Ashen Dragon

Thinking of this, a surge of furious flame erupted from Stieg's eyes. He abruptly swung his massive head around, his blood-red jaws opening wide, and roared with unbridled wrath: "Dwarf, I'll burn you to ashes!"

"Boom——"

Intense dragonflame surged forth from the bipedal wyvern's throat, its searing tongues of fire raging and advancing towards the dwarf not far away.

Ed calmly raised his left arm, as sand, gravel, and dust gathered around his body, swiftly consolidating into a massive shield.

Rock Solid Shield!

Then, Ed lifted the giant shield in his left hand, gripped his warhammer tightly in his right, and, without a trace of fear, charged headlong through the engulfing flames.

He roared with indignant fury: "Come, monster! Dwarves were forged from Father God Moradin's anvil. We will never fear flame!"

Seeing the dwarf barrelling straight towards him, Stieg suddenly felt a pang of alarm. He flapped his wings forcefully, whipping up scalding winds in an attempt to blow the dwarf away.

Yet, the dwarf stood rooted as though fused with the earth beneath him, taking solid and powerful strides toward the wyvern. The ground below his feet swelled like winding mountain ranges.

In that moment, Stieg finally understood the meaning of "Master of High Mountains." It wasn't mere dwarven bravado—it was a description of pure truth!

"Cursed dwarf..."

Stieg gnashed his teeth, powerless against this dwarf who seemed as tough as rock. His mind flashed back to the moment he had killed Bren earlier.

As a bipedal wyvern, Stieg possessed his own distinct advantage: he could use the hooked barb of his tail to bypass the giant shield and pierce the dwarf king from the side!

With this thought, Stieg spread his wings wide, roaring menacingly toward the dwarf. The flames from his maw surged more fiercely now, crashing forward like tidal waves.

"Roar——"

"I've said it before—Dwarves will never fear fire!" Ed's eyes blazed with fierce light.

Faced with the surging flames, Ed not only refused to retreat or flinch but was spurred on by an indomitable fighting spirit. His strides grew swifter, and his warhammer glowed bright yellow with aurora-like brilliance.

Stieg flapped his wings, levitating in mid-air as he intensified the force of his flames.

But then, a cunning light flickered in his eyes. The muscles at the base of his massive tail coiled like loaded springs. The barb at its tip glimmered with a chilling and wicked gleam.

Stieg taunted further: "Come, cursed dwarf! Let me show you the flame of the Ashen Empire!"

"As you wish!"

Shield in one hand and warhammer in the other, Ed charged directly through the blazing flames, leaping into the air with such force that the ground beneath him cracked open. He vaulted nearly a hundred meters before plummeting from the skies, swinging his warhammer downward.

"Excellent... you foolish dwarf." A devious glint of triumph flashed in Stieg's golden eyes.

Even the Master of High Mountains was still bound to mortal flesh. He was no match for the tail barb that had been refined and enhanced by the Empire's alloy melting!

As Ed soared mid-air, the bipedal wyvern struck!

"Swish——"

That thick, powerful tail snapped forward like a spring unleashed, its razor-sharp barb slicing through the air, bypassing the Rock Solid Shield, and striking towards the dwarf from his flank.

At this moment, high in the air, Ed had no way to evade!

"Crack!"

The barb impaled the dwarf's body, tearing through his armor but met no sensation of flesh being pierced. Instead, it felt as though it had struck solid rock.

"By Cassius, how can this be?" Now it was Stieg's turn to be aghast.

Fragments of stone flew through the air. Ed's armor had been pierced, his clothes shredded, but beneath his attire wasn't flesh—it was a sturdy body made entirely of rock!

"Damn it, that dwarf is half an earth elemental creature!" Stieg hissed through clenched teeth, cursing aloud.

Despite the wyvern's sudden thrust, Ed's body merely tilted slightly, impervious to damage.

"Monster, my body is solid as rock. Your cowardly sneak attacks are meaningless. I will crush you to rubble!"

The dwarf let out a ferocious battle cry. His stone-crafted physique radiated an unstoppable aura. Mid-air, he descended like a thunderbolt, wielding his warhammer against the bipedal wyvern.

The sandstorm around them grew fiercer. Countless rocks converged on his hammer, transforming it into an enormous, hill-sized weapon measuring tens of meters in length.

"No, no! He's just a damned dwarf. How could this..."

Seeing the massive hammer hurtling towards him, terror etched itself onto Stieg's face. But there was nowhere left to dodge. Clutching his utmost strength, he extended his forelimbs to block.

Just then, the air around them warped suddenly. An endless torrent of flame erupted from the void, forming a colossal fire wall that stretched across the skies, placing itself between the wyvern and the dwarf.

"Boom——"

Blazing streams scattered in all directions, sand and gravel exploded outward. The monumental energies of both fire and earth collided mid-air, intertwining and igniting a massive elemental explosion that unleashed ferocious winds across the battlefield.

A look of relief escaped Stieg's face; he knew if that rock-crafted hammer had hit him directly, even if he survived, half of him would be shredded. As for the sudden reinforcement, Stieg had already discerned her identity. Sure enough, a languorous voice echoed from behind, and the surrounding air grew oppressively hot.

"Indeed, a famed Master of High Mountains. You truly have skill.

My lord, the great Ashen Emperor, has always prized talent. If you kneel before the throne, perhaps my lord might spare your life and grant your kin the chance to linger in this world."

A fiery-haired, golden-eyed maiden emerged from the flames, draped in opulent robes adorned with imperial sigils. Her sleek dragon horns curved elegantly above her head, her flowing locks streaming behind her.

—This was none other than the Dragon Pact Warlock sworn to the Emperor, the Controller of the Tower of Everflame, and among the imperial people, honored as the "Dragon Fire Maiden," Misha.

Cassius had foreseen Stieg's inevitable downfall against "Master of High Mountains," Ed.

In his view, Ed's challenge level was a staggering 24. Coupled with his vast battle experience, even though Ed sustained severe injuries and was far from his peak form, he remained a bonafide legend.

Stieg, on the other hand, was but a dragonblood monster forcibly molded by Cassius's bloodline gift. Despite being formidable with a challenge level of 19, he was far from Ed's equal.

Du Masong descended as an imposing male dwarf whose broad chest bore resemblance to a barn's width. His ash-gray hair and beard seemed chiseled from stone, his earth-brown skin weathered. Silver flames danced within his eyes. His muscular arms bulged like iron cables, forged by relentless strain. He wielded spells from these domains: Common, Battle, Creation, Prophecy, Elemental (Earth, Fire), Healing, Protection, Traveler, and Barrier. His mage spells focused only on elemental earth or those involving stone, ores, or metals. (His preference for grumbling gestures over spoken incantations had no impact on his spellcasting ability.)

C -6; MV 12 or 15, Br 12 or 15; HP 238; THAC0 -10;#AT 5/2

Dmg 5d6+18 (mattock +5,+11 STR,+2 spec. bonus in broad sword)

MR 70%; SZ M (6 feet tall) or H (18 feet tall)

STR 23, DEX 17, CON 24, INT 19, Wis 21, CHA 17

Spells P:12/12/12/11/10/8/4, W:8/8/8/8/8/8/8/7/7 *

Saves PPDM 2, RSW 1**, PP 4, BW 4, Sp 4

*Numbers assume one extra elemental earth spell per spell level.

**Includes dwarf +6 CON save bonus to a minimum of 1. The CON save bonus also applies to saves vs. poison to a minimum of 1.

Special Att/Def:

Du Masong wields Magmammer, a mattock +5 forged from solidified magma, possessing all the powers of a mattock of the titans and a maul of the titans.

Du Masong is immune to all spells based on earth, stone, metal, and fire. He is also immune to spiritual energy and any spells stemming from prophecy or enchantment/charm school. Du Masong can see through solid rock within a 120-foot range and constantly utilizes Stone Vision, giving him unparalleled insight into any surface or subterranean feature on Torrel.