Dotting the landscape of Anjima were great stretches of bamboo. An abundance of the forests had given them a unique identity within the country. Shrines were most often constructed within such places for reasons of aesthetics--a simple but core principle of Anjima's architectural culture.
Barion couldn't help but admire the thick curtains of bamboo as he and his mysterious comrade wandered across a simple dirt pathway. Despite their proximity to Shukora, the forest made it seem as if they had become lost in the countryside. It was easy to understand how legends of wanderers becoming lost forever within those bamboo forests began to spread.
"How do you suppose this spirit is affecting the emperor's judgement?" Barion wondered, "If it was once a dragon, why bother trying to destroy a city from within when you could just raze it to the ground?"
"I imagine a combination of pettiness, anger and irrationality are to blame for that." The man answered, "Simple death wouldn't satisfy it in the least. People must be made to suffer slowly. Any countryman would weep seeing his homeland wasting away."
"I almost forgot how pitiful Demons could be."
"Being a slave to one's vengeful desires is a quick way to pollute the soul. An earth spirit protects the land it inhabits, and punishes evil. What we're hunting can't really be called one anymore."
As they spoke, a shape became apparent through the bamboo thicket. A quaint shrine was constructed near a river and a rushing waterfall, but there were no priests or priestesses tending to their daily duties. Wind blew freely into the shrine's single chamber, where the paper walls partitioning its inner sanctum were decorated with an antiquated interpretation of a dragon.
"Aren't there supposed to be people here?" Barion asked.
"It wouldn't surprise me if the shrine's priests were still trapped in Shukora. We were only allowed to leave thanks to your Merchant's Guild badge, after all."
"If only they'd let me enter with it. I suppose they thought trapping a member inside of their city would cause too much international trouble."
"In any case, the cave we're looking for is behind that waterfall."
Walking past the shrine and over to the river, Barion could clearly see the entrance to a large cavern behind the torrent of water. The air around it was covered in a fine mist which condensed against his forehead.
"Barion, I recommend acquiring a weapon if we intend to enter the cave." Fusala warned, "After searching your bag of holding extensively, I could not help but notice that you do not keep any close at hand."
"I know. Fighting isn't really my style anymore." He waved her off, "Plus, the Sword of Light is the only thing that can kill a Demon for good, anyway."
"Your habit of unpreparedness is highly frustrating."
"Well, that's just how it is." Barion smirked, "Let's get going."
Taking care not to slip on the rocks, he was forced to close his eyes as the full weight of the waterfall fell upon him. With a leap, he sprung through the main body of the water and into the mouth of the cavern, and was quickly followed by his ally, who moved with just as much precision as him.
"Dark down there…" He muttered, "Where's that revealing lantern…?"
Digging through his bag of holding, he gripped an iron handle before unpacking what appeared to be an oil lantern which glowed with a magical light. The darkness of the cavern was suddenly illuminated by a greenish shine as he pointed the lantern in front of him.
"An ordinary lantern would have sufficed." Fusala scolded flatly.
"Actually, we almost always used this as a light source rather than to reveal secrets. Not many people go out of their way to cast illusion magic on things, you know. Plus, the flame lasts forever, so there's no need to refuel it."
"If the two of you are quite done, can we please get moving?" The man hurried.
Leading the way with the revealing lantern, Barion began to descend into the earth. It wasn't long before the pathway became decorated with lit sconces, each of them holding a torch which burned with a welcoming fire. As the cave walls narrowed, the two of them exited a particularly tight crevice into a small space, at the opposite end of which stood an extremely large pair of wooden doors, which sat slightly ajar.
"It appears someone's been down here." The man noticed, "It's possible that the magic binding the boulder was lifted by somebody, rather than simply wearing off."
"Who would do something like that?" Barion asked.
"Someone with a vendetta against Anjima, presumably." He answered, "Let's continue."
While heavy, the two of them combined more than easily saw the passage opened completely. Past the doors, a wide-open chamber housed nothing else but a few standing torches and a pedestal, upon which sat the so-called cursed boulder, adorned with a knotted rope.
"Look, Barion." His comrade pointed at the boulder, "It's cracked."
"Ah, you're right…"
The boulder's top-half had been stricken with a singular crack large enough to fit one's hand into. Exhuming from the wound was a thin, colourless smoke that obscured the ground surrounding the boulder in a kind of mist. When his eyes fell upon it, Barion became aware of the sound of his own heartbeat, which seemed to rise in response to its presence.
"The sight of a Demon's something I'll never get used to." Barion sighed.
"It seems docile at the moment, so now would be a good time to end it, Barion."
"Yeah…" He muttered, "Stand back, unless you feel like getting cooked yourself."
"You don't have to warn me twice." The man said, moving back to the chamber's entrance.
Lifting a hand into the air, Barion's thoughts drifted to those selfsame desires of hope that had plagued his mind so long ago. Hope for a world free of tyranny, and the youthful courage to see such a dream realised. Like that, a golden glow emanated from his palm, which slowly grew to take the appearance of a sword.
-And, at that exact moment, with a thunderous sound, the formless sword shattered into pieces, dispersing and vanishing into thin air.
"Wha-"
Barion was confused. Never once had the Sword of Light refused to answer his call. Even at a time when he could barely control its power, he could at least summon the blade itself. Lowering his hand, he stared into his palm as if an answer would jump out at him, but no such thing arrived. The all-powerful aura of the sword had not vanished into his body--it was as if it had disappeared completely.
"Barion, is something amiss?" Fusala asked.
"I can't summon it?" His brow furrowed, "Is it because of the stone?"
"I'm afraid the problem is a little more complicated than that, Barion." His comrade said, walking back towards his position, "...I'm not too sure how to put this, really."
"How do you mean? Stop being cryptic for just a moment."
"Unless my eyes are failing me…" He crossed his arms, "It seems like the Sword of Light has abandoned you. I can't detect even the faintest trace of it anymore."
"Was I neglecting it or something?"
"No, it's not like a girlfriend…" The man closed his eyes, "I'm not certain…"
"Whether it's here or not doesn't bother me, but we can't get rid of a Demon without it."
Just then, there was a rumbling. The cavern walls and ceiling shook, sending dislodged fragments of stone to the ground. Turning just in time to catch a glimpse of it, Barion saw a red glow emanating from the sealed stone, recoiling as it was blown apart in a tremendous explosion powerful enough to knock him to his feet. Sensing a shard of granite flying past his cheek, he opened his eyes to see the mighty form of a dragon rising up out of the stone, melding straight through the ceiling above their heads while letting loose a roar that threatened to burst his eardrums.
"What the-" With his ears ringing, Barion muttered those words before standing up, "Did it escape?"
"It seems… we were a little late in arriving here…" His comrade answered, who had been knocked down in a similar fashion, "This is quite the situation. Perhaps it knew it was about to be exorcised and decided to escape while it could?"
"Damn! It'll head straight for the city!" Barion yelled, "We need to get moving!"
"And how exactly do you intend to stop it? It appears the Sword of Light has given you up."
"How do you think?" He answered, "Not having the sword didn't stop me from killing Demons before."
"You're not suggesting-" The man recoiled, "...Well, that would be my reaction if I didn't already know who you are."
"Barion." Fusala spoke up, "It appears the situation is quickly deteriorating. Shukora is a well-defended city, but the might of a full-grown dragon presents quite the overwhelming threat."
"We'll just have to stop it, then."
"...How do you propose we go about accomplishing such a feat?"
"How else?" He smirked, "We kill it. Is it really that complicated?"
"It appears you have become delusional. You currently possess 0 weapons, as we previously discussed. The scales of an Anjima dragon are more durable than the finest metals, and its magical powers are comparable to those of the world's most proficient sorcerers."
"Alright, let's get going!" He stated loudly, "Shilahi once made a stew from dragon meat that just melted in your mouth. I wonder if I can remember the recipe?"