Chapter 24: Dragon
Alidorim clung to the handle of his sword for dear life. The torrents of wind threatened to dislodge him. The blade hadn't penetrated the dragon's body but was jammed between two scales. Venomfang spun and twisted doing everything he could to remove him.
Glancing down he saw that they were still relatively close to the ground. If he leaped, he stood a chance at survival. But that left a mostly intact and enraged dragon in the air. He had to bring the beast to the ground or there would be nowhere they could flee.
Even as he flipped his arming sword around, his mind railed, "This is such a bad idea!" Before he could talk himself out of it, he released the handle of his other weapon. Flying backward he stabbed the length of steel downward. With a sound like tearing fabric, the thin wing membrane parted with. Venomfang's shriek of pain was drowned out by the roar of the wind as Alidorim plummeted earthward.
The Dragonborn barely had time to cover his face before the bright greens of a tree canopy filled his vision. Twigs and limbs stabbed, poking and gouging at his body. Stout branches smacked his chest, back, and shoulders. After an eternity of being pummeled Alidorim crashed to the ground. The wind flew from his lungs and he had to gasp in order to reclaim it.
He only had a brief moment to realize he'd landed near the village square when a massive green form plowed into the earth. Ruined walls crumbled and the statue in the center of the square wavered and fell.
Alidorim would've smiled if it didn't hurt to breathe. His sense of victory was short-lived as he detected movement within the dust kicked up by the impact. A large form was rising and even through the haze, he saw the hate in its eyes. Alidorim struggled to get to his feet but his arms and gets wouldn't obey.
"Here I was looking for that cursed Strixiki," the Dragonborn froze at the words, "Instead I find a demon." Standing near the center of the square the Dragon was prowling towards a small quivering form.
"Yulia!" Recovering his weapon, he levered himself upward. Though his left leg refused to bear weight, he managed to stand. Growling he staggered forward.
Terrified, Yulia turned and started to run. Venomfang was instantly in her path, teeth bared. She gasped and stumbled backward. The dragon slowly stalked his prey.
"Y-y-you d-d-dragon!" she cried, eyes wide with terror.
"How perceptive of you, child," he growled raising one of its claws to strike.
Alidorim's legs pumped madly as he cleared the courtyard in several great strides. Venomfang's claws came down, shattering the cobblestones where Yulia had just been standing. Alidorim tumbled across the ground clutching the Tiefling to his chest. The moment they rolled to a halt, the Dragonborn shoved the girl behind his back and brandished his sword.
"Ah, there you are," the dragon purred with sadistic glee.
Alidorim tried to not let the pain show on his face. Though his leg was starting to feel better, his chest still ached from his landing. He'd hoped to get clear of the village and rejoin Yulia and Lesmythe while the dragon tended its wounds. Olkith hadn't expected to find Yulia alone! Had something happened to the half-elf? He couldn't think about her right then. His sole focus had to be protecting Yulia and getting out alive.
"Everything will be okay, Yulia," Alidorim growled clutching his weapon.
"Precious," chuckled the great green one flexing its haunches, "You really think you can save the little one." It suddenly leaped way faster than Alidorim anticipated. "I want your blood!" A vicious backhand sent Olkith flying to the base of the fallen statue. Venomfang lunged again, but the Dragonborn recovered enough to dodge. He narrowly avoided the snap of its jaws, but not its tail. He gasped as the air rushed from his lungs again. Crashing to the ground he struggled to draw breath. Something warm dripped down from his scalp.
Somehow, he had managed to hold onto his weapon, but that was the only silver lining. Alidorim groaned as he struggled to rise. He coughed and crimson liquid speckled the ground.
The dragon crowed victoriously as it towered over the wounded warrior. "What was it you promised the child?" Venomfang stalked towards him, claws cracking against the cobblestones. It glared with utter impertinence. "That everything would be okay?" He chuckled evilly not even bothering to look back at the terrified girl. "How's that plan going so far?"
Slowly Olkith managed to get to one knee. Something in his torso stabbed sharp and it nearly put him down. The pain clouding his mind, but he still tried to focus. Alidorim still had his sword, but what good would that do against armored scales? He had no other choice.
Summoning up his energy he launched himself forward. He was passed Venomfang's claws in an instant. Shouting defiantly, the Dragonborn stabbed straight and true. The arming sword struck the beast square in the chest, the point finding its way between two scales…and snapped.
Alidorim could only watch as the folded steel of his weapon bent and broke against the dragon's hide. Laughter filled the air as Venomfang looked down at him, clutching his useless weapon. "A brave effort, but utterly futile."
The backhand came from nowhere and Alidorim crashed to the ground again. The remains of his sword flew from view. The Dragonborn tried to stand but the pain in his chest grew worse. Something in his leg felt wrong.
"How're you going to save the demon, if you can't save yourself?" The dragon hissed furiously. It raised another hand to strike. "Never make promises you can't keep!" A rock suddenly bounced off the side of the dragon's head. Not enough to hurt, but it did distract him.
Yulia stood arm outstretched with the other clutching a second stone. "You remember my village?" she said as tears streamed down her face. Through the pain, Alidorim heard the girl's words. "My mother? My father!" her tiny body was shaking in a mixture of terror and rage. "You remember all the people you killed?"
"So that what happened," Alidorim thought despondently, "That's why you were alone."
Staring at her with a mix of confusion and amusement, Venomfang, sneered, "I don't recall laying waste to your family."
"It's all dragons fault!" she cried out throwing the other stone. "The world is wrong because of dragons!"
The dragon barely glanced at the pebble as it bounced off his neck. Scoffing the beast didn't even bother facing the quivering child. "The young are always so quick to pass judgment," he glared down at the girl flashing its teeth, "The strong feed on the weak. That is the nature of the world." Venomfang suddenly turned to confront the Tiefling, eyes aglow with savagery. "I don't recall killing your parents, and I doubt I'll remember killing you!"
Anger boiled up with the warrior. Monsters like the dragon knew no mercy or conscience. They felt no remorse for the lives they shattered. A wave of energy swept through his body, numbing the pain. So much had been taken from Yulia and this…beast had the gall to make a mockery of her pain! "Damn you!" Alidorim shouted. He ran and jumped straight towards the Dragon; fist raised. "Stay away from her!"
Venomfang didn't even look worried as the Dragonborn sailed towards him. If a sword couldn't penetrate his hide, a fist was of little consequence. It didn't matter whether Alidorim could or couldn't do any harm. What mattered was risking his life protecting those close to him!
A terrifying roar ripped from Alidorim's throat. The air cracked like thunder as the armored gauntlet connected with the side of the Dragon's head. The power behind the blow sent Venomfang crashing into the ruins of a nearby building. The structure toppled and caved in, smothering the beast's curses in a shower of stone, and wood.
Lesmythe had been searching for Yulia when the sounds of combat finally reached her. It hadn't occurred to her until then that the Tiefling would be in the middle of it. The girl had been scared and would naturally have sought out her father, even though he had ordered them to run.
Lesmythe arrived in the square just as the dragon disappeared beneath the rubble. Alidorim staggered once and fell to his knees. Yulia was there, at the Dragonborn's side. Lesmythe ran to join them.
"Master I—" her words were cut off when she saw the state of his body. His armor was in tatters, blood streamed down the side of his head and nose. His entire right forearm was a mess of discolored scales and deformed muscle. Lesmythe wasn't sure how he was even still conscious. There was so much she hadn't witnessed, but the half-elf was sure of one thing. Somehow Alidorim had defeated a green dragon by himself.
Coming out of his fugue, the Dragonborn looked up at them. Chest heaving, the warrior was doing his best to conceal the level of pain he was in. Yulia was in tears burying her head into his shoulder, mumbling thanks and apologies in Infernal.
Through the mask of blood, Alidorim looked relieved. "Let's get out of here," he gasped through clenched teeth. His knee buckled as he started to rise, but Lesmythe was there to catch him. Nodding his thanks Alidorim noted the blood spattering on her outfit. "You hurt?" he asked.
Lesmythe shook her head. She was about to explain when his head snapped around. That was when she heard it too. The sounds of shifting rubble.
