Chapter 17: Drama

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Drama

Allan and Diva went through the entrance of the Hollow Root, the air in the broken halls thick with dust.

He walked behind Diva, the red-haired adventurer carrying her pair of twin blades, their scabbards hanging loose from her waist.

"So this is the infamous dungeon which made you famous?" Diva asked, glancing at Allan as they walked through the ruined entrance of the Hollow Root.

"Me, famous?"

"People talk, you know."

"Well, I hope they don’t talk much about me. I’m kinda parasocial."

Diva snorted. "I don’t know what those educated words mean, but no. They mostly talk about the dungeon. You’re still only B-rank. Need more than that to be famous around here."

Allan looked at her.

She grinned. "But you’re getting there. Don’t worry, rookie."

"Ha. Ha. How generous."

"I know. I’m great."

After a while, as they went deeper, they kept walking in silence. No claws or insects were to be found, and there was no sound of distant dripping water. Even the normal low level of dungeon mana was muted.

Diva’s eyes narrowed.

Allan spoke first. "You noticed it too."

"I noticed it five minutes ago."

"And you didn’t say anything?"

"I wanted to see whether you’d notice."

He glanced sideways. "You enjoy testing rookies."

"I enjoy finding out whether they’re worth the weight. Being an adventurer isn’t a child’s game. One mistake and..."

"And?"

Her fingers rested lightly against the hilt of one blade. "Death."

Allan smiled faintly. "Fair enough."

They arrived at the long-abandoned chamber with the hidden passage Allan had discovered days before. He kept it open for this moment. Diva stopped as her eyes focused intently on the seemingly identical walls, the floor, and a section of stone that looked exactly like the others.

"This wasn’t on the dungeon map."

"Yeah, this is something new." Allan muttered, gazing at her reaction. "We should go back and inform the guild."

Allan knew what she was going to say.

"No." She answered. "We will survey the situation, and then, and only then, we report."

Allan almost wanted to laugh but didn’t. As he knew, greed would eventually swallow any human being, let alone her. Greed for hidden treasure or something more, something magical that would change one’s life.

"Very confident or very stupid, I think," he said with a smile.

"Probably both."

As they continued to descend, the natural stone gave way to carved rock. The unease settled in his chest as they moved through the passage.

Diva stopped. "Allan."

He turned. "What?"

"Do you hear that? No, do you feel that? The mana around here is getting dense."

A low rumble rolled through the passage. The walls began to tremble. Slowly, fine dust started to sift down from the ceiling.

Allan’s expression hardened. "Yes."

The rumble began to sound more and more like a growl. The whole passage began to shake.

Diva drew both blades in one smooth motion. "Something’s coming."

"Not something." Allan stepped forward. "Someone."

The wall ahead exploded.

A massive claw tore through the stone in front of them. Debris flew in all directions, and Diva took a step back. Allan, however, simply raised an arm in front of his face. Pieces of stone struck him but fell off his body without leaving a mark.

Then the dragon emerged. His silver scales glowed from the mana stones on the walls.

Even trapped within the ancient prison, its presence filled the air around it. As its head lowered, one golden eye fixed on Allan. Then, just as quickly, it turned to Diva.

"ROOOOAAAARRR!"

The dragon’s roar echoed off the walls of the prison chamber. Diva looked at the stairs, blocked by the rocks.

Diva’s face went pale. "Allan..."

"I know."

The dragon opened its jaws. Its jaws looked sharp and ready.

And then it attacked.

When the massive claw of the beast struck Allan, he was knocked backward by the force of the impact. Diva watched in horror as he was sent crashing through a stone pillar to land with a resounding crash on the cave floor below.

"Allan!"

He pushed himself up, blood on his face running warm down his cheek. "I’m fine," he said.

The dragon turned toward Diva.

She understood immediately. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

As the dragon charged at her, she vanished from sight in an instant. Her blades were visible for a brief moment as she sliced at the underside of the dragon’s claw, then she reappeared moments later, spinning to strike at a newly exposed patch of scales.

CLANG.

The force of the tail’s impact was such that it threw her across the cavern until she landed on the floor with a solid thud. Slowly, Diva rose to her feet once more, a thick red stream now running from the corner of her mouth down her chin.

The dragon advanced. "Too slow..."

Diva wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand and told the dragon, "You’re one ugly bastard."

The golden eye narrowed, and a most unpleasant expression appeared on the fierce countenance of the ancient monster. It growled and immediately launched itself at Diva.

Once again, Diva moved with great speed, repeatedly striking the same spots on the creature’s body with her steel blades. Her steps were all exactly the same as she never wasted her energy.

Allan watched. Her footwork looked perfect, her weight distribution between steps was flawless. How she used the dragon’s size against it was something he needed to see.

Then the dragon changed. Its movements became more accurate. It moved faster.

Diva’s eyes widened. "What the—"

A claw suddenly scored her side, and she felt a crack of bone as she flew across the cavern, landing hard on the stone floor, losing her consciousness then and there.

Allan’s expression changed. "Enough."

He started to move but was intercepted by the dragon. As they collided, the ground shook and Allan was driven back. His boots carved trenches in the stone as he struggled to maintain his footing.

The dragon roared, "You asked me to play monster! I am playing the monster."

"You’re doing too much!"

"You will understand..."

Another strike from the beast. This time Allan was able to block it, but the force of the blow drove him through the floor of the cavern. Allan pulled himself up.

"Diva!"

No answer.

He turned and looked up at the wall where he had last seen her. A huge pile of rubble had fallen on top of her.

"Shit!"

The dragon’s claw came down, and Allan caught it. The ground around him began to shake, and his arms trembled beneath the weight of the dragon’s attack.

"You shitty traitor."

For the first time, the dragon’s expression shifted. The dragon pressed harder on Allan. "You humans, no, you players are all the same."

Roaring with pain, Allan’s strength suddenly exploded outward as he hurled the claw to the floor. He stumbled toward Diva’s unconscious body just as the ground lurched again. He fell to his side but managed to reach her.

"Diva!" he called, shaking her. As she slowly opened her eyes.

"Allan..."

"Don’t talk. Don’t talk. It’s gonna be okay. Everything’s gonna be okay."

"I’m sorry. Because of me."

"No, no. It’s not your fault. We are getting out of this together."

"Haa..."

She smiled. "I had thought you would leave me and run."

Her eyes opened a fraction. "Then you’re an idiot, so stay awake."

"Didn’t know you were so bossy."

"Stay awake, Diva."

He lifted her and the dragon watched in silence.

Allan turned toward the passage. His own head running with pain and the warmth of his own blood.

The dragon’s laugh rolled through the chamber. "Bring me something to drink next time."

He didn’t answer. He carried her out. Out of the secret passage, closing the door behind him.

The air was cool against her face as Allan laid her against a stone wall and began checking for injuries. Rib after rib was cracked and tender, her breathing shallow but alive.

Allan had a vial with him, a vial of healing potion that Bella had made. He should have used it for her. He wanted to use it on her, watching her writhing in pain.

Don’t turn naive now, Allan.He told himself. Follow the plan.

Diva gradually opened her eyes and looked up at him. "We... we escaped?"

"Yeah, barely though."

"You carried me all the way out?"

"Well, yeah, and my arms are sore because of it."

"Haha... how romantic." She said, her hand reaching for his face, his warm blood.

"You’re concussed."

"Yeah, but you look worse and nearly died."

"So did you."

"You weren’t the one being thrown around like a rag doll, Diva."

"You’re terrible at comforting people."

"I’m better at investments."

Allan paused. "What?"

"Nothing."

The System appeared.

[Investment Network Updated.]

[Target: Diva]

[Emotional Bond Increased.]

[Trust: Increased.]

[Investment Compatibility: Increased.]

When he read the notification, for once he did not calculate the return on his investment. Instead he focused on the woman before him. She was still smiling through the pain she was in.

Diva closed her eyes. "Allan?"

"Yes?"

"Next time when we find a secret dungeon..." Diva said, smiling. "Smack me in my head and stop me, please."

"Deal."

***

The next morning Allan returned alone.

Diva had been seen by the Guild’s healers and was now lying in bed with her ribs set. She was to be left to rest for a while, but that hadn’t sat well with her, and instead she was trying to get out of bed.

Allan was having none of it, threatening to tie her to the bedposts if she kept trying. In return, Diva threatened to stab him repeatedly while he was still tied up, a development that had altered their relationship in some way, according to the System.

He walked to the guild master’s room. He needed to report what had happened. Allan himself was tying a bandage on his head.

Knock! Knock!

"Come in." she muttered.

Pushing the door open, hoping to see her alone, but no. She wasn’t alone. There were other guests as well. Special guests. Two special guests exactly.

"Sit, Lord Oakwood," she said, sitting back on her chair. "With your fellow nobility, of course."

Allan couldn’t help but glare at both of them. "It’s an honour to meet both of you, Baron Emberwind and you, Lord Acrlight."