Chapter 19 - Meeting the Master (Part 1)
The companions rested in the southern chamber of the elves’ complex where they found three beds and a table on which they could eat small amounts of the meagre rations of dried meat and trail bread that remained to them. They ate in silence as tiredness overtook them and slept in shifts, warily watching the doors to the chamber lest the Master, whatever it might be, should come looking for its fallen servants. As they made ready to leave, Thorn voiced the fear in the minds of all.
“Could this Master be another shard of Draxius?” he said as the companions crossed the ice corridor walking on bedding that they had stripped from the quarters of the winter elves.
“Perhaps but I think we face a creature of ice or snow,” Telkya said. “The elves of the north are said to sometimes serve dragons and other powerful overlords.”
“I have heard this as well,” Enlishia said. “Far to the north where the ice never melts, men, dwarves and elves are changed by the cold and the snow. Some serve any creature that can grant them protection against the enemies that surround them.”
“Then we face a dragon,” Erlmoor rumbled. “Good. I had hoped to face another of my evil kin soon.”
“We know not what we face,” Dulvarna answered. “But I agree it is likely not Draxius. The foulspawn likely guarded him which means we have to return that way once we have dealt with whatever lurks beyond this place.”
The others nodded and looked ahead into the northeast chamber where they had found the only passage onwards the night before. They drew forth their blades and wands and totems and amulets and then stepped cautiously into the hallway which was cold but free of ice on the floor. It led east a little way, still lit dimly as though from some radiance within the walls themselves and then it widened and turned north before turning back to the west. At its end stood a pair of dark, wooden doors limned with frost. As they neared the doors, the air around the companions seemed to grow colder and bite at their skin. Their breath emerged as little clouds of frost as they exhaled and when Dulvarna and Erlmoor reached out to the iron ring handles of the doors, they felt searing cold that seemed to almost burn them. Quickly, they pushed the doors opened and revealed a chamber that appeared to be a cave of ice, with two pools of freezing cold water and great columns of ice that rose to the ceiling. A great pile of treasure occupied a far corner and resting beside it was a white dragon.
“There, in that corner!” the Head of Vyrellis uttered in a piercing whisper. “That amethyst! You must get it for me.”
Lavren moved past the others and leapt down into the freezing cold water. It only came up to his knees but he felt the chilling cold penetrating to his bones and knew he could not stay in the pool for long. He waded to the far side, stepped out onto the shore and made his way to one of the ice pillars. The dragon’s lips seemed to curl and its eyes widened as it contemplated what the elf would do next. Only when the warlock raised his wand and loosed a blast of black energy did the dragon snarl as it realise it faced a threat. The blast from Lavren’s wand struck the left foreleg of the dragon and drew a roar of anger in response.
Thorn leapt into the pool next and shifted to his wolf form as he reached the shore of the second pool. He stalked around behind Lavren, seeking the best way to attack the dragon while behind him came Enlishia, an arrow nocked to her bow. She waded through the pool and stepped onto the far bank with her bow drawn back. She let fly the arrow and it plunged into the dragon’s left flank, drawing another roar of anger from the wyrm. Erlmoor and Dulvarna came through the pool next, moving left behind one of the pillars as they tried to move closer to the dragon and then Telkya came after them, following them behind the pillar to hide from the dragon’s terrible breath.
“You have chosen death then,” the dragon said in a loud voice. “So be it.”
The dragon beat its wings and took flight, sweeping forward over the centre pool. A wave of dragonfear came before the wyrm and left Thorn, Erlmoor and Dulvarna, reeling and stunned. Before they could recover, the dragon drew in a deep breath and then loosed a cloud of icy cold from its jaws that engulfed the companions. Telkya threw herself against the pillar and avoided the dragon’s terrible breath and Dulvarna recovered enough from her fear to throw herself to the ground. Lavren, Thorn and Erlmoor were seared with cold and frozen where they stood for a few, vital moments.
Lavren managed to raise his arm and loose a bolt of black energy into the dragon’s chest but the wyrm’s breath had weakened him and the creature barely faltered. Beside the warlock, Thorn stood petrified by the first dragon he had ever faught and so Enlishia came to his aid, loosing an arrow and then a second that drove into the side of the dragon’s neck, drawing another roar of anger from the creature. Erlmoor and Dulvarna similarly stood frozen with fear at the size of the dragon which surely measured forty feet from nose to tail. Next to them, Telkya circled around the pillar and raised her amulet to call down a column of divine light. The dragon banked to its left as it hovered over the pool and the prayer’s power descended next to it, leaving it unharmed. It roared again and swept to the left to land on the shore of the pool in front of Enlishia. She shrank back and the wyrm lashed out with its claws. One claw struck the ranger in the side and spun her toward the other but at the last, Enlishia ducked and the dragon’s other claw swept over her head.
Lavren shook off the effects of the dragon’s breath weapon and turned toward the creature, raising his wand as he did so. He loosed another bolt of black, eldritch power that seared into the dragon’s back leg. It roared again and turned toward the warlock and as it did, Thorn rushed at the dragon’s right flank. He leapt, his wolf claws and teeth seeking purchase on the wyrm’s side but the beast twisted around and the druid wolf slid to the floor of the cave without drawing blood from the dragon. Sensing a momentary reprieve, Enlishia scrambled backward along the shore of the first pool and then raised her bow, loosing one and then a second quickly. One glanced along the neck of the dragon, drawing blood, but the other flew over the creature and clattered into the roof of the cave.
Erlmoor roared his defiance as he finally drove away his fear and then charged at the dragon with his blade before him. As he reached the wyrm, he breathed acid from his mouth that seared the side of the creature’s neck and then he swung out with his blade, a prayer on his lips. The dragonborn’s sword drove into the side of the creature’s neck and drew a spray of blood that drenched Erlmoor and the icy floor of the cave. Dulvarna rushed forward and came at the dragon from the other side of Thorn, her blade lashing out into the back of the wyrm’s right foreleg. It staggered for a moment and then beat its wings as though it would take flight again. A searing ribbon of light leapt out from Telkya’s amulet then and struck the dragon’s back, drawing another roar of anger. Then it beat its wings more fiercely and tried to take flight. Dulvarna, Erlmoor and Thorn all leapt forward, slashing at the dragon with blade and claw but still it managed to take flight and swoop back over the wider, second pool, where it hovered.
The companions turned to watch the dragon retreat and as it reached the centre of the icy pool, Erlmoor saw the water swirl and reach out toward the wyrm’s body. In a heartbeat, ice crystals started to form near the dragon’s wounds and the paladin realised with horror that the freezing water was healing the dragon.
“Strike at it now!” he called to the others. “The water is healing it.”
The companions rested in the southern chamber of the elves’ complex where they found three beds and a table on which they could eat small amounts of the meagre rations of dried meat and trail bread that remained to them. They ate in silence as tiredness overtook them and slept in shifts, warily watching the doors to the chamber lest the Master, whatever it might be, should come looking for its fallen servants. As they made ready to leave, Thorn voiced the fear in the minds of all.
“Could this Master be another shard of Draxius?” he said as the companions crossed the ice corridor walking on bedding that they had stripped from the quarters of the winter elves.
“Perhaps but I think we face a creature of ice or snow,” Telkya said. “The elves of the north are said to sometimes serve dragons and other powerful overlords.”
“I have heard this as well,” Enlishia said. “Far to the north where the ice never melts, men, dwarves and elves are changed by the cold and the snow. Some serve any creature that can grant them protection against the enemies that surround them.”
“Then we face a dragon,” Erlmoor rumbled. “Good. I had hoped to face another of my evil kin soon.”
“We know not what we face,” Dulvarna answered. “But I agree it is likely not Draxius. The foulspawn likely guarded him which means we have to return that way once we have dealt with whatever lurks beyond this place.”
The others nodded and looked ahead into the northeast chamber where they had found the only passage onwards the night before. They drew forth their blades and wands and totems and amulets and then stepped cautiously into the hallway which was cold but free of ice on the floor. It led east a little way, still lit dimly as though from some radiance within the walls themselves and then it widened and turned north before turning back to the west. At its end stood a pair of dark, wooden doors limned with frost. As they neared the doors, the air around the companions seemed to grow colder and bite at their skin. Their breath emerged as little clouds of frost as they exhaled and when Dulvarna and Erlmoor reached out to the iron ring handles of the doors, they felt searing cold that seemed to almost burn them. Quickly, they pushed the doors opened and revealed a chamber that appeared to be a cave of ice, with two pools of freezing cold water and great columns of ice that rose to the ceiling. A great pile of treasure occupied a far corner and resting beside it was a white dragon.
“There, in that corner!” the Head of Vyrellis uttered in a piercing whisper. “That amethyst! You must get it for me.”
Lavren moved past the others and leapt down into the freezing cold water. It only came up to his knees but he felt the chilling cold penetrating to his bones and knew he could not stay in the pool for long. He waded to the far side, stepped out onto the shore and made his way to one of the ice pillars. The dragon’s lips seemed to curl and its eyes widened as it contemplated what the elf would do next. Only when the warlock raised his wand and loosed a blast of black energy did the dragon snarl as it realise it faced a threat. The blast from Lavren’s wand struck the left foreleg of the dragon and drew a roar of anger in response.
Thorn leapt into the pool next and shifted to his wolf form as he reached the shore of the second pool. He stalked around behind Lavren, seeking the best way to attack the dragon while behind him came Enlishia, an arrow nocked to her bow. She waded through the pool and stepped onto the far bank with her bow drawn back. She let fly the arrow and it plunged into the dragon’s left flank, drawing another roar of anger from the wyrm. Erlmoor and Dulvarna came through the pool next, moving left behind one of the pillars as they tried to move closer to the dragon and then Telkya came after them, following them behind the pillar to hide from the dragon’s terrible breath.
“You have chosen death then,” the dragon said in a loud voice. “So be it.”
The dragon beat its wings and took flight, sweeping forward over the centre pool. A wave of dragonfear came before the wyrm and left Thorn, Erlmoor and Dulvarna, reeling and stunned. Before they could recover, the dragon drew in a deep breath and then loosed a cloud of icy cold from its jaws that engulfed the companions. Telkya threw herself against the pillar and avoided the dragon’s terrible breath and Dulvarna recovered enough from her fear to throw herself to the ground. Lavren, Thorn and Erlmoor were seared with cold and frozen where they stood for a few, vital moments.
Lavren managed to raise his arm and loose a bolt of black energy into the dragon’s chest but the wyrm’s breath had weakened him and the creature barely faltered. Beside the warlock, Thorn stood petrified by the first dragon he had ever faught and so Enlishia came to his aid, loosing an arrow and then a second that drove into the side of the dragon’s neck, drawing another roar of anger from the creature. Erlmoor and Dulvarna similarly stood frozen with fear at the size of the dragon which surely measured forty feet from nose to tail. Next to them, Telkya circled around the pillar and raised her amulet to call down a column of divine light. The dragon banked to its left as it hovered over the pool and the prayer’s power descended next to it, leaving it unharmed. It roared again and swept to the left to land on the shore of the pool in front of Enlishia. She shrank back and the wyrm lashed out with its claws. One claw struck the ranger in the side and spun her toward the other but at the last, Enlishia ducked and the dragon’s other claw swept over her head.
Lavren shook off the effects of the dragon’s breath weapon and turned toward the creature, raising his wand as he did so. He loosed another bolt of black, eldritch power that seared into the dragon’s back leg. It roared again and turned toward the warlock and as it did, Thorn rushed at the dragon’s right flank. He leapt, his wolf claws and teeth seeking purchase on the wyrm’s side but the beast twisted around and the druid wolf slid to the floor of the cave without drawing blood from the dragon. Sensing a momentary reprieve, Enlishia scrambled backward along the shore of the first pool and then raised her bow, loosing one and then a second quickly. One glanced along the neck of the dragon, drawing blood, but the other flew over the creature and clattered into the roof of the cave.
Erlmoor roared his defiance as he finally drove away his fear and then charged at the dragon with his blade before him. As he reached the wyrm, he breathed acid from his mouth that seared the side of the creature’s neck and then he swung out with his blade, a prayer on his lips. The dragonborn’s sword drove into the side of the creature’s neck and drew a spray of blood that drenched Erlmoor and the icy floor of the cave. Dulvarna rushed forward and came at the dragon from the other side of Thorn, her blade lashing out into the back of the wyrm’s right foreleg. It staggered for a moment and then beat its wings as though it would take flight again. A searing ribbon of light leapt out from Telkya’s amulet then and struck the dragon’s back, drawing another roar of anger. Then it beat its wings more fiercely and tried to take flight. Dulvarna, Erlmoor and Thorn all leapt forward, slashing at the dragon with blade and claw but still it managed to take flight and swoop back over the wider, second pool, where it hovered.
The companions turned to watch the dragon retreat and as it reached the centre of the icy pool, Erlmoor saw the water swirl and reach out toward the wyrm’s body. In a heartbeat, ice crystals started to form near the dragon’s wounds and the paladin realised with horror that the freezing water was healing the dragon.
“Strike at it now!” he called to the others. “The water is healing it.”