Chapter 130: Dungeon

I woke up bound and gagged in a very cold and dark place. I could hear water dripping somewhere far off. The smell of mold and dirt filled my nostrils while the wet, cold air penetrated my clothing made me shiver. I pulled at the power I had stored inside me, but it was gone. It felt as if I had been completely drained. I even felt drained of life.
I wiggled in the grime until I was able to free my gag.
"Hello?" My voice echoed off what sounded to be stone walls.
I could be anywhere. For a moment, I thought I was dead, but I think I was too uncomfortable to be dead just yet. After much struggling, I was able to sit.
"Remi?" I whispered. "Angie? Sandriel? Natalia? Anyone? Can anyone hear me?"
"No one can," a familiar voice echoed.
It surprised me at how close it was, maybe only a few feet in front of me. The deep smooth female voice was easy to place. The water dripping in the background grew silent. Even the air around me stopped.
"Karma," I said.
"Oh, aren't you just so smart."
"What do you want?" I asked.
"So snide. You should be thanking me. I did save your ass out there."
I dipped my head. I doubted she could see it in the dark, but I did it anyway. "Thank you," I said sincerely.
"That's much better."
"Now that I've thanked you properly, what exactly are you doing here?"
She let out a heavy sigh as if she was changing positions. "I was hoping to watch you get yourself out of this. Good company is so hard to find."
"What do you mean?"
I swore she leaned in close to me. "I mean, you're interesting. I don't want you to die yet. I think we could have tons of fun."
"Okay... well... can you get me out of here, please?"
"What? Of course not. I'm not here to solve all your problems. I'm here to watch you solve them. So now, get to it."
"You just want to watch?"
She hesitated. "I want you to prove your worth."
I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but it seemed like she wasn't going to help me.
"Reveal," I whispered. I had no magic left, but I pushed hard at what seemed to be my life force. The Aurora Sword slipped into my hand. I cut the bindings around my wrists. I held the sword in its dagger form before me. A grimy dungeon appeared. Karma was sitting in a golden throne in the middle of my cell with her head resting in her hand as she leaned her elbow on the armrest. I could see she was terribly put out.
"Why am I so interesting?"
"Hmm? Oh, I don't know. You were two halves. You wield both swords. You command angels and demons. You're a succubus. Do you know that you were specially created just to be the perfect sacrifice? Do you know how many years your grandmother and mother spent orchestrating all of this and..." She flicked her fingers in a swiping gesture. "You just pissed on all of them. Even Juno took a liking to you. How is that not interesting?"
"Umm... I'm glad I'm your entertainment, but you do realize that you are talking about my entire life right now."
She shrugged. "Most lives are meaningless, but yours has quite the potential."
"The potential for what?"
Karma leaned forward. Her dark loose curls fell over her shoulder. "To be interesting."
I closed my eyes. I was feeling incredibly tired, and her conversation wasn't making me feel any better.
"Oh come on now, don't give up. You have so much potential. Get up. Get your swords out. You've got a battle to win."
My eyes flicked open. "What battle?"
"Your grandmother left you a present."
"My grandmother?"
"Yes... oh wait, you didn't know? Oops!" She covered her mouth as she feigned being surprised.
"Who exactly is my grandmother and why did she leave me a present?"
"I think you know her as Mila."
"The darkness? The darkness is my grandmother!?"
Karma smiled a wickedly. "Oh my god, that was worth it. I don't care what they do to me; that reaction was priceless."
"Who do to you? Why do I feel like I'm getting half of the story?"
"Oh, not even half." She waved her hand at me. "Don't mind me. Now, don't you have a dragon to slay?"
I stared at her. I was sure she was messing with me now. Karma smiled and cocked her head at me. With a snap, she vanished. The sound of water continued as time moved forward again. I was left alone in the near dark with just my Aurora Sword.
"Alright. Let's hope that she's just kidding," I said to myself.
I crept forward through the open cell door using the glow of the sword to light the way. My boots scraped against the stone floor. It felt slippery with scum like it hadn't been used in centuries. I wondered where in the hell I was then decided I probably didn't want to know.
The hallway continued past a number of other cells. I turned to look in one to see a skeleton staring back at me. My heart jumped in my throat. I swallowed a yelp and quickly turned back to my task. The sooner I got out of here, the better.
The hallway took a turn to a bigger one and, eventually, to some stairs. The moss on the stairs quieted my steps but made the climb more treacherous.
After I reached the third landing, I finally started to feel the gloom of the dungeon lift. The rotting smell turned into only a dirt and sulfur smell. After another three flights of stairs, the stairwell opened up into a large expanse. As I looked around, I decided I was in a castle, a real, old-time castle. And it looked like it hadn't been used in ages. The roof was missing in a few places where the stars in the night sky shone through.
The noise I heard next sent shivers down my spine. There was no way it was true. The high-pitch scream sounded like that of a screaming woman but then deepened into a deep rumbling growl that echoed through the castle. My fingers shook as I gripped the sword. Above the ailing roofline, a dark figure swooped across the sky, blocking the stars from view. The giant wings flapped as the creature dove in for a landing. It settled on the open floor before me. Its head loomed high above as it took a deep breath. The dragon let out a bellowing roar into the sky.
I was totally fucked.