Three green dragons were terrorising the wolf pack. While two kept the pack at bay, one of the dragons was tackling and biting an isolated wolf. The wolf was howling in pain as the green dragon bit it over and over. Its agile body snaking around the poor creature as it claws and tail held it within reach of its jaws. Each bite left the wolf bleeding, rue could see a large amount of green-hued saliva dripping from the dragon's maw between each bite. The dragon was ferocious as its emerald green scales were sprayed with blood, it held the far smaller creature in its clutches and gave it the embrace of death.

The wolf had quickly succumbed to the lightning-fast attacks and the dragon stood up to help keep the rest of the pack at bay. The wolves were circling and nipping towards the dragons but the size difference was undeniable, their natural instincts told them showing weakness or their backs would lead to disaster. Rue focused on the dragons, her teeth bared in a ferocious snarl and her tail whipping back and forth. She was less than 10 meters away from the melee, now having emerged from behind her shelter.

[Green Dragon Lv15]

[Green Dragon Lv18]

[Green Dragon Lv19]

Each of the green dragons was over five meters long. The pack's bond kept them from running in sheer terror, but they were on the edge. The wolves' legs vibrated with fear and they whined just as much as they growled. One of the dragons stepped forward and snapped at a wolf, it was leisurely as if to tell the wolf to get lost. They had taken their prize and would have no interference. It went to look away as if dismissing the wolf when it spotted rue and froze, letting out a low hiss its claws dug at the earth.

Noticing the new threat, one far greater than the last the dragons hissed and growled at each other. After a few seconds of communication, one of the green dragons jumped and took flight, landing on the rock Rue had been hiding behind. For now, it was out of reach, and she ignored it. The other two sent hissing sounds at each other before splitting, moving to each of her sides. With her appearance, the wolves gathered together and decided to get just give up. They turned and just as they were about to dash off when they received huge gout of flame. It caught most of the pack and they went up like living torches, their fur burning bright. Rue roared in a challenge to the larger green dragons as she put the wolves out of her mind. She reckoned some of them would live but hopefully, most would succumb to her flames.

She decided to focus on one dragon and try to take it down quickly, they were larger and had the advantage of flight. She rushed at the one on her left, that would negate their numbers advantage and not leave her trapped inside a closing circle. Rue thundered towards the green dragon as she did she began to expend mana out from her body, using her flaming aura.

The temperature began to rise rapidly. Rue felt no discomfort, and the green dragons didn’t seem to either, despite the steam coming off the moist ground. She kept pumping more mana into the skill and the grass began to wilt at a visible pace. The bushes turned brown in a radius of ever-expanding heat, the heat rolled out from her like a rushing tsunami. Anywhere it travelled plants, insects and the very ground steamed.

She ran at the green dragon quickly but it danced away, using a flap from its wings to jump great distance she never even got close. She kept lunging forwards using her wings as well to try and gain extra speed, her fury mounted as she once again snapped her jaws down on air. It was no hope, the green dragons evaded her like water flowing around her claws.

Rue came to a stop, if physical strength would not catch them then she would use her fire. Her eyes glinted a menacing red as she focused on the dragon, it too had come to standstill. Using more of her mana bringing her down to 90% she raised the temperature further. The bushes over 30 meters away were browning now as the heat rolled out from her at the epicentre. The temperature at Rue's skin level was hot enough to make the plants around her spontaneously combust. They quickly turned either to ash or charcoal as the heat created an oppressive atmosphere.

It was with this new burst of heat that even Rue felt her lungs prickle, nothing dangerous due to her fire resistance but her insides were not as immune to fire as her scales and skin. As she breathed out faint wisps of smoke curled out of her nostrils. The other dragons, however, were having a harder time, their scales also provided a modicum of protection but it was clearly painful for them to come within close range. The two dragons kept retreating to gulp fresh air from the edges of her skills effect, the heat clearly bothering their lungs. Rue hissed as she saw a green glow envelop their scales and some of the burned softer skin was healed, leaving it a constant pink-red. Rue’s mana was constantly depleting to maintain the increased temperature, now she was down to 80% of her reserves. This was frustrating, she let out a huge roar challenging the beast to come and meet her claws.

As if to spite her one of them turned away from her. Enraged and seeing an opportunity she did not waste it. Using a chunk of her mana and fire she sent a bright orange white blast of flame towards a green monstrosity. As fast as it was, by the time another dragon roared a warning the dragon only managed to dodge half of her flame. The white-hot magical fire seared into the dragon's side, legs and tail. It managed to avoid any to the chest, neck or face but one of its wings was bathed in the flame. The dragon's tough scales burned and crisped in the fire, the smell of cooking flesh filled the clearing as the muscle beneath was burned.

The creature let out a roar and the dragon that had been sitting on the rock all this time finally made a move. Rue had nearly forgotten about the still and silent foe, the others had been a more immediate threat and she had been focusing on trying to catch them. Caught up in the fight as she was, only when she saw a glint of green out of the corner of her eye that she remembered the third dragon. Its jaws snapped down onto her neck and its claws gripped her right-wing and left thigh. The larger green dragon was gripping her in its talons while it bit down in her neck. It had her in a hold just below her head and was being immobilised the large predator. Her weight prevented her from being rolled onto her belly but the predator had got the jump on her. With her neck gripped she could only let out a snarl and try to claw her opponent, missing its agile form.

Sensing her dire situation the other dragons move closer. Before the dragon could bite down or release some noxious acid Rue twisted her head, she found the action surprisingly easy, the huge size of the dragon not equating to superior strength. Her ruby scales grated past the creature's teeth, some of them ripping off to her discomfort and anger. She turned her head to try and look at the dragon but its agility meant it stayed ahead of her restricted head.

The dragon bit down and rue felt an immense pressure on her neck, more scales cracked or moved aside to allow the creature teeth to sink into her neck. Not deep enough to do any real damage but it caused pain and any struggling she did cause the wounds to rip further open. With time the green dragon would fully penetrate her defences to cause real damage.

It was in this struggle that the other dragons approached and bit at her legs and clawed at her chest. Rue let out a strangled roar as memories of her helpless for in the cave came back to her, she redoubled her effort, slashing her tail and all her limbs to try and claw her adversary. They were large and soon had her embroiled in a mad tangle of snapping jaws and raking claws. With so many limbs and bodies around Rue occasionally she would hit something soft and her powerful claws would rake a wound into the other dragons. Her strength was far superior to both their strength and vitality. With so many limbs flailing around the small dragon they found it difficult to dodge. The damage she inflicted on them was far more serious than the minor wounds she was receiving but as they kept her trapped her panic was rising.

Rue felt her blood flow as the fight raged, her neck was leaking blood around her attacker's mouth and similar bite marks were prevalent on her lower neck and all of her limbs. Her assailant's claws were raking against her chest and back, keeping her on the floor as they chipped scale after scale off her ruby body.

In desperate need to get some space to think or even muster a proper defence rue channelled more mana into her aura skill, the heat that had died down in the furious melee began to rise again. More and more mana she channelled into the skill. Pausing at 50% mana she sucked a bit back in to soothe her wounds, those that did not have teeth still cutting into them made an attempt to close but it seemed harder than normal. She sucked more heat out of the air, converting it into healing energy that forcibly closed the wounds. Rue grit her teeth as the dragon bit harder on her neck, her muscles straining to minimise the damage.

She had to channel more mana to keep increasing the temperature until one of the beasts couldn’t take it anymore. When she hit 30% of her reserves one of the dragons leapt away from the fight and used its powerful wings to take flight, seeking cooler air that did not burn its lungs. Rue snarled with renewed effort, the fleeing dragon was unstable in its flight as it narrowly missed some trees, the wood-burning in an inferno. Most of the forest for near fifty meters was on fire now, the temperatures near the centre hot enough to vaporise water.

Now with the fight, a two on one Rue brought an unfettered paw up and batted the Dragon holding her neck. Its teeth were forced free with a bloody tear that sprayed blood and a few small bits of flesh from her neck. Her natural and skill-based regeneration were working to heal the damage, both took mana and she supplemented it by drawing healing from the boiling air.

With her head now free she snaked it around and clamped down on the occupied dragon, it was chewing the base of her wing when she caught it at the middle of the neck and bit down with all 116 points of her strength. Her vitality strengthened teeth powered by her massive strength sheared through the dragon’s flesh and she felt the bone splinter under her huge bite. Its claws slipped free of her wounds as it fell on top of her, limp.

She turned her head to the dragon she had battered, it was recovering from the powerful blow just as she released a mundane blast of fire. It struck the dragon full in the face, coating its entire body in fire. The beast screeched and flapped around trying to extinguish the flames. While it was busy Rue used her strength to pull her way out from under the dead dragon, the beast's blood boiling off her scales in seconds. The one that had flown away was 50 meters away smoking and twitching as it licked a massive rent in its side. It had not made it out of the aura's effect entirely but seemed incapable of getting up. It kept licking its would and glancing at the approaching inferno, the air around to already hot enough to boil water several times over. Whatever mana the creature usually used to heal had clearly run dry as its blood flowed fast out of the wound only to evaporate on the ground and its scales.

The one she had set on fire was blackened and snarling at her, the mundane fire was not much worse than the roiling inferno of heat it was standing in. It was a dragon, and its scales naturally resistant to heat and fire. It looked at her with hatred, Rue used half of her remaining mana and a good chunk of her fire to bathe the creature again. It let out a snarling cry before curling up and screeching, too exhausted and burned to put up a fight it feebly rolled around. Its attempts to put out the flame all for nought.

Rue stalked up to the smoking husk of the creature that had held her neck, anger surged up and she dug her claws into the ground leaping forward. She targeted it throat and with glee ripped it out with her jaws. They were quite fragile if you could get a hold of them and rue ripped at the creature until it was lying burning and immobile. She jettisoned the flesh from her mouth, the thought of eating other dragons repulsed her. The thought of killing these ones however… she turned to look the last dragon.

The dragon in the distance was lying slumped near a tree, clearly bled and cooked to death if the massive pool of boiled blood was any indication. All of the moisture had evaporated leaving a red crust on the dragon and ground.

Rue felt the heat of the environment burn her lungs and decided it was no longer needed. She sucked the heat back into her and it helped her regeneration to close her wounds. They were red and pink with a lack of scales in the affected area. It would take a while for the natural armour to grow back even accelerated by her regeneration.

The surroundings cooled and air rushed in as the temperature dropped creating a pleasant breeze and providing cleaner air to breathe.

Rue checked her rewards and roared her supremacy over the dead dragons' smoking corpses.