Chandrika was the first to step into the thin, snaking path through the gold. After a series of small tests, the trio determined that the gold was incredibly dangerous to touch.

Precious metals are known for their ability to absorb, store, and direct mana- gold especially so, second only to rare alloys, dungeon-made metals, or specific conduits like the eponymous impregnable walls of the Crystal Ring.

So, the group went single-file through the narrow path, careful not to let even the barest amount of gold touch their skin, lest they be exposed to an incredible amount of hostile energies.

The room was large, even more so than it appeared to be on first inspection. The narrow path opened up into a circular clearing at the center of the vast pile, where a marble statue stood, with a scepter in one hand, and a book in the other. The stone man looked to be locked into an eternal knowing smirk, surveying his treasures.

“Beauregard Antimony, claimant of the hoard of Axarandamaias.” Chandrika read.

“A subtle statue for a no doubt subtle man. I wonder when the House of Antimony fell?” Jean pontificated.

Not wanting to stop for long amidst a mountain of cursed gold, The team inched forward.

After another few moments of carefully placed steps, they happened upon an ornate doorway, still glittering with the remnants of illusionary enchantments. Great swooping lines in dated architectural fashion lined the golden lattice of the massive door. The right side of the gate was bent off, having rusted off its hinges, allowing just enough room for a person to squeeze into the room beyond without touching the tainted metal.

A timeworn banner draped across the entranceway read: “The crowning achievement of the House of Antimony”

The room beyond the archway was pitch black, with a dense wall of fog billowing out, intertwining, and being absorbed by the golden mass.

“Whatever is beyond this… be ready, it’s where all this mana is coming from,” Gio stated, firming his resolve.

One by one the students contorted through the opening, into the space beyond. The granite floors underneath were submerged in a layer of the same black, murky liquid.

Chandrika motioned for her lantern to ascend higher into the great room.

Into the room, and across a lake of black fluid, there was a massive museum-style exhibit. A great number of commemorative plaques and display cases lined the still-breathing corpse of a titanic dragon.

The dragon was adorned with many carved horns, that looked to still thrum with power, despite the condition of their host. Strips of white flesh were peeled back from the dragon, illustrating devices and instrumentation plunged into its body. Two severed wings were pinned to the back wall of the massive hall.

The white-scaled creature was run through by barbed spears, nailing it in place to the railings of its showy reliquary. The dragon’s mouth was forced open by a series of bladed restraints, and several teeth had been set on pedestals nearby. The air rippled around the living corpse of the dragon.

“How… barbaric.” Chandrika gasped. Gio and Jean were nearly unable to breathe.

Suddenly, The fluid covering the floor rippled, emanating from the gruesome display.

One black, dripping eye of the mangled dragon opened, surveying the room.

The eye locked onto the lantern first and then alighted onto the figures of the three students. A groaning sound emanated from the scaled being.

Rewards:

-MAJOR BOON for all party members

-???

-???

Failure penalty: DEATH, time limit: Immediate future.>

Oh, that can’t be good.

A series of guttural noises came from the beast, gasping and sputtering.

“It’s… saying something; “Who has come to wake the dead?”, I think,” Chandrika stated, uncertain.

“You speak draconic?” Gio asked, unsettled.

“No… I can just sort of feel what it’s saying. And I’m getting a lot of emotion… mostly anger. I’m scared.” She replied.

A series of wet, sputtering laughs caused the students’ blood to run cold.

The dragon spoke again, and Chandrika translated. “Larvae of the infestation that plagues these hallowed halls. May you rot here, as I have.” the girl repeated, shaking.

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A wave of black air emanated outward from the zombified dragon, pulsing across the floor and out in all directions. The air rippled with tendrils of potent death magic.

Gio held up a hand, layering his [Purity Aura] on top of Jean’s [Aspect of Purity]. The festering mana lapped against the combined bubble but was unable to penetrate.

The dragon growled, and one of its horns glowed a deep bloody crimson. A spear of blackened ichor rose from the ground, shooting towards the huddled group. Gio stuck out a hand and used [Reflect], perfectly rocketing back the projectile, which found purchase straight through the bulk of the bound beast.

A pained gasp, followed by deep, guttural laughter resounded throughout the largely empty hall. Gio’s heart was racing, trying to think of anything.

Jean shot several spears toward the giant dragon, none of which found purchase against the few remaining scales of the dragon. One spear went wide, shattering against one of the metal rods binding a claw of the dragon. Enchantments seemed to snap and sputter, as the dragon pulled against its restraint.

The dragon roared, exerting itself to rip free its clawed appendage from the rod binding it, leaving a hole that gushed blackened blood out into the chamber. The dragon’s newly freed hand began clawing at its restraints.

“It’s freeing itself! We need to do something!” Chandrika yelled.

“I don’t have anything that would make a dent on a dragon! I don’t know what to do!” Gio yelled back.

The dragon swatted away more spears from Jean and ripped apart webbing from Chandrika. Gio attempted to throw a [Prismatic Shape] towards the dragon that didn’t even register as a threat.

The dragon pulled itself free from the devices restraining its maw and other arm. With great exertion, it lifted its top half, facing the students with a jagged exhale.

Blackened blood poured from its wounds, as the dragon inhaled the miasma surrounding it. White scales began to fester and slough off of the dragon, as rotten flesh underneath melted away, joining the pool of effluvia already present in the room. Black flames erupted from the very bones of the titanic creature, burning away whatever remained of the enchantments that bound it.

A mostly skeletal dragon reared forward, erupting in sardonic laughter. As the dragon laughed, spiraling streams of black mana flowed forth and into the creature, feeding the black flames that smoldered deep in its bones.

And then, the dragon spoke, in a voice beyond language, searing its intent onto the very souls of its enemies.

“Truly, thank you. For eons I have waited here, hungry, half-dead, and disgraced. Kept alive by rotten hedge magic, scrawled by the unworthy. You are my rescuers, and as such I will grant you mercy, and the peace I was denied. You will not know the horror of my revenge, as I do not blame you for my capture. I will not enslave you to unlife, for I am benevolent.”

The three teenagers were frozen with fear. Gio tried to step forward, legs shaking, holding a hand up.

The beast’s empty eye sockets centered on Gio. “I see that you have some middling defenses. Worry not, for Axarandamaias of the Light was once a name known for overwhelming power. In the coming centuries, I shall burn my name upon this country as Axarandamaias the Undying. I shall root out the pest from this sacred place, and reclaim it for the dead. Vitrium shall once again be held by the worthy. Rejoice, and accept the gift of death.” The beast spat.

All of the dragon’s crown of carved horns alit with a baleful light, that burned the eyes of the three students. A massive, sprawling web of symbols erupted into the air, glowing with light mana, and tainted by death. Even from this distance, Gio’s head hurt trying to comprehend how much power the undead dragon was amassing.

“I… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I brought us here.” Chandrika whimpered, staring directly into the blaze of amassing power.

“Chandrika, this isn’t your fault. You were just trying to deal with your ability. I don’t believe for a second you would have known this was going to happen.” Gio replied, smile strained with fear.

Jean put his hand on Chandrika’s back. “For what it’s worth, I think us coming here might be leading the instructors to the dragon lich before he can fully establish himself, so we may have saved a bunch of people. I have no regrets, besides the fact that I am not stronger.” The boy said, standing tall.

The three students looked towards their inevitable demise.

There’s just no way… You can’t run from an endless amount of magic like this. That’s probably going to melt the whole path we came through. I’d need an endless amount of magic to reflect that. Wait.

Gio hurriedly took off his backpack, rummaging through it. He threw an inkwell, nearly shattering it onto the ground in his haste, and his papers were everywhere. He grabbed the [Torrential Reservoir Key] from where it was neatly wrapped in a spare shirt, examining it quickly.

The dragon stopped amassing power. The incredible sea of blinding, malefic light in front of the group hurt to look at.

The dragon invoked his spell. “[The Wicked Sun]”

The whole world went white, as a wall of light magic exploded outwards.

At the same time, Gio broke the black oblong. Feeling an endless well of power suddenly appear in the pit of his stomach, he acted.

“[Reflect]”

A wall of glittering glass appeared from Gio’s outstretched arm, growing like ice crystals outward into a giant construct. Gio felt drunk with power, as the arcane mana ripped through him, causing his knees to nearly buckle. He stared at his own reflection in the back of his magic, feeling the waterfall of mana being consumed by the spell. He felt the familiar hum of the way he had begun to instinctively know when the attack was about to be rebounded, and time seemed to stop.

If Gio used [Hairline Fracture], he might push himself too far. He had already likely injured himself by reflecting the spell, but shattering it might kill him.

On the other hand, he knew that the undead dragon had incredible defenses. If the dragon lived, his friends would die.

He acted.

Gio stared at his reflection’s eyes, resolute. He pushed magic into the fracturing spell, allowing it to take hold, and he watched in slowed time as the cracks flit across the surface of the spell. He felt the pit in his stomach as it writhed to life, unending streams of mana raging through his body like a wildfire towards the sigils in his spellbook, and then towards his head, and hands.

Gio felt a crack form, inside him.

He pushed the magic into the spell. [Multitask] buckled under the weight of his awareness of countless copies of the absurd spell, all falling away from their original target. Gio steered them all back to the dragon, and away from his friends. He was burned by the intensity of the magic, feeling the raging inferno of unfamiliar magic inside of him flare up.

The crack within him widened, and his vision began to falter. He felt the crack crystallize his skin, and he began to crumble.

Gio let loose the unspeakable cascade of magic, targeted at the undead dragon.

Gio shattered.