Baldur's gate II_ throne of Bhaal - Drew Karpyshyn [54]
Had the full brunt of the dragon's attack struck Abdel, he would have died instantly, his blood evaporating, his skin melting, and his bones turning to charred ash. But the youthful beast's own impatience saved Abdel. The dragon had tipped its hand too soon, allowing his foe's hasty retreat to bring him to the farthest edge of the wyrm's fiery breath. Abdel made a desperate leap for cover, and instead of instant, merciful annihilation he felt an unbearable burning pain reserved solely for the living.
His clothes and hair ignited, the skin on his back, neck and shoulders blistered instantly in the intense heat. He clenched his eyes against the sizzling cocoon of fire momentarily enveloping him. His nasal passages, throat and lungs were scorched as he breathed in sulfurous air and stinging smoke.
The agony of being burned alive momentarily sent his body into shock causing Abdel to black out. The blaze swept over his unconscious form. Recovering consciousness, he found himself in the now-blackened doorway, the last flickers of the dragon's breath still burning around him. He tried to leap to his feet, only to find his limbs would not obey. He lay still for several seconds, waiting for his otherworldly regenerative abilities to kick in, but when he tried to stand he found his injuries hadn't healed.
Fire. Many times Abdel had felt the internal blaze of Bhaal's fury and bloodlust, but those were flames of the spirit and the soul. In the real world, Abdel had never been seriously burned in his life-not before he had become an avatar of a dead god, and not after. He had just assumed he could recover from horrible burns as easily as he recovered from slashes, cuts, and other physical injuries. Now, as he lay helpless beneath a sticky blanket of his own melted clothes and the oozing wounds from his cracked, blistered back Abdel understood this was not the case.
Mustering all his strength, the crippled warrior managed to crawl around to peek out from the doorway that had saved his life. He had to see why the dragon hadn't finished him yet. He had to see if Jaheira and Imoen had escaped. With great effort he lifted up his head, and the answers to both his questions were revealed.
The dragon was under attack. Two gigantic tigers threw themselves on the creature's back, ripping and tearing at its scaled hide. Leaping clear as the dragon lashed out at them with its wings and tail, the two great cats roared and pounced again as soon as another opening presented itself. From the blue nimbus surrounding their powerful feline forms, Abdel knew the beasts had been summoned by Jaheira. The druid must have called on Mielikki for aid, and in answer the forest god had sent the striped cats to protect her servant. Their coordinated assault confused the young dragon, harrying it incessantly and preventing the wyrm from concentrating its attacks effectively on either foe.
Jaheira herself stood just beyond the edge of the melee. The incantation she had used to call the striped defenders to her side had destroyed the invisibility that had previously kept her hidden from view. She was ministering to a third tiger that lay broken and bleeding in the middle of the street. Though pain clouded his vision, Abdel could see the half-elf was weeping at the dying tiger's suffering.
The dragon flailed around recklessly with its claws and snapping jaws, desperately trying to unseat its two surviving foes from their perch atop its back. But the tigers were quick and cunning, and they continued to savage the monster's hide-though their razor claws were unable to pierce the dragon's scales.
Abdel tried again to stand and failed. He tried to drag himself forward, willing his crippled form to crawl to Jaheira's aid. The exertion forced him to draw ragged, rasping breaths with his seared and damaged lungs. The acrid smoke still lingering in the air crawled down his throat, wracking his charred body with choking coughs. In the end his muscles