A sudden heaviness assaulted Alexander. He had not realized just how bad of a condition his body was in thanks to the magic that had been empowering him. But now that the tool that had been giving him inhuman physical prowess was barely functioning, the intense exertion of the day had caught up to him.
The battle with the first ghast, fleeing from the six that had appeared soon after, and slamming into walls, stairs, and floors had left him battered and fatigued. Without Alexander realizing it, his magic pendant had been the only thing keeping him going for quite some time now.
'It's not completely broken yet, but the enchantment feels like it's not even a quarter as strong as before. Will I be able to get away now?' Alexander thought, the dread he had been holding back slowly taking over.
Just taking a single step back felt laborious now. The quickness that he had been moving with before seemed like a faraway fantasy as death encroached upon him.
A creature like none he had ever seen or heard of before was closing in on him, and the physical abilities he had been relying on to narrowly avoid its attacks had left him.
Through sheer willpower, Alexander forced his body to move when the shadowy dragon reached him.
This time, it reached out with both of its arms and slammed its hands together as if trying to crush an insect.
Only by anticipating its attack and sending all of his remaining strength into his legs, did Alexander manage to jump backwards far enough to avoid being reduced to a blood pulp.
He had to give up on keeping his legs on the ground, and as he sailed through the air, he knew that the landing would not be comfortable.
Still, he had dodged the third assault and would worry about the next once he was back on ground. Or at least, so he thought.
Before Alexander had gone far, the monster's head lunged forward like a striking snake. Its neck becoming elastic and stretching out to reach its target.
Seeing the incoming danger with terror in his eyes, Alexander curled up his body while still in the air. He hoped that this would be enough to avoid being hit, but he was slightly too slow pulling in part of his body.
Once he finally crashed into the floor, a searing pain shot up from his left leg.
It was far worse than anything he had ever experienced before, and the reason became clear when he looked towards where the excruciating sensation was coming from.
From his left foot to around the midpoint of his shin was now missing. Instead, all that remained was a stump that was gushing a fountain of blood.
Seeing the damage only made it worse. Pain assaulted him more intensely, and his head began to feel light. The urge to throw up was overwhelming, but Alexander kept the bile rising in his throat down.
'My leg? Where's the rest of my leg?'
His mind a bit fuzzy, he looked around for his lost body part. While it was rare, there was specialized healing magic that could reattach lost limbs. Of course, even if he did find his missing leg, it would do him no good in his current situation. Unfortunately, the pain and blood loss had muddled his thoughts, preventing him from focusing for the moment.
When he did eventually find out what happened to his leg, though, a sudden burst of rage surged within him.
The shadowy dragon's mouth that was pitch black and devoid of light, now had several red stains covering it. There were also a few pieces of skin stuck to it that the creature soon lapped up with a dark tongue.
Watching this, Alexander knew that his leg had been eaten, and the monster that had done so was thoroughly enjoying its meal.
Now that he had lost his mobility, the creature no longer bothered to pay him much attention. Instead, it was savoring what it had already eaten and felt that it could return for more whenever it so pleased.
'I'm really going to die here.' Alexander thought, a heavy feeling crushing him
If the shadow creature did not kill him, then the loss of blood would soon enough.
Even if he did somehow survive, without his leg, he would be unable to leave this place. There were ghasts stalking the corridors that would be more than happy to make an easy meal out of him. And if by some miracle he made it by them, traversing this mountainous area would be impossible. Death was all that awaited him.
'Still, I won't go alone.'
Fury in his eyes, Alexander glared at the monster that had taken his leg. He had one last card to play that might be enough to beat the creature.
Reaching up to the pendant around his neck, he yanked apart the already broken chain he had tied back together.
With the magic tool firmly grasped in his hand, he began pouring magic power into it without restraint.
It was damaged to the point where it hardly functioned, but it could still receive energy as normal.
'I worked so hard to try and learn control, yet it seems that what originally branded me as a complete failure is going to assist me in the end.'
Throughout his sixteen years of life, Alexander could remember destroying many magic items thanks to his unrestrainable magic power.
There were none like the very first practice magic tool he had used. Back then, he had overloaded it to the point that the item exploded. It had happened when he had just turned thirteen, around three years ago. To this day, he could still vividly remember what had happened.
His hand had been shredded, and several of his bones had been broken. A doctor had cared for him diligently, but it still took him months to recover.
Now he was going to recreate what had occurred all those years ago, but with a far stronger magic tool. He honestly was not sure how violent the explosion it would cause would be.
'Hopefully it will be enough to blow whatever that thing is away.' Alexander thought, glaring hateful at the shadowy dragon.
Grunting in pain, he pushed his body upright and held his right hand above his head.
Then he flung the object he was holding forward with all of the might he could muster.
Except, it was not the magic pendant, but his sword.
The creature noticed the incoming weapon flying towards its face but paid it little mind. With the causal swipe of one of its claws, it knocked the sword away.
From its point of view, what had just occurred was a last spiteful strike from a man that was soon to be dead. Nothing that it needed to worry about.
Yet, Alexander could not help but grin. Throwing his sword away had only been a distraction. At the same time, he had slid the overcharged pendant across the stone floor, where it now rested right under the creature.
It was already shaking violently, and the outer metal that coated the tool was breaking apart. In under a second it would no longer be able to contain the vast amount of energy forced inside of it.
At the last moment, the creature noticed the pendant, but it was too late.
As it reared back to get away, a violent burst of magic power erupted from the magic item.
A bright flash consumed the shadowy dragon in an instant. The not quite solid form that it possessed was blown to pieces, and Alexander watched as a cloud of black fog covered the area, before quickly beginning to dissipate. The terror residing within this ancient castle was no more.