The enormous red dragon breathed fire down from above them as it dove. Tasha leapt from her perch in the large oak she had used to hide. The dragon had clearly grown tired of trying to figure out where her arrows were coming from. It seemed set to burn everything to eliminate the problem.

She hit the ground hard and felt her ankle twist slightly. Tasha could feel the air heating up around her as the dragon fell closer. For a moment panic attempted to overwhelm her, but she saw Richard rushing to her aid and her anxiety subsided. He ran up fast and stopped quickly beside her. Instantly he went to work.

Richard stretched his right arm toward the sky holding his staff high, emerald atop it glowing with magical energy. He used an incantation, causing an invisible shield to flow from the stone and create a dome around himself and Tasha. The flames danced all around them as the dragon fell to its lowest point in its descent. It hovered for a moment, great maw parted wide as more fire spewed from its throat.

"Will this thing hold?" Tasha screamed over the thunderous roar accompanying the dragon fire.

Richard nodded yes in response as he continued to chant another spell. He raised his left hand toward the dragon, open palm facing it. As he finished the last syllable of the spell, a cone of icy wind blasted from his palm extinguishing the flames and forcing the dragon to withdraw.

"We will only have a moment," Richard said, reaching down to help Tasha. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Tasha replied. "I misjudged the height of that fall."

The dragon shone brilliantly in the morning sunlight as it rose high into the sky. It adjusted its flight with a simple movement and began another dive. Tasha got her arm around Richard's neck and they shuffled away seeking anything that would provide cover.

Alan readied himself as Laken enchanted his great hammer. The pair watched as Richard assisted Tasha from the battlefield, but neither had been able to spot any reasonably close cover. They decided a distraction was necessary so their friends could escape alive.

The enchantment complete, Alan's hammer twinkled in the sunlight as tiny ice crystals formed on its head. The frost enchantment would freeze anything the hammer came into direct contact with. Alan gripped its handle at the base. Slowly beginning to spin, he extended his arms and leaned back slightly. He spun faster and faster as the dragon fell toward his friends. As it opened its mouth to rain fire down on them for a second time, Alan let his hammer loose.

The hammer flew with precision, propelled by the sheer muscular power of the barbarian. As the first wisps of fire escaped the dragons mouth, the hammer struck it just below the left nostril. The flames dispersed instantly, smoke wafting into the passing breeze. The dragon roared in pain as the scales between its nose and lip froze.

"I think that did it," Alan said, turning to Laken with a grin.

"I think you're right. I also think its now headed this way," Laken replied, pointing toward the dragon.

Hearing that roar, Richard and Tasha knew their friends had bought them some time. Tasha pushed herself harder, quickening their pace slightly. Richard saw a old stone woodshed a short distance deeper into the wood-line. He pointed it out to Tasha, and the two readjusted their direction.

"You think that will protect us from the flames?" Tasha asked.

"My hope is that it won't realize we went inside at all," Richard answered with the most supportive smile he could muster.

David and Gregory worked fervently to get the ballista prepared and aimed properly. Their friends had done everything they could to occupy the dragon long enough for them to get ready. If they didn't act soon, the dragon would claim them all.

"You know, one of these days we'll learn to charge a proper wage for this sort of thing," David said.

"Even the King can't afford a proper payment for something like this," Gregory chuckled. "Besides, you know Alan can't say no to helping people in trouble. Big bad barbarian, big old softy, I say!"

The two friends laughed as David cranked the wheel turning the gears to raise the ballista. The icy enchantment on the arrow would bring the dragon down in one shot. All they had to do was hit it.

Gregory lit a torch and began to wave it, signaling to all the others that they were ready and in place.

"The signal. They're ready," Tasha said to Richard from the woodshed doorway.

"Get on the horse and ride, Laken! Look there, the signal," Alan instructed. "I'll keep its attention on me!"

Richard and Tasha appeared next to Gregory in a bright flash. Tasha pulled her bow free and notched an arrow. Richard began another incantation. David double checked all of the adjustments on the ballista. Laken sped across the distance riding Cheddar, Alan's horse. As she closed in on the group, everyone began to act.

The dragon flew at full speed directly toward Alan. The pain from its wound had angered it to the point of singular purpose. The barbarian grabbed the hilt of his two-handed sword and drew its long blade free of the scabbard hanging from his back. He steadied himself and readied himself for the dragons attack.

A huge fireball launched toward him as the dragon continued to fly in his direction. The barbarian threw himself to the left as the fireball roared by. The impact and subsequent explosion threw the barbarian a farther distance away, jolting the giant sword from his hands. Alan landed hard on the rocky terrain as the dragon made its landing nearby.

Alan scanned the area nearby and recognized his sword laying on the ground, too close to the dragon for his comfort. He had no choice but to run for his weapon as he was otherwise defenseless. The dragon seemed as if it knew what the barbarian was thinking. It clapped its jaws several times creating a loud snapping sound that stung Alans ears.

With a loud scream, Alan leapt to his feet and ran directly towards his sword. The dragon stared for a moment, intrigued by the voracity of its prey. It had been long since he had felt such pain as this human had inflicted. To a point, the dragon held the human in high regard. However, this would not be enough to save him from his fate. Alan slid across the ground, once again finding the weight of his sword in his grasp. He spun up to his feet facing the dragon, giant blade steadied in both hands outstretched before him.

"Well met dragon," Alan said with stoic confidence. "Are you ready for your end?"

Wisps of smoke escaped the maw of the dragon as his jaws parted to speak. "You humans are always so confident in your endeavors. Do you know how many of your kind I have sent to the abyss? You are strong for a human, but strength will not save you!"

The dragon extended its neck like a snake, snapping its great jaws in an attempt to finish the barbarian quickly. Alan nimbly dodged the attack and slashed across the dragons face with his blade. The metallic clang of the sword on dragon scale echoed around them as they readied themselves for another strike. Again the dragon lunged in, and again the barbarian dodged away landing another insignificant blow.

"Your might cannot save you from this battle human," the dragon growled. "Your sword cannot pierce my armor, and your armor cannot save you from my flames!"

The great dragons chest billowed out as it drew in oxygen to breath fire. Alan readied himself for the end, unsure of where his comrades were. He positioned his two-handed sword for attack and rushed at the dragon. The first tendrils of flames slithered from the dragons maw, and the cloud of fire erupted before Alan.

A sudden explosion rocked the dragon as an arrow impacted just under its right eye. The burst of flames burned passed the barbarian, and Alan took the opportunity to leap out of the flames' path. Another explosion drew the dragons attention, and Alan followed its gaze. Down in the clearing he could see the ballista positioned as Tasha fired arrow after arrow at the dragon. He watched the electricity crackle around the gemstone of Richard's staff just before a lightning bolt arced across the battlefield drawing another pained roar from the dragon.

The dragon leapt from the ground, mighty wings catching it in midair lifting it higher with every repetitious beat. Alan held steady against the tornado like winds created by the dragon. Suddenly, the dragon propelled itself forward, knocking Alan to the ground again.

"I had it," Alan muttered under his breath as he propped himself up on his elbow to watch the battle conclude. "Totally had it."

Richard let another bolt of lightning fly. It arced and crackled across the battlefield, but in flight the dragon easily avoided the attack. Tasha fired arrow after arrow, but even her explosive tips couldn't pierce the dragons hide. Gregory and David worked diligently setting the last key preparations into place. Laken rode Cheddar in fast, dismounting in motion at the head of the ballista. She immediately began the enchantment on the icy bolt that would make it seek the dragons heart.

The dragon laid waste to the landscape between them. Furious and wounded, the dragon swept fire across its path from one side to the other as it picked up speed toward the party of fighters.

"Everything is set!" Gregory shouted.

"Confirmed!" David responded. "Laken are you ready? It's coming fast!"

Laken continued to work her spell into the bolt, unbothered by the distractions of the fight around her. Without this enchantment they would all fall, her love cast out to watch until the end. She concentrated and chanted, magical energy exchanging from her very being to the bolt, compelling it to seek out the dragons heart.

"Ready!" Laken screamed. "Fire the bolt!"

The dragon took note of the ballista, but he had decimated many human war machines in his centuries. It flew into range without fear, and as it caught itself with its wings to stop, the bolt fired. The dragon spread its great wings until they were fully extended. It seemed to hover in the sky momentarily as its chest heaved and billowed as it filled with oxygen. As the bolt grew closer, the dragon shifted its mass out of the line of the bolt and vomited a stream of fire engulfing it in flight.

The dragons roaring laughter was cut short as the bolt emerged unscathed and turned toward the dragon, readjusting its flight path.

"What is this sorcery?" the dragon screamed as he pressed his wings to retreat.

The bolt spun around the dragon as it twisted and turned to escape. Before the dragon could gain any momentum, the bolt struck it cleanly in its chest, passing directly through its heart, and exiting its back. The bolt spun wildly as it repeated this pattern several times.

The dragon wailed in pain, and slowly the icy grasp of the second enchantment took effect. From each wound, the ice crept outward, swallowing the dragons hide and scales as it moved. The dragons massive wings continued to propel it upward as its body froze from the inside out. As the ice reached the joints of its wings, they failed the dragon, sending it spiraling downward toward the earth.

The massive dragon, now entirely frozen, shattered upon impact. Icy flesh and scales blasted out away from the impact, followed by a cloud of dirt, dust, and debris from the battlefield. The group cheered together as Alan rode up on Cheddar.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Richard shouted. "You sure know how to get in over your head."

"I had everything under control when you guys decided to hog all the glory," Alan said with a friendly smirk.

They looked out across the battlefield. Trees and foliage burned as far as they could see, and if something wasn't done soon, it would reach and engulf the rest of the village they came to protect.

"Looks like we still have work to do here," Tasha stated pointing out at the wasteland of flame. "Let's get to it."