'Alright. Look after yourself. ...Love you.'

Armin hung up without waiting for a reply. Shaking his head, he grimly started to dial Pythia. Esme looked up from playing to watch him curiously.

{Signing, she puts her phone away.}

Dianne: "Ok, I'm going to head back, win the challenge, and bring those boys back safe. Have first aid ready. If there's a no armor rule, I'm probably going to be bleeding once I return."

'We're prepared, don't worry,' said Ryder. 'Joey knows some basic healing magic and we've got a first aid kit. We'll drive you to Pythia afterwards to get patched up. But I'm sure you'll be fine!'

Dianne: "Thanks, Ryder. I'll finish the old man as quickly as I can."

{Shifting back, she flies for the mountains once again.}

Dianne: //Jeeze, I need to start asking Fred for compensation...hold on, with how often he's asked for my help, does he just want me to join the guard?"

Viridi was waiting in the same spot as before, with several other dragons. He watched Dianne's approach.

'Follow!' he called out. Spreading his scarred-up wings, he took flight and started to head deeper into the territory.

{Dianne followed him in, carefully watching her surroundings.}

After a short flight, they arrived at a large, open area encircled by mountains.

'Here stands our oldest arena, the Moon of the Earth.'

On the ground was an enormous stone circle, over a hundred feet in diameter. Its surface was flat and free of any weeds, moss, or sharp rocks. It really did look something like a moon. The news of their planned match must have already spread, because a dozen curious dragons were lurking around with more slowly trickling in.

'Land on it with me. We will discuss.'

Dianne: "Very well."

{Dianne lands upon the arena, as instructed.}

Viridi landed a little further across the arena. He looked around at the waiting dragons.

'Find Luka. He will be required to oversee the match.'

Viridi then turned his attention back to Dianne.

'You are no stranger to combat, obviously. But do you have any prior experience of fights like these? With rules that must be followed?'

Dianne: "You mean with prizefights? No, I don't. I'm more accustomed to conquering."

Viridi grunted in acknowledgement and paused to consider.

'You have too much armour. Light armour is sometimes worn in matches, but not a full set of plate like that. In the name of honour, we will both fight without any. Remove it and put it aside. I promise no-one will steal any.'

{Wordlessly, she complies, removing the armor and placing it into a neat pile.}

A blue dragon appeared at the side of the ring. He must have been the one Viridi asked for.

'We are gathered here and now to observe a match between Chieftain Viridi and Dianne,' he intoned. 'To decide the fates of the trespassers that were caught today. Let's get it over with.

'The rules for this fight are as follows. You do not aim to kill. You do not target your opponent's eyes. All voluntary magic is illegal. If your opponent says 'I submit' you stop attacking, immediately. If I step forth and tell you to cease, you cease. As Overseer, I may stop this match and call it a tie at any time. Does anyone have questions?'

{Dianne listens intently. eyeing the spectators. She hated the thought of being put on display for the entertainment of these dragons. However, all that mattered was securing the safety of the boys.}
Dianne: //So, submission holds and limb locks are legal? Excellent.//

Dianne: "Yes. In the event of a tie, what happens to the tresspassers?"

'What happens outside matches isn't my concern,' said Luka, with a slight shrug. 'It would be a matter for you and the Chieftain to discuss.'

'There is no honour in winning by default,' said Viridi. 'If we tie, we must settle things a different way. I will not kill them then.'

Dianne: "So be it. I have no further questions."

A ripple of excitement went through the waiting dragons as they gathered around the Moon.

'Good luck to both of you. Make this an honourable fight,' said Luka. 'Have at it!'

He shot a jet of flame into the air as a signal. Viridi, on his side of the ring, began to advance confidently and purposely. His tail swung back and forth, showing the natural bone blade on the end. As he got closer, he stood up on his hind legs. In this stance, he was almost fifty feet tall. He loomed over Dianne threateningly, watching for her first move and planning his own.

{Dianne shook herself in anticipation. Once the round started, she folded her wings against her body tightly, darting towards him. She stopped just outside his range, staying low and watching him carefully. She began to edge towards his left side.}

Viridi maintained his upright stance, wings folded against his body. As Dianne started edging around his side, he turned only his head to keep her in sight. His tail lashed out, the blade snapping through the air. It didn't reach her from that distance, but it would be a certain danger if she approached his side or back.

{She stopped edging towards that side, eyeing the tail. Then, she quickly feints rushing his left side, taking a few steps in that direction, before springing directly at his face. Her plan was to get him to lash his tail, then slam into him and get him to fall on his back. Without his tail behind him, he would be off balance.}

Viridi did lash his tail in that direction, missing her. As she leapt towards his face, he shifted one leg back slightly to brace himself, and tucked his head down low so she would be springing into a mass of spikes and horns.

{Dianne extended her hands, to minimize the damage, crashing into him with all of her weight.}

Viridi's back leg buckled and he started to go over backwards. He wrapped his arms around Dianne and took her with him, trying to twist around so that she'd land underneath. However, he only succeeded in turning onto his side. They crashed down onto the stone circle, the chieftain holding her in a crushing grip.

{As they fell, Dianne locks her jaws around Viridi's neck, trying to more strangle him rather than outright tear out his jugular. Wincing at his grip, Dianne kicks out with her hind foot, trying to tear into Viridi's underside with her talons. She also begins to rhythmically flex and relax her wings, trying to weaken his grip on her.}

Viridi didn't react much to her kicking, even when her talons drew blood. He seemed to have very high pain tolerance. However, her choking grip on his neck made him respond. He let go of her with one arm, and smacked a fist into the side of her head, trying to make her involuntarily release her jaws.

{Dianne grunted at the blow, releasing her grip. However, her hand shot out, grabbing Viridi's wrist. With his grip on her broken, she maneuvers him more solidly on his back. Then, sinking her weight down to keep him pinned, she reaches over with her other hand and starts to dig her claws into the under side of his forearm.}

As before, Viridi paid little attention to her claws cutting into him. He swung his tail up and over her, the bone spike tearing through the membrane of her wing. At the same time, he bucked, trying to dislodge her with a sharp movement.

{Dianne screamed in pain, yelling a terrible curse in Ferrosian dialect. He managed to knock her off balance with that movement, but in response, she ripped her claws through his arms, tearing very deeply. Viridi would now find it difficult to close his hand, as his tendons were damaged.}

*arm

Blood gushed from Viridi's ruined arm. It was met by disappointed groans from the spectactors. Using his other arm, Viridi shoved Dianne off him while she was off balance, scrambled away from her, and stood up. Blood followed him wherever he moved. He stayed on all fours this time, limping on his damaged front leg.

{Dianne rolled to her feet, putting some distance between them. She eyed Viridi, watching him trail blood across the arena.}

Dianne: //He won't last much longer with those wounds. However, he seems tougher than most. If I can do that to one more limb, I should be able to close this out.//

{She herself was bleeding from her wing and where she collided with Viridi's spines, but her wounds were far less serious.}

Viridi watched her for a while, calculating his odds. Then, he suddenly spread his wings and launched himself straight over her to land on the other side. As he flew over, he struck out downwards with his bladed tail, aiming to hit her from above.

{Dianne dove to the side, narrowly avoiding his attack. She kept herself facing him, as to not let him get behind her.}

Viridi landed and quickly turned to face her again.

'Submit, chieftain!' some spectator yelled. 'She's not worth it!'

Viridi didn't acknowledge any of the noise outside the ring. He began to walk, with a slight limp, directly towards her. Quite slowly. Then he suddenly leapt forwards the last few feet and swung a clawed paw at her face.

{Dianne watched his approach, a mocking grin creeping up her face.}

Dianne: //Yeah, he's finished...//

{Dianne chuckled as he approached, and when he swiped at her, she caught his paw and pulled him forward, looking to splay him on his belly.}

Dianne: "Getting tired, Chief? Perhaps you'd like you paws to match?"

(Just as a note, Dianne has studied the anatomy of many species in her necromancy training. While her plan is to systematically disable Viridi's limbs, nothing she's doing will permanently damage him. He will heal and regain full function of his limbs.)

(Got it.)

Viridi said nothing. When she tried to pull him down, he simply dug his hind claws into the ground and leaned his weight back. Even with a limb disabled, he was still a large, strong, heavy dragon. Then he yanked his arm back sharply, trying to pull Dianne towards him.

{Dianne uses his pull as momentum to leap up and over him, landing on his back. Wrapping her tail around his, she tries to hold it in place. Then, she grabs his good arm, looking to force it behind his neck.}

Viridi's posture sunk a little from her weight. When she grabbed his good arm, he sunk even more as his injured limb couldn't support him. He twisted his head around to try and bite her, but his arm forced up by his neck made it hard to reach. Smoke rolled from his mouth as he struggled against her.

{Dianne put both her hands on his arm, sinking her weight down to maintain control. She then began to twist his arm the wrong way.}

Dianne: "Submit, Viridi! Submit, or I break your arm!"

'I submit when I can no longer fight. Not just because I am threatened.'

Just then, Viridi managed to rip his tail free. He immediately lashed with it, hitting her in the side with the blunt part of the bone spike hard enough to break a couple of ribs. Dianne would still be able to snap his arm, though, assuming she didn't release him from the blow.

{Dianne cried out at the sudden pain in her side. Her stance waivered, but she maintained her grip on his arm. Twisting it with all her might, she snaps it with a sickening crunch.}

An angry roar rose up, not from Viridi, but from the spectators. Viridi groaned through gritted teeth, the first sign of pain he'd let on.

'I could have disembowled you with that last strike,' he wheezed. 'If I had chosen to use the sharp side of the blade.'

Dianne: "Perhaps...but there's no killing in this match...If there was...Your people would already be mourning your corpse.."

{Letting go of his arm, she turns her attention to the last major threat. His tail. She edges back until she's lying down on his tail, then begins to feel for the muscles that control its movement.}

Viridi twisted his head around to watch her, weighing up his options. Something changed in his face, shifting to a quiet, dignified acceptance.

'Enough,' he said before she could cripple his tail. 'I acknowledge your strength and give my respect to you. I submit.'

{Dianne immediately shifts off of him, wincing with every move. Her broken ribs, along with her other injuries, were beginning to weigh on her.}

The spectators didn't exactly cheer, some looking a little put out that Viridi lost. However, a few were murmuring and nodding with approval, looking at Dianne.

'Alright, entertainment's over,' said Luka. 'Everyone go about your business, please. Chieftain, go to the medical cave. You're losing too much blood.'

Viridi nodded, standing on his hind legs to avoid having to use his damaged arms. He looked at Dianne. 'Congratulations. Not many have given me such a well-matched battle. As promised, the trespassers will be given to you immediately.'

Dianne: "Thank you...Chief Viridi....I (Cough , cough)...Will take them home..."

{Turning away, she waveringly makes her way back to her armor pile, putting it back on loosely.}

'Have someone bring out the humans. Take them to the Bloodwater border,' said Viridi to his dragons. He then began to walk slowly away.

As everyone started to disperse, a familiar purple dragon appeared in the sky.

'I have permission, I have permission!' said Ryder frantically to anyone who glanced at him. He landed with a thump in front of Dianne. 'Hey, you're hurt,' he said with concern, looking her over. 'I heard you won. That's awesome! Are you alright?'

Dianne: "I'm ok...just some minor wounds and a few broken ribs...Hurts to breath....I'll live..."

{She seemed to be in constant pain, looking rather uncomfortable.}

Dianne: "Let's go..."

Ryder did not look reassured by this. He sunk down to lie as flat as possible on the ground.

'Here, shift back and get on,' he suggested. 'I'll take you back to the border. Then we've got cars and stuff.'

Dianne: "Thank you, Ryder..."

{Dianne shifts to human form, crying out in pain, clutching her side. Shuffling over to Ryder, she mounts him.}

Ryder stood up slowly, opening his wings and taking off as gently as he could. None of the other dragons bothered them as they flew for the mountain border.

'That was really freakin' selfless,' he commented. 'And brave. I mean, those kids - I feel bad for them, but still, they're not exactly innocent. They came here willingly, knowing about the dragons. And you were willing to do all that to save them?'

Dianne: "The punishment didn't fit the crime, Ryder...They were a couple of idiot kids, incapable of harming anyone...All they did was trespass....and that...ignorant swine Viridi would have gladly had them killed...I couldn't just let that happen..."

'Yeah, some dragon tribes are like that. Really... cut off from the world, y'know? They make their own rules and they don't listen to anyone. If they get too disruptive, that's usually when people call in dragon hunters.'

Passing the border, he began to descend. The rest of his team was there, near the lakeside, waiting with cars. Armin was also present, sitting on a flat rock. His tension shifted to alarm when he realised Dianne was being carried by Ryder.

Dianne: "My parents were like them...Gods, how I hated them.."

{Once they landed, Dianne dismounted as gently as she could, clutching her side and walking forward, looking at Armin.}

Dianne: "I'm ok...I won, and that's all that matters..."

'It is /not/ all the matters.' Armin jumped down from his rock and walked over, examining her. 'Are you sure there's nothing life-threatening?'

Meanwhile, a dragon appeared and placed a battered Land Rover on the border before flying away. Ryder went off to talk to the two trespassers.

{Dianne takes off her helmet. He face is bruised where Viridi punched her. She smells of blood, both her own and Viridi's. She tries to smile through a painful grimace.}

Dianne: "I'm fine, babe. Just a few broken ribs and some minor cuts....You should have seen Viridi....Won't be using those arms for a while."

'Yeeaah, I don't doubt he's in worse shape than you...' said Armin, grimacing at the state of her. 'But still...'

The mage from Ryder's team came over, clucking his tongue disapprovingly. 'Wild dragons...' he muttered.

A slight feeling of charged electricity filled the air as he drew up power. He then healed Dianne's bruising and the cuts on her hands from Viridi's spines.

{Dianne relaxed a bit in response to the mage's magic.}

Dianne: "That's a bit better, thanks...Armin, I know you don't like seeing me hurt, but a few broken ribs is a small price to pay to save lives... Also, I got to body that smug son of a b!tch, so....that's a win in my book."

'Well, I'm glad you saved them, and that you're OK. Mostly.'

The mage lightly tapped a finger against her side. 'Can't mend broken bones, so you'd better go home and see Pythia,' he said briskly.

Dianne: "Yeah, let's go...a little hard to breathe..."

{Kissing Armin on the cheek, Dianne heads for the nearest car.}

Dianne: "After Pythia...I need to talk to Frederick..."

Armin got into the back of the car with her. 'What for?'

The driver's seat was unoccupied. It was Ryder's car, and he was talking to the boys in the rover. After a moment, he started to head back over.

{Dianne gingerly climbs in, hissing in pain as she sits.}

Dianne: "I just want to say...If I'm going to keep bailing out his task force when they're in over their heads...I'm going to need some compensation..."

Armin looked amused. 'I was thinking along those lines when I was waiting for you. You could probably earn a decent living if he paid you for all the things he's asked you to do. We had to go crawling through a cave to rescue some other kid a few weeks back...'

Ryder climbed into the car amd started the engine. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but would wait until they finished their conversation.

Dianne: "Yeah...At this rate, I think he's just going to outright ask me to join the guard..."

{Reaching very slowly, she begins to unfasten her armor straps. It seem her cuirass was causing her some discomfort.}

'Hold on, don't move too much.'

Armin shifted around in his seat and started to carefully unbuckle the armour for her. Ryder headed towards the city with a scattering of other cars behind him, including the battered Land Rover.

Dianne: "Thanks..."

{Once he got the armor off, Armin could see the discoloration of her side from behind her tank top. Glancing behind them, Dianne notes the Land Rover.}

Dianne: "Hey, Ryder, you spoke with those boys, right? What the h%ll were they thinking?"

'Well, they didn't want to admit it at first,' said Ryder. 'It was really silly. They watched some fantasy movie where a kid found an orphaned dragon egg and took it in, and they became best friends, and the kid became a mighty warrior and rode on the dragon. So they decided to sneak into the mountains and see if they could find any abandoned eggs or babies.'

Armin snickered. 'Aah, kids...'

{Dianne makes a face of bewilderment and exasperation, rubbing her eyes agitatedly.}

Dianne: "You're /joking/. I broke my /f&$king/ ribs all because...you know what, I'm in far too much pain and too tired to get angry...and that's a first for me..."

Armin rubbed her shoulder gingerly, not wanting to accidentally touch anything injured.

'Hey, they're stupid kids. What did you expect, something smart or heroic? The point is, you saved them, and just like Artie, they probably won't do anything like that again.'

Dianne: "Yeah...Hey, wasn't Artie a member of Viridi's tribe? I hope he watched me humiliate that old man..."

(Is Pythia with Esme at her own house, or did she go over to Armin's house to watch Esme?)

'Maybe. I wonder if anyone in that tribe will end up becoming a huge fan of yours after seeing you fight?' said Armin with amusement.

(Pythia is at her own house. She was too busy to go to Armin's house. Esme's probably in Pythia's bedroom while Pythia works.)

Dianne: "Not sure. The vast majority of them looked rather upset that I won. Not sure what they were expecting..."

'They might not know all about your legendary exploits. To them, it was just a strange little dragon showing up and beating their chief to the ground.'

Ryder headed towards Pythia's house. The other cars didn't follow; once they got into the city, they all started to branch off in different directions.

Dianne: "That's true...Still, putting the fate of those boys on that match? I don't think it was about the kids at that point...I think Viridi just wanted to fight me for fighting's sake."

'That's a possibility,' said Ryder. 'He's a tough old dragon who respects strength and willpower. Maybe seeing your determination to rescue the kids made him want to try himself against you.'

Dianne: "Perhaps so... I hope in future meetings, he remembers this and acts less like a butcher and more like a leader..."

'Hey, I have a story,' said Ryder. 'Did you know that Sovereign City was built on what used to be a part of the tribe's territory? Some humans challenged the tribe leader and won. He applauded their strength and surrendered the land. But some other dragons hated it, and started attacking property and stealing livestock along the border. That might be why Sovereign developed the mistrustful society it has today.'

Dianne: "Makes sense. Humans have a long history of encroaching on the land of others unlawfully. If the dragon's started harassing the settlers after, sounds like the tribe was rather undisciplined, as to disobey their Chief like that."

'Yeah. It's said that they were mostly young, rowdy dragons, taking out their anger. Sometimes they teamed up with witches, vampires or other people, to wreck more havoc. The attacks lessened after a few decades, but by then, Sovereign had already become wary enough to completely bar non-humans from their province.'

Dianne: "Sounds like an unfortunate beginning. And then we come along, saving the city from Sargon, and now the king has no choice but to let us in."

Armin chuckled. 'They lived in ignorance for a long time. Then Sargon came along and proved their fears about non-humans. Then /we/ came along and saved them. And now they're being forced to realise that we're just people like them.'

Dianne: "Yeah...Also, they're too gutless to voice their honest opinions... I can tell just from the glances that they still don't trust us..."

'Give them time.' Armin seemed unconcerned. 'We've only been here for a little over a year. Most of these people probably never met a non-human before us.'

'Fred's helping,' said Ryder. 'He's gained the king's trust - some of it, at least. And, because the king trusts /him,/ by extension, he's less scared of Fred's non-human friends. Like me and Owel and Joey.'

Dianne: "Not me. He's still hopelessly terrified of me."

{She says, chuckling. Shortly after this, she grimaces and gingerly touches her side.}

Dianne: "Ow...Shouldn't have done that..."

Armin's amusement faded slightly as he glanced across at her. 'You and that big green lizard really went to town on each other, huh?'

Dianne: "Yeah...Well, he got lucky, smashed his bone club tail into my side...I broke one of his arms and crippled the other..."

'You did great,' said Armin warmly. 'I almost wish I'd flown over to watch it myself, but I didn't want to distract you or anything. If you saw, you know, a strangely attentive hawk on an outcrop.'

Ryder was now pulling up outside Pythia's house.

Dianne: "Yeah...then I would have had you /and/ the boys to worry about...Now, help me inside so Pythia can put my ribs back together?"

Ryder parked, and Armin unbucked his seat belt.

'Hold on,' he said, before getting out and walking around to Dianne's side, opening the door. 'I could carry you in, but that might be painful for you. You want to walk?'

Dianne: "I'll walk..."

{Groaning, she painfully gets up, slowly walking towards Pythia's house. There was a short line of people, but Dianne began to walk past them.}

Patient: "Hey, lady! You can't cut in line! Wait your turn!

'If you're well enough to stand up like that, you can wait,' Armin replied nonchalantly. Keeping close to Dianne, he continued past everyone until they reached the door. 'Pythia, you free?'

{Pythia was healing a man with severe burns. She looks up, surprised.}

Pythia: "Oh, dear, Dianne? Viridi hurt you badly?"

Dianne: "Just some...Broken ribs...I'll be ok."

Pythia: "Armin, take her into that side room. I'll be with you shortly."

Armin glanced briefly at the injured man, wondering how he'd gotten burned that badly. He then turned away and helped Dianne hobble into the side room.

{Dianne hobbled over to the bed, sitting carefully, grimacing and shivering slightly. The outside was still rather cold, and without her armor, she felt it.}

Dianne: "So...What do we do after this?"

Armin eased down onto the edge of the bed beside her.

'Once you're healed, I think we should go back to your place so you can relax for a bit. It's nice and warm there. You might want to shower too; you reek of blood.'

{Dianne nods, smiling.}

Dianne: "That sounds...really good right about now...a warm shower...a nap...let's do that."

(posting new room)