Chapter 194 Chapter 194
Chapter 194 Chapter 194
(Xander's POV)
I let out my breath only when the dragon’s eyes sealed back shut.
“Close brush with death, huh?” the guardian's voice came through the mindlink.
“You don't even want to know the half of it,” this time, I walked carefully until I was so close that I could feel the hot breath of the dragon. Its body was like coal.
From up close, I had a better view of the Horn of Vielor.
It was magnificent, made of Black Ivory with silver runes and glowing blue cracks. It had ancient inscriptions on the mouth piece. I felt like touching it… like running my finger across it, but I couldn't.
“Place the memory crystal against the forehead of the Dragon,” the guardian instructed. “It strengthens the enchantment.”
As I moved closer to the dragon to do as I was instructed, I felt the dragon stir and then open one eye.
“Quick!” the guardian said.
Hurriedly, I moved closer to the dragon, ignoring the intense heat as I placed the memory crystal on its forehead. Gradually, it resumed its deep slumber.
“Now climb,” The guardian said.
Climb what? The Dragon?
“There's no way in hell I'm getting on that thing.”
“There's no other way except you want to be stuck in this dimension forever,” he said. “And besides, the enchantment magic doesn't last forever.”
Resigning to my fate, I dug my hand into the scale of the large tail of the dragon, climbing it like I was climbing up a mountain.
Then, gradually, I over the tail of the dragon and landed in the middle where the Horn of Vielor was.
There was a chest and I quickly retrieved the steel key from my pocket, unlocking the chest so that the Horn was free.
I tried collecting it, but it didn't budge. Remembering the trance I had, I brought out the stone with the crescent moon and placed it on the Horn and like a magnetic field, it buzzed lightly, freeing the Horn.
With gingerly hand and disbelief, I grabbed the horn, running my palm over the smooth black ivory.
This was it, the Horn of Vielor in my hand. I could hardly believe my eyes as I stared at it.
“Can you believe this?” I spoke to the guardian of Black Hollow but there was no response. “Hello? Are you there?”
Nothing…
Holding the horn safely, I climbed over the dragon and got prepared to leave, then as I looked back, I saw two crimson called gems shining in the dark and it took me a while to realize that they were the dragon's eyeballs.
I gulped nervously.
Where was the Memory crystal I placed on its forehead?
Looking at the ground, I saw the crystal shattered into pieces on the ground. That was why the guardian wasn't responding. Either I had mistakenly knocked it off as I climbed down from the dragon's body or the dragon had stirred without me knowing.
Whatever it was, one thing was sure- I was fucked.
As I prepared to flee, I noticed something. The chest where the Horn of Vielor previously sat was vibrating violently and a crack formed on it.
The dragon craned its neck as it felt rocks and stones and sand falling on it.
It took me a while to realize that the cavern was falling apart.
The dragon turned to glare at me, and if it wasn't angry before, now a puff of smoke escaped from its nostrils and it frowned, looking at the horn in my hand.
Apparently the Horn was also responsible for holding Black Hollow together, but now, I had it.
The entire lair slowly began falling apart and the dragon, by now, was completely awake.
Turning on my heels, I began to make a run for it. I ran toward the direction I came from as beads of sweat pool my temples.
I didn't need to check if the dragon was following, from the intense vibrations that amplified the lair's collapse, I instantly knew that the dragon was hot on my pursuit.
I felt fire spew out from the mouth of the dragon as the walls of the cavern came collapsing on me. I hid behind a wall as I watched a red, flaming fire erupt from the dragon's breath.
The cave was still closing in on me and for a moment, I didn’t know what to do because it felt like being in the middle of the devil and a deep blue sea.
Only that this time, the devil was trying to roast me alive and the deep blue sea was the cavern would have me drowning in a collapsed cavern.
I gulped nervously as the rocks fell from the sky. One fell a few inches away, narrowly missing my head.
I made a move to run but the dragon breathed out large red-orange flames that burnt like an inferno.
Sweat dripped from my skin as I went back to my hiding place. Deep blue sea it was.