I close my eyes. I don't want to see this. I can feel the Shadowman's breath on my face. It smells quite minty.
He drops the baby Apothicon into my mouth. It is slimy, and tastes horrible - very similar to an oyster. I can feel it trying to swim down my throat, but I won't let it. I beat it away with my tongue.
I can't breath. I'm not sure why, but I can't seem to be able to breath through my nose - or spit out the Apothicon, or take it out of my mouth at all.
The Shadowman seems to be concentrating. Ah, I get it - he's using the Summoning Key's power to manipulate my bodily functions. Very clever.
I hear the steady beat of wings, and look to see what's making the noise.
It's the whelp, that was attached to the gauntlet (the baby dragon. It really is called a whelp, I promise).
Before the thought even processes, it attacks the Shadowman. Of course, the Shadowman could have killed the tiny creature easily, but the sheer stupidity of it surprised him, I think. He drops the Summoning Key, and I spit out the Apothicon. It wriggles on the ground, like a fish on land. I step on it, and feel it being crushed beneath my foot.
I pick up the Summoning Key.
In the corner of my eye, I see the Shadowman beat away the whelp.
It crashes into the wall and falls into a heap. This makes me very, very angry.
I close my eyes and feel the Summoning Key's power. I open them, and harness it's power to slam the Shadowman into the wall. He gets up, and looks at me with a shocked expression.
"Shadowman... I want you to create a portal to Agartha for me."
He stares at me blankly.
"Hurry up!"
He opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out.
"Ah, all right then. I hoped you wouldn't do it. It means I have a reason to do this!"
I lift the Summoning Key, and the Shadowman lets out a scream of agony.
"I can keep going if you want"
The Shadowman dropped his façade, revealing the Apothicon monster underneath. He snarls at me.
"Very well, Edward. But I doubt you'll like what you see."
He creates a portal. The glow makes the hallway (or what's left of it) a faint orange.
I will a pistol into my hand, using the Summoning Key's power. And there it is, a neat black MR6. I put a bullet into the Shadowman's head, and step into the portal without looking back.
