"That was interesting." X remarked from his perch on the ceiling. He crouched upside down, his feet sticking him to the ceiling. He turned to an unremarkable shadow lingering in the corner of the destroyed room. "How about a temporary alliance?"
"An alliance?" The shadows peeled away to reveal Malachi who was also crouching. "No. I don't trust you."
"I don't think you have any other choice. After all, we'll be fighting the same opponent." As one, they turned to look at Ezra.
X jumped down and, with a flash, familiar red chains appeared in his hands, already hurtling towards Ezra.
Clang!
Ezra's clawed hand batted away the chain effortlessly. "Oh? What do we have here? A snack."
Malachi walked out of the shadows with a sigh. "The monster is weakened after centuries without vitality. This is not an alliance, X, but we do have a chance together."
X laughed as he turned to look at Malachi. "Sure thing." He saluted. "Definitely not an alliance."
The chamber crackled with anticipation as Malachi and X stood in front of their opponent.
Malachi's eight dark tentacles writhed behind him, dripping with acidic ink that sizzled and hissed as it pooled on the ground. Beside him, X wielded his crimson chains, their ominous glow casting eerie light as they slowly descended from his arms like a wary snake.
Their opponent stood before them, a deadly fusion of vampire and dragon who loomed over them. His wings flared, creating gusts of wind that whipped through the room, and his tail trashed with deadly grace.
"Let's do this!" Malachi bared his fangs in a predatory snarl, his tentacles poised for attack as he launched himself forward with a primal roar. The acidic black ink sprayed from his tentacles, arcing through the air like deadly projectiles aimed at Ezra.
Ezra inhaled deeply before unleashing a wave of vaporous darkness. The ink dissolved into vitality as the wave passed, the energy siphoned back to Ezra, making him glow.
"Wait for me! Don't hog all the fun!" X surged forward to support his temporary ally, his chains lashing out with deadly speed as he aimed to bind Ezra. But with a flick of his tail, Ezra deftly avoided the chains, his movements fluid and graceful.
ROAR! Ezra's thunderous roar came along with a solid torrent of darkness that sliced through the air around them. The two vampires dodged to the side. Malachi dropped to a crouch and seized two huge pieces of concrete from the shattered floor in each hand. With a grunt, he flung them at Ezra.
"Ah." Ezra chuckled as with a swing of his tail, he shattered the concrete mid-air with ease. "Is this the best you can do?"
"You're not the only one with that trick, you know." X said before his body began to tremble, veins bulging as if trying to break free from his skin.
His muscles bulged and expanded, his body growing larger and more formidable.
His skin darkened, taking on a leathery, almost stone-like texture. His legs contorted and reshaped, forming powerful hooves that cracked the ground beneath him. A painful bellow erupted from his throat as two massive, curved horns burst forth from his skull, gleaming wickedly in the dim light.
Standing nearly ten feet tall, his once human-like frame was now a towering beast of raw muscle and primal fury. From his massive shoulders and waist hung thick, iron chains, each link inscribed with runes that pulsed with a dark energy.
He reached out with his now enormous hands, gripping the chains and feeling their power flow into him. The chains snaked around his arms and torso like living snakes, ready to strike at his command.
The chains melted into the skin of his hands, until it was impossible to tell where the hand ended and the chain began. He hunched forward gave a loud bellow at Ezra that echoed through the room.
"A…minotaur?" Ezra tilted his head, confused, as he stared into X's blank mask.
"Not so confident now, are you?" X taunted.
In response, Ezra roared. He could feel the dragon within him roaring in fury. He could feel Valaren's growing agitation. The dragon sent more power surging through him, more than he could control.
The chains that bound Valaren within him rattled and strained, each link glowing with an intense, fiery heat. The dragon's fury was palpable, a tempest of raw energy that threatened to overwhelm him.
With a crash, Ezra collided with X. He drew back his hands and slashed, tearing open X's stomach. X stumbled back, his wounds sealing itself almost immediately, before he retaliated, his red chains tearing a line through the air.
With each passing second, Valaren's rage intensified. Ezra could hear the dragon's roars echoing in his mind, feel its desperate need for release. He gritted his teeth, trying to maintain control, but it was a losing battle. The chains were breaking, and he could feel Valaren slipping free.
X and Malachi seized the moment of distraction. Malachi had materialized his sword and the blade found its mark, slicing a deep gash across Ezra's unprotected side. X's chain struck him full force, a hit that cracked his ribs and lifted him an inch off the floor.
Ezra stumbled, pain lancing through his body. But the agony only fueled Valaren's rage.
With a deafening roar that echoed in the depths of his mind, Valaren shattered the last of its bonds. Ezra felt a surge of power so great it nearly drove him to his knees. The ground beneath him cracked and splintered, a shockwave radiating outwards as Valaren began to emerge.
The dragon burst forth from Ezra's back, a beautiful, jade green serpentine creature. The dragon hovered in the air, it's powerful wings beating, sending clouds of dust swirling away. The dragon surveyed the battlefield for a few seconds before it landed gently beside Ezra.
Its eyes burned with an ancient, primal fury, and his maw opened wide to unleash a deafening roar.
ROAR!
X and Malach winced at the noise. With the dragon now outside of him, Ezra could feel the changes in his body leaving, reverting him back to his previous state.
Valaren was out but wasn't unchained. He could feel the chain with one end wrapped around Valaren's neck and the other end wrapped around his arm. He was still in control…relatively.
As for X and Malachi, their opponent stood before them, now protected by the four feet tall form of a dragon that looked in the mood for serious stress relief. Its jade green scales shimmered with an iridescent sheen, reflecting the light of the bulbs above as it emitted a growl that echoed through the chamber like a warning.
That was when the sky fell.
"Watch out!" Ezra yelled.