Waiting [Vlaer, open]

[Quetzal]

Dras-Leona certainly was a dreary place enough already. It hardly needed the gloomy sky and splattering of rain to emphasize that.

What looked like a very dark-skinned elf the height of a kull sat on the city wall, facing outwards away from the city. There was a walled walkway on the top of the city wall, the strange figure sitting atop this, above anyone walking along the wall. Her long legs hung over the stone, sandalled feet dangling over a huge drop. She was dressed in unusual attire, a long toga-like garment decorated in dull shades of green, red and blue at the edges. A dull dark green cloak covered her on top of this, the hood shadowing her face. Bright golden eyes could be seen from underneath, but little else. Aside from the cloak, her clothing was akin to those of the desert people. She was a spartan, from the Hadarac desert, and so these clothes were the sort she had worn and seen people wearing all her life, and the ones she felt most comfortable in. She disliked the cloak. It was thick and heavy. However, it kept her warm and kept off the rain, which she loathed more than the cloak.

This was Ri'Shei, and she was not in the best mood. It was getting boring waiting for something to happen. Plans for attack were still being drawn up, and in the meantime there was nothing to do. Dras-Leona was a depressing place under the shadow of Helgrind, but at least the lands around it were less sad. Hopefully soon they would be crossing those lands to attack the Varden at Belatona. Perhaps it would happen the other way around, and the Varden would attack them here. Either way, she would enjoy fighting and helping with the Empire victory she was certain of, and then she would be able to leave this place for somewhere nicer. She shivered. A spartan was a person from the fiery hot desert, not this cold rainy place! The rain had sparked her bad mood, the waiting and boredom increasing it. Nothing was happening.

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[Aelodil]

Rain pelted on his fair skin, Ragdar looked up for the tenth time that day and cursed. Why did it always rain? Was he destined to be cursed by rain wherever he went? Lenora was gladly playing in a nearby river that had become much larger with the rain. He watched her large shape, as crimson glittering scales the size of two large houses burst out of the River. She landed in front of him and breathed fire above them."There, is that better?" she asked him, her voice soft and gentle despite her terrifying appearances.

Ragdar looked up at her and smiled. "Having you with me is enough." he told her, glad he had one last person in his family other than Rerukusu and Galbatorix. He was wearing his chain armor this day as he had expected a Varden attack. He, Uruale, and Murtagh had been planning for the best way to fight but so far haven't came to an agreement. He climbed Lenora and she said,"There is a weird creature over there, on the far city wall. Shall we go meet them?" she asked before she took off.

Her magnificent crimson scales did not glitter in the rain. As the neared the wall, Ragdar made out what roughly seemed a woman the height of a kull, dark-skinned, seeming like an elf and radiating an Elve's gracefulness. As Lenora landed on the wall, her size taking most of the wall he put his hand on Arucane and called out, "Who goes there? Speak now or forever be silent. I am Ragdar, son of Galbatorix. Tell us now who you are and what you're business is here." his voice was stern and hard.

[Quetzal]

Ri'Shei heard the sound of the dragon's wings approaching, but didn't look around. The Riders were often running about doing errands for Galbatorix and making sure everyone within eyeshot of Dras-Leona was aware of their presence in the town. They might strike fear and awe into some people's hearts, but she was less impressed by the Riders, seeing a lot of them as show-offs on over-sized glittery flying horses. Some of them genuinely did have skill, and those she respected, but she would never gaze at them in awe. This dragon landed nearby. It wasn't exactly easy to disguise the noise dragons made when hitting the ground. Or wall. So the Rider wanted to talk, then. She assumed it was the Rider, since the dragon would have just contacted her mind. Then again, she would have blocked an unknown mind, so it could well be the dragon bypassing that by talking through its Rider. She had not idea what the two wanted with her. She was a decent fighter and accelerating through the Empire ranks, but she didn't think the Empire considered her of much importance aside from her being one of the few spartans to leave the desert. Some had joined the Varden, she'd heard, so she supposed the Empire were glad to have her to balance the numbers at least a little.

She could have rolled her eyes as this Ragdar spoke so formally, then was relieved she didn't as he claimed to be the son of Galbatorix. She doubted that as he could just be using it to intimidate her, but she didn't want to take any risks. Formal speech was something she disliked. Back in the Hadarac desert, no-one in her village ever spoke like that. They would speak respectfully to their elders, of course, but never as formally as the people trapped in the tight political network of the Empire. She hadn't managed to grasp a hold of the meaning of every little gesture and bit of emphasis, and as a result hated the manner of speaking and made a point not to do so herself. There was no changing her from acting casual, although she did know better than to avoid any sign of respect. She did respect people, of course, and she would show it, just in her own way. She wouldn't scold people for speaking how they wanted to, either, provided they didn't scold her.

"Well, Ragdar, I'm afraid I don't have much 'business' here. I don't have much business anywhere right now, so I just took a walk. Stopped here to enjoy the view." she was speaking the truth. It was now that she turned to face him, rain dripping off her hood. She was being much harsher than she usually would with him, but she was in a bad mood and he sounded stern. The dragon was the red one. All the Empire dragons were familiar to her, as they had all been flying around Dras-Leona recently. The red dragon she had seen a few times. "My name is Ri'Shei, if you must know. I'm on the Empire's side too, so don't worry. I'm just bored because there's nothing to do until we fight the Varden." she introduced herself grumpily. Standing up, she took one last look over the wall before jumping back down into the wide walkway where Ragdar and his dragon stood, moving towards them but still keeping her distance. Droplets of water sprayed out at the wall as she wiped away some of the rain that had been preparing itself to drip down her hood. "This rain isn't helping my bad mood, either." she told him. A faint smile was on her face. Part of her was happy to see another person she might talk to, another part still fed up and miserable at the weather and situation.

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[Aelodil]

Ragdar had tried to contain a snort as Ri'Shei spoke to him a little out of place. He decided to count off the numerous things he could have her go through. First, he would torture her mind. Then, physically torture her. And finally send her to a Gladiator school to fight a Fanghur in public for entertainment. On the other hand, he respected how she stood up and said her opinion. It was rare to find someone as brave as Ri'Shei so he discarded his ideas. Also, as Lenora reminded him,"Your father is still angry for the breakout you, Rerukusu, Murtagh, and Uruale had caused in the hall to his chambers. Do not further anger him.".

Ragdar took his hand off Aurcane's hilt and walked a little closer. He had heard of the Spartan who had joined them. He knew from the reports he read from his soldiers that she was a skilled fighter and excellent at defending her mind. Though that may be true, for Ragdar that was nothing but adequate. As she stated the he didn't need to worry he smiled. In fact it was her who needed to worry in case she was with the Varden. In response to her bored statement that she had wanted the Varden to attack, he nodded and said, "Ah..yes. A few of us Riders have been attempting to get to an agreement on that. Give us some time. We have reports stating a very large dragon. Uruale pointed out the dragon and his Rider might be trouble." his voice, still stern as the rain put him in a foul mood.

When Ri'Shei stated that the rain wasn't helping her mood he laughed drily, "As if it is mine?" he asked, "I was put in front of a whole Arena as a Gladiator, having to fight a Fanghur with Uruale and Rerukusu. But what's better than that is we had no weapons and were not allowed to use magic. Even better than that is the fact that my own father put this judgement.". He was literally shouting now."Calm down Ragdar, shouting won't very much help it." Lenora pacified the angered Ragdar. Calming down Ragdar sat down and sighed. No one but Lenora understood him. His parents died before he even saw them. His friends mutilated by the Varden. No one was left but his half-brother Rerukusu and Galbatorix, his father.

[Quetzal]

Ri'Shei could tell some less than friendly thoughts were brewing in Ragdar's mind from his expression. He had smiled when she said there was nothing to worry about; so he must think highly of himself. To be honest, he would give her a good fight if it came to it, but she hadn't actually meant she was a threat to him. She had instead meant it more as a 'calm down and don't try worry yourself with reporting me' statement than suggesting she could be a threat. She wasn't stupid enough to take on a dragon Rider, anyway. An inexperienced Rider she might be able to tackle, but barely anyone could make themselves a match for a dragon. Besides, nothing good would come from physically attacking anyone else on the Empire's side unless the people involved in the fight were only fighting to train. They needed to be united to work together, and anyway she didn't fancy explaining to Galbatorix how one of his Riders was attacked by one of his own soldiers. The King would without a doubt take the side of the Rider. Ragdar also seemed to be in a bad mood from the weather, so she should be careful.

Ri'Shei seemed surprised at the mention of a huge dragon. She hadn't heard these rumours, and it suddenly made their victory against the Varden seem a lot further away. A big enough dragon could sweep aside and kill dozens at a time with its tail, crushing more under its feet. The best hope against such a creature would be to mix with the Varden soldiers so it would not attack for fear of also hurting its allies. The spartan made no vocal comment about the dragon, aware she was probably not supposed to know any details about something like that for fear of word passing to a Varden spy that they knew of the dragon. She would not tell another person, Empire or not, as you never knew when spies were listening in.

Ragdar's final outburst saw her looking a little stunned by his anger. She was actually very impressed he had managed to survive fighting a Fanghur in those conditions, the feeling showing on her face. This explained his bad mood, too, as no-one would be too happy after having to deal with that punishment. If Galbatorix really was his father as he had said, that would explain more of his anger, and could show some deep routed issues that would naturally happen if someone's own father would punish them so harshly. While she had not been at the Gladiator fight herself, she had heard about it. Excitement about three Riders fighting a Fanghur while completely defenseless was something which spread throughout the Empire ranks, many speculating as to why they were being punished in such a way. Some had seen a couple of dragons fighting, others claimed they were turning on the Empire. Ri'Shei wasn't going to believe any one theory unless she had solid evidence, so wasn't judging Ragdar for whatever crime he may have committed. "So you were one of the three Riders fighting the Fanghur? I didn't go myself, as I don't think punishing our best warriors by potentially causing them debilitating injury is a sensible idea. But I did hear about it. Apparently it was a good fight. I'm impressed you managed to survive something like that, to be honest." her tone was much gentler now. Ragdar had impressed her, and as such she held more respect for him and was thinking that maybe he was all right after all.

[/blockquote]

[Aelodil]

Ragdar looked up as he felt from Ri'Shei that he had earned at least a little trust. Not much. But enough to point out to her that he was a friend. He also appreciated the fact how she agreed with him on the fact that having any of their soldiers being put to a near-death situation just because of a small punishment. As he felt her confusion of why he, Rerukusu, and Uruale had been sent to the Gladiator Arena he sighed and said, voice a little gentler now, "Murtagh had pacified Rerukusu by giving him a nickname. Other than, Rerukusu found a new dragon which Murtagh called was crazy as he intended to take the new dragons' soul, Kami, and swap it with Avendel his original dragon. I came to aid Rerukusu as I was passing by and Uruale stood with Murtagh. Soon we had a really large combat in the hall to my father's chambers."

Then Lenora gave another small little reason, as she spoke she kept her voice gentle, now knowing that Ri'Shei meant no harm to her or her Rider and was a friend. It was surprising how gentle and soft her voice was even though her fearsome looks,"Other than that...me and Flare had a little dispute of our own a little ways next to the castle. Though we caused no harm to the castle, it wouldn't be good for the Empire to see their Riders killing each other and their dragons killing each other when the Varden are plotting an attack.". She also felt Ragdar's pain and she nuzzled his face. He looked up into her crimson eyes and smiled. "The only reason we lived was because we finally got a tactic. That is only it." he said, voice a little angry as he spoke to Ri'Shei. He tried to hide his anger but to have your own father send you to a fight to entertain others. A fight that could be easily kill you? No. Just no.

[Quetzal]

((Ri'Shei guards her mind, so Ragdar won't be able to learn anything from it unless she lets him))

The account of how Ragdar got into trouble took Ri'Shei completely by surprise. Firstly, she disagreed with his endorsing of what she deemed a horrific action. It was good that he was standing firm to his beliefs against other Riders, especially the likes of Murtagh, to such a great extent and cost, but that didn't stop her disagreeing with his opinions on the situation. She was somewhat aware of the Rider's names, and would probably recognize them if she saw them, but the only one she really knew of was Murtagh. Everyone in Alagaesia probably knew of the King's Champion. It took her a moment to process the information. Rerukusu was a name she had heard, but not applied to a Rider until the punishment. He had a new dragon, so he had become a Rider recently? But wait - he wanted to remove its soul and replace it with that of his original dragon? So he had been a dragon Rider before, his dragon had died, he had kept its soul somehow (Ri'Shei was not a Rider or high enough in rank to be trusted with the knowledge of the existence of Eldunari, one of the dragons' great secrets), and now a new dragon had hatched for him he wanted to essentially kill it so that his old dragon could take over its body? That was wrong on so many levels.

When Ragdar was done talking, Ri'Shei was about to respond when she felt something touch her mind. At first she tensed, ready to fight off an intruder, but then she realized it had the same regal feel as a dragon's mind, so wasted no time letting who she assumed was Lenora enter the outskirts of her mind to speak. Now she knew what Lenora's mind felt like, Lenora wouldn't feel any resistance in future as Ri'Shei knew she was on her side, at the present moment at least. "I heard the fighting, but by the time I had a chance to go outside to investigate everything had calmed down. I suppose any disputes between anyone in the Empire will have to wait until after the upcoming battle - the Varden keep growing." she responded to the dragon.

By what Ragdar said, it had been a very close fight. She paused before speaking about the reason for his dispute with the other Riders, choosing her words carefully. She didn't want to get into a fight of her own. She wanted to have as many people prepared to cover her back in a battle as possible, and didn't want to be seen the same punishment as the Riders. "It's great that you can stand up for your opinions, I respect that. However, I disagree on your stance on the situation. Surely Rerukusu feels a really strong connection to Kami? How come he won't just let Avendel go and be glad that he has the chance to start again? No doubt Avendel would feel strange growing up again in another dragon's body. I just don't understand what would bring him to do that," she frowned. She thought that Riders couldn't bear harm being done to their dragons, so kill their dragon themselves was unthinkable.

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[Aelodil]

Ragdar simply shook his head as Ri'Shei continued talking. It was easy for her to say. Had she ever been in the bond then having it taken from her? No. Ragdar had not either but he had felt pain almost as bad. He lost his parents when he was a little more than a few hours old. He had lost close friends whom he considered a new family. All that he lost -- and he almost lost his sanity.

As Ri'Shei continued speaking, Ragdar would have right then and there cut her head off. His crimson eyes flashed dangerously. The reason why he didn't was because he had seen her in action. He had seen her in combat as he ordered soldiers to and fro. Because of this, Ragdar respected her and her opinion. "I know you believe this to be wrong. But the bond is everything to us Riders and dragons. And Avendel would not have to grow up again. Kami is also purple and their souls are compatible. She would simply come back as if almost nothing happened." his stern voice was temperex to become gentler. Lenora also confirmed what he said.

(Sorry for bad post. I'm posting from my phone.))

[Quetzal]

Ri'Shei could see here that Ragdar was just as stubborn as she was. The two would probably be able to be good friends if they were agreeing on something, but she suspected if that ever happened they would regularly fall out in angry outbursts when something they disagreed on cropped up. She had found herself becoming much more hot-headed since she had left the peaceful desert village, something she wasn't entirely sure she liked. There was a good deal of anger in Ragdar, which most likely stemmed from issues with his parents from a young age if his father's actions were anything to go by. Any anger on her part was mostly when someone refused to give into her, which had happened a lot more recently as the Empire was full of strong people. It was good to be around people Ri'Shei felt she had a lot in common with. She just hoped she wasn't going to end up crazy or evil or anything. Stepping back and looking at her actions once in a while would help prevent that.

Right now, she could only assume that there was much about dragons she didn't know about yet. Ragdar and Lenora both expressed their support of Rerukusu - Lenora's support spoke more to her as the dragon would obviously know more about dragons, even if they did share everything through their bond. "I suppose I've never been close enough to anyone to know what that bond must be like. There's a lot about dragons I don't know. I can understand why Rerukusu would want to have Avendel back, but I still don't think killing the hatchling would be a good idea." the last time someone killed a young dragon, the dragons had stormed down in a full-on war with the elves. Lenora might be understanding here, but other dragons might not be so empathetic. "Doesn't Rerukusu feel too attacked to Kami to harm him or her? It may only be a new bond, but it must still be as strong." she wanted clarification to try and understand the Rider's point of view.

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[Aelodil]

Ri'Shei was more than right at her thought of Ragdar being as stubborn as her or even more stubborn. He also, however, liked Ri'Shei. If anyone in his troops who deserved his respect, it was Ri'Shei. Lenora, for her part only respected her because Ragdar respected her, as Lenora only respected true strength and sheer muscles. In that case, no one but a few of the top Riders of the Empire, Ragdar included, and a few other soldiers. Ragdar looked up and looked Ri'Shei in her golden eyes, his crimson eyes sparkling. He knew what she was thinking without looking into her mind. She was thinking of the fact she did not want to go crazy or evil. Ragdar was already mad since he was a young man, and he was already evil so he did not need any help in that.

Ragdar shook his head as Ri'Shei spoke about killing Kami for Avendel. She still didn't understand. Though he came to the same conclusion as she: that the dragons' wrath would rain down on them, he knew that would not be the case as not a single person out of the Empire knew of Kami. He was about to respond when she continued. He knew how she felt. To anyone who wasn't as mad as he and the rest of his family it would be horrid to sacrifice a youngling. No matter for what. But it wasn't killing Kami. It was more of a transfer of minds. "It isn't killing Kami. It is more of swapping Kami's mind with Avendel. And as Kami has the same color scales as Avendel and she is compatible, when Kami is large enough, Avendel's soul will go back into Kami's body and Avendel will take over. Though you may see it barbaric and evil, I believe it more merciful as the bond between Rerukusu and Kami was a forced one. Better a dead dragon than an insane dragon." Ragdar said sternly, obviously wanting to put an end to the subject. He was ready right then and there to destroy a whole Varden army.

[Quetzal]

Ri'Shei looked down back into Ragdar's unusual red eyes. She could see in them his twisted maddened mind and what could be described by many as 'evil'. There were all too many people within the Empire's ranks with that look in their eyes. To her, evil was very much a subjective thing, which was why she was trying to understand Reru's point of view rather than just blindly sticking to her opinion as was the norm with her. She had still stuck to her same view on the matter, but she was actually trying to understand the other side, which wasn't something she bothered with often. Some things she had done some people might think was evil - she joined the people who attacked her village, for one. She felt her action there was justified, as she had wanted to join the Empire as she believed in their cause. She was stubborn and selfish, yes, but not evil. She would never do anything destructive or hurtful for no reason, and did have some strong morals. Ragdar looked as though he could be a very dangerous person.

New information greeted her regarding Reru's dragon. If it were a swap, where would Kami end up? If Ragdar was worried about a mad dragon, it seemed to her Kami would be far more likely to go mad trapped wherever Avendel was that being forced to serve a Rider she had not hatched for. The forced bond puzzled her, but she did not inquire into it, seeing that Ragdar was not prepared to continue this line of conversation. She glanced up at the bleary sky. "Shall we go inside somewhere out of the rain?" she glanced at Lenora, "Or just somewhere else sheltered," she added, aware that most places in the city were unable to hold a dragon. Her race had been created in the Hadarac desert, where dragons had originated, so she felt some small sense of kinship with the dragons. She supposed this stemmed from being a mix of all races and living in the desert isolated from the world, then stepping out to find none of your own race outside the desert - the dragons came from the same land so felt like a reminder of home. This small connection was the reason she was protective of the powerful species.

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[Aelodil]

((Isrydia? I think you messed up there, it's supposed to be Ri'Shei !!!))

Ragdar continued staring hard at Ri'Shei. He knew what most people thought of him. A mad mind, an evil person, twisted, cruel, hated, hate, everything that was bad. To him, although he ignored those comments and emotions he did not feel so. He felt he was doing the right thing. So what if he had to step on a few people as a stepping stone to climb to the top? In the end, they would have done good. To him, life is a game and most people are just tools in this game. For instance, pages are tools to deliver messages and getting this and that. Soldiers were tools of war. Weaponsmithees are people who make tools. Elves and the Varden are fuel of rage, anger, hatred.

Ragdar saw a little puzzlement and maybe a hint of anger in Ri'Shei's eyes as she considered what with Kami and Avendel. Ragdar sneered. He did not want to get angry but Ri'Shei's stubbornness and the rain wasnot helping and it was adding to his foul mood. As Ri'Shei offered to go inside, Agaravel snorted. But then repented as Ri'Shei offered somewhere sheltered."I know somewhere. Let us go to that cave near the river. I shall swim some more while you two can have some fun in a cave. Maybe a little sparring and adrenalin will help?" Agaravel spoke as Ragdar climbed her and Lenora grabbed Ri'Shei in her claws as they flew to the cave. When they reached there, Lenora gently deposited Ri'Shei and Ragdar, who nodded and said, "Yes, a little spar will help me."

[Quetzal]

((Oh, whoops! I'll edit that, thanks for letting me know! Oh and this will be short/bad quality, posting from iPod))

A cave would be a good place to shelter and would get them out this blasted city at last. Ri'Shei looked at Ragdar at the mention of a sparring match, an odd glint in her eye. That could be... Interesting. Given their previous tense conversation, she predicted there would be a lot of force put into the attacks, to say the least. It would be an excellent test before the upcoming battle. She was certainly better in combat than your average human, but she didn't know if she quite matched upto a Rider yet. Given the small number of Riders around and the even tinier number of spartans outside the Hadarac desert, she hadn't seen one of her kind fight a Rider before so had no comparison. Her height and speed would give her an advantage in some ways, but Ragdar may well be able to make up for it in skill. Plus a spar might make the two more friendly after their disagreement; she would definitely rather have Ragdar as an ally than an enemy.

She didn't have much time to think, however, before she felt Lenora's large claws hook around her arms, gripping her tightly and securely before liftin her off the ground. This all happened without warning. Ri'Shei had not particularly expected her first flight with a dragon to go anything like this (nor, in fact, had she expected there would be a first flight at all). A wall of red scales above her, dizzying heights below, her legs dangling over hundred of feet of air. The wall had been fine, because she had been in control. This was terrifying, since her life was quite literally in the claws of someone else whom she didn't even fully trust yet. It was a relief when she was let down, glad to feel the ground beneath her feet again. She hid it, but for a moment she was a little shaken. She was visibly unhappy with the mode of transport just taken. It was all fine for Ragdar, sitting safely and happily of Lenora's back with he knowledge Lenora's would never let him fall. She nodded when Ragdar agreed a spar would be a good idea. "It's just good to be out of that place. I need space to roam," she complained, having spent all her life on the move with her travelling village. With that, she unsheathed two blades which were swords to anyone else, but more long knives compared to her. In the same movement, she threw her cloak to the cave floor, glad to be rid of it. Her normal attire underneath was so much more easy to move in. She first blunted her weapons, then stood on the balls of her feet, long thin blade in each hand, watching Ragdar carefully. In a swift and graceful movement, she darted forwards and aimed a blow at Ragdar's left shoulder with her right blade to get his hands out the way before aiming a swing with her left blade at his right side.

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[Aelodil]

Ragdar noticed a spark in Ri'Shei's eyes as he mentioned a spar and he also felt it would be interesting. He would finally be able to test himself against a Spartan. Though the outcome was obvious for him because he had the same speed and strength as an Elf thanks to his 'father' and he had two Eldunari. But at the same time, Ri'Shei towered far above him and her two massive swords would be a problem in contraction to Arucane. As he got down he saw Ri'Shei for a second, shaken and maybe a little angry at the means of transportation. "My apologies, next time I should give you a warning or ask." he said, trying to gentle down his stern voice.

He nodded as she agreed that it would be nice to get out of the rain. He hated the rain because he was more used to getting his foot-hold on the blood of his foes than water. He looked out of the cave as he saw Lenora thrashing around in a nearby lake. Scowling, he used a spell to keep water from inside the cave and turned to Ri'Shei. He took out Arucane leisurely and did not have much time to blunt it before she suddenly charged. A blow aimed at his left shoulder and one at his right side. Finally realizing that he could use magic at his will he smiled and called upon his Eldunari Fundor and Jura and said, "Malthinae alfrinn" (Bind her). As he rapidly disengaged watching her for her next move.

[Quetzal]

Ri'Shei was grateful for the barrier Ragdar put up against the water his dragon was splashing in. Her cloak had kept her clothes underneath dry, and she didn't fancy getting them soaked too. When her movement suddenly stopped, she was surprised. She hadn't been expecting magic to enter this spar, but she would be using magic in the battle anyway so she might as well get some practice in using it in a fight. She might be frozen, but she knew how to free herself and there was much she could do while she allowed his magic to have a hold over her. Using magic would drain his energy, and a spell such as one of binding would drain more energy the more she struggled against it. Tensing every muscle, she tried to force herself to move although she knew it was hopeless, intending to drain Ragdar of energy. Eldunari were a secret of the dragons, so while she was aware he would have some form of energy storage, she was not expecting it to be in such a form and reckoned he would not be so foolish as to drain any non-rechargeable magic energy sources such as gems so soon the the battle with the Varden.

Not leaving it long at all, Ri'Shei prepared her next attack before saying "Jierda malthinae," (break confines), and felt a drain of her energy with no effect on her ability to move, so she quickly broke the spell. She did not want to waste her energy trying to break a spell if he were using an energy reserve, however bad a move she thought that would be. It was time for a different tactic. "Vindr," (air) she said this time, using only a small amount of energy for this spell. She created a breeze which collected dust from the bottom of the cave, bringing it to blow around Ragdar. She hoped this would annoy him and distract him enough for her to gain more movement, or at least would irritate his eyes with the dust. She was frustrated with being held in place; how were they supposed to spar if she was immobilized? Her priority right now was to regain movement so she could get some payback on the Rider.

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[Aelodil]

Ri'Shei's intent to distract Ragdar worked rather well and he found himself stumbling back, trying to swat the dust out of his eyes. In this brief distraction, he felt a strain be removed from him as the spell holding Ri'Shei broke. Cursing, he jumped back and began circling her, observing her. Hopefully, since she was much taller than him, if he kept moving around she shouldn't be able to keep up and will end up, hopefully, tired and exhausted as he moved in for the finish. But he was at the present, and the present required other tactics.

He feigned to her right and then quickly disengaged and said, "Brisingr" bracing himself. As the startlingly crimson flame flickered in his eyes, he hoped, that maybe the sudden brightness would cause Ri'Shei to have to adjust her eyes, while Ragdar was already ready. He then threw the fireball at Ri'Shei and followed it, throwing a very hard and ferocious swipe to her waist, which was pretty much as high as he can get without looking like he was a dwarf.

[Quetzal]

When the binds on Ri'Shei were broken, her muscles tried to carry on as they had been before. Unable to stop herself, she stumbled forward, but thankfully Ragdar had begun circling her instead. At first she tried to watch him carefully. That proved a hassle, as she was forced to continuously pivot on the spot. Not wanting to waste too much effort, she went for the easier option and simply stood still. She had other senses. She paid close attention to the sounds Ragdar was making, listening for the telltale sound of his feet moving in a different direction. Finally, she heard it, knowing he was definitely moving towards her. Turning round to face him, she was just in time to hear him speak the Ancient Language word for fire. Just great. Without any time to react, her vision filled with fiery light the same colour as Lenora's scales. It was hard to tell whether he had created the light of fire or had actually sent a fireball at her, and while she thought he wouldn't try to kill her by doing something like setting her on fire, the word 'brinsingr' was a bit of a clue. She could make out the shape of an orb, and ducked to be on the safe side. That had been a good move, the fireball sweeping harmlessly over her head. Ragdar had better have controlled the temperature of those flames so that they would not have harmed her had they actually hit, else she would not hesitate to send an inferno right back at him. "Watch how hot those flames get, OK? Don't want anyone getting hurt," she growled a warning.

Blinking fiercely to try and adjust her eyes to the dim light of the cave after the huge contrast of the bright fire, Ragdar was already close. Ri'Shei could hear him but not see him, her eyes making out his shape as a grey smudge as he swiped at her waist. The blow connected, the seven-and-a-bit foot tall spartan feeling great power behind the attack. It hurt, yes, but it was good to finally feel challenged. So far, she had simply been sparring with ordinary human soldiers - elves were scarce in Empire ranks - who were for the most part no match for her. She wouldn't admit it, but Ragdar was probably a more skilled fighter than her, and it felt good to have to put all her skill, strength, speed and even some magical combat abilities to the test. As quickly as she could, she moved one of her swords towards the arm he had just used to hit her, intending to hit his wrist with the hilt of her sword. If she used enough force, there was a chance his muscles would automatically force him to drop Arucane.

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[Aelodil]

Ragdar smiled as RiShei warned him. "My apologies, I had simply been carried away." He said to her as he rapidly disengaged and watched her next movement. He felt the rain pelting outside. Saw the crimson shape of Lenora. But then he felt his muscles tense. He bit his lip as he felt his arm let go of Arucane. He hated and loathed to let go but the power and preciseness of where Ri'Shei hit forced his muscles to drop, and he heard the sound of metal as Arucane dropped to the stone floor. He eyed Ri'Shei warily. As much as Ri'Shei thought he was more powerful, he was very tenseand happy. Finqlly he could fight against someone near his level. He cast a spell and his hands were then fire-proof and they lit. The flame hot bu bearable.

Ragdar thought that if he caused a distraction, he could use Ri'Shei's strength against herself. He aime a apunch at her sword arm then launched the fire at her before dashing for Arucane.

[Quetzal]

Ri'Shei could see that Ragdar was just creating a distraction, but allowed him to do so. It was safer for her to deal with the flames instead of trying to stop him. Seeing as they were so close to each other at that point, the punch hit her without much difficulty. The flames, she was relieved to find, were uncomfortably hot but not to the point they would do any serious damage. "Risa," she spoke, the fire he had launched at her shooting up to harmlessly hit the roof of the cave. This would have been enough time for him to have retrieved Arucane, so she turned and moved towards the Rider.

Perhaps it was time she used some magic, too. "Adurna skolir," (water shield) she said softly as she neared Ragdar. A thin stream of water from the rain outside was directed towards her, forming a tall bubble-like shield. This would not block any attack aimed at her, of course, but impact with the wall of water would slow a sword and arm down, and would splash everywhere. The splash may not be of such use to Ri'Shei, but it might be a bit annoying. The water also made her harder to see, the liquid distorting her shape. She manipulated the shield to allow her own arm to pass through sharply at Ragdar's chest. She aimed for this area because it was larger than say, an arm, so would be easier to hit as the water distorted her vision too.

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[Aelodil]

Ragdat sneered as he saw a large blub of water erupt in front of Ri'Shei. It seeed she was using his most hated element against him. He didn't have much time to digest this when a hand holding a sword emerged. Jumping back startled, Ragdar had avoided a direct hit to his chest but was still wapped on the arm. Grinning like a mad man, he quickly began to work words to remove the water shield, using his Eldunari but allowed it to partly stay up though considerably smaller. He then slashed at her right and left half a dozen times in quick succesion, powerful and barbaric swipes.
(Sorry for quality, postin from Phone :L)