The paladin was walking towards me and I could no longer avoid the confrontation, his left arm swung from the thigh to the pecks drawing a red line across my grey scales, determined not to die I used my left hand to grab the sword by the blade as it had finished an arc in the air. Holding firmly on to the blade, by putting pressure on both flat sides, helped to stop the blade from returning back to the owner even if I got a nasty cut to the bone when it was pulled and throttled around in an attempt to break my hold.

“Insolence! Filth! Die, die die.”

Ignoring distractions was not hard with severe injuries all over my body, yet it did not hurt as much as being eaten alive, with a focused mind I knew what had to be done in order to win this battle. Having no innate armour piercing weapons I would need to find gaps in the armour in order to dig in to the paladins vitals, although I doubted that it would be as easy as last time since now the paladin knew to close his arms flush to his sides in order to hide the armpits leather. Even in a semi mad state the fighting reflexes and instincts were still there, so I could not just try and overpower the man so directly, making me respect him even more with each powerful tug on the blade allowing it to saw further down my hand.

His thighs must have a gap in the armour, where the cuisse thigh armour meets the breast plate, another alternative would be to seek out the back of the knee which needs to have less armour in order to allow joint movement. Now that I was armed with a plan I had to find a way to implement it, with no way to break through the front I had to use my superior size and tackle him to the ground but that would not get rid of his guard or his hold on the two handed sword. I needed to concuss him in order to even hope of not getting impaled after letting go of the sword.

Time was ticking and the tip of the sword was too close for comfort with my left hand most likely becoming useless after having the sword dig into the palms bone, so I decided to concuss him in the paladin in the only way I could think of right now. Destroying my left all the way I gripped the flat of the blade between my thumb and fingers with my palm having the sword edge dig into it, I held firm while I smashed by head down with the base of my horns and skull hitting the top of the paladins helmet, just above the visor.

A firm grip on the blades handle was not let up by either party, however the paladin was momentarily dazed with his head bouncing back from the impact. Thinking of this as my only opportunity I let go of the blade and leaned down, right hand wrapping around his left greave with all the force that I could muster to lift the leg up and throw it over. Unable to stand on one leg when his entire body was thrown backwards the paladin was back on the floor, hand still glued to the sword, as Zutal moved on top of the paladin his reflexes were able to deliver a kick to the dragonkins abdomen.

Pushed back and unable to capitalise on the paladins fall I had to resort to trying to pull at his legs, but now the sword almost as long as the paladin himself was poking at me whenever I got close to the prone figure. Ignoring my surroundings I proceeded to take a glancing hit to my left shoulder, capitalising on the failed assault I used my right claw to stab between to cuisse and breast plate with full force.

*Aaahh

The shout was muted by the helmets visor and the constant blood flow from the right hand weakening the paladin, although I was not in a better position after such a tough battle with so many opponents. I did however need to finish this battle, I respected the warrior who this paladin turned out to be, even when ambushed he did not surrender and fought until being completely bested proving how true his snarky attitude turned out to be. If we were at full strength then I do not believe that I could have won against him in a fair fight, however battles are not always fair as I had to learn the hard way in Brushwood Haunt from watching others and my own experiences. Staring at the helm with a closed visor I stand up, bloodied from both my own and his blood I step over the limp sword and limbs as I kneel at his left side, deciding not to remove the warriors armour as a form of honour since these squishy little creatures have no natural defences. I simply lift the visor of the helm and stab my right claw through.

I did not look into his eyes before I stabbed my claw through his entire skull until hitting the metal at the back, potentially chipping my claws, brain turned to mush I decided to go back on my previous promises and not eat him. It felt wrong to back out of a promise, however a part of me felt better about having found something even more honourable in the form of combat, this rigorous battle had taught me a lot about my fighting style and giving me invaluable experience against real opponents who wanted to gut me.

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I then felt a power wash over myself, it felt reinvigorating even as I found it extremely foreign. I guess I must have finished that challenge, although it would probably take a while to grow out my wings, the bigger problem would be the new party dynamics with me technically still being a familiar that is also partially loose. Although that would be a talk for later, as I turn my head I get to see the carnage, Sofia is being treated by Allelu, while Colbert is dealing with a bush that has grown in the middle of the temples stone floor.

Looking elsewhere I see the footless man with an arrow in his head as well as the zealot having three arrows sticking out of her chest. There are two cleaved in half swordsmen and a drained scholar with what I assume is also a drained dwarf, although it is hard to tell with him lying flat on the ground, wonder what he tastes like or if the scholar has a different taste based off the magic that he uses. I should definitely indulge in some delicacies while we are in the temple, definitely will not be leaving any time soon with a party this battered and only six healing potions left, even Colbert has a black eye forming from the dwarf since I doubt that the scholar could punch all that hard.

Once I realise who is missing I look back to Colbert and see him dragging Marie out of the bush, she has scrapes and pieces of thorny twigs attached to her.

Zutal: “What happened to you Marie.”

Marie: “I should be the one asking you that, did you find another fake hydra in here?”

Zutal: “Hahahaha.”

Lying flat on the ground I feel drained, yet I can not help but start some banter among the group, we lived through so many tough battles that I do not believe that I can just leave anymore.

Colbert: “Well, I would love to have a chat but I would ask you to refrain from being too loud. We do not know anything about this chamber, and we need to be ready for any monsters that want to third party this fight.”

In a familiar yet raspy voice can be heard from the side.

Sofia: “I am fine Allelu.”

A slightly slowed down and muffled voice can be heard, tiredness setting in over the owner of the voice.

Allelu: “Just lie down for now, the two potions should be enough to keep you physically well and restore your voice in time but now I have to deal with Zutal.”

Sofia: “It is fine Allelu, here let me take this off of you and you lie down to let the poison leave your blood, I will tend to my familiar.”

Slowly the sound of footsteps draws near to me, until I see Sofias green scales come into view, and then the rest of her face appears in the view as she positions herself front and centre. She has a hard time speaking but makes a strained effort to sound bossy.

Sofia: “You can not just go out and do whatever you want, that paladin was no joke with his armour or weapons, if you didn’t get so lucky with the injury on his right hand then it would have been us who had our brains turned to mush.”

She proceeds to kneel next to me as her gaze looks elsewhere, assessing my body and what she has in a bag strewn over her right shoulder, rummaging through in order to find the necessary healing items and potions which she slowly lays out in front of me.

Sofia: “Three should do the trick, hopefully we do not sustain any serious injuries on the way back home since I doubt the remaining healing potion plus whatever we can find here will be enough.”

Marie: “Speaking of healing potions I have found two more in the clerics satchel next to his tent, we should be a lot more conservative with our potions from now on.”

Then from a distance a quiet voice chimes in.

Allelu: “Don’t touch the paladin’s possessions, I want to personally look through his goodies.”

Colbert: “Sorry to disappoint you but I already took his diary and work book.”

Allelu: “Fine, you can keep the boring crap.”

The group goes extremely quiet after this, Sofia continues to bandage me while Colbert and Marie can be hear mumbling in the distance, wanting to be slightly nosy I decide on trying to hear what they are saying by closing my eyes and pretending to rest while Sofia bandages me and pours a bit of potion every now and then. Trying to most likely avoid using three potions, by bandaging my more grievous wounds on the neck, chest, palm and shoulders until they stop bleeding while letting me drink the potion to see if the blood stops seeping out. It is nice being a lizard with low blood pressure.

Marie: “Seems they were on a mission as well.”

Colbert: “Dagon probably wanted to test my combat skills. I would have failed my Gods challenge if we did not engage with them today.”

Marie: “Yes, but moving on it would seem that they were after the Draconic empire’s artifact. Although the exact use of the item is not specified it is better to not let them have any more power than they already possess.”

Colbert: “Most definitely, as an up and coming noble of the Sentient Assemblage it is my duty not to allow foreign powers to further increase their strength. I can not lie, but it would be nice if the Gods did not play both sides of a conflict. No doubt Dagon also had human worshippers sent to Deep Wood on a similar mission.”

Marie: “The Gods are rarely ever biased, and that has not happened in a long time so from their perspective whatever hate there is to be had it stays among the mortals. You were here for a trial via combat and they were on an exploration, or an extermination of what the paladin considered was heretical information.”

Colbert: “I know, but it is just so hard to imagine that the Gods are truly so neutral. Like the Claret Confederacy and Sentient Assemblage constantly fighting politically but never physically, you said so yourself that they have not had any biases in a long time.”

Marie: “It is best that we do not think of such a thing, for we can not imagine what a war in heaven, hell, underworld, mortal plain and plethora of other worlds would do.”