Looming Threat
"Did you see how big those dragons were? They were marvelous! The scales were so shiny and colorful!"
"Ugggggh, will you shut up?!" Luci groaned.
"And the wings and tails! Did you, by chance, happen to feel them when they were carrying us? They were so big and thick!"
"I was too busy wondering if they were going to kill us or eat us, professor," said Sorcerio from another cell. He sat before the cell door bars, resting his chin on his hand.
Koga, Luci, Oscar, Sorcerio, and the rest of the knights were all placed in individual cells below the castle. Koga was lying on his side with his head resting in his hand, and Luci was lying flat on his back, staring at the ceiling above him. The knights were all held up in one cell. Pendergast was sitting in the back, Turbish was drawing on the dirt, and Mertz had his hands around the cell bars, anxiously looking around for the dragons.
"What do you think they're going to do to us?" Mertz asked, his eyes peering down hallways.
"Probably cook us and eat us whole," said Koga indifferently. "But judging by their attitude, probably torture, then they'll eat us. That, or they'll just straight execute us."
"Hopefully, they care about our final needs before then," said Oscar.
"Dude, they're not going to let you bone them…" said Luci. "Give it a rest."
"Unfortunately, I cannot. I do wonder what happened to our little companion, Elfo,"
"Probably ate him," The demon replied.
"That's a horrible thing to say!" said Oscar in a scolding tone.
"Don't get mad at me because I'm saying what we're all thinking," said Luci.
"You're the only one thinking that, Luci," said Koga.
"Maybe our 'Captain' can use his superhuman strength to bust us out of here!" said Mertz, using obvious sarcasm. "Because Koga the Great can do anything! Like leaving behind his friends and betraying us!"
"You got something on your mind, you scrawny little knight?" said the wanderer threateningly.
"Yeah, I do! You never treated us right, and you were nothing but a bully! And now, we're stuck in the mess because you wanted to be some hero! Now you're just sitting there doing nothing while we're going to get eaten!"
"What is this 'we' you speak of?" said Luci. "Who knows, I might be the one to cook you guys."
"Firstly," said Koga, getting to his feet and walking to the cell bars. "If they wanted to kill us, they would've done it when they caught us outside this big ass kingdom. Secondly, you're damn right. I stopped that fat redheaded king from using Elfo and Oscar; I had the balls to go against a king. Maybe you should grow a pair and try it sometime."
"And that's another thing! You always think you're better than us!" Mertz shouted.
"Because I am?"
"He isn't wrong," said Luci.
"There is nothing wrong with being loyal to your king!" Pendergast retorts. "Sure, he might be loud, lazy, smell bad, and is a bit of a tyrant, but deep down, he's a good man, Koga."
Koga scoffs. "You have a messed-up interpretation of what a 'good man' is, Pendergast." He returns to the spot where he is lying and returns to his sitting position. "I can see the collar marks around your necks."
"I fail to see how any of this bickering is getting us out of here," said Sorcerio.
"Well, Koga has a point despite it being very mean," said Oscar. "And I'm not talking about who has the better testicles. I'm talking about the dragons capturing us. I do think we need to wait and see what happens. I heard one of the dragons heading towards the princess's cell. All we need to do is cross our fingers and hope she's doing a good job in talking to the head dragon,"
"Yeah, you guys are screwed," said Luci, taking a puff out of his cigarette.
They would all go silent once they heard scaled feet hitting against the stone floors and shaking the area they stood in. The tall, onyx-scaled dragon was heading towards them, followed by two other dragons. Mertz stepped back fearfully as the onyx dragon stood before the knight's cell doors. It unlocks the door and opens roughly. It spoke, but the knights could only hear its loud whisper as it stood out of its way for them to walk out. Pendergast, Turbish, Mertz, Sorcerio, and the rest of the knights leave the cell. The dragon would do the same for Koga, Luci, and Oscar's cell, gesturing them to leave it. Koga and Luci would be the first to go, and Oscar would be the last to walk out, but the dragon stopped him, placing his enormous arm in the wizard's way.
Oscar gasped. "Am I being chosen for the mating process?" He gleamed. The onyx dragon eyed Oscar's dragon suit. Oscar looked down at his suit and looked up at the dragon. "Oh…umm…this isn't offensive, is it?"
The onyx dragon snatches Oscar's whole suit, leaving him completely naked.
"I guess it is," said Oscar. "However, I find that whole process very
arousing."
The party followed the onyx dragon down the mousy halls till they arrived at the towering doors of the elder dragon's chambers. The dragon placed its thick, scally hands on the doors and pushed them open. Bean and Elfo turned around and smiled once Koga and Luci entered the room.
"You guys are ok!" said Bean, rushing over to Luci and picking him up, bringing the little demon into a tight hug.
"Um, we're ok too, princess…" said Pendergast, frowning.
"Uh…Oscar…" said Elfo, staring up at the wizard. "Should I ask?"
"There's nothing to tell, unfortunately. It leads to nowhere," said Oscar, frowning.
"Can somebody please get this guy a towel or something?" said Koga, pleading.
"No need. I'm enjoying feeling free!"
"But we aren't…" said Luci.
The elder dragon let out a sigh. "Why are humans so weird? And hyper-sexual?"
"Poor impulse control. It's why we have a whole floor in hell dedicated to people like him," said The sub-demon, prying himself from Bean's arms. "Then they started enjoying that."
"Wait, Luci, you can understand the dragons?" Bean asked, surprised.
"Yeah, us demons are bilingual. We were born that way,"
"If that's the case, can you ask this big bastard over here where my swords are?" said Koga, pointing his thumb over to the onyx dragon.
"Hey, big guy, our bushy-haired companion over here is wondering where you took his swords too,"
The onyx dragon opened his mouth, and a loud, incoherent whisper that only Luci, Bean, and Elfo could understand was spoken. Bean's eyes widened a bit, and Elfo looked worried.
Luci just nods. "Mhm…oh, is that right? I see…yeah, mhmm…"
"What the hell is he saying?" Koga asked impatiently.
Luci turned to Koga. "He asked me to ask you to check your ass for your swords,"
A vein pops on the wanderer's head, and he glares at the onyx dragon. The onyx dragon smirked at the wanderer. "Maybe I should check the inside of his head when I rip it off with my bare hands."
"Koga, chill," said Bean, standing between him and the onyx dragon. "Elfo and I got the elder dragon to let you guys out, so don't start a fight."
"Tch, fine," said Koga, crossing his arms and averting his eyes from Bean's.
"The warrior and his men can have his swords back if they promise not to use them against us," said the elder dragon.
"What the hell did that dragon say?" Koga asked.
"It said it looks like you have a caterpillar on your head," said Luci.
"That's not what it said, Luci!" snapped Elfo.
The elder dragon rolls its eyes and then widens them. Koga, the knights, Oscar, and Sorcerio's heads felt like they would split open.
"Argh, what the hell just happened?!" Koga groaned while holding his head.
"So, I grabbed his spiky tail and shoved up my friends—" The orange dragon paused and looked at everyone staring.
"Please…continue…" said Oscar, transfixed on the dragons.
"The dragon placed a spell that makes you understand us. The only side-effect is dilated pupils," said Elfo. Bean, Elfo, and Luci look over at Koga, seeing that his eyes are all crossed. The three began silently laughing.
"My pupils dilated, aren't they?" Koga asked.
"Yup! Here, let me help," said Bean, raising her hand and smacking Koga on his face. "There we go!"
Koga blinks a few times, then focuses on the onyx dragon. "So, where did you say my swords were?" He glared up at the fierce dragon.
The onyx dragon smirked and spoke. His voice was deep and heavy. "Up, your…ass…"
"Talak, that's enough! Go and fetch this warrior his swords. Then, prepare them to be sent back home," said the elder dragon. Talak flared his nostrils at Koga and walked off reluctantly.
"You just love to beef with people as stubborn as you, huh?" said Elfo, to which Koga replied by yanking the elf's hat down on his face.
"W-Wait! We can't go just yet!" said Sorcerio, stepping forth to the dragon. The guards immediately stood in his way. "We're on a mission to retrieve the elixir of life! If you allow us to take it, we can reward you with–"
"Um, Sorcerio…" said Bean. "About that…ummm…"
"There is no elixir of life," said Elfo.
"WHAT?" The court wizard snaps his eyes onto the elf.
"It turns out the elixir of life is an amulet that brings people back to life. It doesn't make you immortal," the elf explained.
"It's true," said the elder dragon. "I'm sorry to disappoint."
"Wow…we came all the way here for nothing," said Luci. "Oh well, I'm ready to go home."
Koga burst into a loud fit of laughter. "Oh wow! All of that work just to come out empty-handed! Oh, I can't wait to see that fat king's face when he finds out the truth!"
Sorcerio slumps. "Oh well…I lived a wonderful life…"
"Did you really, though?" Luci asked.
Oscar raised his hand. "Can I stay?"
"NO!" Everyone shouted.
The heavy winds blew fiercely against Akane's face as she hauled Lucius across the terrain. She clenched her teeth when her shoulder ached due to the wound inflicted by one of the dragon guards. The landing was harsh when they rode the wind after she cast the spell. Lucius hit his head, and he hasn't woken since. Akane didn't know where she was going, and it seemed fruitless to continue since they were in another dimension. She tried contacting Alexander, but it wouldn't reach him. Akane fell to her knees and gently let Lucius down.
"Damn it…what the hell are we going to do?" She whispered.
"Argh…" Lucius groaned.
"Captain Lucius! You're awake!" said Akane, relived.
Lucius rose to his feet and wobbled while holding his head. "Where are we? What happened?" He flinched and gritted his teeth in response to his throbbing head.
"We're in the world of the dragons, sir. As soon as we arrived, a platoon of guards ambushed us. Our squad was wiped out, and I used a wind spell to fly us away. I think a small group of them are still looking for us. We need to do something quickly–"
"How many dragons were following us?" Lucius asked, cutting her off completely.
"I…I don't know. Maybe two or three?" The lieutenant replied weakly.
"Perfect…" said Lucius, reaching into his satchel and pulling a few scrolls.
Akane watched curiously. "Captain?"
"I knew from the moment I laid eyes on those dragons…I had to come here. At first, I was shocked and terrified at their power, but now, that fear is gone. The only that we can survive now, Akane…is–" He pulled out an old, worn scroll and quickly began reading it.
"Captain, what is that? I've never seen that scroll before," said Akane, scotting closer to get a good look.
"I've kept this scroll a secret for a while now. I never had a chance to use it, but now, here in the world of dragons…we can…"
Akane looked at Lucius, puzzled, but she turned to the sound of flapping wings slicing through the heavy winds in the distance. Akane raised her head and saw the dragons heading in their direction. "Captain, we need to go now!"
Lucius looked up and saw the dragons getting closer. "No, Akane. This is perfect," He placed the scroll back into his satchel. "Do you remember what happened to the dragons during the war, Akane? Someone had found a way to harness their power and use it against them."
The dragons landed before Lucius, their heavy stature shaking the ground beneath their feet. Akane called out for Lucius to run, but he stood his ground. The dragon in front raised his sword and lunged at Lucius, impaling him through his chest. Akane screamed at the top of her lungs, seeing Luciu's blood drip onto the ground. The dragon that stabbed Lucius didn't move. It looked terrified, and its eyes looked lifeless. An illuminating red glow formed between Lucius and the dragon, and the dragon let out a sharp cry and began to disappear in a flash of red light. Akane opened her eyes and gazed upon Lucius. Her jaw dropped when she saw his appearance.
Lucius's armor was gone. Wings stuck out from his back, and he had a long, scaly tail. His small stature had become hulking, and his body was littered with red scales. His arms were thick, and his fingers had long nails.
The last two dragons were stunned and stared at Lucius in disbelief. Lucius didn't give them time to react. Lucius dashed forward and struck his hands into the last two dragons' chests, and they disappeared just like the last dragon. Two blue orbs hovered in his scaly hands.
"C-Captain Lucius?" Akane whispered in shock. "W-What did you do?"
Lucius turned to Akane. "You're useless to me in your current state, Akane. Here…take one of these…"
Akane backed away. "W-Wait…captain…what'll happen to me if I take those…"
"I'm not asking you, Akane…" Lucius stepped forward to her.
Akane's eyes widened in fear, and the last thing she saw was a glowing red light.