Eyes of the Dragon

Chapter 15

Tian faltered for a moment. Unsure how to handle the raw brutality of the man before him, but then he hardened himself. He would not let this tyrant take the world, his brothers at the temple, or Kayla waiting for him back in Darmane. Even if it took his very last breath, Tian vowed to stop Kharzon.

Leaping into the air, he came down at the Warlord once again. His blade sang as it streaked through the air, his chi flowing through the sword as if it were an extension of his arm, directly towards Kharzon. Expertly the warlord tried to spin his blade in a defensive parry, but the attack was too fast, too powerful. Tian brought his blade down in a powerful cut that screamed as it hit the armored chest of the man before him.

Expertly crafted armor, powerful enchantments, these things could not fully stop Tian's mighty blow. Cutting a deep rent through Kharzon's armor, Tian made a long gash across his chest. What would have been fatal, however, was diminished by the defenses. Stumbling from the force of the strike, Kharzon struggled to catch his balance.

Tian landed with the grace of a dragon, and extended his blade into a fighting stance, "You are not invincible!"

Chase watched the fight from the side, breathless with relief. Kharzon's next strike would have likely taken his life. The display of skill between the two opponents was dazzling. Although Tian had struck a decisive blow, Kharzon was still in the fight and as the two traded blows a terrible realization dawned on Chase. Despite his skill and speed, Kharzon's blade was carving notch after notch into Tian's scimitar. How could his companion defeat a man with a blade that could cut through anything?

Then Chase realized another important detail that had escaped his notice. With Kharzon occupied and the bodyguards down, he could take the Eyes of the Dragon. For the growing number of times Tian had saved his life, Chase felt he owed the young monk that much at least. Carefully this time, lest he arouse the attention of Kharzon, the minstrel crept onto the dais.

He also tried to stay out of sight of the undead creatures performing the ritual, but he need not have bothered. They were completely engrossed in their ritual and paid no mind to battle or bard. Torch and broken sword at the ready, Chase edged further along the dais until he neared the Eyes of the Dragon.

They were massive emeralds, larger than he had known even existed. The gems were flawless and glowed with a green light. For a moment he was caught by the awe-inspiring beauty of the relics. Tian had told him about the legends of his temple, and at the time he had dismissed it as religious claptrap, but Chase had to reconsider. They were obviously magical.

Reaching down he touched one, it felt warm to the touch but did not react unfavorably. With a great deal of relief he tried to pull it free of the altar stone. It did not budge.

"What," he exclaimed, "oh, come on! That's just not fair!"

Chase looked around in exasperation, just in time to see the wounded, but still living, bodyguard coming at him with a sword. Leaping out of the way, the minstrel regarded the soldier warily. Obviously one of his legs was wounded, as evidenced by his limping, and the entire right side of his face was one massive bruise.

"You look terrible, my friend," Chase said, keeping his distance, "why don't you limp on out of here and live on?"

"I will fight to the death for my master Kharzon," the guard said angrily.

"Wow. You sure?"

His answer was an attack. The man was an expert fighter, and Chase was unsure if he could have beaten him normally, but between disorientation and limping his ability was much diminished. That being said, he still had trouble keeping the determined man at bay with a broken sword and torch.