The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

My Name Is... (Beyond a Dragon 7/7)

VII.

The air was oppressive, yet electrifying. Madoka felt like she needed to bolt and match the black lightning's speed. The static was making her hair stand on edge. Thumping and a horrible roaring could be heard from there. While she and Eraziror were motivated, she still stopped when the massive water gate was struck by something hard from within.

"Ah, now it's probably mad," Eraziror steeled his voice. Madoka noticed he had a wand in his hand instead of his usual sword. He glanced at her, following her gaze. "You're quite strong, so, you can take the front. Heh."

Another bang slammed against the giant gate as if in protest at them breaking the silence. Either that, or the beast was throwing a tantrum inside there. They moved out of the way of the entrance for now, but they both knew that the only way to the howling Crystal Lizard within was either the door or the gate should it fall. She ignored it. Crushing it was still her objective because of that kind god.

"What do you know about the Crystal Lizard?" Madoka tightened her grip on the Serpent Blade. Eraziror's eyes shifted between her and the gate. More dents were becoming exposed.

"It's Castle leveled, as you may know, a right bastard of a monster with four legs, big tough magic crystals for a shell that it can shoot at say, a big metal gate for example." he glanced at the creaking gate, while Madoka peered at the open door the key stone she used on. His voice was not shaky, surprising her. He also seemed to recall another horrifying thing the Crystal Lizard could do. "It's got a big neck that can bite a man in two. The ominous black lightning, well, that's new."

"You seem calm," Madoka noted. She knew what the lightning was already, but she could not recall how she defeated the bear. She only remembered how it tasted. "Got any bright ideas?"

"Well," Eraziror trailed off. "I'm a little more nervous about what you're going to do to it—" he swished the wand, making a whipping sound while chopping the wind with it. "When I take the back. We have to cook its armor, then you can smash it to bits. By the way, why are you rubbing your stomach?"

"No reason," Madoka eyed him holding the tiny stick. It seemed weird to her for some reason, but suddenly the gate began to groan. She could hear the rushing water from within the cave and nodded to him. "Ready when you are."

Eraziror gulped and after a moment of steeling himself, gave the signal. Even though he was the first one in, Madoka quickly overtook his charge. The air sparkled with erratic Knotting strands, although it was easier to charge the crystal in her chest. More electricity was building up ahead, beginning to spark into another dangerous lightning bolt. She growled, plunging her hand into her chest and summoning the crystal. Immediately, the translucent and brilliant golden barrier formed in front of her as a shield and a light against the darkness.

A crashing force surged against it at that instant, causing the tunnel lamps to flicker as the Crystal Lizard's parasite magic collided against her shield. Eraziror should be protected with her charging in the front. Madoka felt alive as she absorbed the lightning and her footsteps continued to echo loudly throughout the hall. The path had been carved by the workers here, allowing her boots to grip well. The monster was up ahead, but no thoughts came from it. The tunnel also seemed to open up wider like the jaws of a beast about to bite and the supporting beams were torn apart.

A scream rattled rocks loose from the ceiling. Madoka swore. This unruly beast was going to cause a cave-in with all its racket. She had barely managed to clear into the wider chamber beyond the tunnel's opening before it collapsed. To her horror, rocks blocked the exit and the huge form in front of her was covered by a dark shadow.

"Eraziror!" Madoka called, but it was useless. "So much for a backline."

She could only pray to the kind gods that he survived that collapse and that she would survive whatever this Lizard is. The huge cave she was in was now dark, but the low blue glow of massive crystalline deposits stretching as high as she could see. Their illumination also reflected the silhouette of the massive beast, whose rising shadow began to blot out the room. Six pairs of glowing eyes revealed themselves in the darkness hovering above and she could tell they were locked onto her. Four of them were blazing a golden aura, while two were a cold violet shade channeling lightning arcs. The scaly underside of this creature was enveloped by murky and pulsating puss clinging to it.