The dragon screeched as Iarion pulled a patch of its skin away to reveal the bare nerves and muscle beneath. It tried blasting him with fire again, but the ancestors protected him. Iarion ignored the flames and continued to pull. He wasn’t doing any real damage, but the dragon was distracted and frustrated.
Finally, it saw that its fire was doing no good. Its serpentine neck whipped downward to bring its jaws within range of its tormentor. This was what Barlo had been waiting for. The dwarf sprang forward as Iarion rolled out of the way. His ax cut deep into the dragon’s neck. It recoiled with a squeal, shooting flame at Barlo. The dwarf remained untouched. He was encased in the same sort of nimbus as Iarion.
Although Barlo was very good with his ax, Iarion knew it would take more than o
