Storm rushed over to Aurora's side when she called him.
Two dragons were locked up in the cell. One was male, and the other was a female.
Both dragons were young based on their smaller size, was well as their undeveloped horns.
The male had scales that were a dark gold, almost bronze color.
He was staying close to his female companion and seemed to be doing his best to comfort her.
The female dragon meanwhile had blue scales, that were so dark, that they almost appeared black in color.
She had her back to the barrier and was curled up and sobbing.
"Pyrite!! Lapis!! Are you alright!?" Called Aurora.
The male looked up, suprised when he heard his name.
His expression turned to panic when he saw Aurora.
"Aurora!!? You need to get out of here now!!! Before he returns!!" He Exclaimed.
"I'm not leaving you two here!! What happened?
Why is Lapis crying?! Did they hurt either of you?" Asked Aurora.
Before anyone could answer, a growl from Dust'an drew everyone's attention to the entrance of the chamber.
The thing stranding in the doorway resembled a dried up corpse that had been left in a desert.
It's eye sockets were empty, except for two glowing green flames where the eyes would usually be.
It was wearing dark red robes like a wizard and it had a black circlet on it's head.
It looked at the newcomers in suprise, then gratitude.
"My, my!! Unexpected visitors!! Had I know you would be coming, then I would have slipped into something more 'presentable '."
"Flithy Abomination!! I'll make you bleed for what you've done!!" Snarled Aurora.
She spat a fireball at the Lich but he simply raised a hand and the fire split in 2 and flowed around him.
"You're a fiesty one!! Spite is going to love you!!"
Aurora snarled and pounced at the Lich but he fired a blast of magic at her that sent her flying backwards into a wall.
Razor conjured a small tornade and sent it flying towards him, but he made a gesture with his hand and the tornado flew to the side and hit Storm instead.
As he flew backfirst into one of the barriers, an intense electrical shock went through Storm's body.
He shrieked in pain, before falling face first to the ground.
"STORM!!!" Shouted Razor
Storm's entire body was stiff from the shock he just received.
His limbs were twitching involuntary from the shock.
"Storm listen to me!! You need to get up!! Your companions won't last long against an Arch Lich!!" Warned Mimereus.
Storm lifted his head and saw Razor in an intense wizard's duel with the Lich.
Dust'an and Aurora laid in opposite corners of the room from where the Lich's magic had thrown them.
The Lich's back was facing Storm, he opened his mouth and released a bolt of lightning, trying to catch the Lich by suprise.
The Lich heard the attack coming and dodged the bolt.
"How curious!! Keep this up! And you might just become my new favorite!"
The Lich fired a magic blast at Razor that knocked her back into one of the cells.
He fired a second blast at the glyph beside the door and a barrier formed up and cut off Razor from the rest of them.
With her knocked out of the fight, everyone else was vulnerable to the Lich's magic.
"SOPOR!!!" Called the Lich.
Intense exhaustion overcame Storm. His eyelids grew heavy and began to close as the feeling intensified.
Dust'an's was the first to succumb, followed closely by Aurora.
Darkness began to creep across Storm's vision as the spell took effect.
"NO!!" Storm shouted mentally.
He shook off his exhaustion and slowly rose to his feet by sheer force of will.
The Lich's grin widened.
"Such a unique and powerful specimen!! We'll make wonders with you!"
The exhaustion returned stronger than ever, Storm collapsed to his side as his vision turned black.
Storm awoke in a small chamber with a barrier blocking the only exit and he realized he was locked in one of the cells.
He got to his feet and walked towards the barrier.
Aurora was locked up in the cell opposite his own.
A look of despair and hopelessness crossed her face as their eyes met.
"Ahh!! You're finally awake!!" Came the voice of the Lich.
He stepped into view and the first thing Storm noticed was that he no longer resembled a dried up corpse.
A middle aged man in his late 40's to early 50's was standing on the other side of the barrier
His black hair and goatee beard had streaks of grey hair in between. His green eyes inspected Storm's body.
His skin was full of color and life again, but it had begun to show the wrinkles that came with age.
Storm snarled at the man and prepared to charge.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you!! These barriers packs quite a punch!!
But you know that already, don't you?!!" Warned the Lich.
Storm stared at the man with intense hate, but made no other moves.
"Very good!! Compliant already!!
We're going to get along very well!" Replied the Lich.
"Who are you, Abomination!!?
What kind of operation are you running here!!?" Asked Storm.
"Ohh!! How rude of me not to introduce myself!!"
The Lich gave a mocking bow.
"I am Rudifus Calderon.
Primarch of the Calderon family, the greatest practitioners of magic you'll find in the kingdoms and I'm on an noble mission to elevate both of our races!"
"Is that what you call this 'slaughter house'!!!"
The Lich shook his head in disapproval.
"You misunderstand my work here, dragon!
I have no wish to drive your kind to extinction!
I leave that brutish work to the brainless hunters.
Your race has so much potential!! But it is wasted by living like animals in caves!!
Imagine what heights your race would be capable of underneath our stewardship!
That is what I'm trying to create here!! A dragon race that takes all the best traits of not just their own, but also of the Griffins and the Chimera.
A race that is strong, intelligent and above all, compliant. " Explained the Lich.
"My kind will NEVER submit to you!!!" Exclaimed Storm.
The Lich sighed.
"Yes... I am aware how stubborn your kind can be!!
It's something that I'm trying to breed out of your kind!"
The Lich grinned.
"And I believe this is something you can help me with!!"