"Hey! What's going on? Wake up!"
Yarrow's hands gripped Zen's boobs hard, twisting it to force her into consciousness. Yeah it was a twisted way to wake up someone and also considering the situation but come on, every male at some point gives in to his true desires and Yarrow was not gonna let this chance pass by considering she was always up her high horse.
"Ouch! What are you doing?!" Zen snapped, wincing as she jerked away, rubbing her swollen cheek, her fiery glare piercing through the haze of pain.
Yarrow shoved her roughly, his eyes narrowing. The last thing he needed right now was to deal with her attitude.
In that moment, the parasitic beast lunged out from the mist, but this time it missed them, vanishing back into the swirling pink smoke.
"Didn't you say it wasn't a threat?" Yarrow barked, glaring at Zen as she still struggled to steady herself.
"Tsk. This parasitic beast must have used its last trick. I didn't expect it to work even on the Dragon race. It's different from what the ancient texts say." Zen groaned, covering her aching head, her face contorted in discomfort. The nerve toxin was still wreaking havoc on her system, slowing her recovery.
Yarrow's impatience flared. "Bite your tongue if you've got hallucinations! Pain's the only way to snap out of it!"
As the creature reemerged from the mist, Yarrow jumped to his feet, positioning himself between Zen and the threat. He raised his hand, casting a Fireball spell without chanting. It flew straight and true, hitting the parasite dead-on. The flames licked its hide, but the creature quickly retracted, extinguishing the fire before pouncing again.
"Damn it," Yarrow muttered under his breath, his mind racing. With Zen here, vulnerable and still recovering, he couldn't protect her and fight the beast at the same time.
But before he could react, a figure shot out of the mist, moving faster than Yarrow could process. Owen leapt past him, dashing toward the White Bone Throne in a blur of motion. With a swift slash, he severed the connection between the parasite and Russ.
A horrified scream echoed through the cavern, and the pink mist quickly dissipated, revealing Owen's figure next to the throne, his sword dripping with the remnants of the parasite's essence.
With the magical tether severed, the parasite went wild, its body convulsing and slamming against the cave walls in its desperation. Then, in a violent explosion, the Magic Bone Parasite Beast erupted—its body bloating like a balloon, before it crashed against the walls with a deafening bang.
The shockwave rocked the cavern, sending rocks tumbling down, crashing all around them.
"Yarrow! Move!" Owen yelled, already running for the exit.
Yarrow turned, heart hammering. He looked back to see Zen, who was struggling to rise, her body weak from the lingering effects of the toxin. Without a second thought, he ran to her, scooping her up into his arms with surprising ease.
Zen, dazed and still reeling from the hallucinations, didn't protest. She was too far gone to do anything but close her eyes and let him carry her.
The cave was collapsing. The sounds of rumbling rocks echoed through the air, as if the very earth itself was closing in on them.
Despite his exhaustion, his magic drained from the earlier battle, Yarrow ran with all the strength he could muster, feeling the weight of Zen's form in his arms. His vision was starting to blur from fatigue, but he kept moving, his focus only on the narrow exit ahead.
Almost there...
Then, the unthinkable happened. A massive rock tumbled down, crashing into the entrance, blocking their escape.
Yarrow's heart dropped. The way out was sealed.
He stumbled, his energy depleted. Zen stirred in his arms, her eyes fluttering open as the dizziness began to clear.
"Ugh..." She rubbed her head, the remnants of the toxin leaving her groggy. As her mind slowly pieced together what had happened, she realized that Yarrow had protected her—shielding her from the brunt of the explosion.
"Yarrow?"
She glanced down at him, his blood trickling from a gash on his head, his face pale from the impact.
"Yarrow! Wake up!" Zen's voice cracked with urgency as she tried to rouse him. Blood from his head dripped onto her fair skin, staining her cheek as she shook him lightly.
Yarrow groaned, slowly blinking his eyes open, his gaze unfocused. "Zen... you... you okay?" His voice was rough, barely above a whisper.
Zen's heart skipped a beat at the vulnerability in his eyes, but she quickly looked away, hiding the soft smile tugging at her lips. "I'm fine..." she murmured, her voice betraying a touch of softness.
With a low grunt, Yarrow pushed himself up, wiping the blood from his forehead, his body still unsteady from the explosion. He'd cast the last of his spells to protect them, but it had come at a steep cost. The final barrier, a weak magic shield, had kept them alive, but it had taken everything from him.
He looked down at her with a wry smile, his humor barely alive through the exhaustion. "You still want to raise that parasitic beast?"
Zen's lips twitched, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of a response. She just turned her head away, biting her lip to keep from saying something she might regret.
Yarrow chuckled despite himself, his energy fading as he took in their surroundings. The collapse had trapped them in a narrow space, rubble and debris surrounding them in every direction.
"Well, this is a fine mess," he muttered.
"Mess? It's nothing we can't fix. Just break through these rocks and go out, right?" Zen said, beginning to gather magic.
Yarrow quickly stopped her, his hands gripping her wrist firmly. "No, we don't even know how deep we're buried. If you don't clear it all at once, and more rocks come down, we're dead."
Zen paused, considering his words. She then dissipated the magic with a frustrated sigh.
"Then what do we do now? Sit here and wait to die?" she snapped, her eyes flashing.
Yarrow met her gaze, his eyes heavy with fatigue but still sharp. "Don't you know teleportation spells?"
Zen blinked, caught off guard by the suggestion. "Teleportation spells... this king only knows one."
Yarrow's lips curved into a tired smirk. "Guess we'll have to make it work then, won't we?"
"What?" Zen asked. "If someone touches the beacon in this king's palace, this king will be teleported over to fight them."
"...So you have this kind of mechanism," Yarrow said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Then let's wait for others to save us. Although I feel like our useless teammates aren't much help…" Exhaustion hit him like a wave, and he struggled to stay awake. His head nodded twice before he snapped back to reality, rubbing his cheeks. It wasn't a good sign to fall asleep here. He was completely drained—no magic, no energy, and no healing potions. His physical condition was dangerously bad.
Zen noticed his weakness, glanced at him, and then spoke, her voice softer now. "Are you very tired?"
"What do you think?" Yarrow said flatly, leaning his head against the cold stone. He tried to keep his eyes open, but it was a losing battle.
There was a heavy silence between them in the narrow pit. After a long pause, Zen let out a deep breath, then raised her arm and turned her head slightly to the side. "Then this king can give you some sweat to drink."
Yarrow blinked, momentarily wide-eyed, the sleepiness draining from him in an instant. "What did you just say?"
Zen's expression turned frustrated, like she was on the edge of losing her patience. "Are you an idiot? Dragon sweat! It's a potent magic supplement for you humans!"
Yarrow stared at Zen's smooth, slightly flushed armpit, his hesitation clear. "You mean... you want me to lick your sweat?"
Zen's face twisted with irritation. "What else am I supposed to do? You're about to die! I can't just watch you perish!" Her tone softened, and she flushed slightly, lowering her gaze. "This is a special favor, just for you... Only this time."
Yarrow opened his mouth to protest, but he was too tired, and he didn't want to waste any more time arguing. "Honestly... it's a little disgusting..."
"Huh?" Zen's eyes widened as she turned to face him. "You dare to dislike this king's offer? Do you even understand how precious a pure-blooded dragon's sweat is to humans? You're still refusing?"
Yarrow hesitated, then glanced away, shifting the conversation. "Well, it's not just sweat, right? Like, dragon blood... that should be pretty effective too?"
Zen sighed, clearly frustrated. "You're so naive. Do you have any idea what pure-blooded dragon blood is worth? A single drop, even diluted a hundred times, can still kill most people. You think you could just drink it straight? Then you wouldn't be here, struggling for your life." She paused for a moment, her expression reluctant. "Besides sweat and blood, there are other things that could help... though I doubt you'd be willing to accept those either."
Yarrow's mind instantly raced, and he could guess what she meant. There weren't many other bodily fluids to consider.
"If you don't want to survive, then by all means, do nothing," Zen said, dropping her arm, her tone biting.
Yarrow fought a brief internal struggle. Finally, he sighed and reached for her wrist, pulling her arm up. Zen froze for a moment but didn't resist, her face turning away.
"Just once," she muttered, her voice a little flustered. "You can't overdo it."
"Got it," Yarrow replied, and slowly extended his tongue towards her heated skin. As soon as it made contact, Zen shuddered and let out a soft hum.
"Are you okay?" Yarrow asked, looking up at her.
"You idiot, don't breathe there..." Zen gritted her teeth, her irritation clear.
"Oh, sorry."
"Get on with it!"
Yarrow obeyed, focusing on the task. The strange sensations continued to make Zen's body tremble slightly. The atmosphere in the small, dark space became oddly charged, until…
"Chirp..."
The sudden sound startled them both. They turned to see a small, yellow hamster digging a hole, half its size, staring at them with wide, curious eyes.
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