Fatima's Diary

reflections for the lost

23. Kostarus

By this point, we had discovered that the Dragon's area consisted of three rooms: a small 30'x30' room apparently for feeding that contained a trap that fired a volley of poisoned darts, a 20'x40' room on the other side of the main Dragon room, where from handlers could arm themselves and partially protect themselves from lightning to go forth invisible and hound the Dragon for tests or some other unknown use, and the primary Dragon room, covered in sand, where the Blue Dragon paced back and fro waiting for... something.

Ashrim devised a clever plan where the Chimera was to be used as bait to lure it into the smaller room, to be opened by me, and where the rest of the party would wait for the fireballs to rain down, then attack en masse invisibly from all sides.

My instructor always said a plan of battle only lasted up until the first dance was stepped. This was twice true this day. I opened the chamber from the command room, but the Dragon sensed somehow that the trap was armed, and flinging a huge pawful of sand up into the air, deflected all the darts. It scornfully turned about back into the room, and breathed a forked bolt of lighting towards the handler's door, where it apparently already knew invisible attackers would emerge. At the same time, Asherm and Labrinnon both became visible as their fireballs consumed the angered Dragon to apparently little effect. The lightning did not seriously harm any of my companions, but the battle was fought against the Dragon as our very lives hung in the balance.

Malakon lunged forward to True Strike the Dragon immediately. Sanantha, Whit, and Bramblebeard charged forward and tried with little effect to harm the beast. With fireballs flowering and blooming overheard, and magical missiles streaking home from a little forward of me, I danced consumed within calmness, knowing that it was either this, or an end to the dream we all live. Cruel and bloody morning star in hand, wielded in both hands while flying about trying desperately to avoid Kostarus's flashing tail and sharp, sword length claws. I was once batted down from the air with a great wing buffet, but I provided enough of a distraction so that two other of my teammates could achieve a flanking attack, striking home deeper then otherwise able with the Dragon on full defense. Our blood stained the sands.