What Lay Beneath

Reyes and Leezy had been walking for what felt like a lifetime down the corridor they found themselves in after stepping through the door.

"I swear if we don't reach the end soon, i'm going to lose my shit."

The corridor seemed to stretch forever so of course Leezy complained. The battle from earlier didn't help either as it had drained a lot of his energy.

Both of them we so annoyed that the thought of turning back and digging through the rubble didn't seem that terrible of an idea.

The little girl was still unconscious and felt like a sack of bricks slung over Reyes's shoulder. His legs burned more and more with each step.

To their relief a dim glow of light began to shine in the distance through a small entrance, growing brighter as they approached which gave them hope.

'Finally! This is the one time I actually don't want there to be anyone ahead. My legs practically feel useless.'

Reyes rubbed the knots from his legs with his free hand while he thought to himself.

Together, the pair eventually quickened their pace and reached the end of the corridor.

As they walked into the light, what greeted them was a massive underground chamber the size of a football stadium shape of a dome.

At the very top of it was an opening about the size of two subway tunnels combined. Claw marks trailed up the ceiling and into the opening. It was way too dark to see into so they couldn't even tell if whatever had created those marks was still waiting above.

The middle of the chamber contained a stone fortress. It was completely surrounded by green crystals that were taller than a grown man. The walkway in front of them lead directly to it's doors which made of solid gold.

Cautiously, they approached and stared at the engravings that were placed on the door's isurface.

The same dragon they had seen in the painting from earlier was engraved on both doors. Instead of spewing flame, it had its wings spread while roaring to the heavens.

Written along the door's frame were the words 'Any Who Desecrate This Place Shall Meet A Fate Worse Than Death.'

Leezy frowned deeply as he read those words.

"You see this shit? Now this right here is some ole bullshit. This has got to be that dragon's lair. Those scratch marks must have came from it as that thing left, which means it's probably somewhere above waiting to snack on us. If I become a snack for some oversized lizard then i'm blaming you for dragging me along with you, Reyes."

"If I recall correctly, it was your own damn decision to accompany me."

"How could I just let my only brother travel alone to some random location a shady bartender chick mentioned!? What if you had gotten the shit jumped out of you by a thousand motherfuckers? My status as an OG would be in jeopardy and it'd all be because I decided to stay behind."

Leezy stared at Reyes with a serious look. His brother should definitely understand how he felt about his status, right?

Reyes didn't miss a beat with his rebuttal...

"But there wasn't a thousand motherfuckers, were there? Nobody forced your ass to be here, so shut up and let's see what's inside."

"Did you not read what the fucking door said? You dumba-…what the hell are you doing!?"

Ignoring his brother, Reyes turned his attention toward the door and searched for a way to open it.

After a few minutes, he noticed a portion of the dragon that looked slightly different from the rest and pressed his palm against it.

An audible click echoed through the chamber as it slid inward and the golden doors swung open, revealing a massive golden hall filled with statues of the red dragon.

A gigantic stone throne stood tall in the middle of the hall, flanked by a row of marble pillars that had golden chests between them.

"Oh okay, fuck me huh? I swear i'm going to beat your ass after this shit."

Leezy wanted to punch his brother in the back of the head as he followed him into the hall. Taking the side of better judgment, he managed to stay his hand.

Stepping foot into the hall, they jumped slightly as the doors slammed shut behind them.

A bright light suddenly blinded them accompanied by a heavy pressure that filled the room, forcing both of them to their knees.

Straining their neck under the pressure to look in the direction it came from, upon the throne now sat a gigantic man glaring down on them.

A golden crown sat upon his head. From underneath of it, long orange hair swung down, draping across his shoulders and caressing his bearded face that was filled with age lines.

His left eye was covered with an eyepatch, leaving only his right eye visible which was silver in color. His entire body was covered with bronze armor that shone with a variety of rare gemstones.

"Who are you and why have you entered my fortress!? Speak!"

His voice boomed throughout the hall.

"Who the fu-."

Before Leezy could finish speaking, Reyes cut him off and spoke to the man on the throne.

"My name is Reyes to my left is my brother Leezy. The girl i am carrying is why we are here in the first place. We stumbled upon your fortress while trying to escape. Something weird happened and caused the tower to collapse."

A look of realization crept onto the man's face as he listened to Reyes.

"So the seal was lifted...I should have stayed here to watch over this place instead of ascending."

Seeing the look of confusion on their faces, the man sighed.

"There exists a separate realm that can only be entered after ascending to godhood, young man. I sealed a dragon here before i ascended, thinking that he would be forgotten with time. Even though what happened transpired centuries ago, it appears my thoughts concerning the matter turned out to be wrong."

Rubbing his beard in deep thought, he looked around the at the chests that sat among the pillars.

"I shall permit the two of you to open a single treasure chest in this hall if you can first pass my test."

As the man spoke, he clapped his hands and beside him a portal began to open.

A large two headed albino chimera slowly came through it and stepped into the hall.

It had the body of a lion and rear end of a tiger. Its head was split between a lion and tiger that were connected together at the throat. A large chain wrapped around its neck and trailed back through the portal, being the only thing keeping the chimera from pouncing on them.

"Defeat this creature of mine and the treasure is yours to do with as you please."

The man pointed to the chimera with an intense look in his eyes.

"You expect us to be your entertainment, all for some treasure? We aren't some damn court jesters that came here just to amuse you!"

Leezy couldn't hold his tongue anymore, much to the dismay of his brother.

"You will be whatever it is i tell you to be, don't ever think you can speak to a god however you wish!"

The man shouted at Leezy which increased the pressure in the room even further.

Both of them slammed against the floor, the girl's head that was slung over Reyes's shoulder almost followed suit but his back served well as a improvised pillow.

"You, who dare speak with no authority. Beg for forgiveness while you grovel on the ground like the insect you are!"

Slamming his fist against the arm rest of the throne like a gavel, a small shockwave spread through the air.

"Beg? Insect? You most definitely don't know who the fuck i am!"

As he glared at the man from the floor, Leezy's tattoos began to glow red under his armor. Even under the increased pressure, he slowly began to stand until he was fully back up on his feet.

Unable to move his legs, he looked the man in the eye, put his fist out and began cranking his other hand next to it while slowly extending his middle finger until it was fully erect.

Reyes just shook his head in despair as his brother stood there, flipping the man off.

Looking down on them, darkness fell onto the man's face as he leaned forward in his throne…