“INGRID!”

Perry froze as he watched her limp body twist unnatural in the air before falling onto the ground. Without his wits about him, he could not react to the fearsome strike that came next for him.

A claw impacted Perry from the side and knocked the breath from his chest. Were it not for Telhari’s enchantment, his organs would certainly have been crushed. Perry was thrown to the side; his body crumpled onto the ground and twisted as it rolled. And as he tumbled over himself, he felt his leg twist horribly and snap.

“Uncle Perry!”

Ellis broke the formation of the back line and ran after his uncle.

“Ellis wait!”

Mary tried to stop him, but it was no use.

“Lyusya,” Albert called, “Go to Ingrid!”

Lyusya hugged her staff tight and charged along the perimeter of the battlefield toward Ingrid. As she ran, Albert and Mary fired arrow after arrow at the dragon; but without Lyusya’s enchantments they simply ricocheted off its scales.

The dragon took in a glutinous breath before exhaling.

“Ahh…Futile indeed.”

Telhari gritted his teeth as he eyed down the beast. The strength of the dragon’s attack had broken his enchantment on Perry. He had no extra strength to spare on casting the enchantment again— he had enough power left for one attack.

That was it.

The dragon mused as it eyed Ellis running towards Perry.

“Allow me to aid you, Thrice Born, in ridding yourself of these lesser creatures.”

“Ellis!” Telhari shouted, STOP!”

Ellis ignored his warning and continued to run toward his uncle. Telhari could sense the dragon’s murderous intent and rushed in to intercept.

Ellis then felt a massive presence appear behind him. Thousands of razor sharp teeth glistened as the dragon opened its jaw. Ellis kicked off the ground and tried to lunge out of the way—

Suddenly, the dragon let out a terrible cry. It reared back, thrashing its head as blood ran from its eye. Telhari’s blade was dripping with crimson and his chest heaved greatly.

Without being able to use his spells to enhance his speed like before, moving at such a clip was incredibly draining. Though, by some strange luck, he had made it in time to take a prize of his own.

Away from the battle, Lyusya slid along the ground as she fell to Ingrid’s side. Her hands moved quickly and she channeled her healing spell once again. It was all she could do to keep Ingrid alive in these immediate moments, anything beyond that was more than she could muster.

“Shh,” she whispered, “Lay still. You must rest.”

“I cannot—”

Ingrid squirmed in Lyusya’s arms but the pain was beyond anything she had ever felt. Every breath, every movement — even the slightest turn of the head— wracked her whole body in tremendous pain. She was nauseous from it and her insides felt like they were being torn by a hundred barbed stakes.

Lyusya pressed her hands to Ingrid’s abdomen which was gushing blood.

“Still! Please!” She pressed down firmly. “You must be still or the spell will not work.”

This was partially true. But Lyusya did not say what was truly on her mind.

She new precious little of healing magic, beyond a few spells. But, what she did know, was that healing magic becomes less and less effective if it is used in quick succession on the same person. Ingrid had just barely recovered from the burns inflicted on her by the dragon’s fire. Though Lyusya was trying her best, there was no telling how well this new spell would work…

“Get up uncle!”

Ellis wiped the blood from his face and grabbed at his uncle’s arm.

“Enough you dolt!” Perry shouted through gritted teeth, “Get away why you can!”

Perry shoved Ellis away from him and leaned on his one knee. His other leg was twisted in an unnatural way and a white bone protruded from the side. Looking at it made him sick, but it was a good deal better than watching Ellis be torn to shreds by that beast.

“Get back, I said!”

“I’m not gonna leave you!”

Ellis positioned himself behind his uncle, hooking his arms under Perry’s and attempted to drag him away. The rough movement sent a pulse of deep pain coursing through Perry’s body and he involuntarily cried out. Ellis stopped immediately and a look of great worry stalked his face.

“My leg is broken, Ellis…” Perry said between panting breaths, “Leave me be. Please.”

Ellis gripped tighter to his uncle and stiffened his back.

“Not a chance!”

Telhari looked on at the scene before him. Taking the dragon’s eye was a boon indeed, but how much good would it do now? Perry was immobilized and Ingrid was fading fast. Neither Ellis nor Mary nor Albert had any reasonable chance of replacing Perry in combat. Lyusya was doing all she could to stabilize Ingrid, but even Telhari could tell that her magic was reaching its limit.

He had only one chance to land his killing blow on the dragon…otherwise it would all be over.

Reluctant yet desperate, Telhari brandished his silver blade and charged in. The dragon met him in full force, for it was just as keen to end things.

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Telhari avoided blow after blow and struck back with his own sword each time he saw an opportunity.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Slash after slash, blow after blow.

Each time his sword connected it cut into scale. But, though the dragon could no longer repel his blade, Telhari did not have the strength to cut deeper. In an act of desperation, Telhari’s blade began to glow white hot and static filled the air. The dragon sensed this languid spellwork and growled mockingly at him. Each time Telhari tried to give himself time to weave his spell, the dragon would strike at him, forcing Telhari to end this final song and retreat.

It would not yield him a single moment.

“Even you have not the strength manage such an attack while fighting for your life!”

Telhari knew it was correct. But even so, he could not abandon his friends to such a grim fate. Nor could he forgive this beast for its actions.

Lyusya poured every bit of her soul into her healing magic. She didn’t know if it was working, but Ingrid remained breathing, and so she continued her work. She then felt a firm grip on her arm and with great effort Ingrid spoke to her.

“You…You must aid him.”

Lyusya looked behind her.

Telhari was hammering strike after strike into the dragon; but even with his spectacularly fast movements, she could see that he was struggling.

“Go!” Ingrid urged, “There is nothing more I can do…”

“But if I leave you—”

“If you do not, he will fall.”

Ingrid was right, and she knew it.

“It’s alright,” Ingrid managed with a broken smile. “It’s alright.”

Lyusya held back her tears and held Ingrid tight one last time…

The dragon launched attack after attack; cutting, slashing, rending and tearing at Telhari with claw after claw. Telhari did his best to dodge, but in the end it was too much. Telhari was lifted off the ground by an impacting strike and sent flying backward; his armored vest was torn to ribbons and the air stung at his open wounds. He gripped his chest as it bled profusely and fell to one knee.

“Telhari!”

Lyusya ran over to him and reached out her hand to help him up.

“What has happened to Ingrid?”

“She…”

Lyusya bit down the words and shook her head.

“I am here now,” she said firmly. “And I may just be able to help you.”

Lyusya then spoke in a low voice to Telhari…

Once finished, she backed away from him.

“I see…” Telhari considered her plan. Then, he brandished his sword once again and assumed his stance. “Let us make our final stand.”

The dragon’s eyes flashed at the prospect.

“Agreed, Thrice-born.”

Telhari broke into a sprint and charged at the dragon as before. Predicting his movement, the dragon brought down its claw across Telhari’s path. At the last second, Telhari vaulted to the side and spun around to reposition himself. The dragon felt the air change as Telhari poured his magic into the blade once again— charging his final attack.

“Too slow!”

The dragon swept its tail towards Telhari who was forced to diffuse the spell and dodge.

A gleeful cry left the dragon’s open mouth.

“Such desperation!”

The dragon stabbed at the earth repeatedly with its claws, forcing Telhari on the defensive. Again, Telhari side-stepped the dragon’s attack and moved to strike at its chest; but this time he was too slow. The dragon turned its body and, with a beat of its gigantic wing, crashed into Telhari and knocked him backward.

Telhari rose from the ground to strike again but the dragon was already upon him— lashing out violently with every movement. He dodged strike after strike; but as he turned to flee the onslaught, a misstep caused him to lose balance and fall. The dragon let out a shriek and rose up onto its hind legs.

“DIE!”

The behemoth threw itself down onto the ground with claws outstretched, aiming to crush Telhari until he was no more. But like a flash Telhari jumped up suddenly and vaulted out of the way. With a look of shock, the dragon followed Telhari with his eyes. He met its stare; and returned him a smile.

Behind Telhari, the mage Lyusya channeled her magic into her staff, beckoning the earth to obey her command. With a ripple, the ground opened up beneath the dragon, as a tidal wave of mud rose up. The dragon sank into the crater and a flood of dirt and stone washed over its body. Lyusya then stabbed the end of her staff into the earth, and in an instant, the mud hardened once again, trapping the dragon.

“Vermin!”

A familiar metallic scent filled the air as Telhari charged his attack once again. This time, he was unburdened. In response, a wrathful vengeance boiled up from within the dragon’s soul.

This land was an ossuary to its fallen brethren, and their necrophagus beckoning was too much to bear.

“I WILL NOT FALL!”

The hardened earth began to crack and splinter as the dragon strained mightily against it. Lyusya gritted her teeth and tried to fight it, but in the end she was no match.

“I AM DARAZAK!”

The dragon’s head burst free from the encasing and a blazing inferno began to rage from within.

“AND YOU WILL BURN!”

Telhari forced himself as much as he could, trying desperately to complete the spell before the dragon’s fire consumed him. But he was terribly exhausted. Pushed to his limits more so than he had in been centuries. And in the end, it was not enough…

“Telhari!”

Two arrows cut true through the air and sank into the open eye of the dragon. It reared back in pain and cried out bitterly to the open air. Telhari traced the path of the arrows to the determined figure of Mary, standing above Ingrid with an empty bow. He then brought his attention back to his blade and continued to prepare his attack; but the dragon’s breath of fire had not been extinguished.

Then a movement caught Telhari’s eye.

A figure stomped up the earthen mound and prepared to strike at the neck of the draconic beast.

It was Ellis.

“Ellis, don’t!”

Telhari cried out for him to stop but he would not listen.

Ellis charged toward the dragon with his sword drawn. He reached his target, drew back and stabbed at the dragon’s neck—!

Telhari expected his sword to bounce off the dragon’s scales. He expected retaliation and fire. But what he saw was neither. In fact, it was the most unlikely outcome of all.

Ellis’ sword sank, against all reason, through the scaly armor of the dragon and into its throat.

The growing ball of fire shuddered and the dragon gasped. The swirling flame rippled out of its mouth and in a flash there was an explosion. Ellis was launched through the air by the concussive blast and the mound of earth binding the dragon was shattered. A terrible shadow rose from the cloud of dust and the dragon wormed its way out and towered over Ellis with an unholy wrath.

Ellis cowered in fear, still gripping tightly to his sword which was drenched in dragon’s blood.

The dragon then shuddered.

Its spines rose on end and a chill rippled along its back. An immense pressure hung in the air; waves of heat and static rippled outward from Telhari’s blade. And then there was a flash—

A thunderous boom resounded over the landscape. Forceful winds bombarded Ellis, Mary, Sir Perry and everyone in the vicinity as a beam of bright white light pierced the sky and dissipated into the clouds.

The smell of burning flesh hung in the air.

Ellis plunged his sword into the ground for support and lifted himself up off the ground. Before him, the dragon’s body remained on its hind legs. Only now, there was a visceral hollow burned through its body over three feet across. Lightning still danced across the dragon’s scales and made Ellis’ hair stand on end. Then he watched as the dragon’s body twisted over itself and slammed onto the ground.

A final breath of hot, putrid air left its lungs.

Crimson eyes, once blazing with primal wrath, rolled back into their sockets and closed for the last time.