A swarm of black widow spiders, each the size of Solomon's hand, poured across the dungeon floor like living shadows. The room echoed with the skittering sound of countless legs as the tide of arachnids charged straight toward him.
"By any chance," Solomon grunted as he leapt to the ceiling, narrowly avoiding the crashing wave, "do you have regeneration powers you forgot to mention?"
Clinging to a support beam, he watched as the spiders slammed into the wall, forming a crater the size of a swimming pool.
Ishmael chuckled inside his head. "Scared? I do have regen, but... the girl has my healing powers right now. So if we get hit... we're dinner."
"Wonderful," Solomon muttered.
The spiders hurled themselves again, forcing Solomon to wall-run and blast compressed wind at the swirling vortex that had appeared from earlier traps. The gusts tore through the air, but the spiders clung tightly to the surfaces.
"To hell with this!"
Solomon dropped like a meteor. His fist collided with the floor, the impact igniting flame and air into spinning blades of elemental destruction. The shockwave split the ground into jagged chunks, sending the mother spider plummeting toward the vault door below. Debris buried her alive as her young swarmed to dig her out.
Seizing the moment, Solomon dashed for the vault.
"You really shouldn't have done that," Ishmael whispered, an eerie giggle echoing.
"Why?" Solomon asked, wary.
"Because... you just woke her up."
A low rumble shook the room. Then, with an earth-splitting roar, a massive black-scaled dragon erupted from the rubble—its jaws full of crushed spider limbs and ichor. Its blade-shaped tail glowed molten red. The spiderlings scattered, screaming in clicking tones.
The dragon turned its molten gaze to Solomon, head tilting.
"I sense you, Ishmael. Found a new host, have you?"
Her voice was deep, teasing, filled with a dangerous warmth.
"Well, you always had a nose for me," Ishmael replied, his voice carrying through the connection.
"I should roast you," the dragon purred. "You left me in this cursed place for a century."
"I was busy! Adventurers... traps... the usual chaos. Forgive me?"
"That depends. Do you have a way out this time?"
"We do," Ishmael sighed, "but we're still working for the old man. We're headed to Edom with the artifact."
The dragon's expression shifted instantly. Her tail slammed the wall, shaking the chamber. "He's still alive?! How?!"
Solomon stumbled from the tremor, barely catching himself. The dragon leaned close, her burning eyes scanning him.
"You're not the one in control, are you? This was his doing, wasn't it?"
"My name is Solomon," he answered calmly. "And yes. Ishmael isn't in control—I am. A voice interrupted the ritual and I took over."
"Interesting." The dragon stepped back, scales gleaming. "Call me Terra. Looks like we'll be working together."
Flames burst around her form as her body began to morph. In seconds, the towering beast was gone—replaced by a statuesque woman with smooth onyx scales wrapping her body from neck to foot. Curvy, wide-hipped, and very much naked.
Solomon blushed and looked away immediately.
"Aw, shy boy?" Terra teased. "Never seen a woman before? Come now, I'm not going to bite—unless you're into that."
Ishmael cackled.
Terra sauntered to the vault, giggling at Solomon's bright red face. Her clawed hand touched the lotus symbol, and with a low rumble, the doors parted to reveal a spiraling pedestal wrapped in stone serpents. At the top bloomed a gem shaped like a lotus flower, shining deep sapphire.
"This," Terra said, holding it out, "is the Sapphire Lotus. It can duplicate anything—living or nonliving. It was used to make clone armies in the old wars. You can make a clone of yourself and place Ishmael into it with your shadow powers."
"Terra, you brilliant, beautiful lizard!" Ishmael shouted. "Get me out, monk!"
"How do I use it?" Solomon asked.
"Pour your mana into it while imagining yourself splitting in two," Terra instructed.
Solomon obeyed. The lotus pulsed with light, enveloping him in a glow. His body shimmered and split—creating a perfect duplicate.
"Now what?"
"Touch the clone," Ishmael said. "I'll handle the rest."
Solomon placed his hand on the copy. A wave of dark energy surged through it—and the clone morphed into Ishmael.
With a manic laugh, Ishmael shouted, "Finally! Freedom! Terra, I could kiss you!"
He scooped her into the air and spun around gleefully. Solomon raised a brow.
"That's the first time I've ever seen you genuinely smile."
"Of course I'm smiling. I'm out of your damn head!"
Solomon sighed. "Let's find Rose and head for Edom. I'll send a shadow raven to my team so they know we're alright."
"Oh, so you weren't alone?" Terra asked, surprised.
Solomon nodded. "I'll explain on the way."
As they walked, Solomon filled Terra in. She chuckled hearing how Ishmael had lost it after discovering the old man's control over him. Ishmael, clearly annoyed, began bragging about his victories over Solomon's team—exaggerating every detail. Terra didn't believe a word of it.
Finally, they reached the surface.
Rose sprinted forward and hugged Solomon tight. "You're back! I'm so glad you're back!"
Then her eyes widened as she spotted the two behind him. "Wait—the Ginn got his body back?! And who's the giant naked woman?!"
Solomon quickly explained everything.
Rose blinked. "So... do we still have to go to Edom?"
Ishmael answered, "Yes. I'm still linked to your souls. If I go too far, the connection snaps. Plus, if the old man punishes me, it'll hit all of us."
"Of course," Rose groaned.
As Terra and Rose began bonding, Ishmael explained Rose's new powers and how to use them. Terra, curious about Rose, took a liking to her, teasing her often.
Meanwhile, Solomon wrote a letter to his team, detailing the events, and used his shadow to create a raven messenger.
When he returned, he called out, "Alright, I'm done. Let's move."
"Can't we rest first?" Ishmael whined. "Unlike you, I've had a busy day."
"You? Busy?! I did everything! You were just backseat driving!"
They squared off, ready to brawl, until—
"Boys!" Terra snapped. "Solomon's right. We should go. I'll carry us."
Rose's eyes sparkled. "Wait—you're gonna transform?!"
"Yes, little one," Terra smiled warmly. "Time to fly."
She erupted into flame, morphing back into her dragon form. Ishmael snatched Rose and leapt onto Terra's back, shooting Solomon a smug look.
Solomon ignored him and climbed on.
"Hold on tight!" Terra shouted as she thundered across the desert, wings tucked tight as they raced toward Edom.