Hello, Everyone!
How are you doing? How’s life? Mine is quite all right, all things considered. I’ve been writing mainly to keep myself sane these days. Which is… well, a weird thing to say with the chapter that you’re about to read. I promise I’m not a psychopath.
Anyway :)
Last time in my poor Mary’s journey we saw her get out of a Roper’s grip. Her party crossed a dangerous rope bridge, then went through a cave filled with icky bugs and pests, and, finally, reached the dragon’s cavern. What’s awaiting them now? We’ll see…
(spoiler alert: it’s not good!)
Content warning: The text below contains descriptions that might be upsetting to some readers (blood, torture, disfugurement). Proceed at your own caution.
The plan was simple. Aurum would make Mary invisible with one of his newest bard spells. She’d go ahead and scout the perimeter, and if she was able to reach the giant sword from her dream undetected, she’d just plant the orange seed and get back. No heroisms, no funny business. A simple in-and-out.
Before going, she tried to revise everything she knew about black dragons. It wasn’t much. Back when she used to hang out in the library all the time, she’d read poetry and adventure books, and some encyclopedias and manuals about how things functioned outside of her sheltered home. She’d never thought she’d have to read more on awful creatures that could kill you without even batting an eye.
Black dragons were cruel creatures. They could spit acid and liked being worshiped. They had tribes of creatures like lizardfolk living close to them so they could bask in their admiration and have an occasional snack when they got bored.
Mary didn’t know anything about their senses. Even if she was invisible, the dragon might be able to perceive her in other ways. She knew some creatures were able to feel the vibrations on the ground but she couldn’t do anything about that. What she could do was cover her human smell with something that was more common in the dragon’s cavern.
She reluctantly crushed some bugs and smeared their juices onto herself. She saw Paulina raise her brows. She hoped it was because the dwarf girl was impressed by her boldness, but it was probably just disgust. She sighed.
“I’m ready,” she said. “Let’s do it.”
Aurum touched her forehead and suddenly she could not see herself anymore. She waved her hand in front of her eyes and made a few steps, watching the fungus flatten under her invisible feet. It was fascinating!
“Remember, if you make an attack or cast a spell, the Invisibility is over,” the bard said.
“What about Message?” she said.
“No Message, sorry,” Aurum said.
“But how do I let you know what I’ve found?”
“You’d have to tell us when you come back.” The bard smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ve got this!”
Mary turned towards the cavern and hesitated. It was a simple plan. Then why did she feel so afraid to do it?
"Are you gone?" Paulina asked. "You know we can't see you moving away."
Mary didn't answer and took off.
The floor was wet and crawling with nasty creatures. Mary had to choose her steps carefully so as to not squish too many of them and accidentally make a trail towards her party's hiding place.
Shallow pits full of fluorescent liquid were scattered all around the cavern. They gave out greenish light and made the atmosphere even eerier. Every time Mary passed by one of them, the smell of acid hit her nose and she held her breath until she left it behind.
Metal rods protruded from the ground next to each of the acid pools. Mary wondered what they were for. Step by step, she approached the middle of the cavern where she could see the glimmer of a campfire. She started hearing a low-pitched, rumbling chuckle, like the purring of an enormous cat. There was also an enraptured “Aaaah!” from multiple, non-human voices, then the splash of liquid and some gurgling noises.
Soon, she was close enough to see what was giving out these sounds. She stopped in her tracks and stared in horror at the scene that revealed before her.
The first thing she saw was the dragon – the skull-like snout, the long, twisted horns, the webbed wings. The Dark Lady--that's how the goblins had called her--was lying on the ground next to one of the acid pools--this one was diluted and looked almost translucent--and had sunk her front claw in the liquid. A tribe of two dozen lizardfolk stood around, staring in awe at her actions.
She lifted her claw, taking out what she had been holding under the liquid. On a short shining chain, tied to her finger, there was a person. A dwarf. He coughed and wheezed, and spat some greenish substance back in the pool. The Dark Lady chuckled and the lizardfolk cried out in delight. Then, after the dwarf had managed to take a few breaths, the black claw pushed him back in the pool.
‘Splash!’ And an awful, sickening, gurgling sound.
The dragon dunked Fennec again and again, testing the limits of his constitution, never letting him take a break or just give up and die. Each time he was taken out of the pool, Mary saw his face. It was horribly disfigured by the acid but at the same time the wounds weren’t all fresh. They’d been healed, then opened, then healed again, in an unending cycle of torture. She realized that this horror had probably been going on for days.
She stared at the scene, unable to move or look away, her eyes wide with horror and repulsion, all the while time slowly passed around her.
Sooo, that's it for this part. I’m sorry. I told you it wasn’t going to be good :(
I actually avoided writing this scene for months, fearing that it'd turn away any sane reader (whether I did a good job or not). I hope you're still here!
See you in the next part?
I hope you take care of yourself. Be well!
P. S. This is me, literally (blanket and all), when I started writing this part:
(Also, here's a link to the chapter guide. You're welcome!)