Staring down the cardboard beast, my gaze flicked to different parts of its body that I could use as a weakness: the tape holding the limbs together, the wheels of the wagon that kept it upright, the boys controlling it, the list went on: until a loud, raspy, choking sound filled the air, breaking my concentration. Looking at the two in its back, I couldn't help but snicker at the one controlling its head as he cleared his throat and gave several dry-sounding coughs: announcing that he'd been the cause of the pathetic, raspy, grating noise.

"The hell was that? Sounds like you're coughing up a hairball! You part cat or something?" I taunted, laughing at the embarrassed look on the 'handler's' face as his allies turned on him and started laughing and teasing him too. "Fuck off, New Kid! That's the dragon roaring!" he snapped, angrily snapping the dragon's pointed teeth as his face reddened: though I couldn't tell if it was out of embarrassment or anger at this point. 'A roar? THAT'S your excuse?' I thought, trying to wipe the smirk off my face, while at the same time: glad that nobody recorded MY roar…didn't need to give anyone nightmares, if I didn't already. "Yeah! Its pissed." the handler's friend stated, drawing his bow and shooting at me: making me curl my nose at the suction-cupped toy as it bounced off my forehead and landed at my feet.

"Ugh! Man, she's still not dead?" the archer complained, which turned into a nervous 'gulp' as I sent the group a dangerous smirk, especially when I spotted Kyle nodding at me out of the corner of my eye: signaling it was my turn. "Its gonna take a hell of a lot more than THAT to take me out, boys. My turn now." I replied, stepping closer to the boy in the dark-blue sweater I had taken out earlier: who seemed to know that he was my first target, sending me a worried look in return. Clenching my right hand into a fist, I gave the ground another light punch: sending a shockwave through it and into the boy, throwing him off his feet and into the dragon: causing it to shudder unsteadily from the impact, giving it the illusion of a stumble.

"Wow, that looked almost too-real to be fake. What the fuck was that?" I heard Craig ask, causing me to cringe at the realization that he was another of my friends who hadn't a clue about what I was. "That's…a complicated question. I'll explain it to you later." Kyle replied, making me glad that he decided to step up and take care of a very delicate situation for me: especially when the stress of it all was damn-near overwhelming each time I was asked that question. 'Thanks, Kyle.' I thought, grateful that Craig seemed to understand that now wasn't the time or place for that particular conversation and let it be: leaving me able to concentrate on my fight with the cardboard dragon as the boy in control of it, turned its head towards me: allowing me to see the triangular holes in its face that made up its eyes gave the impression of a sinister glare.

Jumping in the fight, the other boy with curved horns on his helmet joined in the fray: standing in front of his friend as he stood back up, looking a bit worse for wear…might have to cut back on the power some more. 'Not that I care, but…isn't that cheating?' I wondered, remembering that you got in trouble for jumping into a fight uninvited: maybe that was a thing now? Who knows, though I was going to ask Kyle about it later. Taking his turn, the newcomer drew his sword and rushed me with it raised high above his head: swiping at me several times with strong, overhead strokes: growing more and more frustrated as I raised my arm up and blocked each one. Paying no mind to his wounded friend as he took off running past us, I raised my foot and shoved my attacker in the chest: knocking him backwards and back towards the dragon.

"O-Our Queen is undefeatable!" Butters cheered, drawing glares and angry scowls from the boys in the dragon, before they turned to each other and shared a single 'nod': apparently agreeing to a silent plan that we didn't know. "Enough of this shit! Ready the fire-breath!" the archer commanded, causing the handler to pick up a bucket of orange LEGOs that had been hidden somewhere between them and started pouring it into the back of the dragon's head: causing it to shake and tremble as if it were inhaling and preparing itself to actually breathe fire: the fistfuls of dry ice they added to its toothy mouth added to that effect even more so: giving it a nice, smokey effect. Taking a careful look at the height of the dragon's head, the angle of where it was 'looking' and the amount of LEGOs being poured in: I had figured out that I was standing in range of the 'fire' that was about to be released from the dragon's mouth.

"Saphira! Get out of the way of the fire-breath!" Kyle called, actually sounding worried that I was going to just stand still and let it hit me. Jumping backwards, I put a few extra feet of distance between it and me and noted that I seemed to being in a 'Safe Zone' now, feeling satisfied of my new place after a few more seconds of making sure the dragon's 'fire' couldn't reach me. "When you see attacks like those, don't end your turn where its gonna hit you." Craig said, making me glance at them out of the corner of my eye and nodded, smirking as Kyle sent me a 'thumbs-up', while Butters clapped his hands and shifted excitedly on his feet. Craig didn't look enthused or impressed by any of this, but it was always hard to tell with him: but if he was playing with us, he HAD to be having some kind of fun to even be out here.

Taking his turn again, the boy on the ground chased after me: smacking at me several times with his sword again, only to be met with the same results as the last two times before he returned to his spot. Glancing at the dragon as the handler made that obnoxious, raspy 'roar' again, I couldn't help but laugh as the boy on the ground turned around in horror as the dragon opened its mouth and released the orange LEGOs onto the ground with a surprising amount of force: leaving the unfortunate kid that had been caught in it to 'burn to death' instantly. "Hah! Our Queen dodged it! You just fried your own teammate, you dumbass!" Kyle taunted, smirking as another pair of Moorish rushed from the sidelines and helped their 'fallen' teammate from the street and to the safety of the sidewalk: paying no mind to his childish fussing as they tried to hold some snow to his bruised face and 'suffocate' the 'flames' from his body.

"Ah, damnit! I TOLD you to make sure we could cover the whole field, you moron!" the handler snapped, smacking the archer upside his helmet: who in turn, reached around and smacked the other boy in the face, cueing a very childish fight of swatting hands and curses of various insults. 'Good to know they get distracted easily.' I noted, barking out a laugh as a particularly-viscous 'swat' almost made the dragon topple over: ending the fight between the two in seconds. "You guys done?" I questioned, watching the two exchange heated glares for several seconds before nodding at me: allowing us to get back to the fight and hopefully end it soon, didn't want to be out in the middle of the street for longer than I had to be.

"Okay, if you guys get a fire-breath attack, our Queen gets her Hammer of Heavenly Reign!" Kyle called, making me raise an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name, only to send my friends a wide grin as Butters came running towards me: carrying a large, inflatable hammer with multiple cardboard spikes taped to it. Taking it in my hands, I noticed it was a bit deflated, but didn't really care: it was just a game, not everything had to be of actual use in combat. Hearing a 'rumbling' noise behind me, I tensed my legs and prepared to get out of the way of the car that had just turned down my street: but was reluctant to do so until the other kids got out of the way first. "You can't stop the Que-CAR!" Kyle shouted, only to be echoed with a second, less-dramatic 'Car' call-out from Craig: stopping the fight as the two defeated boys quickly returned and wheeled the dragon back up Butters's driveway and safely out of incoming traffic.

Stepping up on the sidewalk, I couldn't help but cringe at the blaring horn that screamed from the black car as it slowed to a stop in front of us. "Stay out of the street, you damn kids!" the angry man behind the wheel shouted, seemingly bursting a blood vessel as I childishly stuck my tongue out at him in response: to the amusement of my friends next to me. Reaching around behind me, I looped my arm around Alex's neck and pulled him in for a 'noogie' as he elbowed me in the side at my behavior: laughing at his fussing and wiggling as he tried to escape.

"Why won't you let me fight, Saphy?! I can help!" he muttered in protest, too quietly for the other boys to hear: but I understood every word. "That right there, is why. I don't care if you fight if you play by the rules, but I don't want you in the street, Alex. You're too short for the drivers to see you and if they don't see you: they're not going to stop. You can fight and play with us, just not in the street, okay? You REALLY don't want to get hit by a car, Little Bit: trust me, you can fight with me when I'm not in the street, deal?" I replied, watching his hazel eyes comprehend what I was saying and nodded after a few seconds: giving my middle a hug and a 'pat' on his head from me as the dragon was wheeled back into its place as soon as Kyle announced the coast was clear, cueing me to follow and return to my own spot.

Glancing at Kyle, I caught the soft grin on his face as he watched the interaction between me and my brother. Craig, surprisingly: was also sending me an appraising look before sending a subtle 'nod' of his own: glad to know my friends approved of our relationship. Making sure he wasn't going to follow me, I watched him out of the corner of my eye for several seconds before focusing my attention on the dragon again: just as the two boys readjusted themselves and resumed their same positions as before we were interrupted. "Uh…as I was saying: you can't stop the Queen! She is All-Powerful!" Kyle narrated, making me glance at him as I was starting to figure out what exactly they were doing…and I wasn't too sure if I appreciated it.

"Only in Chess, Kyle!" I called back, causing a look of confusion to cross his face: probably wondering what Chess had anything to do with what we were currently doing. "Well…yes, considering it's the most-valuable piece on the boar-wait! You play Chess, Saphira?" Kyle spluttered, acting shocked that I knew that the Queen was the most-valuable piece on the board and could even play the game, guess I'll have to show him a thing or two about strategy games. 'Won't that be fun.' I thought, feeling a borderline-evil smirk stretch across my face at the very idea of doing such a thing. However, while the idea was good…the memories behind it, were not: making me fight the urge to curl my lip at the very concept of Chess or any game included therein the same genre. Shaking off the unpleasant thoughts, I gripped the inflatable hammer tightly in my hands before sprinting towards the dragon: jumping up in the air and slamming it down on the back of the dragon's neck with as much force as the rubber and air would allow.

"W-What a Smiting!" Butters cried, seemingly shocked that an half-inflated hammer was able to even damage the cardboard beast. As soon as the inflatable toy made contact with the fragile joint, the fragile tape (with the help of the icy air) let go from the rest of its body: causing its head and neck to drop to the ground. Unbalanced from the hit and lack of a head, the rest of its body shuddered violently from the boys inside trying to regain their balance: causing the rest of the dragon to break into pieces and topple to the ground on its side like a dramatically-dying animal, fitting for the 'slaying' of a dragon. 'Damn, now I feel really bad…that must've taken them days to make.' I thought, watching the crying boys mourn the loss of their creation: shooting me murderous glares as they were left to pick up the pieces and remove them from the middle of the street.

"DRAGON SLAYER!" Kyle yelled, granting me yet-another Title as I tossed the pair of Moorish an apologetic look as I tossed them the hammer as a token of good will before making my way over to my friends: grinning as the rest of our 'enemies' scattered out of my way as I passed by. "Oh my god! She defeated the dragon!" the Moor in the dark-blue sweater cried, stumbling over his feet and grabbing hold of his horned friend as he tried to get away from me: flinching in mock-terror as I glanced over at him with a dangerous grin. "No fucking way! Nobody can kill the dragon, its immortal! That kid's amazing!" the Moor dressed in yellow added, before quickly following the lead of his allies and fled: granting myself and my friends the victory and apparently want no further part in combat against us.

Glancing around for the boys, I spotted them among the chaos as they waited rather-impatiently for me on either side of Butters's open garage: which had been turned into a sort of cave for the dragon, complete with cardboard stalagmites and stalactites with a couple boxes that had light-green eggs with dark-green spots drawn on them in colored pencil placed in the front and the back of the garage. Stepping closer, I watched Kyle gesture to the inside of the garage with his hockey stick: signaling me to go inside, though I was unsure of what it was that they wanted me to do. "You're not going to give me a hint: are you?" I asked, rolling my eyes as he shook his head with a knowing look on his face: mimicking zipping his mouth shut and tossing away a key for good measure.

"Of course not." I deadpanned, ignoring the other two as I stepped into the garage and started looking around for anything of use. 'It's a garage…they can't exactly hide much. Wait a minute.' I thought, cutting off my train of thought as I spotted a ladder partially hidden in the back-left corner, heading upwards to the storage space in the upper 'floor' of the garage: and the scratch marks heading towards it from somewhere behind me. Turning around, I followed the marks to a step ladder sitting against a box with a green dragon plushie resting in a wicker basket on top (guess that was supposed to be the dragon's baby). "I thought you were supposed to be smart." Craig stated, completely ignoring the scathing glare I sent him from over my shoulder before turning back to what I was previously doing. "If there's any way in through the garage, the Queen will find it!" Kyle said, and if that wasn't a 'Hand you the answer on a Silver platter', I didn't know what was.

"Y-Yeah! Only the Queen can find the secret way in through my garage. If…I mean if there is one!" Butters added, making my eye twitch at the poorly-hidden 'advice' that was absolutely making fun of my intelligence, and it was quite frankly starting to piss me off. "YES! I know what I need to do! You can stop now." I growled, gritting my teeth and trying very hard to focus on the way to the ladder without any further comments from the 'Peanut Gallery'. Taking a look at the scratches on the floor again, I noticed an 'egg' was blocking the 'track': preventing the step ladder from completely reaching the spot it needed to go. 'I don't think there's any need to use any of my abilities…don't want to scare them…again.' I thought, taking a careful look at the cardboard box and noticed it had a crack in it…a very obvious one.

"I wonder..." I mumbled, clenching my hand in a fist and giving it a good punch: causing my hand to go right through the flimsy cardboard, flattening it into a broken heap instantly. 'There, path is clear.' I though, nodding in satisfaction as I walked back over to the step ladder and dragged it across the floor, paying no mind to the 'Beware of Dragon' sign to my left. Fitting the ladder snugly in place, I hopped up on the tarp and tried not to lose my balance at the unsteady items concealed underneath. Just as I was about to turn around and call for Alex, I paused at the sound of Kyle and Butters 'clapping', making a scowl appear on my face at how overly-dramatic they were being. "Wow wee! Queen MacManus is such a skillful Warrior! Did ya see how she moved that ladder and used it to climb up?" Butters called, taking a page out of Kyle's book: narrating my every action like it was some kind of unbelievable achievement or some shit.

"She truly is the most powerful Queen in all of the Realms!" Kyle added, throwing me a 'shrug' and a sheepish grin as I glared harshly at him: giving my second warning to quit that bullshit before it REALLY got annoying. "Looks like there's only one way to get to Eric's house from here: let's go, Alex." I called, scaling up the ladder and was surprised to see a large hole in the roof: though it was more of an open skylight or window than anything. Stepping up on the peak of the roof, I turned around and extended my arm downward: allowing him to latch onto my hand and let me pull him up, nudging him under the chin to prevent him from looking down and getting scared of the height.

"You're not gonna fall, I've got you." I said, grinning at his unsure look before kneeling down in front of him: minding the very-limited space and watching where he stepped. Having done this against our will many times before, I didn't have to say anything as Alex climbed on my back and looped his legs around my waist and his arms around my neck before I felt comfortable with his placement, allowing me to stand up and glance down at the boys with an unamused frown on my face. "Holy fuck, she's amazing." Craig said, sounding about as enthused as I was amused: growling in irritation at the absurdity of this entire situation: especially when I felt the telltale 'trembling' as Alex laughed quietly into the hair on the back of my neck.

"I swear to god…if you three don't shut. the fuck. up." I snarled, watching my eyesight turn the faintest hint of orange before it became normal again as Alex elbowed me in the ribs. "Yeah yeah, I know." I griped, opting to ignore their snickering in favor of lining myself up for the jump I was planning to make. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched Alex's eyes scan nervously as he took in the height he currently found himself in: but met my gaze and nodded, signaling he was ready for me to 'Hurry up and get it over with'. "Hold on." I said, not needing to tell him twice as I took a step backwards, before leaning forward and hopping on right side of the slanted roof: letting the snow and ice caked on the gritty shingles act as a slide, carrying us down the side of the roof with speed: only for me to suddenly leap forward in a pounce, gripping the rain-gutter and throwing us into the air with a strong handspring.

At the peak of the jump, I decided to show off a bit: twisting my body in a series of front-flips and twists with the grace of a gymnast, landing safely on the ground on the other side of Eric's fence with a solid 'thud'. Feeling Alex let go, I turned around to see how he handled the 'ride': only to get a fistful of snow in the face and a nasty glare from the green-faced boy, before he stumbled over to the bushes on trembling legs and looked as if he were about to throw up…oops. "Heh, sorry!" I called, laughing as he flipped me the bird from over his shoulder: too amused at the 'Drama Queen' to scold him for his wordless swear, however: if he did it again, I wouldn't be so nice: not with that attitude.

'Now. Where was I?' I wondered, glancing around Eric's trashed backyard and halted my gaze as it landed on a group of Moorish holding Jimmy hostage among the broken and scattered remains of Kupa Keep. 'Well…looks like its time for another ass-kicking, just what the doctor ordered.' I thought with a soundless snarl, cracking my knuckles as more unpleasant memories set the tune for the next in my already-long list of battles, and all I had to do…was dance.