Chapter 160: Luck

Ryu and the other's hearts thudded hard against their chest when Tiamat's enormous shadow brought darkness within their area.

No one breathed. No one talk. No one except the mammoth, who was so nonchalant about everything that it continued to chew. It didn't care whether Tiamat was a legendary beast. It only cared about its food.

"N-not good." Marcus turned into stone when Tiamat spotted the mammoth on the small patch of land.

Tiamat screeched and opened its mouth. Red lightning sparked on its belly, traversing in its neck before a large torrent of fire erupted from its jaws.

Everyone felt the fearsome power the Dragon released, and without a doubt, there was nothing left but a large hole on the scorched sand when it hit them.

Unknowingly, everyone clutched the mammoth's hair when it released a roar of its own from the approaching threat. Its eyes hidden beneath its fringe glowed red and large clouds of dust gathered around it in a fraction of a second.

Everyone last night was the ravaging tornado of fire before all of it disappeared, and once more, the view of the hot blistering sky dominated their eyes.

"W-wha. .. What on earth?" Marcus and the others took a turn and swept their environment. They were still in a barren desert, but the setting was different somehow.

There was now a large patch of grassland on one side while they spotted a ruined tower near a giant standing stone.

The mammoth puffed out sand from its snout before it moved its gigantic leg one step at a time. Ryu and the others leaped to a safe distance as they watched it graze on the patched of grass.

"C-could it be. .. its ability is to teleport to its source of food?" Seraphina didn't know what to think about the sudden turn of events.

Marcus was confused too. "Most like it."

"It save us," Halfjack chimed.

Seraphina chuckled. That was more like a cry of relief. "More like an accident."

Marcus breathed in and out to give life to his still-shaking nerves. Once he made sure that he could move without falling on his knees due to his fear, he assisted their situation. "Anyway. I think we've transported away from Tiamat. But we still don't know where we are."

"Ryu?" Seraphina called when Ryu stepped away from the group and inspected the ruins.

Ryu pointed at the ruined tower and said. "Should we go inside?" his back was heating, and it was certainly not the frigid heat.

Marcus scratched his head. "I advise not going inside it without checking first but either that or be spotted again by Tiamat. I'd prefer that unknown ruins."

Seraphina and Halfjack nodded, and the group made their way inside the tower's ladder, leading down into the sands below.

----

Althord thought that he knew terror and fear, but none could prepare him from the sudden arrival of Tiamat and the massacre that soon followed. Bodies burnt to ashes. Blood and guts spilled as the shouts and pain filled the air.

Tiamat landed with a loud flapping of its wings, and everyone before it was like pebbles on its feet.

AaaArRgGhH!

Screams and cries echoed as the Dragon toyed with the Rank-A mercs. Pinching them with its claws before ripping them apart. It didn't even bother to defend against their simultaneous attacks. Those who tried to run were burnt to ashes by its fire, while those too scared to move were spared.

"What are you doing?!" Fibble bellowed at Althord. "We have to run!"

Ran? Althord's face twisted in horror. Those who attempted to run were nothing but dust now. And even if they did run, could they escape that thing? He didn't even have a teleportation item or skill that would allow him to blink in a far distance that was safe from the Dragon's clutches. And even if he had the item and skill, it was too late.

They were already trapped in the Dagon's Domain, and if they wanted to escape, they'd either kill Tiamat or the beast itself let them go.

Althord was heaving. He was dead and all for a lump of stupid meat. His body was drenched from sweat, and his chest rose and fell in rapid succession as he watched Tiamat's jaws stretched in a grin as she devoured one body after another.

Amidst the chaos, Tiamat spoke. "Mortals and non-humans, let's play a game."

Its voice was slow and hissing, resounding and ringing in their cores.

"If you won't move a muscle within a day. I let you leave. . ."

Everyone went still, not even breathing.

Tiamat's slit eyes looked at everyone. "The game. .. starts now. . ."

No one moved a muscle, not even daring to roll their eyes nor lips.

Ahahahaha! Tiamat's laughter boomed, and its enormous tail hammered against the sand creating clouds of dust. "You fools never change. .. the only thing that will make you submit is through a much larger force."

With the weight and power of its tail, the earth shook, and there was one who was bound to catch his balance. Needless to say, before the man could fall into the sand, Tiamat's claw pinched him and brought him to her mouth.

AGH–!

The crunching sounds of bones were enough for everyone's color to drain from their faces.

"I think this game. .. is too boring. . ." Tiamat's eyes shone with delight. "Let's lit it up."

Before anyone knew what it was doing, Tiamat breathed a bluish fire around Althord's group. It was hot and blazing, and it was no different than being cooked alive.

Tiamat snickered, and its long tongue licked its jaws. "Let's see how long you'll last. . ."

Althord never knew what dread was like until now, that is. The helplessness and the impending doom bit at his legs, and it took all he had to endure standing.

He grew complacent over his two months in the islet, and this was the price he must pay.

----

A/N

I'm having family problems so excuse me for my grammars.

I can't think clearly T _ T