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The Doomed Bastards: Reckoning (story complete)
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3506348" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 161</p><p></p><p>THE BLESSED FLAME</p><p></p><p></p><p>Metal crunched as the shadow dragon bit down hard on Talen’s helmet. The two combatants came apart as the helm’s straps gave way and Talen fell back. Blood sprouted from deep gashes along the sides of his head, where the dragon’s teeth had crushed the metal against his skull. Talen fell to one knee, dazed. </p><p></p><p>The dragon spat out the helmet, and surged forward to finish the job. Talen knew that he had to react, but <em>Beatus Incendia</em> felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, and his perceptions were tainted by a hazy fog. The dragon looked like it was charging down a long tunnel in his vision, with everything around it fuzzy and insubstantial. Blood fell in fat droplets from its body, which now bore well over a dozen wounds, ranging from arrows that barely stuck in its hide to deep cuts in its shoulder and torso where its foes had managed to hurt it badly. </p><p></p><p>He felt an odd tingle, then a tiny but distinct stab of pain as something pricked his neck. That momentary discomfort was followed by a spreading warmth that cut through the fog hanging over his senses, returning clarity with an abrupt suddenness. </p><p></p><p>Just in time to see the dragon’s head diving for him once more. </p><p></p><p>Talen screamed and drove himself to his feet, bringing up his holy sword in a blinding arc of fire and light. The dragon tried to shift its attack, but the knight’s sudden recovery had caught it off guard. The blade bit deep into the bottom of the dragon’s head, a full foot of the blessed steel sliding through the tight flesh under its jaw up into its skull. </p><p></p><p>The dragon reared back, taking the sword with it. Wisps of darkness erupted from its jaws, scattered tendrils of negative energy that dissipated within a few feet. As the dragon’s head darted wildly back and forth, however, light began to shine from the creature’s jaws, followed by wisps of holy fire. The shadow dragon let out a terrible hissing, which faded as its struggles gradually ceased, and it collapsed to the ground in a heap. </p><p></p><p>Talen stood there stunned, looking at the dragon’s corpse. </p><p></p><p>And then the female dragon reared up behind it. </p><p></p><p>The slain dragon’s mate was also grievously wounded. It had finally shaken off the effects of the <em>power word</em>, but it moved sluggishly, with black blood oozing from the sides of its jaws. It looked down at its fallen companion with an unbridled fury shining in its eyes, but there was something else there as well, an underlying fear. </p><p></p><p>A <em>lightning bolt</em>, fired by Drakha from where the outsider hovered still high above the cavern, lanced down into the dragon. The arc of energy evaporated as it impacted the dragon’s spell resistance, but it still shied back. </p><p></p><p>Its foes had suffered heavy losses, but there were still foes able to strike at it. Shay had fallen back, working her shortbow despite the incredible pain from her broken rib that accompanied each draw. Arrows continued to come from the far side of the tunnel, where Kalend had remained in cover for the duration of the battle. Thus far he’d only managed one lucky hit, but the rogue’s shafts could not be ignored. Allera had stabilized Baraka, although the ranger was still unconscious, and she was already running toward Dar. Talen had drawn his backup sword, the magical steel forming a bubble of light around him that seemed pale compared to the holy brightness of <em>Beatus Incendia</em>.</p><p></p><p>The dragon spread its wings and lifted itself into the air, sending up a plume of dust and grit that obscured the vision of its nearest enemies on the ground. More arrows came at it, but as the dragon lifted higher into the air it summoned a renewed layer of <em>mirror images</em> around it, confounding their shots. Drakha drifted closer to it, but the dragon was clearly no longer interested in anything but flight; with powerful beats of its wings it darted with great speed down the tunnel, back toward the steam cavern. The outsider launched a final <em>lightning bolt</em> after it, accompanied by a few last arrows, but none of them could see whether those parting attacks had any effect. </p><p></p><p>As the flapping of the dragon’s wings faded, quiet returned to the tunnel, broken only by the groans of those who had survived the brief but violent clash.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 3506348, member: 143"] Chapter 161 THE BLESSED FLAME Metal crunched as the shadow dragon bit down hard on Talen’s helmet. The two combatants came apart as the helm’s straps gave way and Talen fell back. Blood sprouted from deep gashes along the sides of his head, where the dragon’s teeth had crushed the metal against his skull. Talen fell to one knee, dazed. The dragon spat out the helmet, and surged forward to finish the job. Talen knew that he had to react, but [i]Beatus Incendia[/i] felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, and his perceptions were tainted by a hazy fog. The dragon looked like it was charging down a long tunnel in his vision, with everything around it fuzzy and insubstantial. Blood fell in fat droplets from its body, which now bore well over a dozen wounds, ranging from arrows that barely stuck in its hide to deep cuts in its shoulder and torso where its foes had managed to hurt it badly. He felt an odd tingle, then a tiny but distinct stab of pain as something pricked his neck. That momentary discomfort was followed by a spreading warmth that cut through the fog hanging over his senses, returning clarity with an abrupt suddenness. Just in time to see the dragon’s head diving for him once more. Talen screamed and drove himself to his feet, bringing up his holy sword in a blinding arc of fire and light. The dragon tried to shift its attack, but the knight’s sudden recovery had caught it off guard. The blade bit deep into the bottom of the dragon’s head, a full foot of the blessed steel sliding through the tight flesh under its jaw up into its skull. The dragon reared back, taking the sword with it. Wisps of darkness erupted from its jaws, scattered tendrils of negative energy that dissipated within a few feet. As the dragon’s head darted wildly back and forth, however, light began to shine from the creature’s jaws, followed by wisps of holy fire. The shadow dragon let out a terrible hissing, which faded as its struggles gradually ceased, and it collapsed to the ground in a heap. Talen stood there stunned, looking at the dragon’s corpse. And then the female dragon reared up behind it. The slain dragon’s mate was also grievously wounded. It had finally shaken off the effects of the [i]power word[/i], but it moved sluggishly, with black blood oozing from the sides of its jaws. It looked down at its fallen companion with an unbridled fury shining in its eyes, but there was something else there as well, an underlying fear. A [i]lightning bolt[/i], fired by Drakha from where the outsider hovered still high above the cavern, lanced down into the dragon. The arc of energy evaporated as it impacted the dragon’s spell resistance, but it still shied back. Its foes had suffered heavy losses, but there were still foes able to strike at it. Shay had fallen back, working her shortbow despite the incredible pain from her broken rib that accompanied each draw. Arrows continued to come from the far side of the tunnel, where Kalend had remained in cover for the duration of the battle. Thus far he’d only managed one lucky hit, but the rogue’s shafts could not be ignored. Allera had stabilized Baraka, although the ranger was still unconscious, and she was already running toward Dar. Talen had drawn his backup sword, the magical steel forming a bubble of light around him that seemed pale compared to the holy brightness of [I]Beatus Incendia[/i]. The dragon spread its wings and lifted itself into the air, sending up a plume of dust and grit that obscured the vision of its nearest enemies on the ground. More arrows came at it, but as the dragon lifted higher into the air it summoned a renewed layer of [i]mirror images[/i] around it, confounding their shots. Drakha drifted closer to it, but the dragon was clearly no longer interested in anything but flight; with powerful beats of its wings it darted with great speed down the tunnel, back toward the steam cavern. The outsider launched a final [i]lightning bolt[/i] after it, accompanied by a few last arrows, but none of them could see whether those parting attacks had any effect. As the flapping of the dragon’s wings faded, quiet returned to the tunnel, broken only by the groans of those who had survived the brief but violent clash. [/QUOTE]
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