After their near death at the hands of the horde, the group continued their hurried pace down the mine shafts. Where these led, none of them knew. Their only concern right now was to put as much distance as they could between themselves and the horde. They did not know if the horde had other ways of reaching them and did not want to wait and find out.
“Have you ever read of anything like that in dragon script?” Nanaua asked Zhi after moving along for quite some time.
The two of them were at the rear of the group. Nanaua carried Zhi with little effort.
“I do not know what those things were.” Zhi replied in a weak voice.
“Undead.” A faint reply echoed in the mines. It was Simeon. His voice quivered as he spoke. The usual confidence he had was not present.
It was clear that the events from which they were almost all overtaken by the horde had shaken him to the core. It was not the first time they had encountered a dangerous foe, one that put their lives at risk, but never had Simeon been so affected by an encounter before.
“Undead?” Livia asked.
“I had heard tales before. But I never believed any of them. I never thought anything like it could be possible.” Simeon muttered. It was as if he was having a conversation with himself.
“What? How is such a thing even possible?” Corin asked.
“How? What I know is very little. But what I have heard is that the undead are a byproduct, not really the intended effect, from a curse.” Simeon said.
“A curse?” Livia replied.
“Aye there’s many types of magic out there, many of them which our good friend here the Onsiel is able to wield. Mastery over the elements, a faint ability to mend wounds. But there are other types of magics, some that rarely are mentioned. The ability to bend time and space, power over the minds of others, and the ability to bestow upon a living entity a curse. These are not well known, for these abilities are beyond the powers of many Titans.” Simeon spoke out loud, but it seemed as if his words were directed at himself.
He was trying to make sense of what they had just seen.
“A curse against a living entity.” Corin repeated the statement and realized something. “A living creature in this mine is cursed?” Corin asked.
Simeon stopped this time, looking straight at Corin. It was the first time he had been able to snap out of his state of disarray. “Yes.”
They all realized what exactly had frightened Simeon to such an extent. The source of that magic, the bearer of the curse, that entity had to be somewhere close.
The group continued their path down the various tunnels silently. They broke for camp and took their turns keeping watch. Despite their best efforts none of them were able to rest.
***
Arriving at a junction the group had opted for the wider path as their next direction. They had done their best to determine what the straightest path available to them was, but none of them knew if they were even close to being correct.
They had continued at this pace for several hours, unsure of what direction they were heading in, if they would come across the undead once again, or if they would even find an exit.
After hours of walking the small and cramped tunnel they found themselves in gave way to a large cavernous area. This area was unlike any other they had gone throughout their travels through the mine. It seemed large enough to fit an entire town within it.
From where they were it was hard to see the full extent of the cavern they found themselves in. As far as they could see the cavern stretched both in depth and in height. They could not even see the top of this cavern. Near the path they had just come from, the group went to a corner to prepare a fire. As the group moved about getting everything prepared Zhi lit the fire in the camp with a move of her arms and a simple enchantment.
“Ah, how interesting. An Onsiel in my domain.” A deep voice boomed through the cavern.
The group rallied to their feet as they looked around the cavern and took out their weapons. Corin swung his blade as he looked around trying to find the source of the voice but had no luck. The cavern was far too large and dark for him to be able to make out any specific details.
“Who’s there?” Simeon yelled out.
“Why of course where are my manners?” The voice reverberated through the cavern.
A large fire roared into existence. It was centrally located in the cavern and it illuminated the entirety of the space. Now the group was able to see the extent of the underground structure. It was barren and empty, no sign of life, aside from the voice that had spoken to them.
Next to the roaring flame a creature that was all too familiar to the group sat perched on a rocky outcrop. It was a copper colored dragon, its head as big as Nanaua with a wide mouth full of teeth that shone in the light of the flame.
“No, impossible.” Zhi whispered.
The dragon got up from its rocky perch and slowly sauntered over to the group. None of them reacted, they all held their weapons in their hands as the dragon kept moving. They could not understand how it was that out of all the places they could have gone to, a dragon would have found them under a deep mine in a mountain.
Corin looked back to the path they took. If they all tried running for it, there was no doubt the dragon could easily destroy all of them before any of them escaped save perhaps for Zhi.
Nanaua finally snapped out of it and stood between her and Zhi, holding her pike at the ready. Livia followed closely, standing behind Zhi aiming her rifle at the dragon.
“One of my kin raising their weapon against me?” The dragon spoke to Nanaua as it stood in front of her. “What a marvelous sight.” He added.
He raised a large talon, as long as Nanaua’s pike and pushed back against her pike. Nanaua struggled with all her might to hold the pike in place but it was no use, the dragon easily moved the pike out of his way and stood in front of the group.
Up close Corin could see something peculiar about this creature. Both of its wings were missing, with the point where they would meet its body scarred over. Dead center in its chest it had a massive scar, which ran down its entire body. Its face was also scarred and he only had one eye open. The left side of his face had a gash running down it.
“It's you. You are the cursed one.” Zhi said as she pushed aside Nanaua.
Livia put down her rifle and kept eyeing the dragon curiously.
The dragon looked at the group and then back at Zhi who was right in front of it. The dragon was genuinely curious about the unlucky group who had stumbled across it.
“You can tell.” The dragon replied in a soft voice. “It seems as if I am not the first of my kind you have met.” His voice echoed through the cavern.
“But how?” Zhi asked him.
“My dear do not talk to him!” Nanaua interjected.
“Oh I see. This is your lover? This is beginning to make more sense.” The dragon said to Nanaua as he eyed Zhi. “That is very good advice I would say, not to converse with us dragons. But fret not lovers, causing you harm is not something I am currently interested in. No, I am merely a very curious observer. Most of the visitors I get here are curse afflicted, which leaves me with no opportunities for conversation, so I do not wish to spoil this opportunity and taint it with violence. But there are other things I can provide that you might be interested in.” The dragon continued.
“Like?” Livia asked.
“If you humor me for a while, then I might tell you how you can get out of these undead filled mines.” The dragon replied.
“And why should we trust you?” Livia asked.
“Well you shouldn't. I am a dragon of course. But what other choice do you have?” The dragon replied.
The group did not respond. Corin looked back to the shaft they came through.
“If you would like to leave I will not stop you.” The dragon quickly said as he spied Corin. “You can even go to the other side of this cavern and continue down and hope that you choose the right path out of here. ” The dragon added.
“But you're a titan, why not just destroy us on the spot.” Nanaua replied with a mix of confusion and apprehension.
“You have it all wrong.” The dragon replied quickly. “I was a Titan. Now I am just a simple dragon, with no name or blessing that I can call my own. I no longer have the ability to wield the powerful magic I once could call upon. Now mere embers of my former might are all I have left.”
“It was Speir who did this to you? Wasn't it?” Zhi spoke up.
“Do not speak that name here!” The dragon roared out loud at Zhi.
The violent response from the dragon caused Zhi to fall back and Nanaua to once again point her pike at the dragon. Corin stepped in between the dragon and Livia who raised her rifle at the dragon and Simeon’s fur stood on its end while he raised his bow. The fires in the room, those started by Zhi and the dragon, roared intensely, growing in size as if they were about to consume the entire cavern.
The dragon huffed and steam escaped from his nostrils. He seemed to calm down and the fires in the room died down along with his sudden rage.
The group surrounded Zhi, prepared to protect her against the dragon.
“My apologies for the outburst.” The dragon said as the steam kept subsiding. “It has been a long time since I have heard that name, the name of our God. I am surprised to hear that name from the tongue of a furtive. You must know dragon script.”
“She does. She has been teaching all of us how to read it.” Livia was the one who replied.
“I see! Furtives who are learning about the dragon script. What an interesting group. ” The dragon replied with a smile.
There was no response from anyone in the group.
“Who is this God of yours?” Corin spoke up.
Corin had only ever heard of the goddess Jokasta, the protector of Trinixo. He had never been informed of any Gods that the Titans would worship.
“I see, you have begun to learn our tongue, but do not know who provided us with the capacity to even create it?” The dragon seemed amused at Corin’s question. “Who of course is our god but the one who bestows dragons with their grace and power? Who blesses Titans with their amazing magical abilities, their peerless strength?” The Dragon replied.
“So your God also blesses Giants and Leviathans?” Corin followed up quickly, unable to contain his curiosity.
“No, the God of the Dragons has dominion over the skies. Maji rules the seas and Uraqi the lands. They grant power to the Leviathans and Giants. Long ago the Gods split themselves into many parts and from each of these a Titan was born. Titans are not only blessed by the Gods, they carry a fragment of their God with them. That fragment is what gives the Titans their immense strength and the ability to wield such amazing powers.” Zhi stated.
“Your friend the Onsiel is well informed, small furtive.” The dragon replied as he smiled at Corin.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“But what about Jokasta?” Corin asked.
“Jokasta?” The dragon replied with a curious tone. “Is that your god?” The dragon asked Corin.
“She is the goddess that those of us in Trinixo worship.” Corin replied.
“Interesting. I did not know the furtives worshiped Gods.” The dragon mentioned. “What a curious phenomenon.”
“Well? Is Jokasta a part of this group of Gods?” Corin asked.
“Small furtive, your friend just mentioned that the Gods of the Titans give them their strength. Gods grant the Giants the ability to raise mountains, the Dragons to bring forth storms, and for Leviathans to envelop a whole island in a tidal wave, but what are the furtives able to do in comparison? How in comparison, does Jokasta bless the furtives?” The dragon asked.
Corin seemed dejected but he thought there might be something else the dragon did not know.
“But there must be something more, something you are missing.” Corin replied.
“Let me ask you a simple question, small one. If the furtives are indeed watched over by a God, why does this God watch as all furtives struggle in vain against the Titans? Why does your God not provide furtives with the ability to fight back?” The dragon could barely contain its delight as it asked Corin.
Corin was quiet. He had nothing he could say in response to the dragon.
“I did not know if your gods were real, but according to legends they have been in quarrel against each other since the beginning of our world.” Zhi interjected now.
“Correct. There can never be harmony between the sky, the land, and the sea. The gods each control their domain and have fought to control it since long before the time of the Titans. And now as their emissaries the gods expect their titans to uphold this balance. Thus war between the titans is only the natural state of our world. This extends beyond fights between dragons, giants and leviathans, as Titans are encouraged to fight those from their own domains to expand their dominions as far as possible.” The dragon added.
“Is that why you were banished?” Zhi asked.
“Such details are of no concern to you.” The dragon replied with anger swelling within him once again.
The fires within the cavern began to roil once again. Zhi recoiled as she prepared herself for the dragon’s rage, but the dragon regained its composure.
“My apologies.” The dragon said as the fires died down. “Your words wound, because your suspicions are correct Onsiel. There were things that occurred that displeased our God. Thus, I did fall out of favor and I was banished from the skies. My wings were ripped from my body, and my power reduced to a mere fragment of what I once wielded. I was cursed, my heart taken from my body so I could not properly die, and my sentence was to slowly rot away.” The dragon said with anguish.
“So the curse, it's you who is spreading it.” Simeon said.
“Yes, it is my curse. I hid in these caverns waiting for the curse to exact its toll on me. Occasionally furtives will come into the caverns and if they die then they are curse stricken. The curse afflicts them in a most perverse manner, bringing them back to life as mere husks of what they were. The curse will last until enough time has passed and our god’s wrath has been sated and I am allowed to die.” The dragon ended.
“Your undead creatures almost killed us!” Livia shouted at him.
“And what is that to me?” The dragon replied in anger. He did not appreciate the tone Livia took with him.
“It is you furtives who continue trespassing into my domain! If you see undead and continue trespassing then you have none to blame but yourself!” The dragon rebutted.
“Well ourselves and the other furtives that end up here are trying to escape from the Titans unrestrained destruction! That is why the other furtives have come to the mines. To find a place where the Titans won't destroy them and everything they hold dear on a whim!” Livia shot back.
“Ah of course. My former brethren. Yes they are likely to go out and destroy any furtives if they are in their way or if they feel like it.” The dragon agreed without so much as a care.
“How could you be so callous?” Corin shouted.
The dragon eyed Corin curiously.
“How is it that Titans are able to destroy so much with such reckless abandon and not care? Us furtives always have to live in terror that a Titan will come by and kill us, destroy everything that we hold dear and it’s nothing to you? Entire families, entire villages, murdered and destroyed and you just mention it as if it is nothing?” Corin asked bewildered.
“That is the will of the Gods!” The dragon shouted. “They made us, the Titans in their image, for the sole purpose of defending their domains.”
“Any who would encroach onto their domain be it air, land or sea that is not a Titan crafted by a God is nothing more than a nuisance, an invader even! The only reason furtives are even allowed to continue existing is because titans care so little for you. Titans fight Titans and their goal is the preservation of their domain. If you as furtives are not useful to Titans then you have no purpose. Instead you are mere pests that dared to awaken in a world not made for you!” The dragon finished its sermon.
Corin was silent. He seethed on the inside. He had never considered what he would say to a Titan if he had the chance. All he could think of was of all the rage that he harbored against them, and he had imagined in his own right, that the Titans felt the same way about the furtives they so carelessly destroyed. He never expected to be met with something below hatred, to be relegated to less than an afterthought.
“Yet you are no longer one of the god's blessed ones are you?” Livia asked.
The dragon was silent. He eyed Livia with a certain disdain.
“And your point is?” The dragon hissed as he moved over to Livia.
“You said that only those who are blessed by the gods have a right to exist. Yet you are here, just another creature capable of thought not blessed by the gods. What would you say that makes you?” Livia asked.
The dragon merely looked at her, curious as to what she would say.
“A furtive perhaps.” Livia added.
The dragon moved his face close to Livia’s. He was face to face with her. His head was much larger than Livia herself was. She stared at him.
The dragon grinned wide. His teeth where not even an arms length away from Livia. If he wanted he could open and close his mouth in a mere instant and snap Livia in half. She did not budge. He coiled his head back.
“I see.” The dragon sounded genuinely intrigued.
“You threatened me earlier with some unique weapon, may I see it once again.” The dragon asked Livia.
Livia seemed taken by surprise by the dragon’s request, but she acquiesced.
“This?” Livia asked as she brought her rifle up.
“Yes precisely! Could you do me a favor and attack me with it?” The dragon asked.
Livia looked around her, unsure of what she ought to do.
“Do not worry about killing me, I cannot be slain.” The dragon said.
Livia still was unsure.
“Do it. The dragon is correct.” Simeon added.
Livia did as instructed. She raised her rifle and shot straight at the dragon's body. The shot tore through the dragon's scales and lodged itself inside of him.
The dragon stared in amazement.
“Is this your own creation?” The dragon asked as the wound still smoked from the shot.
“It is.” Livia stated calmly.
The dragon studied her.
“Interesting. Most interesting.” The dragon stated as he kept observing her.
“Any observer would not be remiss if they ignored any of your group aside from the Onsiel and the dragoor. At first glance I would have said that none of the others merited much or any attention. But you my dear.” The dragon hissed those last words as he stared at Livia.
Livia did not react to the dragon’s comment.
“What is your name human?” The dragon was intrigued by Livia.
“You may call me Livia.” She replied to him.
“I see. You have something that Titans lack, do you know what that is?” The dragon asked.
Livia had no response, she did not know what the dragon was referring to.
“You have a certain cleverness, yes.” The dragon began. “It took me many hundreds of years living in this solitary cave, seeing many hundreds of furtives crawl through these caves to appreciate it. The majority of your kind is very simple. They are mostly concerned with their own survival and will do anything to attain that. Very simple, almost like insects. But sometimes i am surprised at the depths of, what shall I say, creativeness, that some of you furtives are able to reach. It is truly a unique quality to furtives. A Titan cannot even begin to comprehend it. When you are born with power, everything is at your grasp. The ability to wage war, to destroy at will is innate. But furtives do not have that same experience. Furtives have to struggle mightily to gain even the slightest hint of power. All furtives know what it is to be powerless, and most of your kind are content with having power exerted over you, but not all. Some of you struggle to gain power, and that can bring into existence the most cunning of creations.”
“This cleverness is truly what sets furtives apart from Titans, and also what can make you so dangerous. I have met many clever furtives, but you my dear, you really are unique. What you have is something no Titan will ever attain. Something not even one of our Gods could bestow upon us.” The dragon ended.
Livia was surprised by what she had just heard. She thought there might be something else at hand, a trick the dragon was trying to pull.
“What ploy are you trying to pull? Is this flattery some sort of trick you have conceived of?” Livia asked.
“No trick, no trick.” The dragon replied. “Whatever trickery I might pull would be of no use to one as clever as you. Yet I find your clever ways so interesting that I must ask you a question. Once you have answered my question I will let you go and I will tell you how to safely exit the mines. What say you? Do you accept?” The dragon smirked.
Livia looked around the group. The rest of them nodded in approval.
“Go on then.” Livia replied.
“Good, good.” The dragon answered.
“Can you explain to me what it is that an Onsiel, a Lord’s protectorate dragoor and three unique strangers are traveling through a continent which they are strangers in? Why would furtives expose themselves to such dangers? Surely it goes against your very own nature for self preservation.” The dragon asked.
Livia was silent as she thought.
“No worries on hurrying, my death is still over a thousand years away.” The dragon added with a smile.
“I have an answer for you.” Livia said quickly after the dragon finished.
“What we are doing is not against self preservation, in fact it is the only way that we can persevere. We have learned after many years of hiding that there is nowhere we can hide that is truly safe from the Titans. We can find the most isolated island, or the deepest mine shaft, but regardless of where we pick there is always the danger of our entire livelihood being destroyed by a Titan. Thus the only logical choice is to find a way to defeat the Titans.” Livia said.
“We are going to end the tyranny of the Titans over the furtives. We are going to help usher in a world where furtives don't have to live in fear from Titans. That is what we are doing.” Livia said.
The group all recoiled at her answer. They were not sure what she would say, but they all figured this answer would lead to a retaliation by the dragon. Despite his current status he used to be a Titan and could not be trusted.
The dragon began laughing. Corin was not sure what to make of this reaction.
“Well just a moment ago I was praising your cleverness, but now I have doubts.” The dragon laughed. “Just how exactly do you plan on ending the Titan’s tyranny?”
“We are assembling pieces of an artifact, one so frightening to Titans that its fragments were given to Dragons, Leviathans, and Giants. This artifact will give us a weapon that will allow us to fight against your former brethren.” Livia replied.
“An artifact that will give you a weapon against the Titans?” The dragon asked. “You must be mistaken, for I would have known about it.”
“It’s no mistake.” Zhi interjected. “As I learned the dragon script, I came across texts that described this artifact. The power of this artifact is so great that its existence could only be known by those who safeguard it for fear of it being used against the Titans. Tonatiuh of the Dragons, Arandu of the Leviathans, and Belaran of the Giants.”
The dragon smirked, still not believing what was being said.
“It's simple, you must have misunderstood the draconic alphabet. A confusion on your part” The dragon laughed.
“We are not confused about what we are seeking. We already have two of the three pieces.” Livia said.
“You do?” The dragon replied, his tone changing.
He was quiet for several seconds.
“Then show me.” The dragon commanded, now speaking up. “Show me that which you say will bring ruin to the Titans.”
Zhi brought out the pieces of the artifact.
The dragon grabbed the hollow pyramid first, bringing it to his good eye, studying it intently, with gaze unrelenting. Carefully he put the pyramid in front of Zhi and reached for the sphere. Just as he had done for the pyramid he studied the sphere intently.
It was impossible to tell what about the artifact grabbed the Dragon’s attention, but Corin knew that his reaction to it was genuine. The dragon finished studying the sphere and put it at Zhi’s feet, who stowed away both of the artifacts. He stood frozen in place, his eye closed.
“Do you now believe us?’ Livia asked.
The dragon did not respond to Livia's statement. For a while he did not move. It was almost imperceptible, but Corin knew that something about him had changed.
The dragon opened his eye and the flames around the cavern began dancing once more, their furious undulations representative of the ire of the former Titan.
“You wish to destroy the Titans? You wish to put my former brethren to the blade?” The dragon shouted in anger at Livia.
He arched up, now he stood on his hind legs. Despite the fact that the dragon in front of them was no longer a Titan he was still frightfully large, with his head almost reaching the top of the cavern.
The flames inside the cavern were burning so hot that it felt as if they were inside an oven. They would not survive long in here.
Nanaua and Simeon stood next to Zhi preparing to defend her. Zhi stood her ground, preparing to attack if need be, but she was hesitant, fearing that she might strike Livia. Corin stood next to his wife, holding on to his blade. There was not much he could do with it, but despite his opponent he was ready to fight, but also prepared to die at any second now. The only one who had not reacted had been Livia.
“We do.” Livia shouted back.
“Your aim is to wage war against Titans? When Titans fight each other they are prepared to sacrifice anything to present their Gods with victory! What are you willing to sacrifice for your goals?” The dragon commanded Livia to respond.
The flames continued burning. The fires were burning with such intensity that several columns of rock were beginning to melt.
“We are prepared give up our lives!” Livia shouted. The heat was getting to her, her breathing became labored.
“More!” The dragon shouted in anger.
The flames continued growing. The majority of the cave had dancing flames all around it. It would not be long before the flames consumed them.
“What are you willing to sacrifice?” The dragon asked once more.
“I am willing to sacrifice everything!” Livia screamed back at the dragon.
Livia’s response shook Corin to the core. The determination of her statement was something he had not seen before in his wife. This burning within her seemed to resonate with the flames in the cave that danced around them. It felt as if they would soon pour out of her and burn all of them.
The dragon was satisfied. The flames in the cavern died down. Nanaua and Simeon were still on guard, while Zhi kept her gaze fixed on the dragon. Corin and Livia continued to struggle to breathe.
They had all been witnesses to the might of a former Titan. A real Titan would have power that would be multitudes above anything this dragon could conjure.
“One day you will understand what that really means. It behooves you to think what that might entail, because if you are unable to fully commit, then you have already lost.” The dragon addressed Livia and moved on to Zhi.
“I know not what sort of magic resides in the artifact you carry with you Onsiel.” The dragon addressed her. “To think there are things out there I do not know about. But I can say one thing, within it there is one thing I can sense.” The dragon stated.
“What is it?” Zhi asked.
“Destruction.” The dragon’s reply was brief.
“You may leave this cave and continue the path of the bright stars. They will lead you outside.” The dragon said.
“Before I leave. You,” the dragon spoke to Nanaua, “give me your weapon.”
Nanaua, still trying to catch her breath, was caught by surprise. She reluctantly walked up to the dragon and relinquished her weapon.
The dragon grabbed the pike and studied it with his eye. In his large clawed hand the pike seemed like a small sharp stick. He closed his eye and held the pike for several moments, as if he was studying something about it that could not be seen.
“Yes, I can feel the fires of Tonatiuh. Strong they were when they breathed fire into the forge that crafted this weapon.” The dragon said.
He opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of black flames upon the pike that he held.
“By the heavens!” Nanaua cried as she saw her pike enveloped in the flames. She began to move towards the dragon, to grab her weapon from the destructive flames. Livia held her back.
“Wait.” She uttered to Nanaua.
The dragon continued breathing his black flame onto the blade. Despite their intensity the group could not feel any heat from the black fire.
The dragon ceased and the flames died. In his hand the group could see Nanaua's pike. No longer did it have the same silver sheen. Now it was completely black. From the long pole to the blade. But that was not all that had changed about the weapon. The pike had an ominous aura about it, a looming sense of doom emanated from it.
The dragon held out the weapon. The group could see that this effort had greatly sapped the dragon's strength. Nanaua was hesitant to grab it. She steeled herself and reached out.
As soon as the pike was in her hands, she recoiled, the dark magic within it telling every fiber of her being to let go of the accursed tool. She felt her grip loosen.
The dragon reached out his large claw and put it around Nanaua's loosening fist. He clenched it tight, squeezing Nanaua's hands on the pike forcing her to accept the cursed energy. Nanaua shouted in pain.
“Nanaua!” Zhi yelled as she ran to her.
“No! Do not interrupt!” Nanaua yelled. “I shall withstand it!”
Zhi stopped.
The dragon held his grip even tighter, forcing Nanaua to a knee as she withstood the cursed energy the pike exuded.
“Steel yourself.” The dragon spoke.
Nanaua screamed in pain. Corin thought for sure she would die any second.
“By the firmament.” Simeon muttered.
The dragon let go. Nanaua still knelt in front of him holding on to the pike. The group was not sure if she was alive.
Zhi ran to her.
“Nanaua!” She said as she knelt next to her.
Nanaua opened her eyes and stood up. She gripped the pike.
“I can do no more to aid you.” The dragon spoke in a weak voice now.
“In your travels you may find yourself in the Serno Valley.” The dragon began. “It is a long distance from here. The Serno Valley is the domain of a Giant. At one point he was named Bellum. His heart, much like mine, was removed. His God deemed that his punishment would be to turn him into a mindless monster, a Titan condemned to destroy for eternity. If you come across him, there is only one way to grant him reprieve. In his domain you must find the tallest spire. There his heart lies. This weapon now has etched into it the power of a god's curse.” The dragon said.
The fires in the cavern died, the only source of light remaining now was Zhi's campfire.
“Use this weapon to destroy what remains of Bellum. Do me this kindness”. The dragon muttered as he slunk back into the darkness.