126 Rampage of the Void Dragon
Arad, Jack, and Aella stood to leave, "How should we get out of here?" Jack asked.
"We can't climb out, can we?" Aella looked at the pit. DRIP! DRIP! SPLASH! A stream of black liquid started falling into the hole, feeling the place with a horrible stench.
"What is this?" Aella cried, and both Jack and Arad glared in the direction of the pit.
"Ah! Shit!" Jack gasped, "Dig! Dig! Dig!" He grabbed Arad by the shoulder and pushed him toward the clogged exit hole.
"Wait, why?" Arad glared at him.
"Hurry before we get cooked alive!" Jack shouted.
CLANG! CLANG! The kobolds dropped a lit torch in the hole, "They threw a torch,"
"Forget digging! Can you build a wall?" Jack looked back.
Arad transformed into his draconic form, pointing with his tail and releasing a dirt wall.
Arad, Jack, and Aella were now locked in a small pocket beside the burning pit. The heat slowly increased, and it was clear they would get cooked soon.
Arad started swinging his claws at the closed exit, digging and digging while putting more dirt between them and the pit. "What did those monsters throw?" Aella asked.
"Raw burning oil," Jack replied, "It's a black slimy liquid that appears underground. Alchemists can refine it to make various alchemical concoctions, mostly burning weapons like fire oil." Jack explained.
"They must have known that we survived thanks to your screaming," Aella said, looking at Jack, "You can't blame me. I bet they were already watching," Jack replied.
"I'm not blaming you," Aella looked at Arad's back, "We need to find a way to avoid them seeing us,"
"That is impossible. I bet they are even watching what happens inside the walls," Jack replied, "Kobolds will never show themselves again unless we force them,"
Arad looked back at them, transforming into his human form, "We need to rush directly toward their king or leader and take them down,"
Jack shook his head, "I bet they have the way to him full of traps," He looked at Arad, "Even you could end up dead,"
"Our only option is to beat their traps?" Arad asked.
"Yeah," Jack nodded, "Sadly, we can't move rashly as that's what traps are designed for," He started talking as Arad returned to digging.
"Trappers, like the kobolds and myself, usually set traps in two stages," Jack looked back.
"The first trap isn't lethal since most of the time. You can't hide something too dangerous that easily." Jack looked at Aella, "So we make the first trap to make the target panic and rush. So they won't notice the second or third trap, dying to them,"
Aella thought back at what the kobolds did. The mirror was the first trap, and it wasn't lethal but warned the kobolds of their existence. When they focused on the way before them being fake with other mirrors. They missed the hidden pitfall.
When there were busy dealing with the wounds and thinking of how to get out of the pitfall. The kobolds tried to burn them alive in the locked place.
"Wait, they know our only way is to dig out," Aella gasped, "Won't they put some traps around?" She looked around.
"That's what I was thinking about," Jack replied, looking at the walls, "But I can't see how they would make a trap here,"
"They know where we would emerge, and they trapped that place," Aella said, "You are right," Jack nodded, "Arad, dig carefully. Stop if you got close to open air,"
Arad nodded, and he kept digging, but then something happened.
CRACK! From the ceiling, a massive boulder went loose and fell on Arad's lower back, pinning him in place. "ROAR!" Arad growled, feeling as if his hips were about to crack. Splash! Water started flowing down in a violent stream.
Jack helps to a stone in the wall. It was then that he noticed, "Those stones, have old pickaxe marks!" He growled.
Aella tried her best to approach the pinned Arad. "Jack, can you blow the stone away?"
"Not with all the water!" Jack replied.
^I'm getting angry, why won't those bastards face us directly?^ Arad's blood started boiling.
[They are trappers. This is their way of fighting,]
^I don't care how they want to fight. I will drag them out,^ Arad's void started rumbling.
[That's a dragon's arrogance, but seeing what you want to do, go for it,] Mom encouraged him to rampage, as that was the best way to avoid the kobold planning.
Arad's void started seeping out. SWOSH! His stomach opened and started sucking the water around his body in a violent whirlpool. CRACK! The stone on Arad's lower back cracked as the void disintegrated and absorbed it.
"Arad?" Aella gasped, but she saw Arad standing as if it was nothing, his lower back healed in front of her eyes. BAM! Without saying a word, he rushed forward, swinging his claw at the wall.
VAM! Arad's scales turned bitch black and he looked like a hazy black cloud. The moment his claws touched the way, he didn't dig, but any dirt that touch him got absorbed into the void. VAM! VAM! VAM! With each claw strike, Arad kept filling his stomach and running forward like a dirt-eating black blob.
CRACK! Soon after, Arad burst into the open tunnels, and as Jack expected, a spear flashed from the ground toward Arad.
VAM! Arad didn't bother dodging, as his whole body is covered in the void, and the spears went straight to his stomach.
Arad didn't wait, he took a deep breath. ^This stinky smell, they are to the left,^ CLACK! He started running as fast as he could.
After just a few seconds, the ground crumbled before him, revealing what seemed like an endless hole.
^I could run on the wall, I bet that's what they want me to do,^ Arad's draconic brain started moving, and the infinite folds of the void inside his head quickly reached a conclusion that made even Mom sighed. ^Who are they to decide that?^
[Just like your mother.]
[Gravity Magic] Arad ran directly into the hole, decreasing the gravity just enough for him to run on air above the pitfall.
"GIGAGIGA!" A single kobold appeared on the other side of the pitfall, rushing out in panic and grabbing a stone from the ground. Underneath the stone, a small rope appeared, and the kobold pulled it.
Click! Tens of spears appeared on walls. BAM! Firing toward Arad simultaneously before he could reach the other side.
The kobold saw Arad running toward him, floating in the air like a tiger focused on his prey. ZON! He disappeared.
"ROAR!" Arad used [Void walk] to teleport directly toward the kobold, biting his head.
"ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" Arad roared, swinging the kobold from left to right like a ragdoll, tearing his body to shreds before absorbing him to his stomach.
With Arad's roar filling the tunnels, he could see and hear the kobolds scream in the distance. They heard him. They were terrified.
Jack and Aella watched Arad take off like a rampaging death machine, "He went alone," Aella gasped.
"Shouldn't he stay angry all the time?" Jack said with a straight face, glaring a the destruction Arad left.
"Don't even joke about that," Aella glared at Jack, "Arad isn't a mindless beast,"
Jack smiled, "You said it yourself. He is a beast. Acting like a human will only hold him back," Jack picked up his tools and walked after Arad, "Dragons are proud, raging monsters of absolute might. We can't keep holding him back with humanoid logic," He glared back at Aella.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Humans die when stabbed," Jack replied, "But he won't. He can always heal by eating from his stomach," He explained.
"Getting injured can never be a good thing," Aella stared at Jack.
"You're wrong," Jack replied, "If he can afford to take more damage, rage into battle, and destroy every plan made to stop him,"
"What if they had a trap strong enough to kill him in one hit?" Aella growled, grabbing Jack's shoulder.
"Then Arad is a vampire and a werewolf. Getting killed won't be enough for him to die," Jack pushed her hand away, "Let's follow him,"
"I know," Aella sighed, "But that sentence doesn't make sense," She replied.
"Of course," Jack looked into the distance, "Words made by humanoids won't be enough to describe other creatures which lack our logic," He referred to Arad being a vampire with a different concept of death to other humanoids.
***
Back in the guild, Vars approached Nina's desk, "Excuse me, can we use the private room?" He asked.
"I can't issue the private room without a valid reason to keep secrecy," Nina replied.
Vars sighed, "Listen, human woman," He glared at her, "I don't have time. You asked us to help. I'm here for that,"
Nina sighed, "Say that from the start," She looked at Vars, "Gojo said you won't be working directly on the case," she guided him to the private room.
Vars lifted his staff and looked at Nina, "Move a bit to the back,"
"I will beat you if you damage anything," Nina glared at him.
"I don't care," Vars replied. [Teleport]
With a flash of light, Gojo appeared out of nowhere, "Yo! I'm back!" He smiled, waving his hand at them.
"Teleport magic? What a rare sight," Nina smiled, taking a step back, and then realized what was in front of her.
Gojo was holding a frozen head of a black dragon in his hand. He threw the massive head on the ground, "This is the one the mage wanted dead. You can send him away now," Gojo said with a smile, resting his foot on the dragon's head.
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