We continued walking down the massive hallway until we came to a huge set of double doors. They towered above us.
"This is...the door to the Water Dragon's sanctum. It's where they would bring offerings and worship her while she taught them. I hope she's okay..." Tareen said.
"Have you been here before?" I asked.
"A couple of times. But I would go between here and Kalsa... Wherever there was work..." She replied.
"Do you know what we should expect?" Rose asked.
"Well, the water dragon is one of the most powerful beings in the world. She's actually pretty nice though. Really wise too. I doubt these monsters could actually manage to kill her..." Tareen replied.
"That's comforting to hear... If she's okay, she might be able to help us destroy the Source of the Black Ooze," I said.
"Black...Ooze?" Jay said fearfully.
"The dark stuff on the walls and floor. The stuff spawning monsters and infecting our comrades. That's what we call it," I said.
"Wait...you mean you two knew about this shit!?" Jay said angrily.
"Naturally. We wouldn't have wasted our time here otherwise. We came here because we heard that the one spawning this vile substance might have been here. We intend to kill him and save the world," I said bluntly.
"Is he...in there?" Jay asked.
"We don't know. But no one saw him leave, so it's likely. If I were you all, I'd prepare myself. This is going to be one hell of a fight and we can't keep an eye on everyone. Stick close and don't do anything stupid," I said.
"Like hell! I'm not going in there! I signed up to make sure the water dragon is okay, not fight the Source of this shit! I'm leaving," Jay said angrily.
"Go for it. I hope you can make it back to the surface alone. Matter of fact, anyone that wants out should go ahead and leave. If you hurry, you might be able to escape before you're infected," I said.
Jay froze in place as he looked into the darkness behind us.
I could already see a few creatures lurking close to the ground...unwilling to step forward because of Rose and me.
"Do you two...think you can handle this Source guy?" Jay asked fearfully.
"We hope so. Otherwise, it's death for all of us. If we can't stop him, the entire world will be consumed," Rose said.
"Well, I think I'll be fine as long as I stay close to Mizik!" Tareen said cheerfully.
She leaned on me as she spoke and smiled sweetly.
Although she seemed fine, I could tell she was terrified. I mean...what sane person wouldn't be?
Since she's probably going to die, should I just allow this...? I'm uncomfortable...
Rose simply shook her head at Tareen and stepped towards the door.
"Well, without further ado, let's move on," she said.
As soon as she spoke, the massive doors opened slowly with a loud creak.
"D-did you two do that!?!?" Jay said in horror.
"No...we didn't..." Rose said.
The group of us looked into the room and saw only darkness.
"Mizik, can you see anything?" Rose asked.
"No. Something seems to be blocking my night vision. I can't see a damn thing."
The group of us slowly walked into the room and the doors shut behind us.
"Gah! What the hell!? How are we supposed to leave?" Jay shouted.
At that moment, I heard something move in the darkness. A sound of something massive shifting.
"Hello!?" Rose shouted.
No response.
"Water dragon! Are you okay!? We came to check on you!" Tareen shouted.
I heard the shifting sound again.
I really don't like where this is going...
I looked around in the darkness and realized that it was so quiet that all I could hear was the sound of breathing and my heartbeat.
Then I heard a rumbling sound.
"Grand Illumination!" Rose shouted.
An orb of light floated up to the ceiling of the massive room and shined a light on the darkness.
Then something stepped forward into the light.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Jay screamed.
What we saw that day was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen.
It stared at us and it...smiled...
Its teeth weren't sharp the way I would have expected them to be...they almost looked...
Human.
This dragon had the straight teeth of a human.
"GRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
It flapped its gigantic wings as it let loose a thunderous roar. A roar that could have shaken the entire temple... The entire mountain...
Actually, to call it a roar was inaccurate. It was more like hearing someone violently scream until their lungs imploded.
This creature...the dragon...
It was massive. Bigger than a damn castle.
Its scales were pitch black and its eyes shone with a deep purple.
Most of our group members screamed and tried to run as soon as soon as they heard it roar.
Immediately, the Black Ooze began spreading from its massive claws as it took a step forward.
"ENRAGE! GRAND SHIELD ENCHANT!"
"GRAND SWORD ENCHANT! EXTREME RAGE OF IRATUS!"
I had both weapons at the ready and changed one to the crossbow.
"SNIPER BURST!!!" I aimed the crossbow at the dragon's eye and fired a short burst of solid magic bolts.
"GRAAH!?"
The bolts hit the dragon and simply disappeared.
Then the dragon picked up its massive claw and brought it down on Rose.
She raised her shield and took the impact head on. The attack caused her to sink into the ground slightly and her shield flashed as soon as the claw made contact. Then she unleashed several attacks in quick succession.
"BLAST NOVA! SUNLIGHT BLADE!" Her shield exploded an she slashed twice at the massive claw.
The dragon slowly retracted its claw and several monsters began rising out of the Black Ooze. They charged at our party members.
After that...
The Dragon opened its mouth and a long tentacle shot out. It grabbed Jay and began pulling him towards the dragons mouth.
"WH...WHAT!?!? NO! NOOOO!!!! PLEASE SAVE ME!!! MOMMY!!! MOM-"
The dragon brought its jaws to a close and blood exploded from it's mouth.
Then it opened its mouth.
"MOMMY! MOMMY! PLEASE SAVE ME, MOMMY! I'M BEING EATEN, MOMMY!" The dragon said in Jay's voice. Towards the end, the voice warped into something else. A chorus of many people shouting at once.
My eyes went wide in horror and so did Rose's.
"Oh...by the gods..." I said fearfully.
Then several tentacles shot out from the dragon's wings and grabbed other adventurers. The ones that came for Rose and I were cut to pieces as they approached.
Tareen dropped to her knees beside me and wailed in fear.
Then the monsters reached us.
"FULL MOON SLASH!!" I shouted.
Just before the attack went off, I switched my crossbow back to a sword and laid waste to the monsters around me.
Meanwhile, the dragon ate several more of our group members.
After devouring them, the dragon opened its mouth.
"HELP!!! PLEASE HELP ME!! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!" The dragon said.
I could have sworn I had heard that voice from somewhere...
"F...father!?" Rose said with sheer terror in her eyes.
Shit...if she's afraid, then Bravery won't protect her!
I charged over to Rose and pulled her behind me as a monster swiped at her. Then I sliced it in half.
Rose shook her head and regained her senses, then raised her shield as the dragon began gathering energy around its mouth.
"AEGIS BARRIER! DEFENSE SUPPORT!" She said.
Rose raised her sword as a barrier formed in front of us and began channeling a second barrier around the two of us.
Then the dragon unleashed a beam of black energy that slammed into the barrier.
As this happened, a tentacle picked up the helpless Tareen and brought her to the dragon's mouth.
"NOOO!!! STOP! PLEASE HELP ME! MIZIK PLEASE SAVE ME!!!" Tareen screamed.
Unfortunately, I couldn't risk leaving the safety of Rose's barrier long enough to save Tareen. If I walked out of here, I would be obliterated.
Once the attack was finished, the dragon flung the struggling and screaming Tareen into its mouth and ate her.
"MIZIK WHY DIDN'T YOU PROTECT ME!? I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU AND YOU LET ME DIE HERE! WHY DOES THAT BITCH ROSE GET TO HAVE YOU!? WHY NOT ME!? AREN'T I PRETTY TOO!?" It said.
Every time this thing spoke I could feel my mental strength slipping away. This abomination was using psychological attacks as well as regular ones...
I was getting tired of this shit.
I leaped into the air and readied both of my weapons.
"FLAMES OF RAGE! EXTERMINATUS!!!" My swords burst into incredible flames as I let loose a devastating combo on the dragon's face.
As soon as I finished, the dragon simply smiled at me and batted me away with one of its many tentacles.
I slammed into the ground and tumbled backward.
"MIZIK!" Rose shouted.
As I tried to get up, I heard a familiar voice.
"MIZIK PLEASE SAVE ME! PLEASE!!! I'M BEGGING YOU!!! MAKE THEM STOP!!! THEY'RE HURTING ME!!!" It said.
"N...no...please no..." I whimpered.
I had to pause in horror at the voice in question.
I felt tears in my eyes at hearing it.
It was Aria.
Several tentacles shot towards me and Rose arrived just in time to block them. Each one caused a massive impact that I could feel from behind her.
"Mizik! Was that...who I think it was!?" Rose said.
"Aria...that was Aria!" I shouted fearfully.
I stood up and changed both of my swords into a staff, then I pointed it at the dragon.
"EXTERMINATUS!" I shouted.
The staff turned upward and fired a blue beam of magic into the air that created an orb. The orb then began rapidly firing explosive blasts of magic at the dragon.
The dragon simply shielded itself with one of its wings. The magic impacted and had zero effect.
"Why can't we hurt this thing!?" Rose said.
"MIZIK!!! I'M SO SORRY FOR HURTING YOU! I'LL BE GOOD, I SWEAR!!! PLEASE SAVE ME! I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER! SAVE ME!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!! PLEASE!!! AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" The dragon said in Cassandra's voice.
Hearing it made the both of us cringe in terror.
A moment later, I could see a massive horde of monsters surrounding us. Rose and I backed up to one another and prepared to kill them all.
"STOP." The dragon said.
At once the monsters all stepped back.
We looked at the dragon in confusion and it smiled again.
By the gods that is terrifying... Please stop that...
"Excuse...us?" Rose said.
"WHY DO YOU RESIST ASSIMILATION? I WAS NOT TOLD OF YOUR EXISTENCE."
The voice was powerful and feminine. I hadn't heard this one before.
"Is that your real voice?" I asked shakily.
The dragon smiled again.
"What are you?" Rose asked.
"I AM FEAR INCARNATE. I AM ENDLESS DESPAIR AND HOPELESSNESS MADE MANIFEST. I AM THE SHADOW DRAGON. I ASKED YOU A QUESTION AS WELL. WHY ARE YOU ABLE TO RESIST THE HOLY ESSENCE OF MY LORD?"
"We don't know. We just do. Are you talking about the Black Ooze?" I asked.
"IF THAT IS WHAT YOU MUST CALL IT, THEN YES. MY LORD'S ESSENCE."
"What happened to the water dragon? Where is the Source of the Black Ooze!?" Rose asked.
"I WAS ONCE KNOWN AS THIS WATER DRAGON, BUT MY LORD, THE SOURCE, MADE ME SO MUCH GREATER. I SOUGHT POWER AND HE GAVE IT. HIS ULTIMATE POWER THAT SURPASSES EVERYTHING. I AM THE SHADOW DRAGON NOW. MY MASTER IS CURRENTLY...ELSEWHERE."
Suddenly the dragon opened its mouth again.
"MY LADY! MY LORD! RUN AWAY! ESCAPE FROM THIS PLACE! SAVE YOURSELVES!!!"
Rose dropped to her knees and started wailing in sorrow.
That was Walter's voice...
I gritted my teeth as I tried to shake the feeling of terror off of myself.
"WHY THE HELL DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT!?" I screamed.
"THE DEAD WHICH HAVE BEEN CONSUMED WISH TO SPEAK. WE ARE ALL ONE IN THE ESSENCE OF MY LORD'S POWER. I OFFER THEM THIS KINDNESS AND USE IT TO STALL OUR ENEMIES. IT IS...DELIGHTFULLY EFFECTIVE." The dragon said in its usual voice.
Then it smiled again.
After that, it mimicked yet another familiar voice...
"JUST GIVE UP! YOU CAN'T WIN! I WAS A FOOL TO BELIEVE THAT I COULD CONTROL HIM!!! YOU WERE RIGHT!!! HE'S A GOD!!! MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY OF THE WEAK GODS THAT RESIDED OVER AVERNIA!!! HE'S A SUPREME BEING!!! I AM SUCH A FOOL!!!" Tyranus' voice said.
As I heard Rose wimpering in terror and sorrow, I felt all of my hope leaving me.
"Shadow dragon," I said.
The dragon smiled at me.
"Are you more powerful than this Source?" I asked.
The water dragon was the most powerful being in our world. If this infected dragon was stronger than the Source, then we might still be able to save Avernia.
The dragon smiled even wider.
I knew it was a pointless and stupid question...
"MY LORD IS MANY TIMES STRONGER THAN I. MY POWER IS BUT A TINY FRACTION OF HIS TRUE MIGHT. A MERE DROP WITHIN A VAST OCEAN. BUT IT IS IRRELEVANT... YOUR WORLD HAS ALREADY BEEN INFECTED AT ITS CORE. IT ALREADY BELONGS TO US."
I...I guess that's it then... It's...over... Avernia is doomed... By the gods, this can't be happening... No...NOOOOOO!!!
I was done.
We had lost.
If this thing was to be believed...
...and it had no reason to lie. It was so much stronger than us that none of our attacks could even leave a scratch on its body.
Our world was truly doomed.
There was no getting stronger at this point.
Level 150 was the maximum a human could attain. Attempts to break this in the past caused people's bodies to degrade into dust. We couldn't hold that much power. Even with a legendary sword...
Rose and I currently stood at the pinnacle of humanity. Of power that could be obtained by mortals. If we couldn't even scratch this dragon, what hope did we have against something several times stronger?
"I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU WERE WORTH DEVOURING, BUT I WILL SIMPLY HAVE TO FIND OUT MYSELF. YOU WILL SOON JOIN ALL THOSE WHO SCREAM FOR YOU."
"MIZIK!!! GET OUTTA HERE MAN!!! TAKE ROSE AND RUN!!!" Said Jax's voice.
"MIZIK PLEASE PROTECT MY DAUGHTER! I'M SO SORRY FOR DISLIKING YOU!!! RUN AWAY!!!" Said Evryss.
"MIZIK, RUN AWAY!!! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!! RUN...AND LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY!!!!" Said my father's voice.
Screw this...we can't stay here!
I grabbed Rose and pulled her close to me. She clung onto me fearfully as I pulled out the talisman of returning.
"RETURN!!!!" I shouted.
As several tentacles shot towards us, my vision went dark and I felt a sensation of floating. Then we were back at the Genmu Port docks.