Shade was unsure of where they where going...but he kept up with the group.

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

" Come this way!" Layna yelled as she egged her horses on away from the thud.

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"Holmes is a little too scientific for my tastes -- it approaches to cold-bloodedness"

A deafening screech pierced the air as the large black dragon raked his claws painfully over the scaled side of the smaller red one. The littler dragon spiraled downwards, flapping desperately, and didn't rise again.

Venesse felt herself panicking as she heard Bryamor fall, but had no time to look - she now had a gash across her cheekbone to add to her bleeding forearm, and was forced to spin awkwardly around in mid-swing to avoid a murderous slash by her opponent.

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Cringing slightly at the terrible sound, Aeryn urged her mount faster, and was silently thankful that the mare could go faster. At this speed, she was likely to reach the scene before any of the others, and with that in mind, laid her hand on the hilt of the sword belted at her waist.

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The red dragon snaked out his neck and rescued Venesse from a very sticky situation in which she was backed against a tree, sword arm trapped - but dropped her again after a moment as the black dragon landed, shaking the ground, and lashed out against his opponent. Venesse leapt to her feet and was just in time to meet his sword with a clang. She managed a glance out the corner of her eye and whether she saw something or not - it couldn't hurt to try. "Help!" she shrieked, fighting desperately. "Help me!"

"Is the little rider scared?" taunted the man.

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Hearing the cries for help, Aeryn reined her mount in sharply and slipped out of the saddle, drawing her sword with a sharp rasp. Urging the nervous mare to stay hidden in the Ancient Language, the elf then moved swiftly, yet silently, towards the raging battle.

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Shade slowed his mare and decided to sneak up through the trees. He made sure Elendi was sucure and secret in his bag before grabbing a low branch and and starting to climb an old oak tree. He climbed swiftly and then started to "hop" from tree to tree. He went quicker than he ever did before and know was going with his bow in his hand and also had his arrow out. He was know within shooting distance and he was shadowed in the dark, so he found a spot to brace himself as he notched his bow and got ready.

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

Bryamor's tail lashed out and barely missed the tree Shade sat in, while Venesse narrowly avoided acquiring another wound. The red dragon whipped his head around and pinned his opponent to the ground, but Bry was saved by a sharp call from the rider - whose eyes had picked out Shade in his tree - to his dragon.

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Her own safety and conscience(which was screaming at her) forgotten for the moment, Aeryn stopped several yards away from the rider and the young woman, eyes narrowing considerably. She then hefted her sword in her hand, the grip on the hilt, whitening her knuckles.

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Bryamor, temporarily dazed, lay still on the ground. His sides heaved and Venesse, distracted, started towards him to be abruptly stopped by the red dragon's great head thrust in her path, luminous eyes glowing frighteningly. She whirled to find herself encircled by his tail on the other side.

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"Enough!" demanded a harsh voice, most unlike that of any being in Alagaesia.

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Immediate silence fell over the clearing. Venesse remained encircled by the black wyrm, but both his and Bryamor's heads were angled up suspiciously. However, the rider took action. "Who speaks so?" he demanded, striding forward with his sword out.

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"One who can destroy you where you stand if you or your dragon so much as harm one more hair of that girl's head, or one scale of her dragon's hide."

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"Indeed," said the rider, sheathing his sword with a scrape of metal on metal. "And have you proof that you can do such? For methinks you may well be bluffing."

Venesse halted in surprise. Who was this?

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"Bluffing, I may be, but are you in a position to ask what I can and cannot do?"

After those words, several trees nearby burst into flame suddenly.

(Going way out on a limb here..)

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"Now that you ask, yes," said the rider casually. "I happen to have a dragon at my disposal who can destroy more than a few trees with one flick of his head." The black dragon gave a snarl.

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