by C Woodward
The path was pretty cramped. I couldn't open my wings and the roof was low enough to be difficult for me. I went down on all fours and found it easier to navigate. I still had to be careful as the steps were made for smaller creatures and a slip would be easy. I heard a soft humming sound as I moved down the spiraled stairs. No telling what awaited me below.
The humming and the thickness of the air grew stronger the farther I went. This was far deeper than I thought. How deep would this go? I knew the source rune was based on earth magic but I hoped it wasn’t at the center of the world. That would be silly, but I wouldn't be all that surprised.
Thankfully the stairs ended after a few minutes. It led to a wide hall that allowed plenty of room for me to stand up. I felt a bit claustrophobic when I came into the dark hall. At the far end, stood a large braced door. A soft, green light shone in the gap below the door. The humming was getting louder. I also felt electricity in the air and knew that Xum'gol himself was beyond that door.
I was hesitant to touch the door as I approached it. I closed my eyes and took several deep quiet breaths. My hands moved over to the pouch that held the scroll and the dark stone. Clagmir's sword was still sheathed on my harness. I had checked everything. Now to gather the courage to face Xum'gol, alone. I swallowed hard and opened the door.
The chamber was massive. The ceiling was so high that it would take me a while to fly up to it. Along the side were two doors that might lead up to the surface. At the end of the room stood a stairway. It appeared to be made of one solid piece of stone and led to the glowing green light. Above the light was the pillar I saw on the lake. It rose through a hole in the ceiling that somehow managed to keep the water in place through some powerful magic. At the end of the stairs, I saw a large, dark figure, seated and facing away from me. It was Xum'gol!
It was fairly quiet except for the hum of the light source. Xum'gol sat there seemingly taking no notice of my presence. Was he meditating? Maybe I could sneak up on him and finish him off before he reacted.
I placed one claw on the steps and heard Xum'gol's booming voice, "I did not expect to face a mere drake."
I didn't respond and kept moving on the stairs. He turned his head to face me with his unnatural eyes. His gaze was enough to intimidate me.
"A dark drake? I haven't seen such since the old age when I helped slay your old king," Xum'gol lectured calmly. Slowly, he stood.
He was intimidating in his new demon form. At least now we were about the same size. Old king? Was he talking about the first born the draykens had mentioned? The large skeleton at the old ruins? I thought so.
"So, drake, do you wish to die quickly or slowly?" Xum'gol taunted in a calm tone. He had no idea who I was.
Behind him was a white, glowing orb on a small stand. It was my life essence! I saw a small stream of green light from a much larger green orb shining on it. The green orb pulsated with a powerful energy as it hovered above the floor. The center of the orb glowed with the rune symbol for "Earth." So, that was the source rune. It was an amazing thing to see.
"Beautiful isn't it?" Xum'gol remarked in an almost peaceful tone. "Such power is beyond me, as well. Thankfully, I collected the life essence of an off-worlder," Xum'gol lectured. He placed his hand over the white orb, "Over time I will acquire more power with this as my catalyst."
I let out an angry growl seeing him with my old life essence. There was no way I was going to let him keep it.
Xum'gol turned toward me with a confused expression, "You look at me not with new eyes but with old."
I marched up closer to him, "We have met before. I may have a new form but my goal hasn't changed."
Xum'gol's eyes widened, "What?! Impossible! I stole your very life!"
I took his moment of shock and swung at him with my claws. I hit something solid but it wasn't him. He had some type of barrier around him. I saw only a faint disturbance in the air as I struck it.
"It is that cursed dragon deity! He must have given you a new life!" Xum'gol growled furiously at me. He opened the palm of his hand and shot a force of energy at me. The impact sent me flying up and back.
I quickly rolled over and opened my wings. My wings slowly guided me down safely. The force of his energy felt like a good punch in the gut.
Xum'gol walked to the top of the stairs to view me better. He gazed down upon me in hatred. He pulled out what appeared to be my old blade. The blade had a dark smoky aura around it. "You recognize this don't you, Blake?" Xum'gol taunted.
Anger overwhelmed me. I took in a deep breath and shot what was my first fire ball. The ball exploded just beyond Xum'gol. His magical barrier once again halted my attack.
Xum'gol began to laugh, "I only harvested a teeny, tiny fragment of the power of the rune!" He pointed my old blade at me. It started to glow. "But it is beyond any power that you can ever achieve!" he spoke as a purple beam shot from my old blade.
I jumped away to avoid it, not knowing what damage it would do.
"You like it? Ever since you used it to smash that gem, it soaked up all the knowledge of my old master! This blade serves as a fitting tool, unlike my old master," Xum'gol lectured. He pointed the blade once more and it started to charge up.
I jumped away as he fired once more. He laughed and kept shooting charges at me. Xum'gol was toying with me like a sadistic child.
"I could bore you about how I betrayed my old master but I have much more work to do," Xum'gol mocked. He aimed once more.
I started to jump before he could hit me. The beam missed me easily but I didn't expect him to fire a spell from his other hand. I saw a green glow just moments before it struck me. I groaned in pain as the force knocked me flat on the hard, stone ground.
"I admit that this is quite entertaining, seeing you struggling helplessly once more," Xum'gol taunted. He pointed the blade at me, "But, like I said, I have work to do." The beam charged up and fired on me.
A searing pain filled me when the beam hit. It felt as though something stabbed right through me. He hit me in the torso but there was no wound. I could only cry out from the pain. A second beam hit me by the wings and shoulders. I cried out once more as the dark energy tortured me.
"Blake," a voice spoke in my head.
I opened one eye, unsure of what was going on now. Something was pulsating at my side. It took me a moment to realize it was the stone in my pouch.
"Let me return the favor that you did for my children," the voice spoke in my head. It was the Dragon Spirit!
I slowly reached for the stone and grasped it. To my surprise, the stone shattered as soon as I touched it. The shards changed to energy and began to coat my body. My pain was gone and I felt a new surge of energy. The light shone brightly and I found myself now standing. I stared at my hands. Every scale now had a soft, glowing white trim. It was like my old armor when it was enchanted by light magic. The Dragon Spirit enchanted my actual scales!
"What is this?" Xum'gol called out in anger. He jumped from the stairs at me. I stepped forward and put my hands in front of me. His barrier blocked him from my claws but I kept pushing. The energy around him pulsated as I tried to break through. Soon the barrier exploded causing both of us to lose our balance.
"You!” Xum'gol cried out furiously. He pointed my blade at me and quickly fired a beam.
I swatted away the beam with my wings. The dark magic inside the beam was no match for the light that now empowered me.
"If dark magic can't work then I will use force!" Xum'gol called out. He got up and charged at me.
His attack was strong but reckless. The blade still carried a strong edge and from his unnatural strength he could easily cut into me. The only good thing was that he was no warrior. I pulled out Clagmir's sword and parried his blade with mine. Both of us were wielding a weapon a tad small for our size. It was like dueling with daggers.
Xum'gol was getting more furious with each parry. His attacks were swift but predictable. His other arm was charged with magic and he mad
e wild swings with it. I countered with my other arm and tried to keep the green light, glowing from his hand away from me. It was a twofold battle. He had the cursed blade in one hand and magic in the other while I had Clagmir's fire sword and my claws.
I must admit that Xum'gol had more physical strength that I did but I was more skilled in combat. He leaned in and I leaned in. Our blades clashed and neither of us would give. His free hand moved in but I reached over to grab his wrist. We both struggled. His raw strength was slowly gaining the advantage but I still had one thing I could do. I took a deep breath and shot his face full of fire.
He cried out. It hurt him enough that I was able to shove him away. I swung Clagmir's sword as hard as I could for a clean strike. Xum'gol swung hard and both blades clashed. The impact knocked both weapons out of our tired hands.
We looked where our weapons fell. Xum'gol dashed over to retrieve his weapon. I tackled him and sent him to the ground. He grunted and tried to push me off. I started to pummel him. It felt like I was punching a rock and not a person. He was so unnaturally tough that my fists started to ache. He got in a clear punch to my jaw. I fell back, dazed. When I figured out what happened, he stomped his cloven hoof on my chest.
Blood dripped from Xum'gol's face as he glared down at me. He snarled and pressed me down. I coughed and felt short of breath. His bloodied face showed pure hatred as he kept stomping me. I tilted my head and saw Clagmir's sword. I tried reaching for it but Xum'gol was just a step away and he kicked me in the face.
I rolled toward the stone stairs. My head was spinning and I tasted more blood and this time it was mine. He ran over and kicked me in the side. I rolled around and onto my stomach. Clagmir's sword was now right next to me. I grasped it just before Xum'gol jumped on me.
I grabbed his leg and set him off balance. He landed on me and started to bite my leg. His demon teeth were sharp and strong. I cried out in pain but held Clagmir's sword.
"I will rip you apart with my teeth if I have to!" Xum'gol grunted.
I growled furiously as I drove the sword in his back side.
Xum'gol cried out and rolled forward, with Clagmir's sword comically sticking out and burning him. I stood up slowly, out of breath and hurting.
"That would make Clagmir chuckle," I muttered while winded.
Xum'gol crawled around until he managed to remove the sword. He was in serious pain but I knew a demon like him still had fight in him. We stared at each other in hatred and in pain, both too winded to fight anymore. We were breathing heavily and giving each other a death stare.
"You think you are my equal?!" Xum'gol cried out in irrational anger.
I stood there trying to regain my strength, "No," I took a few slow steps toward him, "I am better than you. I am not a selfish monster on a mad power grab." I took another step toward him," I don't just fight for myself, but for others. They make me better."
Xum'gol roared furiously and made a dash up the stairs. I ignored the pain in my leg and started to chase after him. He stumbled a bit and moved toward the source rune in the white orb.
"I will destroy you! Your friends! Everyone that dares defy my power!" Xum'gol screamed. He reached over and grabbed my life essence. To my horror he crushed the orb with his hand, drawing the power into himself.
A bright light blinded me for a moment. When it cleared I saw the deranged eyes of Xum'gol with his hand placed directly over the source rune.
He took a few painful breaths, "Behold! Ultimate power!" He put his hand directly onto the source rune.
The chamber started to shake. No, the floor itself was shaking. The buzzing from the source rune rumbled so loudly that I had to cover my fin-like ears. The stone platform became unstable and I fell off. My wings help lighten my fall but the floor below was far too unstable for me to stand.
The green beam of light above the source rune became large and blasted a hole and opened the ceiling above us. The force of it knocked me flat on my back. Suddenly, the stone walls and the beam broke apart and started floating up into the air. I myself started to float upward. Before I could comprehend the situation, we were flying up along with the beam.
The motion of rising and falling almost caused me to black out. When I looked down from high in the sky. I could see the whole valley below. My gut clenched as soon as we started to drop. Xum'gol came into view as we started to descend back to the earth. His body was covered in green light, sheer madness in his eyes.
Xum'gol grunted incoherently as he started firing green energy at me from both hands. I moved my wings to dodge each of the frantic beams as we made our way down. Xum'gol shouted like a mad beast as he fired wildly. I could see we were getting close to impact and it might be enough to kill me. I tried to glide away to prevent a lethal drop. Xum'gol grabbed my ankle.
I flapped franticly trying to break free from him. He kept his grip and growled at me. I tried rolling but he managed to get on my back. I tried to move lower to the ground. He grabbed my wings and began to pull. I could only cry as he pulled them out of alignment. I spun around in reaction and we crashed to the ground.
My vision returned and I was back on the battlefield. My wings felt like they were broken and my body was reaching its limit. I saw bodies of the undead and cultists lying around. I saw one of the feral dragons flying in the distance, fighting a foe. I heard the sounds of battle. Xum'gol was slowly struggling to get up. His face was worn and his eyes showed less madness. Perhaps the impact knocked the crazy out of him. No chance.
The two of us locked eyes once more. Xum'gol snarled with his bloody, tired face and I did the same with mine. Both allies and foes surrounded us. I could see some of my friends taking notice. I also saw the eyes of the cultists on us. Everything fell quiet. My concentration was on Xum'gol. I could tell he was focused on me the same way.
We charged each other, each giving our own bestial war cry. My fist swung was at Xum'gol's face. He tilted his head back and swung at my face. I returned to connect a punch and he did the same. At this point we were both equally injured and at our limits; becoming more tired and weak with each swing. He uppercut me and knocked me back a bit. I wiped blood from my mouth and felt my pouch. Of course!
"I will still win this, Blake," Xum'gol tiredly taunted.
"Unlike you, I fight with the strength of my friends!" I cried out as I grabbed the scroll and charged toward him.
Xum'gol made a punch at my face which I didn't even try to block. I made sure I shoved the scroll right into his mouth. The punch knocked me on my back again. I could see Xum'gol staring in horror. The scroll started to burst into flames. The air around us swirled. Soon I saw a prismatic swirl of color right by him. The scroll burned up and summoned a portal to the underworld.
"What! No!" cried the terrified Xum'gol. The portal started to suck him in. To my surprise he jumped and grabbed my tail. "You are coming with me!" he grunted as we both got sucked in.
I opened my eyes and saw a crimson sky. There was an odd chill in the air and I couldn't help feeling disoriented. There was a dark fog that made it difficult to see more than a few yards. Xum'gol crawled on top of me, placed his thumbs on my throat and began to strangle me.
"At least I will get some joy watching the life escape your eyes!" Xum'gol screamed at me. I tried to push him but even digging my claws at him didn't faze the pure determined hatred he had for me.
Some large figures came into view. It took me a moment to tell they were demons. Xum'gol turned over and loosened his grip on my throat.
"What! No!" Xum'gol cried out as one of the demons effortlessly grabbed his body.
I could only stare as they shoved their hand into his chest as if it were made of soft clay. They pulled out the ghost visage of a human. It was Xum'gol's former self, before he became a demon and even before he became a lich. The other demons grabbed his ghost and dragged it away as the first demon let go of Xum'gol's limp body. It looked like a rag doll, "You will now face your crimes, Xum'gol," they called.
Xum'gol could only scream as the other demons carried him off into the fog. I lay there in horror and feared what would happened to me. The demons stood over me and picked me up. I cringed, fearful that they would do the same to me.
One demon pulled me closer with a cold expression on his face. "You do not belong here," he instructed. He looked down at the lifeless demon body that Xum'gol claimed, "Xum'gol will not elude us anymore. You have my thanks for that."
"Uh, you're welcome?" I muttered while barely able to speak.
The other demons effortlessly formed a portal right beside me. The demon that held me moved me in that direction, "Go and never return."
He didn't have to ask me twice. I staggered and moved through the portal. As I passed through, my body collapsed on the ground. I saw dirt and grass and I was back on the battlefield. The portal quickly closed behind me and I felt a calm in the air.