I Only Tame Dragons

"Everyone okay?" Horizon asked, his voice steady despite the exhaustion etched on his face.

"Barely," Aria said, leaning on her staff for support. "We can't keep this up."

"We won't have to," Horizon said. "We're close to the exit."

Their destination finally came into view—a towering glacier with a faint blue light emanating from within. It was the gateway out of this place, to winning the first challenge.

The group approached cautiously. The glacier loomed above, its surface smooth and almost impossibly reflective. A single opening was visible, a narrow passage leading into its depths.

"This is it," Horizon said, his voice firm. "Stay alert."

As they entered the glacier, the temperature seemed to drop even further. The walls shimmered with an ethereal glow, casting strange patterns of light and shadow. The passage twisted and turned, each step echoing in the eerie silence.

It wasn't long before they encountered another obstacle. A massive ice golem emerged from the shadows, its body towering and jagged, its movements slow but deliberate.

"Another guardian?" Velvet groaned. "Are you kidding me?"

"This one's different," Seraphina said, her eyes narrowing. "It's not just guarding—it's testing us."

The golem raised a massive arm, slamming it down with enough force to shake the ground. The group scattered, each of them narrowly avoiding the impact.

"Focus on its core!" Horizon shouted, pointing to the faintly glowing crystal embedded in the golem's chest.

The battle was chaotic, the group struggling to coordinate their attacks in the confined space. Velvet darted around the golem, her daggers striking at its limbs in an attempt to slow it down. Fiora managed to conjure a burst of fire, the heat briefly weakening the creature's icy exterior.

Aria used her illusions to create distractions, the false images drawing the golem's attacks away from the others. Seraphina struck her blade aiming for the core.

But the golem was relentless, its strength overwhelming. It swatted Fiora aside, the impact sending her crashing into the wall. Dawnfire rushed to her side, shielding her from further harm.

"We need to end this now!" Seraphina shouted. The durability of her weapons slowly dwindling.

Horizon nodded, his eyes turning to slit while Nyx however near him. He charged forward, his sword glowing with a faint blue light as he activated one of his skills. With a powerful strike, he shattered the golem's core, the crystal exploding in a burst of light and ice.

The golem let out a low, mournful sound before collapsing, its body disintegrating into a fine mist.

The group stood in silence, the weight of their victory sinking in. They were battered, exhausted, and freezing, but they had made it.

Beyond the remains of the golem, a faint light beckoned. It was the gateway to the exit.

"Let's go," Horizon said, his voice steady despite the fatigue in his eyes.

After dividing the loot from the Ice Golem, they stepped forward, ready to leave the icy wasteland behind.

As they neared the exit, there was something unnatural about the chill in the air, something ominous. It wasn't just the temperature that made their hearts race. There was an eerie feeling, like eyes watching them from the shadows of the walls, like predators circling in the dark.

Suddenly, a shriek pierced the wind, the sound of something massive swooping down from the mountains. Fiora's eyes widened in fear. "We're not alone," she breathed.

From the corner of his eye, Horizon saw the massive figure descending toward them. It was a winged creature, an enormous, frost-covered beast, its icy claws extended toward them. It was like a monstrous hawk, a shadow against the pale white of the snow, its wings cutting through the air with terrifying speed.

"Move!" Horizon barked, pushing Fiora out of the way just as the beast's talons raked across the space where she had been standing. The creature screeched, its wings snapping like thunder as it pulled back, circling above them. The group scattered, instinctively avoiding its attacks.

Velvet dashed forward, her speed almost a blur as she leapt over a snowdrift, aiming to distance herself from the beast. "We need to get to cover!" she shouted.

But before they could move, the creature dived again, faster this time. The ground shook as it landed with a bone-jarring thud. Horizon's heart raced, and his mind snapped into focus. There was no time to think. Only time to act.

"Seraphina!" Horizon shouted, his voice cutting through the wind. "Distract it!"

Seraphina nodded sharply and turned toward the beast, her hands crackling with energy. The air around her vibrated with the power she was channeling. She flung her arms wide, and a blinding flash of light erupted from her fingertips, momentarily blinding the beast. It screeched in pain and fury, disoriented by the sudden assault.

The creature staggered back, giving the group a split second to react.

"Move to the exit!" Horizon shouted again, already rushing forward with Velvet, who had regained her footing and was now dashing toward the exit. "It has massive stat, we can't win against it!"

Fiora, still dazed from the shock of the creature's attack, stumbled but caught herself just in time to follow them. Seraphina quickly joined them, and the group moved as one, running across the snow toward the distant light, their breaths misting in the freezing air.

The creature let out an enraged roar as it recovered, its eyes burning with malevolent intelligence. It took to the air again, this time circling them from above, making it harder to outrun.

"We need to move faster!" Velvet snapped, glancing over her shoulder. The creature was closing in, diving toward them with terrifying speed.

Horizon knew they couldn't outrun it for long. They needed to lose it, to find a way to escape its relentless pursuit. He looked around, scanning the environment for anything that could give them an edge.

"Fiora, hold it off," Horizon ordered. "Use your magic to block its path!"

Fiora nodded, her face pale with exhaustion. She was drained from the earlier battles, but there was no time to rest. She raised her hands, muttering incantations under her breath. The wind around her twisted and roared, forming an icy barrier between them and the creature. A thick wall of frozen wind and ice rose from the ground, blocking the creature's path.

The creature screeched in fury and clawed at the barrier, but Fiora's spell held strong. She stumbled slightly, but managed to keep her focus.

"Keep going!" she shouted, even as her voice trembled with the effort. "I can't hold it for long!"

Velvet was the first to respond, taking the lead once more. She was still the fastest, and she raced ahead, weaving through the snow. The others followed, their movements fueled by desperation.

But as they neared the exit, a gust of icy wind swept down from above. Horizon's senses flared. Something wasn't right. The wind carried with it a strange energy, an almost unnatural force. A shadow fell over them as something massive appeared above.

The beast had returned, angrier and more determined than before. It dove again, faster than the last time, its claws aimed directly at them.

"Get down!" Horizon shouted, but there was no time to move. The beast's claws raked across the ground, cutting through the snow and earth, and everything seemed to slow down for a moment.

Velvet jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's grasp, but in the process, she lost her footing. She tumbled down a snowbank, her breath coming in gasps. Read exclusive chapters at empire

"Damn it!" she cursed under her breath, scrambling to get back on her feet.

"Cover her!" Horizon yelled, moving toward Velvet.

Aria, who had been silent during the chaos, suddenly stepped forward. Her hands moved in a fluid motion, tracing symbols in the air. The wind around them shifted, and an illusion blossomed before the group. A perfect copy of the beast appeared, mirroring the creature's movements and filling the sky with an imposing image of itself.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The real creature hesitated, confused by the illusion, its beady eyes narrowing as it tried to figure out which one was real. It hesitated for a fraction of a second—just long enough for Velvet to regain her footing and sprint toward the group.

"Go, now!" Aria shouted, her voice strained from the effort of maintaining the illusion.

With the creature momentarily distracted, the group raced toward the exit once more, their pace fueled by the fear that pushed them onward. They didn't stop until they had passed through the narrow ice bridge to reach the light of the exit.

Seraphina halted abruptly, her gaze snapping to Aria. "Aria!" she called, urgency sharp in her voice.

Aria was still locked in a desperate clash with the ice hawk. The creature's relentless attacks forced her to stay on the defensive. Just as its icy talons swept toward her, a burst of flame from Dawnfire's magic struck the hawk's side, creating a brief opening.

"Run!" Dawnfire shouted, urging Aria toward the exit.

Aria sprinted toward her comrades, but the hawk's speed was unparalleled. It recovered instantly, its razor-sharp claws poised to rip through her before she could escape.