Chapter Ten
It All Falls Apart
One hour later...
In a frenzy, I rushed up the spiraling staircase leading to the surface from the large catacombs. I long ago left my column I had been designated to place my pyroworm nit on and entered the catacombs and found that Jisei wasn't there, so I started up the spiraling staircase to the surface. A lot had happened in the time I had been away from my party, and Foi and the others needed to be warned before it was too late. We had been fooled; this was all part of her plan.
My Companion Wisp was dead, and I had no other way of communicating with my party, so I desperately hurried. I trailed a dragon-soldier who raced me to the surface and so far, he was winning. I couldn't let him reach the fortress before me, much depended on me arriving first and sounding the alarm. Foi was in grave danger.
The dragon-soldier leapt over a large spider web with his agile reptile body. I threw a small ball of Fotia Fire that consumed the webbing before I reached it. My own salty liquid speckled my face along with the filth of the dungeon as I held Floga's sheath in my left hand. The yeti-hide fur that made up the sheath absorbed my palm sweat as I gripped it tightly; I had lost my shield earlier in a duel with the dragon-soldier and removed the sheath to fight with two blades, but I never pulled the knife. The dragon-soldier paused and pushed on a loose wall block that was half my size, and it came tumbling down the stairs at me. I narrowly escaped it crushing me by dropping off the stairs and clinging to the ledge, but as I did I lost Floga. The efficiency knife fell down the stairs and landed at the bottom on the crystal platform. I pulled myself up and forsook my father's knife and continued my pursuit of the dragon-soldier; I would have to return later for my precious Floga. Something more precious to me could be taken from me. I knew the truth of the matter. Ko's prophecy would come true if I didn't stop the dragon-harpy; I saw the truth of it on an ancient mural when I was below. I remembered Ko's words as I raced to the surface.
Do not be persuaded by the tongue of the dragon. Lies mingle with the truth. She is the power behind the throne. The heart of a true paladin will be sacrificed after a sword has been broken. A family feud will bring you to ruin.
It was the dragon-harpy's plan to sacrifice Foi's heart to bring about her evil agenda. She must have manipulated the Duke to hire a group with a true paladin. If she manipulated the Duke, was she also in control of Lyge? I would have to be wary of him when I reached the surface.
The dragon-soldier's insane pace allowed him to leave me behind little by little. I didn't think I could catch up to him unless I used Valkyrie Wings, so I called forth my class's magic, and the white wings appeared on my back. They swiftly carried me forward, and I flew up the narrow spiraling staircase and slowly gained on the dragon-soldier, but he still reached the top first and ran out to a bridge. I emerged into the sunlight and saw that my entire party was on the surface battling the dragon-harpy. She was a sight to behold with her green-gold skin. The dragon-harpy possessed a humanoid upper half, donning a white long sleeve shirt with a black vest, and her lower dragon body consisted of four legs and a spiked tail. She was twice the size of Frieden and had claws and sharp teeth. When I stepped out to the bridge, I also noticed that we stood on the first tower of the fortress. The dragon-soldier and myself were on the broken bridge while Foi, Lyge, and the others were scattered about the other five bridges. The dragon-harpy stood on the rubble between the two towers with her back to what remained of the fortress. Before I lost my Companion Wisp, I had heard that the dragon-harpy spotted Lyge while he attached his pyroworm nit. Now that I think of it, an odd thing happened before the dragon-harpy discovered him; my observant-eye spell was severed between me and Lyge, and I couldn't see what was happening with him. I heard a battle start through my Companion Wisp before she was killed by the dragon-soldier, then I heard the necromancer lead the dragon-harpy to the surface, and he requested Foi and the others' aide. Foi had ordered our party to the surface including Jisei. I had been delayed in joining them by the dragon-soldier who had come across me at the column, but now we were all on the surface.
The dragon-soldier drew his sword, but he saw no way to reach his queen for the area between the broken bridge and the center platform was great. He looked back at me, and I drew Molten, my Ainigma-elf steel sword, preparing for battle; the blade glowed red with my aggravation and fury. I would do anything, sacrifice anything to save Foi and so the battle for my beloved started.
The End- click here for Ayann #1 Part B
The Vampire's Curse And The Phoenix's Feathers
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