Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 228: Missing Teammate

Chapter 228: Missing Teammate

"You’re both dead once we figure out a way to survive this thing." He growled and gnashed his teeth at them, startling Jack with his intimidating fangs. Maurice, on the other hand, seemed less terrified about his threat because he knew that he won’t be hurt, since he’s the one presently saving their butts from getting roasted by the walking inferno. Returning his focused gaze to the Dragon that released another wave of fire on the indestructible force Field, something in Bryn’s crimson eyes snapped at its relentless strike, as if he was done playing games.

"Enough of this!"

Switching the gemstones on the hilt of his blade with a blue one, a different kind of energy pulsated through it, all the way to the sharp tip, and in no time, the blade was malevolently consumed with a fire’s mutual enemy.

Water.

Bryn cautiously stepped forward, allowing the Dragon’s glare to rest solely on him. His grip on the hilt of his blade subconsciously tightened, crimson eyes locked against hostile orange, but neither of their gazes carried a will to surrender. Of course, Maurice knew Bryn to not be the kind of person who would drop to his knees in defeat, he would rather die than do so– his stubbornness had a slight advantage, but he was more stunned when he heard Bryn speak.

"I’ll hold it off, the both of you can figure out another means to get the scales of the Dragon." He said, already taking a stance, "without a single piece of its scale we can’t ascend to the final, even if the portal opens. I’m stronger, so I’ll hold it off, you’re the one with the brains, so you better think of something fast!" He instructed, whilst taking note of the Dragon, unsure of why it suddenly looked familiar.

Not just Bryn, but the two teammates looked like they had no strength to keep this up. As it was daytime, it didn’t surprise Maurice that Bryn would run out of energy quicker than at night when he was at full power. Jack was human, and he admired how he was still standing despite what they have faced so far, but from what he noticed, none of them will be able to keep up with the facade for too long, which meant they had little time to react.

"But... what if we don’t find a solution on time?"

"Just do it!" Came Bryn’s order as he silenced Maurice’s hesitation, "once the barrier is gone, the both of you need to run as fast as you can, and I’ll handle the Dragon. Ready?" He poised, "on the count of three. One... two... three! Now!"

Properly timed, the Force Field shattered into dust, and as planned, Maurice and Jack bolted in a different direction while Bryn stayed back. Noticing the abrupt movements, the Dragon’s eyes alarmingly followed the two running figures, but its attention was side tracked when it felt a sharp cold pain slice through one of its hind legs, as though cold water had been doused on an exposed wound. The unexpected sting had the massive beast growling in pain, whilst it staggered back once, regaining its balance, and a flicker of anger displayed in its eyes when the attacker revealed himself. With the ruined houses and everything in between, the Dragon was clearly not a saint– the part where the Dragon had emerged from had houses that had been long burnt into nothingness, and it was rather obvious to Bryn that he was dealing with a terrifier.

Aren’t terrifier supposed to be extinct? No wonder he found it familiar!

"You fire consuming beast! Come at me!" He yelled at the Dragon whose sharp teeths clenched in fury, and with his super reflexes, Bryn took the Dragon into an endless chase. The dilapidated buildings began to crumble at the Dragon’s attempt to grab him, another angry growl escaping its throat as its massive wings brought down buildings that threatened to fall on Bryn, and it made him wonder...

Where on Earth did those two run to?

Meanwhile, the portal had opened up ahead, and as always, it opened at the last minute. Maurice’s attention returned to the fume of fire that was already tearing what remained of the buildings down, and once again, he found himself thinking of another way to stop the Dragon. He won’t be able to jump on it as the body contained spikes, regardless of its priceless scales. Jack’s gaze seemed anxious as he glanced between the opened portal and the dragon scale they were yet to retrieve.

"What do we do? If the portal closes, we’re done for!" He expressed his worries. One side of his face was already colored with the ashes from the smoke, and his black hair looked starched, like a wet mopstick once it had become dry. Maurice racked his brain for another idea, his index finger grazing his cheek, and then his pondering eyes shook.

"Hold on, this might sound insane, but what if we trade some of our gemstones for the dragon scale?" He looked at Jack with a gleam of hope. He had read about it somewhere that Dragons are only hostile when they feel threatened. No matter what type of Beast it may be, he had noticed it earlier that the Dragon made no attempts to hurt him, but after he chose to side with his teammates, he became the Dragon’s enemy. What if he made it believe that he was still on the Dragon’s side, and if that happens, the bargain would be easier to fulfill.

"Bargaining?" Jack didn’t quite fancy the idea, "you will be burned to shrimps before you get a chance to speak, and if we dare to bargain the portal would be gone by then. I say we improvise your idea into something better. We can’t climb its back, so we’ll get Bryn to do it while you try to bargain with it... still. When Bryn gets close and takes one of its scales, we run for our lives into the portal, the same way we did with the Scorpion."

"Alright, we’ll do it your way, but we need to alert Bryn first."

"You do it, I’m not going near that thing." Jack shook his head, and Maurice didn’t have that time to argue over his fears before simply dashing forward to where he would find Bryn. The once ruined Hamlet was already in flames, whilst Maurice had to cover his nose to avoid inhaling the acrid fumes. He coughed several times before eventually spotting Bryn who was using his impressive techniques to avoid the Dragon’s claws, and when fumes of fire were sent his way, he used the water technique connected with his sword to extinguish them out.

However, Maurice noticed his movements were becoming slower, as though he was losing power, and a look of pain briefed his expression from time to time. Was he hurt?

"Hey!" Maurice yelled at the top of his voice, but it wasn’t until he yelled for the second time that the Dragon paid heed to his call. When it turned to face the one who had dared call it, its tail swiped to the right, unintentionally flinging Bryn to the other side, and he crashed into one of the burning cottages. A gasp escaped Maurice’s lips, but he looked quite relieved when Bryn sat up.

"It’s always the goddamn tail." He murmured with a painful wince. Shaking his head and blinking his eyes profusely, they settled on Maurice who had suddenly changed plans. At the sight of him, Bryn nearly yelled in frustration, but his mouth automatically sealed shut when the Dragon approached Maurice, and it stopped after leaving a good distance between. Its piercing eyes narrowed intently at Maurice, the same puff of smoke billowing from its nostrils as it brought its head down to look at the miniature figure.

Maurice could swear he felt his heart leap to his throat, but before the Dragon changes its mind and attacks him, Maurice immediately bowed his head before saying, "Please! We are not here for war! We only wish to possess one of your scales and if you don’t believe me, I can show you the gemstones I have brought with me. I would like to trade with you as many gemstones for the dragon scale. We’re on a mission, and your scale will come in need. I can show you the–"

Reaching for his sack bag, Maurice wanted to open it so he could show the Dragon the gemstones he possessed. But, in his hasty attempt to reach for it, his face paled upon realizing that his sack bag was gone. Like he couldn’t believe it, he searched his whole body, feeling every corner as though his bag was a small ornament that could be stuffed in his pocket.

"It’s... it’s gone! My bag is gone." He murmured his unfortunate predicament, and his eyes widened when the Dragon’s mouth curled to the side, but it wasn’t a smile. Maurice gulped nervously when those razor-sharp teeth came into view, and he looked behind him, thinking he might have left it with Jack.

"Just... just a minute, I promise I’ll show them to you!" Not waiting for another moment, he turned and returned to where he had left Jack, but upon reaching the place where he had left Jack, he could not find him there, and what’s worse, the portal had vanished.