Rocky's New Strength

The dragon's roar had barely faded from the air when Erin, exhausted from his earlier efforts to shield the team, leaned heavily on his staff, with his breath coming in short ragged gasps.

"I need… a moment," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, as Rocky nodded, allowing him a brief respite, though the urgency of their situation was clear to everyone.

The team had been journeying for 18 hours straight now and had been through countless battles, which had pushed Erin to his limits.

This shield was all that he had left in him, and having blocked the dragon's attacks once, Erin no longer had the strength to continue.

He was feeling dizzy and disoriented, and needed at least a few more minutes to catch his breath before he could even get back to his feet, effectively taking him out of the next battle equation.