Igvild hesitated as he watched the young Pyromancer regain his feet. The lad could take a punch! The side of the lad’s face that was off kilter was sagging more than usual, however. The dwarf wondered what it was that drove a Human like this one to go to such lengths? For a group of folks he had only known for a short amount of time!

  Do I admire him for his faith in others or mock him for it?

  Igvild wasn’t the trusting sort, never had been, but he had come to trust this human more than he had any other in a very long time. Why? The lad didn’t know any better that a Dwarf was the last creature in the Withered Lands you should trust. Besides, what did any of them have to lose at this point? Dungeon creatures, once engaged, never gave up until you were dead or they were.

  “Right-O,” he whispered and Igvild flung his right hand dagger at the Owlbear’s head while he flipped his new Sonic Dagger into his main hand. If the lad needed a distraction, Igvild would give him one.

  First, Igvild used his Blink Step ability to disappear then reappear behind the Owlbear. It was a staple of his Infiltrator Class build and it allowed him an instantaneous repositioning into an enemy’s blindspot. Igvild next activated Pinpoint Backstab at the same moment the Owlbear was struck by the first dagger he had thrown. Igvild plunged the Sonic dagger deep into the Owlbear’s flank where the dwarf hypothesized one of its kidney’s might be. The magic of the dagger immediately went to work, ripping the Owlbear apart from the inside with Force damage.

  The Owlbear roared in pain, swiveling its head around until it spotted the source of its agony. The small creature was hard to follow, but the Owlbear was a creature of instinct, not forethought. Each time it tried to move itself around, the small creature moved with it, always staying at its back stabbing over and over causing it to bleed so badly its entire backside was soon a mess of blood.

  Igvild cried out in surprise when a back paw almost connected with his midsection, but he managed to turn and launched himself into a rolling dive to just narrowly avoid being knocked back. When the Owlbear attempted to roll like a feathery boulder to attempt a smothering maneuver Igvild Blink Stepped once more. He took a moment to check his Stamina and snarled in frustration when he found it nearly depleted. He would soon run out of options.

  Davros had little left to give for the fight too. His mana was running on drips, his mana regeneration struggling to keep up with his need for Combustion bolts. The damage he could produce would not be enough to finish the great beast. The Owlbear’s health was at about 20%, but it had taken the four of them everything they had to whittle it down this much. Davros’ Limit Break was their only hope, but to activate the ability meant that he needed the Owlbear to hit him. Yet, how to do that without being ripped in half or incapacitated to the point of uselessness? Davros had an idea. It wasn’t a very good one. It was crazy actually, but with the Owlbear now fully committed to chasing its own tail, the tail being Igvild, it was time to act.

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  Davros waited until the beast was near to completing another turn with its attention focused on the panting Igvild. At the right moment, Davros ran forward with his arm outstretched and aimed at the ruin of the Owlbear’s beak. With a cry fueled by fear and desperation, Davros jammed his arm past the dangling lower beak and straight into the Owlbear’s gaping maw!

  Davros didn’t know who was the more surprised. Himself when his arm successfully slipped and squirmed down the bloody, bile filled beast’s throat or the Owlbear who let out a muffled squawk as it ceased chasing Igvild to toss back its head as it tried to shake loose the insane human who had just shoved its arm down its throat.

  Davros screamed as he fired a Combustion bolt down the Owlbear’s throat even as the Owlbear wrenched Davros’ arm loose from its shoulder socket with a toss of its head. Davros landed on his back and expected to feel the tear of Owlbear claws on his stomach a moment later, but they never came.

  The Owlbear was on its side as smoke poured from the hole in its mouth. It didn’t take a genius for Davros to realize his bolt had ignited [Burning] within the Owlbear’s stomach and was causing it agonizing pain. That wasn’t all. The Pyromancer’s shoulder was a font of pain and he felt his fire rise up into his throat. He pushed himself up with one arm and opened his mouth in a soundless scream.

  Limit Break threshold reached! Imbolc’s Flame has evolved to Voidflame Breath!

  “Get ‘im, lad!”

  A white hot liquid exploded from Davros’ mouth in a fiery torrent. Black flames erupted from the upgraded liquid fire when it landed upon the Owlbear’s flesh and feathers. Voidflame Breath destroyed everything it touched to an even greater degree than Imbolc’s Breath had. The dragon flame had left behind ashes. The Voidflame left behind nothing. Well, not completely nothing.

  Davros watched as the Owlbear was partially consumed wherever and whatever place Voidflame touched. Even the wet leaves on the ground where some of the flame splattered were not spared, but the Voidflame didn’t spread. It burned only where it landed, unlike regular fire. It was still enough to kill the Owlbear, however. Its corpse teetered for a moment, blackened ribs exposed as its innards fell from the wounds in its body to spill upon the wet ground. Finally, the Owlbear collapsed, dead.

  Davros sank to his knees and stared at the corpse for a moment too stunned to think. There wasn’t even any smoke from the Voidflame either. He groaned in agony and gingerly touched his dislocated shoulder, but thought better when every move he made caused fresh pain. Igvild came up behind him.

  “We need to fix that, lad. Won’t take but a moment, so hold steady now.”

  “What do you…AAAHHH!” Igvild didn’t waste any time. With sure hands he grabbed and wrenched the dislocated arm first out, then shifted the shoulder back into its socket. Davros screamed long and loud, which was enough to bring Valka back to his senses. The soldier groaned and looked first at the dead Owlbear then over to Igvild who propped up Davros who lay groaning and clutching his shoulder.

  “How in the Eye’s Almighty Gaze did you pull that off? How are we not dead?” Valka rasped.

  “Owls don’t have teeth,” Davros groaned just before he promptly passed out.