Rick’s boots crunched on the loose gravel as he walked down into the quarry. With each step, he got closer to Carmilla and deeper into obvious danger.
The masked woman watched him co closer with calm confidence, like a predator who already knew the hunt was over. As Rick was about halfway down, soone else ca out of the shadows.
This one didn’t have a mask on. She was in her early fifties and had silver-streaked black hair pulled back tightly from her face.
She had the cold, precise look of soone who saw people as fascinating specins instead of human beings. Her dark robes seed to soak up light, and her eyes behind wire-rimd glasses were the color of ice.
"Thank you for coming, Consort," the woman said, her voice cold and detached like a researcher talking about lab results. "You are very easy to read."
"People do stupid things when they are emotionally attached."
Rick stopped walking and clenched his fists. "Who the fuck are you?"
"I’m Valen... well, forrly, Dr. Valen. Even though my past jobs and credentials don’t matter right now." With just one finger, she changed the way her glasses fit. "What’s important is that you’re here, just like we planned, and we can now move on to the next step."
"Let Carmilla go," Rick said, trying to keep his voice steady. "You have a problem with , not her. I’m here. You have what you want."
Dr. Valen did smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Oh, the knight is just bait, as I’m sure you already figured out."
"We want YOU, Consort. We want your bond network to be intact and work for study."
Rick felt sothing cold settle in his stomach. "Study?"
"The Shadow Covenant doesn’t just do wetwork, young man. We also collect rare magical things. Your bond network is unlike anything else in history."
"Multiple Spirit Bonds working together and strengthening each other, making things happen that wouldn’t happen otherwise? That’s worth a lot more than any ransom paynt." Dr. Valen pointed to her workers. "We plan to catch you, study the network, and make a copy of it."
"Think about what an organization could do with that kind of power."
"And what if I don’t?" Rick’s hands were getting warr as draconic power built up under his skin.
"Then we take parts of your knight away until you agree." It sounded like Dr. Valen was talking about what vegetables to buy at the store. "First, I’ll start with fingers."
"It hurts enough to make her want to do sothing, but not so much that she will die from blood loss. I think you’ll give up after the third digit, you know what I an, right...?"
Carmilla’s eyes opened wide behind the support beam. She woke up just in ti to hear that gory threat.
Rick saw her fight against her bonds and try to shout a warning through the gag in her mouth. Rick could see the anger and fear in her face even though the Spirit Bond wasn’t active. Their eyes t across the quarry.
Dr. Valen said in a clinical tone, "Ah, the knight is awake."
"Excellent... She can see in real ti that her rescue attempt is failing. Nothing hurts a person more than seeing their loved ones try to save them and fail."
Rick took a deep breath to calm himself down. He could feel Natasha and Liora in position, hidden, and ready through the bond network.
As Sylvia flew closer, he could feel her distant anger. She was still hours away, but she was coming fast.
And under it all, he felt that familiar warmth that had been missing since Carmilla was captured. It was a faint echo through the quarry’s magical interference that told him she was alive, close by, and fighting.
"Okay," Rick said, raising his hands as if to give up. "Take then, but let her go first."
Dr. Valen really did laugh. "I might be a scientist, Consort, but I’m not dumb."
"We want BOTH of you. We might let the knight go once you’re properly restrained and we’ve made sure that the bond network can be studied without being damaged."
"Perhaps... she has seen our faces, after all. That’s not very inconvenient."
She made a sign, and the Shadow Covenant agents started to surround Rick from all sides. Twenty of them, moving in perfect sync, with weapons drawn and magical restraints ready.
Rick waited until they got close. They were close enough that it would be difficult to run away. Natasha’s angle of attack was perfect because they were so close.
Then he grinned.
"NOW, NATASHA!"
The quarry went up in chaos. Like the wrath of God, ice magic burst from the cliff above.
Giant spears of frozen water fell on the operatives, breaking up their formation. Natasha stood at the edge of the cliff, her staff glowing with blue-white light and her eyes as cold as winter as she poured magic into the quarry below.
At the sa ti, golden walls of divine light appeared around Rick and Carmilla. Liora’s remote help, which ca through their spiritual link, kept them safe from the first magical backlash.
Rick didn’t wait for the operatives to get better. He could activate his Partial Dragon Transformation with just a thought, but this ti he didn’t hold back.
His whole body was covered in crimson and gold scales. His fingers turned into claws that were as sharp as knives.
Wings burst from his back, not the small ones he’d practiced with, but full battle wings that caught the quarry’s updrafts. His eyes were like amber flas, and when he opened his mouth, smoke ca out between his sharp teeth.
"YOU ALL FUCKING TOOK SOTHING THAT WAS MINE!" Rick yelled, and his voice sounded like a dragon’s rage.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FUCKING PISSED OFF I AM RIGHT NOW?!"
The closest operative fell back, his nerve failing because Rick’s Dragon’s Presence ability was pure intimidation. Rick was on him in a flash, and his claws ripped through armor like it was paper. The operative fell down and scread.
"I HAVE FOUR MATURE WON WHO NEED !" Rick grabbed another operative and literally threw him against the wall of the quarry. "FOUR WON WHO BELIEVE IN TO PROTECT THEM!"
A spy tried to stab Rick in the back. The blade broke when it hit the dragon’s scales. Rick spun around and hit the attacker in the back with enough force to send him flying. Then he kept going toward Carmilla.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST TAKE ONE OF MY HOT BADDIES?" Rick broke an operative’s sword by grabbing it with his clawed hands. "YOU THINK I’M JUST GONNA LET THAT FUCKING SLIDE?!"
"Rick, your words are fucking stupid!" Sebastian’s voice rose above the noise. "Did you really just call them baddies in this situation?"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, SEBASTIAN!"
"I’M HAVING A TOP 5 MAIN CHARACTER RAGE MONT HERE!"
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