The Shadow Dragon

The queen walked gingerly in front of him, there was a lone guard behind her, she was completely relaxed and her hands were folded behind her back, far away from her weapon.

Incompetent. Haze thought and placed his hand on his sword. He didn't deliberate, didn't calculate or think twice, he ran at the guard with his superspeed and pulled out his sword, slashing her neck in one single fluid motion.

Blood sprayed from her neck like a geyser as she stumbled around aimlessly before dropping to the ground.

Haze raised his sword and pointed it at the Queen. "You, stop!", He said.

The queen stopped walking and remained facing away from him.

"Turn around", He ordered.

The queen turned around slowly, she was still shrouded in the shadow and looking at it clearly now, Haze realized the shadow slithered around her, like it was a living entity. He shuddered a little but kept the sword pointed at her.

"So you're the prince of the underworld?", The queen's voice echoed in the hallway. The shadows around her face parted slowly to reveal a young woman that looked only a little older than Neesha.

Haze's arm wobbled slightly and the sword became like lead in his arm.

"You're young?", He asked incredulously.

The queen laughed and it was a haughty sound. "In some ways, I guess", She replied.

She studied Haze carefully. "I knew it was a matter of time before that perv came back for his ring", She paused. "But I didn't expect him to send his son", A thoughtful look came on her face.

"This either means he underestimates me or...he has something much bigger on his plate".

She stepped closer to Haze. "So which is it?"

"Does it matter?", Haze tried to keep his voice level but his insides were quaking, he knew there was something the queen was doing, to instill fear in him and he was determined to resist it.

"Are you going to stay there and talk or are you going to fight?", He yelled and raised the sword even higher.

The queen laughed again and Haze thought it sounded like metal grating against metal.

"Don't you think this is all a little convenient?", The queen asked with a slight smile on her face. "Don't you think it's weird that the queen of the witches suddenly decides to leave the throne mid party and go to the hallway?", Her smile grew wider. "Don't you think it's rather suspicious that she goes to the hallway and leaves all her guards behind, except for one, a grossly incompetent guard?".

By now Haze was sweating, he knew he should have considered the situation carefully before diving in, maybe then he would have noticed how suspicious it was indeed, but he has been excited by the prospect of a rare opportunity to take the queen off guard and end the mission once and for all.

"Maybe you will fight me one day princeling", She drawled. "But only if you survive my dragon".

As she spoke, fangs descended from her teeth, she bit into her palm and Haze watched with horror as the blood dripped out and pooled over the wound.

The queen then raised her palm and slammed it on the floor.

"Summoning sorcery, shadow dragon!", She yelled.

From the bloodied palm, wisps of shadows stretched out. They kept growing till they formed a large hall, this hall then stretched into a large spiky tail and a large head with cat like eyes.

Her shadow turned into a dragon! Haze realized with alarm.

The queen wiped off her palm and smiled. "So long princeling, time to find out if you're really immortal".

Her shadows wrapped around her and enveloped her wholly, it spun her around and poof! She vanished, leaving Haze with the shadow dragon.

[You have a new mission]

[Mission: survive the shadow dragon]

Haze watched in amazement as the queen disappeared leaving nothing but dust behind as she left. A deep throaty snarl forced his attention back to the dragon.

Even though Haze knew it was made up completely of shadow, the dragon looked and acted realistic, it's slanted eyes fixated on Haze, ready to track his every move, it's skin was knitted with leather from its head to its tail and down to its feet, it's wings were small and it was obvious they wouldn't be able to aid the dragon in flight. It's tail ended in a spiky club that it swung lazily.

What have I gotten myself into? Haze asked himself. How does one kill a being made of shadow?

Haze's first reaction was to take off running in the direction he came from, he couldn't be too sure of the queen's thought process but something told him she wouldn't want her party to be destroyed by a dragon so maybe if he could run there.

As Haze got to the door, his heart came crashing down, the door had disappeared.

Haze didn't have time to mourn his lack of escape route, the dragon roared and rushed at him, showing sharp teeth it wanted to bite him with.

Haze stepped out of the way quickly with his superspeed. He landed behind the dragon and moved back quickly.

The dragon spun around to face him, revealing a dent in the wall behind.

That would have been my body, Haze mused. He eyed the dragon, calculating all possible angles.

The dragon rushed at him again and Haze moved out of the way in time, he slashed for the dragon's head but the dragon moved out of the way in time.

Haze appeared by the dragon's side and tried to slash it again but the dragon swung its clubbed tail at Haze. It caught Haze in the gut and he crashed into the wall, leaving a human sized crater in it.

Haze fell to the ground, his breathing was laboured and his whole body was in pain. He looked up to see the dragon rushing at him again, he stumbled to his feet and managed to leap away just in time.

He saw his sword lying on the floor just a few feet away from him, he rushed to grab it just as the dragon rushed at him again.

If attacks to its front, side and back are useless, then maybe it's underside will do. Haze thought. He knew a lot of animals were most vulnerable on their bellies

The dragon rushed at Haze once more, as it got close, it leaped at him, Haze dove under the dragon and spun so he was facing its belly, he pushed his sword into its underside and let his momentum drag him, drawing a straight cut on the dragon's belly.

The dragon let out a loud cry and crashed into the wall. Haze didn't let it have a minute to breathe, he rushed at it and slashed down his neck, he continued slash until the dragon's head rolled off, then Haze continued to slash it's body till what remained of the once gigantic dragon was little bits of leather.

[Mission completed]

[Reward: +10 Exp]