The Test of the Dragon Queen

[Viktor Delacro]

(ooc: test for level advancement, invite only)
(Alright, the before was only a placeholder until school stopped owning me every minute of forever. Ready for a journey?)

Viktor pulled himself up from the ground, and as he did the telltale squish of a broken rib gave him an indication of how seriously the last blow had harmed him. His breastplate had shattered on impact and sharp pieces hung loosely from the tattered leather harness. He hastily cast off the useless scrap and stood up and erectly as possibly. Blood seeped from several qounds on his arms and face. Pain seared thorugh his mind and body with every slight movement. Every step he took could be his last step before a brutal and messy demise.

But this is what he lived for...why he existed. His Queen and Goddess demanded no less than perfection or destruction from her knights. Viktor had passed these tests before and would pass them again.

He lifted his sword and it glinted in the moonlight reflecting off the still lake, its point leveled straight for the beast Great Lady Tiamat had sent to destroy him. He would prove again his worthiness to bear the title: The Mailed Fist of Tiamat.

[Weregator]

At first glance it might have appeared to the average traveler as noting more than a log floating at the very edge of the water, a clever guise traditionally used to hide away until its prey was within striking distance. Yet this new intruder was no simple townsfolk seeking a drink or to attempt to catch a few fish for its evening meal, so little surprise was it when the warrior saw straight through the beast’s natural camouflage.

While it had no idea in its small mind that it was unwittingly a tool of some unknown goddess seeking to test her servant, it wouldn't have particularly cared if i had somehow known this. All it knew was that its prey had discovered it and thus might attempt to flee, losing the weregator its meal.

With a low hiss, its jaws parting to give it the appearance of an grotesque grin that revealed rows of jagged teeth, it gave a powerful thrust of its tail to propel itself out of the water and proceeded to drag itself upon land. It bore for the most part every appearance of its 'gator counterpart; its eyes glinted with witless cunning not akin to its race. In addition, it appeared fully capable of a performing a stooped gait on it's hind legs, yet it opted instead to advance on all fours, adding to it's speed as it began to tromp up the muddy banks of the lake towards Viktor.

[Viktor Delacro]

Viktor's sword held at the ready, he knew he could not parry the beast mighty blows and its tail provided it a third means of getting to him. With his armor gone not much stood between him and the monster.

Except victory.

Viktor met its powerful charge and brought his sword across its thick hidee, hoping for a disembowelment. It was deflected. Again and again Viktor weaved about it, striking it with his blade.

[Weregator]

While the human warrior did attempt an attack at the gator's hide, its scales acted as a crude armor, easily deflecting the first blow. Yet that attack had served one purpose: it had stopped the weregators reckless charge, as it realized that this prey would not attempt to run and had every intention of fighting to the death.

Jaw still hanging open as it let out another low hiss, the creature jerked it's head away from the warrior as he struck again, staying low to the ground, thus protecting both it's eyes and soft underbelly from harm, allowing the warriors blade to once again fall short of doing harm on it's formidable armor.

Rearing a few feet off then ground after the next attack, it clamped its mighty jaws down hard upon the warrior's sword, attempting to break it into much less lethal pieces with a single crushing blow. Even if the sword remained intact, the muscles in the weregators jaw were most likely stringer than those of the human's arms, so the human would be all but stripped of his weapon so long as it was held in place.

[Viktor Delacro]

Viktor's body jerked to immobility. The beast had clamped down on his sword and held it fast in its powerful jaw. A blessing and a blessing. While the sword was caught in his jaw it could not bite him, so he could close on it. While he was close he could stab it, penetrating the armor where the sword could not slash. All he needed was a short, pointed weapon. His dagger was missing, likely lost in the fight, but the resourceful warrior of the dragon goddess was ever-ready.

He used the sword as leverage against the beast as they wrestled there in the mud. With some effort he levered himself up to the beast's back, straddling it like some beast of burden. With a great heave he pulled on the sword, shattering it in the monster's iron-like maw. Steel splinters shot out cutting his face, and lodging in the lycanthrope's soft mouth tissues. What was left was just what he needed, on the hilt of the former sword was a several inch long steel spike left from the shattering. Without hesitation he thrust the spike down with both hands at the base of the creature's skull.

[Weregator]

The weregator had originally anticipated it's prey to make a futile effort to wrench his sword free with which to attack once again, thus it was put back slightly when the human chose instead to vault himself upon it's back. While unexpected, the weregator felt no stirrings of fear. After all, he was unarmed without his sword and couldn't possibly do any damage.

The weregator jerked its head violently to the side in surprise and pain when Viktor broke his own sword, sending shards of iron to embed themselves within the weregator's mouth. It was this involuntary spasm that saved it from immediate paralysis and death, as, while there was no chance of preventing the shard of the former blade from piercing it's flesh at the base of the skull, it missing the weregator's spinal column; a mortal blow, as it surely must have severed vital arteries in the process, yet not instantly halting the weregator's newfound rage against the prey that continued to defy the food chain.

As blood spurted from the gash in the creature’s neck, it thrashed violently; ramming its side into boulders and trees, attempting to crush Viktor to make certain they both went down if one did.