New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 1023: Prophecy On The Walls



Before them stood a door of such colossal proportions that it seemed to dwarf the very concept of size, and two towering lizardmen stood guard, their presence only amplifying the door's grandeur.

In their hands, they held a guisarme style polearm in one hand, and a massive tower shield in the other, with a single red gem in their center, made to adorn an engraving looking a lot like an eye.

They also noticed that the mural they saw was only a part of it. And the rest was just as horrifying.

Images of dragons flying above different cities, tearing them asunder and destroying everything in their path, adorned the room.

One even depicted a dragon burning down a gigantic forest, and David gulped.

"That is the dragon that shows in Brazil... What the hell is going on in this room?" he asked, his voice trembling.

Alex had never seen him react like this, and the hair rose on his arms.

'This is serious. If David didn't know about it, this is a recent development. The world can't handle a dragon invasion. Not with demons coming right after it...'

The ground shook as the two towering lizard men stepped forward.

"You would do well not to ignore our presence, humans. You may have mowed down the few gifted kobolds the great one had granted power to, but we are not like them.

"We are of dragonkin, and unlike the rabble you've fought until now, we will not yield to death so easily," the second one finally spoke, its voice deep as well, but to a lesser degree. "And we shall not let you lay foot into the great one's awakening room," the first one finished, slamming the butt of his guisarme into the ground, cracking it and shaking the

room.

As Alex sized the two enemies down, trying to find weaknesses in them before combat, Kary was already devising a strategy to fight the two giant enemies without causing casualties among them.

It wouldn't be simple, but she already knew how to proceed.

"We can think about the mural later, David," Kary said, trying to bring his attention back to the foes in the room.

His gaze trailed off the mural, his eyes showing fear for the first time since she'd met him. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared when he finally looked at the dragonkin.

"We'll need photos of everything in here. These are clues to something much bigger that is bound to happen, and we need to make sure we are ready for it," David said, trying to focus.

But his eyes kept glancing at the walls and ceiling; his mind used to think more of the future than the present.

The dragonkin didn't walk further; their role as guardians well anchored in their minds. They wouldn't initiate a fight if the humans fled, either, as guarding this door was their entire reason for existing.

"We'll need to separate their focus. Alex, tank the one on the left, and Winston, the one on the right. Rì-Chū will act as our healer for Alex while Cory keeps Winston alive. If anything major happens, we can have Cory move to react," Kary started giving out orders.

As the party started splitting into two groups, the dragonkin observed them silently, keeping a watchful eye on all of them.

"Jin-Sil, you and Aapo will be our snipers. Jin-Sil goes on Alex's team, and Aapo on Winston's. Our heavy-hitting mages, Violette and myself, will also split up. I'll take Winston's team, and Violette go on Alex's."

Teams were starting to form, and the dragonkin had yet to move a single muscle.

"Lastly, we will have our versatile attackers split up, and our fast movers act as pivots. David, you're on Alex's team and Killian on Winston's. As for Liu Yan and Jonathan, you two act as an independent unit. If either team needs a boost in firepower, you move there.

"If not, Jonathan is on Winston's team, and Liu Yan on Alex's. Got it?"

Her orders were explicit, and everyone split up as she commanded, keeping an eye on the giant lizards towering a few dozen meters away.

Once everyone had split up, the hollow voice of the dragonkin shook the room again.

"It seems you have chosen the path of death. Are you finally ready to meet your makers?" the dragonkin on the left asked, pointing his guisarme at them.

"If you are, then let's get this over with. The great one dislikes rowdy guests, and this is about to get rowdy," the other said, mirroring the first one's actions.

"Before we begin," Alex said, as the tension started rising.

Both dragonkin trailed their gaze on him.

"I wanted to add just one thing," Alex said, a grin stretching on his lips.

Seeing as they awaited in silence, Alex took a step forward from his group, opening his arms wide.

Inside his mind, he was already holding a different conversation, which explained the grin on his lips.

'Are you ready for this?' he asked.

'Yes. This will be the perfect taunt for your woman's plan. It should assure that at least one dragonkin never takes his eyes off you. If the other follows suit, you'll have to hope that your little sickly friend does his job well,' a feminine voice replied in his mind.

Alex chuckled mentally.

'You don't have to worry about Winston. His skill will ensure the other dragonkin won't look away from him. He may not be the greatest at finding witty remarks to use as taunts, but his mana does the heavy lifting for him.'

'Then let us begin.'

Alex mentally nodded, letting the dragon's soul into his, as his skin turned a blackish colour, scales growing out on his cheeks and hands, and his grin turned beastly.

As his body changed, he took another step forward; the mana surging from him enough to put the dragonkin on high alert.

He opened his mouth, which now sported sharp teeth, and laughed wildly.

"The black scourge sends her regards!" he shouted before letting out a deafening roar that echoed in the chamber and beyond, vibrating the walls with power.

*RROOAARR!!!*