He begins to assess her coldly and shrewdly, trying to force aside all the drama surrounding the fight and simply focus on what lies ahead. She is younger and smaller than him, but if Volterra has learned anything from his past battles, it's that he should never underestimate an opponent. He can't tell what breed she is, but it is quite obvious that he is stronger than her - she, however, is probably more nimble, and it hasn't escaped his notice that she's winged, too. He's fought pegasi before, but only amidst the trees where they couldn't take off. Out here in the open, there's nothing stopping her launching an aerial assault on him.

Then there's the surroundings themselves. As Tae has noticed, the Gladiator has not yet fought upon the sands he calls home, and that is rapidly looking like one hell of an oversight. He's fought on sand before, but moist beach-sand is a world away from the dusty, hoof-absorbing grains that he currently finds himself on. His size, whilst useful in that it gives him the advantage of raw power, is a distinct disadvantage for the fact he's more likely to sink into the sand than his much smaller, lighter opponent.

Unbidden, apprehension knots in his stomach. If he loses this...the humiliation will be crushing. This is the first fight of his life where winning actually means something, yet also where a loss would carry crippling consequences. The odds are almost all in his favour, but that means nothing on the battlefield, when a single act of God can allow David to defeat Goliath, can bring even the hardiest of warlords to their knees in submission. Volterra is unaccustomed to feeling nervous before a fight, as combat is the one thing he's actually good at. But the repercussions of a loss here would be colossal, and it hasn't escaped his notice that there's a crowd gathered to watch, too. The last time he had an audience for a fight, it was Roskuld whilst he was summarily beaten to a pulp by Isopia, so the omens are not good.

He has to focus. He can do this.

Suddenly, Tae blurs into a ghost. He remembers her phantasmagoria from their previous meeting, so whilst the sight of her spirit-self is quite disorientating, it isn't enough to put him off.

A faceful of sand, however, is.

One second his sight is crystal clear, the next his eyes are full of gritty, agonising granules that cause a savage snarl to erupt from his lips as he blindly thrashes his head. Anxiety rips at his stomach, coupled with a palpable anger at his own stupidity. How had he, experienced warrior, fallen for the oldest trick in the book?

He's never felt more like an outsider; even the fucking Throat is conspiring against him.

Blinking harshly to try and clear his vision, Volterra desperately uses his other senses to hunt for Tae. His frantic blinks make the grit scrape like sandpaper across his eyes, and his ears flatten as pain rips through him. Yet he can't hear her, can't smell her - she is like the ghost in the skies, and there's nothing he can do about it. He's been blinded before, against Seanan. As a result, he'd slipped over and almost had his leg broken by his miniscule opponent, something he does not care to repeat.

But saviours are coming; angels dressed in red and gold, twists of fate armed with teeth and claws. Suddenly Volterra can see the battlefield through their eyes instead, and relief surges through him.

Until sees Tae coming for his head.

Desperately, he flings his skull to the right. This redirects Tae's hooves to the top of his neck on the left, and they clatter into him with agonising force. He staggers backwards to try and lessen the impact, but it's of little use. A deep bruise explodes into life, and the muscles in the area immediately seize up. He can't move his head to either side, and that is less than ideal at the start of a fight. His instincts tell him to reach up and nip her as she passes overhead, but his stiffened neck prevents it.

Make her land, he roars at his dragons. He cannot enact his revenge if she's in flight, and his revenge needs to be sweet; outrage glows livid in his bloodsteam, a righteous fury that he knows he must harness if he is to make her kneel.

The dragons obey. They circle above her, swooping down towards her to try and force her to the ground, where Volterra eagerly waits like a shark in the water. An inferno erupts from Vadir's jaws, aiming for the filly's back as they try to coax her downwards.

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@Tae

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