Dawn of a Dragon Mage, page 6
“That one?” Selina made sure by pointing to the tunnel entrance. It had a few torches on sconces nailed to the walls. It looked like some miners had already begun work here.
“That’s the one,” Aven said. “The tunnels beside it have the faster route, but they lead to a few obstacles you won’t be able to pass through… unless you have explosives or can transform into something the size of a cat. Since you can’t, you’ll have to settle with the long way.”
Null sighed. “The long way it is.”
“Thanks, Aven,” Garret said. Aven giggled one last time before it flew in a circle and then vanished into the aether. “From here on, I’ll communicate with her in my mind. She can still guide us from there.”
Until this moment, Garret hadn’t really thought of what gender Aven was, but he might preferred referring to her as a ‘she’ rather than an ‘it’. That fact made him realize how much their bond had grown, and how he now saw her as more than simply a tool for his magic.
Selina laughed. “You don’t want her out and about? These dragons are quite a playful bunch, aren’t they?”
Garret nodded. “It’s also a bit exhausting to keep them in their physical form. I want to keep my mind and body ready for anything that we run into. All right, you know which way to go, let’s head on down.”
Following the path Aven had pointed out, the group descended the third tunnel from the left. As the dragon informed, it was a long trek, and for the first few minutes, it was also a boring one. There was very little to see, except for the veins of iron that glistened on the cave walls. Here and there they would pass by buckets, pick axes, and a few small tables where the miners rested for their meals. Unfortunately, this didn’t go on for very long. As they got deeper, the signs of active mining decreased.
This was the first clear sign that Lord Ghalen didn’t get to fully explore these mines due to the numerous assassination attempts and other interferences. They had no idea what kind of treasures waited down these cave routes.
They finally reached portions of the cave dark enough that they were tempted to light their torches. However, Selina decided to use her powers instead. She brightened the light she conjured, and Null amplified it by creating a gravitational bubble around it. This allowed the light to reflect and spread evenly. When they walked, it was now like they had a bright miniature sun floating above them, clearly illuminating the path they traversed.
About thirty minutes later, they came across their first roadblock. They came to a dead end, but Aven insisted that there was a way forward. It wasn’t until Selina shone the light a little to their side that they found there was a crevasse. Carefully, they had to climb down the pit wall and shimmy their way to the other side.
When they reached the other side, Null proposed they take a short break. It was an honest miracle that none of them fell while traversing the obstacle. The crevasse below them was so dark that it was impossible to tell how far below the bottom was. To test it, Null picked up a rock and dropped it… but even after a few seconds, he didn’t hear it hit the bottom.
“See? That pit’s deep,” he told the others. “We should’ve brought a rope.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Garret said. “Note to self: always pack some rope.”
They didn’t rest for too long. After a short water break, they continued to follow Aven’s quick notes on where to head. There were a few times when the tunnel pathway split into multiple routes, but Aven always indicated which fork to take. Selina counted them lucky because as the walls began to show more and more iron, she also started to feel a stronger electrical surge emanating from the cave.
“Wait, are you sure?” Garret paused and asked when Selina started feeling more energy from the walls.
To prove it, Selina summoned Grael. The dragon, like the others, pounced around in excitement and then sniffed the air. Selina didn’t even have to ask. The dragon noticed the growing energy on its own.
“There’s a lot of electrical energy down here,” Grael squealed. “We’re nearing a strong concentration. I can almost taste it.”
Null knelt and petted the dragon. It giggled and pressed its head against his hand, demanding more affection. “Cute. But now you got me wondering, Grael… What exactly does lightning taste like?”
The dragon grinned, showcasing a wide array of razor-sharp teeth, and then hopped back to Selina’s side. Selina gave it a scratch underneath its face, right at the neck, and then dismissed the dragon.
“We’re getting close to something, that’s for sure,” Garret said. “Both our dragons are sensing a strong concentration of materials. Let’s keep going.”
Together, they started following not only Aven’s directions but Grael’s, too. It didn’t take long before Raeghulus started sensing temporal disturbances as well. According to the dragon, there were pockets here and there where time and space were “bent.” They started following Raeghulus as well, and all three dragons kept on pointing down the same pathways.
About two hours down, the group took a break for water and food. It was during their break that they noticed there was a little fog, but it was heavy and only reached up to their ankles.
“Is that… the Shroud?” Selina asked.
Garret nodded. “It looks like it. That must mean there are a few cracks here that lead all the way back up to the surface—somewhere where there’s no dragon bone protection. Fortunately, it’s not enough to conjure monsters. Otherwise, this mining operation would become a lot more complicated.”
Seeing a bit of the Shroud was worrisome. Garret figured this meant they could find their way back to the surface if they couldn’t go back the way they came. That was a comforting consolation. However… it also meant there could be areas of this cave where the Shroud had thickened and gathered. If that were true, then there could be monsters roaming around.
They went down a little farther, and as they rounded a bend, all three dragon summoners felt their dragons buzzing with excitement. It only took a few more steps for the human trio to discover what was going on: the next area was a large cavern, with a ceiling around three hundred feet high and decorated with beautiful, spiraling stalactites. The walls glistened with all sorts of precious metals. They spotted iron, gold, silver, and even a section of raw platinum ore. There were electric lay lines and even hot geysers where molten rock and air spewed out.
“It’s like being next to a volcano,” Null whispered when he got a good look at their surroundings.
“Yeah,” Garret agreed. “There’s so much energy here… It’s like a treasure trove of dragon essence, from fire dragons and lightning dragons to air dragons and even weave dragons. This could be the motherlode my father hoped to find.”
“It’s what we hoped to find, too,” added an unfamiliar voice.
The group turned and saw the spider knight standing two hundred feet or so behind them. He wasn’t alone either. This time, he wasn’t accompanied by random ruffians. Instead, he was now surrounded by half a dozen men clad in full knight armor, each of them wielding a greatsword in one hand and torches in the other.
Chapter 7
“How did you get past the guards?” Garret demanded as he summoned Aven’s magic and formed an iron sword in his hand.
The spider knight laughed in defiance and pointed his longsword at the trio. “These men have been secretly working their way into your father’s household for weeks. Who do you think even told your father about these mines in the first place?”
That’s insane. He’s been planning this for that long? Just who is this guy? Garret glanced at Selina and saw she was trembling. He placed his other hand on her shoulder and tried his best to calm her. “We’ll take him down. His plans will come to an end right here, right now.”
Garret and Null lit their torches and placed them on the ground, just as Selina’s magical light sputtered and died.
“I… I… I don’t…” was all she could stutter. Selina took a step back, and Null came alongside her.
“You can’t seize up now, Your Grace,” Null told her, using her title for the first time in a long time. “We can’t beat this guy without you.”
She knows him. She’s seen him before… and not in her dreams. Garret was now sure of it. The way she reacted to the spider knight every time she saw him was just too surreal for it to simply be a dream.
“Snap out of it, Selina,” he said. “They’re attacking!”
Selina blinked and shook her head, just as half of the enemy forces came rushing toward them. On the verge of panicking, she sent a lightning bolt ahead, but it missed by a long shot. Still, it deterred some of the enemies, and they slowed down their attack, giving Null and Garret enough time to counterattack.
Despite the knights having the better armor and weapons, they stood no chance against Garret, Null, and Selina. These three were trained in one of the most prestigious academies and had the magic of their dragons. Null allocated his magic around Garret, granting their leader a haste boost, making him significantly faster.
Selina aided by forging a lightning shield but stretched it out, creating a chain fence that separated the enemies, making sure they couldn’t gang up on Garret. Whenever one would try to attack her or Null, Null shot back with his hand crossbow, guaranteeing he didn’t have to withdraw the magic he allocated to Garret.
With the speed boost, Garret used Aven’s metal power for his sword and held his dagger in the other hand. Using both weapons, he easily overpowered his enemies. They could barely even see him as he struck from behind. He was a blur, and he quickly took them down, killing them swiftly.
“So much power,” the spider knight commented as soon as he saw the last of his men fall. “So much raw power… and to see it imbued in you weaklings is an insult!”
Garret raised his sword arm and pointed his weapon at their enemy. “You’re not escaping this time. Come, meet your end.”
“How arrogant of a child,” the spider knight replied, and he suddenly charged in.
“Let’s take him down together,” Garret said to the others.
Null pulled back his temporal energy from Garret and threw a gravity well in the middle of the cavern.
This pulled the spider knight in and locked him in place. Garret and Selina then charged, but they both had to roll out of the way as their enemy swung his sword wide. Selina threw a lightning bolt, but the spider knight evaded, twisting his torso just enough to dodge. He then thrust his sword at her, but Garret managed to fling his metal energy and cover her chest in iron.
Selina shifted and moved behind the spider knight. He tried to turn around and strike at her, but Null released him from the gravity well, causing him to trip and miss his mark. Null then created a portal, and he stabbed through it. Another portal appeared at the knight’s side, and the blade reappeared, striking the spider knight in the hip, between his armor plates.
Garret pulled his iron back from Selina’s chest and covered his fist and forearm. He punched the knight, crushing the enemy’s shoulder, but the spider knight retaliated with a swift counter swing, and it nearly cut Garret in half; fortunately, Selina managed to conjure an electric shield that weakened the blow.
Selina, Garret, and Null backed off and observed their opponent.
“He’s strong,” Null commented as he struggled to regain his breath. “He’s strong, and he’s wicked fast.”
Selina dropped to her knees and coughed. “Yeah… and we’re using too much magic. It’s exhausting. I can feel Grael’s struggle, too.”
“Is that all you’ve got?” the spider knight taunted. He stretched and swung his sword confidently “There’s three of you, each armed with a dragon—including a metal dragon, no less—and this is really all you can do? You’re pathetic!”
The spider knight charged and slashed. Garret reallocated his iron to his arm, turning his skin into pure metal, and blocked the attack. He spun and kicked the knight, but their enemy stood strong as if the attack meant nothing. Frustrated, Garret reallocated his iron again and conjured a hammer, which he used to slam against the knight’s exposed chest plate and send him backward.
To their surprise, the spider knight laughed. “Oh, this is just hilarious. Right when you think you can overpower me… I resonate with something far beyond anything you can fathom.”
“Is he resonating with dragon essence?” Null asked. “Don’t let him finish! He’ll gain magic, and we’re already struggling to beat him as he is now!”
“On it!” Selina screamed, and she dashed ahead.
Garret tried to stop her from charging in recklessly, but it was too late—she attempted to shock the knight with a lighting whip, but he dodged the attack and grabbed her by the neck with his left hand.
He squeezed her neck and then prepared to stab her with the sword in his other hand. Panicking, Selina grabbed his plated arm with both her hands, and she reallocated her magic to shock him with as much power as she could.
The lightning coursed through her hand and into the spider knight, stunning him just enough for him to let go. At the same time, it shattered pieces of his armor, including his helmet. For the first time, the group got a better look at the knight.
Selina dropped to the floor and coughed. She struggled to regain her breath, and when she tried to crawl, the spider knight managed to regain his composure and kicked her away. The knight then unbuckled the locks of his armor and cast them aside, standing only in his boots, trousers, and a dirty white tunic.
“Selina!” Garret screamed.
Null teleported quickly, retrieved Selina, and then teleported back to Garret’s side. Unfortunately, doing so exhausted him even further, and Null warned he was on the verge of collapsing.
Angered, Garret stared his enemy in the eye.
The spider knight was a middle-aged man, somewhere between his thirties and early forties. He had the shadow of a trimmed beard and exhausted black eyes. Gray lines sprinkled his dark hair. The most notable feature, however, was a scar that ran from his right temple down to his jaw.
“Now… now your powers are mine, oh mighty Haedron!” the spider knight shrieked, just as he dropped his sword and absorbed the magical energy of a dragon.
Before the team’s very eyes, the spider knight suddenly conjured a silver spear. A young dragon hatchling then appeared on his shoulder; it looked a lot like Aven, except it was shinier, and its silver scales sparkled in the dancing light of the torches.
“A… silver dragon?” Garret mumbled in shock.
Null dropped to the ground and shook his head. “No… there’s no way. There haven’t been metal dragon summoners for five thousand years, and now, there are suddenly two? What in the world is going on?”
“H-h-how are we going to beat him now?” Selina asked as she tried to get up. The pain, however, forced her back down.
Garret gripped his dagger. He couldn’t summon Aven too often… otherwise, he’d become as exhausted as Null and Selina. If he fell, too, then there would be no stopping the spider knight. For now, he had to rely on the only weapon he had.
“Now… now you die,” the spider knight said with a look of madness in his eyes. He dismissed his dragon and charged at Garret, ready to swing his silver sword.
Garret blocked with his dagger and tried to pirouette so he could counter. However, the knight was faster and stronger. He managed to block Garret’s counterattack and slam a fist against Garret’s face. Undeterred, Garret continued to assault the spider knight, and they began a deadly dance of blades as they moved and shifted across the cavern floor.
‘Let me take him on,’ Aven whispered into Garret’s mind.
Garret shook his head. He knew they were both running on fumes now. They were on the brink of exhaustion. The last thing he wanted was to give the spider knight another advantage.
‘It’s time, Garret,’ Aven persisted. ‘You need to grow. I need to grow. Unleash our full potential!’
Full potential? That got Garret to take a step back. All right, Aven. I trust you… let’s do this!
Without another word, Garret summoned all of Aven’s power. He didn’t hold back and summoned a longsword that could match the spider knight’s weapon. They clashed and exchanged blows, and this time, with both their metal dragon powers striking against each other, the very ground shook.
The cavern rumbled, and stalactites fell. Cracks started to form on the walls and the floor. Despite the ongoing chaos, Garret and the spider knight refused to back down, and they came at each other with speed and fury. Finally, Garret was brought down to one knee, and his enemy could see victory was now within his grasp.
“You will not stop me from achieving my goals, child!” the spider knight screamed as he attacked with a powerful and heavy downward slash of his spear.
“No!” Garret shot back as he raised his sword to block the attack. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light. When he looked up, he realized he now had two swords, one in each hand. He felt the energy within him swell. He then looked up at the knight and grinned. “I will be the one achieving my goals here, not you.”
Shocked, the spider knight didn’t have the strength to retaliate when Garret suddenly pushed up and launched a flurry of attacks. He swung both swords with precision and speed, slicing the spider knight’s arms and chest so quickly that his enemy could barely understand what was happening.
With even more dragon energy surging through the cave, however, many of the cracks on the floor widened, and multiple chasms opened. The tunnel leading back out was shut when the ceiling collapsed, and dozens more stalactites cracked and fell. It was a miracle that Null and Selina managed to find shelter behind a fallen boulder. The princess used the last of her magic to create an umbrella shield that protected them from falling debris.
The spider knight’s surviving allies were not as lucky. Both the living and the dead fell into the chasms that opened, one by one. Many of their torches and weapons fell as well, further dimming the cavern until the only light around came from the torches Team Iron Clad had brought, the glow of the magma that had been exposed from the cracks on the ground… and the sparks from Garret and the knight’s clash.
