He heard his arm snap like a twig. He felt himself tumbling backwards through the snow. He was covered in burns, his clothes singed and black. He was bleeding from dozens of cuts and bruises. When he finally stopped, he crawled toward his dropped sword, grasped it in his still working left arm, and used it to drag himself to his feet. The monster stood in front of him, its blue scales glittering gently in the pale moonlight. The snow around the monster was painted with splashes of blood. Water trickled slowly in patches where fire had melted the snow.
The monster closed the gap between them in a matter of seconds and swept a claw big enough to pluck him out of the snow like a toy in his direction. He surged forward and leapt, adrenaline numbing the pain of his injuries. When the claw passed beneath him, he spun, using momentum to cleave through the thin scales on the beast's wrist. As his sword passed through the beast's flesh, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. It was the other claw. Still in the air, he could do nothing but place his sword between himself and the claw and wait for impact. The claw collided with his sword with a metallic clang, and he was sent flying. He slammed into the side of the mountain with a soft poof. The fresh covering of snow saved his life.
He dug his way out of the snow and eyed the beast. It hadn't moved. It was roaring in agony, its torn and bleeding wings spread wide. Blood from its former claw pooled in front of the beast, forming a crimson lake. He took advantage of the break in the fight to sheathe his sword and get to higher ground. He pulled himself up the rocks with his working arm. It was slow going, they were high on the mountain and the cliffs were steep. He managed to reach the creature's eye level just as it began to recover. The creature turned toward him and slowly lumbered forward, its sapphire eyes glaring at him in the darkness. He drew his sword. Only ten feet spanned him and his foe. He watched as its mouth began to open, revealing rows of sharp teeth. He could see a flame curdling deep in the throat of his enemy. He planted his foot on the edge of the rock and pushed off with all his might just as the flame spewed forth from his adversary's gullet. He soared over his opponent, the stream of fire missing him by inches. He dipped his sword into the blue flames as he closed the distance. He could feel the skin melting on his hand and arm.
As he passed over his foe their eyes met in a moment of mutual understanding. They both knew what was coming next. Its eyes were surprisingly calm, intelligent almost. He tore his eyes away and tightened his grip on the hilt. He plunged his now glowing hot sword into the back of his opponent's neck. The searing blade passed through the normally impenetrable scales as though they were butter. He tried to hold on, but momentum tore his grip from the handle of the sword and he tumbled down its back. He landed just next to its tail and listened as his opponent gave one last piercing scream and fell into blood ridden snow, dead. He rolled onto his back and lay in the snow. His mangled body refused to get up. He looked up at the starry night sky and watched his breath curl into the cold air. His adrenaline had worn off. As he closed his eyes, large flakes of snow began to fall gently down on the mountain.