The Wood Dragon - An Excerpt from "Book 3: Darkness"
Razer lept off of Jack Thunder's shoulder and began sniffing the ground. "What is it, Razer? What do you smell?" Jack Thunder asked.
The wyvern didn't answer. He just kept sniffing, making his way towards one of the roller coasters. He stopped in front of the sign at the entrance. It read, "The Wood Dragon" in faded red letters. He whined.
San could feel something was off about the coaster. He looked closer at the rails. Normally, they would glow with a soft, warm magenta aura. The color of nekomata magic. But these rails' aura was very dark. Even darker than the darkest of Dark magic. Almost black. And it gave off a deep red light. Even worse was the chill surrounding them. There was no mistaking what this was.
Before he could say anything, though, the entire coaster jolted. He jumped back as the coaster sprung to life. Shifting, transforming into something new. Rails became claws and wings and a tail. The end split off and twisted upon itself, forming a snout.
One by one, the beast pulled its claws out of the ground. Its entire form was made from the structure of the former coaster. Its form was made of the warped and twisted roots and trunks of trees. Dry, cracked bark formed its scales, and patches of the glow fungi Jack Thunder saw earlier drew runes across its entire body. Its claws were tree roots, and its wings were covered in leaves. The Wooden Dragon glowered down at them with glowing red eyes.
Jack Thunder gulped but readied himself nonetheless. Here we go!
Jack Thunder charged up his staff, but the draconian construct ran straight at him, bowling him over. He barely managed to avoid the Wood Dragon's claws as he managed to zap it on its underside. It left a black mark where it landed.
The dragon whirled around to charge at him again, but Buckthorn summoned a tidal wave with the Seastone, knocking it over. It writhed and thrashed before righting itself back on its feet.
San took to the skies, swooping around the dragon and striking it from every angle. Strombolio had a similar idea. Though the harlequin gremlin didn't have Lethal Joke, he didn't need the Dark Fragment to be a menace in battle. He crawled all over the dragon's form, ripping out roots and branches with his teeth. The Wood Dragon screeched and bucked, trying to get him off, but he gripped it even tighter.
Eventually, Strombolio ate a hole in the construct's leg and crawled inside. Shadow-Paws shrieked when he saw the wall of twisted roots close around Strombolio. For a second, it seemed like the former Dark Champion was done for.
All of a sudden, the Wood Dragon jerked. It fell on its side once again, its movements sporadic and chaotic. Its legs flailed helplessly, as if it were trying to flee. Witnessing this, Jack Thunder and the crew stepped back. What was going on?!
Strombolio burst from the dragon's chest, covered in tree sap and dead leaves. The Wood Dragon seized one last time before falling limp. Its eyes faded to black and the crew could see the red and black aura evaporating off of its form and dissipating.
Strombolio glanced back at the now-inactive Wood Dragon. The coaster was still twisted into a dragon body, only now it had a massive hole in the middle of its chest.
He sighed. Well, that was expensive. How am I supposed to explain this to the insurance company?
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