The air was thick with the scent of blood, burnt metal, and something far more sinister. My breath came ragged as I forced myself to remain steady. My body was already worn from the fight with Count Vareon Faulmont, and the fresh wounds on my arms throbbed with each movement.
Beside me, the black-scaled dragon struggled to lift her head. Her wounds were far worse than mine. I could see the faint glow of her eyes flickering between exhaustion and defiance. Even in her state, she fought to move, to resist.
But we had no time to rest.
Count Vareon Faulmont stood at the opposite end of the chamber, his twisted smile still present, but now tinged with impatience and cruel satisfaction. His aura crackled around him, a living storm of power, and his gauntlet pulsed ominously with energy.
A guttural roar echoed through the underground chamber. I turned sharply, my gaze locking onto the dark tunnels beyond. The sound of multiple footsteps—no, not just footsteps. Heavy stomping.
The ground trembled beneath us.
I knew what was coming before I even saw them.
Korvax.
Dozens, no—at least fifty, maybe more—were emerging from the depths of this wretched place. Mutated creatures, twisted by Count Vareon’s experiments. I could already make out their warped forms, some bearing the shape of beasts, others resembling humanoid nightmares. Their bodies bore the Count’s signature touch—grotesque enhancements, stitched limbs, exposed muscle, and the faint glow of artificial aura pulsating beneath their skins.
My jaw tightened.
I was already at my limit, and the dragon was in no condition to fight.
Still, she tried.
With a deep, guttural growl, she planted her claws into the ground, attempting to rise. But her legs trembled violently, and she barely managed to stay upright.
I exhaled sharply.
“We don’t have time for this,” I muttered under my breath.
Count Vareon’s laughter rang through the cavern, mocking and triumphant. “You’re finished, boy.” His voice was filled with smug certainty. “Even if you somehow survive me, you won’t last against them.”
He gestured lazily towards the oncoming horde.
"Tell me, how does it feel?" He tilted his head, grinning. "To be utterly powerless?"
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t afford to waste energy on words.
Instead, I tightened my grip on my weapon, eyes darting between the Korvax rapidly closing in and the injured dragon beside me.
Fighting was suicide. I could take down a few, maybe even a dozen if I pushed myself, but I wasn’t an idiot. Sheer numbers would overwhelm me.
I had to think.
We needed an escape.
The dragon suddenly let out a sharp, pained breath. Her claws scraped against the stone floor, her wings twitching uselessly. She turned to me, her eyes burning with something unreadable.
“...There is a way,” she murmured, her voice strained but firm.
I snapped my gaze to her.
“What?”
She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stand taller.
“I can open a portal.”
My mind raced.
Dragons could use dimensional magic. A rare ability, one that allowed them to tear through space itself.
But in her condition…
I glanced at the incoming Korvax. They were closing in fast. Too fast.
“You sure you can pull it off?” I asked, keeping my stance firm.
She exhaled sharply, clearly struggling to gather her strength.
“I must.”
I didn’t have time to question her further.
Instead, I turned back toward the horde.
Count Vareon’s smirk faltered slightly, noticing my shift in stance.
“Still resisting? Foolish.”
The moment the first wave of Korvax lunged, I moved.
The first Korvax reached me—a hulking brute, its body a patchwork of muscle and metal, one arm ending in a jagged blade. It swung for my head. I ducked, feeling the blade whistle past my ear, and drove my sword up through its exposed ribs. The creature howled, black blood spraying, but another was already on me—a spider-limbed horror with a skull for a face. I spun, using the dying brute’s body as a shield, then kicked the spider-limbed Korvax back into the crowd.
The dragon’s ragged breaths echoed behind me, each one a reminder that I was running out of time.
Count Vareon’s voice rang out, taunting and cold. “You’re slowing, Aren! The Korvax are tireless. They’ll rip you apart, piece by piece.”
I ignored him, focusing on the next threat. Two more Korvax lunged—one with a maw full of needle teeth, the other swinging a spiked chain fused to its arm. I sidestepped, letting them collide, then slashed the chain and sent sparks flying. The needle-maw snapped at my leg. I stomped down, crushing its jaw, then rolled away as another monster’s claws raked the stone where I’d been.
Blood dripped from my shoulder, my side, my thigh. I was slowing, vision narrowing. The Korvax pressed in, a wall of snarling flesh and steel.
Behind me, the dragon’s chanting grew louder, her voice trembling but unbroken. The air vibrated with power, the ground trembling beneath us.
I risked a glance back. The portal was forming—a swirling mass of violet and black, warping the very air around it. But it wasn’t stable yet. She needed more time.
A Korvax with four arms barreled toward me, swinging all its limbs in a wild barrage. I ducked and weaved, letting its momentum carry it past me, then drove my blade into its spine. It shrieked, collapsing in a heap, but another took its place, then another.
I was being pushed back, step by step, toward the dragon. My arms ached, my lungs burned, but I refused to fall.
Vareon’s laughter echoed, closer now. “See, dragon? Your savior bleeds just like the rest. All your power, and you’re still nothing but prey.”
The dragon’s claws scraped the stone as she forced herself upright. “Aren… hurry.”
I gritted my teeth, slashing at another Korvax. “Just a little longer!”
A massive Korvax—easily twice the size of the others—charged, its body covered in armored plates. I braced myself, channeling the last of my mana into my blade. The creature swung, and I met its strike head-on. The impact jarred my bones, but I held my ground, twisting my sword and driving it up under the plates. The creature bellowed, staggering back, but didn’t fall.
The portal behind me pulsed, growing brighter. The dragon’s voice rose to a roar, her words shaking the air.
The Korvax surged again, their numbers endless. I fought like a cornered animal, every movement fueled by desperation. My sword arm was numb, my legs trembling. But I refused to fall.
A Korvax’s claw raked my back. I hissed in pain, spinning and slicing its arm off. Another lunged, and I drove my blade through its throat.
I heard the dragon’s voice in my mind, strained but determined: “Now, Aren!”
I turned, grabbing her by the shoulder. “Go!”
She hesitated, her eyes locking with mine—gratitude, regret, and something like hope flickering in their depths.
She stepped into the portal, her body flickering as she vanished.
I spun, facing the horde one last time. Vareon was charging now, aura blazing, his face twisted in fury.
“You won’t escape me!” he screamed.
But I was already moving. I dove into the swirling void just as the Korvax closed in, their claws grasping at empty air.
The last thing I saw was Vareon’s face, twisted in rage, his hand reaching for me—and missing.
The world twisted, and we were gone.
To be continued...
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