The room trembled, mountains of gold coins falling, and dust debris raining. It seemed like the room would cave in as the doors leading out shifted.
The earthen doors parted to reveal a bunch of stairs leading upwards, and Mike let out a sigh of relief seeing them. He was thirsty, famished, exhausted and yet the overflowing radiance within him sustained him, abating the negative feelings.
The pirate's large trench coat did not fade into inexistence and laid on the ground, nor did the large black sword.
"Loot," Mike said and took them. The coat was heavier and thicker than he had expected, but he was still able to put it on. The bottom trailed behind him, dragging behind his feet. He took the sword and raised it up high, and in contrast to the coat, it was light. Extremely light that he felt he had to make a few swings to confirm the feeling of its weightlessness.
Upon holding the sword, his radiant aura took a gloomy dark glow, and the pirate's aura within him manifested. With it in his hand, he felt cold, and bloodthirsty, and a feeling of invincibility.
He realized this and dropped the sword, staggering back in shock, and immediately his aura turned back to blue.
"Just what the hell was that?"
He held his arms around his body against the chill that still lingered. However, the sword was much too powerful and valuable to simply have it be deserted.
"I think now would be the right time to show up." He figured that if the chains could hide and store a radiant beast, then perhaps they could store an eccentric sword as well. The idea was not far-fetched, and Mike was hoping for the chains appearance.
To his surprise, they appeared. That had never happened before. Two sprouted from his upper back like they had done previously, and they arched by his head as if waiting for his instructions.
"Oh! Could you take those?" He asked, pointing down at the black greatsword. The chains lunged at the swords, wrapping around it. Dark gloomy aura poured from the sword and into the chains, but before it could reach Mike, the sword seemingly disappeared; It was like it was shrunken to inexistence and it was gone. Mike understood it as the sword being successfully stored away.
Soon after, the chains retracted into his back, and he began his journey up the stairs. He tied the coat around him with an ornament of gold around his waist, and he was good to go.
He could hear the tweeting of birds and could smell the green in the leaves. He was close to the surface at last. He ran up the stairs, and soon enough, he saw his way out.
"Freedom at last!" He cried, stretching and then yawning. He turned behind him to where he had come from and saw that just like the entrance with how it was adorned with the strange monster statue, this place as well had a statue of its own, an even bigger and uglier statue. Mike backstepped reflexively from the height, it was over ninety meters tall and it was imposing.
'Why did I never notice this?'
His feeling of awe was interrupted when he heard the rustling of leaves, having him alert and holding out his two hands in a boxing stance.
He half expected a radiant beast, they were still on his trail and his short encounter with them has had him understand just how obstinate and resilient they were. He understood that he would have to leave the Island to truly be safe from them.
Nothing came, and he assumed that it was probably a mundane rodent of this strange world when his crimson chains sprang from his shoulders, tearing through the thick coat and swiftly striking into the bush.
They caught something and Mike could hear it squeal. The chains retracted and revealed what they had captured. The little thing shook in the grip of the chains, its fur stood upright as if electricity had run through it. It looked harmless, and it was utterly small, but Mike could see the ample radiance it contained. However small it was, it was a radiant beast, and potentially his enemy. It could report to the others and his whereabouts would be found.
"Good job. Now siphon it to the death." He said coldly and with a stern frown. The chains seemingly eager about this dug into the little rodent. If the stabs didn't kill the beast, then absorbing its radiance until it was emaciated did.
"Just how would I escape this hellish place?" He spoke to the chains. The chains of course had no answer. Such a problem was beyond their expertise.
*****
Hesk was desperate, the monster had fled right under their noses and they had no idea where it could have gone. The statue had repelled them as it had always did, and even their rage could not help them in moving any closer to the creature.
"Search! Turn every rock! Check every cave, it must not be allowed to leave!" He roared, and every time he did, his eyes went aglow in flames.
"The dwarves stated that they had seen the creature you described. They would like an audience with you." A radiant beast relayed.
"Good, the dwarves are my favorite people."
In the chaos, evil lurked, listening. This creature they spoke of sounded very much like their master, but it was not. What was it? They had to know, for their master's sake.