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Chapter VII: Revelations




Despite knowing it had already attacked the keep once, believing it was still in the area, and actually hearing the crash that must herald its return, the sight of the black dragon was a shock. It was so big! And yet the tales said they could grow even bigger! Maggie shuddered, then prayed wordlessly as the great beast breathed its inferno over her friends. Relief was mixed with concern when the fire withdrew to show Ingvar's shield still protecting them, for she knew her fellow priest could not hold off many more such blasts. Fortunately(?) the dragon's attention was quickly drawn to her own small group. She prepared her own shielding miracle, but before she could cast it, Carn took both action and command, shouting at them to run to the left. "Stay together!" she added, doing her best to keep up with him. Carn had fought a dragon before, she remembered, and even if he'd lost that battle, it was still more experience than she had. All the same, she kept her Great Divine Shield at the front of her mind, ready to cast the moment the dragon began to attack them.
 
Deciding to move out of the way of the charging, angry-looking dragon proved to be the correct choice. The beast, who had entirely committed to the charge, behaved almost exactly as Carn predicted, with one small exception. As it tried to stop and turn after the Chosen, it half-rammed into the corner of the keep's gateway, crushing it entirely in the process. Whether intentional or not (as the dragon was already proven to be eerily cunning), this helped it to come to a halt and re-focus quicker than it otherwise would have.

Maggie, Carn, Faron, Laurolf, and Aron were thus now in between the dragon and Violet, Dina, and Ingvar.

A couple of arrows came flying at the dragon in quick succession - Violet's, no doubt, with Force-enchanted arrowheads that allowed them to penetrate the tough scales, eliciting an angry response from the already angry beast. Its growl was so fearsome that, up this close, it almost forced the Chosen to cover their ears.

As the dragon flapped its mighty wings and took a few steps towards them, Laurolf bravely stood his ground right next to Carn and Faron, though he was almost comically small compared to two drakkar. Aron assumed a protective stance in front of Maggie, though realistically there would be little he could do with his sword against an attack that was capable of smashing through Carn and Faron. Another arrow hit the dragon, this time from a different direction. There was the hunter, Varys, standing next to a much larger man near the entrance to the fortress.

Though the archers failed to visibly harm the dragon, they created a brief distraction for the Chosen to make a move. But only a brief one - the dragon's head swiveled from one group to the other, assessing the situation, but it was still most likely going to attack whoever was closest. In this case, the drakkar.
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​
As the group booked it, Carn was afforded a few precious glimpses of everyone’s positioning. With the two other groups spaced far apart, there was an opportunity to hit the flanks of the dragon. When Carn ran to a safe distance, he whirled around to face the dragon, which was currently staring back at them. Carn instinctively brought his shield up to block whatever came next, but as he did, an arrow from the Commander flew and hit the distraction, giving Carn more time to think of his next move.

As of right now, their main goal would be to take down the wings. Although shooting the wings would not inflict mortal damage on the dragon, disabling the dragon’s flight capabilities would prevent the dragon from fleeing, or if the party needed to flee, from giving chase from the air. However, from the looks of it, neither of the archers were aiming at the wings, a fact that worried Carn. With so much going on, Carn’s mind jumped to the fact that Carn’s group would need to reposition to give their archers better aim at the dragon, and they’d need to do it now.

“Retreat backwards!” Carn barked to those behind him. Then, with little time he had, he yelled at the archers, “Wings! The wings!” With his command out of the way, Carn quickly raised his shield against the dragon, charging up enough force magic to blow a heavy cart yards away. Against a dragon, this much magic wouldn’t amount to much, but it had to be enough, because by the time Carn was finished, the dragon’s gaze was already upon them, sending adrenaline through Carn’s body. Carn took a deep breath to calm his nerves before he began backing away at a steady pace.

Carn charges his force magic and assumes a retreat stance.
 



Maggie's head turned from their group to the dragon to Violet's group and back to the dragon. "Maker, watch over us all, and keep us from being too badly hurt," she prayed. Her complete faith in her deity notwithstanding, she knew that sometimes one had to take care of one's self, and she wasn't sure her friends were capable enough against such a foe. "Please," she added, rather desperately. She wondered if she ought try an offensive miracle herself, but with Carn clearly wanting their small group to keep the dragon's attention on them, it was probably best that she keep her own focus on their defense. Ingvar was much too far to cast the shielding miracle that would protect her whole group, but maybe Carn's plan would leave her brother priest free to cast something offensive of his own.

Following Carn's orders, she stayed close to him to make sure he would be within reach of her Great Divine Shield, when it was needed.
 
The large beast displayed an uncanny intelligence in the way it brought its attention to Carn, almost as if it could understand his words and intentions. It narrowed its reptile eyes at him - big, black beads of focused fury - among shifting its weight and giving other subtle clues that it was about to attack. It seemed almost... taunted. It was good that both Carn and Maggie were prepared, because following a single, low growl and a brief build-up, the dragon opened its maw and released a fiery torrent directly at them - all five of them, since they stood conveniently close to represent a single target.
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​
A shiver shot up Carn's spine after the dragon's hateful gaze locked onto Carn. As soon as gutteral rumbles reverberated deep from the creatures throat, horror fell upon Carn's usually stoic face. "Maggie, shield!" was all Carn could manage before the dragon shot from its mouth a fiery gout of death.
 



Maybe it was Carn's shouting that kept the dragon focused on them. That was good, right? Or at least according to plan? Maggie hoped so. Then the dragon's great maw opened, and an inferno roared towards them. Maggie gasped and instinctively threw her arms up to block, not that that would help any. Carn's words and her own preparations did more. "Maker, shield us!" she cried, calling upon her faith to cast the Great Divine Shield over herself and her friends. Standing behind Carn as she was, hopefully the others were close enough to be covered by it as well. She focused on the shield, believing beyond doubt that it would protect them, but only so long as her fragile human self could maintain it.

*Note to others: Great Divine Shield is centered on Maggie with a radius of 15 feet, I believe).
 
Faron Firestorm

- The Fiery Brawler -
​

Faron quickly got behind Maggie to benefit from her shield. Faron knew he had to do something. He was physically injured, but he did not want to handle the mental pain of losing any more people. "Hey, ugly dragon! I will show you who is the true master of fire!" Faron taunted, as his left hand glowed as if it was on fire. He then violently slammed his left palm on the ground as a magma golem slowly rose up in front of the dragon. The golem then attempted to block the dragon's flame torrent with its hands.
 
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Maggie's faith was strong - strong enough to timely deploy the Great Divine Shield, whose golden brilliance swiftly fell around her, safeguarding herself, Aron, Laurolf, and even both of the drakkar, albeit barely - from the frightening force of the dragonfire accompanied by a ghastly roar. The priestess could feel the weight of that force as it split against the shield like water against rock, melting the snow and leaving the ground charred in a circular shape around them. For a few long moments, they were completely engulfed in fire. Still, even in the face of what would normally be a certain and gruesome death, the warm, protective nature of the Miracle she cast chimed within her, as if wanting to reassure her. She knew she could tank several more such attacks, if need be.

Before the flames had even subsided, a dazzling light accompanied by a loud, crackling sound flew past, distorted through the golden shield and the fire, yet there was no doubt that it was Ingvar casting Lightning Spear at the dragon - successfully, at that. An angry, pained shriek filled the air, but it was not a fatal bow. The dragon, now clearly pissed off, turned angrily towards Ingvar, Violet, and Dina, who had seized the opportunity to attack from the left flank. Down by the main gates, the two surviving dragonhunters were doing the same from the opposite side. Arrows flew from Violet's and Varys' bows, hitting their mark as well.

Noticing Faron, who was closest and channeling a spell, the dragon went for him, swinging its long, heavy tail with a spiked tip while roaring angrily.
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​
Carn couldn’t help but recoil as the wall of flames hurtled towards them. When the torrent met Maggie’s shield, there was a short impact, followed by rumbling as the fire rushed past them. All around them was a red, swirling river. It seemed like it’d consume everything, even the ground around them. Carn looked at Maggie. He wanted to thank her, but he knew better than to distract Maggie while she was channeling the miracle. Breaking the caster’s concentration could be disastrous, especially in this situation. Instead, Carn merely held his breath, preparing himself for what would come next.

As the roar of the flames died down, Carn felt as if the world fell silent. However, the reprieve was quickly broken by chanting. Carn turned to see Faron reciting a spell, a relief which promised a radical change in their situation. A gravelly sound soon followed. Carn darted his eyes towards the creature, observing the dragon shifting its weight, turning in an accelerating manner. Carn immediately realized what the motion meant.

“Tail swing!” Carn yelled as he moved to intercept the tail. Carn hoped that Maggie’s shield would be able to take the force of the impact, but if the shield were to break, he would not be caught completely unprepared as he still had his force magic prepared and charged.

Carn places himself on the path of the tail swing while remaining in the shield. He braces himself and prepares to use the force magic he'd primed earlier.
 



Being engulfed by the full blast of an angry dragon's firebreath ought to have been terrifying. Ought to have been...and yet, wasn't, for Maggie at least. She could feel its force pressing against the barrier of her faith, but her faith held true, and was rewarded by the safety of all within it. The warmth of the Maker's power reassured her from within, a far cry from the heat of the flames outside her shield. Perhaps surprisingly, she smiled, a small but honest smile, as she watched the dragonfire broken on the shield of her belief. "Thank you," she whispered. "As I do not doubt, so also will I not fear." As the flames began to subside, she heard Carn's warning, and kept her shield up to protect him against the next attack.
 
No more capable to break a Greater Divine Shield than the dragonfire was, the dragon's tail equally harmlessly bounces off of the golden obstacle held up by Maggie, albeit with a tremendous thud, followed by yet another angry roar. Having attacked both Dina's and Maggie's groups with dragonfire only to be thwarted by the Divine Shield Miracle both times, the beast does not look pleased in the slightest - in fact, Ingvar's last Lightning Spear seems to have left it with a burning scar across the right side of its face.

Following a loud, terrifying shriek, the dragon snaps its jaw in the air over the golden dome, visibly irritated. The intelligent yet malicious look in its eyes suggested that it understood the fellowship's tactics very well... But even so, both Maggie and Ingvar could keep their shields up for more than a few such attacks. Perhaps it suspected that, too. On top of everything, Faron's spell that had been pulling rocks, ice, and dirt out of the ground to assemble a large golem nearby was now in its second stage - the drakkar was imbuing the golem with the element of fire, steadily lighting up and melting the parts that made up the 12ft tall construct that would soon be ready to act...

Swaying threateningly from right to left, the dragon glanced dismissively over the golem and its summoner who was still behind Maggie's shield, and finally focused on the two dragonhunters who were by the breached gates. Ignoring the rest of the fellowship for the moment, the beast shifted its weight and then opened its fiery maw once again, unleashing hell in the direction of Gorski and Varys!
 



Her shield had protected their group once more. Maggie breathed another quick prayer of thanks. While she couldn't hold out forever, she could surely manage another few breaths of dragonfire if need be. But it looked like the dragon thought so too -- it turned its head to send its next blast somewhere else! Her Great Divine Shield wouldn't expand nearly far enough. She couldn't center it on someone else. But the pair were in range of another miracle, albeit one she could only cast on one of them. Making up her mind quickly, the priestess cried, "Varys, get down!" She cast her Divine Shield on Gorski, the dragonhunter who was closer to her and also to the dragon, praying that Varys would be able to hide from the worst of the fire behind his shielded fellow.
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​

When the tail bounced effortlessly off of Maggie’s shield, Carn felt awash with a bit of relief. His nerves spiked when the dragon gave an ear-deafening scream and threateningly snapped at the shield, but Carn stood steadfast to his position, watching the dragon carefully as he carefully considered their next move. However, before any further tactical decisions could be made, the dragon appeared to make that decision for them when it began bellowing fire at the other group. Burnt corpses flashed across Carn’s mind, sparking a rage within him.

“Oh no you don't, you overgrown lizard!” Carn cursed as he quickly grasped his tower shield with both hands, his sword clattering onto the ground. Then, like a hay bale, he chucked the large shield at the dragon’s head, utilizing the previously unused force charge to bolster the throw. Sparing only a glance at his sword, Carn kept his attention on his shield as he quickly knelt down to grab his sword.
 
Dropping one divine shield in favor of another, this one centered on the bigger of the two hunters by the gates, proved to be the right call! It was just in time, too, enveloping Gorski in a golden light well capable of resisting the torrent of dragonfire, while at the same time filling Maggie with the warm awe that came with calling upon the Maker's gifts. The more nimble Varys reacted by jumping out of the way, taking shelter behind the ruined masonry that was the frame of the fortress' gate. Even so, it was close, and the stone itself began to char and melt in seconds, superficially at least...

But probably no one expected Carn's move. Definitely not the dragon, who took the large shield, propelled by force magic, square to the head. It let out a terrible, angry growl, interrupting its attack, and turning back towards the main group. You could see the scales on the right side of its head dented where the edge of the shield hit. The beast's anger was now overtaken by sheer frustration as it was forced to realize this particular group was a much tougher nut to crack than the easy victories it had in the area, including the destruction of the dragonhunter company. Albeit ill prepared to face a dragon, the Chosen still had not one but two Creationists with plenty of energy to call upon yet.

The cold, hard, even... calculating look in the dragon's eyes made it clear it was re-assessing the situation, even as it brought down one heavy claw and, with a dissatisfied snort, crushed Carn's shield against the ground. For a moment, things seemed uncertain. It seemed uncertain, for the first time. Then, perhaps unsurprisingly, the beast seemed to change its mind about the whole affair, facing away and spreading its wings, about to take off!

At the same time, Violet could be heard shouting at Dina, who ran nearer to Maggie's group and pressed her hands to the warm, charred ground, evidently keen on using her powers. Faron and his magma golem leaped to action, too, with the now fully powered up, twelve foot construct charging mindlessly at the dragon.
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​

Carn couldn’t believe his shield managed to hit the dragon, much less halt the monster’s attack. If Carn’s group wasn’t in such dire straits, the sight of the sizable dent on the dragon’s head would’ve made Carn totally smug. As soon as the dragon moved its attention on them, Carn tightly grasped his large sword with both hands, charging force magic into the blade. He glared at the dragon, daring the creature to make a tail swing at them. To his shock, the dragon simply turned away to make a getaway.

“What!? No! Everyone, stand back!” Carn yelled. They currently had the advantage on the ground. If the dragon took to the skies now, the dragon would have the advantage, again. It could ambush them anytime in the future or immediately rain down fire in the safety of the sky. That would be disastrous for the group.

Carn quickly sprinted forward. Then, using the momentum of his advance and the force magic on top, Carn hastily flung the sword like a full pail of water. His movements were certainly inelegant as he’d never really thrown his sword, but it should be accurate enough, considering he was aiming for the largest target on the dragon, the wings.

Carn utilizes both force magic and vigor to enhance his throw as much as possible so as to make one of the wings ineffective.
 



Maggie laughed in sheer relief as her shield sprang into life around Gorski just in time, and Varys managed to get himself out of harm's way. So far, their little group was defending itself pretty well! But then the dragon spread its wings, and she realized it was about to take off. She remembered that earlier Carn had called the archers to attack the wings, probably to prevent just this tactic. She didn't know if it was trying to get out of their melee fighters' reach, or if it had decided to give up entirely, but either one wasn't good. If it got away, it could attack somewhere else, probably somewhere much more vulnerable to it. And if they couldn't bring all their strength to bear against it, they'd be at a serious disadvantage. "The wings!" she shouted to the archers, echoing Carn's earlier command. "Don't let it take flight if we can help it!" Since no attack seemed immediately incoming, she changed from defense to offense herself, and cast Lightning Spear at one of the dragon's wings.
 
The tables indeed seemed to turn as the beast lifted off, its great size and weight defying not just gravity, but also the crystalline formation that burst violently from the ground below, reaching up in a flash of purple, sharp and menacing - the corruption of the Taint drawn out like poison from a wound at Dina's call. It failed to reach the dragon, if only barely... unlike Carn's and Maggie's coordinated efforts.

The heavy drakkar sword, propelled beyond normal speed by force magic, easily shredded the dragon's right wing, unfurled and exposed as it was. It left a significant tear before hitting the top of the fortress' keep and bouncing off the stonework - hopefully someone noted where it ended up. Moments later, not one but two Lightning Spears struck the airborne beast, seconds apart, indicating that the dwarven priest was as comitted as Maggie to bringing an end to the draconic threat. At least one of the Miracles struck the wing that Carn wounded, perhaps even both of them, it was hard to tell in the heat of the moment.

Regardless, the result was a brief and erratic flight that ended prematurely as the stunned beast just barely failed to clear the outer wall of the fortress, its cries of protest silenced with a loud crashing noise - it took a whole section of the crenelation with it and disappeared over the top of the wall...

Still positioned by the main gates, Varys and Gorski were the first to rush outside, wanting to get eyes on the dragon as fast as possible. It was suspiciously quiet, apart from Violet publicly chastising Dina while warning everyone to maintain distance from the crystals that pulsed with the dark purple glow of the Taint.
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​

“Haha! Take that you overgrown lizard!” Carn cheered as the dragon stumbled in the air, even better when it slammed against the wall. The dragon's flight was halted, and it did fall, on the wrong side. Despite colliding with the top of the wall, the damned monster still managed to clear it, and Carn's joyful expresssion quickly soured.

“Follow it!” he yelled loudly enough to be audible for both groups just as the dragon reached the top of the wall. As he prepared to move, he barked, “I’ll catch up! Go!” He barely finished speaking before he sprinted towards what was once his shield. The sight of his trusted companion was a sorry one, once a sturdy, curved stronghold now flattened into a wrinkled rag. Had there been time, Carn would’ve cradled the poor thing, but sentiment would have to wait. Unceremoniously, Carn yanked up the piece of metal as he passed by.

“You’re still needed,” Carn whispered as he ran towards the gate where Varys and Gorski disappeared into.
 
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Maggie cheered as well, raising a hand towards her fellow priest in acknowledgment of their like-minded efforts. Then she realized the fight might not be over yet, despite the group's success in keeping the dragon from flying away. She raced after Varys and Gorski, ready to cover them with a shield at first sight if it seemed to be needed.
 
Date: October 12th (Sunday), year 3321
Location: The Frostback Mountains
Weather: Overcast, gloomy, and cold with occasional gusts of wind.


Around 16:00 h
Ancient fortress temple in the Frostback Mountains


Outside the protection of the fortress walls, Maggie and Carn were whipped by unpredictable, strong gusts of wind from the north that seemed to ominously push them away from chasing down the fallen dragon - moreso the small, slender priestess than the bulky drakkar, but regardless it seemed as if the weather might be turning worse as the late afternoon dragged on. The grey and white, snowy mountain landscape still stretched endlessly as far as the eye could see...

Not that the two needed it, but Varys and Gorski left an easy set of footsteps in the ankle-deep snow for them to follow, closely hugging the wall, and before long, Maggie and Carn would arrive to the same puzzling sight that had the two dragonhunters standing and scratching their heads. Above, a large part of the wall was ruined, resulting in quite a heap of debris on the ground, yet certainly not large enough to conceal the body of the dragon - which was nowhere to be seen! There were no tracks leading away, either, which would be impossible to miss in the deep, pristine cover of white on the ground.

The wind picked up again, howling over the voice of young Varys who had turned around upon hearing Carn's stomps to shout: "Tell me we didn't just collectively, what's the term... hallucinated a dragon attack!"
 
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