A Dragon's Tale Ch. 51

"Is there any way we can talk about this?" Ethan asked. He was pretty sure that the answer was 'no', but there was no harm in trying.

The demon-possessed man got a wicked smile on his face as he slowly shook his head, a wicked and anticipatory smile growing on his face.

Ethan was struck by the difference between this man and Sarah. While the innkeeper's daughter had clearly lost all control of herself when her demon came out, he didn't get that impression with this man. Quite the opposite in fact. The man seemed perfectly at ease and comfortable even while the demon was clearly exerting its influence. Unlike Sarah, the man didn't seem at all bothered by that. It almost looked like man and demon were...

...cooperating?

Then he moved.

In hindsight, Ethan should've been expecting an attack like the one he made, but there was no helping that now. The man used one of his hands to splash water at Ethan's eyes. He raised one hand to block the deluge, but his sight was still obstructed momentarily. Thankfully, the water slowed the man down enough that Ethan was able to get his point back on line before the possessed man could get close enough to be dangerous.

Ethan thrust out, hoping to impale the man and finish this fight quickly.

It didn't work.

The thrust landed on the man's chest, but he leaned back to soften the strike and it only penetrated an inch, possibly less. It wasn't because the man was out of range either; apparently his skin was just that tough. Ethan was wielding a dragon steel sword made by a master dwarven craftsman and it barely penetrated. He leaned forward and put all his weight and strength into the tip and it sunk a little deeper, but not much.

The demon-possessed man smirked.

Then he clapped his hands onto either side of the flat of Ethan's blade, pressing them together to grip the war sword's blade. The tip had entered the man's body slightly so the tip couldn't move, and the man's supernaturally-enhanced strength made it nearly impossible to move laterally as well. Ethan tried to jerk it back, but found it nearly impossible because of the man's demonically-enhanced strength.

"Fuck." Ethan breathed, knowing that if he let go of the blade his opponent would use it against him. He braced his foot against the pond's slimy bottom, dug his rear claw in, and then gave an almighty jerk while also twisting the blade. The demon-possessed man let go without warning, throwing Ethan off balance as he fell backwards. His enhanced reflexes gave him a moment to think as his attacker started forward, though he was slowed by the water.

His wings!

Ethan spread his wings out and flapped them to his rear, hoping to regain some semblance of balance. His wings hit the water and he caught his footing, but the demon-possessed man was already almost on top of him. Hoping to score one last victory before this devolved into a wrestling match in three feet of water, Ethan cut low with his sword. His plan had been mostly to distract since he didn't expect the blade to bite.

He was pleasantly surprised.

He felt his blade bite, though not deeply. That didn't make any sense since a thrust was always better at penetrating because the blade's force was concentrated at the tip, while with a cut the force was spread out along the cutting edge. However, his cut had certainly gone as deep as his thrust. That shouldn't be possible unless...

Armor.

The man must be wearing armor -- probably enchanted leather -- under his shirt. His skin wasn't as impenetrable as Ethan had thought; he was merely armored!

Then they collided.

Ethan was knocked backwards into the water as the man nearly dived on top of him. Thankfully, Ethan had the presence of mind and enhanced reflexes necessary to take a breath before the water encompassed them both. His second, transparent eyelids were closed so he could see underwater nearly as well as on land. Not that it helped.

The demon-possessed man was trying to get a bear-hold on him, probably to crush him. Ethan hadn't had much training in hand-to-hand combat, but being a dragon he had an advantage that no man did. He struck out with his claws, dropping his war sword and clawing at anything he could reach. While most of his claws didn't bite deeply, the one claw that he had enchanted to be incredibly sharp did bite into the man's skin a little.

That was important.

When Ethan had fought Sarah, even that ultra-sharp claw had just barely scratched the wonderful innkeeper's daughter. However, that same claw was now biting somewhat into the possessed man's skin in this fight.

Maybe this man was possessed by a weaker demon?

Ethan wasn't sure how else to explain it, and yet the possessed man still hit like a freight train. The man was striking out underwater and pummeling Ethan almost everywhere. Fortunately, Ethan was wearing full armor and this possessed man couldn't cave in his armor like Sarah had. That might be partially because the water was slowing him down though. It still felt like he was being pummeled by a heavyweight boxing champion though.

Ethan frantically struck out with his hand claws, and then remembered that -- being underwater -- he could use his foot claws too. He brought them to bear as well, hoping they would help.

For several long seconds, the two combatants stayed locked mostly under the water. Ethan clawed at anything he could reach and the demon-possessed man alternately pummeled him or else tried to grab Ethan's frantically slashing limbs. Finally, one of Ethan's foot claws hooked on something soft enough to catch and he used that leverage to push himself away as fast and as hard as he could.

The man grabbed Ethan's foot, but he kicked out with the other one.

It connected.

The man let go as Ethan struggled to right himself in the shallow water, summoning his war sword as he did so. It took a moment, but he managed to stand up straight and took stock.

The demon-possessed man wasalmost completely uninjured. He had minor scratch marks all over his body and his clothes were shredded, but the scratches were superficial at best. Only a few of them were anything like deep and Ethan assumed those were made by his enchanted claw.

But the possessed man wasn't bleeding.

Not at all.

In fact, Ethan couldn't see any blood leaking from the man's body at all. He could see wounds and he could see blood, but the blood didn't appear to be leaking. In fact, it appeared to be staying put despite no obvious method of holding it in place.

The effect was unsettling.

"If it bleeds, we can kill it." Ethan quoted aloud, wondering what to do against something that didn't bleed. That was about the time that he noticed that the wounds were slowly closing as well.

Damn.

He needed something that he could use to take this guy out. Something that could punch through that thick skin, and maybe even the armor on the man's chest. That's when he remembered that he had such a weapon already. He sheathed his sword and grabbed his dagger. The tiny little point and high weight meant that it should be able to punch through. It would also be much more useful in close quarters than his very large war sword.

He slowly shook his head as he realized that Gabriella had been the one who gave his weapon designs to Graflex to make them. Apparently she -- or her lord Illuminar -- had been planning ahead.

The demon-possessed man came at him again, and this time Ethan took a step back and thrust out with the dagger. The possessed man batted his forearm out of the way and then nearly tackled him. Ethan went down into the water again, and this time things went slightly better.

Well, less bad.

He managed to connect a few times and the blade did indeed puncture the possessed man.

It didn't slow him down though.

Despite connecting three or four times, the man kept punching and grabbing at Ethan without slowing down. It was becoming incredibly apparent that this guy was a freakin' tank, or maybe more like a zombie. And with that thought in his head, he made to stab the man's head. He even hit it once.

Not that it mattered.

The angle was awkward and while his dagger's point had dug into the man's skull, it didn't go deep enough to penetrate it, again probably because of the angle. Apparently, being demon-possessed increased the resilience of bone as well as skin. The angle made the dagger's point dig between the skull and skin for a short way before Ethan jerked it out.

Time for plan B.

He was going to--

Umph!

Ethan bent double as the man managed to strike him between the armor plates right under the sternum using his fingertips in a knife-hand strike instead of punching. He immediately felt his mouth open and spewed what little he'd eaten from dinner right into the man's face. He recoiled on instinct, kicking out as hard as he could with his feet and pushing with his hands.

This time it didn't work.

The possessed man kept a hold of him and even managed to get almost on top of him under the water. Ethan reached down with his legs and grabbed one of the possessed man's legs with both of his own, trying to pull it up so he could strike the man's Achilles tendon. It was almost impossible while also trying vainly to defend his head and torso from the flurry of punches that were being rained down on him. Many of the attacks made it through his blocks and the impacts were beginning to take their toll on him. He could feel his torso turning into one solid mass of bruises. His body felt like it was being used as a punching bag because it almost was.

He pulled up with all his dragon-enhanced strength, trying to bring the possessed man's leg high enough that he could attack his Achilles' tendon with the dagger that he'd someone managed not to drop.

He couldn't do it.

He wasn't strong enough.

He put every ounce of strength into the effort and still fell short.

He could feel his vision starting to fade with the pummeling he was taking. He was doing his best to protect his head and he would've died a hundred times without his armor, but it wasn't enough. Too many of the possessed man's blows were getting through.

Plus he was underwater.

He needed air.

Soon.

The possessed man didn't seem to suffer from the same limitation. Ethan could feel his lungs screaming for air but he couldn't get free. With as beaten and exhausted as he was, he figured he had exactly one chance to get free. His body couldn't take much more.

Then he had a brainwave.

He had prehensile feet!

He dropped his dagger from his hand and summoned it to one of his feet, grabbing it as it landed. Using his left clawed foot to hold onto the man's ankle, he started furiously jabbing right below that to hit the possessed man's Achilles tendon. It was awkward but he kept going, repeatedly jabbing as hard and as fast as he possibly--

The man jerked his leg.

Ethan let out a strangled roar underwater as his latest strike missed the man and sunk rightthrough his own foot, hitting a gap between the armor plates. It felt like his foot had been dipped in molten lava. Fortunately, he had already jerked the tiny blade out by the time he'd realized what he'd done and he wasn't left with a dagger sticking out of his foot.

He jerked his leg up and through fate, coincidence, or divine providence, he felt his knee hit the possessed man's groin with dragon-fueled desperation and enchantment-enhanced strength. Apparently, that affected even demon-possessed men because the assault paused for barely a moment.

But that was enough.

Ethan managed to hook one of his leg claws onto the possessed man's clothes and pushed off as hard as possible.

It worked.

Barely, but it did.

He got some space. He used his hands, feet, wings, and even his tail to get as much space as fast as possible. Thankfully, having three extra appendages -- two wings and a tail -- meant that he could propel himself through the shallow water much faster than normal.

He made it to the end of the pond and realized that there was no way his foot could support his weight. It throbbed, and every time he used it to kick against the water to propel himself forward it felt like he was stabbing it all over again. Instead, he stretched his wings out and gave them a good flick to get the water off, sheathed his dagger, and then used three of his four limbs to propel himself into the air as high as he possibly could.

It mostly worked.

His wings hit the ground on his first and second down strokes, but he managed to stay aloft and started flapping for all he was worth.

It hurt like hell.

His wings were unhurt, but his pulverized chest muscles screamed every time he used them as he flapped as hard as he possibly could. He started healing his wing muscles and his foot, not wanting to use too much mana since he couldn't regenerate it until he returned to his wives.

His wives...

His desire to return to them and the knowledge of what it would do to them if he died spurred him on, giving him the willpower to fly through the pain... but it still felt like someone had stuck a branding iron to his chest.

He looked back to see the demon-possessed man struggling to stand and come after him. He was limping and moving slower than a normal man could. Thanks to his dragon eyes, he could see that his rapid-fire attacks on the man's Achilles tendon seemed to have worked. While the man would doubtless heal it soon, Ethan only needed a few minutes to get far enough away that the man wouldn't be able to follow him because he'd lose sight.

Thank God for Kendra's tactical prowess.

He changed direction slightly so he was facing west and flapped for all he was worth. The pain slowly lessened as the magical healing worked its literal magic on his wing muscles, knitting the bruised fibers back together so they didn't make him want to roar in agony every time he flapped.

He kept up this breakneck pace for several minutes until the adrenaline started to wear off and his body remembered just how tired it was. In short order, every single one of his muscles started complaining about being used again without rest. Only his wing muscles were exempt since he hadn't been using them while walking all day, but they still ached from being pummeled and because he'd pushed them harder in the past few minutes than he ever had before.

He looked back again to see that the pond had faded from view, and also that the grenade satchel was still at his side. Thankfully, the man had seemed mostly interested in punching or he might've lost it. That was when he realized that he hadn't told his wives that he was okay yet. He shook his head; he must bereally tired if he'd forgotten that.

* * *

Alana was kneeling by the bed with the rest of her fellow wives, all with their hands folded and lips whispering prayers for their husband's safety. They had been like that almost non-stop since Ethan had engaged the demon-possessed man. The wood elf felt a foreboding sense of dread about this particular foe; what were they up against?

This was something that the rest of them had absolutely no experience fighting, a foe that was beyond any of them. Alana doubted very much that her arrows, Rachel's magic, or even Kendra's swordsmanship skills would matter against an enemy like this.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally heard her husband's voice in the group chat. *I'm safe ladies. Kendra's plan worked.*

Alana felt the tension drain out of her body like someone pouring water out of a bucket. She sank to the floor and put her hand over her heart as Beth and Taloni jumped and shouted for joy. Rachel had been right next to the wood elf and had sunk down right with her. They looked at each other, words unable to express how relieved they were about the present and how apprehensive they were about the future.

"Kendra, you did it!" Taloni gushed before throwing herself at the raven-haired woman and giving her the biggest hug Alana had ever seen her give. Beth joined her moments later, then both Alana and Rachel did as well after looking at each other.

*Um, ladies?* Ethan thought to everyone. *Are you there? I can feel how relieved you are but...*

*Yes sir!* Alana replied. *We were all just so relieved that we might've gotten distracted celebrating.*

*Okay.* He replied, and she could almost hear laughter in his mental tone.

*Drago, what's the situation now?* Kendra asked.

*I'm flying away and I managed to hit his Achilles tendon. Hopefully, it'll take him a while to heal it.*

*It should take him several minutes Master.*

*Thank Illuminar for that.* Kendra added. *However, that's not much of a lead if you don't keep going. How are you feeling?*

*Better, but not great.* He replied. *I'm a flying pile of bruises and I'm exhausted. I feel like I just went ten rounds with the Incredible Hulk.*

All of his wives looked at each other with confused looks; apparently they didn't know either.

*He means someone super strong.* Selene supplied helpfully.

*Thanks Selene.* Ethan thought to everyone. *I'm beat; I'm starting to have trouble keeping my eyes open now that the adrenaline is wearing off.*

*I hate to say this, but you should keep flying for several hours at least.* Kendra thought to everyone after a moment. *That's the only way to ensure that you get away safely.

*I was afraid you'd say that. I'll need someone to help keep me awake if I'm going to fly that long.*

Now that Alana wasn't frantic with worry or delirious with relief, she could hear the exhaustion in his mental tone.

*We could stay up in shifts talking to you.* Kendra suggested. *Would that help?*

*That would be great, but I would hate to put that on you girls. I'd rather--*

*I call dubs on first!* Rachel thought to everyone.

*Dibs on second!* Alana chimed in, hoping that perhaps she could still get her kiss goodnight tonight. She didn't want to do it in front of the others, but if the rest of them were asleep then maybe, just maybe, her best friend would be comfortable enough to kiss goodnight tonight.

*I'll take third shift.* Kendra volunteered, beating the blondes out. *I'm used to being awake late at night.*

*Master, if you're so tired you might want to turn south now.* Tee suggested. *Then you'll be heading towards Dotmier instead of away from it.*

*Good idea.* Kendra agreed. *Changing direction quickly means there's less chance he'll be able to find you. The further your quarry diverges from his last known direction, the harder it is to find him.*

*Turning south.* Ethan replied, then said sleepily a moment later. *That's towards the moon right?*

*Yes Master.* Tee chuckled.

*Kendra, I don't remember if I said thank you.* Ethan said a moment later. *The water and going for the Achilles tendon literally saved my life.*

The dragon huntress smiled and the smile reached deep into her brown eyes. *I'm glad Drago.*

*I figure that we have about six hours of darkness left this time of year.* Selene piped up. *If each of us takes one hour, that should see Ethan until dawn. I'd be happy to take an hour, but someone will have to come wake me up.*

*You could sleep in here.* Alana suggested. *We're all clothed and intend to stay that way.*

*The bed is really comfortable.* Taloni added.

Selene didn't reply right away.

* * *

Selene lay in her hammock, looking up at the ceiling with Thor lying on her chest snoozing away. She knew exactly how it would look if she spent the night in the captain's cabin, no matter how innocent it was. Half of her wanted to avoid that and the inevitable teasing which would result, the other half of her wanted to say 'screw it' and ignore what other people thought of her.

After several long seconds, that side won. *I'll be up in a minute.*

"Come on Thor." She said as she gently jostled him.