The sword glowed in his hands as the bellowing roar of the mighty dragon rattled the warrior to his very core; his very bones shook from the reverberations of the roar. Despite this, the massive knight stood firm, shield raised before him and sword in his hand at the ready. His armor was shining, freshly polished like a sports car straight off the dealership. The faint glow of holy energy emanated from his blade. The warrior was untarnished by the battle that had been fought. Nary a scratch upon his armor, the only blood that sullied his tabard was the blood of the dragon. 

It was wounded but not yet defeated, a foot refusing to his the ground due to a massive gash on the palm. It kept it curled to its chest, struggling to balance on three limbs instead. Thousands of cuts caused the blood to ooze from the wyrm, and its eyes, once fierce and defiant, now showed a primal fear not unlike a cornered rat.

[color=gold][i]Dermont, thou shalt not dally[/i][/color]

The sword's voice, rich and booming, echoed in the warrior's head. He gripped the blade tightly in response. Indeed, he would finish this swiftly from here. In one more blow. The dragon drew another haggard breath before unleashing another roar towards the valiant knight in shining armor. To its surprise, he matched it with an equally fierce war cry that shushed the dragon. It drew another deep breath, and Dermont saw his chance, charging in. This time, replacing its roar was a torrent of flames, but merely raising his shield was enough to protect Dermont. The flames licked at the reflective surface, seemingly drawn into the steel. His charge ended when his sheild slammed into the dragon's cavernous maw.

[color=gold][i]Doth not falter, thou must act now![/i][/color]

The sword once more entered the warrior's voice. The dragon's neck careened back, and effortlessly Dermont released the shield from his grip as the Dragon attempted to dislodge the metal from its mouth. Both hands gripped his sword now as he swiftly swung for the now exposed thought. The sword sliced it like butter.

[color=gold][i]Doth not dally, champion![/i][/color]

Dermont heeded the words, instead plunging his sword straight for the dragon's chest. He roared like a berserker as he pressed all of his weight into the thrust. 

[color=gold][b][i]Wake up![/i][/b][/color]

[hr]

Dermont jumped up from his sleep. The sun in his eyes immediately caused him to throw his hands up to block the sun. The sun? Dermont looked about the parking lot of Up-N-Away Burger. The sun was up, which it hadn't been when he had fallen asleep. He was currently inside his car: a jalopy to be sure. His drive here had taken most of what remained of his money. He could not afford a hotel and was willing to risk sleeping in the open for just one night. Dermont scrambled to find his laptop in the clutter of the back of his car. It was supposed to sound an alarm when it was time for his first day. He found it underneath a burger wrapper and a French fry cup. Tapping the keys made no response. Dead. Had he forgotten to charge it?

[color=gold][i]A proper champion is punctual and vigilant.[/i][/color]

The sword spoke to Dermont through his mind. Dermont frowned at the words, the first words the sword had to say in his head today. With a groan, he scambled about the car, collecting his belongings. The letter of acceptance and the diploma were locked away in his glove compartment. He pocketed them in the pants he had slept in. There was no time to change them now! 

[color=gold][i]Warrior of light, you shall not leave without me.[/i][/color]

"Yeah I know, I know. Trust me, I am not showing up like this," Dermont responded, motioning to his undershirt stained with the grease from last night's meal.
The sword's incessant words caused Dermont to rub his temples in frustration. He could feel the sweat still clinging to his body, the heat of the car having collected in the morning sun. The bags under his eyes felt heavy; it was not a particularly comfortable rest, either. The sword rested safely over his collection of comic books. It was a reminder as to why no one should bother him. Even the most brazen criminal would think twice about attacking the man with a great sword at his side.

Dermont gripped the weapon, slowly pulling the blade partway from its sheath so that the glowing steel was revealed. The sword's voice boomed in his head, causing the young man to flinch at the words in his head.

[color=gold][i]A proper champion must maintain proper hygiene and presence. A hero must look heroic to inspire others.[/i][/color]

Dermont felt his cheeks growing rosy at the constant chiding of his blade, finally blurting out in agitation.
"Geez, what are you, my mom? I'm working on it!" He called out, scrambling through the mess of belongings in the car until he procured a bottle of body spray, his toothbrush brush and a stick of deodorant. He hastily applied each in quick succession as he found a [i]mostly[/i] clean flannel button-up and threw it over his shoulders. Once he felt secure in this, he put the key in the ignition and turned it, listening to his car grumble and moan as the engine turned over again and again. Finally, after some trial and error, the car growled to life, and he peeled out of the parking lot. The car's clock gave him good reason to be in a hurry. It read 8:51.

The streets were far less busy than he expected them to be. Most people were likely already to their destination or waking up just like him. The rest likely used the various other forms of transportation: buses, cars, or, better yet, they had powers of their own to help them get around. It gave Dermont some relief from his growing nerves. Unfortunately, his sword had yet to give him any form of respite.

[color=gold][i]A good warrior shall always be prepared, Dermont. Thou hast disappointed me.[/i][/color]

Dermont shrank at the growing disdain in the weapon's tone. He knew better than to argue with Nothung. It was right, and he was its servant. He preferred to count his blessings that the magical weapon had not revoked its power. 

"I'm sorry, I'm just-" He stopped himself. How would he explain to an ancient being, one with inherent power, that he was anxious? Would that even matter? Nothung clearly sensed his unease as they pulled into a parking lot. 

[color=gold][i]Remember, Dermont, my champion-"[/i][/color]

Dermont finished the line, irritation boiling over in his voice.
"Does not falter in the face of animosity. Yes, thank you for the reminder." Dermont groaned as he threw the shifter into park and pulled the key free. A moment of silence between the two of them gave Dermont a final moment of repose. He looked to Atlas Park in the distance. The massive statue just before the town hall, two towering bastions of justice, filled him with a new energy. He was here after months of training, after managing to pass his exam, and after a lifetime of dejection; he had a real purpose worth being proud of. He was a hero, a super one a that. He was the champion of a sword of magical origin. He took a deep breath to center himself before exiting the vehicle. 

[color=gold][i]My champion shall not present himself as so. Thou shalt don thine aegis.[/i][/color]

With another deep breath, Dermont controlled his anger and fear, finding solace in the blade in his hand. He thrust the sword into the air, but nothing happened, not even as the morning sun reflected off the glowing blade dramatically.

[color=gold][i]Thou shalt utter the incantation.[/i][/color]

"Oh come on, do I have to? Dude, seriously, I am in a rush!" Dermont groaned. He could see people watching him now, and his cheeks grew rosy with second-hand embarrassment. Still, the sword stayed firm to its principles. 

[color=gold][i]Thou [b]must[/b] utter the incantation, and shant refer to me as 'dude'.[/i][/color]

Dermont grumbled to himself, but he knew that arguing with Nothung was a Sisyphean task. Instead, he resteadied his stance and cleared his throat before he spoke aloud, making his voice as deep and booming as he could.

"In the name of Nothung, I harness your power! Adorn me with your aegis, grant me your protection and power so that I may cull the wicked and slay the unseelie!" 

The sword glowed more and more with each word until Dermont, too, was coated in a golden aura. He swirled in place, the energy coating him until he was a silhouette of light. Armor appeared in a burst of sparkles: first a chain shirt, then the breastplate over top. A wave of his arms, and the pauldrons and gauntlets appear too. With one final battle pose, the aura faded, and Dermont was now coated in his armor. A single onlooker clapped for him, but Dermont could not pay them any mind. He was late already, and he ran for the park as fast as he could, clanking with each step.

As he neared the entrance to the townhall, Dermon was gasping for air. His run turned into a pathetic jog as he saw a group of other heroes, or at least people dressed like heroes. He waved to them as he called out.

"Wait! Valiant... reporting... for... duty!" He called out through staggered breaths. His jog turned into a walk and he nearly collapsed against the railing of the stairs as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Am...I...late..."