The Evolution Chronicles

What had he done?

This was the only thought that was able to run through his mind as he watched. Donnelan felt like a fool, he had messed up. He had put the entire mission in a state of jeopardy, and because of that, his party members were currently suffering.

Coollete currently hung off a stone gargoyle that adorned the sides of the castle ruin. Alaric was nowhere to be found, while Bright was currently lying motionless at Donnelan's feet. Leonardo was currently in a tussle with the King Class Elemental Dragon, the explosions from their battle rocking the surrounding earth.

"If only I knew..."

...

By the time the lightning crackling around the array had settled down, they were left with a three meter wide and three meter tall portal that beckoned them into its depths.

"This is it, let's go." Donnelan urged.

"Hold on, are you sure this is safe?" Leonardo stopped the eager scholar.

"It should be. At least, nothing that the maps have shown indicate any danger when we enter the ruins." The scholar checked the maps he had with him once again, confirming that they indicated nothing of danger.

"If you say so." Leonardo finally let them down, and they stepped through the portal one by one.

One moment of slight dizziness later, Donnelan stepped through the white, appearing at the other side of the portal. A muted gray color greeted him. The walls, the floor, the large castle that loomed over him. Wait... A large castle?

"Haha! I did it!" He fist pumped the air, turning around to look for his party members, only to come out short.

"Guys...?" He turned around slowly. The portal behind him had vanished, and so had his party members, leaving him alone here. "Leonardo? Coollete? Alaric! Bright?!" His voice kept on rising as he called out the names of his party members. His words were returned with silence. That was until...

BOOM!

A quake shook the floor, the force behind it almost throwing Donnelan of his feet. He only barely managed to steady himself before a powerful wave of energy erupted from the other side of the castle. The wave of energy washed over him, and he knew who it was immediately.

Tendrils of lightning snaked around his limbs, making his hair stand on end. He braced his body before dashing off with the a high speed. With the sheer size of the castle, it would still take him some time to get to the other side and see what was happening.

A few long minutes later, he arrived at the other side of the castle where sounds of battle continuously echoed. He was shocked by what he saw. Leonardo was in the middle of battle with a dragon that exuded a King Class aura! The body of the dragon was made of some crystal like material, with each part being a different color. Being a scholar who studied everything magic related, Donnelan of course knew what creature this was.

"It's a damn Elemental Dragon. A King Class one at that." He gritted his teeth as he saw what was happening. Just then, a flash of light erupted from the corner of Donnelan's vision, followed by a concentrated streak of flame. With another deafening boom, the Elemental Dragon's head was forced to the side from the force of the attack. Bright charged up another flame attack in a split second and fired it at the dragon.

"Haa!" With the sound of Coollete's voice, a humongous stake of ice slammed against the dragon's back , forcing it forward, and into Leonardo's waiting hands.

Leonardo himself had gone into full battle mode. The fur all over his body had grown to greater lengths and he had a wild look in his eyes. With his bare hands, he caught the dragon's neck, using his mind blowing strength to lift it up and slam it back down onto the hard ground.

ROAR!!!

With a bellowing roar, the dragon used an unknown means to push away everyone who was surrounding it. Not even Leonardo was able to resist its push. He was flung away just like everyone else, slamming into the hardy grey stone wall of the castle.

The Dragon slowly got back up, its energy level rising at a steady rate until just its force of presence was enough to weigh on Donnelan's mind.

"Coollete, Bright, ranged support!" Leonardo yelled as he got back up. "Alaric, send over some of those heals!"

Donnelan looked around, looking out for the healer. It was then that he noticed a slight shimmer from the corner of his eye. Alaric had cast a cloaking spell on himself to prevent the dragon from sniffing him out. From within his cloak, he sent out a healing ray that wrapped around Leonardo, restoring him to full health.

Restored and ready to rumble, Leonardo charged at the dragon, his fists slamming into its chest and pushing it back a few steps. It retaliated with its claws, lashing out at Leonardo's smaller form that was flying all around it. This was where Coollete and Bright came in.

"Ice Burst!" Coollete pointed out with his hands. As a powerful Lord Class mage, he didn't need a staff to channel his powers like the weaker mages. A freezing chill stretched from his position, reaching the Elemental Dragon in an instant. The ground beneath its feet, its legs, and its abdomen almost instantly froze over, limiting its movement greatly.

ROAR!!!

With another roar, the ice around it shattered, but it was still left with the negative effect of Freeze. It's legs were a slight blue color, the chill constantly inflicting damage onto it, but even still, the superior body of the Elemental Dragon was combating it effectively. In just mere moments, the blue had receded, revealing its colorful crystal like body once again.

"Solar Scorch!" With a roar of his own, a beam of concentrated light glared down on a the back of the dragon. In just moments, that patch of scales was already red hot, giving way to the scorching glare, and exposing the dragon's tender flesh.

The dragon turned to glare at Bright, its purple eyes full of rage, but was quickly distracted by Leonardo punching it in the side.

"Over here, you big oaf! I'm the one you're fighting!" Within the Beastman's eyes was a flame that was rarely there. It wasn't everyday you got to fight a King Class beast given how rare they are.

It was then that the dragon rose its head to the sky and spread its shiny wings, letting out a roar to the heavens. With that ear splitting roar, tendrils of lightning began writhing all over its body, slowly and faintly at first, but in just under ten seconds, the dance of lightning on its body became as fierce as the beast itself.

"Dammit! Give it some space!" Leonardo barely managed to get out, also rushing to put some space between him and the dragon. Barely a second had passed when an intense pulse of lightning passed over them, expanding at the speed of light before vanishing.

Donnelan had hastily raised a barrier of lightning in just a nick of time, the lightning passing over him almost harmlessly. His right hand was a scorched mess, but it was something bearable and he was able to put it at the back of his mind, if only slightly.

Looking around for his party members, he soon came to learn that they weren't as lucky as him. Coollete hung from a gargoyle statue that was fixed on the castle wall, his body motionless and badly burned, with steam rising off him. Bright had been blown to his feet, in a slightly better shape, but still unconscious. As for their healer, Alaric, Donnelan couldn't spot him anywhere, but he hoped that their healer would be alright, as without him, they would most likely be in very serious trouble.

BOOM!!!

RUMBLE!!!

Donnelan quickly raised his head back up, spotting the strongest in their party, Leonardo still engaging the dragon in battle. Blood was running down the side of his face, and the hair on his arms and chest had been burnt off. An intense rage could be seen boiling in his eyes as he sent powerful blow after blow to his foe.

The mighty Elemental Dragon took each blow without backing down. It was also eager for the thirst of battle and blood. Although its scales cracked and splintered as they kept on enduring the punishment dished out by Leonardo's fists, lightning began to build up around its body once again.

Donnelan noticed this with a twinge of fear in his heart. He hurriedly carried Bright, careful to watch his injuries, before rushing to get Coollete. When he finally had the both of them, he quickly retreated to the other side of the castle where they wouldn't be exposed directly to the impacts of the fight between two King Class monstrosities.

Just then, he heard faint footsteps behind him. He turned around, only to see a stumbling Alaric covered in burn marks and burnt mage robes.