No Longer a Game Ch. 27

They were a little more than half way up the stairs when Natalie slowed down a little.

"Come on, Natalie, we are almost there." Rain whispered as she gently pulled the elf girl.

Natalie followed Rain up the stairs and she stumbled kicking a fist sized rock over the ledge. That rock hit another a larger rock as it skipped off a ledge which caused other rocks to fall down toward the dragon. One of the larger rocks fell on top of the dragons head.

"Oh fuck." Ahira muttered.

The dwarf was standing at the entrance into the cavern when the rock hit the dragon and he saw the dragon open its yellow eyes.

Voaraghamanthar, also known as Red Death, opened his eyes at the sensation of the rock hitting him. While there were other red dragons in the world, Voaraghamanthar was the last of his kind; the mightiest of all reds and once he ruled his domain with terror and fear but now he slept for thousands of years since he was imprisoned in this dark empty cavern to be the unwilling guardian of the portal to another world. The cavern was heavily enchanted to prevent his escape so he slept and now that he was awake once more he was hungry. It had been many years since he fed.

"Run!" Ahira shouted to his friends. "To the portal! Hurry!"

Jason picked up the screaming Natalie as if she was a rag doll as he followed Rain up the stairs with Christie close behind.

The dragon lifted its mighty head and looked about the room and saw the four fleeing up the stairs to the portal he was imprisoned to guard. The beast lifted his body and got to his clawed feet and looked at the dwarf and human standing at the entrance to the cavern. Black Death lifted one of his clawed feet and brought it down to crush the two foolish mortals who dared disturb his sleep.

"Lou move!" Ahira pushed the wizard out of the way and just barely dodged the large foot as it smashed down.

The dragon's foot came down with so much power it knocked both Lou and Ahira to the ground and they felt the earth below them move as the entrance to the tunnel collapsed around them blocking their escape. The dragon then turned its head to the four making their way to the portal and gave a mighty roar.

"Foolish, mortals." The monster chuckled. "You dare to challenge me." He brought another foot down, but this time gently and it blocked the four from reaching the portal.

If dragons had a weakness it was their pride and vanity and the mighty Voaraghamanthar was as proud and vain as they came. He would play with his food before he fed. The dragon stood upright and unfolded his wings so the stupid mortals who dared approach him would see him in all his glory.

"It has been a long time since I had visitors; over a thousand years when a small army of drow dared to challenge me. Oh how I feasted that day. And now just six of you dare to come forth?" The dragon laughed, "A mere snack but a snack will do."

Jason saw Ahira and Lou making their way to the stairs as the dragon taunted them. "We don't dare to challenge you, oh great one, we just want to use the portal." He humbly told the dragon.

"My portal? I was tasked to guard it...summoned and imprisoned here by that sorceress long ago and her goddess Mystra. No I don't think you will use it." The dragon chuckled once again and raised his head.

"Lou now!" Ahira screamed as he and Lou were within several yards of their friends.

Lou cast his magic missile spell and the series of arcane bolts hit the dragon in the face. Voaraghamanthar shook his head and blinked but was unharmed and even seemed amused.

"Do you think your weak magic will hurt me?" He said as he turned to the wizard.

"No but this might!" Ahira shouted and jumped from the stairs and landed on the dragons back.

The dwarf squeezed his legs tight to ride the dragon and lifted his large ax and with all his might swung down onto the back of the dragon's neck. Dwarves and dragons shred a lust for gold and precious gems and for thousands of years dragons often raided dwarven kingdoms to conquer them and claim their halls and gold and gems for their own. The sturdy dwarves learned how to protect themselves from the mighty beasts and Ahira's ax was heavily enchanted with dwarven magic and dwarven forged so it buried deep into the neck of Voaraghamanthar. The dragon screamed in pain and lifted itself upright on its two back legs. The actual cut the ax made into his scaly skin was like a pin pick but what caused the burning pain the dragon felt was the enchantments of the dwarven weapon.

"RUN! ALL OF YOU TO THE PORTAL!" He shouted. The way to the portal was now open.

"Michael!" Jason yelled.

"JUST FUCKING RUN!" The dwarf shouted back and raised his ax again and buried it once more into the dragon's scaly flesh.

The group ran to the portal, Rain first, Jason still carrying Natalie, Christie stumbled on the stairs but was quickly helped to her feet by Lou; who was now running to the portal as well. The dragon bucked and thrashed trying to throw the dwarf off his back and it screamed once more as the ax buried into his flesh over and over. Ahira knew the wounds on the dragon were not mortal but they distracted the dragon long enough for his friends to get to through the portal and home. He smiled as he saw first Rain go through and then the others. Ahira lifted his ax once more but the dragon thrashed and beat his wings and threw the dwarf off his back. Ahira landed on the platform within only a few yards of the portal. He staggered to his feet and turned his back on the dragon and jumped through the portal just as Voaraghamanthar raised his head. A blast of fire shot from the dragon's mouth directed at the dwarf and the portal. The magic fiery breath hit the portal and there was an explosion of arcane energy and the room started to tremble as it collapsed around the dragon.

Christie hit the ground hard but instead of landing on a stone ground she landed on soft green grass. She tried to stand but felt dizzy and fell to her knees. As she tried to stand again she looked at her arms and hands and saw they were no longer the obsidian black skin of a drow but slightly tanned. She started to cry when she noticed she was in her true form of a young human woman. It was dark still but not the pitch black darkness of the Underdark. She looked up and saw the moon and stars of the open sky, then lights from the city of Macon. She looked around and saw Rain first, now a young man once again, then she saw Lou getting to his feet once more a nerdy, skinny boy. They all had on the same clothes they had worn that night, which seemed years ago, when they went into the engineering department's basement room 122 to play the game.

"Natalie!" She screamed and then saw her girlfriend sitting on the grass.

Christie crawled to Natalie and hugged the girl tight but her girlfriend did not respond. The young brunette girl just sat there staring off into the night with a blank look on her face.

"She is still..." Christie heard Rain start to ask.

The blonde girl looked over her shoulder to see Rain standing over her. "Y...yes...she...she did not get better." Christie cried as she hugged Natalie.

"Where's Jason?" Rain asked and Christie shook her head.

Rain looked around and saw Jason kneeling on the ground with his back turned. He ran over to the other boy and saw Jason's shoulders jerking up and down.

"Jason...Jason we are home." Rain said and Jason turned to him.

Rain looked down and saw the football star kneeling over a set of bones still smoldering from the fire that has burned off the flesh.

"Is...is that..." Rain started to ask.

"Michael." Jason answered and started to sob.

"Jesus." Rain muttered and got to his knees next to the other boy and put his arm around Jason and started to cry also.