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CHAPTER 8

Sakari's eyes shot open as a scream of pain began to ring in her ears. She panted heavily as she saw nothing but deep red fabric. She fought to stand up, but quickly found she couldn't move any of her limbs. Her paws and legs were tied tightly together, the rope digging painfully into her pelt. Her ears twitched back and forth as they picked up the sounds of soft whispering and the quiet click of claws on stone, the screams fading to whimpers. The wolfess gasped as the blindfold was yanked roughly off of her head, even the dull torch light blinding her.

"Good evening, Sakari I was wondering when you'd wake." Zerataph chuckled darkly. "Your friends haven't been the most fun of playmates." He said, frowning cruelly and stood up to his full height. "And I do think it's adorable how you still think of me as your sibling." His chuckle turned into outright laughter.

Sakari growled and glared up at him. His scales still held the colors of the dragons that he had absorbed. But his cloak had been discarded, leaving his torso bare. The dark energy had formed fully around his body, creating a cuirass that resembled a single giant dragon scale, the rough edges looked like fangs over his belly. His biceps were covered by the top of two dragon heads, the teeth teasing his scales slightly. The wings of energy were spread wide behind him, twitching about as he placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword.

"What have you done with them!" Sakari barked and struggled against her bindings, the rope cutting her deeper and caused blood to start soaking into her fur.

"Oh. Nothing much. We've just been playing." He smirked showed her his claws, fur and blood coating them before he roughly grabbed the scruff of her neck, lifting her with surprising ease. "And sadly they're not all that fun. So I think that I should try playing with you again, Sister. You always were a good playmate." He walked over towards the center of the room, Ferain and Keelya knelt back to back. The cougar's cheeks had stripes of blood, small drops slowly dripping down the fine fur. Seraphii stood next to them, a pile of their weapons laid at his feet.

Tall stalagmites connected to the floor, creating the pillars that held up the ceiling. Just to Sakari's left sat a throne that was made of the same obsidian that had constructed the wall that blocked off the city. It looked like an open dragon mouth, the tongue curling out of the open paw to create a footrest. Frills curled up from the dragon's cheek to form armrests. Standing under the black throne was a giant sapphire that glowed from an internal source.

Sakari squinted her eyes, she could see the outlines of a great-sword and pedestal. "That's...Is that the sword?" She mumbled.

Zerataph cackled and dragged her over to the sapphire. "That's right, Sakari. The sword that keeps the key to ending this. And the final dragon. With this final piece, I will finally be able to bring the dragons back into a golden age." He waved his free arm and the gem melted away. "Now, you have a decision to make. Draw out the sword and hand it to me: I'll let you and your friends live the rest of your short lives as my slaves. If you wish to resist....well I'm sure you won't miss your friends too bad." He growled and threw her forward, but not before cutting the ropes around her wrist and ankles.

"Z-Zerataph, you're insane!" She growled as she stood up on her hands and knees. "There is no way in Hell I am going to help you."

"Hmm, I figured you would say that. Thankfully I have ways to get what I want." He lifted his right hand and a red-orange sphere formed in his palm. In the sphere was a howling wolf's head. "You remember this don't you. Back in Opochtli when I stole your spirit." He hissed and clenched his hand slowly.

Sakari shrieked out as a sharp pain shot through her chest. The pressure on her heart grew stronger as Zerataph's hand clenched around the sphere. The wolfess whimpered and yelped as she curled up on the floor, her paw clutching at her chest and gasping for breath. Zerataph laughed over her, a fire burning in his eyes as he watched his sister writhe on the ground. As he relaxed his fingers, Sakari gasped in deep breaths and uncurled on the floor.

"Funny how one feels when they literally hold an other's life in the palm of his hand." He crouched down next to her, lowering his hand so that she could see it. "What's it like to see your own soul, Sakari?" He grinned widely.

She panted and looked up at his dark face. "I won't help your madness, Zerataph." She was barely able to finish her sentence before her screams filled the throne room once more; Zerataph's hand tightening around her spirit again.

"For gods' sake, Sakari!" Keelya screamed out over the wolf's screams. "Just get him the sword!" She said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Zerataph relaxed his fist again. "Come now, Sakari, you should listen to your friends. Do you really wish to die like this?"

The wolfess looked up at him through squinted eyes, her paw pressed against her chest. "I'd rather die than watch you destroy the world."

Zerataph's grin faded into a dark frown. "Oh. I see." He said in mock hurt. "Well now. What shall we do....?" He turned to look at Ferain and Keelya before grinning again. "Well lets see if one of your friends will be more easily convinced?" he hissed and grabbed Ferain by his hair and threw him forward. Conjuring the claw once more, he slammed it down on the cougar and dug the claws into his sides and started to pull back, a deep amber form began separating from his physical being.

The mountain lion's scream filled the hall, Sakari's head turned away, ears flattened against her head. "S-STOP!" She cried. "Stop, I'll...I'll do it." She said, gritting her teeth as she tried to drown out the cougar's cries of pain. Zerataph released Ferain's spirit, the opaque shape returning to his body. Sakari panted as she walked over to the pedestal and grabbed the hilt of the great-sword. An electric buzz coursed through her whole body. She looked down at Ferain, watching him shudder and pant heavily on the ground. Keelya had tears matting the fur on her cheeks. Zerataph's cruel smile caused her to shiver and look away from him. Sakari swallowed and gripped the sword hilt tighter. She tugged at it and found that it didn't budge at all. Gripping the second handle further up on the blade, she gave it a stronger tug, growling lightly as she pulled. After a couple of tugs, she felt it give and slide free. The light grew and filled the dark throne room. As the light faded, Sakari could be seen leaping through the air, the sword raised above her head.

As she started coming down, she swung the sword down at Zerataph, the blade slashing through his right arm, severing his hand from his wrist.

The dragon roared out in pain as he gripped his arm tightly, blood soaking his scales and the floor. As his severed claw hit the floor, the orange sphere smashed and released Sakari's spirit. It flew around everybody for a brief moment before it flew into Sakari, almost knocking her off of her feet, causing her to drop the sword. She gasped sharply as she felt a new rush of energy and life fill her body. Her eyes and fur regaining their color. The wolf couldn't help but grin as she clenched her paws. "This it Zerataph! It ends now!" She barked and dashed for the sword, as the dragon struggled to stand. Sakari gripped the sword with both her paws, thrusting the broad tip at Zerataph.

He jumped back and swung his left arm, drawing his sword at the same time he deflected Sakari's sword. "Not yet, Sakari. I've still got so much to show you." he hissed and swung his sword with surprising speed.

Sakari grunted with each blow she received. Using the sword to block as many as she could. But the power of each strike caused her hands to sting. They attacked back and forth for long moments. Each fending off the other before lashing out in violent jabs.

In one last strike, Zerataph lashed out and jabbed her right shoulder, making her yelp and drop the sword as he pushed her back into one of the stalagmites, He hissed as he pushed the sword into the stone and held her there. "Sakari, you should have known you couldn't beat me." He said and twisted the sword, making her scream loudly. "Just stay put and it'll be all over soon." Zerataph stepped away to pick up the great-sword and created a claw of energy where his right hand had been. The claw wrapped around the sword and as he pulled it back, a bright white ball of light was held in the black claw He dropped the sword onto the stone floor. The colorless sword shattered like glass as it hit the floor. "It's all mine!" He roared in laughter as the light grew brighter. The wind began to kick up and the castle began to rumble.

The stone ceiling began to crumble around them. Winds tore into the building through the open roof, sending dirt and shrapnel spiraling around them. Sakari gripped the bone sword and pulled it out of the stone, screaming as the sharp spikes cut through her flesh again. Curling over, she held her shoulder for a moment. Laying on the ground Sakari could feel it start to shake violently, large cracks appearing in the floor. She growled and crawled over to her friends, feeling the wind pushing her away from them. Finally reaching Ferain and Keelya, she untied their hands just in time to feel the ground give way, falling for a brief second before it began to raise quickly.

Clouds and dirt began to spiral around the stone platform, blocking their view of the land as they continued to be lifted higher into the air. Sakari looked up at Zerataph and growled. "What are you doing, Zerataph!?" She shouted, the wind roaring in their ears.

Zerataph grinned and looked down at them, the wind growing oddly quiet. "I'm going to finish this, Sakari. After today, only one of us will leave. Though with this final dragon, you stand no chance against me." He hissed and raised his remaining hand, six colored spheres hovering over his palm in a tight circle. "I bid you farewell Sakari." He raised his hand, the spheres spiraling around him for a moment before they disappeared into his chest. A deafening roar of the six dragons made the three cover their ears.

Sakari looked up as the roars were replaced with a deep rumbling. A cloud of dust began to settle and revealed a giant dragon, a rainbow of scales covering it's body from should to the tip of it's three tails. The spread wings, silver scales formed the frame while red, yellow, green and blue metallic feathers reflected the light and cast colored patterns on the ground.

It lifted five heads, the blue water dragon's otter like head and green wind dragon's wolf head sprouted from the right shoulder. On the opposite shoulder sat the golden earth dragon, it's scales looking like plates of gold. And next to it was the red and orange fire dragon. The center head was almost twice the size, black scales covering the right side of its head and white on the left. In the center ran a line of diamond shaped patterns that separated the two colors. Without it warning, it let out a tremendous roar that shook the groups whole being.

"This is it, The power I've been looking for. The power of a GOD!" Zerataph roared in laughter. The dragon morph was fused to the black and white dragon's forehead, joined at the waist.. His scales had lost their coloring, returning to the pale gray and deep black they once had been. "There is no one who can stand against me now." He roared again, all five heads of the feral dragon joining in, forcing Sakari and the others to their feet.

The wolfess grunted as she fought to stand in the gust that the roar had created. "You-You're no god, Zerataph!" She shouted to be heard over the low rumbles of the dragons. "You're still just a little hatchling with everything to learn."

Zerataph growled and narrowed his eye. "You're wrong little sister, it's you who doesn't know anything. I've got all I need: Power. With the strength of the dragons I am unstoppable." He said and throw his hand forward.

The five maws opened and created orbs of energy, each holding their own color. The center dragon had a spiraling black and white ball dancing in his long snout. "Good bye, Sakari!" He shouted and launched the balls of energy at the trio. They all met in the same place between the three of them, blasting a deep hole into the platform and sent them flying in all directions. The stone and rubble slashing at their pelts, tattering their clothes and armour.

Sakari grunted sharply as she landed on the ground several meters from the explosion. Her body shuddering violently as her vision began to turn white; blood pooling around her form. Zerataph's faded laughter was the last thing she heard before her vision turned black and she breathed out her last weak gasp of breath.