[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/DmHThHw.png[/img][/center]

Ethelred took her hand and pulled himself to his feet.

[color=6ecff6]"Ugh, I didn't see that coming,"[/color] he mumbled as he regained his bearings.  He had been banged up a little by that tail whack, but didn't seem to be [i]too[/i] hurt.  Still, his horse seemed unhurt and his armor appeared intact.

That wyvern was tough.  It wasn't even slowed down by the wounds that they had inflicted.  Its powers of rot seemed to counteract freezing, and stabbing the monster only seemed to make it angry.   If only they had someone like Elias, Sorcha, or Elnith with them...

Ethelred [i]wanted[/i] to keep going.  He wanted to stab that wyvern until it was unrecognizable, freeze it solid, and shatter it into pieces.  But it was not within his power to do so.  Luana might be right, they may very well be outmatched.  That thing would take whatever they could throw at it, and sooner or later it'd get lucky and inflict a fatal scratch upon one of them.  The druid, in particular, had come [i]very[/i] close to sustaining a physical injury from its teeth.  Still, it'd feel quite shameful to return to Sorcha and report that they had failed to complete her task.  

The thought that he wasn't strong enough to do what she had expected of him stung him deeply.  He had wrestled with such thoughts before- in particular, he had always worried that the only reason he was strong to be one of Sorcha's elite knights was because of the cruel but flawed Unseelie curse that he was afflicted with.  Now, however, it was no longer enough.

Might it be possible to further develop his ice powers, though?  Could he learn to further master his cursed form and push its limits?  Perhaps Elnith, having lived with her curse her entire life, might have some insight. 
 Perhaps the fairies would know.  Not necessarily that unlucky fairy-in-a-jar that their resident mage had captured, but someone had to have answers.

It was something to think about, but there were more immediate matters to focus on right now.

[color=6ecff6]"What say you, Sir Lonan?"[/color] Ethelred asked, turning to the Harzelslack knight.  [color=6ecff6]"Do you also believe this foe is beyond our ability to slay?"[/color]

If they were going to stay, Ethelred still had an idea or two up his sleeve.

[@BrokenPromise][@Rune_Alchemist]