"Did you figure out how to stop him from starting the meltdown?" Sang asked, her eyes wide and frantic. Behind them, the Emperor was laughing as he grabbed players and began to devour them.
"No, he wouldn't share that. But he's the one who gives the orders," Van said. "If we kill him, he won't be able to tell the rest of the people what to do."
"Very well," Jet said. "Leap atop me. We shall leave your army to handle the rabble."
Van nodded and scaled up over Jet's back, making sure to grab his warhammer before he climbed. Sang was soon sitting directly behind him, arrows at the ready. Jet let out a roar and unleashed a torrent of fire upon the few players who had jumped in front of him. They were burned to a crisp, eliciting a laugh from Van. Barring the end of the world worries, this was probably the coolest thing he had ever done.
The chambers were wide enough for Jet's wings to flap, and the black dragon began to generate momentum as he flew toward the Emperor.
"Ahahahah, the humans taught a Xevov to be violent? What a testament to their power to cause strife wherever they go!" the Emperor shouted as he flew forward to meet Jet.
"Now!" Jet roared as Van scrambled atop the flying dragon's head and waited for the right moment. As the Emperor winged towards them, Van leapt off of Jet's head and went sailing through the air. Arrows flew past him as Sang fired shot after shot towards the monster. Van swung his warhammer hard as he activated his Fierce Rage power. Fierce Rage would last for 20 minutes, and made his attacks bypass any kind of damage reduction an enemy might have, but his defense rating was zero, meaning that he would be a sitting duck when attacked. Fortunately, the Fierce Rage was like an advanced version of the Berserk power, so he would be able to continue fighting no matter how low his hit points dropped.
As the magical power of the rage coursed through him, he swung his hammer down hard and cracked it against the dragon's skull. Momentum Bonus +50% 225 damage floated above the dragon's head, and Van could see the Emperor's health bar drop down from 6,000 to 5,775. That little a drop was extremely disheartening for him, though.
"Gahhh!" the Emperor roared. "You hit me! Haha, you actually did some damage to me. Not bad, Van."
Van landed atop the dragon's head and began to run down to the creature's back. The dragon was bucking and roaring hard as it engaged in claw-to-claw combat with Jet, but Van quickly pulled a hook from his belt and threw it at one of the little holes in the Emperor's wing. The words Success! You have hooked the dragon appeared as the hook snagged the hole. There was a rope attached to the hook, allowing for Van to scale up and down the dragon without fearing being dismounted by a sudden jerk or shift.
The back of the dragon was enormous, and Van couldn't see what was happening on the other side. But he could hear Sang shouting orders and the agony in Jet's voice as he roared. Van slid down the back of the dragon, making his way to the first wing. According to Jet, the wings of a dragon were pretty weak at their base. He placed both his feet against the back of the Emperor, hanging as if he were mountain climbing, and swung away with his hammer. The hammer smacked against the base of the wing violently and the words Weak Spot x2 damage! 400 damage appeared over his head.
"Yes!" Van shouted as he watched the Emperor's health drop down a little more. The Emperor let out a roar and shook, but Van held on. According to Bidane, most of the team had been equipped with potions of weakness spotting, meaning that this dragon would be in real trouble as soon as the rest of his army was ready to go. They were holding back, in case reinforcements were to arrive. Van was skeptical that the Emperor would be willing to fight this battle alone.
"You fiend!" Jet shrieked as he collapsed to the ground in a heap. Van glanced underneath him to see that Jet was writhing in pain, down to only 25 hit points.
"Hahahah, you may have the willingness to fight, Xevov," the Emperor said, "but that doesn't mean you have the skills for it. These players have spent years earning their ability to fight, and you? You come along and put on a dragon costume, thinking it will make you strong. You've got to earn the right to be strong."
Van felt the dragon shift as it began to descend towards Jet. He was extending his gigantic foot toward the fallen Xevov's head. If Van didn't so something to distract the Emperor quickly, he would finish off their most important ally.
"Rarrrw!" Van shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran along the side of the dragon and then leapt forward. The rope tightened as Van reached the end of the its length, and it carried him forward, allowing him to swing around the dragon's body. He had been on the back, but now he grabbed onto the scales of the soft underbelly of the Emperor. This was, of course, a terrible idea, because the Emperor would grab him, but Van hoped it would be enough of a distraction for someone to heal Jet.
"Ahahahaha, you're honestly trying to attack my weak spot?" the Emperor asked as it seized Van. He was lifted high and, for a moment, Van could see that the carnage in the banquet hall was slowly subsiding. The Iron Dragons were emerging victorious.
"Let me go!" Van said as he felt the boney talons around him begin to squeeze. It wasn't enough to damage Van, but perhaps it was meant as a reminder that the dragon could easily kill him.
"Last chance," the Emperor said as he held Van high enough to make eye contact. "Join me or die!"
"Never!" Van grunted. He took a deep breath then and activated his No Bonds Can Hold Me power. A powerful surge of strength rippled through his body as he forced the dragon's claws open. He dropped down and swung wildly away from the Emperor. He was unable to control where he was going due to the nature of his fall, though, and so he began to swing back to the front of the dragon.
"Crap!" Van shouted as he saw another claw coming at him. He drew his dagger and cut the rope which has been holding him, electing to fall instead of dangle helplessly in front of the Emperor again. He sailed towards the ground, but fortunately his ring of Safe-Falling would protect him from any fall damage.
As he fell, he saw a torrent of flames come flying right towards him. The flames were bright orange, and he could hear the laughter of the Emperor in the background. Van grimaced and braced for maximum pain. A claw reached up then and snatched him from midair, pulling him away from the flames. Van looked behind him to see that Jet was the one holding him, and their ally now back to full health. Bidane was hanging from the side of his right wing and muttering prayer after prayer.
"Come on!" Sang shouted as she rushed up and began to fire arrow after arrow at the Emperor. Her shots kept bouncing off of the enemy dragon, and informing her that her damage rating was insufficient. "I can't seem to kill this bastard!"
Jet placed Van on his shoulder and began to fly backwards, allowing the Dragon Emperor to come right towards them.
"You ready for round two, Van?" Sang asked as she uncorked a potion and began to drink from it. Van could see the bonuses beginning to stack up next to her.
"Yeah," Van said distinctly and climbed atop Jet's head. He steadied himself then, and prepared to leap at his foe again.
As he waited for the Dragon Emperor to attack, the wall to the left of them blew open as two yellow dragons came crashing in. They roared angrily at the crowed. The other wall, on the eastern side, also blew open as a blue and a green dragon emerged.
"Hahaha," the Dragon Emperor laughed. "Now this was the kind of last stand that I was hoping for. These four are my strongest allies, and the most capable of the Draco."
"We shall consume you!" the four dragons all said in unison.
The threat elicited a sigh from the Emperor. "Of course, when you are the strongest of a Draco, you are also the simplest." Nevertheless, he turned to command them. "Kill these fools! Every last one of them, your Emperor commands you!" As the four dragons roared in unison, the Emperor floated away from Jet and merely hovered above his throne.