Jan slipped back into the corridor. “The dragon is there all right, bigger than life and twice as ugly.”
Jarran nodded. “And it ignored you?”
“Sure did. I did a jig under its nose and it never knew I was there. This wardstone does the trick.”
Anomen said eagerly, “Excellent! We will have the element of surprise on our side.”
Mazzy frowned. “Surely you do not wish to attack the beast? A dragon is not to be taken lightly.”
Anomen started to say something, then checked himself, shooting a glance at Jarran. In polite tones he said, “I can assure you that I do not regard the creature as an easy opponent. But we have fought a dragon before. This armor I wear was made from the scales of a great red that we slew in the Windspear Hills. Surely this beast would be no more difficult.”
Jaheira said thoughtfully, “Anomen may have the right of it, Jarran. If we slay the Shade Lord but leave the dragon unharmed, it may begin to prey on the surrounding area. The inhabitants of Imnesvale would still be in danger.”
Jarran said, “What do the rest of you think?”
“More dragon treasure!”
“Thank you, Jan, I think that lets me know where you stand. Mazzy? Valygar?”
The halfling said slowly, “If it is the will of the group, then I will gladly lend my sword to the battle.”
“And I don't like leaving an enemy behind me. Do you have a plan?” the ranger asked.
Jarran considered the problem for a few minutes. “I think we should handle things a little differently. When we fought Firkraag, one person took the brunt of the injuries because he was always in close combat with the dragon. Since we have the luxury of the wardstone, we should surround the dragon and then take turns distracting it. We'll keep it on the run, and maybe that way nobody gets too badly hurt.”
They went into the dragon's chamber, whispering from force of habit. Jaheira summoned a fire elemental while the others' spells brought a number of humanoids. While they were casting protective spells, Jarran noticed that Mazzy was chanting as well.
The bard looked puzzled. “I thought you were a warrior.”
She smiled. “And I am, but Arvoreen has given me a few small gifts. She has granted me the ability to grow stronger, at least for a while.”
The group circled the oblivious dragon and Jarran and Jan began their spells to make the creature more vulnerable. When the spells were complete, they began their attack.
The dragon reared up with a roar. “How dare you petty fleshlings disturb the Shadow Dragon? I shall tear your bodies apart and feast on your innards while you whimper and cry for mercy.”
The plan seemed to be working well. The fire elemental had caught the dragon's attention, and Jarran wondered if it was because of the light the creature was giving off. As the dragon chased the elemental, they pelted it with missiles and spells. Jarran was singing his bardsong loudly as he fired off arrows with partial success. But then the battle changed.
The dragon suddenly stopped and began to mutter words. It ignored the attempts to distract it, and Jarran was disturbed to see the elemental wander off in a daze. But his plan was still working as the warriors took turns gaining the monster's attention. He was pleased that the beast had not managed to use its fierce breath or its massive wings. The only casualties so far had been the summoned humanoids, who had fallen quickly, and the dragon was bleeding from a number of wounds.
He heard an unexpected cry and realized that the fire elemental was chasing Jan. Dammit. That means no spells from him. Not good.
It seemed that that particular moment was when his strategy fell apart. As Jaheira ran to help Jan, the dragon bellowed and swung itself around, catching Valygar with its great wing and knocking him over. The ranger lay breathless and stunned. As the beast snapped at the fallen man, Anomen charged forward and struck a hard blow at the joint where the creature's wing joined its body. The dragon howled and whipped its neck around far faster than Jarran would have thought possible.
The bard was horrified to see the dragon's jaws closing on Anomen's torso. It lifted the priest far into the air as Anomen howled with pain and rage. His weapon arm was trapped inside the creature's mouth, so that all he could do was try to pound on its nose with his shield. The dragon shook its head sharply, and Jarran was reminded in a strange way of a dog worrying a bone. Anomen shrieked louder as the creature crushed his chest in its mouth.
Jarran was about to break off his bardsong so that he could begin a spell when he saw Mazzy dart forward. “For Arvoreen!” she cried as she drove her sword into the creature's foot. As the dragon yanked its foot back, she called out, “Face me, you foul monster!” She waved her sword at it, daring it to attack.
The dragon slung its head to the side, sending Anomen flying through the air. Jarran winced when he heard a sound like dozens of pots hitting the ground. The creature roared, “I will not be taunted by one such as you! You shall feel Thaxll'ssillyia's wrath!”
But to the dragon's surprise the halfling ran straight at it… and under it. It snaked its head down to try to locate the running woman, leaving it distracted. Valygar, having regained his breath, struck a deep gash in the back of its neck, and as the dragon whipped its head back up it was struck with a bolt of glowing light. Jarran looked quickly around to see where the attack had come from, and saw that Anomen had managed to raise himself onto his knees, and had a wand in his shield hand.
The bard once again debated breaking off his song, but he was afraid that without it his group would suffer. The battle was wearing on all of them, and he decided that they needed the aid his song gave them.
He saw that Jaheira had beaten off the confused elemental, and the creature wandered off to contemplate the wall. The druid ran to join Valygar just as Jarran saw Mazzy pop out from under the dragon's belly. The halfling's sword was bloody, showing that she had put her position to good use.
Now that he was free of the elemental, Jan began casting spells once more. Magic missiles streaked towards the shadow dragon, pelting into it in a steady barrage. The magical attack turned the tide of the battle, and finally the dragon fell.
Jarran had been right in thinking that the group needed his aid. As soon as he stopped singing his bardsong, everyone seemed to sag with exhaustion. He saw Anomen slowly topple over with a metallic crash.
He ran to the priest, who was obviously the most injured of them all. He knelt down beside the bleeding man, and winced at the damage done by the dragon. Anomen's armor was punctured inward from the beast's crushing bite, and barbs of metal had been pushed deep into his flesh. His right arm was slashed and torn, and hung uselessly at his side.
Jaheira knelt down beside them. “Jarran, we must remove this armor,” she said urgently. “I cannot heal his flesh around it, and he is hurt too badly to wait for the armor to repair itself.”
Jarran looked at Anomen. The priest was watching him glassily. “I'm sorry, my friend, but she's right. Valygar, would you help me?”
The two men unfastened the straps of the armor, and together pulled the breastplate off of Anomen's chest. The knight gave a strangled cry, trying his best not to scream as the twisted metal tore free. He managed to gasp out, “The back. You'll... have to take off... the back.”
Gingerly they rolled him over and found that he was correct. The back of his armor was in the same condition as the front. Valygar and Jarran removed it as well. This time Anomen could not stop a scream of pain. Jaheira quickly started her spell of healing while they removed the smaller damaged pieces of armor.
She healed his wounds enough that he could cast his own spells, but after the long battles against the undead and shadow creatures of the forgotten temple, they had few left among them. Seeing that his companions were battered and exhausted, Jarran declared that it was time to rest.
Anomen wrapped his cloak around the shredded remains of his tunic. His armor's enchantment had nearly repaired it, but he was too weak to put the armor back on. As the group readied themselves for sleep, he crawled over to Mazzy.
She looked at him with a surprised expression. “You should rest. You are still badly injured.”
He sat with his back against the chamber wall. “You saved my life.”
“I was not alone. We all defeated the creature.”
“No. The dragon would have killed me, but you risked yourself to distract it. Why?”
“Why? Because you are a comrade in arms. I could do no less than my best to help you.”
“But I... was so cruel to you. So... unkind,” he said sleepily. As his eyes refused to stay open, he whispered, “Thank you. Didn't deserve...” His chin sank down onto his chest, so soundly asleep that he remained upright.
Mazzy's eyebrows rose as she studied the sleeping knight. “So, young one, you can learn. Perhaps there is hope for you yet.” Her expression softened, and she gently pulled him down onto a blanket, and covered him with a second one. “Perhaps there is hope.”
