They wandered single file through the hidden tunnel.
Unlike the rest of the caves, the walls were reinforced and torches were hanging along the walls at regular intervals.
Indicating that this place had been settled for quite some time.
"How long has the Calderons been using this place?" Thought Storm.
The space soon opened up and they entered a large room filled with all kinds of apparatus that Storm had no knowledge of their purpose.
In the center of the room was a large levitating crystal.
A faint glow seemed to be coming from the crystal, but whatever it's purpose was, it's seemed dormant right now.
Along the walls, were several large cages, it's former occupants long dead and nothing but bones.
Storm saw the skeletons of Griffins, manticores and even the occasional dragon skeleton.
He looked at the cages with sympathy.
"Bad way to go!
Left to rot in a cage until starvation finally claims you." Thought Storm.
Out of the corner of his eye, Storm saw Grombrim crouching down by a skeleton of a human in blue robes leaning up against the far wall.
He pried a large book that the skeleton kept in it's arms from it's grasp, then began to flip through the pages.
"What is it?" Asked Storm as he wandered over.
"Seems like a journal, as well as a notebook to catalog his experiments.
He flipped through the pages quickly.
"I can't understand most of it, but it seems like he was experimenting on Griffins, Dragons and other large creatures.
"Trying to find certain weaknesses to magic in their bodies. Especially spells that can force them to submit."
We should..." started Storm.
At that moment he saw Aurora.
She was standing in front of the cages and starring at the skeletons within.
She was shaking as if from cold and her breathing had speeded up.
Storm walked over to her and placed a claw on her shoulder, causing her to jump and spin around.
She seemed to relax when she saw him.
"What's wrong, Aurora?" Asked Storm.
"It's nothing! This place is just stirring up some bad memories!" She replied.
"Your captivity?"
She slowly nodded her head.
"Did.. they do the same thing to you?" Asked Grombrim.
"I'm.... not sure exactly sure what their end goal was... but the magic they used caused extreme pain.
At first I thought it might be to find vulnerabilities to harm dragons with, but... it could have possibly been to force me to submit as well?" She replied.
"Aurora! Take Dust'an outside and wait for us to finish here!" Replied Storm.
"That's not necessary, Storm! I can..." started Aurora.
"Go, Aurora!! We will handle things from here!!" He interrupted.
She nodded her head in thanks , then walked over to Dust'an and led him outside.
Storm watched her go.
"Terrible thing she went through, Calamity! I offer my sympathies." Said Grombrim.
"How far along did they get with the research?!" Asked Storm.
Grombrim skimmed through the notes quickly.
"Not very far... based on what I can understand here?
The spell causes extreme pain in dragons, but it doesn't successfully compel your kind like it does Griffins and Manticores.
Your kind is notoriously stubborn, it would take a lot more than pain to force a dragon into compliance. "
Before Storm could reply, one of the dwarves called out.
"Is it just me?! Or is the chamber getting brighter?!"
"The crystal!!" Thought Storm in panic.
He looked up just in time to see lightning starting to arc out of the crystal.
"Everyone get behind me!!" Yelled Storm.
As the dwarves hurried to obey, 'something ' seemed to step out of the crystal.
The creature was a tall giant as big as Storm and almost seemed to be made out of Thunder clouds.
It's body was made out of a thick dark smoke like substance, it had a vaguely humanoid shape, with a broad chest and 2 thick arms, though no legs.
Lightning was constantly running along the surface of it's body and occasionally shooting out to destroy something close by.
The creature hovered through the air without touching the ground, it's head had no mouth, no nose and only two glowing gold orbs for eyes.
It crossed it's arms in front of it's chest and a rumble of thunder came from it as a challenge.
"What exactly is this thing!" Asked Storm.
"Lightning elemental!! Partially sentient constructs of elemental energy!!
Often used as guardians by particularly powerful wizards!" Yelled Grombrim in response.
The creature raised an arm and a lightning bolt left it a moment later.
"MOVE!!!" Yelled Storm
He and the dwarves jumped out of the way and the lightning struck the skeleton of the dead wizard.
Reducing it, as well as the clothes it was wearing to ash a moment later.
Storm skid to a stop, then jumped at the elemental.
He slashed at it's chest with a claw but his limb passed through it's body as if it wasn't there.
The cloudlike substance that made up it's body parted as his limb passed though it, before flowing back together again to repair itself.
The elemental raised both arms and prepared to pummel Storm into the ground but he jumped back just in time to avoid the blow.
"How am I supposed to fight something that doesn't have a body!" Shouted Storm.
"You can't!! You need to treat it like you would treat whatever element it's made out of.
For lightning, you need to ground it or absorb it into something!!" Yelled Grombrim.
Another lightning strike flew from the creature.
"CALAMITY!! WATCH OUT!!" yelled Grombrim.
Storm couldn't dodge the strike, he could only brace himself.
It struck him right in the center of his chest and the electricity began to arc through his body.
Much to his suprise, it didn't hurt at all.
After a moment it settled down and he felt a small boost of energy as if he had a decent meal.
"How are you not dead!!?" Asked Grombrim.
"I... don't know?" Replied Storm.
Suddenly he recalled Razor's report on his scales.
"They absorb energy from the air around me! That must be what happened now!" Thought Storm.
An plan suddenly came to Storm's mind.
"Get as far back from us as you can!" Shouted Storm.
"What are you going to do?!" Asked Grombrim.
"I'm going to 'eat' the elemental. " replied Storm.
"YOU'RE GOING TO DO WHAT!!!" Yelled Grombrim.
Before the dwarf could object further, Storm charged at the elemental.
He ducked underneath a blow, then plunged his forelimb deep into the elemental's chest.
He felt something solid deep inside it's body, and as his claw closed around it, more energy than Storm had ever felt before, flowed up his arm and into his chest.
He quickly felt his Breath organ fill up to it's maximum and he started to feel the ill effects of it not being discharged.
He winced in pain and the elemental in front of him began to gradually shrink down.
He tried to release the energy through his body into the area around him, but the energy from the elemental came so fast that it barely had any effect.
With a final rumbling bellow, the elemental disappeared, leaving Storm with just a small round orb the size of his claw.
He swayed exhausted, then fell over backwards and lost consciousness.