Telanadas

12

Author's Note: Inspiration for this scene drawn from Dragon Age: Origins cinematic trailer. Recognisable dialogue comes from Dragon Age Origins.

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"When that thing comes at us, I'll try to draw it to me," Sakura commands, staring down the incoming beast. "You guys take it out with everything you can."

Naruto grunts in acquiescence while Sasuke and Kakashi dart out in opposite directions.

The only one left out in the open, Sakura proves to be the most tempting target. The dragon hits the ground in front of her with an earth-shaking impact. Sakura yells, beating the back of her axe against her shield to keep the beast's attention. Sasuke wonders if she presented as fierce a figure in the arena of her Proving Grounds.

One tiny woman facing certain death with flashing green eyes and a smirk on her face.

Silently, he thanks those foolish durgen'len for casting her out of their stone city, or else he would not have the privilege of battling a high dragon with her.

The dwarf and the beast face off, slowly circling each other; although it towers over her, the dragon senses the threat Sakura poses to it. As Sasuke clambers to the tip of one of the nearby outcroppings, he wonders who will be the first to blink.

It ends up being the dragon, whose snout juts forward, snapping jaws at Sakura, who spins and dodges. From her belt, she yanks out one of her smaller war-axes and lobs it straight at the beast's snout. It avoids the projectile, ducking, but Sakura takes this opportunity of distraction to charge.

What the hell is she doing?!

The dragon hisses, spewing a spiral of flames in her direction, but she dives beneath the burst of fire, a hair-width away from immolation. She scrambles to her feet behind it with her giant axe at the ready. Now within the dragon's range, she swings upward at its belly, intending to breach the soft flesh there. The beast avoids her by swiping forward with its clawed arm, sending Sakura sprawling several yards away and her axe in the opposite direction.

The dragon rears its head back, preparing to once more shower Sakura with its flaming breath.

Sasuke lets loose a torrent of exploding arrows. His projectiles are more precise than Kakashi's wild volleys of mana, hitting the beast in its snout and just below its eye. It roars in pain and frustration, tail whipping around to knock Sasuke and his arrows away, but he jumps from his perch before he can fall.

Sasuke lands as the snow settles, hitting the ground running and continuing to fire arrow after arrow. The dragon's frustration at last outweighs its fixation with Sakura, because it shrieks and takes off after Sasuke, plodding toward him. Sasuke is careful to keep running, maintaining a precise parallel distance, firing arrows all while avoiding the snapping jaws. From the other side of the mountain passages, Kakashi lobs blasts of ice at the beast, adding to the distraction. Then Sakura is back, grabbing hold of its tail and holding tight, even as it swings around and tries to dislodge her. It loops around, snapping at her where she clutches at its scales, and then—the insane woman—seems to swing a punch at it.

"Sakura!" Sasuke shouts, as the creature opens its jaws wide, but the words are lost in a louder burst of sound. Blue light explodes within the creature's throat, and it rears back with a grating, choking gasp. Sakura tumbles to the floor in front of it as ice crystals form in the corners of its mouth and nostrils. It scrabbles at its muzzle.

She tosses a look at Sasuke over her shoulder.

"Freeze Bomb!" she calls, a devilish grin on her lips. "No more fire!"