Pegasus Sesiah (1)
It happened then. As Kang Naru was diligently climbing the mountain, he suddenly tripped and tumbled head over heels down the slope.
"Huh?"
"Hm?"
"What the hell?"
"What happened?"
"Why'd he fall?"
The onlookers stared in bewilderment.
At that moment, Naru shot upright, leaves stuck in his hair.
"Ugh, damn it. All that sex has left my legs like jelly."
The red dragon Isla was in hot pursuit of Sesiah. High above the mountain range, the pure white creature fled at breakneck speed.
"Insolent beast..."
Isla scowled at this unwanted game of tag.
Whoosh!
She unleashed a breath attack. Blazing flames engulfed Sesiah.
But the pegasus dove sharply, escaping in a flash.
It kept happening like this. Every time Isla went for the kill, Sesiah slipped away like an eel—slithering this way and that, as if fleeing was second nature, as if mocking her.
She had no intention of facing her head-on.
Isla had nearly caught her a few times, but hesitated each time, not wanting to mar such beauty.
Yet trying to capture her gently was frustrating. Her patience was wearing thin. If push came to shove, she might just burn the entire mountain range.
Dragons had long been famed for their mastery of magic. Her original plan was to snag Sesiah effortlessly with a spell, unharmed.
But Sesiah was different.
'Magic doesn't work.'
The pegasus could nullify spells. Even direct hits left her unscathed.
Physical force was the only answer.
But that risked injuring her beauty... Isla was torn.
"No choice, then."
After much deliberation, she decided.
"If that's how you want it, I'll shatter your wings and take you."
Isla's eyes gleamed as she chased. Trees sprouted from the ground en masse, uprooting themselves.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
They floated into the air, then shot toward Sesiah like arrows.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hundreds of trees rained down like a storm. They exploded on impact, scattering dirt and debris.
Sesiah dodged the onslaught for a while, but as the barrage continued, she spun into a dive.
That was when she neared the ground.
Clang!
Arch-shaped metal structures burst from the earth on both sides, slamming shut and swallowing her whole.
"What the hell is that?"
Isla halted mid-flight, peering down from above.
A massive dome, like an overturned bowl. Sesiah was trapped inside.
It was as big as a town square. In this wilderness, only one group could build something like that.
"Dwarves, huh."
Isla clicked her tongue, then grinned.
"Want to play? Fine, I'll indulge you."
She plummeted like a bolt.
"Father! We've got her!"
Inside the vast dome topped with a giant roof, the dwarves cheered.
Pegasus Sesiah paced before them, trapped.
"Not done yet! We need to restrain her!"
They'd sealed her flight; now just cage her. In their own pen. Comfortably.
"She's a thousand-year-old monster—cunning as hell! Stay calm and careful! Dragon Net! Dragon Net!"
"Deploying!"
A heavy iron net unfurled from the ceiling, draping over Sesiah.
"Piii-hiiing!"
Sesiah thrashed in the tight mesh.
"Look at her go. Still hopping around in that heavy net. Tighten it!"
"Aye!"
"Other team, ready the Dragon Breakers!"
"Brother! What if the Dragon Breaker kills her?"
"Just hit her hard enough to drop!"
"How hard is that?"
"Hell if I know! Just pound her till she can't get up!"
"We'll start with low power!"
Dwarves in wooden watchtowers loaded a long, golden cannon with powder and shot, then lit it.
Boom!
The shot could pulverize castle walls. It struck Sesiah dead-on at blinding speed.
Kaboom!
A pillar of earth erupted. Dust billowed as Hokan, the dwarven warrior, sighed in relief.
'It's over. The hunt's done.'
Memories flashed through his mind.
"My time is ending. Yours is coming."
The dwarf king, turning 300, had told his son Hokan it was time to pass the throne—he was old and weak.
"We'll hold the coronation soon."
"Father!"
Hokan was thrilled, yet something felt lacking. A plain ceremony wouldn't do. He wanted something epic.
Then it hit him: Pegasus Sesiah. Parading the venue atop her for his coronation.
So he'd brought his sons, brothers— the fiercest, bravest, most skilled dwarves. Ten in total.
They'd prepared meticulously to avoid failure. The dome bristled with capture weapons, the pinnacle of dwarven tech.
The more Sesiah resisted, the worse for her. The outcome was set.
"She must be down, right?"
The dust cleared. Sesiah was fine, even from a Dragon Breaker.
Thinking her tamed, a dwarf approached with food—only for her to whirl and rear up to kick.
Hokan gnashed his teeth.
"You bastard! Let's see who wins! Reload the cannon, prep the Piercing Hammers! We'll punch holes in those wings first!"
Rumble!
"Hm?"
The whole dome shook.
Rumble rumble!
All eyes turned upward. The roof boomed, shaking the ground.
"B-brother? Someone's attacking outside."
"Who the fuck!"
"Father, I'll check!"
"I'll go too!"
Crash!
A section of roof caved, revealing a massive dragon face.
"Dare touch my prey? Time for a lesson!"
Whoosh!
Breath flooded the dome unhesitatingly. Dwarves screamed and fled.
In the chaos, the winch spun loose, hoisting the net upward and freeing Sesiah.
She spread her wings and soared.
The camp watched the spectacle.
"Whoa, dwarves versus Isla."
"Gonna kill 'em?"
"Hokan's no pushover. He won't just take it."
"Look! He's grabbing a spear!"
"Pissed off good!"
"That's no ordinary spear. Could pierce dragon hide."
"Sesiah's just fishing in troubled waters."
Then it happened. As Sesiah shot through the ruined roof into the sky, Naru—who'd somehow gotten there first and waited on the beams—hurled a lasso around her neck.
"Piii-hing!"
Sesiah bucked her head, rocketing up. Naru gripped the rope with both hands, dangling in the air.
"Whoa!"
"Holy shit!"
"Isn't that the guy whose legs gave out earlier? Thought he was a comedian when he rolled..."
"That rope'll snap soon."
"He won't last. If rope worked, it'd be caught already."
"Gonna plummet to his death?"
"Ugh, can't watch. Closing my eyes for the fall."
"Guy's nuts. Who lassos a pegasus? Haha."
"If he catches her with that, I'll eat my hand."
"I'll buy everyone here a round."
"Heroes sure think simple."
The camp crowd had zero faith in Naru.
The eastern continent. Greenwise Mountains. Vera's Hall.
Two demigods visited where Vera resided.
"It's been ages, both of you."
Yona of the West Wind. Monarch the East General.
Awe-inspiring beings of fearsome power. The demigods were curious. Even if it was someone else's business, the slim chance Vera might claim Pegasus Sesiah piqued their interest.
Flicker!
Candles lit themselves.
Vera, in a pure white dress baring her back, her grass-green hair swaying, took the head seat.
Yona and Monarch sat apart from each other and her.
A crystal orb rose at the round table's center, floating and projecting events in the Bagas Mountains.
There was Naru, lassoed to Sesiah, being dragged skyward.
"Hero Kang Naru. Hustling hard for our bet."
The first human to beat her in a wager. Bold enough for a second: sleep with her if he brought Sesiah as a gift.
Seeing his effort, a smile curved her lips.
"You'll fail in the end. Sesiah's not as simple as you think."
Yona and Monarch, silent till now, nodded in agreement.
"We all failed too."