the beasts. Most of the beasts stayed in their dens, making the situation easy. Unfortunately, it also removed or muddled their tracks and territorial markings, making it more likely for us to stumble upon the nest of one of the beasts with a lower presence. 

On my back, Lillian was lighter than some of the camping supplies I brought along for longer trips, which meant I could easily ignore her … well, at least her weight. Ignoring her fingers occasionally caressing my collarbones absentmindedly was harder to ignore. 

Altogether, it was one of the harder multitasking challenges I had to go through. The temptation only faded when her weight suddenly changed. Her fingers stopped moving, and her weight settled against my back. 

She managed to fall asleep despite the rain, showing that she was even more exhausted than I expected. 

I continued moving deeper into the island, fully focusing on my senses as I used my detection ability to the limit, to the point of wasting mana. But then, mana was the one thing I wasn’t lacking. Occasionally, I looked back, watching the signs of battle. It was still ongoing, but the distance between flame attacks started to get larger. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t make me feel any calmer, because it allowed me to see that the pirates had been being pushed away from the island, and the other mysterious party taking their place. It was not good news, because the pirates only wanted Lillian to sell her back to them, looking for money. No buyer, no deal,, so they would have no reason to explore the island. 

The other party wanted Lillian as a hostage. I didn’t know — or particularly care — about the reason. But I knew that they were much more inclined to stick around and search for Lillian. 

I sighed as I moved even deeper into the island, close enough to the center where I expected the third-order beast to be. I would have seen it as an unacceptable risk if it wasn’t for the even bigger threat behind, eventually coming looking for us. 

With a cadre of mages chasing us — as I didn’t have the slightest doubt that the enemy had more mages than the fire experts I was able to see through the darkness, or the pirates wouldn’t have retreated — those dangerous beasts represented a shield for us instead. 

It would be best if they decided it was not worth further search for a woman who was likely dead, but even if they stuck around, every day was actually to my benefit. I continued searching for a viable residence… 

Soon, I found a nice cave. Small entrance, concealed surroundings, and even some edible plants. It might turn completely invisible if we pulled a rock in front of it. 

But, its greatest value was the depth, enough to block the presence of the dragon heart when it was active. The only problem, once I got sufficiently closer, I felt a presence, one that I could identify as a second-order beast even with the ground blocking our way. 

I gently shifted Lillian, and pressed my hand to her mouth before waking her up, not wanting her to alert the beasts. The moment she woke up, her eyes widened in panic, but subsided after seeing my face. I pulled back my hand. 

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“I found another cave, but there’s another second-order beast inside,” I said. “Probably some kind of possum.” 

“How do you know?” she asked. 

“Wilderness training,” I cut her off, as it was hardly the time to explain the various tracking concepts. “I know you’re tired, but can you fight?” 

“I … I can try,” she said, but she didn’t sound hopeful. 

For a moment, I considered giving her the dragon heart so she could recover, but I soon decided against it. It was too risky. Once activated, it would radiate a lot of mana, and if we did that out in the open, it would inevitably be noticed. 

Then, it would be a question of whether the third-order beasts or the mysterious mages caught up with us first. Neither option was safer than trying to deal with a second-order beast alone. It would be even easier with Lillian helping. 

“How many spells that can cut through the defenses of a second-order beast without collapsing?” I asked. 

“Three at most,” she declared bravely. 

I decided to make all my plans based on two, and several contingencies assuming she would collapse after one. Still, considering I had been ready to take the beast alone, so any help was welcome. I started developing a set of signals. “Now, let’s make a plan. I want you to hold your casting until I show you…”