Estimatedly four hours later after the man in the basement of the tavern was captured...
In Lord Levine's villa at Riverboard City...
Mr. Sanchez was alone on the balcony pouring tea in Lord Levine's teacup.
Suddenly, he felt a sense of urgency which accidentally made him drop the teapot he was holding!
"Ehh... what's wrong, my friend?", Lord Levine walked in and asked.
"I felt that something bad has happened.", Mr. Sanchez said. Based from the tone of his voice, he was extremely worried.
***
Several minutes earlier in Mount Watchtower...
The trio instinctively turned around and saw a pair of giant, green eyes, coldly watching them.
Even with the magical torch's flame, it didn't even reach the face of the owner of the eyes... or rather, the dragon doesn't want to be seen, it was as if it could control the light that the torch emitted.
"We're doomed. It's blocking our exit.", Drake gulped his saliva.
"So then... what should we do now?", Kate asked to Allen.
"I... don't know. I never read something about dragons having a weakness before.", Allen felt nervous.
With their current strength, even if they knew an information on how to kill a dragon, they would surely die.
"It's obvious that the dragon became an undead, just look at those green dead eyes.", Allen remarked.
"But why isn't it attacking yet? It's only been staring at us.", Drake said. "It gives me the chills! I think I'm forming a phobia towards reptiles now."
Allen noticed something and blurted out, "It's an illusion! Why didn't I notice it!?"
He read that when dragons were born, they would automatically know how to use minor illusion spells.
"Illusion?", Kate and Drake were baffled. Seeing the questioning looks of the two, Allen explained it to them.
"Ohh... so we're still safe?", Drake asked.
"Nope, because it doesn't erase the fact that a dragon is still here.", Allen bitterly smiled and broke Drake's hopes once again. "Probably even this space is an illusion because we can't see the ends of the chamber."
"What a smart kid...", the giant green eyes disappeared as they heard a deep, bone-chilling voice.
They looked around the darkness to search for the voice, by its owner didn't show itself.
"What cute little torches you have, let me extinguish them for you.", the voice said. After which, the trio felt another batch of hot air blowing towards them, and the fire on the torches snuffed out.
The magical torches that Lord Levine gave them were suppose to be nearly inextinguishable, however, the dragon only blew out hot air they were snuffed out as if they were just burning pieces of sticks!
"Stick our backs!" Kate said. The three of them hastily acted and they went closer to each other in the darkness.
"He's playing with us like we're its preys!", Drake's voice squeaked.
"Aww... you humans look cute when you huddle up in fear. Let me split you from each other then.", the sinister voice said. The trio then felt invisible forces touching them, afterwards, they were thrown far away from each other.
As soon as Allen touched the ground, he rolled around on the rugged floor for a few seconds until the momentum was gone.
He struggled to stand up, his body was aching all over after that painful landing.
If he wasn't wearing the enchanted black clothes that Mr. Sanchez gave him, some of his bones would have been broken already. Plus, the clothes could help the one wearing it to blend into the darkness, but could it work in the dragon's own domain?
"You're still trying to run away? Your speed might be too fast for a normal human, but not for me.", the dragon's voice echoed from the darkness.
"Gahhh...!", Drake's scream then echoed from the darkness.
"Drake!", Allen worriedly shouted. Sounds of wings flapping could be heard and he was then bombarded by strong air flow which caused him to fly away again. When he crashed to the ground, he felt that one of his shoulders was dislocated once again.
"As for you, you're the smartest one in the group, and I couldn't believe that a little human like you would know something about us dragons... even though in the time of the war there was almost no knowledge about our race.", the dragon's voice echoed.
"You! Where are you?!" Allen stood up and pointed his dagger towards the darkness and sent out multiple dagger flashes all around him in panic.
"You're not even hitting me once! Hahaha...", the dragon laughed as it lightly flicked Allen with his claws. For the third time, the kid flew again, and when he crashed to the ground, a lot of his bones fractured.
"Gahhh...!", Allen shouted in pain as blood flowed on the corner of his mouth, but he still tried to stand up, however, he was suddenly restricted down by the dragon's claw.
He kept resisting, but the claw's weight became heavier and heavier each time, he only stopped resisting when the claw was almost going to crush his body.
In a few moments, he tried to move again, but couldn't do so, even his fingers were ummovable. Actually, he wasn't feel any part of his body any longer!
"Am I already dead?", Allen muttered to himself.
'Sell me anything or everything... if you want to live.', the familiar voice of the devil echoed within Allen's mind, also meaning that the time in the area was frozen.
Even so, Allen didn't reply and kept quiet, he ignored the devil's voice.
'Don't be so stupid, do you want to live, don't you? Make a deal!', the devil's voice kept urging him inside his mind. Nevertheless, Allen still didn't respond.
'Do I even have to show you how you and your friends will die miserably?!', the devil angrily asked.
"No need.", Allen finally replied.
'So, you'll finally sell something?', the devil asked.
"Can I sell something not part of me, again?", Allen asked.
'No can do, you already asked for that option! Hahaha...', the devil laughed joyfully.
However, Allen's face was still calm and asked, "How about I'll do something that you want?"
The devil's laughter stopped and frantically asked, 'How do you even know about those choices?!'
In making deals with any kinds of devils, there would always be choices to choose upon, but they won't always be available.
"I read books." Even he was a few movements away from his possible demise, Allen still got to smirk. He got to read about those choices in making deals with the devils in his mother's books.
'Then... kill your little brother as a payment.', the devil said.
"Do you even think I would agree to that?", Allen replied. Even if he would die, he would never use the life of his little brother for his own sake.
'How about... you steal crops from a farm?', the devil asked.
"I want to freely use the Erchian Dagger) for at least a minute! Not less than two seconds!", Allen snorted.
'You...', the devil became speechless and was enraged, if he could only go out of Allen's consciousness, he would've strangled the kid to death by now due to his requests.
Who was even in a dire situation right now?! And yet he was the one trying to bargain!
'Well then... how about you help your father escape his incoming trouble? And you can use the Erchian Dagger without using your energy for a minute.', the devil suggested.
"Ehh, really?", Allen asked, because the request was easier than he thought it would be.
Though, he was unsure why would trouble befall on his father.
'Yes.', the devil answered.
The kid felt that there was something amiss. The request was just too easy! However, he had no choice but to accept it, or else he and his companions would die by the claws of the dragon.
In an instant, he saw that he was in front of the dagger amidst the never ending color white around him.
A sheepskin scroll appeared in front of him, which was a contract!
Due to the deal was almost as the same as loaning money out of the bank, some sort measure was needed so that the 'loaner' wouldn't go back on the deal.
One should never underestimate the power of contracts. For the mortals, the contract was just some sort of agreements written on paper. However, for those magic users, necromancers, and other factions that has relation to any kind of magic, a contract must be fulfilled, or a backlash written on the contract would occur, though there were some instances that the 'loaners' would exploit the loopholes and making the contract devoid or taking advantage of something... but then again, Allen wasn't making a deal with a mortal nor a magic user, but a devil, who were good at making contracts!
The contents of the contract were:
[Help Marco Morgan avoid his incoming trouble.
Fulfill within two months when you get back to Crescent Town. Punishment would be ten years of lifespan taken away.
It's unknown when the trouble would befall on him.](1)
It was only simple and brief, but in Allen's eyes, it was as if it's full of demonic power. The kid knew to himself that there were loopholes in this contract, but didn't know what they were. A quill already soaked in ink appeared in his hand, and he then signed on the contract.
Next, he saw a black life thread appear and connected to his body.
Even though he could try to find the loophole, it was much better to help his father instead.
Then everything went dark, nonetheless, Allen knew that he was back under the dragon's claws.
'And oh yes, don't get lost to the power. Hahahaha...', the devil sinisterly laughed.
(1) I feel like there's a loophole! xD