"Think of something!" Holga gripped her axe, charging several times but forced back each time, unable to find an opening. "This thing's thrashing too wildly!"
Edgin, her longtime partner, understood at once. Switching his Inspire Greatness tune to a hypnotic melody, he used his bardic Fascinate.
Edgin risked moving within 90 feet of Themberchaud, ensuring the dragon could see and hear him. His supernatural performance pierced the dragon's mind.
Even with a Challenge Rating of 17, Themberchaud failed to resist Edgin's music and instantly calmed down.
Still, Holga could tell the dragon's will was strong—he wasn't completely under the spell, shaking his head to clear his mind. Holga sensed she had only one shot: she must make it count, as Edgin's Fascinate can't affect the same target again soon.
Rage!
Holga roared, eyes bloodshot, and charged, her speed and power swelling as she ran.
She then leaped, not relying on gravity but on Aoko's spells and her rage-fueled leg strength—like a rocket, she shot toward the red dragon, even cracking the tiles where she launched.
Her axe slammed into the dragon's chest, cleaving scales and carving deep into Themberchaud's flesh, the magically enhanced weapon tearing through his sparse scales.
The pain snapped Themberchaud out of his stupor. He thrashed, trying to swipe Holga from his chest, but his claws were too short to reach his own bloated body.
Holga had chosen her grip well, clinging to his scales with one hand, yanking her axe free with the other.
While Holga tangled with Themberchaud up close, Xenk and Simon circled behind. Xenk, having crippled one wing, aimed for the other.
Simon, observing, decided to use a simple spell—Kruug's Flame Arrow—targeting the wound Xenk created.
It wasn't a joke. Simon noticed the dragon's fat—would it burn?
It did. The flame arrow ignited the fat pouring from the wound, and while red dragons are famous for fire resistance, external fire resistance is not the same as internal tissue.
Holga took advantage of Themberchaud's distraction, yanking her axe loose and hacking at the wound, doubling its size!
Beset from both sides, both wings crippled, and chest rent open, Themberchaud was terrified—he wanted to flee.
The fat dragon used his deadliest weapon: rolling.
Like a washing machine drum, he rolled rapidly, shaking Holga loose. Doric, quick-thinking, transformed into an owlbear and caught her, saving her from harm.
"It's trying to run!" Xenk shouted, charging again. He wouldn't let such an evil foe escape—evil must be eradicated!
Aoko and her four simulacra swooped down, making finger-gun gestures at the same spot on Themberchaud.
"Maximized Metamagic: Disintegrate x5!"
This was the advantage of Aoko's metamagic and simulacrum: she could share her Maximize Spell ability with her simulacra, letting them cast maximized spells without extra spell slots.
Five green Disintegrate beams, each as thick as a human arm, fired in unison, hitting the rolling Themberchaud with a thunderous bang!
The devastating attack stunned even Simon, who swallowed hard—Aoko had just earned the Dragon Slayer achievement with Simulacrum and Disintegrate!
Themberchaud's chest was blasted to a pulp—ribs and organs exposed, fat and blood mixing with the smell of burning oil, filling the air.
Simon retched—the sight wasn't new, but the smell was overwhelming...
But an adult red dragon's vitality is immense. Themberchaud glared at Aoko with hatred—he knew he would die, but wanted to take someone with him.
Bleeding and crawling, his wounds trailing blood and fat, organs mixed and ignited by the flames, Themberchaud left a road of fire behind him.
Now, like a demon from the abyss, he was determined to drag his foes down with him.
He inhaled deeply with his ruined lungs and exhaled a cloud of sulfurous gas—
At first, Aoko was puzzled he didn't breathe fire, but then realized: though he'd lost his fire-breath, the gas could still ignite!
Themberchaud used the flames around him to ignite the gas, creating a makeshift breath weapon.
A cone of fire, sixty feet long, erupted from his maw.
Aoko and her simulacra reacted swiftly, using Dimension Door to escape the blast, but the dragon breath accidentally severed a giant chain suspending the floating island.
The chain fell, and everyone in Aoko's team used flying or running to escape its path.
Only Themberchaud failed to dodge, and the chain he'd accidentally severed came crashing down and smashed his bloated dragon head.