The screech drew them into a vast chamber unlike any they had seen before. The ceiling arched high, vanishing into darkness, while the ground stretched wide enough to hold a small city. The air shimmered with heat, every breath carrying the taste of ash.

And at the center of it all, two giants clashed.

The wyvern loomed nearly fifty feet tall, its crimson scales glowing faintly like molten rock, each movement radiating raw strength. Its wings beat with thunderous force, sending violent gusts that stirred the dust and forced Lirael to shield her eyes. Its tail lashed, snapping through stone pillars as though they were brittle twigs.

Facing it was no ordinary warrior. Xarion stood transformed, his draconian form fully revealed. Scales covered his entire body, black and burning red where flame traced along the edges. Horns jutted back from his skull, curved and sharp, framing eyes that blazed with unyielding fury. His wings stretched wide, battered but unbroken, casting his silhouette across the chamber like a predator born for war.

When their blows met, the dungeon itself seemed to quake.

Xarion struck first, a roar tearing from his throat as he hurled himself upward, claws trailing fire. He raked across the wyvern's flank, leaving a molten line across its armor-thick scales. The beast shrieked in pain, whipping its tail and smashing him into the stone floor with enough force to crater the ground.

Dust and rubble exploded upward. Xarion rose from it, coughing blood, his stance steady but slower than before. He spread his wings wide and shot forward again, fire spiraling from his maw in a torrent that lit the chamber in blazing orange. The wyvern braced itself, scales glowing hotter as it endured the onslaught, before snapping its massive jaws forward.

The sound of teeth closing echoed like a thunderclap, narrowly missing Xarion's chest as he twisted aside. He retaliated, driving a horned headbutt into the beast's snout, followed by a savage uppercut of claws that forced its head back. For a moment, the wyvern reeled.

But only for a moment.

It retaliated with a roar that shook the cavern, wings slamming downward. The gust knocked Ethan's soldiers back a step, shields scraping across the floor. Even Nyxfang and Seloria dug claws into stone to anchor themselves.

Ethan's eyes narrowed as he watched, knuckles white on his blade. This was no ordinary foe, and no ordinary ally. The scale of power before him dwarfed even the dungeon bosses they had slain.

"He's strong…" Lirael whispered, awe and unease tangled in her voice. "But he's bleeding too much."

It was true. Xarion's body bore countless wounds. His scales were cracked in places, streaks of blood running down his arms and chest. His left wing dragged slightly, punctured in more than one spot. His breathing grew harsher with every exchange.

Still, his expression burned with defiance.

Xarion darted forward again, slamming both claws into the wyvern's chest and forcing it back a step. He roared, fire bursting from his throat in a cone of destruction that seared across its face. The beast screeched, rearing its head, the stench of scorched scale filling the air.

But the wyvern's counterattack came swift and brutal. Its tail whipped around, smashing into Xarion's side with bone-crushing force. He staggered, blood splattering from his mouth as he crashed against the chamber wall. The impact cracked stone, sending debris tumbling.

Sylvie clutched her staff tightly, her knuckles pale. "If he keeps fighting like this…"

"He'll fall," Ethan finished grimly.

The wyvern pressed its assault, massive jaws snapping as it lunged again. Xarion braced, wings snapping open despite their damage, flames igniting across his body as he hurled himself back into the fray. Each strike shook the cavern, but his movements were growing sluggish, his power dimming against the wyvern's relentless might.

The crimson beast slammed its claws down, forcing Xarion to block with crossed arms. The blow drove him to his knees, stone cracking beneath the weight. He strained, muscles trembling, fire sputtering around him.

For the first time, Ethan saw his fierce expression falter — not from fear, but from exhaustion.

They stood on the edge of the chamber, witnesses to a battle far beyond anything they had faced, the dungeon itself trembling around them. And as Xarion's breathing grew heavier, his body slowing beneath the crimson wyvern's shadow, one truth became clear:

The draconian warrior was losing ground.

The wyvern's massive claw bore down on Xarion, stone cracking beneath him as he strained to hold it back. His scales were scorched and cracked, his breath ragged, wings trembling. With each passing second the beast forced him lower, sparks spitting as its talons scraped against his armor-like hide.

Ethan didn't wait for the inevitable. He turned sharply toward Sylvie, his eyes hard. With a curt gesture, he gave the signal.

Sylvie pressed her lips together, already raising her staff. Golden light pulsed at its tip, swelling brighter as she chanted in quick, practiced words. Then the radiance flared outward, streaking across the chamber like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

It wrapped around Xarion.

The draconian jerked as the healing took hold. Wounds that had slowed him sealed shut, cracked scales smoothed over, and the fire that had flickered around him reignited. His eyes snapped wide — not with shock at the spell's effect, but at the realization of where it had come from.

His gaze cut across the battlefield and found Ethan's party standing at the edge of the chamber. For an instant, the fire in his eyes burned sharp with surprise, maybe even suspicion. But then, just as quickly, his expression steadied.

A single nod. Silent acknowledgment. Then Xarion roared, twisting back toward the wyvern as though he had never faltered.

That was all Ethan needed.

His long blade hissed as he drew it free, silver catching the glow of firelight. "Form up!"

The ten soldiers answered at once, shields locking together in a wall, spears thrusting out in unison. Their armored boots slammed the ground, the echo cutting across the chamber as they advanced. Nyxfang padded forward low and deliberate, each step a ripple of muscle under black fur, while Seloria darted to the side, tail flicking, her golden eyes fixed on the wyvern's throat.

Ethan's stride was calm but firm, his weapon angled at his side. The ground quaked beneath the wyvern's roar as it reared, its massive wings beating down, stirring a violent gust that scattered rubble across the floor.

Then the battle began anew.

Xarion lunged upward with renewed strength, his claws igniting with flame. He slammed into the wyvern's chest, carving burning lines across its crimson scales. The beast shrieked, staggering back a step before swiping with one titanic wing. Xarion was knocked sideways, but before the wyvern could follow up, Ethan's soldiers charged, spears biting into its foreleg.

The wyvern's head snapped down, jaws snapping, but Nyxfang was already there. He slammed into its muzzle with bone-rattling force, fangs sinking deep. The beast recoiled, shaking its head violently to dislodge him. Seloria leapt at its flank, claws raking, vanishing before its tail could smash her against the stone.

"Now!" Ethan shouted, breaking into a sprint.

He closed the distance in a blur, blade flashing upward. The edge bit into the wyvern's side, leaving a deep gash that sprayed blood across the stone. The wyvern roared in agony, lashing its tail. Ethan ducked under the whip-crack strike, but two soldiers were flung away, their bodies scattering into silver light before reforming behind him.

Arrows hissed past his shoulder. Lirael stood steady at the chamber's edge, her bowstring taut, releasing shot after shot into the wyvern's joints and wings. One arrow buried into the thin membrane of its wing, another into its eye ridge, forcing the beast's head to jerk away.

Sylvie's voice rose in quick chants, streams of light flickering from her staff as she mended torn armor and scorched skin. Every time Ethan risked too much, every time a soldier fell, her light was there to hold the line together.

The chamber was chaos. Fire clashed with steel, the wyvern's shrieks shaking the air as its tail tore through pillars like paper. Xarion hurled himself back into the sky, wings blazing, spiraling upward before diving down with fire trailing his claws. He struck the wyvern's head with brutal force, driving it to the ground for a breathless moment.

Ethan seized the chance, soldiers surging forward in a wall of steel. He leapt onto a shield, springboarded high, and slammed his blade down with both hands. The strike tore through scale and sinew, embedding deep into the wyvern's shoulder.

The beast howled, rearing back in fury. It flailed wildly, sending shockwaves through the chamber, rubble raining from the ceiling. Ethan clung to his blade until the beast bucked, forcing him to drop back onto the fractured floor.

It wasn't enough. Not yet.

The wyvern's eyes burned with wrath, its wings spreading wide as it unleashed a deafening screech. Flame churned in its throat, gathering, growing hotter by the second.

Ethan steadied his stance, sweat streaking his face. His soldiers raised shields, Lirael nocked another glowing arrow, Sylvie braced with her staff, and the wolves prowled with teeth bared.

Beside him, Xarion rose again, fire burning brighter across his scaled frame. His wings snapped wide, his expression fierce, bloodied but unbroken.

For the first time, the two warriors — human and draconian — stood shoulder to shoulder, their gazes locked on the towering crimson beast.

The wyvern roared, flame spilling from its maw.

And both of them charged.

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