The Nine Dragons The Dragon Of The Ground Part Three

 The Town Underground 

Loc walked down the cave to greet a few houses on the side once she was deep underground. She journeyed on and on and as she did, she noticed more and more houses. Then the cave became bigger and bigger until she saw a full street at the side of the cave. Then as it became wider and wider there were more buildings and as she reached the largest part, she saw shops dotted around it. In the centre of it was a water well in front of a fountain.

As she looked around, she saw that it looked somewhat similar to Underground Town back in her world. She looked around for people. She soon found a woman. She was old with hair and eyes the colour of steel. Wearing old faded clothes.

“You are?”

“Loc, youl”

“Gina. You want something?”

“Yes. Could you tell me where the dragon is?”

“Will do, once we get ourselves inside.”

She soon entered her house. Inside was a caret onna pink floor beside a marble fireplace.

This was another reminder of Underground Town. In fact, it would not surprise her if there was a faun in a book shop. Part of her would have wondered if she had returned home if it had not been for the eyes without a pupil.

Gina soon came in with a couple of chairs.

“Here, sit.”

She did.

“Wait just a moment.” She said disappearing again. After a while she came in with a wooden table. She unfolded it. Loc would have asked her if she needed any help, if it had not been for the stern out look in her eyes, almost as if they were demanding that she stayed put. So she did. Then a moment later she brought in two herbal teas and rested them on the table.

“Now are you going to tell me where the dragon is?”

“On the lowest level of the Under Mountain Civilization. Where exactly, I don't know.”

“Why not?”

“None here are brave enough to go down there. After all, the ones that do go down there. After all the ones that died a long time ago and never had children, leaving only the cowards to the ladies. That is why bravery is the last thing that we have. Including me.”

She nodded.

“Well, I would say it’s pretty brave of you to have me here.”

“No. It isn’t. After all, I don’t want you to go down there. Nor do I want you to do what I suspect that you came to do.”

She nodded as she took a sip from her tea.

“Why not? Someone has to.”

Gone shook her head.

“You will die, just like all the others.”

“But I’m immortal! I can’t die!”

“But what will it cost you? What will it cost us?”

Then the images of her friends, her team, her rebellion and the water village flashed before her. Sne looked aside as she recalled all the deaths that she had seen. All the deaths that she had caused. She tried not to look up as she took another sip.

“Good question. How about I ask one?”

“Go ahead.”

“How many have you lost to the dragon and his or her armies?”

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. 

“Look, you all are going to die anyway. So tell me how many of you were killed and taken.”

“More than any of us could count.”

“And when do they come?”

“Once a fortnight.”

“And?”

“That will be. Week and a half from now.”

“Tell me, where is the nearest inn or tavern?”

“We don’t have any. Why would we? You’re the only sister we’ve had in centuries.”

“And is there a place where I can stay?”

“Here. I’ve had a space since my son died thirty years ago.”

“I’m sorry. Was he?”

“Yes and I was too weak to do a single thing.” She said, pulling up her left sleeve revealing a severely scarred arm. She nodded slowly.

“How did that-”

“One reached me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yea. Now keep drinking. Then get some sleep. You look like you haven't had a decent stay in the dreamworld in a long time.”

She placed a hand over her eyes.

That’s because I haven’t.

Suddenly, she became aware of her tiredness.

“I'll take you to your room.”

They walked up the stairs and the moment that she saw it, she flopped into it. Her eyes closed and she was out cold. In her sleep, she saw the faces that she lost, all the faces that she led to their deaths.

I wanna go home. She thought as she woke.

She sat up as she looked around the room. The walls, floor and ceiling were all wooden. It had a bedside table and a wardrobe on the other side of that. It hardly seemed much. However she could not help but think about her room in Underground Town. Back when the War Of The Witch was going on. Back when she had sisters and not two Grasharlos and she had a mother and father that were alive. It seemed ages ago to her.

She slipped out of bed, trying to get those thoughts out of her head. She climbed down the stairs and joined Gina in the room.

“Are you alright!”

“Yeah, why?”

“You seemed to have a nightmare last night.”

“I think that I did.” She admitted, looking outside.

“Well that is another reason not to do the brave thing.”

She laughed.

“But it is the right thing.”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes. However, once the army comes, don’t associate with me.”

She let out a laugh.

“Once the army comes, and if you fight, I will throw you out.”

“That’s fair!”

“Now, time for breakfast.”

She then went onto cooking some thin beacon and a small portion of beans. Which she ate up. However, she could not help but think back to the times in her childhood in Miémory when her mother would cook for her and her sisters. She felt a tug in her heart as she realised that she missed those days. The days when things were now tainted with the knowledge that one of them had already woken.

She looked up at Gina. She suddenly noticed that, aside from her narrow eyes of Animéganese, she looked like her mother. In fact, most of the people that she had met looked like they were from there.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“It better. Now, as you are here, you won’t stay here for free. Now, here, this is my shopping list. The shops are in the centre chamber.”

She nodded as she walked out. As she walked out, she looked up, she looked at the roof of the cave. It was another reminder of Underground Town. She stole herself as she walked to the centre chamber. Sne soon bought the items on the list. She looked at the book shop and, for a foolish moment, expected a faun scanning the corners. However, no, it was only a man.

She looked away as she walked on. Snr then spotted a group of children playing. There was a set of triplets chasing each other and laughing. It reminded of when she and her sisters in her world would do that for hours and hours. Then return home. She forced herself on as she remembered the elemental shadow that she, somehow, caused.

Hold on. Can I use magic in this world? She wondered as she tried to will the floor to change colour, only for nothing to happen. Thought not.

She was about to return until she saw a spot that looked like the spot where her sisters distracted her while they were going and killing their parents. She felt her blood run ice cold. She felt the tears begin to choke her as she forced herself on and returned to Gina.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Just a bit homesick.”

She gave her the bucket of groceries. She looked in.

“Good. You for everything.”

She put on a false smile.

“Thank you. Just out of curiosity, do-do you know anything about the Reality Sphere?”

“Yes. There was a warrior who had a shard around his neck. Almost like the one around your neck.”

“What happened to him?”

“He faced the Dragon King, Pendragon.”

She nodded.

“He died, didn’t he?”

“Gobbled him right up!”

She nodded.

So that’s where I need to go.

So she stayed with her for the rest of the time that she needed to wait.