126. This Was No Man


    “To arms!” Adam shouted, quickly donning his shield. Unfortunately for them they were on the open road, with not much around them for shelter.


    “Ah!” the dragon hissed in their tongue. “I can smell quite the delicious scent among you all! What precious gifts you have brought to me.” The Dragon soared above them, circling around the party as they prepared themselves.


    ‘It just had to be a Dragon,’ Adam thought, clutching Lightsear tight.


    He was pretty confident he’d be okay, what with his abilities, and Jonn and Jurot would be fine too, but the other three?


    “Oh fine beautiful Dragon, I beseech you!” Adam shouted in the Dragon tongue. “Ie to offer you peace this day!”


    Adam really didn’t want to fight the Dragon. It soared well above them, and would be able to rain down lightning over them if it so pleased, and while he and Dunes may have had some ability to deal with it at ranged, he didn’t trust that they would be able to deal with it.


    “What deal do you wish to offer me?” The Dragon continued to circle around them, its eyes focused down on the group.


    “If you are willing to let us go, I would pay the fair fee of this weapon,” Adam offered, raising his sword, Lightsear.


    The Dragon’s eyes snapped towards Lightsear, which held such a powerful scent considering its bonus was so low. “Indeed, it is such a magnificent sword, but…”


    ‘Shit,’ Adam thought, gripping his de tighter.


    “If I kill you, won’t it belong to me?” The Blue Dragon roared, noting the end of the negotiations.


    “Get ready!” Adam shouted.


    His eyes darted to Jurot, Kitool, and Jaygak, each of whom held something he didn’t expect, but he really should have.


    The Iyrmen’s faces were wrought with a wild grin, and they had clutched at their des so eagerly, ready to fight the Dragon.


    ‘Oh, right,’ Adam thought. ‘Fucking Iyrmen.’


    <em>Battle Order</em>


    <em>D20 + 1 = 21 (19)</em>


    The Dragon flew down towards them, and aimed its talons and mighty maw to strike Adam.


    Unfortunately for it, Adam was more than prepared to face it.


    <em>Warrior Spirit: 3 -> 2</em>


    <em>Attack (nking)</em>


    <em>D20 + 8 = 16 (8)</em>


    <em>D20 + 8 = 18 (10)</em>


    <em>Hit!</em>


    <em>Mana: 10 -> 8</em>


    <em>1D6 + 2D6 + 3D6 + 5 + 3 = 25 (2)(4,6)(1,2,2)</em>


    <em>25 damage!</em>


    “Since you don’t wish for peace, it’ll have to be your death!” Adam shouted, swinging his de wildly towards the Blue Dragon, which crashed down against his shield. Lightsear pierced through the Blue Dragon’s gut, shing white hot as he cut through the magnificent creature.


    <em>Onward Soar: 1 -> 0</em>


    <em>Attack (nking)</em>


    <em>D20 + 8 = 12 (4)</em>


    <em>D20 + 8 = 24 (16)</em>


    <em>Hit!</em>


    <em>Mana: 8 -> 6</em>


    <em>1D6 + 2D6 + 3D6 + 5 + 3 = 34 (2)(4,5)(3,6,6)</em>


    <em>34 damage!</em>


    “How fortunate I am,” Adam shouted, inhaling deeply as the Blue Dragon screamed in pain, already taking so much damage from the Half Elf, a snack which it had been so excited to consume. “I needed the heart of a Dragon!”


    Lightsear cut through the Blue Dragon once more, covering Adam in the Dragon’s blood. His heart pounded wildly, wondering if he’d be able to deal with this Dragon. It wasn’t quite as ferocious as Vandra, but it was still a Dragon.


    But, he was not alone.


    Jurot shook with rage, but it was excitement which spurred him into action.


    ‘A Dragon!’ Jurot thought, having not thought he would have been able to y one for some time, not until long after he had be an Expert. ‘A Dragon!’


    The two words were constantly echoing through the minds of the Iyrmen, who were drunk on the potential of glory.


    Jurot’s entire body flexed as he swung wildly, his magical battleaxe tearing into the side of the creature, managing to cut deep into it, blood spraying all across his entire body.


    “Hahaha!” Jurotughed like a hyena, tasting the liquid crimson of the Dragon which he had cut through. His face was contorted into a huge grin as he eagerly stepped towards it, making sure it couldn’t leave his range yet.


    “You Iyrmen are so eager to die,” Dunes said, raising his hand. His skin was already dark, but Dunes chanted the words to a prayer, and his entire hand turned as ck as the night, and he stepped cautiously towards the Dragon, a little too cautiously, unable to find purchase.


    <em>Omen: 8, 16 -> 8</em>


    Adam, unwilling to allow Dunes to miss, plucked a Threads of Fate.


    Miles away, there was a man who stood before arge Orc. The man, with his painted shield, and his trusted axe in hand, charged the Orc, who was eager to fight. It wasn’t just a fight, but a duel, a duel which would give that man freedom from the Orcs, not just for him, but for the Orcish woman he had fallen for.


    The Orc’s de cut into the man’s gut, and though, for a moment, the man’s grip loosened on his axe, he gripped it tighter, and he cleaved through the Orc’s neck, causing his head to drop behind, and his body in front.


    Thest thing he had seen was the utter joy and blood lust within the man’s eyes, as he had finally won his freedom.


    No, that wasn’t thest thing the Orc had seen.


    Dunes found that his body moved by itself, as he stepped forward towards the Dragon and grabbed at its tail, his magical energy dissipating into the creature. The dark magic rocked through the Dragon, which screeched in pain, its cries echoing through the ins around them. Its magnificent scales soon turned pale and ashy, dropping down towards the Priest who had filled it with Death Magic.


    Jonn swung his greatsword, managing a ncing blow against the Dragon’s scales. However, it was his Aura which assisted the entire body in bringing the creature down, so even if his blows were merely superficial, by his presence the rest of hispanions were even more powerful than they should be.


    “I ask for your protection,” Jonn chanted, his armour glowing slightly for a moment as he covered himself in magic to protect himself.


    “Impossible!” the Dragon roared, causing Kitool and Jaygak to tumble back away from it. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!”


    It brought down a mighty talon towards Jurot, crashing into the Iyrman’s body. Jurot’s flesh gave way to w, blood covering the pair of them. The Dragon, which was taller than any of them, but not quite asrge as Vandra, then snapped its maws against Jurot’s shoulder.


    “Kill! I’ll kill you!” it said, ring at Jurot. However, rather than seeing the awe and fear in the man’s eyes, it instead saw something else.


    It saw the utter joy and blood lust within the man’s eyes, and it was only then that the Dragons saw it.


    A blue circle, followed by blue diamonds.


    This was no man.


    It was an Iyrman.


    “No!” the Dragon shouted. “No!”


    Seekerstaff shoved through the side of the dragon, where it crushed a few of its bones, and Kitool spent one of the charges of the staff to mark it, so that she knew where it would be.


    Jaygak, full of excitement, and a small tinge of fear, shed across with Bloodseeker, but was unable to harm the Dragon. Not wishing to let it go, she inhaled deeply, flexing her body and forcing it to move again, before shing at the creature again, only for her de to slip out of her grasp from the excitement of it all.


    <em>Warrior Spirit: 2 -> 1</em>


    <em>Attack (nking)</em>


    <em>D20 + 8 = 15 (7)</em>


    <em>D20 + 8 = 17 (9)</em>


    <em>Miss!</em>


    “Damn it!” Adam shouted, Lightsear striking off the side of its neck. He needed to be careful, as there was something far more important than killing the Dragon.


    <em>Mana: 6 -> 4</em>


    <em>Spell: Healing Word</em>


    <em>2D3 + 3 = 5 (1, 1)</em>


    “Jurot! Are you alright?” Adam shouted, his voice full of magic as it surged through Jurot’s body, causing some of his flesh to close.


    “Okay!” Jurot shouted with glee, his eyes pure white, his face pure red. He would not go down, not until hended another blow. Jurot gripped his axe tightly in hand, and as the Dragon tried to pull away to make to leave, it exposed its neck for the Iyrman.


    His de tore through the creatures neck, which caused it to shriek once more, threatening to burst their ear drums. Blood sprayed across the entire area as Jurot managed to wound it deeply.


    “Lady Arya, please,” Dunes chanted, calling for assistance, “give me strength to deal with my foes! Strike them down!”


    A sword appeared above the dragon, made of Divine Magic, as it flew down to pierce through its back, pinning it down for a moment, giving Dunes a chance. Dunes leapt forward with his Jagite longsword, piercing through the Dragon’s shoulder, but it still wasn’t enough.


    The Dragon’s wings beat wildly as it forced them away from it, before leaping into the air.


    Unfortunately for it, there was someone who had been eager to strike too, and as it leapt into the air, a greatsword pierced across its exposed stomach, causing it to shudder, spill its guts and blood over the party, and it fell,nding beside them all.


    “No, it was you who was meant to…”


    It’s voice fell silent, forever.


    Adam nced to the rest of the party, seeing just how heavily injured Jurot was, who was on hisst legs. He had managed to take the full assault of the Dragon, and still stand. His face was still full of a wild grin, his face red, but soon his skill turned back to normal, and his wild grin turned into pure tion instead.


    “Yes!” Jurot dered, raising his axe into the air.


    Kitool raised her staff into the air too.


    Jaygak did not. She instead squatted down to grab Bloodseeker, tenderly rubbing a finger along the edge of it. “I’m still not worthy of you, Bloodseeker.” The sword throbbed for blood.


    Adam panted, his heart pounding wildly, even more wildly now that it had died. He inhaled deeply to calm himself, before ncing around them all.


    “We don’t have to carry it, do we?” Adam asked, shing a smile.


    Jurot’s eyes shed to Adam’s. “We have killed it,” he said.


    “Yeah,” Adam said, “I know.”


    <em>Victory!</em>


    <em>Blue Dragon</em>


    <em>XP Gained: +800</em>


    <em>XP: 4370 -> 5170</em>


    Jurot grabbed onto Adam’s forearm. “I knew it! I knew that we would be able to create a story worthy to be passed down!”


    “Didn’t you trust me?” Adam asked, mocking offence, before lightly punching Jurot across his shoulder. “You’re covered in blood.”


    “Yes,” Jurot said, proudly. “I am.”


    Even Kitool couldn’t help but get swept up in the moment, her heart fluttering. She stared down at Seekerstaff, which had managed to wound a Blue Dragon. ‘Finally.’


    “We should butcher it,” Jonn said. “It would be worth a pretty penny.”


    “We need the heart,” Adam said, ncing at Jurot. “Can you focus on that?”


    “Kitool will leader the butchering,” he said. “I will assist.”


    Adam nodded, trusting the Iyrmen in their ability to butcher the Dragon. They had practise with Vandra, so he assumed they would do well this time.


    “It’sir may be nearby,” Kitool said.


    “Nearby?” Jaygak nced around. “I doubt it.”


    “Hill or forest?” Jurot asked the pair.


    “Forest,” the Iyrmen replied together.


    “It’s closer around this part,” Jaygak said.


    “Barely,” Kitool said.


    “Will you be able to find it?” Adam asked.


    “With some effort,” Kitool replied. “Finding a Dragon’sir is difficult.”


    “Very worth it, though…”


    The Iyrmen nodded.


    They began to part the Dragon as Adam and the rest took watch, keeping an eye out on the road, as well as the skies around them.


    “What do you need the heart for?” Jonn eventually asked.


    “A friend of mine needs it to save my wife,” Adam said, shing a cheeky smile to Jonn. “It’s the reason why I’m not gay.”


    Jonn wasn’t sure what he should say to respond, so he decided against saying anything.


    ‘I feel like I’m forgetting something,’ Adam thought, his eyes still scanning along the horizon.


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    Having so many people gang up on one creature does make it easy.