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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2008 All Rights Reserved
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586
 Ready for the fight to come you move into the open and call out to Windhammer. If you are to restore the Tellandra the serpent must perish, and with the help of Providence you will be the instrument of its destruction. Standing unprotected upon the hard stone floor you call out again and this time the Dragon hears you.
In a sudden rage the predator that lies at the heart of all Dragons erupts, its claws raking the hard stone, its tail slashing from side to side, huge horned extensions cutting into the rock as it shakes with a fury that knows no constraint. Insignificant before such a powerful foe you stand your ground and wait as the beast prepares to charge. You are not prepared for what happens next.
From out of the solid stone at your right shoulder the wall of the Deep Vault shatters and plumes outwards. Also caught by surprise Windhammer recoils, edging away from the collapsing wall as something else punches its way into the Vault. Surrounded by smashing stone and roiling dust clouds a hole opens in the wall and through it struggles the Druhl. Fuelled by its unending malice the spectral Dragon has escaped its dark prison and has found you.
Staggered by the persistence of the Guardian you do not know what to do, but as you slowly back away from the spectral beast a remarkable transformation occurs. With its proximity to the Tellandra the magic that holds the Druhl together changes, the dark vapours dissolving away, replaced by a swirling aura of blue light. Unsure as to what is happening you look to the Tellandra and see it shining brightly, but you can also sense that this is the pillar's last power. Once it has finished whatever it is about to do it will fade and then all that you have ever known will die.
Infused with the blue energy the Druhl shifts on its clawed feet. Always a mindless construct it is now under the control of others and its attention shifts immediately. No longer are you its focus. Now it turns to Windhammer. In a screaming rage the Druhl launches itself through the air at the living Dragon. Caught in a corner of the Deep Vault the serpent braces and stands its ground, head low, waiting for the impact. In a hammering blow the Druhl strikes the Dragon across its shoulders, throwing Windhammer to the ground in a flurry of smashed stone and splattering lava.
The Dragon is not finished however. Recovering from the blow the serpent regains its feet and charges the Druhl. In the spaces of the wide Vault Windhammer races for the spectral beast, its clawed feet slamming into the ground as it runs. In another bone shattering impact it hits the Druhl, crushing it against the far wall and scattering its petrified skeleton across the floor of the Vault. Standing over the mounds of stone and earth that remain of the Druhl the Dragon screams into the roof of the chamber, its echoing thunder deafening as it triumphs over the interloper. But the battle is not yet done.
Victorious over the Druhl Windhammer searches you out, and you are not hard to find. Enthralled by the power of the contest you have not moved from your position near the entranceway, and as the Dragon's eyes focus once again in your direction, you realise how exposed you are.
As Windhammer moves slowly forward you notice the Tellandra once again brightening. Behind the Dragon the piles of bone and rock quietly reform, the blue aura asserting its power over the remains of the Druhl. Before the serpent can take one step towards you the Druhl leaps upon its back and drives its long claws into Windhammer's sides. In a howl of pain and surprise the Dragon rolls sideways throwing the Druhl to the ground once again, but the magical beast does not let up its assault.
In a flurry of razor-sharp claws and thrashing tails the two giant creatures attack each other. Forgotten in the melee you run for the safety once again of the dark entranceway and watch as the beasts engage in a terrible battle. On one side the Dragon Windhammer is a force of nature, living power at its most terrible and brutal. Against it stands the Druhl, mindless and unrelenting, energised by the limitless magic of the Shan'duil. Between them stands only malice and a relentless need to kill. With all the strength that remains to them they attack each other, tearing at each other's bodies, crushing and smashing their way across the breadth of the Deep Vault. It is a battle that cannot last long and it is the living that prevails.
In one final crushing blow the Dragon smashes the petrified skull of the Druhl. Staggering backwards into the wall of the Vault the Druhl collapses once again, its bones scattering about the vault, its rock and earth form disappearing in a shower of debris. At the other end of the chamber the Tellandra ebbs, its ability to draw more magic into the Druhl exhausted. Surrounded now only by a shimmering glow it stands silent, but it has done its job.
Limping back towards the far end of the Deep Vault Windhammer has only barely survived the battle with the Druhl. Wounded and torn by the magical construct it is not the beast it had been, and caught now within a web of its own pain and injury it has forgotten you, content to hobble back to its home. Unfortunately for you it cannot be allowed to live.
Upon its platform the Tellandra is dying. Broken and fading fast you have only moments left to you before it will cease to function as a conduit of magic. If this happens the walls of Maenum will fall and the collar at your throat will tighten. Everything that is Dwarvendim in the world will die and the Realms of Men will disappear beneath the violence of the Horde. It cannot be allowed to happen. Once again you walk into the open and call the Dragon to battle. Again it turns and in the smoking destruction of the Deep Vault attacks.
Within the Deep Vault you must fight and it will be the greatest battle of your life. Wounded and weakened by the Druhl, the Dragon Windhammer is still a formidable opponent, one that can kill you with a single strike of its clawed fist.
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In this encounter the Dragon has a combat value of 30 and an endurance of 33. Follow the rules given previously in this story for combating a serpent of this type but add two additional points to your combat value if you have a piece of stonewood in your possession. If you defeat Windhammer turn to section 500. If it is you who dies then your quest is over, your task unfinished. If this is to be your fate consider that you have achieved much and come farther than most. It will now be to another life that you must look for greater success.
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This book, and its associated books and other documents in the Chronicles of Arborell series are the intellectual property of the author, Wayne F Densley, and all rights are reserved by him. Windhammer is best viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution. Any questions regarding the Chronicles of Arborell can be answered by emailing the author at densleyw@shoal.net.au
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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2008 All Rights Reserved
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