Merlin 3: 49 Great Burning Nullifier
The consuming thought of sinister plot while leaping as Nick grasps the club of the dragon’s tail, the contrariness that his immortality can afford leaves the steep and jagged mountainside both mentally and physically. For he focuses on the differences in the beast’s skin, he grasps at the spines of the tail to climb forward in the wind and the dark weather, as winged lizard sways to shake him he holds tightly onto an angering dragon now privy to unwanted passenger. The dragon looks at Nick, a shuttering anger and patch of explosive flame, Nick buries his head frantically, the fire passes the fuel burns his clothes and soaks his skin acidic.
No more spine tail spikes can be grabbed, excruciating pain as the lesser spikes stab into his side holding him in place, he reaches for one of the scales to pull forward and rips it from the flesh instead, emotional instability and drama as the dragon screams and cringes in flight a deepened animal rage. Raising its wings to touch above itself and slamming them downward to gust forward at a new speed, both beast and burden feeling difficulty accepting these constraints. Immediately the dragon tumbles rolling forward head-over-heels in the air once, to see where he clings, with speed so great it blinds him in darkness as he clings for little control.
Nick reaches into and beneath sharp scale to climb, the dragon folding wings back dives, the scales slide shut between the beast’s shoulders and sever his fingers that palm, a pain and blood and scream. The dragon spirals half and one times, throwing Nick into the air as the blood from his hand draws a spattering line toward the beast. Opening its wings to glide backwards to ground, it crunches its legs upward and draws its haunches inward, with open claws toward and catches him, one talon rips his soft skin and other grasps him once torn from the tail-spines. A swift spiral to face the ground that Nick now watches swift approach, without release the dragon views the landscape. Now biting him across the body, he screams, it roars deafening dominion thru clenched teeth and ravaged sinew. It releases bite and talons tearing wide all wounds and launches his body faster to the ground, opening its wings widest to slow descent and watch Nick pummel onto the earth. The wingspan a curtain of darkness from the beast to block the sun lines of storm sky clouds as demurely the beast smiles.
The wings open widest with a sound of clouds, in the silence he falls, from the sky thru the air over ground, then a resounding impact. Lightning strikes his body and he is mortal anew, no sullen slumber to dissipate and no time post-collision to focus. The dragon lands with open wings and gust of air and tries to impale him with its talons again. The confusion of battle and struggle of vision aside, thru the winged darkness he dodges sharp claws and lunges toward its jaws of razored teeth to stab it blind, a jab taken it curtains and turns better eye over arm and wing, each other’s blood aground, it bites at him running a-circle, turning against to bat him with clubbed tail, impaling him again with the spikes to quickly whip him into the trees, thereunto impaled by branches. A silent moment, lightning strikes him and he is again alive, new skin and battered clothes he runs madness at the dragon again.
The dragon feeling insulted at the sight of him, takes to the air and follows the road, landing in the distance and begins crawling thru the trees. Nick runs at full speed before his breath can fill his lungs, rampant breathes fast enough to fill with exhausted air, hoping to damage the armor architecture of the antagonist creature. The thought that Ana is close puts hurry and pure emotion in her heart, his speed holds before anything else, rescuer and desire and fear the dragon has taken to her scent, the future of his character balances between battle and war, he sees Ana and Merlin almost in deep water, instinctive fear far worse than death, emotive chaos of quintessence.
Nick: Enough!
A shrill screech their only warning given, he jumps on it and hammers his dagger into its neck as many times as able until thrown. Troy and phoenix see them as small dots on the distant ground, two squawks and approaches they.
Merlin: Run hide, fire will not win this battle!
Nick: Then what will?
Merlin: Power! It’s slow between trees, help her!
Ana: Nicky!
The dragon is cautious watching them shout, as Nick runs it closely quickly follows, Merlin raises his sleeves and lifts his hands. His skin fills with tattoos begun a glow, soon bright enough to blind his sacred markings radiant stronger thusly making his eyes contrast with darkness and his grimace even darker before the dragon can focus, Merlin rolls white fire between his fingertips.
Merlin: Can you see me, so far from your home?
The dragon puffs, seen is hint of smoke, and promise of teeth behind primal hate.
Merlin: A debt from the sky, a cursed bastard?
The dragon snarls, the sway of tail becomes steady and slows as would pendulum, it lowers its shoulders and readies its wings prevaricate to striking. Merlin sends arc lightning at the dragon’s wing, it snaps its teeth forward at him so Merlin sends arch-fire to the ground as barrier. It tries to pass around him and he moves before it, guiding with magic and taming with fear.
From the sky the phoenix lands, the dragon in rapid frenzy roars fire at it and Troy, but as the flames stop the phoenix stands tall with open wings of pride and intimidation, Troy shakes the flames like water as the flaming feathers lower. Merlin reaches forward with white and jagged breech-fire that covers and grasps the dragon, the turns its head exposing its chest. It turns forward to run from Merlin and attacks the phoenix, Troy leaps from one to the other as they collide and cuts its neck, the acidic blood burns the ground.
Merlin: Carve out its heart! While I grasp him!
The phoenix opens its wings and flames intimidation, Merlin’s magic stops the dragon like a heavy net, Troy approaches with hatchet. A hack at the chest cuts to breastplate, a stab met with bone does not pierce, a hammering slice at the collar and by hand reaches into gullet and tears out the heart. It quakes trembling, wretched shaking, convulsive throes, the magic cast recedes and falls into the earth a white fiery water, the quivering death of the dragon and the bloody sight of holding a large heart by its roots and its final pulsations.
Merlin: A rock dragon, forest dragons are thin, shorter even.
The phoenix barks, balks at the dead body.
Troy: Here, eat up.
He tosses the heart to the ground, where the dragon’s blood rolls it begins to wear-away the alabaster from his hands, but neglecting it lets a larger uproar. He notices the blood washing and tries to hide his hand, there is uncertainty if to Merlin notices.
Troy: The eyes, is that it?
Phoenix barks again then howls. Merlin intervenes and slices the eyelid and the eye and carves the center, the color of the eye a collection hard as gems, then the other eye.
Merlin: As for the eyes, the jewels that give color should be removed to save its stomach, and for us, selling just one shard at proper venue can feed us for a year. The howl berates its foe and tells the wild, listen to the woods.
As he walks, the sounds of raven wings fill the air, and farther the distant wolves and even bears. Troy and phoenix follow, as Merlin walks to the stream, tosses the gem eyelets to the ground, kneels and puts his entire face into the water and drinks submerged. Long enough for Troy to laugh, the phoenix drinks water and turns yellow of gold. Nick in tatters walks with Ana, his arm around her shoulders.
Ana: Is it ended?
Merlin rises washing face, then washing the jewels of the eyes. Troy inspects his hand, secretively spitting to wash the dragon blood the moisture burns, when he blows to cool his skin the stain turns to ash.
Merlin: For a short time, yes.
Ana: How did you get here? Did you ride that thing?
Nick: I did, it was easy as riding a horse, and I’m here now, are you hurt?
Ana: Oh you’re a mad devil. (kisses Nick) So, what now?
Merlin: In short, we eat a dragon…
Phoenix squawks and casually walks to dead dragon without them happy to not wait.
Merlin: …at length we buy a room and deliver a child.
The phoenix looks at the scales, Troy looks at his hand, Merlin shows them the gem shards.