The Dragon Returns

"Use your Dragon's power but grant it YOUR mind. To be a dragon is a never ending battle on both you and your dragon's part! It is as Yin and Yang, both oppositions in balance to create the ultimate entity!" I yelled to the Dragon, this was her final instruction. If she did that, I'd be in trouble, but my job would be done. If she did not...she would die. I honestly can't be blamed for this mentality. It's how those born into power are taught to think. When the time comes to swim, you are instructed verbally and thrown into the water, and it is expected of you to know what to do. There is no demonstration, there is no second chance. You swim...or you die. This situation with Xiao is no different. Granted I won't kill her, but she won't be looking forward to confrontation after it.

     With a whim, the large Dragon made of water began to fire out rapid bolts of water, each filled with my quintessence energy. The large water dragon was like a large Gatling gun, firing out rapidly and aiming to harm the flying dragon I opposed. I had a good feeling for this. She was going to win...she had to. I needed her to win. Someone is going to have to take care of this world while I'm gone...

Prudence won over brash action, and Xiao's two selves agreed finally that taking any more damage from the energized water would be undesirable. The dragon scampered off to take cover behind structures and rocks, getting hit a few times, though the powerful water blasts eventually destroyed her cover. The dragon fled to a lower elevation, behind a small hill, out of the water construct's line of sight. This was better than being attacked relentlessly.

"Accursed... water manipulation..." The inner voice muttered, trying to weather the attack until perhaps Yam would wear out. Her movements now were focused on survival as much as finding a solution to end the confrontation, two halves of her personality temporarily made whole. She even peeks above the hill a moment, to update herself on her situation, quickly ducking again when a hydroblast blew a chunk of hill away.

When or if the attacks relented, only then the dragon would make a beeline for Yam.

     Damn thing was hiding. Well She was certainly getting smarter, and as a Dragon that meant that she was finally finding her center. This was good for her, but bad for me, in a sense. I let the water dragon drop back into the water and cause waves as I began to feign a tired appearance. Don't get me wrong, I was a little strained, but this battle was only half won as far as I was concerned, I still had enough fight in me to finish this and then some...but our little part-time Dragon doesn't know that, now does she?



      I let my body language falter slightly, and I made my one eye start to droop. I was coaxing the Dragon into an attack and hopefully she would take the bait. My senses were ever vigilant, and I wasn't truly letting my guard down any more than I had to, which is still more than I would like. I went down on my knee and cracked my neck, acting like I was doing some deep breathing exercises to regulate my pounding heart. Come out come out wherever you are...

"He is weakened! Strike now!"

Xiao emerged from hiding, barreling towards Yam. But rather than attacking directly, the dragon flapped her wings on the island's sand bar, blowing up a sand cloud; then continued, skidded to a halt near Yam and raked at the ground, blasting the so called dragon king with a large claw full of dirt and rocks, not to injure but to distract and blind him, hopefully make him vulnerable.

Damnit! I cursed inside as I found myself actually blinded. I did the only thing I could think to do. I'm ending this. My eyes began to glow as my powers over Chaos itself grew. I felt my body react and evolve to dominate the situation. Suddenly I could see Xiao perfectly. I could sense her, and there was no escape. (-2 Speed, +2 Abl *Dragon sensory*) Blood still seeped from my arm, and another gash on my side. If I kept this up, I was in trouble. I glared at Xiao.

She could charge me, or she could not. Either way...I was ending this battle....soon.

Xiao followed through after the dust cloud, and pounced onto Yam, trying to use her massive weight to pin him to the ground claws first. She motioned to bite.

"...No...!" A voice rang from inside of Xiao. The dragon hesitated to bite, happy instead with simply trying to pin Yam in place.

      "Not bad kid." I said. The energy had returned to my voice, too bad for her that she didn't know what she had gotten herself into. I smirked as Draconian slits formed and a sickly toothy smile of a predator formed. "But not quite enough.... " My own inner Dragon took hold.

     "Malaus Maw!" It roared and the dome of water changed on us, blade like protrusions all around. The Dragon Known as Xiao was about to become his own personal pin cushion. The dome proved to be an oversized dragon-like mouth made of water, burning with quientessence, and the large water Dragon bit down. As it bit down and the blade like fangs closed in on us, I used powerful strands of water to attempt to bind her in place. I wasn't going to let her die, but I still needed her to know who was boss around here. I'm the Dragon king...

      And now part time Dragon was going to get the best of me...

The dragon looked around, all the waters were closing in on them now. Xiao determined there was no more way out, especially with the enchanted water holding her in place. The dragon came eye to eye with Yam.

"Yield. This fight is over." Xiao spoke, finally getting past the growling and grunting in her dragon form. She was now fully aware of herself, looking at her dragon form in fascination and full awareness. She squeezed down on Yam with her large claws, even as he bound her up with the water.

"My skin is harder than yours...my powers are stronger than yours...." I felt my own dragon roar at her with a sadistic smile. "You're right....it is over." I roared, and like that the blades darted at her, and the tendrils pulled at her extremities. There was no longer avoiding it. Things had finally come to critical mass. But I am the Dragon King...I will not lose to her. With all of my power I assaulted the Dragon from every known angle. She would have to let go of me and fly attempt at her own escape...or attempt to persist and likely be slaughtered.

((durn it, let's finish up now -.- ))


Xiao didn't remember the final moments of the fight, the beating so bad as to wiping itself from her memory. She awoke a few minutes afterwards, piecing together a quick summary of the battle's results from her injuries, badly bruised and cut all over, and with a splitting headache. She looked around, and it was still dark, on the secluded island- she couldn't move without hurting herself, with an audible "Ow." with her attempt.

She was at least relieved her nanofabric wetsuit was reconstituting around her. The dull gray fabric didn't quite reflect its value to her, being Ellie's gift and shield of her modesty, always able to recall its shape once she turned back to human. She let out a tired sigh and looked around for Yam, wondering if there was anything more to learn... It was a most peculiar thing, being a dragon, Xiao now recalling vividly at the moment when she took control. She was also now aware of the dragon soul within her, that once only attempted to touch from the veil of dreams; she could feel it beating in her heart, flowing in her blood.

"Not bad...not bad at all." I said as I noticed her looking around for me. I smiled and a stream of glowing green healing waters went through the air under my command and began to wrap around her. The pools of water would knit together her wounds, take away all fatigue and in a few moments she would look just like I did. No bruises at all, as if the fight never happened. (+7 ABL Quintessence Heal) She almost had me, if I hadn't been a versatile as I am I would have been dragon Chow.

      "You're going to do great things kiddo." I said with a smile. I stood up and brushed myself off as I offered her a hand up. "I'm happy to know that when I'm gone, I'll have left the world in your claws." I said with a smile. Xiao was going to be fine, though she had something inside her that was stronger than even I knew at the moment. She had so much potential. I Can only hope when I'm long gone, she unlocks it. The world needs more heores.

((that's a wrap then. ))