Inheritor of the Dragon's Blood

Now that he was relatively safe, Alexander took a moment to assess his condition.

The tumble down the stairs had left him with several scrapes and bruises, but thankfully no broken bones or sprains.

At some point he had lost grip on his sword, but it had fallen down with him and was not too far away.

More concerning was his magical pendant. During the fall, it had been ripped from its chain and was nowhere to be seen.

Without it, he would be unable to strengthen himself, and his chances of getting out of this nightmare castle would drop significantly.

'What if it is up there?'

Alexander gazed up the stairs and grimaced.

So far, the six ghasts showed no signs of taking one step down the stairs, but that might change if he got closer. He did not want to entice them in any way.

Thankfully, he did not have to climb all the way back up to where he initially fell. On the third step from the bottom, he found the pendant with a bit of dust and debris covering it.

"Does it even still work though?" Alexander said when he saw the magic tool's condition.

The lone crack that had formed during his climb up the sheer cliff had now been joined by two more. Honestly, it was a miracle that it was still intact considering how far Alexander had pushed it.

With a great deal of trepidation, he channeled the slightest bit of magical energy he could into the pendant.

"Whew. It is not as efficient as before, but the enchantment at least still activates. I've just got to be more careful."

Once Alexander had completed his tests, he rethreaded the pendant back onto its broken chain and tied it back to his neck. It was a bit crude, but no one was going to chide him about his appearance here.

Ready to get going again, he continued down the only path available to him. The ghasts were still crowded around the top of the stairs, preventing him from even considering go back the way he had come.

Along the way to wherever this corridor led, Alexander found some old storerooms, but everything that once been inside of them had deteriorated to the point of being unrecognizable. If there was any consolation, it was that he found another bathroom with a couple of intact waterstones in it.

"There's really nothing else of value here except for these. This is certainly not worth all of the effort I've expended." Alexander grumbled.

Reaching the castle itself had been a tremendous feat, but having to deal with the several deadly monsters inside of it was enough to dishearten anyone. If they managed to survive that is.

Still, giving up now and returning home would only consign Alexander to a fate he despised. All he could hope was that a forgotten treasure remained somewhere within the castle, and that he could obtain it without forfeiting his life in the process.

Eventually, the smaller hallway that was clearly meant for servants came to an end.

It exited out into a large room that was a size that Alexander had never seen before. In fact, the only comparison that came close was the great hall he had seen a couple of times within a duke's mansion.

"It's colder here."

Alexander could feel a sharp chill in this room, and when he exhaled deeply, a visible white mist escaped his mouth.

He was fairly high up in the mountains, so it was already quite a bit colder here than where he lived, but it was currently the height of summer. The sudden drop in temperature was unnatural.

Wanting to get out of this area quickly, Alexander searched for another way out, and soon noticed what was once a massive doorway.

What must have at one time been home to ornate doors of titanic size was now just a gaping hole. Like much of the castle, this area had been devastated by some sort of battle. The majesty it must have possessed was marred by violence and time.

Heading for the most obvious exit, Alexander cut across the center of the enormous room. He kept a wary eye out for anything that might attack him, but there were no apparent threats. Everything looked normal save for one of the walls having a large dark blot painted on it.

'There is nothing here, so why do I feel so apprehensive. It's like there is something my subconscious knows is a threat, but I haven't fully recognized yet.' Alexander thought, a sense of dread creeping over him.

It was not until he neared the middle of the room that he finally understood what had been filling him with unease.

The dark spot that he thought was just paint or soot was slowly moving. From the side, its appearance had looked like a line across the bottom of the wall, but now that it was turning towards him, Alexander could see that it was some sort of creature.

'Run! RUN!' Alexander screamed within his head.

However, no matter how hard he willed himself to move, the terror that had gripped him kept him rooted in place.

Today he had already encountered several ghasts, which had easily taken the top place for the most horrific creatures he had ever encountered. But the looming shadow that appeared before him now was far and away more frightening.

When it finally came into full view, Alexander recognized what it was. A creature of legend that everyone knew about. It was undoubtedly a dragon.

"But I've never heard of anything like this before."

The entity that was slowly rising did not look like it had a physical form. Its body was pitch black and wispy, like it was just a shadow. Alexander would have thought that it was some sort of illusion, if not for the overwhelming presence that it emitted. Whatever this thing was, it was no trick of the light. It moved like a living being, and undoubtably had Alexander in its sights.