Emerald led her green-gray Dragon, Alibi, into the empty arena on foot. She shivered, feeling the weight of awful silence and anticipation. This would be the first time either of the two had seen Sin's Dragon, but they had heard many, many bad rumors about the fowl thing, most of which were tales of its opponents' horrific defeat, which were obviously a sign of bad luck to Emerald, bad luck she did not need any more of. Most of her entire life was a metaphor of misfortune.
Well, I was put with Alibi, she thought, defending herself. It honestly was a stroke of good luck. She looked up at the female Dragon, who returned with a calming sparkle in her violet eye. Emerald turned her head back straight and saw Sin.
He strode toward her without a Dragon, walking as if toward a patch of daisies. His pitch black mask was still stuck relentlessly to his face, sheilding it to all the world. No one had ever seen his countenance, but Emerald intended to be the first. His huge muscles bulged beneath the rough fabric of his red and black tunic and leggings, threatening to erupt out of the coarse material. Sin's broad head was covered with curly black hair, though not as dark as his mask. Some say he dies it, for he's been around far too long to have hair any other color than gray or white, but others say he's simply immortal and therefore does not grow old or die. Emerald meant to kill him today. This was her mission: Kill or die.
"Ah, fair Elf," he said with his taunting, almost hypnotizing voice. "I half-expected you to turn away with cowardice, as the most wise do. Glad to see you've come."
She knew he was staring at her Dragon, thinking of the best method of attack and measuring her with his eyes, though she could not see them. That was what's most dangerous about him: You can never know where he's looking with his mask hiding his face. Neither can you see his emotions.
"So, are you ready to die?"
Emerald stared at him hard, trying to think of an answer, but before she could say anything, he clapped his large, gloved hands. Slaves brought out his Dragon. Emerald almost dropped her jaw in amazement at the largeness of the thing. It towered over her and Alibi, its red body shining in the sun, its ugly face giving a reptilian sneer to all those in sight. Immediately she looked at its claws to judge its strength, thinking of the rhyme she'd known since she first picked up a Dragon's reins: Large feet are full of might; small feet will flee in fright. She sighed inwardly in relief; the thing's paws were only a little over twice the size of Alibi's, who was the only Dragon Emerald had met that was an exception to the rhyme. She smiled. Perhaps there was hope after all.
Sin mounted his Dragon, sitting majestically on the polished saddle like he was born on it. Emerald climbed swiftly and smoothly onto her worn tan saddle, then picked up her reins. She noticed Sin held no visible reins, but obviously held a magical rope on the Dragon, which made it far easier to control. This was going to be tricky.
The slaves retreated back through the door in the side of the open arena, shutting it as they went through. The door behind Emerald also shut, probably the work of unnoticed slaves. There was no way out; Alibi was a ground Dragon, one without wings, as was Sin's Dragon, and the walls around the arena were many feet high, taller even than the opponent Dragon.
Sin yelled incomprehensible words and charged forward, taking Emerald by surprise. She jerked the reins and met the charge in fierce battle, screaming the whole way.
Pippa-chan-face Community Member 
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