His fangs elongated, the small points pressed against the soft, sensitive skin of her neck. He could feel her pulse against his lips, a frantic, rabbit-fast rhythm.
He took a slow breath, as her scent of damp earth, crushed leaves and something uniquely Anna filled him. Then he bit down. The fangs sank into her flesh, a sharp intake of breath from her, followed by a soft sigh.
Warm, sweet, coppery taste flooded his mouth, a flavor that was so much more potent and alive than any stored blood he had ever tasted. It was incredibly intoxicating. He heard her whimper again, not in pain, but in a pleasure he hadn't expected.
She was now his. It felt natural like a primal claim.
Ryker reluctantly pulled back. A small drop of blood trickled down her neck. Without a second thought, he leaned in and licked it away, sending another jolt through her.
"That felt..." she trailed off, not having the right words.
"Amazing?" he finished.
With an adorable nod her cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink.
"And empowering," she added quietly, touching the small puncture marks on her neck. A smile grew on her face, a look of complete satisfaction.
"Empowering?" he tilted his head in surprise.
"I feel... different. More in tune with my magic," her blue eyes glowed.
In her hands a vine started to sprout with purple flowers, they bloomed instantly releasing a faint, sweet aroma.
"That's..." Ryker had to pause.
His blood felt like it was burning, in a painful way. His forearm where the tracker light was, started to itch like crazy. The beeps were becoming faster.
The pain kept growing and growing until he clawed the tracker out of his own arm, the tiny device now laying on the grass. He felt sick. Sweat and dizziness made the world spin.
"Ryker?" Anna's panicked face swam in his vision.
Tremors spread throughout the grassland like a giant earthquake was happening in the distance. The artificial sun above them started to flicker erratically. Goblins were bursting into blood mists everywhere and their mana crystals shattered into pieces.
Something was wrong with the dungeon.
A huge, black fissure ripped across the plain ahead of them. It was growing towards them, intending on swallowing them.
"Get up!" Anna grabbed him, trying to pull him away to safety but he was too heavy and the fissure was too quick. The ground beneath them split open and they fell.
Falling into the blackness, Anna instinctively wrapped a vine around them to try and cushion their fall.
The impact knocked the air out of their lungs.
Ryker opened his eyes, finding himself lying on a cold, stone floor.
Grassland was replaced with a stone dungeon. Dim torches flickered on the walls, their light barely illuminating the massive room they were in.
He shook Anna.
She coughed and looked around, her grip on her sword tightening.
"Where are we?"
"I have no idea," he said. His head was killing him.
An eerie scraping like someone was scratching a chalkboard echoed from the darkness ahead of them. Heavy footsteps were following behind. Pebbles around them were bouncing.
A monstrous creature emerged from a passageway. It had a face that resembled a pig and a fat body, its left hand was holding a giant rusty sword, ready to strike them.
"An orc," Ryker whispered.
The creature was three meters tall and towered over them, a crude iron helmet sat crookedly on its head. Its tusks were yellow and jagged.
Anna immediately got into a fighting stance, her body was a bit shaky. Goblins were one thing but orcs were another level of danger.
Pulling himself up, his body still burning, he stood by her.
"Kael and Rul said they were easy," he tried to reassure himself more than her.
"Duh! He's a fire dragon. Everythings weak to fire," Anna's sarcasm didn't hide her fear. Even her hands were trembling as she held her sword.
A feral roar echoed as the orc charged at them, its heavy footsteps making the ground shake. The sword it was dragging across the ground created sparks.
They dodged to opposite sides and the sword missed them.
Ryker clawed at its back but it barely made a dent in its tough hide. Anna took advantage of the distraction and thrusted her sword into its calf.
Blood squirted out but it only seemed to anger the beast, not harm it significantly. It turned its focus to the dryad, swatting her away with the back of its hand like she was a fly.
She flew across the room and hit a wall with a sickening thud, slumping to the ground.
"Anna!"
He tried to make his way towards her but the orc was blocking him, its beady eyes now fixed on him.
Ryker rushed forward, just as the orc attacked he morphed into a bat to dodge and then morphed back to claw at its face. This drew blood, black, viscous, and it roared in pain and fury. That was a mistake.
The orc grabbed Ryker's ankle mid-air and swung him into Anna, sending them both tumbling.
The impact sent a wave of agony through Ryker's body. He tried to stand but his legs were bent in unnatural ways. Anna had a rib sticking out from her chest.
Pain blurred everything, he felt himself being lifted up by the orc, held by his neck. He couldn't even transform to get away.
Trying desperately to claw the orc's hand away from his neck, it felt useless. The pressure was building, and the edges of his vision started to darken.
Lack of air made him start imagining sounds. Chants? He could swear people were chanting something. A cold energy started to surround him. Anna was chanting.
"Lifeblood of the earth..." Anna's weak voice rang out.
She tried to cast a healing spell on him but the orc stomped on her leg, shattering it, eliciting a cry of pain.
But the chanting didn't stop. It wasn't her. It was the million of people in front of him.
He was staring down at them from a throne.
An ancient looking vampire, who looked so much like Liv and him, was sitting on a pyramid.
"Dracula. Dracula. Dracula."
The chants were clear now. These people were worshipping Dracula. Dracula's hand stretched towards them, a purple glow emanated from his palm.
"Silence humans."
A portal in space opened and a meteor crashed down onto the humans below. He could feel the mana sensation. Pure destruction. Unadultered magic power.
The fantasy was replaced with excruciating pain. The orc was crushing him.
Ryker reached out his hand towards the orc, mimicking Dracula. Something inside him snapped. A purple energy surrounded his hand. A tingling in his chest made him feel like he finally had a mana core.
He had magic.
And he used it.
A portal should've opened up to destroy the orc. Instead his own hand burst into bloodmist. The scream he let out was one of pure agony.
The magic destroyed him not his target.
It did manage to blind the orc and caused it to drop Ryker. Gasping for air, he scrambled back, holding the bloody stump that was once his right hand.
The orc grabbed its sword and raised it for a final, killing blow on the disabled teenager.
He couldn't even save Anna. He should've called Brock. He failed everyone.
"I'm sorry Liv..." he said.
His vision turned black from the blood loss as the orc swung down.