The orcs hovered over Darian's group, their hulking forms illuminated by the faint glow of bioluminescent moss clinging to the cavern walls. Despite the overwhelming odds, Darian and his team continued to fight. The scent of intermingled orc and human blood permeated the air, a pungent reminder of their mortality. The sound of metal slicing through flesh reverberated, accompanied by guttural roars and the anguished cries of the fallen.
SLASH! SLASH!
Darian's blade tore through the torso of a lesser orc, its blackened blood spraying across his tattered armor. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him; his movements grew sluggish, his breaths ragged. Every muscle in his body screamed for rest, but his will burned brighter. He couldn't afford to stop—not when his teammates depended on him.
"They… just… keep coming," Maria stammered as she knelt beside Aurora, her trembling hands glowing faintly with healing magic. Her once-vibrant face was ashen, her lips dry from overexertion. "I… I can't keep this up," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the chaos.
Darian glanced toward her, his heart twisting. Focus! he commanded himself, forcing his battered body to continue the fight. His Shadowfang—a sleek wolf-like beast wreathed in dark energy—darted around him, its fangs tearing into an orc's throat. Despite the blood matting its midnight fur, it fought on, a mirror of Darian's determination.
With a defiant roar, Darian leaped into the air, his sword raised high. The blade drove into an orc's skull, splitting it with a sickening crack. For a moment, the beast fell lifeless to the ground. But then, impossibly, it rose again, snarling through shattered tusks.
Darian's expression was one of grim exhaustion. He stepped back, chest heaving, as the orc swung its jagged axe in a powerful arc. The blade whistled through the air, splitting the dim light as it bore down on him.
CLANG!
Darian managed to parry, but the force sent him hurtling into the cavern wall. His body hit the stone with a sickening thud, blood spraying from his mouth. Pain lanced through him as he slid to the ground, bones shattered and will wavering. He clawed at the wall, trying to stand, but his limbs refused to cooperate.
Around him, the battlefield was a nightmare. Maria knelt amidst the chaos, tears streaming down her face as she poured the last dregs of her mana into a healing spell. Aurora lay unconscious, her armor shattered, her body limp. Ray, defiant to the end, hacked at an orc's knees despite his broken arm. And Aric—once so confident—struggled to fend off the chieftain, whose cruel laughter echoed through the cavern.
The monstrous chieftain stood nearly ten feet tall, his muscled frame adorned with crude armor and battle scars. His eyes gleamed with a sadistic light as he swung his massive war hammer, scattering Darian's teammates like leaves in a storm. Aric managed a glancing blow with his spear, but it barely left a scratch on the chieftain's hide.
"We're going to die here," Darian muttered bitterly, his vision swimming. Guilt gnawed at his chest as he watched his teammates fall one by one. I led them here. This is my fault.
He had spent his childhood alone, scavenging for scraps and running from the beasts that roamed the outskirts of civilization. His life had been one of struggle and survival, a relentless battle to carve out a future. But now, as his team—the only family he had ever known—fell around him, he felt the crushing weight of his failure.
A mocking cackle shattered his thoughts. A group of orcs loomed over him, their jagged weapons glinting cruelly as they prepared to strike. Darian gritted his teeth, his fingers fumbling for his sword. His legs trembled beneath him as he tried to stand.
Shadowfang lunged between him and the orcs, its glowing eyes blazing with defiance. The beast tore into the nearest orc, its claws raking through armor and flesh. But the orcs retaliated with brutal efficiency, driving their spears into the wolf's body. Shadowfang let out a heart-wrenching whimper as the weapons pierced its hide, one after another, until it finally collapsed.
"No!" Darian's scream tore through the cavern, raw and anguished. He reached out, his fingers brushing the cold stone as if trying to grasp the fading life of his companion. Shadowfang's eyes met his for one final moment, filled with unspoken loyalty, before they dimmed forever.
The sight broke something within him. Tears streamed down his face, mingling with the blood that dripped from his battered body. He wanted to move, to fight, but his body refused to obey. His sword slipped from his grasp as the orcs closed in.
A jagged axe descended toward him, and he braced for the end. But instead of pain, there was a strange numbness. The world tilted as the force of the blow sent him skidding across the ground, crashing into the far wall. Blood pooled beneath him as his consciousness flickered.
"So this is it," he thought bitterly. "All those sleepless nights, the training, the struggle—none of it mattered. Hard work means nothing without power."
The cavern faded from view, replaced by an endless darkness. Darian felt himself slipping away, his mind surrendering to the void.
But then, a brilliant light pierced the darkness. He blinked, disoriented, as the world around him transformed. He found himself in a vast white expanse, the air thick with an overwhelming sense of power. A golden dragon stood before him, its massive form radiating a divine glow. Its scales shimmered like molten sunlight, and its eyes burned with ancient wisdom.
"Mortal," the dragon rumbled, its voice echoing through the void. "Do you desire power?"
Darian stared up at the creature, his battered body trembling under the weight of its gaze. Despite its overwhelming presence, he felt no fear—only a deep, inexplicable connection.
"Yes," he whispered, his voice hoarse but resolute. "I'll do whatever it takes."
The dragon lowered its head, its golden eyes locking onto his. "Then rise, Darian. Prove yourself worthy, and the power you seek shall be yours."