Chapter 30 - Rowan
Simply put Lizbeth would have probably taken me apart without thinking if I wouldn't have shown her my face. The prospect that just my face and a smile were all that it took to stop the raging behemoth that had possessed Liz; well, it melts my heart. Now I have to fight this girl, someone who has been nicknamed since the first combat training against someone, someone that I have trained against and have only landed a score of hits on. She truly is a monster and a legend just waiting for her story to be told
Liz's voice finds it's way to my ears, and her accepting my challenge lights the flames in my chest. Looking to her swords, those are hers they couldn't be anyone else's; the scimitar is such a simple weapon to handle but in the hands of someone like her they are damn near perfect. My daggers, the daggers of flame have led me this far, and I will be damned to go out without a fight. I match Lizbeth's stance at the distance she created for us it is exactly halfway between our preferred fighting distances for the start. She really does want a fair fight.
My body takes its steps as four pillars of stone appear around us, each about 10 feet from where we are currently fighting. I push forward in an offense that will let me shift out and back more efficiently than I would fighting anyone else. The flames closing the gap are met with stone, nothing large enough for me to see three pebbles Liz had held in the air about 2 feet in front of her. The impact from rocketing into the actual pebbles sent white hot flames of pain searing from both shoulders and one off my hip.
Lizbeth
Rowan collides with three of the pebbles I had surrounding me in a defensive net, and I feel my body move, my sword arm sending the blade of my scimitar crashing four times over their chest, the feel and sound of bone cracking under the stone is followed by a gasp of pain leaving Rowan's mouth. I must have cracked their collar bone with the last hit. I begin to push my actual offensive, the pebbles launching Rowan back several yards, the sound of the small stones ricocheting of the stone pillars and walls I had begun to call up at the beginning of the fight, this will let me get moving.
The stones under my feet answer with in a blink of an eye sending me hurdling toward Rowan the sword drawn across my chest ready to strike out at them. The instant of flight from my first step carries me to the side of Rowan and my feet lock into the ground next to them. As I dropped the sword back at Rowan's shoulder pain, pure agony, fire lances through my left arm and I see it, but it is too late to react.
Rowan
Lizbeth's speed far out matches mine, but I do know it will only let her travel in a straight line. I place a flame about a foot above my shoulder. The small spike of flame should be enough of a trap for Lizbeth to not be able to see. Another downside to the speed that Lizbeth has is she is blinded to an extent when at her top speeds, she needs goggles. The trap goes off without hitch, Liz beginning to drop the stone scimitar onto my shoulder presses the flame through her left forearm. I press my advance yet again.
My daggers may not have form, but they can still cut you it is just with fire. I burn the back of Lizbeth's right hand pulling the sword from it, and swing my free left hand downward cross her chest from shoulder to waist. I mentioned Liz is far faster than me on foot, but I am more agile my dagger sinks in slashing from the top of her shoulder down her chest about 6 inches or so.
I feel my left arm that had disarmed Liz from the burn, wrench my weight around turning my body to face the other way and with a swift motion from Liz's weight and arm, a pop. The agony that is a bone being forced out of socket in one fluid motion isn't easily described as anything but blinding pain.
Lizbeth
The pop and squelch of Rowan's shoulder from the side of the broken collar bone couldn't have been anything less than excruciating. My foot coming off the ground slams into Rowan's back sending her tumbling forward left arm hanging limply from its socket. The pain from the three burns reminding me that any movement is bad movement while my body adjusts. I look to the place on my left forearm when the nail of flame had been driven through, at least it isn't bleeding.
Reaching my right arm across my waist I draw out my final remaining sword, this scimitar will be my last of the fight. Calling out to Artemis with my will, the earth becomes one with me, the instantaneous commands launching me from pillar to pillar. Then as Rowan looks up, I make my move, they looked to the pillar opposite of me, I dash down crashing the Scimitar against her Right thigh, my feet meeting the ground for an instant then the earth placed me back into my rotation around the four pillars.
Rowan dropped to one knee from the impact, the next attack began I dashed down back at Rowans side. The wave of flames washed over me like someone throwing a pan of hot grease on my face. I couldn't see the thin layer of flames around Rowan and her trap let me carry myself through the wall of fire the crashing onto the ground several feet away, my command with earth had not ended so earth once again put me into motion the pillars moving enough wind across my face to cool it off.
Rowan
Machina's feedback from the number of flames I have moved today is starting to come in, it is nowhere near his limit, but I can tell if I were to try and prolong the fight it wouldn't end well for me. Liz has fallen for my second trap, a thin sphere of flames hot as a sword in a forge. The trap tells me two things Liz is attacking and which direction she is attacking from. This will have to be my best possible defense until she get's tired of the dashes. Does she ever get dizzy?
That's when it clicks Liz isn't getting dizzy because her rotation isn't just one direction a blur passes over my head in a crossing pattern from pole to pole diagonally across the distance. With a second glance I see the boulder getting passed around as fast as Liz would be moving around the pillars, sneaky when did start rubbing off on her.
Liz broke the wall for the second time now, the smell of scorched leather and a gasp of pain along with the sound of the scimitar swishing past my upper back darts past, as I twirl gently with a small flame speeding me up. I have an idea. She never disappoints a third time, but this is bigger than her, the boulder!
I spin low to the ground and pull the fire shield into a concentrated area over my good arm the heat of the white-hot flames making my arm looking like it is glowing. The boulder smashes into the ground behind me and that's when I see Liz slashing, her scimitar at where my chest was. I push myself forward into a punch, jets of flame erupt off my shoulders and right elbow as the white-hot flame covered arm punches out at Liz's chest. A good punch can be felt in someone's toes, Liz felt the punch in her soul and every inch of her body. She began to dash at me when she missed the flame wall, My arm sending a shockwave of flames washing over her chest the feeling of crushing bones began the second of impact between my hand and her ribcage.
There was no scream from Lizbeth, she just collapsed as the air from the area surrounding the two of us went still with the blow. A gasp pressed her to her knees, and my foot met the side of her head, flames pressing my foot faster than I intended crashes my shin across her temple. A grunt of pain came from Liz's throat as the impact sent her reeling several feet from where her knees met the earth.
"The winner is Fallen Royal!" Liz's mom's voice broke the air as Lizbeth stopped moving on the ground surrendering to unconsciousness. The crowd surrounding the small battlefield erupted into cheers and applause. I tried to raise my arms, but neither of them wanted to work. My knees followed suit along with them and I collapsed to them. "I just need some sleep and it will be fine. Thank you for the beautiful fight, love." I look down at the earth in front of me and one of Liz's swords laying directly in front of me made me take a breath before a cloak of nothingness washes over my body.