Chapter 190 - The Vermillion Dragon And Crimson Panda

Matching her natural, fierce beauty, her armor stood out in its regal, immaculate form. It was clear that it wasn't just any ordinary armor for any ordinary chump; the streaks of fine crimson that ran along the regal surface of the protective attire coalesced into the sigil she bore on her chest--the head of an eastern dragon, not roaring, but simply smiling calmly. 

It was underneath this splendid armor that she wore somewhat baggy, silky fabric of a reddish-orange shade, mimicking the scales that possessed in reality as a design of its own, accompanied by lavish accents. 

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! I thought Sora's armor was cool, but this is something else! It's like a legendary set you'd have a one-percent chance to find when beating an ultra-difficult raid boss!  Ren thought. 

Her tan, almost golden complexion was without blemish--although the silver scales that lined sections of her exposed skin almost seemed to be some sort of demerit to Ren at first. Noticing those scales; his eyes finally realized the large, broad wings that inhabited her back, further taking note of the spiky horns of the same shade that protruded from the top of her head. 

It seemed looking at her horns for too long caused a bit of fluster to the tall, abnormal beauty as a harsh thud slammed against the bridge a few times--finding the source of this impact to be the thick tail that swayed side to side, attached to what seemed to be her rear. 

"Are you a--a dragon girl?!"

Without any tact, he stuttered out the question with pure, childlike excitement as a thrilled pink filled his cheeks. 

He failed to realize his less than polite wording made her peculiar eyes tremble with some level of embarrassment as she bit onto her lip to try and contain the obvious fluster overtaking her. Matching her gaze, he found himself even further immersed into the exoticness about her--the irises she possessed held a mixture of royal magenta with a sprinkle of frost, caressing the vertical pupil that failed to properly display its inherent ferocity. 

"You...you--what's wrong with you?!"

Finally finding words to part from her lips, her tone shook the bridge once more in unison with her thumping tail.

What a tsundere! She's going to bring this whole bridge down! Ren thought. 

Hiding her embarrassment, the woman with features resembling the fire-breathing reptile of myth, she turned herself around, her illustrious, silver cape fluttering in the wind behind her. Fluffy, wool-like material lined the edges of the thick cape, once again--he noticed the same eastern dragon on display, this time in more detail. 

Its scales were green, wise whiskers trailing the surface of the woman's cape--he could feel it in his gut; he made the right choice coming here. 

"For your information, I am a dignified royal knight of the Ningshiloong House! I am not some "dragon girl"--but a proud descendant of the Wyveria bloodline!"

Proclaiming her title, her voice returned to its intensity, capturing Ren's awe as the sigil on her cape took a new level in his eyes. 

"So, you are a demi-human?!"

"What a humiliating term...Don't lump me in with the rest of them, I'm a draconic warrior! But...Yes, I'm a demi-human."

"Awesome!"

Displaying his boundless excitement at meeting a draconic woman, Ren's eyes sparkled with excitement as her tough exterior couldn't last.

"Refer to me as Valerie Decimus Draig!"

With utmost confidence, she gave her name as if presenting a royal figure--proclaiming it to the abyss itself as her voice fell upon his ears like a howling wind. 

"...Is Valerie fine?"

"It'll suffice…"

"Well, I'm Ren Nakamura, nice to meet you!"

Extending his hand towards the towering draconic warrior, she kept her hands at her sides as she blankly stared at his hand as if it were an exotic creature. 

"Oh, right...You probably don't do this in your country, Uh, Vesta, right?"

"I'm assuming this is some sort of gesture of meeting?"

Answering her perplexing question as she investigated his still extended hand as if taking note of each thread woven through his black, leather gloves, Ren simply nodded his head with a nervous chuckle. 

"I see! Nice to meet you too then, Ren!"

Grasping his hand and squeezing it without any restraint, he felt his bones scream out as he returned the favor--garnering a satisfied smile as his strength impressed the woman. 

"Oh, crap--I totally forgot! Hongse needs help! I'm such a klutz..."

"...Hongse?..."

Before he could get an answer, his forearm was caught in her grasp as her far-spanning wings brought them into the air. The sudden shift from standing upon solid ground to floating like a princess in a magical fairytale made his stomach flutter for the dozenth time that day. 

"Woah! Woah Woah!--What the hell!"

"Sorry, but--I didn't really think before I grabbed you...I left my partner back there without thinking! I'm such a damn airhead!"

As she whined and wallowed in self-deprecation mid-flight, her pouting face took away any stern, fierce beauty she had and replaced it with an adorable sweetness that made her round, tan cheeks pinchable in his eyes. 

Picking up the speed, the brisk air hissed into his ears as his cheeks began to wobble helplessly to the whim of the g-force--not taking but a few seconds for them to land at the designated spot. 

"Hongse! Are you okay?!"

Letting go of Ren's arm once her silver, shining boots met the ground once more, Valerie rushed to the side of the fluffy figure. It was by some miracle that Ren stuck the landing, feeling the impact travel through his knees as he landed in a squat, tensing up for a moment before arriving at the side of the unknown entity. 

"...Hungry. Starving. Meat...I want meat."

A deep, yet gentle voice came from the giant, fluffy figure covered in reddish-brown fur, wearing leather armor that seemed to barely fit its round form. 

"A...A panda! A talking panda!"

Ren stammered out as he finally identified the creature's form, pointing his finger at the enormous panda, presenting a red and black coat.