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We Rode on Broken Wings (Arkus and River_Wolf)

A magic anyone could learn. "Even those without magic?" The words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them. It just sounded too good to be true. And Erec had scrolls! Many scrolls. She wanted to see them so bad. To learn all the styles, even if just in theory. Tsia had already done plenty of research on magicians. The magicians, like sorcerers, required an ingrained magical ability. Only, they tended to have weaker magic. Many studied books, spells, and used various implements of magic to help channel and intensify their powers. Sometimes they asked friendlier neighbors for help as well, but not always. Summoners, on the other hand, didn't need magic of their own. Instead they asked for help from demons or faeries; a dangerous gamble and a devastating art. Sorcerers just relied on raw talent and hand signs to impose their magical will on the world.

The way Erec brushed her aside, saying that he didn't want her to get hurt actually pissed Tsia off. She glared right at him, her gaze sharp. "Don't you dare Erec Genther. I am not some initiate or frail woman to be protected! I am a rider and you will treat me like one!"

For as frustrating as Erec could be, especially with his womanizing ways, Tsia could not push him away too for. She knew why other women were so attracted to him. Heck, the way he leaned back, showing off his beautifully toned body and delicious contorts literally let her see why women fell for him. Even Tsia was staring. "It's a nice smell." Tsia muttered without thinking. It wasn't the most pleasant scent in the world, but the heavy musk of a man was hard to resist. "Right. The inn." Tsia jumped to her feet and followed after Erec.

"I still think just charging in puts the eggs at too great of a risk. If I pretend to be a traveler on the road, maybe even a sympathetic ear to their cause or a warm body to comfort them, I can get in and find who carries the eggs. Depending on the dragon, the eggs won't be that small. Once night falls, we'd make our move. The other option is to try and corner Razerith while he's out hunting. Riders don't typically accompany hunting dragons, so it'll be our best shot to take him on while he's alone. Plus it'll cripple Nyrodi's powers and the caravan's ability to defend themselves. The downside is Nyrodi will know we are coming."
 
“Yes, anyone.” Derrek could kinda understand her amazement now at the concept, he grew up around it and found magic normal, though if her dream was anything to go off of, then having her own magic would be a dream come true..

When she tried to stop him, he only kept walking. He knew she was strong but they knew nothing of what powers their enemies had and also they didn’t know if Nyrodi knew who they were.

“Huh, well if you like how I smell maybe I’ll just stay like this.” He said with his grin as he tapped his ears, “Elf ears dear..” He chuckled and gave her a playful smirk not bothering to mentioned that an easy exercise for increasing magic control and power for his augmentation abilities was to heighten all his senses at all times.

“And tell me what you remember or know about Razerith, please. If I know what he can do me and Azura can kill him ourselves and while Nyrodi is worried about Razerith, you can swoop in and kill him and grab the eggs, or just grab the eggs while Elyta causes some damage.” He stated it so matter of factory he had to have some plan up his sleeve.
 
"Go shove your ears up your ass," she muttered, although none too quietly. Tsia couldn't bring herself to look at Erec. The mixture of frustration at him coddling her and her own embarrassment made her want to crawl into a hole and never come out; or at least submerge him in a hole for a bit until she felt better. Honestly, either would work. The ground shifted slightly beneath them. An automatic response to her whims. Thankfully, it didn't do much else. Tsia stumbled a smidge, quickly righting herself and walking faster.

"He's a tundra dragon. Not the fuzzy kind either. All spikes and scales as hard as a glacier." The way she said meant she had practically memorized everything about Razerith. Unfortionatly, that was just what they knew. "His frost breath can travel twenty feet, so that's something to watch out for. Especially since it has physical shards that can slice through skin if the breath itself doesn't kill you. I doubt you and Azura can handle him on your own. He's bigger and more experienced. Plus we need to take Nyrodi in alive, if possible."
 
“Well fine, I don’t like any of our ideas so far. We need to figure something out, because let’s face it, we don’t have any solid plans. So what do you plan on doing?” Erec hadn’t put his armor on yet since he hadn’t been sweating so he entered the inn shirtless, with only the innkeeper and a few of the waitresses in the room, and Erec headed upstairs to bathe and get clean.

“I’ll be down in a few, so I guess maybe come up with something that we can both agree on?” Erec said as he looked back at Tsia, with the sunlight from a window framing husband body as he looked st her, his body still glistening with some sweat. “Also if you need to, make a painting, it will last longer.” He smiles at her before walking back up, which let her look at his strong back and ass.
 
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"Come up with more plans." Tsia said, still not too happy with herself or Erec. It was clear that a lot of his plans needlessly put the greatest risk to himself. It wasn't that they left Tsia out per say, but the fact that he wouldn't even entertain her plans frustrated her. The fact that she had sparkling half-elf abs in front of her really didn't help. She didn't need the distraction. Or the way Erec teased her about it. It only made her feel all that more self-conscious and she tended to lash out unfairly at Erec because of it, starting the whole cycle anew.

"I can try." Tsia couldn't help it as her eyes lingered on him. His comment slapped her back to reality and she blushed hard, wishing she had something to throw at him. "I don't paint!" Tsia pouted, but still watched him go. Again, she could hear Elyta chuckling in the back of her mind.

"Go jump off a cliff." Tsia thought, and the mental laughter only increased.

"After this we can fly the cliffs together. Just the two of us."

Tsia settled down with her map once more. The inn keeper came by, offering up their target's last known location; which was different from the one he'd given her the previous night. They'd moved. Just a little. That would make sense with a caravan in tow. Any plans they came up with were subject to change depending on the landscape and their environment, but from the map the group was still out in the open and climbing steadily northeast. Around the boulder field and a thick patch of forest. That would make maneuvering a dragon harder, but give the horses more cover. Still, the group could be forced into the field. The additional men turned things back in their favor as far as that boulder field went. Nyrodi and Razerith would be focused on trying to protect the group... If Erec and Azura could keep Nyrodi and Razerith busy long enough for her to take them out and find the eggs.. that might work. Plus, Elyta and Azura could take turns hassling the group and steering them towards the boulder field. One rests while the other steers. Then the group would be thoroughly haggard by the time they get to the field. It's a trap just waiting to be sprung.

Words solidified on her map, formal and concrete as Tsia leaned back from her musings. All she needed was for Erec to agree and they could be off.
 
Erec continued up the stair laughing to himself as he could feel Tsia’s eyes on his ass and body in general. He entered his room shortly after and stripped before jumping into the tub and washing himself with fresh smelling oils and soaps. He would smell of pine after this it seemed.

‘Azura, do you think we can handle them? I’m confident we can if we do as we practiced, we also need to make sure we get Nyrodi and Razerith up in the air as high as possible.’ ‘I believe we can handle it, especially since I’ve never seen you this determined. Is it to protect Tsia and Elyta or is it also to impress them?’ ‘It’s both.. that and it’s time to see if my personal training is finally going to work.’

Erec then stood up and dried having only taken a few minutes to bathe, and he used some magic to dry off before putting his armor back on. The anticipation of the coming fight with a rogue dragon and his rider was making him excited. ‘Let’s do this Azura, I’m sure Tsia has a good plan we can agree on by now.’ ‘Yes, show the world and our enemies why Dragon Riders and Dragons are not to be trifled with!’

With that Erec packed all his gear and with himself fully armored and geared up he headed downstairs. What he saw put a smile on his face, Tsia was biting her lip as she was bent over her map writing hurriedly, she had no idea how beautiful she looked with that fire in here eyes she always got when she had a good idea or was on a roll.

Erec quietly walked up behind her, leaned down over her shoulder and looked at the map reading her exquisite handwriting. “I think I get the gist of it, but mind going in detail?”
 
Tsia glanced up at Erec and sighed with relief. Finally, a plan that he didn't shoot down immediatly. Well, that was the idea.

This time, she went over the plan aloud, explaining how they would harry the group in four hour shifts. The goal wasn't to engage, just get them moving in the right direction. Kind of like sheepdogs and sheep. Only, one of the sheep was a nasty, ice breathing dragon. They'd have to stay just far enough away to not engage, but close enough to keep the group moving in the right direction. It was a delicate, but difficult balance. The other's job, meanwhile, was to fly ahead and rest. Once they met, they'd switch off. If her calculations were correct, the entire ordeal would take about two days. The key was to be unrelenting. Their targets couldn't be given enough room to sleep or rest for even a moment. If they were lucky, the horses would drop dead from exhaustion before the group even reached the rock field. If not, that's where they would strike.

"What do you think?" Tsia asked, glancing up expectantly at Erec.

"It's elaborate and complicated." Elyta chimed in to the group. "We should just attack outright. Forget all this nonsense and complete the mission in one go."

"Don't be impatient." Tsia said, both aloud and mentally so that everyone could hear her response. "If we don't go in with a good plan, we'll fail. They have both numbers and experience on their side. Although we're powerful, we still need to be careful."
 
“It’s risky, it’s not just the enemy that will be run ragged but also ourselves if done incorrectly. That and we need a plan for if we are forced to engage our target. Personally, even with all the planning we know nothing of our targets so this plan may fail after the first attack. If anything I think the partner resting should be close enough to help at all times, that and we need to agree on a full two way link between us and our dragons.” Erec knew this last part was asking a lot, it would practically be letting the others have access to their pasts and memories, but it was the only assures way they could stay in constant contact.

“Maybe we should even plan on Nyrodi and Razerith trying to fight us and the one of us resting should be prepared to sneak attack them while he chases one of us if needed.”

“I still say we try out our technique if we need too.” Azura said to everyone in the group mentally, already showing he was fine with Tsia and Elyta being connected to them for this mission. “It’s one Erec came up with, its risky but we tested it on rogue wild dragons before with the Battlemaster watching. Erec jumps off me from so high in the sky most humans can’t breathe. Then I rush down faster than he does and engage and restrain the enemy dragon. Within a few seconds with gravity and both his ki and magic he attempts to cleave off the dragons wings or a limb before falling to earth, where I catch him, or he has to time a ki-based technique just right to not be hurt by the fall.”

“This will only be if our target comes after us alone. Otherwise we’ll go with your plan.” Erec said as he looked Tsia in the eyes, and she could feel the mind of Azura and Erec asking to be let in, if she allowed it, they would naturally share memories until they got used to the bond and could close off certain parts of their mind. Though this was Azura and Erec opening up their minds, heart and soul just so they could finish this mission without fail or any of them dying.
 
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A full two way link? Tsia balked, her color visibly draining from her face. She forced herself to look down at the map and stay put. Her fingers curled around her knees, knuckles turning white from how hard they clung to the fabric. Her mind ground to a screeching halt. It hyper focused on those words. Two way link. That would mean exposing everything to Erec. Yes. He'd asked her to trust him. Sure, she trusted him, but only to a point. This was way beyond that point. There was a logic to sharing though. It would up their reaction times. If someone needed help, they could respond that much faster. Even a few seconds might be the difference between success and failure, life or death.

"Tsia. TSIA!" Elyta's voice hollered in her mind. Tsia flinched. How long had Elyta been calling her?

The soft pressure of Erec and Azure brushed against the coundary of her mind, gently requesting entry. Tsia's heartbeat quickened and she could feel a sheen of sweat on her palms. Tsia didn't let them in though. If anything, she closed off further, her mind shrinking from them and Elyta.

"Ah, right." Tsia managed, her voice tense and her gaze still fixated on the map. "I don't think going that far is necessary. Elyta and Azura can speak to all of us freely. It's not a problem. The resting dragon will just be close. Most of the caravan is on horseback. They'll be slow. We don't need to fight Razerith. Not until the rocks. Our presence and some quick flybys will put enough pressure on them."

Tsia jumped to her feet and snatched the map up in one fluid motion. "I'll go get Elyta ready." She still couldn't make eye contact with Erec, but did her best to move around him so she could go get her things.
 
Erec watched as Tsia, strong and independent Tsia, turn pale white and not look him again even when she started speaking. He let her go pass him as she nearly ran outside not looking at him once. He couldn't hide the pang of hurt that resounded through him into Azura and Elyta since Azura was letting Elyta feel and hear everything. 'God dammit.. Elyta, if she isn't in the right state to do this we cancel the attack know. I don't want her getting too emotional over this..'

With a heavy sigh Erec walked over to the bar and sat down looking to the inn keeper. "I need the hardest drink you got." He would need it since his ki training made it harder for him to be effected by alcohol, and if he became strong enough he would one day be immune to all poisons and alcohol. He made sure to tell the barkeeper with his aura and eyes alone to not ask any questions.

The first girl that had ever caught his eye, the one he had been pining over and been hiding his affection through competition, rejected him utterly. Sure he said it was for the mission but he did want to know her more. 'Azura, I need you to tell Tsia when she gets there we aren't chasing him today.. I think we both need to cool off.' He then blocked out anything Azura and Elyta said as he downed multiple shots in a few minutes before paying and walking back to the training field, which now had a few guards in and out of uniform training.

"You mind if I join you guys?" Erec didn't give the guards a chance to respond he walked up to one and stood in a unarmed fighting stance. "Come on you sissy's, lets see what you got!" Erec couldn't hide the near literal fire in his eyes.
 
"You're asking too much, too soon." Eltya replied to Erec evenly. "You want her to trust you, but you've got to give her a reason beyond words. Trust that she can do her job. That we both can." Although Elyta said that, she did wish Tsia had let Erec and Azura in. Elyta understood why Tsia refused, but she didn't agree with it.

Tsia completed her preparations to leave in silence. She went over Eltya's saddle several times, checking and double checking to make sure it didn't need any kind of repairs. Heck, Tsia did the same thing with Azura's saddle. Might as well while she was there. A part of her expected Erec to join her. When he didn't, she went into town and bought any supplies they might need for the trip. She returned quickly with her cargo and packed it into Elyta's saddle. Finally, she went to her room to pack her things and return them to the saddlebag. The only thing Tsia had left to do was saddle Elyta and they could leave, only for Azura to tell her that they weren't leaving. Tsia didn't even respond. A part of her wanted to yell at him. To scream or just hit him over the head with something large and tie him to Azura's back. This mission had somehow become too personal, for both of them. Frustrated and confused, Tsia grabbed a book from her things and returned to her room.

"Maybe I shouldn't have shown Erec Tsia's dreams." Elyta wondered to Azura. Her head wilted and mane of feathers fell with guilt. "Did I only drive them further apart?"
 
‘How the fuck is putting my whole life, all my secrets, everything about me and Azura up on a fucking platter showing anything but trust in you two! I practically gave her access to everything I know, to everything I’ve ever felt, she could have taken my knowledge of ki for herself, anything! This was me showing unconditional trust in the both of you!’ Erec roared in his head.

He didn’t return until after he knew Tsia had gone to her room, and when she did he went and took Azura for a little flying, heading to where their target was to scout the area and maybe even get the drop on him.

But before that, when Elyta talked to Azura he did have a response. “I think what you did was fine and no you didn’t drive them apart. Erec just came in too strong but at the same time he had a point. He practically gave both of you power over us, with you being able to have knowledge on everything about us. If anything what you showed resparked the feeling for Tsia that he has been hiding for years.’ Azura chuckled, “I mean the whole reason their rivalry started was because he didn’t know how to show her he liked her and it ended up as a rivalry and that’s how we got here.”
 
Elyta growled back. "She thinks too much, but you push too hard!" Erec, in some ways, was as hot-headed as Tsia. They both exploded rather than dealt with the problem at had. Only, this time Tsia seemed to regress into herself. First in her word, then in her book.

The feathered dragon sighed, frustrated at both their riders. At herself too. Azura tried to comfort her, but it did little to help. "I know. Erec says he trusts her in one breath, but won't let her do her job with another. Half of her plans he rejected because he considered them as too dangerous for her. Not you. Not me. Not himself. I didn't show him her nightmare so he could charge ahead like this. It was so he could understand Tsia. Why she gets angry and runs away when no other reasonably would. There's pain and broken trust that she hasn't dealt with. It's not a scar for her. It's still an open wound. Erec just keeps poking at it. I was hoping he could help heal it. I was able to help a little... but there's only so much a dragon can do. She holds us on a pedestal. Something greater and better than humans or elves. Tsia needs someone like her to heal, but she has no friends. I thought it if was someone who loved her they might..." Elyta shuffled her wings uncomfortably. "I'm worried I was wrong in putting my faith in Erec."

As if the day couldn't go from bad to worse, Erec decided to simply take Azura and head off. Elyta watched the pair fly, knowing full well where that direction lead. Even if she didn't really have any proof, Elyta heavily suspected they were going towards their targets.

"Tsia. We need to fly."

Tsia didn't hesitate. She grabbed her stuff in an instant and ran towards her dragon. It wasn't until they were in the air that Tsia asked what was going on. "Erec and Azura took off."

"You think they are going for Nyrodi and Razerith?" Tsia asked, settling into the saddle. There wasn't any anger in her voice. It was just a question. She was too emotionally tired for anger.

"Probably."

"Well, if you're wrong then we can apologize." Tsia offered. "If not, at least they'll have backup."
 
‘You know at this pace they will catch up right?’ “I know this Azura, we’re just scouting and getting some flying in to calm down. Dammit I fucked up. ‘A bit but just be more patient and take baby steps.’ Erec just nodded his head acknowledging what Azura said.

They didn’t fly fast but they flew higher than Elyta could go, since the duo constantly trained at these high altitudes and used their augmentation magic to do so even more. Erec did watch for them so when he spotted them a hour later with only the moon and stars to guide them he told Azura to go lower. They didn’t wait for Elyta but they didn’t try and get away.

Erec then just waited for the inevitable and wondered how I had she’d yell this time. Hell he hoped she yelled just so he knew she was doing better.

Still linked Azura talked to Elyta since they were within range of each other now, ‘We’re just flying to scout out the area and to clear Erec’s head. How is Tsia holding up?’
 
They weren't wrong.

Tsia and Elyta flew a lot lower than Erec and Azura did, but they did eventually catch up, even if it did take a while. By that point, Tsia had to rely on Elyta's abilities. She could see the stars, but the rest of the world was dark and impassible to her eyes. She couldn't even see the other pair when they finally did catch up. Elyta had to tell her. While Elyta focused on closing the gap between them, Tsia thought about what she'd say to Erec when she was finally within rage.

"A long way to fly." Elyta replied. "She's doing-"

"Hey!" Tsia called through the wind. "Glory-hog! I see what you're doing. No way I'm gonna let you get all the credit for taking these two down!" Yes, Tsia knew that wasn't their intention. Still, she wanted that return to normalcy. Things were a lot better at the start of this mission. It'd all gone so awry. If she could just pull them back to that point, it would go better. Elyta managed to finally catch up. Through the dim, she could kind of make out Erec's form. "You're stuck with me."
 
“Of course you’re stuck with us, but you and Elyta should back up a bit since you can’t see in the dark. We’re just scouting ahead since we can both see. How about you rest while Elyta keeps you informed of the situation? If shit hits the fan you two can rush in and cause a scene if you wish.” Erec gave a small smile that was slightly visible from the light as he and Azura pulled away slightly to head towards their targets’ resting point.

“You ready for any trouble Azura? I know I am.” Azura just nodded husband head as Azura used his magic to change his scales to a darker shade of green, nearly black and his scales actually became more aerodynamic making them nearly completely silent in the air like an owl when it flies.
 
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Elyta snorted. "I am not the blind one." That wasn't entirely true. She could see, but not as well as Erec or Azura. Tsia, though, was undoubtedly blind in the pure darkness of the night. The moon helped a little, but it wasn't full. The stars offered little assistance. Tsia rode at night mostly on her instincts, training, and with a lot of help from Elyta.

"Don't go too close. Once you've got the info, we'll regroup back here." With that, Elyta descended. The pair found a spot in the crevice between two hills. With the hills blocking them from view, Tsia started a small fire and settled down for a meal. Elyta stretched out a little uncomfortably as they waited. The feathered dragon's eyes closed. Her breathing slowed. It wasn't quite sleeping, but instead a shallow resting state. The act always reminded Tsia of a cat sunbathing.

Off in the distance, a group of seven huddled around a campfire on top of a large hill. Horses sat tethered together, anchored to a rather unnatural looking rock. The steeds slept steadily as their riders talked in hushed voices. Packs littered the ground around the camp in a haphazard way. Only two were placed with any sort of care. One was a large chest with a very clear guard sitting on either side. Though not ornate, the box was sturdy. Dragon Riders or caravans often used them to transport important or valuable goods. The other item was a small, silken sack. It was placed carefully on top of the chest. Several small pebbles sat around the sack to help prevent what was inside from rolling off.

Just outside of the light of the fire was a massive bulk that even the shadows couldn't hide. It stood out from the rest of the landscape in both size and shape. Nearly as big as a the inn riders stayed in, if not bigger, the dragon shape was obvious to anyone who looked upon it. Massive wings folded against the curled body and jutted spikes stuck out along its spine like mountain peaks.
 
"Just look at them all relaxing like little sheep to the slaughter.. well, lets get this started Azura." Eric and Azura started to dive towards the targets so Azura could torch the caravan indiscriminately. Only when Azura started their second run did Azura see that there was a dragon-like shape in the distance on the hill, though as Azura roasted the people and horses below them, he ignored the shadow seeing that it wasn't real. 'I don't see Nyrodi or Razerith anywhere, just some illusion, keep your eyes peeled Tsia, Elyta.' With that said, Eric took his bow from his back and starts to shoot the scrambling and screaming men and women with his steel arrow, killing any target that escapes Azura with unerring accuracy.

What Azura and Eric didn't see was that both Nyrodi and Razerith had been expecting them, since when they left, they had some contacts in the surrounding towns send him messages with ravens to inform him of any Dragon Riders in the area, he had been unnerved for the last few days, hoping they'd attack sooner or later so he could eliminate them now and be free of this annoyance. Nyrodi knew Azura and Eric were coming, and knowing where Tsia and Elyta were, Razerith and Nyrodi flew towards her. Within moments they were approaching the resting duo, and Elyta only had moments to react to wings, wings which Azura didn't have since he was a silent flyer. Elyta would have just enough time to look up and see Razerith, in his pale ice-blue hulking form to open his mouth and start breathing his icey breath towards Elyta and her rider.
 
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Elyta roared as the biggest dragon either she or Tsia had ever seen descended upon them from over the crest of the hill. Tsia thrusted her hands upwards, the fire from their camp exploding to try and create a protective barrier. Ice pounded against flame. Parts of it spilled past the barrier, icing Elyta's wings. She roared again, this time in pain. Desperate, Elyta added her own hot breath to try and fight back, but she had little room to maneuver. The massive tundra dragon loomed before her. Nyrodi sat atop the dragon's back. A net with a black orb hung from Razerith's saddle. Something inside of it shifted and moved. Even from that distance Tsia could feel magic emanating from the crystal. It felt draconic. It also felt wrong.

Tsia slammed her hand against the ground. As she did so, the ground beneath Razerith shot up in massive pillars. She needed to get Razerith off-balance, maybe even tip him if she could. Next, Tsia unsheathed her sword. Flames gathered around the blade as she charged forward. Tsia didn't aim for Razerith though. She focused on the ground. The dry grass beneath their feet. One swipe and the grass burst alive, encouraged and directed by Tsia's magic. It raged towards Razerith and Nyrodi, as hot and angry as Tsia felt.
 
Razerith roared in anger and annoyance as he was forced to pull back to avoid being burned, that and he had already lost his balance. 'Hurry Razerith! We need to kill them before the other rider arrives!' 'I know Nyrodi! But they aren't going to just roll over and die!' Nyrodi lifted up his hand as he and Razerith were forced to retreat as he conjured a ball of black energy that was hard to see and sent it hurtling towards the female duo, trying to deal some damage with necrotic magic, which was hard to heal from.

~~~~~

A shiver ran up Eric's spine as he heard a roar that wasn't Elyta's, just as he slayed the last member of Nyrodi's caravan. "Azura! Fly as if your life depended on it!" Eric couldn't hide the fear in his voice, he didn't know how Nyrodi knew they were coming this very instant, but he needed to get to Tsia and Elyta as fast as possible. Erec got as low as he could on Azura as Azura used his magic to make himself as streamlined as possible, and launched himself into the air, gaining altitude swiftly as the duo approached Elyta's and Tsia's position. Once high enough, so high that Eric had trouble breathing, even with his magic, Eric jumped. Azura sped down directly towards the fighting Elyta and Razerith, being able to see them both from even this distance, he had a few seconds before his whole mass hit Razerith like a missile. 'You better not miss Eric! If you mess this up you'll be a splatter of blood on the ground!' 'I know!' Eric mentally yelled back as he tried to make himself stay in the air as long as possible by spreading his limbs out to catch the air.

Currently Razerith was flying around Elyta, trying to stop her from taking off, breathing his cold breath across both Elyta and Tsia, but both Elyta's and Tsia's fire was a match for his might, and with all the steam being produced, Nyrodi couldn't get a clear shot and he didn't want to waste his magic if it wouldn't hit his target.
 
Tsia felt the magic more than she saw it. Her eyes went wide as she tried to build a summon a wall of earth to protect them. Elyta, though, didn't see it. She was too enraged. The copper dragon surged forward, her wings flared as she tried to strike at the larger dragon. The ball struck Elyta's wing, cursing the flesh and tearing through feathers. Elyta roared and Tsia collapsed as the pain surged through their bond. It felt like fire and ice were clawing with the fury of a hurricane at her back. Tsia forced herself to her feet. They needed to get out. Fast.

Elyta and Tsia doubled their efforts with fire. The steam that formed around them was thick enough to choke on. Water dripped down Tsia's clothes and clung to Elyta's feathers. The heat increased as Tsia gathered it, throwing it higher to try and force Razerith to rise. The hot current rushed upwards, dragging a lot of the mist towards Razerith and Nyrodi.

"Now!" Elyta leapt into the air. A fresh wave of pain erupted from her injured wing with each beat, nearly sending both rider and dragon into unconsciousness. Tsia pulled Elyta mentally forward, keeping her dragon awake as they rushed to get to away. They couldn't fly high or fast, but if they could just get to the trees.
 
Tsia’s and Elyta’s efforts were not in vain to put distance between them and Razerith. The hot air forces Razerith and Nyrodi to both be lifted hundreds of feet into the air. With unspoken words to each other Razerith stabilized himself in the air as Nyrodi used his telekinesis to start throwing a large tree at the fleeing female duo.

But right before he he could finish his attack Azura crashed into Razerith, and he coiled around him restraining him while also staying out of the way of his claws. The tree thrown at Tsia and Elyta went off course before reaching the duo.

“Razerith get him off!” Yelled Nyrodi, though Razerith could respond as he was snapping at Azura’s face, while Azura kept snapping back with his powerful jaws. Neither could use their dragon’s breath for risk of getting themselves caught in their own power.

‘Don’t miss Erec.’ Azura said mentally. Erec was falling towards Razerith and Azura, and he had seconds before he had to strike. With his sword drawn Erec channeled as much magic as he could into his body and sword to strengthen both to survive this attack. He also elongated his blade to be long enough to decapitate a dragon.

‘Azura move!’ And with only a second, Azura released Azerith as he threw him and his rider into Erec’s path. And in a slash that almost no one heard or saw, his bastard sword, powered by his transmutation magic cleaved through Razerith’s neck. Though he didn’t have time to rejoice as he hurtled towards the ground.

In the blink of an eye, Erec had killed Razerith but he had then impacted the ground like a comet, and had only survived with using his ki, though he didn’t come out unscathed. Azura roared in pain as he felt Erec’s left arm and right leg both break as he rolled out of the crater he made.

‘At least we know our strategy works.. just let’s make sure I have more time to slow down..’ Erec was holding himself up on his currently broken sword that he almost stabbed himself on, the other half broke off when he struck Razerith though he still killed the tundra dragon.

Both Erec and Azura were having trouble staying conscious.
 
Tsia did her best, throwing every spell she had to try and deflect the massive projectiles away from herself and her injured partner. If even one hit, that would be the end. A shield formed around the pair and they braced for an impact that never came. Elyta didn't question it. She couldn't. All of her focus was on getting out of there. Even Tsia didn't have the presence of mind to think about it until they collapsed at a safer distance. It wasn't safe, but at least it was out of the direct line of fire. Elyta's pain seared through her mind as the dragon all but collapsed on the ground. The only thing keeping her standing was adrenaline and pure, unadulterated, stubborn determination. Pushing her dragon's pain to the back of her mind, Tsia pivoted in her seat to watch the distant shadows and listen as best as she could.

Even if she couldn't see Erec fall, the sound of his impact nearly made Tsia sick. She knew exactly what strategy Erec had used. The great shadow of Razerith fell, his essence dissipating from the world as commanded. Nyrodi let loose a cry of pure pain. The sorrow and loss in his howl was enough to shock any rider to their core. It was a loss that could drive even the best among them to insanity. The dead dragon and mourning rider plummeted to the ground. While there was a chance Nyrodi might survive, Tsia was a lot more focused on her fallen partner.

"Stay here." Tsia ordered as she vaulted off Elyta. For once, the obstinate dragon didn't argue. She curled into a tight ball with a heartbreaking whimper. Tsia ran through the dark, pulling on her magic to create a fireball to help light her way. "Erec! Azura!" She called, rushing to Erec's side to help him stay on his feet. "I've got you."

They needed a safe place to rest and recover. Tsia glanced around frantically. "Do you think you can get to Elyta?" At least if they were all together, Tsia could create a makeshift shelter. After that... Tsia shook her head. It wouldn't function. There was too much noise. All of her lingering doubts and fears came crashing in at once. Elyta, Erec, and Azura were all injured. The pain of her dragon still passed through their mental link without mercy. Tsia's inadequacy hit her like a ton of bricks as the small voices in her head screamed that this was all her fault. She believed them too. If only she'd listened to Erec. If only she'd insisted on following one of her plans.

If only.

...If only.

If only...
 
‘Azura! Glass Nyrodi! Make sure he doesn’t survive!’ Was all Erec mentally shouted to Azura who was flying above the corpse of Razerith and Nyrodi’s sorrow-stricken body.

With nothing else to say, Azura roared out in pain and anger as he lifted his horns to the sky, as clouds covered the stars, a rumbling sound and flashes of light filled the sky.

With a single deafening roar, the sky lit up in a blinding flash as the area surrounding and including Razerith’s body was consumed by lightning, and after the flash disappeared, there was only a deep and burning crater, with light reflecting off the now glassed earth.

‘It is done.’ Azura panted as he flew towards where Elyta was and landed, putting his head under her body to help support her as she was still injured.

Erec has slung his good arm over Tsia’s shoulder and hobbled with her over to the dragons. “I’m pretty sure I can make it, and don’t worry a few broken bones won’t kill me. Once my magic is back I’ll check up on Tsia and see if I can help patch her up, unless you can help her first.” Erec’s voice was strained from pain but he kept a small smile on his face as he tried to calm Tsia.

Once they got closer Erec sat down gently against Azura as Azura used his body to help shield both riders from the wind and act like a shelter.
 
"You don't have to act tough in front of me." Tsia said, worry written all over her face. Even if she couldn't see as well as he could, the light from the fire and the strain in his voice were enough to tell her exactly how he felt. Frankly, it was a miracle he was alive. "I still have some left in me to get you and the dragons safely past the worst of it. You won't be comfortable, but at least your lives won't be in danger."

With both dragons and Erec safely in one spot, Tsia erected an earthen chamber just large enough to house them all. It was a simple domed structure. The walls were thin and the space cramped. At least it was safe though. It would keep them warm and dry while they recovered. If they recovered. Tsia worried for Elyta's wings. The corrosion was extensive. It would take more magic than she had in her at the moment... or maybe even more magic than she possessed. Forcing a shaky breath, Tsia calmed herself and set to work. She started with Erec and Azura first. It was simple first aid. Her focus was stabilizing them. That was all. Next she turned her attention to her real patient. Tsia sat for over an hour, weaving the spell until she felt so dizzy that she couldn't tell up from down. Elyta didn't move or speak the entire time. Tsia wasn't even sure she was conscious. Yet, she finally stabilized.

Even with everyone else taken care of, her job wasn't done. Exhausted and in pain, Tsia climbed to shaky feet. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Erec, make sure their okay... Please." Tsia turned and exited the dome.

They weren't far from the ruins of the bandit's camp. Tsia only made it a few meters before tears started flowing down her cheeks. She pushed at them with her palm, trying to will them away. They refused to stop. It only made it harder to see, but she didn't really need to see. Her target was obvious enough. The chest and silken sack were still as they were, intact and undisturbed. If it wasn't for the destruction around them, she'd have never known they came through a battle. Magic probably. A spell to keep them out of harm. Luck perhaps? Or a shield. Tsia was too exhausted to check. She simple opened it enough to check that the eggs were inside and safe before starting the process of hauling it back to their impromptu camp. At least with the strain of carrying the chest, she'd stopped crying.
 
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