Author's Note: I was asked if there would be action. Yes, there will be, but this is less action-oriented. Believe me, however, the action starts soon. However, life-and-death situations are going to be relatively few and far between, due to the power levels involved. Not so much Sharanna's as the enemy's. Sharanna is very powerful, but much of her danger to the Senshi comes form her choice of tactics and the fact she doesn't share their notion of fair play, along with the fact that unlike the Senshi, she always has some sort of preparations laid for a fight rather than charging in blindly. It should be remembered that we are dealing with someone who could kick Kunzite around for amusement, but then, at this point, so could the Senshi themselves, especially the Outers.

There are going to be a few cat-and-mouse games played with the opposition, however, and some of them will be quite spectacular.

A Mithral Dragon in Modern Britain
Chapter 5: Demon Knight Opening

Ami yawned as she stared blearily out at the morning sunlight and watched Michiru eat her breakfast. Michiru raised an inquisitive eyebrow as she looked at the younger Senshi. "What's with you this morning?" Michiru asked, looking over her sister-at-arms.

"I didn't sleep well, that's all," Ami answered, hesitant to discuss Euterpe.

Michiru looked at her, the preternatural senses she had gained from the Mirror tipping her off that Ami was hiding something. "What's the problem?" she asked again.

Ami frowned, wondering how best to answer the question when there was a knock at the door. When Michiru opened the door, Ami cringed slightly as she realized who the brunette probably was. I really don't need this, she thought as she considered the girl before them. She looked a little tired but no worse for the experience. Her grey eyes had a mischievous twinkle to them as she looked around before answering Michiru's question.

"I'm Rachel Valentine," she introduced herself, holding her hand out to the water Senshi. "I heard you guys were also going to Oxford," Rachel added.

"Yes, we are," Michiru answered, frowning slightly, though whether from her first encounter with an over-active American or from the feelings the girl was emanating was something even she wasn't sure of. Ami groaned and pulled the covers over her head, hoping she hadn't been seen. Michiru tossed her friend an odd look before inviting the American in. "Pardon my friend. She seems to have come down with something," Michiru explained to the girl, giving the bed covers a very odd look.Ami groaned something from underneath before Michiru just shook her head and yanked the covers off before Ami could react. "Get up, Ami-chan," she chided. "We've got a guest." Ami rolled over without saying anything and stuck her head under the pillow before Rachel could get a good look. Michiru frowned and tossed the covers back on her with a sigh. "I really don't know what's gotten into her, I'm sorry, Valentine-san," Michiru apologized for her friend.

Rachel shrugged. "I can understand the feeling. There have been mornings I felt like that, too." She stepped over to the small table and took the offered glass of ice water from Michiru. "I know how to get her up, if you want," she added with a mischievous grin.

"Michiru looked at Rachel, looked at the ice water, and looked back at Rachel. "No, I don't thing that will be necessary," Michiru answered after a moment's consideration. "So, which college are you staying in?" she asked, probing the girl, still getting some unusual feelings from the girl. Where is Rei the one time I actually need her? Michiru griped to herself for a moment while Rachel collected her thoughts.

Rendelsham College, sixth floor," Rachel answered after a moment's hesitation. "I hear that the dragon's staying in our dorm," she added with an air of excitement. Michiru winced before she noticed Rachel's curious look.

"Don't ask. Just don't ask," Michiru answered. "Let's just say there is more to the situation than you know. More than any human knows," she added quietly, almost so quietly that Rachel didn't catch it. Rachel raised an eyebrow but she didn't otherwise choose to respond. They were silent for a minute or two before Ami stuck her head out form under the covers... at the same time Rachel happened to glance in her direction. The American didn't say anything but she did give the blue-haired girl a friendly smile before turning her attention back to Michiru. Ami sighed and got out of bed, glaring at the brunette as she got out some clothes to take a shower. She steadfastly ignored Rachel's intense gaze and Michiru's curious stare. "I really don't know what her problem is," Michiru sighed, wondering at the antics of her blue-haired friend.

Rachel smiled slightly and muttered something in a soft, musical language that Michiru wasn't able to understand. She looked at the girl, but all she got in response was an enigmatic smile. Michiru raised an eyebrow and considered her appearance before asking a question of the girl's planned course of study. "Music. Probably a double-major in history and music, but definitely a music major. It's easier to do in England, too. For one thing, your courses are more valuable," she added with an impish grin.

'Valuable?" Michiru asked. "They're more expensive?"

Rachel shook her head. "No. They count for more credit hours than most equivalent courses in the U.S. do." Michiru nodded as she realized what the girl meant.

"A dozen meanings for every word," Michiru murmured quietly. Rachel smiled and nodded.

"Isn't it wonderful?" she added, grinning. She just laughed when Michiru gave her a dirty look. The pair continued talking for some time, joined by Ami, who proceeded to quietly sweat as she considered just what the girl would reveal about her. In the end, it was nothing, but she got a couple of amused looks from the brunette.

Sharanna frowned as she stared at a set of numbers on her laptop, results from her latest tests. I was afraid of this, she thought to herself as the results of the experiment played across her screen. Sharanna sighed as she called up the basic weave of the spell and examined it mentally. A soft knock at her door startled her as she glanced at the clock. Only eleven o'clock in the morning? I wonder who that is.

"Good day to you," she greeted her guest as Artemis glanced at her. "Oh, Melissa, was it? What's up?" Shannon asked, switching gears mentally.

"Yes. I was just wondering would you mind if I had lunch with you? I'd like someone to talk to," Melissa added. She looked nervous and something was obviously playing on her mind.

"I'd be happy to talk to you," Shannon replied, "but I just had lunch a little while ago with an old friend who was in town."

Melissa looked disappointed. "Oh. Oh well."

Shannon frowned slightly. "Come on in. What's on your mind?"

Melissa sighed and shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important."

Shannon frowned as the girl turned around and scampered off. She looked over her shoulder at the cat sitting in her chair. "Any part of that seem unusual to you, Artemis?"

Artemis laughed as she closed the door. "What part didn't would be a better question," he added, his soft humor causing her to smile briefly.

Shannon shook her head. "That's it. I'm going down to the office and getting the files for my floor. There is something strange going on. You want to come meet my boss?" she asked, smiling.

"I just can't see you answering to a human," Artemis answered, hopping on her shoulder as she scooped up her laptop, closing it as she walked out the door. "This, I have to see."

Shannon laughed as she closed her door and locked it. As she walked down the stairs, she mentally reviewed her knowledge of Melissa Bakker. Let's see, dual-citizenship in America and the UK from an old Scottish noble family, very high IQ, sixteen, regularly visits her mother's family in Scotland. Her parents are divorced, U.S. with her father. She's also shy and nervous, the dragon added to her mental notes. She thought over the other problem on her mind as she went down the stairs.

Artemis noticed the look on her face as she got to the bottom of the stairs. "Something wrong?" he muttered under his breath.

"Remember my old starcaster experiments?" she asked. He nodded. "I've restarted the testing, but the spells aren't working properly," she sighed. "I know how to get the system to work, but it simply doesn't respond to the input. The spells aren't initializing on command from the computers."

Artemis cocked an eyebrow. "Any likely solutions?"

"Yes," Sharanna growled, irritated. "Building the computers from scratch and inlaying them with magic as I do it. That is not an easy task," she added, annoyed.

Artemis laughed. "And of course, you have to support all of this out of your own pocket," he pointed out, snickering at the look on her face.

"Yes, and I have more resources available to me now than I did then." Artemis blinked and almost asked how that was possible, but Sharanna continued before he could. "More time, and the fact that I can use far more in the way of materials as long as I can pay for them," Sharanna pointed out. "And as an alchemist, that is really not a problem in this day and age." Artemis chuckled softly.

"Lead to gold and all that?" he asked, smiling. Sharanna laughed as she reached the office and glanced in.

"Will? Are you here?" she asked quietly, noticing that the lights were on.

"Yes, my dear," the director of the dormitory responded. William Markham was in his late thirties, dark-haired with a few streaks of grey, and had intense grey eyes. At the moment, they were scrutinizing the cat sitting on Shannon's shoulder. "New cat?" he asked, smiling at the creature as he walked over.

"No, he's pretty old, actually," Shannon responded, mischief in her voice. Will laughed and reached up to scratch the cat, who purred a little. "As for my... providing him with a home, yes, that is a new condition," she admitted when Will gave her a look. "I came down to get the files on my residents."

"Oh? I wasn't planning to distribute those until all of the RAs were here, along with the residents," Will reminded her.

"We should be the only two in the building, except for Michael over on 4A, I know, but I've got a resident on my floor right now," Shannon explained. "And I think there's something wrong in her family," she added, frowning.

Will sighed. "First the bloody dragon is admitted to this college, this building and they don't even have the courtesy to tell me who it is, and now this. What did we do to deserve this?" he asked rhetorically.

Said dragon laughed, and Artemis had to bite his tongue to keep from doing the same. Will just looked at the RA. "Speak of the devil," he commented as he looked over Shannon's shoulder. "Morning, Mike."

"Good morning sir, lady," Michael O'Connor replied, looking at his raven-haired coworker and smiling. Artemis suppressed a snicker as he noticed the young man's actions, knowing that Lucifer would be shoveling snow to get to his mailbox before Sharanna responded to a human's advances. Flirt with an elf, yes, she would and had done so. A human, not likely, let alone actually dating one. She'd never had a very high opinion of humanity in general, though she didn't mind them on an individual level. Their actions towards the end of Age of Silver hadn't helped matters, nor did the Nazis during World War II whom she had dealt with.

"Hello, Mike," Shannon answered. "What's up?" she asked as she moved over to the computer and linked it to her own with a small cable.

"Just seeing what we had to do today," he said, watching her. Artemis leapt off her shoulder onto the desk and watched the human in turn. "Whose floor do you think they put the dragon on?" he asked.

Shannon shrugged. "Well, if they didn't see fit to tell us, I don't see why we should worry about it. I mean, she did decide to attend and agreed that her RA would be informed as to who she was, so why does it matter?" She shook her head as she looked through the files. "Besides, it could be pretty funny watching everyone running around trying to figure out who the dragon is."

"You act like you already know," Michael accused, giving her a look.

"Maybe I do," she said as she turned around to face, an 'I've got a secret' tone in her voice. "Or maybe I don't," she added in a sing-song style. He frowned and muttered something under his breath about 'bloody annoying Yanks.' "I'm not from New York, Mike," she replied smoothly as she finished up the transfer. "I am most assuredly not a Yankee. Heck, I don't even like the Yankees," she added, twisting the knife as he growled. He gave her a look, but didn't comment any further. Shannon smiled cheekily as she removed the cable and headed up to her room, Artemis following at her heels. "Artemis, why don't we forget these experiments for the moment? I feel like having a nice relaxing day, followed by a long nap in the afternoon so I don't fall asleep driving tonight," she told the small white cat as she stroked his fur and scratched him behind his ears. Artemis started purring and clawed her jeans as she sat down, getting comfortable. Then she swore in Dwarven as she felt something... supernaturally malicious nearby. Artemis heard her and perked up just before she stood, forgetting that the cat was in her lap. He tumbled to the floor and gave her a dirty look as she recited a short, simple spell. He turned around and watched as the dragon invoked her shapeshifting abilities to turn into a silver-haired elf as her clothing shifted to a long, dark blue cloak shimmering with a hint of silver, a silvery-white tunic trimmed in blue, with a stylized dragon outline over a four-pointed star.  Her trousers were blue, trimmed with white A sword scabbard materialized by her side and a belt not unlike Batman's appeared around her waist, the color of moss growing wild in the forest.

"What, no cheap boomerang knock-off?" he asked sarcastically. The dragon-turned-elf gave him a look, then made a short gesture with her hand. Artemis's eyes bugged out as he was levitated into her arms.

"You're coming with me," Sharanna said in a soft alto as she leapt out the now-open window and dropped to the ground... six floors below. Glancing out his window, Michael O'Conner turned away, then did a double-take and stared at the blue-cloaked figure on the ground.

Now where have I heard of someone like that? the Irishman thought to himself, watching the mage cast a very quick spell before rippling out of existence.

Sharanna relaxed slightly as she arrived at the point she had marked the week before. "Artemis, keep your eyes open. I have no idea what is loose on the campus," she told the cat quietly, looking around herself. The target wasn't hard to spot. Something in spiked black armor trimmed in red stood next to a large black horse, his dark blade dripping with blood. It may have been male, but it clearly was not human, with a pair of dark red, scaly bat's wings that tinted to black as one looked further down their length. A nightmare. A demon riding a nightmare. Just what I needed to make my day better, Sharanna complained to herself before getting to work.

"Aren't you going to do something, like challenge him?" Artemis hissed, looking at her as she stood there, thinking.

"Why? So he can take a swing at me with that sword?" Sharanna asked as she pulled something out of a dimensional storage space. She smiled as she produced a rather large rifle. "After all, why let him know where I am?" Artemis's eyes widened as she carefully knelt down and aimed the massive sniper rifle.

"What is that thing?!" the cat demanded.

".50-caliber sniper rifle," Sharanna answered absently as she took aim at the nightmare. "Let's see if we can cut the problem down to size," she added, slightly amused, before firing. The effects were decidedly impressive, to say the least. The demon-knight turned at the sound from the rifle, he was heard to yell something as his mount's head exploded in a cloud of blood that dissolved before it hit the ground. A second shot impacted with the nightmare's body, further spewing dissolving gore across the area. The fiendish horse dropped and dissolved into a thick cloud of dark, viscous red smoke. Sharanna sighted the rifle again, then jumped away as the demon made an arcane gesture, dropping her gun in the process and drawing her sword. The place she had been kneeling was enveloped in black flames.

"Impressive, little elf," the demon bit out in deep, grating voice that promised misery and pain. "I will see you dead, your broken body before me at my master's feet." It drew the sword, a bastard sword, that the creature wielded in one hand with ease.

"Nice toy, demon. Tell me your master's name so I know where to send the casket," Sharanna replied, smiling slightly. This idiot has no idea what I am. Good for me, she added, smiling mentally.

"I am Belran'il'ka, knight in service to the Lord of Midnight," he announced. Sharanna frowned at the answer.

Note to self: investigate the Lord of Midnight. This could be important, Sharanna thought to herself as she considered her opponent. She nodded in response to his statement after a moment. "Then tell me this. Why are you here? What reason does your master have for entering this Realm?" she asked.

"I would normally answer no question from any mortal power," Belran'il'ka replied in his gravelly voice. "But, since it matters little, as my master will be victorious in the end, I will tell you, elf. My master wishes to take this place, to take it and corrupt it to his ends."

Sharanna nodded in recognition. "Very well, then, knight. Your master will learn his lesson soon enough." She smiled viciously. "Of course, if he hasn't figured that out by then, I suppose he's not quite as intelligent as you give him credit for."

"You will pay for your arrogance, elf," was the only response she received. Verbally, at least. Belran'il'ka raised his sword and charged at Sharanna, who gracefully stepped out of the way, her cloak billowing around her.

"You need to work on your aim," she taunted, smiling viciously. "I'm over here." She danced in and struck the demon, her sword flashing with a brilliant white light as the entire blade sparked into an electric silver flame shot with blue and gold at her mental command. She twisted around and drove blade into his side, the holy flames of the sparking blade cutting effortlessly through the demon's armor. He screamed in rage as the icy flames touched his scaled, leathery skin.

"Flames do not freeze, little elf," the demon knight screamed in rage. "They burn and consume!" he roared as he swung his blade at the elf. Sharanna brought her blade into the path and turned the swing away with a skillful parry. The two swords, each strongly aligned to their own cause, almost screamed in rage as they came into contact, and sparks, silver, black, blue, and red, almost at the same time, flew from the two blades. The two combatants took a step back and circled each other warily. Sharanna stepped further back and readied her powers.

So he doesn't like cold, does he? she asked herself. Let's see how he likes this! she thought savagely to herself. She opener her mouth as her eyes glowed a bright blue, tiny wisps of raw power dancing from the edges as she let loose a low, terrifying growl. At the same time, the dragon brought her hands up, holding the blade in both, as energy gathered along it's length. She let loose a feral roar as the energy released, turning into a bluish-white cone that dramatically dropped the temperature around them. It arced out at a 45-degree angle, releasing some of it's fury into the ground and leaving a coating of frost. The wisps of power danced as small parts of the cone sparkled in the brief moment before the cone slammed into Belran'il'ka, creating a solid casing of ice around him as Sharanna's shoulders slumped for a moment from the effort.

Belran'il'ka's form glowed with dark flames as the ice melted off. He advanced a wavering step before Sharanna dashed forward and made a quick, vicious slash. His helmet fell to the ground as wisps of dark smoke emerged from the armor. The demonic armor clattered to the ground, smoking slightly as it landed in a pile. The demonic sword landed a split second later, glowing malevolently.

Sharanna sighed quietly as Artemis walked over. "What was that thing?" he asked quietly.

"It's gone now."

"But it's not over," Artemis replied cautiously.

"I know," Sharanna replied. "Our new enemy has made the first move, opening with a knight. Now we must determine what piece to respond with." She shook her head. "We need to talk with Pluto. She might be able to offer us some information. If not, I have other contacts I can call." She sighed and looked into the distance. "I fear that this game has only just begun."

Author's Notes: Sorry about the long time between updates, but things at school have been a bit hectic as of late.

Rendelsham is a six-story building with a two-story basement. There are classrooms, laundry facilities, and lobbies in the basements and on the first floor, along with a storage area for certain equipment (cleaning supplies, pool equipment, and some office supplies the RAs sell, primarily), while the top five floors are residence, with a conference room and a pair of study rooms on each floor. A central elevator services the building, in a lobby between each wing.

Dragons have an enormous range in their voices, particularly the shapeshifters like silver, gold, and mithral dragons, and can change the pitch of their voices with little difficulty. Female dragons have a wider range than males, as they can reach much higher pitches, though males generally have a full octave below the female's range. The precise range varies by species and individual, and a few individuals, with training, can force their voices into multiharmonic tones, though this requires a conscious invocation of magic. Sharanna is not one of them, as she lacks the training, or the interest, for that matter.

Dragonstar is very camera shy and with the fact that she has friends in several governments dating back to World War II she does not make the news nearly as much as the Senshi tended to.