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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4719908" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 20 - Proving Ground (Part 6)Litiraan, Lavren and Erlmoor all covered their faces but Dulvarna was not fast enough. As she breathed in, burning, searing poison tore at her chest and she staggered, her blade faltering in her hands before her. The dragon leapt forward then and swooped over Dulvarna and Erlmoor, snapping at the warrior woman as it passed overhead. Dulvarna ducked down and raised her blade, recovering her strength and her senses just in time to evade the dragon’s attack. The green wyrm dipped through the gap in the portcullis and flew down the central corridor before dipping right into the pit chamber. Telkya and Enlishia watched it pass and then darted forward across the corridor in pursuit of the dragon.Telkya stopped short of the pit and watched as the dragon turned easily at the far end of the chamber. Enlishia came into the room behind her and loosed an arrow towards the dragon that tore through its left wing. She reached over her shoulder and drew another shaft from her quiver, nocked it to her bowstring and let fly again. The dragon screeched and dipped as this arrow streaked towards it and the shaft flew over its body to clatter into the far northern archway.Another skeleton reached out for Erlmoor but he leapt back and turned away, rushing after the dragon. He crossed the central corridor quickly and then turned right into the pit chamber, passing Enlishia and Telkya as he rushed towards the dragon. Litiraan came into the chamber behind the dragonborn and loosed a silver bolt from his wand, held in his left hand. It struck the dragon in the shoulder and drew another pained screeched from the wyrm. Lavren came into the chamber next and loosed black, crackling energy towards the dragon. The wyrm swooped downwards and ducked under the bolt before beating its wings to dive at the companions.Dulvarna made to follow the others but as she did, a skeleton lunged at her and seized her with two hands around the thigh. She cried out as claws dug into her flesh and turned back towards the undead creature. Twisting to her left, she pulled her leg free but tore her flesh painfully as she did so. She rushed toward the entrance to the pit chamber with her blade before her but the pain in her legs slowed her and she knew she would not reach the room before the dragon turned. Raising her blade, she prepared for the moment when the dragon would emerge and prayed that her companions could hurt it sorely in her absence.Inside the central chamber, Telkya rushed forward, turning right to circle the pit. As the dragon dove forward, she raised her holy symbol and unleashed a bolt of light towards the wyrm. It struck the creature in the side and forced it to lurch to its right as it swept down towards the companions. The dragon was almost upon Enlishia when she loosed an arrow from her bow and it flew wildly past the dragon. She nocked and loosed another quickly but this clattered off the dragon’s scales as it veered to the left and landed beside Erlmoor. The dragon lashed out with its claws but the dragon born ducked left and then right to evade both huge weapons and then roared his defiance. He lashed out with his sword but the dragon reared back and evaded the blow. Dragon and dragonborn roared together then in challenge before rushing at each other once more.As the dragon surged towards Erlmoor, Litiraan loosed another silver bolt form his wand that seared into the wyrm’s left flank, burning into its chest. It screeched and reared back before turning towards the elf that had so wounded it. Lavren raised his own wand and loosed another blast of black, crackling energy into the dragon’s chest, drawing a roar of defiance from the wyrm.In the corridor outside, Dulvarna heard the roar and started forward again but as she did, the terrible black sphere rolled around the corner behind her. She looked back and froze for the precious moment she needed to dive to one side. The sphere struck her and hurled her into the wall. Dulvarna felt her head slam into the stone and then saw blinding light, followed by peaceful, merciful, blackness.Telkya loosed another bolt of light at the dragon but it flew wide and struck the wall behind the wyrm. Enlishia let fly another arrow towards the dragon that drove into the creature’s chest. It screeched  again and she released another shaft only for this to fly high and clatter into the ceiling above the wyrm. The dragon drew in its breath and then roared more loudly than it had ever done before, sending a shiver of fear through the companions. Enlishia, Erlmoor and Lavren fell back against the walls of the chamber, stunned by the power of the dragon. Litiraan raised his wand with a shaking hand and uttered the words of a spell to again unleash a silver bolt towards the dragon. The arcane fire seared into the dragon’s throat and as it did, a great booming came from the south east where the iron bound doors stood. The dragon screeched again and began to beat its wings, clearly intending to take flight once more.Telkya stepped towards the dragon and raised her amulet to unleash another bolt of light but again her divine fire flew past the wyrm and struck the stonework of the western wall. Enlishia raised her bow them and loosed an arrow into the dragon’s neck. It reared and screeched as it beat its wings and she loosed a second shaft into its throat behind its jaws. Again the dragon screeched and now it did take flight, swooping towards the southern archway to leave the room. Litiraan raised his blade in his right hand and as the dragon swept over him, he drove the sword forward into the wyrm’s throat. The creature’s momentum carried it onward and dragged Litiraan’s sword along its neck. Blood gushed out, covering Litiraan and Enlishia and the dragon opened its mouth to screech but no sound came forth. Instead, the dragon careened across the central hallway and crashed into the southern wall where it collapsed in an ungainly heap. The wyrm twitched once and then lay still.Next......The Inner Sanctum</blockquote>

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