With the massive, burning form of the Molten Lindwurm bearing down on the party, Oliver immediately took charge, as was his duty in times like these. With a loud voice, he commanded his group to remain mobile and stay on their feet, infusing the shout with the power bestowed upon him by his class and turning it magical. Thus, it wasn’t just a positive motivation that supported the group; it was a magical effect that enhanced their Agility greatly, allowing them to dodge attacks they’d usually get hit by while also increasing their balance to let them ignore the rough, shaking terrain.

Bolstered by the shout, the group spread out, making sure that the breath attack they all instinctively ascribed to the draconic form facing them wouldn’t be able to hit more than one person and giving them as much room to move and manoeuvre as they could wish for. Sure, the thing had no wings, but they could see a serpentine creature with four legs and far too much fire for anyone’s comfort, making them classify this as a dragon unless proven otherwise.

Harry, as usual, was the first to strike, sending out an arc of azure light. The flying slash struck the dragon’s snout, causing minimal damage in the process, but even that minimal damage was enough to draw the dragon’s attention to the nimble fighter, for good or ill.

While Harry was forced to avoid a lunge of the dragon’s snout, the others weren’t just sitting around and watching the show, they moved around the pit the dragon was sitting in, partially looking to see if there was anything that might help them in their fight, partially to get into the best position to strike.

When the Lindwurm lunged forward the next time, it opened up its flanks to attack, which was precisely what the twins did, focusing their efforts on its hind legs, each of them taking one side and attacking as swiftly as they could. Then, when the Lindwurm inevitably whirled around to attack one of them, it was supposed to allow the other twin to attack with impunity, forcing the Lindwurm to keep moving while they continued to draw blood, slowly but surely wearing it down in the process. Or so they thought.

Reality was sadly not as kind as that. For one, they were faced with a creature largely composed of molten stone that sat in a pool of lava, allowing it to regenerate the wounds they caused almost as quickly as they could create them. Another problem was that the Lindwurm wasn’t just restricted to attacks with its snout; it had a long, sinuous tail that could scythe through the air with whipping speed, the sturdy appendage leaving a briefly burning trail of flame on the ground as it went.

George, the twin at the back of the dragon, barely managed to dodge out of the way, realising that without the support from Oliver, he’d be gravely wounded right now, in addition to being on fire. The realisation made him swallow the knot that suddenly formed in his throat, only the bond with his twin keeping him focused on the fight. His brother needed him and he’d be damned if some overgrown lizzard would keep him from helping his brother.

“We need to get the thing out of the lava!” Oliver directed his group after they struck the Lindwurm a few times, inflicting wounds that disappeared shortly after. While they might be able to cause actual injury if they managed to repeatedly hit the same spot, slowly overwhelming the Lindwurm’s regeneration in that one location, doing so was nigh impossible as the Lindwurm kept moving.

So, Harry started to deliberately aim his strike at the Lindwurm’s nostrils and eyes, seeking to cause as much irritation and pain as he possibly could while slowly retreating from the lava-filled pool the Lindwurm was sitting in, forcing the Lindwurm to follow if it wanted to deal with the irritant.

Or to let out a massive belch of flame, fire and chunks of molten stone, carving a small trench into the ground as the fiery death tried to reach the fleeing Harry, who just managed to find cover and withstand the burning breath. Sure, his lungs were screaming and his skin felt as if he had severe sunburn, but compared to the painful demise he would have suffered without the cover? This was greatly preferable.

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Realising that he needed to keep going, he popped back out from his cover and sent yet another slash at the dragon’s nose, causing the massive creature to roar in pain and annoyance. With that roar, it finally stopped sitting in its pool. With a rapid lunge, it went after the irritating fly, its short limbs propelling its sinuous body with surprising alacrity, greatly resembling a striking snake at that moment.

After another command from Oliver, the rest of the group started to adjust their positions, moving to cut off the Lindwurm’s path back to its lava pool while trying to help Harry to the best of their ability.

For a few minutes, it seemed as if they were making headway. Harry managed to keep the Lindwurm’s attention on him, with Angelina and Oliver doing their best to support him. Meanwhile, Fred and George kept attacking its legs, slowing it down and causing injuries until small pools of boiling blood were forming on the ground as the Lindwurm moved past. That went on until the Lindwurm suddenly stopped and coiled itself up protectively. Uncertain what was going on, all five kept some distance, sending only a few attacks the Lindwurm’s way until it suddenly uncoiled, spraying blood and fire everywhere.

The attack was so brutal that it covered the entire room, leaving painful burns on all five of them, despite the distance between the Lindwurm and them. But it quickly became obvious that dealing damage to them hadn’t been the actual purpose of the attack; it had been to force them back. Now, the Lindwurm had an easy way back to its pool, where it retreated under the surface, its tail lashing out to send random waves of lava into the chamber.

“We need a plan, something,” George cursed as he was next to Oliver for a moment, his breath short and panting. All five of them were exhausted by now, the rapid pace of the encounter, the brutal heat, and the noxious fumes all combining to sap their superhuman stamina. Their condition was only exacerbated by the wounds they had taken, leaving them injured and waning, while it seemed the Lindwurm was regaining its top form in the pool.

“We can’t get out,” Fred added, drawing attention to the tunnel they had entered this chamber from. Now, the entrance was blocked by a thick glob of lava, just hanging in the entryway as if suspended by an unseen force. That realisation caused even more cursing and desperation to set in, until the Lindwurm emerged from its molten pool again, forcing them to move and engage.

“I might have an idea,” Angelina called out, “Harry, draw it out again,” she ordered while stepping back herself, positioning herself in a somewhat safe spot.

While the rest of the group did their best to injure the Lindwurm, Angelina had her eyes closed, doing something she hadn’t done in a long time. Instead of fighting a desperate battle, she was praying, but not praying to the God she had been taught to pray to in her childhood. Instead, she was sending her prayer to the Pale Lady, calling upon the vague concepts she had heard about from Lady Luna, putting her entire Astral Power into the prayer, hoping that she might accomplish something.

Then, just as the Lindwurm was starting its way back to the pool after the ground had injured it once again, Angelina could feel her blood turn cold despite the heat in the chamber and all the Astral Power in her body was drained away, leaving her swaying on her feet on the verge of passing out.

But the power didn’t just fade into the Astral River; instead, it seeped into the shadows around her, the darkness becoming deeper until it took a corporeal shape and a massive raven flapped its wings above her head.

As jade-green eyes stared into the chamber, a loud call came from the raven’s beak, sending shivers down everyone’s spine. “Nevermore!”, they all heard, only for the cave’s walls to echo back with an eerily distorted “Lenore!”. Then, the raven started to flap its wings and winter took hold of the chamber, the temperature plummeting rapidly as arctic winds and frozen air caused the Lindwurm to screech in agony, thrashing around uncontrollably until Harry and Oliver managed to brave the freezing wind and sunk their blades into its neck, causing rivers of boiling blood to drench the ground.

The Lindwurm kept thrashing, weakening until it finally stilled, leaving the chamber quiet and empty as the raven disappeared to wherever it had come from. Finally, the tension that had kept them all going snapped, sending Harry and Oliver to the ground, panting, while Angelina, the one who had turned the tide, fainted dead away, her mind, body and soul utterly exhausted.