X. DRAGONFIGHT!/COUNTDOWN

The two cover some distance, chasing Gerus down the Fortunate Plain.

"Gerus! GERUS! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" COME DOWN! WE'RE GONNA HELP!"

Bobby stares in disbelief. Sure, they're gonna cheer him on…. But help Gerus fight a handful of poisonous dragons? Is she crazy? I've got the help and she's got a piece'a clothing.

"We're gonna WHAT, Sis? Are you okay?"

Amazingly amid the lopsided dragon-fight, Gerus does hear Sheila's faint pleas to aid. He doubles back to pick them up.

"Did you say we're gonna help him?" Bobby wasn't sure this was really his sister. Is she a doppelganger?

He did save your life, didn't he, Bobby? We oughta try to save his.

"Aw shucks, sis…are you for real?" Bobby is confused.

…oh alright. Still don't know how, but okay…"

Gerus takes all of three seconds to load them aboard his neck.

"I do not know what you have plans are, Sheila," quips Gerus, "but I sure hope staying alive is one!"

At that moment Sheila dons the dragonbane, fashioning a necklace out of it. She edges closer to Gerus' neck, and drapes it around him.

"Bobby!" she commands. "You hold them off with your club!"

"No problem sis!"

As the black dragons flank Gerus cliff-side, Bobby gets the bronze dragon's attention.

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"Gerus, will you fly us up along that cliff over there? The big one!"

Gerus obliges, pitching and pulling away from the three and soaring above them. Two dragons give chase, tailgating them.

Instantly Bobby swings away at the cliff, crushing much of it into boulders that known down the one dragon, causing it crash into the third! This makes short work of both.

But the first black dragon recovers. It moves in for the kill…

"Hopefully that one-" Sheila smiles…

The first dragon senses the dragonbane, struggles to fly, and falls back far enough to regain some ability to safely retreat over the horizon, not to return.

"-knows better," She completes. "That plan of yours was very wise, Bobby. I'm proud of you."

"Gee, Sis…thanks."

Gerus breathes easily now. "Thanks, Bobby!" And Sheila… I don't know what you did… but thank you. Now, I'm a bit curious with your giggle back there. Just what was it?

"It? Just call us your 'good luck charm'."

A gasp comes from Gerus. "OH DEAR! The dragonbane! We must return it now if we want your friend normal again!"

"Normal? Why not normal?"

"No time to talk now! Hold on you two!" Gerus tail-spins down, 'burning air'.

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