The Rogues Of: No Man's Land

Explosions of fire tore through the battlefield as soldiers screamed, their armor melting under the heat.

A figure stood at the center of the chaos, a young man with wild, spiked hair the color of green, his golden eyes glinting in the flickering flames. His scales shimmered along his arms, steam rising from his skin as he exhaled a breath of smoldering heat.

Tao watched from the sidelines, his Primal Engine humming with unease. He had seen a lot of freakish things in No-Man's Land, but this kid was something else.

The dragon boy turned his head, locking eyes with Tao. He tilted his head slightly, studying him. His pupils, thin slits against the blaze, traced Tao's face up and down before he suddenly grinned.

"Woah, a hottie," he said.

Then, in a flash, he was gone.

Tao blinked, his body tensing. He barely had time to process before the dragon boy reappeared inches from his face, inspecting him closely. His breath smelled like embers and burnt metal.

Tao raised a brow. "Uh… you good?"

The dragon boy's face twisted in horror. "UGH-" He recoiled as if he had been physically struck. "What the hell is wrong with your voice?!"

Tao frowned. "What?"

"It's, it's deep?! You're-" The dragon boy gagged. "Don't tell me you're-" He leaned in, inspecting again before backing away in disgust. "YOU'RE A DUDE?!" Tao rolled his eyes. "What'd you think I was?"

"Ugh, I feel sick." The dragon boy shook his head like he was trying to clear his thoughts. "This is the worst day of my life."

Tao crossed his arms. "Yeah? Well, you're making mine pretty damn weird."

The dragon boy groaned, rubbing his temples. "Whatever, forget it. You just, look, never mind. What are you even doing here?"

"Trying to survive. You?" Tao said.

The dragon boy grinned again, his sharp teeth flashing. "I'm looking for the Vault of Eternity."

Tao's fingers twitched. "The Vault, huh?" He exhaled through his nose, keeping his expression neutral. "Funny. I'm looking for it too."

The dragon boy's smile froze. His golden eyes narrowed, slanting like a predator spotting another hunter in its territory.

"...You're after the gold and the key too?" His voice darkened.

Tao immediately realized his mistake. "Wait, hold on. I didn't mean-"

But the boy wasn't listening.

With a growl, flames erupted from his mouth. "THEN THAT MEANS YOU'RE MY ENEMY!"

He lunged, claws out. Tao barely dodged as the ground where he stood exploded into molten rock.

"Dude, calm down!" Tao shouted, twisting away from another swipe. "I don't even know you!"

"I DON'T CARE!" The dragon boy roared, his voice shaking the air. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled a stream of scorching fire straight toward Tao.

Tao cursed, flipping backward as the wave of fire nearly clipped his legs. The heat alone felt like it could cook him alive. This guy's insane.

The boy didn't let up, launching forward again. Tao barely had time to brace before a burning fist crashed into his guard, sending him skidding back. The force rattled his bones.

Tao exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders. "Alright. You wanna go? Let's go."

He dashed forward, ducking under a wild slash and countering with a sharp elbow to the boy's ribs. The dragon boy staggered slightly but recovered fast, slashing with clawed fingers. Tao twisted out of the way, driving a knee toward his gut. The dragon boy twisted, catching Tao's leg with surprising speed before hurling him across the battlefield.

Tao crashed into the dirt, rolling to his feet just as another fire blast erupted toward him. He jumped, barely dodging the flames. 

The Dragon grinned wickedly. "Not bad, hot stuff. But I'm done playing."

He inhaled deeply, his chest expanding. The air around him shimmered with heat.

Tao's stomach dropped. ''That's not good.''

Before he could move, Dragoon unleashed a massive wave of fire straight at him. There was no time to dodge.

Then-

A blur shot in front of Tao. Something massive crashed against the flames, splitting the attack apart like a tidal wave hitting a rock.

Tao coughed through the smoke, blinking as a familiar figure stood between him and the dragon boy. Broad, armored, and radiating unshakable confidence.

Rex.

He lowered his jagged sword, the air around him still steaming from the heat. His eyes locked onto Dragoon, his expression deadly serious.

"Alright, flame-boy," Rex growled. "You wanna fight? Try me."

The dragon's grin returned. "Oh, now this looks fun."

The air between them crackled with tension.

Tao groaned, rubbing his face. ''Great. Now I've got these two meatheads about to kill each other.''

The air between them crackled with tension.

Then, suddenly, the temperature dropped.

A chilling wind howled through the battlefield, and in an instant, towering figures of ice emerged from the fog, soldiers clad in crystalline armor, their frozen weapons gleaming under the dim light.

"Damn it." Tao muttered. 

The ice soldiers wasted no time, launching spears of frost toward the three. Rex and the dragon immediately turned their attention toward the new threat, their instincts forcing them into an uneasy alliance.

The dragon boy exhaled a furious breath, sending a wave of fire at the ice warriors, melting several in an instant. Rex charged forward, smashing through the frozen ranks with raw, physical force.

Tao cracked his knuckles. "Guess we're doing this together for now."

As anticipated, Sister Seraphina appears before the ice soldiers without making a sound and strikes one of them in the face. ''These Ice men are annoying.''

Tao dove into the fray, dodging shards of ice and countering with swift, precise strikes, breaking through the enemy forces with Rex, Sister Seraphina and the dragon boy at his side. The battlefield was a chaotic mess of flames, frost, Holy attacks, and fists.

As the last of the ice soldiers shattered under their combined assault, the four fighters stood amidst the wreckage, panting. The momentary truce dissolved in an instant.

The dragon boy turned, flames flickering in his palms. "Alright, where were we?"

Rex tightened his grip on his weapon. "Oh, I remember."

Tao sighed. "Here we go again."

Rex's aura pulsed with raw power, shadows curling around him as he clenched his fists. His fangs bared, muscles coiled, ready to strike. 

The dragon grinned, claws flexing. His golden eyes glowed with excitement as flames danced along his fingertips. "Try me, Jackal."

Without another word, they launched at each other.

Rex moved like a bullet, tearing across the ground, brute force ready to crash down.

The dragon boy inhaled deeply, his lungs expanding, fire swelling in his chest. He prepared to unleash a hellstorm of flames, the heat in the air becoming suffocating.

A voice cut through the chaos.

"O Holy Light, quell the fury of those who fight in blind rage. Let peace shatter their storm, and let wisdom strike their hearts. Divine hand, cast away this reckless war!"

A radiant glow engulfed the battlefield.

Sister Seraphina vanished in a flash, standing directly between them. A burst of holy energy erupted from her hands, sending both warriors flying back.

Rex crashed into the ground, rolling to a stop with a snarl. The dragon tumbled, landing face-first before groaning in pain.

Sister Seraphina stood tall, her expression furious. Golden light flickered around her, her normally composed demeanor shattered by irritation.

"Enough!" she snapped, eyes burning with disapproval. "I will not tolerate this foolishness! You two are fighting like children!"

Rex gritted his teeth and looked away, still seething. He clenched his fists, feeling the sting of the holy blast in his bones.

The dragon, on the other hand, had tears welling in his eyes as he sniffled and rubbed his bruised face. "Owww… that actually hurt…" he whined.

Tao walked over, crouching beside the boy. "Hey, fire-breather. You're strong," he said simply. "We could use someone like you."

The dragon boy blinked, still sniffling. "Huh?"

"Join us," Tao offered, standing up and extending a hand. "You clearly want a good fight, and we're heading straight into the kind of battles you'd love. What do you say?"

The dragon boy hesitated, rubbing the back of his head. He glanced between Tao and Rex, his fingers twitching. "…Maybe," he finally muttered. "I'll think about it."

Tao smirked. "Fair enough."

But before they could relax, Tao's eyes flickered to the distance. More figures moved in the shadows, ice soldiers, dozens of them, regrouping and preparing for an attack.

"Tch." Tao's expression darkened. "We don't have time to sit around. More of them are coming."

The dragon boy suddenly grinned, standing up. "Don't worry about that."

He took a deep breath, his body igniting with crimson flames as his Primal Engine surged to its peak. The ground beneath them rumbled, molten cracks forming beneath his feet.

"I've got a plan."

The dragon boy slammed his fists into the ground.

"PRIMAL ENGINE TECHNIQUE- DRAGON FALL! "

The earth erupted.

Pillars of fire exploded beneath them, a massive geyser of flames shooting into the sky. The ground cracked apart as the entire team was launched into the air, propelled upward like meteors ascending toward the heavens.

Tao, Rex, Sister Seraphina, and the dragon boy freefell through the sky, wind whipping past them, flames still crackling around their bodies.

For a moment, they were weightless, soaring high above the battlefield.

Tao couldn't help but smile. "Alright. That was actually pretty sick."

Rex smirked, adrenaline rushing through him. "I'll give you that one, flamehead."

Sister Seraphina, on the other hand, was screaming.

"WHAT KIND OF PLAN WAS THIS?! WE'RE FALLING!" she shrieked, her robes flapping violently in the wind.

The dragon laughed, arms spread wide as if he was enjoying the ride.

"Hey, kid!" Tao yelled. "What's your name?!"

The boy turned to him mid-air. "It's Dragon-Boy!"

Rex snorted. "That's gotta be a joke."

Dragon-Boy frowned. "What? No, it's my actual name!"

Rex burst out laughing. "No way! That's the dumbest name I've ever heard!"

"Shut up!" Dragon-Boy shot back. "It's cool! You couldn't come up with literally anything better?!"

The two began arguing midair.