(Previously in 'RWBY: Hidden World' = )
"Terminus, everyone get off !" said the Dragoness as she crouched on the ground, giving her passengers the opportunity to get off her back… which they did.
Once their feet touched the ground, Aurora went back on her own feet before the three of them faced the gates.
"Alright, follow me..." the Dragon calmly said to the two before walking forward.
Salem and Summer glanced at one another before slowly following after Aurora. The trio approached the gates and were stopped by a duo of Massive brown dragons, whose physical was similar to Aurora's but stronger. Clearly, they were males because they were bigger than the dragoness.
"What is your business here ?" one of them asked in a strong tone while narrowing his hazel eyes at them all.
"I am here to escort these two to the King !" Aurora answered in a formal tone while looking at the guards dead in the eyes.
At those words, the two dragons showed recognition in their eyes and bowed their heads slightly at them.
"We have been warned of your arrival… Follow us !" the other male said before roaring loudly at the gates.
Slowly, the gates opened, revealing to our friends a large tunnel leading deeper into the mountain.
"Come on..." the first male said to them before entering the mountain, followed by his fellow male.
Salem and Summer looked a bit nervous for a moment but then they looked at Aurora when she spoke to them in a gentle and comforting tone.
"Everything will be fine~" she said softly to them before slowly following after the males.
The two women staid behind for a moment, but after one last glance shot at one another, they quickly went after Aurora, entering the mountain where the Dragon King, the only one who might help them in their plight, resided.
00/(Present Time)/00
This tunnel seemed endless for our two heroines as they followed the dragons who guided them through this gigantic and dark mountain.
What did Aurora call him again?
Oh yes, Shadow Mountain.
However, unlike the tunnels that Salem and Summer had fallen into a few days before, this one was much more pleasant and captivating to admire: it was a grandiose tunnel with polished walls (covered with drawings representing events from long ago) lined with high pillars and vaulted ceilings as far as the eye could see.
Some of these drawings had caught the attention of our heroines and, as they followed their guides, they could not help but look at them with curiosity and interest: many represented an enormous black dragon with green eyes, either spitting fire at the inside what looked like an arena (and burning people) or standing over drawings resembling elves and dragons, surrounding them with his immense wings, like a protector.
But then, their eyes fell on a particular drawing and they had to stop to observe it closely. Like the others, this one was representing a Huge Black Dragon… but he was standing before two smaller dragons, one yellow and one purple.
At the sight of the two smaller dragons, Salem released a loud gasp of shock causing everyone to look back at her, stopping moving.
"Salem ? Are you okay ?" Summer asked her companion and friend with a worried tone while wondering what had caused such a reaction.
"Its them…" the Queen of Grimm whispered softly, still looking at the drawing with wide eyes of shock and… hatred ?
" 'Them' ?" Summer repeated with a frown of confusion, looking back and forth between the drawing and her friend.
"The Twin Gods..." was Salem's answer.
At those words, Summer released a gasp of shock before turning her wide eyes toward the drawing, looking at the two dragons standing before the black one.
The first dragon was a yellow Eastern Dragon with a long serpentine body, whitish long antlers, a long golden mane running down all the length of its body (forming a plume of some sort at the tip of its tail), extensive facial hair terminated in two feathery tipped whiskers-like appendices and pure glowing white eyes.
The second dragon was a large, four-legged skeletal purple dragon with a skull-like face, empty socket eyes, a row of bone-line spines running down the entire length of its body, two large wings with frayed membranes and spiraled horns.
And yet, they were nothing compared to the enormous black dragon before them. Again, it was depicted as a shadow...without any visible physical features like the shape of its face, his legs, or anything else.
Seeing this as an opportunity to cheer up her friend, the silver eyed Huntress smirked at her companion before saying with humor.
"They look so tiny compare to him..."
As she said this, Summer used a finger to point at the black dragon standing mightily before the Creators of Remnant. Salem blinked at her friend's words, before laughing when she too noticed this particular part of the wall drawing.
"They are indeed..." the Queen of Grimm said with a chuckle before looking at the black dragon on the wall.
"Do you think it is him ?" Salem asked her companion with seriousness now, all trace of amusement vanished from her pale face.
"The Dragon King ? Perhaps..." Summer answered with a shrug.
However, they soon stiffened when Aurora's voice echoed behind them.
"I can assume you, Lady Salem and Lady Summer… This is the Dragon King himself..."
Turning their heads, they saw their dragon friend, Aurora, approaching them, while her violet eyes were glued to the drawing of the black dragon. Respect and admiration shone in her eyes. Soon, Salem and Summer looked back a the painting, admiration shining in their own eyes as they stared at the black dragon represented on the rocky wall.
"He looks so huge…" Summer commented while looking at the drawing.
"I saw the Gods in their dragon forms... they were impressive but now... They look like mere mice compared to him..." Salem said with agreement while also looked at the drawing.
But then, both women glanced at one another as a flash of nervousness passed through their bodies : If the Black Dragon was so imposing at the time that it literally dwarfed the gods, then what was it like after so many years?
Had he grown up ? or had he maintained his former size ?
Looking away from the drawing, they both turned their heads to stare at the only one who could, at the moment, answer their question : Aurora.
"How big is he now ?" Summer asked the green dragon with curiosity and interest, causing Salem to do the same.
Instead of responding, Aurora and the two male dragons smirked at them, sending shivers of fear through our heroines' bodies, before their scaly friend responded in a mysterious tone.
"You will see soon enough~"
Summer pouted at those words, causing Aurora to chuckle in amusement before she and the two other dragons (who were also amused by the huntress's pout) resumed their walk, momentarily leaving the two behind.
"Come on ! We should keep going ! The last thing I want is to get lost in this mountain !" Salem said to her companion in an encouraging tone even if herself was unsatisfied by Aurora's answer.
Summer nodded to her friend before they quickly took on the Dragons… all the while wondering what the Dragon King looked like. However, even if they had no idea of his physical appearance, the two women knew at least one thing about him: that he is undoubtedly the largest dragon in existence.
The question was : how big was he ?
Until they meet him, that response and that of "what does he look like?" » will remain unanswered.
Anyway, for another long time, the two women along with the three dragons were walking through this dark tunnel, heading deeper and deeper into the mountain. The deeper they went into the tunnel, the more nervous our two heroines became. This mountain appeared much more massive from the inside... which probably explained why the King of Dragons had chosen this place as his residence.
After a while, Summer, no longer able to control her nervousness, opened her mouth to ask the dragons, calmly and silently walking before her and her companion.
"Are we almost there ?!"
The scaly creatures turned their heads to stare at her for a brief moment before the two males looked back forward, as if ignoring her question. However, Aurora, her, didn't turned her head away and shot an encouraging smile at the smaller beings behind her.
"We're almost there… Actually, we're there !" the green Dragoness said after a brief glance forward.
At those words, Salem and Summer blinked in surprise before also looking forward : a few meters away from them, stood another opening, making the end of the tunnel.
"Finally !" Summer cried out in relief while Salem rolled her eyes in fond amusement, while also thinking the same.
Aurora released a slight snicker before looking at our two heroines, this time, with a serious and cold face, all traces of amusement erased from her features. At the sight, the two women stiffened in shock and surprise, completely taken aback by this sudden change of behavior. However, before they could open their mouths to ask about it, Aurora spoke again in a calm but serious tone
"Be careful, because in a moment, you will meet the Dragon King... Don't say or do anything stupid... because it might be the last thing you do..."
Salem and Summer, hearing those words, understood the gravity of the situation and they both nodded their heads in understanding. However, in their minds, this was useless advice: the last thing they wanted was to upset the king, who might be the only one who could help them return home.
Aurora stared at the two of them for a moment with her purple eyes before nodding firmly in acceptance.
"Very well, follow me…" the green dragoness said as she walked again, quickly followed by our two heroines.
Passing through the opening, Salem and Summer couldn't help but release gasps of surprise and admiration. They were no longer in a tunnel, but in a vast room that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see with dark walls and statues of roaring dragons with wings outstretched in an aggressive posture.
There was no ceiling because, instead, there was a huge opening to the 'sky'. Our heroines instantly understood that it was the big hole they had seen previously when they were riding Aurora. A few meters in front of them was a precipice whose bottom could not be seen. On the other side of the precipice, they could see nothing but darkness… even the light above them did nothing to get rid of it.
"Its really huge here !" Summer commented while looking around with wide eyes.
"It is..." Salem absently answered her companion while also looking around.
However, unlike her companion, she was not looking at the scenery… she was looking for the being they came to meet. So far, there was no trace of the Dragon King.
"Where is he ?" she asked softly to herself but, unfortunately for her, someone heard her.
"He is here..." Aurora whispered to her before bowing down to the ground.
"What are you-" Summer began to ask before noticing something.
Noticing her companion's pause, Salem turned her eyes toward what Summer was seeing… before freezing in stupor, slight shock and confusion.
The two males were also bowing down, like Aurora, before one of them opened his powerful jaws to speak in a loud tone that echoed throughout the room.
"Oh great king, your guests, Lady Salem and Lady Summer of the Surface have come as expected !"
For a few seconds, nothing was heard other than a long, agonizing silence. And then, a sound was heard... it seemed like a muffled ground at first but little by little, it was identifiable to our two heroines.
Those were footsteps !
The closer the sound got, the more the ground shook. Summer and Salem had difficulty staying upright as the vibrations caused by the footsteps threw them off balance… to the point to be forced to fell on their knees. As the owner of this sound approached them, Salem and Summer couldn't help but feel worried as clearly, something huge was heading their way.
But then, after a few seconds, the sound miraculously stopped, causing our two heroines to relax slightly.
Only to stiffen in fear when, out of nowhere, a deep, resonant voice rang through the air, ending the silence.
"SO I SEE..."
Looking around with wide eyes for the source of the voice, Salem and Summer suddenly froze in shock and fear when they saw, on the other side of the precipice, shining in the dark part of the room, two HUGE emerald green eyes. The eyes were vibrant and seemed to pierce into their souls, judging them while glowing in the darkness with a green light.
The instant the eyes fell on our two heroines, they couldn't help but shivering in fright, shock and awe. Salem, thanks to her own connection to magic, could instantly tell that the owner of those gorgeous and ancient eyes was perhaps the most powerful being she had ever encountered !
Heck, the Gods themselves were nowhere near as powerful as the Dragon King !
How did she know it was the Dragon King ?
Who else it would be ?
"WELCOME IN MY DOMAIN, LADY SALEM… YOU AS WELL, LADY SUMMER !" the voice echoed again, speaking in a formal but welcoming tone despite how deep and resonant it was.
At those words, they quickly bowed at the eyes, showing their respect for the clearly powerful being still hidden in the shadows.
"RISE, ALL OF YOU…" the voice said again in a calm tone.
Hearing this demand, the Dragons and the two women obeyed without hesitation.
"Your Majesty, thank you for agreeing to meet us..." Summer said in a respectful tone while slowly going back on her feet.
"AS RULER OF THIS WORLD, IT MY DUTY TO MEET THE TWO BEINGS WHO MANAGED TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE : ENTERING THE HIDDEN REALM !" the voice answered in a deep tone but our heroines swore he was shrugging.
A deep humming sound was heard as the emerald green eyes (which were even bigger than the biggest of Beringel on Remnant !) seemed to study them.
"HOWEVER, I'M CURIOUS… I FEEL STRANGE POWERS WITHIN YOU BOTH… IT'S WORTH… A CLOSER LOOK !"
At those words, the owner of those eyes stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself into the light of the large hole above them.
Salem and Summer were unable to stop themselves from gasping loudly in shock and awe once their eyes caught their first official look of the Dragon King… and needless to say that they were speechless.
The being before them was HUGE ! As he approached them, the two women felt like cats facing a grizzly bear. He was imposing and exuded a strength and aura that was impossible to match.
A few seconds later, the great Black Dragon was now before them, bathed in the light that shone above them and, as it spread its massive wings to display itself in all its splendor, our two heroines took the time to observe it more closely.
The Dragon King was totally different from the dragons they saw so far… not only in size but also in appearance.
He had a long hooked beak (reminding our two heroines of an Eagle's) filled with large and sharp white teeth, a crown of eight horns decorating its head (with six around the back of its head with the higher being larger than the one and had one horn over each eye) and beautiful emerald eyes gleaming like fires with slit-pupils similar to a cat's.
The Great Dragon had a long, serpentine-like neck, a compact chest with a streamlined shape like a snake's and there were spikes running down his entire length. His hind-legs were stocky and powerful looking, and each foot had three digits with defined claws. Then, wagging behind his massive form, wasa very long whip-like tail which was as big as the rest of his body !
The massive creature was mostly covered in black scales but his underside was covered with silver scales. His wings, which possessed bat-like limbs, were as impressive as the rest of his body : they were massive with one wing being nearly as big as his length !
As for the size, Salem did a quick examination and the result both terrified and impressed her : 600 meters long, 250 meters tall, and a wingspan of maybe 1140 meters (a single wing was 570 meters in length) !
Ancalagon the Black clearly deserved his titles, Salem thought to herself in admiration for the Dragon King.
Beside her, Summer was unable to look away from the colossal being before her. She couldn't believed that something so HUGE had been living underneath their world for so long without being noticed ! However, she would be lying to herself if she said that she wasn't in awe of the Dragon King.
Despite facing a colossal creature with the power to destroy them all, she didn't feel threatened by him. In fact, the fear had quickly faded once her silver eyes locked with his gigantic emerald green eyes. By this simple contact, she could tell that this was a benevolent being who was not only curious about them, but also ready to help them.
But then, they both regained thier senses when they felt a warmth breath washing on them… before freezing in surprise when they saw the Dragon King's nose a few feet away from our two heroines.
"I WAS RIGHT… THERE IS INDEED A STRANGE POWER WITHIN YOU BOTH…" Ancalagon commented in an intrigued tone as he gazed at the two of them before his emerald green eyes landed on Salem, adding.
"HOWEVER, I CAN ALSO FEEL MAGIC FROM YOU… AND A VERY FAMILIAR DARKNESS…ONE I HAVEN'T FELT IN A LONG TIME… "
Salem knew what he was talking about and couldn't help but shivering a bit in both fright and awe. She was stunned that this being was able to FEEL the magic from her… and the Grimm part of her.
"ARE YOU RELATED TO ONE OF THOSE GODS ?" Ancalagon asked her calmly, but also sternly.
At those words, all dragons stiffened at this, looking at Salem with narrowed eyes. Knowing that she was now walking on thin ice, the Queen of Grimm took a deep breath to calm herself before bowing respectfully at the mighty being in front of her.
"Your Majesty, to answer your question, I am not related to any of these abominable beings !" Salem began to say before raising her head to stare at the Dragon King, adding
"However, I do know of them… as they had cursed me millenniums ago !"
If the great Dragon was shocked and surprised by these words, he did not show it as his expression remained firm and emotionless. However, his emerald eyes showed intrigued and curiosity.
"YOU GOT MY ATTENTION… TELL ME MORE !"
(To be continued…)