The Iron Dragon

Chapter 41. A big request

I could see the creature starting to move more frantically than if it hadn't anticipated that someone could penetrate its barrier. At that very moment I felt the shield break under my hand and nothing in it could stop me from hitting this creature right in the face. Although it seemed strange when my hand hit the bones of the terror, when I saw its head pressed by my hand in a position that definitely did not look healthy, I was satisfied. He did not withstand my attack and was hurled several meters away from us, where he hit the wall of the property with a loud crash, which unfortunately also took some damage. I knew that this would not stop him for long but it had upset him to the point where Freya could heat him up with her spells.

My satisfaction did not last long, though, because I could see the creature pick itself up again fairly quickly. I could clearly feel that he had not been as satisfied with my action as I had been. I saw the glow that surrounded him and immediately had the feeling that he intended to return the favor for what I had done, which didn't make me too happy, but I had expected something big. At the same moment some lightning bolts from his hand shot directly at me but they did not reach me at all because they were blocked by a glowing shield around me. I didn't need to look to know that Freya had created this barrier to protect me but I did it to nod at her so she knew I was grateful.

I saw both the bull and Cassandra approaching from the sides, while Varric was causing confusion at a safe distance with a kind of smoke bomb. I looked at Freya and she looked at me and as if we were communicating our thoughts we both nodded. Freya attacked with her magic and I attacked with my flames and as a terror was prone to the burning heat of fire. It is not surprising that he was quick to avoid the attacks. It didn't surprise me that through mine and Freya's attacks and the smoke Varric caused, the terror didn't really notice the other two slowly approaching, he only did so when it was already too late for him. Both the bull and Cassandra pounced on him and dragged him to the ground with their entire body weight, which looked pretty impressive if you were allowed to watch the whole thing up close. As much as the terror defended itself with almost deafening sounds, it did not manage to loosen itself on the firm grips of the two warriors. I looked at the inquisitor and nodded to her, because one of us had to put an end to this creature, and I didn't have the feeling that it was supposed to be my flames. She understood immediately and reacted instantly by using a small quick spark that scurried off her hand to cut off the creature's head with a clean cut.

For a moment we were all silent before we all breathed out audibly. It was not that we were worried that we would not be able to pass this fight, but that we were all just a little tired of all the things we had experienced in this property. It had been tedious to destroy all these undead and it had been uncomfortable that we had felt watched all the time. But now the whole thing felt as if it had disappeared. I looked up into the sky and had the feeling that the sun was shining on the estate and its garden for the first time in a long while. The air was fresher and seemed clearer, so I couldn't stop myself from taking a deep breath. As I continued to watch the sky, I could see some birds flying from the nearby treetops to the mansion and lingering there, which was a clear sign for me that there was no longer a threat to them. I felt that the earth was no longer corrupted, and touched the green grass below me, which felt like it was supposed to. I looked at the terror on the ground and could see how it slowly began to dissolve. When it was almost gone, the last remnants of its empty shell flew away in a gust of wind, before it disappeared completely. When this happened, you could again feel a wave of energy moving across the property and then moving on, but this time it was calming and gentle. The closed corridors opened again and sunlight flooded all gardens, rooms and corridors of the entire building.

"It's over, isn't it? I can no longer feel anything unnatural on site". I looked at Freya and nodded, although it was hard for me to turn away from the chirping of the birds. The other two who had brought the terror to the ground had got up in the meantime and joined us, they too seemed more relaxed, although I noticed that the bull felt especially good about the fact that all that stuff with the demons was finally over, which I could well understand.