บท 497: Ray Gusta, in my feather!

"HIIAAAAAAAARRRGGHHHH!!!" Surtr wails as he charges the dragon, the furious beast glaring at him as it attempted to reconcile with the loss of its limb.

"HI FEN TALLRA FAH DAAR, SIVAAS! TIID, FEIM!" The dragon shouts, the first causing its movement to look peculiar, janky yet quick and smooth. The next word caused its body to momentarily go see through, the dragon jumping forward and through Surtr's erratic charge.

Surtr swings at the dragon but falls through it, his manic momentum causing him to stumble to the floor, just as the dragon turns around with its body returning to normal.

At a very fast pace, the dragon lungs forward to bite Surtr, the only thing holding it back being the loss of its arm.

*Chak!*

Surtr throws a random slash behind him as he hastily gets up, his weapon slamming against the dragon's jaw with little effect, aside from causing it to barely miss him, knocking him through the air instead.

"ZU'U FEN LUV FIN SLEN NOL HIN QETH! AG FOLOOK ZII!" the dragon shouts, blasting Surtr with a shout that causes his eyes and mouth to glow a bright gold colour as he screams in agony.

The dragon looks away with the intent of finding the ant who'd injured it, only to turn back around when Surtr stops screaming. "Drey hi dir full vosaraan?"(Did you die so quickly?)

It quickly spots the Nord glaring back at it however, standing his grown with a determined expression. "T-that all you got, beast!?"

...

"Dovahkiin." it utters in both fear and disbelief. Only a dragon could survive having its soul attacked so brutally, along with recovering so quickly.

"Yeah? Well, it takes one to know one, you foul creature!" Surtr retorts, not having any idea what the dragon had said, only that it was probably an insult of some sort.

In the dragon's shock, it doesn't realise that it had many mortals creeping up behind it... Not until an axe drops on the tip of its tail, cutting it off and causing the beast to roar in pain and rage.

"QUICKLY! KILL IT NOW! CHARGE!" Irileth commands, prompting almost everyone else to charge the rear of the dragon... A few were unwilling to go forward of course, but for the most part, Saeko and Surtr's acts of heroism had caused most of their blood to boil.

All of the Companions and town guard charge, some even using the enchanted arrows as makeshift knives when their personal weapons prove ineffective. Of course, the dragon immediately begins thrashing around, stomping on people, eating them, tearing them apart. But the Companions put themselves forward, attracting its attention and using confusing tactics against it, same as they usually used to fight giants.

Fourteen guards had already been crushed to death, a couple more got their limbs bit off, and some other unlucky folk had been burned to death.

Jackles' right arm was heavily blistered and scorched under her leather armour, not to mention Surtr who'd broken a couple ribs from the dragon's earlier attack.

"DAMN IT, KEEP ITS HEAD DOWN!" Farkas growls as he barely recovers from having its body face smack into his shield.

"WE'RE TRYING! JUST KILL IT ALREADY, STAB IT IN THE ASS FOR ALL I CARE!" Njada angrily shouts, barely avoiding having her arm bitten off by the enraged beast.

"TAKE THIS!" Skjor roars as he stabs in the general direction of where the dragon's anus should be... Of course, since dragons are immortal, don't need food, and don't excrete waste, there wasn't anything to stab.

*ROOOAAAAAARRR!*

The dragon suddenly rears back, attempting to sit on whoever had just stabbed it under the tail. Skjor points it blade upwards as he falls backwards, allowing the dragon to impale itself on it. He barely avoids being crushed due to the weapons crossguard, which stops it from lowering any further.

"SKJOR!"

"I'M FINE! FINISH IT!"

"HAAARGH! I'M BACK YOU BASTARD!" Surtr suddenly jumps atop the dragon, ignoring the sharp pains in his chest from his broken rib. He quickly scrambles up its neck and tries to stab it in the eyes, only for it to flail its head in response, making hitting his target almost impossible.

*CLack!*

*Chop!*

*Scckkt!*

"DAMN YOU! STAY. STILL!" he shouts as he continually fails his attack.

"Allow me!" Raiden announces as he approaches the exposed throat of the dragon, his saber in hand as he prepares his attack. "Break, Nimat!" he states, sending a single strong yet controlled slice at the dragon's throat.

*Clink!*

*Clink, Clink, Clink!*

After the first initial strike, the sound of three more occurs, pieces of scales being scratched away until it finally draws blood.

*ROOOAAAAR!!!*

The dragon feels this and immediately slams its head onto the floor, making its neck inaccessible while inadvertently leaving its head still enough for Surtr.

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW! HIAARGH!"

*SCHLICK!*

His sword pierces its eye, but he isn't finished yet, putting his entire body weight on it until it breaches into its brain, abruptly cutting its struggle short.

*Thud!*

...

The area goes silent as the dragon goes still, everyone looking at it in shock and disbelief... They'd slain a dragon, a legendary beast of myth... Right there, lying at their feet.

Finally, Irileth's voice forces them all from their momentary lapse in thought... "ALL OF YOU, GO SEE TO THE INJURED! THE FIGHT'S NOT DONE UNTIL THE SICK AND WOUNDED ARE TAKEN CARE OF! BRING ANY WHO NEED IT TO THE TEMPLE OF KYNARETH!" she shouts, prompting everyone to get to work.

*Shhhhh...*

Just as everyone starts moving, so does the dragon, causing everyone to get ready for battle again... Only to see its scales, flesh and bone start dissolving, bursting into light and streaming into a baffled-looking Surtr.

"What the-"

*SHHHHHHHHHhhhuuuuUuuuuuu!!!!*

Surtr's mind blanks out as information floods it, words without meaning, meaning without words, hundreds-no, thousands of years of memories, defeats, victories, failure... Domination.