“Die, you stupid giant scorpion!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, as I plunged Hauteclere into the chest of yet another foul beast. It shrieked and finally stopped moving, but when I withdrew my blade, a spray of disgusting green blood splattered me in the face.

“Don’t,” I said to Lyra, preempting another laugh at my expense, as I wiped off the putrid liquid and tried (but failed) to stop it from going up my nose.

“Sorry … it’s just … you should see the way you look in the heat of battle, it’s very cute,” she said.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, my dear,” I said. “Besides, I am not even so sure how much of me you can even see when you’re halfway into a scorpion abdomen.”

“I can see a great deal,” said Lyra. “Whether you want me to or not.”

“I don’t even want to unpack that,” I said. “Let me see how much farther we have to go until the cave.”

I pulled out the map and traced my finger along the “safe” route that was supposed to lead me to the Dragon Chrysalis Cave. It was unclear to me what the heck the name meant, because as far as I knew, dragons hatched from eggs, not chrysalises, but after all I had seen during my travels, I’m sure it made sense to someone in some twisted way.

If my past progress was any indicator, we were only an hour or so away from the end of the road. It had been a week straight of insanity, even with the map’s help. I couldn’t imagine what else this stupid forest contained if I somehow strayed off of the path. Giant scorpions, demon foxes, swarms of slime spiders, and one very angry ghost bear were all very nonplussed that I had invaded their home. I didn’t want to be there anymore more than they wanted me there, but try convincing a feral goblin hawk of anything before it gouges out your eyes.

Somehow we made it the rest of the way without encountering anything noteworthy. Sure, there was a fire badger that was particularly feisty, but a simple stone incantation turned him into a nice decoration for the next poor adventurer who came this way. Finally, the cave appeared in the distance, and I nearly sprinted the rest of the way there.

As I approached the entrance, I realized that the mouth of the cave was actually a mouth and that the cave was no cave at all. Instead, it was the body of a giant dragon demon that seemed to stretch onward into the depths of the forest farther than I could see. Its eyes were the size of castle drawbridges and its teeth looked sharp enough to slice through steel. But what was most frightening was the hot air that kept blowing out in semi-regular intervals, almost as if this insane beast was still alive.

“You have got to be kidding me,” said Lyra. “Turn around, we are not going in there!”

“So you just want to stay in the sword forever?” I said. “It’s just a behemoth dragon corpse holding a powerful crystal, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“I can think of lots of things,” she said. “You being trapped and slowly devoured by dragon venom while I am forced to watch for a hundred years, for starters.”

“That almost happened only that one time,” I replied. “And that was when I was first starting out, when I didn’t know a third of the magic I know now. We’ve come too far to turn back now. And if worse comes to worse, I am ready to cast Arutema.”

“You can’t do that,” whispered Lyra. “You’re … you won’t survive the summoning. And even if you do, you won’t survive the after effects.”

“Then let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!” I said, trying to strike a cheerful note. “Think of how the more satisfying this will be when we retrieve the Crystal of Light from the belly of your most-hated thing.”

“Fine,” said Lyra. “You and your insane optimism win again. Let’s go.”

I walked defiantly into the mouth of the dragon, only to be nearly knocked over by a giant gust of disgustingly warm air that emerged from somewhere deep in the dragon’s body.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Almost tripped on that tree root!” I said, trying to shake it off. “Good thing I saw it.”

Carefully sliding between the gap in the dragon teeth, I stepped over the threshold and made my way into the mouth.

“Ohros,” I said, and the sword began to softly glow, illuminating our surroundings like a lantern. If there was any lingering doubt that we were inside a giant dragon, the disgusting innards I could now see erased it. Each step forward felt like I was going to plunge into a bottomless pit of muck, and the sounds, the smells, and the colors all combined to make my stomach churn. But if this was to be the last part of my journey to free Lyra, I supposed it was fitting that it would not be a walk in the park.

Until it was. Because as we ventured onward into the dragon, not a single creature or bi-pedal sentient talking individual stood in our way. Instead, we simply trekked onward, getting used to our grotesque surroundings, until finally, after perhaps two or three hours, we reached the end.

And there, sitting in an ornate chair on a raised dais, was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her skin was soft and smooth, her hair was golden, and the tight weave she wore around her figure left nothing to the imagination. As we approached, I could see that she was playing a small wooden flute, its notes so muted that I couldn’t hear them at all, and her brow furrowed in deep concentration. If she registered my presence, she didn’t make it known, and instead continued on with her noteless song. After a few more minutes of awkwardness, I shattered the silence.

“Ahem,” I said, drawing Hauteclere for added effect.

The mysterious woman opened her eyes and I immediately froze. In response, she let out a slight laugh, before rising from the chair and stepping off of the platform.

“Mati, what is the matter with you? There is no magic here, you can-”

“Silence, please,” said the woman, and Lyra’s voice went still. As the woman approached me, I quickly realized the source of my predicament. The music from the flute wasn’t just a tune, it was a binding spell, its notes rewriting reality around me to freeze me in place.

“Now, what is it that brings you to my home? Wait, don’t answer.”

The woman stared at me deadpan, before breaking into a laugh.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I get so few visitors down here that I need to have a little fun, you know?”

She quickly brought the flute back up to her mouth and danced her fingers across its openings.

“You can speak, boy.”

“The Hikari no Kesshō, I am here to take it,” I said. Before I could continue, again the woman pressed the flute to her lips, and I froze again.

“I see,” said the woman. She stepped closer, until she was inches away from my face, and began to run her fingers through my hair. “You are not who I expected would be the next to try to ‘take’ me. Yes, that’s right, I am the Crystal you seek.”

I felt Lyra trying to call out to me, but the magic in this place had erected a barrier between us that could not be breached.

“You have taken the other Crystals, have you? And they did not appear like I do, you are probably saying to yourself. My brothers and sisters were unfortunately not as lucky as I was. Although, to be trapped down here in the belly of this monstrosity could hardly be considered lucky.”

She pressed her fingers against my lips, and when she withdrew, I felt her bonds around my mouth gone.

“You … how could you be the Crystal of Light? You’re-”

“A goddess, some have called me. Some worshipped me as one, long ago. And oh, how I indulged them. I let them prostrate themselves in my presence. I enjoyed their bodies as I saw fit, until they were no longer useful. Only then did I tell them the truth. You should consider yourself lucky that I have revealed myself to you so willingly.”

I stood there, unable to respond. Each of the other Crystals were as their name implied. Glowing stones of power, but stones just the same. But this woman, she-

“Say thank you,” the Crystal said, and I felt my vocal cords vibrate, followed by the words emerging from my mouth.

“Thank … you,” I said.

“Thank you, Hikari,” she corrected.

“Thank you, Hikari,” I said.

“You’re welcome, Mati,” said the Crystal named Hikari. “Yes, I know your name. In this place, there is nothing that can be kept from me. Save for one thing.”

Hikari stepped behind me and withdrew Hauteclere from my back. I saw the blade flash red as she held it, Lyra’s desperate but silent cries trying to reach me.

“This is a profane thing you have brought here. Why?”

I tried to think of a lie that could withstand the power of Hikari, but instead let my helplessness get the best of me.

“I am trying to destroy the demon sword, to free the girl trapped inside.”

Hikari flicked the metal with her fingers, causing a different sort of music to reverberate out into the chasm.

“You are wise not to conceal the truth from me,” she said. “And I hear her, indeed I do. She is crying out for you to save her. But although you’ve come so far and so close, you will not succeed in your quest. And we will all be better for it, I think.”

Hikari plunged Hauteclere into the ground, and a wild burst of light erupted from the sword, sending a wave of blood and muck and guts outward, drenching me from head to toe.

“Good,” she said. “Now that she is dealt with, let’s see what we can do with you.”