A large party of slaves moved through the dark, grueling chasm, known as the Valley of Death.
The party was filled with fear from the sounds of beast howling in the distance. Despite their fears, they kept moving forward because if they didn't, the guard would kill them on sight, with out mercy.
The slaves all wore magic collars around their necks that would stun them if they tried to attack any of the guards. To ensure safety, all the guards were equipped with high-quality magic armor that made them nearly invincible to physical attacks and provided minor protection against magic.
However, that magic protection wasn't necessary, as the clan they had just captured was only known for their physical strength and not their magical abilities.
Thud
One of the slaves stumbled over the chains around her legs, falling to the ground face-first.
"Get up, you filthy mongrel." The guards didn't even give her a chance to get back on her feet; he kicked her in the chest, cracking her ribs, leaving her gasping for air and screaming in pain.
Everyone watched as the guard continued to kick the girl repeatedly, smiling like a deranged psychopath. "Please stop... Please, sir, stop," the little girl's voice grew quieter as she begged him to stop hurting her.
The soldier looked down at the little girl he lifted his spear ready to execute her on the spot "You're too frail to be useful, The most something like you can do is serve drinks"
He swung his spear aiming it at the little girl's neck
SHING
A large, sharp, black rock erupted from the ground, stabbing the guard through the chest, killing him instantly.
"What was that? " one of the guards shouted while trembling in fear.
" There must be enemies nearby, some Earth mage or something." Another guard replied as he readied his spear.
The guards all prepared for an attack, their bodies radiating a powerful black flame. Inside a cage atop a horse-drawn carriage, a white-haired woman sat quietly, her long-sleeved blouse covering her arms completely.
She recognized the flame as shadow magic. A magical element rare among human so it was strange to see a whole group of guards wielding it. " who are these people?" She questioned from in her cage.
Dozens of sharp black rocks erupted from the ground, aiming at the guards. Some were stabbed through the chest or abdomen, while others managed to block the rocks by using shadow magic to form a barrier around their bodies.
"Everyone, get ready for a second attack!" one of the guards screamed. He then pointed to another guard. "You, get to higher ground and find out where they're attacking from."
The guard nodded and focused his mana, a surge of black flames surrounding his body.
"Shadow magic: Shadow Step!"
The guard teleported to the top of the chasm and searched the area for any enemy soldiers, but he couldn't find anyone. "Sir, I don't see anyone. Maybe...."
BOOOM!!!
A giant dragon burst from the ground, swallowing the guard atop the chasm and diving back into the rock, tunneling through effortlessly.
"What the hell was that?" one guard shouted.
"It's an earth dragon, dumbass! Ready your shields!" The guards huddled together into a small group irrecting a barrier of shadow magic with there combined abilities.
"Let us in! Don't leave us to die!" the slaves begged, pleading to be allowed inside the barrier for fear that the dragon would kill them all.
The guards ignored their cries for help, hoping the dragon would devour the slaves and spare them.
The earth dragon appeared digging out of the ground, his razor-sharp claws, traring through rock with ease. He slowly made his way to the guards, staring them down like a predator staring down prey.
One of the guards shouted from behind the barrier "Take the prisoners as an offering just spare us "
The dragon coiled around the barrier, squeezing down on it, causing cracks to form across it slowly. One of the guards screamed "Why won't you take the slaves there are more of them than us"
The dragon continued squeezing then he answered in a deep guttural voice " I have no use for dead humans you on the other hand will serve my purpose fantastically "
SPLAT
The barrier broke, and the guards' bodies were all crushed under the weight of the dragon.
After the guards, the dragon turned around to one of the slaves " You! take off his helmet he pointed to the first guard who had been stabbed. The slaves rushed toward the guards body, hoping that the dragon wouldn't turn on them next.
When the guard's helmet was removed, they were shocked to see a blue, humanoid creature with four horns and pitch-black eyes. One of the slaves fell to the ground in disbelief; he had never encountered anything like that before.
The dragon growled, "Shadow trolls just as I thought. The feeling of their mana is unforgettable."
The dragon began eating the bodies of the trolls. A faint glow of mana surrounded him. It got brighter as he ate more bodies going from a faint glow to a giant menacing aura.
The slaves gather together in a corner, slowly trying to escape the dragon as he feeds.
The dragons eyes slowly moved toward the humans following them as they slowly snuck away " uh adorable they think I can't see them " The dragon whispered as it continued devouring the trolls.
" hey, you cowards, let me out !!! Don't leave me alone with this thing " the girl from the cage screamed for help.
The earth dragon made his way to the cage, putting a single claw on the cage door, growling. He stared into the girl's eyes.
"Damn you got an ugly mug. well go ahead and eat me.... what are you waiting for an invitation or do you want me to beg for my life " the girl retorted with a nervous smile
The earth dragon smiled, he found the girl's audacity amusing, it was a breath of fresh air from the constant begging for their lives. "Man, you have quite a mouth on you, you know, faced with death and all you do is throw insults." The dragon pulled his claw back, breaking the cage door open. " Get out!!"
The girl slowly stepped out of the cage ready to be eaten immediately as she got out only for the dragon to turn back to the body
" Wait, you're not gonna kill me, why do I smell bad or something?" The girl replied as she smelled herself
"You're hardly even a snack to someone like me, so basically, you're not worth my time," the dragon walked over to the remaining bodies.
"Then why are you eating those guys? They're around the same size as me? "
The dragon reached his claw out, stabbing the troll in the abdomen, and pulled out a blue glowing crystal the size of a baby.
The white haired girl walked over to the crystal and placed her hand on the rock intense amounts of mana flowed from the stone creating a blue aura " Is that a magic stone, I've never seen one this big before "
The dragon picked up the crystal and tossed it into his mouth; it looked like a grain of rice between his fingers.
"So that's why you killed those guys? Here I was starting to think you were some hero sent from the heavens," the girl said sarcastically, giving the dragon a friendly jab.
After finishing off the trolls, the dragon turned to the girl. "Don't you have anything better to do than waste my time?"
The girl crossed her arms. "Well, my village was destroyed, and the only remaining survivor just ran away and left me for dead, so... no."
The dragon scoffed, preparing to leave her behind. He slammed his claws into the ground, ready to dig to his next destination when a sharp pain surged through his body.
"ROAR!!!"
The dragon screamed in agony as a black aura consumed him.
The girl watched him roll around, appearing to be overly dramatic. "Ah, you're cursed!"
"Yes, smart-ass, I realized that a year ago," the earth dragon grunted, struggling to resist the pain.
"Quit being dramatic." The girl placed her hand on the dragon's body, absorbing some of the curse. "There you go; you should be good now. Take that as my thanks for getting me out of that cage."
The pain subsided, and the dragon looked at the girl in shock. "You cured me?"
"No, I absorbed a small part of the curse, temporarily suppressing it," she smiled as she stepped back from him.
"How did you do that?" the dragon asked, looking her up and down with curiosity.
The curse on the dragon was known as the Black Moon Curse. It drained the bearer of their life force, transferring it to the one who cast the curse. There was no known cure; even the strongest healers couldn't dispel it. Yet somehow, this random girl could suppress it.
The girl rolled up her sleeves, revealing a cursed tattoo that flowed from her shoulder to her wrist.
"You're a curse eater! That's why those villagers left you behind; you're the reason your village was attacked!" the dragon replied, an idea forming in his mind. "Hey, want to make a deal, kid?"
A curse eater is a human with the ability to consume curses and transform them into mana, which can increase their magical power and extend their life span. Even though they're quite useful, they have one fatal flaw: their mana attracts powerful monsters.
"What do you have in mind?" the girl wondered to herself; this should be interesting.
"You continue to absorb my curse, and I'll protect you from the monsters targeting you. Deal?"
"DEAL!" The girl extended her fist, waiting for the dragon to fist-bump her.
"What the hell are you doing?" the dragon tilted his head in confusion.
The girl's hands fell to her sides. "Oh right, a dragon wouldn't know what a fist bump is.