The Nine Dragons The Dragon Of The Ground Part Thirteen

 Burnt Pools

They walked on and on. They walked to a set of large steps. They had to sit and slide down as they descended lower and lower. As they looked down the tunnel was getting lower and lower. Yet as they went lower and lower the light grew dimmer and dimmer. Soon it was completely dark all around them. Loc had to summon a ball of fire as the men travelled down further and further. Then had to put it out and felt for their hands to gude herdiwn before lighting the fire again. They did this again and again and again. Then they saw a dot of light ahead. Yet as they continued to descend, the dot of light became bigger and bigger and bigger. Soon it became a spot. Then they went down further and further and soon the light became like the sun in the sky. They continued and soon they saw the bottom of the stairs as they travelled on and on and on. Then they travelled closer and closer to the bottom. Soon their feet finally reached the last step. Then they flopped and panted at the bottom.

“Break! I call break!”

“Yeah, sure Your Majesty!”

“Not king yet!”

“Will do. Once dragon’s dead.”

“Yeah.”

That was when Loc looked at Ryu.

“What do you want to do after this?”

“Dunno. Haven’t thought that far.”

She nodded as her eyes moved to the chamber ahead. She saw that there were five pools. She then tried to look in the water, but the fire reflecting off it made that impossible. She looked down.

“So, what do you plan on doing Loc?”

“Go on to the next dragon, I guess.”

“Then?”

“The next one.”

“And all up to the last one too?”

“Yeah. Might as well. After all, I’ve already killed three. So I’m far too deep to pull out now.”

“Ah! True.”

That was when Shiro opened his mouth for a moment but he soon closed it.

“So, do you have any family back in your world?”

She looked at Ryu. Then she looked aside.

“It’s complicated, but I did have an aunt who trained me to fight. My mother and father are dead. Which were killed by my sisters. Mainly because they’re evil and two parts of the same soul that I have so I don’t know if I should count them.”

“What happened?”

“In my world,there was a hero called Rého Rosecastle-”

“What? That disappointment from another world that left this world when he found out that there was nothing here that could kill that witch of his?”

“Yes. I guess so. Well he was able to do that. Just the price was, that he could do so only by separating her soul into three parts that he placed into a set of still born triplets. But his soul was to be in one of them that would merge into one.”

“Oh and?”

“We lived in Miémory for most of our lives, not even knowing that we were Grasharlo. Although Gracie and Sharimon woke up in the War Of The Witch when we were moved into Underground Town, where he grew up.”

Guess, I should have known…

“What was that like?”

“Here. Just more beautiful.”

They nodded.

“Now that we’re all rested up ladies, time to go on.”

They walked into the chamber with the first set of pools. Ryu looked at Loc and nodded. She looked at the pools and closed her eyes and they all lit up and became engulfed in flames. They then walked on and jumped down a flight of stairs. Yet Loc stayed behind and put the fire out when the pools were burnt up and gone. Once that had been done, she joined the others.

“What was that all about?”

“Had to put the fire out so it won’t block our exit.”

Ryu and Shiro looked at her impressed and nodded.

That was when they heard the loud roar. It had a deafening scratch. If they had been anywhere near it then the sound would have almost busted their ears and caused some permanent damage.

“Was that the dragon?”

They all looked at her and became just as pale.

“We better get a move on.”

“Agreed.”

Then they raced to the next one. Loc was about to set them alight until she felt the whole chamber shake and shake and they fell. She looked at Ryu.

“Get to-”

“I know. Now you just focus on the dragon?”

“And I’ll focus on the pools.”

“Agreed.”

She looked at the pool and set them on fire. They then ran on and she stayed until the pools burnt away. She then followed them. Then she heard the loud roar. This time it was louder and the chamber shook again. Yet they had to arrive at the next set of stairs. They all had to slide down them slowly. The roar came again. They all had to climb down further. They felt their hearts beating as they climbed down further and further. Then they reached the next chamber. They walked in to see that the pool was in the centre with a thin rim around it that was as thin as a narrow path.

“Alright let’s get to the chamber ahead before Loc sets the whole pool on fire.”

They nodded. Ryu walked to the pathway. Then put his body to the wall and clutched at the rock surface. They started climbing sideways next was Shiro and Loc was last. They moved closely as they walked like a crab. They moved on and on. Then they had to carefully manoeuvre to turn the corner. They soon were able to move past that, then they climbed on. They all had to ignore their aching muscles as they reached the middle.

That was when the roar came again. Then the walls shook and they gripped it as hard as they could. But Shiro slipped off Loc and Ryu flipped their hands out and they gripped his wrists. They pulled him back to the wall. They then climbed the rest of the way. This time he gripped the wall harder. Once they had reached the other side Loc set the pool on for.

They then descended to the bottom. Then they saw a walkway in the centre. They walked to the other end and Loc set the pools on fire. They waited until the pools were gone.

Then they raced down a ramp to the bottom and came to another room with a single bridge in the centre over the pool. They soon crossed it and set it on fire. After it calmed they went on to the chamber where the dragon dwelled.