Shu'zet erupted from the burbling pool opposite the one she had fled into taking Riakon from the side. Her foreclaw slammed into Riakon dashing him to the ground. A powerful flap of her wings she pursued the downed paladin. Her second strike was a downward slam from her second claw that pinned her prey beneath her. With her prey secured, Shu twisted her lower body sending her tail careening across in a wide arc.

Roden watched as her tail slammed into Grok sending him tumbling across the ground to the other side of their battlefield. His horror was tempered when he saw Grok raise himself up on his hands albeit more lethargic than usual. Roden turned his attention back to the dragon and noticed a red glow coming from beneath her claw and spreading up her arm.

Not wasting the opportunity Roden drew one of his most powerful spells to mind and started toward the dragon's lower half. Once he was within range Roden drove his hand forward in a motion reminiscent of his Burning Finger spell from his days as a pyromancer. Instead of flames a blast of blue arcane energy leapt from his fingers in a cone of heat stealing wind.

His Arctic Stream spell was one of his newest additions and it did not disappoint. He watched as ice formed across everything he directed the stream toward. He made sure to capture Shu'zet's powerful tail from the point it sprouted from her torso. He hoped it would keep her in place, but he would settle for it slowing her down.

While the she-dragon was distracted by Riakon and Roden, Errrkkkk took the opportunity to drive his staff into the ground. He did not relish having to land, but he needed direct contact in order to draw in the natural energy through his staff. He closed his eyes and visualized the process just as he had back in Bo's backyard. When his eyes flicked open a dark green energy burst from him.

Errrkkkk locked eyes with Shu'zet, his chi overflowed with natural energy. Her mouth opened and released a garbled choking sound followed by streams of blood. At the sight of her own blood and sound of her failed attempt at speech, the primal rage within her overcame her hold. Shu'zet's dark form began to radiate a pale green light and her eyes blazed with fury.

Riakon chose that moment to spew a plume of fire from his mouth across the dragon's chest and neck. The flames weren't powerful enough to deal a decisive blow, but they were enough to catch Shu off guard.

Roden glanced over to Grok and saw the garg preparing to throw himself back into the fray. Roden immediately threw himself through the closest tree and appeared next to Grok with a hand out to restrain him.

"Wait mate, drink a potion."

Grok grunted and gestured vigorously toward the fight and Riakon.

"I know you want to get in there bud, but you need to heal up or you will get in the way."

Grok frowned so deeply Roden almost felt bad for his sternness. That all faded away as Grok reached into his bag to grab a potion and Roden could see a dark grey bone sticking out from Grok's lower abdomen.

"Jeezus Grok, you're fucking ribs are broken!"

The garg glanced at the offending injury and waved Roden off, who returned his attention to the fight in time to see Errrkkkk crash into the dragon with a flying side kick. The blow bent her upper body back while lowering her snakelike neck attached to her long neck. Errrkkkk followed up with a series of strikes that each exploded with his green chi.

The Birdfolk's attack drew Shu'zet's focus. She unleashed a roar of pain filled with her draconic fury. The caustic energy surrounding her blasted out in all directions burning everything it touched as it rippled outward, shattering Roden's ice restricting her. Errrkkkk was thrown back, just managing to shield his face with his arms.

Before he could assess the damage a claw slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Shu'zet's second claw moved to strike, but her forward progress was halted by something restraining her lower body. Her head whipped back with a sneer and her eyes narrowed on Riakon, who had regained his feet and had both arms wrapped around her tail. He strained with all of his might to keep the rampaging dragon from reaching Errrkkkk's prone body.

Shu'zet reared up like a snake about to strike. Her head snapped forward, her jaw wide prepared to swallow Riakon whole if need be. The Dragonkin was saved by a blue streak of crackling lightning that slammed into Shu'zet mid-attack. The bolt came from Roden who had repositioned himself to his original entry point from the trees opposite Grok.

Shu'zet writhed from the shock as she crashed to the ground. Roden watched the result of his spell and his confidence grew. They had her surrounded and each of them was holding their own. She hadn't even been able to land a solid blow on him yet. No sooner than the thought crossed his mind did he regret it.

Shu'zet coiled her long muscular tail and sunk into a defensive pose eyeing her three main opponents. It was a miscalculation on her part that allowed Grok to come from behind her unseen. The garg jumped on the dragon's neck with both claws digging into her scales and soft flesh beneath.

One of her powerful claws snatched the garg and in a single smooth motion swallowed him whole. The men could only watch in dismay as the lump in her throat slowly descended down her gullet.

Errrkkkk let out an avian screech as he exploded with yellow light. His aura became golden with his dark green clinging close to him like a second skin. He followed his transformation with his signature, "Caaaaaaaaa…" He couched his hands back gathering his chi. Shu'zet recognized what was happening and drew in a breath to meet his beam, except Errrkkkk vanished from his place on the ground.

"Caaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!" was the only indication of the birdman's location Shu gained before Errrkkkk's beam slammed into her face.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

Riakon launched himself from the ground in an arcing leap. He crashed down onto Shu'zet with a downward slam of his hammer. The blow resulted in a thunderous boom that shook the nearby trees.

Roden saw his opportunity, he conjured his King's Spear to his hand and rushed toward the dragon with his lightning enhanced speed. He went for the dragon's throat hoping to free Grok before the garg was unfortunate enough to reach the draconic stomach acid that had claimed Riakon's toes in the mountains. Roden was a blur as he pushed off the ground, throwing himself into the air. His momentum carried him, but it was in the moment he thought he was about to deal a killing blow everything changed.

Shu'zet stiffened and her entire body began to glow and shimmer with an opalescent sheen. Light slipped through the places between her scales as those gaps began to expand. Roden saw what was happening and knew he had misjudged the situation and was about to pay for it.

Shu'zet had completely released her hold on the ancient power from within her. The energy coursed through every fiber of her being; healing, strengthening, and reforming everything it touched. With that power came a renewed sense of everything around her. She knew the damned bird was hovering to her right. She knew that traitorous lizard was racing to get off her tail as her body adjusted to her new power and she knew that dastardly storm worshiper was flying toward her. He had not earned a slow death as the others had so she moved to kill him quickly.

Roden felt a wave of fear wash over him as his upward momentum was noticed by Shu'zet, without any warning she opened her bloody mouth revealing what looked like white specks protruding from her jaw. Roden's bigger problem was the orb of sickly green energy that raced out toward him. Roden tried to meet the beam with the tip of his spear, but he had no leverage. His spear melted before his eyes and he was summarily engulfed by the caustic beam of magical energy.

Errrkkkk could barely contain his own rage as he slammed his fist into Shu's head. Even as Roden was blasted out of the sky, Shu continued to change and reform. Errrkkkk launched his counter attack at her undefended face, but even his most powerful strikes barely moved the creature who had grown nearly half again as large from the start of their battle. Errrkkkk spun and whipped around a powerful kick to the dragon's neck.

Shu'zet twisted with the kick and stretched out her long neck. She coiled around Errrkkkk binding him with her powerful constricting muscles. With two of her attackers dealt with she turned her attention on Riakon who had flown around for a flanking attack. She lashed out with her tail batting the paladin to the dirt.

Her voice cut through the near silence of their battlefield,

"You disgusting worthless ingrates! I will make you pay for everything!" Her voice was harsh and raspy. "You will bleed for every scale, for every drop of blood spilled on my home!"

Riakon dragged himself to his feet and addressed his towering adversary, "You can certainly try!" Riakon accompanied her retort with a bang of his hammer on his shield before charging.

Roden laid on the ground in a sort of numb agony. His Grove Armor had taken the brunt of the dragon's acidic magic, but apparently wood was no match for a dragon's breath especially when they'd resorted to using an attack of pure elemental energy. Roden really didn't want to look and see the extent of the damage to his body, mostly out of fear he'd never be able to unsee it, but also because he was pretty sure the cool tingling sensation he felt was the breeze on exposed bone. Instead he cast an overcharged Triage on himself and allowed his magic to do its job.

Meanwhile, Errrkkkk struggled mightily against his muscular prison. To make matters worse for the Birdfolk he felt Shu'zet squeeze him all the tighter as Riakon renewed his attack.

"Give it up lizard! I have already eaten one of you and this glorified poultry is about to follow after I've ground his bones to dust!" Shu'zet hissed with venom in every word.

"Fuck this bitch up, cacaw!" Errrkkkk shouted in defiance.

His words were punctuated by Shu'zet increasing the pressure of her already vice-like grip on him. It was all Errrkkkk could do to focus his chi and keep her from literally grinding his bones to dust.

Riakon continued his assault despite the she-dragon's threats. He knew the only way any of them were getting out alive was if she was slain. He worried for Grok, who'd been swallowed trying to help. He cursed himself for letting the garg take part in such a dangerous fight. Riakon's confidence wavered as each of his companions fell. Without Errrkkkk and Roden around to blast Shu'zet with their energy attacks, Riakon didn't know how he was supposed to finish off such a formidable foe, after all he was just a strong guy with a big hammer and a little bit of magic.

Riakon wasn't fast on his own and his flight didn't improve it much either. He threw himself at Shu'zet from every angle. She parried every attack of his with a flick of her tail. Every swing of his hammer was met with a swipe of equal force. Riakon slid to a stop after being pushed back yet again. He gritted his teeth and stared up at his adversary.

Shu'zet wasn't toying with the paladin. His attacks were enough to keep her on the defensive, she knew better than to allow him to get anywhere near her vital areas with those smiting blows of his. However, this all played into her plan. The bird in her grasp was nearly unconscious, all she had to do was keep up this game until she could direct all of her attention on that dirty bastard in front of her.

Roden knew he had to come up with something at the sight of Riakon fighting Shu'zet to a standstill. He hesitated to even consider it a standstill with both Grok and Errrkkkk incapacitated. Roden still had acid burns across his arms, but from what he could tell he was mostly healed. He knew he needed something flashing to draw Shu's attention away from Riakon, but none of Roden's spells felt right. Each one presented its own complication. His primary concern being splash damage.

Roden waited for Riakon to clash with Shu again before he released the S.P.L.A.S.H B.A.L from his hand. His Herald's Strength gave him all the power he needed to hurl the glass orb up to the dragon's face. Upon impact there was the sound of glass breaking followed by a torrent of water that surged out in all directions.

Roden's distraction was enough for Riakon to slip past Shu's parry and deliver a smiting uppercut to the dragon's lower jaw. The strike resulted in a brief moment of disorientation for the dragon as her head was almost entirely encased in water as she tumbled down, her upper body no longer supported by her lower half.

Roden took the opportunity to attempt to fly in atop his Nimbus and grab Errrkkkk's body as it fell limp from Shu'zet's coils. Except Shu was ready for such an attempt. She slithered about reorienting herself over Errrkkkk's body, who for his part was gasping clutching at his chest. Shu glanced at Roden then directed her gaze at Errrkkkk. She raised a claw still emanating her caustic green magic then drove it down in what looked like a killing blow.

Roden knew he wasn't fast enough and neither was Riakon. A pang of anguish coursed through him as he imagined Errrkkkk run through by one of her wickedly curved claws. Roden was already calculating how to bring Errrkkkk back to life when Shu recoiled in a dramatic display of pain. Roden looked toward Errrkkkk and saw his body had been covered over by a thick bramble of nasty looking thorns and spikes. Roden followed the glowing trail of magic back to its source and saw Branch with his hands to the ground, his hollowed eyes blazing green.

Roden couldn't keep himself from laughing at the little Treant's timing. Branch's quick thinking gave Roden enough time, he laid a hand on Errrkkkk and cast an overcharged Instant Destination. The two reappeared some distance away next to a tree where he laid Errrkkkk down.

"Here mate, take this senzu bean and you'll be okay." Roden said laying a hand on Errrkkkk while activating his Never the Time and Place ability. Errrkkkk looked up at Roden confused, but the relief that came from his wounds being healed quickly overtook his confusion.

As Roden pulled away, Errrkkkk gripped Roden's wrist insistently and pulled himself up. Roden's magic was quicker than he remembered. The birdman looked as good as new in seconds. Roden knew that meant most of his injuries had to have been internal and were probably still knitting themselves back together, but he let the monk have his badass moment.

Riakon circled around in time to see the others standing together on the edge of the trees. He flew in the relief evident on his face.

"Am I glad to see you both on your feet!"

"Yeah well don't get too excited this fight isn't over, cacaw." his determination as renewed as his body.

Roden shook his head, "Gods damn this dragon just won't die!"

"Yes well we can take her on together now. We had her on the edge before."

"How much do you have left in the tank?" Roden said, looking to Riakon.

"Just this." he said, raising his hammer with a toothy grin.

"Well fuck…"

"So he's got exactly as much as he had for the entire last dragon fight, cacaw." Errrkkkk said flatly.

Roden chuckled, "Touche."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.