It was all folly, thought Elijah, climbing to his feet. How did we ever expect to cheat our way through this challenge? There was no escape from the winged terror. But yet, to fail now would rob all meaning from Neceran's sacrifice. To give up would be an insult. He would fight, not matter how hopeless it seemed. Suddenly, a floating candle holder launched an all-out assault on the dragon's lowered head. So you understand human valor after all. Eli grinned, seizing his chance.
The invisible man's brief distraction bought Eli precious moments to complete his arcane machinations. Even in his wearied state, the sorcerer still possessed considerable reserves of power; he would need every last drop to survive this final trial. With focused resolve and chanted words, the sorcerer took hold of the threads of reality and tied them to his will. With a series of simple, yet potent charms, he pulled the currents of magic into his body, changing and expanding his physical capacities well beyond normal limits.
Titan's Strength, Wind's Stride, Stone's Skin... All simple, utilitarian spells learned from books, but only one with the unbreakable will and immense raw power of Elijah Belov could tie them together in such potent ways. His muscles tightened as supernatural strength surged through them and his movements became dazzlingly swift. Finally, an unnatural sheen enveloped his skin as it became as strong as steel. When at last the inevitable happened and Barnabas met his end as an icy statue, Elijah Belov had transformed himself into a superhuman warrior. He threw off his coat and cloak, revealing his blazing scars. This time, he was ready.
The dragon bellowed over the frozen Barnabas and immediately returned its attention to Elijah. It came crashing through the ruined pillars, spewing a jet of icy wind from its jaws. The sorcerer lifted his arm, and with it rose a wall of flame from the ground, blocking the deadly breath with a steaming hiss. More fire erupted from Belov's palms, lighting up the cavern like the dawn and smashing like sledges against the dragon's scaly hide. It snarled angrily and writhed under the fiery onslaught's might, crashing into another pillar, shaking the entire cavern and sending more debris raining down atop the beast.
Before Eli could even dare hope, the creature lunged forward with feline grace, darting up the stairs toward the sorcerer in an instant. Before Elijah could react, the beast was upon him, lashing out with vicious claws. The blow struck him squarely in the chest with a metallic shriek. His hardened skin withstood the attack, but its force sent him sailing across the cavern like a child's toy. A rush of pain blurred his mind. Distant memories returned as he flew through the air. As it often did in such moments, time slowed to a near halt.
In his mind, he was in Salvar once more. He stood in knee-deep snow as a boy, facing the only man he ever considered a teacher. They both held wooden swords. Biting cold barely dulled the pain from dozens of bruises. “Why are we still doing this?” Elijah had asked, wearily lowering his weapon. “I'm not learning any new skills. All I'm learning is how to get beat up and freeze to death!” His teacher's sword cracked across the young Belov's jaw, sending the boy toppling into the snow. “Never lower your guard!” the older man, a veteran of the Orc Wars, then scolded. “If you wanted to learn how to duel like a fancy noble, you shouldn't have been born an innkeeper's son.” As if he chose his own birth, Eli had thought. “In battle, it won't matter how many techniques you know or how strong you are. Unless your will is unshakeable, your enemies will wear you down. Exhaustion and despair will overwhelm you until you forget everything you know, forget who you are and what you are capable of. If you cannot endure, you will always fail. Now, my student, I told you to raise. Your. Guard.”
Belov's eyes shot open as he plummeted to the floor. Words of power tumbled from his lips and a gust of wind surged up from beneath him. It swirled around his body, wrapping him like a cloak and easing his fall and setting gently upon the ground. He looked back and found a wall – another close call. I don't forget what I'm capable of. The dragon wasted no time, jumping down from the platform and crashing onto the ground. It charged for him again. They locked eyes once again, and for once Elijah did not feel like prey. Eli grabbed a hunk of debris as big as he was, straining even his supernaturally enhanced might. As the beast lunged in fro the kill, Belov smashed the rock across its face with all his strength. The force of the blow staggered even the massive ice dragon. Scales cracked and teeth shattered.
He spoke more arcane phrases, not releasing the chunk of debris. His magic surged through the stone; the same spell that had helped turn a patch of desert into a crater hours before now transformed plain granite into a massive of burning brimstone. As the dragon recovered, Elijah smashed his makeshift meteor across its face again. This time, it exploded in a shower of white-hot embers, which clung to the dragon's head and neck. The beast howled like a wraith, flailing wildly with its claws and spiked tail. Elijah dodged and weaved, his superhuman speed saving him from his foe's wild attacks. Belov dove to the side as the dragon crashed blindly into the wall.
Belov climbed to his feet and focused the last of his strength. The dragon's roars were ear-splitting, but Eli added a cry of his own. Raw power erupted from his fingertips in a blast of heat and shattered earth. The dragon howled and crawled forward while spewing its icy breath, but the sorcerer did not relent. Searing wind and steam scalded his face, but he endured. He drew upon his deep wells of power and pushed harder than he ever had before. The ground cracked beneath his feet and wind screeched angrily within the cavern. His fiery assault became an inferno, an endless explosion that tore into the dragon's nigh-impervious body. He felt his strength failing, but still the dragon roared. Would he fall short yet again?
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