Book 2: Chapter 66 (1/2)

Vur laughed as he spread his wings, stood on his hind legs, angled his head into the air, and spewed golden flames towards the sky. His scales were a deeper shade of blue than Sera’s, and golden streaks outlined the edges of his scales. He grinned at Lindyss before picking her up and placing her on his head. She didn’t even get a chance to speak before Vur leapt into the air, spiraling upwards at breakneck speeds.

Erin, Stella, and E stared at the ocean-blue dragon soaring into the sky. Vur disappeared behind a layer of clouds, and the trio lowered their heads to stare at each other. E cleared his throat as Stella hid behind him, shielding herself from Erin’s view. Once Vur had turned into a dragon, the polymorph spell had been undone, returning the dwarf back to his original form. “Erica? Eve…? No, that doesn’t sound right either,” E said. “What was your name again?”

“It’s Erin! Erin Koller!” Erin said and glared at the dwarf. “I never expected to see the dwarf king outside of his home. Tired of sleeping all day?”

“I retired,” E said and pointed towards the sky. “He’s the new dwarf king. There’s going to be a coronation ceremony in three weeks or so; you should come.”

Erin furrowed her brow as Stella appeared over E’s shoulder, peeking at her with unblinking eyes. “I don’t believe you,” Erin said. She glanced at the dragon-shaped holes in the clouds and sighed. “How did I make the mistake of polymorphing a blue mage? No, how does he have enough mana to transform into a dragon? He shouldn’t be able to hold it that long.”

“Well, he’s a bit abnormal,” E said and scratched his head. Stella continued shifting with E’s head, blocking Erin from her view.

“But you’re definitely a culprit too!” Erin said, flying towards Stella. Stella squeaked and flew to the opposite side. The fairies chased each other around E’s head, causing him to develop a headache.

“I just want to beat you up! Stop running!”

“Stop chasing me!”

Twenty minutes later, the two fairies were lying down on E’s shoulders with sweat running down their faces. “Are you two done yet?” E asked.

Before either of the fairies could respond, a voice shouted from up above, “Ah! My wings! My scales!” Vur and Lindyss plummeted towards the trio. The transformation had ended, cancelling Vur’s flight of joy midway. A pair of batwings sprouted out of Lindyss’ back, and she lowered herself along with Vur to the ground. Vur pouted and looked at his hands. “I feel dizzy.”

Lindyss placed her hand on Vur’s forehead. Her eyes widened as she tilted his head back and stared into his eyes. “You ran out of mana? You!?”

“So dizzy,” Vur said before slumping forward onto Lindyss. His eyes closed as he collapsed, his body barely held up by the cursed elf.

“Hey, fairy,” Lindyss said, turning her head towards Erin. “Tell me about your polymorph spell. What’s the mana upkeep like?”

“Secret,” Erin said as she flew into the air and crossed her arms over her chest.

Lindyss scowled. “Don’t make me fight you again.”

“Bring it on! I’m not scared of you,” Erin said, placing her hands on her hips.

Lindyss turned towards E and Stella. “Stella,” she said. “Fight her.”

Stella sat up, tilted her head to the side, and pointed at herself. “Me?” she asked and blinked twice. “I’m too weak.” She patted E’s head. “Fight her, E.”

“Stay out of this, Mr. Retired,” Erin said.