Chương 182: Chapter 180 - The Secretary and the Dragon

Pinkie had her head shoved into the window, staring right into the Secretary's eyes. Ryan's voice made her blink and finally take note of his presence.

"Oh hey Ryan! Funny meeting you here. You knew I was here?"

"Not quite." He lied.

"But thanks for confirming that explosion was you." Pinkied clicked her tongue.

"You're always a little too smart for your own good." So, the explosion that got the San Kingsgrove guards unnerved was her. That made Ryan's mind move ahead to think. Was it Pinkie and Grettfield fighting? Or was there another dragonslayer here that was capable of putting up a fight against Pinkie?

"Now be quiet while the adults talk, okay?"

"How's the wing?" The angry dragon-girl hissed at him, her teeth crackling with lightning.

"What do you know?!" Ryan drew back, completely confused by her reaction.

"I mean, I saw your wing getting ripped off by the Witch Tyrant?" Pinkie pupils turned into huge saucers, reminding him of a cat ready to pounce. Her outstretched finger, dripping with the Secretary's blood, curling back. Ryan just turned to the impeccably calm Ella. The Secretary's ring started to glow and encompassed all of them in a bubble. Then a surge of overwhelming mana flowed from her wrist. It took Pinkie's attention away from him and put it back squarely on the Secretary.

Pinkie withdrew her hand and put it to her mouth, licking the Secretary's blood, all while maintaining eye contact. She then placed her left hand on top of the car roof, her head still shoved into the vehicle. And she was getting larger. Taking up more space as the human face started growing scales and a snout started to take shape. Pinkie… purred. There was no other way to say it. Only it was a deep rumble that vibrated the car.

"Think you can use your relics to stop me, Ella?" …It would have been a lot more intimidating if her cleavage also hadn't gotten larger and was spilling towards the Secretary. Ella seemed to have enough of the pitiful intimidation.

"What are you doing here?" The draconic head was now taking up all the space in front of the Secretary, an eye staring into Ella's face. Pinkie's deep voice kept shaking the car.

"You know what I want. I need your help."

"And I made it pretty clear that I was not getting involved. I've already covered for your little mishap earlier. If you know what's good for you, you will let her go and use that as good will instead." Her? Had Pinkie captured someone? Pinkie snarled, her thick tongue flicking towards the Secretary's face." They started it. They should have known that this was coming when they came after me!" The Secretary rolled her eyes and wiped her ear with her sleeve.

"Yes, and that is all the more reason for you to leave them alone. You are not dealing with rational people. It won't stop, even if you kill her." Pinkie started grinding her teeth, a horrible scratching noise grinding into Ryan's ears.

"I just need you to help me out, just this once. Then everything will be fine. This is it, Ella. This is our time." Something about the conversation made it sound like an addict that was half threatening, and half promising that everything would be fine after helping them out just this once. It was a similar feeling to when Ryan had last met up with Pinkie on Earth. She was more anxious than ever before.

"I'm so close, Ella. I know it. I just need to know what they've hexed me with. It might just be the Witch Tyrant's spite, or she's trying to keep me delayed while she's busy with the realm expansion. There is no better time." Ryan made multiple connections at that moment. Pinkie had pretty much manifested her Legend in the city of Defiance. They had to mean a witch coven, one that capable of hexing her. Then Pinkie had met with Grettfield but still didn't know what the hex on her was… Ella shook her head.

"You should have thought of that before you punched her in the face." Pinkie snarled.

"You don't understand! Now is the time to move. She's distracted. Just help me out and you won't have to worry about a thing again. I'll be strong enough to stop anyone —even her from touching us." Ryan frowned a little at the weird wording but understood what was going on overall. It turned out that the crazy psycho dragon girl did have someone she cared for. It was absolutely unexpected and he really, really wanted to know the full story there.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Also he wished he had some popcorn. This was some crazy drama. Ella was cold, not moved by Pinkie's argument at all.

"I have told you many times already. Seeking safety through power is a fool's errand. I will not make enemies out of powerful, spiteful and irrational people." Ryan wondered how much of those words were for him and how much were for Pinkie. The draconic head screamed.

"Lies! How many enemies have you made working under her orders? You could be free, free and safe!" The Secretary was silent at that, perhaps acknowledging that she did indeed have powerful enemies. Pinkie was becoming more agitated than ever. Frustrated that Ella couldn't see it the way she did.

"This is it! I promise you that once I finish my Legend, not even she can make you do anything." But that was the wrong thing to say. Ryan understood that about the Secretary. For the longest time, people had debated whether Ella Maizel truly had the [Secretary] class like she claimed. The idea of someone reaching the tenth realm and picking a class like [Secretary] was absurd for many. Ryan knew for certain that Ella Maizel did indeed have some sort of [Secretary] class. He was also certain that she loved her job.

Navigating around powerful people was simply something she did as part of her class. It took Pinkie a little longer to realize her own mistake. If she did at all. All she saw was the Secretary being as cold as she always was. And that pissed Pinkie off. The enchanted car started shuddering under the weight of Pinkie's hand, the driver looking like he was a split second away from pulling his amulet—and Ella Maizel… was completely unbothered.

She raised a hand, the adventurer driver relaxed his deathgrip on the amulet.

"It seems I need to make our relationship clear once again. We were friends with benefits, nothing more. Though you can consider that relationship ended. We are done." The driver's eyes went wide. Ryan was tense, ready to throw open the door hope he could get out of the blast range with his life intact. Pinkie massive eyes… just blinked. For a good ten seconds, the half dragon head simply stared into space. Then she started reducing in size.

Keeping a draconic shape but with pink spines on her back and with pink irises. A drake—what was likely her true form. She stared at the Secretary with unblinking eyes, lower lip trembling.

"You'll regret this." The Secretary's eyes were still cold.

"The only thing I regret is thinking you were capable of having a casual relationship. I will not help you, nor will I seek your help should you manage to succeed in your Legend. I do, however, wish you luck in your endeavor though." That was ice cold. Pinkie the drake took one last look at the Secretary. Then leapt away—the shockwave from the force cracking the concrete and lifting the car a couple inches off the ground.

People screamed from the outside of the bubble as Pinkie broke the sound barrier without caring about any collateral damage. People were now fleeing from the bubble, possibly realizing that it wasn't a good idea to stick around and take recordings of magical spheres that were designed to maintain adventurer's privacy in public. Though there were still some people taking pictures. The Secretary looked at the dented roof, where Pinkie's enormous hand had broken the enchantments. She sighed then turned to Ryan.

"I hope you enjoyed that bit of interpersonal drama."

"You really slept with… her?" Then Ryan's eyes went wide in realization.

"Wait, was that why she was basically shoving her boobs inside the car? Was she just flirting with you in that form? Do all dragonslayers actually try to sleep with dragons?!"

"No. And I would appreciate it if you kept the knowledge of my and Pinkie's relationship to yourself." Ryan considered blackmail for silence, then he realized he couldn't.

"Sorry, I don't keep secrets from my team." Ryan's door opened automatically.

"Then have a good day, Adventurer Robinson." Instead of leaving, Ryan closed the door. He tried to get his thoughts in order. Yes, as much as the image of the prim and proper Secretary sleeping with a draconic Pinkie was distracting, there were more important things.

"Is San Kingsgrove safe? We're dealing with a coven fallout with dragonslayer tier [Witches] and a wild Pinkie right?" If there was even a chance that his team was getting involved he was going to drag them kicking and screaming out of here.

"There isn't a need to worry. The coven in question prefers to stay in the shadows. I would bet that they will be distracted by the bounty in Sector Thirteen as well… Pinkie. I believe she won't act out of turn."

"She literally bit off a dude's head."

"She won't act out of turn before she obtains her Legend." Ryan remembered that enormous fist that had appeared in her fight with the other dragonslayers. Impervious to any damage, stronger than everything else in the world.

"What happens if she succeeds?" The Secretary paused.

"Then we'll have a new Tyrant on our hands." Ryan had another intrusive thought.

"Is that why you were sleeping with her?"

"You really do enjoy asking inappropriate questions, don't you?"

"I just can't imagine you being in a relationship with someone that psychotically chaotic. Wait I got it, sleeping with a potential boss as a [Secretary]. Maybe it's a class thing?"

"Adventurer Robinson?"

"Yeah?"

"Get the fuck out of my car." ============================================= 1 hour later…

"No way." Milo said.

"I'm not kidding. Pinkie was flirting in her draconic form with the Secretary. Ella said it herself, they were friends with benefits." Clara was scandalized.

"You think she actually slept with Pinkie in her scary dragon form?"

"I think she did. Pinkie was literally licking her face with a dragon head."

"You hear stories about how adventurers sleep with anything that moves but the [Secretary]?" Clara thought about it for a second.

"Actually, you know what? I can see it. A stuck up secretary being stressed out, working with an odd hot blooded coworker that's—that's uhm…" She trailed off as she realized both Milo and Ryan were staring at her. Then Ryan turned to Milo.

"What's the bet that if we check her phone we'll find a bunch of smut."

"A hundred percent." Barry let out an insufferable sigh.

"Can we please focus? What's the plan Ryan?"

"Well, there's a shadowy dragonslayer tier coven on the loose. Likely taking orders from the Witch Tyrant. They've hexed Pinkie and she's kidnapped one of their members in turn. Meanwhile Grettfield is at odds with the coven. Likely because she's just helped Pinkie out, or maybe there's another reason. We don't know how powerful this coven is but it's enough to make both Pinkie and a hidden dragonslayer tier [Witch] become cautious." Ryan had been thinking about it for a good moment.

Now that he had a better picture, he was putting his foot down.

"I don't care what the Secretary thinks. We're getting the hell out of San Kingsgrove. Milo, message Valee. Tell her that if she doesn't come here in twenty four hours she'll have to come to LA instead."