A roar filled the small room and shook the stones under their feet as the high pitched sound of talons scraping on stone met their ears. The dragon settled into the middle of the room, between two stone pillars that were just far enough apart for it to fit. One large green eye watching them with fury.
Fykes pushed Katerin back with one arm, other hand groping for the hilt of his sword. He shoved Katerin backward toward the hall.
Katerin bit back her scream, gulping. "We can't stay in the hallway."
He said nothing, shaking his head.
It stepped forward and snaked its head around to watch them, murder in its eyes.
"Fykes there's no way out back here! We have to fight it!" Her heart beat so hard it made her stomach hurt.
"We can't stay here," Brazen said, behind them.
Katerin was unable to push Fykes aside, so she raised her hand above his shoulder. She muttered under her breath, not looking at the rows of sharpened and gleaming teeth as it smiled at her. She released her spell and a line of electrical energy shot from her hand, blue and white, snapping in the air.
It hit the dragon in the chest as it growled. She screamed and dragged Fykes down to the floor as its head lunged forward and snapped at her. Its tail could not quite reach them, and it slammed into the stone floor, sending pieces of stone flying.
*
Brazen took the opportunity to get past them, weapons appearing in his hands. He rushed it with a shield charge, trying to force it back and give them room to move around. He swept his axe up, cutting through the less protected area on the bottom of its neck. It snarled and recoiled, moving further back into the room. Its wings were tucked into its sides, useless without the sky above it.
Brazen followed, shield held high.
A large claw slashed across his front, most of it catching on his shield, but it easily pushed him back. One talon caught his shoulder and had enough force to nearly knock him to his knees.
*
Fykes' hands shook as he pulled his blades free. He stood protectively in front of Katerin. Did she not know what this was? Was she not terrified?
Her eyes were wide, and her hands shook violently, but she stood focused and attentive.
Another talon raked across Brazen's shield from the side, sending him skidding backward even farther. Its tail snaked forward and slammed down toward Brazen, but caught a pillar instead.
*
Katerin unleashed another jet of lightning, and one deep green eye immediately focused on her. The dragon sucked in a large breath, and Katerin felt her heart stop and the world go still.
"Get down!" she screamed, her voice breaking as she lunged for the stone, dragging Fykes with her. She did not care how it scraped her knees and tore at her hands.
Brazen regained his balance and held his shield above his head.
The dragon exhaled with a whoosh of sound. A pressurized gout of sickly green acid came spewing from its maw, splattering them all. The acid hissed as it hit stone, metal, and flesh, and the smell in the air grew that much more unpleasant.
*
Fykes gritted his teeth in frustration, standing and readying his blades, pushing aside the fear that had locked him in place. The acid burned, like being dropped into the ocean with open wounds.
This is a dragon for Tyrn's sake! It takes armies to kill them! He swallowed his fear and charged the creature as it pulled further back in the room. It blocked the only exit. If he wanted to live, he needed to kill it. If he wanted her to live. As he ran he drew his blade across his palm, and the light erupted in the room like an explosion without sound. Panic clouded his mind.
He thrust the sword forward to sink it into the dragon's chest, but it met more scales than flesh. He had to use his other blade to parry, as a claw came flashing towards him. His parry kept it from leaving him ripped to pieces on the floor, but the weight of the blow left him skidding, staggering, and struggling to hold onto his balance. Its tail snapped around and slapped his shoulder, crashing into him like a boulder, stealing his breath and knocking him back into a pillar.
*
Katerin pushed herself up to her knees, wincing at the pain from the searing acid. It had ruined her clothes and eaten at her skin. She slammed the butt of her staff into the stone, extending a hand she sent a blast of fire for the creature's snout.
It snarled as the flames licked up its maw and snapped at Fykes, a claw extending and slashing down Katerin's side, leaving deep gouges in her skin.
It roared again, in challenge and anger.
*
As the acid hit Brazen, it left deep pockmarks in him. Deeper than any it could leave in flesh. If he could have felt pain it would have been an agonizing experience. He knew he would not fare well, fighting this creature. Acid was a very effective weapon against him, but it mattered little. He would not run from it—he had to protect her. He would fight with her until his end. He got to his feet, ignoring the many warnings in his mind. His legs would not hold him much longer, acid eating them like it was.
He charged the beast as it snapped at Fykes. He had to protect him, too. She cared for him—worried over him when no one was looking—he was important to her. Brazen's axe bit deep into the dragon's front leg, impacting hard enough to break bone. A piece of scale chipped off and flew across the room. His next blow had much the same effect, shattering the bone in the lower part of its wing. It bared its teeth in a snarl, and he slammed his weapon into its wing again, fracturing bone and tearing flesh.
*
Fykes' blade was a blur, striking and flashing. Arcing through the air. Only half of his blows had any effect. But half was better than none. He stabbed into its shoulder, parrying a claw with his free blade. The dragon snarled. If it was angry when it found them, it was much more so now.
Brazen ducked as the toothy maw snapped at him, rolling back and hiding behind his mostly disintegrated shield.
Katerin stepped forward, releasing more lightning and fire.
As it snapped, Fykes darted forward, stabbing into its neck. It shrieked at the blow and bought its head much closer to its body. Its eyes gleamed sinister and unforgiving as it sucked in another breath. It pulled its claws across the stone, arching its back like a cat might, and released another spray of acid. Its tail swished through the air, slammed into the ceiling, and rained acid-covered stones down into the room.
Fykes dove for the back side of a pillar, getting as much cover as he could.
Katerin had nowhere to run. No pillars close enough to hide behind. She had not thought it would be able to do this a second time. It seemed her knowledge of dragons was lacking, indeed. She dove for the ground and braced herself. As the spray of acid fell, she heard it hissing, but felt very little of it touching her. She opened her eyes to see Brazen standing in front of her. Remnants of a shield left in his hands, his axe deformed and melting, just as he was.
The acid ate away at him and he slumped to his knees. He turned and gave her a quick smile, then he fell apart before her eyes, back into the liquid state that was the in-between of his body and his resting form. She stared at him in shock as he crumbled, distantly hearing Fykes' yelling and the dragon snarling as it re-engaged. She pushed herself to her feet and stared at the dragon.
Its jaws snapped and its tail bashed the walls. She watched as it clawed at Fykes. It could not do that...not to Brazen. She was supposed to protect him. He was her responsibility.
Her thoughts were broken as she watched the dragon snarl, as its claws ripped down Fykes' side.
She charged it, her thoughts lost in a torrent of fear and anger. As soon as she was close enough, she brought her staff down across its snout, expending all the energy the staff could give her. As she hit, the dragon's eyes dulled, losing focus for a moment. So she hit it again. A claw raked across her leg. It burned and seared as the acid had, stealing her balance and mobility.
She struck it in the side of the neck. Its jaws snapped toward her, and she dodged, nearly falling off her feet. A claw raked for her and she cried out, falling away from it. She landed on her back hard enough to bruise it.
Fykes' blade carved through a section of its wing and it roared again, stalking forward. It snapped at Fykes, and he shoved Ahlindrion between its jaws. It winced as the blade tore through soft flesh. It gave enough time for Katerin to struggle to her feet again.
A claw came for Katerin and she squeaked and snapped her fingers. The claw impacted the glowing energy that surrounded her, but she lost her footing in the slick acid. She pushed her staff up in front of her to block the next claw, but it was heavier than she anticipated. It broke her guard easily, and her back found a pillar as it shoved her across the floor. The claw ripped into her upper arm, so very close to her neck. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus on her spell.
Its head loomed above her, watching her. It had her pinned.
*
Fykes saw an opening in the side of its neck and dove forward with his blade. It was perfectly timed. It slipped between the scales with relative ease, as the tail slammed into the back of his knees. He twisted his blade and pulled it free.
*
Katerin opened her eyes as her spell completed, just as the claw bit into her collarbone. A booming noise emanated from her, pushing the dragon back just the slightest bit. It snarled and tried to whip around to Fykes, but merely slumped to the ground. It hissed with its last exhale, eyes still staring angrily at them. Its tail twitched involuntarily, as if trying to strike but lacking essence.
Katerin lay still on the ground, heedless of the acid. The cloak had protected her from the majority of it, being the only magical item she wore. She was staring at nothing, feeling nothing, and could see nothing except the stone above her.
Fykes approached her and offered a hand. When she did not take it he leaned over her.
"Katerin? Come on... it's okay," he said, shaking her shoulders.
She inhaled deeply and her gaze snapped to his face. "I'm... I'm okay," she said, though it sounded hollow. She was holding the cut across her collarbone with one hand. Forcing herself to remember to breathe.
He held her face gently in his hands, and pulled her forward into an embrace, holding her tightly. "It's alright," he said, smoothing her hair.
She closed her eyes and forced her thoughts to calm, and clear.
He looked around, and worry knotted in his stomach. "Where's Brazen?"
She gulped and scrambled to her feet, clarity already gone again. She found Brazen's case beside a pillar. It was misshapen and pitted with acid. She wiped it away with her bare hands, ignoring the sting. Brazen? Brazen, tell me you're okay, she begged. Please?
Fykes' expression fell as he saw what remained of Brazen. He laid a hand on Katerin's shoulder as her eyes closed and a sob caught in her throat. "C'mon," he said, pulling her to her feet, sadness and adrenaline pulling at him. "We need to get out of here."
He turned to look at the dragon, heart still pounding. It was not very big—sure it was larger than any beast, but it was nowhere near the size the fabled stories made it out to be. It was young, he realized gulping. The most terrifying thing he had ever seen and it was only a mocking image of its parents.
Katerin stood, and the tears in her eyes tore at his heart. She shook her head, and the sadness in her expression morphed into a hard mask. "There could be more here. What if there's another entrance?"
Fykes looked at her, eyebrows raised, "We have no idea what else is here," he warned. "We—"
"Dragons do not share their lairs," she said, her voice as cold as steel. "We can at least check the other hall."
"I..." he sighed. "Are you able?"
Her hair was matted and burnt, as were her clothes. Her eyes were bloodshot, wide, and her face was pale, as though she had seen death itself. In a sense, he thought death comparable to a chromatic dragon. Very few who found them lived to tell of it, and those that did had only stories of horror to share.
"I'm good enough," she said, not looking him in the eye.