Chapter 2: Trial by Fire

Gavin braced himself as Inferno's inferno billowed forth. The superheated blast slammed into his raised shield bearing the holy symbol, shimmering waves of murderous heat coursing over polished steel. His armor glowed white hot yet remained intact through some blessing, protecting flesh from searing. Gavin gritted his teeth and endured the onslaught with inviolable will, refusing to yield ground.

At last the flames parted, and Gavin beheld his foe undiminished yet momentarily winded from its exhausting greeting. Charred rock smoked around them, and sweat poured off Gavin's brow, though within remained a resolute purpose. "The Lord God strengthens my arm for this trial," Gavin declared firmly. "Your evil shall not prevail here, beast!"

Inferno bellowed in rage and darted forward with startling swiftness, swatting with claws engulfed in dragonfire. Gavin rolled nimbly aside, coming up ready to parry the retaliatory snap of infernal jaws. His blessed blade shone with sacred power as it deflected the strike, earning a yowl of pain from Inferno. The demon dragon reared back, regarding its foe anew with mounting fury and distrust in its invulnerability.

Locked in the dance of combat, knight and dragon exchanged flurries of strikes throughout the molten lair, a battle of perseverance against relentless offense. Inferno unleashed blasts of flame like a smith's furnace, trying to overcome Gavin through attrition, if not force. Yet each time, the knight endured unscathed through his faith, singing hymns of praise in his heart to drown out the demon's rages. Blood welled from Inferno's wounds each time Gavin's sword snaked through, fueled by righteousness rather than wrath.

Seeing its advantage falter amid a confusing turn, Inferno spread leather wings and launched into the air, claws scrabbling against the cavern ceiling for purchase. Gavin tracked its circling with guarded eyes, anticipating the diving strafing attacks to come. True to form, Inferno folded wings and plummeted, unleashing a jet of dragonfire as it fell like a meteor. Gavin rolled sideways and came up spinning, deflecting the flames just as they washed over the spot he had occupied.

Over and over, the duel raged throughout the scorched caverns as man and monster tested one another's mettle. Gavin found himself pushed to his limits long after any normal warrior would have faltered, yet he refused to yield an inch to the minion of darkness. Each moment he endured renewed his inner light, banishing Inferno's taint from his spirit. And in those intervals when dragonfire receded, Gavin went on the offensive, hacking shallow cuts that grew over time. Black blood stained the rocks, a sign that Inferno's wrath was nearing its end.

At last, Inferno collapsed with a shudder, flames flickering weakly from the fanged maw. Its amber eyes glared balefully up at Gavin as the knight stood over it, bladepoint resting lightly on its scaly throat. "Your reign of terror is at an end, beast," Gavin declared solemnly. "Take your final moments to tell your master this land belongs to the Lord of Light!"

Inferno coughed a plume of smoke, its voice weak yet venomous. "Your faith means nothing."Darkness...will always...prevail." With those parting words, the last spark went out in its eyes. Gavin drove his blade home to end its suffering, watching the corrupted flames die within its form. The first threat to Eldoria had been vanquished, though more shadows surely lurked on the horizon.

Gavin bowed his head in a moment of silence, giving thanks for his deliverance from this trial. He offered up a prayer of protection for the kingdom. His duty here was fulfilled, yet deeper questions lingered in his mind: what dark power had summoned these demons, and for what dreadful purpose? Eldoria's peace remained fragile until their greater machinations were uncovered and thwarted.

Exhausted yet resolute, Gavin picked his way out of the smoldering caverns into the cool dawn light. He mounted Valor and turned their path homeward, eager to report success to King Eldred yet dreading hints of greater troubles on the wind. Through faith and deed alone, they could withstand whatever tribulations lay ahead. And in Gavin's heart burned the flame of one who had faced dragonfire and emerged hardened yet unbroken, vowing to defend his kingdom from darkness wherever it reared its hateful head.