Dragon Duels

Drakon charged after Ceres as she flipped away, attempting to prevent her chance to recover from Drakon's initial attack. He took two great strides before his wings opened wide again, carrying him up and into the air. As before theflight became more of a hop, but this time, Drakon rose quickly and then towards his target. At the last second the golden wings spread wide, becoming an air brake. The dragon's legs curled under his body and then shot out in a powerful double kick

Due to his speed, Ceres had only barely a moment to block. Her arms were already up in a defensive posture anyway, so all she could do was take a step back - indeed that was all she had had time for - before his double kick connect viciously with her crossed over arms.

The blow crumpled her defensive stand and she rocked backwards, her breath escaping her lungs and out her mouth in an explosion of sound as well as blood. The kick had been so powerful and her arms crossed just so that one of her wrist spikes was actually driven into her chest, just below her left breast.

It was not a deep wound, but it would eventually take its toll.

Ceres struggle for breath, instead of standing, she opted to scramble backwards and run towards a nearby pillar. She hoped that this would give her a little precious time to regroup and gain her strength and wits back - black spots danced before her eyes as her chest burned for breath.

Hopefully, she would make it without incident...

The Judge watched the fight carefully and saw Ceres slowly bleeding from the deep wound below her left breast. It knew what the rules to this fight were and knew that it was well within its power to stop this fight long enough to ask her a very simple question. It slowly raised its hands and watched as both of the combatants stopped there, as if frozen in time. It knew that it had to be quick in asking her its question because holding the two of them there was very taxing on it.

As it glided silently over to where Ceres stood he knew this was the only time that it could do this and that this was the perfect time. It stood before her and looked at her wound then into her eyes.

"Can you keep fighting this battle? You are not too badly injured now but you will be if you continue. If you say yes then I cannot stop this fight again."

The Judge intervened. Ceres's eyes grew wide as it glided over to her and for a moment she thought the fight was over. But it just asked if she wanted to continue and without hesitation - albeit foolishly so - nodded a yes. "Let me fight!" she snarled, her pride, as well as her chest wounded.

Just one more attack... she knew she could get Drakon with just one more attack... if he didn't slip to the side again!

Drakon pursued Ceres as she fell back, but he did not charge after her. Instead he stalked her, using the pillar she was using as a shield from him to block any straight shot at him should Ceres choose to fire one of her spikes towards himas Drakon closed the distance. As Drakon came, he also systematically cut off more of the arena while following up his kick attack and tried to grapple with the woman.

The Judge simply nodded and let her go, there was not much more he could do.

Before she knew it, the fight was on again. She blinked and suddenly Drakon there. There was nothing more she could do but grapple with him, the time stop having disorientated her enough so that Drakon could slip close.

She growled at him, her hands gripping his, spikes extending towards her own face. He was strong, but she was determined to be the stronger. She bared her knife like teeth and snarled at him.

Then she tried to sweep him off his feet by dipping her knees and extending one of her legs out. Hopefully her grip on him was enough so that he could not dodge. At least, not too successfully.

The two stood momentarilly locked together in a battle of wills and strength. Each trying to out-muscle the other Ceres snarled, revealing her many rows of razor teeth. Their eyes locked as Drakon simply beared his own fangs, hissing back at her from deep in his torso as their faces were only a few inches from one another.

Except that the dragon's breath was toxic.

Ceres then suddenly shifted, extending one of her legs out, her shin spikes drawing a bloody scratch along one of his calves and causing him to stumble. As he tried to correct his ballance, GD suddenly shifted his own direction as he fell, locking onto the shark woman's right arm and wrist with both hands and tried to use his momentum to throw Ceres down as well with an arm drag.

After Ceres had swept her leg out at Drakon, she began to feel strange. She wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but for some strange reason she felt dizzy and disorientated. She stumbled a step backwards as a result and didn't see Drakon reaching for her until he had his hands clamping down on her right arm.

She stared in horror and shock as she was pulled down with him, actually with a bit more force seeing as he was essentially throwing her to the ground. Her muddled mind could not comprehend what was happening.

Once on the ground, she suddenly began to cough and weeze. To her sick fascination, blood spotted onto the ground beneath her and she tasted the coppery fluid in her mouth.

She had the sense to look at Drakon, a questioning, curious look in her eyes before her irises suddenly rolled up into her head and she collapsed further into the ground, unconscious.

The battle was won... and Ceres was not the victor.

Drakon rolled away, standing quickly after Ceres crashed to the ground. He prepared to leap to the attack again but held back at the last second, watching as Ceres sputtered, and then finally collapsed. Wary for a trap, he nudged her with his foot, confirming that she was indeed unable to continue.

His wings suddenly flared wide as he lifted his arms, roaring out in triumph to the heavens and those few who had assembled to see his victory over their champion. There was not a great deal of enthusiasm from the crowd, but GoldenDrakon had not been overly welcome by the Valians ever since they had first realized just what he was and what he was capable of. He ignored their hard stares as he made his way to the stone to claim what was now his.