I helped Desirè to her feet. She was too shocked by my actions to say anything but gladly took my hand as we followed Markus.

  We walked for a while and Markus began to skip and hum with what i can only describe as childish innocence, I envied this boy SO MUCH.

  Eventually, a deep heavy breathing became evident over the noises of playing, I can't really narrate 5 minutes of solid walking, but I think I can intimate to you how loud the breathing was by the time we reached the Dragon's chamber.

  It was deep like thunder, with the exhaling being like a smelly blast of hot air from the other end of the hall, the smell was like rotting meat and bile.

  To my surprise he wasn't just at the end of one of the hallways, the floor tipped downward at a gradual angle, a ramp leading down into a chamber where Markus told us the Dragon was.

  "Markus." The voice was a thrum like a shotgun blast to my chest, something that shook my bones, he didn't even sound like he was trying to be loud but The Dragon's voice was such a deep base that it shook the ground on which I stood.

  "Who are they?" I couldn't even see this thing yet and I was already scared for my life, Markus spoke up, "Dragon these two want to help us escape!"

  The Dragon chuckled, each "Heh" knocked in my chest like a second heartbeat as Markus beckoned us closer to him, finally the glow of my sword washed over a massive rugged, grayish-green surface, it took me a few seconds to register that this HUGE surface, bigger around and taller than me, was a muzzle, a massive nose, and mouth, resting with the chin on the floor of the chamber, I saw its nostrils flare open, once barely perceptible twin slits in the rocky rugged structure of its snout, now wide open pits that sprayed hot steam!

  I shit you not, both Green and I jumped a bit as the massive creature opened its massive reflective eyes, not just the two large ones that conventionally adorned its head, but it had 4 more eyes, two small ones right above the larger ones and two more that sat just above its nostrils.

  Usually, The Tapetum Lucidum only reflects green in these types of predators, but these were reflecting red back at me, and from the sword, it could see my light!

  "So, two immortals walk into a Dragon's lair...I suppose there's a joke here somewhere..." mused the beast in it's thunderous voice as I stood in sheer awe while Desirè was crouched behind me, "will you help us?" Green asked in the most serious voice I'd ever heard him use, "please!"

  The dragon snorted, blowing my hair and nearly sending me off my feet, not taking its eyes off me as it responded, "no."

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  Our mouth hung open, "what do you mean no!?"

  The Dragon shifted position, revealing its massive front claws as it placed them under its chin, five fingers, each tipped with a talon, each covered in those same scales. Each talon made gashes in the obsidian of the floor as they scraped past, "because there IS no way out."

  Green growled, sick of this Dragon's shit already, "Yes there IS! We just came from the exit!"

  The Dragon let out an exasperated grumbling sigh, "I don't believe you ,why did you bring me Liars, Markus?" The Dragon looked at Markus who shook his head, "Dragon we're telling the truth! Come with me! I'll show you!"

  The massive creature placed its titanic redwood limbs underneath its huge body that I STILL couldn't see all of, lifting itself off the ground to where all I could see was the creature's front legs and armored chest, it's neck was as short as a crocodile's, it's legs bent outwards at the joint like a crocodile's limbs too, its massive digits splayed to take the weight! "alright Markus." It rumbled, shaking the dust from its incomparably large body, "Show me the exit."

  As Markus lead the creature towards the ramp, I was able to see its massive body, huge and muscular topped by two appendages that looked to be MASSIVE wings, folded against it's body, currently resembling a cape, all with a long sweeping muscular tail that I had to duck under, true to its gait it walked like a crocodile or an alligator, it was a truly intimidating sight as it stomped after the small boy.

  Green looked back at Desirè, "good?" He asked, she nodded frantically, "I just pissed myself..."

  Green laughed, the sound filled the chamber, "well we're almost out of here, come on."

  The Dragon's footsteps shook the floor, and caused Desirè and I to lose our footing more than once, thank god we were directly next to each other, it helps when you have someone to hold you up.

  Finally we got to the hallway with the door that was still hanging open, The Dragon chuckled once more, again I felt it in my chest, I can't emphasize enough how gun shy I was about this thing just laughing, its...its quite something.

  The Dragon stopped at the human sized door, turning to look at us, "Usually this entire maze will rotate in unforeseen ways just to keep me at the center...whats different about now?"

  Desirè took no time to take responsibility for her plan, "My friend and I caused a System reboot! That's how we got down here!"

  The Dragon snarled at the small opening, a guttural, primal noise that caused us to quake at our very core, "then let me show you how we leave this place."

  With a mighty thrust of its huge shoulders, the Dragon slammed his armored head into the exit door, busting out the frame and causing the concrete to fracture, a second thrust caused the entire wall to give way, giving the Dragon access to the stairwell, which he smashed too, carving a path inexorably upwards that made me realize why this thing was contained, it was indestructible!

  "Go dragon!" Giggled Markus, looking at me and asking for ups like a 3-year-old, his arms out in a Y position.

  Me being a giant softy, I lifted him and carried him, following the Dragon's path of destruction upward, eventually, we got to the sewers, then we got to the upper levels where other inmates began to follow us, creatures with pale skin and red glowing eyes that I recognized as Cenosaphali, one that was quite obviously a Mummy, one that looked like a werewolf, I was about to squander all the Organization's hard work to get my ass out of a prison, and for some reason I was OK with that.