[center][h2][color=lawngreen]Grasidia[/color][/h2][/center]
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It was fortunate that nobody from the guild got hurt after the dragon knocked them from the sky. That was one less thing to worry about, but now they had the dragon in front of them all. And it's only been getting more and more enraged. Grasidia wiped the blood from her brow right as Leon's little pixie appeared before her. The dust it sprinkled about felt soothing in a way, but Grasidia couldn't help but feel as if he was wasting his effort on her. [color=lawngreen][i]If he's trying to help me, someone else weaker might need him,[/i][/color] she thought, bringing her attention up to the dragon. The combined attack from Marduk and Lavinia had gouged its eye out, leaving an especially dark crimson streaming down the side of its head. Holly's attacks had badly damaged one of the wings that Grasidia kept pinned, permanently removing its ability to fly. [color=lawngreen][i]This is almost too easy. This thing is going to do something soon...[/i][/color]

Right as she lifted her hands to prepare another curse, Leon himself appeared before Grasidia. She was surprised for a moment, it was strange that this human was trying so hard to help her. It reminded her a lot of Torys' own benevolence. But then the seriousness returned. And Grasidia felt the anger begin to bite. [color=lawngreen]"What are you doing!?"[/color] she barked at him, probably surprising him. It was very unlikely he would've ever heard her raise her voice before. She placed a hand on Leon's shoulder and gripped him tightly, more than enough to make him uncomfortable. She wasn't trying to hurt him but to get his attention. [color=lawngreen]"Don't waste yourself on me! I'll be fine!"[/color] With that she released him from her grip and took a few steps forward. The healing he had already done so far was noticeable, though she was still in a world of pain. [color=lawngreen]"Go!"[/color]

She took a deep breath, bringing her hands in toward her gut as she took the moment to regain composure and calm down. The boy was just trying to help, he thought she was human and would be more hurt, he did nothing wrong. Just as soon as she exhaled her frustration the dragon before everyone let out a terrible screech. The volume alone was incredible but the sound itself was painful, even to Grasidia. She winced and brought her hands up to cover her ears as the dragon continued it screech. Others in the guild with strong senses would surely find this even worse than Grasidia did. But she kept her gaze on the dragon, watching as it coiled its tail to its side. [i][color=lawngreen]That tail is too long and powerful, but I don't think my curse can immobilize it. Someone is gonna have to do something about it or it'll kill someone with that tail.[/color][/i] And just as soon as she completed her thought the dragon stopped its screech, but rapidly unfurled its tail in a wide swing. It began swinging its tail around its body in a near complete circle, forcing everyone on the ground nearby to have to flee or take the hit. [color=lawngreen][i]And none of them can take that hit![/i][/color]

Grasidia raised her hands towards the dragon again. [color=lawngreen]"Eden! Garden Snare!"[/color] It took a second after casting but more vines burst out of the ground beneath the dragon, this time underneath its head. They quickly wrapped around its throat and began to force their way into its jaws, attempting to choke it from spreading inside. The vines around its neck not only constricted to try and choke it as well but also pull its head to the ground. This move was supposed to shift the dragon's balance and make its tail swing into the sky harmlessly rather than across the pavilion where her guildmates were standing. Grasidia had been on the receiving end of a tail whip from it and didn't want her guild to share the experience. The second part of her strategy worked as its tail did swing upwards for that, meaning everyone just had to deal with the wind pressure rather than dodging it entirely. But while she hoped she could just strangle it to death that wasn't going to be the case.

Maybe it was rage, maybe it was desperation, but the dragon's remaining eye began burning. The white glow turned red, then orange and appeared like a flickering flame. An inferno spewed forth from its jaws, incinerating the vines that had worked their way down its throat before they could do any real damage. Thankfully its flames were pointed mostly towards the ground in a harmless direction thanks to the vines around its throat, but those too began to snap and release the beast. [color=lawngreen][i]How did it...[/i][/color] Then she noticed. The dragon already had many black spines across it so she hadn't realized, but it was growing more. The spikes on its head started becoming longer and more twisted as the creature righted itself. The vines that were tripping its legs were no longer a match as the new spikes would cut them before they could grip. Even the vines binding its wings were severed. Its good wing fanned out as the dragon stood to full height, and then it stood up onto its back two legs.

[color=lawngreen][i]What is it doing?[/i][/color] Grasidia wondered, looking up high to keep her eyes on the dragon's face. When stood up like this the sheer size of the dragon became even more apparent. While it had been taking some damage it seemed that it was already... beginning to heal. Its other wing, once it was spread out and had the sky as a backdrop, was clearly repairing itself. Its damaged eye didn't appear to be fully healed yet and the wing wasn't either, but they were definitely healing. Grasidia raised her hands towards the dragon's feet, trying to get her vines to trip it while it was only on two legs, but it was to no avail. [color=lawngreen][i]Oh great, I'm becoming useless.[/i][/color] That was when she realized something. A gut feeling, something she couldn't explain. She knew what the dragon was about to do.

Grasidia looked around the battlefield, taking a quick headcount of where everyone was. They were all fairly scattered from the fall, which was a good thing anyways for their own safety. The only one in the air right now was Zenith, in some kind of takeover form, but the rest were all on the ground or near the ground. She brought her hands low and then lifted them up. [color=lawngreen]"Eden! Bramble Wall!"[/color] All across the pavilion there sprung up from the ground massive, dense thickets of thorns. These walls all came up immediately in front of each one of her guildmates, minus Zenith. The defensive spell may come as a surprise but Grasidia just [i]knew[/i] that she needed to do this. And her suspicions were confirmed. Hardly a second after she raised the walls the dragon pointed its snout straight down and let loose another torrent of flames. But as it did so it flapped its wings, sending the wave of fire in every direction sweeping across the ground.

The bramble walls held up to the flames and the wind, providing shelter to her guildmates that she was able to protect. Zenith, being in the air, only had to worry about the sudden burst of wind since he was above the flames already. Behind her own bramble wall Grasidia could still feel the intense heat from the flames passing by her. Every time it has used a flame attack it has grown larger and larger in scale. Based on the regeneration the dragon was doing and the increasing durability and power, it was finally clear to Grasidia what was going on. [color=lawngreen]"It's growing stronger,"[/color] she said to herself, though the sound of the flames drowned out even her own voice. But the moment the flames stopped that damn dragon let out its blood-curdling screech again. This time even louder than the first! Grasidia fell to her knees, clutching at her ears and leaning against the bramble wall as she tried to protect her hearing.

And while she was temporarily incapacitated the dragon made its next move. It flapped its wings one more time, deliberately trying to hit Zenith and knock the flying mage out of the air, and then it finally dropped back down to all fours. Only it was less of a "drop" and more of a powerful "crash". The impact felt like an earthquake and the ground underneath everyone was very quickly disturbed and warped. This sent rubble flying and upturned the very stone most everyone was standing on, but Grasidia couldn't protect anyone from any impacts from below. She herself was fortunate enough that the ground underneath her didn't break apart and damage her, but many of her guildmates wouldn't be so lucky. The dragon only finished screeching once it was back on all fours. Now, unrestricted by any pesky vines and with its eye now fully healed, it was primed to begin its assault. Grasidia was still picking herself back up off the ground when the dragon began another tail strike, sweeping its tail across the ground. Any bramble walls that didn't get destroyed by the earlier ground impact would stand no chance at stopping this tail. The only way to dodge would be to jump high enough to clear it or to get far enough away in time. Or perhaps even going underground. Grasidia was forced to choose that last option, using her Leaf Fake spell to quickly dart just underneath the surface of the ground to regain her bearings. [color=lawngreen][i]Is it getting smarter too?[/i][/color]