Suddenly, the entire room trembled violently, pieces of the ceiling cascading down like a waterfall. A loud, thunderous voice echoed throughout like a sonic boom.
"Who has the audacity to come into this dungeon without my authorization?"
The voice was deep and menacing, causing an icy chill to run down their backs.
They jumped back in shock, trembling with fear at the unexpected voice. "What was that?!" Kuo exclaimed. "I knew we shouldn't have come here!" Mileanna yelled.
Shoto gritted his teeth and Hiryo attempted to keep calm. "Let's all take a deep breath!" He shouted. "It's only a sound, even if it's intimidating, it can't hurt us!"
*SHAKE*
The room trembled once more, this time with such force that it seemed like an earthquake was rocking the floor below.
"Just a voice you say?!"
The group attempted to remain stable while the area trembled.
An overwhelming presence suddenly emanated from the dragon statue in the middle of the room.
The statue eyes began to glimmer a dark crimson hue, while a dense, ominous aura started to form around it. Its movements became quick and jerky, as if it was alive and independent of its master.
The aura grew thicker, becoming more and more powerful, until it became a tangible force that seemed to snake around the room. A feeling of dread filled the air, as if something dark and sinister was watching from the shadows. A chill ran down the spine of everyone in the room, and no one dared to move or speak.
The statue seemed to be alive, its eyes burning with a fierce intensity that seemed to penetrate the very souls of those in its presence.
In an instant, the statue vanished and its particles spread throughout the area, transforming into a peculiar shape.
*PING*
As the pieces coalesced, hues of red, black, and purple came into view, two legs with claws at the end of each finger manifested. The particles continued to spread, forming a pair of wings and a huge, monstrous tail.
"ROAR!"
The particles completing it's shape. A dragon stood infront of them and was a fearsome sight to behold. Its scales were a deep red, speckled with purple and black, and its eyes were a glowing yellow. Its wings were massive and bat-like, and its claws were razor sharp.
Its tail was long and spiked, and it had horns sprouting from its head. Its breath was hot and smoky, and it seemed to radiate an evil energy. Its roar was loud and menacing.
My eyes bulged and my pulse quickened as I beheld the unfamiliar sight. "A dragon?" I wondered . "Are they really here too?"
The group felt a powerful and terrifying force emanating from the dragon, an aura of immense darkness and death that seemed to be alive and moving around it.
Hiryo shouted as he quickly pulled out his katana, "Everyone, draw your weapons!"
Shoto and the group acted instinctively and in haste, he unsheathed his sword and grabbed his shield. Mileanna was preparing herself to cast spells if necessary.
Kuo extended his claws and began to metamorphose into a beast-like form. His teeth sharpened, resembling those of a lion or tiger. His skin grew tougher as his legs and arms reshaped to give him greater strength and mobility.
He shifted his stance slightly, his back slouching a bit, and declared, "I thought Dragon was just mere myths? I have a really bad feeling about this!"
The dragon spoke in a gentle yet firm voice, "You better leave now or else you will meet your demise."
Shoto stammered, "All we need is the Blood Piercing Katana and then we'll be out of here!" His voice was shaky as he spoke quickly.
The dragon chuckled and said, "So, your greed has brought you here to risk your lives? Typical humans!" He shook his head, still amused by the situation.
He considered it for a moment as a huge, sinister grin spread across the dragon's face. "All right," he announced, "I'll give you the katana, but only on one condition."
As I peered around the boulders, I couldn't help but pull a face in revulsion, "Ew, I never thought I'd witness a dragon smiling. It's absolutely disgusting." I muttered to myself.
Shoto inquired, a spark of hope in his voice, "What is the condition?"
The dragon motioned to them and declared, "Surrender one of your companions and I will grant you The Blood Piercing Katana."
Upon hearing these words, a wide smile spread across Shoto's face. His eyes became crescent-shaped and his expression was rather unsettling to behold.
*SHOVE*
He shoved Hiryo towards the dragon and exclaimed, "We offer him to you!"
The dragon was taken aback, "That was much faster than expected; I had intended it to be a source of anguish as you all had difficulty coming to a decision." He elucidated.
Hiryo was taken aback by his friend's unexpected words, his eyes widened in surprise and he was rendered motionless.
He nervously glanced over at Shoto, his face reflecting his fear. "Is this some kind of misunderstanding?" he asked, his voice quavering. "We all were supposed to protect each other."
Shoto disregarded Hiryo's statement as he shouted at the dragon, "We kept our end of the bargain, so give us the katana now!"
The dragon let out a deep breath of exasperation, "This is so boring, but I guess I'll stick to our agreement, human."
Hiryo frozen.
The dragon started to speak in a strange, unknown tongue, as if chanting a spell. Suddenly, a katana started to emerge from the rift that had opened up.
As it emerged, immense power and beauty could be sensed. It had a curved blade made of a strong metal alloy, with a black handle wrapped in red leather. The guard of the sword is made of black steel, and the hilt would be adorned with intricate designs and symbols.
The blade itself is be etched with a unique pattern, and the whole sword seemed be incredibly sharp and lethal. In the hands of a skilled swordsman, this weapon would be the ultimate tool for executing deadly strikes.
The rift between them vanished and the katana was sheathed. It gently hovered towards Shoto and the others, coming to rest in his grasp.
As Shoto held the sheath in his hands, he realized that he wouldn't be able to withstand the power of the actual katana if he didn't have its protective casing. Otherwise, he would likely die from the force of the blade.
The dragon glared menacingly at Shoto and declared, "The blade is now yours, human." His talon was pointing towards Shoto, its edges as sharp as knives. "Now get out of my sight!"
Hiryo abruptly spun around to face Shoto and began sprinting in his direction, calling out in terror and desperation, "Hang on, weren't we meant to be friends?" His words reverberated throughout the chamber.
Shoto had a satisfied expression on his face as he and the others abruptly disappeared from view just as Hiryo began running in their direction.
Hiryo tripped and tumbled to the ground as he ran, staring up at the dragon. The blade he was holding was thrown from his grip. "What happened to my friemds? Have you killed them?!" he demanded.
"Your friends? Human, I'm afraid those people just betrayed you and are not deserving such a title."
"They exchanged your life for the katana, so I simply teleported them out of the dungeon."
The dragon's voice was calm as he looked down at Shoto
"THAT CAN'T BE TRUE! THEY WERE MY FRIENDS!"
Hiryo felt a heavy weight crushing the heart, an ache that can't be relieved, and a fog that clouds the mind.
A feeling of emptiness and despair, a sense of being lost with no hope of finding his way back. The feeling of being disconnected from the world, of being helpless and alone.
He felt the feeling of being overwhelmed by a darkness that can't be escaped.
He was betrayed.
He had a blank stare on his face and his complexion was ashen as he lay on the ground.
"I feel sorry for you, human; being betrayed by your closest companion is something I would never wish upon even my greatest enemies."
I remained hidden, yet I remembered I had experienced a familiar feeling. The sensation of being betrayed, sadness, and anguish.
Hiryo slowly lifted himself to his feet, picking up his katana which had been thrown to the ground, and declared, "I will not give up!" He then held the sword firmly and prepared to fight.
The anguish in his voice was evident as his cries reverberated in my ears.
His determination and willpower to stay alive never diminished, even as he raised his katana high. Though his gaze watered a bit, he maintained a vigilant stance.
The terror he experienced in the situation was unimaginable as an invincible enemy confronted him.
"You don't want to do this human."
Hiryo's expression grew serious as he sprinted towards the dragon, ready to fight for his life with his katana firmly in hand.
As Hiryo approached the dragon, he shouted like a fierce warrior. The dragon spoke with authority as he uttered the words, "Dark Bolt!"
A mysterious ring materialized in front of the dragon, and from it a dark bolt flew straight at Hiryo.
*FLING*
The bolt in a direct path, traveling at an astounding rate of speed towards Hiryo.
The dark bolt surged into Shoto's forehead and pierced all the way through to the other side of his skull. The force of the blast also sent shockwaves into the ground.
*THUD*
Hiryo was unable to let out a sound of anguish as the events transpired with lightning speed, and he tumbled to the floor, tightly clutching his sword.
"This is it for you, Human. I shall use your body to exchange souls and only then will I be able to get away from this cursed dungeon"
As I smashed the two rocks I had been hiding behind, I commented to myself, "Now I understand why I felt the need to accompany you down into this dungeon."
I strode confidently towards Hiryo, my expression serious yet unreadable. Every step I took was filled with authority, creating an intimidating atmosphere.
An intense red aura emanated from me, swirling around me as if I was a deity.
The intense red aura radiating an air of power and majesty. I felt invincible, like a god among mortals. I could feel the energy of the aura coursing through my veins, giving me an indomitable strength.
It's feeding off of my own power, amplifying it and giving me an even greater sense of control over my mana.
"It was because we are so alike, that I can't allow you to die."