Ralin wrote:
Yes, because Harry intervened. After Michael took a wound that would have changed the scenario.
Maybe this is hair-splitting, but it seems worth mentioning to me. The Genoskwa was still alive and kicking, and we know something like a bunch of broken ribs isn't going to slow a Denarian down for long. And we still haven't seen Nicodemus go One Winged Angel with Anduriel. I'm not saying that they didn't get the better of him, but he fled because he didn't like the odds, not because he didn't think he could win.
You're right, it is hair splitting. Because Harry has been as up front about Nicodemus about the fact that he's just as willing to cheat in these conflicts as Niccy is. Here's how it is. Order of events from the book. The first thought in his head as soon as he thought he was free enough of his fight with Ascher was that Niccy was the more dangerous was 'let's go back Michael up'. You are hair splitting like a bastard. Dresden cheated like a motherfucker and put Niccy on his knees for Michael. It hit him in the left side below the ribs. Michael swung down,
and that's when he used the grail as a shield, and Michael held back, and Niccy stabbed him.
Both were visibly hurt, Niccy first. Dresden summoned a hailstone again, Niccy tries the Grail As A Shield Method(TM) with Harry, and Harry just goes and calls him on it, and Niccy
turns and used his own body to shield the Grail, and the hailstone struck his right shoulderblade. That is when Nicodemus ran like a dog with his tail between his legs. When one of them called his bluff on the priceless artifacts.
To list of about one page and a paragraph or two:
1 - Dresden leaves the lesser of two evils(Ascher) to jump Niccy with Michael.
2 - Michael drives Nicodemus off the edge, and he rolls to his feet on the ground below.
3 - Dresden surprise attacks him with a hailstone going about the "size of a very large apple" and "moving considerably faster than a major-league fastball" and it "hit him in the left side, below the ribs". Note, "It didn't break when it hit. Nicodemus did." Nicodemus fell to a knee. (this means niccy is wounded
first)
4 - Michael leaps down to Nicodemus.
5 - Nicodemus uses Holy Grail as shield.
6 - Michael stops his blow.
7 - Nicodemus stabs Michael in knee.
8 - Harry calls another hailstone.
9 - Nicodemus holds Grail up between them before Harry can throw it.
10 - Harry throws it anyway.
11 - Nicodemus turns between hailstone and Grail, and takes hit from hailstone in the right shoulderblade.
12 - Nicodemus runs like a bitch now that he knows the Grail is not a good bluffing shield. We don't see him until the real world vault.
Now. Stop splitting hairs. Niccy got his ass utterly handed to him. Utterly. By both Michael and Michael and Harry.