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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.
 
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