Keith exhaled and looked around. The burrow was cramped. Luckily, when the mercenaries had been taken to the farm, their weapons and armor had been removed. Of course, that only applied to the half of the group that had been captured by Gloria and Ramon. As for the other half of the group that had entered the farm under Kondra’s persuasion, they had tossed their weapons and armors while running. The quality of their armor simply wasn’t good enough for a fight against a dragon; there was no difference between wearing their gear and being naked. Rather than running around with the extra weight, it was better to dump the heavier pieces to increase their agility.

“Do we have to worry about whatever it was that made such a large burrow in the first place?” Danielle asked. She wasn’t a biologist. She didn’t know what creatures created burrows; however, she did know that a big burrow meant whatever lived inside of it was big as well.

“Probably not,” Keith said. “If it was really dangerous, the dragons wouldn’t let it stay in the farm in the first place.” He sighed and stared at the exit of the burrow, where people were trying to pile dirt to hide it as well as possible. “What we should be worried about is the dragon. With the barriers and what few water spells we have, we can outlast the fire, but what about what comes next?”

“The only thing we can do is take things one step at a time,” Joseph said and grimaced.

Screams came from the entrance of the burrow, and Danielle’s face turned pale. “It looks like the next step is already here.”

A black dragon’s head blocked the entrance of the burrow, staring at the humans hiding inside the burrow. Although the dragon could’ve easily opened its mouth and breathed fire into the cave, it didn’t do that. It raised its front leg and tapped on the barriers that the mages had erected. The barrier trembled, and a faint crack appeared. The dragon tapped on the barrier again, and the crack widened. Every time the dragon tapped on the barrier, the crack spread further and further while the humans’ hearts dropped lower and lower.

“Reinforce the barrier! Reinforce it!”

People screamed, but no one could really do anything. They were jampacked inside the burrow, and only the people near the entrance could move around uninhibited. However, they could only move closer to the dragon waiting outside, and none of them wanted to do that. Keith’s brow furrowed as he was squished against Danielle by the crowd of shuffling people. “I knew we should’ve hired some time mages. Why didn’t you listen to me, boss man? We’re so screwed now.”

“Are we capable of hiring time mages?” Joseph asked, his expression darkening. There were only a few time mages, and all of them were famous. No amount of money could convince one to come hunt a dragon; after all, since they were famous, it’d be easy for any dragons seeking to avenge their fallen kin to find the culprit by asking around.

Before Keith could reply, there was a shattering sound. The barrier blocking the entrance of the burrow dispersed, and a wave of heat washed over the people packed inside. The black dragon outside grinned and lowered its leg. “Is there any other form of resistance you’d like to put up before I drag you out of there and deal with you one by one by one?”

A few seconds passed.

“Nothing?” Grimmy asked and raised an eyebrow. “Well then,” he said and stretched his paw into the burrow. “Let’s start with you.” He grabbed a random human who happened to be right next to Keith, lifting the poor mercenary by his head and shoulders. Grimmy’s tail swished against the ground, kicking up ashes and dirt that floated into the burrow. The flames burning behind him caused shadows to flicker like cannibals dancing around a fire. The mercenaries held their breaths. Some of them stared at Grimmy while others crouched into balls, covering their ears and closing their eyes.

Grimmy’s eyes narrowed at the humans as he rolled the mercenary around in his paw as if the man were a toy. “All of you are adults,” Grimmy said. “As such, all of you should understand that actions”—he clenched his paw, causing the man inside to let out a blood-curdling scream—“have consequences.” Grimmy released the twitching human, letting the man’s bloody body hit the ground with a thump. The cursed dragon reached into the burrow and grabbed another human at random, plucking her off the ground. She grabbed at her companions, but instead of helping her, they slapped her arms away, refusing to let her get a firm grip on their limbs and clothes. She screamed as she was tossed up into the air, and her screams continued when Grimmy caught her before she fell. He threw her up and down without looking at her, his gaze fixed on the humans trembling in the burrow.

“I could incinerate all of you with one breath,” Grimmy said, continuing to catch and throw the poor mercenary, “and I wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep.” He smiled upon seeing the humans’ faces paling even further. “But I’m not going to do that. Your deaths would be too easy.” Grimmy caught the falling woman and clenched his paw. He discarded her twitching body next to the first person. The cursed dragon’s head tilted. “Why aren’t any of you saying anything? Where was the bravery you showed when you dared to shoot my child full of holes? None of you are even going to try to fight for survival? Even rabbits bite back when they’re forced into a corner—or so I’m told. Who knows? Maybe I’ll appreciate your bravery and spare you.”

A mercenary near the entrance took in a deep breath. He drew the dagger at his waist and let out a battle cry. He rushed out of the burrow and—

Thwap!

Grimmy’s tail slammed down on the man, bringing silence to the area in an instant. Grimmy flicked the man’s body away as his tail returned to its original position. A smile appeared on the cursed dragon’s face as his eyes narrowed. “I was just kidding.” His gaze swept over the humans. “It was a joke. Why aren’t any of you laughing?” He raised his tail. “Since you didn’t understand it the first time, why don’t I do it again? Come, show me what you’re made out of. Maybe I’ll appreciate your bravery and spare you.”