The world was a faded monochrome blur in front of Logan's eyes, his whole body burning as he was racked from head to toe with agony. Each breath felt like his chest was being smashed with a hammer and his throat impaled with a rusty knife all at once, yet he still struggled to climb to his feet.
However, even through his fading sight, he saw the cloud of poison gas around him clear as Ren cast a spell in the distance, and even as the wind sent him and Stalk tumbling across the ground, the pain he was in grew a bit lesser. They were also away from the chimera now...
... but Logan could see the others were still battling the beast up ahead. It was still alive, and he had to help them.
Gritting his teeth as he lay sprawled face-down, Logan fought to get his right arm to move. The searing pain that throbbed through him had lessened slightly after the poison was cleared away, and so with every drop of willpower that he had left, he forced himself to act.
Logan pulled his right arm back in towards his own body, fighting against the poison's lingering effects that scorched his flesh from the inside out. Dragging his arm closer and closer, he was able to tuck his hand under his chest, and through a fearsome grimace, he intoned the words:
"Mighty Bahamut, aid your humble servant and cleanse this toxin from my body so that I may fight ever onward in your name..."
As he said that, a second heat filled Logan's body, starting over his heart and then slowly spreading outwards. But this one wasn't a painful, searing heat – this was a tender warmth, its embrace gentler, and yet stronger, than that afflicted by the poison gas.
Logan felt it wash through every inch of his flesh, and everywhere it went it seemed to push the poison out, forcing it from his body into a space even he couldn't find, and from which it would never return. His vision cleared and the colours of the world returned to him; the green of the grasses and the red of the chimera's blood.
Strength also returned to Logan, and movements that had been agonizing now came with the ease that standing up and running always had. Without delay, he leapt to his feet, relishing that he felt like his old self again before running over to Stalk, who still lay spluttering on the ground, curling up into a ball as he clutched at his retching torso, his feathers withering before Logan's eyes until they were brittle as straw and grey as death itself.
Placing a hand over him, Logan intoned a similar prayer to his first, and as the golden glow of healing beamed from his palm, he watched as Stalk's movements slowly calm and heard his squawks of pain turns to moan of relief. His coat of feathers returned to their full and shiny black, and his orange eyes opened, with Logan noticing a gleam of fear in the kenku's eyes for what must have been no more than a nanosecond.
Fear of death, maybe? Of the poison ending him, or thinking for a moment was the chimera come to finish him?
But neither of those happened – instead, Logan grabbed Stalk and under the arm and pulled him to his feet. "You're alright, Stalk..." he stated factually, hoping to give the kenku courage after their harrowing experience.
Stalk's scaled feet soon found purchase on the ground, and he looked up at Logan before nodding. "Thanks again, paladin," he said before turning his gaze towards the battle with the chimera.
Logan did the same, feeling both relief that the rest of the party were still alive, and dread that the chimera was still standing. Despite its fur and scales being streaked with rivers of blood and its flesh rent open by blade, bolt and spell, the monster showed no signs of slowing its rampage. Even with its faces near-blind from bruises following Ren launching an entire log's worth of wood at it, the creature continued to fight on without pause.
"How are we gonna take this thing down?" Logan felt those words, along with a small hint of despair in his tone of voice, escape his lips before he responded by sealing his mouth tighter than a drum and cursing himself for his slip-up.
A true knight should never show despair – he should be a beacon of light for his comrades.
His words seemed to have no effect on Stalk, who merely watched the battle unfold in silence, his orange eyes surprisingly cool... and then suddenly gleamed as his hands reached down to yank one of his daggers from its sheath.
Stalk then did something most unexpected – he drew the knife's blade across his own feathered forearm, opening a small wound. The kenku flinched slightly, but as his black blood ran down to the floor, jolts of pale blue light began to flash in the air around the dagger.
Jolts of light that soon became crackling bolts of lightning.
Logan watched this with a disturbed expression. He'd seen weapons become enchanted before, and could even do this himself... but he'd never seen such a spell that required a sacrifice of blood before. And that concerned him greatly as a paladin.
The only thing that seemed to alarm Stalk was the way Logan looked at him – the kenku met the knight's gaze with a twisted sneer and he remarked "Are you going to stare at me all day? Or are we going to gut this motherfucker?"
Getting the point, Logan replied with "The latter." He then reached for his scabbard, only for his fingers to grasp thin air. A brief jolt of panic went through him and his eyes flicked around for Sacrifice, only for relief to follow immediately after when he saw light dancing off a silvered surface and his gaze fell upon his family blade resting unharmed in the grass.
With his purpose clear, Logan didn't say another word. Instead he rushed forward, bending down and scooping his longsword from the earth. Then, with the weapon in hand, he charged the chimera. Stalk followed soon after him, and overtook Logan within seconds as, thanks to the effects of his potion, he became a blur of black feathers again – this time wielding a line of electricity that shot through the air alongside him.
Up ahead, the battle was still raging on, the words and battle cries of his companions barely echoing out over the roars of their three-headed foe. A blinding golden glow ripped through the air and struck the chimera's flank like a bolt of lightning as Arabella called out 'Guiding Bolt!" Then, as the beast's dragon head turned towards the princess and reared back, mouth opening as it took a breath in and Logan felt the rush of panic again as the creature seemed about to unleash another blast of poison... Ren called out "Maximilian's Earthen Grasp!" and thrust his hand forward, the scattered fragments of the fallen windmill quickly rising and forming together into a gigantic hand made of small shifting stones that rippled like ocean waves. The hand then locked around the dragon's maw and clamped it shut, leaving only the barest gust of green gas to escape into the air.
However, it was an unfamiliar voice that caught Logan's attention the most. As he drew closer, he saw another glint of sunlight on silvered steel, and looked to see that the knight who had charged the beast earlier, clad in plate with his scarlet-plumed helm, was up and fighting beside the others! He stood at Technus' side, gaze fixed on the chimera and wielding a rapier than was glowing just the same.
But this was not the reflected light of the sun. The weapon burned with divine energy – Logan could feel it in his flesh. And while their foe was wrestling free Ren's giant stone hand, its claws prying the arcane construct from one of its heads and pinning it to the floor so it could be pounded into dust, the knight rushed forward, thrust his slender blade forward and called out "Smite!"
As the rapier's point pierced flesh, a ripple of raw power surged through the air, and the blade's golden glow flashed like lightning through the air as the chimera staggered back.
Logan watched with astonishment, freezing in his tracks for a few seconds. This man was a fellow paladin! Excitement then surged through him, propelling him to charge right at the chimera and, before it could recover from the first blow, he rushed to the beast's flank and aimed to drive Sacrifice upward between its ribs.
Arm and blade whistling through the air, Logan thrust forth and felt the satisfying squish of the blade parting flesh. Then, as the weapon plunged in to the hilt, he roared aloud "Searing Smite!" and called in his heart for Bahamut to hear him... and as he did so, he felt heat blast off his sword as Sacrifice's blade burned red-hot inside the chimera's body, and as the monster yelped and flapped its wings to escape the injury, a burst of a fire escaped into the air from where sword slipped free of its target.
Dragonflame. Bahamut's flame.
His attack seemed to catch the attention of the helmeted knight, who let loose a whoop of joy as he declared "Ah, I am not the only paladin here, it seems!"
Logan couldn't help but grin. "Indeed! May the Platinum Dragon smile upon us!" he declared proudly. His remark made the helmeted figure exclaim out loud again, seeming incredibly glad for the company.
"Gentleman, I don't mean to interrupt..." Arabella's voice chimed over their conversation "... but can we leave the introductions until after we deal with the monster?"
She spoke the truth, and as Logan turned back to their three-headed foe, he saw Stalk dash across the front of the group fast as an arrow, then twist around and drive his dual-wielded daggers into the earth, the blades digging into the soil as they gradually slowed the kenku to a halt. Meanwhile, even with his body rent and sparking, Technus lumbered to their side, and Finnan also found his way to their side, placing himself beside Arabella.
They all stood together now, facing down the terrible monster like the heroes in the stories of old. Before them, however, the chimera seemed spent and beaten – blood oozed from bruises and wounds all over its body, leaving the creature soaked in a sea of crimson. Its legs shook underneath its body, as though straining to support itself, and all three heads were panting from exhaustion.
As it lifted its multiple gazes to look at the party, it paused for a moment... then began to turn around.
"It's fleeing!" Arabella exclaimed aloud, her voice light and filled with relief. However, Logan saw the helmeted knight step forward, a sound of rage and frustration blasting from behind his visor.
"Non! This cannot happen! If it flees, it'll merely come back again later, and more farmers will be slain!"
Logan's beliefs aligned with his fellow paladin. "Then we need to stop it. Now!" he declared, hurriedly searching around for something to stop the monster as the chimera spread its leathery wings and began to flap them...
... and then Logan heard Finnan say "Launch me!"
Everyone spun around as they heard that, only to become more surprised when the halfling seemed completely serious. Turning his green eyes up to Ren, Finnan said "Use that Catapult spell thingy! Launch me! Quickly!"
Both Ren and Arabella looked like they were about to protest, but before they could do so, Ren curled in on himself and, right before their eyes, his leafy clothing turned to scales and his arms and legs vanished into his body, which extended outwards into a long, slithering form...
Within seconds, Finnan was no longer in front of them, instead replaced with a massive, coiling python!
At first, Logan had no idea how this was supposed to help them... but then he noticed Finnan twist around in his serpentine form, coils lapping over coils, until his venomous green were locked on the chimera's wings.
His wings...
Logan's heart pulsed with realization, and he turned to Ren. "Do as he says."
The wood elf hesitated.
"Quickly! Or he'll escape!" Logan told him fiercely.
Ren stammered a response. "Okay, okay!" But as he extended his hand and began to cast the spell, a pounding began to ravage the air, increasing in tempo as the chimera's wings beat faster and faster.
"No, no, no!" Logan said out loud. Not even pausing to think, he hurried forwards with sword and shield in hand. But as he did so, a blur of black cut him off again as Stalk hurtled past. The kenku sped right for the chimera, crouched down and leapt, soaring through the air like an actual raven as he held his arms wide and his momentum carried him forward.
Just as the chimera's paws and hooves left the ground, Stalk landed upon its back, taloned feet immediately carrying him up to the beast's shoulders, right to the point where its wings attached to its spine. Cawing a vengeful death-cry, Stalk hurled himself into a dive and plunged both of his shortswords into their target, including the one crackling with electricity. As the blades struck home, the bolts of lighting flashed across the chimera's flesh and the horrid stench of singed hair shot out across the countryside.
The chimera howled as its legs sagged to the floor, but before it could throw Stalk off by thrashing and writhing around, a python whirled through the air and slammed directly into its right wing. The sound of fracturing bone filled the air, and only grew louder as the python coiled itself around the 'fingers' of the wing, constricting into a ferocious knot and locking its jaws into the skin that lay between, tearing it away with repeated snaps of its teeth.
The lion roared, the goat squealed, the dragon winced, and the chimera's entire body flopped to the ground, falling from what little height it had gained to land on its side amidst the ruins of the windmill.
As the monster struggled to rise, Logan glimpsed movement at his sides - the Milisevran mystery knight prepared to charge and Technus took a pace forward, axe in hand. From behind him, he heard Arabella's voice say "Goddess, bless the weapons of these who have defended your children," whereupon all their weapons became laced with a gentle glow of their own – a divine blessing to guide their attacks.
Now was the time.
Roaring "Galehaut!" at the top of his voice, Logan sprinted with every last bit of energy left in his body, with Technus and the other paladin charging in on his flanks. He glimpsed Stalk leap off the chimera's back and get clear as the monster's limbs and tail flailed around.
It only moved enough for the dragon head to meet Logan's gaze and start to inhale before three blows cut its deathly breath short; longsword, battleaxe and rapier bit deep into all of the beast's throats, and two cries of "Smite!" filled the air.
Then, with a final whimper and a few meagre spasms, the chimera fell still.
Logan's blood was thick with adrenaline, his heart pounding after he had sprinted faster and faster to keep their foe from unleashing another breath attack. But everything suddenly felt slow and heavy in his body, his muscles sagging inside his body as his mind told him the fight was over.
As he pulled Sacrifice free of the dragon's throat and his arms fell to his sides, he glanced around – Finnan had dropped from the chimera's crushed wing and was slithering over its blood-slicked belly down to the floor, Technus lifted his axe from the throat of the lion and immediately clipped it to his belt, and Stalk circled around the edge of the dead beast, walking casually despite his wounds, which were instantly healed by Arabella as she rushed to his side and placed a glowing hand upon his body.
Ren also joined thenm, though he arrived last due to him hesitantly creeping close to the chimera's corpse and hanging back far out of the reach of its long legs, even though they had long since stopped moving.
However, as he drew near, the Milisevran knight noticed, and as he stood and slid his rapier cleanly from the flesh of the goat's neck, he said "You needn't worry, friend. This one's most certainly dead!"
Logan gave the chimera a glance, noting the spasms of its muscles as what was probably making Ren nervous. But he then saw Technus run his robotic eye's red gaze over the creature before he droned out "Affirmative. Heartbeat and brain activity both zero."
Despite the massive gash that had been torn out of his torso, exposing a labyrinth of what looked like wires, gears and pistons underneath that dripped fiery red sparks and reeked of oil, Technus was eerily unphased. Not only that, but as he intoned his report on the chimera, he was already walking away and reaching for his compartments of tools, treating his massive wound as though it was a mere bruise a child might get while playing...
His reaction was inhuman, just like most of his body. He really was mostly machine, it seemed.
Deciding to let the Tech-Cleric be, Logan then turned his attention back to the other paladin, who was already approaching him with a hand extended in friendship. Grabbing Logan's palm, he gave it an eager and jovial shake, then did the same for Ren as he began to make his way through the group.
"I owe you all my life, friends! If not for you, I'd have been pounded into paté for sure!"
Arabella watched as Ren returned the knight's shake with a timid smile, and she replied. "It was nothing, good sir. But who might you be, and what were you doing taking on such a creature alone?"
The knight turned to Arabella, hands rising to pull his helmet free as he said aloud "Oh, where are my manners?" As he revealed his head, a rich mass of sand-coloured curls tumbled out from within his helm, framing a long, youthful and comely face with fair, smooth skin and fine features. He had large and lively eyes, blue as an inland sea, and looked to be no older than twenty, if that.
The young knight then approached Arabella, pulling off one of his gauntlets before he took her hand in his and kissed her fingers – an act which made blood rush to both Arabella's face and Logan's, though he didn't bid it to. And then he introduced himself:
"Sir Romain de Toussaint, landed knight of the Kingdom of Milisevre and paladin of the Platinum Dragon." He then scanned the party and asked "Now you tell me – who I have to thank for my rescue?" He gave all of them all a pleasant smile, his eyes bright as he seemed relieved just to be alive.
Just as Logan was relieved to meet a fellow servant of his deity - taking a step forward, Logan raised his left arm, showing his shield with the crest it depicted. "I am Sir Logan of House Galehaut, knight-errant of the Kingdom of Cormyr and paladin of the Platinum Dragon," he said, placing special emphasis on the last part as he smiled at Romain. "My companions are Arabella Moonflower, Ren Revanorin, Finnan Greatsurge, Stalk, and Brother Technus of the Order of the Turning Cog."
Just then, there was a sharp hissing sound behind Romain, and everyone spun around, eyes wide in alert out of fear that it was the chimera...
... but it turned out to just be Finnan, mouth open and tongue flickering as he remained in snake form, but seemed to keep trying to talk.
"Finnan?" Ren asked hesitantly.
Just then, Arabella scooted around behind Romain and placed a gentle hand on Finnan's scaly head. "Finnan..." she said with a soft smile. "... you're still in animal form."
Finnan craned his head down, looking at his own serpentine body, then seemed to release a puff exasperation from his mouth before he coiled back up and his form returned to that of his halfling self, grinning goofily as Arabella turned to Romain and said "Apologies, sir. He does that sometimes," as she dipped down and curtseyed.
Watching as she did this, and then laughing as Finnan did the exact same thing, Romain replied "There is no offense taken, my lady." He then scanned the group, including Technus, who stood apart from the others, and said "I thank you all, truly. From the bottom of my heart," as he bowed his head to them. "If there's anything I can do for you in return, you need only say the word..."
Logan felt unsure of how to respond. Romain had almost died just now, and to mention the gnoll attacks at the Cockatrice and ask for his help seemed like a poor idea. They were hoping to save lives, not put more at risk.
Even if he was a paladin of Bahamut too... would it be worth it?
"Sir Romain, I'm not sure-" the knight of Galehaut started, but Romain cut him off by placing a hand on Logan's shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
"Please, I insist!" Romain said, meeting his gaze with a warm smile. "Perhaps you'd like accommodation? That would be the least I could do!"