ORIGIN

As Asimona got closer, she opened her jaws and blasted the golem with a breath of freezing cold air and ice, perhaps not as powerful as she could, but she was in a hurry. Once the spell was cast, she swerved and climbed higher in the air to keep away from the golems' grasp. Once she was high enough, she steadied herself in the air and looked down, snarling ferociously.

Was this why is was so quiet in Polaris? Were there more golems then usual scaring off the usual denizens and travelers? Not that she had time to think about it, the air was certainly heavier then she was used to, more magic in the air and Asimona realized that it was probably sending the golems into a frenzy. Well, this was her chance to stop them. At least to of them, that is.

Asimona continued to hover above the golems, growling down at them as she prepared her next breath. Seeing one of them begin to freeze, she bared her teeth in a grin. One down, or at least one stopped for now. She turned her attention to the other just as it hurled another boulder at her. She didn't even bother getting out of the way. It smashed into the hard plates on her chest and she gasped a little as she was hit back a little bit. She flapped her wings harder to steady herself, but the hit hadn't been powerful and her plates had mostly protected her.

Not hesitating another instant, she dropped her jaw and released another blast of cold and ice, much more powerful then before, right at the golem that had thrown the boulder at her. Stop it, freeze it, and then she would tear it apart!

As she finished her spell, she lowered herself until she was back on the ground in front of them, whipping up wind and pebbles to fly everywhere and roared furiously at the two stone monsters. She would destroy them!

Asimona jumped a little as the boulder slammed down right next to her, cracking and breaking into pieces. She had underestimated these things - they would be tough to take down. She would have to be more careful.

She felt a trickling of fear along her spine as Father breathed along her neck, chuckling darkly. "You have gone in over your head, Asimona. If you submit...I'll save you." The words brought on a boiling fear and fury that caused the ice dragon to tremble and scrape the ground with frusteration. "No," she growled. "Leave me alone! I can do this!"

She roared again and opened her jaws to breath ice on the one that had broken from its shell, but the magic went awry, perhaps on some meddling from Father or her own dented resolve. From her mouth, there an explosion of ice, the force sending her flying backwards and she tumbled along the ground, her jaws frozen open and her eyes wide with shock. Father laughed loudly, joined in by the screeching chime of Mother.

She felt her heart crack.

Asimona thought she would have time to get up. Asimona thought that she would be able to continue the fight. One failure would not cost her the whole thing, right? She could still keep going! She would not let Mother and Father's mocking laughter bring her down!

But it seemed that she was wrong, in every regard. She had barely scrambled to her feet when the golem's huge bouldery 'fist' came crashing down, right on her shoulder, instantly shattering the bone underneath.

Asimona let out a terrible roar, a roar so loud that it shook the rocks nearby. She scrambled back, horrible agony shooting up her leg. She hopped away, instinctively spreading her wings and taking off into the air to lessen the strain on her broken bone. She was panting from the pain, tears leaking from her eyes and she turned without hesitation and flew away, moaning from the pain in her arm and in her heart.

Again, she had failed.

*exit