Chapter Twenty-Two


    Ambrose rolled out of the way on the bolt of lightning, treasure parting around him in a clinking, ringing sound as he stood up. Akaroth roared, building up more lightning in her throat. Quickly, he opened a portal at the last minute, directed just in front of the dragon. Her lightning breath passed through the portal, only to slam into herself.


    It didn’t really damage her, since she was immune to lightning, but the force of it did push her back. Akaroth’s wings flapped, the clouds above her swirled. He could see her building up power within them, readying another tornado more than likely.


    He could counter it as he had last time, but all of this defense was draining his core. It had been a long time since he had to worry about a lack of mana, but this fight was taxing him. He needed to do the same thing in a cheaper way.


    She blasted more lightning at him. This time, he formed his hellfire axe and, with a grunt, split the lightning down the middle with it. Parted lightning hit the treasure, sending clouds of bright metal flying to the sides.


    Powerful tornadoes descended from the clouds above, picking treasure and turning into a deadly whirlwind of metal.


    Ambrose used [Infernal Aegis] so he had a shield around himself, then he tapped [Infernal Sanctuary], producing spectral chains, black fire coating them. With a small effort of will, he began to spin them in front of himself.


    Faster still, the chains blurred a vortex of abyssal flame. Both tornadoes slammed into him, winds so powerful he thought Noelle was going to fly off his back. His hair was a crimson mess, slapping him in the face, and his ears rang. Bits of metal burned to molten liquid as they pelted his shield.


    Unfortunately, this took all of his concentration, and Akaroth wasn’t in the mood to sit around waiting for him to fend off her attacks. She pounced on him like a cat waiting in ambush. His chains lashed her scaly body, but she simply did not care.


    Her large claws pressed him down, so sharp they would have rent the flesh from his body if it weren’t for his shield.


    However powerful his shield, the dragon must have weighed more than some houses, and he wasn’t so powerful yet to counter all of the pressure. Treasure parted around him as he was pushed into it. Akaroth roared in triumph, jaws opening; she attempted to bite his head off.


    Idly, Ambrose thought about how weird his life had become. He had faced down drug lords, more guns of various types than he could count or name, squirrel monsters that shot acid, a devil, plant monsters, including a mutated mushroom, bears, a lich, and more besides.


    Now, he was being gnawed on by a huge dragon straight out of mythology. She hadn’t gotten through his shield just yet, but she would. He could open a portal, vanishing through it, but there were problems with that. He recalled more words of wisdom from his late father.


    If you do the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result, you’re not just an insane boy; you’re an idiot. Nothing worse than an idiot, boy. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Teleporting away would save him, but it would also use up mana. Mana that was very quickly becoming scarce. If he ran out, he would have no defenses, no way to attack. He would die; that would be that.


    Game over. No respawn.


    Consider all the information you have in front of you, boy. Then act.


    His dad’s advice echoed in his mind. This time, he didn’t ignore it.


    As Akaroth chewed him like an old bone, albeit one on fire, he allowed his thoughts to race. His goal was to find Zane Dalewind. He had done so, and put him out of commission. He wasn’t dead, just unconscious from the pain of his skill. Ambrose had very deliberately cut it off before killing him.


    He could just leave. However, if he wanted rewards, he needed to complete the dungeon. If he didn’t, he would walk away with nothing to show for the venture other than the bounty. That wasn’t enough. He assumed he had to kill the dragon to complete the dungeon, but was that really true?


    The System hadn’t told him he needed to kill the dragon, merely obtain the claw of Akaroth. It wasn’t enough because if it had been, he would be gone by now. Still, nothing said he had to kill the legendary beast.


    Then, a plan began to form within his mind: a way to end the fight and possibly complete the dungeon.


    Let’s see how this goes, then.


    He opened a portal below himself, but this time, when he fell through, he did so onto the dragon''s back, directly onto the saddle there. Akaroth reared up, roaring as lightning struck all around. He wasted no time, sending his chains forth. He struck the domination collar around her neck. Akaroth thrashed from side to side, wings flapping.


    The treasure was shifting, mountains of it falling flatter. Ambrose willed the chains to slide under the collar, looping them under the collar and around. He willed them to flow to his hands, where he began to pull with all his might.


    His muscles strained, Akaroth roared her fury, the collar screeched, glyphs flaring.


    Metal tearing filled the air in a painful cacophony.


    With a snap, the collar came apart, falling to the treasure below with a clang.


    As quickly as snuffing out a candle, silence reigned in the cavern. Akaroth stopped moving, and the dark clouds above dissipated, vanishing as quickly as they had come. The blue dragon settled onto the pile of treasure, and her voice, as loud and melodious as mountain wind on chimes, boomed throughout the cavern.


    “DESCEND FROM MY BACK, HUMAN. LET US TALK, YOU AND I.”


    Uncertain but curious, Ambrose did so, sliding out of the saddle and onto the treasure below, his armored boots ringing as metal struck metal.


    Akaroth’s head snaked around until one huge eye regarded him, a living jewel. She blinked, her voice booming once more.


    “YOU HAVE FREED ME FROM THE WILL-TAKING COLLAR AROUND MY NECK.”


    A statement, not a question. Ambrose nodded once.


    Another blink.


    “WHY? WHY NOT JUST KILL ME? YOU COULD HAVE DONE SO, CHOKING THE LIFE FROM ME AS EASILY AS BREAKING THE COLLAR.”


    It was a fair question. Ambrose could have done that; in all honesty, he probably should have.


    Yet he couldn’t help but think of Avalon. Many of the townsfolk on his island had once been slaves, meant to be sold to some unknown force in the multi-verse. He had taken exception to that, killing everyone involved.


    There was something about another living thing being enslaved that really bothered him. In the end, he didn’t feel like justifying it. Enslaving another living thing was wrong, and ending it needed no justification.


    To the dragon, he said,


    “No living thing should be enslaved against their will. Not unless they really, really deserve it. If I must kill you, at least you will die free.”


    In a way, it was a lie. Akaroth had already died, likely long ago, and now the System used her spirit for this dungeon. She would always be a slave from a certain perspective.


    However, as of right now he could do nothing about that.


    Akaroth made a chuffing, growling sound in the back of her throat.


    Is she going to spit up a huge hairball? He hoped not. A moment later, he put it together. She''s laughing!


    “I BELIEVE YOU TO HAVE THE HEART OF A DRAGON, HUMAN. THUS, I HAVE A PROPOSAL FOR YOU.”