Joy Pursuit: Steel Dragon [Sci-Fi Fantasy | Horror | Action]

After some idle discussion, the group decided to part ways. With Gira's impending awakening and their lives balancing on a wobbly line of uncertain hopes and discomfort, it was time to move.

Ezzeks waved the two off. "I'll see you guys in a couple hours—or days. Depends on how successful my venture into Draconic Kyyr turns out."

K smirked. "We believe in you, Fraudzekks!"

Ezzeks ignored him. "Savag—I mean Vire, don't freak Gira out, alright? Talk to Mera first, make sure you're not misunderstanding her situation."

Vire nodded. "Right… We shall discuss with her first."

Ezzeks gave him a sharp nod before driving his eyes into K. "K, where are you and Alia headed next?"

K replied quickly. "I'll probably just introduce her as another Gira. It'd be a huge pain to hide her forever. I mean a female Gira wouldn't be too crazy considering all the other weird stuff in here—like that pale-skinned ghoul or that armless metal thing that hums."

Ezzeks raised an eyebrow. "What metal thing?"

"You haven't seen it?" K tilted his head. "That spooky floating torso in the weird monochrome cave?"

Ezzeks shook his head.

"Oh. Huh, really? Well, realistically, I think it's another 'Gira.' Not a hundred percent sure, but I've got no clue what else it could be." "He gave a small shrug, then, with a mischievous smile, continued, "And hey, Gira's pretty gullible—he'll probably believe whatever. I can guarantee that." He threw Ezzeks an out-of-place thumbs-up.

"I'm not sure how I should feel about that…" He sighed. "What about Vaal?"

K's demeanor darkened a little. "Don't worry about him. He won't make a fuss. Especially now." He glanced toward Alia, who was staring into the blue horizon beyond the titan's palm, then looked back at Ezzeks with a faint, steady smile. "We'll be fine. See you around—and good-luck…"

Ezzeks gave him a gentle nod. "So be it. Take care you three." he said with a wave as he started up the cobblestone street.

Vire raised a hand. "See you soon, friend!" he called after him.

A strange breeze swept by as Ezzeks disappeared from view, leaving the three standing in its eerie wake.

K turned to Vire. "Question, Vire."

"What is it?"

"Could you please transform and carry us back to the throne? Because walking there'll be a mega pain since, you know. We can't—" He mimed cutting his own neck. "Bleh."

"Ah, is it because of Miss Alia?"

"Yup. Not sure what her soul's actual status is, so it's safer to travel the normal, non-suicidal way," K explained.

Vire glanced at Alia. "Does she know that we are a Coarseblood?"

"Yup," K said brightly. He turned to Alia with a grin. "Hey, Alia—this guy's also a goofy monster like Fakezzeks. Pretty cool, huh?"

Her distant gaze drifted toward Vire. Her gentle eyes traced him up and down before she pulled out a notepad and pencil, jotting something down. Then, she held the notepad up for the two to see.

"Neat."

K nudged Vire in the ribs. "See? All good! Now transform, because I am not going down that creepy-ass elevator again. I heard whispers and screaming on the way up."

Vire's eyes lit up. "You too?!"

"Yeah, anyways can you transf—"

Vire froze. His mind raced back to the dragon—the screams—that word: Mercy.

"Do you know the meaning behind our actions?! W-was that beast… that dragon—was that us?"

K hesitated. "Yes? I think. I'm like, 90% sure it's a yes." He frowned. "Oh, but don't ask me why the heck we turned this place into a big black stain."

A warm gust brushed against them, Alia's hair fluttering in the wind as a stray strand got caught on her lips.

"So you don't know either…" Vire muttered.

"Nope." K shook his head. "But there's no point worrying about that kind of stuff. Not now, at least. As much as we'd like to be, I think realistically we're no longer Ezzeks, Vire, Gira, Vaal, or whoever else got lost in here. Our memories, personalities, even our Kyyr—they're all mixed together. In a twisted way, we're like their kids. You know, taking traits from them to make new people."

Vire gave K a weird look. "We guess…"

"Uh… anyway." K scratched his cheek. "Who cares who or what we were before? We can't do schmuck about it unless we get off this crusty little planet—or, you know, die. "So please transform; I'm getting this weird feeling in my gut, like I'm being watched."

He turned, only to spot Alia staring at him. "Oh, it's just you—anyway, transform, please."

Vire cleared his thoughts with a deep breath. "Very well. Please keep your distance," Vire said as he took a couple of steps back as crimson scales crawled up his frame, enveloping his skull and body as the fangs and claws of a Coarseblood blossomed in a shimmering display. His throat rumbled low as he gazed down at K and Alia, jaws parting slightly as he lowered his shoulder. "Are you ready?"

"Yup!" K exclaimed as he gently took Alia's hand and guided her onto Savagrios's back.

After a few careful adjustments, the two settled comfortably.

Savagrios's jaws parted in a serpentine hiss. "Hold on to these…" From his back, crimson handles unfurled and hardened into place.

"Man, I really wish I was a Coarseblood too. By the by, does it hurt when you transform?" K asked as Savagrios dropped onto all fours.

"Indeed—it hurts an incredible amount!" Savagrios growled, his voice vibrating through the air. "Imagine your own blood scalding your insides as the very veins that dared to withhold your raving energy burst in a flare of searing pain. But as the stinging subsides and your scales settle…" He drew in a deep breath. "That freedom—there's nothing like it."

"Sounds fun. Welp, I'm glad you enjoy it." K said as Savagrios began to walk, adjusting his gait as the two held on tight.

"We shall be speeding up!" Savagrios roared. His claws shattered the cobblestone street as he picked up speed, the far-off edge of Titan's palm growing ever closer as K held Alia, holding her tight as Savagrios vaulted off the town's edge. His claws raked across the moss-coated palm of the titanic hand below, tearing through its slick surface as gravity dragged them down. Then, with a thunderous kick, he leapt again—crimson tendrils burst from his arms, lashing outward. They coiled around the bone-cliff wall, snapping taut as the trio swung in a wide arc toward the wrist. The momentum surged. One tendril slipped free, scraping past the wall before latching on again with a sharp crack. The swing slowed, steadied, and with a final jolt, Savagrios planted his claws into the surface—landing hard along the hand's side.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Are you still with us?" Savagrios roared.

K clung to Alia, trembling as he let out a nervous laugh. "Y-yeah… just maybe be a tad more gentle on the way down, okay?"

"Very well!" Savagrios roared as they began their descent to the throne.

A beat.

Thump.

A heartbeat—

Thump—thump…

Loud, thrumming—its pace rising, the resounding sound of some forlorn chant of metal and agony.

Darkness. Too dark for the human eye to see, but clear enough for Vizor. Metallic tendrils wove in the darkness, their metal tips slicing through sinew and flesh with surgical grace.

White flesh came undone, black spiraling veins unfurling as a vaguely human thing let out a metal rattling screech. It writhed in Vizor's massive, tainted claws, its malformed body trembling as his single red eye scanned every millimeter of the abyss-infested mound of flesh that reached out in pleading agony.

"You poor thing—" Vizor hissed, his voice modulator breaking, as he gently pressed the screeching creature against a cold metal table. A loud click echoed from under the table as tendrils slithered out from under the table, snapping tight around the creature's deformed limbs. "Xkirmish, contact Pane—it's time."

A towering white mechanoid shuddered awake, the chevron markings along its skull igniting bright in the dark. "Xkirmish acknowledges orders. Xkirmish will proceed to inform Revenant Pane." His voice boomed through the chamber as he crouched low, servos whining—then launched upward. The fleshy soil bled from the force of his jump. In an instant, Xkirmish's massive body disappeared, claws tearing into a vertical tunnel that shuddered as he vanished into the dark passage above, the echo of his ascent rumbling long after he was gone.

Vizor's jaws split as black wires unfurled from within, grabbing hold of several instruments and blades. The pale creature's cries shattered into wordless terror as Vizor went to work—tearing, cutting, dissecting. His crimson eye burned like a surgical lamp, casting its victim in a halo of red light. Flesh split, bones removed, blood gleaming in the glow of the Revenant Stalker.

The journey back to the throne passed uneventfully, the three arriving drifting into that cozy void with time to spare. Quietly, Vire and K approached the makeshift pillowy castle and peeked inside. Gira was still asleep, his body tightly curled around a couch cushion as he slumbered in dreamless peace.

Both K and Vire exhaled in quiet relief.

Vire turned to K. "Keep him company while I ascend the throne and talk with Miss Mera and Aria."

K nodded. "Sure."

Vire threw himself onto a nearby couch and shut his eyes as he took a step back into the outside world. Warmth pressed against his face, his aching body covered with something warm. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The crimson glow of the night was long gone—replaced with a placid purplish blue that painted the cabin in twilight hues. He found himself slumped in one of the lowglider seats. As he shifted, his head brushed against something soft. He glanced up and found himself looking at the top of Aria's head.

He slowly sat up, brushing a few of her stray hairs from his face as he glanced around the lower cabin of the lowglider. Everything was normal, excluding the blackened stains of blood that streaked across the floor and to the backend of the lowglider.

D-did we kill that Ámon guy? Vire shook his head. No… his Kyyr got more violent as he fell. We highly doubt that bastard bit the rocks. He exhaled and rose to his feet, careful not to disturb the others. Quietly, he moved past Aria and toward the rear of the cabin, where a narrow ladder climbed almost straight up to the upper deck—the faint glint of the control panels waiting in the dim light above.

At the top stood Mera, her eyes lost somewhere in the distant horizon. The little wind that slipped through the Kyyr barrier brushed her long black hair, displaying her melancholy in the low glow of early dawn.

Vire hesitated, unsure how to approach her—but something stirred within him. A shimmering shine of self-indulgence or perhaps an earnest desire. He wanted to know. To know who Ámon was and about her story. Gripping the cold railings, he steadied himself and cleared his mind.

"Miss Mera." He called out.

She flinched, startled out of her thoughts, and looked down. "M-M-Mister Savagrios?" she stammered, clutching the controls as the lowglider gave a slight tilt. "H-how are you feeling?"

Vire tried to smile. "We're fine." He lowered his head. "Forgive us for last night."

Mera didn't answer right away. Her words caught in her throat as she struggled to gather her thoughts. "N-no… you don't have to apologize. Especially not to someone like me." She turned her gaze toward the rising sun. "I-'m sorry you had to see that side of me."

"Miss Mera…" Vire put a foot on the first step.

Mera glanced back, revealing a pained expression on her face. "P-please don't tell Mr. Gira… please…"

Vire froze in place. "But—"

Vire felt his body succumb to darkness as his perception sank back. His crimson eyes dulled in color, a gray-black washing over the blood red.

Mera caught a glimpse of the shifting Vire, his expression easing into gentler bearings.

Gira blinked up at her, his expression tender. "Miss Mera… are you alright?" he asked softly.

"I-It's n-n-nothing. We were… we were, talking about…" Mera gripped the controls tighter, her knuckles whitening as she struggled to find the right words.

Gira took a step up—then a third, a fourth—until he stood beside Mera. She tensed, pressing back on the controls in mild panic as the lowglider eased into a hover above a vast field of swaying flowers. Their colorful petals danced in the wind, weaving between forgotten ruins and the deathless bodies of Rak'da.

Vire, back in the throne, looked around in confusion—only to find K glancing away with a suspiciously devious look. "Did you wake him?"

K's hairbits twitched. "Nooo… but—I showed him everything that transpired last night."

Vire stared, bewildered. "How?! It's only been seconds!"

K grinned, his expression stretching into something mischievous. "You might be a Coarseblood, but between the two of us…" He lifted a seven-fingered hand, revealing a glimmering shard of their shared soul, its surface reflecting everything that had happened to Savagrios—to Vire—the night before. "…I might just be something way worse, dear me."

Vire scowled at him before shutting his eyes and watched from within.

Back in the lowglider, Mera's eyes shimmered with tears. "It was nothing… nothing at all."

Gira drifted through the memories he'd been shown—regret that burned, anger that lingered, and the fragile ache to comfort one of the few souls he could call a friend. The weight of it all pressed against his heart as he rested against the railing next to her.

"I'm not good with words… but—" He tried to smile as Vire's emotions flooded him. "If it's okay with you… y-you don't have to talk to me or anything by the way… I just want to…"

Before Mera's mind fully processed his request, she had already nodded softly. A few tears slipped free as she looked at the awkward young man before her—his lips twisted in a clumsy attempt at a comforting smile, his eyes trembling with trepidation. His heart burned with quiet embers of emotion, yet his mind held firm in the tug-of-war between yearning and discretion.

K watched from within, feeling the clashing thoughts and feelings of Vire and Gira. My oh my… how exhausting.

The winds of the Ordovis Coast rolled through the fields of flowers, their cool touch brushing tender leaves. Petals rose and fell in the gust, carried upward as the sun climbed into a pale, pink-blue sky.

Gira felt his cheeks burn as Mera's silence pulled his eyes towards the distant pink canopy of an alien forest. He looked away, his mind in disarray, as he'd hoped for some kind of response. But there was only passing silence, renewed with every stroke of the lemon-laden breeze. Did I overstep by crawling up here? Is she uncomfortable? What could I have said? I don't understand anything…but no one deserves to suffer alone. So please, Miss Mera—say something. Tell me to leave or stay? Sweet Symbols, please… say something, anything. He took a deep breath, and stole a glance—a glance that didn't remain as such. His eyes lingered on Mera, silently weeping, her expression caught in a weave of fragile uncertainty.

He turned to face her, his half-smile softening into an expression that matched hers in silent understanding. "I see," he murmured, a timid smile finding its way back to his lips. "I hope you find my company endearing. It's what little I can offer… And don't worry—whether you decide to talk to me or not, I'll be here."

Uncertainty coiled around Mera's heart one final time as tears fell softly onto the controls. The pressure in her chest eased, her expression gentling as she gave a small, quiet nod.

With that, the honeydew breeze was broken by the rising hum of Kyyr from the lowglider's engine as it lifted once more into the air. Its crystalline legs folded neatly beneath it as they resumed their journey in a lightened silence.

And below, with her eyes shut tight, Aria—who had been awake for a while now—thought to herself, Ehh?! I passed out the moment that maniac brushed past me! But what's this mushy whatever-the-fuck I'm sensing from above? What the heck happened while I was asleep?

Basking in that fragile quiet, the trio continued their journey toward the Port City of Krreat—where fate would soon draw together two echoes of a distant Calamity, beneath the oppressive shadow of the Steel Dragon.