So, Prika said, rolling her eyes up to look at Vur, who was sitting on her forehead in his human form. Youre telling , you can sense everything below us through those elentals of yours? All the water, all the wind, all the rocks below the water? How far is the range?
Yup, Vur said and nodded. Since theres so much mana around, it goes really, really far. I can even sense those boats over there. He pointed off into the distance. There were five tiny black dots on the surface of the ocean.
Boats? Prika asked, her eyes lighting up. Want to go over there and flip them over?
Vur tilted his head. Why?
Itll be fun! Prika said, her head bobbing up and down. Despite the rough movents, Vur remained in the sa spot as if he were glued to the red dragon. Prika grinned. Its like flipping a turtle onto its back and watching it struggle to get on its feet.
Vur tilted his head the other way. Why is that fun?
Prika blinked. You dont think flipping turtles is fun?
No?
Oh. Prikas brow furrowed. Okay, how about this? We fly over there, tip those boats over, and you tell how you feel about it.
Have you tipped a lot of boats? Stella asked, coming out of Vurs chest. And how many turtles have you flipped?
Prika rolled her eyes. Do you rember how many tis youve entertained yourself in your life? Of course not. Why would I rember sothing as pointless as that? She snorted and tilted, leaning to one side. Her body curved towards the boats in the distance. Look, its more normal to flip turtles over than to not flip turtles over; I dont get whats so hard to understand about that.
I think I know why shes single, Sheryl whispered but not loud enough for Prika to hear. Oh, and theres so source of delicious-slling fire on one of those boats over there. Its really, really, really familiar, but Im not quite sure what its from. Do you guys ever get that? Like, theres sothing you can rember but actually cant?
Why would there be a fire on the boat? Stella asked. And dont worry, Sheryl. When you get like that, that just ans youre old. Its natural.
The boats grew in size as Prika got closer and closer. She rolled her eyes up to look at Vur. Hold your breath, she said and pinched her nose with her front paw. Were going under.
You dont have to hold your breath, Vur, Mistle said. I can keep the water out of your face, and Zilphy can siphon in so oxygen for you.
Vur didnt get to respond before Prika dove beneath the surface of the ocean.
***
Wait, Tafel said and nearly broke the wooden railing she was holding onto. That was totally Prika! Why did she dive under?
Mary shrugged. I dont know much about dragons. Do they hunt for food in the ocean like this? She frowned. Should I go down there to check? I dont want to lose track of her right after finding her.
Yes, Tafel said. Ill go check. Salt water cant be very good for your armor, right? She was about to hop over the railing when two red lumps appeared on the surface of the ocean. They looked like shark fins. Or not? Is she swimming towards us?
The two fins got larger and larger as they approached. As expected, they were the tips of Prikas wings poking out above the water. The sailors below the crows nest, on the ships deck, shouted and pointed. They had shouted much earlier when Prika first dove into the water, calling everyone up on deck to witness the strange creature.
Whats she doing? Mary asked, nudging Tafel. Youre the expert on dragons.
I have no clue, Tafel said and shook her head. Should I freeze part of the ocean around her so she stops and surfaces? I dont want her to think shes being attacked though. What if she retaliates? Im not sure what Prikas specialty is, but Ive never seen a weak dragon before.
If she retaliates, Ill protect you, Mary said. I want to know how strong I am compared to a dragon. She narrowed her eyes at Tafel. I still plan on slaying the evil black dragon, you know, the one you said youd help kill.
Tafel cleared her throat. Yeah, I rember, she said. Oh! Would you look at that, Prika seems to be flipping over our boats?
Two of the five boats were launched into the air, sailors falling out of them like fleas jumping off a dog. The boats landed back in the ocean deck first, the wood making a slapping sound upon contact with the water. Prikas wing tips dipped below the surface of the ocean, and the other two boats, the ones that Tafel and Mary werent on, were also thrown into the air. Sailors scread as they fell into the water, sending splashes of white water upwards.
What the heck!? Tafel shouted. Why is she doing this!?
Mary shrugged. You know dragons have a twisted sense of humor, she said. Maybe shes doing this out of boredom.
I dont think shed do sothing like this out of boredom, Tafel said, her horns glowing with a blue light. She raised her hand and clasped her fingers into a fist. Freeze!
The water around the boat froze in an instant, forming a perfect circle of ice. A mont later, Tafels eyes widened as the boat was tossed into the air, ice and all. She opened a portal and dragged Mary through as the boat was still rising upwards. The boat flipped over in a perfect arc, landing on its deck. There was a splash, and once the boat settled, only a perfect hemisphere of ice could be seen above the surface of the ocean. Monts later, Tafel and Mary fell from the sky, landing on the icy surface.
Vurs head popped out of the water, and Prikas head followed shortly after, lifting Vurs body out of the ocean. The two blinked, making eye contact with Tafel and Mary. The two parties stared at each other in silence. Then, Prika raised her two front paws into the air, out of the water and shouted, Surprise!
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