Golden eyes opening, the draconic paladin quickly rolled over on his side, rising up to a sitting position as his claws clasped around his head. His exhausted gaze widened, memories surging as he examined the large puddle of black slime before him, parts of the dark room he lay in coated in it. Chromatic silver scales had returned to their natural state, reflecting the dull light radiating from the wisps of energy flowing about.
"...What the hell did I do?" Isaac rasped, wincing as a momentary pain flooded his mind. Sensations rushed throughout his body, eyes opening once more as he remembered what he had done.
"I… Ate them." He whispered, gaze drifting downwards to his stomach and slit below, the tip of his draconic member barely visible. One of his hands shot to claw at his chest, his own claws curling around it.
'...Such is the forbidden power of the progenitor.' The progenitor grumbled, the intensity of its voice forcing Isaac to grasp his head.
"Y-You have some explaining to do, dragon."
'It appears that my power was channeled through your will to escape. A defense mechanism.'
'And so your body absorbed the lust driven demons, their corrupted essence mesmerized and consumed by the light of my scales.' Pausing, the progenitor sighed. '...In turn, they were excreted in the form the black slime you see before you.'
Isaac fell silent as he listened intently to the progenitor's words, taking in the sight of the foul sludge before him. "N-No… It can't be so simple. I couldn't have done this."
A low chuckle echoed throughout his mind. 'But you did, my champion. It is a frighteningly competent ability, yet the amount of sexual lust instilled within you overpowered you, and in the end, thrust you into the depths of unconsciousness as you climaxed...'
A feeling of dread began to burble within the draconic paladin, black scaled chest rising and falling in sudden, rapid breaths. His maw opened shakily, golden eyes dull. "...Doesn't this mean… I have corruption within me now? I took them into my body and..."
'Did you forget the terms of our merging? I have sealed your corruption away to its most basic state, the absorption of corruptive entities will not change that, for your body is resistant due to its draconic origins.'
'As a result, it appears that their essence is digested alongside them. Resulting in what you see before you…'
Isaac's gaze returned to the pile of black sludge, scales tensing as the substance appeared to bubble. The bells signifying the progenitor's voice continued to ring, yet they did not reassure him. The demons were corrupted, well beyond saving had they been human before, yet he could not help but feel a sense of guilt.
He shook his head to clear the fog.
"I must move forward." The dragon's voice rung resolutely, the goal of finding the source of the corruption returning to his mind.
His reptilian eyes fell to his hand, claws flexing. He had been gifted the power to exterminate the foul essence once and for all, despite the means being rather questionable. Yet, he needed to do whatever it took to end the corruption, to allow no one else to fall victim to it.
The ring of purity that worn on his ring finger shimmered, as if agreeing with him.
Using a wall to lift himself up, the paladin's chest rose high as he stood tall, experimentally flapping his wings and whipping his tail about, the appendages having slipped his mind despite their significance. Eyes scanning the remainder of the odd room, Isaac's eyes spotted a rather ornate pair of doors near what he presumed was the room's entrance. A runic seal, having long ago been broken.
Escaping from the cramped room and the sight of black slime, Isaac's golden eyes scanned the large cavern he found himself in as the doors slammed behind him. It was akin to a twisted labyrinth, numerous grotesque paths as far as the eye could see, winding up and down incoherently. Wisps of blue light drifted throughout, akin to the hallway where he'd encountered the group of demons, yet they appeared noticeably dimmer. Puddles littered the cavern floors, groundwater from above dripping down below.
Draconic eyes examined the expanse of paths, rationalizing that the paths heading up and down would be unpredictable in geography, while the path heading straight forwards could diverge at any given moment. It was a surreal atmosphere, one that threatened to drive him insane at the pure absurdity of such complicated, incoherent architecture. He spun back to the closed doors in thought, examining the broken seal adorning the stone.
Warded rooms would not be an uncommon sight here. Perhaps there was an untouched room, maybe holding more artifacts or information on the source of the corruption. Turning back to face the myriad of paths, the dragon's gaze shifted to the lowermost path, a subconscious feeling ebbing him to trudge down it.
His scales shivered as his clawed feet splashed into various puddles strewn about, his golden horns narrowly scraping the stone ceiling; his monstrous height beginning to cause him problems in the endlessly shifting catacombs. No matter how hard he tried to still the appendage, his draconic tail continued to smack against the walls as he trudged on, his wings tediously folded across his back like a beetles. Having such a large, muscled body in such a small, cramped space proved to be more trouble than it was worth as he continued on, claustrophobia beginning to set it.
Time evaded him as the wisps of light faded, drowning the room in darkness. Accompanied only by the muted sounds of his footsteps and clicking claws, golden eyes widened as a light shone at the end of the void; the source revealed to be a purple magic-lit torch like the ones he'd encountered earlier on. A smile crept across his draconic features as a stone door lay beside the torch, glowing runes engraved across the surface. The warding seal here was still active, compared to the broken one he'd seen earlier.
Relief filled him as he passed through the door without major issue, aside from his height. Either his corruption repealing scales or the Ring of Purity had masked and repressed the faint presence of corruption within him, both useful in the end.
The paladin's maw parted with a small gasp as he took in the interior of the room, a bedroom serving as a fitting description. A rather dusty cot lay tucked into the corner, moist and reeking of sweat. On the other side of the room sat a desk, an unfinished letter atop the wooden surface gently illuminated by a still burning lantern, completely unaffected by the sands of time as water had refused to grace it. A chest lay beside the desk, books littering the rest of the room, filled with damp ruined pages.
Attention focused on the unfinished letter, the dragon's claws clicked as he trudged over to the desk, golden eyes glinting at the contents. Draconic jaws parted as he read the letter aloud.
That foolish boy is going to be the death of us all! His suggestions have made the ritual progress at a much faster rate, yet the methods were so dangerous and life-threatening I'm honestly beginning to wonder whether they were good ideas...
Warping spells and rituals have succeeded in making transportation easier, yet the only downside is that the window of teleportation is so small it's practically marginal in comparison to the previous methods. Time is needed for interregional trade, yet time is what we lack. That madman had suggested we travel through an alternative dimension, and then to the destination in order for stability, compared to conjuring routes.
But the only dimension available to us is a world filled with a sea of black sludge! Not a trace of light nor shadow exists within that hellish void, it's worse than the depths of Inferno!
That goes without mentioning, there's been an odd buzzing in my ears since we first opened that portal. It sounds like the church bells, so loud I can't even sleep… The others have been reporting of it too.
I
h ea r. a sou
nd .
Isaac paused, the letter coming to an abrupt end. Reading it had left him more confused than it would've had he not read it, especially with the eerie message scribbled in at the end. The source had eluded him once again, although now it was beyond clear the corruption was not a natural phenomenon. It was an unnatural essence that had come from an alternative dimension...
Stepping away from the desk, reptilian eyes shifted to the chest. Walking over to the crate, Isaac's large form leaned in order to open it, hands freezing mere inches from the lock as the progenitor's voice blared through his head.
'Do not be so hasty, my champion.'
Blinking curiously, the dragonman's gaze dropped to the floor, widening at the sight of runes inscribed around the chest, hidden by water and faded with time. His claws were meters away from triggering the trap.
Shuffling back cautiously, Isaac kneeled, arm extending outwards as his maw parted, the incantation of a spell echoing throughout the cramped space; the spell of dissonance.
"Disputatio."
The runes encircling the chest suddenly shimmered bright, before they flew off the ground into the air, growing unstable and rapidly changing shape. The shifting signs contradicted each other, ending with the runes fluttering to the ground and dissipating into a magic dust.
The etchings of the runes remained on the ground, yet their power had been destroyed by his magic.
"The one who dare tread on my ground shall be bound without mercy." He muttered the rune letters aloud, sighing at the progenitor's warning, lest he would've been trapped. Flexing his claws, the dragon slashed at the sigil formation, the action fully disabling the binding magic and leaving a nasty gash across the stone floor.
Inching closer to the chest, Isaac flipped the lid open in haste, scales tensing as he shielded his face with his large arms. Freezing for about five seconds, the paladin broke his pose with a sigh, gazing into the chest and examining its contents. Within sat a small metallic cube, a book, and a dagger.
Interest flooded him as he studied the items, brow twitching specifically at the box, dark as ebony with a single red gem embedded at its front. It was rather simple, no runes or ornate engravings lining the metallic surface.
The book next to it was a bit more unnatural, both in appearance and its defiance against the laws of gravity, opting to float as his hand neared it experimentally. It's cover was made of black leather, a sigil etched into the front, mystical energy radiating from the tome.
Finally, his golden eyes shifted to the dagger, it's surface unusually… plant like. It appeared to have a rose motif, made evident by the violet jewel at the dagger's hilt. Thorn-like blades jutted out from the main blade, making it serrated. Compared to the tome and the black cube, it seemed rather mundane in comparison, even with such decorative designs.
Retrieving the dagger, Isaac's draconic head tilted in thought as he tested the blades balance, flipping and twirling it between his clawed fingers. Satisfied at how light it was, he quickly set it beside him as his hands graced the surface of the book next. Upon touching it, a bright flash of light forced his eyes to close, chromatic scales gleaming brightly as it reflected the blinding glow and bathed the room in light. Upon opening his eyes, a curious grunt slipped from his maw as the book sat comfortably within his grasp, no longer floating.
Upon opening, disappointment replaced his awe as the pages were filled with absolutely nothing. Despite this, the paladin felt a sense of familiarity at doing such human behavior in such a monstrous form. Setting the book next to his lap, he leaned forward to examine the final object, the black box. Disregarding it's demonic aesthetic, his claws graced the surface of the metallic texture curiously, bringing it close to his face to eye the red gem in wonder.
Claws tapping against the box, Isaac set it beside himself and near the dagger. The box appeared to be even more mundane than the dagger, appearing to be unresponsive to him if it were magic based.
'How interesting…'
Isaac gasped as the progenitor's voice rang throughout his mind once again, golden eyes drifting to the three objects he had salvaged.
'That black box… It radiates the energy of a corruptive spirit, yet it did not react to you.' Hearing the progenitor's words, Isaac's claws traced across the cube, his scales tingling in revulsion.
"I assume that's due to your abilities I inherited?"
'The answer eludes me, my champion. I'd suggest taking the objects
with you, for there may be a time when they may come of use…'
Nodding at the voice's words, Isaac lifted the ominous book and box, gazing around the room in search of a bag or item of equal use to carry them.
'That won't be necessary.' The progenitor rang, it's champion grunting as a sudden radiance flooded forth from the claw in his chest.
Pulling his muscular arms away from his chest, Isaac's maw opened with a gasp as a dull grey light flooded from the claw, a tingling feeling radiating throughout his scales.
'I will hold the book and box within you.'
"...How does that work?"
'Some questions are best left unanswered. Now, quickly.'
Sighing, Isaac's claws brought the book towards his chest, flinching as it slid between his pecs and into the claw without issue, fading into grey runes before dissipating into magic energy. The box followed, the metallic essence appearing to shiver as it met his scales. As the two relics finished their conversion into magic, the draconic paladin stumbled to the floor with a pant.
"I-I suppose your foreign magic will prevent me from having to lug around a bunch of equipment. Thank you." He rasped, a hand sliding over his scaled, plated chest
Recollecting himself, the dragonman grunted as he leaned down, dagger twirling between his fingers as he retrieved it. Finished a spin, his golden eyes locked with the rose-like gem at its center once again.
'An interesting blade. It is neither the divine power of a progenitor nor the dark essence of corruption…' The divinity echoed his unspoken thoughts, scales not reacting to the blade.
"Any weapon is a good weapon." Isaac whispered, the dagger firmly clutched within his hands. Glancing downwards at the claw in his chest a final time, Isaac's golden eyes drifted upwards to the various books around the room, unreadable in their current state.
Sighing in resignation, the dragonman's stern gaze returned to the warded door, claws clicking against the ground as slowly walked towards it.
With a slam, the light of the room left him as he found himself within the damp corridors of the seemingly endless caves, flower-like dagger in one hand and deadly claws in the other.