But a moment away from reacting suddenly he felt movement... inside him. Anger roared through him at the timing of his enemy's counter. Had they known what he was about to do? He wouldn't have thought it possible. Even so, it seemed unlikely it was a coincidence. Whoever was down there had real power with a mind to match and, as far as he was concerned, presented a very real threat, not only to him, but to his son and that bitch of a queen he fawned over. Why couldn't they see that? Together they were stronger and could defeat whoever it was, but on their own little breaches opened up in their defences, breaches that if they weren't careful, could become full blown liabilities.
'Oh son... what on earth have you done?'
Manson was able to sense it, he always could when his father was about to unleash something magical... an attack, an escape, a diversion, just something. And then abruptly, he stopped. On closer inspection, he noticed that the young lacrosse player, dragon, human, whatever she now was, had adjusted her point of attack, no doubt preventing him from either fleeing or striking out. Ha! How ironic was that? He'd spent an age mulling over just how he would do it. Poison... that seemed like a good one, but there were unaccountable risks involved. Killing him in his sleep had been next on his list. But he wouldn't put it past the old dragon to lay magical traps just in case of treachery. While his father had taught him a great deal of what he knew, of one thing he was totally sure, that he hadn't taught him everything. And knowing the crafty old scum bag, he'd saved the best for last, for his personal protection, should the time come. A surprise combined all out attack from everyone... himself, Earth, each and every one of the guards... he'd determined that course of action to be the riskiest of all. Troydenn was powerful, even as aged as he was, and he knew better than to underestimate the elderly vulture. Just like books, you should never, ever judge a dragon by their cover.
Glancing away momentarily from what was transpiring, Peter caught the barest hint of fear in the king's eyes, something that immediately made him worry about his friend's predicament. If George had cause to be afraid, then almost certainly Richie had bitten off more than she could chew. In his mind, there was now no way this played in their favour. Whether Manson wanted the old dragon dead, or whether he was just bluffing, either way, Richie was in over her head so to speak. After the debacle with transferring her consciousness into the ring, he just couldn't lose her again. Allowing his mind to fold up into itself he frantically started searching for anything... anything at all that would help him out. He'd done it twice already, on the march to London. But this time he redoubled his efforts, determined not to let his friend down when she needed him the most.
Out of nowhere, the background noise, haze and clutter that had been playing out over the top of their bond ceased. Eyes still closed, a deep serenity consumed not only Janice, but Fu-ts'ang as well. Across the mental connection, they shared everything. Janice's love for Peter, her surprise at the events of the last couple of days, and just what kind of person she was. The experienced killer weapon forged many thousands of years ago briefly got to glimpse through a window into her soul. And was surprised at what it found. Good: pure, honest to God good. If it were at all possible, he/it was slightly taken aback, having never come across this from any of his previous wielders. Mostly they'd had dark, morbid souls. Oh don't get me wrong... some were well intentioned... but overwhelmingly they were killers, takers of lives, perhaps doing the right thing for the wrong reason, or the wrong thing for the right reason. Never before had he encountered such a shining beacon of goodness, her goal utterly selfless, attempting to rescue the one she loved. And surrounding that bright, white, noble soul were all the other virtues that she possessed. Courage, bravery, kindness, compassion, a strong will and a high regard for other beings, not just people.
'This one,' thought Fu-ts'ang, 'is like nothing I've ever encountered before. She's special, and not just a little.'
All too well aware of the responsibility he carried in the form of one of the most powerful magical artefacts on the entire planet, tucked away out of sight in the tiniest pocket in the world on the side of one of his walking boots, Tank only had a bad feeling about where this was all going. After having watched Richie let her anger get the better of her and back herself into a corner with nowhere else to go, Manson's bluff, if that's what it was, had now weakened her position considerably, at least in his mind. If she killed the monstrous matt black beast, and there was no doubting in his mind that she wished to, then there would be no hiding. There would be no way out, and undoubtedly Manson's entire force would attack her as one, resulting in one thing only. HER DEATH! If she conceded just a little, then just maybe she could bargain for their lives, that is if Manson's play was a bluff. If it was, then he must have been the best poker player in the world, because right now, as it stood, it did truly look as though the evil dark dragon and ex-hockey player wouldn't mind one bit if Richie exacted her revenge for Tim's very brutal and public execution. Knowing he had to be ready to act, he slowed his racing heart, ran through in his mind how the first few seconds of the encounter would play out, and hoped to hell that once on his finger, the temperamental ring would obey his every command straight away. If it didn't, then they really were in awesome amounts of trouble.
Not daring even to gulp, due to the cold dark metal of the wicked looking bastard sword held firmly against her throat, Amelia Battlehard looked on in admiration at what the young woman, previously a dragon (yes... she knew all about the lacrosse player, and most of the stunts she'd gotten up to on the surface) had achieved. Taking a dragon such as Troydenn by surprise was no easy feat. For a split second, she wondered how she'd done it. Magic... maybe, skill, cunning and guile... quite possibly... or something else. Maybe even a combination of all of those things. However it had happened though, it gave them a worthy distraction, something they hadn't had before. So immersing herself fully into the situation, the dragon captain got ready to give the signal, knowing that more of her troops would die than live during the first few seconds of the fight, given the precarious situation they all found themselves in. Now was not the time to be sorry about that. Now was the time to focus, concentrate, be ready. Later there would be time for mourning. Now was the time to fight, fight for their monarch. And win not only their freedom, but that of the planet as well.
Dagger in almost as far as it would go, and almost up to her elbow in Troydenn, she fought off the red mist threatening to engulf her, realising that whatever action she took next didn't just affect her, but had massive ramifications for her friends and the king, as well as the entire planet.
'Be calm,' she told herself, inhaling another deep breath, holding it in, and then puffing it out and starting over again.
Patience not really being his strong suit, Manson had become tired and almost bored with the situation. All he wanted was for it to be over. And with that in mind, he decided to take action.
"So," he announced to everyone present, his words clearly aimed at Richie, "you're a spineless coward just like your friends here. It doesn't surprise me. BENTWHISTLE had the chance to finish me off some time ago, but lacked both the courage and intelligence to follow through on such a deed. I can see now that you're made from exactly the same stuff. As well, I suppose being a female must make it so much harder. Having to fight I mean. Generally you're all frightened little children, who are far better off staying at home, cooking cleaning, minding the offspring, awaiting the return of the warrior of the house."