Xander Drayke tightened his grip on his sword, sweats pouring down his forehead, largely from the intense heat in the cave as the roar grew louder and angrier. The cave guardian, a colossal serpent, flew out of its nest in the cave, and sliced the air with the grace of a bird, then dived with the grace of a dolphin into the overflowing sea of lava beneath them. It leaped out after, lava dripping like water along its ethereal crimson scales.

Xander Drayke had to defeat the cave guardian. His parents' lives were at stake. They were rotting in their hospital beds from a strange terminal illness that left them in a coma for three years now. The immortal stone-- a precious Nevarra artifact guarded by the serpent, was the only thing that could resurrect them. Xander had to get his hands on it, else his parents would die.

Adrian Steel, Xander's best friend, readied his guns in his hands as Clara Rivers, Xander's fiancée, readied her bow and arrows also. They had both followed to help him find the immortal stone and save his parents.

The colossal serpent ran its fiery eyes around the cave's length, searching keenly for intruders. Its large molten gold eyes, flecked with an aggressive crimson, finally found them, and it geared fast for attack. 

Adrian spoke first, asserting leadership, even when Xander had always been the leader of the group.

"We go with long range attacks first, then we switch to short range once we secure its weak angle", he said, authoritative. Before Xander could make a comment, Adrian had sprinted down the rocky floor of the cave, shooting expertly at the serpent with his guns, a gun in each hand.

Clara joined Adrian, churning her explosive arrows at the serpent. Xander found it hard to understand why Adrian was trying to usurp his role as the leader, and why he was also over enthusiastic about the mission. He eventually dismissed the thoughts in his head, and ran after them. He ditched his sword for his gun, pulling it from his belt, since the serpent was far from the ground. With his fingers pressed firmly on the trigger, he fired continuously at the serpent.

"Watch out! Clara!" he called out, watching the serpent whip its slick body in her direction. Her explosive arrows were doing more damage to the serpent than he and Adrian's bullets. Hence, she earned its attention. Clara shot at a rock in the way of the serpent as the serpent sent its tail at her. There was an explosion and the rock broke apart. The falling boulders of rocks weren't enough to stop the serpent's attack. Its body slipped through the boulders with great speed and ease, continuing for her. Xander jumped onto a boulder beside him and leaped fast into the air, snatching her away from the serpent's attack. They crashed hard into the floor, Xander covering her completely with his own body, taking all the damage of the crash. Every part of him burned and throbbed with pain, while she stood away from him. Adrian joined them, dropping beside Clara. Both of them loomed over Xander while he whimpered and cursed on the floor.

"Let's take this thing slow, Adrian. Let's plan, we can't just attack this creature head on, it is far stronger than us", Xander said with an irritated snag in his voice. Then he broke off in a long trail of loud whimpers.

Adrian stared down at him, then whipped his eyes back to watch the serpent. "There is nothing to think about or plan, Xander, we can take this creature head on, just do as I say, but let's go harder this time" again, before Xander could counter him, he had dashed away. This time, charging at the serpent with his sword.

Xander stopped Clara before she could move after Adrian. "He is going to get us killed if we follow his reckless lead", he told her. He grabbed onto her leg, struggling gradually to his feet. "We have to handle things with tact, and do this my way", he added. They were still discussing, when a loud yell rang out from somewhere. They watched the serpent's tail slam into Adrian, throwing him to collide against a large rock. The serpent followed by whipping large drops of smoky lava from its tail towards Adrian. Xander leaped fast into the air, pulling his sword from his back, he wiped away some of the lava droplets before they could reach Adrian. He landed just beside Adrian's semi-unconscious body, overwhelmed by the strong scents of sulfur from the lava, some of which dripped down the metal skin of his sword. Clara joined him after.

"So what's the plan then, babe" Clara inquired curiously, her eyes trained on the serpent's movements.

"Don't attack the serpent directly. Shoot your arrows at the rocks around and above it, and the moment when it is distracted by avoiding the rocks, I will find an opening and move in for the kill", Xander told her.

"What about him?" her gaze shifted briefly to Adrian as he whimpered and cursed in pain on the floor.

"He can take care of himself, he will be fine". Xander answered, his tone firm. 

Clara nodded in understanding, and began running around the cave, shooting her explosive arrows at the rocks above the serpent. Explosions followed as the arrows struck home, then, there was a rain of rocks. The serpent roared in a frenzy as it slithered and slipped through the large rock boulders dropping from the ceiling.

Xander watched the serpent keenly as it moved around to avoid the rain of boulders. Finding an opening, he jumped onto a rock, flew into another in the air, and another. He hauled himself onto the last one with a quiet but heavy grunt, watching for the rain of rocks himself. Immediately, he swung his sword at the back of the serpent's head, unleashing the whole strength and power of his high-tech sword in that attack.

The serpent's head slipped from its slick, crimson body, and dropped into the pool below, and a massive splash of lava erupted into the air. Xander jumped away from the splash, landing on a larger rocky surface. He doubled over on the rocky floor, and resumed on his feet. He sheathed his sword, and was moving into a smaller chamber of the cave to find the immortal stone, when he heard a gunshot slice down the calmness in the cave. Something heavy dug into his back, forcing him to a quick halt. There was another gunshot, and another, and each time, what followed the gunshots was a strong force digging into his body, and in its wake was excruciating pain. He dropped to his knees, his own blood forming a pool around him. He turned his head in the direction of the gunshots, and Adrian ambled carefully towards him. Why had Adrian shot him, why had his best friend betrayed him, those questions burned his mind, but nothing came out of his lips other than hoarse strings of inaudible noises. He gnashed his teeth as excruciating pain continued to torment the whole of him.

"What did you do that for, Adrian" Clara yelled, aghast and shocked.

"It was high time we rid ourselves of your useless boyfriend anyway," he said casually. He pulled Clara into his arms, grinned at her still shocked face and kissed her passionately. He looked into her eyes as he pulled away, wiping off a lock of her auburn curls with a finger. "It was the only way you and I could ever be together, Clara. It is also the only way we can rescue our chance of transcending to higher realms to become cultivators, before Xander wastes such a precious artifact like an Immortal stone on saving his vegetables of a parent."

Xander not only witnessed his best friend and fiancée's betrayal, he also realized why Adrian had followed him to the cave. It wasn't to help rescue his parents, by helping him find the immortal stone, but to steal it for himself, and transcend to a higher realm with it. The immortal stone was the only Nevarra artifact that had the dual quality of being able to heal people and also transcend people to higher realms with purer cosmic energy to cultivate and become skilled cultivators.

The shock in Clara's eyes calmed, and she said softly, "I am sorry, Adrian. I never thought about it that way."

He grinned in understanding at her, and traipsed carefully towards Xander.

Xander's stare was murderous as he watched Adrian march towards him. Adrian squatted beside him, grinning down on him. Xander stared into the face of the betrayer, as life slipped slowly and slowly out of him. His own blood kept growing into a much larger pool around him. He berated himself for being too trusting and overlooking every hint of betrayal. Adrian's and Clara's betrayal had always been staring at him in the face, but he had always overlooked it. He had completely trusted them, and now, that mistake had come to haunt him. He had caught them in each other's arms several times, but he had always chosen to believe they were joking around, when instead, they were dating each other behind his back, betraying him.

"You are a devil, Adrian.... I trusted you and… loved you as a friend" he stuttered weakly, then he broke off in loud grunting and yelling, pain tormenting every inch of him.

"Yes, I am the almighty devil, Xander, and you should never have trusted the devil. Say hi to your parents when you get to the afterlife for me. They should have a thing or two to tell you about me, how I poisoned their drinks with the rarest and undetectable poison in Nevarra, that left them in that vegetative state for years" he grinned.

Xander snatched Adrian's collar, transferring all the strength in his dying body to his hands. "Why did you do it, Adrian?... Why!... I have always treated you like a friend" he stuttered.

"Your wealth and family were great reminders of everything I lacked. Being friends with you made me desire everything you own, your wealth, your girl and your parents, and since I couldn't have your parents and their wealth, I chose to destroy them. That was why I poisoned them and made you ruin all their fortunes in trying to prolong their lives until now. I decided to take your girl as well, Clara, and surprisingly, we hit it off immediately. Anyway! That's as much conversation with a dead man as I can spare today", Adrian grinned and pointed his gun towards Xander's forehead, his fingers going for the trigger.