Just in time, too. Maddy’s spell expired. Atreus unfroze. He lunged again, this time swiping at me with his paw. I held up my shield, allowing it to absorb the blow. Then I charged forward, driving him back as Maddy prepared her next spell.
“Aw, man. I really wish I was playing,” Lilli said, leaning over to take in the action.
“We could have used you,” I agreed as the dragon blasted me with fire and my hit points plummeted again. At least it didn’t hurt in real life like it did back in Dragon Ops. Still, it wasn’t looking good for us. I couldn’t use another potion—there was a five-minute cooldown on those—and we had no healer in our party to get me back into fighting shape. Which meant basically one more blow and we’d be wiped.
“Come on, Maddy!” I called out. “What are you waiting for?” I turned from the screen to glance at real-life Maddy next to me. She gave me a helpless shrug.
“He gagged me!” she said. “Sorry!”
Ugh. Being gagged was basically the worst thing to happen to a mage. It literally shut you up—meaning you couldn’t cast any spells until it wore off.
In other words, we were doomed.
I considered running. Maybe I could get out of aggro range and reset the fight. But it was too late, I realized. If I turned back now, he’d just attack me from behind. Better to die head-on with glory and honor.
At least in this case, it was only a game.
I raised my sword. “Come at me, man,” I declared. “Just try it!”
Atreus roared, stalking forward. I slashed at his nose, my blade singing true. Just a nick, but enough to wound him. My sister and Maddy cheered.
“That’s it! Hold him off. Just twenty seconds more!” Maddy cried.
“I’ll do my best!”
Okay, I had to admit. This was fun. Like, ridiculously fun. Even though we were totally getting our butts kicked. Just to be playing again. To feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. My skin prickling with excitement.
Gaming. Man, I had really missed gaming.
Atreus roared, knocking Lord Wildhammer backward. Then he followed it up with a blast of poisoned breath. My hit points ticked down rapidly. Maddy was still gagged behind me. Atreus’s eyes flashed fire as he took a triumphant step in our direction. Lifted his head and—
BOOM!
I yelped in surprise at the sudden noise blasting from my speakers. A noise that definitely had not come from Atreus. I spun the game camera, trying to figure out where it had come from. Had a new group arrived, fresh for battle?
Atreus also seemed confused. He stopped his attack, his gaze turning upward…
BOOM!
A large blast of electricity slashed through the sky. At first I thought it had come from Maddy, but she was still gagged, and anyway she was an ice mage, not electric. Atreus let out a horrible roar, convulsing violently as the lightning hit him straight on. He crashed to the ground, for a moment struggling to regain his footing. But at last he surrendered, collapsing heavily, his eyes rolling back into his head.
Dead. But how?
I turned my game camera to the sky, my heart pounding in my chest. To my shock, I found another giant dragon. This one was a shiny silver, with three heads attached to three long necks. It swam through the sky with impossible gracefulness. I watched, mesmerized, as it began to come down for a landing.
Was it a friend? Or another foe to deal with?
Maddy’s cell phone rang. She made a face, then looked at the screen. “Tokyo again,” she told us. “I gotta take this. Sorry.” She rose to her feet. “I’ll be back. And thanks for the game. I forgot how much fun it was to play.” She smiled at us. “Hope everything’s okay with your friend.”
“Thanks, Maddy,” Lilli and I said in unison.
As she headed upstairs to her apartment, I turned my attention back to the game—namely to the new dragon arrival. I had to admit, it was so beautiful. So majestic. And yet at the same time, it looked weirdly… familiar.
“Why, hello, my favorite adventurer! Fancy finding you here! And in dire peril, too. Just like old times!”
I stared at the screen. The English-accented voice was clearly coming from the silver dragon. I’d recognize it anywhere.
“Yano?” I asked through the laptop microphone. “Is that you?”
The three-headed silver dragon did a fancy barrel roll before coming in for a graceful landing. “The one and only,” he declared. “How do you like my new look? Just like my namesake, Yamata-no-Orochi, the three-headed dragon of legend.”
“You look amazing,” Lilli cried, scooting in closer.
“Is that Lilli?” Yano asked, peering out from the computer screen. It was then that I realized he couldn’t see the real-life us from inside the game. Only Lord Wildhammer. But he could hear us both just fine.
“Yes! I’m here, too!” Lilli assured him. “It’s great to see you again!”
“It’s great… not… to see you,” Yano replied. “But I’m sure you look as lovely as you always have. I mean, not as stunning as me, of course. But still, relatively well kept, I’m sure.”
I couldn’t help a smile. Good old Yano. He’d been such a loyal guide during our Dragon Ops adventures. There was no way we’d have ever made it through without him.
“I thought you were guiding Ikumi now,” I said, remembering how he’d appeared to me the last time I’d played Fields of Fantasy. When Hiro let his daughter out of the game, he also released the dragon, so she’d have a companion. Someone to keep an eye on her—keep her safe. My eyebrows furrowed with sudden concern. “Is she all right? We got this message—”
“Right. Yes. That was from me. I used her account to send it
