"OKAY! Here are the rules for this kind of challenge, er race between you two. You may use only one element of your choosing. You may use any aerial tactics in a non combat maneuver only. Three laps around the entire perimeter of Asylum from here at the starting point to the finish in the lagoon below us. No cheating and no outside help. All is fair in this race."

Quake felt winded after saying all that, "And so let the challenge begin!"

The bronze dragon turned briefly to the gold, "Since you are smaller of us two, you may have a head start."

"As you wish," The gold replied as she tucked her wings inward instead of outward and dove off the cliff side and deployed them as an updraft from the wind sent her skyward at breath taking speeds.

The bronze dragon chuckled, "Clever! Very clever!" The legendary creature glided off the edge of the cliff and over the water of the bay for a bit before going skyward as the a massive wave gave him the lift he needed to ascend.

********

Irzen looked up, "The race is about to begin. Care to place any bets, Scribe?"

"Yeah, I bet Alyson goes crashing face-first into a cliff wall!" The Drowling retorted still perturbed at Irzen's earlier comment.

"Hey, Scribe!"

"Yeah?"

"Relax! Take it easy!" Irzen smiled before he deadpanned, "You don't have to be a jerk every day of your life."

War Scribe just stuck her tongue out at Irzen before she crossed her arms in a huff and resumed watching the race.

Armendes ignored the banter between the two drow. He remained focused on watching Alyson fly as a dragon. So far he was impressed by her maneuvering, then again Lazheros was gaining on her due to the size difference.

"Water vs. Wind," The wizard said quietly taking notes on both dragons. "It's interesting to see how each of them is using their chosen element."

Both Irzen and War Scribe watched Alyson and Lazheros start their race.

"My money is on Alyson. How about you, Scribe?"

The Drowling huffed, "Oh! Alyson will probably be the winner. Lazheros is old and conventional, Alyson is young and dynamic and probably knows more tricks than Lazheros can ever remember."

War Scribe cautioned, "I'm not cheering for her, mind you, I just think she's going to win this race--if she doesn't smack into a rockface."

"There you go again, Scribe, being a beacon of hope for all dragonkind," Irzen replied sarcastically before War Scribe stuck her tongue out at him again.

At this point, Armendes walked over to the teleport circle and blinked up to the torch area of the lighthouse. It was windy but easier to watch and take notes without having to tune out the swordsman who was placing bets, while the chronicler was throwing insults back at him.

Both Irzen and War Scribe watched the race in relative silence.

*******

Alyson soared into the clouds but she could clearly hear Lazheros catching up. In fact, she was a bit intimidated by his sheer size, and adrenaline kicked in as they neared the natural border of mountains that protected Asylum's northern flank from invaders. If she couldn't use the cloud cover to her advantage, she could use the narrow ravines within the mountain tops to keep him at bay.

The bronze dragon broke through the clouds to see Alyson several hundred feet ahead of him. He was amused by this challenge and sought to catch up to her only to see her dive into the narrow mountain passes. Muttering aloud in draconic, rain began to descend into the mountains in the hopes that it would flush her out in a manner of speaking.

The rain pelted Alyson's wings forcing her downwards in some of the narrow ravines. She roared in defiance and a gale of wind blasted the rain clouds out of the sky above her, and boosted her with a powerful updraft. The gold dragon shot up like a rocket over the mountainous peaks. The wind also stirred up the dust creating a series of dust devils that caused the bronze dragon to take evasive action.

Both dragons were bearing down towards the Ancient Oak. The tree itself was colossal dwarfing both of them as the two flew by while avoiding the glitter storm of pixie dust that emptied out into their flight path. The gold dragon tucked her wings inward again to thread the needle with ease, while the bronze again grumbled in frustration. He called down the rain to wash out a path of pixie dust which could cause a problem. Nothing like a dragon having a sneezing fit during a race and used his frighten presence as a warning. Flapping his wings furiously to regain altitude and glide the rest of the way out towards the
airship yard. Due to his size, he had to fly over the ships themselves to avoid colliding with them.

The gold dragon breezed pass the airship yard with a half mile lead on Lazheros rounding the southern tip of the limits. The people in the merchant district were split down the middle on who to cheer for. Half of them cheered for the Bronze Man, half cheered for the gold dragon. Just as she reached the bay area, a larger shape took hold as the bronze dragon burst forth from underneath the water.

****SPPLOOOOOOOOOSHH!!****

Lazheros continued forward without uttering a word to Alyson as he passed her for the second lap. The sheer force of both dragons flying that fast for those who watching at the cliff had to brace themselves or be knocked to the ground.

The gold dragon had gone high in the sky with suns rays obscuring her from his line of sight. Even though he was now ahead of her, she planned this way. He would have to pass through the mountains and a couple of sonic booms created by great thunder claps magnified the natural acoustics slowed him down considerably.

**THOOOM! THOOOM! BA-DA BOOOOM!!**

It was just enough for her to catch up with him and ride the wind on his back in his blind spot.

***********

"GO LADY!!!" Quake cheered.

"Why do you call her, lady?" Caliaphy asked the elemental.

"GO! ALYSON! GO!" Serna cheered aloud.

"As I told Seama, it helps to tell us apart since, I am an aspect of her. Two, it annoys the Chronicler." Quake replied.

"Oh. Okay, I think." The kurori shrugged and started cheering for Alyson to win with Quake.

Madeous watched the dragons intently, "Not bad. Not bad. Celestra was one of the best in this type of race, elegant, graceful, and fiercely competitive."

"The apple does not fall far from the tree," Willow responded evenly.

"It does and does not, Willow. Celestra won...barely. The main difference between Lazheros and both of them is age and centuries of experience. He's had plenty of time to hone his skills and patience for anticipating his opponent's next move. Celestra was too proud to admit that she was almost bested by a older dragon and a bronze dragon at that." Madeous paused briefly to watch the race before continuing, "Alyson's tactics are a cross between mine and Lazheros's. She learned a lot from him in the three summers she spent here as a child. So, we'll just have to wait and see, who truly is the better flyer."

"I agree!" Willow nodded as he continued to watch the race.