A horn sounded, bellowing through the cavern, loud and low in tone. The Gyona leader had regained consciousness and blew the horn, calling forth aid from the depth of the ruins they lived in. Those around Dracon still fled like rats, into holes and caves in the rock face. Venalina rained down fire and fury upon them from above, protected behind a shield of magic. The Gyona leader alone, stayed, blowing his horn, Dracon could see across the cave, to where the cage that held Venalina was, some of his men were free and fighting their way toward him. The fighting had become infinitely easier since they began to flee for their lives at the sight of Dracon. He walked slowly to the Gyona leader who struggled to continue blowing the horn, the closer Dracon came. Dracon swung his sword cutting the man in half, across the waist, severing his arm first, as it travelled through the man. The sword sizzled as it passed through flesh and bone, causing an acidic burn that devoured the flesh around the wound it created. His screams were quickly silenced to a gurgle as the acid worked its way up to his lungs from within. Leonid, Dangelo, Tangram yelled a cheer for the death of the Gyona leader at the hands of the warrior king. Across the cavern, to the side of the two groups, the call for assistance was answered, but not by a warrior, a soldier, or even a man. It was a Naga. The men hurried to reach Dracon across the area where the altar and throne were. Dracon walked, facing the creature, passing the altar, heading straight to it, fearlessly. It was some sixteen feet of snake body, with a barbed tail like a scorpion, it’s head was human. The men reached Dracon, standing behind him ready. The Naga reared up several feet away from Dracon and his swords reach, then it spoke.
“These halls,” It hissed, “Are mine!” It threatened a strike at Dracon, but drew back at the last second, spinning instead, in a circle, resuming its position before him. The men behind Dracon all flinched, “You will not,” it paused and hissed, “Kill my children!” again it feigned a strike. Dracon raised his sword before him, and like lightning the creature shot forward to the side of the blade, its face inches from it, as it examined the weapon, and as quick as it came, it shot back again. The men behind Dracon thought it had struck him. It recoiled further away from Dracon, staring at his blade, not wanting to be anywhere near it, “Leave, my halls.”
Venalina flew from her position well behind the group, fast, over the top of them. The Naga reared back as she approached, fear in its eyes. Venalina landed between Dracon and the Naga with her wings spread out, blocking its view of the men behind her, like an angel of death. It slithered away from her quickly, as she screeched at it. The Naga moved several yards away quickly, then turned back to face her again. It hissed at her then it and cowered.
“You can’t have it!” It hissed at her, “It’s mine!” Its barbed tail whipped around to its side. Dracon motioned the men to begin flanking the creature to the left, while Dracon moved to the right. Venalina began speaking to it in a language the others could not understand, but it did. They began speaking back and forth. It was an evil sounding language, Dracon recognized it as the same language from when she cast spells. The men watched Venalina in awe, they didn’t recognize her. Some feared her as much as the Naga. Dracon wondered what they spoke about, whatever it was, it was a heated exchange. The Naga fled from Venalina as she raised her arms hissing her words at it. Dracon began to run after the creature.
“Wait!” Venalina hissed, she could hardly be understood, even by Dracon. He stopped and called to the men to hold their pursuit, “There is a stone,” Venalina flapped her wings, sending rock and dust flying in a whirlwind near each of her black feathered wings. She paused and swallowed hard to get control of herself, she was so full of rage she had become her true self. She dropped to the floor on her feet, rather than hovering, then transformed back to the Venalina they all knew. It took her a few seconds to catch her breath and compose herself. Dracon’s armor disappeared as he went to steady her. He looked around the group and saw they were all just as naked as he was.
“Before we go any further, let’s see if we can’t find our things or at least something to wear?” He said to the men. He held Venalina by her shoulders, she looked up at him almost as if she didn’t recognize him. Her eyes were black, “Are you ok?” he asked softly. All she could do was nod at him, twitching slightly as she tried to maintain her composure. Her hands were up before her on Dracon’s chest, she pointed behind him to where the cages were that held him and the others, like penned up meat, “What is it?” he asked her.
“Your… your clothes,” she struggled to speak his language and did so with a very distinct accent. Dracon squeezed her shoulders lovingly.
“Let’s go then,” He whispered. The other men were scouring the area in two’s. Venalina grabbed Dracon’s cheeks with her hands and looked deep into his eyes, hungrily. They suddenly appeared in front of the cages, across from a pile of clothes. Dracon let her go and fished through the pile, quickly finding his entire Drow outfit, he was extremely pleased he did not lose them. They were still clean, as if they were just made, untarnished and fresh. He dressed then walked around the opening in the wall and whistled to the other men who quickly joined him, then also quickly dressed. They found another pile in the area, of all the armor and weapons that were collected from those in the cages.
Venalina stood alone as Dracon helped search the area, “I don’t know what I am,” she said in a whisper that in the quiet, echoed through the cavern. The men all looked at her, “What am I,” she said looking around listlessly. Leonid walked over and knelt before her.
“You are the beautiful Queen Venalina,” he said looking up at her. Dangelo followed suit and knelt next to him.
“I would proudly follow you anywhere, my queen,” Dangelo said. The other men all joined them and knelt before her. Venalina put a hand to her mouth and whimpered, her black eyes started to tear.
“I’m so sorry,” She said, “They ate them, and I watched, I tried…” Dracon caught her as she started to buckle.
“This is not your fault,” He said, the others stood, closing in around them, “This is the world we live in.”
“I made you come here!” she cried.
“You think too much of yourself, my love, I am Dracon, I do what I want,” He smiled, “Right now I want to kill a giant snake, are you with me?” He swayed her to get her to look at him. She lolled her head then straightened up after a glance at the men around her.
“There is a stone,” She said, “It is a stone of power, it is the reason the sun never sets.”
The men all looked around at each other, “What would you have us do, my lady,” Kerym asked.
“Well she’s not asking us to cower and hide,” Dangelo said then spit. Kerym lowered his head embarrassed.
“If you take the stone, time will return as it should in Sumia,” Venalina explained, “My people did this to the lands of Sumia a thousand years ago. A power was put in the stone to hold the sun in the sky. But it is not the real sun.”
“You want this stone?” Dracon asked.
“It will be protected,” Venalina answered.
“If you want it, it’s yours,” Dracon said.
“We can cure the land,” She reasoned but Dracon didn’t care about that.
“You men,” Dracon said, “You don’t have to go face that thing, you can find a way out.”
“Forgive me, Lord Dracon, but I believe the safest place will be wherever it is you two are going,” Dangelo said. The others all nodded their agreement.
“So be it. Let’s go,” Dracon started back out around the wall into the open cavern that was once an ancient amphitheater. A few of the Gyona ventured out again thinking they had gone, then scurried at the sight of the men making their way to the dark hall the Naga fled down. Dracon and Venalina could see clearly in the dark, but the others needed torches to continue and took them from around the throne. They were careful not to get too close to the lizard that remained. They stood just outside the hall looking in, trying to see anything. It was obvious the Gyona did not venture down
that hall, only the slithering of the Naga had ever touched the floor of the hall within.
“Have you ever seen such a creature, Lord Dracon?” Dangelo asked.
“I have not,” He chuckled, “Where I come from, snakes are much smaller than that, and do not have a human head,” The men around him nodded and chuckled nervously “They certainly do not speak.”
“It is not a dumb creature, my love, beware. It is wise, from years of life, it knows much,” Venalina said to him and to the men around her. They all had swords in hand. Venalina turned to Kerym and Tangram, “What good are you? Tell me what magic do you possess? Can you create shields of any consequence?”
“Yes,” Tangram said moving toward her slightly, “I can create a fire shield, for defense, large enough to protect us all.”
“And you?” Venalina asked Kerym.
“I…” He looked at Dangelo shamefully before answering, then back to Venalina, “I can call forth the snap blade, my lady.”
“Do it, do it now,” She commanded then looked at Dracon and nodded. Kerym summoned his sword of ghostly cold. Dracon led the way followed by Venalina, behind her, Leonid, Dangelo, and Tangram, were side by side. Followed by Kerym who trailed the group. They moved down the hall cautiously. The Naga could be heard hissing somewhere in the dark. There were many passages leading off the main hall and each received a special scrutiny before they passed it. Afterward, Dangelo and Kerym would watch behind them to make sure they were not attacked from behind.
The hall eventually opened into a large round room, lit by a large gemstone that hovered above a stone pedestal. The room had many passageways that all led ended there, all equally spaced from the stone at the center. The stone appeared to be a giant diamond the size of a man’s head. It was a wonder to behold, it’s glow lit the room brightly. There was treasure scattered throughout the room, in overflowing chests mostly, and some, about the floor.
“The stone from a time long lost,” The Naga’s voice could be heard echoing through the passageways and hall, “It’s power shapes your very world!” Dracon and his men turned, back to back, circling Venalina, ready for an attack from any direction. Venalina forced her way out from the center of the men who wished to protect her.
“I come for the stone,” Venalina said loudly pushing by Dracon, entering the room fully. Dracon followed behind her.
“You, Vordalyn,” It’s voice was a whisper, but it echoed loudly through the room, “Wish to undo what you’ve done?” The Naga entered the room from a passageway opposite them, behind the stone, it rose high above the stone looking over it at Venalina. The stone vibrated, the Naga quickly slithered out another passageway, they could all feel the air become electric, the sign of nightfall, they quickly shielded their eyes. A crack of lightning shot from the stone, up and out, through a hole in the roof, directly above it. It lit up the room with a flash. The force from it sent some of them back into the surrounding hall, Dracon hit the edge of the hall behind him, knocking the breath from his lungs. Venalina changed forms quickly, dropping to her knees and shielding herself with her wings. She felt a strong strike to the left side of her folded wings then dropped them back behind her, just in time to see the Naga moving off, away from her, slithering through another passageway. It had attacked her, trying to strike through her protective wings, “You are strong!” Again, its voice filled the area. The stone slowly turned in place, “Your stone is damaged!” It said. Venalina returned to her human form.
“Damaged?” She asked.
“Yes!” It slithered back into the room, once again across from them, rearing up above the stone. It looked down at the stone closely, “Behold, it is cracked!” It looked over at Venalina, “Useless to you!”
“Is that why night falls sometimes?” she asked.
“Yes!” The Naga hissed from its hiding place.
“My people put this power in motion, it’s time to snuff it out,” Venalina stepped closer to the stone.
“Foolish,” The Naga dropped to the ground and slithered around the base of the stone pedestal, below the hovering stone, then reared up in front of Venalina, “Child. The power within, cannot be destroyed!”
Kerym saw a picture on the wall depicting a winged woman with her hands facing a floating diamond. He picked his torch up off the ground of the passageway and used it to light the mural just outside the entrance to the room. Dangelo rushed to Dracon’s side helping him to his feet. He went to pick up Dracon’s sword.
“No!” Dracon yelled, stopping him from grabbing it, “It will end you!” Dangelo backed away from the sword, taking his position behind Venalina with his own sword drawn. The Naga quickly turned its head looking at each person in the room, then back to Venalina. Leonid moved to flank it, left of Venalina. The Naga saw him and with supernatural speed, it slithered out of one of the passageways behind it. Leonid was joined by Tangram, both ready to fight. Without warning it returned, coming from a different passageway just behind the two men. It was faster than they could react, almost passing them completely. Leonid lifted his sword to strike down on the passing snakes body. The Naga’s barbed tail stabbed him in his armpit as it passed. Tangram raised a fire shield between them and the creature before it could strike again. The shield was large, stopping Venalina from getting to the stone. She recoiled from its heat. Dracon moved along the wall a couple of feet to his right to another passage opening. The circular room had passageways every ten feet. The Naga had the upper hand. Venalina moved over to Dracon’s side.
“It’s too fast in here,” She said, “It will pick us apart.”
“We need to trap it, block those passageways somehow,” Dracon replied. Venalina raised her hands and started to chant, looking above, then below her, she knelt with a scream at the ground. Instantly, the ground shook violently. The walls of the room cracked and parts if it started to collapse. Tangrams shield disappeared as he dodged debris from the roof. He grabbed Leonid, and dragged him against a wall, out from under the bits of falling roof. One of the passageways collapsed in on itself, becoming impassable. Dangelo grabbed Kerym who was still reading the writings on the wall in the passageway and pulled him into the room, just before the hall collapsed. One by one the passageways collapsed in on themselves, trapping them all in the room. The Naga did not flee, refusing to relinquish the stone to them. The Naga became furious and started casting a spell of its own. Dangelo launched an attack before it could finish, but he was too late, and became the first victim of the spell. Dangelo was struck blind, he cried out swinging his sword wildly. The Naga slithered low and around him at his legs, then whipped its body into Dangelo throwing him across the room. He clipped a large fallen section of wall as he flew back, sending him end over end into the wall of the room. He made a loud thud and a crunch as he hit it. His armor crumpled from the force of the sudden stop against the wall. The Naga stayed low slithering around the room, ducking behind the fallen debris. Dracon moved to the other side of the floating stone to face the creature, but it avoided him, choosing instead to attack Leonid again. Tangram was tending to Leonid with his back to the Naga as it approached. Neither man saw the creature coming. Kerym conjured a crystal blast at the Naga, bombarding it with dark crystals stopping it in its tracks, forcing it to turn away from the two men. Venalina cast a shield of protection over Leonid and Tangram. The Naga slithered at Venalina to strike her. It stopped suddenly, unable to move any closer to her. Its face reflected its surprise and it turned to find Dracon had a hold of it by the very barb that stuck out of the end of its tail. It screamed angrily at Venalina, spit flying from its mouth, Venalina punched its face with a cold fist spell, which exploded on contact with a pain of searing cold, making it turn away from her. It struggled to free itself from Dracon’s grip then turned to face him when it could not. It saw Dracon held its tail with both hands, his sword was nowhere to be seen. The Naga took its chance, flying at Dracon with all its power and fury behind its strike. Dracon released the barbed tail and brought his hands together in
front of him just before the Naga reached him. Its face showed its horror as Dracon’s Unholy Reaver materialized in his outstretched hands. The Naga was unable to stop its flying attack. Dracon knelt bracing his sword, as the Naga hit it face first. It started a scream that was quickly silenced and replaced with the sound of the acidic blade searing the creature in two. Its flight was slowed by the sword severing it. The Naga fell to the ground. The front end of the Naga was split in two pieces, almost the whole length of its body. The only thing left holding it together was the length of tail just before its barbed end. Black blood oozed from the dead Naga all around Dracon and the debris from the fallen roof. Dracon stood looking at his sword, still raised before him. His armor disappeared, returning him dressed in his Drow clothes. With his bare hands on the hilt of the sword, he could feel the power in his weapon. It overwhelmed him, he stared at it, feeling a life within it, sentience. Pleased with the lives Dracon fed to it. Images flashed in Dracon’s mind, images of death and disease, rotting corpses of what was once the people of the Gyona. He spun the weapon in his hands facing it down, then dropped to his knees, screaming a battle cry as he stabbed his sword into the stone floor entirely up to its hilt. He continued his war cry looking up. He could feel the sword reaching out, it’s disease infecting magic flowing through all the ruins around them, afflicting the Gyona with diseases so vile, death would be a welcomed release. Images still flashed in Dracon’s mind, the sword spoke to him with more images, promising the same fate to any enemy who opposed him, showing him a world of the dead at his feet, while he stood triumphant above a blackened, scorched earth. Suddenly the stone flashed and another burst of lightning, shot up through the roof and out into the world yet again, turning night back to day. The stone wavered as it slowly turned, then lightning erupted a second time, then a third. Each time changed the day to night then again back to day. The room was electrically charged, and the third blast knocked everyone in the room back, almost unconscious from the force of the blow. Dracon was blown free from his sword and landed hard against the wall, dropping to his side on a fallen chunk of wall. Venalina made her way to her knees, then her feet, looking at the stone. Her wings were curled around her protectively, expecting another blast.
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